Closing out 2009

The last part of 2009 has been very busy for us. I've fallen behind on our bloggin so there is a lot of material to cover in this posting. As usual, I'll base it around pictures that we have taken during that time.

Going back to San Diego

We'll start with a bit of a recap about our summer. We took our now annual trip to Mission Beach in San Diego. It was so much fun that I really didn't take a lot of pictures. The house we rented, although in a great location, was a bit of a hell hole. But it worked as a place to sleep and wash the sand off.

Here are some of the basic images of the boys playing in the water. They got pretty good at boogie boarding. Next year maybe we will try surfing. We played in the water, went to Knott's Berry Farm (see videos and pics from the August Posting), and had some good food.

On the way out of town we visited the Aquarium in La Jolla. We dig aquariums, especially if they have tidal pools you can stick your hands in and touch slimy things. Got a good picture of Ben and Andrew:

Cub Scout Events

Andrew started in with Cub scouts and had his first picnic to kind of get everyone together and get to know each other as families. We had lots of fun, until Andrew got his fingers stuck in the tug-of-war rope. We thought he pulled them off but it was just a bad rope burn. Before that happened, Andrew won the three legged race for his age group with his new buddy and Ben had fun in the relay races:

He also went to his first Scout-o-Rama as a Cub Scout. So he got to wear his uniforms and do the various booths as an "official" scout this time. It was a long day, but we had a lot of fun doing all sorts of activities. The rope bridges are always a favorite (The put that big old flag right there at the start where the boys are really concentrating, makes for a good picture):

He also did a couple of relay races and did his time manning the Pack's booth, helping kids make their own compasses from cork and a magnetized nail:

Another event was the annual Christmas Pack meeting. Andrew got into it and looked great in his Rudolf ears and nose. They all sang a funny version of "12 Days" and Andrew was a star up there.

And to close out the year, his Tiger den took a hike up South Mountain as part of their out-doors requirement. They all made it to the top of Telegraph Pass with less complaining than the adults.

His Den is a good group of kids and parents, with a few siblings thrown in to make it more fun. We are looking forward to starting the new year out and earning some belt loops.

Fun at School

During this period the boys went through two quarters at their school, HCLC. Both did very well, with Andrew showing a skill for reading and math. Ben continues to amaze and confound his teachers with his combination of understanding and knowledge way beyond his years, coupled with a complete lack of discipline and organizational skills.

School events mostly consist of band concerts for Ben and Summatives (end of quarter presentations) for both kids. Ben's Sax playing is getting pretty good. But he sits in the middle so we can never get a good picture of him while playing. He did look pretty spiffy before his last big concert:

Andrew got to dress up as well, for his Summative where the class pretended they were on a city board trying to improve the environmental impact of a day camp for kids. His expressions just crack me up:

Ben did his bit and both events involved building models of things. For the first one he build a Rube Goldberg type contraption. I don't know which I like better, his Treboche gizmo or the way his partner is looking at him:

They also did a unit on the first Thanksgiving (Andrew) and on Medieval Technology (Ben), but I didn't get any good pictures.

Bread

One thing that Heidi and I did that didn't involve the kids was head of to Healdsburg, CA where I took a Wood Fire Oven Bead Breaking Class. Our neighbors came with us and Ken and I took the class while Heidi and Kim had fun in town. It was one of the best trips I've ever taken because of the location, weather, food, wine, the people in the class, and the class. On the way up we got a rare picture of Heidi and I in the back of the limo.

It was one of the most terrifying rides of my life (the driver was insane). Next time we are renting a car. Here is some of the bread that the class cooked:

And if you have been following us on Facebook, you will know I now have an obsession with posting pictures of my baking. Here are two of my favorites - some miscellaneous loaves and some naan:

Halloween

We had a fun filled Halloween. It was special because the adults dressed up this year. Heidi was a 70's blond chick... Andrew was a bottle of mustard and I was a boy scout (I had to buy the stupid uniform for Ben's events so I thought I'd get some double use out of it):

Unfortunately we never got a picture of Ben, who was dressed up as a killer toilet, so probably a good thing. This year we had a lot of kids so the annual post trick-or-treating candy swap was a big deal:

At the end of the night, the boys were zonked. All that walking, all the candy. They just crawled into our bed and we found them hugging each other as they snored away. And yes, Andrew is asleep, he sleeps with his eyes open - creeeeeppppyyyyy.

Thanksgiving

(Getting close to the end, hang in there...) For Thanksgiving we headed up to Cornville (Verde Valley in Arizona, just south of Sedona) to celebrate with Grandpa and Nanna as well as some cousins (somewhat removed) on Sarah's side. One thing we did, besides eat, was take a hike on Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona. The first picture is of the all the Kids, the next of Ben in a tree and the last the request "picture-of-red-rocks-reflected-in-Oak-creek"

Andrew especially bonded with his Cousin Jonathan:

Ben was a big help cooking, and the turkey turned out perfect! Free Range, organic and yummy.

Christmas Season

This may have been our busiest Christmas ever. It started with a trip to Williams to ride on the Polar Express.

The best part was Andrew's Frustration, Excitement, Anticipation and then Glee waiting for Santa to come in our car.

After we visited the North Pole, we stayed up in the Williams area and went sledding. This was the first time Ben and Andrew had done sledding (or I guess "disking" to be correct) and really the only time they could play in snow for a long time. Andrew LOVED it and was fearless. Ben, was a bit more introspective about the whole event - he is not a speed demon. We even made a snow man.

After that we were invited to Kim and Ken's Christmas party at Montelucia Resort in Paradise Valley. It was a blast, dental people are a lot more fun at Christmas Parties than engineers... buy an order of magnitude. Fortunately there are no pictures. We really enjoyed ourselves after the party just lazing around the resort the next morning.

Then there was the PADT Christmas Picnic. Not nearly as wild, more a family thing. Still lots of fun.

We also found some time to drive up to the Rim and find a free range organic Christmas tree to harvest. The following are pictures of it 1) in its natural state, happy and free just on the Rim overlooking a gorgeous valley, 2) tied to roof of the car after we savagely sawed it away from its life giving roots, 3) ready to be decorated and 4) the final product. I have to say this may have been or best looking tree ever.

After all of that we finally jumped into the old SUV, luggage bag strapped to the top, and did the 12 hour drive to Morgan Hill to spend Christmas with Uncle Bruce and Grammy. Fun was had by all. The gifts were many, and most were wanted and only a few needed.

We had a couple of nice meals at Grammy's place, and managed to get this nice family picture on Christmas Eve:

The boys stepped away from the new video games (PS3, YES!) long enough for a walk to the ponds near Bruce's place.

There was good food. Traditional Peach Breakfast on Christmas Morning and a giant hunk of Roast for Dinner that Day. And with the roast, ,perhaps the best bottle of wine I've ever had (well, shared).

We also managed to find some time to visit with some friends in the Bay Area, but not enough time to see them all. On the way back we had a good visit with Aunt Loretta and Uncle Bo as well as the Cousins that live in Fresno.

Nothing to report for New Years day. We just hung out with Kim and Ken and managed to stay away till Midnight. We were getting a bit worn down this year.

Everything finished up with the annual Helguson Gingerbread House party. Ben was really in to it. Both Andrew and I didn't feel the creative magic. But Ben was showing some real talent with a fire pit, walkway, stepping stones, etc.. (third picture). But Heidi as usual outdid everyone with her snow ball fight, lawn furniture and brick walkway (second picture)

And with that, the holiday season is over. All the decorations are down and put int the garage. Our tree was deposited at the recycle station:

And like Moe, we are just worn out!

On to 2010

2009 was a good year for us. We traveled, we saw friends and family, we built some great memories and except for a few colds, we have been healthy. Thankfully we have not been touched much by the recession, just a lot more effort at work to make sure it doesn't cause problems.