An Idaho Christmas

We've been in Idaho for the past week, enjoying the snow and celebrating Christmas with family. Lewiston had its first white Christmas since 1996! Of course, we had to take a trip to the "Train Park." In warm weather, Jack climbs on the locomotive that is eternally stationed here. But every Christmastime, the Winter Spirit committee strings the trees with thousands of glittering lights. Yes, it was COO-OOLD. But we kept warm by stomping on the pad that is connected to the lights on one of the trees. My sister Val flew in from Texas late Tuesday night, and my brother Ryan, sister-in-law Marisa, and nephew Avi joined us on Christmas afternoon. Look how cooperative the boys (and Casey) were for a family photo:

Snow tracks

It's been fun these past few mornings while I'm out walking Casey to see all the animal tracks in the snow. I can't believe all these different kinds of animals are roaming our neighborhood while we slumber. Identifying them all is not in my bag of tricks--and, believe me, there were many different kinds of tracks, more than are pictured here. These are just the most interesting pictures.This one's easy: birds. I'm assuming quail.

Slippery slide-y... some kind of big cat?
These are some gargantuan hooves...

Something with four feet. Beyond that, I'm not sure.

Guess who...

... we saw last night? And guess which crabby toddler wanted NOTHING to do with him?

Coach hubby

Not only does Brian serve as the assistant principal here... he's also the 5th-8th grade girls' basketball coach! Unfortunately, a lack of junior high girls turning out for the team makes for a miserable showing come game time. Last night, they played Bishop, a bigger team both physically and numbers-wise. When Jack and I arrived at halftime, the poor girls were down 28-2. The second half was better, but these 5th graders still have a lot of learnin' to do. Final score? 36-6. Jack is always happy with a bag of popcorn. Basketball, schmasketball!

We're pregnant!

Our traumatic two-year checkup

Poor Jack had to visit the doctor today. (Poor Jack? What about Poor Mama?!?!) He was a cranky-crankster from the moment his feet hit that waiting room floor, as if he were aware of some impending doom. And when the strange instruments and needles made their appearances, arms flailed, the head threw itself back, the torso stiffened, and oh man, those tears flowed. (Is "flowed" even a word?)

Anyway, here are the stats:

Weight: 24 pounds, 4 ounces (8th percentile)

Height: 33 1/2 inches (25th percentile)
Head: 19 3/4 inches (70th percentile)

This photo is of him at a happier time:

My kind of town

This is the kind of town we're living in:

1. I've only been to the post office a couple times, but Brian works across the street from there and has gone in several times. So Margie, the postmaster, knows our names. She calls Jack by name and knows he just turned two. Today, when she saw me come in, she rushed into the back, saying, "I was right the other day; you did get another package!"

2. After the P.O., I stopped by the Shell station to ask them to fix a leak in our tire. The owner came outside to meet me, and before I even had Jack out of his carseat, he was giving me price quotes on the snow tires I'd asked about two days ago. He included a "local discount" in the quote. After he'd fixed the leak, he charged me ten dollars... or "whatever you've got in there," he said, as I dug in my wallet.

3. Brian's school? No fences, or gates... anyone is free to walk on campus, anytime. (Although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.)

4. Tomorrow night, the whole community is invited to a tree lighting at the giant sequoia in the back parking lot of Nicely's Restaurant. It's not a big parking lot... yet I'm sure the whole community could fit in it.

5. Oh yeah, and Nicely's? It's the only local restaurant open year-round. And during the winter, locals eat for half-price on Monday nights.

Hello, truck!

Well, we did it! This past weekend, we drove back to our ol' stomping grounds--the Central Valley--to purchase a truck. We ended up finding a beautiful 2007 Ford F150 XLT in Bakersfield. We stayed with my Aunt Stefani and saw my cousins, the Swanlunds, while we were there. Believe me, it was soooo nice for all of us on the five-hour trip back, riding in a crew-cab pickup, rather than our cramped little Volkswagen. And Brian no longer feels he's compromising his manhood by jetting around in a Beetle.

Bye-bye, Bug

Today we head to Fresno (which, although it's just over the mountains, is a seven-hour drive from here!) to trade in our beloved Volkswagen Beetle for a four-wheel drive truck. We'd just paid off the car, and have enjoyed the 45+ miles per gallon for the past five years, but it's time to face reality. Gone are the days when just Brian and I, and possibly a couple cats or a dog (or, once, all three) would pile into the Bug for a trip to some far-off destination.

Turkey day... but where's the turkey?

You know how, when you get sick on a certain food, you can't eat it again for a long time? Well, that's how I've been with the traditional turkey dinner since last Thanksgiving. Brian didn't want a turkey, but I insisted on having one, and with that darn bird I prepared all the fixins. The trouble was, halfway through the day I started feeling ill. Rather than admit it, I forced myself to eat the dinner which I'd worked so hard on. Later on, I painfully regurgitated the meal, and spent the next day or so in bed. So this Thanksgiving, I agreed to crawfish fettuccini. It's only the three of us today, in our new little house in the Eastern Sierra, and we're happy to have a few quiet days together before the madness of Christmas season truly sets in. We are truly blessed. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my wonderful family and friends, and may God bless you as well.

A third birthday party

Today is Granny's 75th birthday, and she and Jack shared a celebration last night. (I think Jack is really getting used to the cake and presents!) He actually almost blew out the big "2" candle, but spoilsport cousin Matthew impatiently did it for him. Oh well... we'll have one more birthday cake, I'm sure, once we get back to Mono City. Maybe all this practice of blowing out candles is leading up to the final show, the one that matters, the one when his daddy will be there! We fly out tomorrow...

Birthday boy

I can't believe that Jack is two today! My baby is transforming into a big boy before my eyes. We celebrated with a party here in Las Cruces yesterday. Jack enjoyed the Elmo cake and the balloons hanging from the chandelier. Oh... and the presents, of course. On the agenda for today: a trip to Scoopy's (an absolute Las Cruces MUST) for Frito Pie and massive frozen custard sundaes. Strawberry shortcake for me, please!

Exploring "the yard"

I've heard stories of Brian exploring family friend Raymond's yard while growing up in Las Cruces. Today, Jack got his first chance to explore the yard as well. Here he is, perched oh-so-excitedly on an old handcar.

Nine days o' big Texas fun

Jack and I just spent some time visiting my sister Val ("T.T.") in Texas. My parents were also there for part of the time. Highlights of the trip include:
*A jaunt to Shreveport--where Jack rode a carousel for the first time--and the very southwestern corner of Arkansas:

*A visit to the Ft. Worth Zoo (elephants and giraffes and monkeys, oh my!):

*A walk through the Stockyards in Ft. Worth, where we caught just in time the twice-daily parade of longhorn cattle through the streets:

*A bounty of bubbles, courtesy of cousin Jody, batted at with two pinwheels:

*A yummy dinner at St. Alphonsius Church's Greek festival:

*And an early second birthday celebration for Jack, including dinner at a Cajun restaurant and an ice cream cake set ablaze with waaaay more candles than two:

Time spent with family is always precious, and Jack and I are still enjoying our trip; currently, we're in Las Cruces for a few days. More pictures to come!

Trick or treat, smell our feet

We celebrated Halloween last night at a neighborhood party hosted by one of Brian's co-workers. Jack was thrilled by the chance to dress up like a train conductor once again and carry his "pump."

The party featured an array of spooky snacks, including bloody fingers, ghosts on a log, spiders, monster pizzas, and my personal favorite, barf:

Afterward, about forty of us packed up, the youngest pulled in wagons, and began a trail up and down Mono City. Jack was a trooper. It took about three houses for him to get the hang of the whole trick-or-treating thing, but then he started inviting himself into people's houses. At one house, he even pulled a rocking chair around and picked up a book.

Adventure Week, Part 4: Halloween Carnival

Tonight was the Halloween Carnival in Lee Vining; here's a photo of my handsome little train conductor running amok in the crowd. Of course, he's saying probably about a hundred words now, but still refuses to say "train." (He says "truck" for train, and hilariously finished off tonight's dinner prayer with a "BIIIIIG truck" instead of the normal "Amen.")

Brian hasn't given up his music teaching gig. He had the first through sixth graders singing some spooky songs for the crowd.

Adventure Week, Part 3: Downtown Lee Vining

Needing to swing by the post office today anyway, Jack and I decided to explore the heart of Lee Vining for our adventure. We went to the Mono Lake Committee bookstore/art gallery/tourist trap because I figured we could pick up some of the "Long Live MONO LAKE" bumper stickers that I've seen on bumpers and railings everywhere. They have a really great selection of books as well, which is always fun for me. And, of course, we had to stop by Mono Market to grab a triple berry crumble bar and sit on the bench outside to watch the trucks fly by.

Adventure Week, Part 2: Lundy Lake

Having skipped an adventure yesterday (on account of my itchy eyes), Jack and I decided to take a fun little nature walk today at Lundy Lake, which is about six miles west of here, up in Lundy Canyon.

The lake itself was a little disappointing: lots of mud. (Okay, it was a disappointment for me. Jack absolutely loved those few fleeting moments in which I actually allowed him to stomp in the mud.) There are supposedly beavers at Lundy Lake; they must have hidden when they saw us. But Jack had fun searching for rocks, the bigger the better ("BIIIIG rock!"), and sticks. Here he is, performing some sort of instinctual caveman ritual with two choice twigs:

Adventure Week, Part 1: Mono Lake Park

This week, Jack and I decided to finally explore some of the sights around here. We started today at Mono Lake Park, just a five-minute drive, to see some of the famed "tufa towers." Jack enjoyed the quarter-mile or so boardwalk that led down to the water. Along the way, signs were posted to show the past elevations of the lake.

These are a couple of the most spectacular tufa towers just off the shoreline. There were a few on dry land as well.

Too close for comfort

It's been fun living here, being so close to nature. Every morning, I walk Casey a few houses down, and then straight into this deserty wilderness. The other morning, she actually chased a deer! It was too far away for her to catch up to, but it was still amazing to watch. Afterward, I swear she began leaping like a deer, over the scrub and mesquite and other desert plants that fill the landscape. We see rabbits almost every morning, hurrying into and out of neighbors' bushes. The bugs are bigger and the spiders are plentiful. And although we no longer live in Mammoth, where "Don't Feed Our Bears" stickers are on dumpsters everywhere, I've heard that once in awhile, bears are known to venture into Mono City from the nearby mountains.

Of course, being so close to nature can have its consequences as well. We learned this the hard way on Tuesday night. Brian called after work because the Bug wouldn't start, and we went to pick him up. It was about 7:00 and quite dark, and as we left Lee Vining, Brian shouted, "Deer!" There were two of them, standing in the middle of the highway. I slammed on the brakes, and the poor thing began moving out of my path, but I still hit it. The only way I can describe the experience is surreal, hearing the thud of a large living creature at the front of my 50-mph vehicle. There was someone behind us, so I couldn't stop right away, but as soon as I could, I pulled the van over so we could regroup and inspect the damage. We switched seats and I bawled the rest of the way home. Not sure if I cried more for our van or the poor deer!

Snow day!

Mono City mama

We have Internet again--hooray!!! I feel like I've been seriously incommunicado (sp?) these past couple weeks while we moved. And all I hear all day from my fascinating little conversationalist is: "Truck. BIG truck. Big truck. [Everything is a big truck.] Moorgee [more please]! All done. Moorgee! All done... BIG truck." You can safely bet that I am looking forward to some adult conversation at the little shindig that one of Brian's teachers is putting on this Friday.

Moving (yet again)

We've found a house in the middle of nowhere: Mono City, California. It is about eight miles away from Brian's work in Lee Vining, and near many of his co-workers and students. There is nothing in the town but houses. No grocery stores, gas stations... NOTHING. We said we wanted a small town; I guess God decided to give us what we wished for!

Forgive me if I sound negative. I really am looking forward to living there. It'll be--like everything else these past two months--an adventure!

Brilliant ideas... at least in Jack's mind

1. Chewing on used earplugs is yummy!
2. When Casey drinks from her water bowl, it's fun to imitate.
3. It's also fun to drop pieces of dog food into the water bowl.
4. Books sometimes go into a sinkful of water when Mom's not paying attention.
5. Toilet paper is for unrolling!
6. Blocks are meant to be scattered far and wide across the living room floor.
7. The office chair can spin... and spin and spin and spin!
8. The keys on the laptop can be picked at and removed.
9. The moon is visible 24 hours a day. (Thanks, Grandma Melanie, for getting him hooked on that one!)

"Good-bye God," we went to Bodie

Poor Brian. Before he'd started this all-consuming job, he'd requested to go somewhere for his birthday: Bodie, the famous ghost town about an hour from here. But when this past weekend actually came, he confessed that he'd rather stay home and relax. Uh-uh, I said, and held him to his first wish: a trip to the biggest, baddest ghost town this side of... well, anywhere.

This blog's title came from a young girl who, upon learning her family was moving to Bodie, penned the dire hesitations in her diary. In its 1880s heyday, Bodie boasted a population of 10,000, mostly gold-seekers. The town became a haven for criminals: robberies, stage holdups, street fights, and murders were commonplace, and the 65 saloons far outnumbered the churches.

Only five percent of the original buildings still stand, and we toured what we could yesterday. Jack enjoyed traversing the dusty streets and climbing up an ancient set of stairs. And Brian? Well, he gave up his morning to go to Bodie, but he got his birthday afternoon to relax and eat cake.

To my wonderful husband...

Happy Birthday! I love you.

Back to Cali

Jack, Casey, and I are back in Mammoth Lakes. The latter part of our trip to Idaho was a whirlwind of family get-togethers. My sister Val (a.k.a. "T.T.," for Jack) flew in for a few days. Of course, we had to go up to Moscow to get the boys together again. We went into Hodgins Drug in downtown Moscow to peruse all the wonderful vintage toys; Jack bawled when I pried him away from the train table.

Due to Jack's obsessive love for trains, my mom thought we should take him to the "Train Park" in Lewiston. Again, when we left, he cried. I'm talking oodles, buckets, of tears. We'll take him back this Christmas, when the train and all the trees are heavily strung with glittering lights, and carols blare from loudspeakers. He saw it two years ago, when he was a newborn... but I don't think he remembers. ;-)Saturday morning, the Gibler family, never one to attend a rodeo, decided to partake in at least one Lewiston Roundup festivity: the parade downtown. Sorry, all my Manteca and Lathrop friends, but your parades ain't got nothin' on the Lewiston Roundup parade! It featured a dizzying array of horses, trucks, bands, and floats. Jack has been in several parades, riding in a stroller alongside his daddy's junior high band, but this is one of the first he has observed from the sidelines.

Jack's strategy for parade-watching is as follows:

1. Crouch in the street, a few feet from Mama, as the parade participants coast by.

2. Point at the fire engines, and then at toy fire engines packed in the diaper bag.

3. Watch as the older, more experienced, kids run into the street to get pieces of candy that are thrown from floats.

4. At Mama's prodding, pick up pieces of candy that land nearby.

5. After picking up candy, throw back down on the ground, just as people on the floats did.

6. Also at Mama's request, place candy in Auntie Callie's plastic bag, for Cousin Tobin to devour later.

7. Later, fall victim to sneaky older girl--a complete stranger--who holds out a plastic bag. Throw candy into her bag. Watch Mama laugh.

8. Take requisite photo with the grandparents.

Sunday was Grandparents' Day, and Marisa orchestrated a lovely brunch, which we ate on the patio. Yet again, we all pigged out, and lazed around all afternoon. The next morning, both T.T. and I left town. Good-bye, my lovely home state...

A Labor Day to remember

Yesterday was the 5th annual Gibler family Labor Day gathering, the first one I've been able to attend. We had it at my grandparents' house in Kooskia, which my aunt and uncle are now turning into a B&B. Many, many little cousins were there, and I was able to meet my cousin Joel's new wife, Flory, from Guatemala. Jack enjoyed the bubble wands, and even plopped right down into the bubble pan at one point. We all pigged out on hamburgers, chicken, and a plethora of sugary treats. A fun time was had by all!

Jack's first sentence

"more

cheese

please..."

(Uttered this morning at breakfast.)

(Yes, I gave him cheese for breakfast. Huge chunks of it. He was impatient, waiting for the toaster.)

Wedding, et cetera

Well, the wedding was wonderful. Jack went up with me and played through the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Jaime and Chris put us up in a hotel that overlooked the river (the Spokane River, I think?); we both enjoyed the pool on Friday night. (Jack mostly enjoyed just running around the pool while I swam furiously to keep up with him!) On Saturday morning, we woke up early, drove to Coeur d'Alene for breakfast, and then traveled to Plummer. My Aunt Claudia and Uncle Karl were willing and able to watch Jack during the wedding. He went down for a nap in the Pak & Play and slept for more than three hours while I drove back to Post Falls for the wedding.

Jaime, the bride and one of my very best friends on earth, was beautiful as always, in a white gown with a red stripe across the chest and down the back. Her Aunt Laresa, the maid of honor, and I wore red gowns and silver heels. The wedding was held in the backyard of Jaime's uncle's house, in a wooded area just a half mile from the water. It was a short but sweet ceremony, officiated by their friend Gary, who'd become certified to perform weddings just for this occasion. Jaime's uncle had hired a photographer who flew overhead in a helicopter just as we were all walking down the aisle, and we all laughed about it being a celebrity wedding, with paparazzi overhead. After prime rib, pulled pork sandwiches and the wedding cake, I drove back to Plummer, where Karl and Claudia offered to put us up for the night. Rather than drive the hour-and-a-half back to Lewiston, I gladly accepted their offer. Uncle Karl took us for a ride in his Kubota so we could see the goats and all the trails he's carved into the hillsides above their house to cut down trees for firewood.

We were up early yesterday morning, and picked up Marisa and Avi in Moscow on the way back to Lewiston so the boys could play a little. Yesterday afternoon, we all went to the beach at Lenore with my cousin Sooki and her boys, Kyle and Kobe, for a picnic... and an attempt to brave the frigid, rushing water.

Today, it's up the river again, to Kooskia, for the annual Gibler Labor Day get-together. Can't wait to get those little cousins together!

Our trip thus far

Jack attempted to share toys with second cousins Kristian and Evan... well, actually, I attempted to make him O.K. with sharing.

Running down the driveway at Aunt Bobbi and Uncle Dave's house...

Riding with Uncle Dave in the HUUUGE combine. Unfortunately, it was rainy, so no actual farming was done that day, but we still got to ride.

Jack got to "drive" a smaller tractor by himself.

I just love this photo...

Wow! Two toddlers--Jack and cousin Avi--actually sitting still for a photo!

Auntie Marisa's mom Michelle gets the credit for arranging this one, in the back of Uncle Ryan's truck.