Goodbye 2016

Discussions around these parts are, what a shoddy year 2016 was.  It wasn't ALL like that.  But a dear friend's mother died after a long illness, and we're generally worried about what misfortune the new president will bring us.  But there were some good things too.

We went to Disneyland, our first long vacation in a few years.
Charlie started working full-time, in a community he truly enjoys.
Scarlett and I just finished reading Harry Potter, book 5. 
She is biking without training wheels, which allows us more family run-bike time.
She is loving first grade.  She reads a ton, although her handwriting needs work (according to her teacher, and also anybody who attempts to read her handwriting)
We said goodbye to Charlie's old Hyundai, and donated it to a local charity.  We didn't drive it much anyway.  So we enter 2017 as a one-car family.


But, the concerns.  To combat our worry that government programs for the needy will be shut down, immigrant families will be treated poorly, and legislation to protect the earth will be overturned in ways that we cannot return from- we are working to be kinder and more generous.  We drive around with apples and granola bars in the car and when we see someone holding a sign by the roadside, we hand them some. Scarlett loves this.  She is keeping tally of how many homeless people we have helped.  We recently handed out some bags full of helpful items (gloves, socks, granola bars, water, tooth brushes, baby wipes).  I was nervous at first, that the items wouldn't be well received.  But it's been lovely, and my daughter is learning that she can help those in need with small gestures and a smile.  Greenpeace came to my door and I gave them money, which I never would've done before the election.  So in that sense, donald trump has brought out the best in me. I am rising up.  I'm going to fight his bigotry and bullying nature with kindness and sympathy. My daughter will never grow up thinking she is better than anyone else because she's white, or that she's lesser because she's a female.  She's going to grow up realizing she is lucky to have a home and all her needs met, and that she should work to help others who are less fortunate and treat our earth with respect.  I hope that a year from now, things are not as bad as I expect them to be.  2017, pleasantly surprise me.

Scar-ism: Harry Potter-style

"A mama's kiss fills you with love! A dementor's kiss sucks out your soul."

What happens at Christmastime in Oregon

Peacock Lane!

Gingerbread house decorating!

Trees that have fallen down!

Art by Scarlett

Food fractions

This one is a lion, roaring (sideways)

Vampires

In lieu of saving every single drawing- which I'm tempted to do and in fact I have boxes of Scarlett art in the basement- I'm taking photos so they can be enjoyed later, without being in piles on my kitchen table.

Corn Maze

Once upon a time, we did this and it was adorable.  This time around, Scarlett and I hit up the very muddiest corn maze of our lives. It was like a river, but luckily we had boots and wet weather clothing because we are native Oregonians.  I have told Scarlett not to fear the rain. Otherwise, she'd spend her whole childhood inside and miss adventures like this one.

I like this picture because it makes me think- she had a long difficult journey and now she's warming up with an espresso, which is what I did.

Newport

We went to the beach, but Scarlett was disappointed that it wasn't the wave-jumping, sandcastle-making, wearing a swimsuit-type of beach.  It was more like, a trip to a coastal town.  I should have been more specific with her.  But we stayed in a hotel, which Scarlett always thinks is exciting, and she was allowed to watch cartoons in the morning.  That is a Big Deal.

Dickersons on the road!

We went to the aquarium and Scarlett was able to touch sea animals....

 ...and climb on them.

Then we saw a little show with a sassy pelican named Jo Jo, whom Scarlett now counts as a lifelong friend.

We went to the wax museum and the Ripley's Believe it or Not- which are creepy and roadside attraction-style, but interesting.  They have also possibly not been updated since I was Scarlett's age.  Ripley's was almost like a haunted house.  You can do things like this:

Then we hit up the Yaquina Head lighthouse area, and we hiked up the hill and then down into the tidepool area.  This was my favorite part.  It was peaceful, and the ocean was really stormy down below.

 She's got the whole lighthouse in her hands

Oh yeah, and these sea lions are really funny, they bark nonstop.

 There was a *little* beach time but sadly, no wave jumping or swim suits. 

Scarlett wears the lighthouse as a hat

Art therapy

Scarlett made this Donald Trump thing at school.  She thought it was funny, and we did too, yesterday.  But today, it is not funny. I cannot believe this bullying idiot is going to be the president.  I hope he surprises me in a good way.

Birthday donuts

Thanks Pips!

Rocking the vote

I texted this picture to my parents and my mom replied "Nasty women vote", which I love. 

Vacation

Oh I forgot to tell you, we went to Disneyland!  Scarlett likes to give a very detailed account of, we went to Disney and then California Adventure and then Harry Pottermore and then Disney again.  But basically, we had a really fun vacation and this fueled me to plan for vacation for the future.  

Grandma and Grandpa flew out from Chicago to meet us.  Here's the Grandma-granddaughter huddle:

We stayed in a lovely rental house less than a mile from the park so, Charlie and I dropped off our homies in the giant van (we rented a giant van), then walked up to the park together.  Here were are on the tram, en route to Disney, the happiest place on earth.

Oh and, it was Aunt Sally's birthday! 

For most our trip, it was upwards of 90 degrees.  It turns out that Scarlett and I do not love roller coasters- which I sortof already knew because we don't like spinning and we get car sick.  I know, we're a blast. 

Jungle River Cruise- this is my kind of ride, because it's slow and you stay near the ground.

We went to Disneyland when Scarlett was three, and her favorite thing was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.  I was really excited to take her on it again this time, but that never happened.  The first day, we just never got around to it.  The second day, she decided she needed to pee when we were halfway through the line, so we bailed and never went back.  But on our way back from the bathroom, we saw Kobe Bryant.  So, that was interesting, although good or bad, I cannot decide.

Scarlett likes to tell people that the water in California tastes gross.  It does.  We said- how lucky we are to live in this beautiful place with delicious tap water!  They never mention the nasty water in all those 'come to California and hang out on the beach' commercials.

 

Last time, we rented a big van and drove all the way to Disneyland. This time, we took a plane and just rented a van for the around California stuff.  

All three of us, our favorite ride was Soarin Around the World, at California Adventure. It's awesome and eerie. 

Then, beach day!  And we ate tacos. 

Then, we went to Universal Studios to hit up Harry Potter world, because we are raising a Harry Potter fanatic and I couldn't be happier. Here is a picture with the Beauxbaton and Durmstrong students.  We are wearing our house shirts- the girls and I are Hufflepuff, Charlie and Tom are Slytherin, Grandma and Sally are Ravenclaw, and Grandpa is a Griffindor just like Harry himself.  The bright yellow shirts had the added benefit of making it very easy to see where the girls were at all times.  Scarlett learned the secret Hufflepuff handshake from another Hufflepuff working in a shop, and someone else taught Charlie his house handshake, and they were given explicit instructions not to let the other one see.  They do not break character. 

The ladies and their butterbeers.