City of Rocks, Idaho

We ended up driving up to Idaho on Saturday after all, ready for Freddy's first camping adventure - and an adventure for us with 20 adults and 17 kids expected at our group campsite. City of Rocks is a rock climbing mecca, so although we didn't expect to climb much, we thought we might get in a few routes.

Well, bring on the rain.

We borrowed a big tent from some friends who must have forgotten to waterproof the seams, and the rain fly didn't go all the way to the ground, so our tent was not exactly dry. Luckily, Billy had packed several tarps, so we covered up and stayed mostly toasty all night. Freddy wasn't interested in napping in the tent (and falling asleep in the backpack on a hike wasn't an option, because it was raining), but he did fall asleep that night after lots of books, and slept more or less through the night. He LOVED the tent. Our friends Dan (Cantrell) and Annie drove down from Big Sky MT, and it was great to catch up with them and hear about their wedding plans (July 11!). Billy was the best dad/husband, packing up all our wet stuff and driving the entire way home while Freddy and I slept.

If you get this by e-mail and don't see the slideshow, below, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=mvgeier13&target=ALBUM&id=5340343058923059345&authkey=Gv1sRgCLOZp-mC3NzBPQ&feat=email and click "slideshow".

THOMAS

Freddy experienced a little piece of heaven on Friday, when Billy took him to see Thomas the Train at the Heber Railroad (a little rail outside of Park City). See below.....

Crane Day

So sorry for the long delay in new postings! Last week was totally nuts, and we were away most of this weekend on a camping trip in Idaho. Photos to come from that next...our friend Chris Velan is on a cross-country music tour and arrived last night. He plays in Park City on Friday night.

The currently-named (and not for long, hopefully) Galley I is in the water! I'm glad I wasn't there for "crane day", 'cause it would have scared the daylights out of me. We took an 'motor' last Thursday, and it was a beautiful night. Notice I didn't say "we took a sail". Kind of hard without a boom or any sails...but by this time tomorrow, it should be more or less rigged.

Bicycle, Bicycle...

Our friends handed down their little trike for Freddy...although he's mostly too small for it, and it's missing its handle, he has been having a good old time "riding his bike." Thanks to Doug and Christine for the sweet Yankees jersey! The flame shoes make him go really fast.

Wow, am I a Slacker!

Here it is 5 days since my last post, and I'm heading out of town for the next 2! Sorry, everyone - I hope to be back on track next week. I'm leaving in 45 min. for a weekend of canyoneering with some ladies from here and the Denver area. Should be fun! I'm not taking a camera, but hopefully someone is and I'll be able to post photos when I return. In the meanwhile, I'll leave you with some photos of one of MY favorite childhood memories - licking the beaters! Freddy wasn't that into it after the initial lick, but don't worry, I'll teach him.

Happy Mother's Day!

This one's for all you moms, grandmas, and special women...Freddy can't wait to give you a smooch, too. We love you and miss you all.

Hooray, It's the Weekend?

This is one happy kid! We so rarely capture him smiling...usually his photo expression says 'duh'. But really, see - he is happy!! :)

Dress Up

For a kid who wouldn't wear a hat unless it was super-glued to his head last summer, Freddy sure is loving trying on his new summer hats. With all the hand-me-downs that we have, how did we have NO hats that fit him? Oh, maybe because his head is HUGE.

Here she is!

Still no name...and although she loves hiding under the bed on the 3rd floor (which is already low profile so hard to get to), she is currently hanging out on the floor in the office with Bill and me. Purring. Hasn't eaten much yet, but she did use the litter box...oh, the little things that are so gratifying. Freddy has fun trying to squeeze into the cat carrier.

And by the way, I was mistaken in yesterday's post...we are actually 9 weeks along (in our 10th week).

Two Big Pieces of News

Well, most of you know by now, but we have two things to announce:
1) we got a cat yesterday! She is currently unnamed - well, she came with the name "safari", but since she only had it for 6 weeks or so and it's kind of dumb, we'll be changing it. She's about 4, and black with tortiseshell markings. Fairly small. So far she seems to be adjusting pretty well - a little skittish getting used to the noises of the house, but she's already making Freddy crack up laughing when she rubs up against his legs. He likes walking up to her and saying "HI" really loud. So far he's been really gentle, but her tail is very tempting and we're going to have to work on that. Photos to come tomorrow!
2) I probably should have put this news first, but since you have mostly all heard it, it's not as newsworthy, maybe. ;)

We're pregnant! About 10 weeks along, due December 7 (right in between my dad and Bill's dad's birthdays on the 3rd and 10th). December seems like a REALLY long way away, but that's probably a good thing. I'm already debating whether to pull out the maternity clothes instead of the regular summer clothes since I already seem to be pooching out! We're thrilled that Freddy will have a little brother or sister, and to be expanding the Geier/Gowski families.

So Long, Nice Weather

It's been raining steadily since we woke up, which is great for the garden but not great for Phoebe, the 5-month-old puppy we're watching today and tomorrow. She could use some serious outdoor play today. I might just have to get wet. These pictures are from LAST weekend when it wasn't exactly sunny, but it wasn't raining either. You'll recognize Ruby, our neighbor's dog. We got really spoiled watching her. Phoebe is a sweet dog, but she's definitely a puppy!

There are several big outdoor events scheduled today, including the big community garden's annual plant sale and the big animal rescue organization's annual pet adoption. Too bad! I don't know what they're doing - it's definitely too wet for them all to be outside. These organizations count on the revenue from these events, so I hope they're able to postpone or something.

Freddy and Bill are at music class right now, and then they're going to the pool. Hooray for me - I get to clean the kitchen and go to the gym! We are going to see a production of Miss Saigon with some friends tonight at one of the community theaters - we had thought we would walk from home to dinner and then walk to the play, but I don't think that plan is viable anymore. :( Hope you're all having a good, non-rainy day!

xoxo

Buckles, Buckles

Freddy's new favorite thing, anywhere...ok, not more favorite than Thomas, but close. I mean, it's great! There are buckles everywhere! On strollers, high chairs, wagons, jackets, carseats...endless fun!

Little Chatterer

Freddy can use ANYTHING as a phone. Calculator, remote control, an actual phone...he usually calls Caitlin, but sometimes calles Grammy, Papa, or Pop. Notice the raised pinky. He's very cultured.

Watch and Learn

This is how onions get chopped in our house. We do not mess around.

Before the Rain

Ok, these photos are actually from last weekend, when it was warm and sunny, but it took me a while to download them off the camera. Sophia, our neighbor, figured out how to climb the big box elder tree in our yard, and Freddy was pretty fascinated. Great...I guess it's only a matter of time until we need a safety net around the tree! :) With short sleeves on, Freddy is starting to look like a little BOY (not a baby). I guess I'll live. Luckily, he still lets me cuddle him like a little baby.

Sunny Day

Freddy and Dad hanging on the front porch. I'm kind of surprised that Freddy isn't reading the paper.

Spring Bounty

We're pretty happy that strawberries are almost in season here in Utah! They go great with oatmeal, according to Freddy.

We had a nice, laid-back weekend here. The weather was chilly and rainy, so we laid low. Freddy had music class Saturday morning, which he is really starting to love (if only we had Mary here to do her old Teddy Time music class!), and Saturday night, Bill and I went to an event put on by the Nature Conservancy of Utah at the Great Shorelands Preserve. The Preserve is a tract of 44,000 acres along the edge of the Great Salt Lake that the Nature Conservancy purchased. They built really cool structures as visitors centers and endless boardwalks that run through the marshlands. We heard so many different kids of birds - apparently the salt lake is an important stop on the migratory path between Canada and South America. Then we went to a really hokey restaurant called the Prairie Schooner, where everyone sits in covered wagons and there are big displays of taxidermied bears and wolves, fake fires, the works!! The food was...well...pretty bad, but the scenery was good for a laugh.

Hope everyone's doing well and ready for a great week!

Passing the Time

This is Bill pretending Freddy isn't watching Sesame Street...but look how cute they are! :)

Big Helper

After seeing so many pictures of Dad (Papa) carrying the White Stone grandkids around in wheelbarrows, Billy just had to try it for himself. . Freddy had a pretty awesome time, I have to say! Until he wanted to push it. Why do kids insist on doing things by themselves? I mean, we're always happy to let them help us, but it doesn't work so well solo. Oh well.

Easter Fun

Well, Easter has come and gone...quickly. I scrambled last night to make Freddy an Easter basket after I felt guilty that he didn't have one. Not like he would have known if he hadn't, but I came up with a pretty terrible creation of construction paper, pom poms, ribbon, and a yogurt container, and I guess he didn't know what he was missing. The good thing was that it was really small, so didn't have much room for a lot of candy. He had his first taste of Peeps, which he didn't much care for, and could have eaten jelly beans all day long.

Then I settled down to do our taxes (ugh) and Bill got Freddy out of my hair by taking him skiing. Now, if you ask Freddy if he had fun skiing with Daddy, he just says "FAST!" Uh-oh.

We had a really nice dinner with two other couples. I made a ham (and it was GOOD), scalloped potatoes, and asparagus with a yummy walnut puree. The scalloped potatoes were "light", and although they weren't nearly as pretty as Gram's, I'm going to share the recipe because I'm sure the regular ones are really, really bad for you and these made me feel less guilty. It's hard to keep the potatoes in nice slices - especially the sweet potatoes, which fall apart pretty quickly. I think you could skip the fennel bulb altogether. I only added about 1/2 of it. Hardly noticed it and didn't miss it:

Lighter Scalloped Potatoes with Sweet Potato, Fennel, and Leek

Serves 8.

The quickest way to slice the potatoes is in a food processor fitted with a 1/8-inch-thick slicing blade. Halve the potatoes crosswise and put them in the feed tube cut-side down so that they sit flat on the surface of the slicing disk. A mandoline or V-slicer is the other option. Don't try to slice the potatoes with a knife; you won't get them thin enough. It is best to assemble all of your ingredients before slicing the potatoes. If the potato slices discolor as they stand, put them in a bowl and cover with the milk in the recipe. Don't be tempted to slice the potatoes and store them in water—this will remove some of the starch that is necessary to thicken the milk.

Ingredients

1	medium leek , white part only, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1	teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1	medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1	teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4	teaspoon fennel seeds , crushed
1/4	teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2	pounds russet potatoes , peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
1	pound sweet potatoes , peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
1	small bulb fennel (8 ounces), cored and sliced 1/8 inch thick
2	cups 2% milk
2	bay leaves
2	teaspoons cornstarch
1	tablespoon water
3	tablespoons light cream cheese
2	ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. 2. Combine the leek, oil, and salt in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. 3. Add the potatoes, fennel, milk, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until partially tender, and a fork can be slipped into a potato slice with some resistance, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Whisk the cornstarch and water together, then add to the pot and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, stir in the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, being careful not to break up the potatoes.

4. 4. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch-square baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the potatoes are completely tender, a fork can be slipped into the center of the dish without resistance, and the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

5. PER SERVING: Cal 210; Fat 5 g; Sat fat 2.5 g; Chol 15 mg; Carb 35 g; Protein 8 g; Fiber 3 g; Sodium 340 mg