'nuf said.

I guess we are buying a new gazebo in 2009.

A Perfect Winter Day

The neighborhood kids had so much fun sledding down the steep driveway into our little "Happy Valley".  I joined them and went down on about 5 toboggan rides down the big hill.  In case the pictures don't show it justice, this hill is about 1/4 mile long from end to end.  I believe Nick holds the record for longest sled ride.  What a blast!

Winter Wonderland

The first snow of the season fell last night.  We got about 2-3 inches of prime, snowball-quality snow.  Nick is thrilled at the prospect of having a snowball fight with his cousin, as well as the possibility of no school tomorrow.  Remember what that was like when you were a kid?  

Here are some pictures of our back yard that show how much snow we have.  If you look on the hot tub cover, you can see that it looks like about 2+ inches.

My New Yoga Buddy!

I have been positively hooked on Bikram Yoga (aka - "Hot" yoga) for about 4 weeks now.  It is an amazing yoga workout done in a studio heated to about 110 degrees and about 40% humidity.  You really get a good sweat on and work every cell of your body!  It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination.  Well, I was trying (unsuccessfully) to get Ward to do this with me.  Nick approached me and said he wanted to try it with me.  I would have never guessed that Nick would be interested.  Well, he went with me tonight and he loved it.  He rested when he needed to and tried what he could.  Afterwards, we went to the natural food grocery store that is nearby and bought Odwalla juices to rejuvenate our bodies. Then we went out to dinner together.  It was a wonderful time and I am so glad to share this with him.  I asked him when he wanted to go again, and suggested tomorrow evening since he doesn't have baseball.  He replied, "mom, I want to enjoy yoga once in a while... I am not obsessed, like you."  Smart boy. 

Nick is in the Maple Valley Voice

The Bruins baseball team are shown in the Maple Valley "Voice of the Valley" this week.  Nick is on the far right, back row.  Be sure to grab a copy from the local news stand!!  This is his debut appearance in the newspaper. Woohoo!

You can keep up on all the Bruin haps here.

Sick with the Flu

Yuck - I've had the flu all weekend.  I hate being sick.  Achy headache & body aches and stomach distress!!  I missed our company Christmas party and worse yet - I've missed 2 Hot Yoga sessions.  I don't think I've posted much about Hot Yoga, but I am completely obsessed with it.   More appropriately, it's called Bikram Yoga.  

Anywho - when I was able to sit up this weekend, I put together this website as a place for people to post their cute Christmas Kitty pictures.  I have 2 pictures posted so far!!  If you have an adorable holiday kitty picture and would like to add to the collection let me know.  The big "learning opportunity" for me is that I built it from scratch, sans any fancy website generation tools.  

I am taking a sick-day today to continue recovering....

"Santa, I promise I've been good!!!"

I was taking a few minutes to relax and look through a Christmas catalog, when I looked up and noticed Annie sitting on Santa's lap!  How cute is this??  Santa's already gotten a few Christmas goodies for our little Annie.

Christmas Table

Poinsettia applique on the silky napkin

Embroidered Poinsettias on the corners of the tablecloth.

The full effect

This has been the first "Friday after Thanksgiving" that we haven't celebrated our anniversary because Thanksgiving actually fell after our anniversary, instead of before.  So, we spent yesterday dragging out all the Christmas decorations to begin the process of transforming the house.  My favorite part is decorating the dining room.  I just love getting out all of my holiday table linens and making it look so festive.  However, this year I have grown tired of my Christmas linens and wanted some new ones. But I was not interested one bit in fighting holiday crowds on "Black Friday".  Thankfully, Christina called me and said that she and her friends family were going to go shopping.  She offered to pick me up something if I told her what I wanted.  So, I quick looked online at Bed, Bath & Beyond website and found a table cloth that I really liked.  She took down the name and size and found it for me!  She brought it to me later that evening and I got to finish decorating my table.  I am so happy about that!!  Thank you Chrissy!

Our Anniversary Weekend - 17 years!!

Today marks 17 years that Ward and I have been married. So much has happened during those years - good, bad, sad, exciting, challenging, etc.  We've spent the last few anniversaries celebrating in Port Townsend, a maritime, victorian town on the peninsula. We like to stay in the penthouse at the Swan hotel, shop the holiday themed stores, drink beer from the two breweries in town, read books in the pub, dance to music until the wee hours of the morning, and enjoy the things together that we like to do. We also got some Christmas shopping done, which is great because Port Townsend has some really unique gifts. We ate at the "fireplace table" at our favorite romantic restaurant, and we just had a really nice time together.  I was sad to see it end come Sunday at 11:00! 

And, a special thanks to both Grandmas who took care of Nick while we were away!!  

Here are several pictures of our penthouse and view:  Click a picture to see a full size view. 

The Swan Hotel.  We have the entire top floor & crow's nest. 

View from our back balcony.  You can see Mt. Baker behind the tallest mast

The reading nook.  I read a novel about a cat called "Dewey" while sitting here. 

Spiral staircase leading up to the crows nest where we had the best view in town!

The awesome dining room. I love the woodwork in here.

Hard to see, but we could also see Mt. Rainier in the distance. 

Best breakfast joint in town. 

Just Checking In...

I haven't posted in awhile so thought I would drop a line or two to catch up on things...

We are SOOO happy to learn that our grandbaby is a BOY!!! Woohoo! Yay for boys! If I won the lottery, I would stay home and take care of that baby. I am so excited. And, I am so thankful that Christina has had an uneventful and healthy pregnancy thus far. I pray her and the baby's health continue to thrive.

Nick is doing baseball a couple of times a week. His select team, The Bruins (no joke) started practicing this week at BLE, an indoor baseball facility in Auburn. You can view the Bruin's website here.   Yes, the Bruins.  That was the "sign from above" that indicated this was the right team for Nick.  Hee hee  (you gotta know Ward to appreciate that). Games don't start until the spring.  Through all the sports activity, Nick is managing to keep his grades up pretty darn well:  A's and B's.  He loves his new school, primarily because it is so much bigger, with more activities to offer.  

We are just thrilled with Annie, our new kitten.  She has finally cajoled Lucy into playing with her, which is fabulous, because Lucy is really old and needs that interaction.  And, Annie has stopped being terrified of Gus.  Gus still barely even knows she exists.  Annie is really sweet, loving and lots of fun.  She is doing all the funny kitten stuff like stalking everything in sight, including feet that are walking by.  I worry that she is going to get stepped on, but so far that has only happened a few times.  

Work is busy and tumultuous for both Ward and me.  I am thankful we have good jobs and hope to stay that way!  

We are all going to the UCLA v UW football game with a bunch of friends this weekend, and I am torn about what sweatshirt to wear:  Bruins or Huskies.  My heart is with the Dawgs, but I married this crazy Bruin fan.  Last year, I wore my Bruin jersey and felt like I was 'living a lie'!  hahaha!  But I am torn again this year, especially because the Huskies are so terrible.  That's me - fair weather fan.  My Bruins jersey is looking pretty good!! 

Have a great rest of the week, 

Chris

Doe Bay

For you loyal readers.... do you remember that I went to Doe Bay in July for a bachelorette party? Here is a great picture from my friend. Does this look like a fun group of ladies or what?!

Our Saturday....

I woke up this morning at about 6:30 am to my work phone alarm going off, which indicates a system problem. I went downstairs to investigate. Made a phonecall to redirect the problem and was thinking about heading back to bed for some additional shuteye. Nick's game wasn't until noon today and we were scheduled to drive to Portland this afternoon to attend an annual Halloween par-tay, so I thought I could/should sleep in today. Well, that wasn't to be. Soon after, I heard Ward scuttling around upstairs. Then down the stairs to where I am. He says, "Annie is a naughty little kitty". What happened, I ask? Apparently, she climbed up onto Ward's side of the bed, with him still in it, and peed on his down comforter. Ugghghgh. Thankfully, I had just received my order of "Anti-Icky-Poo" (seriously), which is unbeatable for removing pet stains like that. It has some enzyme that breaks down protein molecules. Once that incident is under control, after the work incident, I hear Nick yell "Mom, Lucy just threw up in the game room..." ughghgghgh. Again, it's Anti-Icky-Poo to the rescue. I rush in only to find that, well, Gus beat me to it. So, I won't explain details here but suffice it to say that he earned his keep today. Tomorrow, I will steam clean that carpet!!

I did have just enough time to cook Nick a really healthy breakfast before his game, and get a 30 minute workout in on the elliptical machine.

Then off to the 2 1/2 hour baseball game in the rain!! Did you think they were supposed to call the games when it rains? So did I! Well, Nick's team handled the opposing Steel Lake White Sox quite effectively. Nick had a double and two singles, and pitched pretty well. His pitching arm was bothering him from where he got his TDAP booster two days ago. Then, at his last at-bat, he got drilled in the back (again) by a pitch. ouchie!

So we hurry home to gather our costumes and overnight goodies to head down to Portland. We didn't get on the road until after 4:00 pm. Wayyy too late. Add in a bad accident south of Tacoma, hungry tummies, and hard driving rain, and we ended up turning around and heading home. We did stop at Cabella's to check that out. Hey, did you know that it is HUNTING SEASON??!! Everything in Cabella's is geared towards hunting. Nick bought himself some kind of hunting-related XBOX 360 game. I honestly am REALLY glad that I married into something as innocuous as the Grateful Dead culture, as opposed to the "hunting" culture. That just ain't for me.

We finally made it back home and are enjoying a fire in the fireplace, a nice glass of wine, and then we are going to watch "To the Moon and Back" an HBO series about the space race in the '60s and '70s - getting to the moon! I think that is the title, I may be wrong about that, but it is really good.

Anyway, here is a picture of my little Annie girl. There are more pictures and movies of her playing posted in the "Kaatz Family Album" link.

Chris

Annie, our new kitty

Jill and I regularly carpool to work. We park at mom's house and drive through Waldheim Acres, a nearby neighborhood, and then onto the freeway. Well, about twice a year, one of the homeowners in Waldheim Acres posts a sign that says "FREE Cute, Cuddly Kittens". Jill and I drive by daily and say, "should we stop and look at the kitties?" On Friday, we finally stopped. There was one little kitten left. She was irresistable! A little tortoise shell calico.

We have been having so much fun with her. She is adapting to her new hope fairly well, but Lucy doesn't appreciate her one bit. And Gus is oblivious to her, and Annie is interested in Lucy, but HATES Gus. I truly hope this all works out!!

Couple of Great Pics

Mom sent me these pictures and they made me bawl. If I could only have one more day... I hope Nick always remembers his Papa. Thanks mom for being such an awesome gramma to my kid.

Happy 12th Birthday NICK!!

Today is Nick's official birthday. He was bummed about having to wake up early to go to school, but soon had lots of fun when he arrived. His teachers & friends gave him plenty of attention. After school, his basketball team played a game and they won by one point. Woohoo! That was exciting! Then we took Nick to Game Stop, where he spent part of his gift card that gramma gave him. It was burning a hole in his pocket! Finally, we went to Puerto Vallarta for Mexican dinner (Nick's fave!) They sang happy birthday to him and made him wear "the hat"! He loved it.

I am so blessed to be Nick's mommy. He is a sweet and wonderful boy.

Nick is now a RANGER

Congratulations NICK!

I am so proud of Nick. All of his hard work is paying off. Nick tried out for a select baseball team and he made it! There were about 15 boys competing for 2 open spots (I believe). This means year-round baseball, which is OK because we were already pretty much there anyway with fall ball, clinics, etc. Nick will get to play about 80 games a year, which is many times more than he would have played in Little League. The increased game exposure is our primary reason for doing this. Nick was also selected to participate in an "Elite 100" training program, which is also pretty great. Normally the boys try out for the Elite 100, but Nick was told that he is "in" if he wants to do it - no tryout necessary for Nick! This training program utilizes the same training techniques that are used at the Major League level.

Nick also is playing basketball for Cascade. They had their first game yesterday afternoon and they won.

Way to go Nick!

Nick's 6th Grade Picture

This is Nick's 6th grade picture. Notice the spikey hair? He loves that. Says it's his "best picture ever". :-)

Not much new around here. Busy with work and baseball. Oh yeah, Nick is doing basketball too. It's only one month though. He loves baseball, but I personally think he is the most talented at basketball. He's having a great 6th grade year so far. Cascade is working out well.

And, I keep day-dreaming about being a gramma! I am so excited...

Youth Group Fun

Guitar Hero competition

Air Nick poses for a jam

Air Ethan poses for a jam

The boys play 'bump'

Ping Pong fun

Now that Nick is in the 6th grade, he gets to join the junior high youth group at church (Cornerstone United Methodist on Kent-Kangley).  Last night we hosted the September kick-off party at our house and it was so much fun!  Ward and I worked so hard on the garage 2 weeks earlier getting it cleared out and cleaned up so we can put up the ping-pong table and not have it be a health hazard.  I took yesterday afternoon off so I could make sure everything was organized and ready to go.  Kids started arriving at 6:30... a couple of girls at first.  Ward and I looked at each other kinda worried that it might just be all girls.  But shortly after, the boys started showing up as well.  The party was scheduled to end at 9:00, which it did, but we definitely could have gone longer.  We had guitar hero competitions, pool, foosball, ping-pong, basketball, group games, and of course bbq hamburgers and hotdogs.  And the weather was absolutely perfect!!   Can't wait for the next event!  Enjoy the pics & videos. 

The Boys playing "Bump"

Group Game "Amoebas and Elephants"

"NICK"names

I am so sorry that I haven't posted in awhile.... no excuse.  I love reading all of your blogs and know I should contribute to mine. 

Nick is doing really well at Cascade.  He is thriving with the bigger atmosphere.  He's made several new friends, is doing quite well with his school work and is getting involved with school sports like basketball.  I just learned today that the kids at school call him "Nicky".  And he LETS them!!  

He is also doing Auburn Little League "Fall Ball" and has just taken off this fall.  He has games every Saturday and is batting 800  so far (8 hits at 10 at-bats).  Today he made an unassisted double play.  He also pitched and did quite well.  The kids on his team call him "High Performance Nick", which has gotten shortened to "HP Nick".  I think that is so cute.  

We are adjusting well to our new fall schedule.  Routine works well in our family, as it does most other places.  

We bought Jill & Derek's pickup truck from them.  It's a Ford F-150, fully loaded and well taken care of.  Fits our family well with baseball and our camping trips, but in order to make the payments, I've had to let the "household staff" go, so we will be doing our own housecleaning and yard work!  Oh dread the thought!  I built a new chore chart that covers all the work that they did and we are doing it ourselves.  Sorry, I don't mean for that to sound as pretentious as it reads. It's just that with Ward and I both working full time, we need some extra help.  Now that Nick is older, he can do most of the jobs.  And, what a great way to learn.  So far, so good. 

The truck is part one of a two-part plan.  The second part is a trailer that we can tow with the truck.  We will have to save our sheckels for that but it will be great to take to the property.

Well, I am off to watch another riveting episode of "BSG".  

Over and out,

Starbuck

(unless she turns out to be a Cylon, then nevermind...) 

My Gift for No Reason

Mom and Jill blessed me with this awesome Kitchen-Aid mixer the other day.  I came home from work and found it on my counter.  Isn't that cool?  I think they finally got tired of using my little hand mixer with the beaters that keep falling out.  I had always wanted one but couldn't justify it because I don't cook that often.  

Thank you mom & Jill!!!

Chris

First Day of Middle School

Nick chose his good sweatshirt and shorts for his back-to-school ensemble!

Nick's school bus (Nick is the last one getting on)

We're off to another year of school - only this year, Nick is attending Cascade Middle School in Auburn.  He has to wake up much earlier in the morning, and has a locker for his backpack to contend with.  He says that he doesn't miss recess and that he is ready for the bigger school.  We're ready for the school routine to be in place again!  His bus picks him up right at the top of the big hill at the same time that I head into work.  I predict spending many a frosty morning with Nick in the car awaiting the arrival of the bus.  Nick says he likes his teachers as well as the new principal (who we know from baseball!!)  He says the cafeteria is AWESOME!  All in all, it was a really good first day.  

Nick has "Mad Skills"

I decided to finally change up my "4th of July" holiday motif in my dining room yesterday.  I went for the "blue on blue" theme - what a surprise!  But anyway, I had a stack of placemats and napkins that needed ironing and thought it would be a great opportunity to teach Nick how to iron.  After only a few protests, bribes and threats, he finally got the hang of it.  Nick reports, "this is dumb". 

Have a great last official day of summer vacation!!!

Chris

"Calorie Neutral"

Ward cracks me up.  

Last night, I worked out on the super-cool elliptical trainer for one hour! while Ward watched a Civil War special on the History channel.  After boasting about how I had just burned off hundreds of calories, I convinced him that he needed to hop on and do at least 15 minutes.  So he does.  Only, he puts his beer in the water bottle holder and proceeds to drink his beer while working out.  After several minutes, I pressed the "calories burned" button and it shows that he has only burned 42 calories so far.  Then he takes a swig of beer.  I told him that he just drank 42 calories with his latest swig, and pointed out that he isn't really accomplishing anything.  

He replies that he is trying to be "calorie neutral".   (like carbon neutral...)

Best Birthday Present EVER!!!!

OK, I was totally prepared to mope around all day and miss my dad.... and I did for part of the day.  Then Ward and I got out of the house and ran some errands.  My aunt and uncle came to town from California to be with us, which was really nice and thoughtful.  We all gathered at my moms house to catch up on the year's activities.

Then Ben and Christina came over to give me my birthday present.  It was wrapped in red tissue and put in a pretty little gift bag.  As I unwrapped the tissue, I discovered it was a 3x5  picture frame. I turned the frame over and let out a scream and then lots of tears..... 

It was a picture of their ultrasound.  

That's right!!  Christina is due in March 09.  I am just completely filled with joy!  Chrissy says she is struggling with nausea, but otherwise healthy.  So, just how cute do you think this little baby is going to be?!

Wooohooo!!!!  What an amazing day!  

I will now always remember August 14 as the day I learned that I am going to be a gramma!! 

Thank you Ben and Chrissy!!

A Year Ago Today.....

My dad died.  

It's been one year without him.  I didn't know how I would make it through this year, but I did. We all did.  We made it through together.  Thank you to all who helped and prayed.  

I've been through a range of emotions, everything from:

* disbelief regarding how quickly he became so sick

* relief that he is not sick and suffering anymore, and now has a healthy, perfect body in heaven

* feeling like I've come to grips about the whole situation

* feeling like I haven't come to grips with the situation

* feeling frustrated that I didn't learn more from him while he was here, ie; the BBQ assembly incident

* feeling sad that I didn't rub his feet more often

* back to disbelief that he is gone

I am grateful for my family and have noticed that we haven't all been "down" at the same time.  That has been great.  When one of us is down, there has always been someone else who can help.  

Thanks again to everyone who helped...

chris

Sebastian is in town!!!

Sebastian is Nick's long-time friend and he is visiting from Colorado.  Nick and Sebastian met when they were 3 years old in Montessori school up in Woodinville.  They are both avid sports nuts and can talk stats until they are blue in the face.  The boys see each other about once a year.  This time last year, Nick flew out to Colorado to visit them.  The boys fly all by themselves, and we meet them at the gate.   

Nick is really getting tall.  He used to be about the same height as Sebastian, but now he's about half a head taller.  Nick's seen several old friends in the last month and he is taller than them too. Seems like Nick is going to be a tall boy - like his daddy.

August is "Get in Shape" Month

Ward and I bought an elliptical trainer over the weekend.  I am so excited and have wanted one for a really long time.  I am excited to start working out again.  I have come to a point in my life where all I do is sit in front of the computer.  Ward is excited about using it too.  We're thinking it could help his back problems and get more restful sleep at night.  

We're putting it up in the game room for now.  And, we are selling the foosball table.  If you know of anyone who would like it, please let me know!

Obsessed with Bob

I go through music quirks from time to time.  You know, obsessive jags on a particular artist or kind of music.  It rolls from one to the other, usually only lasting a few months.  

But lately....

I am completely obsessed with Bob Dylan.  I mean, I cannot get enough.  There is something so moving about his folksy music style and odd voice.  I love how his lyrics just hit you when you least expect it.  

Right now, I am listening to "How does it feel...(like a Rolling Stone).  

I remember listening to Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash on the Nashville Skyline album with my dad.  We listened to that album over and over again.  

Bowling Fun

Tonight Ward took Devin, Nick and me bowling at the new(er) ACME bowl by Southcenter.  As expected, Ward dominated the lanes with a game-winning high of 144, the boys both hovered around 100, and I pulled up the rear with a whopping 75.  I am so lousy at bowling, it isn't even funny.  Well, those boys thought it was funny to beat me.  

We highly recommend ACME bowl for an evening of family fun.  After 9:00 they do the glo-light bowling with all sorts of crazy lighting effects.  There is also pool, video games, and a pretty reasonable restaurant.  Everything is state-of-the-Brunswick-art.  

These pics were taken with my iPhone camera, kindof blurry.  It doesn't capture the action shots that well.