Audrey, Two

Pink balloons and pictures of doggies.  The theme for Audrey's second birthday party on September 25, 2021, was "Go, Dog, Go," the title of one of her favorite books.  Audrey had her very own pink-frosted cupcake with candles to blow out.
 

Michael said he spent 22 hours planning the party, including buying a "bouncy house" for the children to play in, buying balloons, commissioning dog posters, and even drawing a dog with chalk on the sidewalk!  In days past, all that energy would have been wasted on his job creating financial systems.   Mike invited an interesting collection of guests to Audrey's party--new neighbors like the man above, old neighbors from the Avenues, and relatives like Spencer and Naomi, Michael K and Rebekah.

The patio at Mike and Heidi's house is made of cement, which is a perfect background for chalk pictures!

Mike drew this illustration from "Go, Dog, Go."

Naomi brought Ellie to try the slide on the bouncy house.  Alas, it was still too scary for a little girl only 12 months old.  "Try her again in six months," I suggested.

Michael K loves holding Lilly, so Rebekah can roam free.

Mike and Heidi are both great cooks.  Heidi made the cupcakes, decorated with pink frosting roses, and Mike made the chocolate chip cookies.  The recipe was created by The New York Times, based on tips for baking chocolate chip cookies from chefs all over the city.

Spencer and Ellie.

Michael K and Lilly.

Audrey needed a bit of help in opening her presents.

There were lots of offers of help from the other little kids!

Audrey's party had everything-- cute children, parents who liked each other, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, balloons, and even a bouncy house!.

Spanish Steps

We were talking, at our Spanish dinner on September 17, 2021, about great SLC restaurants.  "When I want a really good dinner," I said, "I go to The Aerie at Snowbird."  "Grandma, when I want a really good dinner, I come here," Grant replied.  Thank you, Grant!  Your photo comes first on my blog posting this week!
 

Our dinner this week was really good.  I cooked a big pot of paella, accompanied by an orange/avocado/almond salad and homemade, crusty bread.  For appetizers, I cooked bacon-wrapped dates and Moorish-style pork kebabs, marinated in rich spices.  "I thought the Moors didn't eat pork," a guest objected.  "The cookbook says the Christians in medieval Spain took the Moors' spice blends and applied them to pork," I defended myself.  That's sort of like Thai beef curry.  Curry originated in India, but no self-respecting Indian Hindu would eat beef!

I have a great poster collection to accompany my ethnic dinners, as well as different table runners for each meal.  This evening, I covered the table with Spanish embroidered shawls, with their very long fringes. The drink was sangria, made with a mix of fruit juices poured over sliced apples, oranges, lemons, and limes.

Dave likes food and company, but not all the fuss of my fancy preparations.  Our compromise is that he can retire after dinner without having to help with the dishes!

Our family dinners, these days, are graced with lots of babies.  Audrey is the oldest.  She will turn two on October 15.

Lilly is the youngest, at three weeks.  Already, she is more alert, with dark eyes that search the room.

And Ellie is in the middle--just turned one.  She is a sunny, friendly baby who especially adores her father, Spencer.

Week at the Bird

"I remember when you were a little girl who came to our Snowbird condo with your parents to swim," I told Kirsten, as she joined me for Sunday dinner at the condo on September 12, 2021.  "I remember water dripping off the tips of your pigtails as your mom wrapped you in a big towel."  Kirsten had no old memories of our Snowbird condo, but she made new ones this Sunday.  

Each year, during our Snowbird week, I make a German meal--rouladen, sauerkraut, spaetzle, cucumber salad, and apple strudel--and invite our family to join Dave and me for Sunday dinner at the condo.   Kirsten was visiting from BYU this weekend, since her parents were in town from Seattle.  Kirsten and I hauled our German specialties to the condo after Church, and then had time to listen to yodeling at the Oktoberfest tent and ride the chairlift before the rest of the family arrived.

We discussed whether it was "worth it" for me to buy a dirdnl to wear at my German dinners.

Kirsten and I loved the scenic, slightly scary chairlift ride up the mountain.  Kirsten had not been on a chairlift for many years, since she had ridden one at the Lagoon amusement park.

Kirsten and I then returned to the condo to welcome the family to our German feast.

Now that Mike is through working a 9 to 5 job, he and Heidi were free to join us for two more evenings at Snowbird.  On September 15, 2021, we ate dinner at "71," the new 1970s-themed restaurant at Snowbird.  Dave and I were married in 1970, so the teal, orange and olive green furnishings looked very familiar!  It was chilly on the restaurant porch, but a fire, contained between two glass walls next to our table, kept us warm.

I ordered the ribs, a classic dish cooked just right.  

Heidi tried something more exotic--cauliflower cooked like spicy wings, garnished with blue cheese and celery!

There were so many delights during our week at Snowbird, not the least of which was just driving up and down Little Cottonwood Canyon every day to work and back. In darkness and broad daylight, the canyon is spectacular.

Movie Night at Mike's

"I want my house to be a party house," Mike says, and our family is delighted to party there!  On September 10, 2021, Mike and Heidi hosted the family for pizza and a movie.  Camille's family was on their way to Boston, but Lisa's family came en masse--Lisa, Kyle, Bryce, Spencer and Naomi, Michael K and Rebekah, and all the babies.  Lisa and Kyle were in town to see their new grandbaby, Lilly, and to have Bryce take the ACT test.  Testing spots in Seattle were full.
 

Heidi is gracious about sharing her lovely home.

“Safety” is a touching story about a walk-on football player who risked his scholarship to become guardian to his younger brother, since their mother was a drug addict.  The football player hid his brother in his dorm room, and the other football players helped shield him.  “This movie was hard to find,” Mike said.  “It was clean but interesting—something I thought the most people would like and the least people would hate.”

We gathered in Mike's big basement, with its theater and an area to set up tables, eat, and talk.

Four Papa John's pizzas were ample for the crowd.

Everybody likes marshmallow brownies.  Salad, not so many....

Michael K combined fatherly service with pleasure, as he snoozed with Lilly on the couch.

Michael and Heidi have chosen classical furniture for their house, but Mike then spices up the rooms with photographs taken by him all over the world.  This wall has an arrangement of photographs of Asia.

These paper mache animal heads from Venice are Mike and Heidi's latest acquisition.  Hung on the wall like this, they seem to be trophies!

Another wall in the basement has portraits of people from Africa.

Mike bought this huge silver Coptic cross when we were in Ethiopia two years ago.

This box is from Mike's trip to Tibet, as is the wall hanging below.