December 22, 2009

The Christmas Letter

Yes, we are too cheap and too lazy to send out a Christmas card this year. I apologize for our lameness. Maybe next year we'll try harder to get this is in printed form, but as for now this will have to do.

Here is the Molen Christmas Letter 2009 as written by my husband. Just remember, don't believe everything you read... I can't lie, most of it is true but there are some exaggerations.


December 2009

I’m married to a teenybopper.

Seriously. Either Alisha is going through some sort of mid-life crisis or she is actually going backward in time. I’m telling you, my wife is getting younger!

Less sincere men might say something along these lines to cull some romantic favor: “Baby, you keep looking younger every day!” Sure, I may have uttered that phrase in my best Barry White voice in the past, but this time I’m genuinely concerned!

The preponderance of evidence is overwhelming. I submit the following as proof:

Proof #1 - She is a total Twi-hard.

For those unfamiliar with the term, this is a slightly obsessive reader of the Twilight book series. A Twi-hard is one step above a Twilighter, which is one step higher than a “fanpire.”

How do I know? On our second trip to Forks (in 18 months), she declared her new dream car to be a silver Volvo. At Italian restaurants, she orders nothing but mushroom ravioli. And lastly, I have to assure her that 3 Team Edward t-shirts are MORE than plenty.

** On a side note, I used to side heavily on the side of Jacob, simply out of jealous spite for the fantasy place that Edward occupies in my wife’s heart. However, after hearing Alisha’s sharp intake of breath at the moment in New Moon where Jacob takes off his shirt for the first (of many) times, I am nowfirmly on Team Edward. **

Proof #2 – Her phone shows more calls to SYTYCD’s hotline than Tiger’s phone has deleted texts.

As of this writing, she has cried herself to sleep for 4 straight nights at the prospect that there might not be a So You Think You Can Dance tour this year.

Proof #3 – Skinny jeans.

1 pair is trendy. 2 pair gives you beneficial wardrobe options. 4 pair, however, just signals trouble.

Proof #4 – Miley Cyrus beats Wicked every time.

It was an extravagant birthday surprise for our 8-year old daughter. I assumedthe special trip to the Miley Cyrus concert in Portland was all driven off a desire to appeal to my daughter’s love for the teen pop sensation. My suspicions changed however, when my sweet wife began to gush that it was the BESTconcert she’d EVER been to.

The following week, I took her to see the musical Wicked (considered theatrical bliss for most females) in Seattle on the same night that Miley was performing inTacoma. During intermission, I turned to her and said something like “isn’t this great?” In response, she forced a weak smile and said “it’s okay.” “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’d rather be watching Miley!”

So who’s to blame? I’m pretty sure it’s not me. While many still consider me to be a delicious piece of eye candy, the daily war I wage against my unruly eyebrows is testimony enough that whatever fountain of youth from which she’s imbibing has not afforded me a single sip.

But if not me, then who? Normally I would just do as any good husband does and simply blame Oprah. Could this be a subconscious reaction to the news that Queen HARPO is leaving the air in 2011? (Maybe now we know why the Mayans ended their calendar in 2012.)

However, there is enough reason for me to believe that it’s the fault of those three unruly offspring of ours. After all, the issues of adolescence are beginning to engulf our lives. For example, we spent the better half of a year debating who was going to give our 11-year old son the next chapter of “The Talk.” (In case you’re wondering, I manned-up and shouldered that responsibility. I learned, however, that it isn’t wise to look up certain anatomical terms in Wikipedia in search for helpful diagrams. )

Additionally, she has to deal with our two prepubescent daughters (ages 8 and 5) whose moods change faster than Nobel can award Obama a Peace Prize. Both are cute as can be, and have many moments of sweetness, and goodness, but both have recently taken to the phrases “ohnoUdidnt” or “that is SO unfair!”

As you can see, she’s out-numbered by these hipsters. Their influence has overrun everything in our lives, even control of the most sanctified of domains – our cars. The speakers of our mini-van have been pushed to their very limits by the driving beats of the Black Eyed Peas, as she feels no choice but to give into their incessant demands.

So, my friends, I ask for your help to save Alisha from those pop-culture ninjas we call our children. I don’t think it’s too late – there’s reason to believe there’s still hope. After all, she still mostly speaks in complete sentences and doesn’t rely on texting as her sole means of communication.

Oops, gotta go. Alisha needs the computer to look up when High School Musical 4is coming out.

Merry Christmas!
The Molens


November 2, 2009

Halloween 2009

Deciding on the perfect costume...
A Year

Finding just the right accessories...
Months

Beautifying the hair and face...
Hours

How long it takes before the kids start shedding...
Minutes

Those 10 minutes of enthusiasm and excitement...
Priceless

After all the hard work and anticipation, it amazes
me how quickly they are "over it".

But it's so worth it - even if just for the photos.



The Grim Reaper
(Again - but why not, the glowing eyes are really cool!)



The Geisha








And the Movie Star







October 19, 2009

A Special Day

On August 8th Cassidy was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We are so proud of our little girl!














September 15, 2009

Her Biggest Fan


Wow! I am still all giddy from Cassidy and I's GNO last night. Honestly, I can't
stop thinking about it. I do feel a little silly when I realize her intended audience
and then remember that I am 34 years old. But hey, what's wrong with that?
I can still enjoy good music and good entertainment. Right?

So, let's go back a bit...

Yesterday morning I told Cassidy she had a dentist appointment she had to go
to at 10:00am. So we got in the car and started driving. We kept driving for
about 25 minutes before she realized hey, "the dentist isn't this far away???"
I then told her that we weren't really going to the dentist and that I had planned
a mommy/daughter date to go shopping. She thought this was pretty cool
because she got to miss school. After another 10 minutes she started
wondering where we were going that was so far away. I told her, "Portland".
Once she found out that we were going to a different state she was
all giggly. She couldn't wait to tell her friends that she got to
skip school to go shopping in OREGON! We stopped for Subway
along the way and then got to Portland around 1:30pm. We hit Old
Navy, Ross and Target and finally found an outfit for her
to wear to the 'show' later that evening. I told her we would be going
to a show but she assumed that I was talking about a movie. She
was all pumped and ready to see the movie "Up" but I hadn't promised
anything. "We'll see..." was my answer a lot that day. We then headed to
dinner at Red Robin. Cassidy and I love their peppercorn burger. After
Cassidy changed into her new outfit in the bathroom, she noticed that
everyone was wearing a Hannah Montana shirt and commented on it.
"That's funny", I shrugged off. I was planning on walking her into the Rose
Garden unaware of where we were going but that was ruined by our
cute little RR server. The first thing she said to us was, "Are you going
to the Miley Cyrus concert too?" Cassidy just kind of stared at her with
wonder in her eyes. I didn't say anything until after the server left and then
I had to tell her. Yes, we are going to the Miley Cyrus concert and that's
the real reason we are in Portland. If you know Cassidy, you know how
badly she wanted to go to this concert but Matt and I had already bought
tickets to see Wicked with a group of friends the night she was in Tacoma.
She thought she was going to have to miss it and she was devastated about it.
When she realized she was going to get to go, she was ECSTACTIC! After that, all she
wanted to do was get to the concert as fast as possible! So we finished our burgers
and strawberry lemonade, fancied up Cassidy's hair, and headed over to the Rose Garden.
It was cute to see all the little girls in their get-up of sparkles and fancy clothes.
Once we got in to the arena there were lots of things to buy - t-shirts, programs,
light up sticks and photo sessions... but Cass said she didn't want any of it.
She said they were all too expensive. (And that there ladies and gentlemen
proves she is my daughter!) So we went to the bathroom and found
our seats. She was in awe of everything. In fact, the first thing she said was,
"Can I scream as loud as I can?" And she did several times that night. I
thought it was interesting to see that she had no inhibitions. She was
standing up, singing, dancing, waving her arms. Anything and everything
to take in the whole experience. I have to admit. I was just as excited.
We listened to her music all the way down to Portland and knew every
song Miley sung. The show was AMAZING!


Some of our favorite parts...
When Miley fell backwards into the "ocean" during At the Bottom of the Ocean
The ribbits of the frog during Fly On The Wall and when Miley litterally flew into the crowd
Dancing to the Hoedown Throwdown and Party In The U.S.A.
Watching Miley float over the crowd on a motorcycle during I Love Rock N Roll
Hearing an entire arena sing along with Miley in The Climb

This is something Cassidy and I shared that we will remember for a VERY long time.
A mother/daughter bonding experience. After all, I am her biggest fan...



She just found out she's going to see MILEY!


At the Rose Garden











Getting nervous and anxious before Miley comes out


The flying motorcycle


And MORE screaming

September 4, 2009

Kindergarten!?!

I can't believe my baby is in Kindergarten!  

On Thursday, Kennedy had her first day of real school.  She was so excited
to go, meet her teacher, and be at the same school her brother and sister were attending.  
As soon as we arrived, she turned to me and waved good-bye.  "Bye Mommy!" 
There was no hesitation.  No doubts about this new adventure.  She was ready.  
As for me?  I'm not so sure. I have loved having my little buddy around helping me 
make cookies, clean the house, color pictures, run errands, and play games with.  
She will be missed.  Now she is growing up and becoming a big girl.
Am I ready for this?  I don't know...   


  








Off she goes, not evening looking back...


Exhausted from a long and exciting day.


First Day of School

Cameron and Cassidy had their first day of school on Wednesday.  I can't believe how big they are getting!  The bigger they get, the older I feel.  Why is that??  










July 21, 2009

Fun in the Sun


There is no place better than summertime in Seattle. You just
can't beat it! Our "summers" are very short here (3 months tops)
where we actually get warm sunny weather, but they are in my
opinion so worth it! I guess there must be some consolation for
the other 9 months of the year. We love to play it up as often as
we can and take advantage of this gorgeous place we live. A
couple of weeks ago we went to Seattle Center and played in the
International Fountain. The kids loved it. And the best part?
It was FREE! Well, except for the $4.00 I paid in parking. But
that's still cheaper than the pool.






June 9, 2009

We Miss You Friends!






Last Saturday our good friends the Rules moved away.
We have shared a lot of great memories with them
and will miss them dearly. We wish them the best
and know that they will make many new friends and
touch their lives as they have touched ours.
Good luck in MO! We love you!

June 7, 2009

Happy Birthday My Friend!


Okay.  This is a test to see if my friend Jill really checks my blog as 
often as she says (even though I don't post that often!)  

So, Happy Birthday Jill!  I hope your day is full of a bunch of nothing.
No sharing time.
No dinner making.
No dishes.
No whiny kids.
No laundry.
No cleaning.
No responsibilities!

Just a nice, relaxing, enjoyable day filled with family and friends who love you!

And of course, GIFTS!  (I'm crossing my fingers for ya!  "Kris, Kris, Kris, Kris!")

Now, what time is it?  PARTY TIME!

June 2, 2009

Welcome to Paradise!



Welcome to Kauai!
Truly a Tropical Paradise.
 


 Thanks to Simplyfun (Matt's board game buisness)
and my niece, Alayna for watching the kiddos, 
Matt and I were able to go to Kauai at the end of May.



Now, we have been to Kauai before so I knew 
EXACTLY where I wanted to go first.  
Jo Jo's Shave Ice!  They have the best shave ice
EVER!  No joke.  Picture this.  First you start with
macadamia nut ice cream, then layer with shredded
coconut, then finely shaved coconut flavored ice,
and topped off with some coconut cream.  Delicious!!
If you ever go to Kauai you must stop by Jo Jo's.
You won't be sorry!



Me in Shave Ice Heaven!



After that we did things like go to a Luau...



Go see a lighthouse...



See Puff the Magic Dragon...



And beautiful waterfalls...



And colorful peacocks... 
(Doesn't that look fake? So gorgeous!)



And chickens??  Yes, LOTS of wild chickens.



And my favorite picture of all, a surfboard fence...



Oh, and of course more Jo Jo's!!



We had a blast and loved hangin' with the top
SimplyFun consultants.  If it wasn't for them we
wouldn't have got to go to Kauai.  
So THANK YOU guys!!
Keep up the awesome work!



All in all, it ROCKED!  Can't wait 'til next year!
Until then, hang loose.