Sophie and Ian participated in a six-week enrichment program at school. At the end of the program, the kids designed campaign posters, political brochures and gave public speeches as if they were running for president of the United States. I wanted to record the things they wrote in the political brochures to save these words forever.
(Sophie)
If elected I will . . .
*Stop inappropriate use of guns
*Make second hand smoke disappear
*Make gas prices lower
"You should have the right person for the USA. You deserve better. I can do that!"
"Have a better life in the YoUSA. All people are created equal so I say LET FREEDOM RING!"
I can do anything, for example . . .
*I read a 734 page book in 5 days.
*I hiked higher than the Empire State Building
*I'm running for president
"I'm right for you!"
(Ian)
My Plan for America . . .
*Get out of national debt
*No more crime
*Taxes lowered
*Economy raised
*No more wildfires
*No more drugs
*No more homelessness
*Fuel prices lowered
My achievements . . .
*9 point krypto challenge (at the math olympiad)
*7.3 foot long jump
*Ran 2 5Ks
*Voted on class council
*Nominated for class mayor (edited to add - he was elected class mayor this month!)
*All of my grades are A+
Where I've been in the U.S.A
Ogden
San Diego
Las Vegas
Kennecott Copper Mine
Death Valley
Denver, Colorado
Boise, Idaho
St. George
Brigham City
Corner of Arizona
Through Wyoming
Issues of our country that I will fix . . .
*National debt
*Fuel prices
*Drugs
*Crime
*Nature
*Homelessness
*Taxes
*Economy
*Wildfires
Then Isaac brought home an assignment from school yesterday that said, "If I were president I would make everyone have $1,000,000."
Sounds pretty good, right?
Friday, December 7, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
"Oh No. Not the CDA!"
I have good news! Yesterday, I officially completed the 120 hours of classroom training needed to obtain my CDA. Brian always teases me with a reference to Monsters Inc. ("Halt! This is the Child Detection Agency! . . . Oh no. Not those guys . . .).
No, it's not that. It's my Child Development Associate. Now that I have put in the classroom time, I am working on a resource binder. It is about halfway complete. Once that is done, I will be 90% finished with the requirements. I will have a formal observation while working with kids, take a test and survey the parents I work for. But, those things will take a lot less time than the classes and the binder.
This is an extra credential you can get if you are a child care provider and I figured since I am licensed now, why not? Well, and there is a cash incentive. Once I get my CDA, I am going to cram in another 80 hours of classroom time so I can get another credential and a (bigger) cash bonus when I renew my license in May.
Some of the classes are kind of fun and yesterday I met a really cool lady who has been doing licensed child care in her home for 30-years. I could tell from talking to her that she runs a top notch program with daily art projects and a preschool program. She gave me lots of good ideas. And, I was encouraged by the rates she charges too (right here in Ogden!). She is pulling in some cash, but she is working hard for it and is open for longer hours than I am. It was encouraging because it gave me a vision of what my program can grow into with time and as my own kids get older.
I also got excited because she told me how to open a retirement account. I've always thought that was one of the greatest drawbacks to being self-employed -- no retirement. But, I didn't realize I could do it all on my own. Of course, when I told Brian this, he said he knew that all along. So, maybe I am the only person who didn't realize this?
Anyways, in other news, Isaac gave me a scare last night. He came home from school on Friday with a hoarse voice and barking cough. By bedtime he had a fever. When he was still coughing and feverish yesterday, we had to make some adjustments to our plans.
Brian's sister and her husband and five kids came in town for the holiday and were planning to spend Saturday night with us. In addition, we were hosting Sunday dinner for all of Brian's siblings and their families. I was pretty excited for these plans, but we didn't want to expose everyone to Isaac's sickness, so, to our disappointment, the cousins had to make a new plan for where to sleep Saturday night and the family party was moved to another sibling's house.
We were also planning to take the whole family (along with our out of town guests) to a concert in Logan Saturday night -- to see another one of Brian's sisters perform. Brian decided to take Sophie and Ian to the concert while I stayed home with Isaac and Katie. Around 6 p.m., I checked Isaac's fever and discovered it had spiked, so I got him up off his resting place on the couch to see if he could eat a sandwich and take some ibuprofen. Before we got to the sandwich, he had a coughing fit and was having a very hard time breathing. It was so scary! He was obviously struggling a great deal to take in breaths and looking desperately into my eyes squeaking out the words, "My breather isn't working."
It was, of course, croup, an illness that (thankfully) I don't have much experience with. I knew it was croup, but I also didn't know how severe his breathing was restricted, so I got a little panicked. I picked up the phone not sure if I should call the after hours doctor or 911, so, of course, I called my mom. She calmly told me to take him into the bathroom and run the shower. That reminded me that croup also responds to cold outdoor air. So, I bundled him in a blanket and sat him on a stool outside while I got the bathroom all steamy. After he sat outside for 10 minutes and in the bathroom for 15 more, he was breathing well enough for me to look up the urgent care clinic hours. They were open until 8 p.m. (hooray!) no emergency room visit needed.
I loaded up Katie and Isaac and a couple of PB&J sandwiches and we headed to the clinic. Illness almost never gets my Isaac down. He is a man of steel. But, I could tell he was pretty sick by the way he lay listlessly on the exam table (not at all like the way he usually explores every inch of the room and gets into everything when I take him to the doctor). He was still having such a hard time breathing that all of the nurses would say, "What are we seeing you for?" One look at Isaac and then, "Oh, never mind."
They did a strep culture just to be sure he didn't have that too (and they did it so deep and for so long it made him throw up), gave him some steroids and sent us on our way. By 9 p.m., we were back at home and he was sleeping soundly with much better breathing. I kept him in my room all night just to be sure. Today, he seems almost completely better, but I'm keeping him calm and resting so we don't have a relapse. Whew! I'm so grateful he is O.K.
No, it's not that. It's my Child Development Associate. Now that I have put in the classroom time, I am working on a resource binder. It is about halfway complete. Once that is done, I will be 90% finished with the requirements. I will have a formal observation while working with kids, take a test and survey the parents I work for. But, those things will take a lot less time than the classes and the binder.
This is an extra credential you can get if you are a child care provider and I figured since I am licensed now, why not? Well, and there is a cash incentive. Once I get my CDA, I am going to cram in another 80 hours of classroom time so I can get another credential and a (bigger) cash bonus when I renew my license in May.
Some of the classes are kind of fun and yesterday I met a really cool lady who has been doing licensed child care in her home for 30-years. I could tell from talking to her that she runs a top notch program with daily art projects and a preschool program. She gave me lots of good ideas. And, I was encouraged by the rates she charges too (right here in Ogden!). She is pulling in some cash, but she is working hard for it and is open for longer hours than I am. It was encouraging because it gave me a vision of what my program can grow into with time and as my own kids get older.
I also got excited because she told me how to open a retirement account. I've always thought that was one of the greatest drawbacks to being self-employed -- no retirement. But, I didn't realize I could do it all on my own. Of course, when I told Brian this, he said he knew that all along. So, maybe I am the only person who didn't realize this?
Anyways, in other news, Isaac gave me a scare last night. He came home from school on Friday with a hoarse voice and barking cough. By bedtime he had a fever. When he was still coughing and feverish yesterday, we had to make some adjustments to our plans.
Brian's sister and her husband and five kids came in town for the holiday and were planning to spend Saturday night with us. In addition, we were hosting Sunday dinner for all of Brian's siblings and their families. I was pretty excited for these plans, but we didn't want to expose everyone to Isaac's sickness, so, to our disappointment, the cousins had to make a new plan for where to sleep Saturday night and the family party was moved to another sibling's house.
We were also planning to take the whole family (along with our out of town guests) to a concert in Logan Saturday night -- to see another one of Brian's sisters perform. Brian decided to take Sophie and Ian to the concert while I stayed home with Isaac and Katie. Around 6 p.m., I checked Isaac's fever and discovered it had spiked, so I got him up off his resting place on the couch to see if he could eat a sandwich and take some ibuprofen. Before we got to the sandwich, he had a coughing fit and was having a very hard time breathing. It was so scary! He was obviously struggling a great deal to take in breaths and looking desperately into my eyes squeaking out the words, "My breather isn't working."
It was, of course, croup, an illness that (thankfully) I don't have much experience with. I knew it was croup, but I also didn't know how severe his breathing was restricted, so I got a little panicked. I picked up the phone not sure if I should call the after hours doctor or 911, so, of course, I called my mom. She calmly told me to take him into the bathroom and run the shower. That reminded me that croup also responds to cold outdoor air. So, I bundled him in a blanket and sat him on a stool outside while I got the bathroom all steamy. After he sat outside for 10 minutes and in the bathroom for 15 more, he was breathing well enough for me to look up the urgent care clinic hours. They were open until 8 p.m. (hooray!) no emergency room visit needed.
I loaded up Katie and Isaac and a couple of PB&J sandwiches and we headed to the clinic. Illness almost never gets my Isaac down. He is a man of steel. But, I could tell he was pretty sick by the way he lay listlessly on the exam table (not at all like the way he usually explores every inch of the room and gets into everything when I take him to the doctor). He was still having such a hard time breathing that all of the nurses would say, "What are we seeing you for?" One look at Isaac and then, "Oh, never mind."
They did a strep culture just to be sure he didn't have that too (and they did it so deep and for so long it made him throw up), gave him some steroids and sent us on our way. By 9 p.m., we were back at home and he was sleeping soundly with much better breathing. I kept him in my room all night just to be sure. Today, he seems almost completely better, but I'm keeping him calm and resting so we don't have a relapse. Whew! I'm so grateful he is O.K.
Monday, November 12, 2012
This Makes Me Smile
A few months ago, I posted about my fears associated with running a full time child care from my home. Today, I want to say that, even though it has its ups and downs like any job, it's mostly been great.
There are lots of things that make it that way -- getting to still be with Katie all day is at the top of the list. My decision to become licensed was a good one despite the many hoops to jump through.
I've been taking lots of child development classes at Weber State University since May. They have a lot of good ideas and help me have a clearer focus and feel more of a sense of purpose in what I am doing.
Here is a story that makes me happy.
I started watching one of my babies when he was just 2-weeks old. That is the youngest baby I've ever spent so much time with (other than my own). When he was about 3 months old, I asked my mom to come to my house and help me one afternoon. It was Katie's 3rd Birthday and I wanted her to hold the baby while I got some things done for her party.
My mom held him, but she said, "I think he wants you." I said, "No way, he is too young to express a preference for me over you." But, it soon became clear that he was only happy if she was holding him where he could see me. That is the way my own babies were -- knowing who I was and wanting me over someone else even at a young age. But, that was the first time I realized that someone else's baby felt that way about me. It really touched me.
Now that baby is 8 1/2 months old and still as sweet as can be! I began watching another baby when school started. She will be 1 next month. I love watching them crawl around like little partners in crime. They always keep me in their sights. Again I was reminded of the bond we have when, the other day, one of the other kids needed a bandaid. I walked down the hall quickly to grab one and both babies came speed crawling right behind me.
I feel very blessed to get to watch kids who are so sweet. They make me smile.
There are lots of things that make it that way -- getting to still be with Katie all day is at the top of the list. My decision to become licensed was a good one despite the many hoops to jump through.
I've been taking lots of child development classes at Weber State University since May. They have a lot of good ideas and help me have a clearer focus and feel more of a sense of purpose in what I am doing.
Here is a story that makes me happy.
I started watching one of my babies when he was just 2-weeks old. That is the youngest baby I've ever spent so much time with (other than my own). When he was about 3 months old, I asked my mom to come to my house and help me one afternoon. It was Katie's 3rd Birthday and I wanted her to hold the baby while I got some things done for her party.
My mom held him, but she said, "I think he wants you." I said, "No way, he is too young to express a preference for me over you." But, it soon became clear that he was only happy if she was holding him where he could see me. That is the way my own babies were -- knowing who I was and wanting me over someone else even at a young age. But, that was the first time I realized that someone else's baby felt that way about me. It really touched me.
Now that baby is 8 1/2 months old and still as sweet as can be! I began watching another baby when school started. She will be 1 next month. I love watching them crawl around like little partners in crime. They always keep me in their sights. Again I was reminded of the bond we have when, the other day, one of the other kids needed a bandaid. I walked down the hall quickly to grab one and both babies came speed crawling right behind me.
I feel very blessed to get to watch kids who are so sweet. They make me smile.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
I Love: Snowmen in my Yard
I love magical snowstorms. When the kids were little, starting from the first year Sophie could walk, I made it a point to take the kids outside and build a snowman when we got our first good snowstorm of the year. I love driving through the neighborhood after a storm and seeing all those creatively crafted guys staring out at the street.
I did this every year until Isaac was 3 or 4. Truth be told, I am a fair weather kind of gal and I don't relish getting all bundled up in my snow gear and romping around the yard. O.K. Truth be told, I actually do enjoy building snowmen with the kids, I just have a hard time talking myself into it because I don't like being cold.
My point is, I was kind of hoping that it would catch on and that one day, they would build their own snowmen.
This year, Isaac carried out the tradition unprompted and unassisted.
We had a magical snowstorm a few weeks ago. We had been having a lovely, mild fall when suddenly we were hit with a good accumulation of snow. It wasn't huge, but when it was done we had a good 4 or so inches standing on our front lawn. Isaac and his friend Jordan came home from school and before they even came inside they had built two beautiful snowmen together complete with stick arms, goofy faces, and one of them even had a narrow board for a tie. Cute. Cute. Cute.
I was so happy and I even snapped pictures.
This storm melted away as suddenly as came. In fact, the boys were out building the snowmen wearing snowpants, boots, short sleeve shirts and gloves. It was a sight! All of that snow and 60-degree sunshine beaming down on them as they worked.
Then we had the most beautiful fall weather I can imagine for a few more weeks. The warmest Halloween ever! I think we had a high of at least 70-degrees. The fall leaves were so pretty. I love living in an old neighborhood where the streets are all lined with ancient trees. It feels like a fairy tale.
On Thursday, as I drove around, the wind swirled the leaves around me like snow globe. And, then Friday, the snow came. And came, and came, and came. It snowed all day until, when I left my house at 6 p.m. to take Sophie and Ian and meet my mom for a production of "Footloose," there was at least 4 or more inches.
School got out early on Friday, and all of my kids had their friends over to play. I had the day off from babysitting since one of the kids I watch had a fever, yet I still ended up with 9 kids at my house for the afternoon. It is so wonderful that they all have such nice friends.
Isaac and his friend Birdie built another snowman and then spent hours making dams out of snow in the gutter. I love that Birdie. She likes to catch bugs too. Isaac's kind of girl!
The real surprise came when we woke up Saturday morning to at least a 12-inch accumulation! I love storms that dump.
I had a class at Weber State until 3 p.m., and Brian took the kids with him to Salt Lake to shoot an assignment for the newspaper. His second assignment got canceled and he took them all to IHOP. I was sooooooo grateful that he had them instead of having to leave them with a babysitter all day. Not that sitters are bad, but don't you think an outing to IHOP with your dad is the bomb?
When we all got home that afternoon, Isaac was immediately back in his snow clothes -- making snow angels and sledding down our front lawn. A truck parked in front of our house and I watched him repeatedly slide down and bump into the tire over and over. Sometimes he just lay in the sled gazing up at the sky. He looked like a man in paradise.
I was inside busily whipping up a cinnamon (with no nuts) cake and getting ready for Ian's big birthday party. He is turning 10 this week.
I did this every year until Isaac was 3 or 4. Truth be told, I am a fair weather kind of gal and I don't relish getting all bundled up in my snow gear and romping around the yard. O.K. Truth be told, I actually do enjoy building snowmen with the kids, I just have a hard time talking myself into it because I don't like being cold.
My point is, I was kind of hoping that it would catch on and that one day, they would build their own snowmen.
This year, Isaac carried out the tradition unprompted and unassisted.
We had a magical snowstorm a few weeks ago. We had been having a lovely, mild fall when suddenly we were hit with a good accumulation of snow. It wasn't huge, but when it was done we had a good 4 or so inches standing on our front lawn. Isaac and his friend Jordan came home from school and before they even came inside they had built two beautiful snowmen together complete with stick arms, goofy faces, and one of them even had a narrow board for a tie. Cute. Cute. Cute.
I was so happy and I even snapped pictures.
This storm melted away as suddenly as came. In fact, the boys were out building the snowmen wearing snowpants, boots, short sleeve shirts and gloves. It was a sight! All of that snow and 60-degree sunshine beaming down on them as they worked.
Then we had the most beautiful fall weather I can imagine for a few more weeks. The warmest Halloween ever! I think we had a high of at least 70-degrees. The fall leaves were so pretty. I love living in an old neighborhood where the streets are all lined with ancient trees. It feels like a fairy tale.
On Thursday, as I drove around, the wind swirled the leaves around me like snow globe. And, then Friday, the snow came. And came, and came, and came. It snowed all day until, when I left my house at 6 p.m. to take Sophie and Ian and meet my mom for a production of "Footloose," there was at least 4 or more inches.
School got out early on Friday, and all of my kids had their friends over to play. I had the day off from babysitting since one of the kids I watch had a fever, yet I still ended up with 9 kids at my house for the afternoon. It is so wonderful that they all have such nice friends.
Isaac and his friend Birdie built another snowman and then spent hours making dams out of snow in the gutter. I love that Birdie. She likes to catch bugs too. Isaac's kind of girl!
The real surprise came when we woke up Saturday morning to at least a 12-inch accumulation! I love storms that dump.
I had a class at Weber State until 3 p.m., and Brian took the kids with him to Salt Lake to shoot an assignment for the newspaper. His second assignment got canceled and he took them all to IHOP. I was sooooooo grateful that he had them instead of having to leave them with a babysitter all day. Not that sitters are bad, but don't you think an outing to IHOP with your dad is the bomb?
When we all got home that afternoon, Isaac was immediately back in his snow clothes -- making snow angels and sledding down our front lawn. A truck parked in front of our house and I watched him repeatedly slide down and bump into the tire over and over. Sometimes he just lay in the sled gazing up at the sky. He looked like a man in paradise.
I was inside busily whipping up a cinnamon (with no nuts) cake and getting ready for Ian's big birthday party. He is turning 10 this week.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Halloween 2012
Ian exclaimed upon arriving home from hours of trick-or-treating, "This is the most candy we've ever gotten!" Which is what the kids think every year. So, yay for success in their minds.
Sophie was Harry Potter's wizard friend Hermione. I read the first three books with the kids over the summer and Sophie has finished 4, 5 and 6 on her own.
Ian was General Grievous from Star Wars Episode III. Last year he was Luke Skywalker.
Isaac was the Transformer Bumblebee.
Katie chose a horse costume from the costume box (with straps so it looks like she is riding a horse). It was perfect with Isaac's old Sheriff Woody shirt and vest. She wore that a few times and then discovered Ian's old monkey costume. She was a monkey from then on. A cute monkey too.
Brian was Lucha Libre (he looked awesome), and I borrowed a pirate costume from my sister for one party. I was suppose to come up with a cool costume to go with Lucha Libre for a couples costume party, but I guess I was too busy putting the kids' costumes together and planning their school parties and one hour before the party I realized I dropped the ball on getting my own costume together and ended up going in my pink bunny pajamas. We were almost the only couple that didn't match. I had a bunch of great ideas after the fact. I could have been his agent! Oh, well.
On Halloween, I saw one of my friends in a super sassy pirate costume which was actually this -- nice khaki pants, a darling silky blouse, a way fun leather vest and boots like I have been wanting forever. I decided that next year I need to buy my own pirate costume.
And, it will definitely need those boots.
Brian will need one of those Jack Sparrow hats from Disneyland with the fake dreadlocks too.
The kids ate a ton of candy at school and from their trick-or-treating bags on Halloween. The next day, we began to examine their loot. Sophie decided to trade about 75% of her candy for Taylor Swift's new "Red" album. Isaac decided to do the same for a new Star Wars lego set -- but, only after clarifying that the legos had to come from the Sweet Tooth Fairy (which, I guess is something he has heard about from friends at school - where a magical fairy comes and takes your candy away in exchange for a cool toy).
Ian decided that he wanted to keep all of his candy. Katie hasn't seemed to notice that her candy stash significantly decreased while she was sleeping. She is addicted to C-A-N-D-Y!!! That is all she wants now. She is so cute how she pulls out each new treat and says, "What is this one?" before she gobbles it down.
We also carved Jack-o-Lanterns as a family and roasted the seeds. It turns out that Isaac shares my love for this treat and Sophie enjoys pulling out the pumpkin guts while Ian hates putting his hands in the sticky dark pumpkins (just like me!). Sophie got ambitious and tried to carve Tinkerbell's face into her pumpkin. I was proud of her for trying.
Halloween = Good times!
Sophie was Harry Potter's wizard friend Hermione. I read the first three books with the kids over the summer and Sophie has finished 4, 5 and 6 on her own.
Ian was General Grievous from Star Wars Episode III. Last year he was Luke Skywalker.
Isaac was the Transformer Bumblebee.
Katie chose a horse costume from the costume box (with straps so it looks like she is riding a horse). It was perfect with Isaac's old Sheriff Woody shirt and vest. She wore that a few times and then discovered Ian's old monkey costume. She was a monkey from then on. A cute monkey too.
Brian was Lucha Libre (he looked awesome), and I borrowed a pirate costume from my sister for one party. I was suppose to come up with a cool costume to go with Lucha Libre for a couples costume party, but I guess I was too busy putting the kids' costumes together and planning their school parties and one hour before the party I realized I dropped the ball on getting my own costume together and ended up going in my pink bunny pajamas. We were almost the only couple that didn't match. I had a bunch of great ideas after the fact. I could have been his agent! Oh, well.
On Halloween, I saw one of my friends in a super sassy pirate costume which was actually this -- nice khaki pants, a darling silky blouse, a way fun leather vest and boots like I have been wanting forever. I decided that next year I need to buy my own pirate costume.
And, it will definitely need those boots.
Brian will need one of those Jack Sparrow hats from Disneyland with the fake dreadlocks too.
The kids ate a ton of candy at school and from their trick-or-treating bags on Halloween. The next day, we began to examine their loot. Sophie decided to trade about 75% of her candy for Taylor Swift's new "Red" album. Isaac decided to do the same for a new Star Wars lego set -- but, only after clarifying that the legos had to come from the Sweet Tooth Fairy (which, I guess is something he has heard about from friends at school - where a magical fairy comes and takes your candy away in exchange for a cool toy).
Ian decided that he wanted to keep all of his candy. Katie hasn't seemed to notice that her candy stash significantly decreased while she was sleeping. She is addicted to C-A-N-D-Y!!! That is all she wants now. She is so cute how she pulls out each new treat and says, "What is this one?" before she gobbles it down.
We also carved Jack-o-Lanterns as a family and roasted the seeds. It turns out that Isaac shares my love for this treat and Sophie enjoys pulling out the pumpkin guts while Ian hates putting his hands in the sticky dark pumpkins (just like me!). Sophie got ambitious and tried to carve Tinkerbell's face into her pumpkin. I was proud of her for trying.
Halloween = Good times!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Family Pet
This is the story of how we came to have a rabbit for our family pet.
We can't have a dog. Brian is allergic to dogs. And, before you say, "I am allergic to dogs too, but I still have a dog" -- I must add that he is deathly allergic. Not just in an itchy eyes and throat sort of way, but in a closed off windpipe sort of way. So, we can't have a dog.
We also can't have a cat. I personally wouldn't mind an outdoor mouser, but Brian doesn't care for the company of felines and has firmly put his foot down.
Fish? Meh.
Bird? Maybe.
Hamster?
Here is a story about a hamster.
When we were living in China, Ian celebrated his 4th Birthday. A friend gave him a pet hamster, complete with cage and all, for his gift. Brian and I were a little unsure at first, but what could we do?
We named the little guy Joey and he turned out to be one of the best things about our days in China. The kids would get him out and play with him for hours. He was friendly and cute. We had a large, shallow, cardboard box and the kids would build playlands out of duplo legos for him to climb around on. Joey was the perfect family pet.
Unfortunately, airline restrictions made it too complicated for us to bring Joey back to America. So, we found him a nice home to stay at in China.
We moved back into our house in the summer of 2007 and it seemed obvious to me that a hamster was the perfect family pet. So, I ran right out to the pet store, bought a fancy cage, and picked out what seemed like a nice hamster.
I was wrong. He needed an exorcism. He bit (and drew blood from) the first hand that tried to play with him. He went straight back to the store. They accepted him back and refunded my money, but sadly they told me that most hamsters from pet stores are mean like that because they can't be sold until they are older and they miss an important window when they could become socialized like Joey was.
I meant to shop around for someone who sold hamsters from their home, but I never got around to it. Eventually the hamster cage was given away and here we were, five years later in the summer of 2012 still thinking about what our perfect family pet would be.
Ian said "bearded dragon." But, I'm sorry, I just don't do reptile care. Not that I have anything against them. I'm just inexperienced in that department.
In fact, about the only pet department I am experienced in is rabbit. When I was twelve-years-old my grandparents sent me $15 for my birthday and I took the money to the pet store and bought a gorgeous, tan, lop-eared rabbit named Christopher. He lived on an enclosed deck right outside my bedroom (on the second floor). It was the perfect arrangement and I loved that bunny. He wasn't very tame and never let me carry him. But, I loved to pet him and watch him hop around. He lived for about 10 years and died after I had moved away to college.
I have been convinced for a long time that a bunny would be our perfect family pet, and Sophie became obsessed with the idea a little over a year ago. But, we put it off because, first, Brian was not convinced, then, we were in the middle of moving to a new house. After we got to the new house, we had no yard (and, Brian was not convinced) . . . you know how these things can get put off.
Right after we moved to this house, someone offered me a free rabbit hutch and I hauled it home. It has been sitting there empty, just waiting for a rabbit to move in, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity -- which came to us when we went to the State Fair last month.
At the fair, I love to take the kids through the different barns to look at all of the animals. When we got to the barn that houses the rabbits, I noticed that several of them were for sale. There were exotic ones and purebreds, giant rabbits and tiny dwarfs, and all different colors with long ears or short, lop ears or tall, fuzzy hair and sleek -- so many different rabbits.
It just so happened that one of the ladies who was sitting with the rabbits while we were there was selling a tan bunny that she had purchased one year ago when he was a baby, thinking he was a lion head, but later discovered that she was wrong. He was a mixed breed and she keeps show rabbits, so he had to go. He was cute and friendly and neutered and best of all, he was only $10. He wasn't what Sophie had envisioned -- she wanted a black and white baby -- but, after some convincing she agreed to make him ours.
So, we brought our new rabbit home and changed his name from Nugget to Caramel. We set him up in the hutch right outside our kitchen window, gave him some food and water, and wallah! We were pet owners.
Over the next few weeks, we brought him inside to hop around about once a day and I even bought him a tiny harness and leash so Sophie could let him hop around in the grass in the front yard. He was so calm about being held. My childhood bunny would have torn my arms to shreds if I had tried to carry him around the way the kids carried Caramel around.
Then, one day, we had to move the hutch a little ways away from the kitchen window and I couldn't see Caramel every day when I worked on my computer. Then, we turned the hutch so that Brian could back a load of gravel into the yard to get ready for phase two of our patio. I felt guilty because I had to actually walk outside to see Caramel and make sure he was doing alright, but I didn't do anything about it right away.
A couple of days after that happened, Isaac went out to play on the Thursday morning of UEA weekend and came back in to announce, "Our bunny is gone."
I went outside to inspect and found that the bottom of the cage had given way and fallen out, probably sometime during the night. The cage was old and I guess we hadn't realized that it was close to falling apart like that.
The kids, their friends, and I searched the yard thoroughly. We searched the next door neighbor's yard. We looked up and down the street. We sent out an alert to the neighborhood e-mail. At first I felt hopeful. But, then I started to lose hope.
I thought about dogs and cars and wondered how our little Caramel could have possibly survived?
Luckily, my mom had picked Sophie up that morning and taken her shopping in Salt Lake, so she was gone the whole day. She had no idea her bunny was missing, or I would have been dealing with her broken little heart too.
As it was, I found myself mourning the loss of this new family pet. By afternoon, I was shedding actual tears. I kept telling myself, "Calm down. It was just a $10 rabbit." But, myself would shout back hysterically, "But, I don't want another rabbit. I want that rabbit! I miss his funny little hair that sticks up around his ears and I will never find another rabbit as calm and pleasant as Caramel."
Then I would think about having to tell Sophie that Caramel was gone and that is when the tears would come.
But then a little miracle happened. At 5 p.m. I went out to my car to go pick Ian up from Scouts and just at that moment, Caramel came hopping up our driveway!!!
I could not believe my eyes! He came back! With a little effort, I caught him and put him in a box. I took him with me because I could not let him out of my sight. The kids were so happy. I was so happy. Sophie was so happy later when we told her the whole story (and, blessedly, she didn't have to know about it until after we had the happy ending).
We enclosed him in our dining room, which has tile floors and not a lot of furniture, and there he would stay until we could mend his cage or buy a new one. We all held him and made a big deal over him and fed him his favorite food - bananas. That night, I held him for an hour until he started to grind his teeth (the rabbit equivalent of purring).
Over the next few days, we learned that an indoor rabbit roaming free (even enclosed in one room) can be trouble. There was the mess of cleaning up after him (of course), but the other trouble was that he could open the door to the boys' bedroom, right off our dining room, and it turns out -- he is quite good at chewing up carpet. So, after a few days, I decided that a family pet as adored and wonderful as ours was worth investing in. I figured since he only cost $10, it was O.K. to buy him a decent cage. So, I did.
Now, he lives in a cage in our family room. And, if we ever want to, we can move the cage outside. But, for now, we seem to like him to be indoors where we can keep an eye on him. We don't want him wandering off in search of his next big adventure now that he's had a taste of freedom.
We can't have a dog. Brian is allergic to dogs. And, before you say, "I am allergic to dogs too, but I still have a dog" -- I must add that he is deathly allergic. Not just in an itchy eyes and throat sort of way, but in a closed off windpipe sort of way. So, we can't have a dog.
We also can't have a cat. I personally wouldn't mind an outdoor mouser, but Brian doesn't care for the company of felines and has firmly put his foot down.
Fish? Meh.
Bird? Maybe.
Hamster?
Here is a story about a hamster.
When we were living in China, Ian celebrated his 4th Birthday. A friend gave him a pet hamster, complete with cage and all, for his gift. Brian and I were a little unsure at first, but what could we do?
We named the little guy Joey and he turned out to be one of the best things about our days in China. The kids would get him out and play with him for hours. He was friendly and cute. We had a large, shallow, cardboard box and the kids would build playlands out of duplo legos for him to climb around on. Joey was the perfect family pet.
Unfortunately, airline restrictions made it too complicated for us to bring Joey back to America. So, we found him a nice home to stay at in China.
We moved back into our house in the summer of 2007 and it seemed obvious to me that a hamster was the perfect family pet. So, I ran right out to the pet store, bought a fancy cage, and picked out what seemed like a nice hamster.
I was wrong. He needed an exorcism. He bit (and drew blood from) the first hand that tried to play with him. He went straight back to the store. They accepted him back and refunded my money, but sadly they told me that most hamsters from pet stores are mean like that because they can't be sold until they are older and they miss an important window when they could become socialized like Joey was.
I meant to shop around for someone who sold hamsters from their home, but I never got around to it. Eventually the hamster cage was given away and here we were, five years later in the summer of 2012 still thinking about what our perfect family pet would be.
Ian said "bearded dragon." But, I'm sorry, I just don't do reptile care. Not that I have anything against them. I'm just inexperienced in that department.
In fact, about the only pet department I am experienced in is rabbit. When I was twelve-years-old my grandparents sent me $15 for my birthday and I took the money to the pet store and bought a gorgeous, tan, lop-eared rabbit named Christopher. He lived on an enclosed deck right outside my bedroom (on the second floor). It was the perfect arrangement and I loved that bunny. He wasn't very tame and never let me carry him. But, I loved to pet him and watch him hop around. He lived for about 10 years and died after I had moved away to college.
I have been convinced for a long time that a bunny would be our perfect family pet, and Sophie became obsessed with the idea a little over a year ago. But, we put it off because, first, Brian was not convinced, then, we were in the middle of moving to a new house. After we got to the new house, we had no yard (and, Brian was not convinced) . . . you know how these things can get put off.
Right after we moved to this house, someone offered me a free rabbit hutch and I hauled it home. It has been sitting there empty, just waiting for a rabbit to move in, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity -- which came to us when we went to the State Fair last month.
At the fair, I love to take the kids through the different barns to look at all of the animals. When we got to the barn that houses the rabbits, I noticed that several of them were for sale. There were exotic ones and purebreds, giant rabbits and tiny dwarfs, and all different colors with long ears or short, lop ears or tall, fuzzy hair and sleek -- so many different rabbits.
It just so happened that one of the ladies who was sitting with the rabbits while we were there was selling a tan bunny that she had purchased one year ago when he was a baby, thinking he was a lion head, but later discovered that she was wrong. He was a mixed breed and she keeps show rabbits, so he had to go. He was cute and friendly and neutered and best of all, he was only $10. He wasn't what Sophie had envisioned -- she wanted a black and white baby -- but, after some convincing she agreed to make him ours.
So, we brought our new rabbit home and changed his name from Nugget to Caramel. We set him up in the hutch right outside our kitchen window, gave him some food and water, and wallah! We were pet owners.
Over the next few weeks, we brought him inside to hop around about once a day and I even bought him a tiny harness and leash so Sophie could let him hop around in the grass in the front yard. He was so calm about being held. My childhood bunny would have torn my arms to shreds if I had tried to carry him around the way the kids carried Caramel around.
Then, one day, we had to move the hutch a little ways away from the kitchen window and I couldn't see Caramel every day when I worked on my computer. Then, we turned the hutch so that Brian could back a load of gravel into the yard to get ready for phase two of our patio. I felt guilty because I had to actually walk outside to see Caramel and make sure he was doing alright, but I didn't do anything about it right away.
A couple of days after that happened, Isaac went out to play on the Thursday morning of UEA weekend and came back in to announce, "Our bunny is gone."
I went outside to inspect and found that the bottom of the cage had given way and fallen out, probably sometime during the night. The cage was old and I guess we hadn't realized that it was close to falling apart like that.
The kids, their friends, and I searched the yard thoroughly. We searched the next door neighbor's yard. We looked up and down the street. We sent out an alert to the neighborhood e-mail. At first I felt hopeful. But, then I started to lose hope.
I thought about dogs and cars and wondered how our little Caramel could have possibly survived?
Luckily, my mom had picked Sophie up that morning and taken her shopping in Salt Lake, so she was gone the whole day. She had no idea her bunny was missing, or I would have been dealing with her broken little heart too.
As it was, I found myself mourning the loss of this new family pet. By afternoon, I was shedding actual tears. I kept telling myself, "Calm down. It was just a $10 rabbit." But, myself would shout back hysterically, "But, I don't want another rabbit. I want that rabbit! I miss his funny little hair that sticks up around his ears and I will never find another rabbit as calm and pleasant as Caramel."
Then I would think about having to tell Sophie that Caramel was gone and that is when the tears would come.
But then a little miracle happened. At 5 p.m. I went out to my car to go pick Ian up from Scouts and just at that moment, Caramel came hopping up our driveway!!!
I could not believe my eyes! He came back! With a little effort, I caught him and put him in a box. I took him with me because I could not let him out of my sight. The kids were so happy. I was so happy. Sophie was so happy later when we told her the whole story (and, blessedly, she didn't have to know about it until after we had the happy ending).
We enclosed him in our dining room, which has tile floors and not a lot of furniture, and there he would stay until we could mend his cage or buy a new one. We all held him and made a big deal over him and fed him his favorite food - bananas. That night, I held him for an hour until he started to grind his teeth (the rabbit equivalent of purring).
Over the next few days, we learned that an indoor rabbit roaming free (even enclosed in one room) can be trouble. There was the mess of cleaning up after him (of course), but the other trouble was that he could open the door to the boys' bedroom, right off our dining room, and it turns out -- he is quite good at chewing up carpet. So, after a few days, I decided that a family pet as adored and wonderful as ours was worth investing in. I figured since he only cost $10, it was O.K. to buy him a decent cage. So, I did.
Now, he lives in a cage in our family room. And, if we ever want to, we can move the cage outside. But, for now, we seem to like him to be indoors where we can keep an eye on him. We don't want him wandering off in search of his next big adventure now that he's had a taste of freedom.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Summer 2012
A post I started mid-August which I will now finish . . .
I regret that I haven't taken the time to write individual posts about all the fun things we have been doing this summer. One long post summing it up will have to do since we are practically on the eve of a new school year.
June brought outings, swimming, summer reading programs at our local library and the track club for Ian and Isaac. Sophie started a 6-week drama camp which turned out to be one of the highlights of the summer (they performed Peter Pan in July and it was fantastic!). Then came the 3-weeks of camping trips. It started with a mom and me Girl Scout Camp with our troop at the gorgeous Trefoil Ranch.
I just realized that all of the good pictures from this trip are on Brian's computer. But, here is one with a funny story. When I asked the kids what treats they wanted me to buy for the trip, Sophie and Ian both said, "Starbursts to roast over the fire." You see a couple of years ago, the kids ran out of marshmallows and started roasting Starbursts instead. I almost denied their request, passing it off as silly, but then humored them by buying a pack of Starbursts to take along. On the first night we were there, all of the kids (from the other families) pulled out Starbursts to roast over the fire. And, then I realized - they have created their own tradition. Awwwww.
I had just one day to wash all of the laundry, re-stock the groceries and re-pack the van before our third camping trip in three weeks -- the annual Nicholson family reunion at Moosehorn Lake in the Uintahs.
We had such a wonderful time, canoeing on the lake, sleeping under the stars in our tent, playing a wild game of wiffle ball and making a mean chuck wagon breakfast in the mountains on the 4th of July.
And in between all of our camping trips and outings, there was plenty of this going on . . .
I regret that I haven't taken the time to write individual posts about all the fun things we have been doing this summer. One long post summing it up will have to do since we are practically on the eve of a new school year.
June brought outings, swimming, summer reading programs at our local library and the track club for Ian and Isaac. Sophie started a 6-week drama camp which turned out to be one of the highlights of the summer (they performed Peter Pan in July and it was fantastic!). Then came the 3-weeks of camping trips. It started with a mom and me Girl Scout Camp with our troop at the gorgeous Trefoil Ranch.
We got to go horseback riding - which was pretty cool.
I LOVE THIS GIRL!
And, of course we spent lots of time in the arts and crafts room (here we are making rag dolls).
It was a fun three days in the mountains spending some quality one on one time with Sophie. Here is a funny story -- We had to be careful not to take any food into our tents because of the critters, but I forgot that I had an unopened pack of gum in the side pocket of my backpack. In the opening meeting, they told us not to even have gum in the tents. That is when I remembered. But, by the time I got back to my tent (it had been about an hour), something had already crawled into the pocket and chewed the gum into itty bitty pieces!
The very next week, we took the whole family up to our friends' gorgeous cabin on the water's edge at Bear Lake. This is one of our favorite summer traditions that we have been enjoying for about nine years now.
I had just one day to wash all of the laundry, re-stock the groceries and re-pack the van before our third camping trip in three weeks -- the annual Nicholson family reunion at Moosehorn Lake in the Uintahs.
We had such a wonderful time, canoeing on the lake, sleeping under the stars in our tent, playing a wild game of wiffle ball and making a mean chuck wagon breakfast in the mountains on the 4th of July.
Sophie and Grandma Nicholson show off their matching Moosehorn t-shirts
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| Isaac poses by the beautiful lake |
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| Isaac and Katie |
It was the summer of putting in the yard. Here is a photo of our back patio -- or, what was left of it after Brian jack hammered it to pieces. It was a really nice patio and I was sad to see it go, but Brian had a vision for a lovely patio coming off the back sliding glass doors of our family room (north of where the old patio was) and it was just too complicated to bring together the new and the old. They landscaping deserves a post all of its own. For now, I will just say -- it was the summer of putting in they yard (oh boy!).
In August, we headed back to Bear Lake for a huge extended family reunion on my side. My mom and her three siblings take turns hosting a reunion every other year, which means this was my mom's once every eight years turn to be in charge.
Katie and I flew to Indiana two years ago to attend the last one which was hosted by my mom's brother, and, boy was it one BIG party! I think the reunions (they started about 10 years ago) get better and better each time, so the pressure was on for something really spectacular.
I am happy to say, my mom pulled it off with amazing style.
She and my dad rented a gorgeous cabin near Bear Lake, and packed about one ton of food as well as every possible thing we could have ever needed (beach toys, sunscreen, an elaborate first aid kit - there was no scenario left to chance) and we spent a long weekend enjoying delicious food, great company, the fabulous beach and gorgeous water.
It was wonderful to see aunts and uncles that I only see every four or so years (I can usually only make it to every other reunion since two of the four require flying). And, I am always grateful for time with my beloved Pappa (that is southern-speak for Grandpa, he's from Kentucky you see).
Then, it was back home for a missionary farewell. Brian's parents are off to the Philippines for two years to serve a temple mission. We sure do miss them, but they are having a wonderful adventure.
To top off the summer, Isaac turned seven in the middle of August. And, then, the kids went back to school a week and a half later. Isaac is seeming more grown up all the time. He sure has grown up (literally in height) a lot in the past few months. And, he is transitioning to first grade beautifully (I was a little worried.
There was never any question about his academics. He is at the top of his class in every subject. That boy is so smart! That's probably the problem. Haha. No one warned me how tricky it is to raise such intelligent kids. But, seriously, he loves to play and he loves to do things on his own terms. So, I was a little worried about how sitting at a desk all day would sit with him. So far -- it's fabulous (oh, this is the October 26 me writing now).
I guess that wraps up our summer. I wish I had documented all the details. But, this will have to do. Summer of 2012 was a fantastic time and so far Fall of 2012 is even better . . .
In August, we headed back to Bear Lake for a huge extended family reunion on my side. My mom and her three siblings take turns hosting a reunion every other year, which means this was my mom's once every eight years turn to be in charge.
Katie and I flew to Indiana two years ago to attend the last one which was hosted by my mom's brother, and, boy was it one BIG party! I think the reunions (they started about 10 years ago) get better and better each time, so the pressure was on for something really spectacular.
I am happy to say, my mom pulled it off with amazing style.
She and my dad rented a gorgeous cabin near Bear Lake, and packed about one ton of food as well as every possible thing we could have ever needed (beach toys, sunscreen, an elaborate first aid kit - there was no scenario left to chance) and we spent a long weekend enjoying delicious food, great company, the fabulous beach and gorgeous water.
It was wonderful to see aunts and uncles that I only see every four or so years (I can usually only make it to every other reunion since two of the four require flying). And, I am always grateful for time with my beloved Pappa (that is southern-speak for Grandpa, he's from Kentucky you see).
Then, it was back home for a missionary farewell. Brian's parents are off to the Philippines for two years to serve a temple mission. We sure do miss them, but they are having a wonderful adventure.
To top off the summer, Isaac turned seven in the middle of August. And, then, the kids went back to school a week and a half later. Isaac is seeming more grown up all the time. He sure has grown up (literally in height) a lot in the past few months. And, he is transitioning to first grade beautifully (I was a little worried.
There was never any question about his academics. He is at the top of his class in every subject. That boy is so smart! That's probably the problem. Haha. No one warned me how tricky it is to raise such intelligent kids. But, seriously, he loves to play and he loves to do things on his own terms. So, I was a little worried about how sitting at a desk all day would sit with him. So far -- it's fabulous (oh, this is the October 26 me writing now).
I guess that wraps up our summer. I wish I had documented all the details. But, this will have to do. Summer of 2012 was a fantastic time and so far Fall of 2012 is even better . . .
Friday, June 15, 2012
Summer Love 2012
This summer feels like such a blessing. My kids are still young enough for me to really enjoy them and we have had time to go and do some really fun things together.
Last Friday we took a beautiful hike with a group of moms and their kids in the morning, and in the afternoon, we were invited to swim at a friend's pool.
Swimming in a backyard pool is so relaxing. I like being able to see all of my kids all of the time in a small enclosed area.
We had such a good time, that today we did pretty much the same thing. We went on a hike with the same group of friends. This time, it was to our little pond that is just .75 miles from our front door. I love being able to walk to the mountains.
We have started taking family hikes every Sunday morning to this pond (and other lookouts a little further up the trail). The kids often complain, especially when we are getting started. But, I hope that when they grow up, these hikes are one of the things they will remember about their childhoods.
After lunch, we headed to the North Shore Aquatic Center, a large pool in North Ogden.
The outing started out warm and the forecast said it should be in the upper 80s. But, after we were there for an hour or so, a pretty strong wind kicked up and big clouds covered the sun. Standing in the wind soaking wet with no sunshine felt pretty cold. Staying in the water wasn't bad, but after a couple of hours we took a break, dried off and had some snacks.
I'm telling you, I am no fan of being cold and after I had dried off, I was feeling in the mood to be a supervisor from the side of the kiddie pool for the rest of the day. But, my cute little Isaac really wanted to go down the big slide. Kids under 48" can slide down with an adult and anyone over 48" can slide alone. He is 47".
I made him go back to the lazy river for another 30-minutes while I thought about what to do. I really did not want to get back into that water. But, then I realized that my son would always remember that I took him on the slide (or, that I didn't).
He was so patient and cute. He just kept playing in the lazy river without complaint. I think he assumed we would go on the big slide soon.
I knew what had to be done. So, I left the comfort of being dry by the side of the pool and marched that kid up several flights of stairs to the top of the slide. I told myself that we would go down that slide as many times as it took to make him satisfied and then I would get dry and warm again.
We had an exciting ride to the bottom and a splash down that took us both under the water head to toe. As soon as we emerged, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that they would be evacuating all of the pools for 10 minutes for a "safety check."
You know what that meant. Ten minutes of getting dry and warm before we could go down the slide again (hahahaha).
When the pools re-opened I asked Isaac how many times he thought he would need to go down and he said 10.
I said 5. He said O.K.
Dear Isaac,
I want you to always remember that I took you down the big slide even though I was warm and dry and the weather was cold and windy. I hope you remember how we both screamed as we whipped around the corners. And, that sometimes we closed our eyes. And, once, while we were closing our eyes, you slammed your head into the side of the slide but you didn't even cry. In fact, I'm pretty sure we both had smiles glued onto our faces as we hustled up those steps so that we could ride down the big slide over and over and over. Ten times. Even though you were shivering all over and your lips were blue. I love you.
Love,
Mom
Do it Like This!
I am so proud of that girl.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Let Summer Begin!
I have a lot to be grateful for right now.
For one thing, Brian got the swamp cooler installed. Hooray for a cooling system!!! A funny story is that, after he worked non-stop through four days of sweltering heat, he hooked up the last part and turned it on for the first time just as the temperature dropped by 30-something degrees. Poor guy! After days of our house being 84-degrees inside (despite our best efforts to cool it), when he finally flipped the switch, the kids and I said, "turn it off we're too cold!" Hahaha. The irony of life. That night, the heater turned on even though we had the thermostat set to 62.
At least we are ready for the next big heat wave.
Brian really wanted to put a central air unit in our attic (we don't have a furnace - we have a boiler and awesome radiant heat). But, the central air unit was 3x as expensive as a swamp cooler. And, the swamp cooler was 4x as expensive as the one we installed on our last house 13-years ago. Holy sticker shock! After much discussion, Brian was able to put aside his disappointment and install the swamp cooler. I told him to think of it as our way of "going green."
I, on the other hand, love swamp coolers and I especially love the power bill that comes with them. So, I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out.
Last weekend, it was the swamp cooler and this weekend it was the Ogden Arts Festival. Brian set up a booth last night. He is selling his Ogden book. This year, he took a printer and a backdrop down with him so that for $10 extra buyers can have their own photo taken and inserted into the book. I think it has helped boost sales.
The festival is going on all day today. I took the kids down to look around, make art projects, get their faces painted, and eat cookies and kettle corn. Good times!
Next week, I guess it will be back to the yard. I asked Brian if he is getting tired. He works SO hard! In between all of this working on our house and yard, he has also been working on drywall projects for other people in the evenings. Sometimes he works all day, comes home for 5-minutes and then works on drywall until well after midnight. He said he is loving it! For that, I am very grateful. Because, if he ever gets burned out of working on this place . . . we are going to be in big trouble!
I am also grateful for all of the things I have been able to do with my kids this summer already. We have taken numerous hikes, visited the Hill Aerospace Museum, taken multiple trips to the library for different events, gone to a movie, and yesterday we got to go to a friend's house to swim in their pool. It is so nice to get to spend this precious time with them. I am truly blessed.
We found a summer acting camp for Sophie. It is funded by the RAMP tax and the 6-week camp cost only $30! I was so happy to find something so affordable to keep her busy and entertained this summer. They are putting on the show "Peter Pan" in July and she is cast as a mermaid named Abalone, an "extra" in an Indian scene, and Jane.
Her 5th grade put on "Aladdin" in May. She was the Magic Carpet and did such a great job. She is a natural on the stage and when we were prepping her for Peter Pan try-outs I was amazed at her ability to quickly memorize lines.
The boys are in a track club that practices twice a week. I love how dedicated their coaches are and seeing the kids' little red, sweaty faces as they run their hearts out in the heat.
Sophie had a great year learning hip hop from a dance studio and her performance last week was stunning. I am so tempted to put Katie in the 3-5 year old Jazz and Tumbling class next year . . . Is it too soon? The tiny dancers were too cute to be believed and Katie has always loved dancing. I know all kids love to dance, but I think that, like Ian and piano, there is something more to Katie and dancing.
There are a lot of things that I am feeling happy about right now. We also got the plans back for our yard, and it is going to be so, so lovely! I can't believe that we will be able to transform it in just a few short months.
For one thing, Brian got the swamp cooler installed. Hooray for a cooling system!!! A funny story is that, after he worked non-stop through four days of sweltering heat, he hooked up the last part and turned it on for the first time just as the temperature dropped by 30-something degrees. Poor guy! After days of our house being 84-degrees inside (despite our best efforts to cool it), when he finally flipped the switch, the kids and I said, "turn it off we're too cold!" Hahaha. The irony of life. That night, the heater turned on even though we had the thermostat set to 62.
At least we are ready for the next big heat wave.
Brian really wanted to put a central air unit in our attic (we don't have a furnace - we have a boiler and awesome radiant heat). But, the central air unit was 3x as expensive as a swamp cooler. And, the swamp cooler was 4x as expensive as the one we installed on our last house 13-years ago. Holy sticker shock! After much discussion, Brian was able to put aside his disappointment and install the swamp cooler. I told him to think of it as our way of "going green."
I, on the other hand, love swamp coolers and I especially love the power bill that comes with them. So, I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out.
Last weekend, it was the swamp cooler and this weekend it was the Ogden Arts Festival. Brian set up a booth last night. He is selling his Ogden book. This year, he took a printer and a backdrop down with him so that for $10 extra buyers can have their own photo taken and inserted into the book. I think it has helped boost sales.
The festival is going on all day today. I took the kids down to look around, make art projects, get their faces painted, and eat cookies and kettle corn. Good times!
Next week, I guess it will be back to the yard. I asked Brian if he is getting tired. He works SO hard! In between all of this working on our house and yard, he has also been working on drywall projects for other people in the evenings. Sometimes he works all day, comes home for 5-minutes and then works on drywall until well after midnight. He said he is loving it! For that, I am very grateful. Because, if he ever gets burned out of working on this place . . . we are going to be in big trouble!
I am also grateful for all of the things I have been able to do with my kids this summer already. We have taken numerous hikes, visited the Hill Aerospace Museum, taken multiple trips to the library for different events, gone to a movie, and yesterday we got to go to a friend's house to swim in their pool. It is so nice to get to spend this precious time with them. I am truly blessed.
We found a summer acting camp for Sophie. It is funded by the RAMP tax and the 6-week camp cost only $30! I was so happy to find something so affordable to keep her busy and entertained this summer. They are putting on the show "Peter Pan" in July and she is cast as a mermaid named Abalone, an "extra" in an Indian scene, and Jane.
Her 5th grade put on "Aladdin" in May. She was the Magic Carpet and did such a great job. She is a natural on the stage and when we were prepping her for Peter Pan try-outs I was amazed at her ability to quickly memorize lines.
The boys are in a track club that practices twice a week. I love how dedicated their coaches are and seeing the kids' little red, sweaty faces as they run their hearts out in the heat.
Sophie had a great year learning hip hop from a dance studio and her performance last week was stunning. I am so tempted to put Katie in the 3-5 year old Jazz and Tumbling class next year . . . Is it too soon? The tiny dancers were too cute to be believed and Katie has always loved dancing. I know all kids love to dance, but I think that, like Ian and piano, there is something more to Katie and dancing.
There are a lot of things that I am feeling happy about right now. We also got the plans back for our yard, and it is going to be so, so lovely! I can't believe that we will be able to transform it in just a few short months.
Monday, May 28, 2012
A Memorable Memorial Day 2012
The pictures I posted of the yard in my last entry were taken in the late 1980s. It is my understanding that the yard has been in "decline" for about 20 years since the original owners moved out.
Our neighbors told us it was especially neglected by the multiple owners who have moved in and out over the past 8-10 years. And, if I am being told correctly, the yard had almost zero maintenance while the the house was empty for one or two years before we bought it.
We are sketchy on all of the details, but that - or something similar to that - is the story of what brought us to the sad state that we found the yard in when we purchased our home in the fall of 2011.
We have had to cut down at least half a dozen trees because they were dead. And, by "we," I mostly mean my father-in-law. He has been great to show up and cut down trees and haul away the wood for us. Luckily, there are still several magnificent large trees that survived.
The grass was completely beyond saving. We haven't seen a single blade of anything but crabgrass. There was an ancient sprinkler system in place, but Brian has decided we will install a completely new system, so parts have already been ripped out and currently there is no outdoor water hooked up.
There is a lot of overgrowth covering the half-acre of land we find ourselves newly in charge of.
Brian was optimistic when we decided to purchase this project. I was certain we could handle the indoors. He is such a great handyman and worked wonders with the complete remodel of our last house. But, this yard was daunting. While is is true that we did manage to plant a yard in our last home, that yard was so much smaller and less complicated. Plus it took us five-years to complete the front and back yards!
I guess it was quite a feat to remove two enormous pine trees towering in the front yard - planted way too close to the home about 80-years earlier in our last home (and I have my dad to thank for helping us get those down). I remember that Brian and I spent our entire first summer digging the roots from those giant trees out of the ground and leveling the soil with a rake. We put in little flower beds and a brick path from the driveway to the front porch. I guess we did alright with that yard. But, it was tiny. And, it took us five years! And, the end result was fine, but not spectacular the way we would like this yard to eventually be.
We are starting out our first summer in our new home, hoping that we can transform this enormous, overgrown lot into a gorgeous, magical haven in one year instead of five. We've been a little worried. Luckily, a kind group of neighbors have said they will combine forces to help us lay the sprinkler pipes, level the ground, and plant grass. But, it is up to us to do a lot of clearing and preparation.
In honor of the holiday, Brian put on his grubby clothes and went to work cutting and trimming out in the yard this morning. Around 11 a.m., much to our surprise, his dad and one of his brothers showed up and started helping him! It is amazing how much more work three men can accomplish than one. By 3 p.m., they had cleared a lot of garbage trees that have been growing in odd places for a few years, two more large landscaping trees that didn't make it, and a lot more shrubbery.
Our house was abuzz with my brother-in-law's wife and seven kids, our kids, and my mother-in-law. I felt so grateful for family donating their time on a holiday, when I am sure they had several projects of their own, coming together to work on our yard. What a gift!
It is exciting to see things coming together. It is amazing how much the face of our yard changes every time another tree is taken down or an area is cleared. It seems impossible to imagine that there will be a new sprinkler system and grass growing by the time we head into fall.
The kids were sad to see two more large trees come down today. I was sad too. But, it seems they had to go, so we might as well do it before the major landscaping rather than after.
We had planned for the whole family to go see "The Lorax" this evening, but Brian had to head in to the office so I ended up taking the kids by myself.
At the end of the movie, the kids said, "Daddy should have watched that movie so he wouldn't have chopped down our trees!" Haha!
Our neighbors told us it was especially neglected by the multiple owners who have moved in and out over the past 8-10 years. And, if I am being told correctly, the yard had almost zero maintenance while the the house was empty for one or two years before we bought it.
We are sketchy on all of the details, but that - or something similar to that - is the story of what brought us to the sad state that we found the yard in when we purchased our home in the fall of 2011.
We have had to cut down at least half a dozen trees because they were dead. And, by "we," I mostly mean my father-in-law. He has been great to show up and cut down trees and haul away the wood for us. Luckily, there are still several magnificent large trees that survived.
The grass was completely beyond saving. We haven't seen a single blade of anything but crabgrass. There was an ancient sprinkler system in place, but Brian has decided we will install a completely new system, so parts have already been ripped out and currently there is no outdoor water hooked up.
There is a lot of overgrowth covering the half-acre of land we find ourselves newly in charge of.
Brian was optimistic when we decided to purchase this project. I was certain we could handle the indoors. He is such a great handyman and worked wonders with the complete remodel of our last house. But, this yard was daunting. While is is true that we did manage to plant a yard in our last home, that yard was so much smaller and less complicated. Plus it took us five-years to complete the front and back yards!
I guess it was quite a feat to remove two enormous pine trees towering in the front yard - planted way too close to the home about 80-years earlier in our last home (and I have my dad to thank for helping us get those down). I remember that Brian and I spent our entire first summer digging the roots from those giant trees out of the ground and leveling the soil with a rake. We put in little flower beds and a brick path from the driveway to the front porch. I guess we did alright with that yard. But, it was tiny. And, it took us five years! And, the end result was fine, but not spectacular the way we would like this yard to eventually be.
We are starting out our first summer in our new home, hoping that we can transform this enormous, overgrown lot into a gorgeous, magical haven in one year instead of five. We've been a little worried. Luckily, a kind group of neighbors have said they will combine forces to help us lay the sprinkler pipes, level the ground, and plant grass. But, it is up to us to do a lot of clearing and preparation.
In honor of the holiday, Brian put on his grubby clothes and went to work cutting and trimming out in the yard this morning. Around 11 a.m., much to our surprise, his dad and one of his brothers showed up and started helping him! It is amazing how much more work three men can accomplish than one. By 3 p.m., they had cleared a lot of garbage trees that have been growing in odd places for a few years, two more large landscaping trees that didn't make it, and a lot more shrubbery.
Our house was abuzz with my brother-in-law's wife and seven kids, our kids, and my mother-in-law. I felt so grateful for family donating their time on a holiday, when I am sure they had several projects of their own, coming together to work on our yard. What a gift!
It is exciting to see things coming together. It is amazing how much the face of our yard changes every time another tree is taken down or an area is cleared. It seems impossible to imagine that there will be a new sprinkler system and grass growing by the time we head into fall.
The kids were sad to see two more large trees come down today. I was sad too. But, it seems they had to go, so we might as well do it before the major landscaping rather than after.
We had planned for the whole family to go see "The Lorax" this evening, but Brian had to head in to the office so I ended up taking the kids by myself.
At the end of the movie, the kids said, "Daddy should have watched that movie so he wouldn't have chopped down our trees!" Haha!
Monday, May 21, 2012
The Yard
(photos from our yard's glory days)
(this last one shows the previous owner who I am told was a master gardener)
It is true. We've been a pretty focused but boring pair lately. It has been nice to get so many projects started on our house and the yard is a big one for sure. The grass is completely, 100% dead. Before we can plant new grass, we are installing a new sprinkler system. Before we begin installing our massive watering apparatus, we need to figure out what to do for AC, since we have none. So far, the weather has been merciful. But, warmer temps are on the very near horizon.
When the dandelions first bloomed a month or so ago, it was one of the most breathtaking fields I have ever seen. I'm not saying that to be sarcastic. Our lawn looked so happy with literally hundreds of their bright yellow faces covering every inch. It was almost sad that Brian had to kill them all with round-up.
I have had the feeling since the first day we moved in and our neighbors started to introduce themselves that everyone is pretty anxious for us to get the yard going. Apparently, this house use to have one of the nicest yards. But, sadly, it has been neglected for so long that some of the ornamental trees have even died.
Our neighbors are so incredible. Now they are talking about getting a group of volunteers together on a Saturday to help us put in the sprinkler system. Can you imagine? It makes me feel really happy and blessed. When we bought this house, we wanted to make it a really cool place for our kids to finish growing up. But, sometimes, when I look around at all the projects, I wonder how much of their childhoods will be left by the time we are able to make this the place we want it to be. Having a nice yard for them to play in by next summer would be so nice. When Brian told me the news, I said, "Well, let them help with the front yard since they have to look at it," and he said, "No, they want to help with the backyard too." What kind of people care enough to donate their time so my kids can have a nice backyard to play in? Another reason I love living here.
In the meantime, I think we need a little get away with a rule that no one talks about the yard (or the money it will take to landscape it).
Millie
Sophie and I just returned from seeing "Thoroughly Modern Millie" at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse with Brian's parents. We took them to the show for Rolayne's birthday, which is later this week. I'm always impressed with what they are able to do in that little theatre space. That makes four shows I have been to at the Terrace and I have enjoyed them all. It's nice to have some good local talent.
Just 2 1/2 more days until the kids are out of school. Then it's party time!!!
Just 2 1/2 more days until the kids are out of school. Then it's party time!!!
To Work of not to Work
(Photo of the sun by Brian: Did you see the solar eclipse last night?)
For me, the decision to stay at home with my children was always a given. My mom stayed home with us. My friends' moms stayed home with them. And, I was taught that raising my children was my divine calling in life.
So, just like with the decision to have children in the first place, I never spent a lot of time weighing the pros and cons and thinking about possible long term consequences to quitting my job. I just quit it. I did stress a little about the financial impact that had in that moment. But, to me, there was no alternative. I would stay home with my children no matter what.
And, that is what I did for 10 years, through thick and thin, no matter what. I am forever grateful that I had those 10 years with my kids, and that time is priceless to me.
Then there came a time when I felt that the right thing for me to do was to make more money for our family. Lots of moms have to work, no matter what they believe. Luckily, a perfect opportunity opened up to me and I went to work for my neighbor as an assistant event planner.
When I went back to work, something happened to me. I became amazed that I had quit work without giving it much of a second thought all those years ago when Sophie was born. For the first time, I understood that to be a stay at home mom is to place yourself willingly in one of the most vulnerable situations in the world. It is to completely give up your professional life, lose your connections and skills and put all of your trust in another human being that he will take care of all of the finances, health insurance, a roof over your head, food and everything. It is to relinquish all control and all security when it comes to finances.
I began to worry about my daughters and what I should teach them. The idea of leaving a tiny new infant in the care of another is something I am so thankful I never had to do. It would have broken my heart for sure. My boys were so attached to me that I barely left them anywhere, ever for the first year of their life. What a luxury!
But with all of the uncertainty in the world, how could I teach them that making this type of sacrifice was the right thing to do? On the other hand, of course I wanted them to have kids. Of course I wanted them to stay home with their babies the way my mom stayed home with me and the way I stayed home with them for 10 years. I still believed it was the most important thing in the world. It was very hard to reconcile my thoughts.
Until one day when I finally realized that we just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst and trust that God will not forget us and, therefore, things will all work out even when they don't "work out."
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Career Journey
(Me with my Kate who turns 3 next week)
I stayed up late last night drafting the longest post ever written about my career journey and the new twist it has taken. Luckily, I hit save instead of publish, because today I feel like condensing it way down.
The (still long, but shortened version of the) saga goes like this:
I never wanted to make a career out of taking care of other peoples' kids. I'm not sure why exactly, now that I think about it. I have always loved kids. All kids. Especially my own from the moment my first child entered this world. But, I loved kids long before that. I've always been drawn to babies.
The (still long, but shortened version of the) saga goes like this:
I never wanted to make a career out of taking care of other peoples' kids. I'm not sure why exactly, now that I think about it. I have always loved kids. All kids. Especially my own from the moment my first child entered this world. But, I loved kids long before that. I've always been drawn to babies.
I'm not sure about the reason that I was turned off to the idea of being a "babysitter." Maybe I felt there was a stigma. I just know that it is something I felt strongly that I didn't want to do.
But, when Isaac was a baby, a very close friend of mine (whose 3 kids are close to the same ages as my first 3 kids) needed a babysitter. And, so, another close friend and I decided to take the job. It was a good thing I didn't do it every day, because the days I did do it were pretty crazy. There were 6 kids - two of them were babies, the oldest one (who is 9 months older than Sophie) was in half-day Kindergarten, and all the rest were pre-K.
I just remember that I spent a lot of time on the floor holding kids, playing with kids, changing diapers, feeding babies bottles while reading stories to toddlers and things like that. The house was always a disaster at the end of the day. Sometimes I walked to a park with all 6 of them for a picnic. Once, I hauled all 6 to a pool so that 2 could go to a swimming lesson. And, once, when they were a little bit older, I took all 6 to a pool party while I was having appendicitis (and, later that day, I ended up at the Dr's office with all 6 where Brian met me to stay with them in the waiting room -- which luckily had a playland). There were lots and lots of adventures like that.
It was tricky. But, I found it very rewarding. I felt like I was making a difference in the lives of my friends' kids. I loved them. There were moments I enjoyed. And, of course, we needed the money.
Every year, I thought I would just be watching kids for one more year. Then, school would get out and I would decide to go ahead and watch kids for the summer. Then, in the fall, I would decide to watch them for one more year again.
Eventually, I took on two more kids, a boy Isaac's age and a girl Katie's age (when she and Katie were babies).
In the winter of 2010-2011, it became clear to me that my days as a stay-at-home mom were numbered. Even though I wrote stories for the newspaper and babysat part-time for two families, it wasn't enough with the increased cost of gas, food (and everything else under the sun) and the added expense of our kids getting older.
After a short fling as a working mom encountering my own childcare challenges and a longer fling as a working mom who was babysitting two kids (and more recently three including the new baby who was added in February to the family I care for) on the three days a week I wasn't heading into an office, I finally decided to call my working outside the home days off (for now).
After a year in the career world, the thrill and excitement of something new had worn off and it felt like a relief and load off my shoulders to give up the demands of office life (why was it that even if I only went to work one day a week - that was the day one of my kids woke up sick?). But, then there was still the pressing reality of needing to make more money. I decided to make it a matter of prayer. I prayed really hard that Brian would get a gigantic raise so that I wouldn't have to go to work and I waited for an answer.
After a short fling as a working mom encountering my own childcare challenges and a longer fling as a working mom who was babysitting two kids (and more recently three including the new baby who was added in February to the family I care for) on the three days a week I wasn't heading into an office, I finally decided to call my working outside the home days off (for now).
After a year in the career world, the thrill and excitement of something new had worn off and it felt like a relief and load off my shoulders to give up the demands of office life (why was it that even if I only went to work one day a week - that was the day one of my kids woke up sick?). But, then there was still the pressing reality of needing to make more money. I decided to make it a matter of prayer. I prayed really hard that Brian would get a gigantic raise so that I wouldn't have to go to work and I waited for an answer.
But, instead of Brian getting that phone call about the gigantic raise, I started to feel a different impression. And, that is what led me to spending the month of April obtaining my in-home family child care license. In the fall, I will start watching those three kids (ages 6, 2 and 3 months) full-time instead of part-time like I am now. (note: the first three kids I took on no longer need a babysitter).
I really hope I did the right thing. I am thrilled by the fact that this means I can stay home with my last baby during her final, precious years before she goes to school like the others. I am happy that I am able to contribute to our finances (and, this will hopefully be a step toward getting to some of the repairs we would like to do to our new home that we are so grateful to have). It feels right and good in many ways.
But, at other times, when I really think about it, it is going to be a lot to go back to babysitting five days a week (and still writing for the newspaper). It is a tremendous loss of freedom and takes a lot of . . . something. Strength, maybe? Kids need a lot of love and attention. It takes a lot of . . . Energy?
I just hope I am up to the task.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Denver 2012
In March we went to Denver for Sophie's state report on Colorado.
One family that we are very close to took all of their kids on road trips to complete their county and state reports (in nearby states like Arizona and Nevada).
Our other good friends have followed suit, and even flew their whole family to New York for a state report.
Note: We will not be traveling to New York for a state report.
But, Colorado we can do. Brian and I decided it's a fun tradition that makes the kids feel really special and so we will do it whenever it is feasible. Plus, it was a great excuse to visit family in Denver.
Sophie's state report was due in March and my sweet sister-in-law "Can" was due with her fifth child, my beautiful niece Olivia, at the beginning of February. We collaborated and Can was so accommodating to let us come visit so soon after the new baby (and, amazingly all of the planets came into alignment so that no one got sick and Brian and I were both able to swing our work schedules and the kids didn't have any commitments that couldn't be broken all in the same weekend!).
We woke up early in the morning and had a beautiful drive down through Utah and over into Colorado. I know this route is a tiny bit longer, but it is so scenic, I think it is worth it. Even the kids were mesmerized by our colorful surroundings.
When we arrived, Can had a delicious meal waiting for us and the cousins got busy playing together -- the part our kids would later say was the highlight of our vacation.
The next day, we loaded up our families and headed downtown for a walking tour. The first stop was the capitol (the photo above was taken on the steps). I think everyone's favorite part was the popcorn break on the lower level. And, we had a perfect picnic on the lawn. The weather was just right. Beautiful spring days that feel even more luxurious at the end of a long winter.
(The kids enjoying the weather and the swingset in their cousins' huge backyard)
Our final stop was the gift shop at the Denver Mint. We had been unable to secure tickets for a tour, but the kids looked around and we bought a few souvenirs.
Then we were off the Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant with indoor cliff diving that was built in the 70s. It was cheesy and a little rundown and the food was sub-par but the kids LOVED it, so we were glad we went. At home that night, the older cousins had a slumber party.
The next day, we took the kids to a fabulous park where they played for hours in the sunshine. Then we had a picnic (picnics are great for large groups I've decided) and headed to the Science and Nature Museum.
If you are going to Denver with kids, I highly recommend this place. We spent hours in an exhibit exploring the human body, saw mummies, looked at live reptiles, roamed below towering dinosaurs and visited a space exhibit that has pretty much everything the Clarke Planetarium in Salt Lake has.
After stopping back by the house for pizza, we all headed to Yogurt Land (or, Yogurt World?) so the kids could pile on whatever toppings they desired and eat sugar to their heart's content.
It was the perfect ending to the perfect vacation.
The next day, we drove home via Wyoming to save time. It was about an hour faster, but Wyoming was so windy that we had to nix our plans to stop at a park and ate our lunch in the van instead. I think the two different routes are a toss up as to which is better. The kids did like to see the windmill farm though there wasn't very much else in the long stretches of driving in between.
We had a great time and mostly I loved how all of my kids were instant best friends with their cousins who they only get to see a few times a year.
Thanks Can and James and family!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
(Isaac with a cookie he decorated himself)
My Sophie has a crush.
There is a boy in her grade who makes her heart skip a beat. In the third grade, while practicing square dancing, she happened to be partnered with this boy and later told me that "it felt like being on a roller coaster ride."
Sometimes I find his name with hearts scribbled on little notes tucked around her room.
It is very sweet.
I told her that whatever she does she must not reveal her crush to him (or anyone who would tell him). Because we all know that this makes elementary school boys shout the word "cooties" and run the opposite direction.
She has played it cool.
The 5th grade went on an ice-skating field trip today. Sophie has been looking forward to it for weeks - deciding what to wear and wanting to look cute on the ice for her crush.
Two weeks ago, he folded a Chinese star out of origami paper and gave it to her. She took this as a sign that he likes her too. Could it be?
Last night, Isaac cried at bedtime because I couldn't come to his class Valentine's Day party. I helped with Sophie's Halloween party in the fall and today I helped with Ian's Valentine's party - and, darn it that the class parties all take place at the same time. So, what is a mom with more than one kid to do? I reminded him that I helped with his 100th Day of School party. But, he was still sad.
At Ian's party, his best friend Oliver found a sticky foam heart that said "Best Friends." He cut it in half with a crooked line and stuck one half on his shirt and the other half on Ian's shirt and they stood side by side to show me. It reminded me of the "Best Friend" broken lockets that were popular when I was his age. I love that they are young enough to do something goofy like that and I love that Ian has a best friend.
They are good for each other. At the party, the kids made guys out of the heart cards from a deck of poker cards by attaching red pipe cleaners for the arms and legs and drawing on a little face. Ian's guy was as straight forward as could be with the pipe cleaners attached in straight lines and a simple smiley face. His best friend Oliver bent the arms and legs all crazy and added foam hearts for feet so it could stand. Then, he made a wicked face with pointy teeth and named his guy "death." That pretty much sums up Ian and Oliver. Ian is a serious little thinker and Oliver is as creative of a kid as I've ever met. That's why they are so good for each other.
Tonight we are having our traditional Valentine dinner. My mom is joining us. I'm so excited! Everything came together so quickly this year. Usually, I'm running around trying to clean up the house at the last minute, but this year I'm writing this blog post and everything is ready to roll in 30-minutes.
We have a lovely centerpiece of hearts and we will be eating heart shaped sloppy joes with veggies and pink ranch dip. For dessert, there are heart shaped sugar cookies. The kids frosted them after school yesterday. It's another of our traditions. I just love Valentine's Day.
This year, I took everything off my tree after Christmas and re-decorated it with white lights, red hearts, snow flakes, red berry garland and silver and red ornaments. It was our first Valentine's tree and I rather liked it. I think it looked even better than our Christmas tree which has become a hodge podge of random trinkets over the years. I do love the vintage mitten garland and the colorful lights, but I'm questioning the tradition that Brian and I started on our Honeymoon to buy a Christmas ornament every time we travel. It has led us to a somewhat sentimental tree that has no theme whatsoever. I liked the simplicity of the red, silver and white tree.
In our old house, I was always anxious to take the tree down after Christmas since our space was so small though I've always thought that December 26 is just too soon. There are so many long days of winter left before spring. So, we enjoyed the tree for six extra weeks this year and I officially declare that the middle of February is just the right time to take down the tree.
(I just undecorated it and took it down before I started writing this - it was time)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Accepting What Is
The birth of each of my kids had taught me something and changed me for the better.
Sophie unlocked my mother's heart and awakened a feminine side of me that I had never fully known.
Ian showed me that I had more strength than I ever thought possible. The kind of power that propelled me to run half marathons when I had thought running a mile to be a feat in itself. It is a wonderful thing to know how strong we really are.
With Isaac's birth came a new level of calm and patience that got us through those first years of having three kids in four years. Come to think of it, that boy is still teaching me about patience.
Then, came Katie. And, for more than two and a half years I have wondered what lesson I learned from her birth. Today, I think I finally figured it out.
Katie has been teaching me a lesson that takes a long time to learn. And, I suspect it will take even take more time to master than opening a mother's heart, tapping into inner strength or increasing the reservoir of patience. I think that Katie is teaching me to accept what is happening in the present moment of life.
I often think back to my first trimester of pregnancy with this sweet little girl, when the other three were still little, and I found myself overtaken with daily migraines. It just about broke my heart to lie still in a darkened room and ask my seven year old Sophie to please look after her brothers for a few hours until I could pull together enough of that inner strength to make dinner.
It was hard and I hated not being there for my other three children as much as I wanted to be while I struggled with the physical challenges that continued through the pregnancy. I kept telling myself, "This is not forever. Just a few more days (or weeks) and everything will be fine again."
But, those days and weeks stretched into months. At last, our angel Katie Jane was born. But, the struggles did not end. They stretched on for years as I found myself completely overwhelmed with caring for four. Anyone who says "Once you master caring for three, it's a cinch to have more," is dead wrong in my opinion. From the beginning of my pregnancy onward, I have felt like my whole world was thrown out of balance.
I don't want to sound ungrateful - I would of course be devastated if anything happened to any of my children, I love them SO much.
In the months that followed Katie's birth I found myself thinking on several occasions -- "If I had only two kids, I could be a great mom. Pick two. Any two. My two oldest. Great mom. My two youngest. Same. One older and one younger. Any combo - great mom. I just know it!"
Don't get me wrong - I could never give up two of my kids now that they are here. I was just a little second guessing my decision to bring them all here in the first place.
It's a lot of people to pay attention to. And, a lot of nails to trim. I think after Katie was born I started to have a greater self awareness, in other words it was time for me to lose 40-pounds, pay more attention to my health, organize my home, etc. And, I realized that it takes a lot of focus just to take care of myself. How on earth could I be responsible for taking care of four other people too?
I was sure that I would be a better mom if only I didn't babysit as much. Sure it was hard taking care of seven kids, but I could probably do it if I just had my four. I would be a better mom if I wasn't so tired/stressed out/had to work so much . . . All of these things and more I have fantasized about and told myself that I could do better - if.
I feel like I blinked and suddenly Sophie and Ian were big kids. I mean, they both wear the same size shoe as me and their issues with friends and life are more complicated than they use to be.
In a nutshell, this has been a challenging three years for me. And, I have spent a lot of time looking back to that first wave of migraines when I thought everything would be alright in a few days and wished I could go back to my seven, five and three year old darlings and take better care of them from that time to the present. And, I've spent a few nights lying awake thinking that surely I've completely failed at everything I've tried to do in terms of my home and family.
Which isn't to say that Katie Jane hasn't been one of the brightest spots and most wonderful blessings in our lives. It's just been the whole package that's been a challenge to deal with.
Last week I finally made the time to meet my kids at their school for lunch. It was a great experience to see them there, in their element, with their friends, having the routines they have every day while we are apart. I cherished the moment.
As I left the school, I started the fantasy of, "If only I didn't have work so much, I could meet my kids for lunch more often. I wish I could meet the kids for lunch more often." And, then I stopped and asked myself, "Do I really wish that?" Because maybe I don't. Maybe I like spending an hour writing a story better than I would like meeting the kids for lunch more often. Maybe the amount of time I spend meeting them for lunch is just right. Maybe even the number of hours I spend cleaning the house is just right. Maybe all of it is exactly the number of hours I really do want to spend doing each activity.
And, so this morning, as Katie sat on top of the bathroom counter top watching me put on makeup and wanting to put it on herself too, she grabbed hold of a pink lipstick and applied it to her lips before I could stop her. She sat staring at her pink lipped reflection and I stared at it too. What would our lives be without this special angel who has come into our lives?
And suddenly I realized, "I have to start accepting what is."
This is my life. And, it's pretty wonderful. I've got to stop worrying about the past and feeling anxious about the future or wishing for this or that and just love myself and my family the way we are in this moment.
And loving this moment.
I think that is the gift Katie brought to me.
Acceptance.
Sophie unlocked my mother's heart and awakened a feminine side of me that I had never fully known.
Ian showed me that I had more strength than I ever thought possible. The kind of power that propelled me to run half marathons when I had thought running a mile to be a feat in itself. It is a wonderful thing to know how strong we really are.
With Isaac's birth came a new level of calm and patience that got us through those first years of having three kids in four years. Come to think of it, that boy is still teaching me about patience.
Then, came Katie. And, for more than two and a half years I have wondered what lesson I learned from her birth. Today, I think I finally figured it out.
Katie has been teaching me a lesson that takes a long time to learn. And, I suspect it will take even take more time to master than opening a mother's heart, tapping into inner strength or increasing the reservoir of patience. I think that Katie is teaching me to accept what is happening in the present moment of life.
I often think back to my first trimester of pregnancy with this sweet little girl, when the other three were still little, and I found myself overtaken with daily migraines. It just about broke my heart to lie still in a darkened room and ask my seven year old Sophie to please look after her brothers for a few hours until I could pull together enough of that inner strength to make dinner.
It was hard and I hated not being there for my other three children as much as I wanted to be while I struggled with the physical challenges that continued through the pregnancy. I kept telling myself, "This is not forever. Just a few more days (or weeks) and everything will be fine again."
But, those days and weeks stretched into months. At last, our angel Katie Jane was born. But, the struggles did not end. They stretched on for years as I found myself completely overwhelmed with caring for four. Anyone who says "Once you master caring for three, it's a cinch to have more," is dead wrong in my opinion. From the beginning of my pregnancy onward, I have felt like my whole world was thrown out of balance.
I don't want to sound ungrateful - I would of course be devastated if anything happened to any of my children, I love them SO much.
In the months that followed Katie's birth I found myself thinking on several occasions -- "If I had only two kids, I could be a great mom. Pick two. Any two. My two oldest. Great mom. My two youngest. Same. One older and one younger. Any combo - great mom. I just know it!"
Don't get me wrong - I could never give up two of my kids now that they are here. I was just a little second guessing my decision to bring them all here in the first place.
It's a lot of people to pay attention to. And, a lot of nails to trim. I think after Katie was born I started to have a greater self awareness, in other words it was time for me to lose 40-pounds, pay more attention to my health, organize my home, etc. And, I realized that it takes a lot of focus just to take care of myself. How on earth could I be responsible for taking care of four other people too?
I was sure that I would be a better mom if only I didn't babysit as much. Sure it was hard taking care of seven kids, but I could probably do it if I just had my four. I would be a better mom if I wasn't so tired/stressed out/had to work so much . . . All of these things and more I have fantasized about and told myself that I could do better - if.
I feel like I blinked and suddenly Sophie and Ian were big kids. I mean, they both wear the same size shoe as me and their issues with friends and life are more complicated than they use to be.
In a nutshell, this has been a challenging three years for me. And, I have spent a lot of time looking back to that first wave of migraines when I thought everything would be alright in a few days and wished I could go back to my seven, five and three year old darlings and take better care of them from that time to the present. And, I've spent a few nights lying awake thinking that surely I've completely failed at everything I've tried to do in terms of my home and family.
Which isn't to say that Katie Jane hasn't been one of the brightest spots and most wonderful blessings in our lives. It's just been the whole package that's been a challenge to deal with.
Last week I finally made the time to meet my kids at their school for lunch. It was a great experience to see them there, in their element, with their friends, having the routines they have every day while we are apart. I cherished the moment.
As I left the school, I started the fantasy of, "If only I didn't have work so much, I could meet my kids for lunch more often. I wish I could meet the kids for lunch more often." And, then I stopped and asked myself, "Do I really wish that?" Because maybe I don't. Maybe I like spending an hour writing a story better than I would like meeting the kids for lunch more often. Maybe the amount of time I spend meeting them for lunch is just right. Maybe even the number of hours I spend cleaning the house is just right. Maybe all of it is exactly the number of hours I really do want to spend doing each activity.
And, so this morning, as Katie sat on top of the bathroom counter top watching me put on makeup and wanting to put it on herself too, she grabbed hold of a pink lipstick and applied it to her lips before I could stop her. She sat staring at her pink lipped reflection and I stared at it too. What would our lives be without this special angel who has come into our lives?
And suddenly I realized, "I have to start accepting what is."
This is my life. And, it's pretty wonderful. I've got to stop worrying about the past and feeling anxious about the future or wishing for this or that and just love myself and my family the way we are in this moment.
And loving this moment.
I think that is the gift Katie brought to me.
Acceptance.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Bedtime Prayers
It's common practice for our kids to say they are thankful for everyone in the family (naming each one by name) during our evening family prayers. But, last night, Isaac -- in his typical way of putting his own twist on everything -- said the prayer this way, "We are thankful that mommy, daddy, Ian, Sophie, Katie and me were invented."
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Home Rennovations
When we bought this house, it was hard to know where to begin with the home renovations.
Plumbing wormed its way to the top of the list when we realized that was a pre-requisite to moving in. But, once the plumbing was finished, followed by a long list of odds and ends, we had to settle on which large project to focus on next.
The sprinkler system and landscaping will have to wait until spring, and the new roof and new windows will have to wait until we officially sell our other house and get the equity. Other things, like the patio with a hot tub in the backyard off the family room (aka party room), and putting in our dream kitchen are even further down the list (and maybe on a list labeled "fantasy" or "for when we get insane amounts of unforeseen income").
Brian convinced me that the most worthwhile large scale project at present was enlarging two of the four downstairs windows to make two more bedrooms. Have you ever done this before? It is an amazing process! Holy cow! First, we dug two enormous holes outside of the existing windows (then, while we waited for the bids to come in on having the concrete cut, all of the rain caused the holes to partially collapse and Brian had to re-dig them).
Today, the concrete cutting company came and spent the entire day using their enormous saw to cut right through our foundation. The result is two enormous holes more then 4 times as large as the original windows. I am stoked! I can't believe the difference all of the natural light has already made in the basement. Now, Brian is working on putting the windows into the holes. And, I hope that in the very near future he will decide that putting a few of our walls and ceilings back together is the next most important project. I think he likes the demolition the best ;-).
Plumbing wormed its way to the top of the list when we realized that was a pre-requisite to moving in. But, once the plumbing was finished, followed by a long list of odds and ends, we had to settle on which large project to focus on next.
The sprinkler system and landscaping will have to wait until spring, and the new roof and new windows will have to wait until we officially sell our other house and get the equity. Other things, like the patio with a hot tub in the backyard off the family room (aka party room), and putting in our dream kitchen are even further down the list (and maybe on a list labeled "fantasy" or "for when we get insane amounts of unforeseen income").
Brian convinced me that the most worthwhile large scale project at present was enlarging two of the four downstairs windows to make two more bedrooms. Have you ever done this before? It is an amazing process! Holy cow! First, we dug two enormous holes outside of the existing windows (then, while we waited for the bids to come in on having the concrete cut, all of the rain caused the holes to partially collapse and Brian had to re-dig them).
Today, the concrete cutting company came and spent the entire day using their enormous saw to cut right through our foundation. The result is two enormous holes more then 4 times as large as the original windows. I am stoked! I can't believe the difference all of the natural light has already made in the basement. Now, Brian is working on putting the windows into the holes. And, I hope that in the very near future he will decide that putting a few of our walls and ceilings back together is the next most important project. I think he likes the demolition the best ;-).
Thursday, January 19, 2012
This and That 2012
(the kids watching a stunning sunset from our front room)
(Kate graces us with a smile - her idea, no doubt)A word about Katie Jane who gave me a fabulous gift for Christmas -- she decided to be potty trained! At last . . . nearly eleven years into this parenting saga, we are out of diapers!!!
If I thought Katie was an independent spirit before this latest milestone - 'Noooooooo, lemme do it!' - learning to use the potty has only increased her desire to do everything by herself. She has an elaborate balancing and climbing system worked out so that she doesn't need any help getting up on the big potty (she was done with that little potty after the first week and thanked me when I hauled it off to the D.I.). She insists on dressing herself - usually several times per day - which involves about twenty minutes of wrestling with her clothes. But, heaven forbid I should so much as turn a sleeve right side out during the process and she starts all over again.
She's getting pretty good at the dressing part, and watch out, because that girl has got some pretty progressive fashion ideas. She is suddenly really in to wearing 'skirts,' as in those fluffy princess skirts that have been collecting in her drawers over the years (they are just too hard to pass up when I see them in the stores). She even wears one over her blanket sleeper at night. And, it's a good thing she has a closet full of shoes, because she loves trying out different pairs with each outfit (and, she wears those to bed over her blanket sleepers on occasion too). The other day, after she had changed clothes a few times, she was wearing a shirt with leggings and a skirt over the top and when she did a somersault I realized she had gotten the underwear on the outside of the pants. Oops! And, adorable.
Miss Kate has been way too independent to snuggle with her mama since, oh, about the age of 9-months. So, you can imagine how thrilled I am that she has recently started climbing into my bed in the middle of the night. She tiptoes down the hall and sleepily asks to sleep with me. I pull her right in between Brian and me -- princess skirt, blanket sleeper, light up snowboots and all -- and we snuggle for a few hours. Then, she wakes up and realizes she is not in her own bed and that independent little spirit of mine jumps up and heads back down the hall. We didn't let our other kids sleep in our bed by the time they were as old as Katie, but I sort of love it.
If I thought Katie was an independent spirit before this latest milestone - 'Noooooooo, lemme do it!' - learning to use the potty has only increased her desire to do everything by herself. She has an elaborate balancing and climbing system worked out so that she doesn't need any help getting up on the big potty (she was done with that little potty after the first week and thanked me when I hauled it off to the D.I.). She insists on dressing herself - usually several times per day - which involves about twenty minutes of wrestling with her clothes. But, heaven forbid I should so much as turn a sleeve right side out during the process and she starts all over again.
She's getting pretty good at the dressing part, and watch out, because that girl has got some pretty progressive fashion ideas. She is suddenly really in to wearing 'skirts,' as in those fluffy princess skirts that have been collecting in her drawers over the years (they are just too hard to pass up when I see them in the stores). She even wears one over her blanket sleeper at night. And, it's a good thing she has a closet full of shoes, because she loves trying out different pairs with each outfit (and, she wears those to bed over her blanket sleepers on occasion too). The other day, after she had changed clothes a few times, she was wearing a shirt with leggings and a skirt over the top and when she did a somersault I realized she had gotten the underwear on the outside of the pants. Oops! And, adorable.
Miss Kate has been way too independent to snuggle with her mama since, oh, about the age of 9-months. So, you can imagine how thrilled I am that she has recently started climbing into my bed in the middle of the night. She tiptoes down the hall and sleepily asks to sleep with me. I pull her right in between Brian and me -- princess skirt, blanket sleeper, light up snowboots and all -- and we snuggle for a few hours. Then, she wakes up and realizes she is not in her own bed and that independent little spirit of mine jumps up and heads back down the hall. We didn't let our other kids sleep in our bed by the time they were as old as Katie, but I sort of love it.
(Sophie, left, with her cousin Tyla, right, on a hike with extended family near our home after Christmas)You can't imagine how proud I am of Sophie. She is selling Girl Scout cookies, and she has been working SO hard! One of the incentives for selling is an ipad. You just have to sell 2,500 boxes in two weeks. No big deal, right? She decided to make that her goal and she gets out there and knocks on doors every chance she gets. We hit the pavement for several hours on Saturday and Monday and we've gone out after school Tuesday and Wednesday. She has a special "cookie selling pen" to record orders, and she puts on these pink glasses I bought for a Halloween costume because they make her look "cheery," then she suits up in her Girl Scout vest and adds a sock monkey hat for warmth and we are off! I think more people buy cookies when I carry Katie on my back while we sell, but maybe that is just my imagination.
Last night, she even insisted on selling in the rain! I wimped out and drove alongside her in the van while my poor girl got soaking wet and struggled with the wind blowing her umbrella inside out. (note: people don't feel sorry for a Girl Scout selling in the rain, almost everyone said 'no' last night!!!). But, she didn't give up. She has already sold 342 boxes - which I think it very impressive. She has worked SO hard and I felt kind of bad last night when she asked in a super excited voice, "So - how many more boxes do I need to sell to meet my goal!?" Ummmm, only 2,158 more boxes to go sweetie.
She might be sad to not get her ipad, but horse camp is (hopefully) going to be (mostly) paid for.
How cool is a week-long camp with horseback riding?
(crazy hair day last fall -- Isaac insisted on the pink pigtails)Speaking of being proud, I was also really proud of Ian a few weeks ago when Isaac lost his first tooth. Just FYI - Ian is an amazing saver of his $. Another FYI - Isaac is not Ian's favorite person due to their vastly different personalities.
Back to the story of Isaac losing his first tooth -- the next morning we were all surprised (Brian and I most of all) when Isaac found not $3 but $6 under his pillow! Ian said with a sneaky grin, "Mom, come on, it's his first lost tooth."
I knew there was a soft spot somewhere in that sweet guy's heart for his brother.
And, while we are on the topic of Isaac, he is going through an "I love you," stage in which he writes love notes to me all day long. I have piles and piles of them. And, every time he finds a heart shape (for example, a spot in the snow that melted into the shape of a heart) he calls me over to show it to me and says, "that is for you."
He has turned into quite the scholar (as well as charming lover boy) and is loving Kindergarten this year. They have only practiced writing their first names so far, but, being the little over-achiever he is, he tries to write his full name on his papers and it looks like this:
Isaac Briin Nislkin
I love it!!!
I guess it's time to tell him his last name isn't really Nislkin. I haven't wanted to correct him all these years. It's kind of like the way Sophie use to say "mazagine" when she was little. So endearing.
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