My Baby Has Glasses

Last night we picked up Sophie's first pair of glasses.  This is the third year in a row she has made me take her to the eye doctor (hoping she could get glasses).  The first two times, her vision was fine.  This time it was 20/40.  Hip, hip, hooray!  Glasses for Sophie.

I figured this day would most likely come.  Brian and I and both of our parents have all needed glasses (plus all of the siblings in my family and many siblings and cousins in Brian's family).  Now that she has them, I hope she will like them.

Yesterday, I pulled out an old scrapbook covering 1999-2001 so I could look at pictures of a dear childhood friend taken during a trip we took to Lagoon together.  I found out last week that she and her daughter (who is just a little 4-year-old full of smiles in the pictures from that trip) both passed away.

It has been difficult news.  This friend and I met on our first day of preschool and shared so many memories over the years including being in each other's wedding parties.

I opened the book and saw Brian and I looking skinny on our honeymoon.  Somewhere in the middle of the book were the pictures of Kristen and me.  Then it was on to the birth of my first baby.  I could see in every photo that she was the absolute center of our universe -- that beautiful baby girl.  My first daughter.  My parents' first grandchild.  In every picture of her with my mom, my mom is grinning from ear to ear.  I suppose someday I will know that happiness, which my mom swears is even better than when my own kids were born (I cannot imagine!).

Now that baby of mine is taller than me and wears braces and glasses.

It has been such a good life and continues to be wonderful.

Now, I stand at a crossroads choosing between two good things.  The job I have taken as an executive assistant keeps morphing and changing and it might mean that I have to choose between the job or homeschooling in the fall.  It is already apparent that it will impede my ability to run my full-time daycare.

It is an exciting job that I enjoy.  And, it pays well.  I have been living a dream homeschooling these past few months.  It will be hard to give it up if that is what it comes to.  But, I can't very well yank my kids out of school and then work five hours a day when I should be teaching them.

For now, I will wait and see what happens.

Soccer Blues

Today Isaac explained to me that he is the worst player on his team.

To his literal mind -- that means his team would be better off if he didn't play.  Every team would be better off if the worst player were taken out of the rotation.  And, that is what he tried to do -- take himself out of the rotation.

Isaac can be stubborn with superhuman determination when he makes up his mind about something.  These power struggles happen frequently and come out of the blue.  For example, Wednesday, I took the kids on a hike to waterfall canyon.  I expected to take Ian, Isaac and Katie on this fun adventure (Sophie has a hurt toe).  When it was time to go, Isaac declared with great passion that he hated hiking and refused to join us regardless of my best efforts at persuasion.

Two days later, my brother and his wife stopped by to say "hi" on their way to take their two kids on the exact same hike.  Isaac grabbed his shoes, ran out the door with them on a whim, enthusiastically hiked and had a fantastic time.

Because of his unpredictability and my increasing inability to pick him up and physically make him go anywhere he doesn't want to, I was supremely relieved when we signed him up for soccer two years ago and he didn't give me one minute of grief.

Every time I told him to get dressed for practice or a game, he did it without balking.  This pretty much never happens on a consistent basis with anything in our lives when it comes to this kid, leaving me thinking, "Wow, he must really love soccer."

For the first year, he happily ran up and down the field with his teammates never making contact with the ball and, to my eyes, not seeming to have a great awareness that there was an actual competitive game going on as opposed to back and forth field sprints by a group of kids wearing matching jerseys.  But, he was happy, so I was happy.

This year, he has improved.  He has started mapping out the rules and strategies of the game in his mind.  He has started trying to kick the ball when it comes near him.  And, sometimes, he even makes contact with it.  I have complimented him after every game on these achievements.

He didn't tire of playing soccer even after thirty weeks in a row with no break (after fall AYSO ended, we kept signing up for indoor sessions until spring AYSO began).

I was perplexed last week when he refused to go to practice.  Last Friday, he wouldn't go and was talking about reasons he couldn't play in the game scheduled for the next day (his knee had been hurting for two days straight so bad he could barely walk!!! he told me).  I figured he was tired, I let him skip practice, and the next day the games were rained out.

Yesterday, his practice was cancelled.  Before he went to bed I talked to him about his game the next morning.  He usually does better with transitions (like any time we need to leave to go somewhere) if I give him lots of time to warm up to the idea.

His game was at 9 a.m. and he popped out of bed at 7:30 asking to play electronics.

"Sure, you can play something as soon as you eat breakfast and get all the way ready for your game," I said.

Usually, he will do almost anything for electronics time.  Especially first thing in the morning -- something I almost never agree to.  But, this time he went into full on stubborn mode instantly.  He was yelling at me, covering his ears, crying and making sure I knew there was absolutely no way he was playing soccer.  His eyes were huge and his whole body tense with his face red as he screamed and repeated himself over and over.

Usually these outbursts come from an irrational place.  He was yelling things like, "I hate leaving the house!"  And, "It's freezing outside!"  (It was 57-degrees and the forecast said it would be 63 before his game started).

I figured he would calm down on his own, but to help him get there, I spoke in a calm voice and said things like, "Do you want to go to the drink (coffee) shop that we sometimes go to after games for a hot chocolate?"  To which he replied, "I hate that hot chocolate!!!  There is nothing special about that hot chocolate.  It tastes exactly like normal hot chocolate from our house!!!"  (side note:  it tastes like heaven in a cup, but I didn't argue this point with him).

I turned his attention to the Italian sodas instead.  No?  A candy bar?  Any kind of treat?  Would he please, please just go to the game?  What currency would he possibly accept?

Then, I pulled out the big guns.  I normally don't ground Isaac from electronics for more than 24-hours because one day off is excruciating and usually the threat of a one-day hiatus is enough to get him to do whatever it is I need him to do.  But, today, I went straight to one week.  He would not touch any electronic for an entire week.  (Then, I said a silent prayer, because it would also be torture on me to carry out this promise for the next seven days while he felt miserable and begged).

I could see his mind searching the possibilities -- he was probably wondering how many times he could sneak in the front room to play the wii in the middle of the night while I was asleep or whether or not he could get screen time at a friend's house.  Then, he dug in his heels and refused to get dressed for soccer despite the unpleasant consequence.

I tried to reason with him.  I knew at least one of his teammates was out of town.  What if more were sick or out of town?  His presence could be the deciding factor of whether they would lose the game through forfeit.

I talked to him about the importance of showing up.  The need to fulfill his obligation as a member of the team.  How disappointed his coach would feel if he didn't come when he was expecting him.

All of my words were spoken as he lay on the floor crying and screaming and asking why I didn't love him?  Why I hated him?  Why it felt like everyone in the world didn't think he even had feelings?  Yes--these outbursts are quite dramatic.  Always.

As 9 a.m. closed in and I had spent a full hour and a half engaged in this exchange, I began to feel quite emotionally drained.  I threatened to take him to the game in his P.J.s.  I threatened to get him dressed myself.  As I wrestled his shirt off of him and tried to force the soccer jersey on (I knew deep down it was never going to work, but I was out of ideas), the real reason behind all of it came spilling out.

"Besides I am the worst player on the team!!!  I never make a goal.  I never even kick the ball in the direction of the goal.  Every time I try to kick the ball the other team takes it and scores a goal.  I am the worst player so I shouldn't even play!!!"

These words went to my core.  It was as if a new self awareness had overtaken my little boy and instead of skipping up and down the field blissfully, he was now keenly aware of his shortcomings and how they hurt the team.

His description was accurate.  I had seen the scenario time and time again from the side lines.

I never cared.  It is nine-year-olds playing soccer.  I feel elated when he gets in there and kicks the ball.  I see that he is improving and that he loves to play.  But, now he knew.  I didn't care, but he did.

It took me awhile to figure out that his literal mind had plugged in all the variables like a math equation and deduced that the team would be better off if he wasn't in the rotation.

In a way -- yes.  We as parents have all been sitting at a close game when the coach rotates out the best player to give everyone equal playing time and the chances of winning quickly go south.  But, at such a young age and in an arena as non-competitive as AYSO, that's not the point.  Everyone likes to win, but, more than that, it is a great learning opportunity for these young players.

I tried to convey that message to him and Ian even chimed in to reinforce it with some of his own experiences of sticking with something even when he wasn't playing well.  Then, Ian said, "the worst player is the one who doesn't show up to the game at all, so you'd better go."

He finally got dressed and we showed up at the field twenty-minutes late with an agreement on my part that he didn't have to play, just sit on the sidelines to show support to the team.

He sat on my lap and I rubbed his back.  To anyone else who saw the situation, it probably seemed like I was coddling my son.  "What's that sweetie?  You don't want to play today?  Come sit with mommy.  You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."  If only they knew the price tag of getting him there.  The number of tears I had watched slide down his cheeks.  The abundance of yelling I had listened to. The ragged shaky feelings inside me that would take another twenty minutes of sitting in the sun before they would soften and begin to melt away.

We arrived as the first quarter ended and we sat like that through the next two quarters.  Then, two of his teammates were out of the game for injuries so he agreed to play.  I think playing the fourth quarter helped him feel better.

He showed up to the game.  He got to keep his electronic privileges.  He got a back rub in the sun.  He got cheetos and gatorade from the team mom.  He got high fives from everyone.  I hoped he saw how much better it was to come to the game than to stay home.

I wanted to say something to the coach who, by the way, is awesome with the boys.

After most people had left, I approached him while he was gathering nine-million things to carry to his car.  He had that look like he was frantic to get to the next thing.  The way most parents are on a Saturday of shuttling kids around and trying to fit it all in.  "Hi coach.  Isaac thinks he is the worst player and that the worst player on the team shouldn't play because, logically, to him, that makes the most sense."

The coach dropped everything from his arms and went down on his knees to look Isaac in the eyes (although Isaac mostly looked down and to the side as he spoke).  "Isaac, do you love soccer?"  Isaac nodded.  "You are an important member of this team.  I would never trade you for any other player on any other team.  When I was your age, I was picking dandelions during the games.  I didn't know how to play.  But, I stuck with it and that is how I got good.  How did you learn math?  From practicing?  That is how you learn soccer.  If you love it, you need to stick with it and don't ever say you shouldn't be in the game."

I really appreciated that.

Disneyland 2014

As we prepare to make the trip again, I figured it is time to finally record the trip from last year.

It was my first trip to Disneyland with a daughter dressed head to toe like Aurora.

I figured it was probably also my last.

It is hard to gauge the passage of time while wrapped up in the moments of day-to-day life.  But, trips like this one make me see how rapidly things are changing.  Everyone is growing up.

Early in June 2014, we had a nine-day-vacation-adventure.  Four days at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, one day at the beach, and four days of driving.

It was our first hotel trip as a family in a long time.  Suddenly the three older kids needed privacy.  They had opinions and demands.  It was much different from when they were small and Brian and I made all of the decisions.  

Back then on Disney trips, we carried them in our arms, pushed them in their strollers, ate smooshed PB&J sandwiches out of a backpack and sipped warm water from the drinking fountains.  Back then, we didn’t think of buying the expensive theme-park food or high-priced souvenirs.  We didn’t have a princess dress for our oldest daughter to wear to the park when she was small.  We were content and they were content and we were all grateful to be on vacation.

This time, we were blessed to have my mom and dad join us.  My mom has come with us to Disneyland before.  She joined us twice when our immediate family went (one of those times we were blessed to go with Brian’s parents too--in 2006, on our way to China) and once in 2011 when she took the kids and me.  She is the biggest fan of Disneyland I know.  In 2010-2011, she bought a season pass and went several times.  One month before our 2014 trip, she went to Disneyland with her best friend.  But, she was still as excited as ever to go with us a few weeks later.  This was the first time my dad joined us.  His schedule has been more open since he retired a year-and-a-half ago.  I was so grateful for the chance to make memories with them.

On a Saturday morning, we loaded tons of luggage and eight of us into a twelve-passenger van.  We drove and drove and dined at Costa Vida.  Then, we drove some more and stopped off for delicious shakes at the Iceberg Drive-In in St. George.  My mom always gets cherry-pecan, made with giant chunks of pecans and whole maraschino cherries.  This time, we also discovered Nutella shakes.  Yum!

We finally reached our destination for the day – a La Quinta near the Las Vegas airport.  The kids and I swam in their beautiful pool and watched the planes as they descended to the nearby runway. 

The sky was so blue and palm trees lined my view.  As I sat in the hot tub and watched my kids splashing and laughing against that backdrop, it felt like paradise.  All of my stresses from regular life melted away.

We ordered pizza delivered right to the room that night and watched T.V. from comfy beds.  In the morning, we enjoyed the hotel’s wonderful free, hot breakfast and took one more quick dip in the pool before we were back on the road.

When we reached Anaheim, we checked into the Castle Inn & Suites.  It is an older property that has been remodeled.  I wasn’t overly concerned with our accommodations since we weren’t planning to spend much time in the room.  It was adequate, clean and comfortable.  The best part was its location right across the street from the entrance to the park.  There was no breakfast, but I found out it was more convenient and time efficient to stock the room with milk, juice, instant oatmeal and cereal.

My dad took the kids to the pool for their second swim of the day while the other adults unpacked and organized the rooms.  We got to bed early in preparation for Monday – our first day at Disneyland!!!

The park was open from 8 a.m.-midnight every day, making it pretty hard to be there from opening until closing -- the way my mom and I did three years before when it was open from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. 

On the first day, we arrived at California Adventure close to 8 a.m.  Our first order of business was to claim fast passes for a popular ride in the newest attraction – Cars Land.  We got our passes at 8:30 a.m., and so many people had already been in line that our passes weren’t good until 3:30 p.m. 

After that, our first ride of the trip was Soarin’ Over California.  What a delight!  I love the sensation of flying and the smells that go along with the images projected on the screen.  All eight of us rode it together and everyone loved it. 

After that, we rode the Tower of Terror and stupidly took Katie when the guy at the entrance announced that she met the height requirement.  She was terrified by that ride (and, later felt the same about the Matterhorn), but loved everything else we took her on.

Then, we split into a few groups because the boys wanted to ride California Screamin’ and Sophie is not a fan of roller coasters or wild rides.  We spent a lot of time at California Adventure that first day and had fun.  We also rode a few rides in Disneyland and watched the Main Street Parade.

The other highlight of the first day was that my mom, Sophie, Katie and I got to eat lunch in Aerial’s Grotto.  It was fabulous!  The food was so tasty and the presentation was perfect.  I loved how they served the fruits and vegetables so beautifully fancy to try to entice Katie to take a bite.  I adored the trays of tiny desserts they brought out at the end.  And, I was so happy they had gluten-free options for everything (even a warm brownie with ice-cream for dessert). 

The food was wonderful and it was fun for the girls to get to meet Aerial, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White and Belle individually for photos and autographs.  That was the day Katie was dressed up like Aurora.  My mom bought her the dress, crown, wand and matching shoes for her birthday the week before our trip.

We left the park around 9 p.m. and got everyone to bed by 10 p.m. because Brian wanted to take advantage of our magic morning entrance the next day at 7 a.m.!

Everyone got up early and got ready to go, but at 6:45 a.m., Katie was still slumbering soundly.  I didn’t want to wake our sleeping beauty, so my mom and I both decided to stay behind while the others walked to Disneyland.  They went on a few of the popular rides like Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Railroad before the lines got long. 

We joined them around 9 a.m. and had another great day at the parks.  We bought Katie and Isaac guns that lit up and shot bubbles and they l-o-v-e-d them endlessly.  I bought about 20 bubble refills through the week.  We ate lunch at the Hungry Bear Café, near the Winnie the Pooh ride, where they served fried green tomato sandwiches, yummy salad, and beautiful lemon cupcakes with lemon cheesecake filling, beehive frosting and an edible bee on top.

That night we watched the fireworks with Tinkerbell and Dumbo flying overhead.  They were breathtaking.  We also stayed for the 10:30 p.m. Fantasmic show.  It was a long and wonderful day at the park.

On Wednesday, we slept in and took it easy.  It was almost noon by the time we were riding rides.  We went to an afternoon production of Aladdin and got Dole Whips to cool off outside the Tiki Room.  I love Dole Whips.  The whole group rode Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Tours together.

It was a beautiful day.  Everyone except Ian and Brian were back to the room by 6:30 p.m.  We were worn out from the day before.  But, those two stayed until 10 p.m.

Since Thursday was our last day at the parks, we decided to get there at 8 a.m.  We got fast passes to the ride in Cars Land and passes to the evening show of World of Color.

Isaac had a goal to ride California Screamin’ eight times, so we got an early start on that before the line was long.  It was a lofty goal since the line for that ride is often 40-60 minutes long.  But, somehow, with the aid of fast passes and good planning, he got to ride it nine times by the end of the day!

We all rode Toy Story and The Little Mermaid together.  We split into groups and came back together throughout the day.  We bought Ian skewers of BBQ meat from a place near the Jungle Cruise. 

We had lunch in Tommorrowland and got to see a class of Jedi students fighting Darth Vader while we ate.  The boys made their own light sabers to take home as souvenirs.  Sophie picked out sandals, a bracelet and an Eeyore nightshirt.

It was a wonderful trip!  We met Mickey and Minnie, Winnie the Pooh and his friends and so many other characters.  We rode pretty much every ride we wanted to.  We rode our favorites more than once.  We ate so many treats – cotton candy, popcorn, slurpees, funnel cakes and Mickey Mouse shaped ice-cream on a stick.  Sophie and my mom snuck off for a Monte Cristo sandwich that they shared.

As the end of our last day approached, everything looked so pretty lit up after dark.  The neon signs in Cars Land were colorful and the rocks glowed in the distance.

We secured perfect viewing spots on the bridge near the water to watch World of Color.  We were on the front row.  The show was spectacular.  It was the perfect way to end our memorable trip.  In some ways, it was a relief to get to the end of the fourth day.  I felt content knowing we had done everything we had come there to do.  And, also relieved to know we didn’t have to do it again the next day – wow, my feet were killing me!

As we walked toward the exit to leave, Sophie, Ian and Isaac said they would like to go on Star Tours just one more time.  My mom volunteered to take the kids back into Disneyland while the rest of us carried our things (and Katie) back to the hotel.  It’s funny, because now my mom says that late night trip to Star Tours with three of the kids is one of her favorite memories.  I remember feeling so relieved to be back at the hotel room and amazed that she had the energy to keep going until midnight on the fourth day in a row.

We went to bed late, exhausted and happy.  Just the way I like things to be at the end of a visit to Disneyland.

The next day, we slept in and stayed in our P.J.’s for a long time.  Around 11:30 a.m. we finally put ourselves together enough to head off to the beach.  When we got to Laguna, we first stopped at Ruby’s Diner.  Early in our marriage, Brian and I ate at a Ruby’s Diner while visiting Southern California.  On our next trip, we ate there again.  The next thing we knew, it became a tradition to eat there every time we visit SoCal.  As per tradition, we feasted on an amazing meal of burgers, fries and shakes.  (And, Ian got shrimp tacos).

Then, we were off to the gorgeous beach at Laguna.  The weather was perfect!  The waves were large.  We made a giant sandcastle before the tide came in and swept it away.  Sophie, Ian and Isaac loved standing waist deep in the ocean, letting the waves crash over their heads over and over.  Katie stayed where the water covered just her ankles and let the tide chase her up the beach over and over.  They were all so happy!  I think they loved it as much as Disneyland.

On Saturday, when we packed up our things and got ready to leave, we all felt a hollow feeling inside.  We were sad our amazing vacation had to end.  We had had so much fun.  It was the best. 

Isaac begged us for one more day at Disneyland or one more day at the beach.  Sophie’s bracelet she had bought was lost.  So, we decided to take one last walk through the shops at Downtown Disney.  We replaced the bracelet and I bought Isaac 10 more refills for his beloved bubble gun. 

We drove and drove and drove until we got to St. George where we swam some more and ate more shakes at the Iceberg Drive-In.  Our hotel rooms were conveniently poolside.

I forgot to say that Brian and Ian also got to go to an Anaheim Angels game Friday night after we got back from the beach.

When we woke up Sunday morning, the vacation really was over.  We ate the hotel’s free breakfast.  Katie and Isaac had a quick dip in the pool.  We had to pack up the van one last time to drive back to our homes in Ogden.

It was sad when it was over.  But, we will always have the memories.  I was grateful that we had this trip while we still had one little one to dress up like a princess.  I’m sorry you missed out on that Sophie!  Will it help if I tell you the moment you met Snow White when you were two was the first truly magical Disney character moment our family has ever experienced?  I will never forget it.  Gown or no gown, the memories are the best.

Boston 2015

Tomorrow, Brian runs his second Boston Marathon.  We had so much fun traveling to Boston together the last time he ran.  But, this time, it was not meant to be.

For about a year, I have been saying, "We should take the two older kids and fly to Boston when you go."  He did not agree with that plan.

When we first started looking at flights a few months ago, they were less than $250 roundtrip.  We didn't book anything because plans were up in the air about this job in Spokane.

A few weeks ago, we finally decided to book a flight and tickets had gone up to $450.  I couldn't join him this time because we didn't know who to ask to keep the kids for us.  I thought it would be easier to leave our kids to go on trips once they were older.  But, I actually think it is harder because they have so many places they need to be all the time.  I feel worse asking someone to drive my kids here, there and everywhere all day than I did about asking them to care for a sweet 2-year-old in their own home.

When we saw the price of tickets, we briefly considered taking everyone and driving to Boston.  I think we would have done it, except for the fact that we would only have two days to get home once the marathon was over (so Brian could get back to Spokane).  That is an insane amount of driving to do in two days . . . much less with four kids.

Brian is having a fantastic time doing Boston solo this time.  When he called me tonight he said, "I think the kids would really enjoy it here.  Especially the older ones."

That is the exact idea I was trying to sell for the past year.  At least we are finally on the same page about it.

All we have to do now is get Brian qualified for a third Boston Marathon and make tons and tons of money so we can make our east coast road trip dreams come true next time around.  Okay?  Okay.

Good luck running 26.2 in the morning!

A Sunday in Spring

This beautiful treasure lines a street in my neighborhood.  It is a treat to drive by when all of the tulips are in bloom.  I am tickled that the heavy snow didn't wipe this gorgeous display out early this year.

Today, after church, Sophie said, "Can we drive around for awhile and see all of the green and spring flowers together?"

I was happy for her suggestion.  We ended our drive here and hopped out for a few pictures.

I want to take the kids back in their new Easter clothes for more photos before the tulips are gone.

Yesterday was a busy day.  There were soccer games in the morning and a flurry of house cleaning.  The carpet cleaners arrived right after lunch.  I love that the house is now so clean.  However, there seem to be one million piles of things that need to be sorted through.  There is stuff everywhere I look.  I need to get organized.  I thought about tackling some of it tonight.  Updating my blog sounded like more fun.

I can't believe we are headed to Disneyland in less than two months.  Every time we go, I think, "This is probably the last time for at least 5-years, so, enjoy it while we can!"  Somehow, we keep being lucky enough to go back.  I am so excited -- mostly I am looking forward to uninterrupted family time.  This has always been my favorite part about vacation.  It is nice to have a break from all of the stress and the busy and to chill out for a few days with the people I love the most. 

It is another one of those phases in the road of parenting when I wish I could freeze time.  I happen upon these moments now and then.  My kids are at the perfect ages.  I thought I would be sad when there were no more babies.  How I love babies!  Especially my own babies.  I adored caring for those little bundles of sweetness.  But, it turns out, having everyone six and older (Katie will be six next month) is a lot less exhausting than having babies or toddlers.  

In the evening, after the carpet cleaners left, Sophie had a dance recital.  She did a fantastic job.  It was my favorite of her dance recitals yet (well, except for maybe that one where she was dressed all in ballerina pink when she was four).  

When it was over, I took all of the kids to sub-zero for customized ice-cream that gets frozen right before your eyes.

We hadn't had dinner, so, we decided we also needed to go to a restaurant.  We stopped in one of our favorite Rancho Markets for molcajete.  Normally, I get this to-go and bring it home for the kids.  This time, we decided to stay, which is cool, because they serve the molcajete in a hot stone bowl.  I wish I had taken a picture.  This dish is really delicious.

We were seated by a window.  Katie and Isaac ran up and down the sidewalk right outside happily playing tag, taking breaks now and then to eat beans and tortillas and take sips of their waters.  Sophie, Ian and I enjoyed grown-up conversation while devouring our molcajete together.

See how nice it is to have everyone so grown up?  I didn't have to sit outside with Isaac and Katie supervising their every move and my older kids were delightful to converse with while we shared a calm meal where no one melted down into tears or threw their food across the table (I am speaking of the days when we had toddlers here).  

I love, love, loved my infants and I will forever miss that stage of life.  But, I didn't have to step out from this meal to nurse anyone either.  It's kind of nice.  I'm just saying.

It is a wonderful stage of life.  Sophie is definitely a teenager, but she still has some sweet innocence in her.  Ian is two inches taller than me and two shoe sizes bigger than Brian.  But, at twelve, he is still my sweet little boy.

I am loving the chance to be more fully focused on motherhood and eating up my days at home with Katie and Isaac.  I don't know how long home school will last.  It is a blessing for now.

Home School: Hogle Zoo Fieldtrip

We had the best day ever at the zoo!

I am a big fan of zoos.  I love to go see the animals.  I think Hogle zoo is overpriced at $14.95/adults 12 and up, $10.95/children.

It's not those prices so much as it is that they charge another $2/person/ride on the train once you get inside.  There is also a beautiful carousel in the middle of the park -- so tempting for the kids when they see it -- that (I believe) is another $2/person/ride.  Sheesh!  It's not the world's greatest zoo and the price really starts to add up.

As I posted before, we had a massive spring snowstorm on Wednesday.  The kids played in the snow all day long.  From about 7:15-8:30 p.m., I kept going outside to make them come in (worried they would freeze).  Every time they were so preciously playing or lying on their backs on customized beds of snow watching the giant flakes fall from the heavens -- I didn't have the heart to call it a night until the very last sliver of daylight was gone.

It was a pretty warm day, so the snow melted a little as it fell.  But, it kept falling all day and all through the night.  So, we still had a lot of snow on the ground Thursday morning.  Katie and Isaac played in it until about noon.  They had snow clothes on, but were soaking wet because of the rapid thaw.  It was completely gone by about 3 or 4 p.m.  That was a lot of snow to melt in a short amount of time.

The family I babysit for headed on a trip Friday.  I decided it was the perfect day to go to Hogle Zoo.  The admission prices are a few dollars cheaper until summer season officially begins on May 1.  Plus, Brian got a buy one get one free coupon from Wendy's Thursday night.  Katie, Isaac and I got in for about $20--hooray!

I have always wanted to take a wagon to the zoo, but I have never had the opportunity to until Friday.  I normally have a van full of little people.  Since it was just two kids, we folded down the backseat and made room.

I loved pulling them through the zoo in the wagon every bit as I always thought I would.

Our day was perfect from start to finish.  The weather was just right and the zoo was not crowded.  I enjoyed the newer exhibits.  The animals were so active and we seemed to be in the right places at the right times.  Five hours was perfect to cover every inch of Hogle Zoo.

Katie kisses the elephant statue

We had prime front row viewing to see a zookeeper training this elephant, feeding him snacks and brushing his skin

In the morning, the day was still working on warming up the 50s.  We were cold, so we started indoors at the reptile/small animal house.  The kids loved it so much!

They put their faces up close to pretty much every animal in the exhibit.

These giant turtles seemed unusually active.  We watched them polish off their breakfast and crawl all over the place.

This guy came over to say "hi"

The kids loved staring at him

I loved the bear exhibit.  Katie's fist is clenched in anticipation as this huge grizzly comes in for a closer look at the humans

Clapping with excitement while he stands next to us

This guy was so cute and kept coming nose to nose with the kids

Wait for it . . .

Another nose to nose moment of delight

I also loved this seal exhibit

We must have spent at least 30 minutes watching them swim gracefully round and round

So much fun!

The kids thought they were hilarious nick naming this guy "big fat bullet"

Here comes big fat bullet again doing his signature backstroke

We got to see the baby orangutan playing and take a picture with this close up of his face

My kids wanted their photos taken with every statue we saw

 I indulged them

A beautiful peacock we found wandering the grounds

These two

Did I mention that I loved taking the wagon to the zoo?

To end the day with a bang we took a ride on the zoo train.  

They have expanded the train track, which is cool.  They took out the playground (I have mixed feelings about that).  It looks like they are in the process of setting up an African Savannah for the train to travel around.  I'm happy to see Hogle Zoo is making nicer, more natural looking habitats for their animals.  We got to see the zebras play-fighting.  It was one of the highlights for Isaac. 

Most perfect day at the zoo ever!!!

Home School Adventures: Snow Day

Today it snowed.  A lot.  I'm not sure exactly how much, but at least a 6-8" accumulation.  These two were pretty excited to be home schooled today:

They got to enjoy hours and hours of outdoor playtime.  

Brian was not as thrilled for this surprise spring storm smack in the middle of months of 60 and 70-degree weather.  He had scheduled an outdoor summer fashion shoot for a magazine story we've been working on together.  He is figuring out a new plan.

Saturday, I took Katie and Isaac to the rock, gem and mineral show to look around and buy some treasures.  Sophie and Ian use to love rocks so much.  They were delighted by this annual show.  Everywhere we went, they would collect precious rocks.  This year, they said they didn't care to go and they think rocks are silly now.  Isn't it strange how quickly time passes and things are forever changed?

At least these two are still excited by simple pleasures like colorful rocks. 

Yesterday, a thoughtful neighbor of mine brought over a cool light up globe and a box full of books for us to use in our home school.

Isaac has informed me that he doesn't like to read stories, only lists and facts.  This box of wonderful books is perfect for him.  He gasped with delight as we discovered each new title together and he wanted to stack them all on his lap for a minute.

Three of the books are about rocks, gems and minerals.  I had this idea to tape a huge piece of paper to the floor so we could go through their rock collections and scan the books to identify their rocks.  This was a sneaky way for me to get them to read and practice writing and spelling.  

After they were really into doing it, I took a break to wash the breakfast dishes.  Katie wandered into the kitchen and I said, "Are you finished already?"  She said, "No.  I'm waiting for you to come back and finish playing this game with me."

This is why she thinks I never "teach" her anything and it makes me happy.

Speaking of teaching, our math books came in the mail this week.  I decided to go with the Singapore curriculum since that is the method they teach in school.  The books are expensive for how small they are.  I asked the teachers about this and they said they have to supplement the material in the books because there are so few problems for the students to work through.  

I am really enjoying home school.  I am even enjoying working on math with them.  I love seeing their smart little minds figuring things out.  They are amazing children.  I love this moment.

In other news, I turned thirty-nine this month.

This is a photo of me today.

These are the flowers Brian sent on my birthday.

I can't believe it is the last year of my thirties.  I am at a really good place in life though.  

Ogden's restaurant week started last Friday.  I decided that, in order to be a good dining features writer, I'd better eat at as many restaurants as I could and give them a shout-out on facebook.  I dreamed of going to a restaurant every day and I am surprised by how well it has worked out so far.

Friday, I had a rare opportunity to eat lunch with my mom without bringing any kids along.  We had a delicious meal at Warren's Craft Burger.  

Their burgers are so, so yummy.  I'm not normally a fan of hamburgers, but theirs are so good.  Mine looks strange in this picture because I ordered it bun-less.  And, it has an egg on top.  Not only did it come with these fries, they also brought us giant orders of onion rings and deep fried mushrooms to share.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

On Saturday, my mom humored me again by going to Harley and Buck's for lunch.  I ordered the brisket.  It was tender and the BBQ sauce had just the right flavor.

Saturday night, I took my kids to one of our favorite pizzerias, Lucky Slice.  The special was 6 breadsticks, a 14-inch pizza, and a giant basket of zeppoles (Italian mini scones) for $15.  It was so much food, we took home leftovers.  I had to order two extra sides of the zeppole caramel dipping sauce to keep the peace amongst my children.  It was soooo yummy!

Monday night, I was busy running the kids here and there.  I fed the other three kids dinner while Ian was at his piano lesson.  When I picked him up, we were both starving.  I stopped in at Thai Curry Kitchen, a nifty little curry counter that opened near my home a few months ago.

I am so proud of Ian for being such an adventurous eater!  His curry was almost too spicy for me and he loved it.  Finally, one of my picky eaters grows up and realizes there is a lot of good food to be experienced.  

Tuesday, Brian came home.  Hooray!  

He was gone for eleven days this time.  But, it felt like forever.  He was only home for three days between the twelve day leg and the eleven day leg.  We were both so busy, we barely saw each other.  It was nice that he came home.  But, it kind of felt like he was gone for the whole twenty-six days anyways.  

He leaves Friday night for Boston to run the marathon.  Then, straight back to Spokane until May 5.  It will be nice when this project is done.  

To celebrate his arrival home, we went to lunch at Bangkok Thai.

Brian ordered Pad Thai and I had Pho noodle soup.  Everything was delicious and the fried rice with Thai donuts special was perfect for the kids we brought with us.

It is definitely nice to have Brian back in town.  And, nice that we have actually spent some quality time together yesterday and today.  He is shooting Ballet West photos in Salt Lake every night this week.  So, last night, I talked my parents into going out to Harley and Buck's with me.  I really wanted to try their dinner specials too.

Dessert

So blessed to spend an evening with these parents who I adore

I cannot believe I have been able to go to so many restaurants in this short amount of time.  It has been so fun!  This is what a lot of people think my normal life is like (so far from the truth).  It is fun to live the restaurant writer dream once in awhile.

Speaking of work, after I finished the fashion story, I let the newspaper know I won't be able to take any additional stories.  It is nice to focus on the restaurant features.  Everything in my life seems to be in balance right now.  I love home schooling my little kids and it is helping me become more focused on what the older kids are doing in school too.  

Things are cruising right along feeling just right -- then I got another job offer last week out of the blue.

A few years ago, I spent about nine-months working for a friend who is a meeting planner.  I got to travel to Seattle, Whidby Island, the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, Phoenix and Denver.  It was a fun job, but, at the end of nine-months she no longer had enough work to keep me as her assistant.

That work ended 3 1/2 years ago.  She called me to say she has a very regular client now and his administrative assistant quit.  The assistant worked remotely from her home.  He asked her to find a replacement for him who lives in Utah so the person can help her in person and schedule his meetings working from home.  

The person is me.

I am excited for this opportunity.  My friend, Patti, is such a sweet, positive, inspirational person and my new boss, Roger, seems like a nice person too.  He is the executive director of CCHC and I will be coordinating meetings between CEOs of hospitals who live all over the U.S.

I am excited and also nervous.  This is what I do.  Every time my life becomes balanced and manageable, I add something new to the mix.  Sure, 5-10 hours a week of working (mostly) from home sounds like a piece of cake.  But, it is one more ball to keep in the air, one more person to keep happy, one more deadline to manage.  Ten hours doesn't sound like a lot, but when I break it down to 2 hours/day Monday-Friday, I realize that I just don't have that available in my schedule.

I'm not sure what to do.  Today, the thought occurred to me that, if this job goes well, I should stop writing restaurant features.

Despite the drastic pay cuts to freelancers in the past year, I kept that one niche because it is dear to my heart.  I have written restaurant features for 8 1/2 years and in the past five years or so, it has become a big part of my identity.  Everyone knows I am the lady who writes the weekly restaurant stories. 

I don't know if the title "Remote Administrative Assistant" has the same ring to it.

It is better pay and money speaks to me when it comes to giving up my precious time with my family to work.

I guess we'll see how it goes.

In other news . . . 

We filed our taxes and learned that nearly 15% of all the money we earned last year is owed to the IRS.  It is the first time we have both been solely freelance earners, which meant we had to pay self-employment tax.  It is the first time we have paid instead of getting a return (and, usually a hefty return at that).  So.  Sad.  Self employment is the worst for so many reasons.

However, despite that disappointing discovery that came on the heels of our expensive drive-way -- we also decided on the spur of the moment to go to Disneyland in June. 

Hip Hip Hooray!  Sometimes life really works out.