Home is Where The Heart Is...

Dancing The Night Away

2012-02-05T22:02:00.007-06:00

It was Daddy/Daughter Dance time again this weekend. Natalie does enjoy her special Daddy dates. And I know Jim looks forward to them as well. This year she found several of her friends from school there, and from what I hear there was quite a bit of girl group dancing going on.

I think next year we won't go so fancy with the hair. The cute little braids on the side hardly lasted long enough to get her out the door. Her hair is so fine that it can slip right out of bobby pins. That's why I prefer to let her hair stylist put it up, but maybe it's time I tried my hand at doing something more casual with just a few curls.

In any case, she looked lovely. I can't believe how my little girl is growing up. She was teasing me yesterday, saying, "Can you believe that in October I will be SEVEN?!" No, I can't believe it.

Feeling Artsy

2012-02-04T16:12:00.006-06:00

Owen has never been all that interested in arts and crafts. As his preschool teacher says, "He's just too busy to sit down for that." ha ha yesss...he's busy.

The picture above is the art that he made for us at school for Christmas. It was all wrapped up, and he was so excited. Of COURSE I loved it. But if I was judging for artistic merit...well...it is a lovely shade of...brown.

Anyway, it's all cool. Art isn't necessarily his thing. He has lots of other wonderful "things."

Then one day I was busy with something and I let him sit at the kitchen table with a big bowl of clay that was left over from Liam's 3rd grade diorama project. I came back to find...wa-la! Le Artiste! A little clay army of men. One of them is a dinosaur even. Amazing! Fabulous! We have found his perfect medium! Seriously, I can't believe he came up with them all on his own. Makes me smile. And I'm so glad I took pictures because after he tried to play with his "guys" they all fell apart, of course.

Potty Talk

2012-02-03T15:45:00.011-06:00

It's no secret that Owen is chatty. But we may have entered a new phase of chattiness that goes where no man should go. The Women's Room. Perhaps it is time that Owen only goes with Jim to the restroom. But see, that won't work because he already goes with Jim when we are all together, but it's the times when only I am around that are the issue.

Yesterday, for instance, while waiting for Natalie's dance class to end, we had to go...no doubt about it, and no way we could wait. The bathroom empty and totally silent. Until a minute after we entered a stall, we hear someone enter. Not the first time this has happened, but I'm not sure it's ever played out quite this way. Owen is always curious when he hears someone else enter the bathroom.

She goes into the stall right next to ours. Silly woman. So, Owen being Owen, he shouts out into the quiet, "Hey! Who's in there?!" I hear a chuckle. He continues, "Hey, who is over there? What's your name??" There is a pause and I'm thinking to myself, Just don't make contact. Say nothing. Say nothing.... But she says, "Umm...my name is Susan?"

And there we go, we're now entering into full-fledged conversation now, I know.

O: "Hi Susan!! What are you doing over there?"

(At this point I have stopped my discreet "shush"ing and I'm saying out loud, "We do NOT have to make conversation in the restroom!"

Susan: "Well...using the restroom...."

O: "Susan, I have a Silver Surfer man from McDonalds! I'm four. How old are you?"

You get the idea...

And as I rush to get him out of there, he does a quick head duck as he walks by and shouts out, "Hey Susan - I saw you!" Lovely.

We ended up being too slow at the sink, so we got to meet Susan - a very pregnant lady who is probably now rethinking that plan. I apologized, and she just laughed. So now the whole episode is no doubt cemented in Owen's mind as a really good idea, because it is always good to get a laugh and a smile. I swear I would send him into the men's room on his own to spare myself the embarrassment if that thought didn't make me shudder to think of the conversations he could have in there.

Who Are We?

2012-01-30T22:46:00.003-06:00

This is what we love about museums...trying on new identities.

Shark cage divers (OK, except I think maybe Owen didn't get the message, and thought he was in jail. What a sad face!).

Fireman.

Cow milker. (How funny! Probably the closest they will ever get to milking a real cow...)

Bee woman.

Don't ever say I don't let them have fun...

Final Christmas Recap

2012-01-10T22:11:00.007-06:00

How far are we into 2012 and I'm still posting about Christmas? Apparently the new year hasn't made me any faster.

The top picture is the Christmas finale shot, after we took Grandma and Grandpa back to the airport. Owen was so sad.

Some of the other pictures are just typical of what was going on during the holiday. Liam building legos, Natalie reading, Owen boxing with his new boxing gloves (brilliant idea, don't you think? Except I need a punching bag now...), Jim passed out in a chair (ha ha, OK, maybe that doesn't happen all the time), Liam playing Nintendo.

And a picture of our treats for Santa. Santa doesn't get homemade goodies at our house. A couple of peanut butter cups and he's good to go; plus a carrot for the reindeer. I have it on good authority that he prefers peanut butter cups to my homemade cookies anyway. Owen thought that Santa should share those treats, because sharing is nice, after all. So Santa cut one peanut butter cup in half and left half for Owen. He (Owen, not Santa) is still talking about how nice it was for Santa to share that treat. Bravo, Santa!

There were surely many holiday moments that I should have captured and did not, in pictures or in words. I am clinging to the small things before they fly by with the passing years. The way Natalie calls them snowflags instead of snowflakes, for instance. Not that we had any snow, but she likes to make paper ones. Just this week she was reading a story and came across the word snowflake, and she narrowed her eyes and said, "Hey! It's not snowFLAKE..." and I tried to break it to her that she actually says it wrong. She gave kind of a "Hmmph" and I've noticed that she continues to call them snowflags. I am completely fine with that! It's much cuter that way, anyway. Long live childhood!

Christmas Eats

2012-01-03T22:29:00.006-06:00

Tigger: Where's Christmas dinner? I'm hungry!

Liam: Is this my wine? I'm thirsty.

Christmas cheers! (And those are ribs; not turkey. Who knew that Costco runs out of turkeys by the time it is Christmas Eve day? So much for my Just-In-Time method of procurement.)
Spreading reindeer food and glitter. The deer will be drawn to the house by the glitter, see the food, and then we all know Santa won't pass us by because the animals always get their way (see Tigger, above).

Sprinkle, sprinkle.
Maybe I should grind this food into the ground a little. Or at least run my fingers through the dirt and grass - sometimes in the winter my fingernails don't have enough dirt jammed under them.

More Holiday Fun

2012-01-02T22:36:00.006-06:00

Instead of our usual Christmas-themed hotel visit, we decided to stop in Outdoor World. OK, maybe not the most Christmasy thing in the world, but the kids all want a gun and an ATV now, not necessarily in that order. I expect someday in the future I'll see that look on Owen's face again when he is riding an ATV in real life.

Did I mention that Owen got hand/foot/mouth disease right before Grandma and Grandpa came in town? Poor little guy. His face was unsightly, but the huge blisters on his hands and feet just looked very uncomfortable. Luckily, no one else caught it.

Pre-Christmas Festivities

2011-12-30T19:55:00.011-06:00

Matching outfits from American Girl Store. Grandma and Natalie both love that place so much. She used birthday money to get the doll's ears pierced (they seriously do that in the doll salon, along with giving them fancy hairstyles), and then they picked out matching outfits. I really couldn't tell if she wanted the matching outfits or not, so I was a little hesitant, but oh my goodness, once we were home! She wore it for two days straight (and would have longer I imagine if I hadn't put it in the wash), and was on cloud nine the whole time. I wonder if having a matching outfit with me would make her that giddy?
Did I mention that Grandma and Grandpa came in town? Staying home might not be as much fun as Christmas in Canada, but we do love it when we have grandparent visitors. Grandma Helen lent us her expertise with gingerbread house making. It turned out quite nicely.

Just today I caught Owen breaking off a piece and eating it when he was not allowed to have a snack because he didn't eat much lunch. Hmmm....it's been at least a week since we made that house now...doesn't sound tasty to me, but I guess if you're desperate it will do.
Natalie had a little holiday dance show for her dance class. She was very excited about it, and the song was very peppy. Unfortunately, they weren't on a stage and there were so many people that I couldn't see even the slightest bit of Natalie during the dance. I tried to get her to dance it for us at home, but she got super frustrated when she forgot the moves (or my version of the song wasn't quite the same as the one they used, perhaps). Then Owen tried dancing to it, and that made her super annoyed. Oh well, I think she had a good time during the show.

More Christmas stories soon to follow...

Christmas Card Pictures

2011-12-15T21:31:00.005-06:00

Christmas card Spoiler Alert: The new header picture on the blog is the same as the Christmas card photo. I think it's cute. It's not perfect, and it's not professional, so I don't think I'll be making too many people jealous with it's utter perfection. But let me tell you one thing that should, if you have any envy in you at all, make you jealous. It took a total of about 7 minutes to get. Start to finish. Including getting the kids dressed and ready. The boys aren't wearing socks. Natalie's hair was a mess, with old syrup stuck in it still from breakfast, and looking like a rat's nest. I grabbed whatever we had red left over from last year (except Owen's shirt, which I just bought at Target). They sat and complained for a minute, I snapped about 3 pictures, and we were done. 1-Hour photo cards at CVS done online and picked up the next day. Whew. It's the express train to Christmas preparation.

Side note: Ooooh, to be young enough again that I could run a brush through my ratty hair, throw on a dress or a sweater and look beautiful. Well, maybe I couldn't even do that when I was young. I'm not sure how they do it. And I'll leave you with one more photo from the shoot. I liked it a lot, except for the fact that it makes Liam look a lot smaller than Natalie because he's bending down. She's looks like a mother tending to her two boys.

Santa

2011-12-12T22:16:00.005-06:00

Wow, what a Christmas already! This marks the first Christmas EVER that any of my children came within 10 yards of the Big Guy without crying or running away. Not entirely true. Owen has been fine in past years with shouting to him from a safe distance, but being on his lap was a different matter. And okay, Liam I guilted into sitting on Santa's lap, saying that it would make Owen feel better. Turns out, this year Owen was not afraid of Santa. I think he overcame his mistrust of the hairy beast in order to lobby hard for presents. He was quite the chatty chatterbox (which is not unusual, except in regards to Santa).

O: Santa, my name's Owen. Are you going to bring me presents?

Santa: Have you been a good boy?

O: Ye-ess (with only a slight hesitation). Yes. I've been good (feeling more positive about that now.)

Santa: What would you like?

O: Hmmm. A dinosaur. And a playdate. I want to have a playdate with you. I have boy toys. (Maybe if I share my toys with you, you'll bring me more...)

Santa: Well, those are my favorite kinds of toys!

O: Santa, I love you (hug).

That wasn't the whole conversation, but I couldn't hear it all. Owen also "crashed" other people's pictures about 3 times, trying to go back and talk to Santa a bit more. It never hurts to cover all the bases, I suppose, when it comes to making an impression on an important person.

Natalie was hiding around a large post the entire time.

The Trail They Leave

2011-12-06T22:27:00.005-06:00

I talk a lot about the trail of notes, pictures, and random oddities that Natalie leaves behind, but trust me when I say that she is not the only one.

I noticed that Owen was playing with our nativity scene before preschool the other day. And that's fine. It isn't a fancy one - it is very kid friendly - and they all love to play with it. Later I noticed that he had pulled a fire engine and an ice cream truck up to the scene. Apparently the angel needed an ice cream break. The fire truck...well, that manger does look like a fire hazard, doesn't it?

The other picture is an origami Yoda that Liam simply HAD to make as soon as he got home from school. He kept telling me it was a very quick way to do an origami Yoda (as opposed to a longer, more complicated version...). "It's an Emergency Mode origami Yoda, Mom."

Happy 4th Owen!

2011-12-04T21:12:00.008-06:00

On Nov. 29th Owen turned 4! Wow, he had been waiting for that day for a year. Even his preschool teacher told me the day before his birthday, "He has been asking us every single week all year if it was his birthday yet, every Monday when we go over the week's birthdays." He pretty much walked around saying, "My name is Owen, and my birthday is November 29th." I found it kind of funny that he was so matter-0f-fact about it the day AFTER his birthday. Now whenever anyone mentions his birthday he tells them very seriously, "My birthday is over now." I suppose he has another entire year of anticipation ahead now.

I swear I usually limit the sugar intake for the boy, for fear of dire consequences, but on his special day I took him for his free Kids Club cupcake at Barnes & Noble. It was extremely rich, and he only ate a small part (and the rest of it was on his face and coat), and then made a face like he might be sick. We spent some time at the train table and Lego table in the store. He likes to build very tall towers. There was a little girl building too, and she built a very stable, low to the ground structure. Owen looked at hers and said, "Mine is taller." I thought that perhaps that is a good study in gender differences. His was definitely taller, but hers was built to last. Not to worry, when his fell over, he liked it even more.

And the Little Man finally fulfilled his year-long dream of going to Chuck E. Cheese. It had been many years since I had set foot in a CEC. I have some bad memories of them. But the commercials sucked him in, and it was all he wanted to do (OK, he probably mentioned a dozen other ideas too, but he always came back to CEC). We decided to make it low-key, however, and so we just kept it a family party. I was feeling some guilt about that, as Owen is so social and so aware of the whole party scene. Even the day before his party he was counting off all his preschool friends on his fingers and telling me they would all be at his party. guilt...guilt...guilt... That said, it ended up a wonderful idea to limit the party, I think. It was a Tuesday night, the place was virtually empty, and all 3 of the kids had a great time having the run of the place. They played every game with no wait, and even the noise level was completely acceptable - even for me. They had pizza and played, and had a great time. Then it was done. No mess, no completely-fried-from-too-much-stimulation boy. Wonderful. At least for me. Owen probably still wishes his friends had come.

Then we came home and had a little Superhero cake. A little! Don't even ask why we have a 1/2 sheet cake for a party of 5. Let's just say that I was a little scattered when I ordered it. Wow, that was a big cake. It sits here still.

And what can I say about my big 4 year old. He's a wonderful boy, still so full of life and love and energy. He's still a mover and a shaker, and is always out to make friends. Even when Aunt Amy arrived at the airport for her visit, he ran up to her and said, "Hi, my name's Owen, what's yours?" even though he knew who she was. He still makes me laugh and smile every day. I still get lost in those beautiful down-turned eyes that are the most magical color - blue in pictures, but in the sunlight you can see so many different colors - golden flecks, greenish flecks. Is that called hazel? I'm not sure. Just like the boy, the eyes have so many beautiful layers. Just perfect.

Thankful For...Family

2011-11-28T22:49:00.008-06:00

We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Not the least of which was that Aunt Amy and her son, Justin, came for a visit. Jim and I were able to sneak away for a 3-day trip to Napa that was beautiful. I don't remember ever seeing Fall colors so vivid! We ate and drank and slept with no interruptions at all, except for a random woodpecker knocking on our window one morning. It was lovely. And quiet. And relaxing, although I honestly don't think I ever shook the feeling that something (or several somethings) was missing.

The best part was to be able to come home to happy children, close cousins, and a Thanksgiving dinner all together. Aunt Amy picked right up and took over childcare so well that the kids hardly noticed...well, they probably noticed that they were having more fun than usual. They baked birthday cupcakes (for me), turkey sugar cookies, played Wii Just Dance, and saw Puss N Boots in the theater. Good times. There's not enough thanks in the word Thanks for that birthday/anniversary/Thanksgiving gift.

Thankful For...Writing Practice

2011-11-27T18:31:00.003-06:00

I am thankful for the notes and homework that I get to read on a regular basis. Some of it makes my day.

Liam's is from some work he did in school. Notice he forgot to put his name on it...not unusual...and what is up with his teacher spelling his name wrong?! Also notice the lack of capitalization...also not unusual. However, I think his teacher had a hard time grading this one harshly when 1) it is hilarious, and 2) he included an illustration of lice. I believe the assignment was to write about what qualities a good presidential candidate might possess. Some potentially relevant background info is that during that week, lice was going around his class. In case you can't read his spelling, I will translate:

To be a good candidate. You can't brag. Or go like, "Oh, I'm just so going to win." And you can't put up posters that say "Lincoln had head lice, you don't want him touching the Declaration." That is being a bad candidate.

Well, I suppose he has a point. And the picture of the head lice in between some hairs does drive the point home. ha ha ha Liam is more of a math and science guy, but I do enjoy reading his writing.

Natalie's note was one of her MANY random notes that she wrote at home. Most of her notes are for me, and that makes me feel very lucky.

Her translation:

Dear Mom

Today is Wednesday November 9th 2011. I am so happy today. R you? Love Natalie

Lovely.

My Halloween Baby

2011-11-10T22:08:00.004-06:00

Oh, how could I let my Halloween baby's birthday slip by without a birthday post?

I think she had a great day. Grandma M was in town, which is always a treat. She helped Natalie start up knitting again. She (we) may need a few more lessons at Christmas as well.

The party was fairly small this year, and that was nice. Just a few Kindergarten friends at a paint-your-own pottery place. That satisfied my little artist's desire for an art project, and the girls got to sit at a table by themselves and chat. I love the way she is making good friends at school, and is not letting shyness steal her voice. She is blossoming in Kindergarten. Another mother told me recently, "Ella says that Natalie tells the best jokes!"

She chose a cookie cake this year. It makes perfect sense, because Natalie does not like cake. She will eat icing only from a cake. Why didn't we think of a cookie cake before?

Of course, there was also piles of candy and trick-or-treating on the actual birthday. Beautiful bat girl. I always love the spark, humor, laughter, and beauty that my Halloween girl brings to the family. The year of being six is already off to a great start.

Boo

2011-11-06T22:20:00.005-06:00

Where have I been?? Not exactly sure. But I will be back to post more soon. Meanwhile...Happy Halloween from Batgirl, the Red Power Ranger, and a Star Wars Clone trooper. It was a merry trick or treat night, and no over-stimulated, sugared-up meltdowns. woo-hoo!

Quote of the night, and future smooth move with the ladies was from Owen. Trick or treating at the house of an unfamiliar neighbor, he stood with his hands on his hips and looked inside the house, and said, "Hey! Have I been inside your house yesterday?!" The man looked confused and bemused, and said, "Uh, no, I don't think so..." Owen said, "Hmm...how about tomorrow?" ha ha Smooooth operator trying to get himself invited over. Watch out ladies...

Monkey Around My Neck

2011-10-16T22:35:00.008-05:00

Last week we were taking pictures before going out to eat for our 10th Anniversary dinner with kids in tow. I thought the one of me holding Owen looked so familiar! It reminded me of my little monkey necklace that I wore at 5am while we were saying goodbye to Novokuznetsk, preparing to fly to Moscow. Funny - he doesn't look all that different 2 years later (I hopefully look slightly more rested - at least I should!). I hope that Owen is a little less anxious now than he was back then, considering that at that point in time I was the virtual stranger to whom he had pinned all of his hopes for safety and food.

He doesn't need to be around my neck ALL the time now, though he still likes to be close. I would guess that there is still some degree of anxious attachment. He's not going to let me get too far away. (Then again, Natalie can be extremely anxious in her attachment and I've hardly left her side since she was born.) I like that he is still small enough for me to be able to hold him so close. This could be a little painful to endure when he is 18! But for now, he's just my sweet, snuggly monkey necklace.

Reba Ras Begas

2011-10-10T21:24:00.011-05:00

Well, here I am a bad blogger once again. Every day while I am doing other things, I think of incredibly witty, coherent posts (and you'll just have to trust me on that one). Then, once kids are washed (sometimes), read stories, put to bed, lunches packed, folders signed (why do their homework folders seem like work for me?), snacks packed, water packed (the teachers so generously allow the kids to take water and snacks for the afternoon...one more thing to pack...more work for me), I sit on the couch and I can't think a single coherent thought. Every.single.night.

So this is the mishmash post, wherein I ramble on about bits and pieces of random events in order to just relieve myself of the guilt of not writing more often.

Liam and I went to the Mother/Son dance again this year. It was fun. I could watch that boy dance all day. He looks so uncomfortable, and yet I can tell he wants to cut loose. He prefers to dance in front of me, facing out towards the crowd. I honestly can't tell if he does not want me looking at him dancing, or does not want to look at ME dancing (more likely). I am also uncomfortable dancing. I do not want to cut loose. Still, it is always fun to go out with my Liam. We ended the evening getting a drink at Sonic (oh yes, and Jim asked me to stop by the drugstore and pick up a bottle of wine for us on the way home - how creepy is that - all dressed up on a date with an 8 yr old and I'm getting a bottle of wine to take home - it is NOT what it looks like Mr. Drugstore man! ), and sitting with the windows open chatting. Except instead of chatting Liam wanted to use my phone to look up the Top 10 Funny Baby videos on YouTube. Quoting Liam: "I tell you, that YouTube is hilarious!!" So we both sat and laughed at all the babies belly laughing on YouTube. I threatened to post Liam's baby video of his "poo face" where his face turns so red it looks as if it will pop off. Good times. And if you couldn't tell, we did finally get his hair cut, right before school pictures were taken. The mop was too unruly in the mornings, and Liam would not brush it. One more thing for me to do... So now no brushing required.

Owen and I have some fun on the days when he doesn't have preschool and the other 2 are in school. We like to visit museums. That is Owen's thing right now. If anyone asks what he is doing today he will tell them very seriously, "Actually, I'm going to a museum." We don't go nearly as often as one would think from all his museum talk, but he must be having fun. One of the pictures above is when we went on a hike at a nature museum and visited the butterfly house. He likes the butterflies...but at a certain point I think they also make his skin crawl and then he will ask to leave. The display of cocoons was not a favorite. They are a bit creepy.

Owen is doing pretty well with soccer. If I'm honest, it stresses me out a bit because I'm always over-thinking his behavior on the field. When he focuses on the soccer playing he is fantastic. Once he gets distracted he uses all the players as bumper cars. But when he focuses, I love to watch him!

Oh yes, and he is also the reason for the post title. Another Owen catch phrase these days: Reba Ras Begas! Also known as Viva Las Vegas. Usually shouted while wearing his bright red cowboy hat. We can chalk that one up to the Wii Just Dance video game, where we dance to songs and follow the movements of the "person" on screen. The Viva Las Vegas dancer wears a cowboy hat. The way Owen pronounces it sounds exactly like how I would imagine Scooby Doo would say it: REba Ras BEGas! Rooby Rooby Doo! I do love it when he sings.

Natalie lost a front tooth, and was so happy that it happened at school. She wanted the very fashionable plastic tooth necklace that they give you to put it in. To me, the hole looks huge and gaping, and it makes her talk differently as her tongue sticks in the hole. I'm not sure how it can be so disturbing and cute at the same time.

Natalie also gave me a gem the other day. She was furiously working on an art project at the kitchen table - her usual spot - and she asked me, "Mom, do you know why I'm an artist?" I expected her to say something like "because I make such beautiful pictures." Instead she told me, "Because I do some art every single day." Aaaahh, she is wise beyond her years. The end result is all subjective, but the process of doing it every single day is what makes her an artist. And she does do it Every.Single.Day. She is making "art" constantly. I had to chuckle to myself, and thought, "And that is exactly why I am NOT a writer." sigh...

Paying The Help

2011-09-29T22:02:00.005-05:00

Owen is learning that money has value. I know this because I find him, periodically, digging through my purse to collect spare change. Directly out of the change pouch on my wallet. Whenever he finds a coin, whether on the ground, in my purse, or under the couch, he yells the same thing: "Today is my LUCKY DAY!" We don't have a piggy bank for him yet, so he will stuff coins in his pockets or carry them around whenever the mood strikes.

Given his current infatuation with change, I came up with a great way to use this to my advantage. Even though Owen is potty trained, we still have some issues. He hates to stop what he is doing to go. So he just bounces around even higher than his normal bounce, and he holds it. Then when I finally make him go, there is a wet spot on the undies that is usually large enough to warrant a change. Lots of laundry.

So the other day, I told Owen that I was very sorry but I was having to do SO much laundry that the next time he had a wet spot like that I would have to charge him a quarter to clean the extra undies. Sure enough, the next time he went it was wet, and I took a quarter from him, saying, "OK, well now you give me your quarter so that I can clean your extra laundry!" at which point he jumped up with a huge smile and said, "Really?? Oh, THANK YOU Mommy!" and gave me a great big hug.

Hmmm. Apparently he thinks he got a bargain. Or he never realized that I was doing his laundry in the first place. Or perhaps he is smarter than I realize and he is just calling my bluff...

The Girl With the Dolphin Tattoo

2011-09-22T21:51:00.005-05:00

Snippets from the week:

Natalie: "Mom, do you like being a Mom? Even if you can't run fast?"

This came the evening after we had been to the track for a walk/run/bike ride. In my defense, I stopped to help Owen after he fell off his bike while stunt riding. And Natalie is fast. And I am now going to step up my training routine. And yes, I do like being a Mom, despite my obvious shortcomings.

-------------------

Natalie: "Mom, I think you need those glasses that Grandma uses." As I tried, unsuccessfully, to read the How To Knit book. Grandma, we need your help to finish the knitting project we started on your last visit. Cross-stitch, I can do. Mostly. Knitting, not so much. Honestly, I would buy a pair of those reading glasses from the pharmacy if I thought they would help.

Bubble Boy

2011-09-13T21:56:00.004-05:00

This probably amuses me way more than it should, but it just cracks me up. There was just enough water in the tub for him to rest like this and chat, surrounded by bubbles. Like a little talking head...

Preschool First Day Photo

2011-09-12T11:38:00.006-05:00

I realized that I never posted Owen's First Day picture. He is back at the same preschool he attended last year, but the hours are a little longer this year. So far, so good. I can tell he is maturing a lot. There were 4 friends from his class last year in his new class, and I was beyond thrilled that the parents all told me how their child was hoping to have Owen in class. Sometimes I worry, you know... But they were all happy to see each other.

Owen has also started back up in soccer, and this team seems more in line with his maturity and size. Not that he minded the bigger boys in the Spring, but I think he will enjoy this team even more. He had his first game on Saturday, and scored five goals! He is still the smallest on the team, but the boy is persistent. Every time there was a knot of boys all huddled together trying to get that ball, it seemed that Owen would pop out of the huddle with the ball. Definitely not afraid to go for the glory, that boy.

Remembering

2011-09-11T21:36:00.005-05:00

So hard to believe it's the 10th anniversary already. I hesitate to even post about it, because I don't really have the right words to do it justice. Of course I think about it every year on 9/11, but this year is obviously bigger. 10 years. How can that be possible? It is also the first year, for us, that the kids are more aware. I think Liam gets it. Natalie had kind of tuned it out until tonight watching some of the things on tv before the football game. That led to quite a few questions at bedtime about who died, if any children died, what happened if a child had both parents die, what if that child had no family at all to take them in. I tried to just answer with basic facts, but I don't know that I did enough to reassure her.

My own memories have faded. It still makes me sad, but it doesn't always have that gut-wrenching effect that it did at first. So I was a little surprised this week, while listening to an interview on NPR in the car. There are so many stories. All sad. And yet, this interview made me gasp out loud once more and brought tears to my eyes again. He was a firefighter who was in the 2nd tower when it fell, and survived, along with his crew. They were on the 4th floor, in approximately the middle of the building, and everything fell around them. They pretty much had to be exactly where they were to survive. Amazing. But what made me gasp was to hear, in his own voice, the description of hearing and feeling the building fall. He had heard on his radio that the first tower fell, so he knew what was happening. He heard as the floors collapsed down, one on top of the other, bam, bam, bam. He heard the twisting metal. Then couldn't breathe as all the dust and debris filled his eyes, nose, throat. He was so calm describing it. But I couldn't get the sound of those floors pancaking together out of my head. He is still a firefighter, and that is amazing. What strength that must take.

So, I remember, and I am still able to be moved all over again.

Day At The Park

2011-09-07T22:01:00.004-05:00

We are loving the cooler weather these days! We were able to go for a hike and play on the playground without collapsing into a sweaty puddle. Wonderful! Everyone did okay with hiking too, with only one cry from Natalie as we went off the paved path, "Oooh I don't want to go IN nature!" Natalie is always 50/50 when it comes to liking "nature." Sometimes she loves it, other times she falls apart at the very idea.

Notice the football in Liam's hand. That is a new development, being interested in football. Jim is loving it. It's official now that Liam knows more about football than I do.

Sir Elton...er Owen

2011-09-05T21:24:00.006-05:00

Owen is still getting the hang of playdates with friends. Overall, he is doing better. But he tends to be a bit of a control freak. I find that a little odd, actually, because I don't notice that so much with his own siblings. Yes, he sometimes runs rough shod over them (and I mean this literally - the boy is constantly stepping, bumping into or otherwise climbing on people), but he's not usually the one telling them exactly what and how to play. Maybe it's because that is Natalie's job, and he has been just waiting for his turn to be the Boss on his own playdates.

In any case, during a recent playdate he and a friend were trying to start a band, and upon hearing lots of yelling I found Owen at the "piano" with his sunglasses on (could be a Bono look, but I'm thinking Elton John...), screaming at his little friend, "Sit!! Sit and listen to me play!!! Sit there!!!" I honestly don't think Sir Elton himself could have been more of diva. Quite demanding from a boy in green and orange glasses, sitting on a princess stool...

So we've had some talks about letting our friends do what they want to do during playdates. We'll see how it goes in preschool this year.

Apropos

2011-09-01T14:27:00.005-05:00

One of Natalie's sticky notes...I'm not sure if I should be scared of what is hiding in that drawer or not. The sentiment does sum up how I was feeling about a month into our summer...

Releasing Her Inner Artist

2011-08-26T14:07:00.012-05:00

I have been putting off writing about our summer. I have a post in me somewhere, but I think I had to let school start for a week or so before I could rehash the summer. Or perhaps it is taking me that long to restart my brain after it was left unplugged (intentionally, as a form of self protection) all summer. So in order to ease into my summer post (and this is NOT my summer post), I'll tell you a little about Natalie's artistic phases over the summer. The pictures don't capture the entire essence, because I only grabbed handfuls of the art produced.

There was the rock painting phase. Piles of brightly painted, markered, and crayoned rocks, mostly pilfered from neighbor's landscaping.

The bookmark phase. She found a bag of tongue depressor sticks in our craft bag. And proceeded to paint, marker and draw on pretty close to the entire bag. She began giving them out as bookmarks, but we still have a stack of them.

The paper plate phase. She found a stack of paper plates in the pantry. The ones that I bought to use for lunches on days when the dishes are stacking up....and proceeded to paint, draw, color and cut pretty close to all of them.

The Post-It Note phase. An entire stack of Post-It Notes now have cryptic notes on every page. I particularly like the one that is taped at eye level on the door to my toilet (eye level while sitting on the commode, that is) that says "I♥ my kids."

The Label Maker phase. She is into trying to spell things, with or without my help, and used pretty much a whole tape in my Label Maker...for Owen "I like Power Rangers" and "underwear." There was the "I love" series - "I love Liam" and "I love Owen" and on and on. And my personal favorite, "OK sooooooo" and "OK so haw are you."

I could have chosen to be upset about the use of so many sticks, plates, paper, labels. But really, considering how things deteriorate around here when children aren't kept busy, I didn't mind at all. My little artist brightens our world with color. And she keeps herself busy with very little supervision required. Excellent.

The harder part will be the ultimate disposal of said art...some things (rocks) are not as easy to slip into the recycle basket as others...

Mr Cool

2011-08-23T21:11:00.007-05:00

After using the 10-second timer function on the camera to take a family photo for Owen's preschool Open House, Liam took a whole series of pics of himself using the timer. This is one of the few that actually had a hint of a smile. In most of them it appears as though he is practicing his cool, serious look. My big 3rd grader. I see the long, lanky legs and the not-quite-a-boy face. This could not be the same boy I used to wrap up so tightly in a blanket like a burrito at night.

He is quite the proud big brother imparting all of his 3rd grade wisdom to his Kindergartner sister. Each morning on the way to school he can be heard explaining all kinds of things about school to Natalie. Most of his advice ends with, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a few days." Ahh, I love hearing the advice doled out by someone other than myself. The other day he told her very seriously, "Natalie, if you want to be good at something you have to practice A LOT. Do you think I always played baseball this good? No! I've been practicing for, like, 8 years!"

Back To School

2011-08-22T22:11:00.004-05:00

The big day has arrived. School time!

Everyone survived. In fact, it went very well. Natalie had quite a bit of anxiety about the logistics of getting from here to there and knowing what to do. But we had Meet The Teacher Night on Friday, and I think it helped her to see everything. She probably also realized that she knows the school already from visiting Liam over the years. Her teacher is very young, but seems very sweet. When I picked them up this afternoon, both of them were bouncy and cheerful and smiley. Natalie even declared, "Kindergarten is fun!!" I'd call that a success.

Heard From the Herd

2011-08-14T21:54:00.006-05:00

Owen usually relies on others to man the remote control for the tv. It can be rather complicated, with all the myriad of options...Direct TV, Netflix, etc. The other day he was excused from the dinner table before the other two, and walked out to the family room and started a movie on his own. Natalie said, "What?! How did he?!" and then turned to Liam with big eyes and said in horror (mock horror?..not sure), "Now he's even MORE powerful!"

------------------

Finally breaking our 40-day long streak of over-100 temperatures, it was somewhere between 90 and 95, with an overcast sky, and Natalie turned to me and said in all seriousness, "Mommy, why is it so COLD??" (I'm not sure why it was so cold, but rest assured it went away as quickly as it came, and now it's just as hot but more humid than before).

The Rear End of Summer

2011-08-02T22:58:00.016-05:00

The school countdown has begun, so we are officially in the rear end of summer. A big, hot sweaty rear end.

I don't want to sound overly dramatic about the summer being bad. It was not. It had many good points. The heat was not one of them. But as I look back, we did accomplish many things. In fact, almost all of my Summer To Do List was completed (yes, I made a To Do List for summer, a fact which horrifies most of my family).

Owen was potty trained. 95% at least. The McDonald's play area does not appreciate the other 5%.

Natalie learned to tie her shoes. Probably better than Liam ties his. He has worn "Why Ties" for a year and a half now, which are springy little strings that flex enough that you can put on your shoes, then they just spring back in place. No need to tie. Why did I ever think that was a good idea? Well, I suppose it had something to do with the pace of getting ready for school in the morning. But we're done with that fad now. And Natalie is super at shoe tying.

Owen and Natalie learned to swim. Natalie made huge strides as compared to last summer, and hasn't used a floatie all summer. She is happy to jump from the top of the fountain at the pool and swim back to the side on her own. Not bad considering she only started putting her face gingerly into the water at the end of last summer.

Owen would also not use a floatie if it were up to him, but his bounding confidence in the water might not entirely match his ability. Though...when I do let him out of the floaties he always does something to amaze me. Once it was doing underwater backward rolls (his alternative to the underwater handstand that Liam was doing). Several times it has been some form of synchronized swimming move where he rolls from his front to his back over and over again, with arms kind of above his head. I was slightly alarmed until he stopped to say, "Watch this, Mom! Watch this!" And of course, I'm amazed how well he is using his "big arms" as they say in swim class along with his powerful kicking to get wherever he wants to go. Fast.

Liam made great strides at bike riding. Sadly, we just don't have good space for bike riding around here, and so he hardly ever gets practice. Going into 3rd grade now, we just didn't want him to get to the point of being embarrassed about not being able to ride well. So we forced him to ride. And yes, it was was a matter of force. But he did fine. Then we moved him to a new bike that was more in line with his lanky 3rd grade frame and he had to re-learn all over again. Now he loves the in between part, just dislikes the starting and stopping. For some reason he doesn't believe me that it doesn't count as riding if you can't start and stop on your own. I was happy to hear his excitement about the "in between" part though. We had a ride together in which he was almost jubilant. To the point of making fun of me for getting way over next to the curb when I saw a car. "Mom! What are you - afraid of a car?!" And I was all, "Um, YES, and you should be too or you will end up a hood ornament!!" Silly boy.

We had some lessons in Stranger Danger (I think it's now called Stranger Safety). I bought a cute little video that they all LOVED. Seriously. I thought they would hate it, but they asked to watch it again and again. The downside to this being that now periodically one of them (Owen) will shout out while I'm driving "Help, this is not my mother! Help, this is not my father!" and giggle hysterically. So if you ever read about me having to go to the police station to retrieve my children because they tell strangers in a store that they have no idea who I am, you'll know why.

Natalie is reading, and has been writing (without prompting) in a journal that she started in preschool. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE phonetic spelling? At this age, I do. At 16, not so much. But right now it is adorable. She wrote a note to Liam: "i m sory Leim, heart Natalie" after she left him to do all the dusting that they were both supposed to be doing. Apparently her hands were "too tired" to dust, but worked just fine for writing an apology. Liam is doing multiplication ("Mom, REALLY, on Summer break?!") Owen is writing his name...well, no he's not. He can still do that "O"! But handwriting...is not something he enjoys. We're working on it though. May have to legally change his name to "O".

I think I'm rambling, so I'll wrap it up there. Some good things have happened in this long, brutal summer.

More Heat

2011-08-02T22:56:00.003-05:00

Can we come out yet? No...113 is not cooler.

Heat

2011-07-28T23:18:00.003-05:00

If it doesn't cool off soon, I'm just going to stay under here for good!

Patriotic

2011-07-21T22:54:00.008-05:00

Showing a little patriotism on July 4th. We had a nice little vacation to San Antonio, including a visit to see Shamu at Sea World (am I the only one who can't watch the Shamu show now without thinking nonstop about that poor trainer killed a year or so ago...one of the whales was being naughty and not listening to the trainer during our show, and I just kept thinking "not today, buddy, just not today!").

The kids enjoyed themselves, even though I'm pretty sure we all came close to melting and every one of us looked red or pink in various places from the sun. The hotel pool was the biggest hit, along with the nightly S'mores. I was thrilled when Liam and Natalie played a game of Dots on a restaurant menu. Seriously, it's those small moments I love. Jim doesn't understand why it thrills me to see them play board games or puzzles or basically anything that doesn't involve electronics. It is just one of those things that makes me happy whenever I see it. I would love to see Owen in a picture like that, but...well, that may be a few more years.

They all loved the water slide at the pool, and it was fun to watch. Natalie was much more daring than I would have imagined she'd be, and she even made a little friend about the same age. Liam loved trying to make himself go fast down the slide. Owen didn't understand how to lift his legs in order to make himself go fast, so he would slide down and then come to a stop right at the end and have to scoot himself off the end of the slide with a little Plunk! into the water. Go figure - he was the slow one on the water slide. Love it when vacation mixes things up a little.

Child Labor

2011-07-20T16:28:00.009-05:00

Here are a few more posts from the Two Year Home anniversary. Natalie and Liam were great cupcake baking helpers. As soon as she heard we were making cupcakes, Natalie jumped up and ran upstairs saying, "Wait! I need to get my chef hat!" I do love that hat. It must have helped, too, because the cupcakes were good! Though watching Liam and Natalie fill those little cups with batter is a bit like watching paint dry....not quick, I'll leave it at that. Owen loved his cupcakes so much, he was put out with me when the next day I took them to a baseball team pool party and they were all gobbled up. It was for the best. I have noticed a definite, repeat definite, link between sugar consumption and craziness. Don't let the sweet face fool you. One cupcake can be like crack for this 3 year old.

A little joke, adding the photos of the kids cleaning out the trash cans. I laughed to myself that those would not be part of the photos to give to the social worker for his report back to Russia. We really don't work him that hard. It was just a little brilliant parenting on my part (if I do say so myself), offering to pay them each a dollar for every can they cleaned. It was probably 102 that day, and they got one another totally soaked with the hose, and had a blast with the broom and some dish soap. The cans were, well, marginally cleaner than before. The kids had to change everything down to their underwear. And a good time was had by all. Next I think I will have them clean the windows on the patio. I figure they couldn't look any worse than they do now, and there is a slight chance they will even look cleaner.

Summer Heat

2011-07-12T23:27:00.002-05:00

What to do when the temperature is over 100 and it is just too hot to go outside much...

Chim- chimney, chim-chimney, chim chim cha ree...

I'm not sure why, but all of the kids love this movie. At least Owen gets some exercise. Part Robin, part Mary Poppins.

I did try to introduce them to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang during vacation, and it was not nearly as big a hit. Sorry Dick Van Dyke.

Has It Really Been Two Years?

2011-07-07T22:03:00.017-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I won an animal playing a fishing game at Sea World!! It was the best thing I'd ever seen...until a boy walked by with a larger one.
And here I am getting ready to go on my first roller coaster! Yee- ha! It was fun.

Two years have come and gone since we arrived home with Owen in tow. How is that possible? I tried to talk to him tonight about it. I asked him if he remembered it. He said yes, but I think his memories probably all slide into one another in a jumbled way. I asked if he remembered the first time he met me, and he said yes, and he said I scared him. I'm sure that was true. I told him I was sorry that I ever scared him, and I gave him a hug. Then he kind of glommed onto the whole idea of being scared, and he whimpered and told me all kinds of things that scared him, including his friends from school. He even went on to say that he didn't want to have a playdate that we have scheduled for next week because he is scared of his friend, and then he told me that I needed to get back on that plane and fly back by myself (to Russia?). So...I think there are some real emotions there, but I think they are all mixed up in that way that memories do when they have started to fade. I'm not sure what to think about him saying (and he said it more than once) that he wanted me to fly back alone. I told him we could fly back to Russia some day together and visit, but that didn't seem to be what he wanted.

Two years, and the boy's English is so good. He is such an exact mimic of language and sounds. On our recent vacation he was making the sound of the mourning (is it morning or mourning? I've always wondered...) doves that could be heard all around the hotel. I tried, and I could not do a dove sound nearly as well as him. He sounded exactly like a dove. It made me remember when he was first home, and he would mimic all the street sounds while I rocked him to sleep...the barking dogs, car engines, honking, any sound at all.

I swear that his English is more grammatically correct than his siblings, at least Natalie. Nat still gets her past tenses wrong quite a bit (something like "I seed" instead of a "I saw"), and I know that when she was Owen's age she also mixed up pronouns (he/she) quite a bit. Owen will start to make a mistake with tense or pronoun, but then he will correct himself and say it over. In fact if anyone mistakenly calls a boy a she or a girl a he, he will be upset by that and correct it. Makes me laugh a little as I remember visiting him on Trip 2, and I tried out my VERY rough Russian memorized from a little phrase book. I thought I remembered how to say something like "You are a very smart boy" but when I said that to him, he gave one of his only reactions to me during our visits. He shook his head vigorously "NO," and acted upset. Later when I looked at the phrase book I realized that I had said the female version, so I was telling him he was a very smart girl. ha ha I think even back then he was a stickler for saying the correct gender. Why is this scary, crazy lady calling me a girl?!

Two years, and he is sleeping in a big boy bed now, wearing underwear instead of diapers, no more sippy cups or plastic cups/plates. He is learning how to swim, and has a season of soccer under his belt. He can belt out songs like an American Idol contestant. He knows the alphabet and can count pretty high, though he gets stuck on 13. He will count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20. Oddly enough, when he sings the alphabet he will say "ABCDEFGHIJKLMMMMMMMMP..." And M is...the 13th letter of the alphabet! ha ha Not sure what to say about that, except that his record player is skipping at 13.

Owen still has an abundance of joy and enthusiasm, and I love to hear him confirm to himself (and us) the members of his family and friends. He will count them on his fingers, and repeat "Liam is my brother. Natalie is my sister..." He is such a social person, and talks all the time about his friends from preschool. He is still super friendly to most people, but I truly believe that he knows that family is something special.

Two years, my sweet boy, and I wouldn't trade a minute.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:58:00.010-05:00

We enjoyed a low key Father's Day. The boys went to the barber shop for a trim - the first one in at least 7 months or so. The top pictures are the After shots, and I had to laugh at how much Owen's new cut made him look like Justin Bieber (or Justin Beaver, as Natalie says, which also makes me laugh). His Before picture also made me laugh - he was so serious with the paper around his neck. He sits very still and very seriously during hair cuts. At the end, the girl used a massager on his shoulders and neck, and he kept his eyes closed and tried really hard not to giggle. It was very cute. I think Liam's hair looks better now too - much more even. He wasn't sure he wanted it cut, but I think he really needed it shaped up a bit.

It seemed fitting for the boys to go to Jim's barbershop on Father's Day. Following in their father's footsteps. They do love being like Daddy. I'm so thankful that they have Jim to guide them into manhood. I couldn't ask for a better role model for all 3.

The bottom picture is from our trip to Best Buy for Jim's present. Also following in Jim's footsteps, Owen gets that manly look of concentration on his face while playing video games. This one was Lightning McQueen, and he loved it. He is very excited because we've told him that he will get to go to the movie theater for his first movie in a few weeks when Cars 2 comes out. He squeals in delight to talk about it, and he'll count on his fingers: "All of us will go? Mommy, Daddy, Liam, Natalie, Owen - all five!" Though sometimes he adds in Tigger and we'll have to tell him that Tigger won't be coming to the theater. He seems to be maturing every day, so I think he'll be fine sitting in the theater that long. All my boys are turning into big boys around here.

Tiny Dancer

2011-06-05T22:11:00.004-05:00

Sweet Natalie had her first real dance recital this weekend. How far she has come in a year! Last summer she took a little week-long dance camp. She enjoyed it, but on the final day when it came time to do a little 5-minute performance for the parents, she froze and just stood completely still while other dancers bumped into her. She told me afterward that she was "tired from practicing so much," but we knew it was stage fright. She can be so shy sometimes, and she can get quite self conscious - not even wanting to do her dance moves in front of her Daddy at home. But she's been taking this dance class since the Fall, and she seems to enjoy it a lot. Still...I was worried. This recital was going to be on a huge stage, one where real musicals and plays are performed, that can seat 3,400 people, complete with a balcony. Just the thought of it made my own stomach churn. I honestly don't think I ever could have been convinced to go on that stage.

Natalie did fantastic! They danced to an Ariel the Mermaid song, Under the Sea, and waved little ribbons like seaweed. She was bouncy and full of enthusiasm, and looked like she enjoyed herself so much. She said afterward that she couldn't see people at all, because of the lights, and that was probably a blessing. She heard the applause at the end though, and smiled from ear to ear when she was done. My sweet, tiny dancer.

Hanging Around

2011-05-26T23:49:00.005-05:00

Look closely and you can see the daylight between his bottom and the seat. And no, he's not resting on his feet. Ever since he came home at 19 months he could get himself onto a swing this way, using just his arms to pull himself up and onto it. It's probably not unusual anymore since he's 3 now, but it still cracks me up to see him lift himself so easily. For this shot I asked him to lift himself up and hold it there, and I think he could hang around all day like that. He must be in training, because he can also do the monkey bars by himself, though I refuse to move away and not stand underneath him even when he commands it (going through a bossy stage these days).

Slugger

2011-05-23T21:45:00.005-05:00

Liam with his game ball from a few weeks ago. He has been hitting very well lately, and his mean 'ole Coach (Jim) didn't give him the game ball when he had a fantastic game on the day of his 8th birthday. But he got it the next weekend when he had another great game. I'm especially proud of how he is slugging the ball considering that he has gone through a little growth spurt and is now downright tall and wispy in stature. Imagine what he could do if he had some meat on those bones! We had his well-check visit today, and the doctor did notice that his weight had dropped in proportion to his height, and BMI is a bit below normal range. She wasn't too concerned...asked about his appetite (uh, the boy has never HAD an appetite - he's like a food camel - a couple bites and he can last forever without mentioning hunger), and said maybe we should try some shake supplements or protein smoothies. I wish I could just find a way to give him some of my appetite. If I don't eat regular, full-sized meals I swear I feel like I'm going to pass out.
Proud of my little Slugger!

Circle of Life

2011-05-18T20:56:00.011-05:00

Here are some things that are growing around here.
And don't tell Jim. He prefers just greenery with no flowers, and yet somehow we sneak them in...

And the children, of course, are growing like weeds. Or maybe like flowers.

Things that are broken around here:

* Our wooden privacy fence. It's hanging on by a thread. Or a toothpick. With all the wind, it's taking weeks to get a date for them to fix it.

* Our water heater, and various other household plumbing issues. I hate.love.hate plumbing.

* The gas tank on the van. Now it takes two people to shut the door. One to push the "open" button on the driver's door and one to physically push it shut. The kids think it's fun.

* A random, hideously shrieking belt on the van. It only happens when it is most embarrassing, and they say the belts are all tight.

* The wallpaper border in Liam's room. Completely falling off.

*One lightbulb after another. They always seem to go at the same time, don't they?

*The backup sensor on the van. Jim didn't tell me that he had turned it to Off a while back (ahem...he is SO lucky I haven't backed into something because I have been assuming that it will beep before I hit something!). Now of course, the button won't work to it back ON.

*The automatic rear door lifter mechanism on the van. For quite a while now I've had to pull hard when it starts to open or else it will shut.

*My good vacuum. Dang.

*My laptop is also hanging on by a thread after I dropped it..hard..on Friday the 13th.

*Come to find out, when I plugged in the external hard drive to try and back up my laptop before it totally gives out - the external hard drive is also gone.

I think things are falling apart around me about as fast as they are growing up around me.

First Lost Tooth

2011-05-11T21:17:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or are things speeding up around here with each child? Natalie lost her first tooth! I swear Liam was well into first grade before he lost his first. Natalie will be 6 months or so older than Liam was in Kindergarten, but still...it seems so early! She's also reading books by herself already and Liam had her doing his 2nd grade math worksheets the other day (he said he needed to prepare her for Kindergarten...hmmm...can't tell if he was truly trying to be helpful or was looking to stress her out). At this rate, when Owen starts Kindergarten he will be studying Physics and have grown a full beard. Someone slow down this ride!

Natalie even let Jim pull the tooth out before it was truly dangling by only a thread. Don't get me wrong - it was loose, but not flopping out the front and lying sideways loose like Liam lets his teeth get. Natalie just wanted it out because it was bugging her. She was very brave. And then...the Tooth Fairy fell asleep and FORGOT to come! Aaagh. This is what happens with child #2. Child #3 will have to dig in my purse himself. Jim made up some story about how it was his fault because he was supposed to send the Tooth Fairy an email to give her a heads up about the tooth, and he forgot. Natalie seemed to forgive the fairy easily enough.

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T10:40:00.012-05:00

One of the best things about Mother's Day is hearing the sweet voices say Happy Mother's Day!

The next best thing is seeing Jim herd them around the house cleaning up in order to avoid my usual "Sunday Snit" when I realize that the house is a complete disaster, Monday is looming, and everyone else in the family seems to be lounging around relaxing. Cleaning up was the best present ever.

In preschool Natalie made a very cute picture frame with her thumbprints decorating it. It was lovely, but I loved even more the picture she drew on Sunday for me. She didn't say it was me, but she said it was "a girl holding up a cloud" and I figure that is pretty darn close to a mother's job. Except maybe the cloud is actually more like a planet for a mother...but in any case, it was a wonderful image.

Owen just loves celebrations of any kind, so I heard Happy Mother's Day from him about a thousand times. And first thing in the morning he climbed into bed next to me and snuggled right under my arm and gave the sweetest smile when he said it. It doesn't even detract from the sweetness by knowing that he wished every single person at soccer on Saturday the same thing, repeatedly. Every mother or grandmother at the soccer game thought he was extra sweet, I'm sure. The fathers were probably just confused. He is already preparing for Father's Day now. I think he's told Jim Happy Father's Day a few times already.

My Eight Year Old

2011-05-08T21:30:00.014-05:00

My original Mother's Day (a few days early) present, eight years ago. The sweetest gift.

I love the age eight because:

Liam is not too old to tell me, after watching some of the movie in Music class, that, "Mom you have GOT to see Mary Poppins. It is the BEST movie. They sing, and it's funny. Really, we have GOT to watch that movie." And after we rented it for movie night, Liam laughed and laughed over the funny parts, even rewinding them to watch them multiple times. The boy has always been a fan of slapstick humor, and watching someone get a puff of black smoke on their face from a dirty chimney just made his day. I imagine a few years from now I won't be able to force him to watch movies like this.

He and I went out to watch Thor at the movie theater last night, and had a very nice time. He was old enough to sit through some intense battle scenes, and young enough to only cover his eyes once - during the one and only kissing scene. Afterward, the evening was so warm and balmy, we parked by a fountain (the picture above) and chatted. Liam told me, "I think this is where you and Daddy should have gone after your wedding." ha ha He was right - it was very romantic. Watch out ladies - he already has a sense of romance at the tender age of eight!

He acts excited if I play the Lego Star Wars video game with him, even though I'm always accidentally killing his guy and doing things that slow him down or make it harder for him. He takes pity on his poor mother's gaming skills. And he loves, loves, loves to read the great big books that give tips and tricks for those games. Nothing excites him like a gaming manual.

He is growing so tall, and stretching out so thin. I look at pictures from last summer and he seems so much younger then. I can see shades of the pre-teen that Liam will become.

Liam is becoming more adventurous with age. He is trying more foods (he has always been quite picky) without my prodding. He willingly jumped on the trampoline at the mall, with bungee cords attached to a harness, so he could jump really high. Lately it seems that he surprises me with the things he wants to try.

He is becoming more confident in his baseball skills. This past weekend he had one of his best hitting games, and he really enjoyed himself. I'm so happy to see him get enthusiastic like that, and really push himself.

Still, he's not too old to play with his siblings, especially Natalie. No one can make her laugh like Liam. They sit in the back of the van sometimes and just talk and giggle and goof off. I'm so happy that Natalie has such a great big brother to set the bar for future men in her life.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy, growing up too fast and yet so beautifully!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T21:44:00.007-05:00

And yes, that is a chocolate bunny in a chocolate race car. They make everything these days. The bunny was the first to go, and the car was left driver-less.

Time for A Big Bed Perhaps?

2011-04-21T21:58:00.005-05:00

I don't have a picture of Owen in bed, so this one of Tigger will have to do. For what it's worth, Tigger's bed is new too, and he loooooves it. The day we bought it he spent the entire day in it and I was afraid he might never get out to eat.

But the post is actually about Owen and his need for a new bed. We wanted to let him stay in the crib as long as we could, and so for close to two years (!) that has worked very well. He seemed to feel safe in his crib. He's been a great sleeper in his crib. He would stay in his crib, whether it was for nap or bedtime or even time outs. I always found it a little ridiculous, to be honest, from the boy who tries to insist on doing the monkey bars by himself, can do a back flip on the rings, and can scale large mountains without breaking a sweat. In fact, not long after coming home he was spotted climbing INTO his crib from the outside. Which, I think must be quite a bit harder than getting OUT of it from the inside...but maybe I'm wrong. In any case, the crib WORKED. But all good things must come to an end, I suppose.

Owen is growing up, and can be quite serious about his big boy status these days. If I ever refer to him as "my baby" he takes great offense and tells me that he is not my baby he is my big boy. So it makes sense that he decided that it was time to get out of his crib. And he did that one morning with no fanfare. Liam and I were up already, eating breakfast, when we heard the creak of a bedroom door upstairs and some footsteps. The pitter patter of little feet walking down the steps...and then Owen walked in, pulled out his chair at the kitchen table (which no longer has a booster seat), sat down and said in the most matter of fact way, "I waked up." And that was that. Ever since, he gets out of his crib on his own. I've never even witnessed how he does it, but I'm sure it's graceful because I never hear a thump. I should probably lower the side of it for him to make it easier. Soon he won't have to work so hard, because we ordered a new bed for Liam and will move Liam's bed into Owen's room. A baby no more...sigh...

Naturally

2011-04-19T21:37:00.025-05:00

Ahh, Nature, how we love ya

Now.

Not always.

Depends on which way the wind is blowing.

Last summer we went to the Rock House retreat in the mountains for vacation, and I tried in vain to engage the kids in - gasp - hiking along a trail. Natalie acted like a mini Paris Hilton. She quite literally clutched a small fluffy bunny purse close to her body and made a high-pitched moaning sound the entire time. Except when she was shrieking like a crazy woman, "I don't like to be in Nature!!" Liam was the man of caution, scolding me that the foot bridge we used looked like a life-threatening hazard. "This just doesn't look safe to me...not safe at all!" He even looked for bones lying around it from others who may have gone before us. The bridge was probably at the most a year old. Owen was left at home with Jim because there were lots and lots of bugs, and that meant non-stop shrieking from little Mr Bug Phobia. I was left disheartened and convinced that my kids were going to grow up in plastic bubbles with no appreciation of the great outdoors. Not that I'm a big camper or anything, but I do appreciate nature and the great outdoors from time to time.

Then in the Fall I dragged them to a local park for another hike. Unfortunately, Liam spotted a sign warning that a mountain lion had been spotted in the area a few weeks earlier, and once again I had 3 moaning, whimpering children who jumped every time a leaf crunched and scolded me for endangering their very lives.

But recently we either had a break through or the wind changed direction for a couple of hours. We went on a family hike and everyone enjoyed it. We didn't need a stroller. We walked a long way (really, who knew that we should have read that map at the beginning that would have shown us just how long the "outer loop" was). No one complained, at least not about "being in nature." We saw a water snake. {Ick.} There were noisy bugs, and Owen was only moderately concerned. Natalie - be still my heart - was even heard to exclaim, "I want to have my birthday party in Nature this year!" (No, I won't hold her to that. But it was nice to hear from her.) Liam assumed the Leader and navigator role. He even added some humor at the end of the walk when Natalie and Owen went running off to play on a playground and Liam remarked, "Natalie is just WEIRD! How can she have so much energy now, after walking so far?!" (Oh, Liam, have you already reached the age when your energy has a limit? Welcome to my world. It's all downhill from here.)

It was so nice that I didn't even complain near the end when I was sweating like crazy and cursing myself for not reading that map, while carrying Owen on my shoulders because the poor kid had completely worn out his little legs. We might just have to do this more often.

The Recap Post

2011-04-06T22:57:00.019-05:00

Where on earth have we been?? Well, just here. No good excuses for not blogging, other than the fact that I may have too many children and too few brain cells left.

So I'll try to do a whirlwhind recap of the past month, without over burdening my last remaining brain cells...

We were playing lots of sports - baseball (and I'm so bad- I don't even have any good baseball pictures even though it seems that there is baseball all.the.time.).
Natalie enjoys the throw-in at soccer. She enjoys the running at soccer. Taking the ball away from others...not so much.
And the newest member of the family joining the sports mania is Owen, playing soccer. Running in a pack of pushing, shoving children all trying to kick at something - RIGHT up his alley.

He got chummy with other people's grandparents (Grandpa he needs you here to cheer him on so he doesn't have to hug others).

He high fived his coach...a lot.

We rode a few things...

We did a little gaming...

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day

By baking cookies...

It's been so wiiiindy. We flew a kite.

One of us made his 2nd grade Diorama. I think it wasn't just a coincidence that his teacher assigned him the Canadian goose. And yes, those are yogurt raisins for eggs. I think Owen may have pried one off and eaten it, glue and all.

We fed birds..

And one of us even rode a camel...

And I'm not tired at all.

'Tis the Season

2011-03-08T22:36:00.004-06:00

Well, baseball season has officially begun. The boys played in a little pre-season tournament and came away with the first-place trophy. Unfortunately, with other things going on - swim lessons, soccer, and the ever-important NAPTIME for one of us, I only got to see the last game. Very proud of my little slugger, Liam. I saw some hard swings in that final game, and some good hustle.

We need to get Owen his own team, I'm afraid. He so wants to be a part of all the hoopla. When the team lined up on the field to get their trophies and get a picture, who do you suppose snuck in the lineup? He did make it into some of the group pictures that we saw posted on Facebook. We did remove him so that pictures could be taken of the team (and only the team), and OH did he sob. "I want a tro-pee, I want a tro-pee!" Luckily, he settled for a soft pretzel and sitting in the middle of the boys during the post-game speech from Coach Jim instead.

Duel

2011-02-28T21:39:00.003-06:00

What I woke up to the other morning: Owen bringing swords to my bedside to tell me he wants to have a sword fight. The sword in his right hand was for me. The one in his left was for him. Say what you will, but Little Man knows a little something about strategy...

Dangerous!

2011-02-26T20:40:00.007-06:00

The new word of the day for Owen: Dangerous!
"It's too daaangerous, Mommy!" with a wag of his finger.

Gee, I wonder how he learned that word?!

Owen, don't go across the monkey bars by yourself it's too Dangerous!
Owen, don't run so fast down that hill - it's Dangerous!
Owen, look for cars in the alley - it's Dangerous!
Owen don't stand on the chair like that...don't jump off the couch...

danger, danger everywhere...

Monkey See, Monkey Hear

2011-02-17T21:24:00.005-06:00

I see you....
Wait, Natalie, don't scream into Owen's ear with that thing!!

Oh, never mind...it appears not to bother him...

Magical 5

2011-02-14T21:09:00.011-06:00

I love the age of 5. I'm aware that some, perhaps many, of the precious moments of childhood pass by me so quickly that I don't take the time to appreciate them in the chaos of the background noise. Right now, however, I am savoring Natalie at the age of 5. The age when her body is stretching out, tall and lean, her face has shades of the woman she will become, her hair is the longest it's ever been, and yet she still maintains that sweet 5 yr old innocence. There are still words that she pronounces so adorably incorrectly. She has the ability to get lost in a fantasy world of her own making (and what I wouldn't give for that myself, some days). And she still has the naivete to believe just about anything.

She was super excited last week about the Tooth Fairy visiting preschool. The Fairy visited last year as well, and Natalie remembers her well. Not once did she question why the Fairy hands out toothbrushes with the same logo as our pediatric dentist. She just talked on and on about how the tooth fairy has a purple wand, wings and fairy dust. She explained it all very earnestly to Owen. She does love it when she knows something and he does not. After this year's visit she told me very matter-of-factly that "The fairy last year was a fake, because this year we had the real one." So I'm assuming the dentist hired a new fairy. I hope there wasn't a fairy falling-out.

Then a few days later Natalie was the belle of the Ball, going to the Daddy/Daughter dance with Jim, and she seemed so poised and elegant. It made my stomach flutter nervously, picturing her as a teen or adult, primping to go out. For now, she was simply so excited to go out with her Daddy. Aaahhh I love the age of 5.

Hockey Boy

2011-02-10T14:43:00.011-06:00

I can't recall if I mentioned that we are taking a hiatus from gymnastics. This happened in the Fall - November or so. It's funny, because the amount of guilt I felt over this was ridiculous. Like there was actually some part of me that thought I was doing Owen, and the world at large, an injustice by depriving them of his gymnastic fabulosity. Really! He did enjoy it, after all, and he has a natural strength for that kind of stuff. But the fact is, it was killing me. Owen listens well sometimes....and in certain situations, typically around groups of other children, not so well at all. To be fair, I do remember Natalie having similar (if not so extreme) issues in gymnastics at that age as well. But chasing Owen around and fretting about him sharing the gym equipment was stressing me out so much that it had turned the whole experience into a very negative thing. Owen got in trouble, I got angry, and then I would feel bad when I would invariably lose my temper. The next level for him would have been the 3 yr old class - one he would do on his own with me watching from behind a glass wall. I just wasn't sure if he would listen better to a teacher than to me (though that seems the case in preschool) and he needs to be potty trained (topic for a different post, but suffice to say it's not going well) for that class. So we quit. And I felt such relief. Yes, somehow I did get over the worry about depriving the world of his gymnastic prowess at age 3. Someday I think he will go back.

He does still need a lot of....let's say...exercise. His favorite thing outside (and inside until he gets too crazy) is hockey. The boy loves hockey. He loads himself up with pretend equipment (pretend skates, pads, helmet and mask), even asking me for help putting it all on. He has informed me that his skates...pretend, invisible skates...are not tight enough, and has taken issue with the pretend mask/cage I put on. He must take after Jim, being so particular about his uniform - even when it's pretend. He also has a game called Monster Hockey, where he wants me to be a hockey-playing monster trying to take away his puck. One issue with this is that he tends to think it's OK to beat the monster with the stick (the stick and ball/puck are real). So I spend a lot of time telling him his only course of action is to take away the monster's puck with his stick...and never taking my eyes off him lest he bludgeon me from behind. He enjoys the game a LOT.

We've taken him skating twice now. The first time he didn't spend much time on the ice because Jim threw his back out trying to hold Owen up while he pretended to run and wouldn't stand. The second time he spent the first half crying and didn't want to even try, which is really not typical Owen. Then Jim put a hockey helmet on him (real, not pretend) and skated him around, running him into the boards like he was body checking him. Luckily no one called Child Services. Owen loved that! So then I took him around and tried to get him to stand and take small steps (understanding that small, slow steps are not natural for the boy). Instead he crawled across the ice and intentionally banged his helmet into the side boards...repeatedly. He thought it was such fun. Crawl, crawl, bang, bang, bang, and then fall down like the hockey players do. Silly boy. But it led to him getting to his feet on his own, and standing up with a huge smile, saying "I did it! I'm skating!" Well, maybe not exactly skating, but he did start taking steps while holding my hand. Definite progress was made. And he was very happy afterward about his "skating." Look out Ovechkin! I wonder if hockey players need to be potty trained....

To Shag or Not To Shag

2011-02-07T21:07:00.005-06:00

The hair, the hair. What to do with the hair.

We've always kept it simple for the boys - short and sweet. And they look so cute in short hair. But it seems that the styles for boys these days tend to be a bit more shaggy...and Liam has actually said he doesn't want his cut. We could overrule him, but honestly, Liam doesn't usually express much of an opinion on his personal style. Then again, I never did either growing up, and some (Jim) might say that I should have been protected from myself when I DID have an opinion. Perhaps... But I still hate to squash his first foray into his own personal style. I may have to ask him where we are going with this look. I'm hoping it's not all the way to Bieberdom. Not a fan of Justin Bieber hair. So right now, I'm not sure if we are in the middle of a new do, or if this is it and it just looks like it needs to be cut. Only time will tell.

And Owen...yes, his is longer too. Not that he asked for that, but I thought he looked cute with it a bit longer (and his last cut wasn't a great one), and it seemed to fit his personality. Right now it is killing Jim, with the raggedy hair in the back and over the ears. Of course, Jim was the one who wanted to give him a mohawk a year or so ago, and that is one thing I will veto.

I have a sneaking feeling that someday soon the boys will go out on a miscellaneous errand and come back with close cropped hair again.

That Groundhog Better Be Right

2011-02-06T21:02:00.009-06:00

I think I've made it back to my happy place. School should be open tomorrow.

Being stuck in the house for days on end with no school and no way to get out had me a little squirrely there for a while. I'll admit it, it was me and not so much the kids this time. They didn't mind so much being house-bound. It helped that Liam has some friends who live very close, so he could go off on playdates. I fired up the Bounce-o-lene from last Christmas, but it has several leaks so it isn't quite the same. Still, bouncing can be a good energy burner. We made banana bread (but I hate to bake because I am the ONLY one who eats any of it, and that's just no good for me). We played board games. They played outside even when it was just an ice rink. Liam thought it was funny to try and get Owen to run across the patio. Owen fell off the top of the playfort outside again, but apparently his winter clothing was padded enough that he didn't notice. I ran outside all worried, and he was on his feet already and seemed surprised when I showed concern. He said "I got off." Yes, you got off. Rather quickly.

Everything considered, the kids were good. I couldn't ask for much better. I think they will be glad to head back to school this week though.

I was cheered to know that the snow boots and snow pants from the Canada trip are getting put to good use. I usually hate to spend too much money on that stuff because there are so few days they really need them. This year I am very glad that they have the winter clothing.

So now, when is Spring coming again?

Animals (and I'm not Talking About the Kids)

2011-01-31T22:39:00.009-06:00

We went to a new burger joint the other weekend and after lunch discovered that they set up a small petting zoo outside the place every Sunday. Who knew. Jim thinks it is a brilliant marketing concept, considering that the waitresses have sort of a Hooters-ish feel, so they are appealing to both fathers and children. I'm not so sure they have pinpointed the true decision maker in most families...but nevertheless, the children, and husband, had fun. They did have the cutest assortment of tiny baby animals.

Natalie was in heaven feeding the baby pig and baby goat with a bottle. Liam loved brushing the goats. Owen was slightly overwhelmed. He has a love/hate relationship with animals. He was very excited by it all, but if the chickens and rabbits got to jumping around too much Owen would squeal and start to run. This is also the boy who was chased up a tree a few days ago by the neighbors teeny tiny dog. He literally climbed the tree. Used all of his gymnastics skills to keep his feet off the ground and away from the running dog. The dog was about 4 inches high. Seriously. The dog was fluffy and adorable, and weighed only 3 pounds. It had to jump very high to walk through the grass. Owen would laugh, but then he would cram his fingers into his mouth and cry. Poor boy. Not a fan of any animals that resemble rodents, no matter how cute and fluffy. I was impressed that he rode the pony, although he was quick to say "I'm done."

We all wished Aunt Amy was here - she would have loved these critters.

Learning Fun

2011-01-25T20:53:00.005-06:00

Last week I had Owen's parent/teacher conference for preschool. Everything is going well. They used words like "joyful, enthusiastic, sweet, and compassionate." I would use those words to describe him as well. He is joyful. And I can't think of too many people I would say that about. They did say they are "working" on keeping hands to ourselves at circle time and sharing. Well, yeah. I can see that too. Both teachers commented how they recently added a new student to the class, and Owen has been very, very welcoming to the boy. Going out of his way to hug him and say hello when he arrives. They also mentioned how he lights up whenever he sees Natalie or myself, and how he knows everyone's name (including the teachers and staff that aren't from his room) as he walks down the hallway to his room every morning. I had to share with them my story from our Christmas trip, going out to dinner with Grandma & Grandpa, and Owen introducing every person at the table to the server, finishing with a sweep of his hand and the comment "all the peoples" and then wanting to know her name. I'm not sure the server had ever had a 3 yr old make such formal introductions before.

One thing that I asked his teachers about was his ability to sit at the table and draw...anything...shapes, letters, etc. I knew the answer to this, but wanted to see if he was different at school. The answer was that "well...he's too busy and energetic to slow down much for that." So I have been trying to think of ways to make it a little more fun. On someone else's blog I read about letting kids write letters in flour, so we gave it a try. I think we'll have to do it more often, because he did have a lot of fun. Right now I'm just trying to get him to do the four letters in his name. He can do the O, but has a hard time stopping at just one loop - he'll loop and loop and loop until it no longer looks like an O. I think we might be onto something though, using things like flour instead of just a pen. By the end, he was covered in white powder and started experimenting with how big of a poof it would make if he whacked his hand into it hard. Still, a good experiment overall.

Respect The Hula

2011-01-24T22:18:00.007-06:00

Oh yeah, I've got the hula hoop going again. Our old one bit the dust in an unfortunate grilling incident, and I couldn't find any new ones all winter. Now that Spring is back at Target, we have some new hoops. They are doing double duty these days. Not only do the kids get to hula (and Liam and Natalie are doing so much better this year! Liam has the body motion down!), but I also introduced them to the Hula Personal Space Meter. I read somewhere recently about a tip for making "personal space" more of a visible, physical entity for kids who have issues respecting personal space. Not that anyone around here has those issues...ha ha ha ha ha. OK, some of us, in particular one small one of us, has some major personal space boundary issues. So far the jury is still out on the long-term effects of the hula. I think they all thought it was funny when I instructed Natalie to sit inside one hoop and Owen to sit inside a different hoop, and I told them that if either of them crossed into the other's hoop space they would have to go to time out. Even Owen understood the concept. He sat right in the middle and said "This is my SPACE. Stay out of my SPACE!" Yes, well, until I left the room for a minute and they picked up their personal space and tried to hula with it, knocking into each other and getting angry. sigh... But, I will say that now if they are getting in each other's business (so I get to try this technique a LOT), I can say "OK, pretend you have the hula hoop around you and that is your space." and they can visualize that. They even make little noises like they are zipping themselves up in their space. Until, of course, one of them pulls out the invisible light saber or samurai sword (can I count on two hands the number of times I've heard Owen say "fwing" as he pulls out his imaginary samurai sword out of it's imaginary sheath this week and approaches me in a warrior stance, thank you very much Samurai Scooby Doo) and tries to slash through the personal space barrier. Well, I guess it's all a work in progress. If all else fails, at least they may learn to hula hoop. Owen tries to hula too, and it's amazing how many times the hoop will go around him before it falls. He keeps his body perfectly still, but he gives the hoop such a strong fling that it zips around his body half a dozen times before it falls. Still not sure how he does that. Small body, strong arms, I guess.

Might ReName Him "Tiny"

2011-01-18T10:00:00.002-06:00

Art, Art, Everywhere

2011-01-16T22:02:00.005-06:00

Natalie is our little artistic soul. Liam has had some phases where he was big into artwork as well, but he had a different style - lots of train tracks or maps or diagrams of buildings. He could be very detailed, but not as much into drawing people or animals. Natalie loves expressing herself in any kind of artistic way, and what that means for me is that my house is papered in bits and pieces of paper. She not only likes to create it, she likes to display it. And she knows where the Scotch tape is kept. So at any point in time I will find new things taped to my walls, or doors, or headboard. When I'm feeling cluttered it can drive me crazy, but it's so cute that I'm to the point where I hardly notice how much is hanging around. Every once in a while I pull down one or two and dispose of them quietly, or keep them in her "keep" folder if they are special. So far she hasn't complained.

At the beginning of this month I erased my whiteboard calendar that I keep in the kitchen so that everyone knows our daily schedule. Natalie begged for me to let her re-do the calendar. Silly me thought she was going to write in "January" and the numbers on the days. Instead, I looked over to find this picture. I liked it so much that I had to take a picture before I erased it and wrote in January. It is so typical Natalie - with all the little circles. She can fill a page with dots or lines or tiny little things. Or she can cover a page in two solid colors. In any case, she likes to fill the page with either details or color or both.

This particular time she drew a rider on a horse (the first I've seen her draw this, and I loved the way she gave the legs the proper perspective by making 2 of them smaller). She told me the pile of circles was a lot of apples for the horse, and then there is a little mouse hanging down below the ground. Love it. And I do love finding these little surprises whenever I turn around, even if it eventually becomes a roomful of homemade wallpaper.

Christmas Recap

2011-01-14T09:43:00.016-06:00

So, OK, how far into 2011 is it? It's never too late for a Christmas recap, is it?

Yes, we went to Canada to visit Grandma and Grandpa! They were wonderful enough to get their snow to stick around just long enough for our visit. It mostly melted away the day after we left. Every one of the kids just loved the snow, and the trip, and the special grandparent time, from the first moments there when Owen blew his breath into the airport parking garage and announced happily, "I smoke!!" I had to laugh, knowing how the Russians love to smoke. Luckily in this case it was just due to the cold air. On a side note, Natalie enjoyed watching Frosty The Snowman this year, and was telling me afterward what a great guy Frosty is. She said, "He has a magic hat, Mom. A magic hat that makes him alive! And he SMOKES!" Aaaahhh, yes, Frosty is a smoker. How could I have forgotten that corn cob pipe? I can't believe they haven't expunged the whole pipe thing from the show in the name of good health. But I suppose it's much harder when an entire beloved Christmas song would have to be re-written.

Anyway, back to Canada. Grandma has the most wonderful decorations, with dozens of decorated trees (OK, maybe not dozens, but it felt that way), and Christmas kitsch in every corner and hanging from every chandelier. The kids loved banging, er..playing, on the piano, watching the chickadees, woodpeckers, squirrels and bluejays at the feeders, and spotting the elusive "barn cat" slinking around the house. Owen crawled out of bed each morning bright and early (and with a wonderful bit of Christmas spirit, left me in bed for much longer) to help Grandpa throw peanuts to the birds or whatever else needed to be done. He even enjoyed helping Grandpa water the Christmas tree. I hear that after we left Grandpa kind of missed hearing "I help you!" in the morning.

All of them loved sledding, especially Natalie. She wasn't even deterred for long when she hit some ice face-first and got a bloody lip. She loved just being in the snow, rolling in the snow, sliding on the snow. Liam and Owen both really loved riding on the snowmobile. Mind you, this is the snowmobile that Jim used when he was a kid, so it's....well, it's old. I started to worry when Liam and Jim were gone for quite a long time and we couldn't hear the engine, but it turns out they were just on an "adventure" to a swamp. I'm still not sure whether I believe the swamp and the beaver-spotting story or not...But they had fun. Owen tried many times to take off on his own on the snowmobile. Luckily he can't work it on his own. But Jim had a hard time keeping him from steering and giving it gas during their rides.

Liam tried snowboarding on a sled. Owen tried shoveling snow everywhere with his Lightning McQueen shovel - several times dumping it right down his own jacket. They all loved pretending to ice skate on the pool.

We also made it skiing. Liam and Jim went 1 day on their own, and then the four of us (minus Owen - we just couldn't go there yet) went 1 day. The kids loved it, and want to go back for more. Although Liam would rather not ride the chair lift with me, since he accused me of pulling him down when we dismounted. I cannot say whether I did or did not. I'm not exactly the picture of grace on the slopes. Every man (or woman or child) for himself, I say.

Christmas dinner was wonderful, as always, and included the Christmas "crackers" that include the paper crowns to make us all look funny. Natalie was thrilled that Grandma let her do the flower arrangement for the centerpiece. It was lovely.

And the travel! Let me say that the travel could not have been smoother (OK, maybe it would have been smoother if someone...unnamed, but his name begins with a J...hadn't left a bag at baggage claim that he then had to go back and locate with the help of many airline staff). The kids were all great travelers. We had them all carry their own backpacks, and we had quite the assembly line going through security, taking off shoes, coats, backpacks, unloading electronics, then putting it all back again. I wouldn't have wanted to be behind us, that's for sure, but for 5 people we were actually pretty darn quick about it. On the flight home, we had all the kids lined up with their backpacks and boarding passes and passports out in front of us, and the lady checking us in made the comment, "What an efficient family! I guess you have to be, with that many." No, you don't really have to be with this many. And WOW I haven't felt like an efficient family in years. Years, I tell you!! It was true though - I felt efficient on this trip. Hallelujah! I'm not going to predict whether it will happen again anytime in the near future, but we were calm and efficient and travelled well this time around. Owen loved watching take-offs and landings, and quietly watched Scooby Doo on the DVD during the flight. The only time he got antsy was after landing. He is not a fan of waiting in lines, and could not understand why we had to wait our turn to leave the plane. To be honest, I find that part annoying as well.

We were all sad to go, and Liam even commented that sometimes he wishes we lived in Canada. What wonderful memories we made again this year! A great big Thank You to Grandma and Grandpa for showing everyone such a good time, and ending our year on such a great note!

Ski Bunnies

2011-01-09T22:45:00.004-06:00

I have the most wonderfully articulate posts in my head. Really, I do. I just can't seem to muster the energy to write anything at the end of the day. I need to do a Christmas recap post soon, though, before it is totally irrelevant. We did have a wonderful trip to Canada, and many memories were made. Plus, we were able to get Liam and Natalie out on the slopes, and were thrilled to find that they both loved skiing. It almost made me wish we lived close to skiing. If we could only do that without the long, cold winter weather somehow...

I was able to embarrass Jim with my ski outfit. Apparently I am not up on ski fashion. Then again, Jim was wearing blue jeans, so I'm not sure he should have been laughing too hard.

Our Angel

2011-01-02T23:00:00.003-06:00

Our angel, making snow angels in Canada. She loved the snow! Yay, Canada!

Two Words

2010-12-30T13:58:00.003-06:00

In heaven...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T20:22:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to one and all!

The Crash Site

2010-12-21T21:57:00.005-06:00

Like a slow motion crash scene...
Only, the crashes aren't entirely real. It is a favorite thing for Owen - pretending to crash. He has it down to a science, where he can pedal his tricycle around and cut the wheel sharp enough that he will fall, with enough speed to fall but not enough to do real damage. And then he can pose himself under his bike and say "Crash!" He was kind enough to pose for pictures as well. He does very well on the 2-wheeler with training wheels now too, including the braking part that was so elusive at first. But he still loves to go too fast, and the other day he went flying over the handlebars for real after going too fast and cutting the wheel. Didn't phase him a bit. He rather enjoyed it, I think. Future mountain biker here.

The last picture is just me bragging about the homemade treats I took in for Owen's preschool exchange this year. Russian tea cakes. And they were good! OK, Natalie got Scotch shortbread cookies out of a bag for her treat exchange. Come on people, I only have so much homemade in me! And if I'm honest, it was most definitely wasted on the 2 yr old class... The tag had an adorable Russian doll on the other side. World Market had the best Russian gift wrap stuff this year!

A New Winter Sport?

2010-12-13T12:49:00.008-06:00

If I can't be on the ice, at least I can get my exercise skate running!

Despite many misgivings about how the trip would turn out, we took all 3 of the kids skating the other day, and it was a success! We had not taken anyone skating in years...probably about 3 years, to be exact. It was such a brutal process when Jim had aspirations of hockey for Liam, and Liam was just not into the skating part. Natalie was too young the last time, and just screamed for Mommy (and Jim is the only real skater in the family - I am more of a threat to the kids on the ice than a help).

This time, Liam tentatively held onto the side for a lap or two (but it was significant that he went out completely on his own and plugged away at it without giving up), and then Jim switched him from hockey to figure skates and it helped tremendously. By the end, he had let go of the side and could go around on his own. After about 5 minutes, Natalie didn't want to hold our hands or the side, and she did a great job of getting around on her own as well. More of a walk than a glide, but it was VERY exciting that she didn't cry or whine, even when she fell. Woo-hoo!! Both of them have asked when we can go again. Maybe they are half Canadian after all!

Even I managed to get around the rink a few times, although I know I look like I'm doing a crab walk. I think I keep my left leg totally still and I just push off a bit with my right leg like I'm rowing a boat or something. Totally elegant and graceful, you can imagine. But I didn't fall. And more importantly, I didn't drag any of the kids down with me.

Owen...well, let's just say that his skating ambitions might exceed his physical ability right now. He seemed to want to run (go figure) and so he had a very hard time standing upright. But he didn't cry. And he got a lot of practice running in skates in the waiting area. One teenage boy saw him and told me so very earnestly "That's the next Ovechkin! Really! That is so great! I wish my parents had started me skating that young!" ha ha Funny that he picked Ovechkin...

He Sees You When You're Sleeping...

2010-12-12T21:17:00.006-06:00

Is it just me or is this one Christmas picture that is totally creepy? Natalie was playing around with glitter and glue the other day while I was in the kitchen, and she asked me how to spell "watching." When she was done, this is what I found. It's a glitter Christmas tree with a big googly eye glued to the top of it (and other eyes around it), saying "I'm watching."

No wonder none of my kids want to sit on the Big Guys lap! Creeeeepy. It's all very Orwellian. "I'm waaaaatching you...I see eeeverything...." I think the only thing that made the hairs on my neck stand up more was the time Liam told me that his principal "knows everything." When I asked how she knew everything he said in a semi-whisper "You know...the cameras.." and pointed to the ceiling. I just got a shiver thinking of it again...

The Garlic Is Hung

2010-12-08T22:28:00.010-06:00

Natalie has very sweetly confused "garlic" with "garland." She kept asking to hang the garlic on the tree, and now it's amazing how many times she has needed to mention the "garlic" on the tree. I know I'm bad, but I just cannot bring myself to correct her because it's so darn cute. I figure next year she'll probably know better on her own.

Owen has developed a love for singing lately, and has been belting out "Tinkerbells! Tinkerbells! Tinker all the way!" Not sure if he is thinking that Jingle Bells was written about the fairy, but it's likely, since we all know the fairies and princesses around here. And then when he gets talking about Baby Jesus (and yes, he DOES get to talking about Baby Jesus, at random times like when he and Jim were at the grocery together and Owen was shouting out loud to strangers about Baby Jesus) I have realized that it sounds suspiciously like Baby Cheeze-Its...I wonder...what he's really saying. I am surprised that he didn't tell the door-to-door magazine sales girls about Baby Cheeze-Its the other day. Instead, when I opened the door, not realizing who was there, he ran right out and grabbed both of their hands (2 girls, so he grabbed a hand from each one at the same time) and said "It's nice to meet you!!" It wasn't what I had planned on doing, to be honest...but perhaps it was more fitting with the Christmas spirit. One of the girls said, "Dang! I'm 2 months pregnant, and I think I'll just be dropping that baby off in a basket on YOUR porch - you're kids are so sweet." Uh, thanks...but uh, no thanks. I'm just sticking with Baby Cheeze-Its this year.

Random

2010-12-06T20:04:00.004-06:00

Here is a first. Natalie and Owen were fighting the other day. No, that's not the "first" by a long shot. But this time they were fighting over...who got to play in the dust motes that were flying in the air when the sun was streaming in from the window. Good news: the sun was shining. Bad news: they were nearly coming to blows over who could play in the dust. If only they realized that there is so much of it to go around. Really, kids, pop on into my bedroom there and swipe your finger across my dresser and Go.To.Town. Really. Please.

In other news, the cat is out of luck when looking for an ally to keep him in the family. The other day while watching a show about dogs Natalie piped up, "I don't like cats." When I said "Awwww poor Tigger!" she stated matter-of-factly, "I think he could live in someone else's house. I want a dog." Watch your back, Tigger, watch.your.back!!

And a small note from the maturing eldest, while I was putting him to bed: "Mom, isn't it weird how you have babies when you're married. And you don't have them when you're not. It's the Mystery of Life! It's like there is a sensor that tells when you are married and then you have babies. Isnt' that weird?!" And I hesitated for a second or two, tossing things over in my mind, thinking of his age, thinking of my long-winded explanations, and I murmured, "Yes, that IS weird."

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2010-11-29T22:14:00.005-06:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to my sweet baby! Time sure does fly, especially when our time together got a late start. I just cannot believe Owen is 3.

He was super excited about his day, and his cake. He had his eye on that Lightning McQueen cake in Target for a long, long time. In the morning he had a bounce house outing with some friends from preschool that just happened to fall on his birthday. He was fairly well behaved, and by the time that he started to lose control it was time to rush off and pick Natalie up from school anyway, so crisis averted. We had dinner at IHOP, and he picked the Smiley Face Pancakes, but I ordered pancakes and scrambled eggs for myself because I knew he would like the eggs better. Sure enough, he ate all the eggs off my plate. I know my boy.

Then home for cake, candle blowing (he talked about this a lot - the boy was looking forward to blowing those candles), and presents. The new boots were a hit for the little cowboy. He even sang himself Happy Birthday. He had been practicing. His version is slightly different and can go off track a bit, but he definitely belts out "Happy Birthday to OOOOWEN!" or sometimes, like tonight, it was "Happy Birthday to Regular Owen!" I have no idea what "regular" means to him, but he has been using it a lot. As in, "Mommy, there regular playground!" as we pass a familiar playground. Lots of familiar things are "regular." Not sure why he thinks of himself as "regular Owen" but I'm hoping it's a good thing?

I can see the changes in him every day, growing into a boy instead of a baby. He wants to do so many things himself (not in the toileting department, unfortunately). "I do it! I do it!" And has very definite ideas about what he wants to do or how things should be. He can still charm the socks off a good percentage of strangers, although the girls (and boys) at preschool may sometimes be frightened by his exuberant affection. In the past week, Liam has made various comments about what he thinks Owen will be like when he grows up, and they included, "I think it will be easy for him to find a girlfriend" and "I think he will be one of those motorcycle guys who rides on the dirt tracks." I think Liam is probably right.

Owen loves motorcycles, hockey, sports, sports, sports, talking and interacting with people, playing with cars, and having celebrations. He is not so thrilled with potty training, bugs and small critters (though Tigger has begrudgingly been accepted as tolerable), and being told it is time for bed.

My life wouldn't be the same without him - I love you regular Owen!

Giving Thanks

2010-11-27T21:41:00.007-06:00

Giving thanks for an unusual holiday that involved NO turkey, no pie, no stuffing. I don't think I would do it every year, but it ended up a nice, small, family outing that included wild (OK, maybe not so wild) birds and putting greens. I think I can safely say that the kids will remember the birds. The one that they held was named Harry, because he likes to go to the highest point...which on a person is, of course, in their hair. Natalie was in love with Harry. Liam thought Harry was hysterical. Owen...at first pulled his coat over his head and said, "No bird on head!" but then decided that he wanted to hold Harry. When Harry started flapping his way to his "favorite spot" on a person, Owen let out a shriek that could break glass. Too bad I don't have the video to go with that picture. The picture makes it look a bit like Owen is being attacked by a crazed bird, but I swear that it ended well. I calmly removed the bird and Owen laughed and pointed at his head and asked for "Bird on head, Mommy." In the interest of bird safety, we passed him on to other kids.

We missed seeing extended family, and yes, I may have even missed the turkey and trimmings a little bit. But I'm giving thanks for the goodness that can come from unusual holidays too.

B is for Boo-Boo, C is for Crazy Cat

2010-11-17T22:25:00.010-06:00

OK, I may have to get a cute picture of Owen with a soccer ball or baseball instead of the Boo-Boo shot for the letter B. It's just too sad. And no, I don't think he was really hurt. He accidentally pulled a heavy barstool down almost on top of himself, but I think it scared him more than anything. Still, he was willing to hold "Boo-Boo Kitty" on his head for a photo. If you can pose for a picture you probably aren't too hurt. Stop with the sad eyes - I can't take it! When he cries lately he will get more upset about the tears than whatever he was crying about. He'll say "My eyes leaking! Me leaking!" We were in line at a store the other day and a toddler in line in front of us was melting down big time (ahhhh, for once it was not us and I could just smile sympathetically) and Owen said in a very sad voice "Awwwww...baby's leaking." Cuteness.

And have you ever tried getting a picture of a cat who won't stop following you around, meowing? Much harder to get a cat to pose than it is a kid.

A is for Apple

2010-11-15T22:14:00.004-06:00

I am just too darned tired to get my blog thoughts down on screen. So I'll just post the first page of the Alphabet Book I am contemplating making for Owen. Starring a familiar model. Good thing he likes to pose.

Celebrations

2010-11-10T22:27:00.008-06:00

The birthday celebration at the gymnastics party, complete with princess cake and rope swinging.

And Liam (with Gatorade beard and mustache) and his tiny (not) trophy for his baseball team's win. Pre-season, regular season, post-season playoff winners! They must have a good coach. What a great season he (and his Coach) had. Very proud of my boys!

Happy 5th Birthday Natalie (OK a few days late...)

2010-11-03T21:13:00.010-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Halloween baby!

And a little summary of the lady herself:

LOVES:

Pre-K (the teachers, her friends, the dancing, the playground- everything).

Any toy ever shown on a commercial geared towards children, although if I let her watch Home Shopping Network she'd probably like all that junk too. Especially any toy made to somewhat resemble an animal and make noise, life-like or otherwise. Zhu Zhu pets are heaven.

Drawing and painting.

Pure sugar in any form (except for Kool Aid - go figure). Gummy treats, fruit chews, suckers, Smarties. Sugar, sugar, sugar.

Edamame (soy beans). Hallalujah - a break from sugar.

Her soccer team. Her coach, her team mates, and of course the snack at the end.

Girly, glittery glamour, and getting "fancy".

Her brothers. Almost always.

Seeing her Daddy on the Skype camera when he's away on business. Or perhaps she is looking at the video of herself in the smaller box...in any case, she enjoys it.

DISLIKES:

Talking to strangers. Heaven forbid a Target employee should offer her a free sample of food. Me, I'm all over that. Natalie will make a huge circle so as to not come within five feet of them, and turn her head all the way around to avoid eye contact. Even if they have sugar.

Tags in her clothes. They itch. Especially when she is 1) tired or 2) annoyed by her little brother.

Holes. Lost a t-ball in a water drainage hole last Spring and was traumatized for months. Tonight while trying to use her new birthday scooter she became so upset that Liam was scootering within four feet of a water drainage hole that she refused to scooter and would only lie flat on the grass crying that she was scared and wanted to go home. For the record, Liam is cautious enough to never come close to falling down that hole. He was teasing her by being daring enough to scooter within 4 feet of it. Owen on the other hand...might go flinging down one someday. But she wasn't as concerned about that possibility.

Being rushed in the morning. Or morning itself. Or both.

------------------------

I love my girl! Every wise-cracking, dramatic, affectionate, singing, dancing, drawing, laughing piece of her.

Where Does The Time Go

2010-11-02T22:18:00.010-05:00

Wow, has it really been so long since the last post? Somehow it seems that I have been living in real life only, and not so much in blogland. It wasn't intentional, but just happened without me noticing. Maybe that's a good thing?

Unfortunately, it's been so long that I don't even know what to write about now. We've been busy, obviously. Lots of sports - soccer, baseball, gymnastics. Grandparent visit. Halloween. Natalie turned 5! I will have to try and pick apart a story or two from all of that sometime soon. Meanwhile, to sum it up: All three kids are enjoying their sports (yay!), all three loved having the visiting Grandparents, and all three had a lovely Halloween. Natalie's birthday was good too, but I'll leave that for a special birthday girl post.

One of my favorite Fall traditions - the pumpkin carving - was a little rushed this year. And as usual, my three helpers were not a lot of help. A little poke with a spoon here, a shriek as a finger touched some gooey pumpkin guts there. Much dramatic face squinching in disgust, and then off to something more interesting while I am left to carve. But I'm not really complaining. Less time with small children around knives the better, if you know what I mean. Thanks to Mimi and Grandpa for helping pick out the very tall pumpkin that was the favorite. Liam decided we should go for a traditional face instead of a fancy design for that one and it turned out to be the one the trick-or-treaters loved. For Owen's pumpkin we did a Potato Head kit, so we just had to poke the face parts into the pumpkin instead of carving (as I said before...less time around knives the better), but I don't think I got a good picture of that one. Happy Halloween! Happy Fall! The year is going too quickly!

Dance Night

2010-10-11T22:22:00.011-05:00

My date for the Mother/Son dance was handsome. And a little solemn or grumpy - not sure which. It may have been residual from a baseball game in which some errors were made...or maybe he was just a little tired from a long day (I did notice circles under his eyes). The timing was unfortunate because we literally ran home from the baseball game and threw on clothes and left in about 5 minutes so that we could get in at least an hour of the dance. It was one of the first times ever that I got several pictures of Liam looking like he was wishing he was somewhere else. Please tell me that he's not "over" going to a dance with his mother already at the tender age of 7.

He tells me he had a good time. I know I did. We were both awkward dancers again, and that was okay. I enjoyed watching his dance moves. I think he enjoyed most going to McDonald's afterward to get a chocolate dipped ice cream cone.

Oh yes, and my date had a very distracting dangler. A tooth, that is. It's just hanging out there by a thread, and is all I can see right now when I look at him. We took some funny, albeit disturbing, close-up pictures of the tooth on my phone while we were at McDonald's and he laughed so hard. He wouldn't let me pull it, and I figured if he was nice enough to go out with me I shouldn't pull off any of his parts. Not good date etiquette.

It is funny how quickly the kids notice when something is different about me. Owen spotted the earrings and additional ring instantly. He asked me to take the earrings off for some reason. I never wear jewelry, so I think he just didn't know what to think. Natalie just kept smiling at me and telling me how pretty I looked because I was wearing lipstick. If that's all it takes, I guess I should wear it more often. Owen was disappointed he couldn't go, but I was home in time to put him to bed and I told him that someday I would take him to a dance too. He pumped his fists in the air and yelled "Yessss!" The smaller they are, the better they are for your ego I suppose. Still, I loved spending some time with my big boy.

Chatterbox

2010-10-10T21:32:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned how much the little man talks?
And talks, and talks, and talks, and talks.
He never.stops.talking. Ever.

So much so, in fact, that I finally took to Googling "repeating words or sentences" to see if this could be an issue. And well, yes, there are some cases where repeating things can be a sign of something else...ADHD or sensory issues, perhaps. But it does appear that right around this age is when repeating can peak in general. I'm thinking that he is just doing it with a little more...er...intensity, than some kids. And intense is his style, so that makes sense. I will try to have more patience next time we are rocking before bed and he can't stop talking and I try to say "shhhhhh hushhhh quiet", and he gets quiet for about...10 seconds...and then he starts in with "Quiet? No talk? Quiet? Stop talk? Stop talk Mom? Stop talk Mom? Stop talk Mom?" And when I ignore it by modeling quietness it just means that he continues on because he doesn't get validation from me that what he is saying is correct...

On the other hand, he does make for a great cheerleader. Or auctioneer. Or soccer announcer.
Just tonight, Jim was replacing several lightbulbs that were high, high, high up in the family room and he had to use a very long pole with a suction cup on the end. Owen stood at the bottom with a non-stop string of praise that went something like this:
"Ooooh cool! Great job Dad! Go, go, go Dad! (clapping hands for effect) Good job! Wow! Cool! Go, go, go! bup bup bup bup (making a noise to indicate the pole going up up up) Up!! Good job!"
The entire.time.Jim.worked. I think perhaps I'll buy him some pom-poms soon.
I wish I had video of the repeating. I will have to try to capture some soon.

Overheard

2010-10-04T21:39:00.008-05:00

A Natalie-ism that I may have to enter into my own dictionary:

Destructions. Instead of toys coming with "instructions" she calls them "destructions." Usually quite appropriate when I am the one putting something together.
--------------------------

And from Liam, when we were having some one-on-one time this weekend. We did play a board game as well, so don't bash me for encouraging video games. But after the board game I asked if he wanted me to play Lego Star Wars with him since I rarely ever play video games, and generally can't stand to watch them even when he relentlessly says "hey, watch this" or "Mom you have to see this part". So I figured playing a game with him was a special treat.

Me: So it won't frustrate you that I'm so bad at playing this, will it?

Liam: No, no, no. That's okay. I don't mind. If you don't play much and aren't any good, that doesn't make me mad at all. pause Now...if you play a lot and you still aren't any good....then I might be a little upset.

I think I'd better end my gaming career here, because I really don't see myself getting any better. I can never even keep track of which character is mine. Oh and then there is the part of the game where he tells me "in this section the Up arrow makes you go down, and the Down arrow makes you go up. I'm not sure why, but just remember that." I am so NOT coordinated enough for that.

New

2010-09-29T22:14:00.006-05:00

New haircut.

New smile (one less tooth on top - the first that didn't have to be pulled by the dentist! After months of dangling it just dropped out, thank God. I was tired of watching it dangle.)

New pace. (Liam has always had a funny kind of run for baseball. At home playing with siblings he can run fast, but running the bases he would seem to be running under a wet blanket. Recently he has been running hard. Woo-hoo, run Liam run!)

New attitude...well, maybe a little bit. I think my boy is getting older. boo No, his attitude isn't terrible, but I have heard a little snarkiness here and there. And then I have to fix him with the evil eye and say "I know you aren't giving me attitude." and he will sigh and try unsuccessfully to hold onto the attitude. It must be hard being the "sweet one" who can't shake that image. But no way am I going to let him stop being sweet. Some days that is all that keeps me going.

Random Things

2010-09-24T16:15:00.012-05:00

Oh, what a sweet face that is!
In the second photo Owen is playing hide and seek with his shirt. I think that game has a special place in his heart. It was something they played at the orphanage, and instead of saying Peek A Boo like we would, they would say Coo-Coo. He stills says Coo-Coo, and it still can make him laugh so hard. I remember right after he came home I took him to the lab to get soooooo many vials of blood drawn to check his vaccinations and everything else under the sun. There were so many tests that the lab lady couldn't believe the orders were all for him. He cried a bit, but since it was so early on he didn't cry much (still in the "no reason to cry when something hurts because I don't realize I might be comforted stage). Still, he wasn't happy. But Liam and Natalie were with me and they hid around the exam room door and would pop their heads around the side of the door frame with their hands over their eyes and then say Coo-Coo and open their hands. Every single time it made him laugh. For like, 20 minutes of blood being drawn. He laughed every single time. He could not help himself. It was almost a hysterical laughter at that point in time. Cry, cry, cry, COO-COO, HA HA HA, cry, cry, cry. He still thinks it's funny, even when I'm sitting right across from him at the table. He'll cover his own eyes and yell "Where's Owen? Coo-coo!! Here he is!" like it is grand humor. Love it.

On another note, preschool seems to be going well. I've only talked to his teacher once, but I'll try to follow up with her again this week just for a check-in. No notes in the folder is a good thing though. I am praying that any lack of impulse control around other kids can be managed. And maybe, just maybe, that adorable little face will soften the teacher's heart and she can see the sweet boy that I see. He really isn't all that aggressive. But he doesn't shy away from getting into a tussle over toys or anything he considers to be his property, which can be anything he's touched. :-) Typical 2 yr old stuff, yes, probably.

In other ways, maybe not entirely typical. We've been having issues with hitting at home, especially Owen hitting me when I try to pick him up to take him to nap or get him to stop something he's doing. I think sudden transitions are hard. And sometimes I don't have the patience for long transitions... Also, I know I need to work on my "patient, calm and happy" demeanor, because if he senses anger or impatience I think it stirs in him a fear that can manifest itself in aggression. Looking back over his time with us, I think I can say pretty definitely that his first reaction to fear is fight mode (you know how they talk about the flight or fight instinct- well he is mostly a fighter). One example being the fact that he hunted the cat down with anything hard or club-like for about 3 months after coming home. If I'm afraid of you, I will beat you before you hurt me, cat...

Still, we have been having our share of sweet moments, especially as he is talking more and more, and in something more akin to sentences. He loves to pretend to be things right now (today alone, he told me at various times that he was Spiderman, a monkey, and a puppy), and acts them out quite well. No matter what he is, he will call it a "baby" and me the Mommy. Like tonight he told me he was a Puppy Baby and I am the Puppy Mommy. I always play along, and the Puppy Mommy or Monkey Mommy or yes, even the Spidey Mommy is always taking care of the baby. He does love that. And I love hearing him call out as I close his bedroom door, "Goodnight Monkey Mommy!"

Soccer Girl

2010-09-13T22:05:00.007-05:00

So we decided to add a sport to the mix, since we didn't feel quite busy enough in the evenings. I'm really looking forward to when Owen is begging to play 3 sports at a time (not). We're thinking soccer may be good for Natalie, because of the whole "team sport" thing. Gymnastics is fine, but she is off in her own little world there half the time, and it's not really a team thing or a goal-scoring thing. So this is a little different for her. The thing with Natalie is - she has a competitive streak, and she can run fast (I planted the idea in her head at one point that she could someday run faster than Liam, and this really seems to motivate her), and she doesn't mind getting in the mix of a group of chaotic, shin-kicking kids. When.She.Wants.To. Then, wa-la, she will Not.Want.To. And it's over. So maybe this will be good for her, and we can try to get her to Want to help her team out for the entire game. We'll see. I can't complain because the first game went far better than Jim and I had predicted. (And yes, some amount of bribery was used...) We also somehow managed to get over the huge hump of "I want to wear a pink jersey. I do not want to wear a blue jersey. I only like pink. Pink is for girls. Blue is for boys." Thus, the pink shoes and pink ball. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.

Included above is a picture of her cheerleaders on the sidelines. Oh wait, one of them is playing Nintendo instead of watching. Oh well. At least he wasn't complaining. The other one was actually cheering Go Go GO NATALIE!! If nothing else, he can have a future career as one of the announcers at soccer games who yell GOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!! The boy's got a set of lungs.

School, school, school!!!

2010-09-05T14:33:00.004-05:00

One would think I'd have more time to blog now that school has begun. I'm not sure why it doesn't work that way. Maybe because Week One, when only Liam was in school, I had to deal with two other very cranky kids trying to adjust to the new sleep schedule (yes, I had grand ideas of phasing it in slowly, but you know how that works). Then Week Two, when the other two started preschool and I had a total of 5 hours (count them - 5!! - or maybe closer to 4 after drive time...) a week of time without children I spent most of that time sitting, staring a wall and letting the world pass me by. I got seriously nothing done in my "free" time. But I know that is the way it works that first week. I think the first day Owen was at school I spent about an hour and a half of my two hours fretting, feeling lonely and emotional, wondering what he was doing, and having to stop myself from circling the building and looking for him darting out the door. He's so fast...I do worry that he'll slip from the classroom when a back is turned and be out the door before anyone realizes. That could happen at home too, I suppose, but that's why we have an alarm that makes a beep-beep everytime a door is opened. It's to keep little people in more than to keep bad people out.

So the good news is that every child loves school so far. Liam is very happy with his teacher. Perhaps a little worried that if they don't get their school work done on time this year then they must go to Study Hall instead of Recess to finish it. Thinking back to last year's "pile of unfinished work" that we saw when we visited during the Open House... Hopefully the thought of Study Hall will give him a boost of speed.

Natalie has an old friend in her class, and has made a new friend already. She also surprised me at dinner this week when she colored blue over the word "blue," red over the word "red," and pink over the word "pink" on a menu. When I asked her how she knew what the words said she told me "I whispered it to myself." So she is starting to sound words out already. How is that for a week of preschool? I knew she would start fast once she was doing that at school. At home, she has resisted sounding things out with me because it seems like I'm trying to get her to do work of all things.

And Owen. Oh, I was worried about him. But he did wonderfully. He really seemed to understand the whole process. The picking up, and the dropping off, and the playground and the snack. He did spend a year watching me drop off and pick up Natalie, and we have talked a lot about what would happen at preschool. He was SOOOO excited about going, and carrying his backpack, and playing with the cars in his class. So far, so good. He has been talking so much lately, and after school he spent quite a while trying to tell me about everything he did. Imagine that - a boy who might tell me what he does at school! Be still my heart. I have to admit, there was probably a small part of my heart that ached, wanting him to miss me a little bit more. But he was very excited to see me and hugged me so tightly when I picked him up, that I think I couldn't ask for anything more. I know he loves being a big kid just like his siblings. And I'm sure that I will start to use my 5...or 4.5...hours more wisely after the initial shock has worn off. School, school, yay for school!

The Bike Whisperer

2010-08-21T22:58:00.010-05:00

Grandma Helen - aka The Bike Whisperer.

It seems she is able to speed along the bike riding skills of children of any age. Last year, during our Russian trips, she and Grandpa helped Liam with his bike riding sans-training wheels. Shortly after we got home, he took off. Natalie, also, showed a big improvement in her with-training-wheels riding after Grandma's help. Natalie got faster and better up and down sidewalk curbs, enough that she could ride to Liam's school during drop off. And during this summer's visit from Grandma, someone else was finally (and I say "finally" only from HIS perspective, because he's been trying to do this ever since he came home) able to use those little legs to go all the way around with the pedals. I caught them covertly practicing one day when I came home from running an errand. They both looked guilty. Actually, Grandma may have looked guilty, but Owen looked elated. Now I know why. Grandma has gone, but she left in her wake a 2 yr old Lance Armstrong. (And you know I'm just teasing, Grandma - we both know it was only a matter of time before this happened).

Now I just need to fly her back here to teach him how to use the brake.

If you can see the video, be sure to catch the funniest thing about it. Owen is saying under his breath "catch Natalie...catch Natalie...catch Natalie". And that about sums up the whole relationship there. So he's off and pedaling now, with no regard for potential falls. He knows that is what the helmet is for, I think. Part of me wishes that he would save some "firsts" for his 3 yr old year, but then I shudder as I realize all of the things that he could come up with...like bike ramps for jumping over things. Mostly, I'm just happy that Grandma's expertise doesn't lie in the field of bungee jumping or skydiving.

Little Mommy

2010-08-19T21:59:00.003-05:00

Periodically I ask the kids what they want to be when they grow up, just to get them thinking about that. Natalie has been pretty consistent in saying a ballerina (though based on a dance camp she took this summer, I'm not going to hold my breath for that - she was not into the whole "performing in front of people" thing...). Sometimes she adds other things along with the ballerina idea. But she always says that what she really, really wants to be is a Mommy. I find it a little perplexing. I don't remember having those thoughts myself when I was young. I don't remember at her age, but from the time I can remember, the "Mommy career" was not on my radar. I don't think the Mommy idea crossed my mind until I was about, oh, 30 maybe.

I don't want to discourage her, of course, because being a mom is wonderful. As long as it doesn't happen too soon... The funny part is that I have realized over the course of several conversations with her that she has a funny idea about her baby. When I asked "Do you think you'll have a girl or a boy?" she looked at me funny and said "I only have one baby. It's Owen. So he's a boy." She has commented before that one day she'll grow up and then she'll be able to "take care of Owen and carry him around". I'm waiting for that day, I'll tell you. I sure could use the help! But seriously, isn't that an odd notion, thinking that when she grows up she'll be Owen's mother? I think I had some very motherly feelings toward my younger sister, but I always assumed it had something to do with her being seven years younger. Maybe it is just a girl thing? I wonder. All I can say is Bless Her Little Heart to say repeatedly that she wants to be a mother, if she is thinking that Owen will be her boy! The girl has more fortitude than myself. It took me about 40 years to be ready to look Owen in the face and be ready to parent him! Here she is at 4, ready to take him on. Ahhh, sweet girl. No wonder she gets cranky with him - she's probably imagining lugging him around the rest of her life.

The Beast Among Us

2010-08-18T22:31:00.007-05:00

Yes, the beast among us is a tomato plant. The boy hiding behind it is wonderful, by the way.

The state of the garden...well it is a sorry state. Okay, I haven't really done anything more than water it and pull an occasional weed. But truly, I thought it would produce more than this. This gigantic, ugly, too-heavy-to-even-be-staked-up tomato plant has produced exactly ONE - count it - ONE tomato. One! I forgot to pick it, and it withered up like a raisin. And the plant has been punishing me ever since by refusing to produce any more! It just keeps growing like a virus. Perhaps it can feel my nasty feelings toward it and that is why it is barren? I don't know. In any case, it is the last picture you will see of it, because I pulled it out. (Not the easiest thing in the world - it may not have had fruit but it sure had some strong roots!) I feel slightly guilty, but I only have so much nurturing to go around, and I think it was so big that it was making the peppers next to it angry, because I have only had about 4 jalapenos all year too. Tons of little flowers, but only 4 peppers! What is WRONG with my gardening?! I definitely have a black thumb. Oh yes, and I kept waiting and waiting for the asparagus to mature, and I'm pretty sure that it has gone to seed now. But it never got big enough to pull, or at least it didn't appear to be big enough. So much for subsistence farming. My family would be awfully thin if we had to depend on this poor little plot of land. Mind you, I'm sure it is 100% my fault. Well, maybe 1% was the cat who fertilized it furiously in the early months...

I sure am hoping I am doing a better job with my children than my garden. Time will tell, I suppose. And I don't think I will rate their success on how much they reproduce.

Waning Days of Summer

2010-08-16T18:23:00.006-05:00

Oh yes, I did! That is a picture of Natalie and Owen holding hands! And I said it wouldn't happen...

Also some other pictures of them all being quite cooperative together at a splash park. The last shot makes me laugh for several reasons...the droopy swimsuit (it is a 12 month size, but is still falling off the boy!), and also because he chose to stand right on top of the "fountain" so he's getting sprayed from below. ha ha They had a good time - at one of the only places to have fun when it's over 100.

Recovering

2010-08-08T22:02:00.007-05:00

No, Owen wasn't the one sick. It was Jim. He's better now, so no need to go into too much detail, except to say that it was a long, frustrating week of being diagnosed with five very different things. The last diagnosis, and the one they stuck with was pneumonia. He is out of the hospital now, and we're all feeling better. The picture of Owen was him pretending to be sick so he could snuggle with Daddy. I spared Jim and didn't take a picture of him in his time of sickness.

Let me just say, the whole experience was frightening enough for me that I was having all sorts of panicked thoughts running across my mind. Not the least of which was "When exactly did having three small children seem like a good idea?" and "We said in Sickness and in Health, but no one ever mentioned being left alone with three small children, so don't you dare even think about it Mister!" You get the idea. I was scared. Unfortunately, my youngest has the uncanny ability to feel the emotions in a house and reflect them back times 10. So Owen has been a little...uhmmm...out of whack this week. Good news is that he seemed to do fine being babysat by a very kind friend and neighbor. It wasn't the way I'd planned to leave him with a sitter (aside from Grandma) the first time, but it went okay. But back at home, he has been a tantrum-y, hitting, yelling machine. Slightly reminiscent of his arrival a year ago, with perhaps a little more anger thrown in. I am hoping now that we are all back on track that this subsides. I do think the chaos and change in routines really affected the poor little guy. He is working real hard these days at expressing himself verbally, but I think this was too much for him to process. But we're all happy that Jim is home, and the countdown to the school year has officially begun!

Cardinals Win!

2010-07-31T16:03:00.008-05:00

Another summer milestone! Liam's (and Coach Jim's) summer Cardinals team won the Championship! It was super exciting for the boys (including Jim) because it was the first season time that they played with umpires, keeping score, and only one team came home with trophies. I kind of have a beef with the fact that all the sports for the real little kids involves every kid getting a trophy at the end, regardless of performance. Yeah, I know it's probably supposed to encourage excitement about the sport...but it does take away some of the "we earned this" excitement once they actually keep score. Not to mention that by the time they are 7 they have a shelf full of trophies that don't mean much other than that they showed up to games. Don't tell the kids, but I'd love to toss all those first "trophies" and just keep the real ones. Much less clutter (is it bad to refer to your child's trophy as clutter? maybe so).

Anyway, the team did a great job in some brutal summer heat to win, and everyone was very excited. The look on Liam's face when he crosses home plate is priceless. He always has this look of amazement, like he can't really believe he did it, and he usually does a little hop at the end. It's very cute.

I'm proud of my boy for never complaining about the heat or the intense number of practices and games in such a short time frame during the summer league. He seems to be enjoying more and more the team camaraderie, the excitement of the competition, and pride in working hard. He was even caught saying the other day before a game that he hoped it wasn't an easy one because the hard ones are better. And I'm proud of my big guy, the Coach, who is passing on his passion for sports and being part of a team. I think he had the most passionate group of kids out there, and a large part of that can be attributed to his love for being the Coach. Way to go Cardinals! I'll even suppress the sigh that pops up involuntarily when I hear Jim saying "practice for Fall Ball starts next week!"

Taking The Plunge

2010-07-29T17:56:00.008-05:00

Hooray for summer milestones! Natalie, the ever-resistant swimmer, finally put her head under the water! This is the girl who did the Survival Swim class at 2 and a half years old and screamed for weeks and weeks and never did float. The one who boycotted all swim lessons last summer even though she really liked Liam's teacher, Coach Emily. I think she was just proving her point that we couldn't make her do it, plus she was in emotional chaos after Owen's arrival.

This summer she has happily gone with Coach Emily for lessons, but steadfastly refused to put her face anywhere near the water, which has a funny way of interfering with lessons. Finally, last weekend - a breakthrough! I, of course, chalk it up to my brilliant parenting. I bought a disposable underwater camera and played up the idea of getting her picture taken, and letting her take pictures of me, underwater. After all, my kids DO love posing for pictures. This did cause some major fighting, however, because guess who else wanted to take underwater pictures? Owen would grab the camera and fling it into the pool and then jump in after it, to keep it away from Natalie. He's like that. But maybe that was just the incentive she needed... Or perhaps years of taking her to the pool and watching Liam and other kids swim finally flipped the switch. Or, most likely, she just decided in her own sweet time that, sound the trumpets, NOW she was ready to put her head under, and, sound the trumpets again, perhaps NEXT week she will decide to never do it again. She's like that.

In any case, she is smiling in the picture, and I love it. And NO I'm not posting the ones she took of me, because she did a good job of focusing it on me (which, by the way, is nearly impossible when you are underwater and the little teeny hole you look through is way blurry and foggy, and I really didn't think she'd come close to capturing me on film) and I look so very odd underwater with goggles on. She looks so cute underwater, and I look ridiculous. All worth it for the cause, mind you, but I may have to destroy those images...

Lovefest

2010-07-23T23:37:00.004-05:00

Natalie: "Come here Owen, and sit on my lap."
Owen: "Yesss!"
Big hugs all around. Love it!!!

Missing Grandma

2010-07-22T22:26:00.006-05:00

Our tribute to Grandma. We love when you visit, and miss you when you're gone!

It was a fast week, but involved lots of baseball (Liam playing, us watching), girlish business (a big trip to the American Girl Doll Store and a very ladylike lunch), and tons of fun - even an old fashioned puppet show. What a wonderful way to mark our "halfway through summer" point!

The Keys To the Forbidden Kingdom

2010-07-13T23:12:00.004-05:00

Alternate title: His Mind Is Officially Blown

After a rocky start to the summer, with Natalie and Owen drawing battle lines in the sand, I'm happy to report that there has been a general softening of attitudes, and hearts, lately. Not long ago there was even an hour of time when Natalie invited Owen into her world. The world of girly, glittery, pink and fuzzy things. Without any parental prompting. Out of the blue, she asked him, "Owen. Would you like to play with my Barbie on her bike??" And Owen looked at her very, very seriously and said, "YESHH!" (His yes these days often sounds more like Yesh). I think he was afraid to even jump up and down because he might stir the air around her and cause her mind to change. But he was VERY excited. He LOVES the Barbie bike. This is the little pink bike that can attach to Natalie's real bike, but it is also removable, and Barbie sits on it with her long, stiff legs stuck through two little hoops that anchor her down. Owen loves bikes and motorcycles, and is always trying in vain to get people...Lego people...or Star Wars figures...to sit on some motorcycle or another and they never fit on them, much to his frustration. He has tried to confiscate the Barbie bike before on his own, but Natalie would always scream like crazy and grab it from him. To be handed the Barbie AND the bike for no reason...heavenly.

Then she proceeded to ask him if he wanted to play with her My Little Ponies. Yesshh!! Be still, 2 yr old heart. And then she asked him if he wanted to sleep in her bed, and she pulled back the covers and then tucked him in, and there he was with a smile from ear to ear (Yesshh, yesshh, yessshh), all covered in pink.

It was a most glorious hour. I only wish I had thought to get the camera.

One Year Ago Today - Gotcha!!

2010-07-08T14:54:00.011-05:00

So today is officially what we call Gotcha Day! The day that Owen was finally home, and the entire family met one another, exactly one year ago - July 8th, 2009. All day I have been grabbing him, hugging him, and saying Gotcha!! So now he has started saying Gotcha Day too. We are in the midst of baking a cake, but for Owen that means a birthday, so he is also singing "Happy, Happy cha cha cha" which is his version of Happy Birthday, with the "cha cha cha" added in like he heard Liam's friends sing to Liam on his birthday.

In so many ways it is impossible to believe that a year has flown by this quickly. I can look back and marvel at all the steps we've made in a year. In another way, it seems impossible that he hasn't always been here. I was thinking last night about how strange it felt, that first week having him with us in Russia. It felt so disjointed, I suppose, because one day we were with no kids (while still in Russia) and then in an instant Owen was just "there." Not there. There. So quickly. (Aside from the fact that it was about 3 years in the making.) But I remember having similar feelings after the births of Liam and Natalie as well. That odd feeling of a little person just appearing out of nowhere and then there they are...forever. Not a bad feeling, mind you. Just a little disorienting to the senses at first. Probably even more so with a toddler fully equipped with a large personality, large muscles, powerful lungs, boundless energy, and a good bit of fear mixed in.

The first evening home, we walked through the door to find Grandma and Grandpa, Liam and Natalie with big eyes, and huge smiles, dancing around in excitement (that would be Natalie - Grandma was excited, but not sure I caught her dancing). Yes, the excitement, especially for Natalie, faded quite a bit the next day. But in those first moments home, I could see it on their faces as well. Not there. There. Amazing!! And Owen, even after a grueling trip across 7,600 miles, seemed happy to meet everyone.

He is still happy to meet people. He loves to meet family and friends, and has a real knack for remembering and saying names (except for Aunt Amy - sorry Amy!). Owen left Baby Home #95 in Novokuznetsk, Siberia with not even the clothes on his back - we had to give those back. Not so much as a diaper. One page of medical records, one prettily decorated record of baptism (very cool, and quite unexpected), and our court documents. But he brought home with him a wonderful zest for life. He took all that we offered him - parents, siblings, a home, love, laughter, food, and activities, and embraced each and every thing (even the cat, after about 6 months). Our littlest boy is always ready for anything. "Me too!" is his favorite phrase. He seems full of genuine joy and wonder in so many things that we take for granted. That is what he brought to us from Russia. Joy.

We're so happy we Gotcha, Owen!

Oh Say Can You Seee

2010-07-05T22:10:00.015-05:00

Happy 4th of July (a little late)!

I've been remembering back to last year, when we were sequestered in a hotel room in Moscow, waiting for our Embassy visit. On the 4th last year, Owen was still a few days away from officially being a US Citizen. He was in that strange limbo land of being our legal son and yet still a Russian citizen. Liam and Natalie went to see fireworks with Grandma and Grandpa and the neighbors back home, and we missed them terribly. Everyone was preparing for the big meeting of our new addition.

This year we were all five together. The weather was a little soggy, so the fireworks outing was shorter than usual - parked in the car, mostly (which is not nearly as peaceful as that sounded as I typed it), until the show started, and then we stood outside. Owen was up later than usual, and later than he should be, so needless to say he was very excited about the fireworks. He would shout "boom boom" and some other word that was supposed to be "fireworks" but sounded more like "gargurks." The entire time we watched, he jumped up and down and screamed "gargurks". Oh yes, except for the brief seconds he spent on Jim's shoulders and nearly climbed to the top of his head to give Daddy a new hairdo, never missing a bounce. I was able to get him to yell Go USA!

I laughed to myself a bit, thinking of the consternation it most likely would have caused his Russian caretakers to know how quickly the boy embraced the good old USA. Let's see...it took only days for him to be able to identify a Starbucks frappuccino cup and open and close his mouth like a baby bird to beg for the whipped cream from the top. It took only a matter of weeks before he could identify and get very excited by football and baseball (hockey too, but that could be the Russian or Canadian in him). Not long at all before he would yell Donalds!! whenever we pass the Golden Arches (to be fair, we had "Donald's in Moscow before we left, so we got an early start there). More recently, he's been yelling "Nurpees" whenever we pass a 7-Eleven, ever since Jim started the baseball post-game tradition of Slurpees. And if the Mall or Target are mentioned, he yells "Me too, me too!" Oh yes, the boy has embraced all of our American vices whole heartedly, bless his heart.

Go USA!! (and apologies to Russia...he does love hockey...and smoked salmon...sorry, I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got right now. And don't tell me that your super secret super spies deep under cover in the suburbs weren't doing the exact same thing!)

Still Here

2010-06-11T23:50:00.004-05:00

Where has everything gone? Time? School? Vacation? Baseball season?

Everything is going too quickly except for my blog.

This is where we've been...and I'll write more about it soon. We relaxed...but we did come home early. Maybe relaxing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Still, it was enjoyable. I think the kids made memories. And if they didn't, I'll put it into a photobook that makes them think they did. A few good pictures can reshape any memory...

How Does Our Garden Grow?

2010-05-31T19:06:00.008-05:00

Not so well, to be honest. I think we have a case of over watering, due to a lawn sprinkler head being right in the middle of the garden (yes, you can see the offending sprinkler in the picture of the pepper). And I, of course, have not taken the time to figure out if there is a way to shut it off. Plus, I'm quite sure I planted too many plants too close together. Still...we have a tomato growing. Peppers growing, that look a little black and moldy. And some straggly wild flowers. Oh yes, and 2 asparagus stalks that I will have absolutely no idea when they are ready to pluck/pick/dig up/whatever you do with asparagus, and will not be enough for a meal so will have to perhaps end up as a midday asparagus snack. The garden has been kind of fun, if not very nice looking.

Liam isn't very interested in helping, but he likes to look for the produce growing. Natalie likes to help water...when she is in the mood. And Owen would like to water if not for the fact that the plants attract bugs and he is going through a huge bug phobia phase right now. So he carries the watering can over to the garden, then drops it screaming BUG BUG BUG BUG and waving his hands wildly around his face while stumbling around like he's being swarmed by killer bees until I pick him up and let him cling to my neck whimpering and I assure him that it was just a gnat or a fly. This could be a little annoying, but I find that I actually enjoy comforting my baby boy. I figure he'll outgrow it soon enough, and until then, he is asking me for comfort and protection, and I do love holding him so close.