Gabe's Patriotic Program

The first grade at Gabe's school has been working on a wonderful patriotic program since the beginning of the year, and Gabe has been singing the songs he's learned around the house a lot. He would even say things to me like, "Mom, I just LOVE the grand finally of my program... it makes me cry happy tears."

Well, on Wednesday night, we were finally able to see the program and the grand finally was the song, "I'm proud to be an American."

The school invited a Marine to post the colors for the program and the kids were able to shake his hand afterward. Some of the girls were so cute. They walked away saying, "I'm NEVER going to wash my hand!"

It was a great tribute to our nation and a reminder of how blessed we are to live here. Thanks for doing such a great job, Gabe - You bring happy tears to MY eyes!

Clear Creek Field Trip

I recently chaperoned Lauren's fifth-grade overnight field trip to Clear Creek. 24 girls... 3 teachers... 2 Mom's and 29 hours of snow shoeing, exploring, ropes courses, snow angels, burying teachers in snow, karaoke and dancing, science experiments, crafts, snow sculptures, movies & popcorn, squealing girls and dodge ball 'til we were sore! Whew! So fun... I'm soooooooooo tired!

Clever Max Quotes

Max is four years old - not even four and a half. However, he's so darn precocious I have to remind myself that he's still very young. Anyway, he's been cracking me up this week with funny comments. Here are a few:

Max: Guess what, Mom?
Me: What?
Max: I really really really really really really GOOGLE love you!
Me: Wow, that's a lot of love! I google love you right back.
*I swear only Matt would teach his 4 year old what a google is. (a number with 100 zeroes after it.) Anyhoo...

Max: Wow, Mom you're driving really fast!
Me: Actually, I'm not up to the speed limit yet.
Max: Oh, what if you drove a MILLION! (like "We should definitely try that!" ...then sighs) But that would totally be breaking the speed limit.

Max: Mom, I got to sit by Savannah today.
Me: That's great. Max, what do you like about Savannah... what makes her special?
Max: She knows who I really am.
Me: Wow! and who is that?
Max: I'll whisper it to you... I'm a vampire.
Me: (laughing) Well what do you like to do together.
Max: We play house.
Me: Oh, are you the Dad and Savannah's the mom.
Max: No, I'm the kid and Savannah's likes to be the dog.

Max: Mom, I'm a GENIUS at finding fings (things) and losing fings!"
Me: Yes Max, YOU are definitely a genius.

Me: Max, it's time to clean your room.
Max: (tapping his fingers to his lips thoughtfully) Perhaaaaps....?

Me: "Okay guys, what do you want for breakfast? Cereal? ... Eggs & toast?"
Max: (taking a pose on my bed like the statue of liberty) "JUSTICE FOR ALL!"
***I'm laughing and thinking, "that wasn't on the menu, but why don't I through in world peace for lunch."

Oh Max, I love you! Thanks for making my days a joy!

Deck the Halls!

Some people may accuse me of taking 'the cowards way out' this Christmas, but I'm NOT sorry! At least, I hope I won't be sorry. With Jared as my fifth child I am VERY WELL acquainted with the mischief that Christmas decorations inspire in toddlers.

They're like sharks in a feeding frenzy

tearing open wrapping...

chewing on electrical cords...

dismantling ornaments...

entangling themselves in lights...

thrashing the stockings...

and knocking down the tree... again... and again... and again!

Now, my other children were born much earlier in the calendar year than Jared, so once they were mobile for Christmas, there were months of extra maturity. That meant the fifth time-out for abusing the tree sunk into their wee-little consciousnesses, and the frenzy subsided. I'm convinced that my busy little Jare-bear won't 'get it' this year.

He's already notorious for knocking down the ficus trees in the living room and he thinks it's hilarious whenever I tell him 'NO.' The full-sized Christmas Tree (and it's ornaments) would not survive him this year.

The Proposal:
Scene: sitting around the dinner table the day after Thanksgiving.

Me: You guys, we need to talk about something. I've given it a lot of thought and I think that we should NOT put up our regular Christmas Tree this year.
Everyone: What! No! Why not? Etc.
Me: Now hear me out. I'd like to put up a small tree instead; one that can be placed out of reach from Jared. I just don't think he'll be able to leave the tree alone this year, and I don't want to spend the Christmas season fighting him off of it.

The Negotiation:
Matt: Well then, I'd like to get a REAL tree. I miss the smell of a real pine tree in the house.
Me: Okay, I think I can find a small one.
Matt: I think we need to set a budget; .
Me: Okay... do you think $30 is reasonable?
Matt: Yeah, but I don't want to spend more than $30 on this.
Lauren: And I think it should have colorful lights.
Me: Okay, we have a couple strands like that in storage.
Max, Gabe, & Zach: Can we decorate it?
Me: Yes, the kids can hang ALL the ornaments.
Lauren: Can I put on the ornaments I made?
Me: Absolutely! Listen, I promise I will do my best to let everyone have what they've asked for. PLEASE, let's do this JUST FOR THIS YEAR, and then next year he'll be old enough to control himself around the tree.

* They agree*

THE HUNT:
I was surprised by how many places no longer sell live Christmas trees or their stands!
On a random errand to Rite Aid this week, I found an adorable little Noble Fur for $19.95, but I skipped buying the stand because I thought I could get a better deal somewhere else.
Three stores later... no luck. I went back to Rite Aid for a stand on sale for $7. Spent $2 on some ribbon and came in under budget. YES!

DECKING THE HALLS:
Saturday morning was filled with Christmas Spirit. Matt and Max were collecting food with the Young Men organization to donate to the Food Bank (collected more than expected - awesome!) The kids saw the tree and said, "That's not a small tree; that tree is BIG!" Matt has named the tree "Tiny Tim." Love it! While Jared napped, the older kids pulled out the 5 totes of Christmas decorations, and I quickly strung the 'colorful' lights. The tree and stand were too large for the table I had in mind, so we placed it on the fireplace hearth where the giant ottoman could block Jare-bear's access to the tree. Lauren & I decorated the mantle, Gabe helped hang stockings, all the kids hung ornaments, and we snuggled on the couch to read half a dozen Christmas stories.


And then Jared woke up...


Okay, so the position of the tree needed a few more adjustments, but I think it'll work. And no one can say I didn't TRY!
I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I hope the Christmas Spirit is spreading through your home too, no matter how you deck your halls. Happy Holidays!

Jared's First Birthday

I know this is so cliche to say, but seriously...
Where does the time go?!
I can't believe it's been one whole year since our little Jared was born!
The kids have been begging to go to the new Pirate Island Pizza, so we took the opportunity to celebrate there. They're making their scariest pirate faces in the picture below.

Jared did NOT love his pirate hat....

...but Matt sure did. He thought he was just hilarious with that thing on. He wore it all through dinner... to the store... back at home. I think he had the most fun at Pirate Island too. His favorite game was the shooting gallery - where he has now earned the title of "Dead-eye Daddy."
Oh, what a cute BIG kid.

Jared couldn't wait to get his hands on his cake. We've learned that he prefers the frosting over the actual cake. (Yes, he takes after his mother.)

Jared LOVED all of his gifts! Special thanks to all of his grandparents for the wonderful presents - each gift was unique and he is totally delighted with them.

You would think I was a rookie-mom because I made a HUGE mistake by taking the gifts away from him in an attempt to take this photo. When I took away the hammer... it was the last straw.

All-in-all it was a fun, busy day, and we just keep thinking that we are so grateful this adorable, funny, busy, noisy, charming little man is in our lives. We love you Jared - Happy Birthday!

Adventures in Dentistry

Taking 5 children to the dentist by myself is a unique experience; it's not as simple as making the appointment and showing up.
First, Psychological Preparation: I have a few kids who melt into full hysterics at the mere mention of the dentist. After I've calmed and assured them that this is the 'fun' appointment called a check-up, during which no pain can be inflicted upon them, then I explain the day & time they'll be picked up from school.
Second, Additional Arrangements: I trade carpools assignments and spend one hour checking out 4 kids from 3 different schools, and then we make our way to the dentist's office. Our first destination is the bathroom, where I break out the toothbrushes and toothpaste I packed, so that the dentist doesn't look into little mouths riddled with lunch. Then we coordinate the elevator-button-pushing-schedule so that each child gets to push one button by the time we're done, and I remind them on the elevator ride not to unclothe any part of their body while in the dentist office (I'll explain later.)
Third, Waiting-room Warfare: Now, I love my dentist's waiting room for several reasons and I curse it for others. When we started going to this place, it was ideal. It has a giant bird habitat with a dozen busy birds, a kids movie playing above a few big love-sack bean-bags, puzzles and children's books, and a friendly staff who likes kids. Sounds awesome, huh?! Well they decided to improve on a good thing, and they added two massage chairs complete with foot massage stands, and a snack center with crackers, pretzels and granola bars, and sometimes they pick a video for an older audience.
You're wondering how this is bad... I'll elaborate. I sit in the waiting room for 2 hours while kids go in one at a time for their cleaning, x-rays and fluoride treatments. During these 2 hours, I have to remind the kids not to get TOO comfortable in the waiting room, because when you spend that kind of time in a confined space you start to feel like you own the place. They want to take off their shoes, socks, belts, (I once had someone start to undo his pants) and then they want to jump from one love-sack to another, or tunnel under them, or rearrange the furniture.
And the massage chairs call to them like sirens call to sailors who then crash their ships on the rocks. These chairs were made for stressed-out adults who only want to sit quietly and relax, but is that what little boys want to do? Noooooo. They want to surf on the wobbly massage footstools and jump off of them. They want to see how the massage pad at their back changes their voice when then talk, sing or yell. They want to push all the buttons on the remotes 10 times and generally abuse the equipment. I've been down this road before and like the good-mean mother that I am, I've BANNED them from the chairs. But they try at least 5 times each to walk, sneak or con their way over to them until I've threatened them into submission.
On this particular visit, the video on the wall was Rocket Man. Not a great kids show. I should have asked the staff to change it - my mistake. So the kids were bored quickly, which aggravates all of the above behavior. And, do you remember the teeth we just spent 10 minutes brushing. Well, that snack bar is the other siren song that has my kids asking every 5 minutes during the 2 hour wait, "Mom can I have a granola bar?" "Mom, can I have some crackers?" "Mom, I'm soooo hungry - I'm starving!" "Mom, Pleeeease, can I eat something?!"
Finally, The Dentist Exam: 90 minutes in and they've all had cleanings but no one has actually seen the Dentist. Now they're REALLY hungry, but they REALLY can't eat anything because the fluoride treatment requires no eating or drinking afterward for 30 minutes. We wait a little longer until the dentist is available and we all traipse back into one exam room. Well, on this visit I was ONE minute later than the kids in getting to the exam room (It takes me a minute to herd children, pick up puzzles, the baby, the diaper bag, yada yada) I walk into the room and the dentist is crying...
He's laughing uncontrollably...
and so is the hygienist.
He tries to recover his speech and says, "You just missed the fun."
He wipes tears and explains...
Max was the first to sit in the dentist chair. As the dentist begins to adjust the chair, Max jumps to a standing position with one arm in the air like a professional cowboy. He starts flailing and yells, "Yeeeeee-Haaaaaaa!" like he's riding a big black bull. He lasted less than 8 seconds and then collapsed back onto the chair.
Ohhhh, Max.
The Dentist can't stop laughing.
He's never seen anything so funny in his office before.
The exams begin...I keep telling the kids to not touch things, and stop wandering around, and stop blocking the dentist's view of the x-rays, and wait until it's your turn to have the dentist examine your teeth.
The Good News: No cavities... okay, Lauren had one on a baby tooth that's about to fall out, so we ignore it. Everyone picks a prize and proudly carts their new toys & tooth brushing kit to the van.
There you have it... It's what I like to call a successful trip to the dentist.

Trip to California

October 15-19, 2009

This trip spanned 5 days and included 5 hotels and 26 hours of driving. The kids were amazingly good on the drive - I was seriously impressed. We broke up the driving each day with the real purpose of our trip which was visiting family. Unfortunately, I was so captivated when we were with these family groups that I COMPLETELY forgot to take pictures of each group! I do however, have pictures of our beautiful fishing detour in the Sierra Nevadas, our afternoon at the beach and our trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I also have a few with Matt's grandparents, Bert & Iona Wheable. It was a precious, bitter-sweet time with them as we expressed our love to Grandma for what is probably the last time. We LOVE them and are so grateful for their love, their lifelong service to Matt and their examples in all of our lives.

Fishing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

San Carlos Beach, Monterey, California

Jared kept reaching out to catch the birds that swooped down along the shoreline.

Lauren found a huge jellyfish and Zach stepped on it!

Fortunately he wasn't stung... Whew!

Monterey Bay Aquarium
with Grandma Barbara & Adam

Big Grandpa & Little Grandma

We love you