Southern Living

Overheard

2011-12-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

Madeline and Colin are best friends and play together beautifully all day long (except for when they are fighting, which does happen). I just love it. They also have very funny conversations between the two of them. I sometimes stop what I'm doing just to eavesdrop. Here's one from today when I told them to go get dressed:

Colin: Mads! This is my room! Go get dressed in your own room!

Maddie: No! This is Ethan's room!

Colin: This is Ethan's room and my room! See...that's my bed, and that's Ethan's bed.

Maddie: Oh! Your bed and Ethan's bed! My bed is in my room. Want to come see?

Colin: Okay!

And they run off to Maddie's room.

Love it. Love them.

Happy birthday, Jason!

2011-10-11T16:14:00.002-04:00

For your birthday, I updated the blog, which you've been asking me to do since I got behind a year ago. It was a good exercise...it reminded me of how fun it is to be married to you, and how much I love the cute family we've made together. I love you!!!

Bald Head Island

2011-10-03T21:38:00.002-04:00

We left Chimney Rock and drove 6 excruciating hours to the coast. Actually, it wasn't that bad, and the kids were really good, but it's still too long in the car for me. We hopped on the ferry over to Bald Head Island, one of our favorite places.

We had a great beach day on Friday. We practically had the place to ourselves.

On Saturday we climbed the lighthouse and visited the alligators.

It was supposed to be on the cooler side, so we weren't planning to go the beach, but it was a pretty day and we had time, so we stopped by for a little while. Ethan wrote "I (heart) family" in the sand. Awwww.....

We found out they were excavating a green sea turtle nest early Sunday morning (it had hatched Friday night). We headed down to check it out. They found a bunch of eggs, of course, and a baby turtle inside. The kids got to see it up close before watching it make its way to the ocean. AMAZING experience.

We stopped on the way home to pick up Greedo, who was being lizard-sat by Mark and LaDonna and their kids. LaDonna sent funny emails every day with Greedo posed in different scenarios. It was so nice of them to watch him for us. We visited with their family and my dad and Carolyn before heading back to real life, which is basically work (for Jason), school (for the kids) and piles and piles of laundry and dishes (for me).

Chimney Rock

2011-09-30T21:18:00.002-04:00

We rented a little house on the Rocky Broad river in Chimney Rock for a couple of nights. The house was over a hundred years old and had a lot of character. We got to Chimney Rock only to discover that the elevator is being replaced and won't be functioning until next spring. I should have checked beforehand. We decided to take the stairs...the equivalent of 26 flights. Madeline wouldn't let Jason take her in the Kelty so I had her on my back. Ethan ran up, and Colin didn't complain at all until the very end, and then not much.

Apparently riding on my back made Maddie very thirsty.

Maddie let Jason carry her down (thanks, Mads) and on the hike to the waterfall.

This is Maddie's "Mom, don't take my picture!!" stance. Stinker.

We left Chimney Rock and stopped at Laura's House for lunch, where the food (especially the cakes) were as good as we remembered. Then we headed over to Lake Lure and rented a pontoon boat for a couple of hours. The kids (and Jason) loved it. Jason tried to fish along the coast but didn't have any luck, and Maddie was starting to melt down by then, so we headed back for dinner and bed.

Poor Ethan always has to share a room (and usually a bed) with Colin when we travel. Colin is a very restless sleeper (he reminds me of my sister Erin at the same age). Ethan was in bed trying to fall sleep when Colin suddenly flung himself over Ethan. That's Colin's pillow over on the right side. They're laying across the bed...if they sleep the other way Colin inevitably ends up on the floor, so we put Colin parallel to the headboard and use Ethan to block him in. Sorry, Ethan!

Fishing

2011-09-29T21:12:00.004-04:00

We read about a trout farm in the Boone area and decided to check it out. There are two ponds...one with smaller fish and one with much larger fish. We opted for the smaller one since you pay by the pound and our kids don't eat fish. Of course Colin and Jason caught the ONLY 5-pound fish in the 1-2 pound pond. Since it wasn't supposed to be there, the guy only charged us for 3.5 pounds. Ethan then caught a fish (more appropriately sized) entirely on his own. They gutted and cleaned it for us, and Jason made us a very tasty dinner. Unfortunately we still had to throw out lots of trout, since we couldn't take it with us and there was no way to eat 6 pounds of trout in 2 days.

Mountains

2011-09-27T20:58:00.003-04:00

We were supposed to spend the last week of September in the Outer Banks (for the third year in a row) with Ryan and Leanne and other friends and family, but Hurricane Irene made it impossible for us to get on to Hatteras Island. Jason still had the week off, so we decided to head up the mountains instead. I love the beach, but I prefer the mountains. In keeping with our normal overly aggressive travel style, we spent the first 2 nights in Boone. We went to Grandfather Mountain. It was windy and too foggy to see to the other side of the bridge, but that didn't stop us from crossing it. We were the only people up there...a very cool and slightly eerie experience. Ethan found a snake on one of the rocks, which made his day.

We stopped on the way down to visit the bears, deer, and otters, to grab and snack and tour the museum and gift shop.

After Grandfather Mountain we had lunch at a very cool general store, then hiked to Linville Falls.

That night we attempted to fish in the river behind the cabin we rented and attempted to build a raging fire for smores, both of which were made difficult by all the rain.

The next day we stopped to fish for trout on our way out of town, then drove the Blue Ridge Parkway (my all-time favorite road) and picnicked along the way as we made our way down to Chimney Rock.

Mud Run

2011-09-24T21:55:00.002-04:00

I agreed to do a mud run with LaDonna and her family (team name: Mud is Thicker than Water) without really knowing what I was getting myself into. It was a 6 mile run with lots of (mostly fun) obstacles along the way. It rained so much in the days leading up to the race that it was more dirty water than actual mud. I was proud of myself for doing some things I normally wouldn't do, like jumping from a 10-foot platform into 7 feet of water. Heights and water are two of my least favorite things. I had a great time and can't wait for the next one! Oh, and we definitely had the best costumes there, thanks to LaDonna and her sisters.

Random

2011-09-21T21:56:00.002-04:00

We spent a Sunday afternoon at Shelley Lake feeding the ducks and playing on the playground.

The kids, especially Colin and Madeline, LOVE the rain.

Train Museum

2011-09-18T20:54:00.003-04:00

Jason flew to Salt Lake the last week of September to fly fish with Chris Moore, our brother-in-law Chris, and our friend Dave Hansen. While he was gone, I decided to keep the kids as busy as possible. It's not how I usually handle his absences, but it worked out great. On Friday, Ethan got out of school early so we went to Panera Bread for lunch, then to Chuck E Cheeses. I hate that place, but the kids have been begging to go for a while, and we hadn't been in over two years, so I gave in. It turned out to be a (dare I say it?) pleasant experience. It was pretty empty, the kids were really good, and when I said it was time to go, they happily left. Go figure. The next day we drove 2 hours out to Spencer, North Carolina, to the tiny transporation museum there. We rode on the roundhouse turntable, the train, and looked at all the trains and cars. Ethan was really into all the information about transportation. It's fun to see them growing up.

Yard Work

2011-09-15T22:13:00.002-04:00

We are determined to get our yard under control. We weeded, dug up some dead plants, and ordered 3 cubic yards of dirt and 6 cubic yards of mulch. Jason built a raised bed and we planted pumpkins, arugula, broccoli, and mustard greens (for our lizard). Of course, we had the mulch delivered on a Monday during a week when Jason was gone every single night and a hurricane was headed to the NC coast that weekend. Let's just say I burned a lot of calories that week. At least the yard looks great!

In the Rain

2011-08-31T17:46:00.002-04:00

Colin turns 4!

2011-08-30T18:07:00.003-04:00

Colin is so full of life. He is enthusiastic about everything and a complete charmer. The little girls at preschool just love him. He is getting easier as he matures and adds a lot of life to our family.

He is obsessed with Pac-Man and wanted a Pac-Man cake. Luckily his dad did a Google search and found a great idea for one.

We did a very low-key Transformers-themed birthday party that involved Sunday dinner with his cousins, my dad, and Carolyn. I love having cousins close by...it makes celebrating birthdays so easy. We love you so much, Colin!!!

First Day of School

2011-08-28T17:50:00.003-04:00

I got a babysitter the day before Ethan's first day of school so we could spend some time just the two of us. We went to a playdate with his class and then lunch at Five Guys. I'm going to miss him when he's in school all day!

Off to 2nd Grade!

Maddie and Colin started preschool...Colin in the 4-year-old class and Maddie's first year of the 2-year-old class. She still argues with me that she is supposed to be in Colin's class. She is convinced the 2-year-old class is beneath her.

Forts

2011-08-15T17:42:00.002-04:00

We have been making a lot of forts this summer.

IRONMAN

2011-08-11T16:06:00.002-04:00

I woke up the morning of the race so nervous. Jason was very calm. I thought of all the things that could go wrong and all the time and energy and money and sacrifices that we had both put towards this one race. I just wanted it to go well.

Starting line. It was overcast and cool and rained on and off, but Jason vastly prefers that to heat.

It's hard to see, but there are tons of athletes who aren't even in the water yet. Crazy!

There was a roughly translated line one of the brochures that said something to the effect that the athletes would set the water to boiling. A very appropriate description.

Swim 2.4 miles: Check!

Jason did so much better on the swim than he expected that I almost missed him. Here he's setting off on the bike. I saw him halfway through the second loop and couldn't stop smiling once I knew he'd conquered the hills...twice!

Bike 112 miles: Check!

Loop 2 (of 4) of the run. I started crying at this point because I knew for sure he was going to finish. And I cried again when he crossed the finish line. But I also cried when he finished his first sprint triathlon in 2007, so I'm just a crier.

Run 26.2 miles. Check!

Finishing chute.

Congratulations, Jason. I could not be more proud of you!!

Europe

2011-08-09T18:22:00.003-04:00

On August 1, Ann flew into town to take the kids for a week while Jason and I flew to Europe so he could enter his first Ironman. We took the overnight flight to London. I slept a little, Jason didn't even try. We had to stand in line forever at customs and immigration. It was so hot, and I was so tired, with that horrible lack of sleep headache...it was miserable. We spent a little time in Heathrow before boarding another flight to Munich. We had a terrible time with our rental car and finding our hotel. It was actually an absolute nightmare, not improved by our complete lack of sleep. I've always thought Amazing Race would be fun, but after that experience, I don't think I'm cut out for it. After such a rocky start, the rest of the trip went incredibly smoothly. We took a double decker bus tour of Munich, then walked around the city center. We had dinner in a pretty courtyard in the main square, then went swimming and to the sauna back at the hotel. We were asleep by 9:30. I didn't take any pictures in Munich for some reason, but it was a very pretty, clean city. The next day, Jason got up at 7:30 and biked around the city for an hour to stay loose while I worked out in the hotel gym. We packed up and drove to Salzburg. I should mention that Jason and I are VERY aggressive vacationers. We overschedule our vacations with overambitious plans, but we like it that way. We stopped Chiensee along the way to walk around the lake, and stopped and got a cream donut at a McCafe on the side of the road. I know it sounds crazy and I should be ashamed to admit it, but it was the best donut I've ever had in my life. We walked around old town Salzburg and then took the tram up to the fortress. Toured the fortress, then drove to Halstatt...a beautiful drive to a gorgeous town. We got to Halstatt and walked up to the tram just as the last one of the day was headed up the mountain. The town itself is totally worth visiting, though. Unbelievably beautiful. We had a great dinner in town, then a very long walk back to the car in a complete downpour. We were wringing water out of our clothes in the car. We had a 3 hour drive to Vienna in the dark so missed much of the countryside. The drawback to our aggressive vacationing schedule is when you arrive in a place that you wish you had more time. I have never had any great desire to go to Vienna and wasn't expecting much. Wow, was I wrong. I love art museums and could have spent weeks in Vienna alone. Instead, we took another bus tour, walked through St Stephens and went up to the bell tower, and ate wiener schnitzel and potato salad at Figlmuller (thanks Kelli!). We were back in the car right after lunch and headed to Prague. We ended up taking back country roads from Vienna to Prague instead of the highway. The Austrian countryside is gorgeous, and once you crossed the (very open) border into the Czech Republic, the landscape totally changed. It was really fascinating. Once you got through a pretty sleazy, gross border area, the rest of the country was very pretty. We arrived at 7:00 pm, checked in to our hotel, and explored the Old Town, walked over the Charles Bridge, and had another yummy (and late) dinner on a sidewalk. I had heard how amazing Prague was, and it wasn't an exaggeration. Quite possibly one of the most romantic cities I have ever been in. And how great to be there with Jason without the kids! (I love you, kids!!) The next morning we were up and off to Regensburg, Germany. Another really pretty drive. Once we got into Germany, we got off the highway and meandered through the countryside. We had tons of trouble finding our hotel. That makes us 0 for 2 for finding our hotels in Germany. What's that about? We checked in, then headed over to a little island in the middle of the river for race check in and the info meeting, which was too warm and too long.

That night, we walked around Old Town and had dinner at an amazing Italian place. We followed it up with gelato at another place (in keeping with the theme of the evening). Saturday we went to the bike check in, then drove the bike course. Beautiful, but VERY hilly (basically up the side of a small mountain) at the beginning, then very, very windy around the farm land area. The whole time I was saying, "This isn't that bad." And the whole time I was thinking, "Holy cow, how could anyone bike this? Twice????" (It's a 2-loop course.) Towards the end of the drive, Jason did say, "If driving the course once is getting tedious, is that a bad sign for biking it?" After the drive, we had lunch in Old Town and then got to bed early.

There were Ironman signs everywhere. Yay!

A pretty house along the bike route.

Jason confronting childhood demons in Regensburg.

Regensburg is a small but beautiful medieval (now college) town.

Happy Birthday, Madeline!

2011-07-28T17:27:00.005-04:00

Madeline turned 2! She is so fun...unbelievably articulate, unbelievably opinionated, charming, and funny, and (when she wants to be) incredibly sweet. She is a complete mama's girl, much to Jason's dismay. She refers to her brothers as "my Ethan," "my Colin," and collectively "my guys." When we drop her brother off at school she complains "I really need my Ethan." When she sees them again she screams their name, runs up and throws her arms around them. It is so cute. She is very much a girl. She loves pink, baby dolls, and mermaids, especially the Little Mermaid. We kept asking her what she wanted for her cake, and she insisted she wanted a round blue cake. We tried to talk her into letting us put something on it, but she insisted she just wanted it round with blue frosting. Oh, well. Makes it easy for me!

The day of her birthday the kids and I sent to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. We played with the exhibits, did the dinosaur walk and the butterfly house, saw the animals and rode the train. My Dad's birthday is a few days after Madeline's, so over the weekend (in between their actual birthdays) Mark and LaDonna had us down for dinner to celebrate. Happy birthday, Madeline! We love you!!!

Farewell

2011-07-25T17:17:00.002-04:00

My siblings flew in to town Monday night for the funeral. I picked them up at the airport and it was so great to be together with them. Saying good-bye to my mom was really, really hard, but being with my family made it easier. We had a beautiful service for her and then dedicated her grave in Fuquay. The rest of the day was spent quietly with family. The day after we went to lunch at a friend's restaurant (they let us use their private dining room) and hung out at my house some more. I hated to see everyone leave. I also have to say that I couldn't have gotten through the last week of my mom's life and the days that followed without my sister-in-law, LaDonna. She was there for me, physically and emotionally. I couldn't have dressed my mom's body without her there to help me through it. When you go through a major loss, you find out who really cares about you. I've been overwhelmed by the support and love that I've been shown. It really does make a difference.

My mom's only sibling, Glade. We were so glad he was able to make it to the funeral. It was great to see him and his son-in-law, Blaine. My uncle Glade, my brother Bryce, and my other brother's son, Bryce Glade.

My Mom

2011-07-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

My mom opted for no more chemo the night before I left for California. It wasn't working and was only making her feel worse. I was so, so worried she was going to pass while I was out of town. I got home Sunday night and spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday helping my dad care for her while babysitters or my sister-in-law watched my kids. She passed early Friday morning. My dad was there with her, which was really important to him. It is so hard to have her gone. I miss her so much. I want to pick up the phone 10 times a day and tell her things...little things about my kids that no one else would care about, and big things that I know she would help me through. Learning to live without her is going to be hard, but my faith is strong enough to make me want to try, and to comfort me when I need it.

This picture is from a few years ago...pre-Maddie. My mom adored her grandkids. My heart is broken for them as much as it is for me. I love you, Mom!!!

California: OC

2011-07-10T17:04:00.007-04:00

We left SLO and drove back down to LA, stopping quickly in Solvang for some danish cookies. We stopped in LA at the Moores' place, and this was the only picture I took...Madeline getting her toenails painted for the first time. Good thing she has Morgan in her life for things like this.

The next day we went on to Orange County. We stopped at Zoomars Petting Zoo in San Juan Capistrano, which I had heard about from my sisters-in-law. We spent a small fortune, but the kids loved the gem mining, the guinea pigs, the train ride, and the pony ride. We arrived in Oceanside, checked in to the condo we rented with Ann and Randy, dropped Jason off at the gym, and headed to the beach for 30 minutes before we had to run back to pick Jason up. The kids were so happy to be on the beach...finally! The condo we rented was great except it was HOT (with no AC) and LOUD (with a train blowing its horn several times a night as it passed through the kitchen...at least that's what it sounded like).

Thursday we went to Sea World. Ann and Randy joined us with Charlie and Abby. The orca show is so-so since the trainers can't get in the water anymore. Still amazing to watch the orcas, though. I was SO PROUD of Ethan for going on the river raft water ride despite his trepidations. And SO relieved that he LOVED it. We met up with Matt and Kliss and David and Emily and their kids, but left before everyone else because our kids were done. We took them to dinner at Islands and then put them to bed.

I spent some time on the beach again with the kids and Kelli and her kids while Jason was out running. I rarely get one on one time with Kelli...it was great. Also great? Eating at Ruby's on the pier two days in a row. The last day there we celebrated Max's life with his annual beach day. We still miss him so much and are still acutely aware of his absence and the hole it's left in our family. It was nice to celebrate with family and in a way that he would have loved...Lego building contest and Minute to Win It games. We love you, Max!

California: SLO

2011-07-09T14:53:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of July we flew to California. The kids were great, although I don't love flying so I was glad when it was over. Madeline did insist on sitting in my lap most of the way. I'm not used to having a kid who wants to sit in my lap. It's both endearing and a little annoying. I did talk her into sitting in the same seat as her brother and watching a movie for a little while.

We landed and drove straight to Todd and Ashley's to attend Ryan's baby blessing. Ryan is gorgeous! It was fun to be there with everyone. Maddie had a complete diaper blowout on the drive over. While Jason and I were dealing with it in the front yard, Colin walked into the house and wandered from person to person saying, "Hi, I'm Colin Harris, and this is my friend Ethan." His uncles called him "Colin Harris" the rest of the trip and often asked him where his friend Ethan was. The next day we caravanned up to San Luis Obispo, stopping in Santa Barbara for lunch and frozen yogurt. The drive was nothing short of torture. Southern California traffic is more than I can handle. Do you get used to it if you live there?

As miserable as the traffic was, it was totally worth the trip to get to Ryan and Leanne's ranch in SLO. It's a complete dream property. There are no words. Madeline and Colin found a leftover Easter egg in the backyard and spent the rest of the evening looking for more (they found two total). We danced in the barn, had a water balloon fight and a game of kickball, partied with a DJ, had a talent show, rode the 4-wheeler, the guys played paintball, and we did fireworks. Jason and Ethan even slept in the barn one night with Toby and Ben and Todd. It was hotter than I expected but so fun to be together with the entire Harris clan (including Bonnie) and Leanne's family. The best part of the entire weekend was Leanne and Ryan announcing they are pregnant with twins. We are SO happy for them. Thanks, Ryan and Leanne, for an unforgettable weekend!

Our First Pet

2011-07-06T13:58:00.002-04:00

The kids have been begging for a pet, which is what kids do. And we've been making excuses. We finally gave in and got Ethan a bearded dragon for his birthday. He's very young...he'll get up to 2 feet long. So far, he's been a cute and fun addition to our family. Ethan named him Greedo after the reptilian bounty hunter from Star Wars.

Random

2011-06-30T14:01:00.002-04:00

We went to a really fun birthday party at a farm in Chapel Hill. Colin was having a good time. He just likes to torture me when I try to take his picture.

More OBX

2011-06-20T14:43:00.003-04:00

Of course, we spent lots of time at the beach. The whole visit was somewhat tempered with the knowledge that my mom did not have a lot of time left. It made it more special, and harder at the same time.

T-Ball

2011-06-08T13:59:00.002-04:00

Another t-ball season (Ethan's last) has come and gone. He had a great time and definitely improved over last year.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

2011-06-04T13:53:00.002-04:00

Ethan's last day of school was also his 7th birthday. We celebrated the whole weekend, starting with donuts Saturday morning.

Ethan wanted a snake cake for his birthday. I was happy to oblige him. This cake was actually really fun to make. One of his presents was a nerf gun, which he used to set up a "Top Shot"-inspired challenge. He loves that show. We don't do birthday parties for "odd" years, so we had some friends over to help us eat the cake. Ethan also had his second annual hip hop recital the day after his birthday. He did great, as usual! Ethan is sweet, smart, a great Lego builder/designer, very sensitive and just a great kid all around. We love him so much and are so lucky to have him in our family.

Last Day of School

2011-06-03T13:52:00.002-04:00

First grade was great! Lunch out to celebrate a successful year.

Random

2011-05-30T23:26:00.004-04:00

The last week of May I took my mom to Virginia for chemotherapy. It ended up being a very important week for me. I got the opportunity to express some things that helped me gain some much-needed peace and closure. I was amazed by and grateful for the support I got to make this happen. My sister-in-law and brother took Colin and Maddie, and friends took Ethan after school every day. Ethan ended up having the time of his life. He got taken out to the Lego Store, to Cold Stone, and spent time at a local restaurant, spoiled by the different moms that were taking care of him. I had to skip out on my last helping parent day in Colin's class and couldn't find a sub, but the teachers were so gracious about it. Jason sent me the picture below after he and Ethan went out to a late dinner. Supposedly this dessert was massive when Ethan started, and Jason claims he didn't help much.

The kids love grocery shopping and (somewhat surprisingly) are angels in the grocery store about 98% of the time.

Colin LOVES bubble baths.

We are tackling the yard. It can be hard to get stuff done with so much "help."

Field Trip with Ethan

2011-05-22T23:36:00.002-04:00

The entire first grade goes on an all day field trip to the zoo, which is over 90 minutes away. It's not my favorite zoo, but we spent the day with Ethan's best friend Matthew and with Stella, the girl we carpool with. The kids get along great and I really like the moms, so we all had a great time.

Date Night

2011-05-20T23:28:00.002-04:00

My parents alternated taking us on individual "dates" when we were kids. It's a tradition we're continuing in our family and I love how much Ethan loves it. I took him to dinner and to see Rango earlier this year. He ran upstairs to "get ready" and came downstairs in a polo (which he NEVER wears) and khakis and with his hair combed. We had so much fun, but I didn't think to take any pictures. He and Jason went this month. They rode their bikes from Shelley Lake to Crabtree Valley Mall. They played at the Lego Store and then ate at The Cheesecake Factory. Ethan's already looking forward to the next one.

Field Trip with Colin

2011-05-19T23:37:00.002-04:00

It's always a hassle to arrange childcare, but I love going on field trips when I can. The one on one time is great and it's cute to see the kids with their peers.

Strawberries

2011-05-17T23:32:00.002-04:00

Perfect weather + delicious berries = super fun FHE

Lemonade

2011-05-14T23:22:00.002-04:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-12T15:53:00.003-04:00

Jason was in Honduras scuba diving with his friend Ryan for Mother's Day weekend. I spent the afternoon at my mom and dad's with my family. I had a really strong feeling while I was there that it was going to be my last Mother's Day with my mom, so I grabbed my parents' camera and my sister-in-law and snapped a few photos. We found out a few days later (after Jason read her latest scan) that the cancer had metastasized like crazy in her peritoneal cavity. She left for the hospital Thursday morning and wasn't home again for over a week. I love you so much, Mom.

Baby birds

2011-05-05T23:39:00.002-04:00

Some super intelligent bird built a nest inside Mark and LaDonna's gas grill. Luckily they noticed before lighting it up and decided to let their kids enjoy the birds. Except the one their dog got to. Oops. My kids loved holding the baby birds and the mom didn't seem to mind. Jason was not there, as usual, so Uncle Mark took Maddie on the zip line and bounced her on the trampoline. The kids love Mark and LaDonna's house and the attention they get from their aunt and uncle.

Random

2011-04-30T23:14:00.004-04:00

Maddie loves her baby dolls. Girls are a different ball game. I love it!

Easter

2011-04-28T23:08:00.003-04:00

New York

2011-04-26T22:55:00.007-04:00

DC

2011-04-20T22:49:00.004-04:00

School Carnival

2011-04-15T22:19:00.002-04:00

Triathlon

2011-04-12T22:21:00.002-04:00

Did my first sprint triathlon! Swam 300 meters in the pool, then biked 10 (HILLY) miles, then ran 3.1 (also hilly) miles, but I was prepared for the run. The bike, not so much. The swim wasn't bad, but I have lots of room for improvement. My two favorite parts were the high from knowing I was going to finish, and having Jason and the kids cheering me on. When's the next one??

Art

2011-04-02T22:17:00.003-04:00

Ethan's class had arwork on display at Locopops, which is a fun popsicle place in downtown Raleigh. This was a fun day...we played on the playground after school, then went to Locopops, then met Jason for dinner at Mellow Mushroom. We took along a friend from school, Stella. She was fun to have along.

Random

2011-03-31T13:12:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure why, but I am in love with this picture. Ethan was swinging Maddie in circles in my bedroom, and I tried to catch it. She posed for me just as he was getting ready to lift her. There's something about it I can't quite articulate that captures who these two are at this moment in their lives, and when I look at it I'm struck by how much I love being their mother. Ethan created this city scape on the Etch-a-Sketch. Much better than anything I've ever done with it! He's much more patient than I am.

Ireland!!!!

2011-03-28T21:36:00.003-04:00

I left the kids with Jason and flew to Ireland with my friends Jill and Jennie. We met up in New York (they were coming from Salt Lake City) and took the red eye to Dublin, where our friend Kimberly was waiting for us. We all knew each other in Boston and it was so fun to be back together with them. I wanted a shower and a nap, in that order, but Jennie and Jill didn't want to waste a second of our too-short trip, so we bundled up (it was a little chilly) and took the bus tour of Dublin, accompanied by Kimberly and her daughter Samantha. A highlight was the Book of Kells and the park. I loved Dublin!

The next day we packed up in Kimberly's car and headed south. The scenery was very...Irish. I don't know how else to describe it. Our first stop was the Rock of Cashel. Great views and history. Next we went on to Blarney Castle, where Jennie "kissed" the Blarney stone. I passed. The grounds were so gorgeous and I loved the castle and its history. We made one more stop at a town called Macroom...very quaint. Then stopped for the night in a seaside town called Kinsale. It reminded me a lot of Annapolis. I loved the place we stayed and the dinner that evening. It was so good and so fun. The next day we set out on the Ring of Kerry. It was the off season so dry and deserted, but still a fun drive. We stopped in yet another quaint town called Sneem for lunch. We drove and drove until we reached Doolin, a little town on the coast. There are no street lights to speak of, no signs anywhere, and we've long lost where we are on the map. I'm navigating with a combination of my good sense of direction (seriously), the map I'd studied earlier, and a good deal of luck. Jennie is ready to give up when suddenly our B&B is right in front of us. I told her she's not allowed to doubt me ever again. Jennie sent a little bunny on to its Maker on the drive. It was us or the bunny. Glad she picked us.

We found a pub in Doolin that we begged to serve us dinner (we had arrived just after the kitchen closed down and we were starving). Apparently it was "wear a red shirt" night, but nobody told me. The band playing Irish music made me really miss Jason. He would have loved the banjo! We stayed up late playing cards...a theme for the trip.

The next morning I got up early and went for a run through the Irish countryside. One of my favorite parts of the trip. So beautiful and peaceful. After yet another delicious breakfast, we packed up and headed over to the Cliffs of Moher. It was foggy, foggy, foggy, but still cool. We headed back to Dublin after that, but decided to get ourselves a little lost in the countryside along the way. We avoided the highways and just drove. I LOVED this. We saw so many cool things, including this ancient burial area. The rock walls are amazing. They're built so the wind can go through them, and I honestly don't know how they do it. This girls' trip was so good for me. It was so nice to get away and be with friends who are so easy to be around and have known me for so long. There are some great quotes from this trip, but they aren't suitable for a public audience. I'm still laughing... Can't wait for the next one!!

Eno River State Park Family Hike

2011-03-28T12:55:00.002-04:00

Fashionista

2011-03-24T12:59:00.002-04:00

Madeline has lots of strong opinions about what she'll wear, or won't wear. She found an old field trip tye-dye shirt of Ethan's in his closet and insisted it was a pretty dress. She put it on with her pj bottoms, the gloves her Aunt LaDonna gave her, and then went to bed this way. She insisted wearing it out the next day. Unfortunately, every single person who saw her told how pretty she looked. Sometimes positive reinforcement is a bad thing.

She was really proud of this ensemble. I think she is the cutest thing around, even if we diverge in our fashion sense.

Spuds

2011-03-15T13:04:00.003-04:00

Since our kids are 75% Idahoan, we figure it's our responsibility to introduce them to that state's culinary delights. Such as spudnuts. They were so good. Although this picture and description are a little misleading, because I remember this being a really rough day with lots of fighting and meltdowns and tantrums (the kids, not the parents). P.S. How can I convince Colin to wear pants and a shirt at the same time?

Happy birthday, Ann!

2011-03-14T10:38:00.002-04:00

We left the kids with babysitters for a long weekend and flew to southern California for a combined birthday party for Ann (my mother-in-law) and Rhonda (her best friend). The best part of the whole thing was that nobody except Jason's brother and his wife knew we were coming. It was great to surprise her. It was a whirlwind trip with Ann and Rhonda's birthday party one night and Gavin's baptism the next day. I'm so glad we were able to be there for both events. Jason played the banjo and Nathan played the guitar to a version they wrote of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett." The evening was perfect and it was fun to catch up with some many family and friends.

Y Guides

2011-03-12T13:05:00.002-05:00

Ethan and Jason finished up their first year of Y Guides with a campout down at the coast. It's been a really fun activity for them to do together. I think they sent the picture of soda in bed just to torture me. This actually ended up being a pretty scary experience. There were tornados tearing through North Carolina all day. When they hit Raleigh they did some pretty serious damage. My mom was huddled in a bathroom in Wal-Mart in Cary with a woman who called home after it passed to find out (from her husband) that their roof was completely gone. I was upstairs with Colin and Madeline when it sounded like a train was coming through the master bathroom. I ran downstairs and turned on the TV, but the satelite cable was out. My dad called right after that to make sure we were okay. It didn't touch down near our house, but the wind was crazy. It left Raleigh and headed to the coast...straight to where the Y Guides troop was camping in a remote area in a small log cabin. I was on the phone on and off with Jason that evening, and in between was sitting on my bed with my laptop watching the storm pass over them and praying it wouldn't touch down. They came through it fine, albeit with a few traumatized 6-year-olds. It ended up touching down across the river a few miles away, and wreaking havoc across the state, so it was a little too close for me. I'm sure Ethan will never forget it!

Random

2011-02-28T12:21:00.003-05:00

I just love this picture of the boys headed in to church.

Proof they love each other. I get this pictures as often as possible!

Colin loves preschool. This was his "special day," which I completely forgot. My mom had to rescue me by dropping what she was doing, buying a snack, picking up Maddie (while dropping off the snack), and then bringing her back when preschool was over. She saved me!

Maddie was SO determined that she was going to carry this through the grocery store all by herself. It took her awhile, but she did it.

Myrtle Beach Marathon

2011-02-20T12:18:00.003-05:00

Jason ran his second marathon and I only took pictures of the kids! What is up with that?? Mark and LaDonna and their kids came with us (Mark ran the half). Short trip but fun!

Mountains

2011-02-15T12:13:00.002-05:00

We travel a lot. It's our favorite way to spend our time and money. Most of our trips are so fun, but every once in a while we run into one that is totally cursed. This was one of those trips. The Overview We picked up Ann, Randy, and our niece Lila at the airport and headed straight for Asheville. We stayed one night there, then travelled to Beech Mountain to ski, relax, and show Ann and Randy the NC mountains. We love it up there! The Things I'd Rather Forget -Lila vomited in our very packed (people and stuff) car on the drive to Asheville. -Maddie started up with ashtma while in Asheville. We ended up in the ER in Boone later in the trip. -We didn't have snow tires on our car, so bought chains in Asheville (couldn't find them pre-trip in Raleigh). Our rental was on top of a steep road with slick packed ice/snow. After a lot of stress, Jason and Randy jimmy-rigged the chains on using bungee cords. -On our anniversary, after a long and sleepless night, we decided we needed to take Maddie in to the ER. After we got down the hill, we took the chains off the tires. It was 6:00 am and barely light, and 16 degrees. I failed to unhook the chain first, and it caught on a wheel bed. One hour and endless stress later, Jason had to remove the tire completely, unhook the chain, and put it back on. All without gloves or a heavy coat. I came away from the experience in awe of his ability to stay calm and cool under pressure. -It was WAY too cold to ski, which was the whole point of going up to Beech Mountain in the first place. Ugh. The Happy Memories -It was fun spending time with Lila and Ann and Randy. We always love being with them. -Amazing homemade sourdough bread from the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis. -Hot chocolate in the Biltmore with the kids while waiting for Ann and Randy to tour the house. -How incredibly good the kids were the entire time. -Walking on a frozen pond on the Blue Ridge Parkway. -Watching the kids have a blast sledding in Beech Mountain.

Happy Anniversary

2011-02-13T08:01:00.002-05:00

Thank you Kim for 12 amazing years. Looking forward to infinity more. Love You. J

Melissa

2011-02-05T23:52:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of February our wonderful nanny, Melissa, left us to move back to Florida. She and her husband are expecting their first baby, and we are so excited for them, but so sad to lose her. She was great for our whole family, and had been with us since Madeline was 3 months old. We miss her!!

Random

2011-01-31T23:34:00.003-05:00

The boys thought wearing my boots was hysterical. And that they made good weapons.

2011-01-28T23:38:00.004-05:00

At the end of January, I flew to Florida to join Leanne, Ashley, Megan, and Leanne's other sisters-in-law Emily and Kliss for a long weekend. It was cold, but we still managed to have a great time shopping and eating out and just hanging out. I loved being with these girls, even without great weather. They are fun girls, happily married to great guys, and I am so grateful to have them in my life. This was one of two trips that helped get me through several tough months that followed. We took airboat tour through the everglades. Our guide was great...old and leathery with an accent that almost required a translator. He stopped and fed a racoon that knew when and where to show up for a snack.

We drove a road famous for all the alligators that live in the river. This was when I missed my boys. I knew they would love it.

Jason, on the other hand, had kind of a lousy weekend, since Colin spent the majority of it vomiting. Colin asked Jason if he could talk to me, then got on the phone and sobbed that he needed me to come home and hold him because he was sick. It nearly broke my heart. But they all survived, and Ethan and Jason even forayed into origami.

Happy

2011-01-17T23:18:00.003-05:00

We went to my parents' house tonight for family home evening with them and my brother and his family. We arrived home well after bedtime, and Jason was at his weekly banjo lesson, so I hurried the kids through the bath/jammies/prayer/teeth brushing routine. I used to dread bedtime...an exhausting sprint to end a marathon day...but lately we've settled into a great routine that gives me precious alone time with each child. Once everyone's ready for bed, I rock Madeline in her room for a few minutes while the boys play Legos. Then read a book to Colin in his closet (strange, right?) and rock him and sing him a song. Then lay on Ethan's bed and play his iPod touch for a few minutes before tucking him in. It's calm...my favorite kind of parenting and not always easy to achieve with 3 young kids.

I sang to Maddie tonight, then just rocked her quietly, reluctant to put down my not-really-a-baby-anymore girl while she was being so cuddly. Then she layed her head on my shoulder and said, "Happy.....Happy." I melted. My 2011 resolution is to focus on these moments and to handle the others...the chaos of kids home from school and bored and sibling fights and demands for look, mom, help, mom, drink, mom, up, mom, sit, mom...with the equanimity they deserve. Although really my 2011 resolution should be to figure out a way for me and Jason to disguise the truth from Madeline, which is that we are both firmly wrapped around all 10 of her tiny little fingers. Heaven help us all when she realizes it. (It may be too late.)

Madeline being extra cuddly with my parents on Christmas Day 2010.

Snow!!

2011-01-05T23:21:00.002-05:00

We love North Carolina snowfalls. School is cancelled, if we're lucky Jason gets to stay home from work, and it sticks around just long enough to play.

The boys and Jason built a snowman. Colin stuck 4 stick arms in and named him General Grievous. There was a Star Wars marathon on conveniently during the snowstorm. The boys taunted their dad until he started pelting them with snowballs, like any good dad would do. The best part of playing in the snow may be the hot chocolate and cuddling in front of the fire after.

New Year

2011-01-01T23:18:00.001-05:00

We jumped in to 2011 with a big milestone...Colin started primary. He and Ethan looked so handsome, and were even willing to pose like they love each other.

Random

2010-12-30T22:33:00.001-05:00

It's been a little cold, especially for North Carolina. We're spending lots of time indoors.

Christmas

2010-12-25T22:24:00.000-05:00

The kids loved Christmas morning, of course. Although Madeline was a little confused and groggy since we dragged her out of bed.

Trees

2010-12-20T22:25:00.000-05:00

We go to the same lot every year to pick out our Christmas tree. One of these days, I want to drive up to the mountains and pick up a frasier fir, but this works for now.

The kids were so great helping us decorate.

We also had fun with our new tree sugar cookie cutters.

All I Want for Christmas

2010-12-17T21:08:00.005-05:00

Ethan lost his second front tooth tonight, just in time to add it to his Christmas list.

Gingerbread

2010-12-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

We hosted FHE here in early December, and decided to make gingerbread houses. So fun!

Snow

2010-12-03T15:06:00.001-05:00

It snowed the day we painted. Not enough to really play in, but Colin wanted to make the most of it.

Painting

2010-12-02T15:03:00.000-05:00

We decided to finally get around to painting our living room after over 2 years in our home. We were so lucky to have such good helpers in our kids.

Jason was determined to paint the two-story wall himself. I was not convinced it was a good idea.

The ladder was one thing...this is just too much for me. But the room looks great!

New York

2010-11-30T14:17:00.001-05:00

We had a great time in New York. We made LOTS of turtles (well, really, Papa made them).

And made LOTS of lego creations (actually Ethan).

The boys slept in Grammy and Papa's exercise room.

And played in the basement.

Jason escaped to Indianapolis for a Chargers/Colts game with Ryan and Rob.

Jason's grandparents were there. We loved visiting with them.

And the kids really loved celebrating Christmas a little early.

And my birthday.

We were sad to leave, but the kids loved flying.

Random

2010-11-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

The boys are so cute when they hang out together.

Ethan lost his front tooth!

And Colin is always a ham.

Pictures from our day

2010-11-24T01:48:00.006-05:00

We have an amazing nanny, Melissa, who has been with us for over a year. She takes great care of our kids while I work part time. This morning she put Maddie's hair in pigtails. A few weeks ago, I put my baby girl to bed, and in the morning she woke up a toddler. This morning, I left my toddler at home to take the boys to school, and came home to a little girl. If time could pause just long enough for me to catch my breath, I'd appreciate it.

This is how Maddie usually looks:

And here she is all grown up, checking out the groceries.

After Colin got home from preschool, he and Melissa had the following conversation:

Colin: Lissa, what's on Maddie's head??

Melissa: They're pig tails.

Colin: PIG TAILS!!! Maddie say oink oink now???

Along with time, I'd love to pause the weather exactly where it's been this week. Gorgeous days that smell like fall...not chilly, not hot, bright yellow leaves snowing down all day. I love it. The boys wanted me to bury them in a leaf pile this afternoon. They had a ball. I loved hearing the belly laughter as I raked more and more piles of leaves on them. I have hundreds of pictures to blog about, including one documenting that big gap in Ethan's smile, but again, that issue with time. I'll include one of my favorites here, which Melissa took of Maddie last month when she took Colin and Maddie on a nature walk. We are off to New York to eat too much and sit in front of the fire. Happy Thanksgiving!

Beach to Battleship

2010-11-11T14:14:00.000-05:00

Jason took on his second half-Ironman down in Wilmington. He went down the night before with his friend, and I drove down with the kids to cheer him on the day of the race. If I was smart, I'd post these pictures and just say something about how cool the battleship was to tour. The truth is, I was completely off my game that day, I guess, because it was one of the top 3 worst days of parenting I've ever had. I did manage to hold it together (no screaming at the kids or crying on my part), but really, it was a lousy day. I miscalculated SEVERAL things, like how long it would take us to get to the island, how much food would be available, what kind of supplies (diapers, change of clothes, etc) I would need. Jason finished the race and headed pretty quickly to the medical tent to deal with horrible nausea and possible dehydration. I took the kids up the battleship, which Ethan had been begging to see. It was hot and the kids were hungry and tired, but you would never know it from these pictures. It was such a lousy experience I failed to get a single picture of Jason racing or afterwards. We didn't feed the kids until around 9:00 that night, and Colin stood up on his chair in the middle of the restaurant and the entire chair went over backwards. It seemed like a fitting ending to a terrible day. But we all survived!

Field Trip

2010-11-10T14:32:00.000-05:00

I went with Colin's class on a nature hike field trip. The setting was gorgeous, the day was gorgeous, and we had a great time.

It was so nice I took the kids back later that week after school.

Madeline was convinced she could throw this rock in the water. She's spunky.

Sandbox

2010-11-02T14:07:00.000-04:00

The kids are still loving the sandbox their Dad built them, and I am loving weather cool enough to enjoy it! I don't know if you can tell, but Madeline is dumping shovels of sand on her brother's head. I have no clue why.

Halloween

2010-10-31T13:59:00.000-04:00

We decided to go with a family theme this year (the Skywalker family, to be exact). Ethan was Luke, Madeline was Leia (Luke's twin sister), although she refused to wear the cute bun/ears wig, and Colin was their father, Anakin, aka Darth Vader. Madeline's interest in trick-or-treating did not extend beyond the very first piece of candy. Once she got that, she was focused on eating it, and once she finished it, she went to bed. The kids had a great time decorating the car, carving pumpkins, and handing out candy at the trunk or treat the church organized the day before Halloween. Kids make holidays fun.

Fun at the Farm

2010-10-28T13:14:00.000-04:00

We made our annual fall visit to a local "farm," which is more like a giant, expensive playground. We always have a great time. We went mid-week towards the end of the day, towards the end of the season, and practically had the place to ourselves. I loved that. The boys made their way through the maze.

And climbed on tires.

And jumped in the bounce house.

We raced little plastic ducks.

And slid down the slide.

We rode the train, where Ethan looked so grown up.

Then took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch, which was pretty picked over by that point.

The kids got to pretend to drive the tractor.

And I failed to get one good shot of the three of them.

We managed to pick out some sad looking pumpkins, which Jason had to lug to the car all by himself.

Ethan played in the corn-filled gazebo, which the other two didn't like.

We fed the fish and animals. Which was about the time the sky changed colors and I assumed a big storm was headed for us. But the kids still managed some time with the sand toys. All in all, it was really fun. We'll definitely be back next year!

Mid October

2010-10-20T11:01:00.001-04:00

Jason and I escaped to Las Vegas by ourselves for a long weekend, where he had a meeting for work. We left the kids with family here in North Carolina. It was pretty pathetic...Jason was getting up at the crack of dawn to run, then going to meetings all day, so we were sound asleep by 10 every night. And I did a lot of napping while he was away during the day. We had a gorgeous view from our hotel and a comfortable bed in a quiet room. That was about all I needed.

We did manage to meet up with Leanne's brothers and their wives for dinner one night. They are so fun. I ordered a vegetarian dish that could have fed the whole table.

One night we drove up to Washington to see my sister and her family and their new place, and to visit Jason's grandparents. In between the two we received a call that our BYU/North Carolina friend DanaLee Fox had passed away after an elective surgery. She was Jason's age and a good friend, and I miss her. A bunch of friends from BYU came to the funeral and some of them stayed at our place before or after. It was great to catch up with them, although not for a great reason.

The day after the funeral we hosted the Y-Guides troop here for a camp out in our backyard. They set up their tents on the empty lot behind our property and built a fire in the woods in our yard. They had a GREAT time and all made it through the night in their tents. I was expecting to wake up to eight 6-year-olds and their dads all on my living room floor. Random photo of Colin and Madeline being affectionate. They get along more often than not.

State Fair

2010-10-19T13:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Jason!!

2010-10-11T14:09:00.002-04:00

WE LOVE YOU!

California Again

2010-10-08T13:45:00.003-04:00

In early October we left Madeline with my family in NC and flew with the boys to California for Abby's baptism. Actually, I flew alone with the boys since Jason was already out west fishing with friends. Ethan, Colin, and I bunked at the Moores. We went to dinner at this great place near their house. Colin and Kate became friends. Henry and Ethan were inseparable, and Morgan and I stayed up late chatting (like old times). It was so fun. Jason and Chris arrived home the next day. We went to dinner near the beach and let the kids play before and after. The day after that we met up at Disneyland, where Ethan took on Vader. Colin fulfilled his dream of riding a monorail. He was so happy. This is the kids at Disneyland cracking up over a video that Morgan had taped of them playing on the sand dunes at the beach. They think they are so funny. Abby's baptism was beautiful and we were glad to be there for it. We also got to check out Ryan and Leanne's amazing beachfront rental in Oceanside. There are no words to describe it!

2010-10-06T22:07:00.005-04:00

Ethan's had a different best friend every year since he was 3. This year it's Matthew. I like this one. He's a really sweet, good kid. He came over yesterday and I didn't see them the whole time he was here, except when I would peek in to check on them. Ethan wanted to call him tonight. As I was putting Colin to bed, Ethan was laying on the couch in the playroom with his feet propped up, chatting away. He was telling Matthew things that he hasn't told me. He seemed so adult and so far away. I flashed forward 10 years and thought, "He's not going to talk to me at all before I know it." It made me so sad. Then I hear him say, "Well, we should do that, but November's really busy for us, so we should make sure we do it in October. How does October 20th look for you?"

I have NO idea why November is busy or why October 20th works or where on earth he comes up with this stuff, but I'm grateful for the constant entertainment my kids provide. After he wrapped up his call we were in the office for a few minutes before storytime. He picked up a post-it note, wrote "I love you" on it, and stuck it on the front of my shirt. I wore it the rest of the night until I moved it to my bathroom mirror, where I'm going to keep it for the next 10 years so I have something to hold on to.

It's been a rough summer of intense emotions, some positive, many negative. Right now, I'm feeling angry at the passage of time. I was happy before the summer started. Really, truly happy in a carefree way that you can be only if you've never been dealt any major blows by life. Sure I'd like to lose weight, or have all our medical school debt paid off, or have infinite patience with my kids, but overall, life was good. Really good. And then July hit. Followed by August. And September.

I'm still happy, but it's a different kind of happy. More grateful. Less carefree. More in the moment. Less worried about things that don't matter. I'm not sure if it's better or worse. I think (hope) I'll come out of 2010 a much better person.

A month after Max died we found out my very healthy, very energetic 57-year-old mother has metastatic colon cancer. It's in her liver and abdomen. It was a complete shock to the whole family (especially her). Today she started a 6-month fight of chemo sessions every other week. We are praying for time, for strength, for peace...but so sad she has to go through this. Trying not to fully comprehend how little control we have over our lives, or how temporary this state is. At peace with the choices we've made and the relationship we have. Trying to figure out how to navigate our new reality, where really bad things happen to the people you love. It kind of stinks, honestly. And it changes things. I wish I could freeze time to spring of this year, when all 3 kids were in a great place, and every family member was alive and healthy. As the years pass, our kids are going to leave home, close family members will continue to move to the other side, and eventually (hopefully not soon), Jason and I will as well. I don't like that. And yet, it's the very core of life. How did I get to 32 before being faced with the reality of this mortal state? (The very definition of which is "susceptible to death.")

My mom's doing great. She's a pillar of faith and strength and peace and calm and optimism and trust. She's incapable of self pity. She's doing what she does best, which is face whatever life throws at her with a no-nonsense, let's just handle this attitude. I'm sure she has moments, but she doesn't let them overwhelm her. And overall, the rest of us are okay, too. And time will continue to march on, and I will continue to have very little actual control over life, but that's also okay. When I need it, I feel at peace. And when I'm not dwelling on things out of my hands, I am happy. I'm a better mom than I used to be, and focusing my energy on making sure my kids live in the same bubble of innocent happiness and faith in God that my own parents provided for me. Because someday down the road (hopefully decades away) they are going to need it to fall back on. I want them to know, whenever true adversity hits, that they are going to be okay, that life has meaning and purpose and joy if you choose your priorities carefully. As hard as this summer has been, I know I'm going to be okay, and that my family will be, too.

Random

2010-09-30T22:06:00.001-04:00

Endless fun for the kids: watercolors.

Endless fun for me: dressing a little girl.

OBX 2010

2010-09-29T21:08:00.002-04:00

Ryan, Leanne, and family came to spend another September week on Hatteras Island. Their friends Rob and Felicity were coming with their kids as well. Then Nathan and his family and Todd and his family decided to join them, along with Jason's parents. We were only going to spend the weekend there, but everyone flew in to Raleigh on their way out, and stayed a night on the way home. We slept 25 people (kids and adults) in our house and it wasn't that bad. Jason greeted everyone straight off the red eye with a yummy Belgian waffle breakfast, and we ordered pizza the night before they left. I only took one picture at the beach, but it was a short but fun trip! I did snap this photo en route to Hatteras. It was near 11:00. Our kids don't sleep in the car. It's so strange!

In perspective

2010-09-15T18:41:00.004-04:00

Maddie is a very determined little girl. Today I had to hang up on my mother-in-law after Maddie took a tumble head first down the brick stairs in front of our house. I think her forehead is permanently bruised and scraped. She's never injury free long enough for me to tell if it's going to heal. Jason is in the process of building bunk beds for Ethan's (and soon to be Colin's) room. I was planning to post about how nervous Maddie is making me as she insists on climbing the ladder and going down the slide, but then I saw Ashley's post, and I'm thinking maybe I don't have it so bad. Chase is coming to visit this weekend...I'm sure Maddie will watch him to see if she can pick up some new skills. Not sure the two of them should be allowed to spend time together.

Whacha Gonna Do?

2010-09-12T16:29:00.001-04:00

We spent Sunday afternoon at my parents' house having dinner with my family. While we were there, my brother's friend (a cop) drove by in his patrol car. He stopped to visit and let the kids explore the car, and the handcuffs. Hopefully the ONLY time these kids are ever in the backseat of a cop car. I loved Colin sweetly saying, "Excuse me, Mr. Police Occifer, do you have a gun?" He's a boy...fascinated by weapons of any kind.

Random

2010-09-10T20:27:00.000-04:00

Nothing much to say about this picture, except that I love my kids.

Preschool!

2010-09-09T17:14:00.002-04:00

Colin had his first "official" day of preschool. He's been anxiously waiting to start since Ethan went back to school. We went in for a half hour on Tuesday to check out his classroom. Before we left, he went to the pantry, picked out his own snack (Gushers), then carried it with him the whole time and ate it on the way back to the car. This morning I pulled out my iPhone and snapped a picture in front of the door of his class while the other mothers snapped photos with their "real" cameras. We went in, washed his hands and hung up his bag, and then he said, "GO, Mom. Mom, GO!!!!!" Not a whole lot of separation anxiety here. As I was buckling him in after class, he said, "I love you, Mom." He's so sweet. I walked out of his class this morning with another mom who was trying not to cry. I cried sending my first off to preschool (and kindergarten), and I'll cry with my last. My middle child? He'll do just fine.

Hiking

2010-09-06T14:57:00.002-04:00

We love hiking with the kids, especially in the fall, and the state park behind our house makes it so easy. The kids are great sports about it and rarely complain. We've never made them do more than 3 miles, but we have lots of plans once they are a little older. I love the picture of Colin. He's still in the "if I can't see you, you can't see me" phase.

Colin's 3!!

2010-08-30T22:44:00.004-04:00

Colin is so hard to describe. He is passionate and intense, so full of love and energy and very strong opinions. As busy as he is, he also lives life at his own pace. He takes 3 times longer to eat meals than the rest of us, 3 times longer to put on his shoes, or walk across the parking lot. This is a little tough since he was born into a fast-paced house, but I've accepted that we aren't going to change him.

He's also a hoarder. He hoards food in his cheeks. He collects rocks and sticks everywhere we go. He piles toys into his bed and carries around handfuls of coins. It's cute now, but in 30 years when he appears on a cable reality show about hoarding, I'll regret mentioning it here.

He has to copy everything Ethan says or does. Every word out of Ethan's mouth is immediately repeated, down to the exact intonation, 10 seconds after he says it. He's interested in everything Ethan thinks is cool.

There aren't a lot of pictures of him on this blog because in most, he is in motion or not looking at the camera, or like this one, where he's trying to open one of his presents but won't crack a smile for anything.

His two favorite phrases right now are "That AWESOME!!" and "No fair!" Except I don't think he really knows what "no fair" means, because he'll say things like, "You made dinner? No fair!" (Although maybe he's just being perceptive. There are 5 people in this house. Is it fair that I'm always the one that makes dinner?) He wanted a Thomas train cake from the grocery store that we had to visit every week. After he took his first bite of birthday cake he yelled, "Mom!! This Thomas chocolate cake AWESOME!!" So easy to please. I love it.

He loves Legos and will play in Ethan's room with his Legos alone for an hour or more at a time. Sometimes he'll come find me and say in this really cute, high voice, with his hands on his chin, "Mom, you want come play Legos me?" It's impossible to resist.

He'll just out of the blue say, "I love you, Mom." It melts me.

He's struggling with his middle child, 2nd boy role. He gets jealous of Ethan and Maddie. We try to give him lots of extra love and attention, but I feel like I'm always being pulled in 13 different directions, which I don't understand because I only have 3 kids.

He's had a huge emotional growth this summer. His speech has come a really long way after not being able to communicate well for most of his 2-year-old year. Along with it, he's a lot more mature and reasonable.

He still needs a nap more often than not, wakes up in the afternoon really rough (he gets that from his mom), and almost always has a smile on his face. He's cute and charming and sweet and I am completely in love with him.

He's been waiting all summer for his happy birthday, and I'm so glad it's finally here for him. We had my parents and brother Mark and his family over for dinner, cake, and presents. He loved the Darth Vader pinata, although I forgot I had hung it up in the closet, and was a little freaked out by the disembodied Vader head staring back at me when I opened the door earlier this week.

Happy birthday, darling 3-year-old. I love you SO much.

Good riddance

2010-08-29T22:09:00.003-04:00

I've never been happier for a weekend to end. Madeline threw up Tuesday last week, while Colin threw up Wednesday and Thursday. Friday started with an early morning annual physical for Ethan and Colin, which went very smoothly. Ethan was a good sport (he knew he didn't need shots), Colin asked, "What about me??" any time the doctor did any exam on Ethan, and Maddie entertained herself by crawling around the floor of the exam room pretending to be a dog and saying, "Ruff ruff!" over and over. Colin didn't cry for his shot or the finger prick (I think that's a first for me/us). Friday ended with me staying up until 1:30 in the morning getting ready for Saturday. Saturday entailed Jason leaving at 7:00 am and arriving home at 7:45 Saturday night. We hosted a small church social Saturday evening that started at 7:30, so the downstairs was spotless before I went to bed Friday night, and I had pre-made breakfast and taken upstairs every possible thing I could think of that we would need. I didn't let the kids downstairs at all except to walk out the front door because we had to leave the house for 2 hours in the morning to run some errands that couldn't be put off. I told them we were having a fun "upstairs" day. This wouldn't have been a big deal except for: (1.) Ethan wakes up at 6:20 with horrible stomach pain. He never throws up but is running a fever of 102 most of the day and really wiped out. (2.) I am attempting to potty train Colin. Don't ask how it's going. (3.) Madeline is incredibly (and unusually) fussy all day. She spends most of the day crying. At the very end of the day I discover she's cutting FOUR molars all at once. Poor thing. Although I'm actually a little relieved because I was starting to worry that my easy going little girl was broken. Here's what dinner looked like: And the room got even messier than this. Here's a picture where Maddie is actually not crying, even though I swore she didn't stop all day long. Here's a random picture not from this weekend. I was reminded of it when I uploaded the picture above. Maddie loves chairs...I could fill the house with little Maddie-sized chairs and she would be in heaven. She's just hanging out in a car seat that was sitting by the front door. She makes us smile. We made it through the weekend. There are worse things in life than being home with sick/fussy kids all weekend. I know that. In some ways it makes me feel guilty for complaining at all, or for even acknowledging that I had a (relatively) bad day. Still, some days as a mom of young kids are harder than others, more stressful than others. I'm proud of myself because I didn't lose it and yell at my kids out of stress/frustration, which is the only thing I really regret after days like Saturday. Although I'm worried the kids may have gone crazy. This is where I found Colin Sunday evening. Not entirely sure what his plan was here. He's so funny. Tomorrow is Colin's much-anticipated birthday and I am determined to make this week better than last!

Colin's sick

2010-08-25T16:38:00.001-04:00

So sad when someone so busy is so wiped out.

First Day of First Grade

2010-08-23T22:40:00.003-04:00

The verdict? "First grade is awesome."

Last Day of Summer

2010-08-16T22:48:00.003-04:00

School starts tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about it. I've enjoyed slow, relaxed mornings and less time in the car. On the other hand, I'm getting tired of sibling fights from sheer boredom, and mother-son fights over why 6 hours of Wii Lego Star Wars in one day is excessive. Ethan will be gone from 8:30 to 3:00 five days a week...that's a lot, and I think it will be an adjustment for all of us at first. I know he'll love it, though, and will be much happier if he's in a stable routine and kept super busy (those are two of my firmly held beliefs in how to survive raising boys).

The last day of (our) summer, Ethan spent the afternoon at the pool. He has really struggled to learn to swim. It finally dawned on me that he might benefit from a snorkel/scuba mask (which is what I prefer myself) that would keep water out of his nose. We started using it two weeks ago and now he's a little fish and wanting to join swim team next year. Today he swam the entire length of the pool and then treaded water, earning his swim band, which allows him to go off the diving board "whenever I want." He is so proud and we are so proud of him, too. It was a huge accomplishment for him and he did so great. I told him at the beginning of the summer that if he went off the diving board on his own (into 9 ft of water) by the end of the summer, I would buy him the Lego Power Miners Crystal King. (This is referred to as "positive reinforcement" and a "reward system," which makes it sound like a legitimate parenting technique, as opposed to a "bribe" which sounds like lazy parenting. It's all in the spin, you know.) I've never been happier to have to buy him a toy.

After dinner we headed over to a local frozen custard place to celebrate his success and to celebrate/mourn the last day of summer vacation. Ethan wanted to get Maddie out of the car by himself and carefully walked her across the street while I was getting Colin out. My heart just melted. He shared his custard with her, too, after she decided that his Oreo version tasted better than the vanilla I got for her. He's a sweetie.

Scenes from a golf cart

2010-08-12T22:01:00.000-04:00

Bald Head Island only allows electric cars, so when you rent a place you get a golf cart with it. It's novel and easy and the kids get a kick out of it.

One afternoon while Maddie was sleeping, Jason took the boys out for a GPS scavenger hunt on the island. We rented a GPS device, which Ethan helped read: And they got a paper with a series of clues, which they were supposed to fill out. And because they were with Dad, they stopped for snow cones and soda, of course. But they were still HOT and tired by the time they were done. My favorite thing about this photo is that it's completely un-posed. They are best friends when they are not fighting.

Beach Escape: Part II

2010-08-12T13:05:00.005-04:00

We left the craziness of Myrtle Beach for the peace and solitude of Bald Head Island. We LOVE it there. Here's Myrtle Beach:

And here's the beach on the southern end of Bald Head: The kids had a blast: One afternoon while Madeline was napping, the boys and I climbed the lighthouse, Old Baldy. It was HOT at the top. Madeline is convinced she can get just about anywhere on her own. And determined to prove it. Hence the injured forehead: It ended up being "Pirate Weekend" on the island while we were there. We had so much fun watching the pirate ship sail into the harbor. Ethan snapped this self portrait of our family on our way in to dinner. We had a great time. (Other than when Jason had to take the ferry back to the mainland to pick up an oral steroid prescription to try to get on top of Maddie's asthma...do you see a theme here?)

All in all, it was nice to be together as a family, to get away from "real" life, and focus on what's important.

Our little asthmatic

2010-08-10T21:30:00.001-04:00

Madeline has severe asthma. It's not fun. Her first attack was over Easter weekend in New York City, and since then she's been in and out of the doctor's office, hospital, ER several times. She always seems to get sick right around times when we are traveling (with or without her). I'm not sure if it's bad luck or a sign that we travel way too much; probably the latter. She is now on nebulized steroids twice a day to try to keep her healthy for at least a few weeks. She just finished her 4th round of oral steroids in 3 months. We hate putting her on them, for health reasons and because they turn her from our sweet little angel into a blond, petite version of the Hulk (in pink). The albuterol makes her hyper, while the 'roids make her irritable and really, really hungry. After finishing twice her usual dinner, she raided the pantry and pulled out mini bagels, which you can see her double fisting here.

We're hoping she grows out of it...sooner rather than later. In the meantime, please send prayers and packages of bagels our way.

Dah-Dah

2010-08-10T00:52:00.007-04:00

Putting Colin to bed at night is a long routine of bath, pjs, prayers, teeth brushing, stories, songs, and various other manipulative stalling tactics. When you finally get him in to bed, he has two final requests: refill his sippy cup of water, and get him some toy he suddenly can't go to bed without. This was our conversation the other night: Colin: Mom, I need dah-dah. [rhymed with "ha"] Me: Colin, I don't know what that is. Is it a toy? Colin: Yes. It's dah-dah. Go get it. Me: Is it downstairs? Colin: No, it's in Ethan's room. Get dah-dah. Me: Is it a Lego? Colin: Yes, it's dah-dah. Go get it, Mom. Me: Is it a car? Colin: No. It's dah-dah. Me: Colin, I'm really sorry. I just don't know what that is. Colin: Mom, it's this:

At this point he starts moving his arms like some sort of marching robot and singing "dah-dah-dah-duh-duh-DAH-duh-duh-DAH". Which sounds just like this.

Me: Ohhhhhhhh...you mean Darth Vader? Colin: Yes, Darth Vader. Go get it. After I retrieved it, he said, "Good job, Mom. You found dah-dah."

Beach Escape: Part I

2010-08-09T21:47:00.009-04:00

We spent the first week of August at the beach, just our family. It was heaven. (Except for Maddie's 4:30 am ER trip following a severe asthma attack...I'm blocking that out; although the boys and I got to enjoy an early morning beach trip after Jason and Maddie arrived home at dawn and woke us up.)

We spent Sunday through Wednesday morning at a resort in Myrtle Beach. It had pools and lazy rivers (indoors and out) and was right on the ocean. Jason declared the South Carolina ocean water "too warm." (Native Californians can't appreciate bath-temperature water, I think.)

Maddie LOVED the ocean. She would run full speed (for her) into the waves, then one would inevitably knock her down, she would laugh and laugh, then another would splash her in the face, then she would laugh some more, then lean forward and try to drink the water (always surprised by how gross it tasted). One of us had to always be with her because she wouldn't stay out of the water. Jason's excited that he may have found his shark diving buddy. He just needs to wait a few years. The boys spent countless hours digging in the sand, splashing in the waves, digging up tiny clams, and throwing wet sand at each other (and us). They were worn out by the end of each day. They would collapse into bed at night (and sometimes out of it...Colin is a VERY restless sleeper and we had to clear a "fall zone" every night and put him back into bed once or twice a night; we're glad he's still in a crib at home).

And we made a trip to a local outdoor mall, which features some carnival-type rides that the kids love. We're home now and back to the daily grind, but so grateful we had a chance to get away as a family, regroup, and focus on each other.

Boy Territory

2010-08-09T21:10:00.003-04:00

Madeline adores her brothers, but sometimes growing up in a house strewn with boy-centric paraphernalia is tough. Sometimes, you just want to accessorize, but the only bracelet you can find is a Lego tire. It's okay. Everyone has their fashion challenges, and she's learning young to work around hers.

Sweet little one-year-old

2010-07-28T12:08:00.000-04:00

Madeline turned 1 on July 28. She is so happy and fun and easy. She is walking everywhere, going up and down stairs, and generally loving life. She does have the ear-piercing shriek that is a trademark of our offspring, but she doesn't use it quite as much as her brothers did, thank goodness.

We got cupcakes the day of her birthday. She was mad during the singing/candle part because she wanted it right then. When Ethan turned one, he didn't know what to do with the cake. As the 3rd child, Madeline knew exactly what to do with it...she stuffed it in her mouth and basically sucked on it until there was nothing left. Post-cupcake sugar high. And of course a birthday is not complete without presents, which her brothers helped her open. We had another party over the weekend for my dad and Maddie at my parents' place. Both my brothers were there with their wives and kids. I'm not sure what had her so concerned here; I thought it was lots of fun! Maddie is incredibly good-natured. Jason read a study that said your personality is set by your first birthday. If that's true, we're in good shape. She is so affectionate and comes up to us several times a day to hug us, kiss us, or climb into your arms and lay her head on your shoulder. Sometimes she'll just sit in your lap. I don't remember the boys ever sitting still, let alone in my lap. She tries to keep up with the boys and has learned a few wrestling moves. If you are laying on the floor she will run up and body slam you. She thinks it's funny when Jason and the boys wrestle but if I enter the fray she starts to cry. Of course, we think she's brilliant. Jason said it was time to get dressed and she took off her diaper and handed it to him. She tries to help me change Colin's diapers or put his shoes on, and tries to feed me her food. The other day Jason went out to the garage, and she brought me my shoes and led me to the garage door. She's always trying to put on anything she can wear as a necklace or bracelet, and loves to brush her hair. Girls are fun!!

She likes lounging...on her brothers, a stuffed animal, or this pillow, which is her absolute favorite. She spends every afternoon hugging it. Maddie's very verbal. Her most often-used words are: "WOW," "uh-oh," "daddy," "doggy" (for all animals), "this" (while pointing), and "that" (while pointing). She says "Ow" a lot...usually while hitting her brothers (or herself) repeatedly on the head. Ethan was walking next to the cart on a trip to Target and kept hitting him on the head, saying "Ow" and laughing. She cracks herself up. Her absolute favorite word, though, is "Hi." She says it no fewer than 60 times a day. We adore her.

At her 12-month checkup, she was in the 70th percentile for height and the 45th for weight. Healthy and happy (aside from that annoying chronic asthma issue). She's just perfect...but don't think I'm biased. I'm just quoting her pediatrician, and he's a professional, so you'll have to take his word for it.