Splish--Splash!

If you are a secret blog stalker (like me) you routinely cruise over the blogs linked up to those blogs of friends and family you know--to dive into the personal life of complete strangers or extremely distant acquaintances. If you share this nosy habit with me, than per-chance you've noticed a theme in the blogs of MY friends--the oppressive and uncharacteristic heat wave that has been molesting we Bay Area residents for the last two weeks. I too felt the heat but never took the blog space to mention it--partly because my friends were doing such a good job of it but mostly because we are lucky dogs with central air conditioning. I thought it would be cruel to gloat about the dreamy 72 degrees my home maintained to my suffering (and thus, sweaty) friends. Just to try and give you an idea of the heat here--we went to the park one afternoon and I nearly passed out when a bit of blistering sand fell into my shoes burning my delicate tootsies! My kids faces were all bright read with just a few moments exposure to the heat and sun, even though I slathered them with SPF 45 before leaving the house.

During the intense heat we only wished for one thing: a swim at our favorite community pool. For one reason or another this particular pool waited until the heat broke on Monday to open their gates to desperate residence. So, even though the temperatures had dropped to a perfect 70 degrees, I had to fulfill the promise of a trip to the pool this week. Because of the moderate temperatures the pool was pretty empty. I had no problem keeping an eye on all three of the kids. Clare never ventured past water more than ankle deep and Lorien was a dream checking up with me every 10 minutes or so. Wyatt also stuck to the shallow water with his cousin, Evan. We ran into some friends from church and got to increase our numbers for the game of water tag we had going. It turned out to be one of the best trips we've made to the pool. Lovely day, lovely lunch, lovely kids.

Wyatt--splishin' and a splashin'. Also, sporting the look we all wore when the fun was over "exhausted but contentment".

Lorien, in a sustained fit of bravery, going down the pool slide without a catcher!!! (She did this over and over and over again. Great job Lorien!)

Clare--sticking to the shallow end of the pool--showing off her tricks. She can run back and forth splashing, jump like a frog, crawl like a turtle and alligator.

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Our wonderful companions for the afternoon, Evan and Angela.

The Birthday--Part Two...

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The kids and I threw a sweet party for Daddy tonight. We surprised him with a trip to a restaurant featured on the Food Network television show: "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives". Our Daddy LOVES eating at Diners, truck stops and any out of the way place you can imagine. He likes it when waitresses call him "Darlin'" and short order cooks man the grill. He really likes the "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives" show but doesn't watch it very often so he was very surprised. I actually heard about the restaurant from another friend's blog. Anyway, we whisked Daddy away from work at exactly 5:00 and took a scenic drive down Rt. 1 to the town of Pescadero where Duarte's Tavern is located. Duarte's is not exactly a hole in the wall but it is a nice little family restaurant with a lot of charm.

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Daddy ordered the seafood cioppino--at 27 bucks a plate it is more expensive than any of the steaks and twice as much as any of the other seafood meals. I cannot tell you if it was worth the price but this is the meal the host of the show raved about. I can tell you it was some serious seafood--you have to be serious if you are going to give your adult patrons blue checked bibs to wear while they eat--that's serious seafood! I stuck with a BLT and onion rings and the kids (another shocker here) all ordered plain pasta. After we ate ourselves silly we packed up and headed out to the beach to open Daddy's presents.

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This was my favorite part of the birthday celebration. The wind was pretty fierce at the top of the rocks and the DI (aka Good Will or Salvation Army) bag of clothes sitting in the trunk of the van totally saved our birthday celebration bacon. We hauled out a sweat shirt fit for a 6 month old for Wyatt, two of Lorien's old shirts for the girls and a shrunken sweater for me. With some warmer clothes on we all climbed down the rocks to the tidal pools below. Wyatt leading the charge on the hunt for sea creatures. Every time he spotted one he would bellow out in this husky voice: "I see a cwab! I see a cwab! Daddy, guys, everybody--come here quick!!!" He was so excited. Clare was totally freaked out by the crabs in the pools so we set her on the flattest rock we could find--far away from any tidal pools. Ten minutes later we hear these chilling shrieks coming from Clare: "Wook!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!! Wook, a cwab, a cwab!!! And eees cwawing up the wall! Ahhhhhh!" Sure enough there was one solitary crab, on a rock next to our two year old, scuttling up the side of said rock. Poor crab, he was probably trying to escape the molecular splitting screams radiating from the freakishly pale beast sitting next to him. Having taken our fill of "cwab" sightings we headed over to the shoreline so Lorien could dip her toes in the waves and Wyatt could examine rock after rock. We got to watch the sun melt into the ocean and snap a family photo or two before heading back to the car.

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It was a great evening. Clare summed it up best saying: "Tanks fow da beach, Daddy."

The last few weeks have been a little stressful at our house. Will has been working hard but there still seem to be more loose ends at work. We've both resorted to sleepless nights and anxious days. Today, while spreading peanut butter on saltines for lunch I broke out in tears. Not only have we been struggling with Will's work but my youngest brother, Oliver, had surgery to remove a benign tumor from his brain today. Stress seems to be pushing in on all sides lately. As I was sitting on the beach tonight (with one painful rock poking my delicate fanny) I was completely aware of all of my beautiful blessings. It didn't take much to look around at the crashing waves and pink sky to be thankful for the earthly beauty all around. But more than lovely surroundings I just had to look into the faces of my sweet children--to see the twinkle in their eyes and grins on their lips--to hear their delight of discovery and feel their arms around me for a hug--What a lucky (blessed, really) girl I am. What a family, what a world. I thank God for it all and am very aware of how very little I have to actually complain about. Just look at these people--are they fantastic or what?

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Happy 32nd Birthday Babe!

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Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday Baby!

I love Will for more reasons than can be named--that sounds like a cop-out so I'll do my best to explain why I love this guy sooooooo much.

1. He is my best friend. There isn't another soul on earth I'd rather be with. He is so fun and funny and he always makes me laugh. We can (and do) talk about everything. He likes to try new things and will go along with the same-old-thing if it is what I love.

2. He is the hardest working guy I have ever met. He busts his butt from the moment he gets out of bed in the morning until he hits the pillow at night. With the occasional break for games with the kids or hanging out with his wife.

3. He is an awesome Dad. My kids cannot get enough of him. He plays rough-house and jumps on the trampoline. He plays chase and teaches them how to hop back up when they've fallen down. He reads to them, right now he is reading The Hobbit to Lorien and Wyatt. They cannot get enough of the story and he makes the whole tale even more entertaining with character voices and suspenseful pauses. One of the first moments I knew I was head over heels in love with Will was seeing him take care of a baby. When we were dating I was singing in my ward choir in New Hampshire. The pianist had recently had a baby and was doing her best to keep practice going one Sunday with her baby at her side. Will was up from Boston and offered to take the little tyke while we practiced. No one saw or heard from Will or the baby for about 30 minutes. I stepped out to check up on them. I found Will in a near by classroom swaying back and forth with a sleeping, swaddled infant in his arms. I knew then and there that he'd be a great Dad and I would be more than happy to multiply and replenish the earth with him.

4. He wears T-shirts that say "Suck It Trebec" and "Size Does Matter". If that doesn't make you love a guy--I don't know what will.

I love you William James. Thanks for making me so happy! Happy Birthday to you--here's to another 90 years with me and eternity after that! (You know he feels super lucky when he reads that!)

A little of what I've been up to...

I've been taking a painting class for the last twelve weeks. Just once a week for a few hours, time to try and be creative. A million thanks to Angela, who babysat so I could paint (Thank you, thank you, thank you!). For the first six weeks we tried each painting medium: water color, acrylic and oil. In the last six weeks we got to focus on which ever medium we enjoyed (or wanted to get better at). I've painted with watercolors for a while and was excited about trying the other paints. Oil was my favorite, so I worked in oil for the last six weeks. Below is what I got done...
Admittedly--I am most proud of the first painting (a watercolor) and the last (in oil). The last one took me every session for the last three weeks. I think it turned out lovely. My least favorites are the strange fall landscape (in acrylic) and the oranges (in oil). The oranges painting is on this big 16x20 canvas and it is kind of too much. Don't tell Lorien, but the ballet slippers painting is going to be a birthday present for her. As you can see, I'm no professional but am thankful for a bit of time to be creative and work on something just for me.

Bocci--or Boules if you took French in Maine--

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Dave and Angela came over for dinner last night. Having spontaneous meals with family and friends has been a difficult accomplishment since we've added children to our household and moved away from most of our family. When Will and I were newly weds--and even when Lorien was little--we could call up a batch of friends saying "I have a bunch of hamburger patties and buns. Do you want to come over for a BBQ?" Everyone would say "Yes!" (Because who can turn down an invitation to the Anderson's Awesome House of Fun.) and bring along something to share. Some of my favorite memories are from patched together gatherings surrounded by good friends and pretty good food. I guess now that we have three kids all of our friends have at least three too and it is much harder to whip up a get together. Anyway, having Dave and Angela so close has made impromptu visits more manageable--it helps that they are a super cool family and a ton of fun to hang out with.

We ate hot dogs and salad while the kids jumped on the trampoline. Then the kids ate a few bites of dinner and jumped on the trampoline a little more. Will, Dave, Angela and I played a few rounds of Bocci--Dave and Angela won both times we played. It was a fun night and a nice time to catch up.

If anyone else is into impromptu gatherings, let me know! We'd love to have you over--but I cannot plan more than a few hours in advance.

Quotes from this evening...

Will and the kids are having a "Basketball Party". With the Celtics seconds away from their first National Championship in 22 years we are all pretty stoked. Like our Football Parties, the kids got treats for various achievements by the Celtics. A Good & Plenty or mini peanut butter cup for every steal, slam dunk or three pointer and a frosted mini donut (donettes) or Tootsie Roll if the Celtics were leading at the end of each quarter. Of course we set these rules not knowing that this would be the game where Ray Allen would tie the Championship three point record and the Celtics would break the Championship steal record. Thankfully, the Celtics made up for our sugar overload by simple lay-ups instead of the more entertaining slam dunk. Here are a few of the more memorable quotes from the evenings festivities:

All: "Slam dunk--uh, nope." "Three points!" "Steal!"

All singing with the crowd on TV: "Nah-na-na-na, Nah-na-na-na, Hey, Hey, Hey--Good Bye!!!"

Lorien after Daddy asks: "What's in your mouth?": "One of Momma's pills." (A Good & Plenty)

Wyatt with Daddy's arm draped over Wyatt's shoulder and waist: "This is my hairy seat belt."

I should mention here that I stepped out for a little R&R at the start of the game. The kids had been fighting for the last several hours and I was toast. When I left I mentioned to my hubby that the kids all needed baths and Wyatt could use a hair cut. When I came home I found all three of my darlings: cozyed up to Daddy on the couch, clean, pjammaed and styled. Wyatt sporting a sharp hair cut and Clare all done up in pig-tails. What a guy I've got!

School's out for summer...

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After 10 months of Kindergarten, topped off by a week of one activity after another, Lorien "graduated" from Kindergarten. Before I had a child "graduate" from Kindergarten, I thought the whole idea of Kindergarten "graduation" was pretty silly. It's Kindergarten for Peet's sake! But once I got to school on her "Kinder-Celebration" day I was so thankful for the "ceremony". In the days leading up to the celebration I was constantly on the verge of tears every time I saw the quickly emptying classroom walls. I couldn't believe how emotional I was about the end of Kindergarten! When Lorien headed out the door for her first day of school, I was more nervous than emotional. Would she make friends? Would she love school and learning? Would she like her teachers? Question after question filled my Momma brain causing worry and fret, leaving little room for sadness. I can tearfully report that I made up for that lack of emotion last week. I clapped with all the enthusiasm of a circus seal when she walked into the cafeteria and melted with pride when her class sang "Zip-idy-Do-Dah". The Kinder-Celebration was short and sweet topped off with an ice cream party at the play ground. Congratulations Lorien! I love you.

My Daddy is my favorite pal...

My Dad is a fun and very funny guy. He is chalk full of crazy stories from our childhood--think refrigerator box in the back of a pick-up truck and the fun a bunch of kids can have there. I got my Oreo and milk habit directly from him. He is generous and helpful. I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day!

Day Two...

Hey Babe,

I really hate sleeping alone. Some nights I go to bed before you do and fall asleep easily because I know you are in the house and will be snuggling up to me soon. Right now the house feels empty (even with three sleeping children in the rooms next to me) and it doesn't help that I have an over-active-imagination. The neighbors cats are running around our yard again and once I've convinced myself that the noise I hear is the cats--not some crazed lunatic out to slaughter me and my children--I wonder if the cats are crazed and are going to break into the house to scratch us to pieces! So, instead of falling soundly asleep at 10:00 I am up, playing solitaire and blogging...I miss you. Good thing you come home tomorrow night.

Our day went pretty darn well. I didn't get a shower but got Lorien to school on time (without leaving Wyatt and Clare home alone) and the house is VERY clean (a luxury I paid for). The kids got a real treat for dinner: Kid Cuisine. This is quite possibly the most disgusting food ever pre-processed and frozen into blue plastic trays. Who puts chocolate pudding in a container covered with plastic you're supposed to microwave for 90 seconds?!? The kids don't like this food, I have to force them to finish their meal just like it was homemade casserole. However, they've been 100% brainwashed by the commercials on TV. Even though they take one bite and pull a face like they've just licked the bottom of my oldest pair of flip-flops they still beg and plead to buy them when we go grocery shopping (I almost never give in).

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In addition to microwaveable dinners and school we finished our shopping for Father's Day and the birthday of our resident trampoline bouncing, wrestling, rat exterminating, hard working, super hunk (that's all you Babe). Good luck tomorrow!

Lone woman in the wilderness...

This one's for my husband, who is in Texas for a few days for work. I know how much you've missed the kids and wish you could be here for every fight, whine and argument going on. So I thought I'd use the blog to get you all caught up.

You left us around noon on Monday, the day after that went like any other. We got Lorien from school, Clare refused to take a nap--choosing to mess her pants instead. The big kids fought over who would be able to jump higher once they were as big as Daddy and I fought with the kids over how much dinner they had to eat before we could have FHE. We did manage to have an easy FHE. We sang our usual songs, read a few stories from the friend and roasted marshmallows over the BBQ. Through one miracle or another we managed to roast about 15 marshmallows (and by roast I mean hold in propane fueled flames until they caught fire and turned black) without burning the deck down or setting any one's hair a-blaze.

After getting covered in melted-mellow-matter the kids hit the tub. You know our tub: the gigantic Rubbermaid container with a crack in the bottom that I plug every seven days with hot glue and plastic bags, set in our oddly tub less shower stall--yhea, that tub. Well I got all three kidd-o's piled in there and just started the water running when Dave and Angela stopped by. Their pity-senses must have been tingling because they offered to take the kids out on a walk. Too bad they had to hang out in the dirty living room while I finished up the kids bath. Good thing our air conditioner was on or they might have taken one look at the mess and bolted. We all walked to the near by elementary school where the kids rode their bikes and played on the playground. (Thanks for the fun activity Dave and Angela!)

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It was straight to bed once we were home. I promised myself, as soon as the kids were in bed I would be Super-Homemaker and get the house clean in one hour before heading to bed at a very early hour...instead I sat on the couch and watched "Step it up and Dance" before taking the trash out and going to bed. --One Day Down, Two To Go!--

Sunday Picnic...

The weather has really warmed up again and the kids have been asking to take a picnic on some huge swath of grass somewhere under the shining sun. Today, after church, we packed a lunch and headed over to Stanford. When Will was doing his MBA we spent many a Sunday afternoon walking around Stanford. The campus is so beautiful! I absolutely love walking there, seeing the buildings, the church, the oval and the arches. The kids like to pretend they are going on different adventures in the trees and arches and playing different "don't step on the crack" games on the giant sidewalk stones.

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We took pictures by the big bronze numbers in the sidewalks around Memorial Church. I think the numbers are for the year of each graduating class but I am not sure. We just stood by the tiles that marked our ages.

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Do today's pictures seem a little unearthly to you? We all look like we are glowing. I thought the sun was just too bright...turns out, there was a finger print over our lens...makes for interesting pictures.

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