Does your Daddy think you should kiss creepy water-creatures?

Adell's Daddy thinks she should. I think this is going to come back and bite Adell's Daddy in the butt.

Isn't it amazing what parents can talk their kids into doing?

Wrapping up May--In August...

We were busy in May.

School was packed with end-of-the-year activities.

Our downstairs neighbors were particularly awful.

We started looking for a new place to live.

Busy, busy, busy.

So here is a quick wrap up of our May--journal style.

Wyatt did not wrestle very much this spring. Will was not able to coach this spring with things really picking up at work he did not have the extra time to coach and wrestle like last year. Wyatt did go to practices but did not compete in many tournaments. Wyatt did go to the last tournament of the season on the 21st of May.

As always, Wyatt worked hard and gave it his all. He did not end up winning a medal but we were all proud of him. The last match was his hardest. I had been watching this other little boy all through the tournament and wondering if Wyatt would get a chance to wrestle him. I thought they would be evenly matched. Wyatt and the other boy ended up in a tie--in which case the last person to score the most points with a move (1, 2 or 3 points) gets the win. The other boy had scored a 2 point move so he got the win. Wyatt was disappointed in loosing but it was a great match. One of my favorite parts of this match was the referee. Will has been coaching wrestling for several years so lots of people know Will and Wyatt in the wrestling circle in our area. This referee (a teenager) was trying to ref the match and not cheer Wyatt on. He knew Wyatt was wrestling his guts out and I could tell he wanted to clap Wyatt on the back after each round and say "Great job! You're going to win this one!" But the ref kept things on the up-and-up. After the match the ref did come over to Wyatt, land a big high-five and tell Wyatt he did a great job.

May also gave us Open-House Night at the kid's school. We spent two evenings learning about all the things Lorien and Wyatt learned in school this year.

Lorien shared facts about crayfish (or crawdads?), geometry, geography, her own island called "Lorien Land" and fractions. I loved seeing the kids classrooms decorated with all their class work.

Wyatt shared facts about terrariums, maps, number stories, poetry, caterpillars and himself! I have a love-hate relationship with the end of a school year. I look forward to the lack of daily schedule and so much family time with a joy I cannot describe. At the same time I feel a little depressed that another year is over and my kids are growing older. Is it possible for some one to welcome and dread the march of time?

The school also put on a Fine-Arts festival at the end of May. The kids got to display their best art work from the school year. Both Lorien and Wyatt had some lovely art up and I cannot wait to put it up at home.

Whew--May is over. Now to write about the summer!

Happy Mother's Day...

Mother's Day was a good day. Will and the kids really know how to take care of me. I got a nap--which is always awesome for a sleepy girl like me. I also got some fabulous cards, new pots and pans and a lot of love.

I don't know if you caught the news on Mother's Day this year but CNN named me "The best Mother in the World." Sweet!

Will and the kids made and decorated some super delicious cupcakes as my Mother's Day treat.

I always have mixed emotions about Mother's Day. I cannot escape the guilt of my short-comings as a Mother while at the same time feeling overwhelmingly grateful for my opportunity to be a Mother. I feel bad for the women I know who want to be mothers and are not (yet) and feel sad for the women who are mothers but don't want to be. Despite my mixed emotions on the subject of Motherhood I am so grateful for my children and husband who try their hardest to make Mother's Day special for me. I love the little stinkers.

Almost 5 Years Ago...

Almost 5 years ago my husband walked across the stage for GSB Graduating Class with our three small children in tow. Lorien was 4, Wyatt was 2 and Clare was a new born babe in his arms. Dean Joss handed Will his diploma while a packed crowd oohed and awed over our adorable children.

Almost 5 years ago we said goodbye to some fabulous friends as they went their separate ways after business school.

Last weekend the GSB held its reunion for Will's graduating class. We were able to meet up with many of our old business school friends and catch up.

5 years.

I'd say how crazy that is, or how unbelievable it is, but it sounds silly...

5 years.

Thoughts from Lorien...

From Lorien this morning on the drive to school:

"Once I made up a feeling that there was no word for that feeling yet--like excited, frustrated or happy. I called it the 'Orion Feeling'. I had to think of a feeling that meant happy, safe and excited. It was just that as soon as I would walk into the halls I would get that feeling...I would be so happy to see my friends and I knew I would be safe and I would be so excited about spending the day at Orion. And now I am starting to have the 'Orion Feeling' about Laurel. I cannot wait to see my friends!"

Orion was the school Lorien attended Kindergarten through 2nd grade. I thought it was so clever of her to try and come up with a word to describe the way she felt about school. She ran through her list of feelings and when nothing could encompass all that she felt, she came up with a word on her own.

Routine...

We've settled into a pretty steady routine around here.

Between 6:30 and 7:15 am we all wake up and eat breakfast. At about 7:37 I start hollering at the older children to get dressed and ready for school (some times they brush their teeth). Homework not completed the night before is quickly finished and lunches are packed. By 8:05 am we are headed out the door to drop the kids off at school.

The day time hours for the big kids are filled with reading, writing and arithmetic--happily provided by public school system. Clare, Adell and I fill our days with reading books, playing dollies, taking naps, chores, chores and more chores and errands or trips to the park. Some times Clare and I have a reading lesson or work out together. Some times we have play dates with friends or family.

By 3:15 pm the big kids are home. Our house is noisy and our downstairs neighbors may or may not choose to start blasting their music in audible retort. The big kids catch a break by getting to watch a show (or two) on PBS. Then it is on to home work and dinner prep.

Most days we are not eating dinner until 6:00 or 6:30 pm. And most days I am exhausted and wondering why I didn't take a nap at 11:00 with Adell? We chat about our days and I remind the kids to "take a bite" so they can finish their dinner before the Day of Judgement.

Some time between 7:15 and 7:30 Daddy comes home. The kids are beyond happy. They all run from every corner of our home yelling "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Even Adell lights up like a sparkler and comes tearing around furniture for her hug. The kids take turns leaping into Will's arms for a "jump-hug". It is a heart melting sight.

The chaos continues with an evening activity with Daddy--a board game, rough housing or a pillow fight. In case of the latter two--our downstairs neighbors (again) play their music super loud in response. Some time between the start of the music and the end of the game Adell goes to bed. She gets to have a story and a song with Daddy before snuggling in bed with her blankiees.

The big kids wrap things up with tooth brushing and "appreciates"--where Mom or Dad appreciate something they did well that day. Lorien, Wyatt and Clare are usually in bed by 8:30 pm.

Will and I spend the rest of the night catching up with each other, watching a TV show or working on separate projects for our various responsibilities.

And that is the day.

On another note--I made a grown woman cry today at the park. It is not as bad as it sounds. I was chatting it up with this sweet woman. She has a little girl Adell's exact age and a brand-spankin'-new baby boy.

So, she is fresh off the birth wagon with two children under the age of two and we are talking the ins and outs of motherhood. She asks me if my oldest two (the two closest in age) are good friends? I laugh and answer truthfully, "They are really good friends--and really good enemies." The next thing I know, she is crying.

Crap.

Why couldn't I just stop at "They are good friends!"? What is my problem??? I was probably jealous because this woman looked fantastic for any time of life--forget about having birthed a child one WEEK ago. I kid you not.

Anyway, I felt terrible and tried to comfort her. She was embarrassed saying she was just overwhelmed. I mumbled something about totally understanding and went off to push Clare on the swings.

I am a moron.

I am also overwhelmed and could have sobbed along with this poor lady at the drop of a hat. I am not pregnant and I have not given birth in a while. Life is just overwhelming right now. Will's company has been facing some scary challenges and I have had enough of work related challenges... I am sick of our downstairs neighbor's music and I am not sure when we will be able to get out of this apartment... The big kids are good friends and even better enemies and I have no idea how to improve their relationship...

So, in spite of falling into a pretty steady routine I don't feel settled at all.

Blech.

Oh hey, did you notice the pictures have nothing to do with this post? Just some fun picts. from a family park trip a couple of weeks ago.

Did You Have A Hoppy Easter?

We did too.

The Hills Are Alive...

Earlier this month we had a glorious cloud day. The day started out normally enough for California--blue sky and all--but way down south I could see mountains of billowing fluff building on the horizon. As the day wore on the clouds separated and moved their way over our heads. By the time the kids got out of school the clouds were calling my name--it was a very "Maria-from-the-Sound-of-Music" moment. I only wanted for a nuns habit and a wide open hill space so I could screech the birds out of their nests. Instead, I loaded up the kids and we drove out to find a good "cloud watching" spot.

Our first two attempts at stopping were thwarted by over-grown trees and a closed high way exit but the third time was a charm. The day was pretty windy, chasing the clouds over our heads before we got a good chance to call out the shapes we saw, but it was still beautiful.

Recently Wyatt has become Adell's Champion. She calls for Wyatt first thing in the morning--largely because he is the only one awake at 6:30 am and gives him lots of hugs. While we were taking our snack break Adell wanted to walk around. Wyatt dutifully carried her over the tall grass (she was afraid to walk over by herself) and walked her up and down the paths. Life is good when you are 1 and a 1/2 and you have a big brother wrapped around your finger.

Later Wyatt let Adell tear down part of the fort/dooms-day-survivalist-colony he had been building. He even appointed two sticks to be guns and one mangled branch to be the jail...

We had frozen blueberries and cookies for after-school snack--maybe not the best choice for a windy day. Lorien wore a skirt to school that day and was too cold to do much more than lay snuggled under a blanket.

I feel like we don't get enough of these kinds of cloudy days in California. Most days the sky is crystal clear blue--unless the quilt of fog is being pulled over the hills. Back East summer days were full of watching the sky as the clouds morphed into recognizable shapes. I love it when we have cloudy days like this in California.

A few things...

Whew, lots happened at our house at the end of March. Will and I celebrated our 11th anniversary, Clare turned five-years-old and Adell got pneumonia--so some highs and lows there.

First up, 11 years...really? I still feel like we are newly weds but 11 years is kind of a lot. 11 years feels like a bigger deal than our 10 year anniversary did. Maybe because of the movie "This is Spinal Tap"?

Nigel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...

Martin: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?

Nigel: Exactly.

Martin: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?

Nigel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?

Martin: I don't know.

Nigel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Martin: Put it up to eleven.

Nigel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.

Martin: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?

[Pause.]

Nigel: These go to eleven.

So, we are at eleven--we needed that extra push over the cliff.

Next up, this little girl has been ready for 5 since the day after she turned 4. She's been counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes.

She only wanted to celebrate at Chuck E. Cheese and get a million presents. Happily, we made one of her birthday wishes come true, we all got our cooties-vaccinations and had a family dinner at Chuck E. Cheese.

The million birthday presents didn't quite pan out but she didn't seem to notice. Clare is the sweetest, most agreeable little girl you'll ever meet. She is always happy and wants others to be happy too. She is a fun little sister and a kind big sister. We love her--to pieces.

Clare also got a TON of mail for her birthday. I guess that blog request for letters for Clare worked out pretty well. She is delighted to check the mail every day and respond to the letters she has been sent. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who took the time to write Clare a letter!

Last up: pneumonia for the baby. Ugh, I've never had a child so sick...never. It was frightening and frustrating at the same time. She had a crazy high fever and only wanted to be held by her Momma. I was happy to snuggle her as long as she wanted (all day) but wished snuggles from Momma were a more legitimate form of medicine. She was super sick for about three days--after that the antibiotics did their job and she was able to get up and about little by little.

Two weeks later she is right as rain--and causing as much trouble as ever--bless her little heart.

The land of Oz...

The Emergency Broadcast System just announced possible tornado weather for my county. The EBS advised me and my children to seek shelter in our basement--under a work bench--until the weather passes. Well blast-and-drat I don't have a basement--or a work bench. If we had a basement I would be huddled there in an instant. You see, the wind is whipping past our windows (on the third floor) at top speeds. I am expecting to see a hen house or Miss Gultch zip past any minute.

For now, my emergency preparations will have to consist of changing out of my pajamas and into jeans. If our apartment gets sucked up and I land on a witch I don't want the Munchkins thinking less of me for my pink-striped pants.

See you in Oz.