Fall Funnies

Henry met me after school one day with the news that he intended to wear a tuxedo with a bow tie and slicked back hair for his school picture.  I said we didn't own a bow time, and he reminded me that he once found and tried on the the one that Daddy wore in his wedding.  He told me he could make it super small to fit his neck.  A neighbor heard us and whispered that her son had a bow tie Henry could borrow.  They delivered two options, and Henry set off to his closet to select an ensemble.  He chose khaki pants with navy dogs embroidered on them, which I call his Doggy Pants. He wore a chambray tie with a blue plaid shirt under a navy sport coat.  He looked dapper.  Evelyn gave him trouble about his decision, and he got nervous the morning of Picture Day.  I talked to him about being an individual, and he proceeded with his plan.  I can't wait to see his photo!

I spoke with a woman yesterday with five grown children.  When her three-year-old son started preschool she was asked to stay after school to speak with the teacher about something her little boy had said.  When asked to say the magic word before receiving the snack, the student said to the nun who was his teacher, "You're thin. You're beautiful, and I'll love you forever!"  This was shocking to the teachers, but it made perfect sense to the mother.  She taught her little boy those magic words.  I shared the story with Henry at bedtime.  This morning, as he combed his hair for school, he said, "Mommy, you're fit, you're beautiful, and I'll love you forever!"  He's so sweet.  I liked the change he made in the statement, as having strong, healthy bodies is our emphasis.

He's also witty.  On a recent drive with the family, we got behind a large group of very slow bikers going uphill.  Robbie said, "What kind of biking group is this?"  I jumped on him.  "At least they are outside on a beautiful day getting some exercise!"  Henry chimed in, "Yeah, Dad.  At least they're not lying on the sofa looking up trees."  Robbie has been on a multi-week, too many hours of iPad time to count, research effort for the perfect shade trees to plant in our backyard.  Robbie's tree hunt has been a joke in our family lately.

The big girls baked a from scratch, three-layer, vanilla/carrot cake/chocolate cake for Uncle Ryan's 39th birthday dinner last weekend.  Evelyn interviewed him on his likes, then they selected recipes and baked/decorated for three hours on a Sunday.  Everyone loved it.  They have developed a wonderful reputation for their baking skills.  I'm so proud of them.  Evelyn said, "Baking is my joy."  I used to joke with friends that baking muffins for my kids always made me feel like a better mom.

Vivian has been providing her 1st grade teacher with an endless vase of garden Zinnias.  When the flowers die, Vivian brings home the empty vase, takes scissors to the garden, clips away, and arranges another bouquet.  She's such a sweetie.  She gets to try a gymnastics class soon, and she is ecstatic.  She's the only child not in an organized activity.  All day school has taken a toll on her after-school mood and energy level.

Our fall Saturdays are now packed with 5th and 8th grade cross-country meets for the big girls (they each placed top 10 in their last races), 2nd grade flag football for Henry (which he LOVES), and a first season of soccer for Miss Evelyn.  Her improvement from novice to an aggressive and more knowledgeable soccer player after only three games has amazed us.  Grandpa Mike is helping coach cross country, so that has been wonderful.  He went to a Royals game with Robbie and the big girls last night with great tickets Robbie was given by a friend.  They had fun.

Pickle Stick's Life of Luxury

"Ev, you should be able to wear that jersey your whole life!", Henry just told his sister.  She came home from school with a soccer jersey so huge that it hangs out of her shorts when tucked into them.  It fits me.  The kicker is that it even fits her dad!!  This morning, at age 10 and in the 5th grade, Evelyn will have her first soccer game.  It rained a lot last night, so I hope the fields are ok.  She's excited because after being inspired by the story of the KC Royals lucky streak after discovering a praying mantis in their dugout, she obtained one for her new team.

Evelyn is my little thinker.  She searched online and found an insect seller.  The cost of purchasing a praying mantis was rather significant.  The shipping alone was $8.99.  I went through my usual rationalization with her..."That doesn't seem like a good value."  She was undeterred.  She wrote me a letter.

Please Consider

The reason I should get a praying mantis:

* It would make me happy.
* It would make my team happy.
* It would give the company some business.
* It would help our garden.
* It has very good reviews. (on Amazon)
* It had a 5-star rating.
* It is super cute.

Evelyn is super cute.  I encouraged her to search her yard for an insect pet.  I researched the life span, and explained that adults only live 3 to 6 months.  "Three to six months!!!  That's long!"  She wanted one, and she was willing to foot the bill.  She ran a pop-up flower stand with bouquets from our garden this summer, and she has had some babysitting jobs helping Olivia.  Plus, she saves the portion of spending money that is reserved when grandparents send birthday money.  I decided, well, what can it hurt?  I told her that insects are very fragile, and I expressed concern that the praying mantis could be accidentally killed by Henry.  "Mom, if it dies that will teach me a lesson about wasting money."  I was sold.  Ev was ecstatic.

My poor gal ran a fever over 102 this week, and she was home sick from school when the special delivery arrived.  She pulled out all sorts of praying mantis habitat items, coconut fibers (We still don't know what they are.), greenery, leaves, and a jar of live flies.

This new Overlease pet, Pickle Stick, has been a total hit.  I found the kids in the loft with Vivian's Pet PAWlace.  The praying mantis was in the golden sparkle swing and got to climb on the palace slide.  They said he rode the fake plastic giraffe.  They even put him in a Loving Family doll house double stroller and wheeled him across the carpet.  This morning he was on the the mini iPad screen, and he appeared to be moving through a Minecraft "world".  Pretty hilarious!  He eats live fruit flies, which is pretty disgusting.  They recorded him and put him in a Video Star movie, complete with effects and music.  He also got to climb a hot pink Eiffel Tower that I brought home from Paris.  He is living the high life.

Evelyn intends to take him to her soccer game.  We'll see how much luck he brings to the girls.  Thus far, he has brought joy to these children.

Birthday Wishes and Creative Expression

Today is Henry's 8th birthday.  Evelyn and Vivian were talking about how much they want a dog.  Evelyn shared that she wished for a dog on her birthday in April.  She said she wishes that every birthday!  She asked Viv if that was her wish too.  Her response was awesome!  "No, I wished to fly.  That's what I always wish."  Oh, that is a good one.

This morning Henry opened an astronaut costume.  He really wanted a helmet too, so he got out our packing tape and fashioned our globe topped plastic lettuce keeper into a space helmet, complete with  mask.  He and Viv posed together, and I think it may end up being a favorite pic of their sibling friendship.  Over the weekend he marked her forehead with a cross similar to what we Catholics receive on Ash Wednesday.  He used green pool cue chalk.  I love the impulsive creativity.

The First Day of School - Mommy's New Normal

Wednesday, August 24, 2016 - Today is BIG!  Robbie and I just walked our four children to the first day of school.  Mr. Steve, the crossing guard, commented on how much the children have grown over the summer.  The big girls went into the gym to wait with their friends for the bell, declining a photo by the classroon door with the new grade-level teachers.  We walked Vivian to her 1st grade classroom with Mrs. Ledom, and I was hit with emotion.  My baby will be at school all day with her older siblings this year, and the tears started rolling.  I tried to control myself for sweet, happy Vivian's sake, but along the tears rolled.  She's in fine hands, but I will miss her something fierce.  Our time together last year during half-day kindergarten was so special.  We'd walk home for lunch hand-in-hand with birds singing.  We'd meet friends for picnic park lunches.  We spent a lot of time snuggled up with storybooks.  She was my little companion on the necessary errand outings.  Even at home as I prepped dinner or completed household tasks, she'd play in her joyful way.  I think sometimes she relished the quiet while the older siblings were at school.

Henry has grown a lot this summer, and he has a short haircut like Robbie.  He looked so handsome, my little man, in his glasses, brand new running shoes and school uniform today.  He was a little shy with his teacher, Mrs. Thomas, but he showed his good heart.  Yesterday, we made banana oat appleasauce muffins together, and he greeted her with the homemade treat in the classroom.  He's a good boy.

So here I am after a lovely summer with my children.  The house is so quiet.  I feel kind of sad and weapy, but only because I miss my children.  At this point it is easy to romanticize having them all under the roof.  I can forget about how they fought over certain island chairs or complained about the chores that were required of them this summer.

It was a good summer.  We grew a garden, and the girls had a flower bouquet business.  The children were all on a swim team, and we experienced many swim meets with kiddos on pre-competitive and competitive teams.  Everyone enjoyed many baseball games watching Henry's team win a seaon and a tournament.  We vacationed to Michigan with family and spent each day at the Lake Michigan beach.  We climbed amazing sand dunes and took a canoe trip on a river.  We took Aunt Dana from Dallas to the Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City, which was amazing.  The chldren had a lot of sleepovers, movie outings and pool time with the grandparents, who moved here in May to be close to us.  They road crazy fast go-carts in Branson.  Henry and Vivian went off the high dive at the city pool for the first time this summer with friends.  We spent time with cousins and saw old friends from out-of-state.  It was a good summer.

Now, a new chapter begins for me, the mother.  With the children in school from 8 am to 3:30 pm daily, I will need to adjust.  For the moment, since they naturally are dismissed before noon on this first day, I am going to relax in the quiet for a bit.  I'll even read some Dr. Zhivago during the DAY!  Maybe I'll even stay awake!  The next few months will afford me an opportunity to reflect on how to contribute to the community around me in a rewarding and meaningful way.  I can tackle a few necessary organization type home projects without feeling like I am ignoring my children. I've had little ones underfoot for over 13 years, so I can take a breather if I need one.  When school is dismissed, I will greet my children with joy in my heart, and we will take off with after school activities like piano, cross-country, soccer for Evelyn, and flag football and fall baseball for Henry.

My favorite prayer comes to mind, we said it on the way to school this morning, and I think it may be my mantra as I adjust...
"May today there be peace within.  May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be..."

Spring Days - Park and Farm Adventures

We have had some gorgeous weather in Kansas City lately, and the kids have taken full advantage of it.  We arrived at our favorite hidden gem of a park recently, and I spied some tiny tots on the play equipment.  I said to Henry, "Now, you can't run around like a bull in a china cabinet, Son.  There are little kids here."  We had a lot of fun.  As we left hours later, Henry said, "See!  I told you I wasn't a buffalo in a cage in China!!"  The big girls and I got a big laugh out of that, and Henry got a lesson in word expressions.  We spent another morning at the same park with two families of friends, and the girls and I got to hold baby Evelyn.  Olivia upstaged me by getting the sweet baby to fall asleep in HER arms.  The sunshine felt amazing, and the temperature was perfect.  The children played for hours.

Yesterday we spent the day at a friend's family farm where eleven children and three moms got to kayak, canoe, hike, and fish.  It was a very pretty day, but quite windy.  During lunch we heard a loud bang, and it was discoverd that the 4'+ wide door to the storage area under the deck had slammed shut, bending the iron bar to jam the door stuck.  The moms were trying to figure out how to get the enormous door open when we had very little space to work in the area near the latch.  I suggested we remove the door from its hinges.  Tools were obtained, and we set about banging hinge pins and loosening bolts that obstructed the pin removal.  The door was HEAVY, so we used 2x4s as levers to position the door as needed.  Three of us were at work, and it was like any unexpected predicament...nothing went smoothly with the fix.  At one point during all of this, a young boy started crying loudly.  His mother was stuck inside the shed with just her sad face peeking out to the boy who needed a hug.  Next, a boy appeared with a triple fish hook stuck in the top of his shoe and laces.  As the mother, who shall remain nameless, struggled with a giant door and stuck pin hinges, he announced matter-of-factly that he had also peed himself in the course of his fishing adventure.  Mothers stifled their laughter.  Moments later children on the deck started yelling that they had caught a big catfish.  Of course, the hook was huge and stuck in the fish's mouth and cheek.  I ran down to the dock with pliers and decided there was no way I was going to mess with that gross fish.  I suggested Evelyn take charge, and she tried.  Soon, all of the kids surrounded that poor fish.  Nobody could dislodge the hook.  Finally, a 12-year-old girl sent the newly lip pierced fish on his way after cutting the fishing line.  One of the kids asked if leaving a hook in a fish would hurt, and we commented on how lucky we are that fish can't scream in pain.  During this a little boy approached me asking for help removing burrs from his shorts too.  We moms laughed and laughed at the string of events that were all crammed into the minutes that we had to deal with the three woman shed door job.  We fixed the door's latch and rehung it good as new, and no moms or children were crushed in the process.  Success!

Overall, everybody had a really fun day.  Vivian wore her cowgirl boots.  Henry found all of the mud that the farm had to offer and felt very accomplished after his first solo kayak experience.  He cast with the fishing pole without lodging a hook in the head or eye of anyone else.  Olivia and Evelyn had fun with several friends.  We returned home smelling like the great outdoors and thankful for hot showers and no ticks.

Dirty Bread for All

Last weekend after we sat down in our pew at mass an usher asked Robbie if our family would present the gifts.  After the collections basket is passed, a family carries the water, wine, Eucharistic hosts/bread, and money in a basket to the priest at the front altar.  This used to create unimagineable anxiety for us as parents of toddlers.  Each child wanted to hold something made of crystal containing wine or filled with the bread of Christ.  However, now that the youngest Overlease is five years old, our worries are few.   The children really enjoy this ministry.

We took our places at the back of the church and each child was given something to carry.  As we neared Fr. Storey,  our new pastor, Henry tilted the gold dish of hosts, and the big one that the priest using during the consecration of the gifts tumbled (in what seemed like freeze frame slow motion!!) to the ground.  Before Robbie or I could do a thing, our quick thinking young son snatched it up and put it back into the dish with all of the other small, clean ones.  I was mortified.  We were kind of in the spotlight, as the saying goes, and it was not a good moment in time.  Fr. Storey took it with a grain of salt and a chuckle and told us not to worry about it.  I think he even made a little joke, but it was lost on me in my state of stress.  The big girls realized Henry's error, but Henry seemed to wonder what in the world was wrong with Mommy and Daddy for worrying so much.  Afterall, he picked up what he spilled!  Once back in our seats, I whispered that if the bread ever spills again, he should pick it up and hand it to the priest separately.  Yet again, this story falls into the category of things that I never thought to tell my children not to do.

"When I grow up, I am going to live ALONE!!!!!!!!!!"

Last night I went to a parenting talk on Supporting Positive Behavior.  Many of the women there had very young children and babies.  I was the mother present with the oldest children, and I had been in the moms' group the longest.  As I listened to the struggles described and strategies suggested I was struck by the notion that it really does get easier.  The age of reason makes a huge difference in our success as parents.  Children do reach a point where they do what is right because they know it is right.  However, my days are not filled with smooth sailing.  Last night someone was crying in frustration about elementary school homework, and somehow dirty dishes were again left on the table, rather than being cleared and put into the dishwasher.  Patience is my constant prayer.  Over the weekend Henry had a whole day where he felt totally outnumbered by his sisters.  He was not a happy guy, and he acted out with crying and some screaming.  Robbie and I dealt with this by giving Henry some time to cool off alone in his room.  At one point, he articulated his utter frustration amazingly succinctly.  He made the following declaration with a voice that rose in volume and intensity with each word, "When I grow UP, I am going to live ALONE!!!!!!!!!"  His voice thundered.   We ran into Fr. Larry that evening, and he almost fell over he laughed so hard at that story.  He has two older sisters, so he tells Henry that he prays extra for him, having three.

Vivian is in birthday party planning mode.  She suggested a roller skating party, and I told her that when the sisters did that they were older.  I said that I wasn't sure it would go very well for 5 and 6-year-olds to roller skate.  "Oh, we'd have a falling over party?"

Fun Times with Pete the Cat

Today when I picked up sweet Vivian from half-day kindergarten she excitedly informed me that she is now an official member of Pete the Cat's Shoe Tying Club.  She even received a License to Tie.  If little classmates can't tie their shoes, then they can ask a friend with a license.  Vivian had to demonstrate her shoe tying skills today to receive this recognition.  She's pretty happy!  She's such a big girl now.

Henry got a great book for Christmas (from me) called Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life.  In the book quotes are shared from famous people throughout history.  Henry did not recognize some of the authors.  After reading, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighitng a hard battle." by Plato, Henry said, "Play-Doh, that's cool."  I said, "No.  Plato.  He was a philosopher."  My son replied with, "Cool, a velociraptor?"  It was like a Who's on First skit.  He did the same velociraptor thing with a Confucius quote.  Henry's favorite quote was by Helen Keller.  "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."  I used Wayne Gretzky's, "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take," on Henry after his decision to try something somewhat scary and new resulted in a really cool opportunity.  I commended him on taking a chance.

Our Advent Experience

The thing I've sadly discovered about this family blogging process is that as the children get older, sharing our funny family happenings would often compromise their privacy.  It has been months since I shared, but I want to share our advent experiences before 2015 ends.

The Nutcracker auditions for Olivia and Evelyn were in August, and they were both cast and started rehearsing Sept. 1st.  Their final show was on Dec. 23rd.  At times if felt like ballet classes and Nutcracker would take over our family's life.  The girls rehearsed all those months with only two weekends free.  Early morning cross country meets added to the Saturday schedule in the fall.  Even with the blessings of carpooling for ballet, it was overkill.  There are few opportunities for children in which they get to work so closely with professionals, and they absolutely love dancing in the Nutcracker on the grand Kauffman Center stage.  The end result was spectacular.  It was exciting to volunteer with my young dancers backstage and see the newly designed costumes worn by professional dancers up close.  However, with our schedule so full, it was important to remain mindful of the true reason for the season.

Journey to Judea at Countryside Baptist Church was an evening walk outdoors through time and the land of Jesus, which culminated with the birth of the Lord.  The actors were at about ten stations, and there were live animals among them.  At one point a Host of Heavenly Angels somehow appeared behind us on a choir stand and surprised us with a song.  The message of the night was of the beauty of God's gift to us through baby Jesus, and ultimately his promise of eternal life for those who believe.  Henry said it was the best thing he'd ever done in his whole life, and he wanted to go 100 times.  The weather was pretty mild, and their wood fires burning at each stop warmed us.  Robbie and I thought it was amazing.

For years we have heard about Christmas at Resurrection, which is a lovely full-out musical production at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood.  We took Mom and Mike.  There were actors on stage with a choir 100+ strong behind them.  A narrator helped portray the meaning of Christmas as actors performed while beautiful Christmas songs with over 20 hand bell musicians entertained us.  There were giant screens on stage, and the sets were professional.  The second act led us up to the birth of baby Jesus, complete with a live baby who didn't even cry.  I was moved to tears during the song Mary Did You Know, as Mary's life as Mother of God was portrayed. The song began with Jesus' birth in a stable, then a little boy actor appeared (like Vivian).  Before long a big boy Jesus (like Olivia) walked with his mother.  Next, Mary was filled with despair as she watched her only son carry a cross to his death by crucifixion.  It made me instantly mindful of the fleeting time we parents have with our children.  The days are long, but the years go quickly.  Tiny Tim sang a solo of Let There Be Peace on Earth.  The small child's voice was slowly joined by the actors, and finally the enormous choir sang along.  The effect was very moving.  We were so thankful for the experience.

My father has a nativity set with a stable that he built for his mom.  He earned paper route money to buy the figurines, and it has been part of his Christmas tradtion ever since.  I purchased a plastic Little People nativity set when Olivia was little, and the kids had a ball with it.  I've been on a search for the perfect set for several years, and this year I finally found one that I loved.  I brought it home, and the kids were totally ecstatic!  Their little hands were all over the camel and Jesus and the wise men, and I thought the pieces would break before we put them in the stable.  When Robbie got home, they rushed to the door shouting," Mommy has a surprise!".  Then the little ones said, "We have Jesus!!!"  They were jumping up and down.  I have felt so happy with this new and very special addition to our holiday decorations.

I have an amazing Catholic friend, Katie, who has enlightened me with many experiences for which I am so thankful.  Among them, for our second time, we visited the Little Sisters of the Lamb at the Lumen Christi Monastery in Kansas City, Kansas to sing Christmas carols and share treats.  The sisters come from many parts of the world, and the little brothers are monks.  They live a life of poverty and their aim is to bring the Lamb of God to the poorest of the poor.  They are so meek and kind.  My heart was warmed by our time with them, and I love when my children converse and pray with them.

Olivia asked me to reach out to my friends to see if they needed her babysitting services, because she wanted to earn money to give her family members Christmas presents.  I obliged, and she had several jobs before Christmas.  The little kids made paper gifts and crafts for all of us, and that resulted in a trememndous number of presents under the tree.  Henry strung jingle bells to make Evelyn a bracelet, and he wrapped it in a shoebox.  Big boxes made an impact.  Vivian asked to shop for a gift for Evelyn at the Catholic Book Store, because, "Ev is the MOST holiest person I know."  She gave her a small statue of Mary and Joseph lovingly standing over infant Jesus.  Viv made a book for Ev that talked about FAF (faith) and had crosses and Jesus drawn.  Their hearts are good.

Our family hosted one of our parish priests for dinner right before Christmas.  We enjoyed a meal and shared stories and prayers around our dining table.  Robbie and I were so grateful for some of the points Father shared with our children about the value of parents requiring discipline and order.  The children behave quite well, with the exception of Henry announcing that one of his sisters (whom he named to our priest) toots a lot.  "Son!!  Enough."

During a nightime drive, Henry saw a yard decoration of the holy family's outline in white lights.  He said that he thought it was the perfect combination of the true meaning of Christmas, baby Jesus, and Christmas light decorations.

On Christmas Eve, Robbie went to the church early with Olivia to stake out a pew for our family.  I stayed home to get the little ones ready.  When Henry saw his suit and tie he absolutely flipped out.  He threw a major, and extremely loud, tantrum just as Robbie was texting me that I needed to get to church pronto as he couldn't find six seats in a row for us.  At one point, in an attempt to shake some sense into my out of control son, I said to our Elf on the Shelf, "Porton!  Do you hear Henry?  Make sure you report back to Santa about his behavior tonight."  Henry, sobbing, finally said, "Daddy isn't wearing a suit."  Daddy was wearing a lovely cashmere sweater, but Henry was right.  I explained to my boy that if he communicates his thoughts to me in a calm and mature manner, then I am often willing to reconsider my original position.  Tantrums only aggravate me.

Christmas morning, Henry appeared at our bedside at 4:25 am talking at high speed and in full volume.  "Mom, there is a present in Santa paper wrapped in the shape of a pogo stick.  AND...I didn't get coal in my stocking!  Presents are sticking out.  Remember my tantrum last night?  Santa still brought me presents.  Hee hee.  I think that's because Santa understands little boys, and Santa understand that little boys don't like suits.  Viv ran upstairs crying, because she thought she got coal.  She didn't see any presents coming out of her stocking like mine."  I snuggled him under the warm covers and told him to stop talking becasue it was not 5 am.  He told us he just couldn't wait any longer to look under the Christmas tree.  He was too excited for Christmas morning.

The children had breakfast with St. Nick earlier in December, and they gave him a gift idea.  Vivian wanted a Hammerhead shark stuffed animal.  Olivia suggested a snow globe.  Henry said he'd like to get a Pogo Stick.  Evelyn said she didn't know.  On Christmas morning, Santa gave each child their special gift.  Evelyn received an OSMO that attaches to our iPad for learning fun, and she was thrilled.  She told me she really wanted that for Christmas until she learned the price.  She's so practical that she withdrew her request.  Henry and Evelyn are pretty generously sharing their toys from Santa.  Evelyn is the official Pogo Stick pro of the family. She's pretty impressive.

Our church is still celebrating the Christmas season.  The focus at mass was on the holy family.  I continue to pray, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin in our family."  Robbie and I just designed a large wooden sign of family values and mottos that an Etsy lady made for us.  It was pretty funny when Daddy was getting frustrated during the process of hanging it, and Olivia said, "Dad, Number 7."  Have Patience.

Summer, summer, summertime

We love the slower pace of summer, but we parents believe some morning structure motivates our children to be productive in anticipation of later fun.  We created a chart that the kids are expected to work through prior to any screen privilege, playdate, or entertainment outing....pool/park/adventure.  Today is Sunday, and we went to Saturday evening mass.  At 6 am little Vivian's soft voice said at my bedside, "Is this a day I need to do my push-ups and jumping jacks?"  From me, hardly ready to wake up, but cognizant of how hilarious that question sounded coming from a tiny five-year-old, "no."  I then heard the excited pitter-patter of her fast feet on the hardwoods in route to the living room.

My mom and Mike stayed with us for about a week recently.  One of the most stressful aspects of having houseguests is that when my youngest two wake up, they run to my my bedroom to snuggle me.  They run to my bedroom around 6 am!  It sounds like drums beating or even rapid gunfire.  I talked to Henry and asked him if he thought he could walk so softly that I would be absolutely started when he appeared in my room.  "Can you sneak up on Mommy and really scare me?!"  It worked for one morning.

Henry is a mama's boy, and he has it in his head that he will never marry and always live with us.  He modified his plan to include the priesthood, but I'm fairly confident he doesn't understand that endeavor would require him to move out of the house.  He told me, "When you and Dad die, this house is ALL mine."  Robbie overheard him tell Viv the same a day later.  I'm glad he likes the new home enough to want it.  He misses the small house and tiny room he shared with Vivian, because her presence made him feel safe.  He sleeps with his sheet, and sometimes even his quilt, wrapped around his head in fear.  He gets mighty sweaty, and I worry he will smother.  Really.  I've pleaded with him to leave an air hole for his face, and we all joke that this makes him look like a nun.  Honestly, it makes the kid look like a nun!!  It is hilarious.

Olivia spent a week at a Catholic summer camp, and she shared that the high point of the experience was when a few counselors prayed over her for Great Grandma Gloria.  She sought out the experience after observing them praying with other campers.  She felt very moved.  I'm so happy that her heart is open to experience Christ in such a unique setting surrounded by other young people.  I hope she recognizes the tremendous privilege.  We will soon experience Family Camp, and that is sure to be memorable.

Evelyn has been her dynamic, amazing self this summer.  She rises and immediately works through her chores chart.  She's ALWAYS the first child finished.  She's cutting the time it takes her to complete her 800 m run through pure grit and determination.  In the last few days alone, she has independently, with no prompting whatsoever, asked if she could please clean and vacuum our van, wash the windows on our sliders with a million panes, sweep the floor, and fold laundry. "Mommy, do you need help with anything?"  Amazing.  She has also arranged a classroom in our basement, and she has hosted neighborhood students for a true learning experience.  She was asked by dear friends of ours to work with their 3-year-old son, who is blind, on his Braille this summer.  She lives for that one hour per week!  Her heart is so big, and we are so proud of her.

Robbie and I celebrated 15 years of wedded bliss on July 1st.  Olivia is capable of babysitting her siblings, so we enjoyed a lovely French dinner that night.  Mom and Mike arrived the next day, and they let us get away for a day and a half.  We stayed at a nice place in the Plaza, dined outdoors, took in several art galleries in the streets of downtown, art/antique/treasure shopped, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  I was with my mom in a shoe store recently, and a chatty salesman shared that as empty nesters he and his wife figured out that they actually really like one another a lot.  Robbie and I are the same.  He's the greatest blessing in my life.  Without our love, we would not have our sweet children.  We are so happy together.

Florida Fun

Our summer vacation has come and gone, and June has just begun.  We flew to Florida and spent a weekend in Ft. Myers with Mom and Mike in their condo.  We got to see the lanai that Mom enjoys so much, and it was very nice.  Their place has a water view of a pretty river, and we all spent a lot of time out there enjoying it.  Saturday was packed with adventures to The Shell Factory to see animals and a trip to Sanibel Island's Bowman's Beach.

We loved our afternoon at the beach, and the kids had a magical experience pulling live 9-armed sea stars and many sand dollars out of the sand that was underwater.  They kept finding bigger and bigger ones.  We were shocked that the odd creatures with bristles did not give the little kids the creeps.  Out on a sandbar Henry had a handful of large ones when their legs started unexpectedly falling off.  I was approaching Robbie and the big three kids and witnessed Henry flip out and chunk several sea stars back into the water.  Even Robbie said that the defense mechanism of rapidly losing limbs was unsettling.  We combed the beach for neat shells and enjoyed the warm gulf water.  Henry gave us a tremendous laugh in the restroom by discovering a plentitude of crushed sea shells coating a certain bodily extremity.

After mass north of North Ft. Myers in which the children were four of only five children present in a large sanctuary, we headed toward Tampa and stopped in Apollo Beach to visit Ryan and Kendra Conlon for lunch.  They just moved into a new home with water access from a backyard dock, and it was great for the kids to see a different kind of neighborhood.  Aunt Kendra had not met Henry and Vivian, so they got acquainted.  From there we drove into Orlando and checked into the resort.

Santa gave Olivia the set of seven Harry Potter books, and Robbie agreed to read them with the big girls since they were a bit afraid.  The little ones and I have listened to part of what has been read aloud (or on audio cd) over the last five months.  Robbie got the kids the movies, so it has been Harry Potter world around our home since Christmas.  After an intense push, we finished the final book in Orlando before we got to the condo.  For Henry's birthday he received a magic Harry Potter wand, Harry's glasses, Quidditch uniform PJs, and a golden snitch (a special part of the Quidditch game).  He has been convinced that he is almost Harry Potter.

Monday we entered The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.  The children got to ride the Hogwarts Express train from King's Cross Station in London to Hogsmeade Station.  The cool part of this experience was walking through a brick wall at the special Platform 9 3/4 (only visible to witches and wizards) to board the magical train.  The areas at Universal looked just like the scenes from the movies, and the kids recognized it all.  Henry used his May birthday money to buy Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig and a light-up broomstick.  We went into a shop that sold the long black uniform robes worn by the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  They were over $100 and would have been heat stroke inducing in the Florida heat.  However, the kind sales folk encouraged Henry to don a robe and tie.  He posed with his wand, and pure joy was on his face and shining in his blue eyes.  He told us that he was almost fully Harry Potter.  He just needed Uncle Anthony or Uncle Ryan to give him a rotten little cousin (like Harry's cousin Dudley).  My little Henry Potter was in heaven.

In the Harry Potter stories there was a man named Ollivander who helped the right magic wand in his shop pick Harry.  "The wand chooses the wizard."  We entered Ollivander's wand shop, and from the group of guests he selected Olivia as the young witch for whom he would let a wand pair up with her.  When she tried the first two wands she caused a thunderstorm and bells rang.  When she was handed the Vine wand, magical music played and a light shone on Olivia's head.  Her siblings were in absolute awe!  It was a really special privilege since she has been so immersed in reading the Harry Potter books.

Although we routinely explain to our children that their souvenir on vacations in the memory of the wonderful experiences we provided (not more stuff), Daddy was so enamored by the Harry Potter books that he indulged the children in some spending money for use in the shops from Diagon Alley.  They were so happy and grateful.

We went on wild roller coaster rides, and the thrills were many.  Evelyn is a smart one.  She'd let Henry ride with Robbie and Olivia while I waited with too short, 40.5", Vivian in the Child Swap room.  If Henry entered the room after the ride shell shocked or crying, then she'd pass on riding when it was Mom's turn.  There were amazing 3D effects with Transformers and villains from Spider-Man.  We were put into the worlds of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and many Harry Potter scenes.  It was really fun.

After all six of us rode one ride we emerged into a high system of complex rope nets that were designed for climbing on various levels.  Henry was beyond thrilled.  He took off like a maniac running through rope tunnels.  We caught him and told him to slow down for safety.  However, in a minute he was lost.  We split up to search.  We looked and looked.  We called, "Henry."  I went to the bottom to wait at the slide exit.  Robbie climbed to the top to search from the highest level for Henry's bright orange shorts and lime green shirt.  No Henry.  Olivia kept trying to leave me to find him, and I was scared to death we'd lose her too.  It took way too long, and we were frightened he had somehow passed us and left the net area to quickly disappear into the terribly dense crowd in the park that day.  However, as I strained to scan over my head into the layers of nets for Henry a worker guy approached with crying Henry and calmly said, "Hey, here she is."  Henry told him his mommy had curly brown hair, a hat, a black skirt and pink top.  He said I told him to ask a worker to call my cell phone if he got lost.  I was so thankful to see my son safe and sound, but I was so mad at him for not listening, scaring us to death, and putting himself in harm's way.

The kids were thankful for us parents.  They said they were glad we didn't smell like rotten baby milk, sweat, toots, or dog food.  Honestly, the heat did not do many grownups any odor favors.  The people watching opportunities were extraordinary.  Evelyn is very straight laced in her opinions about wardrobe and bodily adornments.  However, at age 9 she was more discrete than during our trip to Disney World two years ago.

We had fun at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for three days.  We spent over 11 hours, and up to 12 in the parks each day.  The 4 lbs. of buffalo jerky that Robbie made in KC provided us a great protein source for our lunches.  Grandpa Mike, Ryan and Kendra joined us Thursday, and it was really enjoyable to share the kids' favorite parts of the park with them.  They bought the kids Butter Beer, a cream soda treat with butterscotch frothed cream on top, which was famous in the Harry Potter series.  We had a rain free park day, and the lines were short.

We spent two afternoons at the resort pools with a water slide and a trip on the lazy river.  Our last day in Florida I convinced my tired husband to drive us an hour plus to Cocoa Beach.  This was the sight of Henry's Memorial Day disappearance after chasing birds in 2013 in which Beach Patrol rescued him from walking away from our umbrella through the heavily populated beach crowd.  I was nervous to tempt fate, but I longed for the ocean waves in that warm water.  Robbie rented an umbrella, beach chairs, and two boogie boards.  The children took turns trying to catch big waves.  I think that last afternoon in Florida was my favorite of our whole trip.  We weren't the least bit hot with the ocean's breeze and the perfect water.  I could have stayed for hours and hours.  However, despite our efforts to cover our skin with rash guards and my one-piece swimsuit, we all managed to get a bit red in one spot or another.  The kids had odd abrasions from the boogie boards.  On a nearby beach in the city of Cocoa Beach the next morning, a boy's leg was severely bitten by a shark in waist to chest-deep water, just like the depth at which we played Saturday.  Shocking!

The huge difference with this family vacation was that the kids were old enough to be truly helpful with all of the luggage in the airport.  We have good rolling bags with swivel wheels, and they each took charge of one suitcase.  It was really a breeze.  Robbie was not completely overloaded, and they followed us like little ducklings.

We all enjoyed some southern sunshine, time with loved ones, and wonderful outings.  We are so blessed.

Son, Oh Son.

Sometimes I joke that God gave me just one son because he knows what I can handle.

We have a certain night of the week in which Evelyn finishes ballet class, Olivia has to be at ballet class, and Henry (and his friend with whom we carpool) must be at a local park for soccer all at the same time.  This creates a major challenge, and our timeline must be precise to insure timeliness.  At the exact minute that the kids were supposed to load into the van, I heard a most tremendous crash inside the garage.  It sounded like the whole house shattered.  I opened the door to find Henry with his eyes wide and his mouth open in utter disbelief.  Glass, loads of it, was shattered all over our garage floor.  His soccer ball was on top of our glass recycling bin, and he had accidentally pulled the entire tub full of glass off a four foot high shelf.  It crashed down, and by the grace of God did not cut him.  My first question was, "Are you hurt?"  When he shook his head no and apologized, I said, "Get in the van."  I was totally calm.  Thankfully, I had parked in the driveway, and the garage door was shut.  We had no danger of glass in those tires.  I then made the dreaded call to Robbie, as he was heading to his parking spot in the garage, and explained that the entire area was covered in shattered glass.  When I texted a picture to my friend, she got a good laugh and responded that it looks like we drink a lot.  I imagine I will always associate the sound of breaking glass with this event of Henry's childhood.

Henry started piano lessons in February after pleading to receive them like his sisters.  This requires practice time at home.  The girls use the keyboard too, and if they put their sheet music over Henry's piano book then to him it has disappeared forever.  He's not great at searching for missing items.  I was making dinner one afternoon at the start of piano practice time.  Henry appeared in the kitchen in a rage, insisting that his piano book had been hidden and demanding that I find them.  I was busy, and I didn't like his bad attitude.  I said, "Son, do you think Jesus spoke to Mary the way that you are speaking to me?"  He immediately responded with, "Mommy, do you think Mary helped Jesus find things when they were missing?"  I had to laugh at his quick wit, but his quip required additional reprimanding.

2015 Trolley Run - "This may not have been such a good idea."

Today marked a momentous occasion for our family.  Vivian will not listen to me when I instruct her to stop growing up.  She ran in her first Trolley Run, a four mile race that benefits her friend Jude's school, Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.  Since Robbie's foot has been out of commission, and only Grandpa planned to accompany me, I decided we'd only run with Olivia and Evelyn.  However, the little kids were honestly begging me to register them for the race.  I relented Thursday night, and they were ecstatic upon learning the news.

The temperature was in the upper 40s F this morning, and we tried to leave the house by 6:45 am.  We failed.  The natural consequence of our lateness what that when we finally finished the race we had to climb 5 flights of stairs in the parking garage.  The impact before the race was that we stood in a long line waiting for a bus next to Victoria's Secret larger than life photographs of scantily clad lingerie models.  This got the kids' attention.  Their comments ranged from, "Ooohhh!" (as in "yuck"), "Oh, my!", "Those bras don't even cover all of her breasts!" to, "How can she even wear that under clothes with all of those studs?"  The comments about the panties were even livelier!  Henry told us to look at the evil one, which was a photo meant by a marketing executive to look seductive.  Mike and I found this pretty funny, but we were glad when our place in line passed VS.

The sun did not shine, and the wind blew.  Olivia ran alone.  Her 6th grade girls' track team won their meet yesterday.  She ran the 1600 m (mile race), open 400 m, and the 400 m leg of the distance medley relay.  I figured her legs would be dead tired today, but she stayed strong.  This was Olivia's eighth Trolley Run race because she ran the first one at age 3 with me a few weeks before her fourth birthday.  She missed one the year we were in Oklahoma City.  Olivia's hand was throbbing because last night while using my sharpest knife to cut a plastic Hershey's kiss candy cane shaped container, she deeply cut her hand to the bone.  The wound required stitches, and her father sewed her up in his office with Nurse Mama assisting to calm the very nervous child.

Evelyn, age 9 in April, raced with Grandpa Mike, and her 40:11 time for four miles earned her 10th place in her age group of girls 10 years and under.  She's a little dynamo with great mental toughness.   She felt really lucky that she was the one who got to run with Grandpa, who drove in from Illinois for the race.   I ran with Henry and Vivian.  They did an outstanding job of staying near me because we ran holding hands for almost 2 miles, sweet, but rather challenging.  When Vivian got too tired, she didn't walk.  Instead, I scooped her up and carried her so she could catch her breath.  I'd then put her down, and we were off once again.  She didn't whine or complain while running, that big shot!  She kept telling me that she was going, "Medium."  When Henry did a small amount of fussing about wanting to walk, I reminded him that registering for the RUN was his idea.  Vivian said, "I'm younger than you, and I'm not complaining about running."  Her quote of the day at some point after mile two was, "This may not have been such a good idea."  I recall Evelyn telling me at about the same point during her first Trolley Run that the race was the hardest and most fun thing she had ever done in her life.  Love it!

Vivian kept asking when she was going to be able do do her thunderbolt to the finish.  The race makes a sharp turn at the top of a hill right before the finish line.  I turned Henry and Vivian loose for the sprint to the finish.  She was thrilled with the news that it was time to run super fast.  She wore her long hair in pigtails, and they streamed behind her.  She was in a gorgeous long, fast stride down that hill.  Grandpa Mike, Olivia, and Evelyn had finished the race, and they were cheering from the sidelines near the finish line.  Henry zoomed forward and finished in 49:38.  Vivian was only 10 seconds behind him, 49:48.  I was so happy for the children.  We waited (freezing from the cold wind) for Jude's Dudes team to finish, and the kids cheered for Jude and the Nicksons.  It seems like yesterday that Jude was a baby in a onesie with a race bib on the chest.  Today he is a talking, walking big boy loved and supported by many.  Our family loves and respects the Nicksons, and we're thankful to have a personal connection to this fun family race.

A Million Trees and Sugar Lips

Robbie and Olivia just left the condo after a lunch break.  My phone says it is 10 degrees and feels like 4 below zero.  When I checked the weather first thing this morning the wind chill was -30 degrees F!  Robbie insisted it must be wrong.  He skied with the big girls for just over an hour this morning, as Evelyn was too cold to continue.  Henry didn't want a thing to do with skiing today.  He told us he was tired of skiing and just wanted to stay in and relax.  His thighs hurt.  I guess he is my son.

I'm typing by the fire, and the little kids are doing school work.  I have a pretty view of snow capped pines on the mountain out my window.  I love it.  On the drive here Henry said, "Wow!  There are a million trees out there!"  Pictures just don't do justice to the majesty of the surrounding view.  The peacefulness of moving up the mountain on the lifts with God's scenery around us is one of my favorite parts of ski trips.

We really enjoyed the mass service Sunday evening.  We hurried to eat and clean up before the 5:15 pm mass, and the children were pretty wiped out by the time it began.  Vivian fell asleep in my arms, and she stayed asleep after I carefully propped her on the pew as I went up to receive the Eucharist.  She was darling.  The priest turned out to be an old seminary classmate of Msgr. Charles McGlinn.  He mentioned praying for his health during the petitions.

After browsing the village shops with Henry and Viv today we stopped into Sugar Lips mini donuts.  The dough is similar to funnel cake, and they are made to order (hot!) and covered with an abundance of cinnamon and sugar.  We were in heaven eating them as they absolutely melted in our mouths.  Henry's heaven lasted all of about 30 seconds for he shoved them whole into his mouth.  Viv had the sweetest little sugar lips.  Henry had sugar hands, sugar coat, sugar table, sugar face.  The little ones spilled the beans as we entered the condo and found Daddy, O, and Ev, so I went out into the cold for another dozen.

Yesterday Robbie let the children go into a ski park that had four consecutive jumps in a row.  They are pretty big time, and snowboarders use them most often.  The girls have done them before, and they can handle the tiny bit of air they get without crashing.  Henry crashed on the first ramp.  He then made his way to try the next one, but he lost momentum just before he got to the top of the peak, so he slid backwards.  He skis without poles.  The same thing happened again on the third ramp, and Robbie went to rescue him.  An old snowboarder told us we broke the "get out of the way if you don't make the jump rule".  We learned.

On the mountain the others often went off the main stretch onto little trick paths in the woods or on side natural ramp areas.  I stuck to enormous S paths down the mountain.  While Olivia was always trying to push us to go higher on the mountain or find a tougher run, little Evelyn was constantly concerned for my well being.  "What about Mom?  Will she be okay?  Is she going to get lost?"  She is a sweet one.  Olivia's last words as she left to ski today were, "We're going to try to find a black without moguls!"  Again, I maintain it is so good that children have two parents.  She'd never have the same childhood experience with me as her only parent.  I was proud of the progress I made on the terrain we skied for four days.  There were areas that challenged me greatly.  We all laughed at how Mommy's strategy on those areas was to make zig zaps (not curvy S paths) all the way left and right on the mountain like scrunched Z's.  I probably skied four times the distance of the others in the family due to my technique.  That said, I survived another ski trip unharmed, and I had a blast.

This is a great adventure.

I really can't get over how exciting this trip has been.  Honestly, the excitement I feel about the kids' skiing (Vivian's advancement in particular) is like that of a first time parent with a baby who just learned to walk.  I want to shout from the mountaintops!  Good thing I'm in the mountains...

Henry, Evelyn, and Olivia skied with us parents today while Vivian took another ski school lesson.  She had one other little girl in her group, and the instructor pushed her to the max in a great way.  After lunch I asked Robbie to take us back to the top of the mountain to ski down the long green runs to the bottom that we enjoyed so much with the big girls yesterday.  Olivia and Evelyn follow right behind Robbie, and they control themselves beautifully.  When they lead, they navigate the mountain easily.   They seem ready to ski whatever lies ahead, and I am always the pokey one bringing up the rear.  It was different skiing the very long run with Henry.  He was freaked out by the height we climbed on two lifts to reach the peak.  He crashed on a tree pathway and slid into deep snow.  He started screaming for me, and I had to get out of my skis and run uphill through deep powder in ski boots.  I was certain he had broken his leg from his yelling, but he was just really scared.  He later got ahead of us and went on a path other than what Robbie planned.   At that point I sent them on ahead and went to the base to wait for Vivian's lesson to end.  You'll never guess what I spied.  She was going down the bunny slope, but she was skiing over a snow ramp doing ski jumps.  She tried it about five times before she landed her final attempt!  Robbie had returned with the other kids, so we all got to cheer for her success.  The best part was that the ski instructor explained he had taken her up the high speed Union Creek lift where she successfully skied down green runs that I had been doing.  She was off the beginner part of the mountain and super slow Kokomo and Lumberjack lifts.  She really wanted to ride the fast lift to show us her skiing skills, but Henry and Evelyn were cold and exhausted.  We skied from 9 am until 3 pm with just a short lunch break.  As usual, Robbie doesn't mess around.  It was snowing a blizzard and in the low 20s.  Olivia and Robbie said they'd take her on the run.  Robbie said she did an awesome job.  She wiped out a few times on the steep sections, but she did so well and had so much fun that once they got down to the bottom Vivian asked to go back up to ski down again!!  We are all so proud of Miss Viv.  Birth order is such an interesting factor.  I believe Vivian just assumes she should be able to do what the big siblings do, so she tries hard and succeeds.  This is a great adventure.

"I've been waiting for this day my whole life."

This evening I suggested to Robbie that a reality show should be created to challenge contestants to wear out Henry in a day.  For three days he has been in ski school, and back in the condo he is not even close to being out of gas.  Amazingly, the six-year-old boy doesn't seem to tire.  

We have been having an amazing family ski vacation.  The temperatures have been in the 20s with snow until we broke freezing today, but our gear has kept us comfortable.  Ski school has been wonderful for the children.  They got over being rusty from a two year layoff pretty quickly.  Vivian was excited to start ski school for the first time at age 5.  On our previous trips she has been in babysitting.  Her ski instructor really enjoyed her positive attitude and cuteness.  Viv told her, "I've been waiting for this day my whole life!"  She made us all laugh at dinner when she spoke of making friends, "except for the criers!"  There were terror stricken beginner skiers at ski school drop-off who cried really hard, yet Viv just walked right up without issue.

We've had many memorable moments.  Yesterday with Robbie I decided to live a little, even though my skills are lacking, and I went down a narrow run of moguls.  It was a ridiculous thing to do, and I laughed loudly and even shrieked over and over while entertained ski lift riders watched from above.  I won't do it again soon, but I'm glad I was able to tell the girls about the experience.  Spying Henry in ski school from the ski lift was a wonderful treat.  He was leading his class, and he looked very confident and capable.  My big girls are able to ski on blue terrain that is steeper and less groomed (bumpy), but all day today they had to stick to greens with us because of me.  However, Robbie found a way to get us high up on the mountain, yet we could ski down various long green runs.  It was snowing, and the view was really spectacular.  There weren't many people up there, and we loved skiing together.  I am so proud of Olivia and Evelyn's ability to pick this sport up so well when we do this so infrequently.  

The best moment of all was today after Vivian got out of ski school.  The plan was for me to take Vivian back to our condo while Robbie skied for another hour with the three other kids.  She looked really sad and said that she sure wished she could go up the ski lift and ski with all of us.  I said I was  game, so up we six went.  That little toot rode the lift, showed no fear whatsoever, and skied down the the entire length of the run without falling once.  She looked so tiny, and all of us were thrilled for her.  Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!  That was our first time this trip with Henry out of ski school skiing with us, and he impressed Robbie.  I couldn't believe that we were skiing AS A FAMILY.  It was awesome.  I look forward to the experience tomorrow afternoon and for years to come.  I've been waiting for this day since we first came to Copper Mountain in 2012.

Movie Snuggles

Yesterday I took Vivian with me to vote.  She got a lot of attention in her neon pink tulle skirt.  Prior to that experience we shared one of our daily conversations on a walk home from school, just the two of us.  When I told her our plans she inquired about voting.  She asked, "Does the one who gets the most votes become the boss of the whole world?"  I told Vivian I was voting for leaders in Kansas.

I often write love notes to the kids and Robbie in their lunch boxes.  Henry had some free time at school, and he wrote I LOVE YOU on green paper that he cut into hearts.  I found them in his pockets while doing the wash, and I felt so special.

Evelyn and I were the only ones in the family to do the parish 5K last weekend.  Olivia had to lay off of running due to knee pain from overuse from ballet and cross country.  Evelyn had been coughing all week, and the temp was 27 degrees F when we walked to the runner's mass.  I wondered if participating was even a safe idea.  My little cross country girl ran like a champ.  She never stopped or complained once for three miles.  I huffed and puffed along with her, always breathing hard as I run.  She finished in 27:52 with the fastest time for girls under age 10.  She's 8.  We ran with friends, and it was really fun.  The other family dressed as the Royals Hotdog races participants.  The mom was in a hotdog costume, and Evelyn's friend was Mustard.  The dad would say, "Come on, Mustard.  Do the work."  We found this very funny.  Dad and Jane were still in town, and they braved the cold to watch us start and finish the race.  It was a great morning.

Now that darkness falls so soon and the weather is cooler, Robbie has returned to Family Movie Night mode.  Last night, which was scandalously a school night, we watched Hugo.  Vivian fell asleep on my chest, and the kids had snuggled up with us with blankets so nicely.  Loved it!

Bedtime Cuddles

Early in the 8 o'clock hour I found my husband cuddled up behind my young son in his twin sized bed.  It was a precious sight.  Those two look so cute together, and Henry always looks sweetest when silent.  I left them in the pitch black room, and I wonder if I'll have a bedmate tonight.  At dinner Vivian shared the story of her birth.  She told the others that the medicine did not work, and she was the "painfullest" baby mommy ever had.  She said, "I was born the fastest."  Henry, thinking he was correcting her, said, "No, Viv.  You were born the fattest."  I almost spit cauliflower across the dinner table the laughter hit so suddenly.

Last week Robbie tickled Vivian so much at bedtime that she peed herself.  I was heading out the door for a meeting when Robbie appeared with a disgruntled look and wet PJs and panties.  He couldn't believe what had happened.  That was a first.

House of Rocks and the Impressive Stream

Robbie wants boulders.  Today we went on what we market to the children as "an adventure" to the House of Rocks to search for rocks, boulders, and flagstone for the front landscaping that we plan to personally install next weekend.  The adventure for Henry transformed from the opportunity to do his homework in the van while his parents looked at boulders to a pee emergency after consuming a whole bottle of Gatorade post-soccer game.  He was crying he needed a restroom so badly.  We were in the back of a gravel lot with loads of rocks piled from hither to yon.  I started walking him towards the distant storefront building, but the way he was physically attempting to hold back the pee convinced me an immediate solution was in order.  We slipped between two giant piles of rocks that were on the edge of a wooded  area overlooking a stream below.  My city son has little experience with such outdoor endeavors, so his stream shot skyward before descending like a rainbow's arc.  We both found the distance of his pee stream incredibly hilarious, which caused Henry to shake with laughter.  I was shocked by the volume released (so maybe there was a reason to cry), and he finally said, "That feels better."  "I imagine," I replied.  As usual, I never would have gone to the House of Rocks envisioning such a funny mothering memory made.

"Oh, I work plenty."

A lovely friend of mine just emailed me an article, Being a Stay-at-Home Parent Is a Luxury...for Your Spouse by Chaunie Brusie.  It dealt with a woman's guilt over being at home with her children while her husband was an active member of the workforce.  She felt the need to prove herself or to explain what she did all day.  She reached the conclusion that I am grateful to state my husband believes too.  The work I do as a stay-at-home parent adds a tremendous amount of value to our family.  I keep our family machine well oiled and running smoothly (most of the time...).  I recently met a woman new to our school who plans to cut back her work hours to two days a week in order to "better manage her household."  What would it cost to pay a worker to do what any given stay-at-home parent does on a given day?  A friend whose home is under construction (without working laundry facilities) paid $115 for five loads of laundry to be picked up, washed, folded, and delivered.  How many loads of laundry do big families do in a week?  Do the math.  Value added.  Add healthy meal planning, procurement, preparation, and cleanup to the bill.  Value added!

During a conversation with a checkout lady, mind you - a cranky one, she said, "Oh, you must not work."  After I backhanded her (just kidding) I quipped, "Oh, I work plenty.  I work inside the home."  I told a friend just this morning that one of the biggest blessings in my life is the fact that I am surrounded by so many remarkable women.  The mothers of my children's school friends have professions such as doctor, attorney, nurse, teacher, speech pathologist, judge, pharmacist, and business owner.  I could go on, but you get the picture.  There are hard working, highly educated, faith filled, family centered women all around me.  Those individuals balance careers, family life, faith development, and volunteer efforts impressively.  Many of the ladies in my circle left satisfying and sometimes lucrative careers to be stay-at-home moms, and the volunteer work that they provide our church and school could not be funded by the richest school district in the nation.  Many of the volunteer efforts are of such a magnitude that they are full-time jobs without the perk of pay.  What those volunteers do for the school and church, stay-at-home parents do for the family.

I tell my children that my work as their mother is the best job I've ever had.  It is a blessing that I have the opportunity (and it wasn't without financial sacrifices back in the residency days) to be at home with my children.  Evelyn commented last night that I sure am spending more time in their school this year.  I had to point out to her that this is the first time that I have not had a little one home all day every day.  Without family in the area to babysit, field trips and holiday classroom parties were hard to attend.  I love my new nine hours per week of freedom.  Being a former teacher who is a school volunteer must be like being a grandparent.  Yesterday, I got the joy of helping 6th graders perform a variety of tests on pond water to collect data.  However, when the lab was over, I was out of there...no test tubes to clean back at the lab, etc.  I could pop into Kindergarten computer lab and help Henry's classmates without the effort that goes into planning a lesson.  I can have all the fun, then turn the children over to their devoted teachers.  Being a grandparent is going to be outstanding.

I have a good thing going, and I am grateful that Robbie appreciates my efforts.  He trusts me with our money and my time.  I have never felt the need to defend or explain myself about purchases or the way I choose to fill my days.  He's a good man, and he thinks I'm a good wife.  Sometimes I joke with him (and my friends) that I could use a wife too...clean clothes would appear in my closet and my fridge would always be full.  Hot meals would magically be ready when hunger struck!  I'll stick with my present job until the needs of our family dictate that I contribute differently.  I am happy and privileged that caring for my family is my number one job description.  I feel fulfilled.  However, I respect every family's decision about how to best use the time and talents of its adult members.  I commend the efforts of working parents and single parents, and I do not envy the inevitable "second shift" required of those friends.  I have no qualms answering the question, "What do you do?" with, "I am a mother."