"I told you I would smoke you up, Grandpa!"

This morning we got up at 5:30 am and headed to Country Club Plaza for the 4-mile Trolley Run race.  This was Henry's first Trolley Run.  He is 3 for another week.  The temperature was in the 50s, and it was raining.  Grandpa Mike and Grandma Mary drove over from Illinois so that Robbie and I could cover each child with an adult runner.  Our running partners were Robbie and Olivia, Mike and Evelyn, Julie and Henry.  We had a ball!  Baby Vivian stayed home with my mom.  This year we ran on a team called Jude's Dudes.  Jude is the third son of a mom I know from church, school, and my moms' group.  Her other boys are the ages of Henry and Vivian.  Baby Jude was born blind on Leap Day, and his parents organized a race team to benefit a wonderful school called Children's Center for the Visually Impaired.

Upon exiting the trolley bus, Henry felt cold and said he wanted to go home.  He found lots of mud puddles to stomp.  The funniest pre-race moment came in the Port-a-Potty when I had to suspend him in the air so that he could clear the urinal.  Stinky!

Robbie and Olivia had a great run.  He timed her around 38 minutes, and he said they enjoyed the entire race without side pain issues or any complaining.  Olivia has really grown in her running since her own first race when she was like Henry, just a couple of weeks shy of four years old.  This was her fifth Trolley Run, and she's 8!

Evelyn and Grandpa had fun together too.  After two miles Ev started skipping and sliding her feet.  I guess she about slipped onto her back on the wet pavement once, but Grandpa's hand saved her from falling.  She was happy and excited when she met up with Henry and me at mile marker 1.  This was Evelyn's second year running the race, and we plan to enjoy racing together as a family for many years to come.  Her finish was a wonderful accomplishment.

Henry and I had the best time.  He's a machine.  We started off hand in hand so that I could control our path and pace.  He never wanted to let go, so we held hands the entire run.  My little buddy ran three miles before he ever walked or stopped.  It was amazing.  We chatted about his upcoming birthday, his love of transformer toys, spied dogs on the sidelines, and got high-fives from fans on the sidelines.  If he had not been handed a cup of water at mile 3 that he didn't know how to handle while running, I doubt he ever would have stopped.  He asked me a couple of times, "Mom, are you impressed?"  Then he'd say, "Mom, are you SUPER-duper impressed?"  "Am I like a super hero?"  "Am I super fast?"  I answered, "You are super fast like Lightning, KA-Chow!!"  He didn't complain.  He didn't stop.  Somewhere during mile 3 Henry informed me that his running was going to make his poop come out, and I got a little worried.  We got to the final stretch, and we saw Robbie and Olivia waiting on the sidelines.  They started calling out loudly and happily, and he kicked up his pace.  He was certainly tired, but he ran all the way to the finish line.  His time was 52 minutes 38 seconds.  We then sought out the much anticipated donuts!  The girls enjoyed strawberry milk.

As we entered our van, cold and wet, Henry settled into his seat and declared, "I TOLD you I would smoke you up, Grandpa!"  Grandpa Mike and the rest of us erupted in laughter, and in fact, Henry did finish ahead of Grandpa.  They challenged each other to another go for next year's race.

Mary Jane Scarboro and Mom made a wonderful hot breakfast for us at Mary Jane's, so we were able to drive straight to a super and much desired meal.  We hung out, told stories, took pictures, and realized that this is the stuff that family memories are made of...what a wonderful morning.  Rain or not, we had a ball.

Our Girls Can Ski!

This vacation has been so much fun for our family. The most surprising part has been Henry's stamina. The boy was in three days of ski school from 9:30 am to 3 pm, awkwardly moving through snow trying to learn ski techniques. He'd return to the condo revved up with new found energy that didn't wane. Is the altitude messing with his brain? He doesn't stop. We had to prevent him from climbing on and jumping off of furniture! The first morning he was up at 4:24 am, and we had to send him back to bed. At six o'clock sharp he appeared at my bedside this morning, and happily said, "Good Morning! Is it time to run and play?!"

The most impressive part of the trip, aside from the spectacular mountain views, has been the speed at which Olivia and Evelyn mastered skiing basics. No joke, both girls left ski school yesterday and asked to go up on the mountain to ski with their daddy. He took them, and he said they did great. Unlike their nervous mother, they have confidence. Also unlike their mother, they seem perfectly able to control their speed. I start off fine, but my lack of fine braking ability results in way more speed that a beginner needs by the time I get down the hill. There are times when I am hauling, and it isn't from trying to ski at warp speed! Anyway, the girls simply make wide S curves back and forth with their toes pointed toward the sides of the run, and they stay in control. Robbie added a day of skiing to our plan so that he could take just the girls out by himself today. Ev skied all morning, and now Robbie is on some more difficult greens with Olivia. Olivia's instructor took her way up the mountain yesterday, and she said she's doing awesome. She is even getting her skis parallel.

My favorite moments were those spent going up the ski lift with Robbie. All was quiet, except for wind through the trees. The sun was out each day, and the temperature was near 40. We had some of God's most lovely creations surrounding us with snow-covered pine trees and mountain peaks. Robbie looked so totally happy and relaxed. It was wonderful to share those moments with him. I love my man so dearly. He has wanted to take the kids skiing for years, and now we'll likely make it an annual event.

I made the three youngest take a nap this afternoon (the first one of our trip), and I enjoyed some quiet reading. I'm writing near the fire, and I can see expert skiers high, high up the mountain out the window. Yesterday after my legs had experienced all of the contractions they could handle for one day, I sent Robbie up the high speed lift to get some speed and steep runs out of his system. He says it is no fun to ski alone, but I don't believe him. I waited outside in the warm sun with a cold beer and watched for the children to finish ski school. What fun!

Baby Vivian is back to her sweet and happy self. I think a combination of things gave her trouble and caused her to not feel well. I had a terrible headache and even some nausea our first morning here, even though I made a huge effort to stay hydrated. Everyone else has adjusted fine to our elevation. We played in a giant hot tub this morning, then we walked through the village cobblestone shopping area for fun until it was time to meet Evelyn. Vivian was dressed for the cold air, and a man called her a snow bunny. Her little mittens didn't come all the way out of her coat sleeves, so she looked like she had no thumbs. It was funny. It's a wonderful life.

Ski Patrol to the Rescue

The first and only time I went skiing I was Robbie's girlfriend in college. That was a lot of years ago, but I will never forget our final run down the slopes. I fell (again). When Robbie tried to help me up, our skis crossed, and we began sliding hooked together backwards down the mountain. I was not very happy with Robbie on that trip. He kept getting me in way over my head in terms of skill level. Somehow, sixteen years, one wedding, and four children later, we are back in Colorado on a ski trip. It was even my idea.

Naturally, before our 10 hour drive, Robbie had to work 90 minutes from home. Luckily, he finished clinic before noon. I had the van loaded, and we were off. We drove 4 hours to Hays, KS where Robbie made dinner plans at the restaurant of a patient. The kids loved the pizza, and we checked into a brand new hotel with two beds for six people. We thought we were only going to make it to Colorado with three children, because it about killed Henry to settle down and go to sleep with Olivia and Evelyn. God bless him. He has way too much energy for his own good.

We were on the road for another gorgeous travel day by 7:45 am. Robbie made great time, and the children behaved beautifully. They love movies and books, so they were set. It wasn't until we passed through Denver and got high into the mountains that high winds warnings, blowing snow, and slick road warning signs got me terribly nervous. It was a very slow 75 miles from the outside of Denver to Copper Mountain. The scenery was spectacular. We all absolutely loved it.

Our condo is spacious and has a lovely view. We are really enjoying it. Robbie and Olivia picked up some groceries that we couldn't bring along, and I about flipped when I pulled the receipt out of a plastic bag. The total was $10,000.76!!! I called Robbie and he had no cell phone reception. When I told him about the receipt he said he only spent $100.76. That took some time to fix. Can you imagine?! That afternoon we went to the rental shop and spent WAY TOO LONG getting all of our lesson/lift tickets, boots, skis, poles, and helmets. It was miserable. I have no idea what slowed the process, because Robbie pre-ordered the rentals online. My friend Emily told me that the hardest part of our vacation would be lugging skis and poles while dressed for winter wearing ski boots walking in snow. She predicted phrases such as, "I can't walk! Carry me!!" She said we parents would barely be able to walk and carry our own things. It came true, and it was hilarious on account of her warning. Everyone was tired and totally hungry. We had SO MUCH stuff to carry. My goodness. I wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into.

The bigger kids were enrolled in ski school. Henry promptly pointed out the robot on the side of his highly coveted ski goggles to his instructor. The poor boy has been waiting weeks and weeks to wear them. He and Ev were in the same class. Olivia caught on so quickly that she was on the ski lift and skiing down the mountain with her teacher and class all afternoon.

My ski instructor was 82-year-old Dick. He didn't mess around. At the end of my lesson I inquired about a good run to try with my husband, and he said the only run that I should take was the one at the top of the Kokomo lift. I told him Robbie wanted to try some greens, and he said, "You need to stay on Kokomo, and if that husband of yours tries to pressure you into anything else, you tell him to go to hell." Ha!! Had Dick been with us back in college? I needed a nice easy run to get my bearings and gain some confidence. It was really fun. I skied all day with Robbie yesterday without falling once. I was so happy. The funny part is that small children were skiing down that same run with parents holding them by ropes. Some tiny tots were speeding past me too. The only hard part of the easy hill was avoiding all of the fallen beginners.

Robbie was yearning to ski alone with Olivia, and she begged him to let her try something other than Kokomo. Well, it didn't go well. Olivia entered the condo and said she fell, and couldn't see from snow spraying in her face, and couldn't stop, and the ski patrol had to give her a snow mobile ride down the mountain. "What?!" I angrily flashed Robbie. He shushed me. Olivia told me the story in bits and pieces as Robbie stepped out to change the laundry until I finally had to tell Robbie to tell me the whole story. They took a green that was too steep, and she went out of control in a straight downward path in a snow plow position that didn't stop or even slow her. After Robbie yelled, "STOP, Olivia!," she sat down and kept sliding. As Olivia told it, a fallen snow boarder man ran as fast as he could across the mountain to get into her path to stop her. She told me that was the first of four times that she went out of control and had to be stopped by someone. Once Robbie had to stick out his ski pole for her to grab, then another time or two some ski patrol people got involved. Robbie felt terrible about putting her on something that was too difficult. He said he was very worried about how in the world he was ever going to get her safely down the long run. Finally, without anyone radioing for help, a snowmobile appeared and casually offered my darling daughter a ride down the mountain. I think those two made an unforgettable memory for sure! Thank God she stayed safe. I said, "Were you screaming?" She said, "Why, no. I wasn't screaming," as if to ask, "Why in the world would I scream, Mother?" I asked her if she cried, and she didn't do that either. Robbie said she handled the whole situation very impressively. Today she went down a run with her ski class that was on the harder side of the Timberline lift that Robbie and I skied all day. I kept making Robbie nervous by getting too close to the tree lines on my wide S curves. Sometimes I gain way more speed than I intend, and that is a scary feeling. All in all, I think snow skiing is challenging, thrilling, and a total blast. I promptly forgave Robbie his error in judgement after I saw his true remorse over what transpired. My confident and cool husband was scared for Olivia's safety.

Today Ev's instructor praised her gains, and said he kept trying to turn her over to an instructor going up Kokomo, but Evelyn wouldn't leave Henry. She cried when I told her that she gets to be in her own ski class tomorrow, for day 3. I can't wait to see how she does. Henry goes down little hills, but we have also spied him climbing on snow banks and licking snow off his mittens. He's a mess.

I cooked and froze lasagna, chili, and Italian Beef that we packed into a cooler. We just heat the food while we clean up after skiing, and then dinner is served. We eat, wear our PJs, sit by the fire, and chill. We are really enjoying ourselves. Baby hasn't acted like she feels all that well. However, today she got to go to special Critter Land outdoor snow play area for babies with her childcare group. She wears snow bibs and boots and gloves...the whole bit. We call the babysitting Baby Ski School. They have snow playtime each day, too cute.

"OR ELSE!!"

This morning at mass I noticed people in pew across the aisle from us. Their faces showed panic, and I saw someone help a man lie down on the pew. I got Robbie's attention, and he stepped over to see if help was needed. All of this happened right before Communion, and Henry was set on helping his daddy. "I'll be right back, Mom. I need to see what's going on. Daddy needs me." I had to carry him to the altar for his blessing to keep him from walking the wrong way to get to his dad. Once we got back to our seats he could not be distracted. EMTs, two firemen, and a police officer were in the aisle right next to us, and Henry wanted to go check on the patient. He got frustrated, and finally asked somewhat loudly, "Did somebody poke their eyeballs out?" Olivia and I started laughing, and the service was still in full swing. I had a really hard time controlling myself. The matter was much more serious than an eye injury, so I had no business laughing. We happen to have some fun friends who have witnessed Robbie assisting fallen parishioners on numerous occasions, and the wife at one point joked that if Robbie is on the scene they better hope somebody poked their eye out. In truth, my ophthalmologist husband's Advanced Cardiac Life Support training is current, and he's calm under pressure. He may not be a cardiothoracic surgeon (which I honestly summoned on another occasion at mass), but he's no slouch.

Henry's other recent funny quip came after I asked him to share his high point and low point after some time in a classroom. He said his high point was the train table. He said his low point was when some little boy hit him on the back of the head with a toy hammer. "Do you know what to do when somebody does something like that to you, Henry?" He didn't. I said, "You turn around and say in a strong voice, "DON'T hit me." Henry smiled and replied, "Then you say, OR ELSE!!"

"Actually, No"

I just shared with my children that the 3-year-old child, Chloe, of my brother's friend is being celebrated in a memorial service today. Her brain tumor won the fight for her life. Back in 2000 on this day, January 28th, Anthony was diagnosed with AML - acute myelogenous leukemia. By the grace of God, Anthony's strength, and modern medicine - Anthony survived. His life has been a blessing to my family. My children adore him, and the sentiment appears to be mutual. Anthony makes me laugh each day we're together, and that adds great joy to my life. On this diagnosis anniversary I wish to reflect on Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient under trial, persevere in prayer.

I met with a group of women recently, and one shared the story of a friend whose husband left her after she was diagnosed with cancer. She obviously went through a difficult time. She made the decision to think of five good things in her life for which to be thankful before getting out of bed in the morning. Two years later, she was able to begin her day with ten such reflections. What a testament to the power of looking at life with a "half-full" perspective!

My nerves are frazzled as I type this entry. My children woke up before 6 am, and they are now behind me twisting a giant blanket around each other as they run, wrap, and yell, "Kamono! Kamono!" My first cup of coffee isn't even empty.

Last night we had another picture perfect family movie night. Our last one was a nightmare, so we're thankful for the amazing ones. All six of us were piled on the couch, we enjoyed our popcorn, and the youngest ones were still and quiet for Spy Kids 4. Robbie and I love such evenings. Vivian kept saying, "Moe pah-cone PLEEASE!!" She now requests Chap-Stick each time her diaper is changed. She has a bit of an addiction. Her sisters found some tubes with winter labels, so now Little Miss will respond, "Actually, no. I want the green snowman Chap-Stick." No joke. She says, "Actually, no," to various questions. She's one, and we find this hilarious.

Evelyn got upset after bath time this week. Robbie was talking to the girls about a matter from earlier in the day, and he explained that they did not listen. Evelyn came to me on the verge of tears and complained, "Daddy says we never listen." "Well, Ev, sometimes you don't listen." She said, "He needs to keep that to himself." "Evelyn, Daddy is disciplining you, and he does not have to keep that to himself. He's the boss." Her response told me she does listen to some of my mantras (thank you Grandma White). My 5-year-old stated firmly, "You always say that if we don't have something nice to say, then we shouldn't say anything at all. Daddy isn't saying nice things." Ev then got laughter and a hug....and further explanation on our responsibilities as parents.

Henry has a green bruise under his eyebrow from where Evelyn accidentally hit him in the head with an aluminum t-ball bat. Thank goodness that was her first swing of the season. We got really lucky, but it was a scary event. I had just given Henry a safety talk in order to keep Vivian away from his bat, then Evelyn entered the picture and promptly cracked him right by his eyeball. It hurt. His pain cries told it all.

Ahh, my coffee is now almost gone, and the children went upstairs. I have a quiet moment. Henry complimented me on my diamond rings, and I told him that Daddy gave one to me when he proposed marriage. Henry said, "When I grow up, I'm going to get some money, and I'm going to buy a Rainbow Dash and a Lightning ring to marry Grace Hill." "She'll be lucky to have you, Henry."

Henry and Evelyn really like the singer Adelle. My brother told me about her, and Santa gave me a cd for Christmas. Her voice is powerful and full of emotion. She's pretty amazing. Henry asks for her songs by title, and the kids sing along and say, "Please turn it UP!!" I think I will look back on the years we spent driving between our little house and school and fondly recall all of our singing in the van. The baby amazed us all by singing Ave Maria as a gospel song played on another cd we love. Her small voice was so pure and pretty.

Olivia now has several piano songs that she can play for the family while we sing along. We really like this activity. She's catching on well, and when she practices she improves greatly. I can't believe that the tiny little baby I once nursed is now doing multiplication tables and writing in cursive. She's a hard working student and a loving and helpful big sister. A few nights ago she did everything to get Vivian ready for bed while Robbie was working late and I was tied up with dirty dishes, packing lunches, and Henry. Vivian calls her Mommy Yaya. I love these children.

Bristle Block Bed

Robbie and I were up late last night wrapping gifts and assembling. Vivian started crying around 11:30 pm, and I convinced Robbie to climb out of bed to check on her. I've been the one to get up in the middle of the night for a bad stretch lately, and we were still awake - if only slightly. He returned to explain that she had dumped an entire bag of bristle blocks into her crib, and that's why she was upset and uncomfortable. Later, at 3:30 am, she called for me again. This time she was wet up to her armpits with pee, and I had to strip her and her bed. Her linens, PJs, and blankies are now washing, and she keeps looking for her favorite small blanket with longing eyes. Shortly after 6 am all of my goslings were awake and ready to roll. Robbie is making oatmeal.

NO-FAY-UH!!

Numerous naked Christmas gifts for the children scream to be wrapped, but I must write. It has been too long since I made an entry, and this time of year is full of excitement and humor around this happy little home.

Vivian has been keeping me on my toes all day. She began by climbing onto the door of the dishwasher three times in the span of ten minutes. Each time she completely caught me off guard. I turned my back for an instant or left the room when a child called. She acted like she was doing some serious work, and she was quite put out that I yanked her baby body off the open door. Of all things!!

She climbed onto the kitchen table recently right after Olivia lit the Advent candles without permission before dinner. Robbie and I were both out of the room when she put a napkin into the flame. Luckily, she flung it to the floor without catching anything on fire, and Olivia's quick thinking saved the day. She grabbed the flaming paper, ran to the kitchen sink, and ended up with a burn. She cried for many minutes, and I think a solid impression was made on all four children about the dangers of messing with fire. We got lucky.

The baby is getting some spirit. This evening I made salmon patties for dinner with homemade sweet potato fries. Henry entered the kitchen saying, "Something STINKS!!" I served the patties on hamburger buns, and I heard Olivia say, "This tastes like a fish burger. IS this a fish burger?" "Yes, actually it is." Evelyn said, "Mom, this taste-es disgusting." Usually I get quite up in arms over such comments, but tonight I just laughed. I had the upper hand. I knew that Robbie had brought home mini cupcakes with glitter icing from my all time favorite bakery. I knew there would be no dessert for any child who chose to forego my dinner creation. I explained this to Vivian, and she said, honest to goodness, "Mommy, no fay-uh! NO-FAY-UH!!" She is only 1. I take this as Evelyn's influence.

Miss Evelyn is quite a lovely singer. She knows the words, and her voice is pretty. She had a kindergarten Christmas program this week, and I took the little kids. Little Ev was in the front row. Vivian said to her brother as she stood in the aisle, "Henry! Let's dance." She kept spinning around and doing her darling baby dance moves. She bobs and sways and spins happily. Our sweet neighbors the Scarboros had us over for a holiday evening celebration last weekend. I dressed the girls in their Christmas church dresses. We always go to the neighbor's evening in fancy attire, and the kids enjoy this. The girls had matching dresses, and Vivian said, "Oh, pretttttyyyyy!" when she first saw hers. As soon as the zipper reached the top of her dress, she began to twirl. It was classic. She loved the dress. She felt beautiful. She wanted to dance. She was a picture of joy in that moment.

Olivia chose red, green, and gold rubber bands for her braces at the start of December. She now wears glasses during each school day. She has been playing the piano for us, and Robbie's face lights up with delight each time he listens to her music.

We have a little elf in our house. His name is Porton, and he uses magic to fly to the North Pole each evening to tell Santa about my children. I find myself reminding my young son of this nightly event, and each time he says, "Sorry, Mom!!" Vivian sometimes copies his reply.

She was acting feisty after her bath, and she didn't want lotion on her face. She swatted at me, and I said, "No, NO. You don't hit Mommy." She did an unexpected kick at my face, and I said, "Oh, no you don't. I'll eat your foot like a dinosaur if you try to kick me." Henry ran into the room, and he said, "Oh, Mommy. Please don't eat baby's foot. That would be TERRIBLE. Wait, Mom. Are you just kidding?"

Robbie and I still look at each other and wonder if our family is complete. Then moments come when Henry sneaks into my bed in the 5 o'clock hour after using the restroom and manages to still let more pee come out next to me on my bed. I'm tired. Another load of laundry is instantly added to my to do list before my eyes even open, and I doubt I have it in me to effectively mother another newborn. Actually, I could mother another newborn on hormones alone, but I might need another substance to handle another male preschooler. God bless Henry. He can be such a sweetheart. He asks me to rock him each evening for a few minutes, and he snuggles against my chest as I rub his back. Vivian often wakes me up to, "Mommy, where are you?" or "Mommy, I'm ready." She's killed my sleep pattern this week with night wakings. The worst was when I entered her room and she said, "Hay-uh in my EYES." I brushed it aside, used a clip to hold it, and I put her back into her crib. Henry told me that he used to sleep in a bed with bars like Vivian, and he'd prefer another one instead of his bed. At least he isn't climbing into baby's bed anymore.

On the bright side...everyone here is healthy. Our Christmas tree has not yet been knocked over. I learned most kids will eat almost anything to get glitter cupcakes. I'm still excited to wake up by my sweet husband, and I'm thrilled when Robbie gets home each evening. I am LOVED, and I get hugs and kisses each and every day. Sometimes they are sticky or wet or stinky, but they are kisses just the same. I am one lucky woman.

The kids favorite things:

Vivian - "me we" (her little pink blanket that I made) and her thumb

Evelyn - "night night" (her brown blanket that I made) and her thumb

Henry - ME and being Violet the girl dog (strangers think he's saying he's violent)

Olivia - The Chronicles of Narnia and pretend play