Drew is 3!

Happy Birthday Drew-Drew!

Three years seems so old to me, yet you still seem like my little one. I guess it's time to realize that you are growing up. The first year of your life was a hard one. You were so sick for so long, and then were so fragile. Then Grandma Cheri became sick and it made us realize once again that without health, you have nothing.

The past couple of years you have grown into a social, stubborn, happy, and silly boy. We all love you...especially your big brothers. You mean the world to them, and us.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Bye-Bye Boot

Today is the first day in 2 months I am able to wear a shoe on my left foot. Freedom!

Super Bowl Trophy

Meet Chili:

Chili was the 1st Place Trophy for the winner of the 12th Annual Chili Cook-Off, which is hosted by the Clark family every Super Bowl Sunday. This year, the winner was Scott with his entry entitled Mama Hopkins' Six Stitch Chili...appropriately named because the last time Scott made this recipe, he ended up in the ER in Illwaco with a sliced hand that required six stitches. Note: old can openers are not your friend.

Scott's entry was delicious (or so I heard...I'm not eating meat) AND the Giants won! Go Eli!

Lant

My friend Rebecca has challenged her blog readers to give up something for Lant ( a rename of Lent since she is not Catholic). I've decided to take her challenge and give up meat. Not a huge stretch in the beef category as I gave up eating cute cows many years ago. But chicken and pork are regular sources of protein in my diet, so that will require some adjusting. I'm excited to meet this challenge head on, and I am thinking that after Lant is all said and done, I may just remain a vegetarian. The news stories lately about the abuse at slaughterhouses is enough for me to make a dietary change.

Lant runs from Ash Wednesday, February 6th until Easter, March 23rd. I'm starting today, February 1st.

Waiting

I'm sitting here waiting for a painter. He was supposed to be here an hour ago. Why is it that contractors and doctors think their time is more important than ours? These two professions always run late. I don't think I could be either. I'm always on time, or even early.

So, the painter is coming because we have decided to bag the remodel and start sprucing up our house to sell it. We adore our little Cape Cod, but the 5 of us are busting at the seams. We need more space...oh, I hear a car outside.

It's the painter. Later.


Update: Dan and Dan Jr. are here to paint away. I think they are going to do us right. I always think it is so funny how professional painters wear white. Seems like an open canvas to me.

True Love

The grandfather of a good friend of ours passed away last Friday. He was is his nineties. The amazing part of the story follows. I received this email from our friend's wife:

As y'all know, Dan's grandfather passed away on Friday morning, somewhat unexpectedly. By Saturday, his wife of 69 years died of what can only be described as a broken heart. It was the first day they had ever been apart. They were buried together today. A love story for the ages.

Brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps all over. I can only hope that Scott and I go in a similar way, when we are very old and grey, of course. What an amazing ending to a lifetime together.

Tooth Fairy

I know I haven't written lately. I've been wallowing in all that comes with surgery to repair my broken foot. But, I refuse to write about it anymore. I will not be defined by my foot. So, I'm getting back on the blog-writing horse.

Lets see...what has happened lately? Nathan, at 8 1/2 still hasn't lost any teeth. His friends are snaggle-toothed and getting braces. A tooth finally broke ground on the bottom, but the baby teeth have no intention of falling out. His bite has become rather cock-eyed, so the dentist thought we should pull out his bottom two to at least fix his bite. So, after the tears and hysterics were calmed by the laughing gas, Nathan lost (had pulled) his two bottom teeth. He actually looks older- or at least more like his friends. He didn't seem too excited for the Tooth Fairy and I wasn't exactly sure why...until I read this note he left:



Request granted.

Advice Needed

OK, so I found out yesterday that I do indeed have a fracture in my foot. I found out today that I get to have surgery...on New Year's Eve. Happy flippin' New Year's.

I will then be on the road to recovery for about 3 months. So, my question is this...how am I not going to gain weight? I will not be able to continue my 4 days/week walking regimen until I'm healed, so what can I do? I need something that does not bear any weight on my foot. Any suggestions?

I returned my Danskos. I told the fellow that I sprained my right ankle wearing them and then I broke my left foot wearing them. I told him I never wanted to see the shoes again in my life. I got my full refund.

Now we need to contact the city to see about filling the hole in the street in front of our house.

I'm having a hard time being jolly right now. I'm not really a Grinch, more just lacking excitement and energy to make this the most wonderful time of the year.

The Hustle and Bustle of the Season...

has come to a screeching halt. I'm actually a little pissed about it and haven't found the humor yet. But a couple of people who will remain anonymous think this is perfect blog material. I did this yesterday:



I stepped into a hole in the street in front of our house and went down. I've torn ligaments and tendons in my left foot and cannot walk. The x-ray did not show any fractures or breaks, but it is so swollen, that the doctor said we will know for sure if anything is broken in the next few days once the swelling goes down. I'm on crutches in addition to the fashionable black boot, and I'm bitter. I hate being clumsy. I have three busy boys to take care of, and a holiday season to stay on top of. Still haven't found any humor in this. I'm off to go ice.

The Ni-Ni has been tagged

Next to his binkie, Drew's favorite possession is his Ni-Ni(s). He has five, but he especially is fond of two in particular. They are the yellow ones. The blue ones just don't measure up. Ni-Ni makes naps, evening bedtime, and sad moments tolerable. I used to have the rule that Ni-Ni could not leave the house. But Ni-Ni really keeps Drew calm, so Ni-Ni pretty much comes everywhere with us, it (or they) just usually waits for us in the car.

I needed to move Ni-Ni off the kitchen counter this morning to make breakfast. (This is another Drew-ism. When Ni-Ni is not being held in Drew's loving hands, he usually "hucks" it up onto the kitchen counter to ...keep it safe? Keep it away from his brothers? Henry? Not sure. One time the blue Ni-Ni was thrown onto the stove top for safe keeping and started to catch fire. That one is now singed and rarely cuddled with.) Anyways, when I picked up Ni-Ni to move it off the counter today, this is what I discovered:



The graffiti artist in this case is Thomas. While the sentiment is nice...why couldn't he use PAPER? And too bad he made a mistake. Thomas claims Drew "forced" him to do it. I thought graffiti artists were proud of their tags.

We'll have to see if it comes out in the wash.

Sayonara Mountain Ash

We said goodbye to this tree this week. It was the largest and oldest tree on our property- 30-40 years old, according to the tree guy- so, not so old by tree standards. I really liked it when we first bought the house, but have since become not so fond of it. It was messy: dropping leaves, berries, pollen, twigs each year. The berries made Henry AND Shelby OH SO SICK one night, but I'll omit that story so I don't have to re-live it. The tree died this past summer, so we bid it adios. The neighbors loved the firewood it produced. The boys are excited to have more space in the backyard. I think I want to plant a new tree, but I may be outvoted on that one.

Sunday Sleepwalker

The past two Sundays, Thomas has sleepwalked. He never fails to keep us on our toes! Both times it occurred between 9-10 pm while Scott and I were watching Desperate Housewives. He is silent, disoriented, and has a hollow look in his eyes. It is really strange. The first time, he safely maneuvered down two flights of stairs, climbed up onto the couch, then onto my lap, and continued sleeping. Last night Scott heard some noises, went up to our main floor, and found him walking around. I did some research and found out that sleepwalking occurs more often in boys, and often the onset is around age 5 or 6. It can be caused by fatigue, stress, or a genetic component. I have since been reminded that I used to sleepwalk. I'm sure everything is fine and he will outgrow it like I did.

Flu Shots

I'm taking all three boys in today for their flu shot. I've never taken them all in together. It's always been a different appointment for each. Not really sure how this is going to go, but I'm feeling a little anxious about it. History has shown that Nathan HATES shots. (Takes after Scott who ran out of the doctor's office as a child when the nurse came in with the needle). When Nathan was younger, he would scream. Last year he only cried, but was pissy about going and mad afterwards that I made him get one. This year he has been campaigning hard for the flu mist. Our doctor doesn't offer it. Thomas doesn't cry when he gets shots. Drew has the typical reaction: doesn't want to do it, cries for a moment, and then moves on. I wonder how they'll react when they are all in the room together. Stay tuned.


Update: OK, I will never do that again. D-R-A-M-A! Nathan started crying while we waited in the waiting room. Once in the exam room, I had Drew go first because he was a little clueless. He acted like any child who receives a shot- cried but got over it. Nathan was next and you would have thought we were going to pull his nails out one at a time. Yelling, crying, screaming. I'm sure the whole office could hear. Part of me felt bad for him because he was terrified, but the other part was a bit annoyed by his behavior. Thomas, who never cries during a shot, then started to cry because of Nathan. So, lesson learned. Next year, I'll make three separate appointments. So much for being efficient.

Happy Anniversary, Scott!

Today is our 14th Anniversary.
14 years of marriage + 6 years of dating = 20 years together!
We've been together over half of our lives. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Happy Anniversay, Scott. I would marry you all over again...but this time lets have dancing at our reception. I know, lets have a kickin' anniversary party sometime!

Happy Thanksgiving...

from Ocean Park. All grandparents were present. Thomas helped make a majority of the dinner and desserts. Nathan ate a majority of the dinner and desserts. Fun was had by all. I am thankful for so much.

Bye Bye Binky

This Binky was placed in the garbage can by Drew himself. You could have knocked me over with a feather with that one. The nipple part was split in half and barely attached. I know, we should have thrown it away ourselves, but he is hooked. He only has one more Binky left in his collection. He knows that when that one Binky is lost, gone, or defective, he will no longer have any Binkies, or when he turns 3, whichever comes first.

Husky Football

Well, it's another loosing season for the Husky football team. All five of us attended the final two home games of the season and Scott and I were pleasantly surprised with how well all three boys did. It was COLD for both games, but N, T, and D were troopers. It feels like we are coming out of the fog a bit and outings will only become easier for all five of us.

Here's a mosaic (I'm loving this format) of the Cal and WSU games:

Tough Thomas

Thomas always amazes us. We've been having some tests done to see if his moodiness is at all related to his diet. Upon the advice and experience of a friend, we went to a naturopath for a blood test. The test came back saying he has a sensitivity or an intolerance to eggs, diary, wheat, gluten, and citrus. Huh? How the heck are we going to handle that????? I went to PCC and Whole Foods the next day and spent way too much money on foods he could eat (and didn't really like). Upon the advice our our family doctor, we went to an allergist to see how sensitive he really is to these foods and if we do indeed need to change his diet. The doctor tested him for 11 things- which meant 11 pokes in his arm. He is so tough. No tears. No flinching. Nothing. He's amazing. The nurse says almost all children his age cry or act up. Well, the only thing he slightly reacted to was...dog dander! So, according to the allergist, we don't need to remove those things from his diet that the naturopath said we should. Ugh. Who should I listen to? On the dog dander note, we don't have to worry about Henry. We just need to vacuum more and keep Henry out of Thomas' room.

Mah Jong

A little history: multiple decades ago a group of women started playing Mah Jong together. According to Wikipedia, "Mahjong is a game for four players that originated in China. Mahjong involves skill, strategy, and calculation, as well as a certain degree of luck. In Asia, mahjong is also popularly played as a gambling game. This group of women still continue to play the game and have formed a close and lasting friendship that goes well beyond the Mah Jong table. They have seen each other through all of life's ups and downs. One of these women is my mother-in-law, Pat. Another one of the women is, coincidentally, the mother of a woman I met 3 years ago through Thomas' co-op. She (her lovely name is Terriko) and I thought it would be a hoot to follow in our mother (or mother-in-law's) footsteps and form our own Mah Jong group. While you only need 4 to play the game, there are 7 of us total which works out well as one or more usually has a sick child, or late-working-husband etc. The 7 of us have children the same age and we meet during the weekdays for playgroup or weeknights for Mah Jong. We have been playing for about 2 years now, and while we haven't really improved that much (we still have yet to keep score- we all blame the wine) we all look forward to our Mah Jong nights. Without these women, I know my sanity would have been compromised greatly these past few years. They are funny, intelligent, supportive, honest, and special. I feel so lucky to have them in my life.

Here is a glimpse of our last gathering:



(Mosaic inspired by my cousin, Danielle. I think I'll be making a lot of these!)

VIRUS

Our computer has been very sick. It became a victim of the Trojan virus and has not been acting like itself. Constant false security windows and incessant pop-ups. I've attempted to fix it with security patches...but to no avail. I really know nothing about computers. So, I became very worried that the hacker in Argentina (there was a message about him/her) was accessing all of our info and passwords. I kept the computer off. That's where I've been. No posting for me. We came upon a new computer, so here I am again. This will do until we get that Mac- immune from all viruses!

Rebecca, what would Ray recommend?

I'll try to do a quick catch up of life the past few weeks.

Vicodin and Baking: Not a Good Combination

I became very sick last week with strep throat. What a yucky and painful ailment. Strep really knocked me on my booty, as did the pain pills, Vicodin, I was prescribed. BUT, life goes on and I had to fulfill my baking duty for providing dessert for Nathan's soccer team party. I love to bake. It is one of my favorite hobbies and something I've done a lot of. But because I was sick, Scott and I decided together to simplify the baking process by just making cookies and brownies from the box. How can I screw that up? Well, I did...or should I say Vicodin had a hand in it. While the brownies were cooking in the oven, I, for no reason other than being in a fog, simply turned the oven off. This was a huge mistake not caught until the timer went off and Scott took the gooey blob out of the oven. Then, to try and make it right, the conversation went like this:

Me: I'll just whip up a batch of my Snickerdoodles.

Scott: Are you sure? I'm sure we'll be fine without them.

Me: No, I can do it quickly.

I got to work making Snickerdoodles. I've made this recipe so many times, I practically know it by heart. But Vicodin doesn't play that way. My first batch of Snickerdoodles came out of the oven. They looked like hockey pucks. My second batch did too. What was going on? I read and reread the recipe. And ever so slowly, the fog lifted, the sun shined, and I realized I added baking powder, not baking soda. Ugh. I have my baking pride, so I whipped up a whole new mix of dough and made it all OK...and returned to bed in my drug-induced fog.

Snickerdoodle on the left: baking powder
Snicerdoodle on the right: baking soda

Happy Halloween!

Meet the Dark Side Brothers...

Introducing Draco Malfoy a.k.a. Harry Potter's rival and a member of Slytherin.
(Nathan grew his hair out for this costume. It is very long by his standards, but a must for the slicked-back Draco look.)




Also introducing Darth Vader from the Galactic Empire.
(This Darth Vader did not like to wear his mask, or carry his light saber. He also ran out of energy for trick-or-treating!)




And finally, The Bat, a menacing winged-mammal.
(This Bat really learned what it meant to trick-or-treat. He LOVED it! His mantra for the night after knocking on doors was "Trick-or-Treat!...Thank You!...Happy Halloween!...I go 'nother house!")

He is our sugar addict.

Henry's got game

I thought this love story deserved it's own post. Cuvée (Coo-vay) is Cave B Inn's resident dog. Cuvée is named after the winery's prize-winning red blend, Cuvée du Soleil (which, by the way, we tasted in the winery and it is dee-licious!). Anyways, dogs are allowed as guests at Cave B and Henry and Cuvée instantly took to one another. Henry has met plenty of dogs in his life, but I can't remember a dog he has related as well to--ever. He loved Cuvée's company, and the feeling was completely mutual.

A new favorite

Scott and I have visited our fair share of nice places during our 13 years of marriage and 6 years of dating. We usually find ourselves drawn to the coast, but we have discovered a new favorite that is far from the pounding surf of the ocean. We just returned from Cave B Inn in Eastern Washington. Cave B is built into the cliff above the Columbia River and it is surrounded by a vineyards and orchards. We visited the winery, dined, hiked, and just were able to relax and rejuvenate. We had a wonderful time and will definitely return. An added bonus: Cave B is directly next to the Gorge Amphitheater. I am picturing wine tasting, a delicious meal, a summer concert, a plush bed, and more importantly- NOT driving home late post-concert. I think I'm on to something big here!


Our home away from home.



View from our patio.



The vineyard.



Trail down to the Columbia.

Sympathy Pains

Diagnosis: sprain. Doc wrapped my ankle and told me to keep it elevated. Drew and Thomas thought they'd share in the experience with me. Thomas kept saying, "Mom, this isn't so hard."

I'm to stay off my feet for a few days and I'm to stay out of my Danskos for a few weeks. That's fine. I'm a little bit mad at them.

Take my advice

and don't ever run in these shoes. Disregard that your sons are about to be late to school. Who cares if they may get a pink a.k.a. tardy slip. Never run in Danskos. Because if you do, you may roll your ankle and not be able to walk, like me. I'm off to see the doctor tonight at 5:30. This is most inconvenient.

Weekend Images

Saturday:


HAPPY 30th DANIELLE! My cousin, Danielle, turned 30 this weekend. Scott and I made her a celebratory dinner, and I was responsible for the cake. I have to admit, I was a little bit self-serving when I decided to make my absolute favorite--chocolate layer cake with REAL whipped cream frosting, but I hope Danielle enjoyed it nonetheless.

Sunday:

At 7:00 am on my way to walk Henry. 3 mole mounds.
At 8:30 am as we left for a family bike ride. Now 4 mole mounds.
When we returned from our bike ride, 30 minutes later, we now had 6 mole mounds. As a matter of fact, I saw the dirt moving in the center of the last mound. Scott, who returned home after us, said, "Well, did you whack the mound with the shovel!!" No, I was naively watching nature.



I attended my first Seahawks game at Qwest Field this weekend. Let me tell you, Seahawks game are wild and crazy, and not necessarily in a good way. I wanted to take a shower when I got home.

If only it could be so easy...

Thomas has two very distinct sides to his personality. One side I am sure is what is causing my grey hairs. The other side is very thoughtful, pensive, and profound. Today, he shared that he feels bad that I am the only girl in the family--that it just isn't fair to me. The conversation continued like this:

Thomas: You could just have another baby, but make sure it is a girl.

Me: Well, it's not that easy Thomas.

Thomas: You could just take one of those pills to make you pregnant, but make sure the bottle has a "G" on it for "Girl".

Me: (chuckling) So, you think that there is a pill that makes women pregnant?

Thomas: Yeah. That's what Nathan told me.

Nathan: No I didn't.

Hey Scott, I think it might be time for "the big talk".

New Addition

This mammoth is our new couch. I absolutely love it. Scott thinks it is way too big for the space. We have gone without a couch in our rec room for over a year now. We have watched daily cartoons, favorite TV shows, movies, sports and everything in between while sitting on the basement floor with a bunch of blankets and plush kids' chairs for longer than I care to remember. He may be right that it is a tad too big, BUT all 5 of us can sit on it together and snuggle. That is reason enough for me to love it. He doesn't look like he minds it too much in the photo!
I'm off to get cozy and watch the season premiere of Desperate Housewives...

Date Night

OK, date night has undergone a makeover and now has a new purpose. If we are going to go out to dinner, we have a plan. We are going to eat our way through this city- alphabetically! So, the other night we hit up a restaurant that of course started with the letter "A". We headed down to Agua Verde on Boat St. by the UW for a rather authentic Mexican meal. Now, I've never been to Mexico, so I can't say for sure that it was authentic, but it sure tasted different, and fresher, than any Mexican restaurant I've been to. Not a lot of melted cheese or sauces, which I think is what makes Mexican food yummy to Scott. I had the Gorditas – two masa patties stuffed with shredded pork, served with lettuce, sour cream, tomatillo sauce, guacamole and salsa mexicana. They were delicious. The masa was a tad bit over-cooked, but the dish as a whole was fresh and filling. Scott had the Pollo Tacos - chile-rubbed charbroiled chicken with cranberry slaw. He wasn't completely enamored with his dish, but he said he would go back another time to give it a second try. The atmosphere is certainly college hang-out- nothing fancy. But, we had a nice time. Next stop- the letter "B".

The Mole

The Mole was a great tv show. The ever dapper and intelligent Anderson Cooper was the host and people actually had to use their brains on a reality show. Players in The Mole had to work together to complete various physical and mental challenges to build up a significant cash prize for the winner. One of them, however, was "the Mole," a double agent hired by the producers to sabotage the efforts of the group. I miss the show.

This post has nothing to do with the show, however. It just shares the same title. Instead, the Loftin garden and lawn have fallen victim to "the mole". Each day s/he leaves us a new mound to marvel at. I actually curse the mounds. The boys are excited to see each new lump, however. So, I showed them photos of moles via Google to get them on my side. After they saw their ugly red star-shaped noses and scissor-sharp claws on their paws, they are not too impressed anymore. Our little mole friend has traveled from our backyard where s/he spent most of the summer, to the south side of the house, and now to his/her new stomping ground- our front yard. There's not a whole heck of a lot we can do to stop this journey. We are just hoping s/he moves along soon.

Bow Down to Washington

Now that's what I'm talking about. As one fan's shirt read: "In Locker We Trust." Could it be that the Dawgs are back? I'll keep crossing my fingers.

Mighty are the men, or boys, who wear the purple and the gold!



Side note: these pictures were taken with our new camera!

What's Your Power?

Thomas and Scott were wrestling yesterday afternoon while watching the Seahawks game on TV.

Scott said to Thomas, "Thomas, you have stinky breath!"

Thomas said, "I know. That's my super power."

"The days are long...

but the years are short". This is one of my very favorite quotes and I think of it often when I am knee deep in parenting. That quote couldn't be more appropriate today as Thomas starts Kindergarten and Nathan is a big 3rd grader. I can't believe how quickly our children are growing. I feel a little funny, uneasy and reflective today. Thomas was a cool cucumber this morning and made us so proud. Perhaps the fact that there were no tears, and a complete lack of nervousness and drama makes me feel a little bit of those emotions on Thomas' behalf. I worry about his small stature and hope that he is not picked on or left out. I know socially and academically he is right where he should be or beyond, but he is so much smaller than all of the kids. I know as the weeks go by, I will settle down, but today I feel very unsettled.

Summer Vacation is Almost Over

Here are some photos of the last two weeks of summer vacation. We all can't believe it is over.

Camping at Lake Kachess with the Mah Jong Crew




The Kite Festival on the Long Beach Peninsula. I think the boys spent over 20 days this summer at the beach house. That is what summer is all about!












Boys and Girls Club fundraiser/Mariner's game at Uncle Tom's Warehouse. This was also Drew's very first Mariner's game!









And finally, Labor Day Weekend at the beach. This is always our signal that summer is ending, and school, soccer, Husky games, and the rain is about to start. Goodbye summer.