Are we still in the city?

Our friends, the Clarks, have a huge slope in their backyard that is completely engulfed in ivy. The space is unusable for play and to remove it by hand would be incredibly difficult and time consuming. Enter 29 goats and 1 sheep. These ruminants are chowing down on the ivy, weeds, and everything in between in preparation for the installation of a new landscape. We had to see it for ourselves, and I think we all were smiling the whole time. It was quite a sight to see, and an odor to smell as they were there for almost a week.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Happy 37th Scott! I hope your special day was as special as I tried to make it. You deserve the best...especially after the year you've had. Here's to a healthy and HAPPY year ahead. And, I'm OK if you fall in love with fly-fishing and I become one of those wives who is single on the weekends b/c her husband is at the river...especially if you get our 3 boys into fly-fishing too!

Camping Trip #1

Camping Trip #1 of the summer is under our belt and it didn't rain! We felt very positive about the whole experience and are looking forward to our next stint in a couple of weeks. We've always camped with a group. I wonder how we would like camping with just the 5 of us?

Swim Lessons

Our summer consumed with swim lessons has started. We're actually on week #2. The huge milestone here though is that ALL THREE BOYS are in lessons! Can that really be true?! I can hardly believe it. Nathan is still perfecting his crawl and backstroke. Thomas is having a blast being in a class with a friend and a silly male teacher. And Drew is doing great. He prefers to either hang out on the steps, or jump into his teacher's arms over and over and over. At least he is not crying. Someday, we'll be members of this pool. We've been on the wait list for ~8 years now. We're #105 as of today...I'm hoping for membership in 2-3 more years.

Summer Vacation So Far

Just a little something I had Thomas write up...a short little sentence that repeated 35 times. Hopefully this sentence will not be written again by his little hands this summer. (It kept him busy and out of trouble for a good amount of time, though!)

Nathan is 9!

Nathan is now 9! He woke up on his birthday with his very first loose tooth- top center. He was excited to join the ranks of his snaggle-toothed friends.

We celebrated his special day with 12 9-year-olds at a bowling alley. We had the competitive group (Nathan and Henry +2 others), the easy-going group, and the group who tossed the bowling ball straight up and left a dent in the lane each time it landed, I am sure. The boys had a great time and we had fun spending time with them. We have known all of them for over 4 years now, and they all are so comfortable with each other. I think they had the most fun picking songs on the juke box...big rap fans. Funny.

9 more years and he is 18. That makes my stomach turn.

Sassy Pants

This is my new name for Drew..."Sassy Pants". Whoever coined the term the "Terrible Twos" was premature. The "Terrible Threes" is more like it. He is so argumentative and sassy. I forgot that a three year old knows more than me! He begins most sentences when he is feeling sassy with "Besides...", except his "besides" sounds like "Sides"...

"Sides, I didn't want to do that" or "Sides, I'm older than Ryan" or "Sides, I don't want to go to Grandma's."

It was funny and cute at first. Now, his stubbornness is wearing me out!

Allergies

A raccoon was in our yard, that I did not see, but Thomas did... he then said he was allergic to raccoons. Apparently soon after it left, his eyes became itchy and he began to sneeze. He then decided he was allergic to raccoons. I'm still wondering if a raccoon was ever in our yard.

A spider was in Thomas' bedroom a couple of nights ago. He soon said his eyes were itchy.

If you ask him, he is allergic to raccoons and spiders.

You know you're old when...

you need one of these:

My broken foot in December prompted surgery. Surgery meant a slow road to heal. Healing meant it was hard to do any sort of cardio workout. No cardio = extra
pounds and now elevated cholesterol. I'm on vitamins and fish oil in hopes of reducing my numbers and avoiding a prescription for cholesterol meds.

Also in my routine- physical therapy. My bad foot resulted in a different gait and now my hip is messed up. So, I spend an hour or two a week with Joe, my PT,in hopes of returning to my former ways. So far Joe has the magic touch- Thank God for Joe.

Happy Birthday Henry!

On May 12th, Henry turned 10 years old. We celebrated with a long walk, new toys, and a fancy doggie treat. Henry seems younger than 10 to us, and we so hope that he continues to be our loyal, mellow, dirty-kleenex-eating dog. We can't imagine life without him. Happy birthday good boy!

YES!

THE American Idol!

Mother's Day

Another Mother's Day has come and gone. I like Mother's Day because as Becca put it, it's like having a birthday without getting any older. Scott, who is THE one to make sure my Mother's Day is extra full of spoiling was out of town. 5 dads and 5 kindergartners went to a cabin in the mountains on a river. They had an amazing time, so that was worth Scott and Thomas' absence. Nathan, completely on his own accord, stepped up to take care of me. He brought me cereal and juice in bed, got Drew out of bed for me, and made breakfast for the two of them. So sweet. We then went for a bike ride in the rain. I love being a mom.

Before Thomas went out of town on Saturday, he gave me his card he made at school. It went like this:

MY MOTHER

My mother's name is Natasha.
My mother is 37 years old.
My mother's favorite color is blue.
My mother's favorite sport is football.
My mother's favorite food is salad.
My mother is good at laundry.
My mother likes it when I read books.
I love it when my mother lets me ride my bike.
My mother and I like to go to the store.
My mother is great because she lets me go outside whenever I want.
Happy Mother's Day, Thomas.

So sweet and endearing...but I need to be good at something other than laundry!

Life with sons

I just walked all around Blockbuster and stood in a very long check-out line with a
2 Day Rental sticker on my bottom- courtesy of Thomas. Nathan laughed.

No Shrimp

Scott had a quite a scare yesterday. He is allergic to crustaceans- shrimp, crab, and lobster and in the 22 years I have known him, he has never had a situation like he did yesterday. In fact, I don't think he's ever been exposed to these foods in all these years. He was out to lunch with his co-workers and somehow his CLAM chowder had shrimp in it. He's not sure if he was served shrimp chowder by accident, or if some shrimp made it into his food. After one bite of just broth, he noticed his next bite was a spoonful of three shrimp. He did not take that bite. At that point, he started to experience anaphylaxis. He couldn't see well, he felt faint and hot, he had trouble breathing, and his throat started to close. Not good. His co-worker, Tanya, wanted to call 911. He was being a male about it and wouldn't let her hoping it would pass. It did pass, and I picked him up soon after. He was better by the time I got to him, but completely exhausted. It was weird. It was like his body had worked so hard fighting off the shrimp, that all he could do was sleep. I think the scariest part about this, from what I've read, is his next exposure will increase in severity.

Today he feels better, but still so tired. I think an Epi-pen is in his future.

Girl's Weekend

I just returned from a weekend at the beach house with the Mah Jong gals. I'm tired! Weren't we supposed to get some rest? Hard to do when you stay up until the wee hours of the night chatting. We had a great time and I'm so thankful for my friends. Nothing out of the ordinary really...just lots of good conversation, good food, wine, gossip magazines, good weather and laughs. Oh, we were paid a visit by a neighbor's visiting friend who was in search of burn cream. Turned out his buddy had placed a lit "Blooming Flower" firecracker in his back pocket. Mario, the poor unfortunate soul now had a pair of shorts with a huge hole in them that probably matched his burned buttock. He wouldn't let us investigate, but we were able to pass along some medical supplies. Alcohol, beach fires, and firecrackers don't mix.

We all had a great time, and I look forward to this annual tradition. My family, by the way, loved their "boys weekend" as well.

Snowflakes on Tulips

Seattle experienced snow three days in a row in April. At first it was exciting, but then it just felt wrong...like something was not quite right with the world.

This apple fell far from the tree

Drew is obsessed with NASCAR. This is a photo of his favorite toy in the world. He first became a fan of Dale Earnhardt but has moved on to Jr. now...you know, Dale Earnhardt Jr.?! This all started when I was laid up in bed with my broken foot. Drew needed a little mommy time so he climbed into bed and wanted to watch TV with me. It was a Saturday afternoon and cartoons at that time really aren't geared for the age 2-3 crowd. So I began flipping, looking for something he could watch, and he asked me to stop when he saw a car racing show. Turned out it was a documentary on the life of Dale Sr...quite interesting I might add. Drew was transfixed. Not just with the car racing scenes, but with all the interviews with Dale Sr., and Dale Jr., and the good ol'boys on the farm, and the rabid fans at the track. He watched the entire show without moving. Dale Sr. was his favorite topic of conversation for a few days and finally I had to break it to him that Dale Sr. crashed and is in heaven (somehow he missed that part of the show). But to ease his loss, he switched his affection to Dale Jr. He loves him...it's crazy. I wouldn't really classify myself or Scott as NASCAR fans...or really anyone we know. But more power to Drew for being an individual!

This morning he managed to wake up me, Nathan and Thomas at 6:30 am. He could not locate his Dale Jr. die cast car and he wanted it. He needed it. So, he proceeded to walk around the house yelling loudly, "Dale Earnhardt Jr. where are you!?" "Where are you Dale Earnhardt Jr.?!"

On that note, my day had begun.

37

Today is my 37th birthday. I'm usually one that revels in my birthday, making it as special as I can. For some reason, this year, my heart is not that into it. Perhaps I am having a hard time getting older and I realize how quickly this life passes us by. My children are growing before my eyes and that is very bittersweet to me...more bitter than sweet. Audrey put it well when she said at least the 7 is not the first digit in my age. Amen.


True to form, I have managed to stretch my birthday celebrations over a couple of weeks and have spent time with special people. The birthday trio of Audrey, Jill and myself celebrated over brunch at Volterra in Ballard, and then hit up the Ballard Farmer's Market. I will not be returning to Volterra. My brunch was one of the worst meals I've ever had. Seriously. I ordered a scramble and asked for it without bacon. It was rubbery and tasteless, even with salt and pepper. My hash browns had been fried up in bacon grease. Bluhck. I couldn't eat more than one bite. Now, if I was specific about no bacon in my scramble, shouldn't hash browns cooked up in bacon grease be a no-no? My first real vegetarian meal causality. I had thought about writing a letter, but I don't want them to invite me back to try to make it right. I definitely left with a bad taste in my mouth. Literally. The company was great though! We were trying to come up with a grand scheme of starting a business together that we could do from home...hmmm...still need to work on that one.



Last Friday the Mah Jong crew went to Cafe Flora in Madison Park. The food was great. The service was attentive (dare I say touchy!) and we all had a fun and entertaining time, as usual. We then ventured to The Ballroom in Fremont for a little dancing, hanging out with the trannies, and being reminded that we are not in college anymore, Toto. Still a very fun evening.

The next night Scott and I dined at El Gaucho for our letter "E" spot. Now, I must come clean: we have been there together before, but only once. El Gaucho made such an impression on me that I don't really feel we got the whole experience the first time around. Another visit was completely in order. From the moment you walk in, you really feel like you are transformed to another time and place. It is so dark and swanky with an electricity in the air. I just love it. The food is plentiful and amazing. We completely indulged. Scallops, Caprese salad, halibut with corn salsa for me, rib-eye steak for Scott, mac and cheese, and fiesta roasted corn. Delectable! El Gaucho is definitely spendy...should be saved for special occasions.

And that leads to today, my actual birthday. Scott surprised me by taking the day off. He brought me a latte and a People magazine and told me just to stay in bed while he did the school morning routine. Nathan and Thomas went to school, Drew had a play date with Grandpa and Grandma, and Scott and I were able to spend the day together. We went for a long ass-kicking hill walk, went out to brunch, went shopping, and were just able to spend some much-needed time together. What a nice way to spend the day.

Tonight Thomas had his second t-ball game. He had three great hits...cranked one as a matter of fact. He also played 1st base and got an out. We all had a lot of fun at his game.

The parental folks came over for presents and cake after Thomas' game. Cake made with love by Drew, my dad and mom.

As the first day of my 37th year comes to end, I feel completely blessed and a bit worn out by all the celebrations. I'm off to bed and I hope the next year is filled with happy memories, good health for all that I love, and the ability to be reflective and to enjoy the simplest things in life.

FINALLY!

Thomas, the baseball player, was finally able to show the world what he's got this weekend at his very first t-ball game. This day has been a long time in the making. He has supported Nathan on the ball field for 3 seasons, and Thomas couldn't wait for his turn to be a part of a team. He may be small, but he is mighty. He had three great hits and was focused in the outfield. His team, the Penguins played so well. They made 4 or 5 outs. This will make for a fun spring.

Stress Relief

After much thought and discussion, we have decided to take our house off the market. The timing just wasn't right, and we feel it wasn't meant to be. We were approaching our 5th week of keeping the house beyond tidy, open houses, being kicked out for showings all through the day, three boys who just desperately want to play with their things that are packed away, and a dog that has spent a heck of a lot of time in the car, and most importantly, 5 weeks waiting for THE OFFER that never came. Plus, the house we were interested in seemed like too much of a fixer for us. The excitement had worn off. We are both disappointed, but feel a huge sense of relief.

Not sure what the future holds home-wise for us. We're just going to relax and enjoy the simple things right now in a house that hasn't been picked up or vacuumed in more than a day! It's liberating!

Um...where's Thomas?

On Thursday night, I went into Thomas' bedroom to check on him right before I went to bed. This is what I discovered:



For a brief moment, I panicked and was reminded of a low-budget horror film. Where was my son, and who left this paper version of him behind?...or did Thomas run away and leave Flat Thomas behind? Upon further investigation, I discovered this:



Thomas and his version of himself made at school in Kindergarten had decided to have a slumber party. I laughed out loud and once again am reminded of how funny Thomas is.

Deep Thoughts- by Thomas

If everyone tried something new one time a month, then it (life) wouldn't be boring.

Said after digging razor clams for the first time.

Recommendation...

I would recommend that you do not list your house FOR SALE while you have three kids home for spring break. Can you say "EXTREME STRESS"? Kids are not supposed to be tidy, so how can I expect them to be?! Our spring break was not ideal. We had to keep the house spotless and we were kicked out often for showings...and STILL no one has presented us with an offer. Why doesn't anyone want our house? We're thinking of pulling it off the market after the weekend. The excitement of moving to a new neighborhood and new digs had completely worn off.

The best part of spring break for me was that Scott took all three boys to the beach for the weekend. I think a little voice from above whispered in his ear that his wife had had enough. Keeping the house clean and keeping the boys busy over spring break almost did me in. I was beyond exhausted. So, to the ocean the boys and daddy went to watch the Final 4 and dig razor clams. I reveled in the quietness.

Catch!

Nathan's 3rd grade class visited the Pike Place Market last week as an end to their study of the history of this famous Seattle destination. Nathan had the distinct privilege of being the recipient of a flying salmon courtesy of the fish mongers...and he caught it! Good for him. He said it was a bit slimy, so he used his coat to catch it, but we are so proud.

Stress Part 2

We lowered the price of our house 10K in hopes of "goosing" (as Scott puts it) someone in to making an offer. We had an Open House today, so we'll see. We have until 9 pm tomorrow night until our contingency runs out. We've asked for an extension of this contingency, but haven't heard back yet from the seller. ugh.

Stress!

I haven't blogged for awhile because I haven't had regular access to our computer. We put our house on the market and have been living with my mother-in-law in order to keep our house clean and accessible...three boys and a dog make that near to impossible. We bought a cosmetic fixer in a GREAT location and can totally see the potential. We bought this house contingent on our house selling in 14 days however. Our house has now been on the market for 12 days and we have received NO OFFERS. We are stressed. If we do not receive any sort of an offer by Monday, we will probably kiss the house we made an offer on good-bye. We'll know more in 24-48 hours. Yes, stress indeed.

Houston, we have a problem...

Drew just found a very long-lost Binky-- one that has been missing for months. Uh-oh. He was able to give up his Binky(s) with really no incident when he turned 3 last month. The Binky Fairy visited one night and took the last remaining Binky and left a box of Swedish Fish. Out of sight, out of mind. But now, today, he has been reunited with a long-lost friend. He keeps saying, "I'm not done with Binky."

I think the Binky Fairy needs to pay us another visit.

Update: Mission Binky Fairy complete and successful. No tears or drama, just a delicious collection of gummy bears and M&Ms to enjoy.

Natapoc

This past weekend 10 adults and 13 children headed over the mountains to enjoy a weekend together in a cabin on a river in the snow. What a blast we all had. Sledding, snowshoeing, a scavenger hunt, hot tub, yummy food, games,...a complete party atmosphere for all. Drew sledded for the first time and has a road rash on his cheek to prove it. Nathan and Thomas snowshoed for the first time. Scott and I won the "Not-So Newlywed Game". We had to. 20 years together, how could we not?

Great times with great friends. I love our Mah Jong Family!

Upcoming Test

WASL anxiety is starting to set in for Nathan. Not sure why. He has nothing to worry about- he's only in 3rd grade and a great reader and mathematician to boot. But I guess when you are a perfectionist, like he is...like I am...it's normal to worry about an upcoming measure of skills. (WASL stands for "The Washington Assessment of Student Learning"). Tonight he says, "You know what the best thing about the WASL is? We get extra snacks!" Not sure who is providing these rewards, but I'm happy to help out if I can.

Perfectionist he is...but also, he is the SNACK KING. He loves a good snack. Actually, with him, it's not quality, it's quantity. Hey, whatever gets you through, Nathan.

Mid-winter Break

ANOTHER vacation from school for the kids. Why didn't we have mid-winter break when we were growing up? Lucky dogs. Anyways, we went down to the beach and had quality family time. The weather was sunny and warm for this time of the year. I read 1.5 books-can't remember the last time I even read a book. A nice time to decompress for all.

Date Night B, C, and D

Date night was put on the back burner for awhile. Not exactly sure why. I guess the fall was a really busy time for our whole family, and our babysitter. Our sitter is more available this quarter, so we are looking forward to more regular date nights. We did manage to go out a few times and visited the following:


We visited Bai Pai on 65th back in December with our friends Mike and Audrey. We had a great evening. The lights are dimmed a bit and the tables are nicely set, making for a nice atmosphere. The service was very friendly. The food was some of the best Thai I've had. I had Phad See Ewe with tofu and it was delicious. The portion was hearty, and the tofu was cut into good-sized cubes, which were very satisfying. Bai Pai has a nice wine list, and a full bar. I think we've found a new neighborhood favorite!

For "C" we headed to Madison Park to try Cactus, a restaurant we have heard a lot about. Gotta say, not very impressed. Our server was really the only thing we liked. Scott ordered steak fajitas and he said the steak was tough and not flavorful. I had the spinach salad with the prawn skewer. At times, my salad tasted fine. Other times, I would bite into a portion that was just COLD, almost frozen. Yuck. Our table can be seen in this photo. Almost every time a server walked past me, s/he would bump into my chair. I think I can safely say we will not return.


And now, the best for last. For Valentine's Day and the letter "D" we went to the infamous Dahlia Lounge. I had never been there before, which is hard to believe. It seems "everyone" has been to Tom Douglas' most famous eatery, but not me. I was excited to give it a try, but wondered if it would really live up to all the hoopla. It did. I loved it. I want to go back. Today. For appetizers we had french fries. Scott said they were reminiscent of Dick's, but better. We shared a grilled bread salad that was so flavorful. For dinner I had the Spanish tortilla- a vegetarian dish made out of potatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Delicious. Scott had king salmon with curried cauliflower that he loved. For dessert, we had the bag of hot doughnuts with sweetened Mascarpone cheese. Oh my goodness. Heaven. The whole experience was perfect. But really, how can you go wrong with fancy french fries and doughnuts?

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.