Update :)

Today was stitches-removal Day 2.  We went in yesterday so that Kayliana’s first round ‘o stitches could come out.  I have to say (though it IS the smaller of the two wounds and the fewer stitches – just three), it looks fantastic already.  I really think that in just a matter of days it will be hardly noticeable.  Today’s wound (and stitches removal) may be a different story.  It was the deeper, more stitches (5) scenario, so we’ll see.  I’m sure both will be a bit of a scar but nothing too major.  Today’s doctor was the one that did day one’s stitches and popped in to see us on day two.  She is WONDERFUL. 

 

She gave us a present!!  It’s a beautiful book that’s as girly as they get.  The note she wrote in it says, “To Kayli, Matthew and Zachary, The best family ever during not 1 but 2 emergencies.”  Well, so, we maybe handle them pretty well…doesn’t mean that we need to keep ‘em coming!


(Again, I apologize.  I don't know why things aren't in the correct orientation...they say they are on my computer and then when I upload the photo they're all vertical and totally wrong! erg).

Summer shenanigans

We had such an amazing time in Port Ludlow with Jason and Rebecca and their kiddos!! We played at the lagoon (where the kids – especially Kayliana – enjoyed rowing in the little raft).  We searched for sea glass at one of the beaches in Port Townsend.  The guys took all the boys to the pool while the girls napped and Rebecca and I sat on the deck enjoying the beautiful scenary and talking…and talking…and talking.  It’s funny how even when we spend five days together it’s just not long enough and we never run out of things to say!

 

I seriously never wanted to leave; it was such a great vacation.  But, alas, we had to.  Mike had this annoying commitment called “work” that he had to go do the next day.  I had piles of laundry awaiting me and a camping trip with the kids and my dad next week to prepare and pack for.  We came back and discovered that the 16 year old neighbor girl across the street had NOT (as we’d requested) rolled out the garbage can, had not watered the plants, had obviously not cared for Scout-the-Bunny very well, but HAD used our master bathroom toilet and shower and had left the sink running.  She’d also watched over two hours of TV on the Netflix.  Um, awesome.

 

Wednesday (yesterday), I just could not force myself to get up and go for an early morning run.  I finally dragged my post-vacation butt out of bed and was looking forward to an at-home day.  (Let me clarify: an at-home day, while relaxing in the fact that we don’t have to go anywhere, is usually a crazy thoroughly productive day for me.  I was going to get caught up on all of the laundry, do dishes, do some music class planning, camping prep, meal planning, grocery list making, etc.  The kids were happy to be reunited with all their toys and would have a lovely at-home play day….or so I thought).

 

I was still in my pajamas, getting caught up on news and email and was enjoying my morning coffee, the kids had already breakfasted, and I was about to get mine ready when…BOOM. SCREAM.  CRY. Kayli had been running (as she tends to) and tripped (as often happens) and fell (nothing too new here) hitting (this is the bad part) directly above her left eye (thank God it was ABOVE and basically in the eyebrow area) on the corner of our stupid Ikea-sharp-cornered coffee table.  Poor Matthew – who was witness to this – was beside himself at how obviously injured and upset Kayli was.  I took one look at her sorta-deep-gash and said, “Hmmm, we should probably all go get dressed.  I have a feeling this made need stitches.”  Matthew totally started crying which got Kayli going even more.  I called the doctor, got dressed and got us out the door in 20 minutes or so. (I didn’t bother changing Kayli out of her stellar outfit of pajamas and princess dress accompanied by rockstar pony tail bedhead).  They were able to get us in right away, and Kayli was an AMAZING brave girl not whimpering once the whole time we were there (nor did she afterwards). She came away with three stitches and a Dora sticker.  We left the doctor and headed to Burger King for ice cream cones. 

 

Today was going to be another at-home day for the kiddos.  Mike works from home on Thursdays, and, because of this, I scheduled a 1:30 meeting today with the director of the new Montessori school that I’ve landed.  (Woohoo!  I’ll now teach my music classes at two Montessori schools on Mondays).  After my meeting, I stopped at a store to pick up some groceries.  I didn’t have my watch so I pulled out my phone to check the time.  It was 2:20.  I noticed that Mike had sent me a text message at 1:56pm stating: “Calling [the doctor’s office] again Kayli had another fall and will probably need more stitches.”

 

…

…

… (indicating my moment of shock.  In the middle of the store, in the middle of the cracker/cereal aisle, I did a kind of honk-laugh ARE YOU KIDDIN ME?!- shocked gasp combo.  I bet it was rather strange sounding).  I called Mike and he said that, the doctor had just told them that this time, they might send us to the ER.  I told him I’d get there as soon as I could and ditched my cart in the middle of the store (I figured I had a valid excuse) and pedal to the metal-ed to the doctor’s office.  I walked into the waiting room and found our two sweet boys sitting in the same place they’d been sitting at yesterday.  YESTERDAY.  Kayliana had her first stitches YESTERDAY.  Now, it’s TODAY and we’re here.  Again.  For stitches.  Again.  Twice. In Two Days.  Is this a joke?!

 

This time, it was poor Zachary, who witnessed the injury.  Kayli had been dancing (as she does) and fell (as sometimes happens) and hit the low Ikea-stupid-sharp-cornered-TV table just BELOW her right eye (so the other one to, you know, even things out).  Unfortunately this gash was definitely longer, deeper and bloodier.  My poor boys (Mike included).  And POOR KAYLI!

 

Most likely due to this one being worse AND the recent events of yesterday, Kayli didn’t handle things quite as well today.  The doctor had suggested the ER because they have ‘stronger’ stuff to help Kayli calm down (and this was just the upsettedness from the bandaid removal). Thankfully, by the time I arrived, she had settled down considerably (though the sweet girl started to cry the second she saw me).

 

We had a different doctor today who was wonderful.  After seeing how deep this gash was, she decided to bring in another doctor for a second opinion before beginning.  She came back with…our sweet doctor from yesterday who, upon seeing me, opened her arms wide and gave me a big hug!  She went on and on about how perfect Kayli had been yesterday (which was true)…unfortunately, she may have been getting the hopes up for today’s doctor.  Here Today Doc thought she’d have this mellow two year old…mmmm, yeah, not so much.  Half way through the stitches Kayli flipped out and began squirming (despite the super tight papoose board holding her still).  I don’t know if the numbing stuff had worn off or what but it. Was. Awful. Today Doc eventually stopped and they gave Kayli some more of the numbing stuff (but through a needle and it DEFINITELY got worse before it got better).  Once the meds kicked in, Kayli settled down and totally fell asleep.  This certainly made the rest of the procedure easier!

 

We left the doctor’s office today with five stitches, a different Dora sticker and then went through the McDonald’s drive-thru for dinner.  I’ve decided that Ikea (due to their stupid sharp cornered furniture) should cover my fast food AND medical bills. 


When we got home, this picture was waiting for Kayli (made by Zach).  When she saw it she said, “It’s me! With no owies on my two eyeballs!!”  Let’s hope she gets and STAYS that way.  OWIE-FREE.

                                                     Boys' slumber party room

                                          
                                            Um, how do these things work?!

                                                
                                                    Up the creek...so to speak.

                                     
                                     Yeah, this water isn't QUITE deep enough for snorkeling.

                                               It's still fun though!

                                                                Beauty shot.

 

Row, row, row your boat (she did sing it).

 

Zach and Veronica having a cuddle.

 

Sandy butt shot.

The younger Clan ladies enjoying a moment on the deck (before Rebecca and I kick them out of OUR seats).

 

Day 1 outfit at the doctor's for stitches

 

Day 2, not looking quite as awesome

 

All passed out on the papoose :(

 

Happier heading home.

 

 

                      I'm too tired to figure out why this won't post vertically.  Do me a favor and turn sideways to look at it.  Thanks!

 

 

Not so lazy August

 

Yeah, yeah, it’s been a while.  I warned you: I told you that August was going to get cray-cray-busy-bananas and here it is!  The first five days of August we were in Spokane – at the District V Engaged Encounter Convention and seeing Mike’s family.  We had a WONDERFUL trip.  The kids did great on the 5.5 hour drive there.  They were each allowed two questions in the “are we there yet?” or “How much longer?” realm.  Matthew used his up by the time we got to Ellensburg (about two hours away).  Zachary still had his questions when we pulled into the Spokane hotel parking lot!  The Convention – as always was TONS of fun and also spiritually rejuvenating!  I was asked at the last minute to help out with music – singing and fluting – it was fun to dust off my chops and rock a mic again.  (Let’s face it; I’m always rocking a Mike though).

 

Speaking of Mike…yesterday we celebrated our 12^th wedding anniversary!  We’re actually ‘celebrating’ tomorrow night with a date/outing.  The last several days Mike was actually at a computer nerd gaming hootenanny/tournament thingy, so he was in heaven.  The kiddos and I managed to stay out of trouble, hang out with friends, AND stay out of the ER! (Unlike our wedding anniversary last year when we had to meet up with my parents in the ER so that Kayliana’s dislocated elbow could be popped back in).  We’re praying for an ER-free year!

 

Anyway, back to last weekend in Spokane.  We were excited to have the chance to see Mike’s dear Aunt Dolores and Uncle Harry and we were able to get together with a bunch of Mike’s fam that we’ve not seen in years.  Everybody’s doing well and of course multiplying – there were little kid cousins everywhere!  Mike’s cousin Sheri took some great photos too!  I’m working on getting some of these in frames and on the wall.

 

This week, I’m trying to do some planning for the school year – contacting Montessori schools to see if I might land another gig for my Little Ditties Music Academy classes. We’ll see…

 

At the end of the week, we’re heading to my parents’ Port Ludlow beach house with the BFF’s for a LONG weekend of awesome, magic, fun.  I. Can’t. Wait.  Pictures and details to come!  

 

Too bad Kayli was tired and cranky here! We may have to just photo shop a smile and use this on Christmas cards. :D

She turned the charm back on for her photo shoot later though!

Those "lazy" days of summer

I must be just a little bit slow.  Slightly behind.  There is no such thing as “spring cleaning” to me.  My massive urge to purge and clean tends to arrive in…late July when it’s stupid hot (for Seattle, anyway) and the last thing a smart person would do is lock themselves in the hottest section of their house (say the windowless, airflowless master closet) and clean.  And yet…

 

Zachary is a hoarder.  He gets from me.  While I’m by no means an I-need-professional-help hoarder, I have slight pack-rat tendancies.  What’s annoying is that it bugs me.  Fine if you want to be that way, but then it shouldn’t piss YOU off.  The piles of papers and broo-ha-ha that build on the kitchen counter slowly gnaw away at my soul…and yet I’m partially responsible for putting them there.  The mail, the swim lesson report cards, the catalogue I want to look at (though shouldn’t order from), the amazing masterpiece that one of our children created, the Lego magazine that gets looked at and cherished so much it eventually falls apart, the photo that someone took of our kids and that I’ll supposedly, someday put in an album (but in the meantime will just keep on the counter in the pile of paper crap until I eventually shove it in a folder in a drawer that is bursting with other supposedly sentimental paper crap that will just stay there until I finally get Mike to get the kids’ memory boxes down from the garage and I can shove that one photographic treasure into the accordion folder that is my get-out-of-guilt-jail-free-card since I have no intention of scrapbooking a priceless photo album full of love, memories and cut out paper shapes, themed borders or glitter penned dates and clever captions).

 

Anyway, Zach has SORTA gotten my knack for holding on to STUFF.  We’ve only lived here a little over a year and, while, of course, I make my children pick up their rooms, we haven’t done a deep clean, massive re-org and, well, you can tell.  So, a couple of days ago, we basically emptied all of Zach’s belongings into the hall.  We moved furniture.  I cleaned baseboards, I even touched up paint.  We rearranged furniture.  This was so exciting you’d have thought that we’d bought him his own personal bedroom pony.

 

He excitedly explained to Matthew, “Tomorrow morning when I wake up [in the bed now located on the opposite wall], I’ll be all,” making groggy wake-up sounds, “Hmm? Wha?  Where am I?  Did we move again? Wha’s happening?”

 

Matthew’s been so inspired by Zach’s room re-do he wants us to tackle his. We’re still not done with Zach’s.  We’re on day 3.  I feel like Matthew’s  – what with all the Lego and small Star Wars paraphernalia – will take us an additional week.  And lazy summerday time is suddenly dissolving faster and faster.  August is jam-packed.  Next week we head to Spokane for the Engaged Encounter Convention and to see Mike’s family.  The week after that, Mike’s doing a computer nerd gaming conference thingy in Seattle.  He’ll essentially be gone (but sleeping at home) from 8am-12am for several days.  The week after that, we head to mom and dad’s Port Ludlow beach house with the bff’s and all our brood of children.  The week after that, Mike heads to Vancouver B.C. for a computer nerd convention and I’m taking the kids camping with my dad for a few days.  The week after that is Labor Day and then, boom, school starts and then boom, it’s Christmas, baseball season, and then our children are graduating from high school and moving out. 

 

See how time is just flying?!  So, Matthew’s room…might have to wait a little while.

Matthew and his Wingman

A couple of weeks ago, when the boys decided to do a lemonade stand, Matthew and I had a conversation that later resulted in a conversation that Mike and I had that essentially scared the dooty out of me.  Some people were walking by the boys’ stand and Matthew made very little effort to even recognize their presence let alone try to sell them some of the “world’s best lemonade.”  I chatted with him about how he can’t expect to sell much if he’s not even going to be friendly.

 

“Yeah, but I don’t like talking to strangers, Mom,” he said. 

 

“Well, sure, but if you want this to be a success, you’re going to need to,” I explained.  “And you can at least be a little friendlier.”

 

As often happens, Matthew quickly worked out that he could get Zachary to do the outgoing aspect of life that he tends to avoid.

 

The next night while Mike and I enjoyed one of our date nights, we sat in the bar courtyard area and I related this story to him.  I was suddenly transported about, mmm, 12-15 years and I could clearly imagine our two boys/future young men, hanging out at bar.  Zachary, all Mr. Sauve, approaches a nice looking young woman at the bar and, with way too much swagger, says, “So,” (jerking his head toward the corner of the bar where Matthew is standing slightly awkwardly), “my brother over there thinks you’re cute.”  Matthew gives a goofy little wave, maybe even a cheesy grin punctuated by a thumb's up.

 

“But,” I tell Mike, explaining the vision that I’m having, “Then Zach, Mr. Studly Confidence totally gets the girl!  Oh my gosh!” I exclaim realizing with horror, “Zach is Matthew’s wingman….and Zach is a TOTAL player!”

 

Mike laughs and says, “Well, no, Zach’s not a TOTAL player.  He’ll be a gentleman.  Don’t get me wrong, he’ll get plenty of play, but he’ll be a gentleman about it.”

 

I fear for the future.

 

Epic July times

I feel like the last week plus was seriously epic.  We packed SO much into ten-ish days.  I successfully painted our master bathroom (including the double sink vanity).  I won’t take an ‘after’ picture until we have the light fixtures moved and the huge mirror reinstalled.  So, it might be a bit, but it looks good!

 

Last week, while I painted (on the hottest summer days yet), the boys did sports camp.  Matthew was outside in the heat for three days doing baseball camp.  Zachary was in a stifling hot, stuffy gym doing basketball camp.  Kicking off the week of sports camp, we took the boys to their first ever Mariners game.  We even got to parade around the field before the game started since it was “world little league” day.  It was pretty sweet!  Matthew LOVED the game – especially now that he considers himself quite the baseball player and expert.  (He currently wants to be a Mariners player when he grows up).  Zachary enjoyed the game mostly because of the endless treats we kept doling out.  He would’ve been a little happier if games were only four innings long.   

 

We did lots of other fun stuff – Mike and I had a couple of date nights (woohoo!).  We went to the zoo; the kids rode the carousel.  We set up the slip ‘n slide in the backyard (Kayli now LOVES it).  We had a nice, pretty chill 4^th.  We played baseball.  We swam in our neighbors’ pool.  We did yardwork and projects around the house.  The kids did a lemonade stand at the end of our driveway and – the pressure! – I had to make and attempt to live up to their advertising that we’d be serving the “world’s best lemonade!!”  All in all, summer’s been splendid…despite the fact that we’ve been sleeping like total dooty.

 

Kayli’s cold of a month ago turned into a hacking cough that kept her up at night for weeks.  Eventually the cough went away (thank goodness), but the weeks of sleepless nights and rare napping has turned into her having “night terrors.”  For a few nights, we thought she was just having full on tantrums in the middle of the night because she was awake.  We’ve since done some research and figured out that she’s actually still asleep but having a monster fit in her sleeping-ish fatigue.  It’s been rough.  We did get good sleep for two nights but then last night she was up again screaming, kicking, yelling, throwing punches, nearly running into walls, throwing books, etc.  Sigh. Good times.  And the REAL fun of it, is you’re supposed to just let the fit ‘run its’ course.’  Last night, I took objects away as quickly as I could before she could throw them.  Well, the little gal is fast and managed to get a book before I could.  She somehow hit herself in the mouth before chucking it, thus waking herself up in her hysteria and pain.  Finally, then, she let me cuddle and comfort her and eventually put her back to bed.

 

So, the last weeks have been super fun with some sleep-deprived stressful, but the biggest most momentous occasion of all occurred last night.  We had THE TALK with Matthew.  Thanks to a helpful tip from Rebecca and using the genius book that she’d told me about, “It’s So Amazing – a book about eggs, sperm, birth, babies and families” (by Robie Harris), we got through THE TALK very well.  I’d gone through the book and marked some pages that might be helpful, and after reading outloud to Matthew the general overview on sexual intercourse, I looked up to see how he was doing.  His jaw literally dropped and with mouth open he sat there with a look like, “Um, for reals?!  You gotta be kidding me.”  After explaining how all this crazy baby-making business works, we kept asking if he had questions.  He had many.  My favorite was, after being so shocked by this news, he said, “Do I, like have other body parts that I don’t even know about yet?!”  He also pointed to the framed picture from our wedding and said, “So, right after that you…ya know…?”  Ahhh, good times and PHEW! That that went so well! 

FANCY

Earlier this week, I was summoned to Kayliana’s room.  Upon entering, I saw this adorable scene.  The kids, having spread out a blanket and set up the play tea-set, were waiting for me to join them.  I quickly sat down but then was chastised for my apparel.

“This is a FANCY tea party,” Zachary said with pinky pointing to the sky.  “You have to go put on a dress before you’re allowed to attend.”

Good boring

It’s official: we have a 2^nd grader and a 4^th grader.  Summer vacation commenced officially approximately nine hours ago.  And I’m already pooped.  (I suppose it doesn’t help that I’m entering this season with a cold.  Boo). Summer vacation is awesome and yet exhausting at the same time.  I love that most days we don’t HAVE to go anywhere.  I try to not overschedule us and what scheduling I do is almost all fun stuff: going to the gym (for me to do spin)/kids club for them, going to the beach, going to the zoo, having playdates, etc. But there’s still the usual: yardwork, dishes, cooking, laundry (the last three chores all inevidably pile up during the summer as I’d much rather be outside working and playing).  

 

I also think that I kind of rock summer in one respect: since the boys were very, very little I’ve had them do a little bit of “work time” nearly everyday.  That’s right; I basically have my kids do summer school.  But it’s at home; it’s just for an hour (two at the very most) and it keeps them from getting completely out of the learning/school habit.  This year, I’m extra glad that this is what the boys have always known, as Matthew REALLY needs the extra work.  While he did OK in school and had mostly fair grades, he’s definitely been struggling.  Things are just taking a little longer to click.  And it’s just going to get harder.  We actually have the most awesome of awesome situations set up though: a dear friend of mine in book club is a 4^th grade teacher and will be tutoring him once a week.  SCORE!!!  I’m SO thankful that she was able to fit us in; I hope and pray that this will be a huge help.  Come fall, his current teacher scheduled a “Teacher Support Team” to meet.  This is the most amaze-tastic sounding situation EVER.  To my understanding it is an entire team – his teachers (past and present), the principal, the school psychologist and a couple of Special Ed/extra resource teachers – meeting for an hour to discuss Matthew (his test scores, strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, etc.) and how better to help him learn.  If they think that he needs further resources then he might have some testing done, but just the fact that they all meet for an hour to discuss the needs of one student blows my mind.  So with that plan and the tutoring this summer, I feel really good about all that we’re doing to help Matthew succeed in school.

 

Now, as to succeeding in life, in general and in the summer and in the Martin home…oye.  Here’s the deal: I’m tired.  I’m worn-down, frickin’ fatigued and kinda tapped out…and I think I’ve maybe, in some ways, been trying to catch up on sleep for the last year…and beyond.  Let me explain: I don’t understand me.  I don’t understand the me of a year ago.  How the hell did I do it?!!  I packed up an entire house, got a butt-ton of work done to that house, moved to this house and then, holy dooty! and then, last summer….what was I on?!  (Nothing…other than wine and the occasional stiffer drink).  But really, how did I do it?!  (I really don’t know.  I must’ve succeeded at avoiding any interaction with my children for like three months).

 

Last summer I unpacked (for the most part) and organized our shtuff. I painted the entire deck (which is a pretty darn big deck).  I painted the kitchen.  I painted the family room.  I painted the office.  I painted the entryway.  I painted the powder room.  I painted (one wall in) Matthew’s room. I painted (one wall in) Zachary’s room.  I painted all the walls in Kayliana’s room. I painted our master bedroom.  Holy CRAP. I got tired just TYPING that.  Seriously.  How?!  I’m TIRED.  And all this summer, really, my main goals are: paint the master bathroom (which IS a kind of freakishly large room) and sand and touch-up the deck and restain the deck railing (‘cuz I used the wrong stuff last year; darn it).  A bonus project would be building the raised vegetable garden beds for next spring and making a little stone patio and EXTRA bonus would be the firepit addition that is dearmed up in my head. 

 

But I’m tired.  I’m thoroughly beat.  I know I’ll be able to at least get the bathroom and deck done.  Fine.  OK, I can do that.  But the thought is still daunting, and yet it’s like an eighteenth of what I did last year.  Looking at the calendar for the months ahead, I already feel like it’s back-to-school/September.  While there’s not THAT much going on, there’s enough and it just makes me think that the summer is going to go SO freakin’ fast and be a whirlwind and there’s a lot I want to get done and yet…and yet…I’m so stinkin’ spent, worn to the bone, dog-gone it dog-gone tired!!  For no real good reason…or maybe….just maybe….

 

I had this epiphany recently.  The past 9-12 months (with the exception of our anniversary trip to meet up with Kayliana in the ER for her dislocated elbow) have been, for the most part, uneventful.  We’ve been a (somewhat, sorta, as much as we can be) ‘normal’ middle class family with three children.  Our time was spent shuttling the kids to and from school and to and from various sports, friends, family, volunteer and church commitments.  We’ve been, by most people’s opinion: typical.  Normal.  It’s taken me SEVERAL months to realize that we’re finally ‘boring.’  But boring in a good way.  As someone recently put it: not boring, but STABLE. 

 

The thing is I DO want to be drama-free.  I WANT to be boring.  I WANT to just LIVE a ‘normal’ life.  But honestly, when the first eleven years of your life (meaning your combined, married life…obviously I’ve been alive for longer than eleven years – I’m not good at math, but I at least get that), anyway, when your eleven years have basically been filled with going from one MAJOR dramatic event to the next, it’s what you get used to; it’s what you know.  I need to get used to the new normal of boring or ‘stable,’ as it were.  Here’s our first eleven years of marriage in a nutshell.  Yes, there were some lulls in the massive life-events, but I STILL fight the constant feeling of just waiting for the next shoe to drop, so to speak. 

 

Year One: 2001-02 We graduated college, got married, started new jobs, and Mike had Cancer (yep, that was a doozy)

Year Two: 2002-03 Bought our first house, tried to get pregnant

Year Three: 2003-04 Mike had his tonsils out, had surgery/dislocated foot/cutches, got pregnant, Matthew was born! Year Four: 2004-05 Trained for and ran my first marathon, life with a baby

Year Five: 2005-06 Coordinators for Engaged Encounter, pregnant with Zachary – 7 weeks of hospital bedrest

Year Six: 2006-07 Dealing with Postparum Depression, coping with life with 2 kiddos, do therapy – LOVE it

Year Seven: 2007-08 Begin plans for co-chairing the National Engaged Encounter Convention

Year Eight: 2008-09 Begin massive adoption/homestudy process, boys are both in school at least part of the day, get more serious about my music business and teach quite a bit more

Year Nine: 2009-10 National Engaged Encounter Convention mania! AND our daughter Kayliana is born!

Year Ten: 2010-11 Finalize Kayliana’s adoption, begin thinking about moving, celebrate 10^th wedding anniversary with a staycation (with clingy Kayli at home with us but the boys with my parents)

Year Eleven: 2011-12 Pack up, sell and move homes, spend our 11^th Anniversary in the ER dealing with Kayli’s dislocated ‘nursemaid’ elbow, the boys start at a new school

Year Twelve: 2012-13 BE NORMAL!! (school, work, little league, exercise, eat, poop, sleep, live!)…

 

So, I don’t know…I’m just kind of tired.   Honestly, I feel like I wimped out a bit this school year.  I kind of took a little bit of a break from my life (as much as possible) or at least I took a break from pushing myself SO hard.  Most mornings I slept until 6:45 or 7 instead of getting up at 5:30 to run or write.  I excercised while the boys were at school instead of actually getting the laundry put away and making dinner ahead of time and being all ‘super mom productive’ and stuff.  I did more ‘easy’ dinners and we did too much eating out.  But it was nice.  It was REALLY nice.  I don’t think after all the events that we’ve jam-packed into the last twelve years that I could’ve done another year of go, go, go.  I might’ve seriously lost it.  So, I need to cut myself some slack.  It’s OK to sleep until 7.  It’s OK to work out at 10:30am instead of 5:30am.  It’s OK to leave dirty dishes in the sink.  It’s OK to not expect so much from myself – especially this summer.  It’s OK – actually, it’s really, REALLY good – to be normal, stable, GOOD boring.

Bananas-fun

Let me use one word (OK, a hyphenated-combo word) to describe the last week and a half: bananas-fun.  Bananas because it was Ca-RAZY busy but it WAS ca-razy fun.  My dear friend Katherine was here Saturday-Tuesday last week with her nearly 4 year old pixie-perfect daughter Grace.  Katherine’s hubby Dan is in the Special Forces and while technically not deployed currently he’s in the Middle East for four months training a foreign country’s ‘special forces’ – sounds deployed to me!  Katherine and I have tried, since we became friends 12 years ago, to celebrate our (two days apart) birthdays together as often as possible. 

 

The thing that Katherine and I realized is that what we love most is really just being with each other – we don’t need fancy outings, fancy locations.  Granted, visiting her in Monterey a few years ago what with the beautiful ocean views, the dinner in Carmel with Clint Eastswood (sitting nearby), etc. WERE amazing times and fun memories, but when we reunite, we just want to go for a run and talk…and talk…and talk…and then drink wine and talk…and talk.  So, that’s basically what we did this visit.  We went for a long trail run on Sunday while the girls napped back at the house with Mike and the boys (who weren’t napping, just to clarify).  Our trail run ended up being longer than I’d planned due to the fact that we got completely lost in the labrynth of trails that we can reach from home. Next time maybe I’ll be wise and bring a map. 

 

On Monday, Katherine, Grace and Kayliana came to my preschool music classes.  It was so much fun to have them there and, I was very relieved, as Kayli did great in her first ever music class!  After naps, we put the girls in the double-jogger I borrowed from neighbors and we set out for another run.  I’m an awesome friend and made Katherine push the 90 pound load up all of our massive neighbhorhood hills (and that way, I was actually able to keep up with her). After dinner, Katherine and I plopped the girls in front of a movie and (with Mike watching them as well), went up to the golf course/club for a drink.  Thankfully the weather was perfection.  The views are amazing.  And before we knew it the sounds of a bag piper drifted towards our patio table.  Looking across the rolling hills, with a bag piper playing in the distance, we were able to forget for a moment that we were really just a few blocks from my house.  Tansported to Scotland were we!  Hey, for two moms that don’t get out a whole lot, we can dream, right?

 

Back to reality.  We had to say goodbye to Katherine and Grace the next morning, and we commenced yet another week of baseball madness.  We carried the high of the previous week’s success: Matthew’s first ever homerun!! into the playoff games of last week and this week.  We had baseball Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Friday night, we came home to a doubling of the amount of children in this house plus a dog (and Scout our bunny)!  We watched Jason’s & Rebecca’s three kiddos (Joshua – 9, Noah – 6 and Veronica -2) plus doggie Kahlua while they presented on their last Engaged Encounter retreat.  Miraculously the kids all did seriously awesome and had no major issues!  We even managed to take all six with us to the end-of-the-season baseball party on Saturday night and to Mass on Sunday morning!  Sunday afternoon, we ripped through the house cleaning it up for a surprise appreciation party for Jason and Rebecca.  Hmmm, and I’m wondering why I’ve been so oddly tired the last couple of days. 

 

Monday night’s baseball game was our last of the season.  We lost and were thus are out of the play-offs.  I have to say though it did end up being a great season.  While there were some additional stresses from assistant coaching, we could not have been handed a better group of boys and watching Matthew improve immensely and really learning to love the game has been SO exciting.  Matthew ended his season with a 1000 batting average at our last game and making a couple of seriously impressive defensive outs.  I’m sad that the official season is over and yet also glad that we’ll have a little moe time on our hands (until swim lessons start next week for the boys) and now we can just keep on playing and improving!  We’ve got pick-up games scheduled for every Sunday this summer with whomever from our team is in town, and Mike and Matthew plan on ‘conditioning/training’ for next year’s season.  Matthew will move up to ‘kid pitch’ and plans to be REALLY ready.  Yeeah!