Friday, September 04, 2009
On the way home from the bus stop yesterday, we asked Matthew if he learned anything at kindergarten. He immediately responded, “Yes! I learned how to totally read.” Wow, that’s pretty impressive. And then he added, “But I already forgot how.”
Later, I asked Matthew if he got a chance to ask Mrs. Randall anything. He said, “Yep, I raised my hand ‘cuz that’s what you do in kindergarten.” I nodded my head seriously in agreement. “And then she called on me, and I said ‘Is it playtime yet?” Mike and I glance at each other while Matthew continues, “Mrs. Randall said ‘No, not yet.’” “And what did you say?” We both ask him.
Matthew shrugged his shoulders and said, “I said OK, [exasperated sigh] FINE.” (With all the dripping attitude of a teenage when told to go clean his room).
Later, I asked Matthew if he got a chance to ask Mrs. Randall anything. He said, “Yep, I raised my hand ‘cuz that’s what you do in kindergarten.” I nodded my head seriously in agreement. “And then she called on me, and I said ‘Is it playtime yet?” Mike and I glance at each other while Matthew continues, “Mrs. Randall said ‘No, not yet.’” “And what did you say?” We both ask him.
Matthew shrugged his shoulders and said, “I said OK, [exasperated sigh] FINE.” (With all the dripping attitude of a teenage when told to go clean his room).
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Today was momentous. Enormous. Matthew – my baby – had his first day of full-day kindergarten. Mike and I drove him to school for the occasion. And while he was happy to have us there and clung a little bit, he was mostly just bummed he didn’t get to ride the school bus. (He did ride it home though! And from now on he’ll be a bus boy – a fact that he is most ecstatic about).
I did what all good moms do on the first day of kindergarten…I shed a tear or two. Mourning the loss of releasing my offspring into the wild. I held it together while in the classroom. Matthew was feeling a little apprehensive, and I didn’t want him to see that I was a tad upset. But then a mom stood up from saying goodbye to one of the little girls and she was practically sobbing. I looked at her and said, “OK, I can’t see that or I’ll definitely lose it.” She laughed and said, “She’s not even my kid!!” (I think she was a neighbor or something). Anyway, I managed to keep it together until we got outside.
The whole crying-thing really boggles Mike’s mind. He just doesn’t get why all the kindergarten moms were crying.
“It’s not like we just dropped him off at college,” Mike said. “And you’re already hoping that he marries a nice girl someday, so…”
“OK! I just dropped my baby off at school! And now we’re talking about college and marriage?! Can we please take this one huge milestone at a time?”
Thankfully, a little retail therapy got me through the day. We went to IKEA and bought the boys new loft beds for their new-and-improved, soon-to-be shared room. Mike got Matthew’s put together so it was waiting for him when he got home from the bus. He was VERY excited…as you can see. He had to try it out with Green Bear right away.
We have an interview/meeting at the adoption agency that we’ll be going through tomorrow. So, more on that to come soon. It’ll be a long process, but we’re excited to be getting it started! And the boys are excited to start sharing a room (yeah, that excitement will probably die the moment that they move in together, but whatever…we’ll run with it for now!), so we’re getting ready for that too!
I did what all good moms do on the first day of kindergarten…I shed a tear or two. Mourning the loss of releasing my offspring into the wild. I held it together while in the classroom. Matthew was feeling a little apprehensive, and I didn’t want him to see that I was a tad upset. But then a mom stood up from saying goodbye to one of the little girls and she was practically sobbing. I looked at her and said, “OK, I can’t see that or I’ll definitely lose it.” She laughed and said, “She’s not even my kid!!” (I think she was a neighbor or something). Anyway, I managed to keep it together until we got outside.
The whole crying-thing really boggles Mike’s mind. He just doesn’t get why all the kindergarten moms were crying.
“It’s not like we just dropped him off at college,” Mike said. “And you’re already hoping that he marries a nice girl someday, so…”
“OK! I just dropped my baby off at school! And now we’re talking about college and marriage?! Can we please take this one huge milestone at a time?”
Thankfully, a little retail therapy got me through the day. We went to IKEA and bought the boys new loft beds for their new-and-improved, soon-to-be shared room. Mike got Matthew’s put together so it was waiting for him when he got home from the bus. He was VERY excited…as you can see. He had to try it out with Green Bear right away.
We have an interview/meeting at the adoption agency that we’ll be going through tomorrow. So, more on that to come soon. It’ll be a long process, but we’re excited to be getting it started! And the boys are excited to start sharing a room (yeah, that excitement will probably die the moment that they move in together, but whatever…we’ll run with it for now!), so we’re getting ready for that too!
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Well, I’m glad to report that we are happy campers! We had a fantastic and super fun camping get-away last weekend. It sprinkled a bit on Friday night after the kids went to bed, but other than that the weather was perfect. Rebecca’s dad came to the lake (Lake Goodwin) on Saturday morning and we went out for several hours. The kids and I all rode on the big inner-tube, Mike and Jason both wake-boarded and Rebecca water-skied. Both nights we made s’mores, and Mike proclaimed his utmost pride in Matthew’s “perfect marshmallow-roasting technique” (unlike my technique which involves burning the marshmallow to a black crisp). And Matthew reported at one point, “I sure like this camping business.” One camping trip down, many more to come, I’m sure.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
So many things to say, so very many ways in which to same them. OK, where to start?!
First of all, the summer is almost over (sniff sniff). School starts next week!! And even crazier than that is the fact that our wee sweet little BIG Matthew will be starting full day Kindergarten! Crazy. Crazy.
Secondly, our other baby is also a BIG boy and wearing BIG BOY underpants! (Finally!) We’re still working out some kinks here and there – let’s just say that I avoided blogging about the most disgusting underwear-accident EVER – though I did seriously want to vent about it. And Zach has had to say goodbye to two pairs of very cool underwear now (one of the Bob the Builder persuasion and the other Spiderman). He’s learning that pooping in your pants is a sure fire way to get cool underpants quickly tossed. (Because of Nasty Poop Accident Incident Number One, Mommy learned not to attempt to clean poopy underpants. Toss. Throw those nasty things out!) But anyway, about 99% of the time these days Zach is sporting some fierce underpants and working them with pride and a mean stagger I might add.
Thirdly, it’s good news that we’ve got little man out of diapers as…we…may…be…changing some diapers around here…eventually. We are (drumroll, come on, wait for it, wait for it, you know I’m going to string you along) starting the process to adopt a baby girl!! There are two agencies that we’re currently looking at – one local, one national both are for Domestic adoption not International – and we’re hoping to make a decision by next week on which one we’ll work with so that we can start the homestudy process. More details to come..but exciting stuff!!
First of all, the summer is almost over (sniff sniff). School starts next week!! And even crazier than that is the fact that our wee sweet little BIG Matthew will be starting full day Kindergarten! Crazy. Crazy.
Secondly, our other baby is also a BIG boy and wearing BIG BOY underpants! (Finally!) We’re still working out some kinks here and there – let’s just say that I avoided blogging about the most disgusting underwear-accident EVER – though I did seriously want to vent about it. And Zach has had to say goodbye to two pairs of very cool underwear now (one of the Bob the Builder persuasion and the other Spiderman). He’s learning that pooping in your pants is a sure fire way to get cool underpants quickly tossed. (Because of Nasty Poop Accident Incident Number One, Mommy learned not to attempt to clean poopy underpants. Toss. Throw those nasty things out!) But anyway, about 99% of the time these days Zach is sporting some fierce underpants and working them with pride and a mean stagger I might add.
Thirdly, it’s good news that we’ve got little man out of diapers as…we…may…be…changing some diapers around here…eventually. We are (drumroll, come on, wait for it, wait for it, you know I’m going to string you along) starting the process to adopt a baby girl!! There are two agencies that we’re currently looking at – one local, one national both are for Domestic adoption not International – and we’re hoping to make a decision by next week on which one we’ll work with so that we can start the homestudy process. More details to come..but exciting stuff!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
See?! See! Its not just me. I’m not just biased. Our little town, our little Eastside suburb/town ‘o Seattle totally rocks! We made the top 20 of CNN and Money Magazine’s 2009 list of the nation’s “Best Small Towns.” We’re number 17! Of course, this sounds very impressive, and yet there are two nearby towns that have bragging rights. They beat us at numbers 10 and 12. Still. Our wee little Newcastle made the grade. Here’s what they had to say:
[Population: 9800] Once full of coal miners, Newcastle now has a much more diverse jobs base: The town is 15 minutes from both Microsoft's Redmond headquarters and Boeing's 737 plant in Renton.
But the biggest draw here may be The Golf Club at Newcastle. Built by former Microsoft exec Scott Oki, the massive site includes two 18-hole public courses and a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse.
Home buyers can find properties at a great variety of prices, from $350,000 3-bedroom-2-car-garage ramblers to brand-new $6 million estates. --N.A.
We can actually see the Newcastle Golf Course out our living room window! They decorate with Christmas lights every year and occasionally (just the other night), we get to watch our own private firework show from the sofa (most likely celebrating a wedding up there on the hill). And, just for the record, we’re a little closer to the first price range of homes than the latter…until my book sells, that is.
[Population: 9800] Once full of coal miners, Newcastle now has a much more diverse jobs base: The town is 15 minutes from both Microsoft's Redmond headquarters and Boeing's 737 plant in Renton.
But the biggest draw here may be The Golf Club at Newcastle. Built by former Microsoft exec Scott Oki, the massive site includes two 18-hole public courses and a 44,000-square-foot clubhouse.
Home buyers can find properties at a great variety of prices, from $350,000 3-bedroom-2-car-garage ramblers to brand-new $6 million estates. --N.A.
We can actually see the Newcastle Golf Course out our living room window! They decorate with Christmas lights every year and occasionally (just the other night), we get to watch our own private firework show from the sofa (most likely celebrating a wedding up there on the hill). And, just for the record, we’re a little closer to the first price range of homes than the latter…until my book sells, that is.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary to us, Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary to us, Happy..8th…OK, you get it. And I know you’re singing along right now – complete with forced vibrato and serious jazz-hands.
Yes, 8 years ago today was one of the most stressful yet important days of my life. (If this sounds less than enthusiastic than you don’t know ‘our story’. And it’s a story…coming eventually to a bookstore near you…). It’s funny that all my ‘big’ days thus far have been just that – big, but not necessarily wonderful. These huge, momentous moments have always been mingled with some sort of very trying side effects. (i.e. spending your wedding night in the ER, finding out that the 5 week early birth of your daughter is actually the birth of your son, etc.). So, while this may sound like the start of a Pity Party it is actually the complete opposite. A – hmm, what is the opposite of a pity party? – um, it’s a Celebration of Blessings.
Mike and I have a phe-freakin-nomenal marriage. We’re best friends plus a lot of somethin’ somethin’ more. And we have spawned the two most beautiful, genius offspring that ever walked the earth. I could go on and on and list all of the millions of small things and events that have made up for the lack of wonderfulness of the big things and events but I shan’t. I’ll just leave you with this conversation that Matthew, Zach and I had about love today.
Me: How do you show love?
Matthew: By kissing and hugging and doing nice things.
Me: How do you boys show each other love?
Matthew: By playing nice together.
Zach: By doing tricks. Watch. [Zach proceeds to run into the living room.]
Me: Matthew! Go look. Zach is doing a trick to show you his love.
[Zach executes a perfect monkey-jump, spin, somersault move.]
Zach: See?!!
Matthew: Well, that was mostly awesome.
Yes, 8 years ago today was one of the most stressful yet important days of my life. (If this sounds less than enthusiastic than you don’t know ‘our story’. And it’s a story…coming eventually to a bookstore near you…). It’s funny that all my ‘big’ days thus far have been just that – big, but not necessarily wonderful. These huge, momentous moments have always been mingled with some sort of very trying side effects. (i.e. spending your wedding night in the ER, finding out that the 5 week early birth of your daughter is actually the birth of your son, etc.). So, while this may sound like the start of a Pity Party it is actually the complete opposite. A – hmm, what is the opposite of a pity party? – um, it’s a Celebration of Blessings.
Mike and I have a phe-freakin-nomenal marriage. We’re best friends plus a lot of somethin’ somethin’ more. And we have spawned the two most beautiful, genius offspring that ever walked the earth. I could go on and on and list all of the millions of small things and events that have made up for the lack of wonderfulness of the big things and events but I shan’t. I’ll just leave you with this conversation that Matthew, Zach and I had about love today.
Me: How do you show love?
Matthew: By kissing and hugging and doing nice things.
Me: How do you boys show each other love?
Matthew: By playing nice together.
Zach: By doing tricks. Watch. [Zach proceeds to run into the living room.]
Me: Matthew! Go look. Zach is doing a trick to show you his love.
[Zach executes a perfect monkey-jump, spin, somersault move.]
Zach: See?!!
Matthew: Well, that was mostly awesome.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Its official: Mike and I are superheroes. We can strut our stuff wearing tights and capes, AND we can nearly win dance contests. (We were in ‘normal clothes’ and just couldn’t get 1st place and totally sweep the competition; we would have given our ‘Clark Kent’ alter-egos away. It was only just we let the normal humanoids win.)
What crazy talk is this? You wonder. Allow me to expound:
We spent the weekend in Park City, Utah attending our Engaged Encounter District Convention. As is the tendency at these events we had a fan-frickin-tastic time. SO much fun! (Sadly, we didn’t have a chance to actually explore Park City nor did we get to sneak up the hill and slide down the 2002 Winter Olympics Luge tracks…that woulda been so fun. Ah well. Next time.)
On Saturday eve of the Convention there is always a fancy-dancy banquet and partAY ‘cuz, let’s face it, Catholic married-types know how to get down. To kick off the dinner, our promo video for the National Convention was played for the crowd. [www.ceeseattle.org/convention or YouTube “Reboot Your Relationship” if you’ve not yet seen it]. At the end of the video viewing, Mike and I swept through the crowd and along with “EE Couple” (our good friends Greg & Sara) gave a brief chEEsy presentation encouraging everyone to attend the National Convention next fall. (Unfortunately we didn’t get pictures from that night, but come on, we’ve got a whole video!)
As Mike and I exited the ballroom, a woman came running out to the hall. Her two-year-old son had just seen us in the video and then was amazed to see the SuperhEEros in real life, so she brought him out to meet us. Finally my dreams of being a ‘character personality’ at Disneyland were fulfilled. I gave him a high-five as any good SuperhEEro would. Had I not been too choked up and moved by my adoring fan, I would have told him to be good and to…Reboot his relationships…anyway, it was pretty darn cute.
After our super appearance, Mike and I beautified and entered the ballroom to dine with our fellow SEEattle couples. (Yeah, the EE thing gets old, but it amuses mEE every time). After dinner, there was an old school dance contest – you dance until you’re tapped on the shoulder to sit down. Well, needless-to-say, the weeks of watching “So You Think You Can Dance” have certainly paid off. “America’s Got Talent” – watch out. ‘Cuz we got it. Mike and I danced like crazy – we swing danced (or would it be ‘swang’?), salsa-ed, tango-ed, two-stepped, all the while saying, “OK, focus, keep your head the game. Don’t get sloppy on race…er…dance contest day. Hold on, here come the judges, stop looking like you’re going to pass out and smile. Hmmm, maybe if we snag one of the judges and dance around him that will help…or not.”
Just after I’d said to Mike, “I think I may die soon,” they cut the music, and I realized that we were one of the Final Four. That’s right. Mmm-hmmm. We shook it like it ain’t no thang. Mike even whipped out the ‘ol ‘worm’ on the dance floor (granted that was a little rusty and more of a slug) and did a little ‘turn to the audience, booty-shake-and-slap, turn to the audience, booty-shake-and-slap’ rotation just to really win the crowd over. We were pulling out all the stops, let me tell you! The contest was narrowed down to two couples, and our very own EE Couple, Greg & Sara were among the finalists!
The audience waited with bated breath to see what song the DJ and judges would select for the dancing show-down. A low ripple of shock and collective gasp ran through the crowd when an Irish Jig began to play. Um. Boo-yeah. Too bad Sara DID Irish Dance in school and Greg is just so freakin’ hilarious with his perfectly played Michael Flatley – Lord of the Dance number. Word. They were so good, in fact, that the other couple just stood back to watch. No competition! They were amazing and Mike and I sat there grinning from ear-to-ear like a proud mama and papa. (We helped Greg & Sara workshop their talks to become a presenting team on the EE Retreats and have been their mentor couple for a year now.) After the jig, the DJ put on some salsa and the other couple – who I will say was 60+ years old and phenomenal – stepped up with a brilliant routine. It was determined that both couples were winners and they split a $200 prize!
Mike and I are already working on a routine for next year’s competition…I mean Convention…we’re thinking matching unitards might be in order.
What crazy talk is this? You wonder. Allow me to expound:
We spent the weekend in Park City, Utah attending our Engaged Encounter District Convention. As is the tendency at these events we had a fan-frickin-tastic time. SO much fun! (Sadly, we didn’t have a chance to actually explore Park City nor did we get to sneak up the hill and slide down the 2002 Winter Olympics Luge tracks…that woulda been so fun. Ah well. Next time.)
On Saturday eve of the Convention there is always a fancy-dancy banquet and partAY ‘cuz, let’s face it, Catholic married-types know how to get down. To kick off the dinner, our promo video for the National Convention was played for the crowd. [www.ceeseattle.org/convention or YouTube “Reboot Your Relationship” if you’ve not yet seen it]. At the end of the video viewing, Mike and I swept through the crowd and along with “EE Couple” (our good friends Greg & Sara) gave a brief chEEsy presentation encouraging everyone to attend the National Convention next fall. (Unfortunately we didn’t get pictures from that night, but come on, we’ve got a whole video!)
As Mike and I exited the ballroom, a woman came running out to the hall. Her two-year-old son had just seen us in the video and then was amazed to see the SuperhEEros in real life, so she brought him out to meet us. Finally my dreams of being a ‘character personality’ at Disneyland were fulfilled. I gave him a high-five as any good SuperhEEro would. Had I not been too choked up and moved by my adoring fan, I would have told him to be good and to…Reboot his relationships…anyway, it was pretty darn cute.
After our super appearance, Mike and I beautified and entered the ballroom to dine with our fellow SEEattle couples. (Yeah, the EE thing gets old, but it amuses mEE every time). After dinner, there was an old school dance contest – you dance until you’re tapped on the shoulder to sit down. Well, needless-to-say, the weeks of watching “So You Think You Can Dance” have certainly paid off. “America’s Got Talent” – watch out. ‘Cuz we got it. Mike and I danced like crazy – we swing danced (or would it be ‘swang’?), salsa-ed, tango-ed, two-stepped, all the while saying, “OK, focus, keep your head the game. Don’t get sloppy on race…er…dance contest day. Hold on, here come the judges, stop looking like you’re going to pass out and smile. Hmmm, maybe if we snag one of the judges and dance around him that will help…or not.”
Just after I’d said to Mike, “I think I may die soon,” they cut the music, and I realized that we were one of the Final Four. That’s right. Mmm-hmmm. We shook it like it ain’t no thang. Mike even whipped out the ‘ol ‘worm’ on the dance floor (granted that was a little rusty and more of a slug) and did a little ‘turn to the audience, booty-shake-and-slap, turn to the audience, booty-shake-and-slap’ rotation just to really win the crowd over. We were pulling out all the stops, let me tell you! The contest was narrowed down to two couples, and our very own EE Couple, Greg & Sara were among the finalists!
The audience waited with bated breath to see what song the DJ and judges would select for the dancing show-down. A low ripple of shock and collective gasp ran through the crowd when an Irish Jig began to play. Um. Boo-yeah. Too bad Sara DID Irish Dance in school and Greg is just so freakin’ hilarious with his perfectly played Michael Flatley – Lord of the Dance number. Word. They were so good, in fact, that the other couple just stood back to watch. No competition! They were amazing and Mike and I sat there grinning from ear-to-ear like a proud mama and papa. (We helped Greg & Sara workshop their talks to become a presenting team on the EE Retreats and have been their mentor couple for a year now.) After the jig, the DJ put on some salsa and the other couple – who I will say was 60+ years old and phenomenal – stepped up with a brilliant routine. It was determined that both couples were winners and they split a $200 prize!
Mike and I are already working on a routine for next year’s competition…I mean Convention…we’re thinking matching unitards might be in order.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
If you haven’t heard: it’s HAWT. It’s so hot in Seattle right now that it is not just hot nor is it HOT, only HAWT will do justice to the HAWTness that is Seattle at the moment. It cooled all the way down to 85 last night…at midnight! And our house cooled down to maybe 185. Dang. Only 15% of homes in the Seattle area have AC. These are the fascinating tidbits that you can learn watching the local news these days.
I’ve been trying, ever so hard to not be a typical Seattlite and whine about the weather. Seattle-peeps are so whiny. “We” whine when it starts raining, we whine when it snows saying we prefer the rain, we whine when we have three consecutive days over 75. So, here we are, expected to heat up to 101-105 today. And I’ve decided that when we hit the 100 mark I, too, am allowed to join the whiny party. I’ve also decided that this heat calls for the Martin Home to turn into a Nudist Colony ‘cuz it’s so flippin’ hot in here. And even with as few clothes on as possible it still feels like a sauna. Maybe I’ll lose some weight. Isn’t that the point of sweating or doing ‘hot yoga’?! Mike’s missing out on the Nudey Party. He set out to work happily this morning. Yeah, he’s got AC at the office, I wouldn’t blame him if he worked until midnight.
The HAWTness makes us all a wee bit cranky. It doesn’t help that I’ve been a little preoccupied with my Summer ‘o Decluttering, Cleaning, Painting and Reorganizing. The entire contents of every hall closet – linen, coat, pantry – and all kitchen cupboards have been covering every possible surface – kitchen counter, dining room table, floors, etc. while I paint and reorganize. So, here, we are 101 degrees outside, 1001 degrees inside (yes, the number will get bigger every time), and the place is CHAOS. It looks like the Clutter Monster had Disarray Diarrhea all over our home. And I’m on clean-up. AND we leave tomorrow (Mike & I) for the EE Convention in Park City, UT. So, ideally the home will look a bit more habitable so we don’t have to return to this wreck. The boys are THRILLED about spending a weekend at the beach at Port Ludlow with my parents. So, not only do I have to finish cleaning this joint but packing for all of us as well. And it’s 2000 degrees inside!!
The serious HAWT and MESS-induced crankiness is in full swing, and the slightest thing seems capable of setting us off. Matthew was so distraught the other day because I didn’t give him his first choice of straw color that he wept and yelled, “YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART!” He gulped for air, and then in a voice shaking with emotion, he sadly muttered, “I no longer have love in my heart for you, Mom.” Dude. If this is how you feel about me after a wee straw debacle, the teenage years are going to be seriously rough.
ARgh.
We have had some fun, recently, don’t get me wrong. The highlight was last weekend’s Renton River Days Parade. The preschool always participates and we joined in for the first time. The kiddos can ride bikes or trikes or scooters or get pulled in wagons or just walk. One of the preschool families has a classic convertible that went first for our group – all decked out with our preschool banner, all the kids and parents followed, and then Mike and another dad got to bring up the rear with a big banner. The theme was “Discover the Hart of Renton” – so the kids all had red heart balloons, red streamers, pompoms, etc. to deck us out.
Matthew was pretty hesitant about the parade thing at first. I was worried that the whole shebang would be a complete disaster. In the car on the way there, Matthew was crying that he didn’t want to be in the parade, he didn’t want to wear his helmet, he didn’t want to ride his bike, everyone would laugh at him, he had a hang-nail, on and on with the reasons why this was a bad idea. Mike even glanced at me over the din of two whiny children and asked, “Uh, why are we doing this again?” Through gritted teeth, I growled, “It. Will. Be. Fun. This. Is. Family. Together-ness. FUN. We WILL have fun.”
And we did! Matthew totally stepped up, did great – rode his bike the whole way – and had a fantastic time. Zachary would hop on his scooter occasionally, scoot for maybe ten feet, then give it to me to pull alongside us. I had a red pompom that I’d been given by one of the moms. He didn’t want it at first ‘cuz it was too “girlyish” (a word he learned from Matthew). I told Zach that it was a magic wand and if he waved it at the people lining the sidewalk they would wave back. Worked like a charm. Look out Ms. Washington and the SeaFair Pirates – our children are parade naturals!
I’ve been trying, ever so hard to not be a typical Seattlite and whine about the weather. Seattle-peeps are so whiny. “We” whine when it starts raining, we whine when it snows saying we prefer the rain, we whine when we have three consecutive days over 75. So, here we are, expected to heat up to 101-105 today. And I’ve decided that when we hit the 100 mark I, too, am allowed to join the whiny party. I’ve also decided that this heat calls for the Martin Home to turn into a Nudist Colony ‘cuz it’s so flippin’ hot in here. And even with as few clothes on as possible it still feels like a sauna. Maybe I’ll lose some weight. Isn’t that the point of sweating or doing ‘hot yoga’?! Mike’s missing out on the Nudey Party. He set out to work happily this morning. Yeah, he’s got AC at the office, I wouldn’t blame him if he worked until midnight.
The HAWTness makes us all a wee bit cranky. It doesn’t help that I’ve been a little preoccupied with my Summer ‘o Decluttering, Cleaning, Painting and Reorganizing. The entire contents of every hall closet – linen, coat, pantry – and all kitchen cupboards have been covering every possible surface – kitchen counter, dining room table, floors, etc. while I paint and reorganize. So, here, we are 101 degrees outside, 1001 degrees inside (yes, the number will get bigger every time), and the place is CHAOS. It looks like the Clutter Monster had Disarray Diarrhea all over our home. And I’m on clean-up. AND we leave tomorrow (Mike & I) for the EE Convention in Park City, UT. So, ideally the home will look a bit more habitable so we don’t have to return to this wreck. The boys are THRILLED about spending a weekend at the beach at Port Ludlow with my parents. So, not only do I have to finish cleaning this joint but packing for all of us as well. And it’s 2000 degrees inside!!
The serious HAWT and MESS-induced crankiness is in full swing, and the slightest thing seems capable of setting us off. Matthew was so distraught the other day because I didn’t give him his first choice of straw color that he wept and yelled, “YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART!” He gulped for air, and then in a voice shaking with emotion, he sadly muttered, “I no longer have love in my heart for you, Mom.” Dude. If this is how you feel about me after a wee straw debacle, the teenage years are going to be seriously rough.
ARgh.
We have had some fun, recently, don’t get me wrong. The highlight was last weekend’s Renton River Days Parade. The preschool always participates and we joined in for the first time. The kiddos can ride bikes or trikes or scooters or get pulled in wagons or just walk. One of the preschool families has a classic convertible that went first for our group – all decked out with our preschool banner, all the kids and parents followed, and then Mike and another dad got to bring up the rear with a big banner. The theme was “Discover the Hart of Renton” – so the kids all had red heart balloons, red streamers, pompoms, etc. to deck us out.
Matthew was pretty hesitant about the parade thing at first. I was worried that the whole shebang would be a complete disaster. In the car on the way there, Matthew was crying that he didn’t want to be in the parade, he didn’t want to wear his helmet, he didn’t want to ride his bike, everyone would laugh at him, he had a hang-nail, on and on with the reasons why this was a bad idea. Mike even glanced at me over the din of two whiny children and asked, “Uh, why are we doing this again?” Through gritted teeth, I growled, “It. Will. Be. Fun. This. Is. Family. Together-ness. FUN. We WILL have fun.”
And we did! Matthew totally stepped up, did great – rode his bike the whole way – and had a fantastic time. Zachary would hop on his scooter occasionally, scoot for maybe ten feet, then give it to me to pull alongside us. I had a red pompom that I’d been given by one of the moms. He didn’t want it at first ‘cuz it was too “girlyish” (a word he learned from Matthew). I told Zach that it was a magic wand and if he waved it at the people lining the sidewalk they would wave back. Worked like a charm. Look out Ms. Washington and the SeaFair Pirates – our children are parade naturals!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Looks like I have some competition in the writing department – it might be a family business. The boys have some serious story-writing skill. Last week, my writerly friend Rachel was here for a visit. She had the boys dictate stories to her. Here are a few of my favorites:
By Matthew Martin, age 5 ¾:
Fishy’s brother is named Bubba. Bubba was dead by fisherman Jim. Fisherman Jim caught Bubba and shot Bubba or kicked Bubba. [Such violence. I’m not a fan of tragedies.] Bubba got brought back to life again. [Ahh, love a good Resurrection story.]. Bubba played with his brother Nunna, I mean Fishy and he is happy to be with his brother Bubba again. The End.
Also by Matthew:
Robot had a good plan. He wanted to build a robot brother and he found a box that was open and he found the material and he needed tape, scissors and paper and markers. And then his robot brother was built, and he needed a button….
[This was left as a cliff-hanger until the later installment. The reader is left wondering, WILL Robot Brother get his much-needed button?!!….tune in next time…or right now…to find out.]
“Now I just need to turn him on.” [Guess he got the button.] It was very steamy work for him because it was hot. He put flashlights on him so he could see in the dark just like his brother could see in the dark.
“And now I have to play with my brother. We will dig in the sandbox together.” The End
By Zachary Martin, age 3-and-not-quite ½ [Zach heard Matthew’s robot story and stuck with the theme.]
Once upon a time, there’s a robot making a machine, and they were sharing it with all the people. The machine was for making popcorn for at the movie theater. All of the robots ate some popcorn at the movie theater. And there were lots of seats for them. The End.
These authors are going to give me a run for my money. Look for the complete box set of original and complete Martin-boy works in a bookstore near you.
By Matthew Martin, age 5 ¾:
Fishy’s brother is named Bubba. Bubba was dead by fisherman Jim. Fisherman Jim caught Bubba and shot Bubba or kicked Bubba. [Such violence. I’m not a fan of tragedies.] Bubba got brought back to life again. [Ahh, love a good Resurrection story.]. Bubba played with his brother Nunna, I mean Fishy and he is happy to be with his brother Bubba again. The End.
Also by Matthew:
Robot had a good plan. He wanted to build a robot brother and he found a box that was open and he found the material and he needed tape, scissors and paper and markers. And then his robot brother was built, and he needed a button….
[This was left as a cliff-hanger until the later installment. The reader is left wondering, WILL Robot Brother get his much-needed button?!!….tune in next time…or right now…to find out.]
“Now I just need to turn him on.” [Guess he got the button.] It was very steamy work for him because it was hot. He put flashlights on him so he could see in the dark just like his brother could see in the dark.
“And now I have to play with my brother. We will dig in the sandbox together.” The End
By Zachary Martin, age 3-and-not-quite ½ [Zach heard Matthew’s robot story and stuck with the theme.]
Once upon a time, there’s a robot making a machine, and they were sharing it with all the people. The machine was for making popcorn for at the movie theater. All of the robots ate some popcorn at the movie theater. And there were lots of seats for them. The End.
These authors are going to give me a run for my money. Look for the complete box set of original and complete Martin-boy works in a bookstore near you.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Martin family has big news. Huge. Wait for it…wait for it…The Martins have become a camping people. I know. It’s true. Shocking and true. Betcha didn’t see that one come now did ya? Did ya?
I was raised in a clan of camping people. But, for some reason, maybe it’s my oober-girly nature, I was just not a super huge fan of camping all the time. I actually – in my pre-teen years – began to refer to it as “The C-Word;” oh, that dreaded C-Word. And for years, my mom and I, upon seeing gray, rainy, cold and miserable weather would say, “Ahh, it’s perfect camping weather!” We did have a bad-camping-weather curse though. There’s no argument with that. My poor dad, he was definitely the pro-camper and got no camping respect from his peeps, that’s for sure.
So, over the last couple of years, I’ve asked Mike if he’d want to start camping. Mike’s only been camping once in his life, I believe, with some cousins when he was young. His answer to any camping-related question was, “Why?” He was in this strange school of thought where camping should be heading out into nature with just the clothes on your back and maybe a pocket knife…or you might as well just stay home and be comfortable. “What’s with all this, ‘bring everything but the kitchen sink with you when you pack’ business?” he would wonder.
As you may know, Mike and I are a presenting team for Engaged Encounter – we present to couples some tools for marriage, some ideas of ‘do’s and don’ts’, if you will. So, I did what any good wife would do: I went out, knowing Mike wasn’t campily-pumped-up, and bought an 8-person tent and a bunch of camping gear for Mike for Father’s Day. Yea! It’s hard to say no to camping when you have a really cool, big tent.
It has been suggested – by some of my experienced camping friends – that we should take some baby-steps into becoming a camping family. So, this past weekend, we did our first camp-out…in the backyard. We pitched the tent, broke in the air mattress and the boys’ new sleeping bags. We BBQed dinner and then really roughed it – we ate dinner in the house while doing ‘family movie night.’ (Hey, I did say this is BABY steps into camping, my friends.)
We even made S’mores on the gas grill. Did you know that there’s a new generation of S’mores? Things have sure changed from my camping days. Now, instead of the old graham cracker, Hershey milk chocolate bar, marshmallow combo, you can seriously shake it up with your toasted marshmallow, graham cracker and REECE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUP. Genius, people! Pure inspired genius.
The boys had so much fun ripping around in the new tent…until…they discovered that two flies had gotten in while the flap door was left ajar. This is a problem. This is why we need to start getting the boys into nature. They’ve seriously dropped the ball on the whole boys-and-bugs front. Why am I still the one having to kill spiders?! I thought having TWO boys bought me an immediate pass from having to kill bugs for the next 18-20 years! So, heaven forbid a couple of flies sneak into our tent. After we recovered and accepted the fact that bugs MAY just be a part of camping, Matthew suddenly realized he’d forgotten something in the house. I don’t know how he could have since half his bedroom came out to the tent. He ran in and came back out with two small plastic, food storage containers. One has a plastic frog in it and the other has a plastic snake. They’re covered with wax paper and holes are poked in the top to allow ventilation for these “pets.” I thought that Matthew was thinking of releasing them to the wild, but apparently he just wanted his snake and frog to come camping with us.
Finally, we were all tucked in and ready to tell “scary stories” – their idea, not mine. Matthew’s scary story was about John Deeres-gone bad and angry, mean dirt. I’m serious. Zach’s scary story was, well, completely incoherent. It went something like this: “Once-a-time, there was…and it was scary…and everybody was spooky…and it was dark…The End.” Kind of a modern work of prose, really. Deep. It was just too existential and profound for me apparently.
Eventually – after yet another trip into the house for yet another potty stop – we fell asleep for the night. I’d say, all in all, camping was a big success. Except for the darn crows. What’s with birds, right? Right? They were so freakin’ loud at like 6:30 in the morning! Hello! We’re camping here! Could you keep it down? We did, at least, have the sound of the neighbors’ three-tier waterfall to listen to as we drifted in and out of consciousness. So, that was kind of naturey...and campey.
In the morning, the boys were so proud of themselves for camping. I said, “Yes, you were great campers! We’ll definitely be ready for our real camping trip at the end of August!” (We’re doing a weekend with our soul mate family: Jason – tall, quieter, computer nerdy like Mike. Rebecca – dark, curly hair, likes running, reading, writing, wine, chocolate and coffee, exceptionally beautiful…sound familiar? And their two boys Joshua and Noah.)
“We’re camping by a lake!” I told the boys expecting cheers and general exultation of excitement.
“Um, no,” Matthew said, “We can’t.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because are there woods? Will we be camping in the woods?”
“Well, yeah, there will be plenty of trees. It’s not like we’re camping in a parking lot,” I told him.
Yeah, no. Apparently, that’s not going to work for him.
“The woods are too dark and scary,” Matthew said.
“And there are creatures,” Zach piped in.
“Yeah,” Matthew agreed, “I don’t want to go camping in the woods.”
“Me neither,” said Zach.
So, we’re a camping family…in our backyard. For now. We’ve got six weeks to pump up our brave, outdoorsy boys for actual camping. Six weeks. I think we’ll need six weeks.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)