Camping Stream of Consciousness

Dirty cheetos, s'more induced mania for Tanner, dirt, sleeping chaos, Jake's first kickball game, bottles out of a thermos, dirt, fascination with the porta potty, hot cocoa but only eating the marshmallows, constant surveillance- keeping Tanner out of the fire pit and away from the river's edge, lots of wet wipes, dirt, tired kids, even more tired parents, dirt, four people in a queen size airbed that quickly lost air and nobody in the crib, cold night- not enough blankets, lots of laughter, hot cocoa first thing in the AM ("breakfast in tent" for Marisa), owies, dirt, 20 miles down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, "Can you believe we live in IDAHO?", 8 person tent suddenly seems small, (dirty) crayons everywhere, Tanner pointing at the moon incessantly and saying "Ball, ball, ball!", helpful camping neighbor bringing me coffee when he overheard me telling Jake that I forgot to pack it, dirt, coming back to the camp after washing dishes to find a different camping neighbor holding Faith while Brian balanced TJ on his shoulders, set up and take down being a lot harder with only one person doing it, dirt, really cold/refreshing river, Tanner and Faith snuggling in bed like an old married couple, Jake loving the idea of s'mores but really only eating the plain, cold marshmallows, Tanner into EVERYTHING, Faith taking it all in... a really good time.

Cousins Reunite!

We are forever thankful for the willingness that my sister and her family have to come visit us here in Boise. They made their third trip here last week. While it's a far cry from living 40 minutes away, it makes the distance seem less formidable. We had a great visit! Abby and Jake got along so well. They shared, they laughed, they talked (in fact they had some very funny conversations!). It was so nice to see how quickly they picked up where they left off- even though it had been since January that they had seen each other. There was a community concert and "family night" on Saturday evening. It was held right across the street so we set up a few shade shelters in our front yard and invited a few of the neighbors over. The kids had a blast. There was a bouncy house and root beer floats and we BBQ'd for everyone. That's Aidan with the watermelon. We went to the pool several times and hung out talking and catching up. Bill made lots of new friends (as he always does!). In fact, I am sure he is now closer to a few of my neighbors than I am! Since Brian and I are not particularly social, it would be nice if Kim and Bill could move here so we could make more friends through their incredible ability to befriend and meet anyone. (OK guys... you know there is a house for sale two doors down from ours....you could save a bundle on airfares!). Thanks for a great visit!

In Lieu of a Baby Book

DISCLAIMER: This family blog also serves as our baby book for our kids- since the younger two got gyped out of any sort of memorabilia (as so often happens). The following is for our own remembrance and for our kids to see when they get older. We absolve ourselves of any parental guilt as well as journalistic need to inform or entertain. The blog is both our way to keep in contact with our friends and family and our way to record the milestones of our kids. Read the following at your own risk :) because, to be truthful, it's kind of boring and sappy.

Faith is 3.5 months old. She "talks" a lot, can roll over from tummy to back, looks at people closely and smiles prolifically. She is finally sleeping (mostly) in her crib, which has now been moved into the Bonus Room (since her biggest brother is still in her room!). She fits into most of her 3-6 month clothes, has been swimming a few times already, and charms everyone she meets. She is a very well dressed baby thanks to friends and relatives and is her mothers own personal Barbie Doll. Her closet glows with a pinkish glow that can been seen leaking out from under the closed doors when the lighting is just right. She charms everybody she meets into holding her, which her parents use as an opportunity to vanish into the crowd and pretend to be young and single again.....

Jake is 4 years old (plus three months). He never stops talking, loves to sing and listen to music, likes numbers- and is very good at counting and adding. He reads a few words, likes to listen to stories, and ride his bike and scooter. He loves to play baseball and soccer, ride around the house on a tiny push car, and talk to/play with his little sister. He loves school and is going to summer camp in our neighborhood and taking swim lessons. Jake really likes to swim at our community pool.He is finally out of our bedroom- even though he still rarely sleeps through the night!!! Jake is always looking out for his little brother, trying to keep him safe. Tanner for one looks up to Jake and always wants to be doing what Jake is doing.

Jake starts conversations in very grown up ways; "by the way", " in other words", and "just so you know". He also starts conversations in very little kid ways, "Dad"....(long pause)..."Yes Jake"...(long pause)...."what do you want"....(long, frustrated pause)..."I don't know"..."I love you Dad". He loves his sleepy cow, superheroes and Grandma Mary blanket at bedtime. He is currently listening to a Buffett Lullabye CD that I made for Faith (seems fair since he is sleeping in her bed..) He likes to sing "Little Miss Magic" and "Breate In, Breathe out, Move On" (a GREAT song if you haven't heard it).

Tanner is 19 months old. He is saying lots of words, loves dessert already (kind of like someone else I know...), and brings you book after book after book to read (not always different books mind you, and always some rotation of the same five or six). He is still a great sleeper and loves his baby sister to pieces. He already has a great throwing arm and tries hard to hold the bat up when we pitch to him. He likes to swim and is fearless (to a really scary degree) at the pool. He has already jumped in, on his own and gone under without anyone right nearby. He comes up with a big smile on his face, pointing at the side of the pool and excitedly chattering so he can do it again.

Of all the things listed above that catch our boys fancy, nothing even comes close to...sweeping. Tanner loves any sort of broom, he really loves the broom that Daddy uses in the garage. He holds the handle and sweeps; the garage, the sidewalk, the floor, the lawn. The first thing Tanner does now when he gets home from school is get out of the car and walk up to the garage door and point for his "boom" - if you don't let him have it, and he didn't nap that day, well, to paraphase Wyatt Earp, "hell follows". We had a very funny moment in the Home Depot the other day (where we purchased the broom in question). We were shopping for some items in the plant area, which is near the broom aisle. Tanner saw about 20 brooms that were just like ours at home and I thought his head was going to explode!

Fathers Day II

Father's Day has come again, this time with one more kid and even less time it seems. Marisa's vacation day post made things seems much more dire then they are. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some growing pains going on in our family. Two kids gives you the illusion of control; on the worst day, you take one, your spouse takes one and you have it handled. On your worst day now, that doesn't work anymore; they truly do have you outnumbered. I don't mean that in a "lock the door and hide the handguns" sort of way, but sometimes there is more need than you have capability to field, even when you are both doing it. This can add a ton of emotion to the mix from either one, or both parents- sympathy, frustration, sadness, anger, laughter,take your pick. Now... quiz for the couples out there....odds that both you and your sigificant other will both land on the same mood at the same time in the middle of the chaos? That's right, slim to none! Like I added at the bottom of Marisa's post, it's a rythym thing...we'll get it.

That being said, from the other side of the coin, I have a lot more to be thankful for this Father's Day. Having the kids be this close together in age is really cool in some respects. It doesn't allow you to "check out" as a parent when the other one has it covered. You're in the game all the time. We both sneak off every now and then to internet surf, check email, read,mow the lawn etc. but pretty much it's a two person shift all of the time. To me, this is the coolest part of it all. Being human (read lazy), I know myself well enough to know that I will take as much rope as I am given, and generally will do stupid things with it. The kids all being little forces me to "be" there. I am not missing a lot of the small stuff that I think some fathers may miss or be able to gloss over. Sick kids, dirty diapers, midnight feedings, small, cool, little stuff that happens in the blink of an eye that you never get back. I have no choice (not that I want one) but to be in the middle of it.

This, to me, is what fatherhood is all about...being there. I get the kids up and dressed in the mornings, I put them in the car for school, I fix them dinner, I bandage the knees, I change the diapers, I live their lives with them...they aren't just a part of mine. What I am being exposed to is what, in past generations, was the stuff that only the moms got. The good, the bad and the ugly, I am there for all of it. I hope it is making me a better father, I know it is making me a better man.

Never Confuse a Vacation with a Family Trip

This is wise advice someone gave me once. Or did I read it in a magazine? In any case we discovered several weeks ago how true it is. Our family loves to take road trips- day trips, weekend trips, etc... Load 'em up in the car and get out of town. No meltdown so large that a few snacks, loud music, and Scooby Doo on DVD can't cure. In that frame of mind we embarked on our first "road trip" with all three children. We drove out to Redfish Lake (the REAL one this time, for those of you that remember our doomed venture last summer!). The three hour drive there went well. But once we got there we discovered how challenging it is going to be to take all three of the kids ANYWHERE and keep them safe, happy, and entertained at the same time. The view, as you can see, is gorgeous. Those are the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance. The lake was surprisingly warm. But we were unable to enjoy it very much. It is the first time we felt truly outnumbered by our children. "We're not in Kansas anymore," I thought. It's a whole new ballgame now.

I wanted to swim with the boys, but one of us needed to stay with Faith. Tanner was covered with dirt and mud and needed to be rinsed off, but Jake wanted to play baseball. Brian wanted some peace and quiet out in the water, but everyone needed help.

We tried to eat a picnic lunch but had nowhere to put Tanner so he dragged his pbj through the dirt and we chased him away from the water's edge. Faith fussed and needed to be held, so I ate with one hand while patting her butt with the other. Jake was disappointed and whiny that we couldn't figure out how to get a game of baseball in.

Needless to say our stay was short. We were happy to get back into the car, turn the tunes back on, get some ice cream cones, and head for home. We don't regret our trip: these are the memories we choose to make. We would miss out on so much if we just stayed home because it is easier. At least the drive was relaxing (and gorgeous) and we got to sing at the top of our lungs everything from John Denver through Axl Rose. We are heading out for a camping trip this weekend. I'm sure lots of memories (good, bad, and ugly!) will be made there. Wish us luck!

We are both assuming that all of these trips, outings and things are imminently "do-able". After all, families much larger than ours have done things far more formidible than this . We know there's a light in the distance. We both assume that it's just an experience thing; there's a rythym there that we just haven't hit yet. At this point it just feels like a needle in a haystack; we need to find it, only the haystack is the size of Texas, it's dark and raining, and all of the kids are "helping".....

In Which Tanner Discovers Cinnamon Rolls and Learns That There Truly is "No Place Like Home"

We knew it was too quiet. Three kids, four and under- you don't get a lot of quiet Sunday mornings. We should have known better, but we were too thankful that for once we had nothing but the Sunday paper and morning coffee to deal with. Jake was playing by himself on the play structure, Faith was asleep upstairs. But where was Tanner? "Aw done! Aw done!" we suddenly hear. "All done?" we asked ourselves. What was our youngest son "aw done" with? Turns out he was all done with the entire pan of cinnamon rolls that we had left to cool on the counter. Considering Milo was right at his feet, we are sure that the dog inhaled a bunch, too, but Tanner definitely had his fill. It was plain old toast for the rest of the family that morning.

Mom bought these fancy red shoes for Abby... but guess who found them first? That's my boy. He was proud as a peacock strutting around in these puppies. You know us... gotta start debunking those sexist sterotypes when they're young. Who says boys can't wear red and black polka dots?? This combined with Jake wearing three necklaces, two bracelets, two rings, and a watch all last week almost put Brian over the edge :) They do keep us laughing, these two Alan Boys.