One of Ten Thousand

After spending most of yesterday indoors, we decided to spend today at the lake. It was beautiful and everyone had a great time swimming, building sand castles, soaking Auntie Sue to the bone (the only one of us NOT in a swimsuit) and playing on the playground. With 7 kids the refrain every few minutes was, "Where's KidX?" or "Uh-oh, where did Kid Y go???". Luckily we arrived home with all of them.

Besides the lake and mall, the highlight activity of the visit here has been the Wii. Jake loves the sports games- especially tennis and baseball. I have to admit.... it IS pretty cool. Brian and I had a competition last night and tried out all sorts of the games, including trivia (I got my butt kicked like usual but we laughed a lot!).

Tomorrow is Auntie Sue's b'day so we are celebrating with chocolate donuts for breakfast (her favorite) then we hit the road around 9AM. Our first stop is Bismarck, ND. (I know you are all jealous of our metropolitan lifestyle!). With any luck we will be there by 5PM.

So......it's really just a big mall with a play area, right??

Okay, so the answer to that question is a really big no. The Mall of America is HUGE, with a full blown amusement park built right into the middle of it. And an aquarium. And a water slide park. And a lot of really useless stores such as "Alpaca World" and "As Seen on TV". That being said, it is also someplace we never need to go back to. Amazingly, though, the only money we spent was on the amusement rides for Jake and TJ- and a few Diet Cokes (OK..... and ONE funnel cake to share!).

The kids had a great time, playing and riding rides through nap time. We took Faith and Tanner for a walk around the mall after lunch at Bubba Gumps, hoping to get them to nap. Faith fell asleep for about an hour but Tanner would have none of it. In fact, he insisted on pushing the stroller around himself- kind of the opposite or a nap! Auntie Sue let each of the 7 kids pick out something from the Nickelodeon Store. That's Faith wearing her hat from the store. Tanner and Jake both picked out Sponge Bob hockey sets.

Jake loved the bumper cars and the other car rides. In the afternoon he asked for me to take him on the 'Fairly Odd Parents' roller coaster, which I didn't think was a good idea, but I told Marisa, I didn't want to crush his spirit by saying I thought it might be too scary, so I took him on it. He was having a great time... until we got to the top of the first hill, then it was sheer panic for the rest of the ride. It was one of those rides that has a video camera in the car (and you can buy the DVD for $9.95 afterwards), but they preview it for you after you are done. The look on Jake's face was almost worth the price of the DVD. It took him awhile to get his sea legs back after that one! I took Tanner on a few rides as well- that's him on the ferris wheel in the photo. He loved it and waved to Mom and Faith down below each time we went around. Eventually, he and Faith gave into the exhaustion and we left around 4:00. I'm not sure who was more tired: them or us!

Halfway Point

Location: Eden Prairie, MN

Total Miles traveled: 1470.00

Tanner's Favorite Song of the Day: "Help Me Rhonda"

Most Embarrassing Artists to Admit My Husband has on His Ipod: Olivia Newton John and Christopher Cross

Most Inappropriate Song We Let Jake Rock Out To: "I Want to be Sedated" by the Ramones

Most Exciting Moment on the Road: Finding a Starbucks in Sioux Falls, SD (the first SB we have hit since Boise!)

Best Tourist Attraction of the Day: Wall Drug

It was a long day of driving through some flat and rather boring country that was littered with anti-abortion billboards, interspersed with advertisements for huge sex toy stores. Odd combination, to say the least!

The kids were TROOPERS. Well... Faith's screaming got rather old quickly and I did spend many minutes with my fingers literally in my ears as she protested loudly against the injustice of being confined to her car seat and having all her toys and snacks out of arms reach. But the boys? They were amazing. We woke up at 4: 15 and packed the car stealthily as they continued to sleep. We woke them up at 5 and they were cheerful and ready to start the day. Not the attitude we had expected at all!

Wall Drugs was a great pit stop for breakfast. Homemade pancakes, donuts, biscuits and gravy and 5 cent coffee. Mmmmm. I can feel my arteries hardening as I type this. The kids picked out the obligatory "huge lollipop" which we saved for the last hour of driving, as well as the cool sunglasses (ie: goggles) Jake is wearing in the photo.

We were greeted in Eden Prairie, MN by the four 1/2 cousins, Auntie Sue, Grandma, Eric and his girlfriend Mona, and Lisa and Clark. That is the entire Simonich Clan so we took a photo to commemorate the occasion. Jake jumped right in and got on the Wii (baseball, of course). Faith and Tanner warmed up quickly and played on the swingset all evening.

Tomorrow we head to the Mall of America. If we still have enough money for internet service after that venture, we'll post again tomorrow.

Traveling Companions

So, when planning this trip out, we calculated each days travel, what we thought the kids could tolerate. We calculated how best to pack, the best toys to bring, ways to entertain children in the car. We packed and repacked and planned out each day on a AAA TripTik in a big three ring binder. But, even with all that foresight we didn't count on the thousands of motorcyclists that we would be sharing our campsites with along the way! Sturgis, a HUGE motorcycle rally, starts tomorrow. We have been sharing the road (and the campgrounds) with more motorcycle enthusiasts than you can imagine. The picture above wasn't actually taken from our campsite, but it could have been!

We read up on the event- and found out that over half a million people are expected at the rally- and our road trip includes Sturgis on its route! Talk about diversity- man, the kids are getting a good dose of it. Besides the annoyance of LOUD motorcycle sounds while trying to put Faith to bed, and the minor issue of trying to get gas at the only station in town that was currently serving as a haven from the rain for a hundred cyclists (I am not exaggerating), it's been a peaceful coexistence so far.

The kids had a great time standing out on the porch of our cabin yelling, "Go motorcycles! You can do it!" while the cyclists were pouring into the campground.Then Jake started adding the words, "Is that all you've got???" and while we worried momentarily about offending the crowd, we found that everyone was very good natured and tolerated the three (very) enthusiastic kids quite well.

Okay, we've seen it....

Location: Hill City, SD

Miles Travelled: 933.51

Speeding Tickets: 1 - (WY State Trooper)

Top Speed: 86- (Immediately preceding the above)

# of times someone asked are we there yet: 8

Meals with vegetables served: 0 (unless you are the kind of person that counts apples as vegetables, in that case, 1)

Tanner's Quote of the Day: "My tummy hurts!" (This preceded him throwing up all over himself during our climb through the mountains of Wyoming)

Brian's Quote of the Day: "Hey, is that a cop up there?"


Memories of this day:

-Waking up with Faith, Tanner, Marisa and myself all in the same full bed, counting the minutes until we could end the restless night and get on the road!
- The summer rainstorm that had all of the motorcyclists (see next post for further info) hiding under the gas station canopies, while we were busy running out of gas, and not able to get anywhere near a gas pump.
- Mt. Rushmore being very massive and cool, but REALLY underwhelming as an end destination. We came, we saw, we bought stuff in the gift store in the space of about 15 minutes.
- The KOA water slide being, by far, one of the highlights of the trip, for both the kids and me.
- Going thru the wilderness of WY, driving thru gorgeous canyons and climbing beautiful mountains up to 9,000 ft high (of course we only noticed this because the kids were sleeping).
- Realizing that the best intentions for healthy food and snacks along the way, stand a snowballs chance in hell, once they meet up with the vastness of this part of the county, relatively few choices and kids who go from asleep to cranky at warp speed without properly applied meals and snacks.

Tomorrow on to MN (10 hours....God help us...) :)

The First 27 Hours

Started in: Boise, ID
Ended in: Cody, WY
Miles Traveled: 520.11
# of times someone asked, "Are we there yet?": 7
Hours of driving before this question was asked for the first time: 4
Number of snacks consumed: Countless

Tanner's Quote of the Day: (after seeing the huge buffalo along the side of the road) "Dad, you hold me so the buffalope don't get me?" From here until he dies that particular animal is a "buffalope".

Jake's Quote of the Day: (I bought him a little journal to write in for the trip, not really thinking he'd be too into it, but after seeing Bear Country he asked me for it. When we got to our next destination he said, "Mom, I've finished my first two posts. Can I read them to you at lunch?" Obviously a child of bloggers...

Worst Parenting Decision of the Day: Allowing the boys to pick souvenirs at Old Faithful, not paying close enough attention to the combination flashlight/carabiner thingies that they picked out to realize that there was an ear splitting whistle on the other end....they quickly got confiscated.

Memories (good and bad) of the trip so far:

• Jake having to stop to go potty 3x in the first two hours of driving
  
• The kids wanting to be snapped into their carseats a full 20 minutes before we were ready to leave the house
• Singing Kumbayah (spelling?) and Michael Row Your Boat Ashore for half an hour to get a very tired Faith to sleep in the motel room (a spot similar to the Psycho motel)
• Going to Bear World and having Jake hug me and say, "Mom, this is the best trip. Thank you for taking me here!"
• Watching baby bears wrestle at Bear World
• Arriving at Old Faithful exactly 10 minutes before it was going to put on its show. We told Jake it was karma because of all the trash he picks up so now he is even more motivated to clean up the world.
• Driving through Yellowstone and seeing the huge lake and several big forest fires. Tanner loved seeing the helicopters getting water in big red buckets hanging from them. He was cheering, "Go firefighters! Go helicopters!"
• Arriving at our campsite and finding a cabin (or as Tanner refers to it, our "cabinin" cleaner and roomier than we had imagined, along with a nice swimming pool, hot tub, trampoline, playground, and arcade. Yep.... we're really roughing it!

Off to Wally World

Okay, so today is the day we set off on our Griswoldian adventure. Three days on the road back to visit Lisa and Clark et. al. in MN, three days in Minneapolis and three days back. We will be camping in KOA cabins in Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore on the way there, and in Billings, MT; Missoula MT, and beautiful Bismarck, ND on the way back.

We load up the van this afternoon and head out at 4:30.







Night #1 will be spent in a hotel room in Idaho Falls

Day 2 we will spend exploring Yellowstone and possibly Bear World.

Day 3 we drive to Mt. Rushmore

Day 4 we arrive in Minnesota for a birthday dinner with the cousins, Auntie Sue, Grandma Mary, and Uncle Eric and his girlfriend (who Jake has a HUGE crush on!! You should see the kid blush when her name is mentioned!).

Days 5-6 we tackle the Mall of America , the lake and pond, and let the 7 (soon to be 8) cousins run around like maniacs.

Day 7 we are back on the road

Day 8 we'll be heading to a Billings Mustang baseball game

Day 9 we're in Missoula where Brian hopes to fish and I hope to check out the town

Day 10 we head home and collapse in heaps on the couch

We will be posting each evening- as long as we are not putting out small fires, trying to locate a lost child, or busy tearing our hair out.

Jake is beside himself with excitement, Milo is wary of the huge stack of luggage on our living room floor, TJ just is suspcious that I might leave without him again (I was on a business trip Sun-Thurs. this week), and Faith is clueless. Brian and I are both really anxious to get on the road and let the adventure begin. Wish us luck!

Bikes and Boats and Family Memories

There was a big bike race here this weekend. We ate our usual pancake breakfast out on the front porch so we could watch the bikers getting ready. It was a Criterion- which I learned is basically a bike race in which the bikers ride a short circular(ish) course several times in order to qualify for some other- supposedly more important- race in the future. The course went right by our house and there were LOTS of heats- from 8:45 AM until after 5PM. The kids LOVED it. They cheered the bikers on and used the "clappy hands" that our neighbor Nick handed out. All the neighborhood was out, enjoying the morning and socializing. Tanner kept yelling, " Go Bikes, Go!"
and "You can do it, Bikes!". We spent several hours doing this, then headed indoors for some much needed rest.

Later we headed out on a spur-of-the-moment exploration of a local reservoir about 20 miles away. We swam at the beach there, then checked out the marina and drooled over the ski boats and Sea Doos, already scheming on how we could make the summer ski lifestyle that I grew up with our own.

I grew up skiing from the time I was Jake's age. As I remember it, we lived on the boat during the summers, camping, RVing once, renting houses on the Delta, houseboating, etc... Some of my strongest family memories are centered around those trips. Even today I am moved almost to tears (No, I am not kidding) by that small whiff of gasoline in the summer air that reminds me of our old Evenrude engine, sitting around on the boat, docked at a gas pump sipping Diet Coke or Corona.

Over the last few months it has struck me how much I want my kids to grow up on the lake, or on the Delta, or on the Lucky Peak Reservoir. On a boat. Anywhere that they come back to year after year. I want them to bring friends and sit in the water making up new games like "Funoodle Ball" and wake up at the crack of dawn to get the "glassy water".

So, I am adding "buy a boat" to my longterm goals. Put the kids through college, retire... somewhere in there I want to throw in "buy a boat". It doesn't have to be anything fancy (Yes, I know there are many of you out there now thinking, "Yes, but think who you are married to!"). There are lots of things to figure out and learn: how to drive a boat, how to pull a boat, how to launch a boat, where to store a boat, how to finance a boat, etc... But there is no doubt in my mind that we will do it. Somehow and someday.

My dad started with a used boat purchased for $3000. It ran (well... mostly) for 12 years and sold for $3000 before buying a fancier model. It got lots of use and was the backdrop for more memories than I can count. That boat was just about the best 3000 dollars ever spent. Come to think of it, Dad was just about the age I am now when he purchased that boat. 37 years old. But he had 4 kids- two of them almost out of high school and two just starting Kindergarten. If he could do it, so can I, I guess.

Well, here's to making more family memories- on a boat or at a bike race. Enjoy the season!

Off the Dole

I have a new job! I am happy to say that the job search is OVER. My days are no longer ruled by multiple visits to Craigslist, Careerbuilder, Boiseidahojobs.com or any of the multitude of school district websites that were slowly taking over my existence these last few months. I am now a part of corporate America- OK, it is a small company, but still, a COMPANY and not a school district. Weird. A departure, for sure, but still in the education realm. For those of you that I haven't talked to, here's the deal: The State Dept. of Idaho recently adopted this program called SmartHelp Math for 45,000 students grades 5-8. The program's goal is to differentiate math instruction for students. It is designed and run by a company called Apangea Learning based in Pittsburgh, PA. I am working for Apangea, aiding in the implementation process. I will be training students and teachers on the program, so will be traveling throughout Boise/Meridian three days a week, and on the other two days I will be tutoring online using the program. I am really excited about the opportunity, especially since they are coming out with a similar program for writing later this year and the opportunity exists for me to move to that division at some point.

The company seems very family friendly and I have really connected with every person I interviewed with (there were 5 separate interviews- three of which were on the phone). Downside? I start TOMORROW and it is a regular business schedule: 3 weeks vacation/year plus the week between Christmas and New Years. No more summers off. That's going to be hard to adapt to, but hopefully with the flexibility of the schedule I won't feel it as much.

It was strange packing up my classroom, knowing that I would not be UNpacking my teaching supplies next year. OK... so I was close to tears. It will be my first year out of the classroom in 12 years. I know I will miss the kids (and the schedule!) but feel I am ready for something new, even if it is just for a year or two. Who knows? It could be for longer if I love it.

So, Brian and I got a babysitter and went out to celebrate the night I was hired. We are psyched because it is significantly more money than I was making the last two years, plus full benefits that are fully paid for all five of us, so we can stop paying the 500/month from Brian's check. Now I can go on vacation- our road trip to MN- with a light heart and fewer worries about the fortune it will cost us in gas!

Old Stomping Grounds

While Tanner and Brian were enjoying their "alone time"Jake, Faith ,and I were loving every minute of our time with friends and family on our old home turf. Jake spent 24/7 with Auntie Sue and Grandma Mary being spoiled rotten- with hardly a glance in my direction. Faith entertained herself wherever we went, showing more independence than I've ever seen from her before. No stranger anxiety for this girl- she just made herself at home whether we were at Aunt Kim's house, Auntie Sue's, Shannon's, or Peet's. I had the luxury of babysitting services from Auntie Sue (A HUGE thank you!!!) so I could go out child-free for "quiet" dinners with friends. There was lots of catching up to do since I hadn't been back to the Bay Area for over a year and a half. It was a whirlwind two days and I didn't get to hook up with nearly as many people as I would have liked, missing the weekly Sycamore Staff party at Cindy's house by only a few hours . Still, those I did get to see, it was like old times.

Go Boise Hawks!

As mentioned previously, Tanner and I went to the Boise Hawks game last night. Leading up to Marisa's trip, this has been the highlight for Tanner. He has been asking for a couple of weeks now, "Daddy, go to baseball game right now?". So I could tell he was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, he refused to take a long nap to prepare, instead taking two short ones, the last starting at 5:30 PM, so I wasn't 100% sure how he was going to do at the game which didn't start until 7:15 PM.

We both had a really good time. Tanner got his 1st Boise Hawks hat, we sat on the third base line and had a heart healthy dinner of hot dogs, soda and a deep-fried snickers bar (God love minor league baseball parks!!!) for dessert.

Tanner enjoyed the game. His favorite part, and mine when I was his age, was the foul balls. He loved when the players hit the balls backwards over the screen out into the parking lot and dinged up someone's car. His big concern was that they didn't hit our car (I know better, and park WAY out there...). He did great, paying attention and really enjoying the game until Humphrey the Hawk (team mascot) decided to show up. At that point the focus of the game became the Hawk (and not in a good way). When he could see him, he kept his eye on him while he watched the game. When he was out of site....well that was just unacceptable. "Daddy, where big birdie go?" "Where big birdie at?". I tried to reassure him that the big birdie was friendly and wouldn't get too close to him if he didn't want him to, but Tanner was only okay when he could see him and knew where he was. I should have seen the signs...

About the 6th inning, Humphrey came over to work the 3rd base line seats while Tanner kept a wary eye on him. He would say things like; "Daddy that big birdie hugging that man." "That big birdie sitting in seat watching game". But seemed fine, until Humphrey came into the section next to ours and then he got this tone in his voice. Parents of young children know this tone, the one which means, 'you can't talk me down from this, I am deadly f*$^ing serious, get me out of here'. He said, with an eye on the Hawk, "Daddy, I want go home RIGHT NOW! I go home RIGHT NOW and watch movie. Me leave RIGHT NOW!" At which point, the only question is how fast can you gather your s@#t up before he starts screaming and get out of there.

We ended up escaping just fine, and his main concern is where all the balls in the parking lot were as we walked to the car. "Daddy, we need pick all dose balls up?"

Tanner Grows Up

Tanner and I had a really good morning on Sunday.

We got up and went out to McDonald's for some breakfast and a quick game of foosball (we have REALLY different McDonald's here...) Then off to the pond for his first real fishing trip (granted, it lasted about 1/2 hour from beginning to end).

Tanner caught his first fish! A little Bluegill, in the exact same place that Jake caught his first fish last year. This little pond has about 1,000.00 little Bluegill in it this time of year, and it's easier to catch them than to avoid catching them while you are trying to catch larger fish. Tanner had a good time, but is still a little young to really be fishing, so I had to help him cast and then he reeled it in. I unhooked the fish, but like his brother, he wanted nothing to do with it so that's why the awkward picture while I tried to take the photo left handed. It's a horrible picture of Tanner, but tell me that the fish isn't thinking, "What in the hell is going on here?" It's the first time I have ever caught an expression on a fish (he was released unharmed and swam back to the others with a great story..). After Tanner saw what was involved, he didn't want to fish anymore, but wanted to sit and watch me, refusing to leave until I finally talked him into it by promising a trip to the pool.

Additionally, he is starting to really develop his taste in music. We had the iPod on in the car and he kept saying, "No me like dis song". So out of curiosity, I kept fast forwarding, and he kept saying "Not dis song..". We did this for about 30 songs, until he got to one he liked and gave his seal of approval to.....the song....."Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait....it makes a Daddy so proud....

Daddy - Tanner Days

Once again circumstances have arisen where it is just Tanner and I for a few days. Marisa, Jake and Faith are back in CA visiting and Tanner stayed behind with me.

After dropping Mom, et al. off at the airport, we ran a couple of errands (including getting Tanner his 1st fishing pole for Daddy - Tanner Day #2). Then home and a nap, then Tanner got to be in charge for the afternoon.

Tanner is becoming much more verbal and knows what he likes and doesn't. He gives you his opinions in a very straightforward way, so there is not a lot of guess work with this kid. So here is our afternoon told from Tanners perspective (match the photos with the captions.

"Daddy, I wuv dis water pawk"

"Daddy, I need west"

"Daddy, I wuv dis dinner pwace"

"Daddy, dis pawk is hot"

"Daddy, I wuv dis Batman shirt"

"Daddy, pwease me have my Sweck Pez, eat it all gone?"

Tomorrow we have a textbook day with Dad. Mickey D's for breakfast. Fishing at the pond. Swimming pool in the afternoon and a Boise Hawks game Monday night.

We truly do miss everyone else, but we're having a really good time just batchin' it!

Lots of "Firsts" on this Fourth

Kim, Bill, Abby, and Aidan joined us for a Fourth of July full of "firsts". The kids had a great time- and so did the adults!



Faith watched her first fireworks show.

We spent our first 4th at Lake Payette in McCall.

Tanner was mesmerized- and a bit nervous- by his first fireworks production.

Jake did his first trampoline/bouncy harness thing.







All the kids stayed up until 10:45 for the first time.

Faith discovered the beach- and the way that sand can infiltrate all body orifices- for the first time.

I rode a Wave Runner for the first time ( At the risk of sounding like my husband....I think I may need one!)

Tanner and Faith rode in a canoe for the first time.

Brian took Tanner fishing for the first time.


AND...

Jake rode his first bull!

Dad's 4th of July

So, there was so much fun stuff done over the 4th holiday on our trip to McCall that we broke the posts up into two parts, Marisa is handling some parts and I am taking care of the other parts. First of all, it's great that McCall is so close. It's a quick two hour car ride up there, so the road trips up and back were very uneventful (other than intermittent sleep - which would be a theme for the trip).

The house was great, across the street from the lake (sort of), but beach access nonetheless. This was the 1st time we have ever stayed in McCall and it was wonderful. As you can see, Faith amused herself quite well and didn't get too far off her sleep schedule. She did spend most of the trip as you see her here, in diapers and nothing else but sunscreen. She had a great time keeping up with her brothers and cousins, everyone matching snack for snack over the course of the four day trip.

Sleeping for the boys was worse than as home, which is no surprise. I swear to God, our first vacation without the kids, it won't make any sense to even leave Boise - we'll just check into the Motel 6 down the road, because I'll have six years of sleep that I will need to catch up on first, before I am even close to back to human again. Those Sandals Resort commercials; you know with the tanned, non-sleep deprived couples, para-sailing and scuba diving...those make me want to throw the hell up. Tanner slept with us one night, Jake another night and Jake and I switched beds the final night. The kids stayed up much later than normal (especially on the 4th to watch the fireworks), but in the logic that rules my life now, they still woke up at the same time in the morning. Thus the photo of Tanner and I crashing on the couch.
Since we had all the additional daylight hours, we were able to do a lot of fun stuff as well. I took Jake fishing in the Payette River, caught nothing - but that's going to be par for the course for a few years is my guess. I took Tanner fishing in the lake for the first time which he really liked. He told everyone, "I go fishing, I threw it WAY out there, but no fishies get it." He is in this phase, were the more tired he gets, the more he talks, so he was pretty much talking non-stop on this trip. "Daddy where you get that hat?" Daddy what you eating, open you mouth, let me see." Daddy, why you say that?" It gets old quickly and you find yourself saying things that, before you had kids, you swore you'd never say. "Tanner please just watch your movie please." "I'll give you some candy if you be quiet for 10 minutes..."

We also rented a Wave Runner for a day, which we had a blast on. Marisa had never ridden one, and neither had Jake, so they had a really good time. Jake is turning into some semblance of a teenager over night. He was fine on the wave runner as long as we didn't go too fast. He told the rest of the kids after, " My limit on the Jet Ski is 37, and we jumped some big waves." He was yelling to all of them as we came back into shore, "Awesome dudes, double peace (holding up peace signs with both hands), double peace, yeah!" So I think he enjoyed it. Marisa and I got to go out a couple of times on our own and she had a really good time as well. We got to explore the whole lake and it's much bigger, and much prettier that I thought.

On the whole it was a great trip and an great 4th. A couple of weeks of semi normal life then off on our midwest roadie. As Bon Jovi says, "I'll sleep when I'm dead".

Camping Out (in the guestroom)

The Great American Camp Out was scheduled for tonight. There was supposed to be this big event at the barn with lots of families camping together-S'mores, storytelling, stargazing, BBQ, the whole shebang. But due to several bear sightings in our neighborhood the event was canceled. So we decided to camp out in our backyard anyway. There's bears all over Yosemite and Yellowstone, right? But, since Jake didn't want to nap (a requirement for the camping thing) he decided to "camp out" on our guest bed instead. Yep, we're really roughing it here in Suburbia!

Brian and Jake are sleeping there tonight, then because Tanner was so bummed that he didn't get to do it, he and I will be camping in it tomorrow night. There will be donuts for breakfast (a necessity for any camping experience- whether it be on a queen size temperpedic bed or on hard rocky ground). When the boys look back on their childhood it will probably be the the little things they will remember anyway!

Post Note: Although Faith slept in her crib, and Tanner slept with me, they joined the crew for morning donuts in the tent.

June 2008

Faith has almost got her four top front teeth. Her lower middle one is still trying to poke through, but it looks like we can soon drop the nickname of "Ellie Mae" . One morning at the park last week Faith took a header onto the concrete blacktop. She cried a little, but not too much, so I didn't think anything of it. But you can see in the picture that she really took a good one. My little boxer.

Tanner is doing great on potty training. He calls his big boy underwear his "Boy Boys". He has also figured out how to get out of going to bed: as soon as songs are done and books are read, he tells us he has to go potty. New rule starting tonight: Potty needs to be done BEFORE heading upstairs to bed. We'll deal with the ACTUAL potty needs at bedtime when he is no longer wearing a pull-up to bed.

Jake is riding his two wheeler really well. I am so proud of him!!! He is scared to go on sidewalks, though. We have practiced in the street (with Brian jogging along side) and in the school parking lot/playground, but he is terrified of riding on the narrow sidewalk. So, until that fear is overcome we are unable to ride to the pool, the park, etc... In the meantime we will keep practicing.

Sheila, Wayne, and Shelby came to visit last weekend. It was so great to spend time with old friends! They had the luxury of staying at Grandma's place so they only had to deal with the chaos of our household for bits at a time. It was pretty cool having the "second home" to use! The boys both loved them. Tanner called Wayne "Hunky Wayne" instead of "Uncle Wayne"- to the amusement of all. We showed them around Boise (where they picked up many house flyers, amazed by the low prices), hung out at the pool, and BBQ'd, but the highlight ( in my opinion) was the multi-course dinner with cocktails and good conversation that DIDN'T include, "Sit down!". "Stop playing with your fork!" , or " Faith, you can't play with knives!". It was like old times, actually. A great reminder that even though friends may be far away, picking up where we left off still comes easily.

A few posts ago I wrote that in the event I don't get a teaching job for next year I will be a stay-at-home mom for the year. Yeah..... never mind. Nix that idea. Last week was my first full-time week on my own (the nanny had to go out of town for her grandmother's funeral so I canceled the job I was supposed to do). While it was fun waking up each morning and taking the kids to the park, playing in the backyard with water balloons, doing the usual stuff leisurely instead of cramming it into the weekend.... I just am NOT designed to do this full time. I have wrestled all week with whether this makes me a worse mother than my counterparts who are able to do it so naturally and gracefully. But maybe it is similar to any other career: some people make great lawyers, some make star basketball players.... some make great stay-at-home moms. I don't fit into any of the above categories, but I do know that I am pretty good at being a working mom. Maybe that's my niche. So, I think I will just cross my fingers, try not to beat myself up too much, and keep on scouring Craigslist and Boiseidahojobs.com- because I am not sure my sanity would survive staying home!

Goat Heads

No one is sleeping. At least not well. Faith wakes up before 6 every morning. Jake is up at 6:05, practically on the dot. Tanner follows soon after. And this is after each one has woken up in the night at least once. No one is sleeping. We are tired. The kids have dark circles under their eyes. I'm sure Brian and I have looked better. So, at 4:30 this afternoon, Brian and I decided that we just needed to get out. It was a good 3 hours until bedtime and everyone was cranky and the thought of playing referee to three exhausted kids seemed overwhelming. So we piled in the van to get some dinner.

On the way back from Taco Bell (OK.... where besides fast food are we going to take three whiny children? Not one of our finer parenting moments, but there you have it...) Jake announced from the far back seat, "Mom, we need to clean out the car. There's a bunch of goat heads back here!".

Brian and I looked at each other, not sure if we heard correctly in our exhausted state. So we turned down the music and clarified, "Jake, did you say GOAT HEADS?".

He confirmed. "Yeah... there's a lot of them. I think I must be bringing them home from camp each afternoon."

More confused glances. Brian tried for further clarification: "Actual goats? Like the HEADS of real goats???".

That got a giggle. "NO! Not REAL goats, Dad. The plant!".

Now it was my turn. I took a guess: "Did you learn in camp today about a plant called a 'goat head', Jake?"

Bingo. Now that it was established that there weren't actually bleeding decapitated mammals inhabiting the back seat with our son, we were curious to find out more. So Jake told us that he would show them to us when we got home.

As soon as we pulled into the driveway, he bounded up front and opened his palm to reveal the mysterious plant... it was a FOX TAIL.

Brian and I cracked up, sure that he had just gotten the name wrong. Both names combine an animal and a body part-easy to get confused. Brian made some joke about another plant called the "Ratbutt". But Jake insisted they were really called Goat Heads.

So I got on the computer, googled it, and discovered that my five year old had taught us something new today. Our car is indeed filled with goat heads. Who knew?

Life With the Kids

Everyone is doing great, but growing up too fast!

Jake's in summer camp, can swim, and starts Kindergarten (for real this time!) in August , TJ knows his letters and numbers and colors and talks in complete sentences, Faith is walking and talking and beating up her big brothers. They are a crack up- all the time.

Faith's favorite thing to do in the world is go into the pantry and take down everything she can reach. Then she carries one or two things into the living room and practices climbing up and down the fireplace mantle with the items- over and over and over and over. Her current faves are the individual tea bags and the Ritz cracker tubes. Faith says so many words now, I couldn't possibly list them. Her favorites continue to be "MINE!" and "MORE!" She screeches whenever her brothers try to take something away from her, tries to stand up in her high chair constantly, and is obsessed with shoes. If Jake holds out his arms to her she runs into them and gives him a big hug- which I can't get enough of seeing and makes Jake so happy!

Tanner has a maniacal laugh and a deadly twinkle in his eye- he is sure to be some poor father's worst nightmare come dating age! He is also quite a looker (if I do say so myself!). It is impossible not to laugh when he purposefully misbehaves because he is so darn cute. He is enjoying having Vanessa (the nanny) here and is progressing on potty training- usually saving the potty full of #1 or #2 for me to actually SEE when I get home, which is always really special! Lately his favorite thing to do is clean. He takes a damp sponge and wipes off every surface he can find in the house. I don't know WHERE he got that gene from!The video is of him singing "The Crocodile Song" from swim lessons. "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. If you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream. AHHHHHHH!"

Jake is learning to ride a two wheeler without training wheels and is being very brave. I was worried because he has never been the most adventurous/daredevil type of kid. I think he was 3 before he finally went down a slide himself! But he is enjoying practicing with his Daddy. He is a great big brother and even though he complains about Tanner all the time he obviously loves him to death and cracks up at his antics as much as Brian and I do. He says the funniest things. Last night it was really warm upstairs so I pointed the fan directly at his bed and told him that Tanner would have to sleep with him so he could also benefit from the cool air. Knowing how hard Tanner is to sleep with, he looked at me and said wearily, "OK, Mom. Here goes nothin'!" He is still such a cuddly boy and the other night when I commented how big he was getting he said, "Don't worry, Mom. I will still snuggle with you even when I'm 100." Well, thank goodness for that.

Brian and I just watch them and LAUGH.

We are really excited for our road trip. We leave August 1st and even though I know parts of it will be trying and there will be minutes and/or hours when we want to strangle each other, I can't wait!!!! Put on some music, pop in some movies, fill up that vat of Diet Coke, and let the fun begin.

Happy Summer to everyone :)

Fathers Day - 2008

I had an excellent Fathers Day again this year. I got my presents the night before (which I always love!); a great picture frame and card from Jake and a new iPod to replace my old one (five years old, three batteries, cracked case, scratched screen, no longer works unless it's plugged in - it led a good and fulfilling life...but you can watch movies on this one!).

Some details about the day in a minute, but first something Marisa said had me thinking all day about my life and what being a Father means to me. Normally, the kids wake us up in the morning, and most mornings, we all get up around the same time. Sometimes (rarely) Marisa stays in bed a little longer if I can convince her to. So yesterday, she was going to let me sleep in. She went into the boys room at about 5:15 am when Jake started to stir so she could get them back to sleep so I could sleep in. A little while after that, Faithy started to fuss in her room. I was already pretty much wide awake, so I got up and brought her downstairs.

We played a little bit and I fixed her some breakfast while I started the laundry. When the boys and Marisa came downstairs, I made waffles for breakfast while the new iPod played and folded the first load of clothes. Marisa explained that she was trying to let me sleep in and said, " I guess you really love your life if this is how you choose to spend your Fathers Day."...meaning the same way we spend almost every Sunday. That really got me thinking.

That is the way I would choose to start ANY morning if I could. Not on the golf course, not out on the river, not at a guys weekend in Vegas. But home, with my kids, first thing in the morning. Music on, kids playing and talking, trying to plan out a day when you can't even hear yourself think. I DO love my life, and it's all due to my wonderful wife and kids.

We went for an (unintentionally) long bike ride, stopped and had smoothies for lunch, napped and hit Chili's for dinner. I have been really watching what I have been eating and had been jonesing for an Awesome Blossom, and one of those new burgers, with the huge, thick bacon. Well dinner did not disappoint (that bacon may be one of the best things I have ever eaten...). Then home, movies and the NBA finals. What a great day!

On a side note, I have been trying to teach Jake to ride his two wheeler without training wheels. He is doing really good so far as you can see in the video below. I figured grass would be less scary. He just got a two wheeled scooter and has been doing great on his skateboard and in swim lessons. It won't be long until Fathers Day starts with, "See Ya Dad. Me and Tyler are skateboarding down to the pool, be back later...", with the sound of the slamming screen door echoing over my John Hiatt from the iPod......enjoy them while you can. Thanks for the great Fathers Day, Marisa, Jake, Tanner and Faith, I love you all and couldn't imagine (or would want) a life without all of you in it.

-Brian

You know it's time to start looking for a new job when

... your boss begins your "End-of-the-Year" meeting with, "I'm not going to fire you, but...."? Although I had already started looking for a new job, I am (as per the verbatim suggestion of my supervisor) "amping up my job search" here in Boise. Among other things I am, apparently, a "bully"- I know that many of you are probably laughing out loud right now trying to picture ME as a BULLY!!!

As most of you know, I have not been happy with the change in leadership this year. She and I don't see eye to eye on some pretty major issues. In the school this year we had one threat (by a 7th grader) to bring a gun to school, and in my class had one allegation of physical and verbal abuse and an instance (six months ongoing...) of "consensual" sexual activity between an 11 year old boy and an 8 year old girl in my class. I wasn't comfortable how any of the incidents were handled, but was told that "it is the difference between public school and private school". In any case, I am done with the craziness there. (Many of you remember my pathological liar student last year and the one in "equine therapy".). As much as I really enjoy many of my coworkers and think the educational program there has some real strengths, I can't continue to work for someone that I don't trust.

So far there are really no leads here on teaching jobs, but I hear that things often open up at the last minute so I am trying not to freak out. I am exploring all options- even those outside education. Being a stay-at-home mom is another option- although not one I think I would be particularly good at! But things happen for a reason and I am sure that reason will become apparent at some point down the line.

This will be a toughy....

As Marisa noted in her last post, my Grandma just passed away this last weekend. Grandma Daufel had a very full and rich life, and was in amazing health for almost all of it. I got to see her one more time before she passed away as did a lot of friends and family (we had to keep rotating out of the hospital room, there were so many of us). She finally passed on Saturday, surrounded by all her children and family that loved and cared about her. We should all be so lucky to live as long and as well and, when the time comes, to pass surrounded by love and compassion.

Regrets always accompany a loss like this. I should have seen her more, I should have made more of an effort. She sent me a card on every birthday and Christmas - this year included....I sent her photos when I thought of it. But I think these type of thoughts are par for the course when dealing with a loss, and I am trying to deal with it by looking forward and not back. By looking and examining my life in the face of losing someone I loved.

This is a song that I listen to when I feel my perspective getting out or whack, or when I get overwhelmed with my "to-do" list, or feel something is more important than it actually is, to pull myself back and get centered again. This is by John Corbett (yes the Northern Exposure actor guy...yes he put out an album...yes I know, I am probably the only one who knows that) and is a great song.

Good to Go - by John Corbett
Waitin' at a stoplight yesterday as a funeral procession made it's way through the gates
I watched it roll up a winding road through a field of green with white headstones all in a row
And it made me think about where I'm at on my not so straight 'n' narrow path
Of the generous and mostly undeserved blessings that I've had
...
Had an All American mom and dad,
some of the coolest friends you could ever have
Found love I thought I'd never find.
I can't believe this life is mine
And I'm not planing on leaving yet,
but the truth is you just never know
And if this is as good as it gets, man I think I'm good to go
I'm good to go
...
I said a prayer for the dearly departed, and the loved ones left broken hearted and traffic started
And I drove away a little more able to see the good things on my table, for that I'm grateful
Cause I've had my troubles I've had my trials, I've hit the mark and I missed by miles
Had days when I'd been fightin' mad but the good times have more than outweighed the bad
...

Got to hold my new born baby girl,
and the hand of a man as he slipped from this world
I've laughed so hard I couldn't stop,
seen the sunrise from a mountain top
And I'm not planing on leaving yet, but the truth is you just never know
And if this is as good as it gets, man I think I'm good to go
...

And I've been thinkin' 'bout where I'm at on my not so straight 'n' narrow path
And I wouldn't wanna change nothing about this roll with the punches life I've had
...

Had an All American mom and dad some of the coolest friends that you could ever have
Found love I thought I'd never find. I can't believe this life is mine
And I'm not planing on leaving yet, but the truth is you just never know
And if this is as good as it gets, man I think I'm good to go
I'm good to go

So I'm going to take Grandma's passing and look at my own life. Look at what I have and have had, and be thankful, as I'm sure she was. I'm going to take stock, so that when my time comes, I'll be ready and grateful.

Love to all. I miss you Grandma, but thanks.
Brian

5 Kids, 3 Dogs, 6 Adults, and 2 Houses

Mom moved in over Memorial Day Weekend. Yippee.... we have grandma as a neighbor!! (Well, not officially until mid-October when she comes to stay for the winter and spring, but, still, it is VERY exciting!) My dad, Lisa, John, the two girls, and their two puppies came up to help with the move. There was actually more fun to be had than there was actual moving- although all the work DID get done by Monday morning. We spent Saturday at the Farmer's Market downtown and the zoo, then Sunday we went to the pool and then out to dinner. In between the cousins played and played and played while Lisa and John shuttled the puppies from our house to Nana's house, depending on which house Tanner happened to be in at any given moment. He was terrified of them and screamed hysterically whenever they dared occupy the same room as him. Poor guy was a little traumatized but when they left he made sure to wave goodbye to Niblet and Rocky and acted very much as if they were his best friends even though in reality he could barely look at them through the patio door without freaking out! Jake adored his cousins like usual. Faith hung out with everyone (well.... except that mean ol' Papa!) and tried not to let the four front teeth she is getting bother her too much.

Lisa and family left on Monday morning, Dad left on Tuesday afternoon, and Mom stayed on to finish the fun stuff- unpacking boxes, arranging knickknacks, going to Target to get supplies, etc...

Sadly, Brian's grandma was hospitalized with pneumonia and taken off life support on Thursday, so he drove to Northern California early Friday morning and stayed through the weekend to offer support, say goodbye, and spend time with his Dad's side of the family. Mom graciously stayed on to help me with the kids. We introduced them to the fine art of garage sales: Each of the boys took $5 out of their piggy bank on Saturday and we went to lots of houses. They bought all sorts of stuff! The biggest hit, however, is the Tinker Toys- the old fashioned kind. Both Tanner and Jake are loving building cool things with them. Faith found a plastic xylophone that she simply couldn't part with, so it now has permanent residence in our home.
Like our house needed more NOISE???

Three of Faith's teeth popped through and she is walking like she has been doing it since she was born. She loves to swing on the swingset in the backyard, dump anything out onto the ground, and take her shoes off (and try to put them back on unsuccessfully). She enthusiastically blows kisses and has added "Mine!" to her repetoire of words.

Tanner has begun singing to amuse himself- his favorites being: Take Me Out to the Ballgame and The ABC's. He also has started saying, "What's up CHICKENS?" to Nana, Jake, and I, and giggling like it is the funniest thing in the world (which it kind of is actually). He is truly a little imp and continues to test, test, test. He also pushes me in the chest (in a joking way) and says, "BACK OFF, BABY!". He is a character and a half.

Jake is getting really good at skateboarding and swimming and continues to amaze me by how many people he knows in our neighborhood. His Kindergarten had an Open House and a carnival last week and I think he will know 30-40% of the kids in his class next year. We just finished reading the second Fudge book- thank goodness he is done with the Scooby Doo chapter books for now!!

They are all adapting well to our new nanny situation, although Tanner keeps asking me when he will get to go to school again. We've only had Vanessa with us for four days, but so far she seems great. She has brought new things to the house for the kids to play with each day, has taken them to the library twice, and had TJ and Jake make charts- Jake's is to record how many books he reads and Tanners to record his potty successes (to date there are NO stickers on Tanner's chart, and about 20 on Jake's!). Potty training for boy #2 is proving to be more of a challenge. I am still unsure on the "Nanny vs. Daycare" thing, but it definitely makes my mornings more manageable and less hectic. Now if I could only get that neighborhood job I've been angling for....(the original reason for hiring a nanny!)

Happy Mothers Day 2008

Mother's Day started early for us. 5:00 last night marked the first concert of the season in Hidden Springs. The entire community came out to celebrate- both Mother's Day and the fact that spring is here to stay finally. We all had such a great time- we know so many more people in the neighborhood than we used to- either due to T-Ball or Jake attending daycare at Theresa's house or both.

Jake just ran around, riding his scooter, playing with various kids while we ate hotdogs, shared beers with friends, kept our eye on Tanner and Faith and checked every once in awhile to make sure Jake was still somewhere nearby. He is a little social butterfly and introduced me to at least 5 new people during the concert.

Faith liked walking around to everyone else's picnics and helping herself to their food. As of yesterday her walking to crawling ratio is about 8 to 2. She is really proud of herself! Tanner pretty much followed Jake everywhere. The ICEE shack opened, too, and happened to coincide with a card from Grandma Mary that included a 10 dollar bill since "a little bird had told her" that the shack was back. We stayed out until almost 8PM and the kids just crashed when we got home.

The fun continued today with Brian taking the kids downstairs at 6:45 and letting me sleep in. I woke up to presents from Jake- a smorgasboard (I have NO idea how to spell that!) of cards, pictures, candles, notebooks, paper roses, etc... He was very excited. Tanner opened his gift to me before we even left daycare on Friday- it is an adorable hand,food, hand, foot print artwork that he made with his teachers there. Faith made a similar project with a flower- her hand-prints were the leaves. Brian made me a beautiful slide show DVD with pictures of the three kids with "I Can't Stop Loving You" as the background music. Made me cry.

After a rocky morning- behavior wise- we gave all the kids early naps with the plan to ride our bikes out to a local restaurant for lunch. After living here almost two years we finally rode on the Greenbelt. and we can't believe it took us so long to discover it! You can ride all the way downtown along the river. There are restaurants, parks, and playgrounds along the way. The kids all loved it. We ended up at the same place we had eaten our Easter dinner at (Joe's Crab Shack). We ate outside in the sunshine, then stopped at a playground and went out for ice cream on the way home. All in all it was a 3+ hour venture. It was early baths and early bedtime all around.

The following picture is of the newborn baby birds that were born this weekend in the nest that the "crazy robin" built above our hot tub. This particular bird has been attacking the windows of our house for the last three months, and we could not figure out why, eventually, she gave up and built a nest on top of our stereo speaker - thus earning her nickname. Happy Mothers Day to you too Crazy Robin.