Boise State 1-0

Ever since we moved here, Jake has been asking to go to a "real" football game. His first choice was a BSU game since he knows all the players and follows college football (much closer than me, actually). This year Tanner joined in the fray and they both asked for BSU tickets for Christmas. Since I wasn't about to take them to a bowl game (after Christmas), we explained that they would have to get a present early so we could go to a game before the season ended. Like most kids, they were all over that, so we went today.

We bought the tickets several weeks ago and it was supposed to be the last game of an undefeated, and potential national championship season. But then the night-after-Thanksgiving-game-that-is-still-not-being-discussed happened, and it became just another game. We were both afraid that once Jake found out they lost in Reno, he wouldn't even want to go to this game (Utah State) as it wouldn't really matter anymore. He hesitated and talked about how their undefeated streak was over now. I explained that we would have the chance to be at the first game of the next streak (hence the title) and he was totally up for that.

It has been cold and snowy here all week, so we bundled up, took handwarmers and headed off to Bronco Stadium in the snow today. The game was a little bit of a laugher, BSU 50, Utah State 14, but we had a really good time. Tanners favorite part of the game was the dog that comes out and retrieves the kicking tee after kickoffs. Jake really loved the game, especially as it was Senior Day, and all his favorite players came out and were introduced with their families. Both boys had a blast and left exhausted, promptly falling asleep in the backseat on the drive

home.

I'm really glad we went today as Kyle Brotzman, unfairly labled as the goat for the Nevada loss, was cheered and given a standing ovation when he was introduced as a senior. Jake and Tanner cheered really loudly for him and he acknowledged the crowd. It's been a horrible week for him and I was glad to see the crowd support and show him that he was still an important and loved part of this team. All the senior holdovers that started Boise State out so high in the national rankings this year are leaving, so it will be interesting to see how they fare next year, both on the field and in the polls.

Until then. Go Broncos!

Snow day Philosophy

For working outside the home parents (and probably even "stay at home working parents" now that I think about it) snow days can go either way: they are joyful, on one hand, but are challenging on the other. You get the news and you want to be happy, as happy as your kids are. But the "work" part of you is saying, "Oh, crap! What am I going to do with the kids all day!??!". I know we have it easysince we both work from home, so we didn't have to deal with daycare issues or anything, we just had to adjust our workdays and tag team it.

So, after the first few minutes of "Oh, crap!" I decided that how you handle snow days can really be a metaphor for how you handle life in general. Do you look at it as a blessing? ie: Wow, a whole day to enjoy the winter wonderland with sledding, making snowmen, snowball fights, drinking hot cocoa, watching too many movies, coloring, playing card games, and playing too many video games. Or, do you look at it as a hassle. ie: Ugh! How am I going to entertain the kids all day while also getting my work done?? I decided I really wanted to try to view it from the kids' point of view (half full vs. half empty) and remember that my work that doesn't get done today will just get done tomorrow. Nothing is that urgent. The snow may be gone tomorrow (although it really doesn't look like it...) so we might as well enjoy it today.

We started the day with a trek through the freshly fallen snow to Grandma's house (she arrived

last night) with her half-and-half in hand (she had left it at our house). We spent some time playing there, then came home to shovel the driveway and sidewalk (everyone helped and that actually made it a lot of fun- plus our neighbor and his daughter were outside so it felt so wintery and neighborly to do it together!). Then I took the boys sledding (Faith didn't want to come), came home and made up some grilled cheese sandwiches, then plugged them in so I could take a conference call without interruption.

Now it has stopped snowing and the plows are running and the day is winding down (or at least it feels like it should be- it is actually only 3:00). Faith was just lying on the kitchen floor twirling around on her belly. She looked up at me and said, "Mommy, why is this day never going to end??" So, apparently, she is now bored and ready to get on with real life again. On the other hand, the boys just left with their sleds, bundled up in their winter gear, ready to build "jumps" for their sled hill. As they ran out the door they called back, "Can we make hot chocolate when we get back? And then can we all go in the hot tub together? And can we go to the library after that??" They are still embracing this gift- the extra day off in the middle of a work week. And the more I think about it, so am I.

Thanksgiving (the actual holiday)

Thanksgiving in Seattle was great. The drive was worth it. The three days there included lots of playtime for the five cousins, a snowball fight, snowman building, Wii, a sad loss for Boise State, a trip to the Seattle Science Center, some good food, quality adult conversation time, and a smidgeon of chaos!

We left with a little "house envy"- they are in the middle of a major remodel using a very modern design. Plus their house has amazing views of the Sound from almost every room. Visiting brought back great memories of our Livermore remodel and both of us got a little nostalgic thinking back to the days of weekends spent at Home Depot and tile/flooring places, living in our dining room with infant Jake, and working together to make our house everything that we wanted it to be. But when we arrived home (after spending yet another night on the road, this time in Pendleton OR) we were so so so happy to be home that all house envy vanished and we appreciated our Pumpkin House even with all of its "decorator model" charm!

Thanks Lisa, John, Quincy, and Jessa for a memorable and fun Thanksgiving. But, just so you know, I think we will change our annual visit to Seattle to coincide with a different holiday- perhaps the 4th of July or Opening Day for the Mariners???

PS - the Science Center was very cool. We just had to post this picture of Tanner in the "Camouflage" exhibit trying to be invisible.

Thanksgiving Vacation

We had planned a trip to Seattle for Thanksgiving and didn't really think about changing plans even though the weather looked bad. ( yes, that was foreshadowing...) So we took off Monday morning. We had planned to go up through Lewiston and Brian was going to work there that afternoon, so hotel would have been paid for, but the main highway looked bad so we decided to go through Oregon instead.

We got about five hours Into the drive and the roads were pretty bad so we decided to stop in Kennewick for the afternoon/night. We found a hotel and schlepped the ridiculous amount of stuff through the snow to our room. We got the kids settled in and watched the snow continue to fall. Somehow I had managed to pack snow boots for faith but not the boys. Gloves only for Tanner and no winter coat for myself. Driving was out the question as everyone was sliding like crazy so we bundled up best we could and headed out to Red Robin for dinner- only a three minute walk away. The kids were in hotel room heaven with a unlimited tv and a video games and everyone was In good spirits, if still a bit worried about the driving ahead for the next day.

We slept like rocks and headed out in

the 15 degree weather and icy roads. About a half mile down the freeway the suburban died, it just stopped...in traffic. Brian got it to the edge of the road and tried to restart it to no avail. Well, a bummer for sure ( The week before we had put almost two grand into the car during its 120,000 mile "check up") but luckily we were on a populated road with good cell service so we called USAA roadside help. Hmmmmm. Well the first time I called I got a message telling me to a call back when the weather was better. Let's just say that a car that is totally dead gets really cold really fast in 15 degree weather. Waiting and calling back later was NOT an option.

Our next option was 911 or a cab. Luckily we had great cell service and wifi and by the time I called USAA back and got ahold of someone Brian had located a garage to get towed to. I was able to quickly convince the USAA operator that no, we could not wait four hours for a tow and she kindy arranged a tow truck and a cab which both arrived within 30 minutes, during which time the kids snuggled under their blankets and coats and my toes froze. So, we piled everyone into a cab with carseats and headed to Firestone to await our car, which, we were told, MIGHT get looked at that day.

So, an hour later we called the cab company back and they picked us up with all of our crap and brought us back to the same hotel to wait, now carless, until they could determine cause of problem and fix it. More video games! More tv! More family time In a 14 x14 space! The kids were troopers and we managed to get everyone over to the neighboring mall to get food and invest in snow boots for whatever lay ahead. That joke we had made the night before about spending t-day in Kennewick wasn't really funny anymore as the snow just continued to fall.

We actually had a lot of fun in the hotel - I think Faith will always remember getting the "ticklecups" from laughing so hard- but it was a bit stressful trying to decide if we should carry on to Seattle or go home if, and when, our car was fixed. We got news about 7pm that car was done (1300 dollars later) and we decided to wait till morning to decide which direction to go. Against Brian's better judgment we carried on and made lots of kids (ours and Lisa's) very happy, as well as the adults.

We arrived in Seattle just about 52 hours after we had set out from Boise. A few lessons learned: when traveling in weather that is at all questionable always pack snow gear for everyone, never underestimate the power of video games and portable DVD players, and attitude truly is everything

Tannerpolooza - the birthday weekend

In a tradition borrowed from my insane mother and Auntie Sue, Tanners birthday spanned over the course of this weekend. So here is the birthday weekend running diary.

Saturday Morning - While Jake and I were at his basketball game and photos, Marisa, Tanner and Faith made the baseball cupcakes for Tanner's friends party. Jake and I took team photos, played our game, went and picked up lunch and the cupcakes for the family party and then came home.

Saturday Afternoon - We picked everyone up and went down to Gem State Gymnastics for Tanner's friends party. Four of his friends from Pre-K came; Gus, Evan, Henry and Caden and they spent a couple of solid hours exhausting themselves in the jump houses, foam pits, trampolines and swinging rings. There are three giant sections of a warehouse that have all kinds of fun gymnastics equpiment that the kids get to play on. The place is kind of a local insititution, we have had two birthday parties, day camp and swimming lessons there and it's always a lot of fun. After the playtime we had cupcakes and ice cream and Tanner opened his presents from his friends.

Saturday Evening - We came home ffom the kids party and uploaded the car. Marisa fixed up the Birthday Feast (Mac and cheese) while I assembled selected toys. After dinner we had the birthday cupcakes and opened family presents. Tanner loved his ant farm, crocs tennis shoes and Kellen Moore jersey, his stomp rockets, his paper jamz guitar and his creepy gummy snack makers. We spent the rest of the night installing batteries, following directions and trying to explain why the stomp rockets weren't really an "inside" toy.

Sunday Morning - I try to take the kids out to dinner just me and them on their birthdays. As we couldn't fit a single thing more in on Saturday, Tanner and I decided to go out to breakfast on Sunday (his actual birthday). The restaurant is always up to the kids, so we ended up at McDonalds for breakfast. Tanner got his bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and we talked and played some fishing game on my phone. We also got his birthday interview done. Marisa did this for each of the boys when they were a little younger and we have hard copies up on the bulletin board in our room. They are pretty cool to read over and so I though I would try to capture one for each of them for each birthday. So here was Tanner's.

Birthday Interview -

Name? - Tanner

How old are you? - Five

Favorite Thing This Year? - going to a football game

Favorite Subject in school? - reading

Favorite Sport? - hockey

Favorite Food? - bean and cheese burrito

Favorite Song? - 5:19 by Matt Wertz

Favorite Part of your birthday party? - playing on the rings

Best part of being 5? - that I'm going to be big

Favorite color? - blue

Favorite Video Game? - baseball

What do you want to be when you grow up? - a baseball player

Favorite thing about Mommy? - she makes me breakfast

Favorite thing about Daddy? - he takes me out to breakfast

Least Favorite Thing? Scooby-Doo, it scares me.

Favorite Thing to Play? baseball, swing

Favorite Restaurant? - Taco Bell

We had a great birthday weekend and I think Tanner had a really good time. Today we are packing up and getting ready to head to Lisa and John's in Seattle for Thanksgiving. The kids are playing with all of Tanner's birthday toys and having a blast. We have a sitter coming later today so we can go out and get Christmas Shopping started. In the words of Ferris Buehler, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". Man ain't that the truth!

I love you Tanner. Happy 5th birthday big man.

Tanner's Turning 5

Tanner turns 5 on Sunday- even though his Nana made him promise that he would stay 4. Even though I keep telling him to stop growing up so fast. He is so excited for his birthday. He invited five friends from preschool (sorry…. PreK) and his only request was a “baseball cake”. He has been counting down for weeks now, using our calendar in the kitchen to keep track of how many days remain until the big day.

He has grown up so much this year: Suddenly he is a really good artist and loves to draw pictures of our family, including Milo. Suddenly he is adding numbers and showing a big interest and talent for math. Suddenly he is sounding out words in books. Suddenly he is more social, talking more to his friends at school and not hiding when we run into playmates at the Merc or on the green. He looks older, too. And taller.

He is still so sweet to his sister. Tonight he and Faith got out of the hot tub before the rest of us and they went inside and he helped her get her jammies on the right way and by the time we came inside he and Faith were in their jammies with their books picked out for bedtime. Another time today I “caught him” teaching Faith how to properly take off her turtleneck. He is really patient with her and so loving.

He and Jake also get along phenomenally well I think. Sure they can get at each other, but overall they play together really well. Lately they spend their mornings (they can’t wake us up until 730) doing word searches together in their room.

He is still a LOVE. He crawls into my lap and wraps his arms around me all the time and tells me I am the best mommy in the world and how much he loves me. He is really good at building with legos, playing baseball (he can’t wait for T-ball to start in March), catching and throwing the football, coloring/drawing, riding his bike, and playing all sorts of make believe. He has two bears that he sleeps with (Chocolate and Vanilla) and he cuddles them up whenever he is tired or hurt or sleepy.

He still really enjoys school and going to Miss Wendy’s house. He is a really good sport. When we play family games he rolls with the punches and I have never seen him throw a fit or get mad when he loses a round of Candyland, Old Maid, Bingo, Chutes and Ladders, or any other game.

He got to be "special person" this week at pre-k. We made up a poster of photos and some of his drawings and wrote captions together for the photos and pictures. We got to go to class today and watch his special person presentation. He stood up in front of the class and explained his poster and each one of the photos, then the class sang him the "special person" song. Then he called each classmate up and they said one thing they liked about him and each gave him a hug. He was much more talkable this year than last, but was still clearly uneasy being the center of attention.

He is a really easy going guy and I am so proud of the little boy he is turning into. Happy Birthday to my Tan Man, Tanner Pants, Gooeys, and Baby Boy. I love you more than you know.

Lesson Learned?

Jake has trouble controlling his anger sometimes. When he gets mad he tends to slam doors, hit things (not people, luckily), stomp around the house, and yell. We are working on it- but man it is so hard to teach someone how to handle anger. I mean, how do you get the message across that it is OK- really OK- to feel the emotion of anger but also curtail their “acting out” in anger without conveying the message that anger really ISN’T Ok? Does anyone out there know what I mean? What are appropriate ways to show anger? Is it OK to hit things? Well, not people obviously, but what about THINGS? Pillows? OK. Wall? Probably not. Bed? OK. Couch and other furniture? Probably not. What about yelling? Is it OK to yell? That’s what a lot of adults do when they are angry- and certainly an example he has seen modeled in our household, so why is yelling not OK? And if it’s not OK, then what is the consequence? Ugh. This parenting thing is rough. I sure wish I had received the manual that came with the baby and maybe the future therapy bills wouldn’t be so high. But I feel like this week we did something right:

The other day Jake anxiously called me up to his room. He was really worried to show me something up there. Turns out he had slammed his door into the wall and the doorknob had left a big dent in the drywall. He felt so bad about it and was scared to tell us about it. But he did tell us. So, we told him that was what happens when you slam the door, and that is why we kept telling him it wasn’t OK to do when he was angry. We let it go at that- for the time being.

When Sunday rolled around, in the middle of the AM football game, we turned off the game and announced to Jake that he needed to go get $6.00 out of his bank because we were going to Home Depot to buy supplies to fix the wall. He was flabbergasted and a small fit ensued. He couldn’t believe we were not only making him pay for the materials but were also making him buy the supplies himself IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOOTBALL GAME!! Jake also has a couple of misperceptions about justice in the Alan household. One of his favorites when we impose a new rules or consequence is to say, "No fair, you never said that before", or, "you have to give me a warning first" as if we can forsee each argument or all bad behavior in the future and have a plan laid out to deal with it. He also likes to say, "No, I don't agree to that deal" when a new punishment is imposed, like the child rearing is a democracy or something.

So, he and Brian traveled to Home Depot , Jake paid for the materials, brought them home and learned how to fix a hole in drywall. I think he may have learned something about consequences for his actions and taking responsibility for bad decisions.

Will he be slamming his door again? Probably. I am not naïve and we’ve got a lot of years ahead of us here. But hopefully he will remember the disappointment of missing football this week and having to use his money on something other than toys/candy. Hopefully he got to feel the satisfaction that comes from righting a wrong, taking responsibility for his actions, and doing the right thing. Hopefully.

P90X

Marisa mentioned P90X in a recent post so I wanted to do some followup. We're are both doing it and are almost done with the first 90 days (which is amazing in it's own right). We are enjoying it and it's tough, but there's plenty of opinions on the internet for you to find out the specifics of it if you're interested (also on late night TV).

I had to post this video of Faith. We do the workouts at all hours of the day and take over the TV room. Normally we try to do it while the kids are at school as we both work from home most days now, but that doesn't work on the weekends, and sometimes we can't fit it in until after the kids get home. We are quite the spectacle as we jump, run, lift weights and sweat, and the children have all jumped in at various times to get their "workouts" in. This day, Faith jumped in with Marisa on the Kenpo Karate workout. It was pretty cute.....

Giants World Series Champions!

YES!

Halloween 2010

The only one of the kids that picked a costume in September and stuck with it was Jake: a football player. A Boise State football player to be exact. For the third year in a row to be more exact. Can we say "obsessed"??? Tanner was going to be Simba from Lion King, a costume he and I found at a garage sale this summer. Faith was going to be a princess- another costume found at a garage sale. Then the Halloween Box came down from the attic and they were presented with all sorts of options from years past: a fireman, a horse, Super Girl, Superman, the "thing", etc... After trying them all on multiple times over the course of the month the day actually arrived and Faith decided to be Supergirl. Tanner decided to be a fireman, but when he saw his big brother dressed up with the shoulder pads and football pants, he quickly changed his mind and decided to be a football player, too. Luckily we already had the pads and another jersey. We're nothing if not prepared!

We started the festivities with a spontaneous trip to Krispy Creme for Halloween treats to have while carving the pumpkins. We hopped in the car in our sweats and let the kids pick out two donuts each. The Halloween themed pumpkin donuts and the black and orange sprinkled ones were quite a hit! At home we carved the pumpkins then watched Scared Shrekless together. The night before I had dried out the pumpkin seeds and sauteed them in butter and garlic salt for a World Series snack. Yum.... just as good as I remember them being as a kid!

Around 5 Jake's friend Sean came over- his mom and I are friends so we decided to trick-or-treat together. We had pizza beforehand, then got the kids dressed in their respective costumes. The boys were very handsome in their football gear and Faith looked adorable in her supergirl outfit- Even Jake commented on it. After posing for the traditional front porch photo op, we hit the streets. Faith was on fire- she ran down the sidewalk (with her "Phoebe" run- if you used to watch Friends then you know what that looks like) trying to keep up with the big kids.

After the first few houses of not being sure if they were saying their "thank yous" we instituted a rule: we have to hear you say "Thank you" from the curb. From then on out they were all properly polite and we had several homeowners comment on how nice it was to hear the gratitude. Sometimes I think we are too hard on them with regards to politeness but I hope it pays off and sticks with them in the long run- and no one seemed any worse for the wear by being held accountable to that standard, even on Halloween Night :)

Faith got tired after about 40 minutes so Brian took her home where she proceeded to hand out candy- but only to people that weren't too scary looking. Brian had to do those. We stayed out until 730 then hurried home to dump out the candy and watch the Giants game which we had recorded. We turned out all the lights and watched in our bed- family style- until 845 when we put the kids to bed.

The kids are all so big this year, it made me realize how (relatively) few Halloweens we have left in which we all go together from house to house. Soon Jake will want to go just with his friends and Mom and Dad will be a thing from the past. I am not a big Halloween fan overall- I don't like to dress up, don't like Halloween parties, etc... but the kids excitement last night was contagious. I loved watching them have such a great time trick-or-treating. And it didn't hurt that the Giants won, too! Happy Halloween everyone!

Giants Fever

I don't know how we will handle the series- I mean my children were basically parentless for the last few weeks. Dinner? Oh, yeah... that thing that I hastily throw on a plate or pick up from a drive thru prior to first pitch? You mean kids can't live on chicken nuggets and pizza alone? You mean PB and J and yogurt five days a week will not help my kids grow up healthy and strong? Faith and Tanner have learned more about playing alone and taking care of themselves through this playoff season than ever before. Legos have been in wide use, as have coloring and multiple viewings (which for them are more like "acting outs") of The Lion King upstairs in our bedroom (thank goodness for two TV's). For the playoff series my mom sent the kids five dollars each to use at the Merc during the games- that helped keep them entertained for a little bit for each game and I have to say, the sight of Jake holding Faith and Tanner's hands across the street and helping them pick out treats makes me so happy!

The tension of Game 6 nearly killed Brian and I- the kids were in bed (we gave them the choice to stay up for Saturday or Sunday's game and they picked Sunday). Game six was SO GREAT! We were unable to sit down for several innings- jumping around like a crazy person, hopping from foot to foot watching Brian Wilson pitch (OK, so it was only me that was actually hopping around). I was sure one of us would have a heart attack. Oh my gosh we have had so much fun. We spend the games texting with our fellow Giant fans- Sheila and Wayne- our friends we went to spring training with this year. When they won in game 6 Brian looked at me and said, "What the hell will we do with Tanner and Faith for the next series? We're gonna have to buy them a monkey or something!"

We received a box in the mail from Auntie Sue

yesterday filled with Giants gear: a Posey shirt for

Tanner, Lincecum for Jake, Cain for me, Faith got an AT & T ballpark shirt, and Brian got Uribe. All the kids also got sweatshirts. Between that and the flag that we bought after the playoffs, we were good to go! The boys immediately put on their shirts, headed out back and played "pitcher,catcher" in their appropriate roles. Brian's shirt must have been good luck since Uribe hit a home run in the first game. I saved my Cain shirt until game 2 when he pitched an amazing game. Thanks, Auntie Sue, for thinking of us, and also for bringing the Giants such good luck! The next day we got a box in the mail from Grandma Mary. Man, are we spoiled!!! Inside we found the traditional ballpark treat: Cracker Jacks. Also money for a hot dog or pizza dinner for one of the games. Really... this has just been TOO MUCH FUN.

Although Tanner and Faith don't watch all the games with us, they are very into the series. When giving them a bath before the game on Wedn

esday I heard them from the other room saying, "Fear the Beard! Fear the Beard!". When I walked into their bathroom I saw that they had both covered their chins with bubbles and were chanting for our favorite closer: Brian Wilson.

World Series Game 3 tonight. Already got dinner planned and made: turkey and cheese sandwiches with an apple, cheese stick, juice box, and animal crackers (so what if it was sold to me in a little plastic lunch box already made at Walmart... I figure it's better than a happy meal. GO GIANTS!

Fall

I don't know what is up with the weather this year here (other than global warming), but fall is finally starting to show up. This is a picture pretty much out our front door. The leaves are turning finally.

It's has gotten crisper in the mornings. Sweatshirts and sweaters have been broken out and the "Grandma Mary blankets" are back in heavy rotation while we watch the Giant's playoff games. We have the kids signed up for ski and snowboard lessons and are taking the boat in to be winterized next week (we hardly knew ye this year), so we're not preparing for hibernation, but close. If Marisa would just let it go about the amount of football we're watching on Sundays it would be perfect....

Goodbye Football!

Jake's last game was Saturday, followed by his team party. His first football season was a great experience in so many ways. I think Jake learned a lot more than just football plays and blocking positions. He had a coach that pushed him in a way he hasn't been pushed before- not at home, not at school, and not in any other sport he has participated in so far. This was hard at first (and created some controversy between the coach and parents) . Yes, the coach demanded respect and good attention during practice and often doled out "laps" and "pushups" for sloppy play or inattention, but he was also encouraging and kind and found the best in each player. He talked to them after each game about what they did well and what they could have done better, he inspired them to do their best by promising he would do push ups for good plays or getting a guy's flags or whatever- and he always kept true to his promise (one day he had to do 60 pushups). Any injuries were treated with patience and kindness. At the year end party he spoke about each boy personally- his strengths, what he had improved on, what he saw for him in the future in the sport, etc... It WAS hard at first to watch Jake be pushed by his coach. But in the end he is a better guy for it. He has learned some amazing life lessons- lessons that will bode well for him in his real life, too, not just on the football field.

I am reading an excellent book right now called "Free Range Kids" in which the author talks about all the ways that kids today are given less responsibility, less independence, less trust to make good decisions while also taking less of the natural consequences for making decisions that result in bad outcomes (moms and dads tend to rescue kids a lot more these days in ways that don't teach kids to take responsibility for their actions). The book is fascinating and challenges parents to let go, worry less, and trust their kids more. Anyway, this book coincides perfectly to what I experienced as a parent in football this season: I had to let go- of my desire for Jake to always feel comfortable and let him experience the pain of loss, a bad game, and an injury here and there without my immediate support. I left that to Coach. After practices 1 and 2 Jake wanted to quit. It was so much harder, more intense than any other activity he had been involved with. There really wasn't a lot of "hand holding" or coddling in the beginning. He stuck it out and had what he says is his best sports experience ever. Was it hard for me to see him go through periods when he was bummed out about a bad play or pissed off that he had to do 20 push ups during a practice? Sure it was. It is so hard as a parent to see your kid struggle. But seeing him struggle and in the end persevere is huge. It has made me a better mother and Jake a better person.

Sillybandz

Why couldn't I have been the person who invented these? There's no advanced education or science background involved and this person, I'm sure, now owns some island in the Bahamas or something.

Jake came home pretty soon after school started with some sillybandz, they trade them at school and all his friends have them. It's pretty funny at the beginning of football practice to see all the boys run over to their parents on the sidelines to take off their sillybandz as coach won't allow them on the field. But since Jake liked them, of course Tanner and Faith had to have them also.

As they were in such high demand, Mom and Dad seized the opportunity to use them as bribes for behavior at bedtime. We still, to this day, seven years after the fact, have trauma at bedtime. This blog could have just as easily been called, "Bedtime Struggles" for all of the stories, plans, and gray hairs that we have shared with everyone here. But, since they do have to go to bed every-night, we continue to fight for ways to make it easier. So Dad went to the store a couple of weeks ago and bought a bunch of sillybandz. We put them in a big jar on our counter and if the kids go to bed without issues and sleep in until 6:30 in the morning they get a sillyband.

Jake has gotten a bunch and trades them with his buddies at school and with Tanner as well. Tanner has gotten just as many as Jake, but can only seem to be able to find two or three at any given time. Faith loves them and clamors for them every morning that she has earned them. She wears them for about 7o seconds or so before taking them off and leaving them somewhere, at which point Dad picks them up and puts them back in the jar.

So far these seem to be one of our better bedtime currencies and we've got a whole jar full to go, so hopefully they will continue to be popular for awhile so we can continue to stay sane.

Tanner-style

Tanner has really started to come into his own in pre-k this year. He seems more confident (a big step for him) and has just started to seem "older". The other day he came home and asked me to cut his hair (since both kids are clients of Dad-the-Barber these days). He was very specific as to how he wanted it, I asked Marisa first and she agreed. So here's his cut. He was very happy with it and asked for it to be spiked up. My middle son, a spirit like no other.

Fall 2010

It's been a great season so far: Giants in the playoffs and Boise State is continuing to kick butt. The weather has turned, leaves have fallen, Halloween decorations are up. The costumes have been picked out (Jake- football player, Tanner-Simba or a football player or a fireman, Faith- horse or princess). I love fall- probably for the same reasons I love spring: everything is changing and showing the promise of something new (in this case, the promise of winter and snow and cold weather, I guess!). For a girl that has never been at one with "change" I do love the changing seasons!

The Giants in the playoffs has been huge fun for us. Last week we had to go watch the Padres/Giants final game at a sports bar since Direct TV wasn't showing it. Luckily we had

a babysitter all lined up (it was supposed to be date night anyway). We had a great time watching games 1 and 2 of the series between Atlanta and the Giants last week- even though they lost the second one and it was way too late for us to be awake on a work night (We are 10 o'Clock people and the3 1130 nearly killed us. In fact, I kept falling asleep on commercial breaks in the 10th and 11th innings and Brian had to keep waking me up!). Today's game was a little tricky: a 230 game on a Sunday afternoon. It was gorgeous outside so we bookended the game with a family walk and a family bike ride. Keeping the kids entertained during the actual game was another matter. They did a pretty good job of keeping themselves entertained and I only felt mildly guilty about leaving them to their own devices for 3.5 hours. But at one point I actually gave Jake and Tanner a 10 dollar bill and sent them to the Merc to buy whatever they wanted. Seriously. They came back with gummies and ice cream and snickers bars and lemonheads- which we divvied up between all five of us in the 7th inning. MMmmmmmmm a healthy dinner for us all! Lucky I didn't have cans of silly string or spray paint handy or it could have gotten really messy. (Note: the next morning the boys came down dressed for school in the exact clothes that they were wearing during yesterday's game. Even down to the undies. This in support of another Giants win tonight. Should I make them change? Or be proud of them for this bit of Giants fanatical thinking?)

Last weekend I took Tanner and Faith

to the Scarecrow Festival downtown at the Botanical Garden. They had a great time looking at all the different scarecrows. We got to vote for our top 3 choices and all of us put the Monkey one as #1. They also got to pick out pumpkins and take a hay ride. Fun stuff. So, fall continues. Once Halloween arrives it is a slippery slope to the New Year so we are definitely trying to enjoy the calm before the storm!

And, of course.... GO GIANTS!! Get us a win tonight!

Hogle Zoo

It may be stereotypical, but while the boys all went to the Dew Tour Faith and I opted for a girl's day at the Zoo. The week leading up to the trip she was so excited about the fact that she and I were going to get to spend the day together, just the two of us. She had been telling Wendy and her brothers and anyone that would listen that she was going to the zoo on Saturday all by herself with Mom. I was pretty excited, too.

It was so great to have the one-on-one time together. We did the zoo at her pace and went to see the things SHE wanted to see and do the things that SHE wanted to do without having to compromise on anything. She loved the baby elephant and its mama, liked the bird show and was amazed by the talking yellow parrot, rode the merry go round and the Zoo Train, and got to pick out a special souvenir from the zoo store. This last event took a good 45 minutes. She just could not decide between the stamp kit of zoo animals and a pink stuffed elephant with buggy eyes. She finally decided on the stuffed elephant (no big surprise there for me....). We stopped for lunch and headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap for both of us!

She is so much fun to hang out with. She still loves The Lion King and can quote LONG sections

of the movie verbatim and with the exact inflection from the show. She has one soliloquy that we just have to get on video. We checked out a Lion King book from the library the other day and she notices every inconsistency and points them out to me. As "girlie" as she is, she's also starting to copy her brothers wannabe skater talk and saying things like, "Hey, yo yo!" and wanting to ride her scooter and bike with them out front and around the block. She is dressed today for the Boise State game in a too big t-shirt and is intent on carrying the Boise State flag we have and cheering for the team- even though she has very little interest in the actual game!

My little girl- already 3 1/2 years old. I am cherishing this time I have with her.

Do the Dew (tour)

Mainly because of video games (on the Wii, DS and iPod touch) Jake and Tanner are really big skateboarding fans. They both ride their boards out front but are anything but death defying so it's not from actual skateboarding that they got this obsession. Anyway, the Mountain Dew Action Sports Tour is on TV in our house on Saturday afternoons and the boys both really like to watch all the action sports, from skateboarding to BMX to wakeboarding to snowmobiling. They are also big fans of the X-Games on ESPN.

The Dew Tour makes a yearly stop in Salt Lake City. This year we had a friend who works for one of the sponsors who was able to score us some tickets and vendor passes, so we hooked up with their family and all went down for the weekend. We pulled the kids out of school 1/2 day on Friday and drove down to Utah Friday afternoon. We got in just in time for dinner and to get settled into our hotel. The next morning the boys and I headed down the street (we were within walking distance) while Marisa and Faith (having no desire to see the skateboarders and BMX'ers, headed to the zoo).

We met up with our friends and walked down to the event center together. Jake and his best friend Tyler were very excited to see it all. We went and watched the Gatorade Rising Stars skateboard park finals in the morning and walked around the festival village for a while. Tanner really wanted to see the BMX finals, which involved standing in a very long line and sitting for a very long time in the sun, but was very cool. They were running behind and the guys were taking a lot of warmup runs, which to Tanner were as good as the contest itself, because after the 2nd run that actually counted he said, "Dad, can we be done now?". So we left and walked back to the hotel and met up with Marisa and Faith for family nap time.

After naps, Jake and I went back for the skateboard finals while Tanner, Marisa and Faith hit the pool. Jake was really excited for the finals and knew most of the guys competing so he was a lot of fun to watch it with. The event started at 5:00 (again, long line, hot sun) and we had to leave at 6:15 to meet up with everyone for dinner but it was a really good competition and he and I had a good time.

Downtown was packed. Finding dinner was a little bit of a challenge (and to be fair at that point after a full day in the hot sun, my patience was a bit low and I had had enough of "little skater punks" to last me for a good long while), and what in the hell is up with that downtown "grid" street numbering system? How you are supposed to know where you are and how to get from one point to another is a mystery to me. Anyway, I was ready to get back to the room and rest. We got some food for the kids and Marisa and I had room service while watching Notre Dame lose to Michigan State with the kids.

We got up and had a great breakfast in the morning and got out of town and drove back home. It was a really fun trip but I am looking forward to some downtime (such as it is in our house) over the next couple of weeks to recharge and get ready for fall. I'll be ready for the Dew Tour again next year maybe and we're going to try to get down for a Jazz game this season, so we'll be back again soon.

Dog Days of Summer

Philip and Joan joined us from London for the weekend. The kids loved seeing them- even Faith ran right up to Grandpa and immediately gave him a hug and told him her joke (Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because he wasn't PEELING good!). I was pretty impressed that at age 3 she could remember and retell a joke and get thepunchline right! They were all very loving toward both Phil and Joan. Tanner wanted to wear his t-shirt from the Clearlake family vacation and show Phil all the pictures from the reunion last year. Jake was excited that they would get to see him play quarterback in his football game on Saturday. Joan and Phil were great sports with all of our chaos and seasonal focus on football.

Friday night they took us all out to Chili's for dinner and then to the Capital High football game at Boise State on the "Smurf turf". This was Joan's first ever football game and I think she really enjoyed it! We all got into the action. We got to see Karly (our daycare provider's daughter) play in the marching band at halftime and our neighbor play corner back. Good, wholesome, "small town" fun!

The next day brought more football- and more drama then we had anticipated- for Jake's game in

Mountain Home. He had been practicing hard for two weeks for his turn at quarterback and he was really excited and a little nervous. Mountain Home is about an hour away so he kept referring to it as his first "travel game" which I guess he felt was really cool. Anyway, Brian and Jake took Joan and Phil early while I took the little ones to swim lessons. We picked up donuts for the team then met them at the field.

When we got there Jake and Brian were off on the sidelines, Jake obviously upset. Another parent told me that Jake had gotten slammed (hard!) during warm ups and had a bloody nose, fat lip, cut gums, and a loose front tooth. So.... I went over to them to see what was up. Brian was doing his best to talk him through it but sometimes a boy just needs his Mom. Next came probably one of my hardest parenting decisions to date (and, yes, I know they will continue to get harder): Jake was crying and crying and was obviously hurt. He said he wanted to go home and he didn't want to play that day. There was blood all over his shorts and shirt. Now, the mommy in me wanted to take him in my arms and take him home and let him cry it out. But I knew that in 30 min. he would be feeling better and would feel crappy that he hadn't played in the game. So...... I swallowed the "mommy" in me and summoned the "hard ass" in me. "No. We are not going home. You can do this. You can play. Show them what you are made of". I basically told him that he would be letting his team down and, more importantly he would be letting himself down if he didn't try. That I knew he was hurt but that I also knew he could do this. I'm not joking when I say I had to try not to cry. With a little help from his coach (and some children's Advil) we got him pumped up enough to give a few plays a try. I knew that once he got out there he would be fine (at least I was pretty sure, but also knew that it could cost me millions in emotional therapy later on).

My heart did swell with pride as I watched him run out on the field with his teammates. He got out there and tried his best. All I cared about at that point was that he got out there! The team killed them in the end, but the donuts seemed to help what little disappointment the boys had in losing! Afterwards the team went to Wendy's together. He was so excited that he had played QB. That night in bed I told him how that had felt for me- how I didn't know if I should have pushed him to play or I should have let him go home. I told him that it was really hard to make that kind of decision as a parent but that I did what I thought was best, even if it was hard. He looked at me, bless his heart, and said, "Don't worry, Mom. You did the right thing. I am really glad I played. I would have been so mad at myself if I had given up.". Whew... dodged another bullet I guess. It honestly had me rattled the rest of that day, though.

That night we all watched Rudy (thought we'd continue in the football theme of the visit) which everyone loved. Faith, of course, retired to our room to watch Lion King for the 3000th time. Sunday was beautiful so we spent a lot of the day by the pool. Faith made a new friend and wowed us with her ability to talk to anyone. She walked right up to a little girl and asked her name and how old she was and if she would like to play with her. They played for the better part of an hour in the pool. Later in the afternoon Faith came up to me on my pool chair and asked me if she could invite Ruby over for a play date. I said sure, thinking I would call the parents in a week or two. Nope, Faith had other ideas. She walked right over to Ruby's father (in a pool chair on the other side of the pool) and asked him herself. Too funny. She went back to the pool and told Tanner, "Now I have friends, too!".

We had a really nice visit with Brian's dad and Joan. It is too bad that we only get to see them once a year. We hope to make a trip to London to see them in a few years- maybe when Faith is Jake's age or so. The kids were sad to see them go.

This weekend we are off to SLC to see the Dew Tour and visit the zoo. Never a dull moment here in the Alan household!

End of Baseball, Beginning of Football

This weekend was heaven for sports fans. Notre Dame on Saturday, Giants on Sunday, and then to top it all off the BIG Boise State vs. Virginia Tech game on Monday. We also managed to fit in a trip to the pool, a bike ride, swim lessons, work outs (we are both doing P90X- I'm only on day 7), and a trip out to look for football pads for the boys Halloween costumes. Ahhhhh....I wish they all were three day weekends!

Before the Giants game on Sunday evening Tanner ran upstairs and came down dressed in all of his Giants paraphenalia- including a pillow and blanket, hat, and fuzzy sweats. It was so funny because he just randomly disappeared for a few minutes and then reappeared- a vision in Orange and Black. They won, of course, capitalizing on the Padres 10 game losing streak.

What can I say about the Boise State nail biter...... it

was much anticipated and hyped and it lived up to its promise. It was one of the best football games I have ever watched. Who needs an NFL team when you've got Boise State? We had

friends over and the kids all played their own game at halftime in the dwindling light of late summer. Blue and Orange is so big here, you can't help but get caught up in the fever. We were all decked out in our Boise State gear- even Tanner's monkey who has his own Broncos football uniform. We ordered in pizza and let everyone stay up too late for a school night. We knew we would pay for it on Tuesday but we couldn't let them miss it- and it came down to the last minute so there was no going to bed early! It was so much fun. National Championships HERE WE COME!

My Wish For You

In starting this new year and thinking about what I want for you three (and feeling nostalgic and like the years are passing too quickly )these song lyrics say it all. It may be trite but it is exactly what I want for each of you in this life. I hope when you read this years and years from now that this wish has come true-

"My Wish"

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.