Christmas In California

We decided to leave Boise after work on Friday, December 20th and ended up spending the night in Winnemucca, NV on our way to Truckee- our first planned stop. We hit some snow in Rome and thought it best to get off the roads. We got to the hotel at 10:30 and the kids were WIRED. Thankfully the boys fell asleep sometime around 11:30 but our little girl was a big stinker. She was up until 3:30AM. Brian took her downstairs to the hotel lobby at around 1AM and tried to wear her out- to no avail. She laid between us and repeatedly sang The National Anthem and The ABC Song, then just started yelling things like, "Mommy! Daddy! Jake! Tanner!" while we tried to shush her as best we could while trying not to wake the boys or piss off any of the other hotel guests. Tanner was up at 5:30AM and we departed the lovely town of Winnemucca soon after. Faith escaped with her life.... very narrowly.

Our time in Tahoe was much more fun. We got there by noon and all five of us napped.... AT THE SAME TIME!!! Sheila and Wayne and their kids arrived at 3 and we got to spend the afternoon and evening catching up and laughing and enjoying good homemade food that Sheila brought. Sam is now a sophomore in college and Shelby is a senior in HS- who we are hoping chooses to attend Boise State in the fall. It was so much fun to spend time together- even if it was a brief visit.

The next day we headed to Auntie Sue's house where the kids were greeted with new Christmas dishes/sippy cups and a bedroom decked out with "pre-Christmas toys", new books, stuffed animals, and sleeping bags. Not to mention to the singing Elf hats and Santa masks (see picture). They were in heaven being spoiled to death by Grandma Mary (who was also visiting from MN) and Auntie Sue. Tanner treated us to a performance wherein he dressed up like Santa and spent 30 minutes walking around to each of us "ho ho hoing" and asking us what we wanted for Christmas. Then he would bring us something completely unrelated to our request and say, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!". Very funny. While in San Ramon Brian and I got to see several old friends, renewing friendships from our previous lives in CA. It was so great to catch up- now if we could only get others to move here with us!!!

After two nights at Auntie Sue's we headed to Kim's house in Mountain View. We spent Christmas Eve there with my mom, dad, and sister Kiri. Kim and Bill bought a Wii Fit for Christmas and the kids got to open it on Christmas Eve. The afternoon was spent bowling, skiing, hula hooping, and playing baseball. (Anyone want to place a bet on how long it is before my husband wants to buy one?). We ended the evening with a double feature of "Shrek the Halls" and "How The Grinch Stole Christmas".

On Christmas Day Brian was awake before the kids and, unable to contain his excitement, was whispering things in their ears like, " It's Christmas morning. Santa came last night! I think there's TOYS!". They awoke at 6:30 and the extravaganza began. Many presents later (two huge tupperware containers full to be exact!) we headed back down to Auntie Sue's house for Christmas Morning #2. More unwrapping ensued. Favorite gifts included a doll and inchworm for Faith, a Nintendo DS for Jake, and an indoor hockey "rink" and scooter for Tanner. However, the most cherished gift of all was a stuffed penguin from Auntie Sue that Tanner calls (You have to imagine this being said with a strong Italian/Spanish accent) "Penguino!. It was love at first sight. He tells us all the time now how he LOVES Penguino (same accent) and how Penguino is his friend. Penguino is now a permanent fixture in bed with Tanner- keeping company with "Moosey", "Ah-Ah" (monkey), and his sippy cup of water. Needless to say, the bed is getting a little crowded!

Two nights later we headed BACK to Kim's house to see some old college/HS friends of mine for a quick brunch before hitting the road back to Truckee. Again, a short but wonderful visit. There was no way we were going to fit all of the Christmas loot in our Suburban, so it seemed like a Christmas miracle when Nikko and Shannon decided to follow us back to Boise in their truck to spend New Year's with us. Sometimes spontaneous decisions are the best thing ever. They are currently here and we are enjoying watching movies, talking, and playing with the kids- leading up to our New Year's Eve Trivia Contest tonight after the kids are in bed. (JAN 1 Update: Nikko beat Brian in Trivial Pursuit- another Christmas miracle??)

So... it was busy. It was really, really fun. We feel more blessed than ever to have so many wonderful friends and family in our lives. But we are glad to be home. And I for one am looking forward to school/daycare starting again next week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FRIENDS FAR AND NEAR!

Warriors beat the Celts!

So because we can't go more than a post or two without referencing sports in some manner, here is the tale of our night after Christmas trip out to the Warriors game.

So, for anyone not in the know, Uncle Eric is the Equipment Manager for the Golden State Warriors and the King of killer hook-ups. When we knew we were coming back for Christmas, we checked the schedule and low and behold, the Warriors were playing the Celtics the night after Christmas. So we reached out to Uncle Eric and he hooked us up with tickets (and some SWEET jerseys for the boys).

Just a note...this is not just selfish sports going, in the past, this was the only way we were able to ever visit with Eric, was to go to a game. He leads a very busy, hectic, but fulfilling life, doing what he loves...we should all be so happy.

I had taken Jake to a Warriors/Sixers game a couple of years ago, but he doesn't really remember it anymore, so he was looking forward to the game. Tanner had never been and we knew he would love it; for the sake of the game as well as the transportation....the BART train. Tanner has never been on BART and has always been a crazy person for trains of any sort. 

As usual when Mom and Dad say, "It's going to be a late night, both of you boys NEED to nap today.", there was no napping, so the boys were both exhausted and entering that wonderful tired/loopy phase when we loaded them on the train. Tanner was quite confused on how the train was going to take us INTO the basketball arena, additionally, he was concerned that he couldn't see the tracks. He spent a good portion of the ride there looking under the seats to see where the tracks were. Auntie Sue was able to come with us as Grandma Mary stayed behind to get some one on one time with Faith, so she was witness to Tired Tanner in all his glory.

We met up with Eric's girlfriend Mona at the game (who Jake just adores....the boy can BLUSH) and had a really great time. Mona took Jake down into the locker room at half time to see Eric 

and they got to go into the family room where the players families can watch the game ("Dad, do you know WHERE I got THIS cookie from?"). As usual, Tanner wanted to avoid the mascot, whom we never did see, and eat and drink, with only passing interest in the game after the Nation Anthem had passed. Jake got really into it, Kevin Garnett (Celtics) is his favorite player, and I had to explain that he couldn't root too loud as we were in Uncle Eric's seats.

But the best part of the whole thing was that the Warriors won! I thought they would get killed as the Celts had been on a tear and had just lost the night before in LA, so I figured they would be upset and wipe the floor with the Warriors, but it was a great game.

On the BART ride home, Tanner was VERY concerned about where the dirver was. I explained that you couldn't see the driver, but promised to show him the front of the train when we got back to the station. When I walked him up and pointed into where the driver sat, she lowered the window and said hi to him. He jumped in my arms, so I think it scared him, but he was ear to ear smiles the whole time. Not positive, but it might have been his high point for the night.

Snow Day

Today was the first decent snowfall we have had this year, and Marisa and I being big proponents of child labor and sweatshops, went out this morning and brought the boys snow shovels and locked them outside until the sidewalks and stairs were cleared. Just kidding, if you look closely you can see me in the background as well (without supervision they stop working and just goof off, so someone has to watch....).

We shoveled our walk and then headed over to Nana's and shoveled hers as well, the boys were pretty tuckered out after that, so we came home and rested/took naps (depending upon age...meaning Tanner, Faith and Marisa). Jake and I watched the Bills/Jets game.

After that it was off to the sledding hill behind the Merc. All of the kids went out, bundeled to the hilt. Faithy survived for about 10 minutes before tears started falling and Marisa had to take her in. Jake and Tanner and I stayed out for about 45 minutes sledding down together, on their own, and eventually getting brave enough to try going down on Jake's boogie sled standing up, which was AWESOME. Both of the boys went down with me that way and I think snowboards may be a late add to the Christmas list for the Alan Men!

Speaking of Christmas, we are really getting geared up for our trip and are really looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Coming back to visit family and friends makes leaving our White Christmas behind a little more bearable. We'll see you soon, and for those not on the itinerary, know that we are thinking about you and yours and send all of our best Holiday Mojo your way too! Merry Christmas all!

PS. Also, Happy Almost Blogirthday! It's been three years since we started this thing, can you believe it? I never thought we would keep it going this long, but we look back on it now and just love having it there (you have no idea how many arguments this thing has solved!), so we don't anticipate stopping anytime soon. 

Santa '08

Tanner and Faith started screaming the instant Santa walked into the room. All eyes were on our family as Brian, Mom, and I tried our best to calm them down as they screamed things like, "I WANT TO GO OUTSIDE !" and "NO SANTA!!" Seriously, it was like they had just seen the most hideous and terrifying monster imaginable. Faith decided to deal with the situation by falling asleep on Nana's shoulder for the duration. Tanner sat on my lap and kept repeating, "Mom, I never have to sit on Santa's lap, right? Never ever? Ever? Never? Right, Mom? Promise? Really promise? For real?"

Santa called Jake's name first so he went up to get his gift and candy cane, smiled for the picture, and loved every second of it. He's always liked Santa so his brother and sister's response was an enigma to him.

Tanner continued with his rant as Brian and I debated whether or not to take him up there. He didn't want to go with Jake. Didn't want to go with me or Nana. And he didn't want to go with Daddy. Still, when his name was called, Brian picked him up and brought him to the side of Santa's chair. He cried for a second, then took the gift from Santa and even smiled. I was desperately trying to take a picture of this but was ultimately unable since the camera battery had died. I am pretty sure this was karma for forcing my son to confront his fear of people dressed up in character suits- all in the name of a "Merry Christmas".

Faith woke up in time for her name to be called and Brian took her up there, too. She screamed bloody murder and refused to even look in Santa's direction, choosing instead to bury her head in Brian's shoulder. She was shell shocked for the next half hour, recovering on Nana's shoulder, half asleep.

The therapy bills for Christmas '08 are gonna be huge.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please forgive us for the Christmas card you are about to receive.
It may be irreverent but it is also how about 98% of people feel when they realize it is already "that time of year again" so we are only saying what everyone else is thinking (along with Peace on Earth, joy, love, happiness, etc.... of course!)

Faith Wilder

She is growing so much that I had to post about my 21 month independent, talkative, loving, and stubborn little girl. Honestly, if I could keep her this age forever I just might do it. Another list of random things I want to remember:

1. She says her brothers names constantly. "Tanner" is "Tana". She adores them and she brings out their tender side all the time. She has them kiss her dolls and help her tuck them in. The other day I watched as Jake patiently kissed her blankie about 10 times in a row, never losing the forced enthusiasm.

2. She calls her blankie and her stuffed giraffe "Bainey" (they are one entity to her) and insists on them when she is tired or hurt or grumpy.

3. When we put her in her crib at night she scoots her whole body into the corner and curls up into a ball, waiting for us to cover her up. She never resists bedtime (OH, PLEASE let this continue!) and when she wakes up in the morning she calls to us insistently, "MAMA! DADDY! JAKE! I AWAKE!". She doesn't cry at all, but just repeats this loudly until we finally (often after an hour) we are ready to go get her.

4. She loves her Nana. Since mom has moved here she has grown quite attached. Even the mention of Nana's name and she lights up screaming, "NANA! NANA! NANA!" in anticipation of seeing her.

5. She is very independent and wants to do everything herself. From putting on her shoes (she's getting close) to brushing her teeth and reading books.

6. Speaking of books.... this girl loves to read. She calls books "Bobos". I think she would be content to sit on one of our laps all day long and read stories, point at pictures she knows, and play "Find The______" in the children's dictionary that we have.

7. She is still loving baseball. She hits a ball in some manner with a bat and then runs around the room yelling "Home run!" and then falls down on the floor dramatically and says "Safe!". I tried to capture her playing baseball while holding her doll as the combination of the two hobbies was pretty cute.

8. Brian's attempts to get her into horses have been successful (Don't ask me why my husband wants to encourage this as I am sure one day she will want a real horse and then, knowing my husband, we'll have to have a very serious discussion about the reality of this move!). She has 3 plastic horses that she loves to play with and is getting a stable from Santa (guess who's idea this was....)

9. She still is very hesitant around any man but daddy. She is her daddy's girl and loves him to pieces with an enthusiasm that I sometimes envy, but if any other older male comes close she breaks out into tears. She was not a fan of Uncle Bill or Uncle John, didn't take to Papa, and is terrified of the assistant basketball coach Ken- a friend of Brian's. Santa is coming to the Barn this morning and I am not holding my breath about getting a picture of her on his lap. Trauma would definitely ensue.

10. She sings the National Anthem. Seriously. It may not be totally recognizable to anyone but family, but there is no doubt that is what she is singing!

11. She has started to say, "I love you" and she says it to all of us- her two brothers, Brian, and me. It melts my heart every time.

So.... that's our Faith at 21 months. If I can't keep her at this stage, then I definitely want to be able to go back and reread this when she is in the midst of the "Terrible Threes or Fours" which I am too much of a realist to deny are on their way.

A Holiday Equation

Thanksgiving 2008= 7 kids +7 adults +3 dogs x (4 days+ Many Snacks)

It was our first T-Day that we stayed in Boise and we were so happy that both Kim and Lisa's families were able to make the trek out to see us. Mom was in town, too, so we split between the two houses, making everything a little easier. On T-Day the cousins played together happily all day. Jake taught the three girls how to play Four Square and they kept themselves pretty well occupied by playdoh, art, decorating a gingerbread house, and playing outside. But the meal was definitely not the highlight. Shrek (in the soon-to-be-Christmas-Classic "Shrek the Halls") says , "That wasn't Christmas... that was CHAOS!". Well.... the same could be said for our Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a hurried affair with tired kids all with many varied needs and requests and we were back at our house an hour after dinner (at Mom's) began.

We had time in the days before and after to talk politics and books and movies and jobs, parenting, and gossip. It was great to be together. Our last night we gathered in our family room and watched the Grinch together. It was a great way to end the holiday and also a fun way to get in the Christmas Spirit.

In the holiday spirit

So the tree is up, the lights are hung and the Alan Family is ready to go with this whole Christmas thing. I learned last year, while hanging the lights in the snow, that you do those kind of things early here, so ours went up outside the day after Thanksgiving. We got the tree the next day at Home Depot (I just do NOT understand the whole tromp into the woods and kill a perfectly healthy and happy tree thing - no offense if you do, but it's just not me) and got it decorated that night as well.

There is a reason for our haste. We are going to CA for Christmas in just three weeks, so we wanted to be able to enjoy some Christmas spirit in our home here before we left. The kids had a great time decorating the tree and the house looks great. It was Jake's turn to hang the angel this year, probably the last time we will be able to do it in the manner shown in the photo, as the next time it's his turn he'll be 8 (and I'll be 42ish) and I don't know if I'll still be able to lift him above my head. But it was great to be able to do it this way one more time.

I have dropped the holiday playlist onto the iPod and we have the kids advent calendar full and set. 

We watched the Grinch while everyone was here for Thanksgiving, and our new holiday favorite, "Shrek the Halls" is being Tivo'd as we speak. 

I am currently on an internet search to find a photo Christmas card company that uses recycled paper, to make a Christmas card that is, itself, recyclable, so if you know of one already, please tell me. I very cautiously broached the subject of doing a much more earth friendly e-Card campaign this year and almost lost a limb in the process. I love me some green energy, but not at risk of bodily harm, so we will be sending out the most earth-friendly cards I can find (please recycle them!). 

Marisa and I both took this Friday off work to finish up the Christmas shopping (and maybe have a quiet lunch together but who knows), so we should be set to load up the gas guzzling sleigh and hit the road with Christmas cheer just oozing from our ears when it's time to head south for the holiday. 

Stampede Game

One of Tanner's birthday gifts from his Auntie Sue was tickets for us to the Idaho Stampede Basketball game. Tanner also got some spending money from his Poppa for the hat, foam finger and mini-basketball that you can't quite see in the photo. Both of the boys loved the game.

We went on the YMCA appreciation night, so a bunch of kids from Jake's team, and the league as a whole were there. The kids got to go down on the court and form a High-5 tunnel for the player introductions, so Jake got to High-5 the entire Stampede team. He sat with his friend Tyler for the game and Tanner alternated between sitting on Marisa's Lap and mine.

Tanner had a great time rooting on the Stampede. He has his usual bout of "mascotitisosis", which is the fear that the guy in the "goofy suit" will come and make unwelcome comedic advances in your section and heaven forbid, to you directly. But "Rumble" stayed on his own side of the arena and Tanner was able to relax and enjoy the game. 

We were planning to leave at halftime, then after the third quarter, then ended up staying until the very end since the boys were having such a good time and behaving so well. We then finished our late night sports tradition by sleeping in separate beds; Tanner in with Marisa and Jake and I in our bed.

Thanks to Auntie Sue and Poppa for a great time out!

Tanner's 3rd Birthday

It was Tanner's 3rd birthday on Friday. After much back and forth by Marisa and I about where to have it (Tanner truly couldn't have cared less) we did it at our house after dinner. Tanner, who didn't seem at all interested in the fact that his birthday was approaching, seemed to enjoy everything at the party. He was very detached from the whole thing until the party actually started. Despite repeated attempts by Mom and Dad to get him into the process by asking him where he wanted to have his birthday, what kind of gifts he wanted, or what kind of cake even, the kid just didn't care. He would always answer, "I don't care, whatever you want Mom".

In the end, he had a good time. He got a lot of presents that he loves playing with, had a healthy dinner of beanie weenies and potato chips with diet coke and followed it up with the Dora cake that Marisa and Jake made for him. Grandma Cori, Jake, and Faith all had a good time, too!

I am of two minds when thinking about Tanner being three. I'm sure that this is just because he is the middle child, and is probably the case with all middle kids, but there are times that I can't believe he's three already, then there are times I can't believe he's ONLY three. He has turned three with a vengeance though, (no matter which I am looking at it that day). He has spent more time in Time Out then I think Jake has ever seen, and has a brave/stubborn/suicidal streak that is going to make the next year or so just AWESOME. But he balances it out by being a sweet and loving little boy when you least expect it.

We finished the weekend with a Pancake Breakfast/1 mile Turkey Trot fundraiser for Jake's school that Jake and I ran in. There was a shorter course for littler kids, but Tanner was clearly too worn out from being three to want to do it. It snowed a little here on the way to our basketball game on Saturday and we were socked in by a fog inversion this morning so thick we couldn't see the front yard. Perfect football day!

We are really looking forward to everyone showing up this week for Thanksgiving and can't wait for Turkey day. As we probably won't post again before then (unless Tanner lights his room on fire), have a great Thanksgiving. Spend good time with good people. Love to all.

Faith's First Haircut

Faith's hair is coming in slowly. Poor thing has quite an interesting hairline, with long wispy pieces on the sides and barely anything on top. We finally decided it was time to help things along, so we took her with Tanner (who was looking quite a bit more than shaggy) to get her hair cut today. She laid on my shoulder the whole time- didn't cry- just laid there while the lady trimmed the wispy ends and told her how good she was being.

Her favorite thing to say these days is, "No, Mama!!" when I try to help her do anything. She also has become very attached to the baby doll that was given to her by Grandma for her first b'day. She hugs it and kisses it, feeds it, and gives it juice. It's very cute. She has begun tormenting Tanner by taking anything he is playing with and running away with it, laughing maniacally. Considering Tanner's propensity for just this behavior, I say bring it on, Faith! She has clearly learned from the Master.

Jake

Jake had his first sleepover this weekend. His friend Sean from his K class and also his B-Ball team came home with us after the basketball game on Saturday afternoon. They had a blast! We took them out to dinner, then got ice cream from 31 Flavors and came home to watch "Little Giants" (a football movie for kids). They slept in Jake's bed together, while Tanner spent the night waiting for the Night Night Fairy sleeping between Brian and I.

He continues to love Kindergarten and is learning far more than I ever could have imagined. He can read- really read. It is incredible to me. And he can tell time and count change and write sentences. I have my issues with his school and the academic focus but since he is in all day K he gets a hefty dose of all the fun stuff, too, so I have made peace with it (mostly). The most important thing is that he is so happy there. He has so many friends. The best thing we heard at his parent conference was that he "is confident in who he is"- that he "is his own person". If we can hold onto that for a while, that's all we could ask for.

Funny story about Jake: The kids play this game they call "Stroller Girl" which consists of the boys riding their mini trucks around the downstairs, chasing Faith who is pushing her doll stroller. So the other day they were doing this and Jake was leading. He had made it into a game in which they were headed to Minnesota to visit their cousins. They hit the laundry room door and he delcared that they "were lost". So he points to Faith and loudly states the solution: "Follow Stroller Girl! She's got the GPS!". Make Believe- 2008 style!

He loves playing basketball still and loves watching Football on TV. He still gets sad that he won't be allowed to play "professional football" (anything more than playing with friends out on the green) and lamented that "It's not fair that Faith and Tanner both have two kidneys and can play football!" on the way home from his annual ultrasound. He then ammended this statement to say, "Well, Faith can't. She can only play tennis or golf". That got my inner feminist riled up but when I told him that it wasn't true, he pointed out that there are no girls on Major League B'Ball teams or in the NFL, NHL, or NBA. I vowed to make him watch the WNBA but will not under any circumstances allow him to watch anything called "Powder Puff Football".

The Night Night Fairy Strikes Again!

Tanner turns 3 on Friday, so in preparation for that momentous event the Night-Night fairy visited our house on Saturday night. The "Night Night Fairy" (for those of you not in the know) is the mythical creature that comes to childrens houses and takes their binkies (presumably to give to little babies that need them) and leaves a present in their place. Tanner was a champ. He left his binkies in a little pile on the stair railing and was a bit shocked I think to find that the Fairy did indeed take them and leave in their place a firetruck with Dora and Diego riding inside (just what he asked for... that Night Night Fairy knows ALL!). He hasn't looked back since. He proudly proclaims each morning, "NO more night night face, Mom!" ("Night Night Face" being the icky goo that tends to collect on the upper lip of the addicted).

He has good days and bad days. And just like the poem my grandpa used to quote, "When he is good he is very very good, but when he is bad he is horrid"! He is very low-key about his upcoming birthday. When asked what he wants he says, "I don't care. Whatever you want, Mama". He doesn't really have an opinion what what kind of cake he wants or if there is a character on it or not. He did not want a party but told us that he just wanted "to have dinner at the Merc with mommy, daddy, Faith, Jake, and Nana". He's such a funny boy. It is hard to believe he is the same age Jake was when we decided to move here. They are so different.

Halloween 2008

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. The boys dressed up as BSU Football player. The hockey-player-dressed-as-a-football-player idea was quickly forgotten when Jake realized he wouldn't be able to wear his football helmet with the mask on. However, the mask (as you can see) did not got to waste .

Tanner really got into trick-or-treating (much to our surprise) and loudly shouted, "TRICK OR TREAT! GO BOISE STATE! YEAH!!" at every door. He stayed out with Jake and I till the bitter end- walking the whole way and asking, "Just one more house, Mom, please???" as it got later. He was scared of the house that played spooky noises, but other than that he was game for the whole thing.

Faith was a black cat. Nana had brought her the cosume earlier in the week and she loved dragging it around the house and saying "MEOW!"- wanting to take it to bed with her at night but not wanting to put it on at all. When it was time to get ready to go she saw that I was going to try to put her in the costume and she hid behind our stools, crying. I forced her in it (put another dollar in the therapy jar- as my sister would say..... ) and she was ready to go.

The concept of"knocking on doors and asking for candy" really appealed to her, too. The first house we went to she walked right in, past the lady holding the candy, and would have gone right into their kitchen and joined in the party had we not dragged her out. She also walked most of the way, and went to way more houses than either Jake or Tanner went to when they were her age. She came home early with Brian and proceeded to dump out her loot and talk to herself- oohing and aahhing over the bounty before she got scared upon answering the door for a scary trick-or-treater and promptly asked to go to bed.

1st B-Ball Game

So today was our 1st Basketball game. We had the 9:00 am game the day after Halloween, so we ended up short a couple of players off our normal roster, but we had enough to play. The game was AWESOME!

We have only had two practices, and there is so much to go over, that I was worried that it was going to be a rather large fuster cluck, but the Y really has it down on game day (they have issues at ALL other times). They have two ref's that come and work with the kids 1st on rules, drills etc. and work with them during them game. They were great about calling (and not calling) penalties to help the kids learn. They bring colored wristbands and kids on each team all have different ones, corresponding to the kids on the other team that they are supposed to guard, which helps with the whole "mob ball" thing, and the kids did really good. 

They passed, they played defense, they made a couple of shots...mainly they had a good time. A couple of minor injuries, couple of "non-listening" instances, but mainly good teamwork and sportsmanship. This is a really great program for the little kids; no score, no stats, 4 eight minute quarters, a "safe zone" they can go to where no defense is allowed and short baskets (8') so they can actually make a shot, which is the big news...

...Jake made his 1st basket! He did such a great job (see below). We have another practice this week and a game next Saturday. We got red uniform shirts today at the game, so the kids named themselves The Red Rockets (much better than Team #2).

It happened again.....

So I guess once you get a reputation as a "soft touch", it's all over in the world of youth sports. This time, one of the former T-Ball parents "volunteered" me to coach the Y-Basketball team....so many issues:

#1 - You've seen me, do I look like I had a big basketball career? I am 6' tall in my dreams and have never played any type of organized basketball, at all....ever. I know baseball, love baseball, PLAYED baseball, so there's a foundation there for baseball. Basketball is Uncle Eric's sport, not mine.

#2 - Due to #1 above, I know absolutely nothing about basketball (other than what is required to watch it on TV), let alone how to impart that knowledge (again, not that there's any there to being with) to Kindergarteners for God's sake.

#3 - This means that due to the guilt that my Mom and Auntie Sue imparted in me while growing up (between them and the Catholic church - I am a fountain of guilt) that all things must be equal bewteen siblings, I now have to coach both Tanner and Faith in Basketball too.

#4 - Related to #2, basketball is confusing to teach....and there's a lot of stuff involved; traveling, double dribble, 10 second violations (yes, for kindergartners)....plus the whole "mob the ball" mentality to diffuse.We had our first practice last night, and even explaining some of the rules to kindergartners, I had the feeling like they were looking at me a saying, "What you can't be serious, look what a ridiculous concept that driblling is"...and..."you look like 

a moron with the whole pivot foot thing going".

I don't know, baseball is just so much more of a "Here's a ball, hit it with this stick" kind of thing. 

But anyway, now that I'm doing it, I'm doing it. We have practice once a week in the gym at Jake's school, and games on Saturdays. Plus there are a couple of cool tie-ins with the NBA D-Ball team in town. We get to go to a team practice, and the kids get discounted tickets to the season opener and get to go down on the floor and high five the players during introductions.

So it will work out fine and Jake and I will have a great time, just like we did for T-ball. When hockey season rolls around, I'm hiding under a rock until after the games start.

Best Husband Award

Remember the post I wrote a few weeks ago about a recent day we had where everything just clicked and I wanted to write about it so I could remember it on days when things fell apart? Well, in that same vein, I'd like to take a moment to give my hubby some credit where credit is due.

Besides the fact that he does 80% of the housework (seriously... I have not changed one set of sheets or done a load of laundry since we moved here) and does half of child related duties, he also recently went out of his way to do something really special for me.

My company is going through some hard times and we recently experienced a lot of layoffs (approx. 40% of the employees were let go) . Thankfully I am still employed (for now), but I found out on Monday that the health care for our family was no longer going to be provided. This is a big hit financially. In discussing how to handle this setback, I was bummed to realize that I would not be able to continue with my Bikram Yoga classes. Brian came home that evening (after attending a basketball coaches meeting.... go Super Dad!) and handed me a punch card for 10 more classes. He handed it to me and said, "I can mow the lawns for another summer, Honey." (We had recently added in a budget column for a gardener). I haven't felt this strongly about a hobby for a long time and the fact that he knew that and was willing to give up the luxury of someone else mowing the lawn for a change..... not to mention that he actually went to the Bikram Yoga studio himself (one of the more "granola-y" places in the world and definitely not in his comfort zone!). It made me remember again what an amazing man he is.

Sappy? Sure. But something I want to remember today, tomorrow, and years from now (especially on days when I want to kill him!)

Getting Ready for Halloween

Both boys want to be Boise State football players for Halloween this year (Jake will actually be a "steelheads hockey player dressed as a Boise State football player " since he really wanted a mask to be involved in some way in his costume.) Faith is going to be a black cat. Mom bought the costume for her so I have yet to see it, but I'm sure she will look adorable. However, for the Halloween party at the Merc last Saturday we dug out our costume bin and let the kids choose what to wear. Jake settled easily on Spiderman (from last year and a bit snug if you ask me), Tanner tried on the clown suit (my personal favorite), the bear, and Superman before settling on the chicken costume. Faith went with the bear, after deciding right away that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the chicken suit. Smart girl, that one. Anyway, the party wasn't very exciting, but there is another neighborhood party this weekend, then the trick-or -treating to look forward to.

The leaves are all red here and the weather is gorgeous. By this time next week, though, I bet the trees will be bare. It is still partly dark when we walk to school in the mornings and we are all bundled up in woolen hats in the AM, while changing to short sleeves by afternoon. I love this time of year!!

Tanner and Faith took a field trip to a local pumpkin patch/corn maze and Tanner just couldn't stop talking about it. He took a tractor/hay ride and picked out a pumpkin and drank juice and ate popcorn and did art and did I tell you about the tractor ride?and the popcorn and juice? I'm sure he'd love to tell you all about it when you see him!

Potty Training Success (Round 2)

Just a quick update on our "problem child". I am happy to report that he has gone to daycare 3 times in a row now with NO CRYING!!!! On Friday, he actually waited at the door, telling me to hurry up because he wanted to go to school. He has also stopped repeating himself ad nauseum (so we may actually be able to keep him for awhile longer). And the big news is the potty.
He has stayed dry for 5 days in a row in his big boy undies- both #1 and #2 are making it into the potty. Probably TMI for most of you, but for us, having only ONE in diapers is a huge deal.

Sports Season

Fall really is the official sports lovers season. Between the MLB Playoffs and World Series, the start of hockey season, Sunday football, Monday Night Football, and the NBA getting underway, October is quite a month.

We became sure that our hunch that Jake had been watching too many televised sports when we were driving through a Taco Bell drive through on the way to the Steelheads hockey season opener on Saturday (Tanner's first game!) and Jake quoted a Taco Bell commercial as Brian ordered a triple steak burrito. Word for word. Yeah.... I'm a good mom. Really. That kid knows his sports, though, and he's got all the right moves, too. The fact that he knows what a "volcano taco" and "gillette fusion" razor is.... that's just collateral damage (I hope).

The Steelheads game was so much fun. We had Cara babysit Faith so we just took the two boys. Tanner was unsure at first, and spent the first 10 minutes of the first period with his fingers in his ears and a slightly worried look on his face. But then he got into it. He cheered for the players, sang the national anthem- all the while keeping his eye on the mascot very closely- asking us repeatedly, "Is he going to come up here, Mommy?" with a lot of concern in his voice. This kid does not like human sized animals prancing around. Disneyland would likely be his worst nightmare. Unfortunately the Steelheads lost in overtime. We got home very late (10:30) so decided to do a sleepover- one boy with me in the guest room, one with Brian in our room. They slept until 8 which was really nice! And I love taking advantage of these days when sleeping with us is a treat!

We've been watching the MLB Playoffs, of course. Jake and Brian are rooting for the Phillies while I became a late supporter of the Rays due to their closing pitcher last night that I fell in love with. So it should be a fun World Series to watch. Even Faith has gotten into the action. She refused to go to sleep a few nights ago and after listening to her cry for an extended period of time, we decided to go get her. She came down and sat on her daddy's lap for 30 minutes, watching one of the playoff games, cheering them on in her own way, content as could be. It was so great to get that one-on-one time with her. She also "plays baseball" when we are playing with Tanner and Jake. She holds the bat, one of us throws the ball so that it makes contact with her bat, then she "runs the bases" (around the kitchen island) and "slides" into home (our fireplace). Very cute.

Jake starts Y-basketball on Wednesday. Brian is coaching the team and is currently trying to figure out how to teach 7 five year olds how to play the sport. We had enough Kindergartners up here in Hidden Springs to make a team so all of our practices and some of our games are up here in our neighborhood, which makes it so much easier. Even limiting Jake to one outside activity at a time can be overwhelming in terms of scheduling dinner, etc... One practice a week and one game a week is PLENTY for us at this point. God help us when Tanner and Faith start to play organized sports.

The Harrison Classic

Jake and I ran in the Harrison Classic 1 mile race together today (he ran the race and asked me to run along with him). It was a YMCA race and the school with the most participants won 250.00 worth of new PE equipment. The race course was right down one of our favorite streets in Boise, Harrison Street, which is a gorgeous tree lined street, with large 1920's and 30's houses on each side. 

There were a lot of kids from Jake's school there, so he had a lot of friends to run with. His PE teacher Mr. Perotto was there as well, he is an awesome teacher and one of Jake's favorties, so Jake got to see him outside of the school setting which he really loved.

Jake did great. He ran the whole mile and 

sprinted the last 100 yards or so. I didn't know what to expect when we started out as we had never tried anything like this bfore, but I was so proud of him. He just put his head down and went. Never a complaint, never a whimper, at the end he got his gold medal (which he is so proud of, it is already hanging in his room above his desk). We got a water and headed back to

 meet Marisa and the Kids. 

They stood on Harrison and cheered us on as we ran by. You can run in the race as young as four, so I think next year, we will have two participants. Tanner and Faith both cheered for us as we ran by. I didn't see them until I heard Faith yell, "Hi Dad!" and saw them on the curb. Jake had a great time and is raring to do it again.