Broken or Sprained?

We had a great day out on the boat today with friends. We were on the water from 9:00 until 4:00. We skied, we tubed, we swam, we had a picnic lunch on the beach, it was truly a great day. Jake went in the tube by himself for the first time and was going to try to get up on skis but the lake had just gotten too crazy with boats and I couldn't keep us close enough to shore without hitting something long enough to feel safe about trying to get him up. We promised him next time (he was really disappointed). Our friends kids also tried to get up on skis and their Dad tried his hand at wakeboading (he did better than I have so far, so that was good). All in all it was a great day.

The kids fell asleep instantly, by the time we had gotten the boat out of the water and had driven back to the highway they were all out and slept most of the way back home. Even now sitting here typing, I still feel waves so I am anticipating some deep sleeping in the Alan household tonight (and my God do we need it).

Oh, yeah, so the picture of my foot.....the only downside....I, being perpetually 12, ran down the dock and dove off of the end, but I planted a little bit hard and the last plank in the dock broke in half. I can't tell whether anything is broken or just bruised....luckily I have my yearly checkup tomorrow and when the Dr. asks me if there's anything else, this is gonna come up. I can walk on it just fine, so I'm thinking it's just bruised, plus they don't really do anything for broken toes anyway, so it is what it is to a certain extent.

As Jimmy Buffett would say, "I'm growing older but not up!".

My Kind of Happy Hour

After a rough end to boating season last year (see "boat fire, Sept. 2009") we had rough beginning to boating season 2010. Long story short: We took the boat out last Sunday, started it up and large amounts of white steam came out, a friendly boater told us it was probably a cracked engine block, so we took the boat home trying not to curse loudly the whole way and to the boat repair place again where they laughed and told us the white steam was normal- it was just the winterizing agent burning off. Being California born and raised we had never winterized a boat before so we felt a little foolish but better safe than sorry. Well, the drama was worth it last night.

We left here after work at 4:30 with a packed cooler and swimsuits for the kids. We picked up Tanner and Faith from Miss Wendy's house and were on the lake by 5:45. We had a picnic on the dock, everyone went tubing, Jake and Brian swam, the kids floated and tried to catch tadpoles, and we relaxed in the waning sunshine- a perfect 80 degrees. Happy Hour AT ITS BEST!

Out again on Sunday with friends from the neighborhood. Can't wait!

YMCA Family Camp

Yes, we ended the camp by joining hands and singing Kum Ba Yah. Yes, it was cheesy (as admitted by the director of the camp herself) but it was also really cool. And funny when I realized the older gentleman that I was holding hands with was singing "Zum by yah" by accident. How can you reach the age of 65 and NOT know this song???

The camp itself was a throwback to old times in a lot of ways, with new twists thrown in. They had the traditional arts-and-crafts but also had a zip line and rock climbing wall. They had rocketry but also had canoeing. The counselors were all young and fun and wonderfully kind to the kids. We participated in the silly campfire songs and watched the skits (some funny some not so much), ate the camp food (bland but plentiful), and joined the S'more making festivities on night #2.

The facility was beautiful- brand new

(actually it wasn't even close to being completed yet with a temporary dining hall, no baseball field, and lots of construction still going on). The cabins and yurts were really nice inside and we lusted after them after our first night in the tent where the temps must have been in the high 30's and we froze our butts off. We basically slept in ALL our clothes each night (layers, layers, layers) and borrowed blankets from our friends after the first night. That helped, but we still got muscle cramps from shivering so much (no, I am not kidding).

They offered activities like BMX biking, canoeing, swimming, kayaking, rock climbing, zip line, hiking, mountain biking, rocketry, basketball, and bouldering. At nights there were campfires and games. The kids loved it all- except Faith who was a bit whiny (OK, to be honest she was INCREDIBLY whiny and at one point after she had stated that she was thirsty about 1000 times in a row I snapped at her and she started to cry and said, "But Mommy, it is just so hard being me!!!!"). To be fair, there was a large amount of walking to be done to get between activities and I'm sure her little legs were exhausted and she was quite possibly dehydrated despite the many, many glasses of water and Gatorade she consumed.

One of the funniest memories is my zip line experience. I was the first one on it from family camp and I listened to all the directions but hadn't seen anyone actually do it yet. The one thing they kept saying is that at the end you have to GRAB THE ROPE. They said that they would be yelling, "GRAB THE ROPE! GRAB THE ROPE!" repeatedly to remind you but that was the most important thing to remember. Well, I got up there and started "zipping" and it was way faster than I had anticipated and I was screaming and yelling and guess I didn't hear them yelling at me to "GRAB THE ROPE!!!". The kids and Brian were watching (and videotaping) and of course, I did not GRAB THE ROPE. So.... the camp director had to get behind me and physically stop me

with her body. Luckily she is a larger woman and I didn't quite mow her down, but I came close, Brian and I were laughing like crazy and the kids were yelling things like, "Good try, Mom!" and, "Mom, you forgot to GRAB THE ROPE!". After I was done and out of the harness, Faith said to me in all sincerity, "Mom, when I get bigger I am going to do the zip line. But I am going to GRAB THE ROPE.".

We were there from Sunday afternoon through Wed. afternoon and it was almost embarrassingly inexpensive: It cost us a total of 250 dollars for food, activities, our tent site, etc... We definitely hope to make it part of our summer traditions and would love to rent a cabin next year with another family or grandma or grandpa, aunts, uncles, or whomever else wants to participate.

One of the best things about the experience was telling the kids stories at night about our childhoods. Jake had been really looking forward to hearing stories about us and for whatever

reason we saved these for the tent. They all wanted to hear about when we were exactly their ages- 3, 4, and 7. I wished I could remember more! It was hard to remember on demand and when we got home I was so grateful that we have this blog printed out for them because I know that one day their children will want to hear stories about THEIR childhoods and they can pull out these binders (which sometimes seem a little silly as we are on binder #5 now) and relive their memories so they can make them come alive for their kids while they are all freezing in a huge family tent someday!

One of the other memorable parts of the camp was the fact that Jake "fell in love" with one of the counselors. Her name was Bethany and he was smitten. Seriously. I have never seen him like this. He had a serious crush on her. He watched for her all the time and wanted to go do whatever activity she was in charge of during each activity period. Before we left I took a picture of them together. On the way home he just sobbed and told me that his "heart hurt" and he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was so sweet- and also so hard to watch. The feelings were obviously strong and real in a way that he had not yet experienced. He printed out the picture and put it by his bed last night. Today he spent the morning listening to songs on the iPod- he chose any song with the word "love" in it and ended up sighing heavily as he listened to Kenny Rogers' "I Can't Unlove You". He wrote her a letter this afternoon and mailed it, along with a copy of the picture. I am really hoping she writes him back. My little man is so tender hearted and I know this has just been a REALLY EARLY precursor to his real first love. (BTW, I checked with Jake before writing this to ask if it was OK- he's getting to an age where we feel like we need to respect his privacy on things like this).

Anyway, once again, we highly recommend the YMCA. Great people, great times, great values, great memories.

Next up in the category of "Summer Fun": taking the boat out on Sunday (if we can find the energy...)

Nudity and Buzz Cuts

NAKED, NAKED, ALL THE TIME NAKED!

Now that the weather has gotten hotter, Tanner, our little nudist, is content to stay in his birthday suit all day from the second he wakes up (naked, of course) to going to bed (naked of course). He eats all three meals naked if we're home, watches TV naked, colors naked, plays baseball naked. Spoilsports that we are, we do make him get dressed when we leave the house, but as soon as we are back home, he strips down the instant he walks in the door. It is going to kill me when his little booty goes from being a cute little boy booty to a teenage booty that I am no longer allowed to see, much less pinch on a daily basis! I am enjoying these days while I can!

Jake said on Monday that he wanted to cut his hair like Brian's. So Brian got out the razor and

went to work- a number 2 on the sides and 4 on top. Of course,

as soon as Jake had his cut, Tanner had to have his done, too. I was skeptical at first but love the way the cuts turned out. They look so darn cute! Faith, of course, asked that we shave her head, too, but despite our desire to let haircare decisions be in the hands of the kids, we just couldn't follow through on this request. She only asked once, then when we said we weren't sure that was a good idea, she said, "Yes, I will keep my girl hair". Whew.

Oh, also, I have apparently crossed the line into being an embarassment to my eldest child. I came downstairs the other day in a pair of shorts that were belted with a sash and a white t-shirt with flip flops. Jake took one look at me and said, 'Mom, you're not going to go out like that are you? You look weird". Seriously??? He was rather insistent and when I asked him to explan how I looked weird (because I just didn't see it with this particular outfit, not that I don't have other outfits that might rightly be referred to as "weird") he said, "You look like you're from the 1950's. And poor and stuff". Hmmmm. Well, at least he cleared that up.

June 2010

How is it that summer just began and it already feels like it is slipping through my fingers? The days of chlorine or hose baths (those count, right?), icee shack trips, pickup football on the green, summer festivals, and dinners of salad and cold BBQ chicken seem to fly by.

This week brought the first really hot weather here in Boise- high 80's each day and one day that got over 100. We broke out the slip-n-slide on Tuesday night and the kids entertained themselves for a long time out there- playing a game that Jake concoted which involved lots of large plastic drinking cups, the slip-n-slide, and gallons of water. There was an evening spent at the pool- Tanner showing off his new ability to swim underwater and float by himself, Jake safe in the deep end, and Faith happily floating in her hippo blow up toy and splashing in the fountain.

We went to the 1st Annual Boise Rec Fest on

Sunday which could've been a disaster (see post last fall about the 1st Annual Boise Curb Cup) but turned out really fun. There were all sorts of things for the kids to do from tennis to lacrosse to golf, baseball, basketball, etc... Plus there were booths showcasing all the cool stuff you can do in the area (I swear, only in Idaho would the Parks and Recreation Department highlight dirtbiking with a hands on display....). One of the best things we saw is called bungee surfing. You have a surf board that you attach a bungee cord to, float downstream until the bungee gets tight, then surf back. That's our next "date night"- a half day bungee surfing lesson in the Boise River rapids. Can't wait!!!

We found out on Sunday that our daycare provider's father passed away suddenly of a heart attack at age 52. Wendy was devastated- still is of course- and was the one in charge of making all arrangements on top of it. Daycare was closed all week so it's been a little hectic on our end- but my heart goes out to Wendy who is practically part of the family after the three years she has spent taking care of my kiddos. Of course, this was the one week Jake had no camp. After trying to work and take care of all three kids on Mon/Tues we ended up hiring Tanner's preschool aide, Miss Rachel, to babysit Wed-Fri from 12-4 so Brian and I could get a few hours this week of uninterrupted work time and preserve our sanity. The kids will actually end up having almost two weeks off daycare because we leave for our Y Family Camp on Sunday and won't return until Thursday.

The library reading program is in full swing and Jake is really in to it this year. Flat Stanley, Hardy Boys, and Geronimo Stilton seem to be the favorites.Tanner loves to read Henry and Mudge still, while Faith will pick up any book and "read" it to you by making up a story while looking at the pictures. The other day she picked one up, opened it to page 1, and said, "It was a dark stormy night..." and the story only got more interesting from there!

I am loving driving the mini with the top down again- especially in the evenings right before the sun sets (OK.... so I only got to do that once when I was out until 10 at a party for the retirement of a work friend). But, while we didn't experience any real problems with the mini in the winter, we had also forgotten the joys that it brings in the summer, so it was fun to enjoy the full benefits of the convertible again.

I LOVE SUMMER!

Sum-sum-summertime

OK. It's finally here. This is the first nice warm weekend we have had this year. Summer is here, we went to the pool and thought about the boat for the first time this year.

Jake finished up sports camp this week and has a rare down week next week before we head up to YMCA family camp the weekend of the 4th. We are easing into the middle part of summer, trying to keep the kids caught up on sleep (always a losing fight) and still have a lot of fun. This weekend we're spending trying to do the former rather then the latter. So we had an easy day today, down to the Y for a workout this morning, back for naps and to the pool in the afternoon. We have a bbq later tonight with some friends and won't be home until late so we're planning on taking it easy tomorrow as well.

We're going to head downtown for breakfast and to the Boise Rec Fest to see what's new this year as far a summertime in Boise and the outdoors go, then a quick workout at the Y and home for naps again. Jake has requested a later bedtime that his younger siblings and we've resisted it probably as long as we reasonably can, so we're goning to try that out tomorrow night as well (wish us luck).

For everyone headed this way, the weather has cleared. Bring your bathing suits and sunscreen and here's to hoping the boat won't catch on fire!

Go Broncos!!!!

Jake finished up the last day of his Boise State Broncos (currently ranked #4 in the nation!) football camp today. It was a three day camp put on by the Boise State Football program, that was run by the Broncos Head Coach Chris Peterson (Coach Pete). Jake was thrilled when he found out he would be practicing in the indoor field turf practice field and playing on the blue turf in the Broncos Football stadium. The camp is for 7-13 year olds so this is the first year that Jake was able to do it and he was really looking forward to it.

The camp was HUGE. There were easily 300 kids enrolled (and out of all those, only TWO girls, which Marisa pointed out to Faith immediately!). The kids were paired up into leagues and teams based on age (Jake was on the Sabercats in the Arena League), and coached by one of the Broncos position or assistant coaches. Coach Tio was Jake's coach- a big, big Samoan man that was like a big teddy bear.

This camp was intense! It ran 5-8 Thursday night, 9-

noon Friday and Saturday. Each session started with a typical football warm-up, the kids ten ran 12 defensive stations, 12 offensive stations, 6 special teams stations, then played 3 20 minute games of something called "Bronco Ball" that was a lot like Ultimate Frisbee but with a football. It was finally sunny here so it got a little hot on the Friday and Saturday sessions. Each session ended with an inspirational "speech" by Coach Pete covering such topics as attitude, behavior, being on time, doing your best, listening to your parents. Coach reminded the kids to thank their parents for making the camp possible- driving them to and from camp, paying, etc.... There was a lot of emphasis on respect and hard work. I was so impressed with how organized the camp was and how truly committed all of the Boise State players/coaches were with working with the kids. At the end of each day, they brought all the kids Powerade and on the last day, everyone got certificates and a Bronco football.

Jake was exhausted after each day. We were once again amazed and so proud by the way he just gets in there and does things, seemingly unconcerned that he doesn't know another soul there.

He made friends with the guys on his team. Spoke up to his coach and answered questions and raised his hand in the final speech with Coach Pete when Coach asked who needed to work on getting better at listening and taking "coaching" the first time. (Acknowledging that your have a problem, the first step!!!). One of the things that we were truly impressed with was pick up time, the Boise Police showed up each day at the end of camp and they, along with the players barricaded the door and made sure that each kid was leaving with their parent. It makes you feel good when you see that level of detail and caring about kids, especially from a major college football program.

We also of course picked up a season ticket flyer that we are drooling over....Go Broncos!!!

Lacrosse Camp

We were a bit hesitant letting Tanner try lacrosse camp after our soccer experience, but he seemed good to go for it (the Y guy also told us we could try and if Tanner wasn't up for it, they would refund the money - so it was really no risk) so we decided to let him try. One of the best decisions we've made in recent memory. He had a blast!

He was able to verbalize a little that the reason he didn't like soccer camp was that there were too many kids (there were a ton). This was a much smaller group and he jumped right in. After the first day he said, "Yep. I'm going back because I love it.". Which made us both feel great for him. He is in the session right before Jake's and Jake has been showing up early for his session and the coaches have been letting him jump into the little kids games which has been great for Tanner. He hangs back a little bit and stays clear of most of the action.....until his big brother gets the ball. Then he is running down the field yelling, "Jake, Jake I'm open.....Jake on your wing...", until Jake passes him the ball.

Jake is a goal scoring machine in his session, but with the little kids he manages to stay in his correct role and passes to the them instead of shooting (which is good, otherwise I would have pulled him out...but he was great with them). Today he passed to Tanner and Tanner shot a goal. He was so fired up afterwards, he re-inacted the whole play for me, even though he knows I saw the whole thing live....but he was obviously so proud of himself, it just made me feel so good for him.

Jake has really been enjoying his sessions as well. He is one for the more experienced kids and is having his way with the field to a certain extent, but is obviously relishing the role, using head fakes and rolling the crease to get open to shoot. He has scored a ton of goals that I have seen and probably a dozen more that I haven't been there for. He is exhausted by the end of camp and is currently upstairs sleeping it off getting ready for football camp tonight.

Jake and I are off to Broncos Football camp at BSU, Marisa is off to swimming lessons with Tanner and Faith, Faith had dance class last night. Jake has sports camp again next week and then the boys both have Y-football camp the week after that (which Tanner is really looking forward to). Somehow Marisa and I both have managed to keep our jobs during the first couple of weeks of the "Summer of Insanity" ....wish us luck!

Maybe There Will Be Alligators

We taught the kids an important lesson this weekend and also have a new family slogan that will be used, I am certain, a few hundred times before we die.

So, a little background first.

We went on our first camping trip of the summer on Friday night. We booked a campground at Bruneau Sand Dunes- which is about 90 minutes from our house and is the largest sand dune in the U.S. Well, given that it is a sand dune in the middle of nowhere we should have guessed there would be no trees around, that the landscape would be a little barren and not like we are used to for camping (think Big Basin redwoods and forests). Still, we were taken aback to discover our campground looked a bit like an oasis in a desert, except this oasis was full of RV's and pop up trailers. There was a lake nearby but it had no accessible shoreline and only one dock for fishing, which was full. So our first impression wasn't great. Add to this the fact that we were facing gale force winds as we tried to set up our tent- and although we enlisted the help of the three kids to act as anchors on three of the corners we were not making any progress. Soon a fellow camper and his teenage child came to help us.

Once the tent was set up it started to rain. More good karma. Then the kids started to argue and be difficult and demanding and annoying. We talked several times in the first few hours about just packing it in and giving up. But we persevered until bedtime and at 10 we all fell asleep and slept pretty soundly. Brian and I got up to go to the bathroom around 2AM and saw one of the clearest, prettiest night skies I have ever seen. It was amazing (one of the benefits of having no trees around, I guess!). It was FREEZING in our tent, however, and the kids all ended up with their heads buried under their sleeping bags in the morning.

The next day started off VERY ROCKY. More arguing. More demanding behavior. Lots of crying (Faith). Our idyllic idea of camping: the kids playing happily with the other campers, the smell of bacon frying in the open air, cold hands being warmed by hot cocoa/coffee surrounded by beautiful nature did not materialize. We took a long walk to the dunes to sled. This was one of the only things to do at the dunes so we were looking forward to it. However, the sledding didn't really work. We trudged up the large (beautiful) dunes and the sled just sort of slid gently down the slope, barely faster than the speed of a turtle. Faith was exhausted, Tanner was worn out, Jake was cranky. We, again,

thought maybe of packing it in. But, we decided to make the best of it and, and my suggestion, drive out to a hot spring I had been wanting to visit in Buhl. It was going to be about an hour drive but we figured the kids would nap and since the sand dunes were kind of a bust what else were we going to do? Well, part of the plan worked: The kids all napped. But the drive took more like 90 minutes due to construction on the freeway and we forgot to pack lunch so we ended up having to stop at a random diner in Bliss that advertised "alligator, frog legs, and catfish". Needless to say the kids were thrilled. Turns out, after asking the waitress, that Buhl has an alligator farm (who knew?) and the hot spring we were headed to also had alligators on the property (not living IN the springs, we assured the kids when they immediately asked us). Well, who could pass up seeing alligators, right? So, we continued our trek to the springs. Let's just say that the hot springs were "under whelming". We didn't even go in them for fear of contracting some life threatening disease. We did, however, see the alligators. They were all sleeping and were quite a distance away in their enclosure, but (and this should give you some indication of the depths of the bad vacation we were in) they were still the highlight of the trip to that point.

We loaded back in the car and headed back to camp- after a brief stop at Walmart for warmer clothes for bedtime and McDonalds for ice cream and coffee (the coffee was later spilled all over the front of the Suburban almost prompting me into tears).

Now, back at camp once again, we discovered the temps had risen to high 80's. There were no trees at all, so no shade. Exhausted and full of sand from our toes to our scalps, Brian and I set up our shade tent. Well, we tried to set it up. Within minutes we had broken it. By now I had had it. I was ready to pack it in and go home. I was seconds away from taking that course of action, but Brian stopped and reminded us to think it through first. What were we trying to teach the kids? That when the going gets rough you hightail it out of the situation? Or did we want to teach them a little lesson on "attitude is everything" and show them that even though the first 24 hours of the trip had been less than what we expected (less shade, less water, less fun sledding, less fun in general....), it was how we handled it that mattered (better late than never, right?) So, we set up the broken shade as best we could, got out a few cold drinks, and sat in the shade throwing the boys fly balls for about an hour then got out the fixings for hotdogs/smores. The kids played in the sand with the sand toys, made friends with the neighboring campers and started up an impromptu football game, and Brian and I took a few deep breaths and carried on in a much better frame of mind.

By the late evening we were making up stories and telling them around the campfire, laughingly trying to piece together a retelling of The Three Little Bears (which Faith added to by suggesting that maybe Goldilocks wasn't being bad, maybe her parents were out of town and she was actually being taken care of by the three little bears so she wasn't actually breaking and entering), wiping sticky marshmallow remnants off grubby faces, and handing out the light sticks we had left over from last year's camping adventures. We went to bed happy, slept well, and woke up glad we had stuck it out and even (hard to believe) looking forward to our next camping trip in early July.

In retrospect there are several lessons we could have chosen to teach the kids by this camping mis-adventure: Don't keep doing something that isn't working or Get out while you can or Be flexible. In the end we have some funny memories, hopefully a memorable lesson on how attitude affects everything you do, and a great slogan whenever we head off to a new adventure or unknown destination: You never know- maybe there will be alligators.

Let the Games Begin!

Although you wouldn't know it by the weather, summer has officially arrived - maybe not the real season but summer vacation at least. Jake had his last day of 1st grade on Friday, Tanner finished up preschool the week before. The end of the year carnival is over, gifts for the teachers/coaches/aides have all been purchased and given, and the neighborhood Icee Shack is open for business. Now begins the chaos of summer.

This whole system of "summer vacation" is contrary to what this country needs in so many ways.. Most kids are no longer needed to work the fields in June, July, and August. Most homes have two full-time working parents now. Kids need the consistency of school to avoid the whole "learning loss" that occurs during summer break. Now, don't get me wrong, I remember my summers with fondness- 3 months stretched out with nothing to do but hang out at the pool, read my Sweet Valley High books, and play games of hide-and-go-seek with all the neighborhood kids. There is definitely a part of me that wants that for my kids, too. But.....then reality sets in. Three months with nothing to do with Jake- who despite getting better at entertaining himself in the last several months is still prone to stand in the office doorway and watch Brian and I work while complaining that he is bored rather then find himself something to do. Ugh.

My eldest has always thrived on the routine of the school day so this break is really a challenge for us. This year we decided to sign him up for a bunch of camps- almost every week has something going on. And of course we will have lots of play dates. But the scheduling is going to be hectic. Next week is skateboarding camp, the week after that is baseball, then football, then rock band... the list goes on until the first week of August when we take our vacation to Tahoe for a week.

Luckily my job is flexible and so is Brian's so we can manage the odd drop-off/pick-up times and the occasional day of lost work made up by working evenings after the kids are in bed. It is really a blessing in a lot of ways and I am grateful for it. Plus, we have the YMCA this summer, too, which has WiFi so I can drop him at child watch while I get some work done in the cafe. Maybe not the intended use of the child watch, but a good one, anyway!

As soon as the weather cooperates we can't wait to get out in the boat. We found a pair of almost new trainer skis for the kids at the neighborhood garage sale yesterday and I can hardly wait to get Jake out there, with me holding his skis underwater for his first try at water skiing. The kids talked about the boat all winter and are so excited to get underway. Brian and I are just hoping it starts- and I am reliving many, many summers where we all had our fingers crossed that the old Evinrude engine would start the first time we put it in the water at the Delta each summer. Mmmmm. I can still smell the exhaust fumes and feel the hot sun on my back while standing on the dock.....

We have a bunch of camping trips planned, too. Our first is next weekend to Bruneau Sand Dunes- which is about 90 min. away and is the largest sand dune in the U.S. Then we go again July 3 to YMCA family camp, one more in July, and one in mid-August. We have some guests coming as well- Kim and Bill will be here in late July and Sheila and Wayne in mid-July. Still hoping for a visit from others of you that read this blog regularly: YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!

So, it is with both anticipating and trepidation that we say goodbye to schooldays and say hello to the summer!

End of the Season

In some ways, Jake's rookie league season ended the way it started; the last game last night was in danger of being rained (or more precisely, thunderstormed) out. We spent most of the season under the clouds instead of in the sunshine due to our weird weather this spring. Less the "boys of summer" and more the "boys of the scattered thunderstorms".

In other ways, the season was a drastic turn-around; the boys ended on a three game losing streak. They started out so strong and were undefeated until the middle of last month, then their defense caught up with them. A couple of the better hitters went into slumps to end the season and the focus in the field cost them a few games.

Jake ended up having a really good season (I lost track of his batting average along the way) but it must have been north of .700. He hit most everything hard the opposite way and his success was directly tied to the skills of the opposing pitcher and 1st baseman. He also did great in the field; playing a great 1st base, catcher, pitcher and last night made a couple of good plays out in left field. The level of the league means that the coach can't just stick the kids who can throw and catch at the hot positions every inning, so everyone get's rotated around and last night Jake ended up at shortstop for the first time this season.

The score was tied 9-9 in the bottom of the last inning with two outs and the bases loaded when the batter hit a hard one right towards Jake. He didn't stay down on it and it got thru his legs into the outfield for a run. The next hitter struck out and the game ended 10-9. I could tell he felt bad about making the error, but wasn't sure he understood the actual significance of it until Tanner announced while we were walking back to the car, "Well Dad, the score was tied until Jake missed that ball, then they scored and won. If Jake would have caught that ball it would have been a tie." Seriously, the one time all season that he's paying attention to the game and it has to be to announce that!

Jake's face just fell as he realized what it meant, that his error had cost them the game. I spent most of the rest of the night consoling him. Funnily enough, we're reading a Mike Lupica book right now when the title character makes the same error at second base and costs his team the 1st game of the championship series. We were able to talk it thru using the lessons from the book and I think he's made peace with it as it hasn't been mentioned yet this morning.

He did say last night, "But Dad, staying down on it is the first thing you taught me in baseball."

I explained that the reason it was the first thing I taught him was that it's the most difficult thing for a fielder to learn and do. That everything in you is screaming, "hurry up, get the throw off", but you have to wait until you have the ball first. Watching Sportscenter last night we saw Jason Werth with the Phillies do the exact same thing in the outfield, so I think that helped as well.

We have our end of the season party on Friday (the last day of school as well). Then I think skateboard camp is up next.....

The YMCA

The YMCA here is much bigger than in CA. All of the sports camps that Jake does, Tanner's soccer, the basketball program, swim lessons, etc... are all through the Y. We have been really impressed by their programs and especially with their coaches (who wear t-shirts that say "Professional Role Model"). They are mostly high school students and I haven't met one yet that wasn't great. There are multiple locations here that have really nice, fully equipped gyms with childcare and indoor pools with slides, pilates, yoga, weights, etc...

We decided to join for a few months this summer to try it out since we get half price on all of the camps we signed Jake up for, and Tanner/Faith's swim lessons- so financially it was kind of a wash. So far we love it. It's not very convenient for a workday workout, as it is downtown, but on the weekends we can take the kids and drop them at childcare for an hour or two while we get a good workout in, then feed them lunch and head to the pool. The boys LOVE the big slides there- even Tanner went on it alone yesterday. And with the

current weather being more like winter than spring, it is a great place to get some energy out.

They just finished building a resident

camp up in Cascade (about 1.5 hours away) - the first one built this side of the Mississippi in 50 years- it was kind of a big deal here. Anyway, we signed up to do family camp in July. Three nights camping with a dining hall, activities like canoe,kayak, archery, crafts, swimming, etc... and evening programs. I think the kids will love it. Reminds me of the Indian Princess camps we used to do when I was little.

Anyway, if we can swing it we'd like to remain members while the kids are young- with the hope that when they get older they could become the "professional role models" themselves or lifeguards or camp counselors. I know that's a long way off- but instilling the values now and starting them thinking of that early can't hurt, right?

Vegas Nights 1, 2, and 3

The kids were troopers and after taking long afternoon naps we kept them out until all hours. No one was in bed before 10 the entire trip. Poor Grandma Mary and Auntie Sue! They are usually early to bed early to rise, but this week they were late to bed but STILL early to rise!

The first night was all about exploring the Luxor, Excalibur, and Mandalay Bay- which are all connected by tram. Auntie Sue took Faith and Tanner into a toy store while I ordered dinner and out wandered Faith with animal #1 of the trip. When I gave Auntie Sue a stern look and reminded her that she does not need to buy the kids any toys on this trip, she told me that she had to get this one. Faith apparently picked it up, hugged it to her chest and said, "He's purple and white and I WUV him!" So she told the boys they could each pick out one toy on the trip, too. Hence began our five days of looking through tourist shops for the perfect pick. Tanner ended up getting a glow-in-the-dark pirate t-shirt from NYNY. Jake picked out (surprise, surprise) a small leather ESPN football from the ESPN Zone, also in NYNY.

Monday night was date night for Brian and I. Grandma Mary and Auntie Sue took care of the kids while we went out to a nice dinner, drinks, and dessert at Mandalay Bay. It was great to have the time alone and we were so grateful to those two for making the night so fun for the kids. I guess the only glitch was when they entered the elevator and the lights all went out. Nobody freaked out, but for the rest of the trip they asked us each elevator ride if the lights were going to go out again. They also learned a lesson: No getting on the elevator until an adult is on board first. I guess Faith ran headlong into an elevator and the doors started to close on her. Mary got there in time, but the lesson was well learned and all three kids waited by the open elevator door for an adult to board first. They took this rule very seriously!

That night was really really windy but after dinner we took the kids outside to see Luxor in the dark. They wanted to see the laser that shoots out of the top of it. Halfway out to the parking lot, however, Faith freaked out because of the wind and jumped out of my arms and ran back toward the hotel. I could not coax her out to see the lights so we waited for Brian and her brothers in the safety of the hotel. The winds were really crazy- close to 30mph- and we were glad that our baseball tickets weren't for that night!

Speaking of baseball.... Night #3 was spent at the Las Vegas 51's game- a AAA team that feeds into the Toronto Blue Jays. Weather this night was PERFECT. Everyone enjoyed the game. We met some friendly Red Sox fans behind us who loved the kids and bantered with them the whole game. This is where the kids picked out their souvenier from us. Jake got a 51's baseball hat, Tanner got a 51's clinging monkey stuffed animal, and Faith got (another surprise) a 51's horse stuffed animal. We left in the 7th as it was already almost 10 and we had to drive back to the hotel still! The 51's lost 15-10.

The Lion King

On Monday afternoon I got a call from Auntie Sue from next door. She told me that the hotel was running a "Cutest Kid in Vegas" contest and that OUR KIDS HAD WON. The prize? Tickets for everyone to see The Lion King on Wednesday night. Uh-huh. After a little bit of drama over the generous gesture that Auntie Sue had made (we are so spoiled!!) we were all excited to see The Lion King together. Given that our kids are afraid of mascots (otherwise known as "people dressed up like animals") we were worried that they would be afraid of the show- given that it is made up entirely as people dressed up like animals!!! So we took them to the Lion King store at Mandalay Bay and let them watch a video preview and look through the books of real pictures from the show. We talked to them about what to expect and how none of it was real, etc... etc...

That night Grandma Mary (also prone to spoiling all of us) took us to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. In keeping with The Lion King theme, this restaurant is full of animated animals- very real looking- and has a thunder storm every 22 minutes. Faith was not so sure about this and insisted on sitting on my lap through most of dinner. This is where the kids picked out their souveniers from Grandma. Faith picked out a stuffed elephant. Tanner got a toy that lights up and spins, and Jake got a t-shirt.

We arrived at the theater a few minutes early and after making sure everyone went to the bathroom one last time, we found our seats. Center aisle. Second section back. Amazing seats. Faith sat on Brian's lap the whole time but was truly fascinated by the show. She was also fascinated by the ushers before the show and asked Brian lots of questions about them: Where do they sleep? Do they live here? Do they have homes? Tanner sat next to me and during scary parts hid under his sweatshirt, and had to be reminded frequently that the animals weren't real and that Scar would not come out into the audience, but he, too, loved the show and declared afterwards that he wanted to go every night. Jake, being a Lion King afficionado (his 3rd b'day was Lion King themed) loved the songs and remembered lots of lines from the movie that were also in the play.

It was a truly great experience and one that we will all remember forever.

The Mirage, The Venetian, and the Bellagio.... Oh my!

The last day was one of the best, actually. We woke up intending to take it easy but ended up being out from breakfast until almost 3PM, then again from 5-10PM.

We drove to the Mirage and took the kids to see the dolphins and white tigers. Weather was perfect again. The dolphins were fascinating for the kids- the first time Tanner and Faith had ever seen them in real life. The white tigers gave us a good show, roughhousing with each other and fighting over a big rubber toy. There was also a black panther and several big lions.

After lunch at California Pizza Kitchen we wandered over to the Venetian where the kids watched the gondoliers singing and we strolled through the really expensive mall with the canal running through it. Jake asked if we could ride on one of the gondolas. My first thought was "no" but when he didn't push it but I could see the look of true longing in his eyes, I started to change my mind. For how long will my little boy want to sit in a gondola with me and listen to schmaltzy Italian-esque music being sung by a man pretending to be from Venice??? There was no

begging involved; if there had been, I probably wouldn't have sprung for it, but watching him watch the boats go by I could tell he really, really wanted to do it. So Auntie Sue and I took the boys for a gondola ride (Faith opted out and chose to watch from the many bridges). They loved it and both Auntie Sue and I were so glad that we let them do it and that we got to do it with them.

After long, late afternoon naps we headed back out to see the Bellagio and the Pirate show at Excalibur. By now it was Thursday and the strip was really getting crowded. The pirate show was packed- and a tad bit inappropriate for the children (lots of sexual innuendo and scantily attired pirates both male and female). But there were fireworks and there was fire and cannon ball explosions so everyone enjoyed the show (well... not Faith. She hid behind me most of the time, content to talk to herself and ignore all the action).

The plan was to get some dinner, then head over to the Bellagio. The kids had seen it in the daylight but Tanner really wanted to see it all lit up at night (so did Brian and I). Jake wasn't feeling great (probably all the crappy food we had been feeding him) and the only thing he wanted for dinner was cereal. What the hell, we thought, cereal it is. Each of the kids got a container of cereal and I took them into a Starbucks for the milk and fruit to go with it. Their dinner consisted of frosted flakes and a few pieces of cantelope/strawberries. The adults found a deli and we headed out toward Bellagio. But first, Jake made a pit stop to throw up. Oops. Guess his tummy really wasn't feeling good. Auntie Sue, Grandma, and Jake took a cab home and we took the little ones to see the Bellagio at night. We got there just in time to see "Your Song" by Elton John. They loved it!!! That water show is the best thing ever. I could watch it over and over and over again.

Our last night in Vegas was over. We were heading home at 4:30 the next morning.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Real billboards We Saw on Our Road Trip to Vegas

Guess Which State: Utah or Nevada?

3 Glen Beck Ads

2 Rush Limbaugh Ads

1 "anti- evolution" church ad

"What Happens in Vegas God Sees"

and, on the other end of the spectrum:

"Adult Superstore next exit: Last Chance to Get off!"

As far as Vegas being kid-friendly, the only thing

that I really worried about (besides having to explain the many people smoking and drinking and gambling of course...) was when we walked past a dancing girl scantily clad in the middle of the Luxor that was entertaining the men that were gambling. She was the only actual show girl we saw. Jake asked me, "Mom, why isn't she wearing any clothes? (for the record she had on skimpy undies and a bra) Doesn't she know that boys might see her???" Um.... yeah. I think that's the point.

Vegas by the Numbers

Number of alcoholic beverages consumed: 2 (1 each on our "date night")

Dollars spent gambling: $2 (slot machine)

Real Cigarettes smoked: 0

Candy cigarettes smoked during Old Maid/Go Fish/Crazy 8 playing: 1 pack

Stuffed animals Faith wanted: 200

Stuffed animals Faith got: 3 (one from us, one from Auntie Sue, one from Grandma)

Children that threw up: 2 (Tanner the first night, Jake the last night)

Number of times we saw the Bellagio water show: 3

Gondola rides: 1

Elevator/escalator rides: countless

We arrived in Vegas Sunday afternoon and were greeted by Grandma Mary and Auntie Sue in the lobby. While our room was getting ready we went up to their room (right next door to ours) and the kids played the first of MANY rounds of cards- complete with chocolate cigarettes and a card shuffler. Cards were definitely the activity of choice

whenever we were in our hotel room (which wasn't that much, come to think of it...). There was a snack and goody drawer already set up in their room with squirt guns for the pool, new

bathing suits, books for everyone, crayons, and more.

The kids loved the elevator and escalators, the hotel

room keys, and the tram that took us between the nearby casinos. Tanner and Faith liked to pretend to drive the tram, while Jake liked to see if he could stand in the middle of it and balance without moving his feet. Mostly they loved the fountains- which could be found in every casino. We had to have a steady supply of pennies ready each time we left our room. Tanner also had a strange affinity for casino floors. He would jump off the steps, land, and roll on the floor for a few feet. No matter what we did he continued to do this move- in Paris, Venetian, Monte Carlo, Caesars, Luxor, Bellagio, and more. Something about casino carpet moved him, I guess (shudder to think about how filthy that carpeting must be).

One of the big highlights for all the kids was finally seeing the real Bellagio. Their entire lives Brian has been "doing the Bellagio" in the pool or hot tub- it is simply him spraying water up through his hands at various heights- but they have been hearing about the Bellagio water show for years and years so the anticipation for seeing the real show was huge. It didn't disappoint. We caught the show on Day 2. The song was "One" and the kids loved it. Tanner especially! We took a video of the entire thing just to capture his joy and awe at the sight.

One of Faith's favorite things was simple: The bathrooms in Paris. She loved the floral sinks and each time we went into a bathroom anywhere in Vegas after that (countless BTW...) she was a little disappointed that there "weren't pretty sinks in there".

All of the kids also loved the pool, of course. It was only 3 feet deep and it was really big. Tanner was so proud of himself that he could stand in it and touch the bottom all the way across. Jake and Brian swam together while Faith rode on Brian's back.

We played musical beds all week: Jake alternated between Auntie Sue and Grandma, Faith rotated between Brian and I, Tanner slept with all of us at one time or another. Through the miracle of texting we could check between rooms on when everyone woke up and was ready to start the day.

Because we are relegated for the time being to vacation locations that we can drive to (5 airline tix? Are you kidding me?) Vegas was a great mix of fun and sun for both adults and kids and a great change from our typical camping and CA trips. Next road trip? Well, we are hoping to plan a 2 week trip to see some major league ball parks sometime in the next few years.

Snaggletooth

That's what we have taken to calling Jake. He's a little bit behind the curve as far as losing his baby teeth goes. He has lost a few, but the last one is a little bit of a doozy.

It started out on the side and has moved around into the front and is a little sideways. It had us concerned enough that it warranted a trip to the dentist who said that all was well but if it wasn't out in 30 days to bring him in and he'd take it out.

Jake has been wiggling it a lot, but it's still hanging on and we're fast approaching the 30 day limit. So Snaggletooth will be leaving our house one way or another soon enough.

Sleepless In Salt Lake City

We decided to split the drive to Vegas up by spending one night in SLC on "our way" there. It isn't actually on the way it turns out (my geography being a little off) but it split a 12 hour drive into two nice six hour shifts. Anyway, we got there about 6, just in time to watch the Utah Jazz/Laker playoff game from our room- where we could see the actual stadium only a few blocks away out our window! We ordered pizza for the kids, then took turns working out. The kids worked on mother's day cards for me while hiding behind the curtains. All was well.... until Tanner threw up. Luckily it wasn't the stomach flu - something just didn't agree with his tummy I guess. Good news for us, for sure.

Sleeping arrangements were a challenge: Two double beds. Double. Brian and I are used to a King. And the kids wanted to sleep with us (bad habit we started a long time ago). So... Faith volunteered to sleep on the floor between the beds. Once again proving to be braver than either of her weenie brothers. So Jake and Brian took one bed, Tanner and I took the other. It was late by the time the game ended. Faith was NOT TIRED, as evidenced by her singing loudly from the center of the room, talking to herself, and just generally playing between the beds. Finally she fell asleep around 10:30.

Then, 2:30 we were all awakened by a muffled terrified screaming of "Mama! Mama!!" Groggy, I looked down on the floor to find Faith and after some light adjustment found that she was nowhere in sight. Slightly panicked but still half asleep I poked around down in the blankets, still hearing her muffled cries. Now I was really worried. I woke Brian up to see if she had climbed into bed with him. Nope. Finally we figured out that she had rolled under Brian's bed. All the way under. There was a bed skirt so she was completely hidden from sight and she was a good 12-24 inches under there. I pulled her out with some effort and calmed her down. I figured she would want to sleep with me in the bed so I put her in between Tanner and I. Nope. She cried and wanted to be back on the floor. Very brave girl. Still, there was little sleep to be had from that point on. Brian and the boys went downstairs around 7 to get me a Mother's Day latte and we departed for Las Vegas soon after.

BTW.... Utah lost the game.

All Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the little kids daycare provider is off on her honeymoon next week, so obviously the day care is closed for that week.

That left us two choices:

1) Stay home and try to work full time jobs with Tanner and Faith home all day next week, trying to farm them out as much as possible without resorting to massive amounts of televison and dealing with the enormous parental guilt that would surely develop, as it always does. "How do stay-at-home parents do this?" morphing quickly into, "Is there something wrong with us that we're going crazy?"which always leads to the two of us inventing things to fight about just to deal with our raw nerve endings by the end of the week.

OR

2) Hit the road! We're not paying for day care this week so there's a little bit of found money there, which we have decided to burn thru in gasoline. We're going to Vegas BABY! We went to Las Vegas on our honeymoon and have always had a soft spot in our hearts for Sin City. Since neither of us drink (well.... not much), gamble, or smoke it seems an odd choice but we have been trying to figure out how/when to get back for years. Again, some parents would have picked Disney something, but we're going someplace you get free porn handed to you on every corner. That says A LOT about us as parents I am sure, but I'm so excited I don't even care.

We're meeting Auntie Sue and Grandma Mary in Vegas for a twisted sort of Mother's Day celebration thing. Adjoining rooms- and for once we won't be outnumbered by the kids! We'll post when we get back, but we're going to hit some shows, see a minor league baseball game (the Las Vegas 51's) and eat a bunch of bad food. I'm so excited I can't wait.

See you when we get back!