A Boy and His Board

So at this point he explains that he will be either a quarterback when he grows up....or a professional skateboarder. But at least he's willing to put in the work for either.

Jake has been riding his skateboard a lot lately. He started riding it to school, first with him just coasting along and then with me holding onto him, like I am in the photo, so he could practice his kick turns. He also likes to skate at the Merc on Friday nights when they block off the parking lot. I have to say he has gotten a lot better with just a couple of weeks of practice.

So Sunday, he decided he wanted to try out the skills at the skate park in Eagle. It's really close to the house so we all headed over. Two minutes in, he was down hard. He got up though...and then went down again, but got up again and again. He was crying, he was hurt, but he kept at it. We worked around the outside together he and I and he made some progress.

Skateboarding is s little bit of a leap of faith into the world of physics, and if you don't trust in the motion and leverage and try to play it safe, that's when you get hurt. He's still trying to understand why you have to lean INTO the turn, or lean OVER the board when you are heading downhill, when your natural tendency is to go the other way, to try to slow it down. He'll get it. The kid has got great hand-eye coordination and a well developed body sense. The trust and the confidence will take awhile to get.

I couldn't have been prouder than to see him keep getting back up yesterday. A few months ago (a few weeks ago even), he would have headed for the car after the first fall. I think 1st grade is agreeing with him. My little boy is becoming quite a little man.

More Weekends Like This

That's what I need. Although maybe if I had this great of weekends more frequently it wouldn't seem as great when I had them. You know? Or maybe they would. All I know is Saturday was about as close to perfect as it could get. There was the morning coffee out on the front steps watching the kids collect pill bugs and root on the bike/run racers that were going by our house for the YMCA Duathlon. There was the weekly trip to the grocery store (our date time) where the kids play in their FREE daycare while we shopped together. There was the fact that Jake had a four hour playdate with his best friend- at THEIR house. The fact that I read while Faith napped, worked out, and played blocks with Tanner. The fact that it felt like fall- but was still warm with clear blue skies. But the day was really topped off with the One Year Anniversary of the Merc Party next door. The whole neighborhood was out. Among other things there were jumpy houses, live music, good food, wine tasting, what seemed like hundreds of kids, and time to talk to friends. The boys all camped in the back yard with Brian while Faith and I had a girls' night sleepover in my bed. Sunday was a little less idyllic because the kids were tired, but the fact that all of them went to bed early (at 6:45!) without a single peep made it another perfect day.

Tonight- on the first official day of Fall- we took a walk around the neighborhood with me waxing poetic about the leaves crunching and changing color and the "chill" in the air and I turned to Tanner and said, "Isn't this a great? This is the first day of autumn!" and he looked and me and, missing the point, said, "So does that make tomorrow the next day of autumn?"

Happy Fall to Everyone!

Work and Family Balance and Other Things

Never an easy thing, but definitely made more difficult in the last few weeks.

Apangea life has gotten really busy, which is a good thing because it definitely makes my job more interesting and keeps me more focused, but it also makes the work/family balance trickier. After spending 3 nights in Eastern Idaho in late July, five days in PA in early August, I spent 4 days in Northern California this past week. The Account Manager for CA quit unexpectedly and since I was closest geographically they sent me to cover the accounts. I was hoping to see friends and family while there but was kept really busy traveling the freeways from San Jose to Sonoma to Santa Rosa, Oakland, SF, Cupertino, and more. It wasn't all work and no play, but pretty close. The trip definitely made me realize a few things:

0. Brian is a saint. "Super Dad" doesn't do it justice. Taking care of three kids, a full time job, PLUS laundry done and a clean house? Come on.... you're showing me up here, Honey!
1. GPS is my best friend. Seriously I think I would still be lost in the depths of downtown Oakland if I didn't have it with me.
2. Traffic sucks. I hate freeway driving.
3. I miss diversity. Idaho really is devoid of it.
4. I don't miss house prices. Driving down 580 I spotted a condo (on the freeway, mind you) that advertised in huge letters, "From the high 500''s!!". This is a GOOD thing? The high 500's here buys you a mansion. Literally.
5. Being away from the kids and Brian is hard, but definitely reminds me that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true.
6. The "no talking on cell phone while driving" thing is a good law. Much safer. Converted me to using an earpiece here in Idaho, too. (Dad, I know you'll be happy to hear that!)
7. I no longer consider myself a "Californian". When people asked me where I was from, the natural thing that came out of my mouth was "Boise, Idaho.". Landing back in Boise was heaven.

So.... some other noteworthy events:

My mom visited for a week in late August and while she was here adopted a Golden Retriever named Reba. She is a very sweet dog and the kids have fallen in love with her. We watched her for the last few weeks while Mom was in Utah and she slept with Jake each night (making bedtime easier, phew...). We took her and Milo on walks and played fetch. Although it added chaos to our household, it was fun to have her here. She is so gentle that even Faith could hold the leash when we walked her. Mom came today to pick her up and the kids miss her already, I am sure.

Kim and her family visited over Labor Day weekend. We had a lot of fun and the kids were great together. Unfortunately we had a bit of a boat mishap when we tried to take them to Lucky Peak to go skiing. Let's just say that any day that begins with the need for a fire extinguisher is a stressful one. No one was hurt, but it was a bummer, to say the least. Is this why they say that you shouldn't own a boat but instead just be friends with someone that owns a boat????

Tanner loves preschool. Even though we have to practically drag details put of him about what he does there, I have found him several times laying in bed after dark and telling Jake all about his friends and his activities there. He is such a crackup. Last night at 9PM (two hours after bedtime) he called me upstairs and when I walked in, he called me over quietly and very earnestly asked me, "Mom, do you have hair in your nose?". It's like he had been thinking hard about this issue and couldn't sleep until he knew the answer.

Jake is enjoying first grade, too. I love walking him to and from school, chatting with neighbors, helping him with homework, etc... This is something I wouldn't have been able to do had I been teaching this year, so I am very grateful. I even get to volunteer in his classroom on Tuesday mornings this year and he is really excited about that. He seems to have gotten over some of his bedtime stress- and just in the nick of time. His untimely demise was almost certain.

Faith is a doll. That little girl completes my life in a way I never anticipated. She continues to adore her brothers and she and Tanner can be quite the little mischief makers. Last night at 9 0'clock (again... two hours AFTER bedtime!) we heard the pitter patter of little feet above us. Upon investigation we found the two practically dancing with glee in the hallway together. Seems Tanner had gone in to "check " on Faith, found her awake (much to his delight) and enticed her out of bed to play. She calls Jake "My Jakey" and he treats her with so much tenderness it breaks my heart.

In short, all is well in the Alan Household. We celebrate our 8th anniversary next Tuesday. In honor of that event, I end this post with the following quote. I think it describes the relationship we have created perfectly:

"As a couple we don't lead and follow. We stumble forward together. It is not always clear, and only very rarely elegant. After (eight) years of marraige our journey does not often resemble a well-oiled dance but more the path made by a Seussian machine that rattles side to side and somehow inches forward. It's our particular dance. We're pretty good at it. We do it in sneakers."

Tanner Starts Preschool

He has been so excited for months. The preschool is right next door to our house and every time we walk by it on our way to the Merc or the library he looks in the windows and tells us again how that is "his school". He walked right in today and started playing. He told me at the end that he loved circle time, listening to stories, and singing songs. Oh yeah, and he was pretty psyched about the indoor sand table, too!

He is still such a sweetheart. A few weekends ago he and Jake were skateboarding out front and Faith was upset that she didn't have a skateboard. Both boys immediately asked me if we could get her one and I said I would try to find a small one at a garage sale. A few days later we were driving to the mall and out of the blue Tanner asked me, "Mom, you know that money in my pig at home? What is it for?" I told him it was a place to save money for something big that you really wanted to buy. He thought for a moment and said, " So, could I use it to buy Faithy her own skateboard?".

Again, it is hard to believe he is old enough for preschool... just another sign of the passing of time. Next year my little Faith will be there, too. Impossible.