First Days

Tanner started Kindergarten today. Given his recent attachment to me I was worried he might cry. He has been really excited to start, and we have been talking it up a lot, but we both worried he may sob when it was time to actually start. He did great! It was so much fun to watch him. He picked out his clothes several weeks ago (the shirt he has on was chosen because "it is very soft and it feels good on his skin"). He wanted to "dress fancy" so notice how he chose to dress up his athletic shorts with the polo style shirt. Too funny. He had picked out a Boise State backpack and we worked to fill it with all of his supplies. It is almost as big as he is! After the standard pictures on the porch we all walked to school together.

On the playground we met up with his best buddy, Evan. They hung out a little but mostly Tanner kept to my side. We lined up when the bell rang and did the Pledge of Allegiance and The Harbor Pledge. The Harbor Pledge is said each morning before school by the entire student body, the principal, and the teachers. It goes like this:

I promise to behave in such a way that I will be proud of myself
And others will be proud of me too.
I came to school to learn and I WILL learn.
I WILL have a great day!
(Foot stamps and arm motion on the "will")

I have to admit I think it's a great way to start each day. It was fun to see Tanner recite it this morning, having already learned most of it from watching Jake. Parents were allowed into the Kindergarten classroom for the first 15 minutes. The teacher greeted the kids and read them "The Kissing Hand" then asked us all to do this kissing hand gesture to our kiddos and say goodbye. We did, and even though Tanner gave me several extra hugs before letting me go, there were no tears- in fact I think I may have been closer to tears than he was! Brian and I were so, so proud of him and are so excited to begin his school years with him. After school we met him on the playground and he ran up to both of us and jumped into our arms for big hugs.

Jake started third grade. He walked with us to school, went in to meet the teacher with us and drop off his things, then ran off with his buddies almost immediately. We didn't see him again until after school. Both Brian and I commented on how far he has come in the last few months. There was no anxiety, no nerves, no repetitive behaviors such as we have seen in the past. At the end of the day he walked out to greet us and said, 'That was the best first day of school EVER!"

Being the first day of school we continued the Merc tradition and took them both there for treats. They were running a "First Day of School Ice Cream Sundae Bar" which they loved. We talked about their day, heard about their experiences, and took turns reading the notes home from the two teachers. We headed home and they worked together on Jake's "homework"- decorating his portfolio binder. Of course he decorated it with pictures cut out from Sports Illustrated for Kids and images from the web. We set the timer and the boys did their required 15 minutes of nightly reading.

Faith, meanwhile, starts her first day next Monday. But because today was her pre-K Orientation we decided to count it as her first day in terms of pictures, new clothes, etc... Notice the 80's clothes and hair? I'm not sure when she became a Valley Girl. The expression on her face seals the deal, though. With all the cute clothes out there for little girls, it was REALLY HARD to let her pick the one she wanted and not the one I wanted!! I think she was excited to be back in her classroom. She played with the playdoh and science center experiments and the "tomato heads" (also known as Mr. Potato Heads) then went to Miss Wendy's for the rest of the afternoon.

Even though this time of year always makes me nostalgic for my teaching days, this year I just kept thinking how lucky I am to have the job that I have. I was able to walk them all to school, spend time there getting them settled, pick them up, and help with homework. And between the two of us we will be able to be there almost every day for these things. For two full-time working parents I think this is an anomaly and one that I am most grateful for.

Marine World

When I was little, we went to Marine World every year with my Grandma and Grandpa for awhile. I have really good memories of those trips. Of course, this was in the olden days when Marine World was just about the animals, they didn't have rides other then the train and the tram that ran across the park. Then I got older and we stopped going.

Marine World moved to Vallejo and brought in all kinds of rides when they became a Six Flags park. We had gone with Jake and Auntie Sue right before we moved to Boise, but he was so little we didn't do a whole lot other than see the animals. So when we saw that we had some days to fill prior to the delta trip on this vacation, this trip was on the short list.

We went with Auntie Sue and Grandma Mary and had a great time! All of the kids had a blast, Marisa and I had a great time watching them and I had a really good time reliving some old memories.

Jake could remember some of our prior trip to Marine World and was really looking forward to it. As mom is no good for rides, I told him before we went that I would go on any rides he wanted to, but, he needed to be sure before we stood in line, because once we got thru the line we weren't getting back out. As soon as we walked in the park, he said he wanted to go on Roar, the giant old style wooden roller coaster. Now I double checked that he wanted to (I hate wooden coasters as they give me a headache because it's such a rough ride), he said he wanted to go, so we stood in line. He was a champ all the way into the car. When we got to the top of the first big rise, I looked over and he looked terrified. I looked back and started screaming as we headed down into the drop. Pretty soon I heard Jake screaming along and getting into it. We finished up and he was so excited that he did it. He didn't want to go on any of the other big coasters, but was proud of himself for going for it (I was proud of him too).

Tanner got left at home on our last trip as he was only 6 months old when we went, but he was looking forward to going. He was the perfect age for Marine World as he was young enough to lovethe animals, but old enough to appreciate the rides as well. He was too short to go on the big rides, but loved the littler rides. We did all go on the big flume water ride. He had a great time and we all got soaked. We also got to sit in the splash zone for the killer whale show and got drenched there as well. He had a great, but very damp day. Of course he ended up buying two killer whales and two dolphin stuffed animal so he had a whale family with his souvenir allowance.

We knew in advance that Faith would love Marine World. Recently we had asked her what she thought she might to be when she grew up. She thought about it for a few moments and then answered that she thought she would like to grow up to be a baby giraffe. To try to keep her dreams alive as long as possible we took her to feed the giraffes. She had a great time. She also loved the whales, dolphins, penguins and all the other animals. She also got stuffed animals for her souvenir allotment, we now have a big and baby camel that have joined her enormous herd up in her room.

Add it the henna tatoos, the cotton candy, the bumper cars and the cartoon characters roaming the park and it made for a perfect day with the kids and Auntie Sue and Grandma Mary. We had a blast and are trying to figure out how/when to try the Disneyland experience.

40th Birthday

I couldn't have asked for a better 40th birthday week. Yep, I got a full week to celebrate, not just one day! We flew into Reno on August 3rd and started the "party" with 2 days at Auntie Sue's house with Grandma Mary. Of course there were presents and cake and games and 40th b'day napkins and place settings to set the mood. Those two really know how to make a girl feel special! The kids were so excited to spend time with two of their favorite people and they, of course, loved being spoiled with all the attention and time and love that Mary and Auntie Sue lavish on them. Auntie Sue had originally wanted to send us all to a Giants game for a birthday present but due to the timing we were unable to take her up on this great idea. Instead we suggested a family trip to Marine World for the day- which was a yearly tradition with Brian and his grandparents growing up. It ended up being a blast! I'm not sure who had more fun: the kids or Brian and I watching the kids!

Next we headed to the Delta where we spent Saturday and Sunday with the whole family and various friends from high school and college. Yoshi won the award for "traveled the furthest to be there", coming all the way from London to join in the festivities. Lisa and John and the girls came in second, driving down from Seattle towing Ol' Bessie (our old ski boat) the whole way! Joe and Suzie continued their bid for "most prepared and best meal" by cooking for a huge crowd on Saturday night. We had leftover salmon and arugula for days!! Anna and Geof came Saturday evening, also, and allowed us to use their boat for the entire week, even though they were only able to join us for the one evening. A huge thank you to them for that! On Sunday Sheila and Wayne arrived and Shannon and her two girls. Even our old "house boating friends" Kristie and Paul were able to make it for a few hours! It was so much fun to see everyone and to watch all of the kids play together in the water, on the dock, and on the water slide. I actually had time to just relax and talk to the grown ups, as the kids were fully entertained by all the other families around.

We split dinners up and everyone cooked one night. We ate well!! White chili with all the fixings, buttermilk chicken, tri tip, pork tenderloin, last night.... we had a little bit of everything! We ate outside on the deck every night and enjoyed the food, drinks, beautiful sunsets, and conversation. Unfortunately I got strep throat on Sunday and went to bed early each night, trying to recuperate, but all in all I feel like I didn't miss out on too much, despite not being 100%. We celebrated our birthday on Tuesday with presents after dinner. Brian and the kids made me a beautiful and funny book of 40 coupons to be used throughout my birthday year including things like: a new pair of sunglasses (even though I really don't need one!), a day of garage sales on my own, a latte from Starbucks without Brian making fun of my ridiculous $4 coffee habit, etc...

The kids all tried waterskiing, with varying degrees of success. Jake gave it a good go, but only "got up" for a second before tiring out. Tanner tried from the beach and gave it three good tries before calling "Uncle". The kids loved the SeaDoo- and the adults, too. I even got Mom to give it a try and she was fearless! Brian and Faith got it up to 52 miles an hour but I was content cruising along at 22. I was so glad we decided to rent it for the week.

Wednesday-Friday was basically just our family and the best part was watching all of the cousins play together. They entertained themselves 98% of the time, making up games, playing in the water, playing hide and go seek, etc... Faith was fearless in the water. She put that life jacket on and just jumped right in, over and over and over. The kids also loved the paddle boat that was there and they would all climb on and take it across the "bay" together to the "Witch House" (an abandoned house on the other side of the cul-de-sac). It was so much fun to watch them and I was so impressed with how the older kids helped with the younger kids and how everyone got along. There was virtually no fighting.

It wasn't perfect: Family vacations are always a challenge-so many different personalities and so much emotional baggage and the unfinished business of growing up that each person brings to the table. But despite the ups and downs (that each of the adults experienced to some degree) it was a really successful and fun trip for me. It was actually exactly what I wanted it to be when I started planning it almost two years ago. I wanted to relive some of my favorite childhood/young adult moments ("The Delta Days") and I did. Those old Delta days were never perfect either. Even though they live strongly in my heart I don't think I sugarcoat the memories too much. It was FAMILY then- and all of the chaos and craziness and love and challenges that that word entails- and it was FAMILY now.

At the end of the ten days everyone was

exhausted! Seriously, the kids looked like they were coming home from war or something. The picture below shows how they passed the time as Brian and I were checking in with Southwest on our way home from Reno. The Giants Pillow Pets, courtesy of their Auntie Sue and Grandma Mary, came in very handy!

I couldn't have asked for a better way to enter my 40's. A huge "Thank you" to everyone that helped make this milestone so special. I am a very lucky woman to have all of you in my life.

Summer Fun - Marisa's Version

The summer continues to fly by. Somehow it is August 3rd already and we haven't yet been camping and we've only taken out our boat twice! Summer weather didn't really start until late June and I had to be out of town for work for three days at the end of June and 7 days in July which has seemed to shorten the summer substantially. We have been having lots of fun, though. Lately we have been spending weekend mornings at the pool with friends. No one is there at 11AM so we get the good spot in the shade with an umbrella and set up camp for a few hours. The kids are finally at an age where we don't have to monitor them every second so both Brian and I can read our books, enjoy our soda or iced coffee, and chat with our friends. Tanner is a little fish- I could definitely see him swimming on a team when he is a little older. Faith is unafraid but doesn't seem nearly as "buoyant" as Tanner and though she wants to be self sufficient she sinks when I let go of her. Jake can play for hours with his friends, using the basketball hoop, doing front flips off the side, and playing football in the shallow end. When it gets too hot Brian and I hop in for awhile and Faith jumps in to us and Tanner does cannonballs off Brian's shoulders.

We leave for our big trip tonight. We are flying to Reno where Nana will pick us up (with bells on, I am sure!) and we will stay the night in Truckee and leave for the Bay Area Thursday morning. We will spend two nights at Auntie Sue's house. Grandma Mary will also be there so we will celebrate all of the August b'days (me, Auntie Sue, and Mary) by heading to Marine World for the day on Friday. Faith can't wait to see the whales and dolphins. On Saturday afternoon we will pack up and head to Discovery Bay for a week of waterskiing, swimming, hanging out with friends, and celebrating our big 4-0. On Sunday we expect to have over 40 people there- friends from high school and college and lots of family.

The kids are all doing great! We have gotten Jake to a healthy spot with his anxiety and our household is about a million times calmer and happier. He is getting so old and has basically had the run of the neighborhood this summer with his friends. He has done lots of camps to keep busy: football, lacrosse, speed camp, and more. He and I have had quite a bit of "quality time" lately and I find that I enjoy him so much more nowadays. Drama no longer lurks around every corner. His favorite thing is still sports, but he had a babysitter this summer that was very creative. He did a lot of cooking and crafts and fort building - which was really good for him. He made me jewelry and made up new recipes and did creative things instead of just sports.

Tanner is so funny. He is my little blond boy- almost white hair these days after spending so much time outside and at the pool. He is excited about Kindergarten, is learning to read, loves to color and draw, and is still so snuggly. If I could keep him this age forever I just might agree to it. He keeps me laughing with his funny expressions and mischievous grin. Lately he has taken to a little drama himself- he feels so put upon sometimes by his siblings and will say things like, "WHY does no one EVER believe me?" as he throws himself onto the ground. He loves to play Clue with the family (he is on Brian's team usually) and loves to play "Guess Who?" with Faith.

Faith, too, is doing well. She finished her gymnastics

classes and now wants to play soccer. She seems to be over her cheerleading thing for now (whew!). She got her first "real" haircut a few weeks ago. We took her to a fancy "girly" place where they actually gave her a style (much shorter and so much easier to brush and keep tangles out!) and painted her fingernails. She still loves to color and paint and will happily do that for long stretches. She wants to be a swimmer but, like I mentioned above, is having trouble making it happen. She will definitely need a life jacket the entire time we are at the Delta next week! She still refers to "yesterday" as "last day" and calls "dessert" "zert". She loves to play with all of her guys and has a different favorite each day it seems. She takes her puppies on walks and plays so much more make believe than her brothers ever did.

We had a block party last night and we all, even Brian, had a great time meeting some new people and watching the kids play. We have new neighbors two doors down that have four kids: a 7 year old, a 5 year old, and twin boys. Our block is now full of kids that meet outside and ride scooters and bikes, draw with chalk, go bug hunting, etc... I love it. This is exactly the way I wanted our kids to grow up.

When we return from the Delta we will have Brian's Dad and Joan in town for a few days, hopefully we can take the boat out for "Happy Hour" one night. Optimist Football begins August 15th, and the school year starts the 24th. Labor Day weekend we are heading back up toFamily Y-Camp in Cascade. So... things are hopping. Life, definitely, is Good.