Oh what a beautiful day

Things we did today:

• Started our day at the Falls Church City Urgent Care to get Keegen checked out for what I was certain to be another ear infection. And it was. Thank goodness for amoxicillin and Tylenol! And thank goodness for my dear sis who came by and picked up Bode and took him to the park with her girls (and yea! that I hardly waited at the urgent care, too!)


• Ate lunch at Pie-tanza in Arlington. Very kid friendly and oh-so-yummy.


• Got a pedicure. Erin gave me quite the treat by taking my kids to her house whilst I snuck to the nail salon. She put Keegen down for his nap and Bode and Fiona played and played and played. It was the best pedi I've had in forever (I don't get them very often so really appreciate it when they get down through all my dead skin to the fresh stuff...).


• Not only did she take my kids for my pedicure, but said I should go ahead and go shopping, too. I didn't give her a chance to change her mind. Off I went to Tysons and got new clothes for Bode (and a couple things for Keegs even though he's got more hand-me-downs than i know what to do with). And I discovered a great store called Lucy. Comfy clothes that aren't too sloppy? Perfect. You all must think that I live to shop, but if you lived where the shopping is as pathetic as I do, you'd understand!


• Met the kids at an UNBELIEVABLE playground where we only scratched the surface. It's called Clemyjontri. Sweaty, stinky, worn out kids. Wonderful. If you're ever in the NoVa area and your kids need some fun, it's worth checking out. As Bode would say, "I very wish" i had my camera cord so I could post my pics, but that will have to wait.

A Day with Rae

I had a really hard time getting going this morning. Instead I flipped on Noggin and sat with the boys for close to an hour until I finally willed myself to MOVE.

We drove out and spent the day with Rae. She is my dearest friend from high school. We were so different then that I sometimes wonder how we became friends! I was so type-A and she was so not. We've managed to balance each other out over the years. Well, I'll speak for myself. I learned a lot from her about not being in such a rush, among other things.

Jake, Cole, Keegs, Brett, Bode (AKA The Motley Crue)

It's so easy being with Rae. We have this very fluid friendship. It's just easy and comfortable. We can lose touch for awhile and very easily get back into our groove with each other. I hadn't seen her or her boys since we moved 18 months ago, and when I walked into the house and saw 3 boys on the couch, honestly, I didn't recognize her older two. How they've grown! She has such good kids. I always ask her how she does it...Anyway, Bode and Keegen were in heaven. All those boys, all those toys. They had a blast. We stayed ALL day long. The kids played hard and Rae and I managed to catch up.

What? are they doing? you ask? Whatever keeps these boys busy. At this moment they were having enough fun filling up their bins, spraying each other, sitting in the water, dumping their bins on each other. Use your imagination. They sure did...

Lake Date

You know, it was so good meeting up with everyone at Lake Elkhorn. Truly a treat. It's so interesting to me that I didn't get to know some of you better while i lived in Columbia. What a FANTASTIC group of women you are! I am so glad I've gotten to know you all better over the blogosphere!

Lake Elkhorn is one of my favorite places in Columbia. Where our house was situated made it an easy walk to the lake and back. And Bode was such an outdoors kid that we walked around the lake, stopping to play at the playground, on nearly a daily basis. I remember when we decided to move to Colorado and I was walking around the lake taking mental pictures of all the things i loved about it. The people we passed, the many dogs, the flowers people planted, the heron and many other birds we sighted, the incredible diversity, the dogwoods and cherry trees in full bloom, the little exercise stations where Bode had to stop and play, the ducks and geese to feed, the playground of course, the Asian couple who did their tai chi every morning while Bode dug endlessly in the sandbox. It was a lovely place to have in my own backyard and I'm so glad that we took advantage of it!

So I was thrilled to be able to meet these wonderful women and their kids at a place so dear to my heart. To see Bode play with everyone made me so happy! It was fun to introduce Keegen to this place. He was thrilled by the geese, to say the least (until one got a little close and trembly and I was certain it was ready to peck!).It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. Our kids are growing up so fast--it's fun to catch a glimpse of you and yours along the way!

Under the Bed and Dreaming

Bode has been badgering me about going to Noni's since I decided to tell him about our trip here. Weeks of, "Mommy! Let's go to Noni's!" "Mommy! I want to go to the beach with Noni!" Even a few breakdowns. He just could not take the wait. Anticipation.

FINALLY, yesterday, he got to see Noni. No, Noni is not a grandma. Noni is his cousin Fiona, just 6 weeks older. And they adore each other. We met at their house for appetizers and playtime just before going to church for Fi's baby sister, Chloe's, baptism. So for about 2 solid hours Bode and Fiona played. Just like old times. Picked right up where they left off. Zero gaps. Love it. At one point I caught them upstairs in Fiona's room jumping from twin bed to twin bed (as the beds moved with each jump, too, on the hardwood floors). They settled for hiding under the beds in the end. I think my sister, Erin, and I have done a good job of keeping their relationship alive when they're apart by talking about the other a lot.

We headed off to St James for the baptism. Chloe was a doll in her gorgeous dress. The kids did not behave one ioda in the church and I marched them out twice (Bode spit his water out all over the floor. The child won't spit out his toothpaste, yet he spits on the floor in a church?). Too close to nap/rest time. Too much to ask for a 3-year old to sit quietly for that long. Ah well. It was a nice day. Bode was sooo disappointed when he realized we were not going back to Noni's house afterwards, as Fiona still actually naps and he does not.
But luckily we met at Don Pablo's after naps to celebrate Drew's birthday and enjoyed our time there, too.

Today we were up and out of the house early to beat the heat and humidity. Bode scootered and I pushed Keegen down to the tot lot behind my parents' house. We sat on a bunch of big rocks at the pond and watched the fountain. Keegen was desperate to go IN the pond, but I managed to nip that in the bud. We had a fun lunch with Grandma at The Cheesecake Factory and I stole a few minutes while the kids played at the Pink-Eye Pit, errr, I mean the mall play area, to look at some things at H&M. But there was so much there I wanted to try on that I will have to make another trip on my own. We went home for K to nap and B to rest. K crashed immediately. B and I went upstairs where I fell asleep for maybe 5 minutes and woke to realize B was not in the room anymore. I went around the house and no one had seen him. Drew started to help me look for him. I finally went outside wondering if he'd wandered to the tot lot. I finally started to get a little panicked, picturing him in the pond or some other terrible fate, when I heard Drew yelling that he had him. Turns out Drew found him under the bed we'd been in. I assume he'd fallen asleep there. I thanked Drew for "thinking like a 3-year old" and was very relieved. Bode kept saying, "I wasn't lost. I was under the bed." When I asked him if he was playing or sleeping he said he was sleeping. Anywho. Enough drama for me.

This afternoon we went to the pool with Erin, Fiona and Chloe. I put the boys in their PJs after the pool and they went straight to bed when we got home. Wiped out.

Our flight to BWI had to be the loudest flight I've ever been on--filled with numerous extremely unhappy children. And, thankfully, none of those miserable, obnoxious children were my own! I can't believe how well that flight went. Southwest gave Doug a gate pass--meaning he was able to escort me all the way through security and to the gate which was a huge help. We got to preboard (since Southwest doesn't pre-assign seats we went ahead and did it. Usually we are the last ones to board so the boys aren't confined that much longer). The mistake I did make was that when we boarded, I was so frazzled grappling with two children, 3 carry-ons and one large carseat, that I failed to notice that the row of seats I chose didn't really have a window (Dur!). Bode whined about it a couple times during the flight, but for the most part he dealt well with it. I had my bag-o-tricks, filled with gift-wrapped toys, food and the bless-ed DVD player. We did a puzzle, opened some Playmobil knights, watched Little Einsteins, read some books. Keegen fell asleep for the last 45 minutes or so of the flight, which was perfect. I can't believe the chaos he slept through directly behind and beside us. Amazing. When the pilot announced our descent into Baltimore, I was pleasantly surprised. For once, not wearing a watch on a flight had not bothered me!

It took them about 20 minutes to find our stroller and when we finally got to baggage claim, the flight's bags still weren't out. In the end, we found a sky cap who loaded everything and got us to the bus that took us to the rental car. This was the hardest part. I now had 2 children, 3 carry-ons, one stroller, one carseat, 2 large duffel bags and one small one (with Bode's scooter inside!). I unloaded everything and everyone and was on my own. Bode, bless his heart, ended up being an enormous help by pushing Keegen in the stroller into the rental building (that child has always loved to push my buttons and anything with wheels). So I put him in charge of that as I dragged everything else in stages. We finally got things squared away with the car and the carseats, and two hours after landing, we were on our way. I couldn't believe when I saw the time that it had taken that long.

We headed out and got into the flow of I-95. Do you know that we just don't have 4-lane freeways in Colorado? The trees were huge and lush and looming. The humidity absolutely sticky. And it felt good to be back.

We got to Emma's around 4:30 where the boys ran wild with each other. Louis and Bode seemed to just pick up where they left off. Bode was in heaven at their Thomas the Tank Engine dedicated home! Theo and Keegen got reacquainted, too. Emma made a perfect and comforting meal of homemade macaroni and cheese, bacon, fresh sweet corn on the cob and salad. I enjoyed every bite, and every bite my much-too-distracted children failed to eat.

After dinner we drove the hour to my folks'. We drove through a couple of good rainstorms that slowed us down, but for the most part we sailed through. It took us awhile to get settled in and down, but the boys were finally to bed by 9. So good to see my parents and my brother, Drew, is home after graduating from BYU. He's on his way to start a new job and new chapter in his life in Dallas with a consulting firm there. So, the gang's all here and it's wonderful to catch up in the evenings when my two crazies are in bed!

I forgot to bring my camera cord to download photos so I'll be adding those later.

I'm On My Wa-a-a-y, Home Sweet Home

Now, for the past many years, "home sweet home" has been home with Doug and more recently with Doug and our boys. I don't think of my parents' house as "home" since really, home is where my immediate family is. But lately, I really really miss the DC area. For all the reasons we wanted to move--the hustle-bustle of it all. It certainly is, as my dad says, the "center of the universe." We wanted to move because it was too expensive, too fast-paced, too rude, too crowded; etc., etc.

I miss the shopping. I miss the museums. I miss the trees. I miss my friends and family. I miss diversity.

We got the kids to bed early tonight (Keegen at 5:30! and Bode at 6:30) since bright and early tomorrow we will be on our way. Doug will meet us in a week. I don't care for flying alone with the kids. Don't care for flying in general. My anxiety meter is rising. And I'm overthinking what I've packed, what I've missed and what could go wrong. So I'm trying to think of all the wonderful things that can go right (My children will be well-behaved, quiet, entertained. We will enjoy many snacks and time together. Keegen will love sitting in his carseat for 3 1/2 straight hours. They will refrain from pooping in-flight. We will create memories to last a lifetime...).

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Memory Lane

While I should really be using my time more wisely and getting ready to go out of town, I think I'll sit and blog for a minute. Why start a new habit now?

I got my haircut tonight and on my way there I noticed a sign for "Carver Park." I thought that it must be close to the elementary school that I went to growing up so on my way home, I checked it out.

So interesting how memories come flooding back. Granted, as I've mentioned before, I have a tendency to remember a lot of things--too bad it's not more useful info that I can retain so well! Doug says I should go on Jeopardy, but I think i'd only excel in the high school level competition...

I found the school just behind the park and was amazed at how close it was to what I remember. Sometimes I wonder if I remember things in an altered sense because I was no more than 10 when we lived here (i.e. are things really smaller and I remember them being so vast?; etc.). The actual school building was smaller than my memory, but the playground and fields were as big if not bigger than I remembered. I decided to park my car and do a quick walk around the building and seeing things just brought back so many specific experiences. I remembered playing jacks with a pal on a certain spot. I remembered how competitive I was during the end-of-the-year field day races. The tetherball poles. Jumping rope on the opposite side of the playground ("Miss Susie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell,..."). The tornado sirens going off. Watching the Blue Angels and one of the space shuttles go overhead. Our class picture on the blacktop with Pikes Peak behind us. My teachers' names (2nd: Mrs. Frech, 3rd: Mrs. Breen, 4th: Mrs. Attebury). Whacking a kid with my metal "Disco Fever" lunchbox for "cutting" when I was supposed to be line leader. There was a lot of new/modern playground equipment, but I was surprised at how much of the old stuff (swing sets, a wobbly beam and a metal slide--Youch!) remained.

I actually remember a lot of these kids' names! Why??!! Can you find me?

Anyway, it's been fun and interesting living here again and seeing things from my past. As I walked around the playground it was hard for me to believe that it's been a lifetime ago that I was a student at G.W. Carver Elementary School! I was a 2nd grader there 25 years ago. Wow.

Issue

WHY can't swimsuit-makers make a one-piece suit that is long enough for me in the torso? I am not THAT long in the torso, so why is this an issue. I haven't worn a one-piece in i-don't-know-how-long because of this problem. I just got a super cute suit from the Patagonia sale and it's awful--so short in the torso that my wee boobs nearly hang out from the top from the suit being stretched so much. Bikinis are no longer an option after Baby #2 (thank you very much). So I guess I will have to stick with tankinis for now. Thank goodness for those. Maybe just shorts and a t-shirt? I mean, really, who am I trying to impress?

Diamonds

Today Doug and I celebrate TEN, count them, TEN years of wedded bliss. As Bode has started to say, "HOLY COW!" In many ways, I can't believe how quickly time has passed. But it also feels like we've been together a lifetime already (in a positive way!).

Here is a little rundown of some of our "firsts"...

First Meeting: We actually met for the very first time at a BYU football game in September or October 1996. Evidently, neither one of us was very impressed and Doug doesn't even remember it (I have a mind that retains very trivial info, so i remember). So the first time we met that meant something was mid-December 1996 ice skating at Seven Peaks in Provo. My friend, Sarah, lived with Doug's sister, Alyson, and they decided to get a group of people together to go ice skating. Doug and I were some of those people. I remember thinking he was good-looking, liked his build and noticed his good energy. We made a date that night.

First Date: One of those lame BYU group dates (I was not a fan of the group date idea). A bunch of people getting together to make pies. Doug and I decided to leave and do our own thing after a bit. We met just before Christmas break, so i was excited when Doug called me the Thursday after school was back in session and asked me to go to the BYU/Utah basketball game.

First Kiss: Honestly, I don't really remember our first kiss all that clearly. But I do remember the first time I knew he wanted to kiss me. We were in SLC (snow) tubing, taking a break, sitting together on the hill. His roommate, Joel, came running by, stopped long enough to whisper something to Doug about, "if you don't kiss her now..." which I guess I wasn't supposed to hear. But my supersonic hearing was underestimated. As Joel moved on, I looked at Doug and commented, "Oh, you don't want to do that." To which his response was something to the effect of, oh, but I do...I told him i didn't want to move too fast, as I believed this had ruined a couple previous relationships (thank goodness!). I think it was, oh, the next night?, that we were watching Batman at my townhouse and we had our first kiss. How's that for slowing things down?

First Song: "Our song" is and will always be Alison Krauss' "When You Say Nothing At All." Since then, we've made it a point to see her in concert whenever she's in town, and she always seemed to be in the DC area right around our anniversary, which was perfect!

First Fight: You know, we really have never truly had a fight. I give credit to Doug for this for simply apologizing when it's not his fault and totally putting up with my attitude. But if I can think of one, when we were dating, I do remember our first Valentine's Day...We had plans to go to the BYU volleyball match and he was late. And I was NOT playing games. I'd played games and had games played on me in previous relationships and I was done with that whole scene. So being late was a problem for me. I remember my roommate, Alisha, saying something like, "give him a break..." but I was ticked. Then I walk into my room to find that he's made sure she (Alisha) put flowers and a bear from him in there. Something about getting this gift had made him late. So, I thought long and hard and decided to forgive him, just this once ;) Our first fight while we were married had to do with a credit card bill. We had just gotten married and we were both graduating in December. We had zero money and I had figured out where what little we had was going to go--rent, tuition, books, food; etc. Then I got the mail one day and found a credit card bill for $500. I was livid. Doug had "forgotten" about it and now I was trying to figure out how we were going to pay it. To give him much credit, Doug paid his way through college (and his mission) and it was not unusual for him to have to decide between groceries and rent. So to only be $500 in the hole was pretty phenomenal. And it all worked out.

First Gifts: I guess my first gift from Doug was the bear and flowers. And mine to him was a deflated volleyball with a cheesy card that said something about "like this volleyball our love will grow." We still have that volleyball.

First Big Trip: Our honeymoon to the Columbia Gorge and the coast of Oregon. We splurged and went to Aruba in December of 2002. Otherwise, most of our trips have been to see Doug's family in Oregon or quick camping trips, our annual Outer Banks trip and one great trip to NYC.

First Apartment: We lived in a 500 sq ft furnished apartment at Union Square just off campus. Small but perfect. We were there just one semester and then moved to Virginia.

First Major Purchases Together: With our wedding money we bought a TV and a VCR. The TV just blew up after our move to Colorado and the VCR is in the closet but still functional. After graduation, our major purchase was a dark blue Saturn SL2. We sold it just last year to buy our minivan.

First House: We bought our first house at 9351 Wheatsheaf Way in Columbia, Maryland in June of 2002. We found it on a quick trip up there on my birthday weekend after Doug found out he had the job (his first job after getting his MBA). It needed a lot of work and we put so much into it and made it ours. I actually miss it sometimes.

It's been a fantastic ride, these past ten years. Getting married just as we were getting out of college, I feel like we kind of grew up with each other. Grew into our adulthood, that is. First apartments, jobs, and real life responsibilities. It's hard to believe sometimes that we have two small children and the life we do. I'm so blessed to have Doug to share my life--so solid, hard-working, caring.

So, here's to many, many more decades together!

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Just wanted to recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. Admittedly, I am not an avid reader. I expect a lot from a book--to grab me and keep my attention. While it dragged a little towards the end (granted I was reading while the boys were running wild so I was a bit distracted), I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story centers around a father's decision and secret and the after-affects on his family. While his decision angered me and led to my need-to-turn-the-page, I also understood his reasons and where he was coming from. Kind of how I am with a lot of things. I tend to see both sides in a lot of issues. In some ways I think that makes me a sort of "fence-sitter." In the sense that I don't very often see things in black and white, but in many different shades and nuances of gray.

Anyway, pick up the book when you get a chance. I hope you enjoy!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My!

I want to share this cute post from my friend Kristen's blog. We met through Bode's preschool last year--he was in the same class as her daughter, Kate. Kate has a little brother, Jack, who has a mild obsession with Bode;) And Bode felt the same about Jack, always talking about and asking about him and very excited to spend time with both. They have a fun connection, those three (well, four--I should include Keegen since he's very much a part of the pack)...We won't see each other on such a regular basis this school year since we're not at the same school anymore, but I think we'll find lots of good excuses to get together!

Break on Through to the Other Side

I cannot believe what I did tonight. We had a not so stellar day today. I'm tired. Bode is trying my patience to say the least. And I've finally started doing the whole Love and Logic method with him. Because I am out of ideas. Completely and totally lost. Somewhat out of control. In dire need of help and guidance.

A brief history: About a year and a half ago we were visiting Doug's family in Oregon. I was about 5 months pregnant with Keegen and Bode was just shy of 2. So, yeah, there were times then that he acted out and what-not. Anyway, my brother-in-law (Doug's sister's husband), a nice enough guy but not one I would consider in any stretch of the imagination a parenting role model, offered some unsolicited advice. That being Love and Logic. Since it came from him and pretty much ticked me off in the offering, I never really looked into it. And now here I am. And I think it might be what we need. I need help in not being so frustrated and angry with him. And he needs to relearn some boundaries. OK. So.

You may not agree with these methods, but please don't judge me. One thing in the book involves using the kid's room for a sort of time-out area. When a behavior needs to be addressed you give some empathy ("Oh so sad") and then "Looks like you need some room time." Take the child to his room say something like, "Take some time to cool off and when you feel better you can come out. Do you want your door open or closed?" If the child doesn't respond you then decide on that one and then when the child cools down for a minute or two go back in, hug and love and never lecture, and get back to playing or whatever. Bode does not stay in his room or in any sort of time out. He gets angrier and I get angrier and it's a whole ugly deal. So the book actually says, if you need to put a lock on the door then do it. And it's going to take a time or two of him being really upset in his room but I do think it will work. Because as of now I think we're in a downward spiral. I'd rather he be locked in his room than have me do something I'll regret.

OK. So. The lock. We had such a bad day today that I went to Target and bought a new door knob with a lock and installed it. We had some issues at bedtime (usually bedtime is pretty smooth but he's starting to act out a wee bit there now too) and I told him about the lock. I locked his main door and walked out. He went through his other door (he has a jack and jill bathroom so he's got two doors in his room) which I usually keep locked anyway because he used to disturb Keegen in the adjoining room (K has since been moved to a different room since they always seemed to be trading off disturbing each other) but this time it happened to be unlocked. So I went back in his room, had a little chat with the little man and out of habit, LOCKED THE BATHROOM DOOR. I then went to leave through his main door and realized IT WAS STILL LOCKED. Holy crap.

I got a little panicky. Felt a little sick. Took a deep breath. I opened his window and removed the screen, but no one was outside to ask for help. As I thought about it, even if someone was outside they wouldn't be able to help us as all of my exterior doors were locked. They could put a ladder to us but no one has a key to our house (Angela left her copy on my kitchen counter after taking care of the boys). No tools in Bode's room. No MacGyver tricks up my sleeve.

What should I do?

I kicked the bathroom door down.

No doubt this will be one of Bode's earliest childhood memories.

After I broke the door down I looked around his room some more. Maybe if I weren't so tired I could have come up with a better option? No wire hangers in his room. I wondered if i could have taken apart one of his toys that had a metal pin in it. Could that have unlocked the door from the inside? Ugh. I don't want to think about it. Something to add to the honey-do list...

Nasty Boys

BUSY day. I don't know how single moms do it--getting kids up and to daycare and scurrying home to get them fed and to bed. Exhausting. Doug's still in San Diego until Friday and I still have to work and don't have the luxury of his assistance. Luckily, a co-worker switched shifts with me (taking my 11-7:30P and I took her 8:30-5P). That way I could still get the boys home and to bed by 7 (well, truth be told, they are in bed NOW, so, 6:30 is more accurate!).

Bode went to Angela's who then took him to school. She said he did his crying/carrying on routine until a teacher came out and told her to leave. She was a bit mortified as she is much more sensitive than, oh, say, Bode's mom, when it comes to leaving children in such a state. But she left and when she picked him up he was happy and said he had a fun day (but that "I missed you, Sister Park! Where did you go?") and actually gave his teacher a HIGH-5 when he left! Unheard of! Keegen spent the day at another sitter's (Angela's parents are in town and she wanted a break). I think he was a little sad and out of sorts by the time I picked him up but he survived.

I got the boys home and fed. Got them in the tub. They have such a great time in the tub that it's a nice, easy time for all of us. Towards the end of bathtime Keegen did a plop.plop.plop.plop. I shrieked, "Keegen pooped! GET OUT OF THE TUB!" I've never seen Bode evacuate the tub so fast! I scooped out the poop as quickly as I could. I then sent Bode to pee in the potty before PJs were put on. In the meantime, Keegen is still walking around without a diaper on. And I see him squat down and push out another little nugget. "Ooooooh, Keegen pooped on the FLOOR!" from the 3-year old who is still not above this himself...So, cleaned that one up as Bode squats down and PEES on the floor. I mean, come on! So I took him back to the potty to finish his peeing needs there and made him wipe up the pee off the floor. In the meantime, yes, Keegen is still walking around diaperless. I know. I am an idiot. He's also holding a bath-crayon in his hand that is of course going into his mouth. As I went to take the crayon out of his mouth I realized, to my horror, that it was NOT the crayon he was eating, but his own POOP! ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? I mean, what do I do now? Call Poison Control? That can't be healthy, right?!

We are now all decontaminated. His mouth was washed out. His hands were alcoholed. The tub has been scrubbed. The boys are in bed. And I am going to peruse my dear friends' blogs, read a little of my book and GO TO BED myself. Big sigh of relief.

But Keep the Old

Today was Day 2 at Woodmen Hills Preschool. This time I made sure I had a stroller to keep Keegen restrained and I had to lure Bode into the building with a TJ's cereal bar. We got in and he did the same song and dance (ur, cry and whine) about NOT going to school and this and that. So I parked Keegen in the classroom and picked Bode up and carried him in AGAIN. We were about 15 minutes late since the boys slept in after their wild times at Angela's (sleeping in for us is about 7:30). So class was already in full swing and heading for circle time. He wouldn't join in and we sat in the back of the class. I was happy with the way the teachers dealt with us, still introducing him and me even though we weren't in the circle and simply stating the "Bode's not ready yet." I stuck around until there was a natural break and saw that the teachers were motioning for me to leave. I gave him a kiss, told him to have fun and that I'd pick him up when it was time and left. Miss Elaine was talking to him as I left (and as he cried) but I could tell he wasn't that upset. Certainly not as upset as last week.

Keegen and I had a lovely time shopping at Safeway and then I attempted to get the house back into some order but it's really impossible with K. He's so completely into everything. "Busy" I think would be a PC term for it.

Pickup at preschool went great. Bode was more smiley when he saw me (still tried to hide his smile but more of it spilled out). Both teachers cooed about what a great day he had. Told me he still hung out in the back of the class but was paying close attention to everything they were doing (typical!) and that he eventually joined in. He was excited to tell me that he got to play with Zeke on the playground, so that was cool. I didn't get much more out of him than that, but he seemed happy. Hopefully it will continue to get easier. We will miss two weeks of school soon for our vacation, but I hope he can get back into a groove fast after that.

This afternoon, Sarah, my friend from BYU's college of nursing, stopped by for a visit with her 3 kids. She's been in town (in Boulder) for a family wedding and was able to swing by. It was great to see her. She's just so easy to be around. Nice to chat, the kids seemed to have a good time. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll move back to Colorado sometime in the not-to-distant future!

A Taste of San Diego

Doug has had his nose to the grindstone for I-don't-know-how-long planning/organizing an "all-hands" (team-building/business ed conference) for work. Many long hours. Lots and lots going on. They decided to do it in San Diego, so, lucky me, I got to go to San Diego with him for 36 hours. I just got home. And it was great. Why only 36 hours? Well, I've never left the kids overnight before and it seemed like all I could do and ask of a friend who watched them (I'm sure she would have been willing to take them for a longer amount of time, so it was just me). Anyway. The trip. What a breath of fresh air it was.

We dropped the boys off at Angela's Saturday around 8AM and caught our flight out of the Springs airport. Nice and convenient. It was a direct flight, just 2 hours. The flight was great even though Doug and I didn't get to sit by each other. We both had single seats and he was directly behind me (it was two seats on one side, one seat on the other). I popped in my earplugs, perused my People and Entertainment Weekly magazines, sipped a Coke and enjoyed a mini-sandwich that was provided (shocking! I know).

We landed in San Diego and walked out into the lovely ocean breeze. I said something to Doug about the ocean feeling like home. He responded that the ocean feels like vacation to him. Maybe I need a house on the ocean?? Aaaah. Wouldn't that be the life.

We checked into our ridiculous bilevel suite that Doug got for the week (I guess the company got a couple of these suites as part of the deal for booking the conference with them and his boss told Doug to take one) and were greeted by a tray of chocolate dipped strawberries and a bottle of sparkling cider (we're celebrating our 10th anniversary next weekend and the woman who helped Doug coordinate things at the hotel caught wind of that). There was a living and dining area downstairs and a large bedroom and huge bathroom with a ginormous jetted tub upstairs. I realized some people live in that sort of luxury all the time. Can they possibly appreciate it as much as we did?

We grabbed some divine pad thai at a restaurant across the street from the hotel and headed over to Coronado Island, just 10 minutes over the bay. Cute little island. Some fun shops. Beautiful water, lots of weddings going on. We had dinner at a little pizza joint out on the patio and followed that up with some ice cream that nearly rivaled Maggie Moo's (almost).

Back at the hotel we chilled, read our books and fell asleep, no kidding, by 9PM. Bliss.

We awoke to heinous rap music on the clock radio alarm at 6AM, left by the previous tenant I assume. But I managed to fall back asleep until 8:30 while Doug did some work downstairs. How long has it been since I slept til 8:30? I can't even remember.

We got some breakfast and just sort of puttered around. I'd have to be at the airport by 1:30, so there wasn't a lot of time to really do something. So, what to do? We headed to Trader Joe's! I stocked up on some chicken nuggets for the boys (their insulated bags are awesome) and some much needed cereal bars and candies. Doug commented to me while we were shopping, "This place just makes you happy, doesn't it?" as I pushed my cart through the store with a dreamy, satisified smile. Indeed.

We grabbed some lunch and then off we went to the airport. My flight home was smooth, lovely to have time to myself to read a good book! I got home to the boys in time to put them to bed. They were cute and happy to see me. Happy. They were so well-cared for by Angela. She is such a gem. Bode told me a few times that he missed us while we were gone. We read a few stories, sang a few songs and they both passed out immediately. I'm sure they've been going hard the past two days.

I felt like I was gone longer than a few hours. I'm surprisingly refreshed by this quick trip and hope to use it as the positive momentum I need.

Preschool Questionnaire

I was given this questionnaire to fill out from Bode's preschool. I was looking at it at work and said to a coworker, "OK. I guess I really don't know my child very well" as I read her the questions. But I think I've managed to give a quick glimpse of him.

What are your child's strengths? very verbal, likes to be helpful, physically adept

What are your child's needs? time to get comfortable, patience, gentle nudges to try

What are your child's special interests? books, "building trucks" (i.e. diggers, dumpers; etc.)

What are some of your child's favorite things to do? trucks, trains, dig in dirt/sandbox, OUTSIDE play!

What are some things your child does not like? not particularly into crafts (as hard as I try!)

What are your child's favorite books? Mr. Seahorse, My Truck is Stuck, Frog & Toad series, Mouse Tales series

What type of special activities do you like to do with your child? playdough, storytime, swim, zoo, ice cream dates

What motivates your child? making something a challenge--"race" or "game" seems to help but for the most part he'll do something when he's good and ready!

What rewards work best for your child? hmmmmm...certainly loves sweets! An "atta-boy." For the most part he doesn't really respond to do something for the sake of a reward

What do you hope your child will gain from this school year? increased social skills; I'd like to see him come out of his shell; participate more willingly in group activities; have fun

School Daze

Today was Bode's first day of preschool. Yup. August 8th and school is underway. It was actually supposed to start on the 6th but MOLD was discovered at multiple schools in the area (mold in CO??). So that had to be remediated and tested and all that caused a delay. So anyway, we live in a school district that is considered year-round. The kids will get a 2-week fall break in October, which i think is pretty cool. 2-weeks at Christmas, 2-week Spring Break and then done Memorial Day. It's a bit strange to me since I'm used to school starting after Labor Day, but I think it has its perks.

Anywho, Bode was pretty excited about going to school. Well, at least somewhat enthusiastic. He was happy about his Thomas backpack and the fact that I packed a snack in there just in case. He was cool about it all, until, we walked in the door of the school. Then, there was no way he was going into class. Lots of "I don't want to go to school"s and much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Luckily I was able to pawn Keegen off on my friend, Angela, who had just dropped Zeke off at the preschool class next door. I picked Bode up and carried him into the classroom, plopped down with him at a table and tried to engage him in different things that were on the tables. We found his nametag and his peg on the wall for his backpack. There were probably 12 kids there and 4 teachers (one teacher and 3 aides?). So I eventually told him I had to go, reminded him that when he went to school last year that I left and came back to get him when it was time. He cried and told me not to go, hugged my leg and all that. Miss Debbie came to him and took him as I left. I thought she was a bit gruff--i would have preferred the warmer-fuzzier teacher who was nearby, but what to do.

I headed home with Keegen who was surprisingly desperate for a morning nap (he really only takes a PM one these days). I was more than happy to oblige as it gave me about 2 hours to myself and I finally got the last of my flowers in the ground out back and cleaned up the kitchen(again...). Nice.

I went to pick him up and spied him through the window sitting in circle time. He wasn't doing the knee-pat motions they were doing, but just the fact that he was sitting in the circle was huge. They were going around asking each kid something they did during the summer. And then I heard his name called and he actually ANSWERED. What he said I couldn't hear (for all I know he told them to bug-off), but just the fact that he responded as opposed to silence is a big deal. Per his teachers he cried for awhile but eventually stopped and participated and did especially well after time on the playground (no shock there).

In his oh so cool way he was happy to see me. He told me what he had for snack and that he had cried for awhile and that he got to play outside in the sandbox. He had his backpack on and was ready to roll. We went and waited outside Zeke's door since we were going to KFC for a little lunch celebration. After lunch we headed to the park to burn off some energy. The kids had a blast.

All in all it was a good first day. I think we'll have more difficult drop-offs for awhile, but I think he's come a long way. My friend Kristen reminded me that he did well last year and thinks he'll get in a groove faster having that brief school experience tucked away. And I hope she's right!

The Big 3-4

Doug celebrated a fairly low-key birthday today. Since I had to work until 7:30 PM we feted him this morning with blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup (thank you Trader Joe) and Cool Whip. We followed that up with a couple cards and gifties (the boys got him a Rubik's Cube! HA!). And then we pigged out on dark chocolate birthday cake. It's just the recipe from the back of the Hershey's cocoa but I make the frosting extra-dark. Ummmm hmmmm. We were a bit sugar-zinged, but it was well worth it! Happy Birthday, Babaloo!

Muddy Buddy

This kid can't get enough of WATER and MUD. He was instantly attracted to this small section of the yard that isn't draining well after the torrential downpour we got last night. What fun he had!

Afterwards, he was stripped of his shirt and diaper on the patio (so white-trash of me, i know...). And into the sink he went for what the Bells affectionately refer to as a "bottom-wash." I think he would have been happy to stay in there all day, too.

The wind is howling again and the rains are slamming into our windows. So there should be more fun in the making tomorrow morning!

Let's Get this Party Started

Doug celebrates a birthday on Tuesday. That being the case we started celebrating tonight with a night out just the two of us. We headed to Outback Steakhouse to spend our $45 gift card, received after our last visit there when the trainee-waitress spilled two Cokes on Doug and my dad. We have enough leftovers for at least two more meals and we enjoyed a leisurely meal just the two of us, so that was money well spent...

After dinner we went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Except once we got there all the shows (showing on 3 screens) were sold out, which was just as well because I can't stand an overcrowded movie and there was already a long line of people waiting to be seated for the show over an hour away. We opted to see Harry Potter at the IMAX. It ended up being a fullhouse in there too, but it was surprisingly comfortable. Also, we were happily surprised, as we were handed funny glasses, that it was an IMAX 3D. What fun! The last 3D movie I saw was Jaws 3D (gosh! Does that date me??). What a FUN experience it was! Great movie, great effects.

We walked out to a beautiful, cool, post-rainy night. Grabbed some essentials from the Wild Oats next door and headed home to a quiet house and the sitter sleeping on the couch. Perfect.