November 2013 Recap

Rewind to November:

 Early morning snuggles from Liam. Those lashes kill me. I love how he needs his snuggles.

 The lights went out while we were eating dinner. We rather enjoyed our meal in the dark.

 Nov. 23rd.-Aiden, Liam and I competed in a TKD tournament. Here are the Tiny Tigers at the end.

Barett playing at Big River Beach in Mendo. He's 1.5 years here.

 Aiden and Liam enjoying the gorgeous weather at Big River Beach

 Aiden playing in the sand. He's a happy boy.

 Aiden and Liam climbing the logs at Big River Beach, Mendocino, Ca.

 Enjoying the view

 Exploring the "caves"

Barett walking towards the ocean from the "cave".

Memorial Day Shenanigans

After Liam had a quick game on Sat. and we packed and cleaned a bit we headed to my mom's property in Mendocino County. Up in to the mountains we went, heading further away from the city, cars and people. As we got further away we breathed deeper and got a little less stiff. On the backroads and almost to our destination I snapped this picture.

Ahhhh, smell that fresh mountain air...

So after we got to the house I spent a few of my younger years in, and the properties my mom has owned since before I was born, we said hello and hugged and got to relaxing. Unpacked, made our beds for the evening, and brainstormed dinner. We decided on cooked corn, hotdogs, and sprout salad. The hot dogs were to be made in the fire, so we got it going.

Fire and boys equals fun! Oh and a cardboard tube equals fun too! They were entertained until dinner playing with the fire, making fire tornadoes (spinning around with a stick on fire at the end) and playing with balls of various types (not the ones attached to their bodies though, silly).

Dinner was finally served and after hot dogs were roasted, the corn was done. Now, my kids usually eat corn on the cob the  "pampered" way. That is, cut off the cob. Aiden used to have wiggly teeth that hurt if he tried to eat it and Liam just didn't like eating it on the cob, period. But I'm also trying to get the boys out of their comfort zones and trying new things. So, I told them that first off, they had to eat their corn, and when you are out in the country you don't get it cut off the cob. So no one complained, and they tried it and they liked it. Yay, a success!! Look at how much they enjoyed it!

After dinner was over we waited for the stars because they are incredible up here away from the city lights. Unfortunately the stars come out late, and after a long day, we only were able to spy a few. We even brought some binoculars and viewed the moon up close, as well as a few other twinkling stars that were probably planets. They were all gorgeous and the boys went to bed with stars in their head.

The next morning we woke up and made homemade biscuits. When I say we made them I mean my mom. She doesn't measure anything but the flour, which tells you how many times she's made them. We cooked up some bacon in the skillet and had plenty of jelly and honey on hand. Magazines, biscuits and bacon, YUM!!!

We continued the day with playing badmitton (sp?), football, and once it got hot enough, the pond. My mom had this pond dug out near a natural spring a few years ago and no one has swam in it yet. So we decided we would try it out and see how the water was.

This is my view, with my sun hat on, from the pond- pretty sweet, huh?! I pulled a bunch of the grass growing in the pond, and that was as deep as I got because it was pretty cold and although it looks hot in the pictures, it wasn't really dive in and splash around weather. The boys were okay with being on a floaty, but

Besides that we hung out and enjoyed each others company.

We went back to home base and prepared another fire for dinner food. Hamburgers, corn and salad again and we were set. Oh, and pie  and ice cream for dessert. So good!

The next day, our last day, we planted some tomato plants, kale, chard and prepared the beds with manure and a lot of rotortilling that killed my hands and back. It was satisfying to see those plants go in, and come Summer we will be enjoying their bounty (via my mom delivering some to us). We also found these big caterpillar "webs" on a fruit tree inside my mom's garden. The boys thought they were pretty cool since they've never seen anything like it before. I told them that I've seen entire bushes filled with them before. Caterpillars are pretty amazing.

With Summer around the corner, I only hope that it includes much much more of days like these.

Hello, Again

So, almost 6 months ago I posted. That long, huh? Life must have got in the way a bit. In all honesty, I'm just trying to keep up, and my love for writing ebbs and wanes as the moon does. I want to use this space to record our years, because really, being a parent makes the days fade into weeks and years and then your kids are graduating and you have no idea what happened. That's me at least.

School is coming to a close and that means weeks of fun with the kiddos. Visits to grandma's house, camping, late nights outside, jumping on the trampoline, sprinklers. My Summers were heaven as a child. Swimming in the Eel River was it. Lazy lounging on the rocks, tanning by body (such a no no for me since my parents let me burn to a crisp), catching salamanders in the muddy shallows, watching the occasional river otter. Seriously heaven...So now it is up to me to help create that for my kids. No video games, just nature, and walks and fun. Adventure, adventure, here we come.

{ Liam, 5 years}

This guy turned 5! I can't believe it. He will always be my baby, but this Fall he will be in Kindergarten. He is so excited, and such a social butterfly, that I know it won't be nearly as hard as Aiden was. My sweet, shy Aiden hung on to me for dear life. There's something about being the first; you have to experience everything from an unknown place. Everything is new. But when you are second (or third, or fourth) there are always kids around, you know school (even though you many not go yourself), you know letting go, and sharing, and situations, because your sibling have done them, and in turn, you also experienced them by default. Liam is a fast friend and loves to talk and share/make up stories, so he is ready for the whole experience that kindergarten has to offer.

But man, has it been trying lately. I ask the boys (other one almost 8 yrs.) to stop and they just continue on. I ask them why and they say because they want to. There is little to no regard for others, and it is so hard to teach respect. Life revolves around them, not only in their minds, but literally. My day is scheduled around theirs as a SAHM. I feel that some kids are better adjusted when both their parents work, but then again, some are not. It all depends on that child. Sometimes I feel mistreated as the person that is constantly there. Because I am there non stop I am no longer a gift, or a necessity, but the person that makes their food, does their laundry and can be stepped on when  needed (slave laborer comes to mind). Oh, how to teach respect. Sometimes I want to blow my top so that they will stop and listen (and I have before, believe me), but all that ends up doing is making one cry and the other one follows suit or completely shuts down or screams himself. I love them both, they are amazing, smart, funny boys- but boy do they (and I) have a lot to learn about how to communicate and respect each other.

{Aiden at Tae Kwon Do in his new decided camo belt}

TaeKwonDo (TKD) is meant to help with that respect and responsibility, but it is a process, and we are still learning.

{Liam, March 5, 2012, After catheterization}

This boy might need open heart surgery again. We have yet to find out what the plan is. In March he went to UCSF and had a catheterization. They measured pressure and concluded that the closing in one area is sever enough to need it again "sooner rather than later". This guy was in this hospital for a past open heart surgery just 2 and a half years ago, does he really need to endure it again so soon. I am very angry and sad that he has to be put through so much in his short life. But he is a trooper, and strong and bright. His spirit shines through, although there are so many others places he would rather be. His "special heart" makes me love him all the more, but it sure is a source of many hardships too.

{Ready to take on anything}

Let us conclude with a ready stance, because truly, this kid is ready for anything life decides to dish out.

Today Tuesday: Jan. 31st, 2012

 

Bingo with little L and then Legos with both my boys. Can't ask for much better of a day. Life is good.

Soccer and Dad as coach

Soccer is almost over and I've finally got pictures. Lu had his first game as coach this weekend. He did great. He could of been a little louder, but Lu could always be a little louder. They lost this game (but no one really keeps score as this age- except for the parents I suppose). I mean, the kids keep score too- they knew they lost. They've done great this season of soccer (this was the first game they lost).

Aiden got a side ache this game, and had a bit of a hard time running much in the second half, so he was goalie for at least a quarter of the game.

It's been fun getting back into soccer. We left it for a while, but we have returned, and it feels good.

Getting Comfortable with Math and Money {Kid Post}

I believe in preparing my child as fully as I can for Kindergarten. Next year Liam will be at school full time (compared with his 2.5 hours at preschool right now). I don't want his time there to feel daunting. So as much as I can I work fun learning into our everyday life. I picked up this sticker book at the Dollar Tree the other day in the section with all the academic posters, paper, and other supplies.

 I knew there was a way I could do something fun with it. Today I decided I would cut each of the larger sheets into individual pieces so I could put together some addition problems.

{This is how each page comes: 2 large stickers including many denominations of money}

 So I cut them all into small pieces, leaving the words that are below each picture for help with what each coin or dollar value is. If he couldn't tell that it was a nickel or dime he could get a clue from the word or the number indicating that it was 5 or 10 cents. I then took the backing off and starting with the lowest denominations, started making problems. 1+1=, 5+1+1=, 5+5+5+=, 10+10+10+10=, and so on. up to five dollar bills. I will make another page with higher amounts, but this is what fit on page of printer paper.

{final Money math paper}

Liam is 4.5 and he could do this with a bit of help. It would be great for pre-K readiness and also Kindergarteners that need a little extra practice. This took me about 5-10 minutes to make, so it won't take any big time consumption on your part, and it's practically free, which can't be said for some of the educational tools out there. Happy Counting!

Title, Jack, and Big Boy Scars

Last night daddy asked the boys if they wanted to carve a pumpkin and didn't get much of a response. I think they wanted to see the gooey insides, and that was about it. Once they found out there was stringy, mushy stuff with seeds stuck all over it, their fascination with it was over. That's okay, daddy was more into it than they were. He finished the "Scary Jack" and roasted the pumpkin seeds, which turned out a little oily and a little over done, but hey, I still ate them.

{Scary Jack 2011}

 

I don't know if anyone noticed but the blog title changed. I just wasn't happy with plain text, any photos I've taken this year, or a combination of both. So I decided the best thing to do would be to design and draw it myself. It only took about an hour total to sketch, outline in pen, then color. I'm happy with it (for now), but knowing me, change will happen in a few months once I tire of looking at the same thing over and over. If you haven't already scrolled up, take a look below.

{new title, by me}

And lastly, big boy scars. My youngest, Liam, has a big boy scar down the center of his chest. He had his second open heart surgery almost two years ago. It's a big anniversary, that comes with a lot of relief now that we are two years out. I know that it will never be over, but I can relax a little more each day. There is a lot of pain in my own heart that such a young soul has had to endure all that he has. On the official anniversary I will have a complete write up with previous pictures, but for now I wanted to show off his beautiful big boy scar.

{Liam and his big boy scar}

Have a great end to your week, I'll be back in a day or two.