summer

Summer has officially come, as it is now summer break. We kicked it off right with a trip to the Grand Canyon.

It is really big.

Today was the first day of summer day camp, not quite sure why the word camp is used as it is a three hour class the children get to go to a few days a week for a few weeks.

Jimmy's is Masterpieces. This involves messy painting and other artwork all the while studying a letter of the day and doing corresponding yoga moves to emphasis the letter. He digs painting and loves letters. I'm sure he'll get over the yoga.

Miss Grace is now in summer term at Hogwarts. Thankfully Hogwarts has a campus in a town nearby (and thankfully that campus shares rooms where Jimmy's summer camp is - whew). She received a letter in the mail (at least we think it was mail, there was no evidence of an owl delivery). It was addressed in a toned-down version of calligraphy and had a wax seal on the back. The letter of course was on parchment.

As the students enter their classroom they each have to say, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." And when they leave they have to say, "Mischief managed."

They also played Spell Tag today. Have you ever played before? The children yell "Stupify" as they tag one another and those tagged become toads. Someone needs to do a leapfrog over the stupified toad to unstupify the tagged kid.

It is awesome.

I hope your summer is awesome too. Let me know if you get anything delivered by owl.

going home

For weeks Grandma has been in and out of the hospital with some in between time at a nursing home. Her great plan was to make it home by Mother's Day. And she did.

Grandma passed away Friday evening. As patient as Grandpa always is, I'm sure he was grateful she finally came. I love this picture of them (above) taken in 1941 on the streets of Chicago. Arm-in-arm, he listening to every word she said, and she saying a LOT of words.

Three Interesting Things:
1. I loved hearing the stories of the two of them and their social life. They would often hit the strip clubs with their friends, probably when she was about my age. Apparently that's just what one would do with one's spouse and friends on a Saturday night. They loved banging the little hammers on the table and chanting, "Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!" Makes me rethink our current social life and date night. Nate, do you have any little hammers lying around? We might need 'em.

2. She only had one kidney. One time, many years ago in the hospital, a resident came into her room, all very earnest-like and said, "Um, well, excuse me. But did you know you only have one kidney?!" Without blinking an eye her reply was, "Well what did you do with the other one?!" And then she laughed. I think eventually he laughed too.

3. She and her sisters swear that their father's second wife killed him. And then she ran off with his car. Its like a true-life Agatha Christie, right in my family.

I really hope the Cubs make it through this year. She's only been able to cheer them on for a few weeks of the season. The remainder of this season must be done without their most ardent fan cheering them on and sharing "encouraging words" from her comfortable chair in her living room.

Grandma, you'll truly be missed down here. But I can only imagine what you and your sisters are gossiping about and what your latest schemes are. And I'm so happy your Steady is there to be by your side. Just be sure the two of you stay out of trouble!

Love you

off to the races

About a month ago we enjoyed a rain-filled adventure in California. For a few brief moments we were dazzled with sunshine. Luckily one of those moments corresponded with a certain nephew's birthday party.



(I have no idea what these scooters are called, but they are more than awesome and I think I'd like one for myself.)







The difference between the following two are hilarious to me. I think a certain niece of mine picked up incredible speed as she was turning a bend on the path. Fortunately she's rather tenacious and her handy dad and Uncle Nate-ness were nearby to avert any serious injury. The facial expressions and body language of everyone in the last of these two photos is quite telling. Don't you think?!





Ps. One of these isn't a kid. Can you guess which one???

sage advice and the help of a reading list

From a big sister to a little brother:
"There's an old saying that goes 'never judge a movie by its cover,' its the same thing with people."

I suppose one would say we watch a lot of movies around these parts? However, when we're not watching we are reading. Grace was featured in one of my friend's blogs. Check it out!

grumpy bunny

Incidentally, if you are in the market for a new picture book, might I recommend this. We've had it for seven Easters now and I never grow tired of it. Perhaps because I can be a grumpy bunny too!

getting your game on with your peeps

Its Easter-time. You know this by the crazy amount of Peeps one can find at any given store. But imagine if you will, that you've recently opened up your Easter seasonal box, y'know the one you left in STL for an extra year in storage and haven't been into since 2009 or so. Yeah, that one. Well, imagine your surprise and your husband's delight when within that box you find an unopened package of pink Peeps.

What does one do with these?
Let us show you:


You carefully throw the Peep at a child waiting "patiently" with a tennis racket.

In the following picture if you look closely you can see the tail end of a Peep right by the arrow. (I am sure by now you are used to our amazing photography around these parts.)


The child then whacks the Peep. This is done over and over and over again until all the Peeps are smashed to smithereens in the backyard. You then "graciously" pose for a picture with your racket on a rock and try not to get whacked yourself.


And that my friends, is how its done.

sometimes things are useful down the road

Big test today for 3-5th graders in the state. So big that McDonalds has offered a free breakfast to children within that age range. How a greasy egg mcmuffin will help test scores increase, I'm not sure. But I digress.

Apparently They (they being the school administration from the district down through the teachers) have been "reminding" the children how important it is they do well on these tests. Grace has taken this to heart and has become slightly concerned about it. Oh how I wish she did not take after me in the test-taking-anxiety mode! She should channel her father in this regard! He's the coolest test taker I've evern known. We've talked about how she's taken tests like this every year in school. My favorite was last year, because in CA they don't just take standardized tests like everyone else. Oh no, y'see they do STAR testing. Fancy.

She's decided to try and chill about it. But I can tell she still is a bit ruffled. So I did what any fabulous mom would do. I put a note in her lunch that says,
"You're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh-darn-it we love you."

Seems only natural the pep talk I give my child I gleaned straight from SNL.

whew!

This has been one of our more wild weeks on record in a while. I am looking forward to the mundane and normalcy that should begin tomorrow.

All of our activities were good ones, there were just too many of them at the same time.

Some items I'll mention:
1. Nate ref-ed his first bball game. He needs to get a bit more comfortable when he blows his whistle. I think we're going to have to have some whistle practice. He also may consider not apologizing when he makes a call. But who am I to suggest such a thing? I apologize for junk All. The. Time. (Even when I have no business doing so!)

2. I was in a vocal trio at church today singing second soprano. I'm thinking if they knew how many notes I blew, they won't ask me again! Here's to hoping!!!!

3. I put on Jimmy's Super J cape today after we got home after church. I realize now I should have worn it to church as it certainly makes one more "super" and we all could have benefited from that during the "special musical number."

when I get to be 21 again

Say all you want about men not planning in advance. I sure have said much on that subject concerning one man I know, but I now need to take it all back.

He asked me out on a date for September 3. (I said yes by the way and am already planning on what to wear).

What could possibly be so important to promote such advanced planning?
The Def Leppard and Heart concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited. I'm thinking of some of those clip in hair extensions in dark purple are in order!!!

Now to line up a babysitter. Think I'll wait a little bit on that one.

on the mend

Last week was not what I intended it to be. We were sick (we being the children and I, Super Man seems to rarely ever get sick and he already took his turn for the next 10 years or so). Grace even stayed home one day. We lounged a bit in our pjs, coughed on each other, and relished in the idea we had no where to go. The next day everyone felt better. Well, everyone but me. I pretended I felt better, because I had better things to do than sit around being sick. Who has time for that? I played that way all week until I couldn't play anymore. Saturday it hit me. Super Man agreed with my self-diagnosis of bronchitis (it helps that I had that last year the the symptoms including the old-man wheezing where the same). With the help of some appropriate meds and some serious veggeing, I started the mending process. I played hookie from church (and napped during the time my family was gone - oh how I love a good nap in a quiet house). And today, well I'm better. I can move about caring one load of laundry after another without being short of breath. I'm not achy and I'm not too cranky (though the children might disagree, but we're all entitled to our own opinion, right?) So here's to a new week - may it be one without wheezes and crankies and one full of sunshine and fun.

we're back

We survived a Spring Break Road Trip. And by survived I mean that we went, we're back, the laundry's done, and we're all still speaking to each other. Fourteen hours each way makes for a lot of togetherness. We went up to Northern California and saw Nate's old stomping grounds (and lots of other things). We visited cousins and friends and San Francisco. We pondered why we don't live there and found the answer to our question at about 5:50 p.m. one evening (traffic - its easy to forget how awful it is when you haven't been in it in a decade). We were rained on A LOT and found it ironic our first day back to the grind in AZ it rained A LOT as well.

Today we think fondly on our trip in the comfort of our own home as we cough and sneeze at each other. Grace has the added bonus of coughing and sneezing on us and not her school mates. A nap is in order for some and I think 2 out of 3 of us may actually cross the line of sleep.

Wishing you a restful Tuesday. May you find joy in your journey (wherever it is you are going - across country, across town, or across the living room) and relish in the laundry when you get home too.

the cape

An amazing and talented gal who used to live near me in STL (both she and I now reside in different parts of the country) made this cape for Jimmy's Halloween costume many, many moons ago. She had no pattern but she certainly had know-how.

The cape can be worn while riding one's scooter or bike, while making breakfast, and playing with cars or trucks. You should note it is effective at Target to keep all the bad guys at bay. Its also helpful when watering the garden and a nice accessory to tooth brushing.

The cape is constructed with two layers of material cut into almost a triangle shape (with a straight edge at the top). When first made, the cape came to about mid-to-upper calf on him. (I guess he's been growing up, huh?) An extra swath of cloth was used to make a fastener that went in front of the neck. It was secured so it was not tight in the least with Velcro tabs. (This allows the superhero to disrobe as quickly as possible when he is trying to regain his incognito status). The "J" was then stitched on top in an applique sort of fashion.

The only role I played in the construction of this masterpiece was hemming and hawing over which material to use and that took about 2 minutes (its all about color combinations, people). Then the MacGyver of Domesticity whipped it together in no-time and we have been forever grateful.

So if you are even slightly crafty and unafraid of your sewing machine (its a fear I still need to overcome), I bet you can whip out one of the guys in no time!

dream on

The following actually took place in one of my vivid dreams of last night-
Donald Trump came up to me with that crazy flop of hair while carrying an acrylic pitcher of Diet Coke. "You want to split this?," he said. "Sure," I said.

We were of course sitting across from an immaculate-looking Sophia Loren named Donatella Versace. She of course was sitting with Valentino.

Now if only I could remember what I was wearing, I'm sure it was amazing.

wild kingdom

The children have decided to use their new nets (the butterfly variety) to catch rabbits. The plan is to just swoop the net over the bunny's head. They have conducted a thorough search of the backyard on tiptoe (one in actual sneakers, the other in frog boots - kind of hard to tiptoe in those as it becomes more of a quiet clunk).

After a few minutes they requested some vegetables to bring outside. They were given leftover sliced red peppers from last night's dinner. This allowed for the next step in a proper rabbit hunt: tiptoeing around the yard with their nets and produce. After a few minutes of that, they decided the rabbits wouldn't come if they (the children) were still outside.

Its now time for the next step in the rabbit hunt - Rabbit Trickery:
G: Hey, I'm real, real sleepy. Aren't you Jimmy?
J: No. I not sleepy.
G: (whispering) Just say that you are
J: (whispering) Okay. I am.
G: Okay bunnies, we're tired. We're going to bed.
Then they tip-toe around the corner.

Still no bunnies to behold.

Next they ask for carrots. Because you know, bunnies really like carrots - not red peppers.

They now are sneaking around the yard with their new produce (not sure of the fate of the red peppers yet).

J: Carrots, Carrots!! Any bunnies in the yard want carrots at my house?

Wait!

I've now been asked to find lettuce. I was instructed not to worry though, as they are just going to place it by a rabbit hole. Minor problem is that they haven't found one yet. However, they now are armed with shovels. The consensus is that the rabbit hole is buried and all they have to do is just dig it up.

Could this be a yard-sized conspiracy to get out of eating salad tonight?
hmmmmmmm

queen of cool

Third Grade is cool. Its a place where just about everyone is cool and everyone does cool things. Its also a place where you can say if someone isn't cool. Someone like Justin Bieber. Apparently he's fallen out of coolness with this third grade crowd. What does this mean for his career, I wonder?

Also, there's a new "cool" game one plays in the Third Grade. Its called Slug Bug. This has nothing to do with a burnt out headlight though, it only has to do with VW Bugs. When one sees one, one punches one's brother in the back seat. It is delightful. We've scaled it back a bit to just yelling "Slug Bug" whenever one comes into view (less bruising that way). This is how it went this morning:
G: SLUG BUG!!!!
Me: That's not a Slug Bug, that's a Porsche.
G:Oh, well they look alike.
Me: That's grounds right there for not being ready to play Slug Bug

In other news when we went to check on our automotive enthusiast last night, she woke up a bit. Then she sat up in bed and gave us a mini-lecture on the metric system. The hilarious thing to me is that she was totally awake. Who does that?!! Only my girl.

We are so lucky to have her!
I sure to love that girl of mine.

day of rest

Yesterday was Monday, and it really felt like a Monday. I got a lot of things done, but in doing so found myself 5 minutes late for everything. That is why I am grateful for Tuesdays.

Tuesday lately has been our day of taking it easy. One of its beauties is that Jimmy doesn't have school. So he and I take a casual approach. We even are casual in our dress. I generally opt for sweats for a good part of the day. He goes for something a bit more freeing than that.

Once I convince him to put clothes on, we venture outside. He'll ride his bike, or we'll go to the park. Sometimes if we are wild and crazy we may run an errand or two. In between all our activities we'll do laundry, watch whatever fine entertainment Disney Jr. is offering, we'll swashbuckle, and play rousing games of Goldfish (you may just call it Go Fish). And we'll wait with anticipation for The Bus.

The Bus is an exciting thing for Jimmy because it brings home his girl. She'll bound into the house full of news, drama and tragedy all from the world we call The Third Grade.

We slog our way through homework (Jimmy will often join in and do his; lately he's really been into dot-to-dot and writing his letters) and then we're done. No more responsibilities, no more places to go. Just plenty of time to play with our toys, dabble in more card games (Goldfish and Blackjack), build forts, etc. Sometimes an early bath is in order. Then its Jammie Time. I love Jammie Time. Don't you?

easy lit.

For those of you unaware, the above is an actual photograph of an actual fort constructed in my front room.

What does one do in such a fort? Well if one were Jimmy, one would snuggle down with one's monster trucks and drive them all over and up and down one's sister's princess pillow. If one were Grace, one would re-read some favorites.

This particular day she was caught re-reading some serious H.P. (for about the 74th time).

Her recent out-of-fort reading has included "Oliver Twist" (she chose to do that while the rest of us were watching the Super Bowl) and "Little Women" (this one she decided to wake up early on a Sunday morning and dive into it). She is a ferocious reader and its hard to keep her in books.

Good thing she can quickly construct the Re-Read Fort.

bennett crater

This guy I know says some of the craziest things. While dropping Grace off at school yesterday he said, "Hey, that guy looks like Nicholas. Only he has the wrong face."

Today on the way home from preschool, he spotted a young gentleman sporting a rather impressive mohawk. Jimmy said, "Hey (as many of his statements seem to begin with "hey") look at that guy. He's a cock-a-d000 guy. He probably doesn't say cock-a-doodle-do, but his hair is cock-a-dooo hair."

And sometimes he uses his own set of naughty words.

In response to having to having to wear clean socks today he said, (in the meanest, growling voice he could muster), "BENNETT." I asked him to repeat it to make sure I heard him correctly. And sure enough, it was "Bennett."

Then upon hearing we were driving Grace to school once again, he said (this time in a more complaining, yelling tone) "Oh Craters!!"

So if you find yourself in a pinch, feel free to borrow from his vocabulary.
Oh no-
Hey, my water is boiling over....
Oh, Craters.

a night on the town

The above was taken a few months ago by our fine photographer, Grace, in Tucson, AZ. I don't seem to have many pictures of Nate and I. I guess I'll have to remedy that.

In the past several years Nate hasn't always been available on birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines and other days when you really need a date! This has been one area I've been hopeful would improve once we made the transition from Fellowship to Real Job. And its been one area that still needs improvement. Although this time around I can't blame it on the job, I just have to blame it on real life.

Our anniversary last summer was celebrated with the children on a very hot day with a road trip between St. Louis and Chicago (how exciting that I-55 drive can be), just a mere week after we moved into our home here in Arizona. If I remember correctly we shared a milkshake in the car. How romantical.

Next, my birthday was taken over by Strep. Damn you Strep!

And moving on, this Valentine's Day happened to be our night to clean the church. For real. And of course it was also the day he had some real complicated patients and had several visits to the NICU. He missed the church cleaning and almost missed our traditional VDay dinner. I just kept reminding myself that at least we weren't the ones whose new baby was in the NICU. I always feel for those parents who's new, tiny baby is whisked away to the NICU. Certainly miracles happen there, but its so scary.

With all that said (boy do I sound like a complainer today!) we made up for it this past Saturday night. We went to the swankiest place I think we've ever been in all our days: Mastro's Ocean Club. The food was so fabulous and so well done, I just can't even put into words how wonderful it all was. But I will try:

Holy. Cats.

Here is what we dined on (you can start salivating now if you wish):
Alaskan King Crab legs with clarified butter
Horseradish Caesar salad (crisp & delicious!)
22 oz Ribeye, cooked to dreamy perfection (Nate)
12 oz bone-in filet, so good (me)
Seared scallops, (so perfect, so amazing, I could have just died)
Creamed spinach
Lobster Mashed Potatoes (for real, and if that doesn't sound indulgent I don't know what does)
And the most decadent 7 layer chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberries. It was so dreamy I decided it was my birthday cake, just a few weeks late.

At least half of what we ordered came home with us in giant, fancy bags. And Grace polished off most of the steak the next day (man that girl can eat, sometimes as much as a truck driver one would find on I-55!)

It wasn't until last night that we finally finished the chocolate cake. Mmmmmmmmmm

So here's my lesson learned - good things will eventually come to those who wait. And next time (thanks to the knowledge of where one can find chocolate cake perfection), I just might be able to wait a bit more patiently.

hanging by a string

Why is it so funny to watch people try and eat a donut hanging on a string?

I don't know.

But it sure is!

Happy Saturday!