Stream of Consciousness

Would you believe that I've had a bit of writer's block lately? I have a number of half composed posts sitting in my drafts folder just waiting to be finished. Ain't gonna happen. So, this post will be stream of consciousness so I can get all these thoughts out of my head, hopefully I can type fast enough to avoid self-editing. The backspace key is not my friend these days.

*********************************************************************

Ok, so the running update is this: I don't have a stress fracture (yeah!). I have the bones of a 25 year old (double yeah!). My foot injury was a result of doing too much, too fast and I have since been cautioned and lectured by the podiatrist that I need to stretch, get properly fitted for new running shoes, heat and anti-inflammatories applied daily and, here's the capper, 'you're not as young as you used to be and you just can't go out and bang out 3 miles after not running for a few months'. But! I have the bones of a 25 year old! Just ask Dr. Mark! He was amazed by my scan!
Yeah. Anyway. Another week of rest, heat and advil and then I can run again with lots of stretching before and starting out slowly. I'm looking at the silver lining which is that starting slowly will force me to work on my form. So, there's that.

*****

Mother's Day weekend in Santa Barbara was fantastic. Great food, fun shopping, relaxing in the wine country and in the spa. I got home on Sunday just 5 minutes after the boys returned from their mountain retreat. I spent the rest of the day doing grocery shopping, laundry and making dinner but I couldn't have been happier. It was great being away for a few days but I missed them and it made my Mother's Day all the sweeter to just be with them.

*****

The boys are back in swimming lessons this week and I am amazed at Dean. He seemed a little hesitant at first but last night that kid went under water with his eyes wide open so he could retrieve the ring that the teacher placed on the lower step. It's unbelievable! And Jack is working on his stroking and kicking and has excellent form. I'm so glad we're doing these lessons again.

*****

The boys are also in a community center production of High School Musical and have rehearsals every Wednesday. So far they haven't gotten up to do any of the singing or the dancing - they just sit and watch. Jack tells me that he doesn't want to do it so I don't know what will come of it. If nothing else at least they're gaining the experience of the work that goes into putting on a show.

*****

I got the surprise of my life on Monday night when I got home and there was a box sitting on the countertop which Tom said was my Mother's Day present. I thought my weekend was my present so I wasn't expecting anything! I opened the box and there was a beautiful new Nikon D40 digital camera with an extra lens. OH! It's so beautiful! I can't wait to start using it.

*****

Last night at my MOMs club meeting we had a panel of women (members mostly) who talked about challenges that they have faced. One mom's challenge was her twins' diagnosis of ADD and ADHD, another mom's challenge was one of her twins was diagnosed as severely autistic, a third mom talked about her both her twins' diagnosis of autism, the fourth mom talked about her twin girl's deafness and the last mom talked about the loss of one of her twins at 3 months of age. It was an incredibly emotional night. Listening to these women as they talked of the challenges they faced, their inner struggles, the difficult decisions they had to make, the thoughtless comments they had to bear . . . it left me feeling so blessed, so incredibly fortunate. These women were incredible in their faith, their courage, their strength. It was a surprisingly uplifting, if emotionally draining, night. And it sure illuminated how easily it is to get caught up in the moment without enjoying the present. Every moment, no matter how difficult, is a gift.

Cherish your gifts. Enjoy your present. Love your life.

Running Strong

I recently started running again after a 3-4 month hiatus. My first run wasn't too bad - less than 36 minutes for 3.2 miles. Slow, for sure but considering how long it's been, not bad.
My second run was 34:00 for that 3.2 miles. Nearly the fastest I've ever run those 3.2 miles. Weird, I thought. I was very proud.
My third run was 32:19 for that 3.2 miles. That's almost under 10 minute miles! I've never, ever run that fast - not even in a race.
I think before this year is out that I will break 30:00. That is my goal. After all, if I can cut off nearly 4 minutes in less than a week, I should be able to knock off another 2 1/2 minutes by the end of the year, right?

Ed. I think I have a stress fracture in my left foot. I have an appointment with my doctor today to find out. Perhaps I pushed myself too hard, too fast??

Weekend Wrap Up

What a weekend! Friday night we went out for dinner at a nice little Italian place and then to the bookstore to buy a birthday present for a friend of the boys. Saturday morning we went to the birthday party, then hung out at home for a while. Our friend Roxann came over in the late afternoon to babysit the boys so Tom and I could go to Fish and Brooksie's baby shower - which was lovely.
But today! Whew! Cousin Jamie is reading "Flat Stanley" in kindergarten. Flat Stanley is about a boy who gets flattened when a bulletin board falls on him. He doesn't get too upset because he realizes that if he's flat he can mail himself anywhere he wants to go! So, Cousin Jamie made his own Flat Stanley and mailed him to us so we could show him around a bit and then send him home. So, after we did our Sunday morning marketing at the Farmer's Market, we picked up Flat Stanley and went to the Griffith Observatory. It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot. After we toured the observatory and took a few pictures, we drove down to Hollywood Blvd. so we could take a picture of Flat Stanley at one of the stars on the Walk of Fame. Then, we headed north to Universal Studios and Citywalk. We took more pictures and then had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Finally, we came home for baths and playtime before bedtime. It was a fun day.

Bedtime Conversation

Dean (holding up his hand so I can see the ring on his finger): I got married today.
Me: Oh, you did? Who did you marry?
Dean: Sophia, Bianca and Evy.
Me: Wow. Three wives! Where did you get married?
Dean: Mount cerebellum. It's in Texas. Texas, Canada.
Me: Oh, is Mount cerebellum very far away?
Dean: So far. I had to get on a plane and it took a day.
Me: What did you do there?
Dean: We went snowboarding and hiking. We went to the movies and more snowboarding.
Me: Wow, that sounds like a lot of fun.
Dean: It was. It was.

Words

Here is a list of words that Jack can spell. He did these on Monday with virtually no help from me.

ant
bug
cap
dad
end
fox
get
hot
ink
jug
kin
lap
men
nap
odd
pet
quiz
run
sat
tap
under
van
win
yum
zip

I gave him the words but he sounded them out and wrote them down in his notebook. This kid is obsessed with spelling!

Rather than do a play-by-play of the last week, I'm just going to touch on the highlights.

• Last week I took the boys to a community theater audition for a production of High School Musical. They had to get up in front of everyone and sing a song, any song would do, and Dean sang Happy Birthday. Jack refused to even sit with the others and tried to run out of the room. Despite my assurances that he wouldn't have to do anything and he didn't have to be in the show. Two days later, he told me that he would like to do the show. Of course.
• We went to the circus on Sunday. Dean's favorite part was the pretty ladies with the hula hoops, the juggler, the elephants and the acrobats. Jack's favorite part was the motorcycles. It was pretty fun.
  
• I've started running again after a 4 month hiatus. It feels really good and I'm not nearly as slow as I thought I'd be.
• Jack spelled 25 words today. He did some on the way to school, some on the way home, and some at the table while I made dinner. He loves homework.
• Dean came out of his room tonight (Tom thought he was asleep) and accused Tom of leaving while he was still awake. Tom insisted he was snoring and so he thought Dean was asleep. Dean said,"No, I didn't hear myself snoring."
• I'm going out of town for Mother's Day weekend and a little excited about it. Just my girlfriend and I for a little wine tasting, shopping and a spa day.
• I'm so tired right now I keep falling asleep while I type.
• If I don't make snese, that's why.

'Night, 'night.

Letter to Dean

Dear Dean,

Where do I begin? You continue to surprise, delight, defy, and frustrate me on a daily basis. You are smart, sassy, funny, defiant, imaginative, and emotional. Sometimes you are all those things within a time span of 3 minutes. Here are just a few things you're up to lately:

• You love watching High School Musical and want to wear your hair like 'Troy Bolton'.
• You love to sing and you walk around the house singing songs from Playhouse Disney and without a beat you go to a song from High School Musical. I see musical theater in your future.
  
• You hate getting your hair washed. You scream and cry and twist your head around to make it more difficult. You succeed at making it more difficult but a byproduct of that is that you get a lot more water in your eyes so, it's kind of a flawed strategy.
• Tonight for the first time in many, many months I washed your hair and you didn't even flinch. It was great.
• You love drawing and painting and you've got a knack for it. Sometimes you say you want to be an artist. You ask me to sign you up for art school on a regular basis. You also want to take music lessons.
• You love wearing costumes. Just today you were in 5 or 6 different ones before lunchtime. One day last week you told me that you wanted me to make you a costume and you would put feathers on it and wear green glasses and you would be Chicken Little. You were so delighted when I told you that we already have a Chicken Little costume. You wore it to school the next day. And the day after that.
  
• A few nights ago you suddenly announced that you need glasses. You were so adamant about it, insisting to us that you couldn't see. Daddy found some toy glasses, nothing more than paper without lenses, and you put them on. Oh, you were so relieved to finally be able to see.
• You love shoes. Uncle P & Uncle J brought you a pair of plaid converse - oh my gosh, they are so cute - and you wear them every single day. You call them your "cons". They brought Jack some Vans and you've been coveting them. Tonight when you didn't cry during your bath you asked if I would get some new shoes for you as a reward.
• We went to Sears yesterday to buy some new vacuum cleaner bags and we sat for an hour so you could watch Spiderman on the big screen tv. You watched with your hands over your ears. You also cried when we left because you wanted us to buy you new clothes.
• Tonight you announced that you have a date tomorrow with your girlfriend Bianca. You told me that you need to wear a white shirt and black coat and asked that I dry your hair just so. Later you changed your mind and announced that you would wear the Chicken Little costume.
  

You constantly amaze me, continue to surprise me, and always inspire me. I am so lucky to be your Mommy. I love you dearly.

Love,
Momma

Letter to Jack

Dear Jack,

I've been sitting here trying to figure out how to describe you. I started to say you're just such a good kid but that is so unoriginal and a total understatement. Instead, I think I'll just describe some of the things you do that are uniquely you.

• You have recently become enamored of moths. You catch them and put them in a box with holes in it. You always name them Mothy. They always seem to die within a day or two and you quickly replace them. I don't know if that's a good thing or not.
• You clean your bedroom without being asked and you do a really good job. Your motivation is money - even though we don't expressly tell you that you'll get money for doing it. But one time we gave you a quarter for making your bed and ever since then, you do it out of hope.
• You love money. You are always looking at the ground hoping to find a nickel, a dime or a penny. You get especially excited when you find a quarter. You save everything you find and you have amassed a miniature fortune (for a 5 year old).
• You have grown out of your red phase. Lately your preference has been to wear light colored linen pants, a hawaiian shirt and flip flops. You look very handsome. There are still some days that you wear blue camo pants with a green and orange top though. So sometimes I still wonder about the color-blindness.
• When you get angry you become stiff as a board with your arms straight at your sides, your fists balled up. Your voice becomes thick with emotion and you won't look at me.
  
• You had a hard time faling asleep last night and I think it's because Daddy is out of town and he told you to take good care of me. I think you take your responsibility very seriously and you couldn't fall asleep last night because of it. You finally lost the battle at 10:30pm last night.
• You have become a very adventurous eater and I'm so excited about that. You have tried so many new foods this year - from simple foods like peas and avocado to more exotic foods like sushi and thai.
  
• You don't like you hair to be spiked up or messy. You want it neatly combed straight down your forehead. Definitely not parted on the side.
• You don't like to be the center of attention.
  
• You throw a mean spiral.
• You sometimes make up songs about me and sing them quietly.
• You long to know how to make traps and potions and are disappointed that I don't know anything about traps or potions.
  
• You have an insatiable curiosity about the world and your place in it.
• It's hot tonight and you are laying on the hardwood floor as you've done every hot night for the last 3 years. Some nights it's the only way you can fall asleep.

I could go on and on. You are a miracle. You make me want to be a better mommy and you have definitely made me a better person. I am so lucky to have you in my life.

Love,
Momma

All in the Family

Hey Everyone,

My sister in law just started a blog! Go give her some love and see my beautiful nephews!

We went out to dinner tonight at our favorite sushi restaurant. Dean didn't really like anything but the rice and edamame but Jack! Jack ate spicy tuna, yellowtail sushi, salmon sushi, shrimp, and an eel/avocado roll. Wow. He ate almost as much as me.

Afterward we went to Cold Stone for ice cream. And now, I'm feeling full and sleepy.

Good night!

I am @ the train

I am @ the train station waiting 4 Tom. Listening 2 high school musical. Boys r having a rasberry contest. My eye is twitching. Its no wonder.

NaBloPoMo - Day 9

This is my mom's response to an earlier post:

Dear Kelsi,

Responding to your April 3 post. I remember all of it.

You would tell me "I don't need a nap" so I would say "OK, you don't need to take a nap, just rest on the couch with your blanket." You would almost always fall asleep.

Oh, the anticipation of Christmas Eve on the farm. Then we would go downstairs and work until midnight setting everything up under the tree. Tying the stockings on the backs of dining room chairs with rubber bands because the tree was in front of the fireplace! Did you ever wonder how Santa got into the house with that tree in front of the fireplace?

We still do the throwing the food in the air at the grocery thing - it adds a little excitement to a mundane chore.

That was a little silver paring knife that Grandma Wright gave me - and that sharp is still very, very knife!

The stick shift! We were on Raab Rd. just east of Greenbriar. I had just bought that silver car - can't remember the make or model. The clutch was very mushy. You did OK once you were out of first gear! Shortly after that I bought that new little Nissan Sentra (1990). You didn't even have to step on the gas when letting out on the clutch, it was so tight. You perfected your skills on that long, blacktop driveway at Bernie's house out in the country. All Sunday afternoon you drove up and back, up and back. That late afternoon you drove all the way back to Bloomington. Confident.

I don't remember the guy being on a tractor. I just remember the road was seldom used and it was dusky or near dark. I thought he was just one of the rare cars who ever used that road and just happened down it as you were trying to learn how to drive that car. We were surrounded by cornfeidls, though.

You water skiied. I sat on the sand and drank electric kool-aid, as I remember it! Fun times. I do remember the floating dock got away from us and you swam way out and got it and pulled it back to its place. I was a nervous wreck, pacing and smoking cigarettes!

You would still sit on the toilet in the bathroom and watch me put my makeup on if you didn't have two 5 yeard olds to supervise.!

The Screaming Eagle at Six Flags! I didn't know you were terrified. You were too busy screaming!

Garcia's Flying Tomato Brothers hot air balloon! It landed right by Lancaster Heights (or Lancaster Depths as we used to call it). They tethered it to a stake with a great big rope and took people 50 feet or so up in the air. I remember the heat on top of my head from the flames heating and expanding the gas in the balloon. What a ride. It was so quiet and peaceful up there. I can't believe you didn't go up in it. The hardest part was getting in and out of that basket - there was no door.

Peeking through the curtain at the window in my dressing room at the church to see you, my maid of honor, standing at the altar waiting for me to walk down the aisle at my wedding.

Did you think I was going to be a "Runaway Bride?" Oh, no, I was just letting the anticipation build. It was fun peeking through that window and watching people start to look around like "Where is she?" HA!

Dancing at my wedding - we did enjoy that. I throw good parties.

I love the Brian Regan DVD you sent me for Christmas. He is funny, funny, funny. Science Fair Dirt Cup. "It's a DIRT CUP. It's a CUP with some DIRT in it. It's a CUP of DIRT."

We still laugh until we can't breathe over America's Funniest Home Videos. After all, people fall down. I took the DVD you sent me for Christmas of AFV Kids and Pets along to Texas and watched on my portable DVD player last week.

I believe the presents we opened on the floor of our house in Geneva were wedding presents.

The day you left for California. The darkest day of my life - it surpasses the day I my dad died and the day I had to have Meischje put to sleep. I pray you NEVER have to know the pain.

You were working at Bombay Bicycle Club, living in your first little apartment in California. I believe your roommate got busted that same day!!! Anyway, we painted your bedroom furniture on that little balcony.

The I Love You sign. We still do that, although tears don't stream down our faces anymore. That doesn't mean that I've reconciled myself to it. My heart still cries.

My graduation party was a blast! We rode to it in the '31 Buick. As mentioned before, I throw good parties.

Your wedding. Beautiful setting, beautiful bride. So final.

I was standing in the kitchen when we lived on 9th St. in that 100 year old Queen Anne house when you called to tell me you were pregnant with twins.

If I knew then what I know now about your high risk pregnancy, I doubt that I would have left California. Now that I've been working in labor/delivery/recovery with some high risk thrown in, I shudder. I am at work right now and my patient is 24 weeks 2 days with pre-term labor and on 2.5 grams of mag. She's miserable. I told her about you just like I tell every one of my mag patients about you. You are an inspiration.

I was having lunch at the Cracker Barrel with Fishers and Todds when you called as you were being wheeled into the OR.

Wow, those babies were so little but so feisty. Wimpy, little white boys, true. Two little miracles.

I remember it all...

Love, Mommy

NaBloPoMo - All Messed UP!!

I know, I know. I have no excuse other than Friday night I wanted to lay down with the boys because I wouldn't see them for two days (they went camping). But I really have no excuse for Saturday, Sunday or Monday so I'm not even going to try.

Instead, look here at these pictures:



I went for a helicopter ride! Below is a shot of my office building and yes! that's my foot! hanging out the door of the helicopter! which actually, didn't have a door! yikes!

NaBloPoMo - Day Three

Dear Mom,

The most important lesson I’ve taken from Grandpa Jack’s life and death is the absolute necessity of letting your loved ones know how they’ve touched you. Too often we wait until a person is gone before we reflect on the wonderful moments when our lives converged.

The following moments are memories that whenever I think of them, I’m always filled with warmth, humor and love:
• Curling up on the black couch in our house in Towanda with my little blanket while you watched TV and folded clothes
• Being tucked in at the farm on Christmas Eve
• You throwing groceries up in the air and me trying to catch them with the cart
• The time you warned me to be careful because ‘this sharp is very, very knife’
• Learning how to drive a stick shift on a dark country road
• Laughing about the farmer who stopped his tractor to make sure we were ok
• Water skiing at the gravel pit
• Sitting on the toilet in the bathroom watching you put your makeup on
• Riding The Screaming Eagle with you and being terrified when you wouldn’t put your arms down
• Watching you go up in the hot air balloon and being afraid you would crash
• Waiting for you to walk down the aisle on your wedding day
• Being relieved when you finally started walking down the aisle on your wedding day
• Dancing at your wedding
• Laughing at Brian Regan ‘it’s a dirt cup’
• Laughing at America’s Funniest Home Videos
• Opening housewarming presents on the floor of our house in Geneva
• Waving through tears the day I left for California
• The time you came to visit me and we painted my bedroom furniture
• Signing I Love You, tears streaming down my face, as you boarded a plane to go back home
• Dancing at your graduation party
• Dancing with you and Chad at my wedding
• Telling you that I was pregnant and with twins
• Doing crossword puzzles with you while on bedrest in the hospital
• Hearing your voice as I was being wheeled down the hall for my c-section
• The look on your face the first time you saw your grandchildren

There are others of course, but these are among my favorites. These memories just flooded back to me and some really surprised me – like the hot air balloon. Do you even remember that??

I love you Mom.

Kels

NaBloPoMo - Day Two

On Day Two: A letter to my young self . . .

Dear High School Kelsi,

Trust me, there’s so much more to life than this. I promise you that you will not care about most of these people by the 10 year reunion.

I have a book that was given to me on the cusp of my journey to California. The book is called “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss and I’ve kept it all this time. I now read it to my children and hope that someday when they’re choosing a path less traveled that they’ll remember the lesson of that book and know that sometimes you have to trust your instinct, sometimes you have to take a chance and choose the thing that feels right to you despite anyone else’s opinion.

It may not have helped you, H.S. Kelsi but it couldn’t have hurt. You were so insecure and full of doubt; sarcasm your only defense against the perceived criticism. Hey, maybe they were making fun of you. Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you, right?

Still, what I would tell you if I could just sit you down is that you’ll be fine. Really. You’re going to go on from that high school place and forge your own path. You’re going to take risks and make choices that will lead to a pretty nice life. And all that angst will be forgotten. Or, mostly forgotten. It will rear it’s ugly head at the 10 year high school reunion but then you’ll make the decision right then and there that you will never go back again. And when the 20 year comes around, you don’t! So, there!

And I would remind you that it wasn’t all bad. Well except for the crazy years long crushes you used to get. That was a little ridiculous, wouldn’t you agree? You’ll be happy to know that your husband is super hot – way hotter than Erik Johnson or Brad James. Seriously.

But really, the best thing that came out of Normal Community High School was your friendship with Jenny. I mean who would have thought it would survive that one summer, with her getting all crazy with the fun and you being all self-righteous and trying to play house, but it did. And she is the one friend who you can call and just spend an hour on the phone with and it feels like time stops. Trust me.

So hang in there H.S. Kelsi and know that this is just a brief moment in your life and all too soon the time will pass and you will look back and wonder why it ever mattered.

Oh the places you’ll go.

Love,
Your grown up self

NaBloPoMo - Day One

No, it's no April Fool's joke, I really challenged myself to post everyday for the month of April. The theme for April is LETTERS. Below is my first one. It's not what I intended to write but it's all that I can think about so . . .

Dear Soma,

It's been a rough day what with the not sleeping very well last night; a feverish boy wedged next to me on one side and a stuffed up husband on the other. Not surprisingly, I woke up feeling rather Quaisomodo-ish. You know, it's the kind of stiffness that leads you to believe you can probably take care of it on your own. A little self-massage and a quick head jerk and *pop*, the pain is gone. Except that it didn't help - it only made my neck feel more strained. And that's when I started to think about you.

Advil kept the pain at bay but it doesn't know me the way you do. Nothing relaxes me the way you do, baby.

I'll only take a piece of you, just a quarter is enough.

Soma, thanks to you I will wake up tomorrow morning with the ability to turn my head.

Too bad you can't do anything about a child's fevers.

Love,
Kelsi

Memorable Quotes by Dean Today

I love you so much. I love you more than a monkey loves his momma.

************

Wow Mom (looking around the kitchen). You sure have a lot of work to do.

************

Tonight I'm going to dream about Skateland, monkeys and happiness.

************

On special occasions, the sun goes down slow and comes up fast. And that happens to Jack sometimes 'cause he told me. And Jack's my best friend and I don't want to lose him ever. He's my favorite Jackie in the whole world. And I wish he was my brother when I was 67 years old.

************

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For . . .

Because I like to tease, first look at some pictures of the dining room! Remember there used to be a door in the middle of that wall. Also, there was a chair rail with really old, stained wallpaper on the bottom half and really old, stained walls on the top. Now it has a fresh coat of olive green paint and the trim is a cream color. We also painted the beams a dark chocolate brown but left the natural knotty pine alone. We still need to stain or paint the table but that's a project for another day.



Ok, so here's the stove side of the galley kitchen. Remember the backsplash used to be brick and there was a brick box to the right of the stove which could only be used to hold a microwave. We demo'd that and bought a new cabinet for the space. It's a pretty good match to the original cabinets, wouldn't you agree? We donated our old microwave and got a new one that was installed over the stove. It's not called a spacesaver for nothing. We also added new pulls. The microwave is the only new appliance. We may opt to tile behind the stove but we're still thinking about it.

And here is a shot of the sink side of the galley. We opted for corian countertops with a corian sink. The sink is molded into the countertop so it's completely seamless and because it's corian it's virtually indestructable which is good when you have 5 year old twins. Please ignore the curtain - we still haven't found one we like. It's strange that one silly little curtain is the last thing we need to purchase and we're having the hardest time finding one we like!


Here's a closeup of the sink so you can see the fixtures. I love these fixtures - you don't see water spots on them at all and corian is so, so, SO easy to clean. Most of the time soap and water does the trick. Every now and then I have to bring out the heavy duty abrasive - baking soda. Really. Please ignore the curtain.

This shot gives some perspective on how it all flows together. We painted the walls in the kitchen a creamy, pale yellow with white trim. The trim in the dining room is a shade lighter than the walls in the kitchen so it all kind of flows together. The green of the countertop works well with the green on the walls in dining room, too.

So, there you have it. There is so much more to do but with this major stuff out of the way, we can take our time with the rest. I'm loving my kitchen - it's amazing how these changes have made it so much more efficient and pleasant.

What do you think?

Easter Eve

It's late and I should be getting their Easter baskets ready but I just finished painting my nails and I have to wait for them to dry so why not spend some time on the internet?
Plus, I had to wait for Jack to fall asleep. He wanted to go to sleep on the couch just in case the Easter Bunny came and didn't know where to look for the egg that Jack left for him. He would hear him and show him where the egg is. He asked me to leave him a note that says if he can't find the egg to please wake up Jack and he'll show him. I can hear him now though - he's finally asleep.
And poor Dean is sick. He coughed all day yesterday and then in the evening he didn't eat dinner and he just wasn't himself. Although, he did perk up when Peter and Julian gave him a new pair of shoes for Easter. The cutest little black, pink and blue plaid Chuck Taylor's. Dean loves shoes. True to form, he spiked a fever and has been residing in misery-ville ever since. I slept between them last night and, consequently, didn't sleep too well. I really hope he wakes up feeling better tomorrow, with no fever, so we can all go to the Sullivans for Easter brunch as planned. He'll be so disappointed if he won't get to go.
And now, I must go fill baskets.
Happy Easter!

One More Thing

Oh, I forgot to mention that I will be participating in NaBloPoMo for April. The theme is LETTERS.

So, that's exciting, right?

Falling in Love

You're not going to believe this but I've fallen in love with my house again. It's amazing what a little sweat and a fresh coat of paint will do. I find myself exclaiming OH I LOVE MY HOUSE at really random moments. And it's true, I do. Anyway, I don't think I told you about this:

I'm sure I've mentioned before that the person who owned our home before us was a brick layer and whenever he had leftover brick he just built things with it. Hence, we had a brick box in our kitchen that could serve no purpose other than house our enormous microwave. Another similarly useless thing he built was this brick square that sat in our front yard. Apparently, he meant for it to be a post for a light fixture but he never bothered to run conduit through it or anything sensible like that. So, Tom borrowed Alex's sledgehammer and went to it with a little help from the guys.

Here is a picture of Dean priming the new trim in our dining room. Here is a picture of Jack staining our TV cabinet a deep, rich brown to match the rest of the furniture in the living room. He did an awesome job.

This is me filling all the nail holes in the new trim in our living room , prepping for paint. You can also see the color our living room walls used to be and in this photo it's not too bad. In person it's almost highlighter yellow. This is also me without makeup. I'm just keeping it real, yo.Here are the boys enjoying a rare moment off from work.

And here is a picture of the boys relaxing on our new couch. You can also see the new color on the living room walls - a soft gray with white trim. I LOVE IT.

I had hoped to have pictures hung and everything put away nice and neat before posting photos but just haven't had time. I have the day off tomorrow and intend on cleaning up the kitchen, putting away all the odds and ends, fixing up the living room a bit and then, finally I will take pictures of everything and post them here. I still don't have curtains but am slightly afraid to go shopping for them again for fear I'll pick out a new bedroom set.

What? It could happen.

A Load Off

• 3:30am. That's when I finally went to bed. Sheesh.
  
• I just sent an email to the current President to tell her I'm flattered but I cannot be President for the next term.
• Corned beef is in the crock pot. Hope it's good.
• Got Keynote but don't see what the big deal is. It's just like powerpoint but on a mac.
• Got candy and flip flops for the boys' Easter basket. Need to find the plastic eggs at home.
• Still love the color of my living room walls.
• Adore my new furniture.
  

The Ramblings of a Crazy Person

I can't sleep. Too full on corned beef, cupcakes and coffee. We went to the Sullivans for dinner tonight and it was delicious. But, after 2 glasses of wine I thought it would be a good idea to have a cup of coffee and, well, I should have known better. Still, after days and days of subsisting on 5-6 hours of sleep each night I really didn't think one little cup of coffee was going to keep me up tonight. That's what I get for thinking. So here's a sampling of what's rattling around in my head right now.

1. Crap! Easter is on Sunday and I haven't gotten anything for the boys yet. Must do that at lunch this week.
2. I still need to get curtains for the kitchen and figure out what we're going to do with the dining room window.
3. I had a dream about Heather Armstrong last night. That's weird.
4. I'm thirsty.
5. Work stuff. Maybe I should get Keynote to help me brainstorm our space restructure? Will request from resources tomorrow.
   
6. Oh! I skipped my resources meeting today and didn't call them. Must call them.
7. Can I make corned beef in the crock pot?
   
8. I have to make a decision about curtains in the living room, too.
   
9. Wow, I really love the color of my living room.
10. I need to start running again. I'm worried about my knees though which didn't much like all that bending down I was doing to paint the living room.
11. The Mother's Day Brunch is coming up soon and I need to request a donation from work this week.
    
12. SFVMOMC wants to nominate me for President for the next term. I don't want to be President but feel guilty about that.
    
13. I can't be President! I am already way over scheduled and that doesn't even include activities for the boys! And they start school in the fall. What if I want to join the PTA?
14. How much of a time commitment is it, really? It's only two Tuesdays a month. How bad could it be?
15. There's also two State conventions each year that the President has to attend. And not just the fun part - the boring meetings, too! And, the President has to go to every single function from the Get Acquainted Teas to the holiday parties, skate party, and every other event there is. And don't get me started about the financial responsibility of being in charge of a non-profit organization.
    
16. But there's already such a strong executive board in place for the next term. And, I'd have the strongest Parliamentarian ever because she's been a member for years and past President several times.
17. Absolutely not. Kelsi, you cannot take this on.
18. I'm still not sleepy.
19. I am still thirsty.
20. I love my new couch.
    

Weekend Highlights

Gosh it seems like ages since we last talked! Please do note the time. It is late on a Sunday night and I think this is perhaps the first time I have sat down all day. Maybe all weekend. It's been a busy one. At last I'm sitting in my brand new chair and I have to say, it's doing right by me.

This has been one heckuva long week prepping for the arrival of the furniture. Starting with the systematic removal of the old furniture, prepping walls for paint, painting, painting and painting some more. Then? Another coat, just for good measure. And while we have the brushes out are there any other spots that need to be touched up? Hey! Let's paint the door! And the threshold! Oh, let's paint Kelsi tired.

Some highlights from the weekend that didn't have to do with painting - we took the boys to see Horton Hears a Who. That was fun and I got to sit down for almost 2 hours! We went to Peter & Julian's for breakfast this morning. We had homemade blueberry pancakes, l'il smokies, and egg and potato scramble with fresh squeezed orange juice. So good. And about a hundred espressos. I used my kitchen aid stand mixer for the first time on Friday night. That was fun. I cut Tom's hair.

Ok, so enough about that stuff. I love my new furniture! While the boys spent a few hours at their friend Frank's house, we rearranged the furniture. It feels good. It's open and inviting and just the right amount of pieces. I took some pictures but I'm too tired to post them. But I will soon. And I'll also post pictures of the kitchen soon even if we don't have curtains on the windows. You've waited long enough.

Heartburn

Dean: Ohhh, my heart is burning.
Me: Why?
Dean: Because of Amanda (teacher at school).
Me: Your heart is burning because of Amanda?
Dean: Yes because she sings such beautiful songs.

Our Dean the romantic.



Happy Birthday Eddie!!!!

MarBlo and Lists

So, I had every intention of trying to post every day in the month of March but here it is March 2nd and I've already missed a day.

I also had every intention of posting pictures of the kitchen today but it isn't quite finished. Tom touched up the paint in a few places and it looks great. He still has to install the lighting in the dining room and then we still need curtains for the kitchen window and the dining room window. We had every intention of getting the curtains today - it was on our list - really the only reason we went out today. In fact, our list went something like this:

curtains for kitchen and dining room
look at lighting

We purchased lighting and new living room furniture.

Do you see living room furniture on that list? No. But, Macy's was having a sale and it ended today and we fell in love. I mean, so in love. And it will be delivered on 3/16 so now we need to pick paint for the living room and paint it before the new furniture gets here. I'm not going to describe it though. I'll take a picture after it gets delivered and you can see for yourself. And I promise I won't drag it out like I am the kitchen. Two weeks from today - you'll see it.

Patience Please

Nope. You'll have to wait a bit longer for the pictures of the final outcome of the kitchen project. We still have a few more things to put away. I'm shooting for Saturday. Pictures on Saturday and maybe I'll post on Sunday morning. So, stay tuned.
Tonight's entry is a public exhalation. A virtual sigh, if you will. An acknowledgment that the last few weeks have been really tough but I'm on the other side of it. Ironically, not because of the kitchen but rather other problems that I've had to work out in my head. Don't worry, everything's fine. The family is great, life is good - even with the construction and the chaos. It's just that sometimes, there are things that you need to work out in your own head. And your partner or you friend can listen to you and even offer advice but ultimately, you're the one who has to decide how you want to handle your problem. And that's where I've been. One of my new favorite slogans is "everything is a passing memory". Nothing is permanent. The pain or anger or frustration that I was feeling was a passing memory - it's already gone. And every time the fear popped up in my mind, I reminded myself that it was simply a passing memory and the anxiety faded. So, this post is all about me feeling at peace with myself and my newfound tool for redirecting my focus so I can let go of the things that weigh me down.
Everything is a passing memory. My new mantra.

Oh! The Suspense!

Oh the pictures are coming, don't you worry. It's just that I decided to wait a bit until everything is put back together before I post the pictures. Call it an unveiling if you will. Or, in reality television, it's called The Reveal. There are still a few little things to do. Plumbing the sink, for instance. Oh, that's a big one and it's in process. After that, the new light fixture goes in and then we'll begin to put the room back together. We're close, so close.

As you know, we've had to do a lot of eating out due to this project. Luckily, Jack and Dean have demonstrated that they are delightful dining companions and I can honestly say that every outing with them has been not just bearable but enjoyable. Even when it's been just me and them.

Alright, well Tom just walked in the door with a bag full of In 'N Out burgers so off I go.

More later...

Polishing it off

They've been working on installing my countertop now for the last 2 hours. The first two pieces went on so easy - POP! and there they were. But the other piece, the big piece with the sink? Not so simple. Our walls? They are not square. No, no, no. They are decidedly unsquare. They had to shave off a bit here, sand off a bit there. A bit more here and a bit more there. A shimmy and a shake. More shaving and sanding. Finally, that sucker went in. And now they're sanding and polishing the top so its purty. And it is. It is purty. I like it. I can't wait to put the new pulls on the cabinets and clean all the shelves and connect the plumbing for the sink and wash all my dishes and put everything back in the cabinets and on top of the cabinets and vacuum my floor and remove the pile 'o crap from my dining table which is in the middle of the living room blocking the boys' most precious toys and generally driving me crazy with all the clutter and chaos!
I seriously thought all that in my head with only one breath.
But, I must be patient because there is so much to do before that can be done.
First, Kate needs some attending to. She was spayed one week ago today and her incision is looking a bit weepy so off to the vet we go. As soon as these nice gentlemen leave.
Pictures of my beautiful new countertop will be forthcoming.

Addendum: Kate's fine. The vet says her incision is healing beautifully and that she doesn't need to wear the cone anymore. And that's good because she could not figure out how to navigate with that thing on her head. I can't tell ya how many times she has run into a door jamb or a wall and just stopped and stood there because she couldn't figure out what stopped her.

Quick Kitchen Update

The interruption in programming is due to extreme busyness at work punctuated by chaotic, dustyness (new word?) at home. I have updates to share but not enough time to download the pictures. I painted the ceiling in the kitchen on Sunday and did the walls yesterday morning. All it needs now is the countertop and that is being installed tomorrow. WOO HOO! I cannot wait to clean my cabinets and put everything back in!
I painted the dining room yesterday and realized we picked the wrong color. After I got 2 coats on it. Boo Hoo. It's a pretty color but it's too close to the kitchen color so it's too much of the same darn color. Ah well.

More to come . . .

Weekend playtime

We had really nice weather last weekend and the boys wanted to go swimming. This was the best we could do on short notice.

Six Steps and a Long Term Goal

As I promised here, I am outlining today what I plan to do in response to Lotus' challenge to contribute to the cleaning up of the planet (or at least my tiny part of it).

1. I will keep a trash bag and gloves in my car so I never have an excuse to not pick up trash when I see it.
2. I will walk a lap around the track after my run in the morning and pick up all the trash I see.
3. I will continue buying my fruits and vegetables from local farmers at my Farmer's Market.
4. I will make a conscious effort to buy other grocery items (such as meat and dairy) from within a 100 mile radius of where I live.
   
5. I will use those cool mesh bags for my produce that I saw here.
6. Once a month, I will take the boys to the park/beach/hiking and pick up trash while they play.
7. I have a long term goal to grow a vegetable garden so I can be somewhat self-sustaining but it may have to wait for a different yard.

I think that's a good start, right?

More about the kitchen

Here's where we left off, right? There was a door in the middle of our dining room. In years past, there used to be a wall that ran from the kitchen to that door and to the right of that door, was a laundry room. To the left was the dining room. Back then, it probably made sense to have a door there. I guess. Anyway, someone tore that wall down and left the door there. It was on our to-do list when we moved into the house and here we are, 6 1/2 years later, doing it.

And here it is, done. The taping, plastering, sanding, replastering, sanding, etc. is being done today. As promised, cabinets and appliances were re-installed yesterday and we finally begin to see how it will all work together.

In other news, I'm ridiculously stressed out about work (shouldn't be doing this now but procrastinating the real stuff) and starting to have the free-floating anxiety again. Woo hoo. Hives will be showing up any minute. Because, you know how that helps the stress level.

Charlie Bit Me

Go see this video because it cracked me up! I am amazed though that the older brother handled himself so well.

Charlie

A Floor!

The tile was laid on Monday so we went to dinner and a movie right after work so we wouldn't be tempted to walk on our new floor. We were pretty excited when we got home and saw how it looked. I couldn't wait to see how it would look with grout!


The boys were really happy to get to walk on the floor again. Dean said it was perfect for making snow angels. Wha??? Anyway, we love the color of the grout. I think it's the perfect sandy, dirty color so it will disguise the real dirt once we start using the kitchen again.

The cabinets and appliances go back in today and the company comes out on Friday to do the template for our countertop.



Also today? That door comes out and the wall gets framed in! I can't wait to see it tonight!!

Hidden Costs

of a kitchen remodel:

Thursday
Millies = $48.00

Friday
Hot's Cantina = $36.00
Penguins = $12.00

Saturday
Starbucks = $8.00
Jamba Juice = $14.00
Sizzler = $30.00

Sunday
Starbucks = $8.00
KFC = $30.00

Monday
Parking at Citywalk = $5.00
Nameless Pizza Place = $20.00
Movie Tickets = $37.00

Ultimately, the cost to our health is probably worse than the pain in our wallets. I can't wait to cook in my new kitchen!!

Dear Dean Letter

Cleaning out cabinets in preparation for demo/construction, Tom found a postcard given to Dean by one of the girls from the daycare who went to Kindergarten in Fall '07. Perhaps you recall the postcard that she wrote to Jack? This is Dean's:

Dean,

Thank you Dean for letting your brother be nice to me. I still love you.

T---

Kitchen Update

This is what we came home to on Thursday night. All appliances and base cabinets were removed and the kitchen was down to the sub floor. Most of the electrical work was done with the addition of 4 outlet boxes on the stove/fridge wall (seen below) and 3 outlet boxes on the sink wall.

Look at these beautiful boys amid the devastation!

Ok, then we got home on Friday night. All the electrical was complete, including 2 new outlet boxes in the dining room and 2 new phone jacks - one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Makes a big difference since we won't have to have phone line threaded all over the house! The drywall was in place and the arduous task of tape, plaster, dry, sand, repeat - had begun. The wonderboard is on the floor ready for tile. The cabinets are in place but not installed yet. It's supposed to rain this weekend so it's too risky to store the cabinets outside as we have been. So that's the latest. We have a birthday party to go to soon and then we'll go look at tile for the wall behind the stove. Jack desperately wants to clean and dust (me too) but we're making him wait until the construction is done. The work is stalled until Monday so no updates until Tuesday!

Holy Gutted Kitchen Batman!

Love is in the Air

I know a lot of people think that Valentine's Day is a fake holiday made up by Hallmark but some folks need a dedicated day to remind them to say 'hey, I love you' or something romantic like that. If you're in need of a unique or great gift for your loved one, take a look at Mighty Goods 2008 Valentine's Day Gift Guide. While you're there, check out the awesome alternatives to Hallmark Valentine's Day Cards.

One Step for Nature

When you get a chance, go read this post by Lotus of SarcasticMom. Look for my post on February 11th that will outline the contribution I intend to make to Project Support Beauty in Nature.

What will you do?

Observations and Conversations

Jack has an accent laced with an East LA inflection. He says words like 'ghostes' instead of 'ghosts', 'lello' instead of 'yellow', 'weally' instead of 'really', etc. He calls me 'ma MEEEE' with the emphasis on MEEEEE. His favorite exclamation word is 'awe SOME' with the emphasis on some. His favorite color is still red but he will wear other colors now.

Dean has a valley accent. He says 'o-kah' instead of 'okay'. He uses the word 'like' all the time. Like, all the time. His diction is otherwise perfect and includes the proper tense usage. And, in fact, sometimes includes correcting his brother. Which is always welcome (NOT). He often uses his eyebrows to emphasize his point. Furrowed = mad. Raised = inquisitive. He will not wear long sleeved shirts.

Conversation between Jack and Dean this morning:
Dean: When are we going to get to wear braces?
Jack: What are braces?
Dean: They're special teeth that you put in your mouth.

Conversation between me and Jack last night:
Jack: Well? Did you know? That there's a new baby at the daycare? And the parents? Well, they call him a bad name.
Me: Really? What's his name?
Jack: Well, they call him Gun.
Me: Oh, that's short for Gunnar.
Jack: Well, it's a bad name.

Conversation between me, Jack and Dean last night:
Dean: Did you know we have another Katie at the daycare?
Me: You do?
Jack: Yes, now we have two Katies.
Me: How old is the new Katie?
Jack: Well, Katie is 3.
Dean: Yeah, one of the Katies is 3.
Me: Is that the old Katie or the new Katie?
Dean: Well, the new Katie is 8 I think.
Jack: No! She's 7.
Dean: Yeah, right. She's 7.
Me: So, is that Katie who has a sister named Sarah?
Dean: Yeah, right.
Me: She's the Katie who came to the daycare last week?
Dean: Right.
Me: But she doesn't go to the daycare anymore. She used to go there. She was just visiting.
Jack/Dean: Yeah, right.
Me: So who's the new Katie?
Them: She's 3.
Me: The Katie who was just at Callum's birthday party last weekend?
Them: Right.
Me: So besides that Katie, is there another Katie at the daycare?
Them: NO.
Me (to myself): Glad we got that cleared up.

Dean

Just a quick note today about Dean. I feel like I've been a bit down about him lately. Only posting negative reports about him and frequently complaining about him. We actually had a very nice weekend and he was pretty good. Oh, except for Friday night . . . I'm just now remembering how he was in Target (NIGHTMARE) but otherwise, an angel. No really, some of it is our fault. We know how he is with change (not good) and we know how sensitive he is (extremely) and yet some part of us still thinks we can get away with a quick trip to Target on a Friday night at 8:30pm to buy a birthday present for Jack's best friend and have Dean be all mature and compliant. Ahem.
Saturday morning brought us a new day though of good-natured boys who were, for the most part, good to each other and well-behaved. Or maybe, this is just the view through my hindsight goggles. Whatever. I'm remembering the sweet moments with Dean. The moments when he looped his arms around my neck and his babysoft, cool hands touched my cheeks and he looked at me with those deep brown eyes that look into my soul . . . what a wonder. That boy who is by turns all piss and vinegar and then the sideways wry smile, the knock knock joke, the unprompted 'I love you mama' melts my heart and all is forgiven.

Updates and Photos

To make up for my long absence from regular posting, here are some pictures for you! My brother was in town recently for business and we managed to get together for a quick dinner. Jack was suddenly very shy but Dean warmed up immediately and proceeded to charm the heck out of Chad. One memorable comment by Dean to Chad was, "You're hilarious! How did you get so hilarious? I didn't know you were so hilarious." I think Chad thought that was, well . . . hilarious!


Here, Chad is showing Dean how to do the Rock 'n Roll handshake. At the next table were some hard core rockers with black smudges under their eyes, tattoos, black fingernail polish and brightly colored hair. We had to show 'em how hip we are!


I haven't posted a picture of Kate in a while so here she is with her absolute favorite thing: her frisbee. She's still really sweet and eager to please. I'm looking into obedience training for her to start sometime in February. The training isn't for her as much as it is for me! She already knows sit, down, and paw but I want to make sure she comes to me when I call her - especially since she takes off if an opportunity presents!


This is Dean with Kate in our kitchen before I took a sledgehammer to it. Note the brick "thing" on the left? I hated that thing.

Here's Jack in the space where that brick thing once stood. He was my big helper. I knocked that thing down and he moved every bit of mortar, pieces of brick, etc. to the wheelbarrow parked just outside. He loved when large pieces came apart. He was my biggest cheerleader, best helper and absolutely tireless. He wouldn't take a break until I took one and hardly even wanted to eat in case he missed something. Don't worry about the missing shoes in the following photos. I shop vacced that whole place and picked up every stray nail or screw. Seriously, it's cleaner now than when the linoleum was on it.

See that door behind Jack? That will be removed and filled in. Who needs a door in the dining room?
And the view from the dining room looking through the kitchen towards the entryway. That countertop is on it's last breath. I can't wait to take the hammer to it this weekend! Yee haw!!Doncha want to eat Jack up in that photo? He looks like a little gingerbread man to me. I just want to nibble him! He's got a few tricks up his sleeve lately. The other day he was taking a bath and he washed his hair and body by himself, let the water out of the tub, got out and dried himself and then got dressed without my even knowing it. Yesterday morning while I was in the shower he got dressed for school, dragged the chair into the kitchen so he could reach the cereal, dragged the chair to the cupboard to get a bowl, took the milk out of the fridge and poured himself a bowl of cereal with milk. At school they tell me that he's the first to wash hands and wait at the table with his hands folded, patiently waiting for all the other kids to sit down to eat. He loves to sweep and does all the sweeping at the daycare. One day a parent commented to his teacher about what a great job he was doing and his teacher replied, "He's been doing this since he was 3!" He tells me that Jack does an exceptional job and doesn't miss even a grain of sand. Jack has a best friend at school and they spend every waking moment together. He told me he wants to move in with him and be his brother. And I found out that this boy's mother packs 2 of everything in a lunch whenever they have field trips - one for him and one for Jack. It's so sweet.

Dean is still a handful of drama. He's afraid of everything - windows, doors and (I found out today) chimneys. He doesn't want to go to the bathroom by himself or even go into the kitchen by himself! It's enough to make me crazy! Jack is kind enough to point out windows, doors and chimneys, thankyouverymuchjack, and Dean cries and clings until I finally give in and hold him. I'm trying to be all rational but clearly this isn't a rational fear and I'm sure he'll grow out of it soon. I've also been concerned about Dean because he's so quick to anger and his gut reaction is to hit, bite, push, etc. Every day I remind him to be kind with his words and kind with his body and still nearly every day there is some incident that happened at school in which he had to be removed from the group for some period of time. The teachers are all very nice and they don't "punish". The worst thing they ever do is remove the child from the situation. So it's my nightly practice to check in with his teacher to see how he was that day. In our chat last night I expressed my concern that when he enters kindergarten in the fall that he's going to get in a lot of trouble. His teacher told me that he thinks he'll be better when he's with all 5 year olds and that most of the time, it's his love-hate relationship with a 3 year old boy in the daycare that gets him in trouble. The other times he gets in trouble is when he is defending one of the younger girls in the daycare! His teacher told me that all the kids love Dean and he generally picks who he wants to play with each day and they do whatever he wants them to do. He told me that Dean would be fine and that his teacher is going to love him because he's so charming.

Finally, I asked him how Jack and Dean interact at school and he said that for the most part, they don't. Usually, the only time they do is if one of them is sick or upset then the other one will comfort him. Usually, the one needing the comfort is Dean and Jack does the comforting. His teacher said he loves to watch the way they come together when they need to but are otherwise completely independent.

As always, it's busy, chaotic, demanding and frustrating here at twintales but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Demolition Girl

Sorry to be so MIA. I've been a little preoccupied. I demo'd my kitchen yesterday. Pulled up all the linoleum, steamed the wallpaper off the dining room (that was Sunday, actually), removed the tile from the countertop next to the stove, took a sledgehammer to the built-in brick thing that was next to my stove and removed the brick (yes, brick) backsplash. My hands are raw, my back is aching, my fingernails are falling apart but boy was that fun! Jack was my little assistant. He carried all the linoleum and wallpaper bits and pieces to the garbage can. He filled the wheelbarrow with broken tile, mortar and brick pieces. That kid was absolutely tireless. I'll take some pictures tonight and try to post them soon. The countertop installer comes next Wednesday to measure and do the template. Then it will be another 5-7 days before it will be installed. So, by Valentine's Day I should have a new kitchen!!

Saucy

I went to a sauce class on Tuesday night. This was the second class that I took from the gift certificate that Tom gave me for my birthday. She showed us how to make a compound butter, veloute, vinaigrette, bechamel, reduction sauce, and a creme anglais flavored with coffee beans. I went home from that class feeling totally inspired. Wednesday night I made corn chowder with crispy pancetta and golden shrimp for dinner. Okay, seriously it was so amazingly good. Then Thursday night I made cream of mushroom soup and tonight was Pasta al Forno (fancy way of saying mac and cheese). But the best was the corn chowder. Soooooo good. Here's the recipe:

1 T. canola oil
small onion, diced
1/2 C. cubed pancetta (or bacon)
3 T. butter (divided)
2 T. flour
2 C. chicken stock
16 oz. frozen white corn (w/ 1/4 c. reserved)
1 C. milk
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Tapatio or Tabasco Sauce
salt and pepper

In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, onion and pancetta. Cook until onion is translucent and pancetta is browned. Add 2 T. butter and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and sizzling (do not let it burn). Add the flour, whisking constantly until it begins to have a nutty aroma - about 3 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock. Stir in the corn (except for 1/4 cup) and bring soup to a simmer for 5 minutes or so. Stir in the milk and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. In a separate skillet, melt 1 T. butter and cook the shrimp 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove the shrimp to a clean bowl after it turns a light pink, add the 1/4 cup reserved corn to the skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Chop the shrimp into small pieces and add with the reserved corn to the chowder. Add a couple of dashes of tapatio or tabasco and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread. Serves 2.

Dean's Five Year Check Up

The day of Dean's check up dawned early - at 5:00am when he came bounding into our room, jumped onto our bed and refused to go back to sleep. He also complained of an earache and was kind of a little pain in the you know what. The day wasn't starting off too well. But, when I picked him up at lunchtime, he seemed fine. Excited, even. Dean requested chinese food for his special lunch so we went to Panda Express. We had fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken (he ate most of it), beef with broccoli and pot stickers. Then we headed over to the doctor. Like Jack, Dean gained 5 pounds and 3.5 inches since last year but he's still 4 pounds less than Jack. Doctor S asked about Dean's eating habits. I told him Dean hasn't changed much from when he was a baby - he still doesn't want to have to stop what he's doing to eat. He's never been able to focus on food. Jack, on the other hand, focuses on food from the moment he wakes up every day. Anyway, the doc isn't concerned since he's clearly growing and is otherwise fine. A quick check in the ear did confirm that he has an ear infection but it didn't stop the vaccinations. Poor Dean. As soon as the nurse came in with the 5 syringes he started crying. And they were short staffed so they couldn't double team him like they did Jack. Soon though it was over and I gave him a shot of motrin right away. We stopped at the little cafe on the way out and Dean chose oreo cookies for his treat. Considering how upset he was, Dean did really well. Later when we got back to the daycare, his teacher told me that he was pretty anxious before I got there. Poor kid was probably worrying about those shots.

Jack's Five Year Checkup

This year, I decided to do their annual exams separately. I did that because last year when I did them at the same time I almost couldn't hold Jack down long enough to get his one required vaccination. He was all ambivalent about the shot until Dean started crying and there was no way in hell Jack was going to volunteer for that. Jack's exam was today and I picked him up early so we could have lunch together, just the two of us. He wanted pancakes so we went to IHOP. I let him have hot chocolate and a miniature Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity (my arteries clog just typing it). It sort of seems like the last meal of a doomed man, right? Right.

Jack wasn't nervous or anything and he seemed happy just to have some one on one time with me, even if it meant he'd have to have a shot. He has gained 5 pounds since his 4 year (normal is 5-7) and grew 3.5 inches (normal is 2). His vision is excellent, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, etc. - all normal. Doc is pleased and proud - what a success, what luck. Hard to believe he started out at 3 lbs 5 oz and 16 inches.

As I said, last year I almost couldn't hold him down long enough for his shot (singular, one shot). This year, he had to have 4 shots and a TB test. He had a nurse on each arm and they did two shots each in rapid succession.

The kid barely made a sound.

I bought him an ice cream sandwich. Told him he deserved it.

Always with the Questions

Dear Internet,

Jack has lots of questions and it's wearing me out. He's making a list of things that you can make such as, glass (melt sand) and wood (comes from trees) but there are so many other things he wonders about and his mother isn't any help. So, that's where you come in:

1. How do you make gold? Dean thinks you make it by twisting threads together but Jack told him he's wrong.
2. What is the street made out of? And asphalt isn't good enough.
3. How do you make wires?
4. How do you make water? Oh, and don't think you can just answer Hydrogen and Oxygen. Amateur.
5. What else do you know how to do besides cooking? Oh, sorry this was a direct question to me, his mother. But I honestly couldn't think of a thing.

So? Whatcha got?

Lessons from the Weekend

1. Don’t underestimate the power of Chuck E. Cheese’s to entertain the kids for 2 hours thus allowing you the opportunity to talk to your spouse with few interruptions.
2. 4:00pm on a rainy Saturday turns out to be the perfect time to go to Chuck E. Cheese’s. It’s between birthday parties and before the dinner crowd.
3. When your child wants to try to put the K’NEX windmill together by himself and insists he can follow the directions, let him try. He learns nothing from watching you do it for him whereas when he tries to do it himself, what he gains is much bigger than just a windmill.
4. When you go to the roller skating party, don’t be surprised by the number of times your kids fall down. Do be surprised when the one who is usually less physically coordinated, and more likely to get frustrated and give up, turns out to be the better skater.
5. When you lay down with your kids at night and one doesn’t fall asleep soon enough for you, don’t get frustrated and stomp out of the room. But, if you do, take a deep breath, take a sippy cup with water back into the room, give it to the still-awake child and ask him to scoot over. Wrap your arms around him while he sips and tell him how proud of him you are. You will never, ever regret the time you took to let him know how much he is loved.

Memories

I was in the waiting room at the doctor's office this afternoon. As I waited, I leafed through TIME magazine with particular interest in the article on birth order - not surprisingly, it doesn't mention how birth order affects twins. In the chair opposite mine sat an elderly man with a weathered, lined face, his oxygen tank hissing rhythmically. Shh . . shh . . shh . .
He paid no attention to me but I sat across from him deliberately.
He could have been someone else, not in looks but in manner.
A cell phone began to ring and I was surprised that it was his. Why am I surprised?! Why shouldn't he have a cell phone? I don't mean to eavesdrop but I hear him say that he's at the doctor and should be done soon. "What are you doing" he asks and then "can I buy you a sandwich?".
Suddenly, the waiting room goes into soft focus and I remember sitting at McDonald's, having a cup of coffee. I see us sitting at a table, a younger me and Grandpa Jack. I remember the day distinctly. He was still driving then and he drove me around Lafayette and showed me the new construction. He talked about my Grandma and told me how much he missed her. He told me how proud of my Mom he was and of all his grandkids. Then he bought me a cup of coffee.
Then I was back to the present day and my elderly friend was called into the office. I went back to my magazine.
Still, time stopped for a moment and that memory filled me with warmth.

A New Year

I can't believe it's 2008 already. I don't have a long list of resolutions per se, but there is a lot that I want to do this year. I have several books waiting for me like "The Art of Power" which was given to me by my friend Priscilla and two books by Pema Chodron "Start Where You Are" and "Don't Bite the Hook" - all of which I look forward to reading. Naturally, I want to be more disciplined about exercise - that's a perpetual resolution. I told my friend Peter the other day that I plan to practice meditation every day and take 15 minutes every afternoon to enjoy a cup of tea. He kind of laughed and said good luck with that. He's right, I'm afraid. I'll be really good about it for a week or so and then I'll get busy at work and won't take the time. Still, I'll give it a shot. I also plan to write more on this here blog. I've been playing around on another hosting site, too - it seems to have more flexibility when posting pictures - so I'll probably move over there. I'll post the link when I'm ready to unveil the new site.

Tom, being the adventurous one, wants to do some fun things this year. He wants to go whale watching and go up to the mountains so we can do some sledding with the boys. We also talked last night about signing the boys up for soccer or Tball this summer. They may need it more after they start school since I'm not sure how much physical education they'll get. In any case, they're ready for it this year.

Dean's resolutions are: he wants to go to the new park a lot and he wants to collect leaves.

Jack's resolutions are: he wants to collect rocks and crystals. So he can kill the bad guys.

Here's to a New Year!