To the races . . .

Jack and Dean race to their teachers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7xuu7gN7bA

Dean jumps in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERktkcy-d-I

Jack jumps in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LinsU3XSmv4

Amazing

Overheard Conversation

Dean: Um, Jack? Have you seen Shrek the Third?
Jack: No.
Dean: Me either.


Subtle guys. Real subtle.

Quick Swim Update and more

No pictures to show today because, well I was so dang excited by what I saw that I couldn't bear to step away for the brief moment to grab the camera from my purse. Jack actually stood on the bottom step, put his face in the water, pushed off and kicked his legs until he reached the instructor about 8 feet away. Dean is no longer afraid to put his face in the water. The instructor is still working on getting his legs straight out behind him but he is opening his eyes under water and is much more comfortable with getting his head wet. Amazing.

In dog-related news, I've been taking Tikka for an hour-long walk or run every day since Monday of last week and she's doing very well on the leash. We've seen all kinds of animals on our walks - bunnies, ducks, blue herons, squirrels, dogs, geese - you get the idea. Well, today we saw a fox. Now, you people know where I live, right? A fox!!! It was cool.

What a difference . . .

From this















To this:


Yup, that's Dean with his face in the water and his arms straight ahead reaching for the stairs. You might ask him what his favorite part about swimming lessons is. The answer? Putting his face in the water. No kidding.


And, here is Jack reaching out with long arms and legs. Tonight there was nothing but smiles and giggles.

Action Shots

Fluffy White Cloud

I recently began a meditation class that is offered through my company. Every Friday, I go into a conference room with 20 of my coworkers and we learn about meditation with a 10 minute meditation in the beginning and 10 minutes at the end. It is enormously helpful to me - the one who internalizes all stress until my body breaks out into hives. My teacher stopped me one day and told me how much better I look, so much more relaxed. It has been wonderful.
On Mother's Day, Dean woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He was grumpy and out of sorts all day. After lunch, we laid down to take a nap. I got Jack down without a problem and then worked on Dean. He was so angry, there was no reason - he was just mad. He wouldn't lie still, he just couldn't calm himself down. So, when I was at the brink of frustration I remembered how much better I feel when I meditate and could I apply that in this situation? I hugged him and asked him to lie down with me so I could hold him. I whispered to him, quietly, to close his eyes and feel me hold him tight. I spoke softly that with his eyes closed I wanted him to imagine he could see a big, white fluffy cloud as it floated against a beautiful blue sky. I continued whispering to him about the cloud that it was the softest cloud he ever felt and that he could almost touch it if he thought about it hard enough. I told him to imagine that he could sit in it and then lay in it and feel it's softness all around his body. I quietly told him that this cloud was the most beautiful white color and that it loved him.
He was snoring within 5 minutes.
Later, when he awoke, I took him with me to the grocery store. He mentioned that he didn't take a very long nap. I said that it wasn't that long but it was a good nap. What were you thinking about as you fell asleep? - I asked. He smiled and said a white cloud. I asked him if it helped him to calm down and he replied, yes, it helped him to stop being so angry.
Yes, it helped him to stop being so angry.
Indeed.

Hip Hollywood Night

Saturday night we got a babysitter and went out for an early anniversary present. Well, that wasn't how it was planned but Tom toasted me at the restaurant and we realized that we probably won't be out again together before our anniversary and I'll be in Indy during the actual date. So, we went to our favorite sushi restaurant and had our favorite things - spicy tuna on crispy rice cake to start followed by seared albacore. Mmmmm - Eddie? Jealous?
Then we tried a few new things - spicy tuna roll with seared albacore on top with a tower of fried onions. Spicy shrimp on a rice cake - too sweet. Salmon sushi and yellowtail sushi - my mouth is watering as I type. We remembered that we have been going to this restaurant for over 10 years and it has really changed in that time. Not the food, but the customers. It was not even 6:00 and the place was packed. I looked around and there were a lot more 'hip' twenty somethings than I remember seeing before. They even have valet parking now.
Anyway, from there we went to Pinkberry. It's a frozen yogurt place that originated in Westwood (i think?) and was so hip that there were hour long lines just to get a cup. I recently discovered that there was one in the Valley so we went there for dessert.
Not my thing. Too tart. I was expecting more of a TCBY type of thing but it's nothing like that. The best part of it was the oreo cookie pieces that I put on top.
After our dessert, we went to a play in Hollywood that our friend Mark directed and his wife was playing the lead. We haven't been to an off-broadway play in a really long time and I forgot how small the stage is and how close the audience is to the stage. But, it was a great play - really well written and well acted. Clever, sad, funny, sweet. After the show, we chatted with our friends for a bit then drove home - past the long lines waiting to get into the coolest club, past the drunks stumbling along the street, past the new buildings, stores and restaurants that we'll probably never step into - home to suburbia.

Swimtastic

Day 3 of swim lessons was a much different experience for our Dean. He did not like the going underwater part - not one little bit. Between him and another kid, there was much crying and screaming. So much that his teacher told him at the end of the lesson that he was going to need to leave his screaming voice at home the next day because it really hurts her head.
She said it in the same quiet, matter-of-fact tone of voice that she says everything.
Day 4 was better with some crying but little screaming.
Day 5 there might have been a yelp but by the end of the class he was putting his head in without being prompted and even tried to open his eyes a couple of times.
Jack loves it. He skips to the jumping towel and his legs kick up when he jumps in.
It is amazing to watch them get over their fear. Their teacher told them that this experience would teach them not just to swim but that they could be afraid of something and conquer that fear. It's going to be great for their confidence.
Last night in the tub I was able to pour 2 cups of water on the top of Dean's head without a fight. It has always been a monumental pain in the tush to wash that kid's hair but not anymore.
I can't wait to see what happens tonight!

Swimmingly

That's what Jack looks like after he puts his face in the water. Soon he might even do it with his "windows" (eyes) open.















Dean is obviously delighted.
They both put their faces in the water. They both went under water. Neither was very happy about the under water part. Jack doesn't mind getting his face wet and will put his face in the water even when told he doesn't have to. Dean doesn't like getting his face wet at all but is being remarkably calm about it.
The teachers are incredible - soothing and calm but firm.
Tonight is lesson 3. I can't wait!

Some Rad Moves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Lo9wY5lME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLd4PIyC33U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dotdeN7CMSM

Bees and Blossoms

Ever hear of the Build A Bear Workshop? It's a place where you can pick your own teddy bear (or stuffed dog, horse, cow, etc.), stuff it and then choose clothes to go along with it. You get to name it and even get a birth certificate when you leave. Dean chose a cow, named it "Mooch" and picked out a nice bumblebee costume for him. One night, when he was supposed to be putting on his pajamas, Tom wandered in to find that he was trying to put on Mooch's costume. Despite Tom's insistence that it wouldn't fit, Dean persisted. Well, what do you know - it fits!


Look what grew in our Peach tree!! Jack climbed up there so I could get a picture. Well, actually Jack climbed up there because he loves to climb things and he looked so cute surrounded by the blossoms so I made him perch there until I could get a picture.

Hiking

Coming soon . . . new video of the boys practicing their "rad moves".

Seriously.

Reflections

Dear Jack and Dean,

I woke up a couple nights ago and couldn't fall back asleep. I went out and read for a bit, finally felt a little sleepy, and went back into bed. Guilt strikes at the strangest times -- most often at night when my world is calm and peaceful; the dichotomy of the dark, still night against my racing mind. Uncomfortable memories invade; times when I spoke too harshly or lost my patience over something trivial. Instead of pushing away the pain, I invite it in and go further back in my memory to when you were infants and I was an overwhelmed new mother.

It wasn't what I expected when I was pregnant.

It wasn't what I expected when I would visit you in the NICU those first few days and weeks. When you were too tiny to even touch because the stimulation was too much.

It wasn't what I expected when I brought you home with the monitors and medication.

When I was in the hosital visualizing what it would be like to have my two infant sons at home with me, I didn't see monitors attached to your chests or small vials of medications waiting in the refrigerator. I never imagined you being premature.

I find it interesting that these emotions come up two weeks before Mother's Day. A reminder that we're all human and that no matter how hard we try, we'll make mistakes and it's ok. The realization that the same feelings of inadequacy that I felt, the same overwhelming pressure to be perfect is universal to all Moms ( and probably Dads too but I'll let them fend for themselves).

Having you has changed me in ways I never could have imagined.

Watching you learn and grow, seeing your personalities develop, is a gift I didn't expect.

I love you.

Momma

2 Restaurants, 2nd Birthday, 2 Sets of Twins, Basketball's Greatest

We made plans to meet the Sullivan's at the CPK in Encino to celebrate the Princess' 2nd birthday. We got to the restaurant, sat at our table for 10 and ordered drinks. After 20 minutes, no Sullivans and my phone rang.
They asked - Where were we?
We said - We're at the CPK in Encino at our table.
They replied - Well, we're sitting at our table at the CPK in Encino.
We said - No way. What's your cross street?
They said - Reseda.
We said - That's Tarzana.
They said - Oops.
We said - We'll be right there.
And we got back in the car and drove the 3 miles to the CPK in Tarzana.
We sat at our table of 10 (6 kids under 6) and ordered. Then, Dad Sullivan asked Tom if he saw John Wooden and gestured to where Mr. Wooden was sitting.
Tom's eyes flashed and he and Dad Sullivan started talking excitedly.
I asked the obvious question - who's John Wooden.
Much excitement and gesticulating followed - he's the winningest basketball coach ever. He's one of basketball's greatest. Maybe THE greatest. He's written books on leadership and has coached UCLA to more basketball champions than any other coach.
Oh.
As we were waiting for our dessert, Mr. Wooden and his wife rose from their table to leave but before they did so, they came to our table to chat. With 2 sets of twins we generally get some attention when we're together. Dad Sullivan pointed at me and told Mr. Wooden that my family has land out near Purdue and that most of my family went to college there. He smiled and said that was nice. He mostly wanted to talk about the kids - the 2 sets of twins and the lone girl. Then, they said goodbye and made their way to the door. Once they were near the front desk, Tom noticed that they had left their togo container on their table. He sprinted to the table and rushed to the door to catch them, calling out Mr. Wooden! Then, he caught up to them and handed the bag to them and walked back to our table.
Jack asked - Daddy, why'd you run?
Tom replied - Well, he was getting away!

And we laughed and laughed.

Snippets

There's so much and so little going on right now. So much that it's hard to find the time to write regularly (duh, as Dean would say). So little because lately it's the littlest things that have Tom and I keeled over with laughter. Take, for instance, the conversation that took place the other night at dinner. We were talking about how good yogurt is and Tom even went so far as to say it was a special treat. I mentioned that I never got to eat yogurt when I was a little girl at which time Dean looked over at me, patted me on the shoulder and said, "You will Mom. You will."
Or, I could tell you about the other day when we were saying goodbye to some new friends we had made. Another set of twins, boy-girl in this case, and the girl had taken quite a liking to our Dean. As Dean was about to get in the car, she ran up to us to say goodbye. She walked past Jack to Dean, gave him a hug then began to walk away. Jack looked after her and said, "HeLLLoooooo?"
Sometimes, Tom can't even look at me because he's trying to hold it together and, to be honest I don't try to hide my amusement most of the time. It's hard for me to not laugh out loud when Dean is channeling Spongebob. He's got his laugh down pat and has memorized most of the funny lines and will often spout Spongebobisms. When you factor in that he weighs 27 pounds dripping wet and looks like an elf, it's hard to not giggle.
Jack is . . . well, Jack is like a nursery rhyme. I'm thinking of the one in particular - the one about the little girl who had a little curl. It goes like this:

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
she was very, very good.
But when she was bad she was horrid.

That's Jack. He loves to help. He wants to help clean, and will often clean up all the toys in the living room without being asked. He loves to put the groceries away. He loves to go to the grocery store with me and will beg for the most expensive pasta sauce and pasta that they have because it will taste so good, so good Mom. He loves mushrooms and freshly grated parmesan cheese, the stinkier the better. He wants to eat oatmeal for breakfast every day, not the quaker instant kind but the old fashioned steel cut oats that could pass for wallpaper paste once cooked. He's getting so big, as he's quick to remind me, and he can run so fast. He desperately wants to be 4 1/2 and, I imagine that once he finally reaches that milestone that he'll question me daily if he's 5 yet. But, don't cross him because then he will shout, "YOU'RE NOT NICE, ___". You can fill in the blank. It's usually me, or Dean or Tom. Now I can almost see my mom nodding as she reads this paragraph because I imagine it reminds her a bit of someone she once knew. The script is somewhat different. If I remember correctly, I used to say, "I'm not going to be your friend". All I'm saying is the kid comes by it honestly.

Yee Haw

The boys rode horses for the first time last weekend. We went up to our friend Tony's house to test his electric fence. He just finished installing it last week and he wanted to test it out before we left Tikka there. Oh. Hadn't I mentioned that? Tony lives on 7 acres out in the boonies. He has an old German Shepherd and has been wanting another dog but hasn't had time to look. Well, Tikka has proven to be too much German Shepherd Dog for us and so we talked to Tony about adopting her. He met her for the first time a month ago and thought she was cool. But, he also lives near a busy road and wants to make sure the electric fence works and that Tikka obeys. We're keeping Tikka for another 6 weeks until Tony is on hiatus and has time to work with her. So, we went to his place last weekend to test the fence. It didn't work and he has to figure out where the break is. He has a couple of old horses so he threw saddles on them and led them around the pasture with the boys on the back. Jack was not a fan but Dean liked it. He even yelled "Yee Haw" a couple times.

Golden

Dean: Golden doesn't like tails.
Me: Who's Golden?

Dean points to his stuffed giraffe.

Tom: You named your giraffe Golden?
Dean: Yeah, that's his name. But his nickname is 69.

Meet the Robinsons

We went to see the new Disney Animated movie "Meet the Robinsons" last night. Opening weekend is next weekend but we always have family screenings at work the weekend before it opens. One of the park walkaround characters was there to freak out the kids as we waited in line. In this case they used the Bowler Hat Guy who is the menacing character in the film. Dean was FREAKED out. He did not like the BHG. And, once the movie started, he still didn't like the BHG. Scared the crap out of him. Every time the BHG came on the screen he would moan into Tom's chest "I want to go hooooooome". Anyway, BHG redeems himself and as we streamed out of the theater Dean waved at the BHG. That's pretty big progress. Jack would wave at him but wouldn't go near him.
The movie is really fun and you should all go see it. On opening weekend. Twice.
If you're looking for my credit, you will have to stay for a long time. The cleaning crew will probably come into the theater and wonder what on earth you're still doing there. Ignore them. They know nothing. My credit falls under "Production Resources" category. There are only 3 of us in that category and my name is on the righthand side of the screen. Don't blink. You will have to watch all the production credits, music credits, and technology credits.
It's ok. You can do it. Just because my name is way at the bottom doesn't mean I'm not important. After all, I do come before the "Production Babies" category!!

xoxo

In Charge

Jack: Well, I'm in charge of Dean 'cos I'm a little bit bigger.
Dean: Who am I in charge of? (italics signify whining)
Jack: Well, you can be in charge of Mommy.
Dean: Who is Mommy in charge of?
Jack: Oh. Mommy's in charge of Daddy.

That's right my little pets. Mommy's in charge of Daddy.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha