October 2017

 The kids like making fairy houses. They set them all up with furniture and welcoming notes and then check them for days afterward, to see if any fairies left them a present in return.

We had a delightfully uneventful General Conference weekend. I didn't have to shop for new toys or art supplies or treats to keep the kids occupied. They just pulled out stuff we already had, and sat and listened and were so good. Gemma spent the last session in the playroom, which was fine. She had been so great. Jack and Hazel gave little synopses of each talk as they ended, and Todd and I realized next time around we ought to give them notebooks. Hazel, especially, is ready to take notes as she listens. We are so proud of them.

I went with Gemma and her preschool class to the pumpkin patch. She was so excited to go. She spent a solid hour jumping in the corn box. Then she got a wagon and picked out the biggest pumpkin she could find, took it for a walk up and down the rows, and compared and traded as she saw others she thought were bigger, till she found The One. It was cute to see her process.

We came back to the pumpkin patch with the big kids and some buddies a few days later so they could all party in the corn box again.

We had a very windy night, and the redwood trees in our backyard dropped a million needles, way more than we could fit in our green bin in one week. Hazel and Jack and I made garbage bag spiders to decorate our porch (plus, we had several more bags on the side that waited for another week or two to be disposed of). The kids were very excited to refer to them as Aragog's children. (We've read the first two Harry Potter books aloud together - huge hit!)

We've been so good about not driving to school whenever possible. We mostly bike, but sometimes the scooters and the rollerblades come out, too. I love it. Even if we walk, anything but getting in the car seems to get our morning off to a better, happier start. Fresh air and healthy bodies are a blessing.

Hazel was awarded Student of the Month for fairness. (Also, it was crazy hair day during Red Ribbon Week.) Her teacher's message on the back of the certificate mentioned that Hazel includes everyone and looks out for those who are on the fringes, and that she makes gifts for others and is generous and kind. These are traits of hers that she's held for a long time. She's always been compassionate and she definitely shows her love through thoughtfulness and gift giving. 

A week later, Hazel was awarded for earning over 100 Accelerated Reader points since the start of the year. She was one of only three kids to reach that point level already. I'm not AR's biggest fan, but I do love that Hazel has found a way to be acknowledged for being such an incredible reader. She blows through a big stack of library books each week, and according to the tests she's had at school, she is comprehending text at a middle school level. This truly is one of her strengths. It's fun to think of her as a three-year-old; she was such a vocabulary vacuum, always picking up new words. Now she sits at the computer and types up funny stories. She's very literary. 

My game club is going strong. My co-chair Katie threw a murder mystery dinner for October's game night. It was tons of fun. Everyone dressed up and acted silly, and it made for a great night. 

We went to the kids' school Halloween carnival for the first time this year. We've been missing out! There were tons of games and no candy and the kids loved seeing all their friends in their costumes before the big day.

No surprise, but our firecracker Gemma LOVED scooping out pumpkin guts! She went nuts for it when we carved our pumpkins.

Gemma was Rapunzel for her Halloween party at school, but she carried her hair around the whole day and didn't put it on. On the way home from school, I told her I wasn't going to buy her anything else, but that she could wear whatever she wanted from the dress-up box - she didn't have to be Rapunzel if she didn't want to be. She was excited to realize the freedom she had and was delighted to be a wizard instead (don't you dare call her a witch - she was definitely a wizard!). She'd been talking for a few days before that about being a wizard next year, so I'm glad I made a good mom move and figured out how she felt about things early enough to liberate her in her costume choosing.

The neighbors in our culdesac absolutely spoiled our kids. Between big handfuls of candy, homemade cereal mix, and - literally - entire buckets full of candy for each kid, they all felt like they had more than they needed before we even left our street. That made it easy for us to slow down and enjoy the crazy Halloween street in our neighborhood without worrying about knocking on many more doors. This street is nuts. Every single house decks out big time. There's a live band and a food truck, and some intense carpentry in the decorations. The two houses on the corner had a pirate ship battle, complete with firing cannonballs and splashing water. It's like Disneyland. It's outrageous. 

September 2017

I spent Labor Day weekend in Berkeley with my friends Chrissy, Suzanne, and Olivia. It was blazing hot outside (near 100) so we didn't do as much hiking and window shopping as we had planned. We did, however, have a lovely time.

We got pedicures, after calling around to several places to find one that had air conditioning. 

Wandered through an art museum. Ah, look how funny I am. Chrissy can't contain herself!

Ate lots of good food, although the struggle was real to find places that weren't vegan. We probably should have done some more restaurant research before the trip. Cinnaholic was a win, even vegan at the same time! 

It just isn't Berkeley if you're not doing some thrift store shopping. We hit up Urban Ore, this massive place whose goal, apparently, was to try to sell everything you're ready to throw away, so it doesn't end up in a landfill. Lots of treasures, lots of junk.

We also made a stop at the Goodwill, hoping to find a gem. Suzanne was on the lookout for a good jumpsuit. We all tried this one on - so hilarious! - but, unfortunately, it didn't go home with anyone. Foot straps, sparkles, and 100% polyester. That bad boy was hot!

My top highlight of the trip happened in the car. Suzanne and I got wacky and couldn't seem to stop shout-and-cry-laughing about everything. We somehow ended up in this long, slow line of cars and all the other roads were blocked off, so we had to just ride it out. Lo and behold, we found some signs posting that there was a sobriety checkpoint up ahead. Suzanne and I were so hyper that Chrissy and Olivia were literally afraid we wouldn't pass the test, which only seemed to make us more slap-happy. When we saw the cops, we stared straight ahead, and I, for one, held my breath. Of course we made it through, c'mon! I almost wish we hadn't, though. What a cool story that would have been to have had to take a breathalizer test and walk on the line when we were only drunk on friendship, kidless freedom, and overpriced milkshakes. It felt so good to let loose like that. I need more of that in my life. 

Todd took the kids to the beach while I was gone, and we all went again on Labor Day when I came back. It was the perfect place to be during a heat wave - it actually felt good to get in the water! We brought out the wetsuits and everyone did some boogie boarding. I haven't been out in years, and it felt absolutely liberating.

Gemma started pre-k at Cottage Preschool after Labor Day. Her teacher from last year, Ms. Diana, moved to Colorado this summer. We found this new place which is totally adorable; the only trouble is class is 10:45-1:30 instead of first thing in the morning, and the school is a 12 minute drive from the house. Gemma was happy there, but three weeks in, I felt so busy, even with G at school nine hours a week. We had her on a waiting list for the community preschool that meets on campus at the kids' elementary school. and when we got a call saying they had an opening, we took it. We've had a week at Croce now (a bit into October), and Gemma feels so cool, going to the same school as her big brother and sister. I drop all three kids off at the same time and don't have to spend part of my "me time" eating lunch and driving back and forth. It's going to be a better fit for our family.

First day of school giant cookie. I didn't take pictures of Hazel and Jack with theirs this year!

Todd decided we needed a projector so we could have outdoor movie nights. We are loving our backyard!

The kids are big into making secret hangout spots. We had dinner under this willow tree on the path behind our house one evening. Todd and the kids spent an hour or two hanging out there before dinner as well. They really want a clubhouse.

Gemma's latest obsession is the monkey bars. She has got blisters all over her hands. Every morning when we take the kids to school, she gets in line, waits while some first grader slowly crosses, both hands on the same bar, taking their time; when they're done, Gemma blazes across like some sort of primate. She's amazing.

We bought another cow. Thank goodness, because I don't like store-bought beef anymore.

We went to a cool festival nearby (in Dublin) called Splatter - it seemed to be totally art-based. They had tons of hands-on projects for the kids, from painting with kitchen utensils, to tying strings onto this massive conglomeration, to painting walls with spray bottles. It was awesome.

They had a sidewalk chalk art contest, and each of our kids entered. They got to fill an entire square each with their own creation, while Todd and I sat back and just watched them draw. I'm telling you, this was such a fun, laid-back Saturday. We are going to have to mark our calendars and go every year.

I had a really nice birthday. I woke up to the sound of Hazel taping crepe paper streamers to my doorframe, like I do for the kids on their birthdays. That sweet girl had totally pre-planned it, getting the supplies the night before and setting her alarm to wake her up early to surprise me. It totally made my day, her thoughtfulness.

I invited a handful of my closest friends to meet me at Panera for lunch. Now I'm really wishing we'd taken a picture of ourselves! It was so lovely - I'm going to do that every year. It just feels good to be surrounded by people I really like and who care about me. A grown-up birthday party!

My kids made me cards and limitless massage certificates, and Todd wrote me a lighthearted poem, a throwback to our dating days. I loved that. We had take-out lasagna and German chocolate cake with homemade coconut pecan frosting. That stuff is to die for!

That evening, after we put the kids to bed, Todd sat on the couch next to me and asked me what I wanted to do. Usually he's working on his computer or his phone in the evenings, and when he's not, we typically read, but what I really want to do, and he never has the energy for, is play games. Well, Todd played three rounds of Skip-Bo with me for my birthday. I felt so loved.

The next day, I cashed in on Todd's gift, and while Gemma was at school, I got a 90-minute hot-stone massage. Bliss!

Jack received the September Student of the Month award for respect. His teacher, Miss Wooten, wrote, "Jack ... is always listening attentively to both the teacher and his classmates during class. He is willing to work and play with anyone. He shows good manners by waiting his turn to do something." I'm proud of that good kid! He has always been really pleasant to be around, and I'm happy to see that working well for him at school.

We had a new fence installed, went to the ward campout (but didn't stay overnight), I've been writing the primary program in every spare second I have alone, Todd spoke in church and did a great job, I volunteer in the kids' classes at school, the kids are still loving gym class, and we started them up in soccer class as well. Todd's been getting in flight hours in the helicopter, Jack and Hazel are taking piano lessons, we've had friends over a few times, and I helped throw a baby shower for my friend Elaine. The kids went to the dentist, and Hazel and I had a date night for the women's session of conference, complete with pjs and candy and a laptop, all snuggled up in my bed. Gemma rode the bus for the first time with a group of her buddies, Todd and Jack went to the father/son campout (and did spend the night), and I've been doing a fairly good job of exercising every day and eating low-carb. Yeah, that's all the stuff that I didn't take pictures of. September was busy!

August 2017

The kids had a few swimming lessons with Carolynn Hoopes in August. Gemma jumped off the diving board for the first time and swam the length of the pool! So cool. She totally became a fish this summer.

We went camping in the Stanislaus forest for a couple of nights. The kids loved playing in the river, making fairy houses, and playing "The Impossible Game." The rules: whoever is it picks three or four spots that the others must run to and tag - in order - and return to you while you count to 20 with your eyes closed. Every time you get to 20, you can look and try to spot the others. If they are seen, they're out. So you have to run like the dickens to each spot, and calculate properly whether you have enough time to make it to the next one or not before you have to find a hiding spot. Oh, and did I mention it's a race? It's impossible, I say!

We went on a couple of hikes. It was crazy, but Todd thought it was a super idea to forge our own trails. Image the five of us trekking through poison oak-infested land, pushing through foliage and crossing rivers on the wet rocks. I swear, we're lucky no one got seriously hurt.

Yeah, we crossed the river right here. With school-age kids. 

We read books by the fire, the kids painted rocks, and we attempted to swim in the {freezing} river. We branched out from s'mores and tried a couple different treats. The best one turned out to be chocolate cake baked inside oranges on the fire. So yum!

The kids' most memorable spot will probably be Cougar Cave, this alcove we found that was so peaceful and cool and quiet, but also seemed to be the perfect place for a cougar to live, which made hanging out there a little exciting and risky. We went three different times, mostly to listen to Todd tell stories in the interesting setting. Todd is an awesome storyteller!

The last thing not yet accomplished on the kids' summer bucket lists was a trip to the beach. Sadly, Jack was really sick the day we planned to go. The girls still went, with the friends we were going to spend the day with, and they had a good time, but it was Jack who had put the beach on his list, so I felt bad he missed out. It was obviously the right choice, however, as he proceeded to take a three hour nap on the couch that afternoon. Sweet kid.

I've got a game club up and running with a few friends. I hosted in August and planned games we could play in my gorgeous new backyard: bocce ball, Mafia, corn hole, dice games ... I was doing such a bueno job entertaining my friends and showing off the landscaping job, until suddenly, we were disrupted by the sound of rustling in the bushes. There was a rat creeping around at 9:00 at night, not at all afraid of the loud group of laughing ladies. I was appalled! We asked Todd to help, and he came out with a rifle! Are you kidding me? (Sadly, no.) When it became apparent that he would need to use a different tactic, Todd went after the rat with a shovel, and scared it away with a rough swing. I was mortified, and truly hope my friends remember game night at my house for the fun games I came up with, or the yummy veggie tray and popcorn I offered, but if I were them, I'd definitely remember the Rat Incident. 

My kids are still crazy about Legos. Hazel made this hotel and it is one of the coolest things I've seen her make with Legos yet. It's got a lounge area, bedrooms, a rooftop deck and pool, an elevator, and even a check-in desk. The kids have had lots of fun playing with the Lego people at the hotel. 

The bunnies got old enough that we had to separate them so they wouldn't make babies. Everything I read said to get them fixed around 12 weeks, but everyone I called either refused to perform the surgery until they were at least 6 months old, or wanted around $300 a bunny to do it. Both the price and the complexity of keeping separated bunnies for months was so far outside of my view of simple first pets that we knew something had to change. After talking about it as a family, we decided we would rather use our extra money for trips than for bunnies, and we found new homes for Cocoa and Carmel. The kids are pretty sad about it, especially Hazel, but Todd and I realized we were in over our heads, and it was the right choice for us. 

The big kids went back to school near the end of August. Hazel is in third grade and Jack's in first. We've been biking, scootering, or roller blading most mornings and it's been a happy way to start the day. The kids seem to have good teachers this year, and have had mostly good feedback to report so far.

A big change for Jack is that he gets to play on the bigger playgrounds at recess. He and Hazel are even out there at the same time at morning recess, which we all think is fun. Jack's been attacking the monkey bars with a passion, and proudly grew a massive blood blister as evidence of his focus.