Santa, The Big Meany

Mr. B has not written his letter to Santa yet and tonight he is in a bit of a panic. 

Mr. B:  "Wouldn't it be great if Santa brought me Lego Star Wars III for Christmas."

Me:  "Too bad you can't guarantee it since you didn't write a letter to Santa this year."

Mr. B:  "Well if he doesn't get me what I want I'll just get a receipt and return it."

Me:  "There is no receipt; Santa makes all the gifts he gives out."

Mr. B:  "Then if I don't like it I'll just give it away."

Me:  "Okay.  That's very generous of you."

A minute later. . .

Mr. B:  "Santa is just a big meany making me write to him so I can get what I want."

Me (to myself):  Yes she is.

Mr. B has resolved to writing his letter in the morning but this is how he felt about it tonight:

2011: Out With A Bang

It seems that Beeb is determined to go out with a bang this year. 

Today, while sitting in the emergency room with my niece (another story all together), I received a call from the school.  Beeb had fallen during recess and had hit her face on the cement.  I was assured that though there was a red abrasion across her cheek and above her eyebrow but no blood had been shed.  The nurse was called in and her evaluation determined that she was fine and sent back to class.  Due to the nature of the injury a report was written up (head injury) and thus I was called.

Mildly distracted at the time I took the calm voice of the office assistant to mean that Beeb was really just fine, which she is, but she looks terrible!  When I finally made it home I was a bit shocked to see my sweet girl with the below. 

I guess the swelling came later and I bet she will have one heck of a shiner to show off in the next day or two.  The poor girl is just so full of energy and always flittering around but she's not necessary the most coordinated person - which makes for memorable blog posts for me.

Something is Missing

She never seems to lose her teeth at home - I hate missing these important milestones! 

Today Beeb came home from school with this big gap.  Apparently a boy in her class bumped into her during P.E. causing her to fall against the wall and hitting her mouth which resulted in her tooth to be hanging limply to just one part of her gums - it was then extracted. 

Tonight each time she talked to me I just thought to myself that she looks so strange with a big gap in her teeth!  It was hard not to stare.

Hall-o-ween!

My neighbor, friend and running partner has been playing single parent for these last few weeks.  On Tuesday evening her son called to see if Mr. B could play but instead we invited his family to our house to carve pumpkins.  These things are always more fun when friends join in.

Beeb's pumpkin

Mr. B's pumpkin that he carved himself!

AH's pumpkin on the far right and my vampire pumpkin in the middle.

The kiddo's could hardly contain their excitedment for the actual Halloween day!  Thankfully our rainy weather took a break and we ended up having a nice trick-or-treat evening.  Our neighbor joined us again and we teamed up to take the kids out.

Beeb was a "My Little Pony" - I forget which one specifically though you'd better bet she knows!  She has a horse head hat but she misplaced it sometime on Sunday and we didn't locate it in time.

Mr. B was a ninja.  He really wanted to be an "army guy" again, but thankfully they didn't have his size so I had to go with his backup costume.  I think he looks cute!

Apparently in this picture Beeb is a MLP Ninja.

 We did our usual route through the neighborhood but then followed a friends advise and headed into town.  It was really fun to see the residents of our quaint little town get into the holiday spirit.  The decorations were amazing, there was a potluck and even a bonfire; I felt it all had a very New England/Martha Stewart feel to it.  What a great little community we live in.

A House of Sickos

My house is under quarantine unless you have the strange desire to become ill.  I have had a cold that has lingered with me for four weeks and continually morphed its symptoms just about every 7 days.  Thankfully I am finally on the mend and nearly 100% again.  Unfortunately I passed it on to other members of my family. . .

AH (and several of his hiking buddies) appears to have contracted giardia from his hiking adventure last month, and if that wasn't fun enough he recently caught my cold and has a full blown sinus infection.  Every time I walk into our bedroom I feel like I can cut through the germs with a knife.  Seriously gross!  (I'll be nuking the room once AH is all better) 

Mr. B has been sniffling up a storm the past 5 days and has permanently moved the bathroom waste basket to his bedside along with his own personal box of tissues.  One night this week he was up four times between 10pm and 11pm because of his cold and was so miserable that he asked for some medicine (you have no idea how much he hates to take cold medicine!) to which I accidentally gave him the "day time" version.  We were both then up the rest of the night.  I kept him home from school the next day so as not to subject his teacher to the delights of a tired Mr. B and we both took a long afternoon nap!

Beeb has remained unscathed throughout it all.  She flutters around and occasionally complains of boredom due to our confining ourselves to the house but, overall, she's been a good sport and I am praying that is skips her all together.

Beeb: The Delinquent

Our sweet little Beeb is finally growing up.  We have basked in the glory of her obedient behavior for years but it was inevitable that she would stray from the path and test the waters.  {sigh}  2nd grade has been hard for her thus far.  A few weeks ago she got into trouble for vandalizing the girls bathroom (locking the stall doors and writing on the mirrors with soap) with her new BBF.  After a harsh punishment of lost recesses at school, a letter of apology to the janitor, and a grounding at home she seemed to be back on the straight and narrow. . . until today.

Today I contacted her teacher to find out when homework would begin after weeks and weeks of having no homework coming home on Fridays.  Apparently homework began the first week of school.  Miss Beeb has been hiding her homework packets in her school cubby so that (in her words) she could "have more time to play with her friends at home".  This is the same little girl who told everyone at the kindergarten concert that what she was most looking forward to in 1st grade was "homework" - it was short lived. 

Beeb is in the process of making amends (or in her case "a-girls") by having no TV until she is all caught up with her homework and she is grounded from playing with friends for a week.  Beeb is humiliated that she has tarnished her image, meanwhile her brother is gloating about not being the one in trouble for a change.  Mr. B offered lots of other suggestions for her consequence but we ignored him.

AH tells me that Uncle Tip did the same thing when he was young - he is now a dentist.  I hope this pans out as well for Beeb.

Friday

Today is Friday (I love Friday). 

Today I volunteered in Mr. B's class and watched

him ace his spelling test - so smart! 

Today I played army with him - surprisingly fun! 

(his army totally destroyed my army)

Today Beeb cheered with the big cheerleaders during half-time at

the high school football game - adorable!

Today I am so happy to be a mom!

(as usual - in case you thought this was uncommon)

On Friday We Climbed a Mountain

A few months back my friend Jeff contacted me about joining a group he was organizing (most of them from St. Louis, MO) to climb Mt. St. Helens.  AH and I jumped at the chance to join in.  Previously I have climbed this mountain 5 times, though the last time was over 13 years ago, and I was eager to see how the landscape had changed.  For AH it was the final mountain that he needed to summit for him to be able to say that he has climbed all the volcanic peaks in Washington (I tease him that he saved the easiest for last). 

We met up on Thursday night with Jeff and his group for a late dinner at my favorite pizza parlor (Pizza Pete's) in Castle Rock, WA.  It was fun to finally meet everyone and get a sense of who they were and a better sense of their fun personalities.  It was a really outstanding group of people. 

Friday morning we headed out a little later than intended but it worked out to our advantage.  During the night a bit of clouds and rain came in and it took most of the morning to burn off.  We came across several groups of climbers along the trail who had turned back before reaching the top because it was incredibly cold, windy and the visibility was very poor (due to the heavy clouds in the AM). 

The Fearless Climbers

(now we just have to climb 5,000 feet in 5 miles)

My friend Jeff.



AH and I at the base of the boulder field we would be climbing.

Me at the beginning of the boulders (I already need a break!).

The long trek though the boulders.

Mid-way up the boulder field the clouds started to disperse and a view of the valley below is becoming visible.

AH and Brad taking a quick break (at this point our group had broken into two - we wouldn't end up really seeing the others the rest of the climb).

AH and I in the clouds.

There is something magical about looking round and seeing that you are high above the clouds. 

The last section is made up of sand and ash.  It was not as bad as I remember but still a tough section to complete with a very steep incline.

 From the top looking back to what we had just accomplished.  I love this view!

The new dome of the mountain is much larger/higher than my last visit.

Looking to the right of the new dome (Mt. Rainier in the distance). The steep drop off on the left is where the mountain blew out in 1980.

Looking to the left of the new dome. 

AH and I - see I really did make it.

From the top we could see Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood.  We were only able to catch glimpses of Mt. Adams on the descent due to heavy clouds around it most of the day.

A gorgeous view of Spirit Lake and Mt. Rainier.

 

When you reach the top you a literally standing on the ledge looking down into the new crater dome.  It's an amazing feeling seeing the power of nature up close and personal this way.

If only I could have done this the entire way down!

 AH on a ledge of the boulders during our descent. 

A closer shot.

We made it to the bottom of the boulders.  My legs and feet were protesting greatly at this point so I traded my hiking boots for my super comfy tennis shoes for the remaining hike through the trees back to the car (2 miles). 

To my disappointment we weren't able to wait for the rest of our group to descend.  It was a 4 hour drive home for us and we needed to be on our way to relieve our babysitter near the time I told her that we would be back.  I really missed congratulating everyone on completing this tough climb; I would have loved to have heard their perspectives.  I am really proud that they all toughed it out and made it to the top - that is quite an accomplishment!

Running

I have always hated running. . . really hated it with a passion.  I’m more of a sprinter type and not so much an endurance runner.  Unfortunately as an adult there just aren’t a lot of sprint running clubs so I gave in and started running short distances a little over a year and a half ago when my neighbor and I decided to run a 5k – regrettably we trained independently.  I have had to rework my thinking around distance running and realize that, for me, it is more about distance and less about time, especially when conditioning my body to run any sort of distance for the first time in my life. 

I trained successfully for months but it was lonely; I could never seem to find a consistent running partner.  Last summer I ended up only running a handful of times but played Ultimate Frisbee once a week and that seemed to be enough to make the occasional 5K fun run possible, although I knew I wasn’t doing enough to maintain a good weight or cardio health. 

In the spring of this year our Stake put on a free 5k fun run.  I invited my neighbor (same one as previously mentioned) to come do the run and she and I ended up running it together.  At this point I hadn’t run in over 5 months, due to some foot pain, and was actually very surprised that I completed the course without walking.  Granted, by the end of the run I was seeing stars and my legs truly wanted to give out – but I did it.  It was then that she and I realized we could actually run together a few times a week.  It only took us over a year to come to this realization . . . doh!

Here it is, several months later, and she and I run 3 to 4 times a week together for usually 3.5 miles each run.  I don’t think I could go back to running by myself; I’m just not that motivated.  We enjoy a half hour of sharing thoughts and ideas while simultaneously motivating each other to push a little harder or go a little farther – which is especially helpful on days when energy levels are lagging.  It has been really nice and has strengthened our friendship tenfold. 

As a result of more time spent running than ever before there are two things that I recognize that I knew before but didn’t really “know” before.  First, sleep really affects my energy level and second, food does the same thing.  I really feel (and I mean “really feel”) the difference in my ability to have a good run (good run is defined as “feeling revived and energized at the end of the run”) vs. feeling sluggish the entire run and exhausted by the end.  This has been the most powerful motivator for me, personally, to eat the very best foods and get a good night’s rest.  Prior to this I haven't physically felt how sleep and food combine to give me more energy, but that probably indicates how little I had consistently exerted myself in the past.

This morning I got up at 6:30am (of my own free will, be amazed – this is surely not normal behavior) to ensure that I would have time to eat a good breakfast well before my 8am run with my buddy.  It is a beautiful September morning, cool and crisp with full sun.  It was glorious to be out basking in this pre-fall splendor and, surprisingly (at least to me), really loving to run.

School Grump

My usually sweet sweet Mr. B has started off this new school year in a most exemplary way; he's had a perfect behavior chart 3 days in a row!!! 

Unfortunately it appears that being on his very best behavior at school is sucking him dry of all cheerfulness and agreeability.   By the time he gets home he is cantankerous, disagreeable, difficult, unfriendly (insert all other synonyms), etc. 

I am really looking toward the near future when his body and mind have readjusted to the strains of school and he comes home acting relatively normal again.

The New School Year

School preparations began last month as I updated the kids wardrobes.  It nearly killed Beeb not to be able to wear her new duds for an entire month.  It took me several days to sort out the old clothes and wash, fold and put away their new clothes.  Mr. B wardrobe was in especially bad shape - none of his jeans fit since he has grown so much and his shirts were all just a tad too high on his belly.

Sunday night AH gave Mr. B a hair cut.

Monday the school had a "meet your teacher" event and the PTA offered up ice cream for the kids.  Beeb was very nervous despite my reassurances that her teacher was a super nice lady (she is one of Mr. B's previous teachers).  Once she met her new teacher and had a tour of her new room she was bubbling with excitement. 

Mr. B was also a bit nervous.  He hid behind me when we first entered his class room but his teacher was quick to come warmly greet him, show him his desk, and reassure him that she was happy to have him in her class. 

The kids asked to have spaghetti for the "night-before-school" dinner - always one of my favorite so I was happy to oblige.  Yum!

Finally the first day of school arrived bright and early this morning.  Both kids were still a bit nervous and acting goofy (driving their mother crazy) with eager anticipation.  Mr. B tried to wear the same clothes that he wore yesterday. . .  right out of the hamper (they must have passed the sniff test).  I used my mom-in-chief powers and vetoed the dirty clothes.  It's nice to know the slovenly ways of men starts young and is instinctual. 

 

Beeb has had her new outfit picked out for weeks and prayed for a mild weather day so she could wear long sleeves, long pants and massively furry Sherpa boots (Costco's version of Uggs) .

(Note: Beeb didn't need a haircut so I let her have a feather attached to her hair last week.)

The first day went off without any issues.  Mr. B had a perfect report from school and Beeb has already made new friends that she is excited about.  Tomorrow they start riding the bus (I insisted on driving them today) - I'm not too wild about it; I like driving them to school and picking them up right after.  Is it bad to secretly wish that one of them would get kicked off the bus and I would have to drive them to school each day?  I didn't think so.

Beeb Logic

Over the weekend the kids and I attended a BBQ put on by our church.  It was a lot of fun for all of us. . .  too much fun for some.  Mr. B had a few incidents during the event and on our walk home I had a discussion with him about his behavior and how he would make amends.  Beeb, ever curious about her brother's mishaps, wanted to know what "amends" meant.  After explaining it to her she looked at me and asked, "Then what do they call it for girls?"

Happy Birthday to {ME}!

I have a little less than an hour left of my actual birthday. It's been a great week. On Monday I went up north to visit my mom and sister where we did the usual June birthday gift exchange (my mom once asked me, when I was 8 months pregnant, if I could hold Beeb in until August since June was already pretty full and we didn't have any birthday's in August - nice try mom). The kids and I spent the whole day there and enjoyed a delicious lunch, some great beach play/talk time and lots and lots of dog "kisses" from my mom's poodle, Paddy. 

Today the kids took care of their own breakfast so I could sleep in a little.  I found this note on the kitchen table:

Then we joined my friend and her kids on a "birthday hike" to Cedar Butte. It was a really nice 4 mile hike though it dumped rain on us the last half of way back to the cars - but I didn't mind; it was all part of the adventure.

At the trail head: 

Those are some crazy kids! 

Two sweet faces: 

Hunting for a geo cache: 

No geo cache but a toad was found! 

Finally located the geo cache. 

Thankfully Beeb chose the emergency rain poncho as her geo cache treasure. 

In the evening AH's parents joined us for a yummy thai food dinner, cake and gifts.  I'm a practical person and order in my home makes me very happy.  Our everyday dishes are chipped and several pieces have broken and it has been driving me crazy the last couple of years so I was ecstatic when I opened up 12 new place settings (thanks to AH and his parents!).  I love looking into my organized cupboard and seeing these beauties shine out at me. 

It really was a great couple of days that I wouldn't mind repeating next year.