August Album: holy mole

Wow, I really got behind on my posts.  Looking back, I can see why… So much has happened during these last few months – including this trip that I mentioned in my last post, where I took my three children to Texas by myself.  Yes, we all survived.  And the kids did as well as I could have expected or wanted.  But August was exhausting.  It didn’t really dawn on me until I started rummaging through these photos.  Here we are on the plane ride over.  Why I took this shot, I have no idea… to remember the moment?  This look probably says it all – bundle of nerves, ready to explode.

 

The trip was pretty darn fun, starting with day 2, when we (18 of us, which isn’t even all of my siblings, spouses, and kids – and I) bombarded my aunts during this get-together at a little San Antonio taqueria.  Breakfast tacos were incredible.  We’re a mob!  We completely took over this restaurant.  I think I’m related to everyone in this photo.  Seriously, I am.

Here’s my sister, Gina Marie with our Great Aunt Marie, plus Rita, baby Marianne, and me and Leo.

Here’s my mom, Fiona Josephine with her Great Aunt Josephine, plus Lydia.

I loved watching Leo play with Marianne!  He loved calling her name and following her everywhere.

Fiona and Sophia were to be my cousin Sabrina’s flower girls, so they got lots of bonding time and special attention.  I have to admit, the lead-in to the wedding was pretty stressful.  Fiona had only tried on her dress one time before the day of the wedding, and she totally hated it.  I’m understating it – she cried the entire time.  So I was doing a lot of coaxing and keeping her happy so that when the moment came, she would be ready…  I bought her a special watch and I kept lollypops with me at the wedding.  And… it went well. 

 

    

I loved that Mom and Aunt Mary were in charge of keeping these three in tact and ready to go before their moment arrived!  Unfortunately for them, that meant waiting for about 30 minutes for the wedding to begin…

  

Aren’t they angels? Fiona wasn’t as well-trained as her cousin to stand still during the ceremony, but she managed to come sit next to me, and for a three-year old, she was amazing. I was so relieved when her flower girl duties were finished! Commence vacation!

 

The day after my cousin’s wedding, we were in San Antonio, and it was my 12th anniversary!  No Matthew to celebrate with, so my family and I raised our glasses to him.  I really missed him.  No more separate vacations.  Really.

We spent the rest of our time in San Antonio on vacation mode – which meant going to Kiddie Park, the zoo, my grandparent’s ranch, and playing in the pool.  Lots of cousin time.

  

  

I started to relax some.

When we returned home, I was totally depleted.  And, against my better judgment, we hit the ground running.  I had signed up Dean and Fiona for their last swim lessons of the summer – every weeknight for two weeks.  I was determined to get Dean to finish his level!  But, still, this was probably overdoing it for me.  It all worked out in the end – he passed, finally (after three lessons this summer!!!)

  

At the same time, we were wrapping up their preschool classes with parties in the park, and lots of nostalgia, especially around Dean, who was about to start kindergarten.  Plus, Fiona had a minor health scare with her skin that involved seeing a doctor and drawing blood and/or getting a urine sample every week for four weeks.  It all subsided, but that was no fun for anyone.

  

For some reason, we were also trying to wean Leo off bottles and on to the sippy cup.  Why?  Partly because his bottles were taking up valuable kitchen cabinet real estate.

By the end of August, here’s that look again…  And I’m not sure why I keep taking this photo.

rollercoaster

Tomorrow I will take three kiddos on an airplane by myself to San Antonio.  Did I mention that Matt's not coming?  I'm freakishly nervous... (inner calm? Summoning you...)  I did this almost 11 months ago, when Leo was only 5 months old, and I was nervous then.  I'm probably more nervous now - this, in part due to the fact that when Matthew traveled solo with the kids in April, it was kind of a disaster.  Poor Dean got sick during the first leg after consuming all of his snacks in 15 minutes.  There were no bags in their seat pockets, so it was quite a mess.  Leo did not want to be held by anyone (flight attendants or nice grandmothers offering to help) except for Matthew, who needed to clean up the nastiness.  Then in the Phoenix airport, Matthew couldn't find a new pair of shorts for Dean.  Dean ended up with an oversized t-shirt and underwear for the remainder of the trip, and Fiona (probably in a fit over not receiving a new shirt for herself) had to be picked up and carried, screaming, to the gate.  Huh.  So here I am, four months later... what am I thinking...  total dread.

Then, sensing my fear and lack of calm - the worst I've felt in months, frankly, Matthew reminded me tonight of this brilliant scene in Parenthood, the climax and probably one of the best scenes of the whole movie.  He had this crystal clear recollection of it, recounting the whole thing to me - trying to calm my nerves, since I couldn't really remember it.  We found it and watched it on youtube afterwards.  I laughed and cried.  And I realize why my dear esposo of almost 12 years is my other half.  How I will miss him these next couple of weeks!

July Album: more visitors and trying new things

This July, Matt’s sister Ayme came to see us, for what I hope is to become her annual stay.  The kids look forward to her visits, and she has incredible stamina for reading, reading, reading!  So of course, we promptly took her to the library so that we would have some new material for her.

Ayme also assisted me taking the kids to many, many swim lessons.  She took some great shots of them in the water.

     

For July 4th, we enjoyed a lovely picnic at Jenn and Scott’s.  It is our tradition to watch fireworks from their neighborhood, since one street to the north of them, the community rallies and puts together a fireworks display that would rival a suburb.  It is seriously that spectacular;  it never disappoints.  This year, the fireworks started incredibly late – we almost thought they weren’t happening.  But we realized that we think this every year, since it stays so light out for so long, and we wait and wait…

   

       

Finally!  Thanks to the fireworks setting on Ayme’s camera… look at the way the Douglas firs frame the show.  It was stunning.

   

Of course, we went berry picking this month.  Leo was in heaven, helping himself to the harvest.  I don’t understand why he held onto a container at all.  It never had any berries in it.  Clever disguise.

       

Fiona had a little celebration at the end of our mission.  Such a wild, happy spirit.

   

We even made it to the zoo. 

   

And then we had more visitors! Matt’s parents came at the end of the month.

   

These are happy grandkiddos. 

In the “trying new things” category, here are our top 3:

1.  Dean learned to ride without training wheels!  It took about a week. He’s a natural.

   

2.  I painted pottery!  Ayme showed me the tricks of the trade.  I’m making some bowls.  Still haven’t finished the big one, but it’s getting there…

   

   

3. I started running!  What?  The girl with migraines and dehydration?!  I credit my smoovies for this.  It sounds silly, but this is a freaking miracle.  Never before could I do this without paying for it with a headache afterward.  I’m taking a couple of lunch breaks a week and running downtown.  Well, running as far as I can, and then a mixed run-walk back to work.  My incentive is the cool shower at the end.  So therapeutic.  Yay.

   

Summer is here at last.

Visitors!

Before we traveled to Bend, we had a visit from my grandparents (my dad’s mom and dad) and my Aunt Carrie, who were making their way from San Antonio up the west coast to Seattle and then back down through the Rockies.  It was quite an epic trip for them – over 5000 miles with several stops to see their cousins and grandchildren.  Thank you, Aunt Carrie, for driving!  I hope I can be this adventurous if I’m fortunate enough to thrive in my eighties.

Leo took to Grampa – his great grandfather (!), mainly with the enticement of food.  Look how they match, stripes and hair cut!

Aunt Carrie used her creative teaching skills to construct a tree mosaic out of torn paper. 

I drove them out to Multnomah Falls (where else? it’s so lovely) and the Crown  Vista Point.  I had taken them there back in 2008 after my brother’s wedding, but it’s always such a crowd-pleaser.  Plus, Aunt Carrie hadn’t been yet.

  

I also arranged for a personal tour of Portland’s historic Belmont Firehouse.  It was fun to hear Grampa reminisce about his days at the fire station.  I wonder if any occupation has undergone such a transformation over time.  Aunt Carrie documented many of the artifacts.  There is momentum in opening up a similar fire museum near the Alamo in San Antonio, so hopefully they’ll get some good ideas to take back. 

We filled the table!  We love sharing meals with visitors, and there is no greater honor than hosting your grandparents in your own home.  I loved to watch the kids interact with them.  What a gift.

Of course, when it came time for a photo opp, Leo was not in the best mood.  He was wearing his pajamas, so obviously he was ready for bed.  Still a great memory.  (Note, Fiona’s Panama shirt was once worn by me, commemorating my birthplace.)

Such a treasured visit.  How lucky we are.