Monster Chops

Chops, 

Meet Chops:

Forgive me for finding this funny...

Marianne turns TWO!

The MariBug turned two yesterday!! As this is only the second time she has had a birthday, the kids spent most of the day trying to teach Marianne the wonderful and marvelous beauty of birthday magic: candles, cake, and presents. She woke up oblivious but caught on quickly to being sung to and blowing out candles. We put candles on her sprinkled pancakes and she blew them out over and over as we sang the happy birthday song to her repeatedly.
After the kids went to school she got a super bubbly bubble bath...

 Then she played outside while I tried to teach her to answer the question "How old are you?" with two fingers...

"Marianne, how old are you?"
"TWO!"

 Because it was her birthday, all of the kids were super nice to her. Bekah helped her get her diaper changed and then took her outside to play. I love the cheek hanging out. (Thank you Bekah!) And the boots. And the hat. Marianne loves her boots and her hat!

 Later we had pizza for dinner and then funfetti cupcakes for dessert. This time she blew out the candles as we lit them and sang along, "Appy Bir Day Day!!"

She got the biggest cupcake, of course...

 And loved every little bit of the frosting, but didn't really care to eat the actual cake...

She got a mini lalaloopsy playhouse for her big birthday toy and it was a hit!

I love being a mom to this opinionated little girl. Case in point:
A few days ago we were looking at fabric at Hobby Lobby. I struck up a conversation with an older woman over cute holiday fabric, and Marianne had to give her two cents worth as well. The woman was especially nice to Marianne, and Marianne decided that only She (the grandma), could help her with her buckle and only She could push her in the cart. If I tried to help her she swatted me away and pointed to the grandma. The woman was tickled and asked if she was almost three. I told her she was almost two, going on five, and the woman agreed!
Marianne is so fun, and most often quite exhausting. She is always saying, "I do it!" and doesn't want help getting in the van or getting in her car seat or putting on her pants or climbing in the tub. She loves being up at night longer than the other kids and finds it the ideal time to repeatedly pull mom or dad off of their tired bums to find her some food. She loves having her shoes put on, but kicks them off the second she gets in her car seat. (This can be annoying when we're running alot of errands). She loves music and loves to dance, and has recently started monitoring how loud I play my music in the van. She'll say "Loud!" or "Down!" until I turn it down to the proper level. She loves to draw, and as my walls will agree, has just recently started branching out to other mediums besides paper. She loves to say hi to random people and can carry on an entire conversation like this:
"Hi! What's your name?"
"Buggy!"
"Buggy? Okay. How are you Buggy?"
"Good!"
"Good! Well, have a good day!"
"Bye!"
I love that she calls herself "Buggy". For a few weeks if I asked her to say Marianne, she would only say, "Buggy!" but now she has started repeating her actual name and it is equally cute.
Rus wants to add: Marianne loves the iPad. She knows how to use it better than dad. She knows how to poop on the toilet. She loves her brothers and loves to tackle and play with them. She has a big girl bed - the bottom bunk - and sleeps really well in it.
Marianne, we are all wrapped around your little fingers! We love you!

Villanueva State Park

For Labor Day this year we decided to go on a little adventure someplace new. Together. All of us. I only emphasize this because it feels like Rus and I spent the entire summer taking separate vacations. Rus decided to take us to Villanueva State Park because he somehow had never been there before. It's northeast of Albuquerque, and we learned, quicker to get to heading east on I-40 than going north through Santa Fe.
Villanueva State Park has the Pecos river running through it, a super brown river that was maybe two feet deep (at the deepest parts) and had a steady, but not too fast current. These conditions made it perfect for the kids to play in. Rus and I knew there was a river but prepared poorly for it, instead insisting that the kids wear their hiking shoes and socks. When we arrived at the park (after about a two hour drive via Santa Fe), we ate our picnic lunch and the kids played on the playground there. Then we found the footbridge and crossed the river to the other side, where minutes later the kids had shed their shoes and socks and were stepping gingerly into the water.
What is Beau's mouth doing in this picture? I'm not sure...

Check out those super chops!! I think Rus is adding a quarter inch of sideburns per year of marriage. That's eleven years right there. When he runs out of face I'm afraid he'll go for length...Marianne loves wearing hats. She's just like her daddy.

Such brown water!!

It wasn't too cold, but it was muddy and even though it was only a foot deep in most parts, you couldn't see the bottom. The kids enjoyed playing in it, but the rocky bottom proved challenging for their bare feet, and after about ten minutes they all had their shoes back on, in the water. Rus and I enjoyed walking in it too, and sitting on the big rocks in the middle of it while soaking in the perfect pre-autumn air. Marianne liked throwing sticks in the water and dipping her toes in it, but that was enough.
Here is Bekah helping Beau cross the river. Rus and I made a bet about which kid would be the first to get soaked before the kids even stepped foot in the water. I bet Beau would be first, followed closely by Bekah...I was right. It was only Jacob's careful and slow demeanor that saved him from ever falling down.

 Marianne finally decided to try walking around right before we had to leave...

 After our short play time was over, we loaded up in the van with four wet kids and a wet dog. (I forgot to mention Colonel came. He probably enjoyed the water more than anyone else.) We headed south this time and then west on I-40 and the drive only took an hour and a half. No one really cared because we were listening to The Lightening Thief on cd and the kids were enthralled.
It was a great day! I love family adventures!

Vaqueros

Rus made me breakfast today, fashioned after his favorite breakfast meal at Vic's Daily Cafe. Hash browns on the bottom, chicken fried steak, red chile and cheese, and egg over easy. A true blue heart stopper here! Both the husband and the meal...make me a bed of hash browns any time, honey

First Day of School 2013

The first day of school came too quickly this year. It was just a few days after our return home from St. George and I felt like we were getting robbed of the laziness of summer. I knew it would mean not taking four kids shopping everywhere, and I was looking forward to that, but it also meant just me and Marianne at home. Don't get me wrong, having three kids in school sounded like a terrific thing, but I was just worried as to how we'd fill our time and if I would get anything done at all without other kids around to entertain Marianne. So I greeted the start of school with some trepidation...and then caught a stomach flu and greeted it clutching my stomach in bed with a bowl nearby, just in case...The first day of school sucked. For me. I was especially mad at feeling so crappy and wanted a redo. Luckily the first day of kindergarten was two days later and I was able to feel a little better and really enjoy sending Beau off.
I will tell you that taking Bekah and Jacob to school their first days was wonderful: I didn't shed a tear, in fact I might have cheered. But as my little Beau climbed on that big bus with his two older siblings at his side protecting and guiding him, my heart did a little painful lurch. I missed him the second he left. He had a great time and practically bounded off the bus and into my arms at the end of the day. But it made me realize that I'm officially on "the other side" of parenting with more kids at school than at home and late nights because of soccer and homework, not colic and baby feedings. It's bittersweet.
Anyway, school has been great. And my time with Marianne has been wonderful - she doesn't complain if I go to two or three stores in a row (Beau hated shopping), doesn't complain when I have to fold laundry (she tries on all the clothes before I fold them), and takes a terrific nap nearly every afternoon. Now I have time to paint and work on other projects (or nap), and my day feels much more balanced.
So here are some pictures of the first day of school for each of the kids:
Bekah is in fourth grade this year. FOURTH! I remember fourth grade - we had just moved back to Sierra Vista from Germany and I was so worried about making friends. I wound up with "the mean teacher" who I actually loved, who gave us sugar daddies when we were quiet. I can't believe Bekah is that same age...Her teacher is Mrs. Weeks and she seems to enjoy her so far.

Jacob is in second grade. I had Mrs. Skaza in second grade and loved her because she taught us how to make fried rice. Jacob has Ms. Grady, the same teacher Bekah had for second grade. I already know that I love Ms. Grady - she is incredibly energetic and helps the kids engage in and enjoy learning.

Beau, as you know, is in Kindergarten. His teacher is Ms. Rozzell, the same teacher Jacob had for kinder. I already know that I love Ms. Rozzell, as well. I am so grateful she is teaching Beau! He has loved playing at recess, doing projects, making friends, and buying school lunch. (Bekah and Jacob are terrified of school lunch, but Beau wants to buy all the time. I'm having to limit him to one time per week just to save my budget.)

And here is Buggy pretending to be Beau. She's wearing Beau's back-to-school-outfit. I told you she liked trying on their clothes...

One other fun thing about this year is that I have worked it out to volunteer at the school one day a week. I asked the art teacher if I could volunteer in her classroom and thankfully she said she'd love to have me! I have two ulterior motives here - one, I volunteer on the day Beau has art, and two, I'm hoping to see if I would enjoy being an art teacher myself. (It's on my short list of "what to do when all the kids are in school.") I've gone once so far and I can tell already that it's going to be a rewarding experience.

Bear Hunting

We've had a wild visitor lately...A bear. A real bear. A 250 pound black bear who enjoys the scraps in my trash can more than my kids enjoy the real meal. This bear visited us the first time three weeks ago, and then has been coming nightly the past week. A rational bear-fearing person might think, "If I put my trash away in the garage then the bear won't come to my house." A true blue manly man would contest, "If I leave the trash out and use a baby monitor to monitor any activity, I might get to see this bear!" This gun-toting-independent would then wish he had an airedale to send out after the bear (once spotted), in hopes of getting him treed. And only a true blue redneck would say, "Well if this bear has been caught twice before then this is a third strike and they'll have to put him down...maybe they'll let me have the pelt!"
It was a combination of the three - manly man, independent, redneck, who diligently stalked the Game and Fish Office's phone lines until he was able to convince a ranger to bring a trap out to our home and set it up on our side yard. Honestly, my first thought when Rus said we'd have a bear trap in our yard was "Crap. One of my kids is going to trip that trap and die." But luckily this trap is actually a cage on a small trailer, and it is tripped when the bear fully enters it and steps on a metal plate, thus releasing a pin to slam the rear door and trap him in. (Phew. At least my kids won't die when they trip it, they'll just be stuck in a stinky cage with some rotting cherries.)
Now to back up just a bit: We first saw the bear on Saturday night. We were standing on the porch for this express purpose: Bear Stakeout, and we saw it scamper across the road and up the hill across the street. We didn't get a great look at it, but we did see it! We learned quickly that Game and Fish won't come out unless law enforcement trees the bear. So Rus called 911 and then directed the officer in the direction of the bear, but no luck.
The next night Rus had the genius idea of putting the baby monitor right outside the garage door, with the receiver inside by the couch so that we would hear if the bear came up...And it did! At about ten that night Rus heard something over the receiver, so we both raced across the house to the garage, just in time to see the bear drag away a trash bag out of the trash bin he had just knocked over. He went to the middle of the road and paused there; we booked it across the house again so we could look out the front door. Rus was already dialing 911 and we both planned to just stay inside and try not to spook the bear so that the officers would see it when they came. But as we watched the bear climb the hill across the street, we saw that our neighbor across the street had come out to put his trash out for pick up. So we went out and yelled at him to go back inside (he was maybe twenty yards from the bear. This is "Rus talk". I actually have no idea how far twenty yards is. The neighbor was close). Minutes later the bear was still perched on the hill and the police came, actually spotted him this time, and the officer went up the hill after him. But the bear was too stealthy and got away...
So now we have a trap. Now we sleep with one ear primed to hear the loud slam of the trap door. He didn't come last night, we're hoping to get him tonight!
I'll keep you posted. :)
Here's the trap:
From the rear, peeking inside. Those little black dots are cherries. That dark black line on the bottom of the inside of the cage is the pressure plate. When he steps on that, the door slams shut.

St. George 2013

Dear St. George,

Oh how I love your sparkling blue pool and hot summer air. I love your cute little town where the older (more logical part) is laid out in a quaint grid and the rest of the roads curve enough to send you south for two miles and west for three and then north for four and east for one. I LOVE your thrift stores (my heart still lusts for those tassled cowgirl heels at urban renewal...) I even love your outskirts where sushi and theater will live forever in my heart and stomach.
I also love your beautiful temple. I love that its foundation was built with lava rock and a cannon. Be proud of that. (Look it up if you don't believe me...)
But most of all I love that you are the place that brings us all together: my mom, Lindsey, her mom Linda, and brother Bryan and friend Dagen, and Amy and her kids. And even Mike (Amy's husband), for a few days...
But oh how I wish that you weren't so far away. Because as my sister will readily affirm, I am not a great traveler. Even Rus will concur with this one simple truth: driving long distances starts out as great fun with me, but eventually it is just grumpy edginess with a side of white knuckles and clenched teeth. My life long goal will be to change this, but until then...
Simple evidence of my mileage-induced temper flares can be confirmed by the campground host at Jacob Lake. We like to stop there both to and from St. George because they have the best cookies in the world. On the way up to St. George, we had stopped to get our cookies and then decided to pull off and eat our lunches at the campground picnic tables across the highway. We had done this years before and assumed it was no problem. This time, after pulling the kids out of the van (after a 3 hour drive), and handing them their lunches, the camp host woman (let's call her CHW for short), walked towards our table and stated, accusingly, that lunch at that table would cost us nine dollars and that I had driven into the park way too fast. A vicious exchange ensued and abruptly ended with me driving as quickly as I could (on purpose), out of the campground. Tears fell, a few choice words were said, and I determined that she had forever soured my delicious cookie stop. Anyway, more on CHW later...
The rest of the week in St. George was very fun, and quite honestly a little bit stressful. My kids are beautiful choice spirits, amazing creatures in a million ways. But they are not perfect. They can be trying to the most patient observer. They whine. They cry. They are irrational. Bossy. Picky eaters. They have to go to sleep on time every night because if they are sleep deprived they are all of the above, magnified. Sometimes they are not nice to each other and to anyone within a half mile radius. They ask a lot of questions. They are used to me, I am used to them, and sometimes, most times, I am the only one who can calm them down or set them straight. I find myself easily irritated by their non-mellowness and non-perfectness, especially when we're around other kids who are so mellow and closer to perfect. And I hate parenting in public.
Anyway, after that admission of guilt, here's what we were up to in St. George:
A whole lotta swimming!!
Jacob was a lot braver this trip than in times passed; he actually jumped off the diving board and did a lot of swimming underwater with his goggles.

Sarah and Bekah...

The kids had a lot of fun making up different routines where they all jumped in, one right after another. Luke and Joshua spent hours doing back to back flips into the pool. All of Amy's kids could do flips, so sometimes they would each flip into the water, one right after another.




Hiking. At noon. In 112 degree heat. Not the smartest idea ever.

Playing on the awesome splash pad and river in downtown St. George.
Momma Blau actually made the swimsuit Marianne is wearing for Bekah. Lindsey gave it to me as a gift for my baby shower!

My beautiful girls...
Yes, Bekah got a hair cut...a SHORT haircut! And she loves it because I never have to touch it.



Whip cream war!





Also, everyone but Beau and Marianne (and Bryan and Dagen their babysitters), went to see "Starlight Express" at Tuacahn one of the nights. It was awesome. The songs were great, and only became catchier the more you had them stuck in your head, the actors were terrific, the weather (it's an outdoor theater) was perfect...My favorite part was how Jacob's favorite part of the play was the bats that kept darting in and out.
Here we are, minutes before departing for home:



I spent the entire week reflecting on my awful encounter with the CHW in Jacob lake. By Friday I was full of guilt and remorse for letting her bring out the worst in me. I bought her some flowers, Impatiens, and stopped by her campground on the way home. I drove in very, very slowly. I apologized to her and she seemed to not even recall the encounter. I wondered later if it was even the same lady. She told me over and over that I didn't have to bring her flowers...but I knew I needed to and I felt so much better after talking to her. Maybe she didn't ruin Jacob Lake after all...