Yesterday was our first official day of summer (as in no school summer- the real summer weather has yet to appear). It was magical somehow. The girls turned off the TV and decided to throw me a party- I have no idea why. They made a banner with M O M on it, they put up streamers, they gave me a present, made a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and set up a treasure hunt. We played UNO and had leftover cake from the night before. Ada helped me make bread, they didn't fight, I wasn't mad, it was one magical day and IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I just know by the time Sept 5th rolls around I will be so happy to send them both off to school, but yesterday was magic. Ada even lost her first tooth last night after Family Night.
Today we had a horseback riding lesson- I got 3 lessons for each of them through Groupon for a huge steal. The girls were over the moon about their experience and their horses and chattered the whole way home on the long drive. Odessa looked around at all the cars on the freeway and said "wouldn't it be cool if everyone rode horses instead of cars, then we could ride horses every day".
Me: Odessa, that's the way they used to get around, there was a time when there were no cars.
Odessa: NU-UHH!!! (she was so shocked, she could not even imagine a time without cars).
Tonight at dinner we had Huevos Rancheros and after a luke warm reception, I asked the girls "See, you liked this ok, we could have it again, right?" (I am trying to eat on the cheap and use our eggs in more creative ways).
Odessa: (grudgingly) Yah, we can have it again, but not any time soon, ok?
Franklin keeps interrupting me to bring me the book "I Stink" about the garbage truck and saying "I teen . . I teen"(his version of I Stink). So I have to stop and read it to him over and over. I love that he is trying to say words!
Ada woke up this morning and came out of her room crying. "THE TOOTH FAIRY DIDN'T COME!!!" Oh my goodness, who are her AWFUL parents? Chase them into the street and shoot them! And now we know where the middle child complex comes from . . .
So today she wrote a note completely on her own accord- it reads:
"Dere: Toth Fairy,
I hv lost a tooth. This is not a a fake. Pes (please) tak (take). From Ada. For Toth Fairy.
TOTH FAIRY!"
She is convinced that the tooth fairy thought the bag she put the tooth in was just garbage and that she needs to be laying flat on her back in order for the tooth fairy to take it. Stephen and I disagree strongly about things like Tooth Fairies and Easter Bunnies and Santa Claus, but I let him have his way for now and he plays it up. The tooth fairy had better set an alarm tonight.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Oh May, Oh My
May was busy! After Franklin turned one, Ada turned 5 during my last week of teaching Joy School and then we took off for Denver and Ft Collins to visit family, friends and attend a conference for Stephen. HERE is the link to the web album. I did not take pictures at several locations, just couldn't manage 3 kids and a camera. Whew. Traveling with a one year old. Heh heh. That's a demonic laugh, a crazy, sleepless laugh. I would have to say our trip was a little like the intro to a Tale of Two Cities. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I will start with the worst of times so I can end with the best. The worst was that Franklin really wants to crawl all the time and everywhere and that's impossible out and about. The worst was that we got into Denver at 10:30 and didn't get settled into the "right" hotel room and to bed until 1am. The worst was that Expedia screwed up a couple parts of our trip. The worst was having a kitchen to cook in, but no way to sit Franklin up and feed him properly. The worst was having everyone get colds due to the change in weather and dryness and sleep miserably. The worst was that Franklin also cut two molars during that trip. He must have woke up screaming 6 times at least the last night we were there. The worst was the flight home with the crazy 3 and 6 yr olds in front of us throwing tantrums, punches, kicks and hysterics the whole way home. And I was worried that Franklin would bother our fellow passengers. Ha.
The best was having adventures with the kids around Denver. The best was getting lost and finding my way back. The best was the REAL dinosaur footprints we hiked up to at Dinosaur Ridge- 2 herds of dinosaurs traveling different directions, dozens of real footprints in the actual ground they walked in. You could put your hand inside a footprint and know dinosaurs were actually there at one point!! Fabulous. We visited a downtown street fair and shops, a huge toy store castle, the butterfly pavillion and Red Rocks Ampitheatre. The BEST was taking Stephen back to Red Rocks Friday after his conference.
The best was ignoring the $5.50 hot dog vendor and finding one 2 blocks over for $1.50. The best was driving to Longmont and meeting Briana and Jared for dinner at the Two Dog Diner. The best was visiting Nathan and Beth and their 5 kids in Ft Collins. The best was the homemade meals we had with them, we stuffed ourselves. Beth also helped me get started on some quilt blocks I have to do for the Hunt reunion coming up and I am so grateful for her sewing tools and skills that made the blocks possible. The best was cousin time that started at sun up and went to sundown. The best was the Silver Grill cinnamon roll toast while visiting with Briana again, getting to walk and drive around Ft Collins and fall in love with Colorado.
I suggested to Stephen we move to the Denver area and his reply was shocking: "I can't imagine getting to know a new place". My knee-jerk reaction was "WHAT? You mean we will stay in Seattle or Boise forever???" But then I thought about it. His job isn't the type that you can pick up and do anywhere in any office, Anytown USA. Wherever a planner works, his whole job revolves around the city, the geography, the streets, the bus routes, the layout, the people, the attitudes, city politics, organizations, involvement. I've seen how he's spent the last 4 years trying to understand all these things about Seattle and I can see what he means. It is exhausting to start that all over somewhere else.
Speaking of his job, here are some anecdotes from his conference: On Wed he called because he had forgotten his business cards, would I bring them down to him? I knew his conf was at the Hyatt and it was on Welton. After driving around lost in Denver's one way streets for 30 minutes, I found it. But as I pulled off the downtown street into the covered "valet" and check in area, about 3 guys approached my car before I even entered the area. I thought it was little excessive and pretty rude to make me feel like I didn't belong there- they acted like my Chevy with a sleeping toddler in the back was unwelcome at a Hyatt- seriously. While I waited there for Stephen, about 5 people hovered near my car, I had to keep waving off valets. There were cops all over the streets outside the hotel. Stephen and I finally realized I was waiting at the wrong Hyatt. What chain puts 2 hotels on the same street, 2 blocks away from each other? When I told him about all the nervous people and cops, he said "that's because Obama is at THAT Hyatt!" So funny!!
Everyone at the Conf was asked to turn in a "fresh idea" to aide in transportation planning and Stephen's idea was chosen as one of the best, so that was very cool. He got to present it to the conf attendees and got a token gift card.
When I got back, I had to say goodbye to another long time friend, look for another post about friends soon.
The best was having adventures with the kids around Denver. The best was getting lost and finding my way back. The best was the REAL dinosaur footprints we hiked up to at Dinosaur Ridge- 2 herds of dinosaurs traveling different directions, dozens of real footprints in the actual ground they walked in. You could put your hand inside a footprint and know dinosaurs were actually there at one point!! Fabulous. We visited a downtown street fair and shops, a huge toy store castle, the butterfly pavillion and Red Rocks Ampitheatre. The BEST was taking Stephen back to Red Rocks Friday after his conference.
The best was ignoring the $5.50 hot dog vendor and finding one 2 blocks over for $1.50. The best was driving to Longmont and meeting Briana and Jared for dinner at the Two Dog Diner. The best was visiting Nathan and Beth and their 5 kids in Ft Collins. The best was the homemade meals we had with them, we stuffed ourselves. Beth also helped me get started on some quilt blocks I have to do for the Hunt reunion coming up and I am so grateful for her sewing tools and skills that made the blocks possible. The best was cousin time that started at sun up and went to sundown. The best was the Silver Grill cinnamon roll toast while visiting with Briana again, getting to walk and drive around Ft Collins and fall in love with Colorado.
I suggested to Stephen we move to the Denver area and his reply was shocking: "I can't imagine getting to know a new place". My knee-jerk reaction was "WHAT? You mean we will stay in Seattle or Boise forever???" But then I thought about it. His job isn't the type that you can pick up and do anywhere in any office, Anytown USA. Wherever a planner works, his whole job revolves around the city, the geography, the streets, the bus routes, the layout, the people, the attitudes, city politics, organizations, involvement. I've seen how he's spent the last 4 years trying to understand all these things about Seattle and I can see what he means. It is exhausting to start that all over somewhere else.
Speaking of his job, here are some anecdotes from his conference: On Wed he called because he had forgotten his business cards, would I bring them down to him? I knew his conf was at the Hyatt and it was on Welton. After driving around lost in Denver's one way streets for 30 minutes, I found it. But as I pulled off the downtown street into the covered "valet" and check in area, about 3 guys approached my car before I even entered the area. I thought it was little excessive and pretty rude to make me feel like I didn't belong there- they acted like my Chevy with a sleeping toddler in the back was unwelcome at a Hyatt- seriously. While I waited there for Stephen, about 5 people hovered near my car, I had to keep waving off valets. There were cops all over the streets outside the hotel. Stephen and I finally realized I was waiting at the wrong Hyatt. What chain puts 2 hotels on the same street, 2 blocks away from each other? When I told him about all the nervous people and cops, he said "that's because Obama is at THAT Hyatt!" So funny!!
Everyone at the Conf was asked to turn in a "fresh idea" to aide in transportation planning and Stephen's idea was chosen as one of the best, so that was very cool. He got to present it to the conf attendees and got a token gift card.
When I got back, I had to say goodbye to another long time friend, look for another post about friends soon.
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