Scary First for Me

There is nothing more sobering for me than watching my baby climb onto a roller coaster without me for the first time! Payton went on her first solo grown up roller coaster ride this week with one of her friends and I was totally unsure how I felt about this. I was totally trying to play it cool while I watched her get locked in then taken up the track and whipped around at top speed, but inside I was totally stressed. I'm not ready for Payton to run around an amusement park and go on all these rides without me safely by her side! This is new territory for me that I'm going to have to figure out...

I married a red neck

Trav got an AMAZING t-shirt sunburn a few days ago skateboarding. Two days later he burned his face surfing, luckily the rest of him was covered up with a wetsuit. Those of you who know me, know that I am a sunblock FANATIC. It drives me crazy when he burns himself, I have to work really hard to contain my reactions to his flaming red skin. He knows it and just chuckles at me.
Today he went to play beach volleyball and when I hugged him when he came home he smelled of sunblock. There is no greater aphrodisiac!(sp?)
And yes, this week Trav skateboarded one day, went surfing two days, and played beach volleyball today. I think his new surroundings suit him well!

Happy Hollow

Today my sister Vicki and I took Jonah to one of our childhood haunts Happy Hollow in San Jose. It's this great park and zoo that has all of the fairytale inspired play places. The best thing is that it has NOT been updated at all from when we were kids, maybe just a fresh coat of paint on stuff. So it was very old school and perfect for revisiting old memories there.

It's hard to resist a great merry go round ride. This one was like a big metal bowl that you sit in and someone else spins you. My stomach and neck will never be the same! I must've looked like a fool rolling around in that thing at top speed.

Jonah loved it and giggled like a mad man. It was SO fun to spin out of control with him and crack up at his deep laugh! Very sweet memory.

We took turns making each other sick. Watching grown women climbing out of this thing is hilarious.

They had these great old fashioned kiddie rides that played kids songs from the 60's and 70's over the loud speakers. It was perfect.

Date Night

Jonah has been planning our date night for three weeks. When I asked him what he and I should do together he took no less than three seconds to come up with, "Dinner at Woodstock's pizza and bowling". He has been counting down the days on the calendar till we get to go to our "special places". That's what he kept calling them. Last night was finally the night!

We chose Woodstock's, not for the pizza, but for his favorite video game that they have there. If I was going to be a good date, I knew I had to come stocked with quarters or face the possibility of no second date.

Then it was on to Boardwalk Bowl. Jonah loved giving me pointers. He moved around that alley as if he owned the place. He's gone on several occasions with Trav and my parents. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had high fived some of the workers and shot the breeze with them. This was my first visit there. I'm not what you would call a very "strong bowler".

We had matching bowling shoes!

Jonah had this crazy side twist throw and drop the ball technique that could not have possibly been good for his back. We had a combined score of 99, and yes, I did beat him, by one point. I tried to go easy on him:) We had such a good time together. When you have three kids, it's really special to get to spend one on one time with them. He was a good date!

Amazing

1:00pm in the afternoon on a Thursday

This boy is asleep.

This boy is asleep.

Mom has a quiet house to herself mid day! The last time this happened was at least two years ago. It's like a lunar eclipse, blink and you might miss it for another 50 years.

Cutest thing ever!!

The boys got their teeth cleaned yesterday and Davey wears sunglasses b/c his eyes water under the bright lights. I crack up whenever I see these!

Pet Peeve

The kids have this total fascination with wearing their swimsuits as much as possible at all times of the year. It drives me crazy b/c they always take off their underwear to put their suits on and I just think it's so gross to play all day without wearing underwear. I mean, is it just me? We have friends and family members that rock going commando,you know who you are, but I just can't handle the idea.

Jonah got into Davey's swimtrunks b/c I hid all of his b/c he kept wearing them. I keep wanting to sing "Nair for short shorts!" Remember that hair removal commercial? Am I dating myself?

Davey always accessorizes with white bankey.

Wuv

Davey is our cuddle bug and just the last few weeks he's been telling us "I wuv you" of his own inspiration. There's something really special when your child seeks you out to give you a kiss or declare their love for you on their own and not as an automated response to you expressing it first.
The first time he said it we were in Trader Joe's shopping and I had him sitting on the handle bars of my cart with my arms wrapped around him pushing (not exactly a safe practice, but an element of danger keeps the shopping exciting). He turned and looked at me, said, "Mommy, I wuv you" and gave me the sweetest kiss. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think of it.
To contrast my kids, when Trav and I are hugging or laying on the couch together Jonah will get stressed out and say "Stop it mommy and daddy!" and laugh nervously (mind you we are NOT doing anything inappropriate!) Davey will come in see the same thing and say, "Mommy, Daddy, I wuv you" and come climb on top of us to cuddle. Jonah is my quality timer, he wants to go places with you and do things together, it's his love language. Davey is a physical touch hands town, he ALWAYS wants to be held. Payton is mostly gifts I think. She TREASURES anything people give her and keeps it forever. I've broken her heart on more than one occasion by tossing stuff I thought was trash. Trav and I pretty much have to be experts in almost all the love languages in this family. We're trying to keep it real.

I love Spring!

Even though Spring appeared to come in the middle of February, it was still a welcome change of seasons for us! My legs had not seen the light of day since October and it felt especially neat to wear flip flops and a pair of shorts. Our days of splashing in the creek on a hot day are coming soon!

Wearing the Evidence

I came home to find Davey's feet splattered in green paint and Payton's appeared to be "dipped" in purple. They innocently told me they had been painting outside while they were home with Trav. The next day I found their paint project, my mom and dad's picnic table painted in solid blocks of green and purple. Trav had no idea what they'd been up to. In fact, he was marveling how well they were playing together outside and how well they got along. Of course they got along! They were in cahoots together!
When confronted, Payton made sure several times that we knew Jonah was the one "who found the paints" even though he didn't do any of the actual painting. Somehow she felt this fact demonstrated his burden of responsibility for their actions.
And yes, Davey's toes are painted a shimmery lavender compliments of a day spent with Nana. She never had any boys of her own...

The dyeing of the eggs

Jonah has been running a slight fever with a cough this weekend, so he's a little sad eyed, but still an eager participant.

Payton is the most patient with the process, bidding her time to get just the right color. Her eggs were the most vibrant.

Davey works best with his shirt off. Actually, on any given day he will be without a shirt or pants depending on the mood. Friday he took his pants off and chased his brother and sister and our friends kids around the yard with a bare bottom laughing hysterically.

My other slugger

Payton started playing T-ball this season as well and already has a couple games under her belt. She is on a team of 11 girls and only a couple of them have had prior softball experience so she's learning at the same pace as most of the girls which I love.
I have major issues with my past personal sports involvement. I seem to have always lacked a natural ability to play pretty much anything coupled with terrible hand/eye coordination. I was ALWAYS picked last and was terribly anxious and nervous anytime I had to play on a team in school b/c I sucked. I'm desperate to protect my daughter from the same situations if at all within my ability. I don't care if she doesn't want to play sports, but if she does, I want her to feel confident in her ability, that she can hold her own. I don't want PE to scare her as it did me!
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178452862663918946" />
So far she has enjoyed it and has been hugging the opposite team members at the end of the game instead of just a "high five". She especially likes the snacks afterwards.

I love it when she comes out to bat in her big helmet.

Davey getting some snuggle time in with Aunt Vicki. He likes to yell at Payton and distract her when she's in the outfield, "hi sissy! Sissy come here!" He keeps telling me he's ready to play soccer and that he's going to be number 10. I can hardly wait to juggle three sports teams at once.

The Superhero and his apprentice

Sorry ladies, the blue one is spoken for...

How cute is my boy?

Jonah started T-ball last Sunday and today was picture day. He is SOOOO excited to be on a team, he had a ton of nervous energy today. It has been so fun for me to watch him in this new venture, he is so grown up and embracing this new autonomy from me. He doesn't want me to cramp his style. His first game is in two weeks. I can't wait!! I hope the other fans are ready for my high pitched cheering!

Typical Grocery Shopping Day

These "car" carts are a mixed blessing for me at the grocery store. On the one hand, I've got two out of three of my kids accounted for. On the other hand I have my third one dangerously shimmying up the sides repeatedly, the other two hanging out the sides with their hands out hitting items on the shelves as we drive by, fights over who gets the working horn on their steering wheel, whose turn is it to ride in the cart, and lastly I'm steering a cart that is really hard to guage depth wise and I'm ALWAYS running into something and one time it was the back of some poor lady's heels!
I feel like my children are the loudest people in the store at any given time and people are always staring at me. Some of it's imagined on my part, but I know people can't help but wonder "what the heck is going on over on aisle 9?"
Today I had the awesome privelage of running a quick trip to the grocery store sans children, but I still succeeded in drawing attention to myself. I pulled a buttermilk out of the refrigerator section and a second buttermilk comes flying out of nowhere behind it, lands at my feet splattering open and spraying myself and the floor completely in buttermilk!! The one woman that was by me made an embarrassed grimace and quickly pushed her cart away leaving me to stand there by myself and my awkward situation. I toweled off in the bathroom and threw the busted container out. I guess I don't need my kids to provide me embarrassing situations, I can do just as well on my own.

What every parent would love to see

Payton stood like this reading for about 35 minutes today without moving or sitting down. I LOVE that she loves to read! I have glimpses of she and I in the future curled up some nights under a big blanket with cups of tea and cocoa both engrossed in our own books.
She just started reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" all over again on her own this time. We read all the books together when she was five and now she's doing it on her own at seven. Don't act like you're not impressed!

Growing up part 2

Realizing that perhaps the reason why your clothes don't fit that well is b/c you continue to shop in the teen section at Macy's.

My sister brought that to my attention on Monday and it was like the wool had been lifted from my eyes. It absolutely made sense. She too had been guilty of raiding the teen section with me, walking into the dressing room with armloads of clothes, perhaps buying one thing that you never end up wearing anyway b/c it never looks quite right on. I hearby vow to NOT set my feet there again and spare myself the future frustration and annoyance of ill-fitting clothes. I always wondered when I should probably stop shopping in teen targeted clothes and now I recognize that perhaps 32-33 would've been a great time to get out while I was still ahead.
Also, I did end up plucking one of my hundreds of grays on Tuesday b/c it was sticky straight up to the heavens and I just couldn't rock it. Gray hairs are not just a different color, they take on a whole other life of their own.

I'm growing up!

This year has been such a HUGE year of change for me in more ways than one. I'm on the Soul Kitchen (our ministry for women) core team and I have been planning the Spring Bible study (this is our flyer for it) with a group of three other women. It starts tomorrow! If you had asked me a year ago if I'd be doing this, I'd chuckle politely and say no. I never saw myself leading in a ministry for women, but I love it! It energizes me, stretches me, and at times overwhelms me. But I've been blessed to work with the coolest women and I'm grateful for it.
I was just telling Trav that right about the 11 month mark of us being here I realized I looked forward to going to church. The first 11 months I was always anxious about having to make small talk, meet people, stand in a room full of people I didn't know and who didn't know me, etc. But I finally KNOW people, I'm excited to see them and connect. When you miss it for that long you are so appreciative of it when you get it back. I'm connected again. Yay!
I'm also a T-ball mom of two. I live T-ball Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays now, it's my new part time job:). But again I love it, it's a lot of time, but I get to play and hang out with whichever of my two are not participating. Davey just sat in my lap and cuddled for a lot of Jonah's practice yesterday. I'm invited to slow down at these functions b/c I can't do laundry, dishes, bills, etc. It's good for me. I graduated from high school with Payton's coach's wife, and I was a cheerleader with one of the moms on Jonah's team. It's been fun to reconnect with people.
And lastly I'm growing up b/c I've got a head full of gray hair! They're taking over and I refuse to give into the impulses of pulling them out or combing my hair different to cover them. I'm old people. I'm leading women's Bible study, a T-ball mom, and I'm going gray. But I'm cool with it, I love where I'm at. I could do without the gray, but perhaps it makes me look more wise and thoughtful in my middle age:).

Old Skool took Payton to school

A few weeks ago Trav took Payton to her school's "Father Daughter Disco Dance". They encouraged people to dress up and Trav took it to heart. As you can see below, Payton was a little unsure of going to a dance with her friends with a date that would certainly "stand out".

I gave her a pep talk on being a good date and making sure she gave Daddy a few dances, and not to ditch him for her friends:).

Trav enjoyed walking up to our neighbors at the party and just saying, "Hey how's it going?" and then just stood there awkwardly chatting until all of a sudden they recognized him. I LOVE this about Trav, he doesn't embarrass easy and he always makes me laugh.

We finally coerced Payton to smile for at least one picture. She did end up ditching Trav for her friends but came back and gave him a few dances and checked in with him. All the other little girls were pretty much doing the same thing so Trav didn't feel too bad, how can you feel bad wearing that outfit anyway?