iFly Birthday Adventuring

James is that boy who loves roller coasters, and fast drops, and adventure.  And in true form, he loved indoor skydiving.  He took some friends and a brother for good measure and he leaped into the chamber never to look back!  He was light enough the instructor could spin him and toss him and even use him as a propeller on top of his helmet.  James huge smile had it all...there is already talk of doing the same thing again for next year.  Happy 9th Birthday, Kiddo!

Red Cheeks

Do you see those wonderful red cheeks?  Those are the kind of cheeks you earn on your first day of soccer - in the uniform you have worn for a week straight in anticipation of the event; the kind of cheeks that scream ninety degree weather and even a goal.  Some people don't get the red when they work out.  But, as for me and my house, we shall have red cheeks!

Muchness

We dressed as fire and ice -- ice is Edward.  And if you don't know who Edward is, well then, you are missing out on all kinds of silliness.  Silliness that starts just before midnight and ends after a lot of whooting a couple of hours later.  I know this seems crazy, but I want to be the kind of grandma with stories of late night vampire movies...and glacial blue lips and legs. 

Surgecenter

My sweet boy had his tonsils and adenoids out this week.  He came out of surgery as white as a ghost, but when he was coming to he had the biggest smile on his face.  He looked like he had just awoken from a two week nap and his cheeks were apple-ly and smile so wide.  But then he had trouble waking all the way up.  He kept tossing.  He would sit up and I would tell him to lie down and he would do it, only to toss and turn and sit up again.  He doesn't remember that I softly sang him awake.  But he says he does remember having the nurse follow us to the car.  I held him tight against me in the biggest hug, because I was so happy that everything went smoothly. 

He has happily eaten popsicles, sorbet, and even lactose free Breyers ice cream.  And we discovered Macaroni and Cheese (with the whole cheese part, there is no point in buying it).  But for some reason, I just cooked the pasta part and poured in some of his milk and he gobbled it down.   It must be the boiling it for 12-14 minutes that just makes it so soft you don't even need to chew. 

I'm happy to have him home and safe.

If I were a flower...

I have oft tried to choose a favorite flower and somehow I always fail.  There are too many:  the tree peony, the gardenia, the ranunculus. But this week I went to the Flower Mart in San Francisco three times, and on one of my trips I decided.

Lily of the Valley.  It is my favorite.  It is delicate and understated and the most delightful fragrance.

Normally the tiniest bunch is thirty dollars because it is imported.  But this week, I heard the magic word:  LOCAL.  I got my sweet Lily for ten dollars and have looked at it on my desk and smiled everyday.

I have to say that if I were a flower, I would want to be a Lily of the Valley.  I would want to be everything she is everyday.

Our World Revolves Around Weston

Our world revolves around Weston in the best way.  My boys are excited and can't sleep the night before he comes.  Then they follow him and adore him the entire time.  Chase, especially.  They share a blankey blue bond that can never be broken!

The April Fool

It was me.  I was the fool. The one who willingly walked around with a sign on my back. 

But what could I do, my boys had joined forces to "sneak" up on me and secretly plant the sign.  Of course, their secret felt a lot more like a hard high five straight to the back followed by hysterical sniggering (of course, raucous laughter would have given it away, but the light laughter was undetectable). 

James was the mastermind and penned the original phrase.  This was no regular "kick me" - this was something for the ages.  Something that had the impact word "goat" and the double take that comes with goat phrases in general.  Of course the post script is choice as well. 

With most things, I, the willing fool wore the sign:

"I kiss goats!"

P.S. (I also kiss pigs!)

Easter Table

Chase carefully set the table with all manner of Easter surprises: lemons, grass grown in styrofoam, cut flowers, a wooden bunny puzzle, cars, and his prized baby Zhu Zhu pet.  What you can't see is the arrangement he made that wasn't complete until he ran out in the the rain and picked a lamb's ear.  I think it is perhaps the most perfect table I have seen.

Boys on Russian Ridge

I've never hiked Russian Ridge.  You can see the Bay and the ocean.  You can also see muddy boys.  You can see boys previously crying from wind, laughing with the magic of a sucker.  You can also see that Chase is too cool for his own good - look at that stance - the CamelBak.  You can see moms hiking with strollers and newborns.  You can see Angie gawking at these friends in amazement.  You can see a lot when you take the time to look around.  I like to see, a lot.

One Look at Opening Day

There really are two sides to every fence.  And this picture caught something.  It was another Opening Day to another season of another sport.  And I really am so proud of Chase who has cheered and supported his brother for three years.  He has been on the watching, the hoping side of the fence.  Hoping, perhaps, to someday have his own turn.  This year he got dressed in his Giants baseball hat, Giants jersey, Giants shorts, and fastest shoes he had...just to cheer.  It was so darling.

But, I think that, perhaps, there is something melancholy about this side of the fence.  The side where you watch and don't do.  But, as I looked at this picture, I realized that we spend much of our lives cheering those on around us...perhaps even most of our lives.  And this is an important side.  It is perhaps less flashy and definitely given less attention.  But perhaps without it the other side wouldn't exist. 

One Down, Many to Go

Chase lost his first tooth!

It was quite the surprise, to everyone.

I didn't get the story until today, after the tooth fairy had come.

Yesterday's story was:  it was loose and he hadn't told me.

Today's story was whispered and sounds more like the truth:  he bumped his tooth on a cereal bowl and knocked it out.

The good news is that the tooth fairy comes if you put the tooth under your pillow, no matter how it came out!

He got a two dollar bill, a one dollar bill, a gold coin worth a dollar, and a quarter.

And according to Chase, he now has more money than anyone in the world.

The Irony of Protective Eyewear

Two weeks ago I bought a new racquetball racket.  Why?  Well, I took two classes in college and just joined a gym with racquetball courts.  So, naturally, I would have no idea where my old rackets were and would therefore need a new one.  But as I stood in the aisle at Sports Authority, I couldn't decide what to actually get.  I knew I needed a racket, but they range in price from nothing to something, so how to choose?  Definitely some blue balls, but those teal balls were a better price...oops they are squash balls which wouldn't work.  And then I saw it, the bag with everything:  racket, sweat band, balls, and even protective eyewear.

I have never owned protective eyewear, but I believe.  I mean, considering I knocked out my own tooth, who knows what else I could do (my front tooth is a fake from an embarrassing shot in an unimportant racquetball game).  So, I decided I should be responsible and get and actually use the protection.  And I have.  No matter how silly I look with my sweatband and goggles...I've worn both. 

And what has wearing my protective eyewear given me?  A scratched cornea.  Ok, I didn't scratch it on the court.  I didn't even scratch it at all.  Chase was handing me a menu while we were out and he poked it right into my open and unassuming left eye.  The tricky part was that the corners were reinforced metal corners (a lot of restaurants have them, I've just never really noticed before).  Anyhow, as I held my eye in agony, I remember thinking that he had popped it;  that I would only have one eye for the rest of my life.  But it is fine.  It was painful, and they numbed it at the urgent care, and since then I just feel like I have something in my eye I want to rub out but can't (foreign object sensation is what the doctor called it).

I still can't believe I scratched my eye the first week I have ever even considered protecting my eyes.  Oh, the irony...complain, complain, complain.

Rock On!

Geology Rocks!  James second grade class play was so darling.  I sat in the audience thinking about how much he has grown.  He is such a confident and astounding boy, I feel lucky just to hang out with him.  We were chatting last night about the big performance (he has repeatedly reminded me of the time every) and he was running over his lines.  He then confessed that he knew everyone's lines in the play and proceeded to give me the lines of the Ferns, the Sedimentary Rock, Professor Rock, the Canyons, etc.  About twenty minutes in I told him he better go to sleep...but he would have kept going!! 

He played the most adorable igneous rock of all times.  Here he is (my favorite is the one with his after performance glow with his buddies)!  

The Story of a Hand-Me-Down

We have a neighbor who frequents our door with gifts of stained clothes, broken toys, and the orphaned pieces of games.  I usually try to greet him with a "no thank you" or a "not this time" or a "I just wish we had more room."  But if on the odd occasion my boys beat me to the door, they find treasures soon enough.  And invaritably, I find myself persuading and pleading:  "I don't really think we need the arm of that storm trooper,"  or a "wow, I love that left snow boot, but I really think you would probably need two next time we go to the snow.  Please put it back and thank Neighbor." 

But on this particular occasion I rounded the corner, just seconds after the door bell rang, and was greeted by a smiling raccoon.  He looked something like:

It is hard to talk someone out of a costume when they are wearing it and loving it, and Chase is no exception to this generally accepted rule. I tried to point out how far from Halloween we are...and how we don't really have a lot of space for extra costumes.  (Oh, did you notice the "s" in costumes.  Well, it is because there was The Shaggy Dog in the bag as well).  Anyhow, to shorten the story, Neighbor wouldn't take no for an answer.  Neighbor talked me into it;  rather hijacked me into it.  And Neighbor even had the guts to say, "We use it all of the time..." as he slowly and victoriously walked away. 

Now, here's the turning point to this story.  The part where I admit, Neighbor was right.  I was wrong.  After a good washing, which turned the yellow fur back to white, this costume has become a treasure.  More than a treasure, a treat.  Because who doesn't enjoy a little boy greeting you as a raccoon?! Chase loves this costume and does indeed "use it all the time."  It is, hands-down, the best hand-me-down of all times.  So hooray for the gently used friend and a neighbor who knew the joy and just had to share!

Toot and Kahmen

King Tut (Tutankhamun or Toot and Kahmen according to Chase) came to SF.  I was really debating whether or not to go.  It sounded cool, but I remembered how I felt in the Egyptian wing at the Met.  I would usually walk right through most of it.  Ok, I would stop at the Temple of Dendur, but quite possibly I just stopped to admire the high ceilings and the enormous glass windows and the looking pond (all of which have nothing to do with Egypt).  But I successfully talked myself into it with cliches like "once in a lifetime"...and off we went.

We had lunch outside and the Lunchables stole the show.  I was worried we that this may indeed be the highlight...but, fortunately, I was wrong.  The kids loved it.  Chase loved listening to his device; he would type in the number and summarize what was going on. And then I brought Model Magic for the kids to sculpt their favorite artifact.

James made an ahnk and the dagger that was found on the Boy King (on the actual mummy - and mummies and eight year olds hold quite the fascination).  Chase found a polar bear, that turned out to be a lion, on top of a canopic jar that he had to create.  He also wanted to make the beetle on this amazing necklace (I want one), and of course his own ahnk.

Too Much Forehead

Chase has always been a problem solver.  So this morning when I combed his hair and it got into his eyes, he took care of it.  He took those scissor and with one snip removed quite a lot of hair. 

In all honesty, I couldn't help but laugh, but effectively hid my laughter and even somehow ended up thanking him for taking care of those pesky bangs.  But I did suggest that next time we should really let a "professional" help.  He agreed and in his own words admitted that he was "showing too much forehead." 

But when we went into Golden Shears and Woody started cutting all that pretty golden hair, I felt sad; the kind of sad that still can't hide a wide smile.  I secretly hoped one of my boys would be this kind of capricious.

But he does look sooo much older.

Brides, Brides, Brides

My little flower business is blooming.  And the bride I have been talking to recently sent me this little picture as inspiration...and I am feeling exactly that, inspired.  I see this picture and know all the flowers; from the stock to the tulips parrots.  I see the color in a new way; the nuance of the pink the fact it is a warm pink with yellow undertones.  What a fun little hobbie this is turning out to be.  I also have a secret flower blog -- that isn't done.  But considering I have business cards that say Spring Street Floral Design, I think I am getting brave enough to share. 

Dancing the Night Away

Abbie and Danny are married!

The reception was beautiful, and Abbie was even more radiant. We ate and laughed and danced. Even when the music stopped for a moment, everyone kept dancing and singing. "Don't Stop Believing, Hold on to that Feeling" when both James and Chase kept singing I knew that I had done my job as a mother. They know their Glee (Journey) songs and they can sing them!

Snowmouse

We rolled snow into small balls and made the cutest little snowman snowmouse. 

Snowshoeing

These pictures are some of my favorite...I think they actually liked this better than skiing.  They seemed to float on the snow!  So cute (althought it didn't last too long).  Thanks to the Christensen's for letting us invade their cabin!