Camp out report

David and Greg survived their first Fathers and Sons camp out (an annual Mormon tradition each May).  Not only did they survive, but David didn't fall in the fire.  (I am absolutely convinced that David is going to fall into the fire at a Father and Sons camp out.  I have no idea where this irrational--well, give me a break, semi-irrational--idea came from, but as the Fathers and Sons camp out is only once a year, it doesn't seem like an issue worth taking up in therapy.  So Greg left with strict instructions on which hospital to take David to and under what circumstances to request a plastic surgeon.)

Upon their triumphant return, David reported that if you eat too many doughnuts, you get sick in your tummy.  He also reported that he won a race [the three-legged race] and that he lost a race [the potato sack race].  He was proud of his prize for winning [a box of Good'n'Plenty].  David also reported that they saw frogs, and that Daddy caught a baby frog, but they didn't catch any big frogs.

A few pictures, which, according to Greg, were all taken this morning:

David and friend Caleb--what handsome boys!

Sampling a sour gummy bear.

Discovering a turtle on the morning hike.

Friend Michael holding the turtle.

And David holding the turtle.

Greg said they had a good time.  David agreed.

It was clearly a success: no one fell in the fire.  One year down, ??? to go . . . 

[I had a fun evening of shopping and yummy treats planned for me and Mary.  But she decided to take an evening nap, cry for two hours, and then go to bed grumpy.  Oh well.  I will say that she sure was happy when Daddy and David returned.]

The birthday invitation

David received a birthday invitation at school on Thursday.  David is a big fan of birthdays.  As we were walking to the car, he excitedly ripped open the envelope and anxiously pulled out the card, turned it over, and--

a look of horror, confusion, and disappointment overtook his face.

"Oh, nooooo!  What is this?!  What is this?!  Oh, nooooo!  I don't like this!"

It was Hannah Montana smiling up at him with her very white teeth.

Poor kid.  A hard lesson to learn:  Not everybody likes Spiderman.

Believe it or not

I still consider myself on a mental blogging hiatus.

Last leisure

Yesterday was our last day of leisure and recreation here in Ohio.  We hope to have some fun in the coming weeks, but I suspect our days will be quite busy with the details of moving.  (So many details...especially since our stuff is going to four different locations.  And that's not including Goodwill and the dumpster.)  So we enjoyed the day to the fullest.

In the morning we went kayaking.  Of course, the moment we arrived at the lake, the wind picked up.  But our kids were (relatively) cooperative--and brave, despite the choppiness.  (No pictures on the water.  The wind, the waves, and the babe on my lap were all I could handle.)  I love being out on the water in a kayak.

In the afternoon we went swimming at the Y.  Mary is still a fish.  And...drumroll...David swam!!  (He swims beneath the water, completely submerged.  Is that normal?  I expected him to doggy paddle first.)  David was proud of himself, and he told me, "When I was a little kid [like two months ago], my teacher showed me how to swim, and now I am a big kid and I can do it all myself."

Finally, in the evening we drove to Ikea.  I will miss the West Chester Ikea.  I know there are other Ikeas, but this is my Ikea.  It was built just for me, I'm sure of it.  (It's also not as insanely crowded as other Ikeas I've been to.)

Unfortunately, the child care area was closed (blasted swine flu), so we were left with no choice but to brave the marketplace with both children.  It was a harrowing experience.  (My only consolation is the feeling of joy and justification our family brings to couples who have chosen not to have children.  I'm glad we can be helpful in some way.)

In the parking lot we changed our kids into pajamas, and drove home.  (Incidentally, I left the cinnamon rolls on the roof, but they were saved by our Yakima roof rack and a helpful couple driving an orange Cougar on I-75, who encouraged us to pull over.  Does that count as a tender mercy of the Lord?)  The best part?  Our kids were asleep when we got home, so Greg and I skipped the bedtime routine, plopped the sleepy heads in bed, and watched Adventures in Babysitting (a classic!)...while eating cinnamon rolls, of course.

It was a good day.
 

I have a good life here

Even more than the ice cream, the airplanes, and my really wacky Zumba class at the Y, my book group is one of the things I am going to miss most here in Ohio.

Melani made T-shirts to commemorate the last meeting of the four founding members--Melani, Gina, Jocelyn, and me.  We discussed Eleanor Roosevelt.

I feel honored to have developed friendships with such inspiring, articulate, and passionate women.  

It's also significant that this was my very first real book group.  I am not the voracious reader I once was.  I have become stingy with/picky about how I use my time and, and even more so, how I use my mental and emotional capacities.  This means I'm not a very good "team player" when it comes to book groups.  

But I trust these women with my time, my mind, and my heart.

(Next month the Gem City Literary Circle will be reading One Hundred Years of Solitude.  I may not be here for the meeting, but you can bet I'll be reading the book:  And in some form or another, Melani, Gina, and Jocelyn will be hearing about it.)

Some things that make my afternoon a good one

When the weather is so nice that Greg is inspired to come home early to mow the lawn and David excitedly goes outside to help him...

...and Mary goes outside too...
...and I get to disappear to DSW and use my three coupons plus the military discount to buy some shoes I don't really need.

Yes, that's what can make it a good afternoon.

We've got plans!

It's official and legally binding that Greg is going to Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras for a year, where he'll be the head A.F. Civil Engineer, in charge of such exciting things as the runway, the fire department, and the plumbing.  (Really, it is exciting!)

We are leaving Ohio at the end of the month and driving to Park City, Utah to live in my parent's handy vacation home.  Greg, the kids, and I will spend the month of June together as a family in Park City.  Greg leaves for Honduras the beginning of July, and I will spend the rest of the summer in Park City (where I hope to be joined by family members and/or friends who would like to entertain my children and save my sanity *hint*hint*).

Sometime in August my car and my children will be magically transported to the Dallas area, where, just in the nick of time, we will save my parents from an empty nest.  David (and Mary!) are registered at a neighborhood preschool, and I am already planning out where in my mom's house I'll put their train table, as well as mentally scheduling regular visits to Grammy and Grampy in a nearby town.

As for the separation . . . I prefer to repress those emotions and instead focus on the sun-dried tomato chicken wraps my mom will make me for lunch.  (How I hate making lunch for myself.)

If I ever give the impression that this is easy or desirable, just remember that repression (and fakin' it) are great talents of mine.  

Posterity-ready

One thing I like about a blog is that it keeps my writing posterity-ready.  Self-censorship can be a beautiful thing.  

I have volumes of journals.  I think roughly 5% of what I wrote in those journals I did with my posterity in mind.  The rest of the writing was solely for myself, and, I think we all know, that is the scariest writing of all.  Of the writing that was purely for myself (95%), only about 10% of that is suitable for posterity's eyes.  That doesn't leave much for my posterity.  Oh well.  Lucky (or unlucky) for them, I have a blog now.

That also means that on my list of Things I Must Do Before I Die, somewhere between #4 (Buy a Piano) and #57 (Digitize My Elementary School Class Photos), is:  Spend Some Quality Time with My Journals, a Pair of Scissors, a Sharpie, and a Blazing Fire.  I figure it's the least I can do for my posterity.

Cozy Coupe (and backpack)

BFF

It finally came!  

The weekend I had been looking forward to for months and months!  The weekend Deanna and her crew were going to leave their new hometown of Fort Collins and drive two days straight in order to attend the confirmation of a dear niece.  

Fortunately for me, this dear niece resides in a locale not unreasonably far from our own current hometown.  And this dear niece's family was kind enough to host us for a wonderful afternoon that leisurely extended into the evening.

These pictures are for my own selfish viewing pleasure (and possibly Deanna's), so they will be caption-free.

David was in heaven: With the exception of Mary, there were "no babies" and "only big kids."  Plus, a boat sandbox, lots of huge water guns, a Tonka excavator, Legos, watermelon, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and ice cream.  Like I said, heaven.

Mary was in heaven too:  Not one, but two slides!  A play house, watermelon, plenty of deck stairs to climb (and fall down), and ice cream.

Greg was pleased to have somewhere to take his family on a Sunday afternoon, thus avoiding his wife's weekly Sabbath meltdown.  I think he also enjoyed taking charge of keeping the fire burning, as well as the opportunity to return to Deanna the Starbucks coffee mug she left here a year ago.  (I think he's been concerned that I might start toting it around town filled with Diet Coke and people would think that I was--gasp--drinking coffee.  Fortunately for him, he had it hidden really high up in a cabinet I couldn't dream of reaching.)

And it goes without saying (though I will say it anyway) that I was in heaven because I was with Deanna.  (I also can't express how happy I was to meet her daughter, whom I'd never before met.  She let me give her a big hug, and holding her close nearly brought tears to my eyes.  What is it about daughters, even when they are not your own?) It was so refreshing to my soul to be with Deanna.  There is nothing quite like being with someone who knows you so well and for so long that you can absolutely be yourself--even if your self is fragmented, uptight, and insecure.  

Yesterday I was talking to my baby brother Daniel, telling him about my visit with Deanna.  (This is the brother, who, when he was Mary's age, referred to Deanna and me as "Nya" and "Sha.") He commented, "You have been friends forever."  (If nearly twenty years counts as forever, then, yes, we've been friends forever.)  And, "You'll be friends forever."  That definitely goes without saying.

P.S.  Deanna and Pete, more heaven awaits us.  See you guys in a month!

Columbus Zoo

What is the point of a mommy blog if not to post six billion pictures of a trip to the zoo?