Nineteen Years

(All you Google Reader people, you'll have to actually visit my blog to see the slide show!

Sunny Day

We somehow managed to have this past Sunday completely free. School work was done, house work was done, grocery shopping was done! Freedom!

It was a gorgeous warm day, so we headed to Silver Falls State Park. We spent over four hours there, hiking, picnicking, exploring, and enjoying the sun.

We stopped on the way home to get my new bike. The Easter Bunny surprised me with money to buy a bike, so I am the proud owner of a new hot pink mountain bike. (I was pretty excited that they make hot pink bikes in a grown up size!) Then we came home, barbequed, and went for a family bike ride. After some ice cream, we watched the beginning of the first Blazer play off game before sending our tired kiddos to bed.

It was a wonderful, WARM relaxing Sunday.

Our hike at Silver Falls in pictures:

On the trail. And lest you think that I force my ten and a half year to match his brother, guess again. They chose the shirts and were annoyed that they couldn't locate the exact same green shirts to wear.

This picture is delicious. Except for the part that once we let them "touch the water," we were expected to stop every five feet to "touch the water here too."

Really gorgeous spring day in Oregon.

I love this guy. He was waiting for his brother and sister to touch the water AGAIN when I caught him just ..... observing.

I love me a profile shot!

Pretty trillium. Good thing because not only did I get mocked for my extensive trillium knowledge (seriously, ask me anything about trilliums-you know you want to), but I also got pooped on by a bird while I was taking the picture. So gross. Isn't the Great Outdoors awesome?

Hiking is fun, exhibit A. Look closely and you'll see the million mile long staircase I navigated with my exuberant four year old. You can't even see the whole thing in this picture, so you can imagine how fun it was with little Miss I-Can-Do-It-By-Myself.

Finally down all the stairs! Ready to walk behind Lower South Falls.

Behind the falls, getting soaked.

It is so amazing to stand right under a falls, and you can sure see the wonder on his sweet face.

Don't let the smile fool you. This was taken well over a mile in, and soon after, we headed back uphill. At one point, we reached the top of a STEEP hill, only to find yet another STEEP hill. Abby took one look and said "AWWW DUDE!!" in an exact imitation of her father's "Are you kidding me?" tone of voice.

Stopping for a snack. Josh: "Moooommmm. Geez. Do you have to take a picture of everything?" Me: "Just sit there. You don't even have to smile." Hmmmm. Not great advice.

Stopping for a snack, take two. Me: "OK, I lied. You definitely have to smile." Josh: sigh.

The camera ran out of batteries after this shot, much to the relief of the kids. Once we made it back to the top, we wandered around the park, soaking up sunshine and people watching. (Only in Oregon would you see people in bathing suits IN THE RIVER on a barely seventy degree day!) We all got a little sun, and our first taste of the nice weather and adventures to come! A parting comment from James:

Me: Get your backpacks packed and you clothes picked out for tomorrow.

James: Wait. What? We have school tomorrow? Awwww man. I thought it was summer.

Soon, sweet boy, soon.

Two Kids

I'm sure that any parent of two children would tell you that they fight and disagree, just like any other siblings. But at my house, having only two kids at home is THE. BEST. It doesn't matter which two I have; they get along, are kind to each other, and have a great time.

When all three are here, Abby tends to be left out. The boys want to play Star Wars; she wants to play....babies. The boys can handle more advanced games, can shoot hoops, and generally have similar interests. And there is always bickering and "discussion" going on, with a few "Abbbbbbbyyyyyyyyyy"s thrown in to really bring the "fingernails on the chalkboard" effect to its maximum potential.

Today, Josh went to a friend's house to play. James and Abby played so well together. First, they painted with water colors. James patiently explained to Abby what symmetry is and then they spent a full hour painting one side of a paper and then folding the two halves together to make "symmetry pictures." I think he lost her when he tried to explain two lines of symmetry, but she was happy to pretend to get it. Then they went into Abby's room and were quiet for a looooooonnnnng time. With Abby, silence is never good, so I went to see what they were up to....

Me: What are you two doing?
James: We're playing Baby Star Wars.
Me: What's Baby Star Wars?
James: The babies are playing Star Wars.
Me: Huh. Do the babies have light sabers?
James: Of course!
Me: Well, that sounds fun.
James: It is! See, Abby wanted to play babies, and I wanted to play Star Wars. Soooo, ta-da! Baby Star Wars!

And they kept busy with that for another hour. Right when they were about to "read" together, Josh showed up. Let the bickering and leaving outing commence.

Funny Girl

In the car the other night:

Abby: Hey, boys! Let's play a game: Who can be the quietest and stillest all the way home?

Silent pause

Abby: I lose!!! (Giggle, giggle)

Thank You, Family

I have an incredibly close family. I know that I could call anyone in my family, from my parents to my first, second and third cousins to my sister to my grandparents, if I ever needed anything. We enjoy spending time together, and we do just that, on purpose, whenever we can. My kids are so lucky to have a family like that, a family where they are loved unconditionally.

The other day, Josh and I were looking at his St. Baldrick's donation page, and he surprised me by saying, "Practically everyone who has donated is my family." I replied, "Well, not really," and proceeded to start listing off all the people who are not blood relations who have donated. He interrupted me with this: "Oh, I count those people as my family." And I realized that my family has an embarrassment of riches in the family department. Because he is totally right. There are so many people who we can count on, people who love my children unconditionally, whose children we love unconditionally. If my kids needed to call someone for help, the list would be a mile long. (Which explains why I feel the need to attach pages on the emergency contact forms for the kids.)

We learned earlier this week that the St. Baldrick's event that we had planned on (and announced to the world) was cancelled for a variety of reasons. It doesn't really matter why. What matters is that Josh has been looking forward to doing this for literally years. His vision of this event was specific: family and friends would be there. He'd be wearing the official "cape." People would cheer him on, there would be treats to eat, and he would raise a lot of money. So I panicked. How could we make this special for him?

I should have known that our family, both kinds, would come through for us. They always do. Donations came rolling in this week. And today, my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law and nephew, and mother-in-law were there, along with 22 friends of all ages packed into our little house to make the day exactly how Josh had pictured it. It makes me tear up as I type that there are so many people who would take the time to support Josh. To support our family. I know that they would say they were happy to do it, and I know that that is the truth. Which makes me cry even more. And the people who have donated? I can't even express my gratitude. It is important to support causes. It really is. And children's cancer research is obviously a cause that is dear to my heart. But that you supported my child in something that is so important to him....that amazes and humbles me.

Thank you to everyone who supported Josh, near and far. The donations that came in surprised and moved me. The people who continued to check in on his donations as they grew showed their support from afar. The e-mails I got today to see how everything went made us smile. And to my "family," who came and created a special memory for my special boy: I only hope I can repay the favor someday.

(Check below for photos of my baldie guy!)

Sneak Peek

I have big plans for a cool video slide show about Josh's St. Baldrick's experience. Until then, here is a sneak peek:

He has been growing his hair out for months in anticipation....

We got permission for him to attend a day of school with HOT PINK hair. It was a half day this last Friday, so his teacher was willing to allow the distraction.

Right before the big shave, John convinced him to let him do this....

He would NOT leave the house like this. I had to really convince him to even go out front for the picture.

Our friends and family gathered in our little dining room to witness the event. (We found out earlier this week that the event near our house was not to be, and the next closest event isn't until May 2nd. I was frustrated, and Josh was ready to go, so we decided to make it work.)

Bald.....

Even balder.......

To date, Josh has raised nearly $1000 dollars for the foundation. He told me tonight, "I know this is kind of girlie, but it makes me want to cry when I think about where the money is going." I assured him that it wasn't girlie at all. He is proud of himself, and we are bursting with pride.

Pajama Day

The first graders (both James and Molly's brother Grayson) had pajama day last week. Apparently, they magically earned enough Cougar Paws for pajama party on the Friday before Easter (smirk.) Molly showed up in her pajamas, so I quickly decided we'd have pajama day too. Abby and Molly happen to have matching jammies in coordinating colors, so Abby changed out of her clothes and into different pajamas than she had worn the night before (and I wonder why we have so much laundry) and we did "pajama day." They played Play-doh (and how is this pajama day related? They were wearing their jammies. Duh.) We made hot chocolate and popped popcorn and watched (the most blatantly sexist and ridiculous cartoon I've seen in a while) "Hello Kitty Becomes a Princess." They put two million pillows (or eight) and blankets and stuffed animals on the floor (and I wonder why my house always has stuff all over the floor.) Then, of course, Abby wanted a picture to commemorate the occasion.

PS Shortly after this picture was taken, they started tap dancing. In their pajamas. Voila! Pajama Day Dance Recital!

Two weeks!

I was looking at friend's blog yesterday, and you know that part where it tells the blogs that you read and how long it's been since that person posted? Mine said two weeks. TWO WEEKS. I am finding myself a little overwhelmed by life and posting has been one of the things to give. After this weekend, I should at least have some pictures of Easter to post, but we'll see.

In the meantime, a quick update.....

John is still running and is signed up for several races in the next few months. He has been side-lined for the past couple of days by a back injury, so hopefully that improves soon! I actually have been trying running too, but when I got to running two miles, I hurt my knee. It feels normal again today, so I'll be hitting the track again in the next couple of days. My new job is going right along. I can't believe the things that I have learned so far. I've had to learn really quickly, and there is a lot to still learn, but it is all exciting. The kids are excited to have all the technology in the classroom, and there are so many fun things to do. I feel like I am still fighting to keep my head above water a little as I get used to working so many more hours and having so much less time to do other things, but in the end, I think it will be worth it. Now to figure out how to alleviate my mommy guilt over working so much while Abby is still not in school......

Josh has raised nearly 600 dollars for St. Baldrick's! He is very excited and just beside himself that so many people have donated in his name. Thank you to all of you who have donated so far; not only does the money help fund cancer research, but it is also making a certain ten year old boy extremely proud and happy. Although I am about to sneak into his room while he is sleeping to shave off his SHAGGY hair, I am proud of how he has become an ambassador for children's cancer patients. His class voted what color he should dye his hair before he shaves it all off, and pink won by a landslide. His teacher is even letting him come to class with his hair dyed so that everyone can see it. Good thing it will be a half day that day! Outside of the head shaving, he is keeping busy with homework, soccer and, unfortunately, Super Mario Bros on his DS. I can't complain too much because he reads way more than the required number of minutes each night and has been really responsible and grown up all the sudden!

James is playing soccer, but NOT BASEBALL. No, seriously, HE HATES BASEBALL. Just ask him. If you want to get him riled up, tell him you heard that I signed him up for baseball. His hatred of T-ball runs deep, which doesn't break my heart. Although the weather for baseball is a marked improvement over spring soccer (hello monsoon!) I find watching baseball less interesting than watching paint dry. It is a little too bad he is pretty good at baseball, but you won't find me shedding any tears about it! He is doing well in school, although much to his disappointment, he still has not been chosen student of the month. It takes a lot to upset him, but this has really bothered him. It takes all of my power not to call his teacher and demand that he be chosen. But I haven't said a thing, and I will continue not to say a thing. In other news, he asked John to give him a buzz cut. It is adorable, and I just love that he is so independent with his hair. He decides to make changes on a whim, and I love it. People have said "You won't love it when he wants to dye it blue!" But I kind of will love it. He is his own person, and I love that about him. I wish that I could borrow a little of that for myself, to be honest. Don't worry, I'll only let him dye it blue in the summer so he doesn't "create a distraction" at school.

Miss Abby is loving school, loving her new child care arrangement, loving her alone time with Grandpa, loving her friends and brothers. She has taken the changes in her world in stride and alternately delights us and makes us crazy with her non-stop energy. She considered cutting her hair too, but when I told her that her current hair style of choice (two Laura Ingalls braids) wouldn't work with short hair, she changed her mind. Good thing. Seeing her long blond curls on the salon floor might have actually killed me. She has actually caught up to James in weight, but he still has a few inches on her. Since her current round tummy indicates a growth spurt on the way, it is a really good thing that James has a great self-esteem and doesn't mind his size!

We have Easter egg hunting, Easter Sunday, pink hair, St. Baldrick's, and hopefully some nice sunny hikes in the near future, so keep an eye out for pictures!