We say that we love our children all the same, but I don't think that's entirely true.
I think that the way we feel about each individual child is different and set by a huge variety of factors- birth order, temperament, sweetness, spunkiness, curiosity, sense of humor, intelligence, compassion, the list goes on and on and on and on.
That doesn't mean we love one more than another, we just love them differently.
Yesterday my Carl turned 7 years old.
I cannot believe that he is now a big 7 year old boy.
He's all about playing baseball and basketball, and now enjoys watching sports (in person and on TV). He loves to ride his bike and build legos, and still plays with cars, boats, and trailers like he did when he was two.
But he's also learning how to make armpit fart noises and has an opinion about wearing sports clothes more often than not.
He's getting bigger.
Carl was born during a year in my life that was full of change.
We'd sold our first house (the house that I LOVED) so that Mark could build us a dream home. I think that was how Sarina learned about the emotion sad- I cried everytime we pulled into the driveway of our house after we signed the papers to sell it.
We moved into a modest 2 bedroom rental house across town.
I stopped working full time and starting consulting so that I could be with the kids more (yay!). But had to learn how to work for myself- no sick days, way less pay, and keeping customers happy...
It was also a time when Mark was working tirelessly to build us a new house.
Mark's Grandma Mable joined Grandpa Carl in heaven.
And my dad was battling colon cancer.
I remember sitting in the room with my dad while he was getting his doses of chemo. How weird and sad it felt to be pregnant while my dad was having poison pumped into his body.
Carl came into this world 9 weeks before my dad left it. Carl's sweet stoic little face has always seemed like an old soul to me. He was a constant source of joy and affection when I was so sad and feeling so old-almost 30...
I packed him to work with me for almost a year, while the historic district in Steilacoom was in such turmoil that we had to stop issuing building permits for several months to straighten it up. He was happy and content the whole time he was at work with me. Of course once he was old enough to eat something (he NEVER took a bottle) I was able to leave him with his daddy and big sister.
He's always been easy to please (except when it came to a bottle) and full of love and light.
He was the little boy who would sit quietly at my side for an hour in the waiting room of the Thurston County Building Department, playing with his matchbox cars, perfectly content.
He didn't talk much until he was almost 3. But his little face lit up like the sun when something made him happy. He absolutely glowed and you knew exactly how he felt.
Now he's all about dumping out his 300 marbles (maybe I should have thought about that gift a little more before giving it) and armpit farts, and wii games, and sports.
But I'm so thankful he still needs a good snuggle every now and then. That he loves playing catch with his daddy more than anything in the world. That he still adores his big sister- who leads the way for him. That he plays well with his little brother. And that he delights in his crazy, sassy baby sister.
Every night I thank God that I get to be his mama.
I am so lucky.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Camping - Vacation Part 2
A couple of things before I get to the camping...
I know I said that I'm writing this blog to document some of the craziness of my life for the kids to reflect back on some day in the distant future.
But, I'm finding that it feels good to learn that people enjoy reading it.
This vacation my brother told me that this blog is his guilty pleasure. Awwww. So sweet. Glad that it's enjoyed by my big brother who has lived too far away for most of our lives. He's such a great person, dad, son, and brother. I wish I could spend more time with him and his whole family. Love them all to pieces, even if I never do get to see them.
I also learned that my big sister enjoys the blog too. Also, great because she lives all the way across the country and I don't get to talk to her as much as I'd like to. At least these ramblings can give them both a peek into my family circus. Maybe see a little of what I remember of our family life.
So, blog #3 of the day is to make up for lost time and I feel a little less weird about it knowing that my big brother looks forward to these postings...
And, the beauty of a blog is that you don't have to read it- just ignore it if you think I'm being long winded and annoying here.
From Coeur d'Alene we loaded all 6 of us into the truck and headed back to Leavenworth for another sleepover and to pick up the travel trailer for our next leg of the trip. Our now annual camping trip with two families Mark and I have known since school days.
This is our second year at Confluence State Park in Wenatchee. It's a great place for kids our kids' ages. The campground is relatively transparent so we can watch the kids ride their bikes on big and small loops. We always get the spots next to a little playground so the kids can amble over there to play on the slide and tire swing. Bobby always brings a kiddie pool which is genius for keeping the kids cool (grown ups too every now and then).
I love that we make this an annual camping trip with these families. My memories are spending summers at the lake with cousins. My kids memories will be camping with two families each year. We've been going since Carl was a baby and I see continuing until they're too old to go with us. Maybe that will be never...?
I realized that this is the first year we've gone with a 3 year old and no baby in tow. It was actually liberating. We were able to go on bike rides. I got to go for runs with the mamas. Mark and I even went white water rafting (more on that later...). I can see how much more these trips will feel like vacation in the upcoming years. It was the first time I could sit down and look through a magazine and not feel terrified that one of the kids would wander away.
Maybe because I'm getting complacent...
maybe because they're getting bigger...
either way it was nice.
It always seems to take a good 2-4 days of breaking in to vacation sleep schedule. We'll put the kids in bed way later than typical for our household but they still wake at the crack of dawn for the first couple of days. Then comes the sweet spot where they go to bed later- literally fall into bed and zzzzzzzzzzzzz -then sleep til a decent hour- 7 to 8am ish. It's so much more pleasant than waking at 5am then trying to figure out how to keep one or more child quiet while holding your breath that the rest sleep just a little bit longer. All without coffee.
This trip we had the break in at the condo in Coeur d'Alene so we were golden in the trailer where there's no where to escape and keep quiet. Phew!
Another genius plan for camping is we each take turns cooking dinner for the families. So great to have someone else cooking for you. We were a little lame in our taco salad and hamburgers this year. But I made the La Fuentes cabbage salsa for the taco salad which was a little break from the norm (I'll post the recipe below) and Mark makes a mean burger (rivals the demo burger at Lakefair in my book) on the outdoor griddle with sauteed onions and cheese.
Our friend Robin made her amazing pork tacos with a chipotle pineapple coleslaw and Bree did steaks, potato salad, green salad and grilled cabbage that could be my new favorite grilled item.
We were spoiled this year, my sister and brother-in-law took the kids for us for a day while Mark and I went white water river rafting.
I hadn't taken that type of adventure since my days as a camper at Camp Houston, a lifetime ago.
I was moderately nervous after learning that a 69 year old woman died rafting with her family in front of my brother-in-law's mom's house on the same river we were about to head out on. But was reassured that we wouldn't be going on that part of the river and would be perfectly safe.
As we were preparing to head out I listened carefully to all my instructions for rafting: if you go in, keep your feet up and let the river carry you til one of the kayakers can get to you, there are more rapids and less hazards on this river, the difference between paddle (80%) and paddle hard (100%), etc. I actually opted out of the girly life vest for the one that was less attractive but with 25 more something or other for more buoyancy. And I was talked into wearing 2 wet suits AND a helmet.
Boy am I glad.
Because apparently our raft was a little too light for the bu%* hole rapid.
It flipped us before I knew what was happening.
First rapid out of the gates then 300 yards of rapids to go before smooth waters again (not to mention the rapid arrival of a dam).
I was so stunned I didn't really know how exactly I made it into the water but I knew to keep my feet above water and go with the flow.
About the time I was realizing this I heard a gurgle gurgle behind my left shoulder and up pops Mark. He'd been stuck under the raft but tried to get out and find me.
Thank God.
I was so relieved to grab his shoulder and to hear him say, "we're ok" over and over again.
Well... he did get a little quiet when he saw us heading into the "eye hole" rapid (close neighbor to the one that bucked us out of our raft).
But I sure needed that reassurance.
It felt like an eternity before we hit a patch of water that wasn't constantly breaking or about to break over our heads.
It was nice to know that I did get my head and remember my instructions.
I'm a little peeved that Mark risked himself to try to keep me floating a little higher- he kept his feet down to push me up. I think I'd rather suck a little water and keep him than breathe free and clear while risking his safety...
Looking back I'm impressed that I even had the presence of mind to check that he was still wearing his wedding ring. A ring that had been his grandfather's wedding ring and has even traveled through some exotic places...
Eventually, the poor guide (who volunteered his time and equipment to take us) was able to right the raft again in the water, then pull himself and us rafters back into the boat. I was terrified the first couple of rapids we encountered but I'm sure glad that we took that trip.
A little time during daylight hours with your husband and no kids in sight plus a little adrenaline can do wonders for your soul.
And obviously a happy ending can't be beat.
La Fuente's Cabbage Salsa
(from a yummy restaurant in Wenatchee- theirs is way better than mine so if you're in town you have to stop by and try it)
1 head shredded cabbage
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 medium red onion chopped
1 bunch cilantro, also chopped
1/2 can pickled jalapenos + juice from the can
2 limes- juiced
3 oranges- juiced
2/3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
*watch the jalapeno, the spice can creep up on you and overtake the recipe
**I think this would be really good on fish tacos with a little sour cream Mexicali dressing too
I know I said that I'm writing this blog to document some of the craziness of my life for the kids to reflect back on some day in the distant future.
But, I'm finding that it feels good to learn that people enjoy reading it.
This vacation my brother told me that this blog is his guilty pleasure. Awwww. So sweet. Glad that it's enjoyed by my big brother who has lived too far away for most of our lives. He's such a great person, dad, son, and brother. I wish I could spend more time with him and his whole family. Love them all to pieces, even if I never do get to see them.
I also learned that my big sister enjoys the blog too. Also, great because she lives all the way across the country and I don't get to talk to her as much as I'd like to. At least these ramblings can give them both a peek into my family circus. Maybe see a little of what I remember of our family life.
So, blog #3 of the day is to make up for lost time and I feel a little less weird about it knowing that my big brother looks forward to these postings...
And, the beauty of a blog is that you don't have to read it- just ignore it if you think I'm being long winded and annoying here.
From Coeur d'Alene we loaded all 6 of us into the truck and headed back to Leavenworth for another sleepover and to pick up the travel trailer for our next leg of the trip. Our now annual camping trip with two families Mark and I have known since school days.
This is our second year at Confluence State Park in Wenatchee. It's a great place for kids our kids' ages. The campground is relatively transparent so we can watch the kids ride their bikes on big and small loops. We always get the spots next to a little playground so the kids can amble over there to play on the slide and tire swing. Bobby always brings a kiddie pool which is genius for keeping the kids cool (grown ups too every now and then).
I love that we make this an annual camping trip with these families. My memories are spending summers at the lake with cousins. My kids memories will be camping with two families each year. We've been going since Carl was a baby and I see continuing until they're too old to go with us. Maybe that will be never...?
I realized that this is the first year we've gone with a 3 year old and no baby in tow. It was actually liberating. We were able to go on bike rides. I got to go for runs with the mamas. Mark and I even went white water rafting (more on that later...). I can see how much more these trips will feel like vacation in the upcoming years. It was the first time I could sit down and look through a magazine and not feel terrified that one of the kids would wander away.
Maybe because I'm getting complacent...
maybe because they're getting bigger...
either way it was nice.
It always seems to take a good 2-4 days of breaking in to vacation sleep schedule. We'll put the kids in bed way later than typical for our household but they still wake at the crack of dawn for the first couple of days. Then comes the sweet spot where they go to bed later- literally fall into bed and zzzzzzzzzzzzz -then sleep til a decent hour- 7 to 8am ish. It's so much more pleasant than waking at 5am then trying to figure out how to keep one or more child quiet while holding your breath that the rest sleep just a little bit longer. All without coffee.
This trip we had the break in at the condo in Coeur d'Alene so we were golden in the trailer where there's no where to escape and keep quiet. Phew!
Another genius plan for camping is we each take turns cooking dinner for the families. So great to have someone else cooking for you. We were a little lame in our taco salad and hamburgers this year. But I made the La Fuentes cabbage salsa for the taco salad which was a little break from the norm (I'll post the recipe below) and Mark makes a mean burger (rivals the demo burger at Lakefair in my book) on the outdoor griddle with sauteed onions and cheese.
Our friend Robin made her amazing pork tacos with a chipotle pineapple coleslaw and Bree did steaks, potato salad, green salad and grilled cabbage that could be my new favorite grilled item.
We were spoiled this year, my sister and brother-in-law took the kids for us for a day while Mark and I went white water river rafting.
I hadn't taken that type of adventure since my days as a camper at Camp Houston, a lifetime ago.
I was moderately nervous after learning that a 69 year old woman died rafting with her family in front of my brother-in-law's mom's house on the same river we were about to head out on. But was reassured that we wouldn't be going on that part of the river and would be perfectly safe.
As we were preparing to head out I listened carefully to all my instructions for rafting: if you go in, keep your feet up and let the river carry you til one of the kayakers can get to you, there are more rapids and less hazards on this river, the difference between paddle (80%) and paddle hard (100%), etc. I actually opted out of the girly life vest for the one that was less attractive but with 25 more something or other for more buoyancy. And I was talked into wearing 2 wet suits AND a helmet.
Boy am I glad.
Because apparently our raft was a little too light for the bu%* hole rapid.
It flipped us before I knew what was happening.
First rapid out of the gates then 300 yards of rapids to go before smooth waters again (not to mention the rapid arrival of a dam).
I was so stunned I didn't really know how exactly I made it into the water but I knew to keep my feet above water and go with the flow.
About the time I was realizing this I heard a gurgle gurgle behind my left shoulder and up pops Mark. He'd been stuck under the raft but tried to get out and find me.
Thank God.
I was so relieved to grab his shoulder and to hear him say, "we're ok" over and over again.
Well... he did get a little quiet when he saw us heading into the "eye hole" rapid (close neighbor to the one that bucked us out of our raft).
But I sure needed that reassurance.
It felt like an eternity before we hit a patch of water that wasn't constantly breaking or about to break over our heads.
It was nice to know that I did get my head and remember my instructions.
I'm a little peeved that Mark risked himself to try to keep me floating a little higher- he kept his feet down to push me up. I think I'd rather suck a little water and keep him than breathe free and clear while risking his safety...
Looking back I'm impressed that I even had the presence of mind to check that he was still wearing his wedding ring. A ring that had been his grandfather's wedding ring and has even traveled through some exotic places...
Eventually, the poor guide (who volunteered his time and equipment to take us) was able to right the raft again in the water, then pull himself and us rafters back into the boat. I was terrified the first couple of rapids we encountered but I'm sure glad that we took that trip.
A little time during daylight hours with your husband and no kids in sight plus a little adrenaline can do wonders for your soul.
And obviously a happy ending can't be beat.
La Fuente's Cabbage Salsa
(from a yummy restaurant in Wenatchee- theirs is way better than mine so if you're in town you have to stop by and try it)
1 head shredded cabbage
3 Roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 medium red onion chopped
1 bunch cilantro, also chopped
1/2 can pickled jalapenos + juice from the can
2 limes- juiced
3 oranges- juiced
2/3 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
*watch the jalapeno, the spice can creep up on you and overtake the recipe
**I think this would be really good on fish tacos with a little sour cream Mexicali dressing too
Family Reunion Vacation Part 1
We're just home from a wonderfully long vacation.
Since I work for myself (not that it's all that often) we don't usually get long stretches of vacation because if I don't work, I don't get paid. But, it's a slow time in the building market. There aren't a lot of proposed changes to registered historic buildings in Steilacoom or Lakewood, so we could get away and I wouldn't face a bunch of angry building owners upset about their properties being regulated then not being able to talk to me about it- asap...
First stop for this traveling circus was Leavenworth, where we barged in on my sister-in-law and her family to drop off our travel trailer for the upcoming week we'd spend in Coeur d'Alene and have a sleepover. I know hosting a family of 6 is daunting, but she's always so nice to take us in.
Fortunately, my mom took the oldest off our hands for the drive to Coeur d'Alene so we were only 5 in the truck when it broke down SIX miles outside Cle Elum for our unscheduled stop alongside I-90.
It took 4 hours of logistic wrangling to fix the truck (SO nice to have a handy husband who can do everything from change a diaper to replace the power steering cooler on a truck). This little layover would have been MUCH shorter if that darn NAPA had delivered the part a mere SIX miles down the road to us.
Grrrrr.
Life lessons.
And thankfully we were down from 4 to 3 kiddos to entertain for that 4 hour stretch while poor Mark had to figure out how to repair the truck and navigate the truck and trailer off I-90 without power steering or breaks (good thing he's strong:)
Then on to Coeur d'Alene for a massive family reunion. My grandparents had 3 kids, each of whom had 4 kids, adding up to 12 grandchildren. Those 12 grandchildren blossomed into 29 great-grandchildren ranging in age from 21 to 16 months.
When they were young adults my grandparents purchased lakefront property with two other couples on Mica Bay of Coeur d'Alene Lake. This is where they spent the summers with their children and subsequently us grandchildren, who also had the benefit of spending summers there- on a delightfully neutral territory.
I was really probably there for only a week or so but to me it WAS summer.
I got to spend time with my cousin Jana- who I looked forward to seeing every summer, we'd convince ourselves that our grandpa's snores were a bear coming to get us up in the sleeping loft above our grandparent's room.
All the cousins went water skiing, except Melissa {a big sorry from your selfish big sister}, swimming, piling off the "flatty" boat to climb up then jump off Frog Rock, rowing in the little rowboat, we read books, did puzzles (an awesome banana puzzle that was all yellow except for the dole sticker), had fires in the outdoor fireplace on the bulkhead watching the bats swoop in the fading daylight.
It was perfection.
And all 12 of us were able to feel like we belonged there.
This summer we all went back to Coeur d'Alene and had the amazing gift of watching our children play on the lake together. It's an incredible feeling to watch that many little people zipping around and know that they all share great grandparents. And boy are there some strong family genes.
I wasn't prepared to feel so emotional about going back to Mica Bay.
I'd driven by in a boat in the years since my grandparents sold the cabin and I'd scoffed at how ridiculous the architectural changes are to that once distinctive modern building.
But I hadn't set foot on a dock or the beach until this trip.
We all headed via boat back to Mica Bay to spread some of my grandparent's ashes in the lake that held our family like glue. The moment I stepped onto our (ok mammy and papa's) neighbor's dock (she still lives there) I felt the tears and my throat tightened as I tried not to blubber. During any tearful goodbye my grandpa would tell the story about an Aunt Annie (?) who would cry every time she passed a train station- maybe that's why I try not to cry when I say goodbyes.
Most of us dipped our hands in the ashes and let them flow into the water where so many memories for so many people related to us were made.
To be honest, I didn't think I could do that.
I'm a little weird about touching things (Carl must get it from me- he's the same way).
But it felt right, digging in and holding them in my hands, letting their ashes dance away in the water glittered with the Mica that gives that part of the lake it's name. "Two and silk" they always said about each other, and we watched as most of us blended the "two and silk" for a final dip into the cool, clear, glittery water.
My grandparents were special, special people. Somehow they managed to make each and every one of us 12 grandchildren feel special, capable, and loved beyond imagination. It could be easy to get lost in a crowd that big, but they never let it happen.
I believe that much of who I am as a person stems from them- especially my grandma. Mammy. She had a style that was enviable, could cook anything, and found joy in many, many little things from baby birds in a nest to feeding picky eaters.
My grandparents enriched our lives immensely. And we had the benefit of that enrichment yet another summer.
Thank you Mammy and Papa, I hope you enjoyed watching us all frolic in the lake that you made home for so many of us.
Since I work for myself (not that it's all that often) we don't usually get long stretches of vacation because if I don't work, I don't get paid. But, it's a slow time in the building market. There aren't a lot of proposed changes to registered historic buildings in Steilacoom or Lakewood, so we could get away and I wouldn't face a bunch of angry building owners upset about their properties being regulated then not being able to talk to me about it- asap...
First stop for this traveling circus was Leavenworth, where we barged in on my sister-in-law and her family to drop off our travel trailer for the upcoming week we'd spend in Coeur d'Alene and have a sleepover. I know hosting a family of 6 is daunting, but she's always so nice to take us in.
Fortunately, my mom took the oldest off our hands for the drive to Coeur d'Alene so we were only 5 in the truck when it broke down SIX miles outside Cle Elum for our unscheduled stop alongside I-90.
It took 4 hours of logistic wrangling to fix the truck (SO nice to have a handy husband who can do everything from change a diaper to replace the power steering cooler on a truck). This little layover would have been MUCH shorter if that darn NAPA had delivered the part a mere SIX miles down the road to us.
Grrrrr.
Life lessons.
And thankfully we were down from 4 to 3 kiddos to entertain for that 4 hour stretch while poor Mark had to figure out how to repair the truck and navigate the truck and trailer off I-90 without power steering or breaks (good thing he's strong:)
Then on to Coeur d'Alene for a massive family reunion. My grandparents had 3 kids, each of whom had 4 kids, adding up to 12 grandchildren. Those 12 grandchildren blossomed into 29 great-grandchildren ranging in age from 21 to 16 months.
When they were young adults my grandparents purchased lakefront property with two other couples on Mica Bay of Coeur d'Alene Lake. This is where they spent the summers with their children and subsequently us grandchildren, who also had the benefit of spending summers there- on a delightfully neutral territory.
I was really probably there for only a week or so but to me it WAS summer.
I got to spend time with my cousin Jana- who I looked forward to seeing every summer, we'd convince ourselves that our grandpa's snores were a bear coming to get us up in the sleeping loft above our grandparent's room.
All the cousins went water skiing, except Melissa {a big sorry from your selfish big sister}, swimming, piling off the "flatty" boat to climb up then jump off Frog Rock, rowing in the little rowboat, we read books, did puzzles (an awesome banana puzzle that was all yellow except for the dole sticker), had fires in the outdoor fireplace on the bulkhead watching the bats swoop in the fading daylight.
It was perfection.
And all 12 of us were able to feel like we belonged there.
This summer we all went back to Coeur d'Alene and had the amazing gift of watching our children play on the lake together. It's an incredible feeling to watch that many little people zipping around and know that they all share great grandparents. And boy are there some strong family genes.
I wasn't prepared to feel so emotional about going back to Mica Bay.
I'd driven by in a boat in the years since my grandparents sold the cabin and I'd scoffed at how ridiculous the architectural changes are to that once distinctive modern building.
But I hadn't set foot on a dock or the beach until this trip.
We all headed via boat back to Mica Bay to spread some of my grandparent's ashes in the lake that held our family like glue. The moment I stepped onto our (ok mammy and papa's) neighbor's dock (she still lives there) I felt the tears and my throat tightened as I tried not to blubber. During any tearful goodbye my grandpa would tell the story about an Aunt Annie (?) who would cry every time she passed a train station- maybe that's why I try not to cry when I say goodbyes.
Most of us dipped our hands in the ashes and let them flow into the water where so many memories for so many people related to us were made.
To be honest, I didn't think I could do that.
I'm a little weird about touching things (Carl must get it from me- he's the same way).
But it felt right, digging in and holding them in my hands, letting their ashes dance away in the water glittered with the Mica that gives that part of the lake it's name. "Two and silk" they always said about each other, and we watched as most of us blended the "two and silk" for a final dip into the cool, clear, glittery water.
My grandparents were special, special people. Somehow they managed to make each and every one of us 12 grandchildren feel special, capable, and loved beyond imagination. It could be easy to get lost in a crowd that big, but they never let it happen.
I believe that much of who I am as a person stems from them- especially my grandma. Mammy. She had a style that was enviable, could cook anything, and found joy in many, many little things from baby birds in a nest to feeding picky eaters.
My grandparents enriched our lives immensely. And we had the benefit of that enrichment yet another summer.
Thank you Mammy and Papa, I hope you enjoyed watching us all frolic in the lake that you made home for so many of us.
Hearing Loss
I have a small confession to make.
My hearing is far from 100%. Truly.
And I think it's getting worse.
Funny thing is. I haven't raced out to get it checked, even though it's a little annoying- it's kind of nice. My house is loud, l o u d, L O U D! Ok, not the house, the little beings that occupy it.
Case in point, long car rides with 6 people in the king cab of a Ford F350 pick up hauling a travel trailer. Oh my gosh, it really couldn't be much louder than 4 kids raising their voices trying to be heard over each other or let out the pent up annoyance of being strapped into car seats for hours at a time and the gosh darn dvd players that take an eternity to set up and never seem to work when you need them the most.
Blissfully their racket was a little dim for me and, since the truck was pre-shoulder strap seat belt era for the middle seats, mama got to sit in the middle front seat next to daddy.
It was almost like high school again (if I really focused on letting go of the kids' noise) nestled up against my husband. Almost like riding around in the 1953 ford pick up he had- that his grandpa purchased for his old Texaco station, his dad likely took him mom on dates in, and that he drove me around in during high school. I loved sitting next to him with his arm around my shoulders or resting in my lap.
And this trip was almost like those days, if only the kids could have been a little more quiet- or my hearing a little more gone...
My hearing is far from 100%. Truly.
And I think it's getting worse.
Funny thing is. I haven't raced out to get it checked, even though it's a little annoying- it's kind of nice. My house is loud, l o u d, L O U D! Ok, not the house, the little beings that occupy it.
Case in point, long car rides with 6 people in the king cab of a Ford F350 pick up hauling a travel trailer. Oh my gosh, it really couldn't be much louder than 4 kids raising their voices trying to be heard over each other or let out the pent up annoyance of being strapped into car seats for hours at a time and the gosh darn dvd players that take an eternity to set up and never seem to work when you need them the most.
Blissfully their racket was a little dim for me and, since the truck was pre-shoulder strap seat belt era for the middle seats, mama got to sit in the middle front seat next to daddy.
It was almost like high school again (if I really focused on letting go of the kids' noise) nestled up against my husband. Almost like riding around in the 1953 ford pick up he had- that his grandpa purchased for his old Texaco station, his dad likely took him mom on dates in, and that he drove me around in during high school. I loved sitting next to him with his arm around my shoulders or resting in my lap.
And this trip was almost like those days, if only the kids could have been a little more quiet- or my hearing a little more gone...
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