Big Brother

This morning after I'd shipped the big kids to my awesome neighbor's house to catch the bus, I was driving Charlie and Elsa in to take Charlie to pre-school.

I heard Elsa ask, "Charlie, will you always be there for me?"  honest to God, those were her words- crazy, I know!

I was so smitten, I told Charlie of course he would always be there for her, he's her big brother.  (I know, I should have just listened and let him answer on his own without butting in with my big mouth).

But the kicker was his response to me.

"No mom, I'm not her big brother.  Carl is."

Sorry buddy, can't shirk those duties.  He's got an adorable little spitfire sister that's going to need both her big brother's to watch over her and always be there for her.

She is one lucky girl.

And they are awesome big brothers.

Not to leave her out, Sarina's a wonderful big sister too.

This was a year ago, but still cute of the two of them.

Zip Lines

It's time for another confession.

I know, will it ever end?  My answer is probably not.  Sorry:)  If you're reading this then for some odd reason, you're subjecting yourself to knowing more about me...

I've always loved trying scary things.

When I was younger I dreamed of parachuting out of an airplane,

of bungee jumping off a tall bridge,

of whizzing through the air, above tree tops, on a zip line.

I loved carnival rides that made me dizzy,

that dropped the floor beneath my feet so I was held to the wall of the ride by centrifugal force,

that jostled me this way and that, upside down then snapped right side up.

The unexpected twists and turns delighted me.

I even stood on the balustrade of the viewing balcony at the top of the capitol dome- what a big dummy!  Poor Mark's hands were INSTANTLY sweaty, but I don't recall being particularly scared.

Then, I had babies and it became more than sweaty palms and a racing heart,

it became, "what if something breaks?!"

I'm not a gambler and those are unnecessary risks in my book.

At least, that's the way I see it now.

But, I'll say that I still really, really want to whizz above treetops on a zip line one day.  I hear there's an awesome place in Oregon where you can do it.

Who knows, maybe I should have been a monkey getting to see the skyline from way up high, swinging from tree branch to tree branch.

Recently, my town upgraded the play equipment at a park that's been around forever (it's where I learned how to ride a bike).

And it's awesome!

If I hadn't been wearing a skirt,

and there weren't a million people milling about,

I would have elbowed my way to the front of the line and hopped on myself.

But don't worry, I'm saving that adventure for a weekday when there's a far smaller crowd.  Maybe I'll try and do it when I have some grown up friends with me, so that if I do break my neck they can call for help...

But oh the joy!

Here are my babies trying it out, those lucky ducks!

Sarina having a go at it.  Mandy is right, she really does belong in a shampoo commercial they way her hair is so glossy and bounces all around.

And Carl really worked out the technique of it all, he even held on when he wasn't able to get his buns up on that seat.  I wish that it was clear enough to see his huge grin the whole way down the line.

Charlie bounces almost all the way back to the starting line, and loves every last bounce of the ride.

Now, for the heart stopper...

This little monkey held on for dear life.  You can hear the panic in my voice when she was finally on the ground. 

She came flying at me so fast I didn't realize that I was still recording... 

It took forever for my heart to stop racing.  Not the kind of racing I like anymore...

The first time I let her ride it all the way out she wasn't holding on quite so tight and flew, yes flew, off.  Carl said she did a flip on her dismount, I think it was more of a lay-out.  It was impressive.  Knocked the wind out of her.  I held her until she got her breath back and wasn't crying.  Honestly, it wasn't 3 minutes before she declared, "I want to do it again!"

Holy cow, look out world.  My scrappy little Elsa Jane is coming through and she's not stopping for a second.  Lord knows what this little dynamo is going to do in her lifetime.  I guarantee it's going to be a good show...

That Silly Street Name

The sharts just keep on coming,

and coming,

and coming.

Gross.

Ohio Surprise

Last week I was lucky enough to be in on a big surprise for my brother.

He joined the Air Force fresh out of high school and has come such a long way since his days in basic training.  He has run the gamut of responsibilities from loading bombs to working to as a paralegal to investigating air force crashes to determine the cause. 

This year he will retire after 24 years serving our country, leaving as a Master Sargent.

I'm so proud of him and all his accomplishments.

To celebrate, my sister-in-law, mom, and niece worked to pull together a surprise retirement party for him. 

First my mom flew out, then my sister and I joined the group- she pointed out that when "the aunts" come to visit they're usually crazy old ladies with cats who live together, we certainly don't fit that description... 

We're still called "the girls."  Apparently, when I'm accompanied by my husband and children I have a name but when it's me and my little sister we're just "the girls" at least it's no longer "the little girls."

I shared a bed with my niece, and I'll confess with you that I told her that I hoped that I didn't fart or snore.  She sweetly replied, "I hope you do."  Love family.

Next to arrive was a friend from the years they lived in Texas.

Then our other sister with her daughter and her boyfriend.

And on the day of the party people arrived in waves from the past.  One friend who was based near my brother while they served in England and Germany.  Friends who had also retired and moved on.  He had friends from all over the place coming to see him.

And that's such a fantastic feeling, to look around a house filled with people who have come from far and wide just to see you. 

And celebrate you. 

And let you know how important you are to them.

I'm so happy that I got to be a witness to it.

You've certainly earned it big brother.

While we were there we drove around, he showed us Cincinnati (WKRP theme song played in my head as we drove through the city).  It is full of buildings that would be fun to explore one day.  That city's architecture certainly tells a story of the fantastic ups and heart wrenching downs of it's economy.

We even drove into Kentucky (actually were ferried over) on a tiny little ferry crossing the Ohio river into Augusta Ky where George Clooney spent a lot of time.  We perused the shops and overheard someone say that George's mom, Nina, has a shop in town.  My sister googled her on the drive home and found that we'd chatted with her in her shop.  She was a beautiful and sweet lady.

Now, I'll admit that I was a little off on my trip to Ohio.  I was so lonely for the squirming little bodies and one big body I'm used to having circle around me that I did not know what to do with myself.  I realize that I'm a person who has to have constant motion to feel like myself.  I'm not sure when that will subside.  But it makes me nervous for the day when my kids all move beyond the nest and I don't have them to keep me in motion until I drop...

And, really, what would be a post from me without a little grossness...?

My sister pointed out that we passed (repeatedly) a street sign in Ohio.  I'm sure it comes from a family who did great things for their community, but really?  What an unfortunate name!

Sharts.

Truly, it's not a fun action.  No one wants to have one... (Or is should I say do one..?)

Unfortunately, this morning, my poor Charlie bear got to experience one.

There's a bug in my house, we had two barfing in the night and one with a tummy ache this morning...

It's nice to be busy.

*** UPDATE There are three, repeat three, sharters in the house.  My money is on #4 making an appearance in the middle of the night...

Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde

Some days I feel like that.

I'll be contentedly hanging out with the kids at the ....... (fill in the blank- lake, park, grocery store, etc) with the kids perfectly happy.  They're happy.  I'm happy. 

Then one of us gets grumpy and I turn into Ms. Hydel.

So weird.  I feel bi-polar when it all goes down.  Laughing and playing one minute then snarling in a voice I HATE to use the next. 

It's a total white trash, beat your kids voice- but often it's the only thing that gets their attention.  You can only say, "Get your shoes on, please" so many times before it turns into, "GET YOUR SHOES ON NOW OR .... (fill in the blank for the punishment- no ice cream, no park, no DS, no whatever) and sometimes the DAMN IT" comes out too.

I know it's not the best parenting.

I know it sounds horrible.

And I wish I had the tools to change.  I just haven't had the energy to figure out how, yet.

But today was a very nice day.

The we went to Ken Lake (again).  It was clear there are new water skills acquired over the summer.  Elsa is now half fish.  Sarina swam out to the floating dock without her life jacket multiple times.  The boys were hot on the tail of the "big, big, BIG" fish.

In this video you can see all 5 kids (we had an extra last night and today).  My very favorite thing is how Elsa swims to Charlie and he picks her up with so much love and devotion.  It fills this sometimes-white-trash-voiced mama with a whole lotta pride.

I also took the kids to watch our friend Sam play football.  It was so fun!  And a couple of times (in between potty runs...) I got goosebumps watching the boys play ball.  They looked like such big boys and played so very well.  I think I'm going to have to do it again! 

And not to jinx myself, I'll have to stop for McFlurries on the way- those treats kept the kids in one place for several minutes in a row.  Then the generous donation of popcorn bought a few more minutes...

And now, hold the presses, another new recipe!

I love pizza. 

And I love Trader Joe's pizza dough. 

I pull it out as thin as I can get it then put it in a hot electric skillet for a few minutes until it crisps then flip it and top with my toppings of the day.  Sometimes I'll make it with: peanut sauce, smoked Gouda, chicken, cilantro, peanut sauce, red onion, and red pepper flakes.  Sometimes it's just meat and cheese with prego spaghetti sauce.

Tonight it was fresh homemade real pesto (like translated from my Italian roommates recipe real), CSA fresh onion thinly sliced and sauteed in a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, Trader Joe's amazing English Cheddar with caramelized onions, red pepper flakes (I like spicy food- can you tell?), CSA fresh real tomatoes, sprinkle of Parmesan, and fresh ground pepper.  That was my side of the pizza.  The kids had BBQ sauce, chicken and mozzarella (I held the cheese for Carl).  It was yummy and Charlie liked my side of the pizza best, yay Charlie!

Every Last Ounce of Sunshine

I know I'm running my kids ragged.

But I feel a desperate need to grab every last ounce of sunshine before the gloom of fall and winter hit.

Plus this is the first year that I feel like I can manage my crew outside the home front. 

No wanderers (at least not too far). 

No dirt eaters.

No one recklessly walking into the water without being able to swim or know what's going on around them.

It's been FREEDOM!!!

We've been down to Ken Lake- which is awesome for catching fish, the slide into the water and swim out to the floating dock with diving board.  It's where Elsa has learned her spectacular dive:

And for variety we've been whoring ourselves out to the Country Club pool every chance we get- which is awesome for the comfy lounge chair, food and drink service, lifeguard, and beautiful setting.

We even snuck into the Red Lion's outdoor pool (which the kids call the Lion Pool). 

 Photo is Day 2 of School (the bus was 6 minutes early on Day 1)

 How much longer will I be able to get them to do this?  I love it.

Today, the first weekend since school started, and we're planning to hit Ken Lake then off to a 3pm football game.

It's operation: Wear The Kids Out (I'm now on day 8 of single parenting while Mark is off {hopefully} getting an elk to keep these kids fed through the winter).

Maybe it will wear the kids out enough that they'll crash early and I can finally put some order to our "desk" area of the kitchen so that I can keep on top of the onslaught of papers coming from all 4 kids' school...

I know it's a futile hope.  Between the bills, the book drives, the map tests, the PTO sign up sheets, the chapel envelopes, the homework, the calendars and handbooks, the artwork, the to-do lists.  It all ends up a jumbled mess anyway.

Maybe I'll finally purge Sarina's closet & play nook. 

Maybe I'll purge the boys' closet & play nook...

I'm always full of plans just after my morning cup of coffee, it's caffeine induced optimism.

In reality, lately after I've FINALLY gotten all 4 kids peacefully slumbering away, it's all I can do to hold my head up.  I literally sit staring at a wall or screen physically unable to move but not wanting to miss out on the peace and quiet in my home with all little angels quietly tucked into bed.  So I sit there like a zombie for a while before stumbling into bed, later than I should.

But I'm hopeful that one of these days, I'll get my second wind and rally enough to accomplish a project or two from my post morning coffee list of optimism...

Now Carl, Charlie, and Elsa have consumed 2 breakfasts (a variety of combinations of cereal, pancakes, sausage, and oatmeal).  I think they're fueled up enough to carry them through what should be a fun, busy day.

And since I've been short of recipe posts, I have a new one for you.  It was way easier than I'd hoped it would be and turned out yummy for someone who didn't know how to prepare tomatillos let alone whip up a salsa verde.  It was the perfect combination of having smelled the delicious concoction at one of Sarina's friend's houses when picking her up from a playdate, and the super generous donation of an extra CSA box full of tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and other yummy fresh-from-the-garden-treats.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Peel, rinse, and dry enough tomatillos to fill a large frying pan.

Heat a dry pan over medium high heat, add tomatillos and 2-3 jalapenos (depending on size and how spicy you like it) and roast until skins get black patches- shaking the pan every now and then to add different black spots (about 10 minutes or so).

In a food processor put one bunch of cilantro (check for little worms first:/), 3-5 garlic cloves (depending on size and how much you like garlic), the juice of 1/2 a lime and 1/2 a lemon, a tsp of sea salt and drizzle of honey (a little under a tsp- also depends on how you like it).

When tomatillos and jalapenos are nicely blackened, cut the stem off the jalapenos and dump into the processor and blend.

You can simmer it with a drizzle of olive oil if you like it warm or serve it cold.

I think it's yummy for dipping chips or taquitos, simmering chicken breast tenders or cubed pork for tacos, could be good for salad too.

enjoy:)

Another Bad Habit

I never gave it a second thought when I told my kids to stop getting so big,

to stay my babies,

to quit growing...

I always said it teasingly, thinking it would let them know how much I love them.

And this afternoon my wonderfully unafraid-to-correct friend informed me that I can't tell them that. 

It makes them feel badly about growing up,

getting bigger,

becoming mature little people.

I never once thought of it that way...

So, tonight I asked Sarina if it made her feel badly when I said that to her and she said... "yes."

Gulp.

I have a lot of making up to do.

Many, many, many "I'm proud of the young lady you're becoming"s and other such truths.

I am sad to see them grow out of toddlerhood but I also am very, very excited to see what wonderful people they will grow up to be, and I know that they will make me proud.

A Loss for My Neck of the Woods

My 92 year old neighbor passed away on Saturday.

I just learned about it today.

I don't know why, but I've felt a pull toward him ever since I learned about him.

Maybe it's because I know that he was a character.

Maybe it's because I know he built his house himself on the corner of a dirt road and a more busy road that later became Highway 101.  (Sound familiar?)

Maybe it's because his name is Carl (like Grandpa Carl and my Carl).

I have often wished that I could go back in time to meet him as a young man, living a life I imagine was somewhat similar to ours.

Building his own home.  Living on acreage.  Raising a family.

From what I hear, his garden was massive and he'd share with all the neighbors that passed by.

He used to grow Christmas trees on his adjacent property- many people still talk about getting their trees from him, "Oh, you live next to the old Christmas tree farm?"...

For some reason, he's been very present in my thoughts this past week.  Mark even told me this morning that he'd just had a dream about him.

I kept meaning to bring down some homemade ice cream with fresh picked blackberries, or cookies- but I didn't carve out the time.

Just today I was trying to figure out when I could squeeze in berry picking and a visit to tell him hello.

I'm sad that I didn't do it quickly enough.

He was a fortunate man. 

His daughter moved home to care for him so that he could live out his life in the house he built and raised his family in.

She was so good and careful to make sure that he had the things that were important to him and fed his soul.  She kept the wood stove going all winter and made sure he had a chance to work in his garden in the summer.

I often wish that I could have been able to do something similar for my dad.

This neck of the woods is short one good person now. 

I hope that his soul is fulfilled and he is reunited with many loved ones.

I know I've learned a good bit about generosity and neighborliness from him, and will carry it with me always.  That's my promise to you, Carl.

Chicken Eggs

Never in a million years would I have pictured myself as the type of woman who rubs chicken poo off of eggs with her bare hands so they are clean and ready to prepare for the family.

Ewww. 

But worth it.

(And yes, I do wash my hands thoroughly afterwards.)

Never A Good Sign

Yesterday I took the kids to the lake to swim and enjoy the last bit of summer.

Elsa had told me she needed to poop a few different times during the day and each opportunity to use a REAL toilet were brushed aside by little miss...

So when we were at the lake, and she zipped up to me with an almost panicked look on her face saying, "Mommy, I gotta poop."  I didn't poo poo her.

As we were walking to the porta-potty she informed me that she didn't poop her pants.

That's a funny thing to say, and really not a good sign...

I don't know how she thought I wouldn't  find out.  Maybe she was thinking that if she believed it then it would be true.

But I pulled down her swim suit and a big wet blob fell out.

EWWWWWW!!!

No running water

no soap

no back-up clothes...

Thankfully my mom had a container of wipes in her car (funny that she wasn't ever a girlscout- she's always prepared) and I cleaned up as best I could. 

After she was wiped down, the floor of the porta-potty wiped down, her swim suit rinsed out and back on, we hit the lake for a little more fun.

Just another situation where there's isn't enough hand sanitizer to feel clean again...