An Adventure in the Fall

Yesterday was a typical fall day in our house.

We had a football game to get our cheerleader to at 8:30am.

Then raced home.

Made a nutritious lunch of top ramen (blech!) and packed up daddy for his big cross country adventure in concrete.

Then divided up and carpooled with fantastic new neighbors who happen to have a cheerleader and football player that line up perfectly with our cheerleader and football player.

So we girls headed off to cheer game number two, with a little boy with a wiggly tooth in tow, dropped of the cheerleaders, then Mr. Wiggly-Tooth at a friend's house to hitch a ride to one of his best little buddy's birthday party.

Then back to watch the cute little girls cheer their hearts out on a sunny fall day.

Next we packed it up and zipped out to the middle of nowhere (aka Yelm) to watch the boys play football.

Then race back to Lacey to pick up the newly front toothless little boy from the birthday party.

Yep, he lost his tooth in the pool and couldn't find it.

But don't worry, he dictated a note to the tooth fairy explaining the circumstances.

Off to grandma's to a delicious steak dinner with aunty and cousins.

My kids never get steak, so they gobbled up that big old platter of meat in no time.  

Then asked for more "chicken" please.  

Poor kids, never get anything good.

I even heard my daughter say, "It's nice to not have noodles or pizza for dinner."

Ouch.

I need to put that crock pot to use more on these crazy football days.

I just have to find recipes the kids will like, and actually eat...

Mission impossible, I know.

After dinner I ran to the pharmacy to get ambien for that big cross country trip while daddy oversaw bath time.

Then loaded the kids up to take daddy to the airport, all fresh and clean in their pjs, watching Herbie movies on the way.

Charlie started the waterworks first.

Actually, Sarina had been turning them off and on all day leading up to the departure.

But Charlie really wailed, "don't go don't go, don't GO daddy!"  

Over and over- and over again.

It was a little like torture.

6 days is forever in their little minds.

By the time we got to the airport they were all crying.  

Charlie pouring his heart into his wailing, 

Carl sitting their quietly with tears streaming down his face, 

Sarina trying to hold it together alternating with wallowing in her sorrow, 

and Elsa just trying to keep up.

Quite a send off for a poor guy just trying to head out to learn from the best in the industry so that he can come home and grow a thriving business- for the family.

I know both mama and daddy had a lump in our throats too.

As I pulled away I was kind of wondering if someone told the kids that daddy was being deployed to war...

But truly, I'm so proud of my husband.

He's researched, and researched, and researched to find the best person to learn from.

Yes, he could do trial and error while he starts doing these concrete counter tops.

That's what he's done so far, but we both know that's not quick enough for us.

He wants to make sure that if people are paying him for a product, that he provides the best he can possibly provide.

I know he's going to do well.

He has that perfect combination of self confidence, pride in his work, and connections to make this successful.

I believe wholeheartedly in him.

Plus he has a fantastic support system and two jobs lined up for when he gets home with the promise of another.

We have a good life, there's no doubt how very blessed we are.

Couple of Pictures from this Week

This weekend we had a surprise.

Mark was at work, Carl and Charlie had a last minute invitation for a sleep over with nonna and grandpa, then Sarina headed off for a sleepover with a friend.

That left just me and Elsa, for a whole afternoon and night.

So different from all that chaos to just us two.

We hung out around the house for a while.

Went to the Oyster House for dinner (my Caesar salad is way better but they had crab).

Afterwards I snapped a picture of us outside the Oyster House at the base of Budd Bay.

You can see a tiny bit of Budd Bay behind us, and the coaster she's clutching says, "The Oysters you eat today spent last night in Oyster Bay."  I've read that quote for as long as I could read but only now does it have much meaning to me.

Then we ran an errand for Mark and his crazy sawhorse project (he and a buddy built 6 sawhorses in an evening- you'll see them in the background below).

Mark's been working like crazy on the counters for our friend's shop that's going to open before we know it.  He's so excited to get to contribute to it for her and I'll brag a bit, he's doing such a great job on it- concrete counter tops and the cabinets.

It's going to be awesome.

Everything about the shop is going to be awesome.

Here he is getting ready to start polishing the concrete counter tops.

Can anyone else hear the theme song of Dexter playing when they look at this picture?  I wish you could see the plastic up around his work area.  Makes it all look a little more authentic.

I love that his apron has "Tool City" embroidered on it.

Hahaha.

Seriously, this is more like it.

He's so happy to be working on a project.

And did you see those cool sawhorses in the background?  They fold up for easy storage plus they can hold huge concrete counter tops.

As long as this is a week in pictures, I need to put in a couple more.

Last week Sarina had her annual eye appointment to make sure her eyelid clears her pupil ok and her vision is still fine (which it is so far).  Plus we make a special detour (from Kirkland to Phinney Ridge) to Red Mill for the best hamburgers you could hope for.

So darn GOOD!

And someone should really tell this kid that grunge is soooooo 90's.

Who knows, if she holds on long enough it just might come back around.

Maybe I need to find a mini flannel shirt to complete the ensemble.

And I should have snapped a picture of poor little Charlie Bear in the quiet room at the dentist today.  He had a filling and was so scared they whisked him into the quiet room (the room of shame) so he wouldn't disturb the others.

If I hadn't been so focused on getting him to cooperate I might have taken a picture as he laid in that chair, "happy gas" on his nose, hands clenched over his belly, me frantically whispering that if he'd open his mouth he could go to Toys R Us to pick out a toy.

Did you know I HATE Toys R Us?  It's my idea of HELL?!  ESPECIALLY dragging two pre-schoolers through it?

Poor little buddy was just trying to protect himself since his mama wasn't keeping that needle and drill away from his mouth for him.

Don't worry.  When we go back in 2 weeks for round two we're armed with sedatives to make it go easier...


Maybe then I can snap a picture.

Think they'd think that was odd?


And it's true, I considered popping those two little magic pills myself as we drove away from the dentist office...  But I realized that really wouldn't be very nice of me.