we've been busy

sorry that i never got your text messages and that i still haven't returned your phone calls. and please accept my apologies for ditching playgroup...and your party. but we've been busy. so very busy. we had to sit on the beach all day every day for a whole week. we had to collect seashells until our bags were bursting. someone had to skim board and boogie board to their hearts desire, it might as well have been us. we were forced to get tans and stay up late playing games and eat good food. we had to snuggle with grandparents and love on aunts, uncles and cousins. and if we didn't bury ourselves in the sand, who would? i'm exhausted just thinking about it.

road trip

2 weeks ago, we loaded up "the hulk" (our green suburban) and made our way to north carolina for our annual beach vacation with john paul's fam. it took us 2 days to get there.
one of us was happiest while watching princess movies.
one of us looked out the window most of the time.
one of us took over the backseat and made herself comfortable.
one of us slept. (after screaming his poor little head off.)
one of us became a radio hog.
and one of us took some pics, happy to be trapped with those i love best. there was also the typical car games ("my grandfather owns a grocery store" "20 questions" and "the alphabet game") some books, some snacks and some desperate searches for anywhere with a potty, a playplace or a giant root beer float.
p.s. the drive home was not nearly this peaceful or content.

jakob vs. the diving board

tuesday was the first day of swim lessons. after about 10 minutes, they moved jakob up into zoe's class. (she wasn't nearly as excited as he was.) the lifeguards determined he could already do everything in the beginner class and 1/2 the things in the intermediate class. and he was thrilled. until they mentioned the diving board. the last 10 minutes they jump off the diving board, which jakob has successfully avoided his whole life. i agree, it's pretty scary. that sporadic board quietly waiting 5 feet above water to throw you into the darkest abyss. and the fact that zoe's been bouncing off that thing since she was 4 just makes him that much more defiant. i saw him clinging to the bar at the back, looking completely unsure of himself. so i quietly walked over and asked if he was ok. with tears in his eyes he mouthed, "i don't want to do this." my nurturing instinct kicked in and i assured him that if he didn't want to he didn't have to. then the cool teenage lifeguard said, "ok, jakob. you ready, buddy?" jakob wiped his eyes, gave the guy a quick nod and ran as fast as he could, ending with a pretty impressive cannonball. and he LOVED it! family swim...diving board. free time at swimming lessons...diving board. today he was doing flips. literally. flips. never a dull moment with this one.

"bippity boppity doop"

riley found her tiny wand this afternoon and immediately transformed into a "faiwy godmudduw". she successfully turned jakob into a prince, her trike into a rocket ship, and our teeny tiny pool into a lake. it turned out to be a pretty productive afternoon.

the over achiever

the last day of school was the second grade awards ceremony. zoe loaded up on certificates and medals and special honors. she got an AR award, an award for being a good role model, there was something in there about p.e. and maybe math, definately science and social studies, but her favorite was the gold medal for citizenship. (not the bronze or silver, mind you. the gold.) the whole 2nd grade voted on who they felt had the best attitude, got the best grades, was the most helpful and kind and sincere, etc. i didn't record most of the ceremony, but when i heard the criteria for the citizenship award, i knew i had to get out the old video camera. (that happens to be when riley announced to the world that she had to go poop.) zoe was also chosen to be the refreshment server from her class, which is apparently a huge 2nd grade honor. when i took her picture, she was not beaming with pride. i asked what was wrong. she asked "why didn't i get the perfect attendance award?" "because you were sick twice and that one time i took you out of school to go see a movie. remember? because i'm the coolest mom in the world." "actually, the coolest mom would have let me go to school even when i was sick. that way i would get the perfect attendance award and would have had the most medals in the whole school." okaaaaaay. clearly she takes after her father.

someday

someday my children will not wake us up at 6 o'clock on the weekend. someday they will quietly make their own cereal in the morning and not spill a drop of milk. someday we will not bring snacks to church. or diapers. or crayons. someday i will fit into my favorite pre-max jeans. someday i will hug my favorite norwegian in her homeland. someday i will finish knitting zoe's blanket. and riley's dress. someday my husband will graduate. for the last time. and i will know what i want to be when i grow up...someday. someday i will not hear my name "mahhhhaahm" shouted across the yard or house or park, followed by a string of tales to be tattled. someday it will not be one of my children that yells, "i gotta go POOP! " "riley, shhhh." "and pee!" in the middle of an awards ceremony. someday my children will know not to eat the homemade play dough. ("this cookie dough tastes funny.") today is not that day. so until then, i will smile at my babies. and laugh with my husband and know that someday, when today is just a memory, i will miss it.

dr. bobby

last week max and i flew to kansas city (then drove 3 hours east) for my brother's big fat med school graduation. it was so nice to be with my family. (and to have an excuse to get some fancy new shoes.) and while we were there, i learned something about my perfect baby boy. he's not all that perfect. until that week, i had never seen him throw a real fit or have a tantrum or really even fuss that much. but it became clear that it's because he is used to getting everything he could possibly want. he has 3 very compliant older siblings that he merely has to walk up to and they start handing him everything in sight. my sweet little nieces are apparently not used to forking over everything they hold dear, causing max to have some pretty entertaining meltdowns. max got sick the day before we left. there were some desperate prayers as we were about to board the plane. you know those "please, god" prayers where you are suddenly willing to do anything and everything He has ever asked if He would only give you this one little thing. that's pretty much what i was doing. so my prayers were answered and max was perfect on the hour and a half flight. we waited patiently to get off the plane. perfect. we walked down the corridor, turned right to baggage claim. still perfect. he started coughing, so i stepped over to the side, and that's where max threw up everything he had eaten the last 2 days. projectile vomit. it shot all over the wall, but miraculously completely missed the 2 of us. i looked around for someone who worked at the airport. when i finally found one i said something like, "i am so. so. sorry, but behind that tram over there is a huge, disgusting mess. you might want to call someone else." so it was gross. but ok. it wasn't all over him. or me. or the mean old lady that sat in front of us on the flight. it could have been worse. much much worse. congratulations, bobby! i'll be calling for your medical opinion soon, i'm sure.

dreams

i occasionally have some pretty bizarre dreams. some hilarious. some whacked. and some, even, prophetic. (like that one with the wagon wheels and red ball. how crazy was that?!) but last week, i had a series of really weird ones. even for me.

the first: (this was before the "swine flu" drama.) there was a crazy pandemic. everyone had to wear masks in public. they closed all schools and churches. and everyone was freaking out. since the schools were shut down, john paul couldn't find a job teaching. so he found employment as a truck driver. i was talking to one of my friends and she was saying how crazy our economy was that a man with a phd had to drive truck. i replied, "we just feel so blessed that he has a job at all." the next scene was john paul in the driver's seat of a huge 18 wheeler singing the avett brothers at the top of his lungs, pounding his fist on the stearing wheel, wearing the typical "professor" jacket. you know the one. tweed thing with wood buttons and elbow patches. i woke up smiling.

after i got max back to sleep, the second dream began: john paul was hired at a small university near kansas city, so we were looking for a house. and although i usually love small, cottage-type houses (smaller carbon footprint, close ranks with those i love best, not so "showy", you know what i mean) we kept coming back to this one house that was really much bigger than what we wanted. (i do not like excess...of anything, but you probably already know that about me.) so after much thought and contemplation and prayer, we hesitantly settled on this grand house, with a loft and spare bedrooms and a hidden staircase. we were getting settled in, and then somehow became aware of a verrrry slowwwww burning fire on both coasts. friends and family were calling us, scared and nervous, not knowing what to do. so we offered our house. i remember saying, "we have tons of room. and the fires will be out by the time they could reach us." so grateful we could help people in need.

my last dream was far less detailed, but much more emotional: for whatever reason, families were being split up. i don't know if it was war or illness or what, but these women came to our house and were crying and upset and (for a reason i can't remember) couldn't take their babies with them. so we set up cribs in the dining room and took on some precious new additions to our family. the only details i remember were our dining room table (pathetic, i know) and that the babies were all different races, and that i was rocking them in my rocking chair, telling them about how much their mommies love them. broke my heart.

when we woke up that morning i told john paul all about my series of crazy dreams. i think we were brushing our teeth when we overheard on the news (for the first time) about the swine flu outbreak. john paul was like, "NO WAY! you're starting to freak me out with this dream business."
totally bizarre, i know. so if john paul ever has to drive a big rig, or we have adorable, precious new babies, i'll be ready. bring it.

mad libs

did you ever do mad libs as a kid? where the story is written and you fill in the blanks (with a little guidance)? noun. verb. adjective. john paul and i did this one and it had us rolling in the aisles. (and questioning if adverbs only end in "ly".):

episode 23: BEAR and the BELLICOSE BEES.
scene: interior of sunny's BLOOD RED apartment. chip knocks on door.
sunny: WHAT?! i wasn't expecting anyone! i hope it's chip with a HORSE or a TOOTH.
chip: (enters room) hi, sunny! hope you're feeling SIMPLE. i THOUGHT all the way here! did you know pepper is SWIMMING in the SLED this afternoon at the NEW YORK?
sunny: really? we should pack some GRANDE PICKLES and rush over to SMILE with him. that will be really LOUSY! i'll bring the CHAIR. that's pepper's fave!
chip: cool. i'll call hal on my new TACO and have him LICK us.
sunny: yay! i love when we all LISTEN together and EAT for a silly cause!
chip: okay, sunny. i'll LEAVE you outside, and we can go in my RECORD.
end of scene.

now that i read it back, it may only be funny to us. maybe it was really late. or the hilarious voices he was doing. or both. in any case, there you go, jape. it's blogged for our posterity.

unanimous

the little man slept through the night for the first time last night. (seriously. he's 14 months old. it's about time.) the night before that, he woke up only once. that was enough cause to rejoice, since lately it's 3-4 times a night that we get to see his sweet little face. but not only did maxwell rees sleep through the night, so did every one else! i'm pretty sure that's a first. there was no peeing in beds. no nightmares to hug away. no sick tummys to soothe. nothing. just precious little tiny breaths, a silent rearranging of blankets, and a random word whispered. (i think it was "butter".) and how do i know this? because while everyone else was snug in their beds, i was up checking on them every couple of hours, wondering if something was terribly wrong. i do believe i am turning into my mother.

john paul's getting nervous

you know those people that are just too beautiful for their own good? and then smart and funny and kind to boot? don't we secretly hate them? but this girl...this girl is impossible to hate. in fact, she is the easiest thing to love. and she has recently informed us that she is "half way to 16". so john paul is making plans for what he will say to all those boys that will inevitably come calling. be afraid. be very afraid.

what's in a name

john paul and i are the givers of nicknames. mostly with little or no creativity. before we knew our college-boy-next-door neighbors' real names (and even after) we referred to them solely as "tank top" and "shirtless". we also have "crazy lady","afro","bff's" and "loud girl". i lovingly call john paul "jape" from a before-married dream i had starring trever keith (lead singer of face to face). and he, in turn, calls me "miles" (a leftover from the mission). our children are not to be left out. they have multiple. when we are referring to jakob and max (not talking to them) jakob is "the boy" and max is "the little man". but the names we actually call them are "snake" or "gravy" for jakob, and max is "snackwell" or "mitty"or "maxwell house". occasionally just "house" if we are feeling particularly lazy. riley is affectionately known as anything aviary: "birdie", "baby bird" or "the bird". and zoe's might be too long and impossible to spell, but i will attempt it here. any form of "zuh zuh"(which means "precious one" in navajo) that comes out of our mouths. "zuhzy", "zuh zuh boo" or just plain"boo" and john paul's favorite "zoe lane-a-riforous". it comes naturally. growing up, my dad was the nickname-er. no one can tell me how or why, but i was simply "motsy". i hardly ever hear that name anymore. (it's only my dad, my mom or my brother, wes.) but when i do, i immediately feel a bond. i feel known. i feel my past. and i love it. what are the nicknames in your life?

big brother little sister

blue blankie and pink blankie became capes this afternoon. the wearers were appropriately named "pinky" and "bluey". notice the boy so stalwart and dedicated. and birdie watching his every unflinching move. mimicking him. imitating him. loving him. wanting to be just like him. couldn't help but think of my own big brother. love you, wes.

3 reasons why riley can't watch scooby doo anymore

1. she called the glowing coals in the bottom of the grill "ghost eggs".



2. when she saw the mannequins at old navy she told john paul, "daddy, those people were turned to stone!"



3. as she was falling asleep, she asked me if the ghost in her window had "scawy eyes wike dis".

the boy can read

mrs. matthews, jakob's teacher, said he is one of her best readers. (although he sometimes lacks the confidence.) but my boy is a reader! he can sound out words. he has his sight words memorized. and can even spell. (one of my favorites is "popsicle". "P-O-X-icle".) we are so impressed.

a special thanks to...

jamie v, aka "misi's mom", for finding riley's beloved blue blankie. she found it in the nursery (even though we had looked in there a dozen times) and riley was ecstatic, but a little hesitant. because a couple of weeks ago, i had my mom send blue blankie's twin (she just happened to have an extra one) and when riley saw the imposter, she was thrilled...until she touched it. then, she let us have it. "dat is not de boo bankie i'm be wooking fo." "mine boo bankie is boo wike dis chair, not wike dat." and then, repeatedly over the following weeks, "mom, dat is not mine boo bankie." so when she was face to face with the real deal, she understandably had reservations. but then she touched it, and squeezed her little eyes shut and hugged it the whole way home. "it found me!" that night as she was going to sleep, she said,"i wuv misi mom." so, THANK YOU, JAMIE!! you've saved us.

bonne belle cappuccino

this is my favorite lip gloss. but they don't sell it here. so everytime i find it, i stock up.

riley always finds my stash and takes it upon herself to make her lips "boodifoo".

it might be intended for kids, though, because it smells and tastes delicious.

so i can't really blame her.

but the second she puts it down, the little man swipes it.
and runs away as fast as his little monkey feet can carry him.
always checking over his shoulder to make sure she is not on his tail.

such fun afternoons at our house.

8...8...i forgot what 8 was for

zoe is 8! she celebrated with some of her favorite little girlies from school. they ate pizza and decorated their own cakes and played and giggled and laughed their little heads off. so in honor of her 8th birthday, here are 8 things we LOVE about our zoe lane.

1. she talks in her sleep. usually just a word or two. "beep" "tap dance" "never mind". she doesn't believe me.


2. she loves all things school related. reading. math. writing. when she was in preschool she used to ask me to make up assignments and give her due dates and grade her work.


3. she is the first born. (just like my husband, my mom, my mother in law, my sister, my sister in law...)


4. she is always right. (or so she thinks.)


5. she is a great eater. i mean, she'll try anything and she likes everything. almost. (she LOVES strawberries, but isn't a big fan of meat or seafood.)


6. she is not a complainer. for that, i am extremely grateful.


7. she is great about saving her money. she can often be found with 20-30 bucks crammed ever so nicely in her little heart wallet.


8. she is an animal lover. cats, especially, but also dogs, bunnies, gerbils, birds. since she was 3 she has answered the age old question, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" with "a vet."

when people ask me what my favorite age is, i can't answer. zoe has made every single year so fun. so happy. so lovable. i am lucky to be her mom.