Water, swimsuits and tatoos - oh my!

Well, we finally bit the bullet (no, not Caden's stuffed dog Bullet - read the previous post) and took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge. For those who are unaware of what this means let me explain. GWL is a kids paradise. Something like 100,000 gallons of water (most of it moving), awesome bunk beds, magic wands that make the wall art and more come to life and again, water. It's an indoor water park and resort seemingly made entirely for kids. As we walked through the door Trace came to a complete stop as he looked around in amazement at just the lobby. We were immediately transported out of reality and into a wonderland. Getting into our room and choosing up bunks was the next thrilling adventure. The kids had their own little cabin built into our room and complete with a t.v. of their own (boy was that nice when they were all awake before 7am!).

Everyone got swimsuits and wrist bands on so we could head to the water.
So down we went to the second floor - where much of the excitement is. The elevator opens to the arcade (what better way to milk a few extra dollars from parents?) and just around the corner is the Cub Club which is essentially a preschool room. The sweet shop and Pizza Hut Express also line the path to the water park. In the entire 5 minute walk from our room to the pool we were dodging kids running around with magic wands. Pointing them at trees makes them talk to you, treasure chests open and gems light up. At $14 a whack the hotel is making a small fortune on those wands alone! Walking into the water area is pretty amazing. You enter from the second floor which gives you a magnificent view of the entire area right from the start. Giddiness was definitely in the air!

And we were off to become waterlogged and pruned! Paige happily floated in the kiddy play area with Rick or I close by and the boys ran amok with the other of parent trailing along behind. Rick hiked the stairs to the water slides several times before it was my turn. I had no idea I'd be hiking up 5 long flights of stairs! After my second trip my heart was pounding so hard in my chest I could feel it in my head and I could hardly catch my breath! Oh-yeah, I'm in pretty bad shape. The slide back down was worth it though and as far as the boys were concerned it was worth it enough to occupy nearly all of their time. I'm curious to see if they'll still think it was worth it when they can't walk tomorrow!

Sitting in the kiddy pool does give one time to do plenty of people watching. And were there ever people to watch in this place! Let's start with the kids... Babies(!) they were everywhere! Why would you pay good money to sit in a chair holding a tiny baby while your family plays and has fun? Not me thank you. Then there were the toddlers in their swim diapers and life jackets. One little guy was such a fish that he literally rolled down the extra wide slide and came up sputtering over and over again! The bigger kids were far less obnoxious than I expected. Maybe it is because we were there mid week, I don't know, but I really didn't run into any kids behaving badly.

Then there were the adults. Oh man were there the adults! I have to say my whole trip was made as I sat there making my mental observations and came to the realization that going to a family resort meant that almost every woman there had at least one child. How did that make my trip? Let's just say WOW, I look good! To be fair, there were a couple of women skinnier than myself, but the vast majority were more than just a little bit bigger. And either poured into or falling out of their swimsuits too. One women literally looked like she was going to pop out the top of her suit any second and another had on a semi string bikini/one piece thing and she clearly couldn't pull it off. I'm sorry but if your you-know-whats are half way to your bellybutton you do not belong in a bikini or any other low cut suit. Is there anything that looks worse than a woman trying to look younger than she is by wearing teenager's clothes (or in this case swimsuit)? Well, um, apparently there is. That would be a teenager who thinks she is hot when clearly she is not. Just because you are young does not qualify you as someone who looks good in a skimpy suit. And if you do have a few extra pounds please do yourself a favor and spend a little extra money on a decent suit that actually holds everything where it is supposed to be! Oh-my-goodness - how can anyone say we have problems with self esteem in this country? They most certainly have not visited a water park recently! I guess the rule of thumb is that if it comes in your size then it will look good on you. Uh-hmmmm. Seriously folks, it's kinda scary.

The only thing worse than the swimsuits were the tattoos. I guess we are terribly out-of-it since we don't have any. According to the news Portland is now the tattoo capital of the country. Apparently nearly everyone at the Great Wolf Lodge this week traveled North to get there.

We made it home in time for bed tonight. Trace is bruised and battered and Caden's back looks like he was whipped but they are all sound asleep in their own warm beds dreaming of water...

Let there be peace!

Just not at our house. Nope, no peace-lovin', war-hatin', hippies in this house. We've got rifles, pistols, bow and arrows, swords, light-sabers and just about every Nerf gun there is. They shoot caps, Nerf bullets, water and marshmallows. There is ammo everywhere and we had to upgrade to a larger storage container this last Christmas. In the summer it's our boys who haul out the weapons for all the neighborhood to enjoy. (For all I know their peace-lovin' parents hate us for it would like to show us how to love not hate.) The rules of engagement? There are none as long as you don't hurt someone. Although I did attempt to set a few rules I have found they are hard to enforce when Dad is the main one breaking them! So, at any given time of any given day it could be all out mayhem and war in our house. It does get loud. And my little girl (you know, the girly-girl) is right there in the middle of it.

So, clearly the NRA would be welcome in our house. Although they might have to duck some foam bullets. I do get a kick out of parents who refuse to allow their boys any weapons. Admittedly I was one of them for a very short time. Didn't want to be politically incorrect you know. But I got over it. Clearly.

There are moments that make me cringe though. I guess, being the mom, that is my job. Like the other night in the bathtub when Paige is slapping the bubbles and saying, "kill the bubbles, kill 'um!" Uh-huh. Or when Rick is pelting the boys so fast that they can't hardly keep up - what an example!

So, if you should ever find yourself in need of a weapon you know where to go. Water is a particularly good ammo for hot days or misbehaving cats and marshmallows work great against siblings (keeps them out of your hair as they search for the free snack). Nerf has a wide range of uses including, but not limited to, shooting super balls and sticky frogs out of high, unreachable window sills and getting rid of pesky annoyances like cats and little sisters. Multiple weapons, multiple types of ammo and definitely multiple uses!

Who's the princess?

Paige and her Sunday school teacher made these crowns at church tonight. A few minutes after we got home I turned around to find this. It made me laugh out loud and, of course, run for the camera! Doesn't Rick look thrilled? He's a good sport though!

Bloom Where You are Planted

There is ALWAYS a plan. Sometimes we may not know what it is. Often we may not like what it is. And usually we don't even realize there is a plan! But there is. More often than not I've missed seeing the plan as I tried to change the path I was on. Little did I know that I was fighting a much better plan! You see, when we got married we had our lives all planned out. Then Rick lost his job without any explaination. So we changed course and returned to college. Rick intended to return to the Navy as a pilot but the military lost his paperwork for several months. By that point Trace had been born and he had new priorities in life. What we couldn't have known was that our country was soon to be in a war that would last many years. I prayed and prayed for a pilot position to become available and just couldn't understand why Rick didn't pass his interview in the summer of 2001. Who ever thought something as catastrophic as 9-11 could happen which would have left Rick jobless? Again, there was a better plan in the works. I find myself wondering now what the plan is. How long will we be in the position we are currently in? How much longer until Rick is able to make captain? Will we ever own our own home again?

One of the things that has stressed me out the most is the lack of stability for our kids (Trace in particular). The longest he has ever lived in one house is just over two years. We are coming up on our two year anniversary in this house next week. Recently our house hunting was put on hold and honestly, I'm ok with that. I'm hoping the plan is to be able to stay here long enough for the kids to really put down some roots. As the sun came out the other day and the doorbell rang I heard little voices asking the boys to come out and play. Soon our entire cul-de-sac was swarming with kids. There were 10-15 kids at one point and a bunch of them were wrestling in our front yard! Paige was happily running up and down the street playing with the other little girls and their dolls. The boys were having Nerf sword fights and chasing each other while other kids were riding our Green Machine and scooters. It felt so right. It felt so good. To see the kids knowing the neighbor kids, to have those neighbor kids come asking them to play and to be able to let them all go out and play with few worries - that's what I want for them. I want them to remember the fun times running around the neighborhood. The neighbor kids who were fun and the ones who drove them crazy. The joy of being children! I hope this is the plan.

Paige playing dolls with her friends at the end of the street.

It was the first time she was willing to go down and play by herself.

When she decided she wanted her doll,

Trace so kindly delivered it to her!
This is how the boys spent most of their time!

Or this... (notice Ally running from them!) Trace decided shortly after this that sword fighting while on his unicycle probably wasn't the best of ideas. I think the pavement and his knees helped with that decision!
It may not be the house we would have chosen. They may not be the neighbors we would have chosen. But isn't that the way all of life goes? Make the best of the situation - Bloom where you are planted.

Today...

I talked with some of the high school students, at the school where I work, about adoption this afternoon. Since Paige was going with me and they hadn't seen her I decided to do something a little special with her hair. With Valentines day coming we opted for hearts. Turned out pretty cute I think!

This evening Trace wanted to play a little Rock Band. While I was fixing dinner he set it up so Paige could play a little too. She was quite serious about it and amazingly enough was actually hitting notes!
It was a bit difficult though to hit the foot pedal so big brother decided to help out! What a nice kid.

The unicycle team had their first performance for the year last night. They have a new routine and several new kids so it was a little shaky, but not to the audience thank goodness. As they were lining up to start the audience started chanting, "U -NI -CYCLE, U-NI-CYCLE!" The kids performed at the same high school last year and obviously were a hit. They've gotten more "tricky" this year and got some roudy cheers also. Two more shows are scheduled right now (one at a local university). Trace absolutely loves being a part of it and I'm helping out during the shows now. I guess it's becomming a family thing - maybe we should look into joining the circus!

The basketball star

Caden's newest activity is playing community ed. basketball. He loves it! I wish you could see the smile on his face in the picture where he is dribbling!

Miss Muffit

Paige insists on "reading" me a bedtime story occasionally. If it is a story we've read recently she can usually repeat it back pretty well!

I finally decided to "pick my battle" as far as Paige's clothing choices go. She had a closet and dresser nearly overflowing with clothes. Yet, every morning when I pull something out she backs away from me whining that she doesn't like it. So, I pulled out everything she won't wear! We went shopping and bought five "new" shirts a "new" pair of jeans, and a new coat, that we agreed on, mostly from local consignment stores.

This is what her bedroom looked like midway through the purging! Look at all those clothes!
And here is the final result in her closet! It went from me literally jamming clothes in to having wide open spaces!

Who looks like Mom?

After seeing this picture of me on Facebook someone commented that Caden looked like me. So I decided to put together a little comparison and see what the general concensus was. So, tell me, what do you think?

White Weddings and Baby Cribs

Little girls dream of their wedding day. The dress they will wear, the handsome groom waiting at the end of the aisle, the flowers, the church and so much more. I guess there was something a little different about me though. I didn't give a whole lot of thought to the wedding. I was too busy planning the nursery. What crib and colors I would use. How it would be arranged. Of course there were hours spent choosing names for all the children that would sleep in that nursery. As I got older I thought about how much fun it would be to have a car seat in the backseat and a diaper bag full of those tiny diapers and little clothes. When I tried to imagine my children it was usually the back of a little girl playing on the floor of a bedroom. She had long, straight brown hair.

As so often happens in life, reality eventually set in. That crib cost money and we didn't even have a house to put it in when our firstborn came along. So he got it for his first Christmas gift. The car seat was heavy to lug around and all those tiny diapers eventually got dirty - as did the little clothes! And finally, that little girl with the long brown hair was actually a blond little boy. Then it was two little blond boys.

Even though reality was very different from the dream, life was good. We had everything we needed. Those little boys made us laugh and kept me busy. Something inside of me though was missing that brown haired little girl. Where was she? Who was she? Would she ever be more than just a figment of my imagination? I worried that those little boys would grow and not need me anymore. They would not have any interest in baking or cleaning with me and they most definitely would never have hair I could braid and put ribbons in! I dreaded the day they would be too busy for me and I'd be alone with my interests. It was a sadness that is hard to explain.

Then as I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes last night it suddenly dawned on me. My dream was unfolding before me. You see, my little brown haired girl sat on the counter in front of me with a dish towel in her hand happily drying the dishes for me and chatting away. When she asked if the boys used to dry the dishes when they were little like her I told her that no, boys weren't usually interested in that sort of thing. Then I contentedly smiled as she simply stated that she thought that was strange. The boys were in the other room laughing with their dad over video games and it was then that I realized what I had - that I wasn't alone.

Does he look comfortable?

As I was fixing dinner last night I peeked into the living room and found this. Judging by the wrappers he wasn't overly hungry. And looking at the pillows and computer I'd say he was rather comfy too!

I'm not sure if the antibiotics are doing their job just yet though. Despite the doctor saying to keep him home a day or two I decided to keep him home again today as well. His cough sounds worse to me but I'm hoping it is just breaking up in his chest. Guess I'll be continuing to watch him over the weekend. It was interesting though that once the doctor told him he was sick - it was almost like she gave him permission - he sort of collapsed. It was kicking his behind and he just wouldn't give in! As my mom said, let's just hope that he continues to fight/deny being sick as an adult (since we all know it is not a common thing for grown men to do!).

Is there hope?

Santa has tried really hard every year to encourage a love of dolls in Paige. After he left this one she literally didn't even touch it for over a week. She was completely uninterested! I was resigned to the fact that it just wasn't to be. THEN... I was straightening her room and in doing so made the baby "cry". Paige looked up and I said, "oh, no I think the baby needs a bottle!" She came running over and put the bottle in its mouth then picked it up and held it for a bit before laying it back down. I asked if she needed a blanket and she said YES! Ever since then that baby has been with her almost constantly. It even went to the book store with us yesterday (all wrapped up in a mini version of Paige's favorite blanket). She has chosen the decidedly uncreative name of Little Paige but I guess that can be forgiven as long as she is playing with it!

Ever have one of THOSE days?

After work yesterday I had a message from the vice-principal at Trace's school. It seems she had him in her office for disrupting class and he was being sent home with a warning referral. According to her he was kicking the desks around his trying to get someones attention. Another boy got mad (a buddy she said) and as a result they were both in trouble. Well, Rick and I were pretty upset naturally. We agreed upon a discipline (three days with no t.v./computer/video games).

Then he got home from school...

He came in happy and excited because he had made the honor roll and his name was in the paper. He was also just 4 points away from earning a Beaver Bravo (a school award that's a pretty big deal). So I asked for his side of the story knowing that he has never given me any reason not to trust what he tells me. He says that he was "jiggling" the desk in front of him to get Kayla's attention so he could ask her the name of her Bible (doesn't that make you think the rest of the story just shouldn't matter? I digress). In the process he jiggled another boys desk. Now according to the VP this boy was a buddy of Trace's which couldn't have been farther from the truth. This other boy comes from a very troubled background and is known to cause problems and be in the office a lot - Trace has never been his friend. Well this other boy got mad and threw all of his own papers and books on the floor. The teacher immediately sent him to the office where he said Trace had made him mad. So the VP walked down to the classroom and called Trace out of class (does that count as "being sent" to the VP's office?). She also had talked with the teacher and found that yes, Trace had been somewhat disruptive and had also been in trouble yesterday for talking in class and being disruptive (the first day back after Christmas break - aren't they all a bit disruptive and talkative that day?). So Trace is given a referral warning and has to stay out of trouble for two months for it to be cleared from his record.

(For those of you who are parents or teachers... I'd really like your thoughts on this. You have pretty much all the information I have. Personally I don't think Trace deserved the referral (but we have not said that to him). I think his desk should have been moved and possibly he could have been sent to the hall to work - but honestly, the principal's office? I know when I was a kid the principal was where the really "bad" kids went.)

And now for the rest of the story...

As he is telling me this I notice immediately that he is hoarse. He had been coughing a lot recently and I was just beginning to think maybe we needed to see the doctor. So I asked how he was feeling (not very good) and took his temperature (100.6). Trace is the kind of kid that doesn't say anything when he is sick until he is practically dying. Knowing this I immediately call and get him an appointment. After listening to his lungs for a few minutes and listening to the cough with a very concerned expression she lets me know that he has a very deep and diffuse lung infection - walking pneumonia. His lungs, she said sounded really bad. He is home from school and on the couch for two days! In light of that we lifted the no t.v. portion of his discipline (and also knowing now more of what had actually happened we felt any more discipline wasn't really called for).

So, talk about having quite a day! I realize the pictures don't go with the post but I liked them and just wanted to share.

Hope your day is better than Trace's was yesterday!

Why do children have to die?

Please say a prayer for Leah's mom and dad. They lost her today to a horrible disease, EB. She was just a baby and doing so well after surgery yesterday! (If you want more info go to the Williams Family blog down on my side bar.)

It's official

We are the worst parents in the world. Tonight we made the decision to limit the amount of time the boys get on the computer by setting hour limits on the computer itself. OH. MY. GOSH. You would think we just gave away Trace's favorite pet! He was nearly hysterical and sobbed for over an hour. Then he asked us to return all his gift cards for online games since he'll never be able to play them again. And he just got all his friends playing and now he can't even send them notes to tell them he can't play anymore. (Apparently telephones don't work for communicating anymore.) Holy cow! The world is coming to an end. We are horrible! I do feel badly that he is so upset, but it really just convinces me that we are making the right decision. It has gotten to the point that they rush out of bed in the morning and go straight to the computer then get upset at us for making them get off it to eat and get dressed two hours later! They can't wait to get home from anywhere we go just so they can play on the computer. I know I have helped perpetuate the problem though. When they are on the computer = they aren't fighting = more peaceful for me. I guess a lot of changes will be happening around here!

Oh! And I'm voluntarily having Rick set time limits for myself: 7-8 am (so I can check news) and 7-10 pm (which is mostly after the kids are in bed). I expect to go through some major withdrawl but I'll bet this house stays a lot cleaner and I have more time for the kids! Hopefully the boys (Trace especially) will start to see the benefits of not staring at a screen all the time!

Snow Days

We promised the boys a trip into the mountains to go sledding over Christmas Vacation. So yesterday was the day! Everything but the kitchen sink was loaded and we finally hit the road around 9:30 in the morning. We arrived to find about a foot of snow that was apparently a few days old. It was rather icy and bumpy with lots of grass tufts and yearling trees poking through. That doesn't bother kids who've been waiting anxiously to go sledding though! So off they went bumping down the hill time after time. It felt a bit like sledding down moguls to me but it only added to the fun for them!

We spent a few hours, had some lunch and built a fire before everyone was cold and ready to head for home. Unbeknownst to us, we didn't leave a minute too soon. Back home, a rare Northwest snow was beginning to fall. And fall. By the time we reached the metro area the freeways were starting to bottleneck (within an hour they would be at a standstill with some closing completely.)

We arrived at Rick's parent's house as his mom's gathering was ending with several women now stranded. So, Rick played Suburban taxi driver and escorted a few safely home. He then ventured downtown to pick up his sister and nephew and bring them back home. What normally would have taken about an hour took him nearly three! You'd think we were native Californians the way people around here panic at the site of snow! To be fair though, it was pretty slick and if a hill was involved then there was bound to be cars piling up at the bottom.

Paige stayed with grandparents while we were gone all day and was asleep during much of the snow. Once she was fully awake though, she started to get excited about catching snow on her tongue. So we took her out for a few minutes and she loved it! Unlike the boys, she didn't have any snow gear though.

All in all it turned out to be a fun day. The irony though was that we had better sledding here at home than up in the mountains! Who knew? (Apparently the weather men didn't!) Now I'm off to find Paige some boots and send her out before it all melts...

finally a decent family photo!

We took this on Christmas Eve and I've been "playing" with it in photo editing since yesterday. Please point out anything that looks obviously "off." I won't mind! I've just been looking at it for so long that I'm starting to see things that no one else will probably ever notice and, conversly, I'm probably missing the obvious! All in all it's not too bad though.

Make a Smilebox greeting

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I loved this! He is playing with an ornament that was on my tree every year as a child. I used to love to turn the little boy and ring the bell too. It's fun to watch life circle around.

I couldn't get a picture to do this justice! The boys did pretty good with arranging ornaments all over but Paige stuck with one spot and preferred the tips of the branches! You could definitely tell where where she had decorated!

Today was Paige's first ever Christmas program! We talked a lot last night about whether she was going to sing for us. The verdict? NO. According to Paige she only sings when she is sitting on the floor, "not up on that stage thing." So I asked if she would at least smile and despite telling me she would you can see in the picture that didn't exactly happen. I can't believe how tiny she is next to the other girls! To be fair, I think the one in red might be 5.
We were a little late for school this morning because I really wanted to make her hair look extra cute. I think I succeeded and it really wasn't that hard to do.

Not Me Monday

I amnot laying on the couch with my Nativity on the coffee table burried under books, medicines, Christmas cards (because those would be in the mail), more medicines and a few dishes. Especially since I've been yelling at nicely asking my kids for a week now to quite putting crap their precious things on the Nativity. Nope. Not me. I also would not have Christmas lights literally hanging off the Christmas tree while I lay on said couch. And of course all the laundry is done so my kids most definitely will NOT be wearing dirty clothes to school tomorrow! I'd never allow that around here (I'd at least check for stains).

What a weekend!

Well, we had big plans for a genuine Currier and Ives day on Sunday that all went to "h" "e" double hockey sticks in a hand basket! The rain and freezing temperatures during the night left us iced in and unable to head safely into the mountains. So mid morning we loaded three very disappointed kids into the car and headed over to a family member's tree farm. Despite their disappointment over not going into the mountains for tree hunting and sledding they did seem to have a good time and we now have a beautiful tree!

Later, after Rick had to go to work, the kids and I loaded up and headed to a friends for our annual gingerbread housemaking. Unfortunately a little medical issue I'd been having was suddenly getting worse. After a call to the 24 hour nurse line I decided to go to urgent care. There, the doctor took a 5 second look and informed me I needed immediate "surgery." Something that could be done in the office and something she was very experienced at. Lets just say that several hours and lots of tears later I was finally home. It was a long evening!

However, I do have to say that God had a hand in all that transpired. Had it not been for the ice we would not have gone to the friends for gingerbread houses. That friend happened to live near the after hours clinic where this particular doctor (who had a special interest and lots of experience with this) was working. Where an exceptionally empathetic nurse was on duty. And finally it was all in close proximity to the only 24 hour pharmacy in town! Not fun, but I am very thankful for all the details that fell into place the way they did.

The "official" tree lot greeter! Don't know the kitty's name but it followed us everywhere we went the whole time we were there! The kids loved it.

What have we been up to?????

I'm sorry if you were thinking that maybe I'd given up blogging! A lot has been going on over the last two weeks. The week before Thanksgiving I had a job interview! Since I'd applied months ago it was quite a surprise. I found out the Monday of Thanksgiving week that I had the job and started the Monday after Thanksgiving (this week). Whew! It is a strange feeling to go from not working for over 11 years to suddenly having a job! I know it is going to be a really good feeling though when I'm able to help pay off the visa card that Christmas is going on! God really is good.

We also all had dental appointments during which we discovered that Paige had a cavity. I was definitely bummed since none of my kids have had any cavities up til now. But it also worries me a little to know that she has several pre-cavity spots on her teeth. We brush them just like the boys! I've been concerned for a long time though about her teeth knowing that she probably had no prenatal care and likely very low nutrients in general both before and after birth. Apparently there is little we will be able to do to combat that! I'm pretty sure this won't be the last but I'll be darned if it's gonna be my fault!!! So today was the big day to have it filled. She did WONDERFUL! The dentist said she was better than a lot of adults he sees. I don't think she moved a muscle or flinched the entire time. It was a much quicker process than I remember too!

Waiting for the numbing cream to work she got to do a puzzle.

I just love how tiny she is in that great big chair!

Once she was numb this was the best smile she could manage!

After Thanksgiving I suddenly got a wild hair and decided to paint our powder room. As if there isn't enough to do this time of year! I just couldn't take the dark red paint and pink lights another day. Don't get me wrong, I like the dark red paint - but NOT in a tiny powder room with pink lights! The bathroom is now a very light greenish color (celery?) with white lights and a cute little outhouse border that I bought several years ago and kept waiting to use! I'm quite happy with the new look.

So that is a little of what we've been up to around here. Of course you have to add in Caden's basketball and Trace's unicycle to make a more complete picture of the chaos! If I'm not checking in often enough for you the next few weeks just let me know.