My (admittedly) gloomy take on New Year's Eve

Here is what I've wanted to say but have kept, mostly, to myself. Until now.

What's the big deal? Tomorrow will be the same as today. (my original thought had profanity describing tomorrow...and today but I'm censoring myself) The only difference between 2011 & 2012 is the 2 I have to remember to write after the 201.


Tomorrow I'll try to have a better perspective but for today this is all I've got.

I am not surprised...but...

We are all home from a couple of days spent with the Bakers in Tahoe. Usually our Tahoe trips at this time of year are full of snowy fun and winter wonderland pictures. Not this year. Mother Nature has not yet blessed the area with the white stuff. What I have realized - again - about my family is that none of us like to be out of our box. We like our own house, our own stuff, our own food, our own beds and, most importantly, our own space.

This is not news. You probably think that everyone likes their own stuff & their own space. That's true but I swear we take it to an unhealthy extreme. My kids love going to Tahoe. They love the cousins. They adore Auntie Dawn. I love Tahoe & the Cousins & Auntie Dawn. But MAN, we don't sleep well, our tummies get weird, we become snappish & irritable.  We get disgruntled when the rhythm of our daily routines gets messed with. It didn't help that Jake, Chase, Kaleb, Tate and Tanner all have a cold at some level. But seriously, I worry about our ability to adapt.

Tate turned to the dark side today. Grumpy, grumpy, grumpy. Attitude. More grumpiness. We referred to him as "that pouty faced one" when we told a waitress what he wanted for dinner. At that point Tate was pissed off that we were stopping to eat rather than bringing him straight home. Jake was stopping to eat because he could foresee sandwiches for dinner (or cold cereal) because that is what happens when I have reached my breaking point. No sooner than we entered our house, Chloe took a shower, got  a DVD and fled to the safety and blessed aloneness of her room. Kaleb took the opportunity to flee the family completely and ran to his safety zone - the Rosengreen's house.

Hopefully everyone will be back to normal tomorrow. At least normal for us. The snappishness and attitude should be toned down & we all will get to eat our normal weird diets. We are a family that values routine and solitude. I just hope that none of us cross the line to crazy because I think that there are times when we are precariously close to it. If you start to notice that we refuse to leave the house even for fun stuff...intervention might be necessary.

For now, I'm going to enjoy the fact that I'm all alone in my living room, with my electronic devices, my weird food and my own pillow.

Christmas

Clearly, I am a horrible blogger. I have all of these things in my head that I want to say and then never quite seem to take the time to put them on "paper". I think that my answer will be the blogger ap on the iphone 4 that I now have but that's a discussion for another day. This post is about Christmas.

Our celebration of Christmas was a little bit dialed back this year. There was less craziness, fewer presents and maybe a little less stress. I actually hand made some gifts so it's a good thing that it is the thought that counts. While it was a bit of struggle to remember to keep the fun, magical part of Christmas alive for the 5 year old, it was also a blessing to have the lil to remind us of that magic. It was our first year with the Elf on the Shelf. Tate was so sad and confused that his friends at school had Elves and he didn't, it was a Must Do. Our Elf, Zip, was not a naughty Elf. Once or twice he knocked a couple of things over when landing but he didn't make messes or do crazy things in the night. He was a well behaved Elf who did his job. He kept watch on the kids to report back to Santa each night as to the Naughty or Nice status. He was a good behavior reinforcer. And Tate was amused daily by his landing spots and yelled more than once "Do NOT touch him! His Magic will wear off!" Along with his Christmas countdown chain, Christmas crafts and projects from school, his Holiday Concert at school, his daily revised Wish List, Zip the Elf and Tate brought the magic of Christmas in to a house full of teens.

Though the gift giving portion of Christmas was more mellow this year than in years past, I think that the kids got most of what they wished for and enjoyed the day. We also were able to gather some goodies and gifts for another family which is always more fun than getting gifts. The middles went and worked at the Auburn Christmas Basket which is a program for families in need. They had fun and, I hope gained a bit of perspective. Of course I had some moments leading up to the big day that were stressful and some times when I wanted to strangle them with my bare hands, but mostly they are great kids who understand that it is more fulfilling to give than to receive.

Christmas Eve was the usual gathering at my parent's house. Friends, family (and anyone who walks in the door) are welcomed and included in the games, laughter, food and gifting. My sister organized a musical number (Silent Night). She played piano, Tanner, Josh & my Dad played guitar, I played flute, Chase accompanied her on the piano, Chloe sang and Kaleb played some percussion. It was lovely and silly at the same time. A little unusual for the night was the fact that we didn't read the story of Christ's birth from the Bible and we didn't have the kids dressed up as the players in that story. There were sick kids and sleeping kids and kids that have gotten a bit big to be cute shepherds. Part of the reason, though, is because we are usually grasping to make sure that the spiritual is not lost in the celebration of the day. This year we did not worry about it because Christmas Day was on a Sunday and we would all be heading to church to celebrate and worship.

I enjoyed the fact that we had church in the middle of the day on Christmas. We were able to wake up and open presents and have breakfast together. Then we put on our church clothes and went to the church building to sit together as a family and be spiritually fed through word and song on the day that we set aside to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. There was no chance of "forgetting" Christ this Christmas because on Sunday we did what we do pretty much every Sunday. We went to church, learned about Him and renewed our covenants. It was a blessing to have Christmas on the Sabbath and I enjoyed it. After church many of us gathered at my house, ate and played games. At the end of the day, we watched The Nativity Story as another reminder of why we were celebrating at all.

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

There are enough bad tidings of great sorrow. Thankfully, they are all overcome by the good tidings of which the angels spoke and the joy is for all people. I think that we capture a little bit of it on Christmas, glimpse just a teeny bit of the Love as we gather and serve and remember to keep Christ in Christmas. I certainly felt blessed to understand the magnitude of the Gift given to me. Many times over the course of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I also thought to myself how blessed I am in the people who are my friends and family. The trick is to keep feeling that as we head back to "real" life.

Thanksgiving Eve

So many blessings, so little time. I heard someone on the radio today talking about Thanksgiving. The great thing about Thanksgiving, he said, is that there's no buying of presents, stressing about gifts or budgets or wrestling other shoppers for the last 'next great gadget' available. Thanksgiving is about hanging out with family and friends while concentrating on the things we already have. Most of my favorite people are coming over to my house tomorrow to eat, watch football and play. The garage has been turned in to a big playroom complete with a ping pong table. Extra tables have been set up. 

Though the turkey will by yummy, the desserts delish and the football includes the Niners playing, the best part will be the company. The people in my life are my most treasured blessings. 

Already Day 18! It's an Adler Day~

Perhaps I should be thankful that Time Flies. How can it already be the 18th? Two of my kids are already on break for Thanksgiving. The high school kids have two more days of school. It's cold and rainy and chains are required over the summit. Christmas music is playing in stores and I'm pretty sure that there is at least the draft of a letter to Santa on my mantle. 2011 is quickly coming to an end. Amazing!

Today I'm thankful for Adler. He and Tate are such good friends. Tate is always asking when he can see Adler next. They're not in Kindergarten together which is a good thing because when the two of them are together everyone and everything else fades in to the background.

When I found out that Josh and Honi were having a baby I gave all of my baby stuff to them - books and gear. I went out and got cute lil baby outfits to send to Portland. Who knew that I would need my books and gear again? Luckily for all of us, both babies turned out to be boys.

Adler

Tate 

 These two boys love spending time together. I am thankful that Tate has someone just his age in his family since his siblings are so much older than him. I'm thankful that I got to borrow Adler today to keep Tate busy. Legos, Squinkies, soft serve ice cream, 2 Sullys, 2 blankies= Cousin Sleepover Heaven

Kaleb

Today Kaleb joins the Teenager crowd. Ah, Buzzy. How did that happen exactly? Weren't you just a tiny little guy saying "Where is that Stupid Fatcher Anyway?" while looking for your pacifier?

Sometimes Kaleb thinks that he was neglected or I was mean or something. Whatever. He never let me put him down. I wore that kid forever. I stacked a cord of firewood with him in a backpack. I worked in his preschool class even though the kids in there were SO much harder to love than the ones in Chase & Chloe's preschool class. Seriously, they are legendary.

He's always been a little bit silly. Sometimes we apply the word Drama to Kaleb. He loved his tap dancing class and show. Going with the Baker kids to drama camp was so fun for him. He's a tiny bit different from his older siblings. If he wasn't, it would be boring, boring, boring. That is a word that we don't often apply to Kaleb. I met with his teachers today and they all love him because he is cute and fun. They also said that he's hurry to finish his work so he can have more fun. He can tell a story to rival all stories and negotiate a deal better than Donald Trump.

Today, I'm thankful for Buzz. He's a creative, smart, kind, fun kid who adds so much life to our family. He oozes energy and people respond to him.Watch out world, he's getting closer to being let loose on the rest of you!

Failed Yesterday

Yes, I failed to be thankful yesterday. Officially in writing, that is. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, though, at the end of the day. I had planned in my head that we would all go to the Placer soccer game and then we would all come home, pop popcorn and watch the final Harry Potter installment together. What really happened is that we came home, they inhaled food as quickly as possible and then most of them left. Chloe went to a friend's house to help her kid sit her little brother. Kaleb and Chase went to play flashlight tag with the Rosengreens. Tanner was going to watch it, then wasn't, then was, then sort of did but actually went in the other room & watched a movie with his girlfriend. Tate fell asleep during the movie. Jake kind of watched it and when it was over shook his head and muttered "I seriously don't get it."

insert series of sighs here

During my period of self-pity here is what I failed to be thankful for. Chloe went to a friend's house to help out & have a sleepover. Her friend is a lovely girl from a very sweet family. Chloe is willing to hang out with her while she hangs out with her little brother. Chase & Kaleb got to go and have a bunch of fun in a very safe environment with kids that I genuinelly like overseen by parents that I trust completely. Tanner's girlfriend came here & they watched a movie here.

My kids have a great group of friends. This is a blessing for which I should be thankful even when it messes with the plans that I've made in my head.

Day 11 - Veteran's Day

Shame on me for not getting in Day 10. Now I have to be grateful for 2 things today. I suppose I will have to do a 2-for-1 special tonight. Before I fall asleep.

Today I'm grateful for the freedoms afforded me by the Constitution of the United States and for those who have protected and defended those freedoms. Those who have willingly served have my gratitude and those who didn't have a choice but served honorably also have my thanks.

I'm grateful for those men who committed treason to formulate, agree on and sign the Declaration of Independence. The world was never the same. While the ideas may have been chatted about for 50 years or more previous to that moment in time, they weren't acted upon. While the coffee houses of Europe may have produced thinkers, I think that it is fair to say that real action began with those men who put their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor on the line for the belief that government is instituted by men and derives its powers from the consent of the governed. The modern age has no concept of what their honor meant to them but we may want to revisit it and take it to heart.

I am grateful for these rights - the freedom to exercise my religion and the freedom from a government established religion, the freedom of press, of speech, of assembly, of the right to bear arms, to not have to quarter soldiers, to have protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, for due process and impartial juries, protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

I am grateful for the intention of the 10th Amendment. I do not think that it is applied AT ALL.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

I've seen and heard a lot of Thank You's to our Veteran's today. It is always popular to day  "and the freedoms they defend". This is my little Thank You to those very first American veterans and all of the veterans since who believe in the Constitution and the ideas that are the foundation for the Declaration and the Constitution. I think that people need to do a better job of understanding what those ideas are, what the freedoms that we are afforded are and how we, as citizens, also need to protect them. 

Day 9 - Modern Medicine

On my way to drop Kaleb off at school this morning, I had to pick Chloe and Chase up from school. Chloe had texted me that her head was (still) really hurting and Chase said he felt like throwing up. I posted earlier on facebook that I was grateful for being friends with a pediatrician because I can call her at home about headaches. I've also called her about high fevers, weird hip pain, weird leg pain, ear pain, spots of misc. kinds, wheezing, coughing, croup... The list is endless. We have now entered the season that one of the kids will be home sick what seems like every single day and any plans I make or appointments I schedule will have to be changed because someone will puke or have pneumonia or whatever.

It will annoy me. It will frustrate me. It will seem like we will never be illness free again. I will feel trapped in a sea of germs which no amount of lysol, bleach or clorox wipes will free me from. When I complain, as I inevitable will, please say to me Day 9.

Have you ever thought back on your illnesses or the things that have happened to your kids and thought  "100 years ago, that would have been deadly"? Top of the list - antibiotics. They might be over used but they save lives. We've had some pretty gruesome wounds through the years. While they've been stitching people up for a long time, lots of people still died of infection. Not to mention the pneumonia, etc. X-rays, MRIs, IV's, surgery (without being awake!) - all AWESOME!

If I had been born in another time, I think I would have been that sickly kid that had to stay inside reading. If I had been in a hand cart company, I would have been a casualty of the elements. Without the c-section (and accompanying modern medicine that makes it more likely to survive a c-section), the twins and I would be dead. Less extreme are the day to day things that make life more comfortable. Antihistamines. Advil. Migraine medicine. Really important in our house (and Anna's) - asthma medicine.

I'm thankful for all of the scientists and doctors who have worked tirelessly to improve medicine in all of its facets and for those who continue to do so. I don't want to live forever but I am glad that the infant mortality rate isn't 50% and that the median life span isn't 40.

Day 8

I like babies. It's not a secret. I'm one of those people who just can't seem to get enough of the little monsters. Newborn baby smell & sounds are without equal. First smiles & coos. Teeny fists waving. How cute is a baby just figuring out how to crawl or walk or run? The transition from babbling to talking? Giggles. That smile that's just for Mom. 

Yes, they spew all kinds of bodily fluid on you (and pretty much wherever they want). And while sometimes it is hard to figure out the exact way to keep them happy, they are never complicated. 

Baby shower for Quincy today had me running around like a crazy person but every baby deserves a welcoming celebration as much as every Mama deserves a party. Today, I'm thankful for babies.

My Little Worker Bees - Day 7

I have to make this one short. I still have tons to do tonight to get ready for Quincy's baby shower in the morning. Luckily for me, my kids all had a short school day today and so were home for a good portion of the afternoon. They were able to do all kinds of work for me around the house, mostly cleaning & some leaf blowing. Sure, my kids moan and groan like most kids but not much. They usually don't volunteer to clean or clean without being asked but who does? For the most part, they pitch in when I need them to. Sometimes when I make my list and plan on how long it is going to take me to finish all of the stuff on it I forget that I have my little army of helpers. They used to be too small to do much but now they are big enough to cut some serious time off of my to do estimate.

Thanks for all of your help today big kids. And all of those other days when Mommy was about to lose her mind! I'm thankful that they don't give me crap very often about helping out. I'm thankful that they know how to pitch in. I'm thankful that, when they want to, they can make a great team.

Thankful on Day 6

As I thought would probably be the case, the hardest part of writing down what I'm thankful for is picking exactly which thing to choose. Today I'm going to try to put into words why I am thankful for those who get me. The other day I made a comment on fb about Jake's assertion that the reason that I find the show The Big Bang Theory funny is because it is a nerd show and I, clearly, am a nerd. Another day this week, a fb friend made reference to TBBT on his fb & so I said to Jake "My fb friends also think that TBBT is very funny." His response, "Uh, right, because your friends are nerds." The facebook nerd-friend community is a new way for him to scoff at my nerdness. It has been a long running understanding at my house that when I am talking to my friend Jami on the phone we are having "nerd conversations" using "nerd words". He really doesn't mean any of this in a negative way. I think what he really means is "I don't get you when you are on a nerd rant, please call someone who does." Jami is a go-to in that situation. (She also listens to my political rants and answers my, albeit rare, grammar questions.)

The cool thing about the modern era is that I don't even need a telephone to commune with those who totally get me. Thank you, Mark Zuckerberg, thank you. When I make a comment about politics, I know there are people on my friend list who will get it AND, best of all, give me feedback on my comment. When I make a vague reference to some nerdy show or old movie or maybe TLOTR, someone out there will both understand the reference & then add to it. It's like magic. Somehow my sarcasm translates even without facial expressions or tone of voice.

I explained to someone today that I am the odd duck in my family. All of my siblings are science people who grew up to be medical people. I'm the lone weirdo social science sibling. Of course, the answer I got to this was "it takes all different kinds of people & their talents"... Ya, ya. But sometimes, it gets lonely if those who you spend the most time with or who are closest to you or are married to just don't get you. They get parts of you. They try to get you. They love you and listen to you (if they have to), they think you're smart. BUT they can't really commune with you on that special nerd wavelength. The one where they get why you have a image of the writing on the inside of The Ring as the wallpaper on your phone. Or why you have (and regularly use) aps for the NYT, WaPo, The Guardian, WSJ, Real Clear Politics, Drudge and The Economist.

Something occurred to me yesterday while driving with Jake to Chloe's far away CC meet. When I showed him the completed craft that I had been working on his response was "It is very symmetrical. Evenly placed." Huh? The other day at a store he saw a cool metal owl thing and said "I like owls. I think they look cool." My response "Hmmmm. They make me think of Athena." Huh? What I realized is that I give him nerd answers and he gives me art answers. He didn't say that the craft was cute. I didn't say that owls were cool looking.

Yes, everyone has their own talents and interests. Sometimes we need to be with people who get us so we don't feel crazy or alone or lonely. Sometimes it's just necessary to be validated. I'm thankful today that I don't have to feel alone in my own brand of quirky nerdness.

Memories, memories on Day 5

Jake & I drove to Angels Camp today to watch Chloe run in sub sections for Cross Country. Tate went to Anna's. Chase went to Baker's. Kaleb went to Rosengreen's. Tanner has a car. Chloe had to ride the bus on the way there, with the team, but didn't want to ride it home. I took my usual road trip items - a couple of books & a cup of ice. (Gum, first aid kit, misc. medicine just in case, extra clothes, etc.) I also took the supplies for some crafty type things I'm putting together for Renee's baby shower this week.

Let's be clear. I am not one of those people who just make cute/clever stuff out of what they found in their junk drawer. I have sewn but I do not sew. I have a glue gun but don't actually know where it is. For some reason, I decided to make some decorations & really hope that I don't screw them up.

On the way there, I made one of the decorations. I texted Dawn & told her that I was 'channeling my inner Barbara' while I was crafting away. Coming home, I started another craft. It requires floral tape & when I opened it, it smelled just like my Grandma. Specifically, it smelled like the flower arranging supplies at my Grandma's house. Usually to get the Grandma smell, I have to go to the silk flower aisle at a craft store or something. But today, I spent 2 hours wrapping floral tape while Jake drove us through the middle of nowhere. Two hours of the Grandma smell & memories.

Today I am thankful for my Grandma. She was the Grandma that didn't need a name after Grandma to distinguish which Grandma we meant. The sleepover Grandma. Goodies & cousin parties & attendance at every major event. I was at her house when I heard that I had a sister (not Another Wretched Little Brother). When I wanted a prom dress patterned after the dress on the front of French Vogue, Grandma made it for me. She brought Tanner his first stuffed animal. She came and helped me when I had 3 kids under 3. She taught us faith and service and love.

Her life was not an easy one. I have often thought that I should write her story in novel form. That story is the story of 20th century America. Perhaps her most important lesson to us is perseverance through adversity. Or maybe how to appreciate a good roll of floral tape.

Day 4, right?

I checked my iphone and it is the 4th so Day 4 it is. Today I'm thankful for modern textile technology. Yep, that's right. I'm also thankful for cotton today. This may sound super trivial to you. If it does then you are a person who can wear wool. Or angora. Or any other clothing made from furry creature product.  You are also a person who does not have what we like to refer to as 'issues'. Occupational therapists like to call it other names. The combination of Tactile Defensiveness & allergies is deadly when it comes to scratchy animal fur clothes. My Mom will tell you that I was not a cuddly baby. She says that even nursing, I didn't cuddle. She can tell you about the Sock Wars that she had with my sister before she realized that it really wasn't worth it. (and they found a brand of sock that they could agree on) I like soft t-shirty material. Anna likes crisp. Polar fleece kind of makes me want to pull out my touch sensors. And have you met Chloe?

In terms of a broader conversation, I'm thankful for Sierra Preschool's use of an Occupational Therapist. Teacher Linda comes to the class, plays games with the kids & helps screen those kids for 'issues'. Teacher Linda gave Chloe's issues a name. When she did, she handed me a huge file of paperwork to read & said "While you are reading that, think how it applies to Chloe. And then think of how it applies to you." Our curious addiction to certain fabrics and violent aversion to others, explained. Our HATE of tags, seams, socks, "weird" feeling whatevers, explained. Many of Chloe's idiosyncrasies, explained. Even better than the Label was the fact that Teacher Linda gave us ideas and tools to help Chloe work around  and through the way her sensory system worked differently.

Here is a link to a pediatric OT blog. I quickly read through this post and I think it has useful insight in to how it feels to have your sensory system out of wack.
http://pediatricot.blogspot.com/2011/04/treating-tactile-defensiveness.html

I went shopping today for sweaters. I had bday money to burn. What did I find? Wool. Cashmere. Angora. Cowl neck everything. (Can you say...feels like strangulation!!!) Itchy, itchy, itchy!!!!!
I am thankful for cotton. I'm thankful for the fact that we don't have to wear scratchy homespun wool or even coarse linen. I'm thankful for cotton jersey & even for cotton/poly blends. For socks without seams at the toes. For kid t-shirts that are tagless. For anything tagless. I'm thankful for Teacher Linda and for others who have looked behind the 'weird' kids to see what was going on physically.

Thank you, modern world & all of your soft, non-itchy, non tagged, non animal fur stuff to wear.

Day 3 of Expressing Thanks

Tonight I am thankful for a peaceful evening at home. No sports games. Practices that were done before dinner time. Rainy afternoon to cozy up inside & spend time as a family. Wait, did I say that it was peaceful?

That was a lie. It wasn't really peaceful. Tate's candy eating/staying home from school caused some craziness. Or maybe I was just less able to handle his normal behavior. Chase & Kaleb argued several times - computer issues, who left the light on, how they were going to work together on the kitchen. Jake's in a seriously grumpy stressed out mood. Don't ask why - I wouldn't be allowed to tell you on the evil internet anyway.

All of the usual cuckoo-ness of a full house aside - I chose not to go to two different church things that I could/should have gone to. I ran some errands earlier in the day but they weren't really pressing or stressful. I fed people dinner but that was laid back, too. I stayed home & didn't think about all of the other "to do's" that I need to eventually accomplish. I didn't run around picking up or dropping off. I wasn't trying to be on time or making sure that kids had cleats or water bottles or homework or permission slips.

I sort of mentally took the evening off and I'm thankful for the break.

Day 2

While there are a bizillion things to be thankful for today, I'm actually (ALREADY) struggling with what to tag as THE thing today. Trying to figure it out through the lens of the nasty headache...

Today I'm thankful for the all of those people who give their time - endless amounts of time - for very little in return. Yes, I know that all of those volunteers, PTO presidents, coaches, church youth leaders, Sunday school teachers get that warm, fuzzy feelings that we all get from serving our fellow man. I don't really mean to make light of that feeling but I'm sure that all of the people who help my kids every day would sometimes like to sit on their couch. I bet their seminary teacher would like to sleep in once in awhile or maybe let his wife sleep in. Even soccer coaches might sometimes want to have a cozy night indoors instead of herding a bunch of teenagers at a practice.

The school that Tate is going to is a cooperative charter school. Parent volunteers are a necessity to make it work the way it is designed. Each day there are parents running different aspects of the school or working in the classrooms. Sierra Preschool is a cooperative preschool. 4 out of 5 of my kids have gone there. Instead of staffing teachers to meet the criteria for student/teacher ratios, parents work in the classroom each day. The kids love that the Mommys (& Daddys) come to work & it's even more fun when it is your Mom's turn to work. The LDS church is staffed by volunteers - no paid teachers, pastors, etc. That's a lot of volunteering.

I have said this before but it really is worth repeating. My kids have been extremely blessed in the non-family grown ups that have been in their lives. The teachers, coaches and youth leaders have almost without exception been, well, exceptional. I could blame this on living in a small town. I could take credit for it because I have tried very hard to make sure that they are safe and well looked after when I'm not around. There is some truth to those reasons but the real reason is that we have received blessings from heaven. I don't think that it is just luck.

For all of the hours that have been dedicated to making our lives better, easier, more fun and more productive, I am thankful.

Taking Oprah's Advice

If you fell for that title, you don't know me very well. I don't really like Oprah much & I almost never like to take advice. Before I go on to list other things that I don't like, though, I'll get to the point. Once upon a time, the aforementioned former talk show person told the world about her gratitude journal. In honor of the month of Thanksgiving, not Oprah, I'm going to try it. One blog post a day in November, one thing to be grateful for a day. I assume that by December 1, I'll be simply flooded with cheeriness & love for all mankind due to putting my blessings on "paper" every day.

Here goes.......

Today, I'm grateful for cousins. When I was just a wee thing ---long, long ago---I had cousins to hang out with. I have pictures of all of us in under-roos to prove it. Though the cousins closest to me in age are boys, we still had some good times. Sleepovers and holidays and hanging out. The cool thing about cousins is that they're both friends and family. Though my big kids were around for a long time before any of my siblings got around to providing them with cousins, they are so lucky that I have cousins their age to be their best buds. At every stage, every holiday, every major (and minor) event, the Bakers have been there to party with the Wilsons. Nate Baker is the oldest of this group of cousins & we couldn't ask for a better guy to be at the top of the heap. What a good example!

The Bigs (Nate & Tanner) and the Middles (Chase, Chloe, Matt, Kaleb & Jessie) now have to contend with the Littles (Adler, Tate, Rylen, Cooper, Azzi, Carter & Quincy). Tate is blessed to be surrounded by cousins! According to Tate, Adler is his BEST, BEST friend and Ry is his best friend. Though Tate is far from his siblings in years, he's got cousins on all sides & now we're all living in the same town! How awesome is that!

Yesterday we did Halloween with cousins galore. First we hit Oldtown Auburn with the Littles to Trick or Treat at the businesses. Then it was Trick or Treating in a neighborhood with the Littles and the Middles. The Middles helped to heard the Lils. We were also joined by the honorary cousins, Anders and Savanna. Chaos & noise & candy & silliness & cousins. 

I'm thankful for cousins. I cherish my childhood memories with my cousins & I love the cousin group that my kids have. There's safety in family and so much FUN, too! I'm thankful for Nate Baker who leads the pack with his kindness, silly fun-ness & absolute faith. I'm thankful for Matt who makes the twins into triplets with his loyalty to Chase and his love for Tate. I'm thankful for Jessie who came to be a GIRL with my Chloe. I love her sweetness & talents. She bridges the 'triplets' and Kaleb. I'm thankful that Adler came to be with Tate. Everyone needs a best friend cousin! I'm thankful that Ry lives in Auburn now & that we get to see him often & figure out what's going on behind the quiet exterior.  I'm thankful for Cooper - especially for his lil grin. I'm thankful that Azzi showed up to wear pink & lacy tights & dress up clothes - Girl Power! I'm thankful for Carter Dude & his smartypants cuteness. I'm thankful for Quincy & can't wait to see what her personality holds for all of us!

My "one" thing is really a lot more than one. If I can count correctly, I'm thankful for my 16 or so cousins & the 6 (so far) cousins that my kids get to hang with. Numbers aside, I love all the cousins & am so grateful for each of them.

Small Town Girl

We spent this morning in downtown Sacramento. Chloe, Chase, Tate & I joined Dawn, Matt & Jessie (& some friends) at the Walk for Alzheimer's which started at the Capitol building & then was 3 miles of  walking around downtown. While I'm sure that I should opine on the walk & those we were walking in memory of, I'm too tired & just want to share something Chloe said before I forget. As we were driving home, Chloe said "So, why do people put those bars on their windows? Is it to keep their kids in? Or is it just for decoration?" My response - "Oh, how cute, you're from the country! Those bars are to keep people out."

And that's why we live in Auburn! So our kids think that bars on windows are for decorative purposes.

Oh, Tate.

Jake & I took Tate with us this evening to run some errands. What started out as a grocery shopping trip ended up as a completely different thing. Tate is still in a toddler bed. He's small but seriously...it's time. Kaleb, who is in the same room as Tate, is in a bed that is pretty much smashed to bits. Since Kaleb's bed is also where his clothes live, it's a double problem. So, we ended up going to a few different places trying to find a fairly economical way to get both boys beds + a storage solution for all of their clothes/stuff. It's also a little complicated to figure out a way for an almost 13 year old to feel like he has his own space while sharing a room with his 5 year old brother.
Tate has decided that he must sleep on a top bunk. But then he didn't really like climbing the ladder. "So, maybe you should sleep on the bottom then?" Nope. He has numerous reasons. I really hope this top bunk thing works out. Tate said a few things this evening that made me sigh and think to myself  "Oh, Tate. I hope you can learn skills to allow you to remain functional in society."
Aside from all of the reasons he came up with for needing to be on the top bunk even though he doesn't like the ladder -
He was very disturbed by one of the ladders which had uneven rungs. "Why didn't they just make the steps be the same all the way?" "Where will my foot go when there should be another step but it's missing?"
He was quite annoyed by the fact that Jake parked the truck unevenly within the parking spot. "Dad, you are not straight. Do you see that line? You're supposed to be in the line that far."
Best of all - He's in a stall next to me in the bathroom & says "Am I supposed to flush this toilet?" For a second, I admit to being perplexed. I looked around to see if it was an automatic flushing kind of thing. No. "Yes, Tate, you should flush the toilet." As I'm thinking - what the heck? Why wouldn't you flush it? "BUT, IT'S REALLY REALLY DIRTY." Ah, it becomes clear. Let me just point out that it was a very nice bathroom as public restrooms go & I didn't think EWWWW when I went in (which is saying something). It's OK, Tate. We will wash your hands. Yes, flush. We flushed, we washed (and washed).
I'm glad that at this point we can talk him through his little annoyances and that they aren't (usually) stopping him from moving through his day. I'm also glad that all of the people in his life so far are patient with his lil quirks & also just sigh and say "Oh, Tate..." and help him move past whatever is making his little brain spin like a top.

Homecoming Week

It's Homecoming week at Placer. So far - Nerd Day & Class Color Day. The big news of the week is that today was the Powderpuff game. Though this is Tanner's Senior year, it is also the first year that he has taken an active role in all of the festivities. I'm so glad that he is participating this year. A ton of preparation has happened over the last few weeks. Tanner has been practicing for their half time show and rally appearances plus getting all of the music ready for his team. I have to say that to see him doing all of this is rather surprising. He's not exactly the most extroverted kind of kid. His injured ankle held him back a bit today but we all had fun watching them "cheer", dance & act silly. Banking awesome memories before he has to be a grown up!

I knew it was coming but.....

Tate's first couple of weeks of Kindergarten went much better than I had anticipated. He says he loves his school, he's fond of his teacher, he has made friends in his class and, of course, loves Miss Cathy in the office. (Miss Cathy also happens to be his teacher at church.) Although there were a couple of teary days when it was time for me to leave him there, the tears didn't even fall - they just welled. He has had to use several bandaids but has "been brave" about the scrapes. 

One day last week, I was in the office when Tate's class came out of their room. Although he saw the truck so he knew I was there, he panicked a bit & started to cry. He has also started to ask the questions-

"what's the plan for tomorrow?" "who is going to pick me up?" "when will you be able to work in my classroom?" "how many days until Wednesday?" "after today, how many more days of school?" Etc. Mornings have slowed down. Instead of being up and dressed, he's sort of up and not dressed. Best of all, he is having some major clothing issues. If his shorts hit at the wrong point of his leg, they are bothering him. If he can't button his jeans on his own, they don't work. If the jeans aren't well, approved, then they're just unacceptable. I haven't quite gotten a clear idea of what the specific trouble with jeans is but I'm not going to put a lot of effort in to finding logic in his objections. He won't wear jean shorts at all. I went to Old Navy last week and found him some sweat pants and some pull up cotton pants that he tried on and said he would wear. I thought that I had solved the no jeans problem. You'd think I would have learned by now. He wore the grey pair yesterday and they were totally fine but the blue pair were "falling off" today. He didn't like where the bottom of the pants hit his ankle although they are exactly the same as the ones from yesterday. Finding clothes for school is becoming an issue. Hooray for me. Something else to try to puzzle through every day. 

Best of all, his new pajamas - which he picked out - have a big problem. One of the cuffs is tighter than the other one. This is not cool. 

I'm excited about this. We've started crying in the morning when it's time to get ready for school. Then we cry some more while arguing about what clothes to wear. We cry when doing homework. And, just like the first day of school, this morning when I dropped him off, I ran away when he wasn't looking. 

Chloe & Chase are Old & Crusty

    At the extremely old age of 15, Chase and Chloe have proclaimed themselves old & crusty. They might even be getting wrinkles. (Imagine how this feels to their Mother - who is clearly a couple of decades older than the crusty twins.) Having celebrated with a bunch of friends and family last night, today was  much more casual day of birthday-ness. I dug through some old pictures of them to put on facebook, though, and remembered some things about the smaller versions of the twins. Before they were old and crusty.
    I had forgotten about the soft pink babydoll that Chloe toted around with her but there she was in several pictures. In almost all pictures, Chloe is in dark colored clothes. That child was the dirtiest kid ever. They would go out and do the exact same activity & she would come in 10x dirtier than Chase. Pastel pink and other girlie colors only lasted one outing on Chloe. Plus she looks better in darker colors, my little brown eyed girl. Her front tooth was a lovely shade of grey - due to the fact that she hit it on something hard on several different occasions. I may have gotten a 'bonus' girl when the twin thing happened, but no girlie girl stuff for Chloe. She took gymnastics but got so angry that they wouldn't let her on the big kid equipment, that didn't quite work out. Dragging her out onto the soccer field may have been the best thing that I ever did for her. She needed to expend her energy & work out her extra sensitivity to sensory input by working her muscles. In opposition to gender stereotyping, Chloe did all of the moving stuff first. As soon as she figured out how to roll over, she'd roll where she wanted to go. She sat up, crawled and walked before Chase.
    Chase did all of the verbal stuff before Chloe. I forget that he translated for her for awhile. He was easily upset when Chloe was upset, from the very beginning. Unfortunately for Chase, Chloe was often upset in the early part of their lives. Though he could say other words, he called her Abba for a long time. None of us could ever figure out where that came from. We called him chubby but having met some actual chubby babies, Chase was just chubby in comparison to his wirey sister. Chase always had the grin of a 'trouble maker'. One look at that face & you knew (and know) something's happening in that head of his - he's clearly hatching a plan. He always had a better plan, better idea, better way. Always. This has not changed. One of the pictures that I got out today was of Chase smiling up at Marin. Marin was his buddy when his Mom had to deal with his sister and the adoration was clear in that picture. Marin started the monkey collection, too. Digging out pictures of Chase alone is difficult. There's some of Chase with Tanner or Kaleb, lots and lots of Chase with Chloe and tons of Chase with Matt.
    I found some pictures of long ago when Chase & Chloe still were able to play on the same soccer team. There was a picture of Chase throwing the ball in. I really should stop taking those, I think I have 5000 of them. And a picture of Chase, Chloe & I walking off of a soccer field when they were probably 6. I don't think I realized that it would be a staple in our lives, soccer. Chloe still runs off her extra energy & angst, Chase still has a better way to do everything, most pictures of them also still include Matt Baker. Life is a weird balance of change and continuity.
    Old & crusty? Probably not. Wrinkles? I doubt it. 15 years of twin adventures? Yes. 15 years of figuring out how best to handle different situations - school, sports, homework, friends, parties- as a Mother of multiples? Yep. I'm grateful for both of them & the lessons that being their Mom has taught me. Never underestimate how one pregnancy can change the course of how you had planned life to be. Most of all, I'm grateful that while they get annoyed at each other and sometimes snipe at each other like teenagers do, they still are friends, still have overlapping friend groups, still hang out, still shared a birthday party and still depend on each other more than they'll admit.

Thanking God for Chloe, literally.

It's been a long week. Tate starting school, which I thought would be stressful, was the least of my concerns. Especially once Anna's house decided to fill with water. Given the amount of time that I've put in to Anna's stuff, my house has been sadly neglected. The dishes piled up in the sink. The trash actually piled up on the floor (in a bag, at least, because I did that). Apparently, it was much too difficult to take the trash bag out to the trash can. Several loads of clean laundry sat on one of the couches for about 5 days even though 5 people who are perfectly capable of folding the clothes live here (besides me). 4 CC practices, 5 soccer practices, 2 soccer games. Big kids all fighting colds. Jake started his semester which includes learning a new computer program so he's been spending most of his time in the bedroom with the door closed. Last night I had a dream about the house being covered in piles of things to clean & go through but no matter what I did or who I asked to do it, the piles just kept multiplying! It was horrifying.

As it seems that not only do I have to be here if I want things done, I also have to be the one to delegate the tasks, I was getting very frustrated and overwhelmed. (Thus the nightmare) Yesterday when I got home at around 7, I had Tate and Anna's boys. Carter was fussy & tired. Tate was hungry. They were all dirty. I was having anxiety about Anna's house. What I thought that I would find is a dirty kitchen, a pile of unfolded laundry and a bunch of hungry, grumpy, tired, sick big kids. To put a plug in for Tanner before I get to Chloe, he had picked up both Kaleb and Chloe, figured out something to eat, figured out how to fix the kid computer, he and Jenna helped me unload the car when I got home and bathe Tate & Ry and get them dressed in their pjs. The truth is, I'm always thankful for Tanner because I know that he's been a pretty easy Teen to have around, he was an easy baby & kid AND, most of all, he's a super big brother.

Sometimes I'm glad that I only have one girl. When I hear about sister fighting, girl drama and dating dilemmas, I think "Yes! I only got one of those & she's a toughy!" And then there's days like yesterday. I came home to a clean kitchen - even the pots and pans. Chloe. All of the clothes got folded and put in people's rooms. Chloe. A homemade birthday card for an upcoming birthday party. Chloe. A carefully thought out birthday gift plan because she listened not to the "I wants" but to the actions that spoke to the "I needs" of the friend. Chloe. Not a word of complaint. Not a grumble of "I always do the dishes" or "You idiot boys could have at least gotten your clothes out of this pile". And when I informed her that her 17 month old roommate was back she said "Ok. I kind of missed him." As a fellow female, she saw the needs, read the mood and took care of business. Thank You Heavenly Father for sending me her!

Tate Goes to Big Boy School

Tate started Kindergarten today at Harvest Ridge. HR is a cute, small, charter school in Newcastle. Last night we decided what clothes to wear, made a lunch, put all of his goodies in his backpack & put his bag of supplies by the door so I wouldn't forget it. Included in the bag of supplies were extra boxes of kleenex and more than the requested amount of bandaids. Given Tate's habit of wiping his nose before it actually is running and using bandaids to cover up anything that might be blood, it seemed like we should contribute more than what was asked for.

This morning I got up found Tate curled up in the corner of the couch playing games on my computer. I convinced him to get dressed and eat some scrambled eggs. We left home without any drama. So far, so good. After dropping Kaleb off at school, Tate and I went to Harvest Ridge. He learned what to do with his backpack, homework, lunch box & water bottle. Right away he made a friend! He and his new friend, Tanner, tested out how fast their new school shoes would go! He lined up with his classmates, did the Pledge of Allegience with the whole school & headed to class with his teacher. As they walked in to class, I waved good-bye and ran. Yes, ran. He wasn't crying & I didn't want to stick around long enough for him to start!

After school, Tate said "My body was having so much fun, my brain wasn't worried about when you were coming to pick me up." And that is saying something! He's also excited to have more homework to do, had fun with his PE teacher and did some math and science. He couldn't remember what the math or science assignments were but he did remember some of the playground rules. He's very excited that he gets to go to "real" school now "like the big kids".

Tips for Driving on I-80

We're home! I always want to yell "LAND!" like the little girl in The Pacifier. Having just driven from Tahoe to Auburn (89 to 80) in bumper to bumper traffic, I'd like to give some helpful tips to other drivers.
1) When going up hill, you can continue at the same speed but only IF you press the pedal on the right. It's called the GAS PEDAL. It even works at 7000 ft. You should try to use it.
2) The space between my car and the car in front of me is there on purpose. It is not necessary for you to fill in any blank space as though driving is paint by numbers.
3) You are too close to me if I can't see the front of your car in my rearview mirror. If I'm looking in my mirror & waving my arms at you, it might mean that you have almost hit us one too many times.
4) Unless there are signs indicating otherwise, please continue driving normally in areas where there is road work equipment. The concrete barriers or orange barrels do not mean you have to slow to 30 mph. The lanes are the same as they are when they are marked with paint. I promise -- you will still fit.
5) Just because you are driving a rental RV instead of your normal prius, it does not mean that you know how to drive a large vehicle. In general, you should stay in the right hand lane.
6) When you are going downhill or around a curve, you do not need to apply pressure to your breaks. This is especially true if you are going 25 MPH in a 65 MPH zone already. No further slowing is necessary. It only looks scary. Your car is designed to go downhill and around the curves.
7) If you are driving a nice car that handles well (perhaps one that was tested on a certain German road) and you can't go around a curve at 25 +, please, please, please - go and TRADE IT IN. You might want to get a Prius or one of those SMART car thingies. You're wasting your Audi, BMW, Mercedes, etc. & it's making me ill.
8) Additional things that aren't scary & therefore should not cause you to slow any further: large trucks, stalled vehicles on the side of the road, rock outcroppings by the road, CHP standing on the side of the road.
9)  Sometime around 1940, all automobiles became equipped with these cool things that some of us call blinkers. You pull down the lever when you want to change lanes or exit or turn. It enables the other cars to know where you want to go. Because of this nifty invention, it is no longer necessary to just turn in to a full lane of traffic without any indication of what the heck you're trying to do. It also means you don't have to wave your arms out of your top-down, convertible Mercedes (from Marin) in order to get your neighboring driver to know what your doing.
10) There are super awesome places called VISTA POINTS all along the road. They are put there on purpose for you to be able to look at the scenery at your own pace. You can even take pictures. I can guarantee you that the pictures you will take while STOPPED will turn out better than the ones you take while DRIVING through your window. Additionally, this makes it so the rest of us don't also have to slow down every time you see something you think is pretty.

I feel better now.

Tourists - Are we or aren't we?

We've spent the weekend in Tahoe at the Baker's condo. It's not the first weekend and it won't be the last. The kids feel very much at home at the Tahoe Keys - beach, indoor pool, tennis courts, bike riding, skateboarding. Running the streets like they own the place. I don't really feel like a tourist here but I suppose, technically, we are. While walking today, I talked to a lady who lives here in Tahoe. She was saying how very crowded holidays are and how she would like to enjoy a holiday, too. Without the crowds. I feel her pain. Anyone who has had the misfortune to ride in the car with me has heard me yell at the "Bay Area idiots" who clog up the exits of Auburn, driving like they own the place. I told the nice lady this. She said "You know, I go on vacation. I just got back from Italy. But what I think is that I come home to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Why do I leave?" I thought to myself - why do we not come more often? Mostly though, I realized (not for the first time) that we need to be very careful not to take for granted the beauty that surrounds us and how easily we can access places that are 'vacation destinations' for so many other people.

Earlier when teenagers were mouthy, Moms were tired, husbands grumpy I threatened to leave Tahoe tonight. Tate said "NOOOO! I love it here!" So we stayed for the fireworks over the lake. We stayed for movie watching & game playing. We will have to drive down the mountain with everyone else tomorrow. Even the Bay Area idiots who think they own every road. Before we leave, though, we'll enjoy one more morning with the cousins with Tahoe's beauty & cool breezes.

If I only had a video camera rolling...

   I spent most of my day reliving my past. Tate, Ry, Carter & Azzi were a handfull this morning. Azzi is not amused by Carter's attempts to play with her. In all fairness to Azzi, his attempts generally start with some poking and maybe some throwing stuff at her. She responds in 2 year old fashion with a firm "NO NO". When she was playing with something, Carter wanted it. "NO, NO, AZZI's" Carter responds to NO by swinging his meaty little baby fists. Reaching back in time, I went for the "We love Azzi, we are soft to Azzi" and the "We share with our friends, Azzi." Neither were pleased but we moved from punching and yelling to Carter attempting to kiss Azzi (open mouth baby style) and her trying to hug him. He knocked her over about 10 times in a row trying this whole "we love our cousin" thing. She tolerated him until he threw a dinosaur at her head. After the crying and ice, Azzi forcefully pointed to the dinosaurs and then the mantle. In Azzi speak, that means "Put the dinosaurs a way, crazy lady, he just threw that at my HEAD!" Luckily, Azzi was saved by her Mother and got to go home to a Carter-free zone.
    This evening I was bathing Carter. He was very excited about it and enjoying the water while I cleaned the bathroom. Though my jeans were soggy from Carter splashing (which is more like throwing cups of water on you), I was getting some good cleaning done and he was happy. Until IT happened. I wish I had had a video camera. Poor kid tooted in the tub and the bubbles scared him to death! He looked at me with a scared look, looked down at where the bubbles had come from and started screaming and trying to climb out. While laughing I had to wrestle him back in to the water so I could wash the applesauce, peaches, syrup, etc. out of his hair. Poor baby! Hope he forgets before tomorrow's bath! This is what Azzi & Carter looked like while hugging...Well, while they fell to the ground as Carter tipped her over. Not a successfull photo op but indictitive of how toddlers roll.

     I realize again why I was always so tired! Toddlers are some serious work not to mention the 4 & 5 year olds that had to be refereed all day. This Mothering thing is always full of challenges but the Auntie gets to have fun with little people. Squeezes and kisses and spoiling. Then Aunt Laura gets to give them back to their parents for the Hard Stuff!

Feeling a little bit old

        I think I might be old. I really, really need to go to the grocery store. I could have gone today but would have had to take Tate, Rylen and Carter with me. What used to be unavoidable seemed like way too much work today. When the twins were babies, I would put Tanner in the big part of the cart, Chase in the seat of the cart & Chloe in a front pack and do the grocery shopping. Or Tanner in the seat of the cart & the twins in the double stroller. Then I would push the cart & pull the stroller. Add Kaleb.... Or several foster kids. I went everywhere with kids in tow - malls, grocery stores, road trips, parks, school meetings, church, foster care visits. I've become spoiled & soft in the last few years because the thought of taking the three of them to walmart today made me cringe.
         I attended a PTO meeting at Tate's school this evening. It's a new crowd for me at a school that we haven't attended before. I used to go to meetings as one of the Moms with little kids, the young Moms, the unexperienced Moms. All of those 'older' Moms were in some other category - a different world. A world with teenagers and lots of different school experiences and tons of advice for the younger Mom crowd. You know the ones, right? The Moms that smile and nod when you tell them your troubles but know enough to know that what you're experiencing happens to every Mom & it's just a fleeting moment in parenting. The ones that say things like "Enjoy it. They grown up so fast." Apparently, I have joined the Experienced Mom group. I introduced myself to those on the PTO board. I only got a little bit of "wow, 5." But a lot of "wow, High School students!!"
         That's me. The Mom of High School Students. A High School Senior even. Tate recently was kind enough to remind me several times that Tanner will be 18 when he has another birthday. I'll soon be the Mom of an Adult. Though I've never liked it when people said it to me, they really do grow up so fast. On the bright side, now I have built in babysitters to take care of little people when I go to the store. And that's exactly what I plan on happening tomorrow.
       

Circus Pew - Complete with Flying Monkeys

I've often wondered why the elderly choose to sit in the back of a congregation at church. Usually those of us who are toting children sit in the back out of necessity. We're either late or planning the easiest escape route with the screaming/crying/in trouble/has to pee kid. Today at church we ended up in the very back. On the pew in front of us were some older couples, none accompanied by children and some sporting hearing aids. As we filed in to the pew, I thought to myself "oh, dear. We are about to ruin these nice people's experience today." At first, it wasn't that bad. Tanner, Chloe, Tate & I sat down but then came the rest of our group. Anna, Brad, Ry & Carter. Dan, Renee & Azzi. Kaleb squeezed in. For those keeping track that's 5, 4, 2, & 1 year olds. Tate was mad because I told him to be reverent and sit still. We traded laps throughout the meeting. I had Azzi for a bit & then Carter for a bit. There were crayons, fruit snacks, cars, string cheese & whatever else we could dig out of 3 different bags to keep them from yelling at us. Carter kicked the guy in front of us a few times from my lap. Azzi wandered around a bit. Tate pouted. I doubt that the hearing impaired people in front of us heard 1/3 of what was said from the pulpit. They for sure heard a lot of "SHHHH" "that's not for babies" "Sssshhhhhhh" "this isn't a play area" and "it's not play time right now".  Circus. At some point when Tate was mad he threw his plastic monkey up it to the congregation. Yep, flying monkey. I didn't even see it happen but he informed me that he had thrown it because he wanted me to find his lost monkey. Probably trying to be optimistic, I looked behind us where there wasn't enough room for very many more people. Tate said he threw it the other way. Great, up into the crowd. So at some point during the meeting some poor unsuspecting person probably got nailed by a small plastic monkey. I suppose it's a good thing that we never found the monkey because I would have had to admit that my kid is the one that threw it during church. I really hope that when I'm going to church without kids, I choose to sit closer to the front rather than in the back where all of the kids are. Unless I don't want to hear what's being said from the pulpit or feel the urge to sit in a zone where a flying monkey may hit me at any time.

Some of My Favorite People

     Some of my favorite people started school today. At some point in childhood we start thinking about kids in terms of grades instead of age, I think. For my part I have a Senior, two Sophomores, a 7th grader and one going to Kindergarten. And they are some of my favorite people. All of my high schoolers are attending Placer High School. Tanner said that his first day (of his last year of HS, yikes!)  was great and full of fun and laughter. Chase gave a run down of people in his classes. I hope that his Spanish teacher has his tough love shirt on because that group could be trouble. Chloe went to visit a new teacher's classroom. We know the teacher from church. Chloe wanted to say HI & welcome to Placer. While she was there, she noticed that a friend who is an incoming Freshman was going to be in that class  today. She left him a note telling him Hi and Welcome, too, & that she hoped that he would have a great first day of high school. Later, he told her that finding that note "made his day". I love that their groups of friends have LDS & non-LDS kids, kids from sports, kids from Bowman, kids they met last year and kids from different grades. I love that there doesn't seem to be a bunch of clique drama and that they are having fun, making good choices and working hard. High School can be hard but I think we're doing OK so far!
     Kaleb started 7th grade at Bowman Charter School today. He has been at Bowman since 1st grade. He has tons of friends & good relationships with the teachers although he is not amused that when they called roll today, they called him "Wilson" and proceeded to inform the rest of his class all about teaching Tanner, Chloe and Chase. No escaping that as the fourth kid at the same school! He had a "great" day and is looking forward to being part of the big kid classes at Bowman since the 7th and 8th grade teachers are teachers he hasn't had before. Kaleb has the challenge of being extremely comfie in his surroundings at school yet needing to take school seriously. We are hoping that he can rise above his tendancy to have fun & get some work done, too!
       Jake & I took Tate to orientation today at Harvest Ridge. It is a charter school in Newcastle that is also a parent cooperative. It will be our first year there so I'm sure that we have a lot to learn. Tate's Sunday School teacher is also Miss Cathy in the office & his kindergarten teacher has come highly recommended. He knows one little girl in his class already. School doesn't really start until after Labor Day but we did bring some homework home to get the ball rolling until then.
        The first day of school is always a crazy running around, packets of paper filling out, soccer practice adding, nutsy day. Or it used to be. The HS kids went to school together but Tanner drove. Most of their "paperwork" actually consists of clicking some links or emailing a teacher. After school, Chloe stayed for cross country, Chase stayed for soccer & Tanner drove himself home. I did drive Kaleb to school but didn't walk him to class or take pictures by the Bowman sign or with his new teachers. He jumped out & ran off without a backward glance. He did have soccer practice but he could be dropped off so I didn't have to sit on the sideline with 4 packets of Back to School paperwork. At least I still have Tate to walk to class! I think he might even let me hug & kiss him before I leave.