Number 12

Of course I didn't forget about my sweet middle and his lucky number birthday - I promise the mild mannered one has not been overlooked.
As a matter of fact, it serves him quite well to have the family's lone spring birthday. His big day falls just after tax return and bonus time, so the kid typically does pretty well for himself. ;)

We kept the festivities low-key, per request.
We followed tradition with a delicious hibachi dinner and, additionally, donned the ugly jump shoes at the trampoline park with a couple of friends. We spoiled him with soccer gear and kisses.

Oh, and we all wore homemade Happy Bday headbands as nonchallantly as possible.
Because True Love = Looking Ridiculous in Order to make Someone Smile.
And we nailed it.

Truthfully, Max has been a bit of a challenge this week. The lull in sports/school activities over spring break are simultaneously treasured by Kirbs and despised by Max... there's only so many hours of solo basketball a boy can play on a tiny over-the-door hoop in the kitchen.

Have I shared with you my new theory for infant Max's colic, by the way?
I've decided that all that crying was based on pure frustration. Yes, he was so angry that his round baby body wouldn't do the things he wanted it to do; his tiny limbs were useless!
Looking back, I can almost see the raw will in his little face, his deep desire to do something un-baby-blob-like.

Because if there's one thing we've discovered in these twelve (mostly) sweet years, it's that an Active Max = a Happy Max.
And a Happy Max = True Love.
(Which, again, is interchangeable with a willingness to Look Ridiculous in order to make Someone Smile.)

AL

Victorious

The crocus are blooming.

A vibrant speck of yellow in the dull brown landscape,
Winter's way of waving the white flag in surrender.

We've won.
We've survived another midwest winter with our sanity (mostly) in check.

It's not a fluke this time.
We are going to begin wearing less socks.
We are going to spend time outside and there will be actual sunshine.

Also there were tulips at the grocery store today, so I splurged, proclaiming the purchase of tulips as a new tradition for *my* first official day of spring.
This is how irrational the season makes me; lovesick almost.

So delirious I am for spring that I've been singing this song in my head all day.
Especially absurd, because as you know, I am an ardent member of Team Diamond in the Diamond/Manilow struggle.


Please peel your gaze away from the sparkly vest to note Barry's deep breath at the nine second mark. I did the exact same thing when I walked outside today, complete with weird eye roll.

AL

Another Spring Break Lament

Seriously, who needs warm sunny beaches when you can instead tour a whistle factory with a combined eleven kids and then drive through a car wash while your van load of five is still in possession of said whistles?!

AL

Mobile 'Minute' Party

I don't know how we got so lucky.

All I know is Monday evening, I was watching the sun set on our spring break snowman and brainstorming a week's worth of cheap indoor activities for five kids of very different ages, when I received a text from Em W that read:

Should we have a Minute To Win It party this week?

Totally.

It was then determined that since I had more bodies to transport that she would bring the party to me.  And then somehow, I was awarded a free upgrade to the deluxe party package, as she was bringing tacos and cupcakes as well.  Team cupcakes.



The teams, red vs. blue as you see, were perfectly divided so that each contained an adult, a high school freshman, an almost middle schooler, and a kindergartener.  The challenges varied a bit by skill level; there was something for everyone.  It was loads of frantic fun.

I discovered Kirby cannot blow up a balloon though he tries really really hard.
I discovered that Lilah needs to work on her sportsmanship.
I discovered a minute can be both an extremely short period and an excruciatingly long time.

 

Also, I rediscovered that Em and Alex are the cat's pajamas.

AL

Bunny for Brantley

I could make a hundred of these.
She probably has; pattern from Wee Wonderfuls.

AL

Robots, Soccer, and Snowpants

There was a moment on Friday, when I found myself at a robotics competition, listening to the B52's Rock Lobster, sitting beside a kid in a moose hat (mine), and craving a parfait, that I thought to myself:  You just never know.
You just never know where the day will take you.

Granted, the robotics competition had been on the calendar for months; the robot under construction since the fall.  But still, this being my first time, I wasn't really sure what to expect at such a convention.

It was very well organized, well run; inventive (naturally) and inspiring.  Some teams wore button-ups and bow ties; some wore football jerseys or simply matching tee shirts.
Everyone traded team buttons, everyone competed both against and alongside each other at different times of the day.  Everyone cheered.

Though our team is not featured, you can see a match here.  Our robot weighed over the limit on arrival and had to be delicately dismantled.  This did not help his performance, and therefore our Short Circuit saucer tosser did not advance.

But I was proud of my kid.
Not necessarily for his robot work; being a freshman, his responsibilities were minimal.  He didn't drive the robot or make repairs; as a matter of fact, he spent much of his time beside me in the stands, explaining in detail what I was watching.

But he was required to miss TWO days of school to be present for the competition.  He arranged study hall tests with his teachers, completed assignments early, even wrote essays late into the night before his departure.
And he didn't freak out.
He stayed in a hotel with three other boys that were not his best buds.  And one night he apparently dropped his pajama shirt in the hotel toilet.
And he still didn't freak out.


After watching a few hours worth of matches, we did take Kirby to dinner on Friday night - Lilah, Kit, and I.  Kit Kittredge hails from Cincinnati and therefore wanted to tag along to visit her old stomping grounds.  Unfortunately, she was no help whatsoever with directions.

We tipped our Buca waitress big for bringing Kit her own drink; we didn't even have to ask!



And then Saturday, while Kirby continued to watch saucers tossed,  Max competed in a local soccer tournament. 
Even with three teammates on vacation, one injured, and one sick, they were able to shut out four different teams to win the championship.
Believe it or not, the final game was the first ever in which I actually wore snow pants.

Don't worry - Lilah 'watched' all games from the cozy comfort of the Bautsch van, in which big sister Avery taught both spelling and speech classes.
I really can't begin to describe how cold it was, this tournament.  Did you see the USA v. Costa Rica game in CO?
Well, it was almost like that.  The chilly temps were there, but the snow waited until a day later. 
The day later being the first official day of "spring break".

I should be in Florida.
AL

Three Things

I just threw away all of the slightly mildewed squirt toys, the foam xylophone and the plastic cups. Lilah doesn’t take baths anymore.

She can read and tie her shoes. She can ride a bike and make a sandwich.

And she showers now, all by herself.
No more sweet smelling skin to wrap in a towel and rock like a baby. No more bubble baths that can never be properly rinsed. She’s “too big”.

She recently announced to her father and me that there are only THREE things she cannot do:
1. Drive a car.
2. Pull her own tooth.
3. Dive off the pool’s diving board.

That’s it. Three things.



And I’m with her on the last one.
I think it was the pressure of that dude watching that caused me to back out.

Here's to hoping pool days will be here soon~
AL

Stop. It's Bunny Time

I did some blog backtrack this morning and found myself discouraged and envious of the sunshine and short sleeves in my year-ago pics.
Though tomorrow is technically the first day of spring, today's weather can only be described as cold and blustery; doubly disappointing as I've never been a Winnie the Pooh fan.

No park time for us, so I'm attempting instead to turn our focus towards decorating for the season.
There have already been two minor "holidays" this month if you're the celebrating sort, and as someone who recognizes National Pancake Day (you just missed it, February 5th), I am.

Unfortunately, I didn't remember Pi Day until Kirby pointed it out just before 8 pm on 3/14. I was terribly saddened, and did briefly consider baking a late night pie, but refrained. Again, I looked back in my photo files to see that I actually did make one last year, with the symbol for pi carved into the crust and everything. That should be done bi-yearly at most, don't you think?

Saint Patrick's day brought a Parent's Night Out school fundraiser/card tournament, and though we didn't celebrate too heartily, Jeremy did still manage to drink some green beer and hold it well thanks to his Irish roots.
At home, we were visited by a fairly lazy leprechaun; he simply left a trail of clover confetti that ended in a pile of gold coins. Lilah discovered right away, however, that the coins were NOT chocolate and were therefore immediately disregarded.
We also ate Lucky Charms but, let's be honest, we always eat Lucky Charms.

Today, however, we're packing up the green beads and pulling out the inflatable bunnies. We're hiding plastic eggs (three are already lost and/or incredibly well hidden), and we're digging through jelly beans.
We saw this post from Angry Chicken, which then led us to good 'ole Martha who gave us the idea for edible Easter terrariums.

I made the two big ones and one of the girls made the small one. We have four more small bowls completed but not pictured. As most of the supplies were purchased at the Dollar Store, we had lots to work with.



Now the challenge is determining how many jelly beans you can eat without the chocolate bunny falling over.
Like Easter Jenga, but more delicious.

AL

What I Woke Up To

An acrostic poem from Lilah,
assisted by my only other early bird, Max:

 

I {heart} it. 
Have a great weekend!

AL

Rainbows, End Of

 

Naturally, there's been lots of talk of rainbows these days.
And lots of questions about leprechauns. Where they live, what they do, how tall they are. I'm afraid I'm caught in a Web of Lies... I can't remember the specifics of my prior remarks, and therefore my tiny doubter is increasingly suspicious.

Rainbows, however, are easy.
I admitted that I've never made it to the end of one, so I can only speculate about the allusive pot of gold.

Then I remembered that that, too, is a lie. I was there just last May.



It really is beautiful, my end of the rainbow.
Apparently, gold, for me = sunshine + shrimp.
Oh, and free roaming chickens.

AL

Boy Meets DC, Teen Meets SNL

Max and Jer flew to our nation's capital on Thursday for a weekend tournament where they enjoyed two days of sight-seeing followed by two days of soccer. Highlights include genuine sunshine, the Air and Space museum, and the Old Ebbitt Grill.
They didn't bring home any hardware this time, but Jer was immensely proud of his boy's regal behavior both on and off the field.
Max is, in a word, boss.

Here at home, Lilah, Kirby and I did a lot of relaxing, moderate cleaning, a little 3D movie watching, and a bit of bike riding. One of us also won a band contest and sculpted a Chilean river out of clay.

Additionally, the teen and I made a date to watch Saturday Night Live together, in which I swiftly alternated back and forth between laughter and revulsion at the adult humor that, technically, he's old enough to enjoy. I discovered that Kirby was already familiar with the Justin Timberlake/Andy Samberg music videos, specifically that holiday favorite from 2006. Ahem.

And then when I literally jumped up and down and clapped my hands over the surprise guest appearances of Paul Simon, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin? Well, I felt just about as old as Murphy Brown.

She looks great though, doesn't she?

AL

Snow Day!

xoxo

AL

Fault Fern Gully

They were the first thing we noticed when we pulled into 202 Park Ave for the first time; the big beautiful trees.

Our initial specifications to the realtor were two bathrooms, a true fireplace, and trees. We hoped that that last request would preclude any new subdivision homes she might be tempted to show us.
It worked; we toured eight very livable houses in under eight hours.

And as we pulled into this driveway in the realtor’s small car, the boys gnawing on the fruit snacks she’d provided and Lilah still quiet in my belly, Jer exclaimed “It's the one!”.
I was concerned at first, I know how hard Jeremy is to dissuade once he’s set his mind on something. I also suspected that he was basing his decision strictly on the basketball hoop in the driveway and the pool across the street.  And I was right.
But though the inside of the home was a far cry from what we wanted aesthetically, it did have two bathrooms, a fireplace, and trees.
It was ours.

And while we’ve slowly but surely changed the inside of our home, the gorgeous oak trees require no updating, no renovating; just great curb appeal for zero effort.
So you can imagine my sorrow when bark and branches started to fall and few new buds came in the spring.
I called an arborist a few years ago to consult, to see if anything could be done to slow their demise. His prognosis was not good, they were just too old, he said. He gave every oak tree in the yard a life expectancy of just five to ten more years.

The first to go was the oak in the front, near the driveway. I remember that the arborist actually put his hand on the trunk as if searching for a heartbeat.  He was genuinely sorry that they were dying, just as I was. So even though the tree's visible decay has resulted in random visits and free estimates from a dozen different tree services in the last few years, it was the arborist that we hired for the job.

He and his crew came yesterday and set about bringing down the 200 year old tree, our great Grandpa tree out front.  That particular tree was never actually played on by my kids; it's branches too high and scary looking.  He was always old, brittle and severe - but full of sap, nevertheless.
The arborist and crew also trimmed our beauty in the back, the great Grandma tree; even removing most of the branch holding our tire swing, leaving a stub simply for that purpose.  She is obviously more involved in the kids' lives, perfect for lounging under or hiding behind. We're lucky to have her with us for a little while longer.

Jer was home for a bit during the tree work yesterday.  At almost the last moment we decided we needed a keepsake and ran outside amongst the roaring chainsaws to attempt to roll a large piece of trunk to safety. The arborist noticed and offered his assistance.  We chose three large stumps to save and use as stools around the fire pit. One is so wide it's practically a love seat. 
We'll sit on it together when it's not so cold.  We'll sit outside on that ancient piece of oak, roast some mallows, and listen to Jer tease me for personifying trees.



AL