Take a Picture. It'll Last Longer.

Hey Baby, Say Cheese!

I have an adorable video clip of this too.  But alas, technology interferes and I cannot get it into my video editing software.  It consists of Blake saying (repeatedly) in a high pitched sing-song voice "Say cheese Honey.  Blake takin' yo pic-cha."

I love those moments when one of the kids says something that just makes me smile.  These moments often stem from a comment they make when they are mistaken, misunderstand, or are misunderstood.  But what makes me grin ear to ear is when I can understand where their misdirected reasoning is coming from.

I was driving with Blake and Paige on our way to St. Cloud the other day when this absolutely fantastic conversation took place.  First, Blake brings up the following topic out of no where.  He has obviously been thinking about this for awhile during the car ride.

Blake  "Flies must be REALLY smart."
Mom   "Why do you say that?"
Blake  "They have about a million lenses in their eyes.  It would be very difficult to get your brain to focus on all of that information at once."
Mom    "Yes, I guess that would be difficult."
Blake  "We only have two and sometimes that is a lot to concentrate on."

Blake then realizes that poor Paige has no idea what we are talking about since this is obviously something that you don't learn until 2nd grade science class.  So he takes it upon himself to share his vast knowledge on the subject.

Blake  "Paige, flies have a million lenses in their eyes but humans only have two."
Paige   "Oh."
Blake  "The lens in each eye is how you see.  It functions like a camera.  Except it doesn't really take a picture...Unless you have photographic memory.

Yep, there it was.  That wonderful moment where something your child says brings true joy because it is funny and innocent and thoughtful and so many other things all wrapped into one.

Blake   "Right Mom?"

I can't answer right now, I am still smiling.

Trick or Treat

Headline: Hannah Montana Gets Eaten by a Werewolf!

I must say, Halloween costumes were so easy this year, yay! Blake saw the Werewolf mask/shirt and knew that is what he wanted to be. I think Paige has known all year that she was going to be Hannah Montana. I bought Paige a blonde wig and the rest of the outfit we scrounged up from around the house. Well, except for the hot pink leopard print treat bag. I saw that bag and had to get it, not only is it super fun but it is actually really well constructed (which is a halloween treat bag first)...and did I mention it was super fun! Blake stuck with the good ol' plastic pumpkin for his treats. Those were well worth the 1.99 or whatever it was that we paid for them years ago. A lot of candy has filled that jack 0 lantern! The kids had a fantastic time walking the neighborhood. It was pretty nice for Henry and I too. This was the first year that no one asked to be carried or for us to carry their bags or various costume accessories. After making the rounds, Henry and Blake went to the high school football game while Paige and I headed home to hand out candy. I should clarify that Paige hands out the candy. If it was my job to hand out treats, the lights would be off and I would be hiding out in the basement. I am pretty sure it is purely a manifestation of my introversion. While it is fun to see kids having fun, handing out candy is definitely not on my list of things I care to do, ever. Having said that, I really do appreciate the people that do like to hand out candy. Trick or Treating on Halloween is one of those great childhood experiences that is only truly enjoyed for a handful of years. But geez, it sure has changed a lot since I was a kid...I don't think I saw a single punk rocker or hobo, and there was not a single popcorn ball in sight.

Blake was determined to carve his pumpkin all by himself this year.

Paige still likes a little help from Daddy.

Still Friends.

Happy Birthday Henry

Henry loved his "cake" (pan of scotcharoos). Paige expressed concern about the number of candles. She was worried we might burn the house down. I was actually a bit worried too since the candles are being held up by a tiny bit of frosting on top of the bars. We had to take this picture quickly.

Which present should Daddy open first?

We have found that Paper Rock Scissors solves just about any disagreement. We have back to back rules when the stakes are high to avoid cheating. We also generally go best two out of three, in case you were wondering.

I let the kids choose their gifts for Daddy this year. Actually, this isn't the first one that Paige chose. I fibbed and told her the hot pink version of this Polo shirt wasn't the right size. She quickly decided that this was the one! She also made a gold star crown for the birthday boy. This is the first time that the kids really made their own choices so it was a lot of fun to buy the gifts. Henry loved them all.

The blow-out aftermath...who was worried? I was obviously too slow to get a picture of Henry actually blowing the candles out, but this is even better. I laughed out loud when I saw that I had captured the smokey haze. Quick, cut the "cake"...we love scotcharoos!

Happy 8th Birthday Blake!

Technology has come a long way in the last 8 years...
check out the quality of this digital camera photo.

My boy is getting so big but he'll always be my baby. I couldn't be more proud of what a fine young man he is turning out to be. He truly is a good kid. Love you!

On our way back home after a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Back to School

Blake and Paige's first day of school together.
Man, we really need to work on his "picture" smile...
REALLY need to work on it.

It's official. The kids are back in school. 2nd grade and Kindergarten. Unbelievable. It appears that maybe I should go back to school in order to refresh my memory on sentence fragments. It is okay to break grammar rules as long as it is for creative emphasis, right? My biggest crime lately has been my severe abuse of the ellipsis...google it.

Reduced to Tears

Paige on Kindergarten Orientation Day

I cried when Blake started Kindergarten. I was prepared to cry when Paige started Kindergarten. However, I thought it would happen as the bus pulled away or in the middle of the day when I started missing her. Nope. I started tearing up the night before her first day as I was picking out her clothes. I looked up at Paige and her lip started to tremble, "Mom are you crying?". "Yes, I'm crying because I can't believe you are starting Kindergarten tomorrow." Paige seems to contemplate this for a few seconds. Then, with tears welling up in her eyes she says, "Oh Mom, you're sad because you won't have anyone to play with.". Princess sure knows how to make me smile.

First Day

On Paige's first day of school I sent the kids to the bus stop but decided to walk over to give them both one last reminder. Paige needed to remember what grade she was in and her teacher's name. Blake needed to make sure his sister got off the bus with him.

Well, it is almost time for the bus to drop the kids off after school so I head to the front yard to wait. The bus stops, Blake and one of the neighbor kids get off, the bus pulls away. He is excitedly yelling to me from down the street about how his day went. After about the fourth time I yelled "Blake!", he quits talking and looks at me. "WHERE IS YOUR SISTER?" The realization now hits him and he smacks his palm to his forehead. "Ugh, I am such an idiot!" Just then the bus stops, the door opens, and out bounces Paige. "I noticed I missed my house and told the bus driver he needed to stop." Nothing phases that girl.

Back to the Grind

So, school is in full swing now with spelling tests, speak-up, book orders, pre-decodable books, AR tests, school pictures, and all the other good stuff the come with elementary school. Blake and Paige are doing fantastic and are getting used to having a schedule again.

Blake's 1st Day of 2nd Grade

Life's a Beach and then you Swim!

A day at the beach at K&Ms.

Summer is swiftly coming to an end so I decided to do a little montage of some of this summer's water moments. It's time to let your favorite Beach Boys tune start on infinite loop in your head...

THE CABIN

Notice the snorkel gear is already in place.

White caps make perfect surfing waves,
for a 5 and 7 year old.

Whoa, guess it isn't as easy as they make it look on TV.


FOURTH OF JULY
A 4th of July tradition.

A new 4th of July feature this year.


ITALY
Monterosso here we come...
just over a 2 mile hike on a perilous, narrow, rocky,
mountain path overlooking the sea...fantastic!

On the beach at last!
Looking back at the mountains we crossed to get here.

Henry taking a dip in the sea.
This picture makes me thirsty for a Corona.

"Summer" Sports with Sticks

Mid-summer pic of the kids...at an ice arena.

We weren't able to sign the kids up for many activities this year because our beginning of the summer vacations cut into most of the available recreation programs. It is probably a good thing since we have had something scheduled nearly everyday.

Paige geared-up for her first hockey game!

Paige decided that she would like to give hockey a try. So Henry and I decided that a good way to test the water was to send her to hockey camp with Blake. For their age group, it was a day camp conveniently located about 10 minutes from our cabin. They absolutely loved it! I must say that I was a little apprehensive about the lack of supervision, at first. You must realize that level of supervision is rather subjective in nature. Coming from the compulsive head counter, they were pretty much on their own. Blake and Paige were at camp from 7:30 until 5:00 Monday through Friday with ice time on Sunday and games on Saturday, an entire week.

Hockey Huddle
(Paige is #4 with the pink tape on her stick)

I experienced one of those parental bitter-sweet "moments" with Blake on the first full day of camp. The kids were in separate groups, with Blake finishing before Paige. When I arrived to pick them up, I found Blake in the pro shop trying to decide what to buy. They each got some money in an account at the beginning of camp, and they both went a teensy bit overboard on their first day of freedom...slushies, ice cream, candy, powerade (the only restriction we gave them was no pop). I walk in the room and get a casual "hey Mom". He is hanging out with some friends so I try not to impose. A couple minutes later he bellies up to the snack counter. It is supper time so I head over to check the situation out. All cool and casual, "Can I getcha' anything?". Well, he does have his own account money. "No thanks bud. What are you getting?" "Ah, I was just going to get a pizza." Delicate situation here. It is supper time but I don't want to squash the tiny bit of independence he seems to have acquired in the last 9 hours, "Well, it is supper time as soon as Paige gets back from ice time.". In retrospect, I guess my response could be interpreted differently than intended by a 7 year old. I walk to the doors to check for Paige's van. As I turn around I hear Blake asking about small versus large pizza, both in terms of cost and actual size. Needless to say, our supper was pizza in the pro shop, compliments of my baby boy.

I was so unbelievably proud of my munchkins that week. Blake was able to spread his wings, a little. He is generally shy and uncertain in new situations, just like me, so it was great to see him have to fend for himself. Paige is more like Henry when it comes to personality and she put it all to good use that week. She was the only girl in her group and the only kid that was not already involved in hockey. This meant she was the slowest, slowest, slowest skater in her group. From what I saw, she never gave up and never took shortcuts. I both envy her and am infinitely proud of how she handled the situation. She is a firecracker!

Now where is that darn puck?

The realization has now fully sunk in that hockey is, in fact, a year round sport. Regular season runs from October to March, Spring League from April to May, Hockey Camp in July, and Fall League from August to September. What, we missed a month!

Two kids worth of gear...you can identify the kids
by smell that don't air out their gear...nasty, nasty, nasty.

Blake also played Baseball this summer from June through July. I know, everyone thinks we are insane. I am really glad that we are able to provide our kids the opportunity to try out different sports. I never had that chance and can't even hold my own in backyard pick-up games. I hold no illusions that Blake is going to be a superstar athlete, he takes after me remember. I could be wrong, we'll just have to wait and see. Regardless, it is a great chance to learn some valuable life lessons. And my favorite part is how amazing Henry is with all of it. He coaches every chance he gets, cheers from the stands, and holds practice session in the backyard and driveway. He is such an amazing Dad, so involved and loves every minute of it.

Complete focus.

The Team

The camera refused to focus on anything but the fence.
It is kind of artsy, I guess.

Cue Alice Cooper

Who's ready for SUMMER?

School's Out! Yes, I know school has been out for a few weeks already, but this felt like the first week of summer for us. The beginning of June was hectic (in a good way) with vacations and Spunktacular Days Fun Run planning. Last week was our first chance to get into the summer routine of having no routine. It was fantastic! We slept in, picked fresh veggies from the garden, mowed lawn, rode bikes, ate ice cream, hit the beach, played baseball, and went to the cabin, just to name a few things. And the weather was HOT, HOT, HOT with some good old Minnesota humidity. I love it!

Paige's first black eye.

Last year Blake hit her in the head with an aluminum bat. This year he hit her in the face with a pitch. This baseball injury looked much worse in person, but I just couldn't capture it quite right on camera. However, I do love the added pout for emphasis.

I ran outside when I heard the commotion. Henry said, "I don't know why she stepped into it. The pitch was obviously inside." It takes my brain a few seconds to process this language that I don't speak. It just looked, to me, like she got hit in the cheek with a baseball.

Blake biking in the rain.

I truly believe that playing in the rain is one of the greatest parts of childhood. This is, of course, closely rivaled by playing in mud puddles. I have some wonderful photos of the kids during these magical moments that only happen a couple times a year.

Blake (aka Mr. Cool Sports Kid) at Spunk Days.

Bring on Parade Season! Blake seemed so much older that weekend. Going off on his own a little and hanging out with friends. Not to mention, how serious he was about collecting the parade loot. He didn't do too bad. Does anyone have any recipes that call for Tootsie Rolls?

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Blake and Paige are rarely sick. There have even been a couple years during which the only time they went to the doctor was for their wellness check. Despite that, they sure do seem to pick up some dandy illnesses.

Paige had RSV when she was 3 weeks old. The doctor scared us with all of the possible repercussions that could follow her throughout childhood. Nope, she is as healthy as a horse. In fact, she sometimes thinks she is a horse, or a dog, or a cat, or a cheetah. She also had Scarlet Fever when she was about 2 years old. No big deal.

Last week, Blake tested positive for Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The only reason I took him to the doctor was because the school district had just sent home another letter asking parents to get their kids tested for any cough lasting 5 days or more. I am such a rule follower! Blake coughed a couple times, and I knew he had been exposed, so I took him in to the doctor with a mild, mild, mild cough and zero other symptoms. Henry thought I was nuts especially since I generally try to avoid taking the kids in to the doctor unless I am really concerned. Well, the test results were positive so the whole family got to take a course of antibiotics. Top it off with multiple calls from the Minnesota Department of Health, and the whole saga seemed very silly considering that he only coughed a handful of times, there were no coughing spells and no whoops. Blake thought missing school (school policy) was pretty cool since he didn't feel sick...and with the long holiday weekend, he ended up with an entire week of vacation.

Busted!

Remember when you were a kid and you always wondered what your parents did after they made you go to bed?

Remember when you finally realized what your parents did after they made you go to bed?

It was then that you realized why it always seemed so urgent that you go to bed RIGHT NOW, even if it was still light out.

Parents out there...have any of your kids discovered your dirty little secrets?

Today Paige opened a drawer and stumbled upon one of ours...

First Curiosity

Then Disgust, Rage & Anger

Finally Disappointment

That's right kiddos.

We make you go to bed so early so we can eat Dairy Queen...WITHOUT YOU.

Sweet Dreams.

I'll Always Make Time for You

There are always laughs to be had when children are not sure what is to be taken literally. Now that Blake is getting the hang of the concept, he loves to tell Paige "Ugh, it is just a figure of speech!" (with ubiquitous eye-roll and head shake...which he gets from me...just ask Henry).

My favorite "not literally" moment with Blake was when he was about 3 years old. We were outside doing yard work on the front lawn when he decided he had to go to the bathroom, NOW. I looked around and some of the neighbors were outside so I told him "go pee on the side of the house". After a few seconds, I walked to the side of the house to check on him. He was doing exactly what I told him to do...peeing ON the side of the house. Of course, I just have to laugh because I can't possibly get mad at him for doing exactly what I told him to do.

I had a pretty humorous "not literally" moment with Paige the other day. I made her toast for breakfast and told her to hurry up and eat it because we needed to leave as soon as Daddy got home. Paige does not hurry up and do ANYTHING. She walked away from the table to gather up some of her beloved stuffed animals, leaving her food unattended. This is a huge no-no at our house...a few seconds later I hear Paige shriek (she shrieks a lot) "Bad Ringo". She comes running into the laundry room crying, very upset that Ringo is eating her toast. I told her I could make more. This made her even more upset. "There isn't enough time. You said we had to hurry because we have to leave. I won't have time to eat." So I reassured her by saying, "It is okay. We can make time." Wrong answer. Insert strange facial gesture of anger and confusion mixed with crocodile tears. "YOU CAN'T MAKE TIME. NOBODY CAN MAKE TIME. HOW DO YOU MAKE TIME? YOU CAN'T!" Whoa. My mind was caught between laughing at how much this upset her, being upset at her for yelling at me, and being proud of her understanding of the concept of time. "You are absolutely right sweetheart. No one can make time. It was a figure of speech. What I meant was that we will wait for you to finish eating your breakfast." Thankfully, this appeased her.

I love to try to imagine what is going on in their little brains and how they see things with their level of understanding (strange carry-over from the background in psychology). What I pictured made me giggle...

Mmmmmm...Fresh Batch of Time Comin' Right Up

Be the Puck

The SCSU Hockey Spring League is almost done for the year.  It is such a fun time.  The teams only have games (no practice) and they get to play on the SCSU main rink.  It is pretty exciting for the kids to get to skate the same ice that the Huskies do.  It really great to see their skills improve so much and in such a short amount of time.  They play full ice and there are only 7(?) players on Blake's team as opposed to 35 during the regular season so they get a lot of meaningful ice time.  It is a lot more fun for me to watch the Spring League games too.  They actually turn the heat on in the arena (hear that River Lakes?).  And other than the jersey, they can wear whatever they want for their uniform.  Henry bought Blake a pair of red socks so he is easier to spot.  Now I can actually watch him instead of spending half of the time just trying to find him.  

Blake has had some pretty impressive games the last couple weeks. Grandma and Grandpa Blattner came to watch on Monday so Blake had some incentive to play extra hard.  He scored 5 goals and was pretty pumped.  Henry said he had a great attitude during the entire game which is what makes us, me and Henry, happy...well, seeing him score some goals is nice too.  Keep up the good work Blake!  What an awesome kid.  I wish I could skate half as well as he can.  Maybe next winter he can give me some pointers!

Face-off

Blake with the puck.

Blake (on the ice) as he scored a goal.

Hey, there is that cute coach again!

Life in the 'hood

There are many impromptu gatherings that happen in our neighborhood once the weather warms up. The kids tend to go through phases as to which house they prefer to hang out at. Yesterday, we were the lucky winners. There were 9 kids here playing outside on the trampoline, on the swing set, and in the sand box. Later, they moved the action indoors with some shinny hockey for the boys and playing house for the girls. I love these days. There was no crying, no fighting, and other than a couple jackets left outside, nothing that wasn't put back in it's place when they were done. The crowd dispersed family by family as supper time arrived. 

Boys Turn to Jump

Girls Turn to Jump

Running out of Milestones

We have been trying to get rid of the training wheels since last summer, but Paige was not having it. We tried bribery. We tried threats (mostly empty). We bought her a new pink bike to replace Blake's hand-me-down bike. She wore a helmet and gloves and tennis shoes and knee pads. I got a sore back from holding on to her as she went back and forth in the cul-de-sac. We "threw away" (empty threats, remember) the training wheels. She still didn't care. Did I mention the new bike has a basket AND the dangly pom-pom things on the handle bars. Paige was steadfast in her beliefs, who needs to bike when you can walk or rollerblade! It was so incredibly frustrating because we could tell that she COULD do it, but she just WOULDN'T do it. As soon as Henry or I would let go of the bike she would immediately fall over...and get hurt...and cry. We had all but given up.

The day Paige learned how to ride her bike.

Then came Saturday. It was a beautiful day so we decided to go for a family bike ride. Too bad for Paige, right? We told her she had one chance to try to ride her bike by herself or she wouldn't get to go on the family bike rides with us. (Side note: we make a LOT of bike trips to Dairy Queen in the summer so missing out on the bike rides is a pretty big thing.) She agreed to try. Paige sat on the bike and I gave her a good push. Guess what, that was it! Not only could she ride by herself, but she could stop by herself (without wiping out) and she could get going all by herself. In true to our family fashion, we took it to the next level. After she demonstrated her abilities for a total of about 3 minutes, we went on a 2 mile bike ride. No problems. The next day Henry took the kids on a 3 mile ride. All good. The following day, I had the kids bike along with me on my run. I haven't checked the mileage on it, but we are thinking it was around 3.5 miles. Paige and I did the same route again today. I think that is about her max distance since it just takes too much pedal power to get those little wheels to go long distances. And that is fine because I am a slow runner so it is just a nice casual bike ride for her and an easy short run for me. I love having another activity that we can do together. Paige is so stinkin' hilarious and this provides plenty of conversation time for the two of us without the distractions. My kids never cease to amaze me with their abilities, their drive, and their personalities. They are so fantastic (except for when they aren't so fantastic but fortunately that isn't very often) and they are growing up so fast.

Mr. Cool

Ms. Cool

It is definitely bittersweet. Learning to ride a bike is one of the big milestones. The sad part is that I am reminded that there aren't many "kid" milestones left. To top it off, in true break Mommy's heart fashion, Paige tied her own shoes today before our bike ride. Oh man. I may have to ban her from chewing gum for a few years so I can at least hold on to the 'learning how to blow bubbles' milestone. And, don't even get me started on kindergarten next year...I think I am going to go cry now...

Hoppy Easter!