Even 5 Year Olds Can Spring Clean

Today on the way home Garrett asked me if he could 'redo' the pantry. I don't know WHERE my mind was, so I agreed. I certainly wasn't thinking that he'd do this:

I know, isn't that embarrassing? My pantry wasn't that bad initially, I swear!

He wasn't joking- he totally emptied it. (Except for the top 2 shelves- heavy cans and glass bottles are off limits!)

I gave my husband an aneurysm by sending him this photo:

I helped only a little- threw out some stale crackers and some past prime pancake mixes. (And Cream of Wheat. That expired in 2000 What? How did that last that long?? That means it moved with us. Possibly twice!)

It took him a couple of hours, but he stuck with it, (a trait he apparently gets from his dad, not his mom. I would have bailed an hour into it and made Joel help me), and eventually got to this:


I know, not too bad, right?

Let's look a little closer. It's full of little gems like this:


I am positive Garrett has big plans for that candy (which is not nearly as old as the Cream of Wheat, I promise), probably something to do with 'playdate' and 'Grayson.'

Interesting placement!

And this- see the conversation hearts balanced in that random corner? Mom will never notice if they disappear!


I love the spice packets arranged for maximum viewing pleasure:

Oh, he was so proud!

And There Went Spring Break

We had a great week. I don't have pictures of much (other than Carter's birthday and fishing), but it was sure nice to have a week of lazy mornings and quiet days. Here is a run down of what we've been up to. (More for me, so next year when I say, "What did we do last year?!?!?", I'll know!)

• Lunch with Joel and a little shopping in Hillsboro.
• Play date with friends while I got my hair done.
• Pedis and dinner with Judy! (YUM.)
• Fishing and collecting tadpoles with Joel.
• Cleaning out of all bedrooms, which lead to:
• Numerous trips to Goodwill, New To You, and Greenlands recycling!
• Weekend with Joel's parents- Joel and Bill working in the garage, Vanita playing with the kids, and me pulling weeds.
• Much of Vegetable Garden '09 planted in starter trays!
• Playing outside when weather allowed.

It was a fun, relaxing, and productive week. I could use another!

Fishing and Farm

I typed all this on Thursday, but have been fighting with Picasa ever since and haven't been able to get the slide show updated . . .

Today Joel decided to take the day off, and wanted to . . . go fishing. The kids were excited, and he promised me Starbucks on the way out of town, so it was unanimous.

We didn't get lucky in the fish department, but it was a gorgeous morning. So many birds singing, Canadian geese taking flight, and the sun even came out a few times.

After our time at the pond we went to check on things at 'Papa Vroom Vroom's' farm. We were hoping to find some tadpoles for Garrett's class.

When we returned home we worked and played outside until dinnertime. Even though I am always thinking about where we were exactly a year ago currently, I was reminded today how much I love my family and how much fun we have. Even in Willamina. Ha!

Monday

Mondays just aren't generally that great. But this Monday was pretty nice.

Let's see . . .

• no school
• back to running (after a 2 week hiatus)
• kids playing together- nicely
• new haircut! (and color! and waxed eyebrows!)
• friend who is willing to watch my Wilds while the above happened (THANK YOU! I don't know why Garrett is SO wild around your husband! He drives me nuts!)
  
• sunshine in the morning (now it's pouring and windy, but hey! Sun in the morning is good!)
• And to top it all off, these daffodils in my window. Ah, they smell so good. (Thanks for them, Mom!)

I could handle about a month of Spring Break, for sure.

Oh, Carter Mac

The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.

- Pablo Casals

To our sweet, sweet, funny boy,
What would we do without you? Today, this day of your birth, we stop and think of 3 years ago when you burst into the world without a second thought. We weren't ready for you, the doctors said you weren't ready, but you had other plans. I love thinking through the events of that day. Me, going to the doctor and having her tell me that you'd stay put for another week, at least. Getting an ultrasound and finding out that you were breech! On my way home, making calls, assuring everyone that we were fine, and that, yes, we could still have the baby shower. Your papa was watching The Bigs, so I stopped at Hallmark on the way home to pick up a baby book. Just because.

Once I got home, I laid down on that old green couch, and was talking to Kim on the phone. All of the sudden it was very apparent to me that you were intent on proving everyone wrong. A quick trip to the hospital, urgent calls to your daddy and Nana, and a couple of hours later . . . after a black lace underwear debacle and pleading prayers, you were here. Tiny. Loud. And healthy. Perfect. Thank you, Lord.

When I was pregnant with you I often worried that you'd be adversely affected by the stress, the sickness, and the issues we'd had those several months. But once you were here, it was like you'd stashed away all that joy that we couldn't use during those dark days, and you kept it for us. The past 3 years, you've just shone. You are a light to your daddy and me. You shine for your brother and sister. You are loved by so many. You are funny, strong willed, smart, and oh, so sweet. It's hard to imagine how our family ever felt complete before you arrived on the scene.

Happy Birthday, Carter Mac. We love you so.
Love,
Your Mama

1st Birthday






2nd Birthday

Happy Birthday, Carter Mac!

We've had a great day with good friends and family. Click to see bigger.

A Few More of Talent Show '09

Had to include some of these too cute shots.

Waiting in the wings.

After the show the girls were so happy and excited about their performance. Maddy kept saying, "That was SO fun!" When we got home she sighed and said, "I haven't had that much fun since . . . Europe!" This morning there was one more round of the Talent Show- this time for the entire school audience. Madeline said, "That was even better than last night!" She is definitely a performer!

Molly, Carter, and Abby watching a little this morning. Allison had the awesome idea for us to watch the kindergarten boys do their dance, go to Starbucks for an hour, and then come back to catch the end of the show and watch the girls dance. It was perfect since we had these little munchkins in tow!

Talent . . .

Disclaimer: I really and truly don't expect the majority of you to spend 3-4 minutes of your life watching a low quality, shaky, and sometimes motion sickness inducing (sorry about that) videos of my kids. Mostly this blog entry is for me, plus my dad is in Thailand right now and I have fam in Idaho who may get a kick out of this. I know to the regular person none of this is that entertaining, but I know there are a certain few who will enjoy it.

Last night was the big Talent Show at the Bigs' school. I think it was the first time we went to a function for both of them! Garrett and his class started off the evening with a 'Heel-Toe-Slide' dance. It was too cute, and afterward Garrett told me it was 'really hard' to help his partner remember . The belly laughs in the video? That would be me. I don't think anything cracks me up more than this kid.



An hour later, it was finally Maddy's turn. She and her friends, Alyssa, Diana, and Alexis, put together a dance to a High School Musical 3 song. It's called, "Night to Remember" and it's about them all getting ready for the prom. Madeline has a first class dress up stash, thanks to my aunt and cousin (and a wedding or two I've been in), and the girls all picked dresses to wear out of that. They did all the 'coreography' themselves, and I think they were pretty cute.



Meanwhile, Carter was a pretty good audience member. We had a front row seat (I know, just so surprising, huh?), so towards the end I let him 'sit' on the ground. That sitting turned into more of a laying, and then a scooting and turning. By that time we didn't really care- he was quiet, which was more than could be said for the majority of the under three crowd in the audience!

One Year Ago Today . . .

Rome

. . . we left for our big adventure.

Sissy twirling in the smoky Frankfurt Terminal after a LONG flight from Portland. We had to kill a few hours before our hourish hop to Rome.

I can't believe it's already been a year.

Carter playing in a drinking fountain near the great Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain is one of the things that G still talks about.

Sometimes I look up airfare, just for fun.

Chasing pigeons in any given square at any given time was always a favorite pastime. This particular time was during our first day in Rome. I know this because after a few days I didn't have the presence of mind to match my sons anymore.

I can't do that today because I swear I would buy the tickets.

My babies looking at 2000 year old brick in the Roman Forum. I loved this.

And then we'd land in Italy, and we'd be there but we'd be out of money for food and lodging, and I have a feeling that would be less fun than the five weeks we spent there last year. And also my husband may not be all that happy with me because he doesn't have very much vacation plus the whole spending-all-that-money-without-discussing it thing.

Hot chocolate and a latte in Piazza Navona- priceless. (Ok, so it was $40. And yes, it was shocking to get the bill.) But still, pretty fun! (And also made Starbuck's $4 lattes go up a bit in Joel's book!)

So instead, this week, (and probably for the next 5, and most likely the rest of our life), we'll be reading our travel blog over and over and over. And we'll look through the 2000 pictures that we took. Those 2000 pictures that I still have not done a thing with because I am too overwhelmed to go through them and order and I am too intimidated to go through them and delete any. Even the ones with bad lighting and eyes half closed.

Colosseum (after being stuck in some bushes in a rainstorm!)

And lots of sentences at this house will start with, "Remember when . . . ?" or "Remember that time that . . .?" or, "I loved it when . . . " (And all memories tied with Rome will include being stuck in a rainstorm.)

Playing At Explora, il Museo dei Bambini di Roma- on Carter's 2nd Birthday.

I guess memories are a pretty good second to actually being there.

Amen!

Each night, after 'Pers', Carter sings this song. Usually he breaks into singing, but this particular night he needed a little prompting, thanks to the camera in my hand, I'm sure.

I particularly like how he finishes the song with a long, hearty 'Ameeeeeeen!' and shakes his head a little.

Much Better!

I have a house full of third grade girls this afternoon practicing for
the talent show, so I thought I'd better give the cookies another try. I used the same recipe because I really liked the taste. But, I did
take all your advice and used different pans, cold dough, and
shortening! I have to admit that I bought shortening at whole foods and it is all vegetable, non hydrogenated, and has no trans fats. I know,
it's embarrassing!

The cookies turned out delish!

Two Years!

Well, I missed my 2 year bloggiversary. It was last week, the 12th, I think. I also missed my first bloggiversary.

Neither of these things are surprising.

In the big picture, I suppose a bloggiversary isn't really noteworthy. (Except, here I am! Blogging about it! Shocking!)

I love my blog because it helps me remember moments of this season of our lives. In one shot, it's a photo album, a journal, a baby book, and a scrapbook of sorts. (I have none, or very little, of those other things.) I love that my family, whether down the street, or around the US, or on the other side of the world can with just a few clicks, get a glimpse of my babies, of their personalities, and how fun they are. I also love reading your blogs and how I've been reconnected with so many people thanks to blogging.

Sometimes I can just imagine my kids talking 50 years from now.
"Remember mom and her camera?"
"Yeah, she was always putting things on that blog! So embarrassing!"
"That one time we were actually ready for church early? And instead of going to church on time, she made us all pose outside and jump off the step about a thousand times?"
"Ugh, I totally remember that. We should have known then she was getting looney."

So, here's to many more forgotten bloggiversaries!

End of the Road . . .

The Lightning Readers had their final battles this morning at the Regional competition. There were schools from all over Western Oregon- Corvallis, Silverton, Albany, etc. I am possibly making some of that up, but truthfully there were a LOT of teams and most of them I'd never heard of their multi word school name.

Our kids did a good job. They finished Round 1 right around 10th. Which is pretty dang respectable considering they are 3rd graders (most teams are 4th and 5th graders) and considering there were 25ish teams there. (I say 30, Joel says less than 24.) They were definitely disappointed to be bumped out of the second round, and there were (more than) a few tears. I'll admit to tearing up too, I know, it's shocking, but I hated to see our sweet kids so sad! They have a lot to be proud of though. They've been a great team. They've kept things positive and been good sports. They've worked hard, and were school champs! We are so proud of them. (And can't wait until next year!)

Carter's First Trip to the Dentist!

Under Pressure!

Here are some pics from last night. They were in the first round, and SO nervous. Josh even had to talk into a microphone! They did good though and we are so proud of them. On to regionals!

I love how they huddle together as soon as the question is asked.

I am wild about these sweet, smart kids!

3rd Place!

Our sweet Lightning Readers came in 3rd place in our district tonight! (Out of 6, for those who are wondering.) I think they are the only third graders in this round, so that makes their place even sweeter. It was much more intimidating than the battles in their school library, that's for sure! (It was held in the high school auditorium . . . on stage!

Pics tomorrow . . . I am so tired tonight!

We have one more round on Saturday. I hear there are going to be SIXTY TEAMS THERE. Oh my word!

Cookies

I thought I'd whip up some cookies tonight. Tomorrow is Maddy's team's District level Battle- they compete with the other finalist teams from the other schools in town. Following in my mom's footsteps, I thought some homemade cookies would be just the perfect addition to a long evening at the high school for our families.

You have to understand that my mom is practically famous for her homemade cookies. When I was growing up she made cookies for everything. Track meet? She sent cookies. (Seriously- every. single. track meet.) Snow day? She made cookies. Bad break up? Good break up? No break up? Go to Sarri's for her mom's cookies! Cookies for moving, cookies for snacks, cookies for backyard sleep outs. And they were always GOOD.

So, tonight was Joel's night to tuck in the babes, the dishes were quick and easy, and I had a new recipe to try. You can say the new recipe was my problem, but honestly this happens to me EVERY SINGLE TIME. ANY RECIPE I TRY. It's so frustrating!

My cookies are flat. And thin. They taste fine, good even. (A little sweet for my taste.) But WHY are they SO FLAT AND THIN. And the recipe said to scoop by the teaspoon, which I did, and it would make 3 dozen. Not true! We ate 5, and there are maybe a dozen left! Ugh. But really! Why are they so ugly??? WHY do my cookies always look gross?

So sorry Denneys and Eitzens. I won't be bringing homemade cookies for us to chew on. We'll have to stick to chewing on our fingernails to calm our nerves.

Urg! So irritating!

How Worlds Connect

Today was Madeline's reception for the essay contest she won third place in last week. She read her essay beautifully- twice! Once for the audience and once for channel 11! Her essay was on the topic of, "How World Connect at my Library", and it had to be between 50 and 100 words.

I read Bound For Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen. I learned that times can be very hard on the Oregon Trail. I think a lot of people were nervous on the long journey. I wonder if all the McReynolds survived. I imagine being on the Oregon Trail. The library really lets my mind go free to other worlds and I can go anywhere, anytime. That's how worlds connect at my library.