Star Gazing

One of the things Paul and I discovered about ourselves while dating, is that we both love topics concerning space. We are so nerdy, that as kids we wanted to be astronauts when we grew up. Upon finding out that little tidbit about each other, we knew we were destined to be husband and wife.

My birthday was last week. With it, marks a special celestial event: the annual Perseid meteor shower. Being the space geek that I am, I've known this since I was a teenager. Oh, the excitement of looking up at the night sky to see shooting stars! One big problem, I've always lived in a rather big city. Too much light pollution meant for less than optimal viewing. Heavy sigh.

In my adults years, I have been busy surviving college, jobs, and major life changes. Taking time away from precious sleep to star gaze was out of the question. This year, however, was different. This year I wanted to get my little family involved in one of my past hobbies.

Last night was the optimal time for viewing the meteor shower. I checked the weather on the internet, and discovered that our area was due for thunderstorms. Friday night was the least likely to have cloud cover, so we opted for that instead.

We loaded an excited Ian and Laurel, both donning their pajamas, into the van. Thanks to previous books we've read, Ian understood the concept of looking for shooting stars and eagerly talked about it days beforehand. Laurel, not too sure of all the preparations we were taking, but very aware of what stars are, was happy to get out of the house.

We drove beyond the city limits, into the desert, hoping to find just the right spot. The van rolling over hill after hill, put Laurel to sleep. It was late, I expected that. I hoped Ian would somehow elude sleep's powerful grip. I kept talking to him, trying to keep his brain active, and it worked. My little man was still awake when we finally parked along a dark dirt road.


Since I saw a tarantula crawling along the road not too far from where we parked, I opted to view from the safety of the van. We rolled down the windows, and I stuck my head out. Ian sat in my lap, and Paul bravely stood outside. Of course the poor man had no choice, his seat faced the wrong direction.

Upon looking towards the northeast sky, Paul and I were amazed at how many stars were visible. It had been too long since we viewed the night sky's beauty. We could even see the Milky Way! Quietly, we started looking for shooting stars. Ha, quietly - NOT! Ian was too excited and kept jabbering away about the stars. As well he should, this was quite a different adventure for all of us.

Paul was the first to see a meteor streak across the sky. He commented that it was faint, that perhaps we didn't drive far enough away from the city's lights. We kept staring into the Heavens, and finally I also viewed a shooting star. Ian kept yelling out, "I see a shooting star!" Whether or not he actually did, only he will know, but at least he had fun and he definitely saw more stars than he had in his entire life.

I think I got to see about four meteors, Paul a few more than that, Ian hopefully saw at least one, and Laurel had a good sleep in her carseat. Next time, we'll have to plan ahead and drive further away from the city's light pollution.

I can't wait for next year's event. Perhaps I don't have to. There's a possible meteor shower on September 1. There's also a lunar eclipse early in the morning on August 28.


Happy star gazing!

Power of Shmooze Award: Just for Fun

Elizabeth, over at Look at Us Now!, has sweetly awarded me a Power of Shmooze Award. Aw, shucks, thanks Elizabeth! Being a bit behind in my blogging, I'm finally getting around to posting about it (she awarded this to me back on July 18). I knew I needed to get this done soon, seeing as how Elizabeth is going to pop out baby #2 any day now, she's about 37 weeks along. Thankfully, I met her through blogging, otherwise her being Canadian and me being American this might not have been possible. I've learned we have some things in common: we're both teachers (well, I use to be and will be again once my kids are in elementary school), we both love to garden, our first born are adorable boys, we'll both have two kids within the next couple of weeks, and we both love being mommies. Dare I mention that we both have times where our houses look like chaos? What can we say, we live in the moment and enjoy our kids, the dishes and other housework can WAIT!

Go visit Elizabeth, she bravely posts pictures of her beautiful growing belly. I visit daily, each time holding my breath until I find out if her sweet baby has arrived.



The definition of this award: Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly comments, happily making new friends along the way.

The rules are as follows.

1) If you get the The Power of Schmooze Award, write a post with links that schmoozed you into submission.

2) Link to this post and Mike so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3) Optional: Proudly display the “Power of Schmooze Award” with a link to the post that you wrote.



Here are my winners:

Lady M
Lauren
Both of these lovely ladies do a wonderful job of sharing what's going on in their life. They also like to discuss topics that make you think, something we all need a daily dose of.

I'm also giving a preemptive Shmooze Award to:
Stella
Stella is one of my best friends for about 30 years. YES, that's right, 30 years. No, I'm not THAT old, it is just that we've known each other since second grade. How lucky am I? VERY LUCKY!!!

Stella is the person who got me started blogging, she's my inspiration. She had a year's lapse, but now she's back in the blogosphere (visualize me doing a little happy dance). I'm encouraging her to continue, to share the wonderful craziness of her life with the rest of us. Go visit her, she's got a picture of us at the baby shower we gave to another dear friend (baby #5) and her sister who completes our circle of friends of 30 years.

Happy Shmoozing Everybody!

Raindrops

Monsoon season usually brings us lots of humidity with thunderstorms in the late afternoon. The clouds quickly roll in, soon followed by a duststorm, lightning, thunder and rain. This year has been different. We've had gentle rainfall in the daytime. If it weren't for the heat, I would have thought it was winter.

Normally, we'd be cowering inside from all the lightning. Lucky us, there's none to be had most days, so we get to go outside and get WET!



Ian reports, "Mommy, it's raining outside," and runs to the back door.

Laurel only hears the word outside, and runs to get her shoes thinking we're heading out the door. What's a mom to do? Of course we head outside.











Silly Laurel tries to catch the raindrops in her mouth.












There's a small waterfall coming from the drain spout above. Cups are perfect to capture the precious rain. Ian choses to fill his dump trucks with the rainwater. Laurel decides it's more fun to pour it on herself.













"Mommy, mommy, pooples. Pooples, mommy!"














Ian doesn't bother with the puddles, he'd rather play in the MUD!!!

Rattlesnake Hoax

*Update to this morning's exciting anecdote:

So the snake dude came. Safely inside, I watched as he inspected behind the storage box. He then shifted the box and reached for the snake. What? He reached with his bare hand. I couldn't believe my eyes. He held the wriggling snake up for me and the kids to see. Then I realized my mistake. No, it wasn't a dreaded rattler. It was only a gopher snake.



In my defense, gopher snakes do shake their tails and are often mistaken for rattlesnakes. Better safe than sorry. The snake dude also told me that he has been retrieving many rattlesnakes from our neighborhood, so yes, it was good to call for help.

Oh...Uh...YIKES!!!

I'm babysitting the view of my porch from my back door. I'm standing here, shaking. My heart is racing, but starting to slow down now that I've made the necessary phone calls - first to the fire department, next to, ummmm, I can't recall the agency's name, but someone will be here soon. Soon, yes, soon I hope.

The kids and I head outside to enjoy a semi cool but humid morning. Monsoon season brings us a little relief in the heat department. I thought we would take advantage of it and enjoy the backyard. Ian grabs his big dump truck and Laurel follows me as I begin sweeping the porch.

Behind a storage box I notice the pool noodles and decide to move them and check for scorpions. Laurel eagerly waits to play with each one I hand her shortly after a thorough inspection. She runs after Ian and I bend down to pull out the last noodle. As my hand reaches for the styrofoam toy, I freeze. No, no, no, no, no, it can't be. I blink, "Where are the kids? I have to get the kids inside." The thought keeps racing through my head.

I grab Laurel like a football and hold her firmly under my arm and grab Ian by the arm. The only open door is next to the storage box the thing is hiding behind. Determined, I walk Ian and I to the door, open it, jump us both in, solidly close the door and lock it.

Phone calls are made and they should be here in about 20 to 30 minutes to remove a...



RATTLESNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I'm not particularly afraid of snakes, I use to own a harmless garter snake. But when they're venomous, that's another story entirely.

I'm so grateful I discovered it and not the kids. I can't stop all the "What if's" from going through my head.

*So a guy just called and said he would be right over, whew. I'm sending a huge thank you and donation to the Arizona Herpetological Association.

Ugh...

Life is busy, so blogging the way I want to blog is put on hold.

Our AC has been on the fritz. Not a good thing when you live in the desert and the daily temperature is around 110. For a few weeks, it hasn't been putting out cold air at night. Why only at night, one could only guess. Each night, the duration of its outage increased. The first set of technicians couldn't pin down the problem. Finally, we got a seasoned person who figured it out. Of course the part had to be ordered, and once it finally arrived at the company we could schedule the repair.

The day before the repair was to take place, Ian got to go over to Grandma and Grandpa's house, while Laurel and I enjoyed time together. While Laurel took a little siesta, I noticed the temperature was rising. Sure enough, no AC. By the time she woke up, the thermostat was reading 86. At that rate, I knew it would reach above 95 by the time Paul got home.

Laurel and I headed to a blessedly cold hotel room. After work, Paul packed up a few things for all of us and met us there. Ian got to have a little slumber party with the grandparents.

Our AC unit has been slowly falling apart ever since we moved in four years ago. It was time to bite the bullet and get a new one. OUCH!!!!

But, hurray, here we are in a nice, cool house. A nice, cool house that should stay that way relatively problem free for about 10 years.

Other things keeping us busy:
We headed up to Flagstaff for their annual Celtic Festival. It rained, it poured, and WE LOVED IT!!!

I'm excitedly co-hosting a baby shower for a dear friend I've known since elementary school. Proud to say I've known her about 28 years. This is baby #5 for her, YIKES! This week my goal is to clean the house so guests won't stick to the floors, walls, chairs, etc.

Have a great week everyone. Stay cool.

Math via Osmosis

I'm emptying out the dishwasher as Ian eats a snack in his booster chair. Above the clatter of dishes being stacked on top of one another, I hear Ian softly sing a familiar tune.

"There are three in the bed, and the little one says, 'Roll over.'"

I smile as I recognize the tune. Then, a huge question mark hangs over my head. I think to myself, "Where did he learn that song? I haven't sung it with him, and I don't think we've done it in any of his classes so far."

He continues, "They all roll over and one falls off, there are two in the bed, and the little one says, 'Roll over.'"

Puzzled where he may have heard this tune enough times to memorize it, I look around the corner at him. There sits Ian, playing with the grapes on his plate as he continues to sing the song. But wait, could it be, he has all the grapes off his plate except two. Coincidence?





Ian keeps singing, "They all roll over and one falls off..."

At this point I notice him roll one of the grapes off the plate leaving just one. "..there is one in the bed and the little one says, 'Roll over.'"

"No way, dude!" I exclaim looking at him. I stand there in disbelief over how my son is demonstrating subtraction skills.



I decide to test his skills. "Ian, let's start over. Let's put all the grapes back on the plate. How many grapes are there?"

"Mommy, mommy, six!" he happily chirps.

"Will you sing the song and move the grapes again for me?"

"Ok, Mommy." There's a brief pause as he touches the grapes, and then, "There are six in the bed, and the little one says, 'Roll over.' They all roll over and one falls off..." At this point he rolls a grape off the plate and onto the tray. "...there are five in the bed and the little one says, '"Roll over.'"

He continues the song, accurately moving one grape at a time and stating the number left. I'm impressed with my little mathematician. He's learned something through osmosis, now I just need to figure out from where.





"They all roll over and one falls off, there are three in the bed..."








Ok, Mister Brainiac, if you can do that, then explain to me Einstein's theory of relativity?




*Tonight, Paul informed me that the song in question is on one of our Kids Silly Songs CDs. My next question is, where did Ian learn to put action to the words? Hmmmm.

Dinnertime

Eating together as a family is important to both Paul and me. It's an activity that everyone can participate in no matter their age. It provides the opportunity for us to talk about the events of the day, what we learned, what struck as funny or sad or exciting, and what we hope we can do in the future.

There are times we talk about world events, something I relish since I'm not around other adults during the day. But since Laurel and Ian are too young yet to understand or show an interest, these topics are limited. If Paul or I dwell on such topics too long, the wee ones get antsy and may perform less than desirable tricks seeking attention. But as the kids get older, we will be able to include world events more and more. It's important for children to become aware of things outside their own little universe.

Often, topics include family members near and far. We are fortunate in having a large family, and there is constantly news to share or a story or two to tell. Ian and Laurel chime in cheerfully repeating familiar names and add that they want those people to come over. They never tire of their relatives.

What I look forward to most at dinnertime, is when one of us spontaneously will say or do something silly that makes us all laugh. Laurel loves blowing raspberries with food in her mouth, spraying anyone and anything within range. We try to keep straight faces so she will stop, but the silliness always overtakes us, we cave and laugh long and hard.

I also love displays of sweetness. I'm remembering a time when Ian and Laurel were sitting next to one another and Ian chose to hold Laurel's hand. We're not sure why he suddenly was so affectionate, but she sure loved it and let out happy, high pitched squeals. They must have spent a good five minutes eating with one hand and grasping their sibling's hand with the other, all the while giggling and looking at one another.

I look forward to dinnertime. It's important that we talk, that we know what's going on in each other's lives. It's important for us to have an activity that we all participate in at the same time. It helps us bond.

I realize that right now, while the kids are young, Paul and I have control over choosing to eat as a family every night. As Ian and Laurel get older, this may become a more and more difficult accomplishment. Being important to us, we will continue this nightly activity going as much as possible.



Paul, Ian and Laurel enjoying dinner. Yes, we keep a package of baby wipes close by. Laurel's a bit, ummmm, messy.

Thanks Lori, at Glass Half Full for the blogging idea of The Family Table.

Air Addy Go?

"Mommy, air addy go?"

Peeking from the kitchen, I see Laurel gazing out the living room window. She steadies herself on her tiptoes, hoping to get a glance of her father.

"Air addy go?" she repeats.

I walk to her answering, "Daddy went to work."

She turns around to look at me. "Addy ack car."

"Yes, daddy took the black car to work."

She starts bouncing, pivots back around to look out the window and yells, "Addy coming ome! Addy coming ome!"

"Sorry Baby, he's not coming home yet. He needs to work all day."

Laurel bounces on her toes as she absorbs this information. A few seconds go by, then her gaze swiftly turns upward. "Mommy, bird! Bird in sky!"

Laurel is definitely going through a language explosion. She barks out new words and phrases at an astonishing rate. I know I shouldn't compare my children, especially since boys and girls are so different from one another, but out of curiosity I skimmed a previous blog post about Ian's language development. At nineteen months, he was mostly saying single words and occasionally two word phrases. Laurel is seventeen months and says two and three word phrases all the time, with the occasional four or five word phrase. Thanks to parenting books and magazines, I knew girls' language developed at an earlier age. But experiencing it with my own children takes the understanding to a new level of appreciation.

Hmm, where did Laurel get her natural chattiness from? I'm guessing from her grandmas (both are social butterflies):

Laurel loves to gab with her dolly.

Happy Birthday, Ian!

Another year passes, and I now find myself playing and conversing with a three year old Ian. People warned me that the years would fly by quickly, that my children's childhood would vanish in the blink of an eye. I'm starting to really understand this concept, and am doing my best to savor these precious moments I have with Ian and Laurel.

At three years of age, Ian's become a philosopher. The night before his birthday, Paul tucks Ian into bed and talks about the fun things that would happen at his party. They discuss that he would no longer be two, that when someone asks, "How old are you?" he should reply with, "I'm three years old!"

Quietly, Ian thinks about this turning three business. He then responds by telling Paul, "Daddy, this is my last chance to be two."

Yes indeed, that's deep thinking!

And now, hold onto your seats, obligatory birthday party pictures:









Ian LOVES opening presents!



























With unblinking eye, Riley watches Ian open a present consisting of clothes. When opportunity presents itself, she tries on a pair of his newly acquired pants.

Awwww, a big hug!

Cousin Allison tries to get Laurel to look at the camera.

This motley crew (our beloved family) is ready for some birthday cake!

The wee ones only have eyes for cake!

A Walk, a Snack and a Smack!

Sunblock...check.
Hats...check.
Sunglasses...check.
Diapering materials...check.
Snacking material for kids (and possibly adults)...check.
Band-aids for possible boo-boos...check.
Lots and lots of water...check.
Two kids eager to go on a hike...check.
All the above stuffed into backpack carriers...check.
Two parents in need of some exercise and family time...check.
Beautiful, sunny day...check.





We're ready to go! Ian and I wave at the bottom of the trail at South Mountain Park.
















Paul and Laurel enjoy the city view from the top of the trail.





WARNING: the following images contain violent material. Viewer discretion is advised!!!


Fighting For French Fries


"I'll get that French Fry," contemplates Ian.

"A quick Miss Piggy kick in her chops should do the trick," he thinks out his move.

"Hi-ya!"


A master of martial arts, baby Laurel instantly reacts with a quick backhand strike.

"Hi-ya!"




Ian quickly grabs Laurel's hand and snatches the coveted French Fry.

"Hi-ya!"

Laurel screams bloody murder over her loss, "Waaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaa-aaaa!!!!!"




Laurel's sad cries soften Ian's heart. He shares the fry with his sister.







Sweet siblings savor shared success.

Happiness is a Popsicle

After a hot day at the zoo, or a walk around the block, nothing cools and satisfies like a popsicle does. Actually, Ian's tastes have become more sophisticated and a popsicle will not do. We let him try a creamsicle, and there's no going back. He loves them so much, he can't help but scarf it down. Of course, there are consequences for being so hasty. Ian got to experience his first ever ice cream headache. His blood curdling scream let us know of his pain. After explaining what was happening and how to prevent it from happening again, he slowed down and ate smaller bites. We tried to get him to hold his tongue to the roof of his mouth to help ease the pain, but he didn't quite get the concept, although it was funny to watch him try.







One last bite...

...all gone.

Does Laurel enjoy her orange popsicle?





















The look on her face tells all...

Planting Day

Postponed long enough, it was time to take our little workforce over to Papa Dave's this weekend to plant 75 onions.




Ian demonstrates his efficiency at dropping a bulb into a hole.

Laurel peeks into the can at ALL the onions they need to plant.

Ian explains to Laurel the delicacy needed for placing soil on top of each onion bulb. Of course, Laurel's impressed.

Papa relaxes while the kiddos slave away in the hot sun.

Watering, the final step, provides an opportunity to cool down and drown the newly planted bulbs.




75 done, only 225 more to go. So, Papa Dave, when should we hire them out again?

Ever So Grateful

The beautiful woman in all of these pictures is my mother-in-law. She loves, loves, LOVES her grandchildren. Ian and Laurel both love her immensely. It is delightful to watch the three of them interact. Up until recently, the interaction has been limited due to her being on oxygen.

However, thanks to modern medical practices, she recently underwent a double lung transplant. Oxygen tanks are now a thing of the past. As her strength improves, her activities with Ian and Laurel will change. Soon, she will take them for a walk at a park, a museum or perhaps the zoo. In the not too distant future, she and Dad will join our little family up in the mountains for the Highland Games. Towards the end of summer, we're planning a trip to San Diego where she can run after Ian and especially Laurel along the beach.

I am extremely grateful that my mom had an opportunity to improve her health. She is a brave woman for undergoing such extensive surgery. Her determination is obvious as her health improves dramatically each day. I look forward to the many different activities she is going to push on the rest of us in her family. Go ahead, Mom, push away!!!

Fourteen Months

After finally folding and putting away some laundry, I decide to clean out one of my lingerie drawers. I find myself tossing out some very warn, stretched out nursing bras. As the last one falls into the trash can, emotions flood every ounce of my being and I uncontrollably sob.



Fourteen months. Fourteen months of touch. Fourteen months of me caressing delicate baby skin and hair. Fourteen months of songs and whispers meant just for her. Fourteen months of warm, soft breaths upon my bosom. Fourteen months of elegant, little fingers clutching my own stubby fingers. Fourteen months of nourishing another person. Fourteen months of grateful eyes, a look that is forever engraved in my memory. Fourteen months of cuddling. Fourteen months of bonding.

Dear, sweet baby girl, I love you. Thank you for those fourteen months.