Row, Row, Row Your Boat

We got a chance to go out on Lake San Vicente with our friend Tony and his kids. (He's also our pastor-but you can't really call him your pastor when he only has his swim trunks on.) Because of a few things beyond our control, we only got to cruise around the lake once but it was so much fun!

We will definately be doing it again...

How beautiful is that view? The weather was PERFECT for cruising.

Nathan is a complete pro.

I had NO idea a life vest could be SO CUTE! Ella loooved the wind in her face and didn't mind the noise at all. She was simply delightful. (Note, she is also in the shade. After slathering every bit of skin with sunscreen, we made sure she was never in direct contact with the sun. Of all my babies, her skin is the porcelainiest. Yes, it's a word.)

Lucy contemplated using the g-forces contained in her hair to lift herself out of the boat completely. She was still Lucy in a Boat but she was now Lucy in a Really Fast Boat. She started out the trip sitting with me int he back of the boat but once she got a hang of what was really going on, she was up in the front with the other kids and calling out "Hit it!" louder than anyone else.

Please Don't Injure Parts of Your Body that Mommy Can't Spell

The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days. Not too hot, not too cold and down at the bay it has been even more amazing. So a fun day at the bay was called for with Grandma Sisi and Grandpa Tim! And, as a bonus, we had Grammy Bonnie in town! AND Nick was with us too!

The grandparent to kid ratio was so perfect that I got to lay down on the picnic blanket and rest. I saw my babies running to collect shells, riding the scooter and roller skating. I laid my head down and the wind was blowing across my ear so that all I could hear was my own breath. I think I actually FELT my pulse rate slow down. I closed my eyes and began to drift off to sleep.........

WHAM! I was jolted back to reality and looked up to see the roller skating son on the ground.
He was crying.
Oh and spitting out a LOT of blood.
I kinda sat up and paid attention.
Actually, I sprinted across the grass over to the small group of my family that had formed.

"It's his tongue." David told me. "He fell and his knee hit his chin which sent his teeth into his tongue."

I actually thought I might lose it right there. Because, while I was completely focused on my sweet boy who was now going into shock, I also was fully aware of my odd but quite powerful revulsion of all "mouth things." I decided to be the person who made phone calls...and didn't examine the injury.

We got directions for an Urgent Care close to our house. We knew they probably wouldn't do anything to the tongue but it was one of those "let's have someone look at it" situations. Once we had Lucy, Nick and Ella squared away with Grandma and Grammy, we were off. We called the Urgent Care to confirm where they were.

8:47pm. Call begins.
She said: Hi, this is Denise. Blah, blah, blah, how can I help you?

I said: Hi. I am on my way there and needed to find where you were located.

She said: We're in Poway. (cricket. cricket.)

I said: .......uh, I know that. I meant where exactly are you located? Are you in the new building behind the hospital?

She said: Well, you can't come in and be seen. We are closing.

I said: I was told we had to get there by 9:00 and we would be seen.

She said: Sigh. Well, what are you coming in for?

I thought: Ha! Caught ya!
I SAID: My son bit his tongue. I am literally 1 minute away.

She said: Well, okay then.

I said: David, if we meet a nurse named Denise in there, I am going to have to do my best to NOT PUNCH HER.

Got to the building (LESS THAN ONE MINUTE LATER thankyouverymuch) and the elevator wasn't working. We run up the stairs and make it just in time.

Denise the Helpful was there.
Denise the Helpful was spoken to in a respectful manner by me.
Denise the Helpful and Patron Saint to all Injured Parties Needing Late Night Medical Care was NOT punched in the face by me.
But I almost had to hold David back. (I won't include the snarky exchange between David and Denise except to say that Denise, at one point, suggested that we hadn't even LOOKED at the injury and that's when I found myself physically hanging on to him.)

She told us, "It's just a tongue injury, you know they probably aren't going to do anything."

That's when I jumped the counter and began the beatdown.
Nah, I didn't.
Or did I?

We got in to see the doc. He said it didn't need stitches. It was when the doc started describing the things to watch out for that I found myself gripping the exam table and wondering when the floor turned to Jell-O. Then I heard the phrase "green puss" and my knees honestly lost strength for a moment. The Doc said to rinse with saltwater (props to Michelle for calling that one!) and no straws for 3 weeks. Here, 24 hours later Nathan is able to eat and looooves the saltwater gargling.

I am suddenly thankful that Nate is not currently in pre school because I can only imagine what he'd be bringing in for Share Time on Monday. But if you see us, all you have to do is ask and Nathan will let you take a peek.

And here's a peek of the fun...pre injury.

It Came Back On and I Still Had to Cook Dinner...Where's the Fun in That?!

It was a normal Wednesday evening. The Backyardigans were on with their catchy tunes infiltrating my brain. (Seriously, what is with those songs? WHY do I hear them in my sleep?) Suddenly: silence. The power was out. My first thought:

I will SO blog this!

Actually the first thing I did was say: "Oh my gosh! The power is out."

For some reason those words, coupled with the fact that their show had suddenly disappeared, sent Nathan and Lucy into some sort of FRENZY!

"Mommy, call Daddy and tell him to call the police!"

"We won't get to watch TV for a WHOLE WEEK!"

"I can't believe we ran out of power!"

I sent Nathan to see if the time was showing on any of the clocks upstairs. (Kinda because I wanted to feed into the frenzy. Since the TV was off, I had to amuse myself somehow.)

"Mommy. You won't believe it. The numbers on ALL of the clocks upstairs are GONE. Except Daddy's iPod clock. How did that HAPPEN?"

In the meantime, Ella sat on the couch examining the back of her hand. It was quite fascinating.

"Lucy!" Nathan calls out as he runs into the kitchen, "We can't get any water from the fridge!"
"Oh no! But it's OK Nathan..." Lucy replied, "...the DRAWERS STILL OPEN!"

I sent a text to Crayl and asked her to check the SDG&E website for details on the power outage. She gave me the basics and I passed the information on to Nathan.

"Nate, Carol said that almost 3,000 customers are out of power..."
"They must be starving, Mommy."

4 Looks Good On Ya!

This is what 4 looks like...so handsome! So charming! And there's even a teeny bit of mistchief too, yes?




January of last year our sweet nephew Nick moved in with us when he was 2 years old. It has been our pleasure to have this bright spot of sunshine in our home for about 6 months and then in our lives for the weekends on a regular basis.

If you were to meet him right now, he would do one or all of the following:
-Give you a hug
     (All you have to do is ask)
-Tell you a joke/sing you a song
     (Remember who wanted to name the baby "Fred?")
-Leave you wondering how such an adorable face can talk with the voice of an old man
     (I am so serious)

Now, he is 4 and has made the full transformation from toddler to BOY. I love it and it breaks my heart all at the same time.

We love you Nicholas.

What Would Happen if We Ate the Funnel Cakes?

In honor of the fair being in town, here's a San Diego County Fair Rerun!

JUNE 16, 2006
What Would Happen if We Ate the Funnel Cakes?

We went to the San Diego County Fair last night. The kids almost exploded from all of the lights, food, noise, TRAM RIDES. It was the most amazing experience of their young lives.

David and I both had weird dreams.
(Don't worry, this is the Reader's Digest version...nothing is more boring than people telling their dreams in great detail)

I dreamt that I was in a play with Dean Cain and I kept forgetting my lines. Well, look at him. Wouldn't you??!?

David had a dream that he was in a car with someone and whoever was driving turned on the defroster to clear the windshield of fog. David then proceeded to explain to someone in the car the properties of the air and how simply running the defrost wouldn't clear the window. It is imperative that you couple the defrost function with the air conditioner.

Today's lesson, boys and girls?
Australian Battered Potatoes will bring sexy men to your dreams.
But the Italian Polish Sausage Sandwich just makes you dream about work.

Flip. Flip. Flip. Uh Oh.

Keep them reruns coming!

Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Flip. Flip. Flip. Uh Oh.

So last night I was getting ready to get rehearsal with my Act One Drama Team. This was special because I was bringing one Nate the Great with me. I needed to pack his bag with his cup, toys, and PJ's. I also had to call Carol about something. I grabbed the phone and dialed while I stepped out in the garage to get clean PJ's from the dryer. Chatted with her husband for a bit and right when Carol got on the phone, I placed my hand on the doorknob to go back inside.

"Hello?"

"Oh my gosh, I am locked out of my house."

I didn't yell it, it was a statement of disbelief and yet total belief as my mind flashed a picture of Nathan earlier this week discovering the little tabs on doorknobs. Oh look Mommy, you can flip them and flip them back. Flip. Flip. Flip.

I had been "flipped" out of my house. Daddy isn't home. I am in the garage. I can at least try the front door.

Locked. Darn us for being so responsible!

I stood at the front door trying to see through the LOCKED security screen. I hear kitchen cabinets opening and closing. "Nathan, that's not your cabinet!" I yelled in there. I pictures glassware being pulled from the shelves. It is then that my helpful friend Carol (who I am still on the phone with since this was such an amusing and entertaining event) tells me the story of when her twin girls locked her out of the house on purpose and went to the fridge and got out the CHOCOLATE CAKE. "That's not your cabinet, Nate!"

I go back and forth between the garage and front door, trying the doorknob in case he'd "unflipped" the lock. Nope. Peering through the screen so he knew I was there, I would give him reassuring words, "Don't worry baby boy, Mamma's right here." I was very concerned that he might freak out if he didn't see me after a while. Yeah, he didn't care.

I resigned myself to just waiting for David to get home from work so he might either have a key or come up with a brilliant entry plan. I wondered what my neighbors thought. I laughed at the story and immediately thought that I had to call everyone I knew how hilarious my son is. I also wondered if I should go to Target or Wal-Mart for those doorknob covers.

I decided Target, because I always love and excuse to go-wait a minute! The back door, the sliding glass door is open! I remembered that because I had GONE to Wal-Mart earlier and forgot to close it (we may be responsible but we aren't TOO responsible!) Now, how to get in. The latch to the gate is in the inside to that people can't walk in off the street and enter your house from the backyard. (Brilliant thinking.) I had to get creative. I saw one of my bigger and musclier neighbors and thought about asking him to jump over or hoist me up or something but it was then that I spied David's work ladder in the garage. Easy, set it up, climbed up, opened the gate, I was in!

"Nathan, I am back! Mommy is inside!"

I received the equivalent of a toddlers, "Oh. Hi."

David walked in the door only seconds later.
He agreed that we would go to Target as well.

David Does the Shopping

Summertime Reruns of 2008 continues...

A salute to my husband. Best Father Ever. And Wonderful example of strength in moderation.

Random Randomness

More of the Summertime Reruns of 2008...

February 27, 2006

You know, it occours to me that Dora and Boots could rid themselves completely of thier "Swiper Problem" if they simply didn't walk around the forest singing about where they were going every 5 minutes.

Wait...I've Read This Before

I'm going to be going on an "Electronic Vacation" for a short while..you know, where I try to be off the computer now that the kids are around all of the time? But just because I can't sit and waste all kinds of time online, doesn't mean I will leave you high and dry! So, this blog will be in reruns. And, much like watching old episodes of "Friends," I hope you will enjoy the trip.

Lets start off with a bang, shall we?
This is back from the days when I didn't have a blog, I just e-mailed amusing stories to my friends and family...


July 25, 2005
I Love the Nightlife

It’s 1:30am and I am up after a brief bit of shut eye. I have a headache from this blasted cold I feel like I have been fighting all of my life. It has moved into my chest so my coughs sound like I need to be trimming my 2 pack a day habit to just 1. (Or just switch cigarette brands.)

Being up at night when the rest of your family is sleeping feels like sneaking around a store after it is closed. You don’t turn on as many lights. Moving objects around, you take great care to keep them quiet. It is a rich feeling, like you have unlimited possibilities of what you can do. Time ceases to exist and the world (as confined by pajama clad activities) is your oyster. Will you clean up your house a little? Do you pay some bills? Start a book? Finish a book? Snack and watch TV? Or write poetic e-mails to your friends about your nightlife?

As I sit here in my pj’s (and a lot of you know what THAT means) I struggle over what to do while waiting for my 1 (one!) Extra Strength Tylenol to kick in. I have a book I started awhile ago that I haven’t really absorbed enough for a late night read. I will probably need to start it over but my internal CPU is operating on insufficient memory right now. If I add more information, things like my children’s names, my shoe size and what kind of car I drive will come running out the other side of my head, lost forever. I emptied the bags from my Target shopping spree (I can never go in there and get just ONE thing) and I could probably clean off the counter a little more. TV is always an option, I have 1,483 channels to choose from, there must be SOMEthing on. I have crocheting to do-I will be managing my own sweat shop from now till Christmas as I make scarves for everyone in my family as presents. (Family who may be reading this: Forget I said that. It isn’t scarves, I am getting you all hundreds of dollars worth of fabulous gifts and prizes!) Or I can simply continue to sit here surfing the internet, glad that no one can see me here in my pajamas (!!) and sandals.

Then there is my most favorite option: one of the above sedimentary activities coupled with falling asleep on my couch. It is so glorious to nap on my couch-a big hug that leaves you wanting for more pillows instead of a husband in your bed. (You are thinking, “Does she really mean that?” YES, I do!) Although sleeping on the couch is wonderful and feels like such a glorious treat, in the morning the magic in the relationship is gone and you can’t understand why the cushions are poking you and how the couch is trying to launch you onto the floor and the pile of clean laundry you were using as a pillow has flattened into an uncomfortable lump. The ends of your feet are slightly numb because the couch is too short by just thismuch and walking feels like a whole new sensation now that you are toeless. You could say it is a hangover (HAHAHAHA bad 1:30am joke!)

I think I will opt for the unmentioned activity of lying in bed and willing my headache to go away. I can feel it fading now and wonder if I gripe too much about only taking 1 (one!!) Extra Strength Tylenol since it does seem to be working a bit. I feel funny sitting here in my pj’s (a bit drafty, really) and I am all too aware that in only 5 hours, I will have a sweet faced boy kissing me awake. (It isn’t as sweet as it sounds, most of the time he forgets and instead puts his face up close to yours and you get to awake to the delightful feeling like you are being watched. And you ARE.) Good Night.

Imagine the Breakout Sessions

1 load of laundry and 6 pairs of pajammy bottoms.




Is there some sort of Pajammy Top Convention I don't know about?

At Least 5,000 Words Worth

We had a photo shoot recently for my mom's husband and his daughter and new granddaughter. (Did you follow all that?) Wandered out to Old Poway Park-my new favorite place and we had a lot of fun. It helps when babies are extra specially cute and grown ups are especially good looking.




Well, we snuck in a few shots of my kiddos as well. Here are only a few...

Lucy Goose Plays on the Tracks...

Nathan is seriously owning his 5 Year Oldness these days...

And who said Grandchildren aren't hazardous to your health?

Well, looky there, I guess that was about 7,000 words.

At the Beep

There is a watch downstairs under the couch or in a toy bin somewhere that has an alarm that goes off every night at 12:26am.


Oh listen, there it is now.