Sam is an adventurous and playful eater.  I predicted that he will figure out how to blow bubbles in his milk and do all the other naughty things that kids do (that Jack never did) and then teach Jack how.

The VERY next day:

Today is unseasonably warm. Sam overslept, so his morning nap wouldn't fit during preschool hours.  I decided to walk to school instead of driving to get Jack.  

I was washing up in the kitchen, dancing to some tunes, and it dawned on me that I was happy.  Perfectly happy and content.  Whilst shaking my booty and scrubbing a pot I thought about why that is.

• My family is loving and adorable and fun
• My home is safe and big and clean and pretty
• I get to stay home with my kids AND keep working
• I get to teach fun high schoolers to dance
• Naps and bedtimes are mostly reliable
• Exercise and diet are back on after a holiday break; my body is thanking me for it
• I'm playing with clothes and hair and make-up more than I used to and it makes me smile when I look in the mirror
• Ben and I are going out on dates regularly
• Ben and I get alone time together every night
• We are going on a getaway trip to NYC; the planning is exciting

 And lots of other small things that add up to little smiles: fresh flowers in the home, Friday Jimmy John lunches, new furniture in the living room, a new phone on the way, comfy slippers and robe, playing with FitBit, I'm reading a good fantasy book (Mistborn), and on and on and on.

Sometimes I only write when things are wrong or crazy.  This is just to say that things are really really right. 

We were fed up with dinners.  Jack had a narrow range of acceptable meals to him, and the range was getting smaller all the time.  Foods previously enjoyed were now shunned with a side of whining.  Dinner was a stress-fest of anxious questioning from Jack while I cooked, declaring he didn't like and wouldn't eat it before I even served it.  During meals we tried all the usual tactics - modeling, disguising, offering, ignoring, negotiating, cajoling, bribing, and threatening.

Ben and I were sick of eating the same foods over and over, and sick of dealing with the dinner wars.  After losing two disastrous battles (dubbed the Spaghetti Meltdown and the Teryaki Incident) we parents came up with a new strategy.  The Dinner Game.

You start each meal with three tokens.  You lose a token for each rule you break.  The person/people with the most tokens at the end of the meal get a sticker on the chart towards a reward of their choice.  The rules are:

• Wait until after the prayer to start eating
• No complaining about what is on your plate
• You must try everything on your plate
• "Try" means either a single bite that is chewed and swallowed, or three separate licks with your tongue.
• Take turns talking (no interrupting)
• Sit properly in your seat unless excused
• BONUS: You can earn back a single token by finishing your whole plate

 Did it work?  OH MY GOSH THIS WORKED SO HARD MY LIFE IS RENEWED AND THERE IS JOY IN THE WORLD.

I honestly can't believe how well this worked.  We're talking like night and day different.  Eating together is pleasant!  Jack looks forward to dinner and enjoys it!  I enjoy cooking for us now!  Everything is so much better.

Let me add that I started a second change at the same time.  I went back to cooking dinners from recipes instead of memory and improvisation.  I spend time finding new things to try and making meal plans.  I mostly have used the Blue Apron Cookbook and the new Mark Bittman "How to Cook Everything Fast" book.

• Pork and sweet potato/brussel sprout hash
• Schnitzel with beet salad
• Chicken tacos with queso fresca, avocado, and lime
• Spaghetti with vegetable-rich meatballs and broccoli

We ate that last one tonight.  YOU GUYS.  Jack ate broccoli.  BROCCOLI!  I don't know why.   He tried it, grimaced down a bite, rubbed his tummy and declared it good.  Then he choked down the rest of it with copious water, "This is just to help swallow it down to my tummy." He doesn't have to finish everything.  But he DID.  He loves this game.  He's going to make the missionaries play it when they come to eat this week.  Sometimes we declare "special rules" at home, meaning casual, no prayer, watch tv, eat how and what you want dinners.  He was sad when we did this on the weekend because it meant no dinner game.












I asked him to give the game a better name.  He said "Dad and Mom and Jack and Sam's Sweetest Dinner Game."  We're calling it "Sweetest Dinner Game" for short.  Feel free to play your own at home :-)

Meanwhile in Colorado:

This is old news, but I finally got good video of Sam sliding.

What a week.  Things keep falling apart.  I keep telling myself that it could be much much worse, and that keeps me sane. 

Bad thing
During our movie date Saturday Jack started vomiting.  Continued through night.
Good thing
He woke up completely fine, no one else caught whatever he had.

Bad thing
The heat broke Monday.
Good thing
It was a simple fix that only cost a service charge.

Bad thing
I lost my wallet Monday.
Good thing
The grocery store found it and called me to pick it up.

Bad thing
 The van in front of me suddenly braked and turned. I slid in the snow and crashed.  Cracked my bumper.
Good thing
Very nice gentlemen, no damage to their car.  Very minor, slow moving accident on almost empty street.  No injury to me or Sam.  My car still works.

So I think I've had my fill of bad luck for February.  Bring on Valentine's and my birthday and happy times, please!

In case you wondered how the next couple days fared - was up all night Wednesday with Jack retching and having explosive diarrhea.  Thursday was better, then Sam tangled my knitting and cracked my ipad while I was preparing dinner (a yummy variation of this).  So, not great. 

Can't wait for this week to be over.  Hooray for Friday! 

I snapped these precious moments for you all this morning.

Last weekend was extra long because Jack had a day off school.  The weather looked good so I packed up the boys and took them to visit my parents in Grand Junction for Valentine's Day.  It was a fun packed weekend, as usual.  Lots of playing, lots of food, lots of attention for both of them. 
I have more pictures on my photostream, but here are some highlights. 

As soon as we arrived the boys ran a muck in their office.  Their new space has a great kid waiting area.  They also loved watching and feeding the fish.


That night and many other afternoons they played in the neighborhood playground.  Sam is far to adventurous for my liking.  Jack likes to play "Prison" with Grandpa.  Sam laughed his head off when we played "Surprise Kick in the Backside" on the swings. 


While the folks were at work on Friday a neighbor kid came over to play.  I found Andy's old Ninja Turtles in the basement and they were fascinated.



The boys are really good at messing up a house in no time at all.  Some of their favorite activities are:

Two hour long meals in front of the big TV. 


Banging on the piano:

And fighting over a some obscure toy when there are literally hundreds of other toys around them.  (In this case, a plain black rod that must be part of a frame to something larger)




They also took the chaos outside for tower building and chalk drawing.





On Valentine's Day they each got an obscene amount of candy.  These boys don't mess around when it comes to enjoying a cupcake either. 





Jack did the Lowes Build and Grow project with my dad while Sam and I and mom shopped for fabric for the musical.  Then we went downtown for my birthday present - a bike and kid trailer!  I was wondering if that might be a fun and easy way to get my kids around to schools and playgrounds once the weather is warmer.  I HATE car seats, and while strollers are nice, Jack doesn't have much endurance for walking and there isn't much storage space on them.  We went to Brown's Cycling to try some bikes with a trailer and it's actually so fun!  We found a comfort style bike that's more upright and cushy (I hate traditional biking posture) and they had a used trailer on sale that we hooked up.  The boys' faces melted into smiles when we pulled them around.  It was surprisingly effortless too!  Mom said the bike order is ready today and they will drive it up to me when they come out for the musical.  I'm so excited to use it! 

I had planned to return to Denver Monday, but there was a bad snow storm in the mountains and holiday skiing traffic to fight with.  So we stayed until Tuesday, when we had an easy drive home.  Jack was sad to miss a day of school, but by the end of the day was thrilled about everything we did on this "bonus day."

• Bookstore trip with me to buy a couple new books
• Dinosaur museum in Fruita
• Lunch at Mickel Donnulls
• Paddington movie with Grandpa
• Cook orange marmalade with Grandpa
• Fly a kite in the front yard

It was a wonderful weekend.  Thanks Mom and Dad for all your help and love to the kids. 

7:20 am

Last night we dropped the kids off at the rec center for date night.  We all love using their babysitting.  The kids get to play on the indoor playground, have pizza and a snack for dinner, watch a Disney movie, play in the bouncy castle, and get changed into jammies, ready for bed.  Meanwhile Ben and I have four hours of conversation and quiet fun. 

For the four minutes that it lasted, the boys were very still and happy.

• Mom
• Dad
• Jack
• Amanda
• Dog
• Bird
• Yes ("sure")
• No ("mm mmm" in a sassy tone)
• More
• Shoe
• Sock
• Hello
• Hi
• Uh oh
• Bunny
• Chocolate
• Chicken
• Cookie
• Cheese
• Bubble
• Thank you
• Book
• Bottle

I'm still smiling from our date last weekend.  We went to the Alamo (as usual) to watch one of our favorite movies.  We first saw  Scott Pilgrim when it came out in 2010.  We're not sure, but we think it was our first real date after having baby Jack (mentioned here).  We loved it then.  One reason is the nostalgia.  Although the movie came out in 2010, it takes place about 5 years earlier.  So these young twenty-somethings fit right in with our memories of the post-college life.  Watching it again with child number two leaving baby-hood, my nostalgia has increased.

Why do I love this movie?  Why WOULDN'T I? It's directed by Edgar Freakin Wright.  It has loads of NES love.  The soundtrack is awesome.  The cast includes Arrested Development lovers, future Captain America, and the final villain is Max Fisher! 

But this wasn't simply a screening.  They had a live band playing whenever the bands played in the movie.  We were concerned at first whether that would work, but it worked SO well.  The volume was just right, the energy was higher, and I loved that the Scott in the band changed his t-shirt to match the one screen.  They gave us merch to use with the show: Bob-Omb logo Light sticks to wave when the band plays, firecracker poppers to blow when you favorite ex dies, and bubbles to blow when there is kissing.

I haven't smiled so much in a long time.  It was pure fun.  On the drive down we even joked that they should have specials for the show, especially chicken parm.  Imagine our glee to see this:

Even the dumbest holidays are important when you have a preschooler.

Last night we met friends in Old Town Arvada for dinner and dessert. At Scrumptious my dipped waffle cone of Mint Chip and Black Forest was ogled by all the kids in line. I told them "this is what you get to do when you are a grown-up."

This week Ben took a couple days off so we could relax and spend more time together.  We decided to pretend we were visiting Denver, so we would do things we normally ignore.

Thursday Amanda came to stay with the boys so we could have 24 hours to ourselves.  We shopped Cherry Creek, went to the Mark Mothersbaugh art exhibit, had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, strolled 16th Street Mall, then went to our hotel for a long night's sleep.  The next morning we had breakfast at DJ Berkley's cafe in the Highlands. 

Sam missed us, but Jack bemoaned our return, a testament to Amanda's tremendous babysitting skills.  All day I heard "too bad Amanda had to go home [pout pout]."

We cheered them up with a visit to the gym.  Yes, we go there four or five times a week already, but this time we went swimming!  The indoor pool there is really great, with slides and whirlpools and jungle gyms.  Jack went completely bonkers loving it.  Sam was not so keen, but eventually sat in the kid area and splashed a little.  Friday night was regular dinner for the boys, take-out Indian food for us, and a movie in the basement theater after bedtimes.

Saturday we took the family to the Denver Aquarium.  It's one of those places we never bothered to visit even though it's right there downtown.  It was nice.  A bit overpriced, a bit schlocky over science (you can tell it's owned by a restaurant corporation now rather education based).  But we saw a lot of fish, some fiesty otters, a regal tiger, and a mermaid performance I'm embarrassed to admit that I loved.  We didn't spend more than an hour there before we felt done.  Just as well since Sam was feeling the effects of a skipped nap.













Lunch at McDonalds, because why not, if we are on vacation?  The boys took long naps while I finished sewing a shirt.



Later we had another babysitter come so we could enjoy one last dinner out together.  We planned to stay local, but then I found a place in Boulder that looked good.  We visit so infrequently now, I'm always astonished at how much has changed and how much has stayed the same over all this time.  We briefly browsed Pearl Street, only to find the restaurant, Centro, had a 40 minute wait.  Yeesh.  By stroke of luck we found another place a few doors down that could seat us right away and had a similar menu.  The tacos really hit the spot for me, exactly what I was looking for (I blame Jason's Mexico vacation).



(snuggled watching TV together, waiting for the sitter)


So that's it, our little "stay-cation" at the media types like to call it.  Fun to try new things while spending time together.

The bunny came to our house.  I let the kids eat their fill without intervening for the first time.  They were pretty happy. 

Our bunny brought Kinder Eggs from Germany (it helps to have a pen pal there still).  Jack is obsessed with them.  We had to cut him off after four. 

I took Sam for a neighborhood walk.  Lots of pretty flowers and bunnies.  Can you spot it?  He hopped away before I got a good picture.




These are my bulbs.  I hoped they would bloom by Easter but only a few decided they were ready.

Later I made traditional Easter dinner with ham and deviled eggs.  Brian joined us (bringing superhero candy eggs for the boys!) and we enjoyed angel food cake with strawberries and cream on the patio. 


What a strange holiday :-)

These germs are cramping my springtime fun.   Let's reflect back on the last few weeks.

Mon to Tue March 23-24 = I'm sick with GI stuff and general malaise
Sun to Tue 29-31  = Sam is sick with fever and constipation
Wed to Thurs April 1-2 = Jack sick with fever and diarrhea
Sun to Mon 5-6 = Sam sick with fever and vomiting
Tue today = Sam sick with diarrhea, Jack sick with vomiting

Note that these two are exhibiting different symptoms this week, probably gonna trade again, and Ben and I haven't succumbed.  Yet.

No improvement. Yesterday they were worst. Today just started, but it doesn't look good.

I had to get a cavity filling today.  My first in many years, and in my defense, they said it was inevitable as a result of my tooth anatomy - nothing in my dental care could of prevented it.  That matters because you may not know it, but I have impeccable dental care.  I floss daily, brush well with an electric brush, and at every cleaning the hygienist remarks on how little she has to work on me. 

I hate dental work.  You'd think after the years of orthodontics (3rd-9th grade) I'd be over it.  Nope.  I hate people in my mouth.  It's extra small and hard to work in too, so it usually takes longer than usual to work in the back.

It went ok.  They numbed me up and it spread all over my face, yet the drilling still had some sharp pain and they had to abandon that tool and do it another way (thankfully, dentists are vague about what they are doing in your mouth, so I don't know what that means.)  Also they couldn't tell how to get it perfectly smooth.  The bite paper wasn't showing any problems, but the filling still feels off.  She said to come back if it still doesn't feel right in a couple days.  After the numbing wears off.  Did I mention I got really numb?

Yeah.  That's a symmetrical smile attempt.  I turned into a Disney princess.


I'd have preferred the shiny, bouncy hair. 

Also I can't blow my nose.  The air trumpets out my cheek, flapping like a fart. 

PS: Took Jack to the pediatrician today.  Got a prescription for Zofran and he's doing better with that.  Keeping water and diluted Gatorade down - less than 1/4 cup total since this morning, but that's an improvement.  Sam was groggy and weak this morning but got an appetite after AM nap.  Lots of toast and crackers stayed in and he started playing a little.

Everyone is well for two days in a row now!  We got zofran from the pediatrician and that allowed Jack to keep water down.  The next day was BRAT diet, and by Sunday he was normal (minus 14% body weight).  Sam spent Sunday with a horrible cough and sneezy nose.  Ben spent Sunday night in a bad fever but woke healthy on Monday.  

While the boys were convalescing lumps watching TV, I was able to get a lot of spring cleaning done.  That meant that when I put them in their rooms for proper naps I had time to work on craft projects.  I want to share some of the stuff I made then, and a few older projects.  First the knitting.

I can't remember if I shared this one, it's sort of old.  It's a pattern I've done three times now, using Anzula with little sparkles in it. 

This entrelac cowl is a made-up pattern using yarn that I spun myself.  The color changes are all continuous on the yarn and it worked up really neat in this patchwork pattern. 
A light sweater in a cotton-alpaca blend I got in Ogden last summer.  I heavily modified the pattern to make it work for me.  I really like the look of it, but it's a little itchy to wear :-(  



This cowl turned out lovely!  Jenn gave me this yarn for Christmas and I got two pieces out of it (previously I made a hat).  The cables really pop with this yarn. 


A surprise success!  This sweater is made with cheap acrylic yarn, making it easy to wear and wash.  The rich brown is flattering (though less red-toned in person) and I LOVE the pattern.  I changed it to work for worsted weight (from fingering).  Very wearable. 

 Many more details on my knitting projects are found on my ravelry page (membership required).

It's a bit warm for knitwear now, so I turned my eye to sewing.  I have very basic sewing skills and haven't used my machine for anything but simple tailoring in the last few years.  To start, I got the "Sailor Top" pattern from Fancy Tiger and made two versions. 






Long and luscious, with a hip hugging yoke, I love how it turned out!  This fabric was a mild splurge, but a good use of birthday money.  Too bad I don't have any cash leftover to keep these shoes from Zappos.  Sigh.  I don't think I can justify $95 seafoam green sandals. 

My only current project is a shawl to use up some stash yarn.  I have three more queued in my mind though. 

The boys looked extra shaggy so I took them out for haircuts on a snowy spring day.  This was Sam's first time in a salon, so I sprung for the good stuff at a special kids place.

No tears in sight!

Not pictured is a visit to the dentist the day before.  Sam did not love it, I'll say that.  But the doc got a good look at his teeth and said it looks fine.  He chipped his front tooth at some point, apparently.  Also, he has a siamese twin tooth.  It's where two conjoined teeth erupted in a single tooth's spot.  There's a definitely ridge, and I always thought it was two teeth very close together.  But he said it would be impossible to floss between them and they are actually a single tooth.  I'd share a picture but he's impossible to photograph that way.  Maybe when he's older. 

Jack on the other hand, had bad news.  That front tooth he chipped at 18 months is abscessing and scheduled to be extracted on Wednesday.  Poor dude doesn't know what's coming.  I've been honest but vague on the procedure and put heavy emphasis on the tooth fairy.  Post-procedure pictures coming later this week I'm sure.

A promise fulfilled - we took the family to the zoo!  Sam hasn't been since he was newborn.  We went ahead and renewed our membership.  With the early bird discount (before May) our pass was $69 instead of $80.  Considering the cost for a single visit for us is 17+17+12+free = $46, it just makes sense.

We love the Denver zoo!  Animals everywhere you look, friendly staff, and good kid stuff.  Saturday was extra special because Mike's Camera was sponsoring a free trial.  They had tons of fancy, high-end cameras that you could use for the day and take home all the photos you take.  We decided our hands would be full with the kiddos and passed on the opportunity.  But everywhere you looked there were monopods and humongous lenses.  It made it easy to see where the active animals were - like paparazzi!

Lions and rams are the traditional start to the zoo.





A playful bear, this was Jack's impression.



Map master.



Once the snacks came out they stole Sam's attention.



Zoo classic.





Removing children from aggressive peacock reach.



Feeding time gave us an amazing view of the polar bear.











Finish up with big cats on the way out of the zoo. 



There's more pictures on my flickr photostream if you want to see them all.  I also captured Sam's motto for the day:

He did really well. Keeping Sam occupied for one and a half hours, during nap time, was the hard part for me. He's happily watching Spider-Man now, lips still a little numb two hours after the procedure. They did a frenectomy too. My idea, actually. He needed one eventually, and I figured as long as he's numbed up we should get it done. The doc agreed and said actually new research is supporting doing them earlier (usually done in preteens). He has a couple stitches from it that will probably hurt more later.

Glad it's over with. Tooth is under pillow, ready for a fairy visit tonight.

After that continuous string of illnesses in mid April, there have been aftershocks.  Ben had a day of gastroenteritis last Tuesday.  Then Sam was sick Thursday with the same - coming out both ends.  He recovered quickly by the weekend and I thought we were all clear.  But randomly Ben was knocked out again today with a similar thing.  Grrr.  Germs, germs, go away.  Don't come back another day.

I finally succumbed to it.  I've been healthy all month despite my germ home invasion. Then I spent most of last night in the bathroom.  Gah.  It seems be all done though - I'm just tired and cautious to eat.  Jack got the bug a couple hours before I did.  By my count we have all four had the latest gastroenteritis in the last week.  I declare us DONE with that and no one can get sick now.  You hear me?!

I've had tickets for the Avengers Friday night for over a month.  If something keeps me from the Alamo tomorrow night there will be hell to pay.  

Yes, we went on our date.  The movie and the food and the friends were all fabulous.  Yes, I left the sitter with Jack who was complaining of feeling sick again and wanted to lie down.  Apparently he just laid around watching TV then went to bed early.  Whatever.  I got to see some superheros save the world and not worry about anything else for a couple hours.  Relaxing.

Of course the illness is not over.  No ho ho.  Sam has a runny nose today and Jack has had more episodes of suddenly feeling "sick in my tummy."  He lies down for a while, then recovers.  So weird, and so bad for my nerves.

I have been sewing more tops this week.  For some reason, knitting is not doing it for me lately.  I'm waiting for Fancy Tiger to get their new shipment of Madelinetosh yarn, so the things I'm working on are not new or exciting.  I sewed a Sailor Top out of Liberty of London fabric and it's just gorgeous.  At $34 a yard, I'll have to wait for another sale to buy more.

Today was busy for a Monday.  I (finally) had an appointment to get my car repaired, so first thing in the morning we dropped it off and got a rental.  The staff were so nice and let Jack pick between white and red cars.  Guess which he picked?  I feel like a teenage boy driving that red thing.  Then we all went to the preschool for parent teacher conferences.  Jack is doing great, as expected.  She gave me some tips to help him smooth out his handwriting by developing fine motor muscles.  Sam loved that he finally got to play in the preschool classroom.  Usually he tries to sneak in during pick up/drop off.  Next we picked up some playdough at Target (part of his fine motor skills development) and then went to the library for our usual story time.  Sam is a MONSTER there.  Constantly running all over the place, tearing books off shelves, putting toys in his mouth.  I swear, he's going to be the WORST in his terrible twos.  Good thing he's so cute.

Some videos from today and recently, for your enjoyment. 

Yes, both boys are sick again.  This time it's just a case of the sniffles.  They are fully active with play and school and such, just cranky around the edges of the day.  Sleeping is rough too so I have both humidifiers rockin' in their rooms.  I guess I'm grateful it's not another GI flu?

Sam woke from nap with a low fever.  So weird, happening two days into a cold.  But we solved the mystery of why he keeps getting sick!

Ben did his best to give me a happy Mother's Day Weekend. If the kids had been healthy it would have been so good.
Saturday:

• Sleep in until 8!
• Head to gym at 8:30
• Massage at 10:15
• Lunch at Smashburger with everyone
• Target shopping - I picked out my own gifts for the holiday
• Blessed Quiet Time
• Dinner and playing with my sister and parents, who came over for a quick trip to hear her talk in church.

Sunday was kind of a usual day, but with extra assistance from Ben in child care.  Sam was too sick to attend church so I went with Jack to Sacrament meeting.  The Primary kids sang to us.  Jack knew the first two lines of the first song, then smile prettily for the rest of the medley.  Simple acts make my heart swell!

Then it was all runny noses and coughs and goldfish and entertaining for the rest of the day, like most days.  That's the problem with Mother's Day - unless we physically remove ourselves from the home, we can't really take a break.  But Ben did all the heavy lifting and cleaning so it was a little special.

I tried to get my annual picture with my kids. 

First in their natural state of undress and toy hogging and TV dead-eyes. 


Ironically that was the best it would be.  Once I tried enforcing smiles and clothes on them, Sam was DONE.



I have many variations on this same theme that I didn't bother to upload.  The longer we tried, the worse it got.  Finally he body-dropped (toddler version of the mic drop) and was outta there. 





Here's a picture of Sam baking with me later and in a better mood.

 

Sugar and messes and step stools?  This is his favorite play area.

Last summer I decided that I had no excuses; it was time to get in shape.  I still had some post-partum fat from my baby who was nearly one year old.  We decided to join the Arvada Rec Center's all access pass which grants us unlimited use of the gym facilities, its fitness classes, and up to 3 hours childcare per kid per day.  I started going twice a week, sometimes three times.  Once we go through the holidays I ramped up attendance.  Three turned to four times per week.

Six weeks ago I decided to start lifting.  Well no, I take that back.  Last summer I decided to start lifting.  I read a couple books, joined some forums, found some programs, took the weight room orientation class, and dallied with entering the weight area.  I was scared about injury and social etiquette in an unknown culture, and doing things wrong and looking dumb/hurting myself.  But I kept reading over and over how beneficial lifting is.  I tried it a few times in December and struggled to squat even the bar (45 pounds) and everything felt wrong.  It was boring and uncomfortable and I hated it so I stopped.

So six weeks ago I decided to just do it.  I was going to the gym nearly five times a week and you can only take so much time on the elliptical machines.  I made a plan and stuck to it.  I heard somewhere that you need to do something new for six weeks to see results/make it a habit/have a valid opinion/etc so that was my marker.

I settled on cardio Monday and Wednesday in the form of my beloved zumba.  Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I lifted.  Friday and Sunday were rest days (sometimes I made up a missed day on Friday).

I settled on the StrongLifts program because it's simple, short, and had good support from the online fitness community.  I alternated each day either [squats, bench press, barbell row] or [squats, overhead press, deadlifts].  Halfway through I decided I truly hated the barbell row and it had the most chance of back injury.  I replaced it with assisted chin-ups because those also work the back and arms and it's a long term goal to be able to do a chin-up.  I also added a plank after a couple weeks because I wanted more targeted abdominal work. 

The first day I was low weight on everything: 45 pounds on most activities and couldn't even make the full reps and sets on bench press and overhead press.  My plank was barely 30 seconds when I added it.

This was my last week:


Yup.  ONE HUNDRED pound squats.  Even more on my deadlift.  And a TWO MINUTE plank.  In the words of Jack, "Holy Moly Guacamole."

My arm presses are still crap.  I hear that's common, for some women to do better with posterior chain stuff and struggle with arms.  Part of the problem is the lower weight barbells are provided in 10 pound increments so I have a hard time jumping up that much between days.  (The 35 pound was actually two 17.5 dumbbells, but dumbbells feel very different and still go up by 5's). 

Videos, if you care about that.

I take the videos to check my form because the mirrors are not always visible and only waist high.  Plus you can't really crane your neck to check and keep proper form.  I can tell I need to keep my knees more stable on my squats.  My back angle is too flat on deadlifts (partly because my plates are still small so it's lower to the ground) and I could hold it up longer at the top.  Any lifters have other pointers for me?  Jason?  Jenn?

So yeah.  This is basically a brag post.  I'd apologize but this IS my journal.  I get a real high from lifting now.  I feel stronger and capable.  My back has been great.  I'm a little worried about my knees - my left one gets a little creaky and sore.  I'm going to back off from 105# that I did on Saturday and work at 95# this week, focusing on form.  I still like zumba but I look forward to my lifting days more than cardio days.  I haven't lost any weight in the last six weeks (or the last four months for that matter - serious plateau here) but I definitely have more muscle tone and an inch off my waist.

I don't know how long I can keep up this 5 day per week schedule, but I'm going to try to stick to it.  My goals are to squat my body weight (160), do a chin-up (ha!), and overhead press 50.

Wish me luck!

In the car.

Preschool declared it superhero and prince/princess day today.  We all know that Jack's first love is Spider-Man.  But all week he has been playing Hawkeye.  So I found the only plain purple T shirt in Target in the smallest men's size and made this:

My little guy is five years old today!

Gah!  Life is happening so fast I can't keep up with my blogging!  Let me explain.  Wait, there is too much.  Let me sum up.  (Anybody?)

Jack had a "continuation ceremony" for Preschool last week with adorable performances.  I have yet to upload videos and pictures.  Spoiler alert - I got misty eyed.

Then Jack had an amazing birthday party last weekend with Spider-Man!  I have all the photos up on flickr and I'm going to very lazily copy/paste the email links I sent to his friends' parents for you to check out.  I might or might not get a proper summary later.

Videos:
https://youtu.be/06lhgkHRnwQ

https://youtu.be/T4ZlBKaKJfg

https://youtu.be/XbJfl7qOOto

https://youtu.be/UC7il1hGTg4

https://youtu.be/TIuo3ZjcpHE

Photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelsmason/sets/72157653501207381


Then we had general summer starting/school ending craziness on top of today being Jack's ACTUAL birthday!  By the time I got downstairs with Sam to start the bacon, this was the scene:



He couldn't wait to try out his REAL bike.  I coaxed him in with more presents and bacon, then we practiced biking after we all got dressed. 








Lunch was a "Last Day of School Picnic" at the playground nearby.  All his friends and teachers were there and it was super fun, actually. 

His teachers, Ms. Nichole and Ms. Katrina. 




I'm gonna share this one full sized because I LOVE it. 


Ben and Sam left the party early because they had to pick up some very special guests at the airport:



Grandpa Rick and Grandma Betty!  They came out to celebrate the birthday, and gave him the much anticipated Skylanders Trapforce (it was a very good year for presents for him.  He also got a Power Rangers set from the Waterhouse grandparents that I had "forbidden," making it all the more desirable).

He played played played.  Then picked the dinner spot (ugh, McDonald's of course).  Then home for his second birthday cake.  The first for his party was devils food with chocolate filling, white frosting, and marachino cherries garnished as requested.  This one was yellow cake with chocolate frosting and Biscoff filling.  We had fun with my slow-motion feature. 




But that's all a prelude to my big excitement - Ben and I are going to New York City alone tomorrow morning!  That's right.  The Masons are kid and house sitting while we escape for four days of fun.  We haven't had a vacation together (aside from a couple 24-hours, courtesy of Amanda) since leaving Jack for San Francisco in August 2012.  Can that be right?  Well, either way it's about time.  We have many shows planned and also some downtime.  I hope it's a relaxing trip.

(I typed this up on the trip but the publish failed.  Posting now.)

We are here and it's fabulous!  We are staying at the Marriott Residence Inn near Bryant Park.  Our hotel views of the Chrysler building, Radio City Music Hall, and Central Park in the distance. 







We wandered Bryant Park and Grand Central and got Metrocards, had Indian at Kati Roll, then window shopped at Rockefeller Center. 







We are seeing Sleep No More at 11pm (Oy!) so we came back to our room to rest.  The show is a walking, exploring, interactive dance theater experience in a five story building.  So we need strength to wander for three hours.  Obviously, nourishment is needed:



(Post continued now after finishing the day)

We got to the theater way too early (not a surprise, since our dedicated, obsessed friend is the one who told us when we should come) so we took a quick tour of the new High Line Park.  It was actually super nice and we wish we had had more time to explore it.



Sleep No More was disappointing.  Well, that's not really fair.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't like it.  I hate breaking fourth wall and I don't like performers interacting with audiences.  Add to that wearing a mask and a creepy vibe and you've got a show that is definitely bad for Rachel.  So I'm not "disappointed" since I knew it wouldn't be my thing.  Brian is super obsessed with the show so we've been hearing about Sleep No More for (literally) years.  Neither of us really "wanted" to see it but we felt like we had to give it a chance.  Yes, Brian and his fellow fanatics were there.  We tried it, but we  do.not.see. what the big deal is to them. 

The dancing was par for a professional show.  The choreography was also par.  The sets were cool but not lit very well (there was barely any change in light for scenes).  Overall it was much more of a "Haunted House" experience than a show.  I sort of knew it would be like that, but their attempts to creep us out were much stronger than I expected.  On top of that the lack of narrative, the blatant desire to be opaque, the blah "I love you! No! I hate you!" choreography, all made for an uncomfortable and slightly boring evening.  I know Brian will argue, say we did it "wrong" but I don't think that should matter. 

We followed some dancers, we poked around in the sets, we saw several solos, several duets, and a couple large group scenes, then we went to the bar to take off our masks and talk.  We both decided that we were satisfied, it was 1:00 in the morning, and we really didn't feel like staying to wander more would improve the night. 

Feeling liberated by our choice we took an Uber car out of the sketchy neighborhood to 7th avenue, where there were way too many people awake and about for 1 in the morning.  We grabbed some pizza (because of course) from a sassy, white-haired man with unbuttoned shirt to display curly chest hair spilling over his gold chains.  Then we collapsed into bed and slept peacefully in the soft feather pillows with no hungry kids to wake us with the sun. 

Saturday we played it lazy in the morning, relishing our quiet room and cozy bed.  At 10:30 we hit the subway tracks to the Met Museum.  Of course it was spectacular.  We could have spent the whole day there I'm sure.  We did the Greek sculptures, Medieval Art and the Amory, then up to the European artists: Impressionists, Dutch art in the far corner, El Greco's work, finishing with the frilly French of the 1700s. 

Armory - always cool. 

Got a close look of this hammered plate of "Wife Beating Husband."  I figured out why she is beating him.
He's got her niddy-noddy!  Don't mess with a girl's yarn!

Getting a little cranky, diagnosed hunger and dehydration.  The atrium is a very pretty place to eat, even if the sandwich had too much mustard (and Ben drank my drink!  It clearly has my name on it! ;-)


We made sure to stop on the rooftop garden to take in the skyline (where the previous blog post of us was taken).


Eventually you have to step out of the Met.  Even though we'd barely glanced through half the departments, our level of enjoyment versus level of tiredness ratio was dropping. 

On the way back to the subway we popped in Lady M Confections for delicious things.  We picked out their Signature Mille Crepes cake

and an eclair because eclairs are my FAVORITE thing ALWAYS.


Marching onward to the subway, we found Butterfield Market on Lexington.  Despite the above mentioned pastries knocking my knees in a bag at my side, I couldn't resist the delectables in the window.  We stared slack-jawed at the shelves and displays and settled on fresh juice.  Holy Nectar of the Gods.  Maybe it was the heat and the fatigue, but my Basil Lemonade and Ben's Blackberry juice tasted like heaven in a plastic cup.  As we rode the train back with sweaty bodies pressed against us I took little sips of pure bliss. 

Showers and rest, then fancy duds for the evening's entertainment. 


The night before I booked a table at Boulud Sud near Lincoln Center.  They offered a Pre-Theater Prix Fixe that looked good to both of us.

Fried Artichokes, Pea and Morel Gnocchi for Ben, Mediterraean Mezze plate for me. 


Tuna for Ben, Chicken Tangine for me


Ben's (AMAZING) vermicelli milk pudding and my chocolate torte. 


Stuffed and satisfied (thank you mom!) we took photos in front of the Met Opera house while we waited for the doors to open. 



 
https://player.vimeo.com/video/124967056
abt sleeping beauty 2015 v2 from AD Lubow on Vimeo.

This was the event I was most excited to see.  We had tickets in the center of 12th row of the orchestra section to see Sleeping Beauty by the ABT, the country's most prestigious ballet company. 



It was everything I hoped for.  Outstanding dance performances, stunning costumes, hair whiffing conductor, Enormous sets, all placed on a classic ballet.

(Pictures Below found online.)

The fairies were gorgeous and fun and precise. 


The finale had many characters revived from the original productions.  Our Diamond fairy was spectacular.  Bluebird (Misty Copeland) and her cavalier were also exceptional.


The queen rocked a crown, wig, and dress that would fit right in at Beach Blanket Babylon. 


Ben and I thought this color choice for the Garland dance was stunning.  My next knitting project might be inspired by this mustard and turquoise combination. 

It was perfect.  Ben said he heard me making involuntary grunts of approval and awe throughout.  How lucky am I to have a husband who enjoys ballet with me? 

Another happy day to reflect on when we collapsed in bed.

Our last day was a half day really.  Our flight was scheduled for 3:30.  We had no plans, just shop around in midtown and get a good last lunch before taking an Uber car back to LaGuardia.

We made a second trip to the Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya.  Ben got this colorful umbrella because once again it was pouring rain.  Not the best weather for wandering leisurely on your last morning.  I bought the Japanese version of this coloring book.  I ordered it over a month ago and demand has been so high they hadn't shipped it yet.  Of course when Ben logged in to cancel the order it was en route to Arvada.  Durr! Well, now I have two.  I also bought some colored pencils so I could dig in on the plane. 

Leaving Bryant Park, we walked to Times Square to get some gifts for the boys. 







We had out eye on City Kitchen for lunch.  We saw it from the theater yesterday (you can see it out this window in the picture) but their gas burners were dead so we couldn't eat there.  It's an upscale food court with great views of the street below.  Ben had Ramen and I had a burger with crunchy fries and a blue cheese dipping sauce.  We really enjoyed our meals and were surprised how un-busy it was. 






Meanwhile, I got a message that our flight was already delayed two hours.  Hmmm.  We could easily fit in a trip to the Library or the Natural History Museum or another yarn shop.  But we were kind of mentally checked out and the weather was poor for wandering.  I got Mom's veteran traveler advice to get to the airport sooner than later in case things change.

But I had one more thing to do at City Kitchen:



Ho ho ha!  Meet my new obsession - Taiwanese shaved ice.  I had seen bloggers post similar treats from Hawaii and California.  It's snow-like shaved ice topped with syrups or sweetened condensed milk, candies, and fruits.  The pictures don't do it justice.  This stuff is divine!  We ran into the owner and chatted a little.  He said this Taiwanese style is actually a little different in that the flavor is in the ice itself.  They don't just shave water into ice.  They make milky or fruity bases that get turned into the snow.  Ours was their basic "Sea Salt Leche" flavor.  The dish looks large enough to share, but we bought a second one after squabbling over the last bites.   We hope this is the new Pinkberry - 7 years ago on our last trip we were obsessed with eating it in NYC and waiting for it to come to Denver.  Now there's froyo on every corner.  Please bring shaved snow to Denver!!

Before heading to the airport we went downstairs to the I (heart) NYC store.  It was a large and clean shop that had everything you could want for at a souvenir shop, including lovable yet surly Russian cashiers (I recommend it for your students, Amanda). 

A pleasant driver took us to La Guardia and that was the end of our trip.  So sad.  We both had so much fun and everything went so perfectly (except the weather).  No one even got sick!  It was a miracle!

The airport had to ruin it all, like usual.  Ultimately our flight was 6 hours delayed.  We totally could have played in New York longer!  Blergh!  We weren't even in the fun side of the airport that had Broadway performers stranded too.  The worst part of all was at 6:45 (3.5 hours after our original flight) ANOTHER flight took off for Denver at the next gate.  The WHAT?  They didn't say anything to us about getting on that plane, or why we couldn't, or apologies for the ridiculous unfairness that we would wait another three hours to go to the same place when our flight was scheduled earlier than theirs.  Our pilot even apologized on the plane and said he didn't think the ground crew were being entirely honest or fair to us.  Ouch, that's pretty bad if the pilot says that publicly.  He gave us all free TV and like a pacified toddler I watched cable reruns and used my coloring book the whole way home. 

Airports suck.  No news there.  I hate that their putrid stink is how we had to end an otherwise lovely lovely vacation.  I loved every moment of it, I was so happy to be there spending so much time with my husband, and I'm so grateful to the Masons for keeping our kids safe and happy at home. 

Oy, it's tough getting back to normal.  The kids transitioned well from all access grandparents to military mommy mode.  The only notable thing really was that Sam wanted to be in my arms all the time.  I don't know if that's because he was carried a lot while gone, or if he misses me.  I'm going to go with he misses me. 

Creekside Cubs summer camp, gym trips, home cooking (love Blue Apron!), and Sam has a fever.  Things are back to square one in the Mason house. 

You get mismatched patterns, boots on a sunny day, syrup left in hair, and a happy boy.

I threw ideas at Ben for what to do with our Saturday.  Zoo?  Swimming?  Playgrounds?  Each met with a meh.  Later a commercial at the gym inspired me.  Alpine slide?  His eyes lit up and he gave a firm yes.

So much fun!  Jack was scared, then brave, then scared going into it.  He enjoyed the chair lift up the mountain.  He patiently waited our turn to go down.  I asked if he wanted to go slooooow or fast! Slow, he insisted.  I told him I would start off medium and he could tell me to go slower or faster as we went.  Right off the summit he started chanting "Faster! Faster! Faster!"  We had a slow poke in front of us so halfway down the mountain I had to brake slowly to build up space, then rushed him through the curves.  "This is the best of my life!" he yelled at one point.

I love Ben's description of Sam.  Sam is not good at waiting in any form.  The final queue while sitting in the sleds was agony for him.  Ben said after we went down, he was all wiggles waiting for their turn.  Wiggle wiggle wiggle wig-- Then he froze in that position as Ben dived down, and he held the pose the whole way in shock.  He seemed really happy with the ride at the end.

You can't take a five year old through an amusement park and not let him do a few more rides.  Even if they are grossly overpriced.  Ben vowed to take him to Lakeside again this summer and have his fill of rides there.

(sorry, I think I smudged sunscreen on my phone and it made all the pictures blurry)

Some shots from today.

Brotherly love and hygiene.




Sam very clearly called out "giraffe giraffe!" when we got here.



This was the boys for most of the outing.  Seriously.  Jack playing map master, looking at the pictures on it more than the actual animals, and Sam distracted by potholes, geese, and railings. 



I can't believe we've been to the zoo so many times and he's never climbed the hippo!



They wanted the train but it was down for repairs.  Sam is starting to wear out. 



Not pictured: 2 hour naps, dinner, and going to the gym.  Ben really earned his Father's Day mojo by squeezing in playtime with this before bed:

Ben forwarded me this explanation from Jack this morning:

I'm knitting a lovely shawl and about halfway done.  I took pride in dealing with a tricky part so I made a video to share.  Thought I'd post it here too for kicks.

"Mom? How about you knit a sweater for this tree? Sometimes I wear my short pants and I want to climb the tree. When I do the tree scrapes my knees on the bark. See? But if you put a sweater on it it would be smooth and not hurt me. See? It would just be this part. You only need to knit a sweater on this part."

Last weekend I took the boys over the mountains for a Fourth of July Gramp Camp.  We perfectly avoided traffic by making it an extra long weekend, and Amanda was able to come over too!  The boys did great in the car.  Once there it was all spoiling and fun - sweets, swimming, toys, and bugs.

I have even more pictures on my flickr photostream, like usual.   Here are some favorites. 

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Thursday late at night my best friend Brian Omura died of a heart attack.  We are all in shock and grief.  We are okay though.  Time, friends, and laughter are healing us. 

Ben says I need to post so my top blog entry is changed, and I'm inclined to agree.  Things are still hard.  We feel very supported by family and friends, with generous help and kind words.  The memorial is this Saturday and I'm looking forward to it.  Some old friends are coming to town who I am excited to see.  All week I've been working on the slideshow for the program.  I put a lot more work into it than was expected, because it's for Brian, so it needs to be good.  Strangely, it's been a good distraction.  I think it's going to be a long year of echoing grief as we go on with life, but without our best friend in all his usual spots. 

Anyway!  Probably not what Ben had in mind.  I'll do a separate post of mundane stuff.

Sam can walk down stairs using the railing.  But he gets scared of the height and prefers that I carry him.  My back is happy that Jack has been coaching him with a less scary way to get down.

Kids don't care that you are sleep deprived and behind on house work and memorial work and stay-at-home work.  Good thing they are super duper cute.

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I need my 1-year-old teach my 5-year-old to do his own laundry too.  Sam even cleans the lint trap!

Looks like Sam got a hold of my camera yesterday.  Behold, his first photography show.

Jack and I have been talking about what elective class to take next.  His summer school, Creekside Cubs, ends in a couple weeks.  There are some classes at the Apex center that would start in August and go into September, on top of his half day Kindergarten.  Earlier this year he was talking a lot about taking ballet again.  I told him he could try tap too, like me.  He wanted dance class, then faltered and says he wants tumbling again.  I ordered some tap shoes to give it a try.

Yeah, it took about that long for him to declare he wants to take tap classes.  Too.  Both tumbling and the ballet/tap combo.  Hmmm.  It's not really that expensive, but I'm not sure he will have the gumption to attend two classes a week, on top of new Kindergarten.  He's only five - I'm wary of over-scheduling already. 

But I'm going to have a hard time prying those taps away from him now.

This is my favorite park.  It's about 20 minutes away, up in Westminster.  So I treated it like a real outing - packed snacks and waters and a giant ikea sack of sunscreen and towels and spares clothes and such.  The boys had a lot of fun.  It's such a cute and well designed place.  I only wish there was more shade on the equipment, and it was closer to us.

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We met friends at Lakeside a couple weeks ago for our annual end of summer outing.  Sam was old enough to try some rides.  Jack begrudgingly agreed to ride the kiddie rides with him.  After I took Sam home Jack was able to bust out with Ben to the big rides. 

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Jack has been bouncing from summer camp to summer camp, having lots of fun in the sun.  He is excited, but nervous to start Kindergarten next week.  He is enjoying his last few days of looong breakfasts with TV.

Sam is exploding with words.  He's picking up so many social expressions, little hmms and such.  He's also getting better at ending sounds, so Dah has finally become Dog.  He counts like this "Nine, two, nine, two, nine, two!"  This week he has started to say "Fun!" as a statement.  I wake him in the morning, he greets me with "Fun!"  Ben asks how their day was "Fun.  Fun fun fun." 

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(me vacuuming, by Sam)
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What a great friend I have in Miranda.  She's one of those people I can go months without talking to, then pick up anew as if we saw each other every day.

I was so happy to have her and Nate come to Denver for Brian's memorial back in July.  We took a few pictures to commemorate.  It was an otherwise dreary day, but I got to squeeze in a yarn store visit with her, and ice cream with the delightful April as well.

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Just a note here that I had to turn off my comments.  There's a troll attacking my posts.

Ben says I need to post something and he's right.  I don't blog when I get down.  Since school started I got a terrible cold with a lingering, terrible cough.  Then I had a really bad weekend related to mourning with depression and anxiety.  This week was starting to get good - cough improving, depression clearing.  Then I was up most of last night with a vomiting toddler.  Ugh. 

Maybe I'll throw some photos up here in a lazy post.  I know I haven't talked about our SLC trip, Jack's dance classes, Sam's general cuteness, and the birthday for Jack's doll.  More laundry for me, then some pictures here.

We had been planning a trip to Salt Lake City all year long.  I dreamed of dropping off the kids with grandparents, then spending time in the city with our dear friends Nate and Miranda and my brother Andy and his wife Jenn.  After Brian died, I looked forward to the trip in a new way.  It was planned for mid-August.  By then all the memorial work and immediate grief would be past.  The trip would be like pressing the reset button.  It really worked too!  When I came home I felt more relaxed and at peace.  We had new memories with old friends to think about.  We had a really great time.

First things first: deliver kids to grandparents.  Done. 




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Then a half day spent in the desert listening to a Brandon Sanderson audio book, and we arrived in a soaking wet Salt Lake.  Thus began a continuous stream of talking, laughing, and eating. 

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(That's ginger beer so strong I sputtered after a sip)
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Where we ate:
Japanese
Lunaberry
Hires
Mellow Mushroom
Finn's

We went to the farmer's market and craft fair, then saw Jenn perform in the Fringe Festival.  What a surprise to see my aunt Martha and cousin Jill there!  Miranda also had a reunion with a childhood friend in the audience - crazy!  Then breakfast with Andy and Jenn, quick stop at Trader Joe's, then onward to Grand Junction to pick up the kiddos. 

I'm so so happy we went.  I can't wait to do it again.  Is everyone up for this next summer?

Sam is two years old today.  We celebrated in two-year-old fashion yesterday.  More pictures on my flickr page if you want to see more. 

First, Frankenberry cereal (blech, that his dad bought; the kids loved it).
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Then early in the morning we had to get to Olde Town to participate in the Arvada Harvest Festival parade.  All Kindergarten kids and their family are invited to walk.  So we thought, why not make it special for Sam and take the bus?

Bus!  Bus!  City bus!  Fun!  Bus!

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A bit more walking, a lot of waiting, and we were part of a parade!

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Here's Jack talking with his teacher. 
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We stopped a block from the end of parade route to finish at the playground. 

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Then back to the car for shopping and lunch.  We bought a trike for Sam at Toys R Us and had pizza buffet. 

Cheetza!  Cheetza!  Cheetza!

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Before nap he had a minute to try out the trike. 

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After nap Amanda joined us for cake and presents.  It's just a Rice Krispies treat cake - since Sam only eats the frosting off cake anyway.  I figured the treats would be easier to form into a train.  It was a delight to the boys.

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Happy birthday little Sam!

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I forgot to add this to the bottom of yesterday's post.

Tonight we went out with 6 friends to escape a mystery room!  Brian had told Ben about these games and that there was one in Boulder.  So tonight we went to Enigma on Pearl Street.  I'm proud to say we did quite well!  Well, at first we looking for such subtle, complicated clues that they had to prompt us with an extra hint.  But once we got started with that we did great.  Only 30% of guests escape (and the host said no one after 8pm has done it) so we were in the top tier.  And of those, they said most finish with less than ten minutes of time left.  We had 17 minutes left!  If we hadn't missed the first (rather obvious) lock we would have saved 20 minutes!  Oh well. We will have to prove our stuff some other time with their second room. 
 
Here's a puzzle for you to solve!

Sam is quite the talker now and loves to identify superheroes.   See if you can guess which character he is talking about based on his pronunciation.  The answers are written in white following each character, highlight it with your mouse to reveal.     

Boss Spider-Man, sometimes Iron Man

Date night is a great night :-)  Tonight the kids got to play at the rec center's watch program (pizza+snack+movie+bounce house+gym play) and we met friends in Denver for Mexican food.  I feel like I don't get to see my friends much, so it's an extra treat when we can get together last minute!  The kids had a blast too.  Here's some photos from the past week. 

Dinner out with the family last weekend.


Disney education in preparation for our Disneyland trip!  The boys were watching Monsters Inc. 


He's still learning the mechanics of steering.  Loves to wear his helmet. 


Last day of summer, I think it was. 
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Our conversation via text:

Rachel: I can't remember when the boys have sat so long without fighting or getting bored. It's been minutes.
 
Ben: ENTIRE MINUTES!!

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Decided I needed to bake something pumpkin today.  Enlisted Sam's help. 
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I took up the camera for this shot, planning to caption "Look how little mess he made!"  Then he upended the bag of chocolate. 

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Jack is quite the student.  He seems to enjoy doing his homework!  He takes it very seriously. 

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Jack had his first dance recital today for ballet and tap.  Despite his insecurities about being the only boy in his class, he turned into quite the performer!  I ordered a DVD and will share a video clip when I get one.

Jack has decided to be an astronaut for Halloween.  He has been drawing a lot of space pictures and I thought this one was particularly good. 

He is on the left (brown hair, green eyes) and Sam is on the right (blue eyes).  Ben and are I are in the rocket ship ("with the window that you move around through, and it has a fin and wings and fire").  Clockwise from the top left you have Jupiter, three stars, Mars, the Sun, Earth ("where we live"), Saturn with a ring, and Pluto with icicles ("because it's so cold there").

Last weekend was a whirlwind of activity.  All our parents were in town for a couple events.  First, we attended the premiere of Brian's last movie at the Alamo.  Our friend Trevor arranged the showing there, complete with trivia by Geeks Who Drink.  It was a fun and bittersweet time to get together with friends again and celebrate Brian.  A fitting thing to do in October.  Trevor made a poster for his movie and we were all thrilled to see it on the Alamo theater room frame, just like the do for major movie releases shown there.
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That evening we had a fun dinner out to celebrate Amanda's birthday! The boys behaved remarkably well considering all the craziness of the day.

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Sunday we spent the day with the extended Mason family.  Ben's uncle Dave Tyson passed away from a heart attack the previous Tuesday.  The whole family gathered from near and far (Australia) for his funeral service and a family gathering at Berit and Dan's house.  It was wonderful to see everyone together, but Dave was sorely missed.

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Happy Halloween from Bob and Linda Belcher and their children, the Incredible Hulk and Astronaut Jack. 

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Pictures from a week's worth of celebrations.  Many more pictures can be found on my flickr stream.  First, we costumed up for the church Halloween party with trunk or treating and carnival games.

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In the middle of the week we went to the high school's food drive trick or treating.  It was actually super fun!  Also, we finally got recognized as the Bob's Burgers parents.  There was cheering and fist bumps from many.

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Friday Jack had a parade and party at his school.  There's his principal and teacher leading the line. 

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And that afternoon we carved pumpkins.

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Saturday, finally real Halloween!  Our friends Erin and Nora came to play (Henry was sick) to help while away the morning.  We did some crafts and went to the playground.  Happened to run into another FMHS alumni with her kids.  Crazy!  I had no idea they lived in our neighborhood. 

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I spent quiet time squishing in a day's worth of yarn shopping - four stores in two hours!  No success but still fun.

Finally FINALLY it was dark and time to trick or treat.  Ben took the kids out as usual.  The Tilly's came over to join Jack.  They brought home a TON of candy.  I stayed home and knit while passing out candy.  We had over 50 kids this year. 

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I think we did everything we needed to do!  Halloween to the max.

We went to Disneyland!!!

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What an absolute blast.  My parents graciously hosted a vacation with our family to that magical place in Anaheim where dreams come true.  I tried to instill excitement in Jack and Sam leading up to the trip.  They didn't really understand where we were going or what to expect.  They both had an amazing time and were exceedingly well behaved the entire trip.

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We arrived just in time to get stuck in LA rush hour traffic.  An hour later we got to the Marriott across the street from the park.  The hotel was very kid friendly, it even had an arcade with air hockey in the eating lounge.  I was delighted that the hotel gave us conjoined rooms with Toy Story and Frozen themed decorations (but now equally delighted to go home where I use a toilet without Kristoff smirking at me).

The hotel is right across the street from the park, so we could see the Monorail, Space Mountain, and Matterhorn peaking over the park walls.  About ten minutes after tucking the boys in bed, we heard some tremendous booms.  I took Jack out to see the fireworks show from the hotel balcony.

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The boys were up bright and early Friday morning.  I placated them with the Disney Channel morning cartoons while in bed.  Jack was fascinated by commercials, unfamiliar to him in our streaming-on-demand home.  He quickly got to work adding things to his Christmas wishlist using hotel stationary. 

Everyone up and dressed, we trooped down the street to IHOP for breakfast to fortify ourselves.  Finally, finally it was time for . . . DISNEYLAND!

Total magic.  What a wonderful place.  Except seeming smaller, the park otherwise lived up to my memories perfectly.

Needless to say, the next two days were jam packed with fun.  I figure the best way to sum up is with a list of our activities, and an assortment of photos below.

Day 1 - Disneyland
Main Street Houdini's Magic Shop
Peter Pan's Flight
Casey Jr Circus Train
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Astro Oribitors
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Jack x3, Sam x1)
Star Tours
Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Tarzan's Treehouse
Disneyland Railroad
Mickey and the Magical Map
Goofy's Playhouse
Gadget's Go Coaster
Jolly Holiday Bakery for dinner

Day 2 - California Adventure and Disneyland
Flik's Flyers
Francis' Ladybug Boogie
Tuck & Roll's Drive 'em Buggies
Heimlich's Chew Chew Train
Goofy's Sky School (Jack x4)
Silly Symphony Swings
Triton's Carousel of the Sea (Sam x3)
Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
Radiator Springs Racers (Jack x2)
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Smokejumpers Grill
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Jack x2)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Sam x2)
Disneyland Railroad (with Grand Canyon and Dinosaur scenes)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Jack and Sam x2)
Fantasmic and Parade (while exiting)
Splash Mountain (Rachel and Ben)
Haunted Mansion (Rachel and Ben)

You may notice some holes.  Jack was distraught to hear that Jungle Cruise and Space Mountain were closed during our trip.  He fought back tears and we explained that it only leaves something to look forward to on his next Disney trip!  He also thinks he will be brave enough to do some scarier rides :-)  I also intended to do It's a Small World and Storybook Land Canal Boats with Sam.  But the timing was never right and the lines always long.  We made up for the lack of boats with copious train rides.  The boys picked out some fun souvenirs and also made pressed coins whenever we could find a machine.  The park was moderately full but not too bad.  I purposefully picked a weekend off-season in the hopes for fewer crowds.  We made good use of the Fastpass and Stroller ticket systems.

Now for photos! As usual, you can browse even more on my flickr album.

Day 1
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Okay, this was one of the saddest things in my life.  Jack wanted a magic trick.  He saw some demonstrations and picked out the magic bag trick.  That night at the hotel we had to break his heart.  He thought the bag was TRULY magic.  He was sobbing when he realized it's more trick than magic.  My heart shattered!  I wish we could have kept in the dark longer, or somehow understood what he intended when he asked for a magic trick.  He recovered well though, and has been adept at performing the trick and making new variations.

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The first of many Astro Blasters rides.



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Can you see Dad and Jack flying high above Mom?

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The sun set before we got to Toontown.  I guess I stopped taking pictures even though we spent another few hours in the park.

Day 2

 
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Jack was jumping around too much for me to get a picture after Goofy's Sky School.



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On the famous Radiator Springs Racers.

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Jack's spirit animal is the skunk.

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We parted ways now.  Mom and Dad got the boys one final treat while they watched the fireworks over the park walls. 

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I wouldn't pay for this monstrosity, but it's too funny not to share.

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I was surprised how drastically different the Haunted Mansion was for the Nightmare Before Christmas holiday overlay.  Completely different animatronics, decorations, music, and narration.

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Sam stole my camera for the final photo of the trip :-)

Before I go, let me give some shout-outs to each person for rocking the trip: 

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To Mom, for enduring Disneyland with little kids one week after surgery and with a bum knee. 

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To Dad, for endlessly tending to all the "inputs and outputs" required by my kids, and carrying them whenever they asked.

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To Ben, for going along with my every whim, enduring so much sunshine and crowd, and being the best clown for our boys.

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To Jack, for being a good older brother and handling disappointments with maturity beyond his five years.

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To Sam, for taking quality stroller naps and for not being scared of rides or characters. 

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I have an amazing family and I'm so grateful for all these memories we created together. 
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Auditions for the annual musical are this week.  This year we are doing The Addams Family.  I think it's going to be a fun one!  Monday I brought up the boys for the info meeting and to teach the audition dance.  Today was the auditions day and tomorrow callbacks.  I always struggle to find childcare for the boys while I am away for two afternoons and evenings. This year the Masons back in Colorado.  I was delighted that they accepted my invitation to watch the boys for a couple days.  Jack and Sam were over the moon to see Grandma Betty and Grandpa Rick.

The best part for me was Ben's idea.  Why don't I stay up in Bailey, he asked.  We have the cozy condo up there.  His parents can take the kids full time and stay in our house.  I can have two days of quiet and extra sleep, a much shorter drive to the school, and no hurry to finish casting at the end of the night.  Brilliant!

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So here I am, snuggled up in the mountains.  I brought five knitting projects (two sweaters, one sock, one hat, one shawl) and three Christmas ornament embroidery kits.  I've discovered a hidden luxury - leaving my things about the house!  I never realized how much time I devote to keeping my things away from cat and dog and kids.  At home there have to be certain doors shut always, trashcans up on counters, computers out of reach, locks on cabinets, scissors on high hooks, fabric off the floor, needles and beads promptly boxed up, yarn balls hidden in baskets or high on shelves.  I've really cut loose alone up here.  When I left things out to go to auditions, they were in the exact same place when I came back.  Imagine!

I haven't been very good about blogging things lately.  It's the last thing I want to do with my free time.  Things in front of blogging when the kids are away:
1. Knitting
2. 30 Rock reruns
3. Knitting
4. Baking
5. Napping under electric blanket
6. Knitting

We went to Grand Junction for Thanksgiving and got to spend time with all our immediate family! We made sure to get a group picture with each.  Lots of fun was had; lots of delicious food was eaten.

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Our ward went all out for the Chistmas party last night and it was really fun!  The kids met Santa, did some crafts, then watched a play of the Grinch, had a ham dinner, then music and dessert.

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All of our normal activities are tinged with Christmas joy too: shopping trips, library trips, school projects, special bakery treats, and play-dates. 


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Wind + long hair + Buzz Lightyear

Last weekend I was able to help/distract my mom while she recovers from knee replacement surgery.  Sam came along while Ben and Jack stayed in Arvada for work and school.  We had a grand time with all grandparents in Grand Junction (hey! what a perfect name for the town now that they all live there).

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Who knew walkers make perfect fort infrastructure?

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We had the pleasure of playing with Martha too, who came down from Utah. 

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Sam is a very poor sleeper.  Crying all night, overtired during the day.  Here he just couldn't muster any longer.

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"Ride with Gammah!"

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Orthopedic stools and benches also make great obstacle courses.

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Thank you for letting us crash!  Mom is doing really well and walking around much more than I expected by now.  I hope she is all healed in time for their next big trip (Italy, I hear).

I got a phone call at 5:20 AM that the school district was closed.  We got oodles of powdery, blowing snow that's still falling at 3:15 pm.  Everyone (except poor Amanda!) is stuck at home today.  Best to make the most of it!

Phineas and Ferb in jammies, Jack is finding out that school is cancelled.
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Sam probably enjoyed the extra hour and a half of sleeping without realizing it.  He's still catching up sleep from last weekend.
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Fluffy pancakes!
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Claymation Christmas shorts.
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The boys join me in baking gingerbread cupcakes.
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It's an aggressive activity for them.  "My turn, my turn!" and lots of snatching away tools.  I spend most of the time pre-measuring ingredients away from them, mediating the turn taking, and acting as referee when someone makes a foul move. But all is forgotten when it's time to lick the bowl.
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Now it's quiet time and I'm taking a break.  Trying not to feel guilty while I do this:
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while Ben does this- for the third time today!  He's my hero. 
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He does this every single time. 

Tonight I took Jack to his first ballet as a special Mom and Jack date.  He was hesitant about the evening, not convinced that he would have fun without snacks or toys as part of the deal.  It turned out to be a great night of wonder and awe. 

First we took a pedicab from the theater parking lot to dinner.  Jack was thrilled!  There was a blanket for us to wear and a friendly driver who took us through the wintery streets of LoDo.  Jack marveled at the lights everywhere and grinned ear to ear the whole ride despite the cold.

We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  Jack has no appreciation for restaurant service, but managed to have an okay time there.  They had pizza that he picked at while I enjoyed their avocado eggrolls.  We made it a quick trip.  Jack has had a sore throat and sniffles for a couple days and it was starting to wear him out. 


I took him around across the street to the Rocket Fizz candy shop and he REALLY perked up.  We picked up an assortment of candies to suck on during the show to help with is cough.  No pedicabs passed our way so we had to walk the few blocks back to the theater.  Twinkly lights, soft snow falling, and smiling people everywhere - we didn't mind one bit.



The show was wonderful!  I like this newer version they've put together.  The sets and costumes were impressive.  I liked how they made Clara seem to shrink.  They had good humor and magic tricks in the first act.  The Dewdrop and Sugar Plum Fairy were really really really good. 





Jack liked it as well as I could realistically have hoped for!  He was totally focused on the show.  Laughing and clapping along.  The magic astounded him - the tree growing, the sword going through the Rat King (via the armpit), the empty boxes suddenly having doll dancers inside, and the firecracker boom and flash when the Nutcracker doll transforms to human.  He said he favorite part was the Chinese dancer who jumped on a pole and danced with a three-person Chinese dragon that blinked and wagged its butt.  He also liked learning about the orchestra before the show and went to see them some more at intermission. 

I continuously fed him lifesavers candies to help keep his cough down.  He sat on my lap the whole show.  We tried the booster seats but the foam collapsed so much it didn't help.  On my lap we could whisper to each other when he had questions.

He started to lose it during the snow scene, right before intermission, and again at the grand pas de deux.  Very wiggling and sighing.  I don't blame him, that's a lot for a five year old to endure ;-)



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He had a really good time.  I got all kinds of Christmas jolly feels and I think he did too.