Party Hats & Cupcakes

Wholesome and enriching!

I would love to rhapsodize about our adventures outdoors. Wherein we take vigorous nature hikes, gathering roots and unusual fauna to later research and sketch. Our conversations of spirituality and cosmic space. Our snacks of berries we pick ourselves, paired with local cheeses and fresh spring water. Our days spent painting en plein air.

Those blobs of blue on his paper are actually the North Pole. He's a genius, I think.

But really? I had just pried Emma off the computer, George away from fabulous and repetitive spinning in circles; given them both a (chocolate covered) granola bar; and shoved them into the 90 degree heat with paint brushes and instructions to "have fun". No way am I going to let them paint indoors where I would have to actually clean up spills, are you crazy?

Mother of the Year again, I just know it!

Ever since our family reunion at the beginning of the month, George has been glued to me. And I do mean glued. If I move across the room to pick up a toy, answer the phone, breathe? He's with me. So very with me that he's usually touching me or holding the edge of my shirt.

It gets to be a bit much.

So I give them distractions like paint and push them outside. Then sit within two feet of my son, so he'll actually stay outside.

He won't be like this when it's time to go off to college, right?

Across the distance

This deployment is so very different from the last one Jason and I experienced.

Then: I had a two year old and was pregnant.
Now: I have an eight year old and an (almost) six year old.

Then: We were living on a military base, surrounded by hundreds of other people with similar stories, but no family.
Now: We are living minutes from several family members, but no military.

Then: Jason had to be driven to a separate base to call home over a scratchy connection on the day I had the baby's ultrasound.
Now: We can chat via a video call from his barracks room pretty much any day our schedules match up.

This deployment is so much harder in so many ways, but this one thing makes it SO much easier.

16 July

Rick Dancer, a former news anchor here in Eugene, was at an event held at Ride Able Sunday night (where the kids take horseback riding lessons). He's no longer on the news, but shoots videos on his own and posts them on various sites that highlight Oregon places and events. George is one of the kids he followed around (I think he was jealous of George's cowboy boots!) and the following short video is a teaser for the longer one that will be posted later this week:

One of the questions he asked me was, "How has Ride Able affected your family?" That was something I hadn't considered, though I've written here how good it has been for both kids. How has our whole family been affected? Since I am a blithering idiot who can not think on her feet, I'm fairly certain my immediate answer will land on the editing room floor (some drivel about getting out in the fresh air and other bland nonsense). But I've thought a lot about it over the past couple of days.

This world, and more specifically this town we live in, is scrambling to provide resources for kids like George. Obviously, the concentration has to be on education first. And our town does a reasonable job of that. I'm very excited about Kindergarten next fall and think he'll be very successful, both because of the program he's entering and the preschool programs that have prepared him. But outside the schoolroom, choices of activities get very narrow. Camps, movies, sports, and other group recreation activities are all impossible for us (at this point). He simply can't handle the number of people involved, the noise, the quantity and speed of instruction necessary.

So, we do a lot on our own.

But every parent wants their children to try new things, learn new skills, and gain confidence through doing something different, something all their own. And that's where Ride Able has fit in for us. When we arrive, he signs in, puts on his helmet, and goes into the tack room to get his horse's reins. And off he goes. His sister is taking lessons alongside him and I'm usually somewhere close, but this activity is his. He knows his horse, he's learning how to control her, and he is excited to try anything the trainer asks him to do. He's paying attention.

And we are out in that fresh air together. And I am watching my child(ren) learn and explore and succeed. Ride Able has affected the very heart of our family. And I am so grateful.

Let's talk about the weather

Yesterday we were picnicking outside. Today, 67 degrees and huge thunderstorms all afternoon. Crazy.

Got this from Jason this morning:

I got up yesterday morning at around 0615 and it was almost 95 degrees already. Today it was 117 with high winds...felt like standing in front of a hair dryer.

Image credit

Hmmmm, sand storms vs. thunderstorms? Guess I won't complain about the rain.

Lookin' good at 90

We've just returned from a long weekend away with, quite literally, every family member on my mom's side of the family. It was a family reunion organized to celebrate my grandmother's upcoming 90th birthday. We did, of course, take a zillion and three photos. This one is of Grandma with all her grandchildren, their significant others (Jason was the only one not present, and he was definitely missed), and great-grandchildren:

Lovely, isn't it? We're a good-looking bunch! We took group photos in all sorts of configurations: children, grandchildren, etc. But honestly? A large percentage of the photos have this blur in them:

Whether he was supposed to be in the photo or not, George managed to run in front of just about every grouping! We have a lot of photos where all the subjects are looking at the speeding child running through the shot!

My grandma is an amazing woman, and I only hope that I can be as fun as she is when I reach 90! She tells great stories, cracks hilarious jokes, and is full of mischief. (She's especially silly when she's been handed a few of these:)

Then again, aren't we all?

Mamas & Babies

This morning George called to me from the other room:

Come here, Mom, come see.
What do you want me to see, George?
Come see this! (pointing out the window)
What is it, George?
(Shakes his head, as he does when he's thinking hard, trying to find the right word) Come see! Baby chickies, Mama chickie, driveway!

And I look, and I see:

Every year, at about this time, a family of turkeys brings the latest batch of babies through our driveway and field. We will watch them all summer, comment on how they're growing, make lots of jokes about learning to run as Thanksgiving nears, and then they'll move on to wherever they spend the winter. Every year, the number of family members is different, sometimes just a few, sometimes as many as thirty. They keep their babies close and move them along when we appear. As the babies grow, they are allowed more independence and we can get closer and interact with them more. Later in the summer, I'll be complaining about how noisy they are.

Last week, I set a goal for George to initiate and participate in reciprocal communication. Something more than just a question and yes/no answer. Guess we just met that goal! This summer my babies are growing, our family is a bit smaller, and I'm sure I'll complain about the noise from time to time. But not that noise, that noise is music to my heart.

Signs of Summer

It's July second, and I'm on my third box of Band-Aids! You can't see the scabs on elbows and above George's eye in this picture, but trust me, not a day goes by without someone needing an ouchie fixed.

Luckily, it doesn't slow them down or upset them much!

I'm From, by Emma

I’m from the big closet in my old Virginia house and

the dog hair all over the couch.

I’m from tons of bamboo,

some toys and short green grass.

I’m from two good friends, Nate and Reed,

From lots of deer and fawns almost tame

and tons of tall yellow ferns

I’m from a goofy dad and a silly mom.

I’m from sayings like, “See, piece of cake!”

I’m from foods like turkey and ice cream.

Vanilla and Mint Chocolate Chip!

And that’s where I am from.

Poem & all photos by Emma

Through Their Eyes

The kids have found, and claimed, two of our old digital cameras. They spend hours (and a crazy number of batteries) roaming the house taking pictures. I'm finding many of their photos surprisingly good, they are beginning to understand the need to be still while shooting, and seeing the details they choose to photograph is a fun glimpse into their lives.

A selection of photos by George & Emma

Emma tends to wander further in her pursuit of subjects: the yard, the basement, each of our bedrooms. George stays mainly in our main living areas, but is more adventurous with his angles and use of the timer. I was surprised to see more blurry pictures from Emma, she is so anxious to capture the next thing, that she forgets to wait for the shutter. But her pictures are getting better, and I've been watching her wait for just the right shot as she watches the dog playing, cars driving by, etc. George is fascinated by snapping shots of the TV, viewing the still frames of his favorite videos, and close ups of his toys and clothes.

I love seeing their creativity evolve and their understanding of technique grow. Thank goodness for technology, I don't think we would be able to afford this much film!

More Horseback Riding photos

The horses have been moved to their summer farm, and WOW is it gorgeous there! I don't know of many activities better than being out here in the evenings. The kids get to go every week during the summer (we were going every other week) and their eyes just light up when they see the horse picture on our activity schedule.

Theoretically, this is therapy for George. Emma wouldn't be allowed to take lessons with this organization if not for him. But honestly, I see more changes in her when we go to the farm. She sits up so straight in the saddle, responds to correction without being crushed or embarrassed, and she is learning to not be so timid with the horses. I would have killed for horseback lessons when I was a girl her age. I'm so very glad we're able to do this for her. For both of them, but especially for her.

That's a BIG wish!

I woke up to lots of nice emails and a continually ringing phone. A necessary self-portrait shoot yielded this photo, which doesn't show too many wrinkles. Lunch with family, during which the kids behaved beautifully. I am a happy, lucky girl. Bring it on, 34!

Summertime

And the livin' is easy.

Quilts and sheets on the clothesline, windows open to catch the breeze, kids laying in the grass with bubbles at hand. Love it.

It's funny to me that I always dread summer with it's lack of schedule. Every year we manage to stay busy in a way that makes us all happy. A trip out of the house at least once a day to get us moving, but never so booked that we get stressed out and cranky. It takes George a week or two to get used to not going to school, but then it's as if a switch has been flipped. We all sleep in (and are, therefor, much happier in the mornings), no one complains when it's time to do something, and everyone is excited by the choices they're given.

Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt I'll be dealing with boredom and tempers from time to time. But for the most part, we like being lazy and watching the clouds float by. Gotta go, I've got bubbles to blow.

Note to self:

Blue swim goggles and a chocolate cookie make it muuuuuuuch easier to get through the store.

Two Sides of a Family

(Sent to each other this afternoon via phones)

Everyone was taking a break today it seems. At least for a bit! The kids and I received this photo from Jason as we headed home from the beach. (And yes, if you look behind the kids and dog, you can tell I took this while driving. I promise I just held it up and clicked, my eyes were on the road!)

It will be good when we can all fit inside one photo frame again.

"Typical"

A couple of days ago, I met with a case manager from a local Autism support organization. He will be assigning therapists who will be coming into our home several days a week to work with George. The meeting was for me to get to know him and a bit about the organization, and also for him to learn about George (from me, George was not there) and discuss our goals for him.

One of the questions he asked me was about George's interests, so that they can use them to make the learning more interesting. I heard these words come out of my mouth, "He's a typical almost-six-year-old boy. He likes robots, space, dinosaurs, and being active." Typical. Somehow I never thought that word would be used in conjunction with George. And yet, he is. Typical. Just a boy. At the playground today, he played on a merry-go-round with another five-year-old boy. And no one looked at him funny. And no one asked me why he wasn't answering the rapid fire questions the other boy was hurtling at him. If anything, that boy seemed odd!

He will never be cured, he will always be different and have to work hard to keep up. But maybe, just maybe, that's more typical than I ever thought.

Peace Reigns

I had all kinds of plans of things to do today, both to keep George busy while Emma was at school, and simply a mix of errands. However, due to one child's onset of strep throat:

and the other child's lack of desire to get dressed:

We are, instead, happily playing with a Christmas gift that had been forgotten behind a myriad of other art supplies in the deep, dark recesses of the art shelf.

And, after viewing the video Madagascar 2.73 times in one day, the TV has been replaced by a Norah Jones Pandora Radio Station. The windows are letting in a warm breeze. The dog is resting beneath the table, no doubt under the mistaken belief that the specks of blue and purple falling from above are tasty treats. And I'm not breaking up any fights, nor plugging my ears against the sound of the TV, nor doing much of anything really.

There's something to be said for sickness induced tranquility....

All things come to an end

I started this post yesterday, full of ruminations on the school year and my experiences working in Emma's classroom. Yesterday was my last day in her class, as George is now done with both preschools and my time is no longer my own. I posted the picture above to show the lovely gift her teacher made me. Such a thoughtful, homemade present, I really appreciated it.

When he handed it to me, he asked if I have a green thumb. I told him it was more grey with a tinge of green, but that I would do my best. I took it home and found a nice partly shady area for it to live, watered it, and took it's picture.

Good thing I did, because that home I found for it? Was in the unfenced part of our yard. Have I mentioned that we have several families of deer that travel through and sleep in our field? Did you know they love fresh flowers for dessert? Yeah, I actually knew that, but failed to remember it. So now, I have a planter of nice greens and some dirt. I think I'll find it a new home and hope for regrowth.

Here's hoping my brain starts working again now that I can catch up on some sleep!

My future lizardologist

The weekend before last, in her own words:

We call her the bug/lizard/snake/slug/creature whisperer.

Okay, so maybe we don't, but I swear that's what this girl of mine is. Most days after school, she can be found in the fields next to our house rounding up anything that moves and will fit in a jar. Snakes, dragonflies, caterpillars, pill bugs, earwigs....anything and everything. And they gravitate to her. She walks around with cicadas on her arm, dragonflies hanging out on her shirt, and lizards in her hands.

When we went to Sunriver (where these pictures were taken), the park was just a couple minute's walk from our condo. She would ride her scooter ahead of us, and by the time we joined her, she was walking back in our direction with a frog or lizard in her hand. She sees things the rest of us don't and she knows how to gently explore and learn about them. Spring is an amazing season for her, the earth is hopping!

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. - John Muir