Camping Trip

I found it more difficult to find a camping site close by.  We decided to do some backyard camping.  The kids had a great time.

When we woke up the kids shouted,"We did it!  We slept outside all night!"  We hadn't contemplated not finishing out the night so I found their pride amusing.

Uncle Lukie Comes to Town

Miss R and Twister played on the stage while.... 

Luke coached Master I in basketball techniques. 

After they worked hard we treated Uncle Luke to a Philadelphia treat...Rita's water ice!

I love this baby brother of mine.  So cute.  So introspective, a conversationalist, a listener.  So positive, fun and happy.  So giving, so helpful to me.  So darn good!

Canoeing on the Brandwine River

It was a lovely day of canoeing on the Brandywine.  I have been trying to think of all of the things that I would like to do with our last week of summer.  I was reminded of canoeing because Master I recently retold me, with vivid details and a huge smile on his face, the story of a time Mark took him out on a canoe at Island Park.  I was amazed that such a simple act had such meaning for him.  I love activities like this.  I love nature and I want to be in it all day.  I love exercise.  I love spending the day with my family--talking, making memories, making them happy.  Hiking is this for me.  A day at the beach is this for me.  I really wanted to do this all as a family, but the company that we did it through doesn't allow children under 5 on the river.  So I set it up for father and son.  Mark asked if I wanted to do it.  I told him that I would love to, but I wanted them to do it even more because I have already made a lot of memories with Master I this summer.  I believe that I had the most fun of everyone.  I loved imagining the enjoyment that they were having.  I loved seeing Master I's happy face.  Trying to catch a glimpse of the action, the 2 younger kids and I went to the starting point on the river, two different stopping points, and then the final take out point.  We ran along the river trail looking for them and then stopped to play in the river at a different point.  So I even got my day in nature, with exercise, and having fun with children.  

It Could Work

Today was a great day.  Mark is working nights, but able to sleep some at the hospital so we have some time to play during the day.  We decided to go to the zoo.  While we were there Twister told us he had to go potty and didn't have an accident before I was able to take him to the restroom.  I told Mark, "Do you realize all of our children are potty trained?"  He had a look of relief and gratitude on his face and told me it was a wonderful thing.

While we were at the zoo Master I kept holding Twister up to see things and trying to make the day fun for him.  I felt so grateful to have him be focused on making the day fun for his younger siblings.  My oldest brother was that way.

 Recently I have reflected on how wonderful my oldest brother Mike was to me.  We have uniquely strong sibling relationships in our family and I started to realize he was probably a big part of the cause of that family culture.  I remember him inviting me and actually wanting me to play with my older siblings and their friends.  The summer evenings were filled with playing shark  or rag tag in the pool together.  The games were instigated by Mike and he wanted me to play.  When it was time to sleep we would all crash underneath the stars on our huge deck with a blanket and a pillow.  He would invite his friend Horse over on the weekends and all of the siblings and Mike's friends would have a game after dark of capture the flag on our 5 acres. For some reason he wanted me to play. It was more fun for him to have all of us there.  My parents would take us to go on beach trips in the summer.  All of the kids that were old enough would go out in the waves together.  I remember treading water to be able to catch the swells with him.  I just wanted to be around him so much and I felt so grateful that he always wanted me.  For some reason every thing was more fun for him when I was there.  He wanted to to go on the Great Dipper at Santa Cruz with the older kids.  He made my life so fun.  He always loved Christmas and helped to make in magical for his younger siblings.  We would pile onto the floor on Christmas Eve night with sleeping bags.  We would have conversations about what we hoped that we would find under the tree in the morning.  The conversation was interrupted by Mike hearing Santa's bells or seeing him whiz past the window on his sleigh.  He had me fully convinced.

I love Mike and I have realized more and more how magical he helped to make my childhood by including me, by playing with me, and by loving me. I looked up to him.  I loved watching him win his basketball games and receive awards for how outstanding he was in academics as well as sports.  I know his excellence has had a huge impact on my life.  It nagged at me.  I told myself again and again that I had to be smart and excellent too because I was his sister.

Well, that was a tangent.  But, all of those thought were running through my mind as I went to the zoo today with my husband and children.  We had a fun day.  And instead of me despairing over the challenges of such an age gap between my children, I saw something different.  I saw an oldest son that  found joy in making the younger children happy.  I saw that age gap as being the same amount between me and my oldest brother.  And I was filled with hope.  I felt like Tom Hanks on Cast Away.  I wanted to turn to Mark, like Tom Hanks turned to Wilson after so many hardships on the island, and say, "It could work!"My family liked each other today! It could work!  I have hope!

The best part of the day is to see how peaceful  and content Mark is.  I believe that this has come from getting a job offer that he is really excited about.

The night was lonely and I got bored, but Master I watched a movie with me and proved to be such a companion. We watched Love Comes Softly. Master I gasped at all the right parts and enjoyed it right along side of me.  He even turned to me and asked me if I believed what one of the characters said.  He was referring to the line, "Sometimes love isn't fire works.  Sometimes it comes softly."  I told him I though it was true.  He said that he thought it must be true too.  I am sure I wouldn't seek and appreciate Master I's companionship like I do if that need was always met for me.  So, in the end, even that was a great blessing.

Back at Home

Well we are finally back home. At first I was relieved to be out of the suitcases. But, then we Got unpacked and then we were lonely. After a couple of days we figured out how to get along with only each other again and got it.

This last week Master I had basketball camp. He loved it. There were competitions all week for the kids's shooting skills.  There were three areas:  hotshot (how many shots you can make from different areas on the court in a minute,  a lay up competition, and a free throw competition.  Master I was in the top three each competition. By the end of the week he won the hotshot competition. He was thrilled and got a special award.

Master I was also the only boy in camp to win to a shooting game. The game was called "Go For It." Only a couple of the children were chosen each day to try win.   Isaiah was chosen on Friday. The player was given a chance to make a shot relatively close to the basket.  If they made the shot then they won a candy.  If they wanted to "go for it" they would take another shot farther away from the basket. If they won that they would get a Gatorade. If they lost it they would lose the candy bar as well.  Then the child needed to decide if they wanted to risk in again by taking the farthest shot in hopes to to get a Swarthmore College practice jersey in addition to the candy and drink or risk loosing what they won.  Master I was the only child to win all 3 items that week. When he won the game the coach put him on top of his shoulders and ran him around the gym. All the kids were cheering.  It made him feel really special.  He told me that he didn't think he would have that experience until he won in college or the NBA.

Miss R continues to feel really grateful for everyday life.  Every prayer that she says in the same.  She thanks God that we are all back together again after a summer apart. She'll say, "Dear Heavenly Father, I am really glad we are all here together.  Amen."   It  was very hard on her to be away from her Daddy. However, she has cried the past two days for her Monet.  It is hard for Miss R to be away from people that she loves.

One morning this week I went to wake-up Miss R and she groggily told me it was her birthday.  This is one of her idiosyncrasies. She will declare that it is her birthday on random days, will remind me that it is her birthday all day long, and she'll insist that she is five.  I asked her last week how many birthdays she has a year.  "Twenty." she said.  I figure that is about right.  The funny thing was that a friend was cleaning out her toy room and gave us a huge toy kitchen complete with play food and dishes.  She also gave Miss R many lovely Disney princess dresses.  When I put her to bed that night I told her, "It really was a birthday today!"

Twister is back to his twisting ways.  He is climbing on things, tearing apart the couch, constantly trying to wrestle me or the kids,  jumping off of things etc.  He was so much easier this summer when he had a pool in the back yard, a big home to tear through, and lots of friends to distract him.  But, don't get me wrong.  That boy is so darn enjoyable to me that I can't get enough of him.  He is so playful and happy.  I adore him.  Just watching him brings me happiness.

Mark got back from a great interview in Fort Worth, Texas.  I am thrilled about this job prospect for him.  It is precisely the type of job he has been wanting and that I desired that he would have.  The down side is the Yosemite valley isn't right around the corner for him to sneak off to and have his John Muir moments.  I have so longed for him to have that.  I also hoped for a job were our parents could drive  to see Master I play basketball or were we could enjoy a Sunday evening chat after dinner.   That is a gift that I would have loved to give to my children and to my parents.  Maybe we can still have it all somehow.  I am still trying to figure it all out.  But, in the meanwhile, I am grateful that Mark is no longer asking me (sincerely) what I would think about moving to Qatar.

Cha Cha's Story

Twister's name for Miss R is Cha Cha.  I hope it doesn't stick.  Cha Cha wanted to write a story today.

Once upon a time  there lived a lalaloopsy.  The name was Bee.  Then Peanut came.  Bee and Peanut were playing outside.  They were playing easy football.  Then Peter Rabbit came.  Peter Rabbit said, "Bee, how are you doing and can I play football with you?"

Bee said, "Yes!  Come on!  Let's play easy football!"

Then Peter Rabbit said, "I'll go get my sister Benjamin Bunny to play too!" ( I told Miss R at this point that Benjamin Bunny was a boy, but she insisted that she wanted it to be a girl.)

Then she came in a hop hop with her friend Rachel.  Peter Rabbit said, "Hi Rachel, ya wana play?"

Rachel said, "Ya." And then she said, "Hey Benjamin Bunny, I'll go get my folder and show you a story I wrote up."

I have to write it up write now ok.  And Benjamin Bunny said yes. (I think we are transferring to present tense pretending and imagination.  Rachel is writing is coloring a picture and calling me Benjamin Bunny.)

Then Pillow came and Peter Rabbit said, "Hey, do you want to play?"

And then Peter Rabbit said, "Ya!  Let's play easy football."

The End

As a side note, Ms. R is obsessed with Lalaloopsy

Basketball

Well, here I am again.  I have very fond memories of praying my heart out for my older brothers while they were playing basketball.  I wanted so much for them to have glory.  I even visualized the coach turning to me, putting me in the game, and then winning the game for them.  My brother would be forever grateful for me.  Then I got to pray for my younger brother while he played.  We lived in California again because my husband was in medical school.  I prayed throughout the game and I prayed at home for him, on my knees that he would make the team.  I cherish the feeling of love that I have for my brothers as I watched them play basketball.  Now, I get to do it again my my own son.  I hope and even pray for him in the game.  I love it.

Cousins!

Look for the Good

There is probably nothing that gets on my nerves more than when my children are mean to each other.  I started a new program with them to try to incentivize nice behavior.  They earn a token for being nice and they loose on for being mean.  They used all of their tokens having fun at a place called Oasis.  It was a lot of fun.

Picking up Master I

The kids come with me to pick up Master I.  The walk is a perfect bit of exercise for them.  They anxiously wait for him and try to spot his face out of the distant crowd of returning children.  When they see him they yell his name.  This is one of my happy moments... when my children love each other.

The Tot Lot

There is a lovely little park in our town that is just for little kids.

We can't wait for warmer days to come.  We still play outside, but look forward to days when we can feel a little more comfortable and stay out a little longer.

The Please Touch Museum

We have a lovely friend that took us to the children's museum in Philadelphia for a special outing for Ms. R's birthday.

Ms. R's Turns 4!!!

We had a family birthday party for Ms. R's birthday.  

Ms.  R's presents were a painting easel &

A Rapunzel doll.

What a Hike in Penryn Can Teach You About Life

One Grandpa no problem 

I spent much of the summer with my sister and her children.  One day last summer my sister Emily and I took our kids on a small hike in Penryn.  We walked on our old street from the bus stop up the hill to our old house.  The sweeping vista was only more beautiful than I had remembered it.  My sister and I throughly enjoyed each peice of the nature that we grew up with--the sound of the gurgling water of the irrigation ditch, the quiet of the countryside, the smell of starthistle.  our children tried to enjoy it with us.  Their first distraction was the dogs.  Dogs in Penryn aren’t tied up or behind fences and they aren’t always nice.  We told them not to worry and gave them Penryn Dog Safety 101.  1 if a dog barks, don’t look scared and don’t ever run.  Face it and look it in the eyes.  Stop to assess if it is going to come near.  Command it to go, pick up a stick and brandish it, bend down to pretend like your are going to pick up a rock to throw at it, and if the dog still doesn’t stop, pick up a rock and throw it at it as hard as you can.  Then we started to climb the hill.  They thought the hike from the bus stop up to our house was too steep.  We showed them the trick of when your legs got tired to turn around and walk backwards because it uses different muscles.  Then we got to the part of the walk were there was a small trail over grown with a nasty weed with thorns called starthistle.  At this point they were in tears again and totally paralyzed.  We showed them how to step on the root of the weed to push it out of your way.  Near the top of the hill I mentioned that we had to be careful for snakes and to keep your eyes alert.  At this point I remember the questioning look of the oldest.  She didn’t want to complain, but she seemed about why we would put her in this awful situation with all of these perils.  I thought about it and reflected on how overwhelming all that we had taught her in the last  half hour might make it so that she couldn’t enjoy the lovely natural world around her.  Her mind was consumed with the new rules and information so much that she couldn’t enjoy it.  I remembered the first time I was mature enough to understand the dangers of snakes.  I lamented that I would never enjoy hiking again because I always had to be on the lookout for snakes.  I love hiking.  Looking for snakes has become second nature to me so much that I don’t have to focus on it anymore.  I can enjoy hiking.  There is no nature without the hard parts.  But don’t be discouraged.  All of these coping skills can seem overwhelming now, but they will become second nature to you and you will be able to shoulder that burden with ease and be able to enjoy nature again.  

Being a parent can feel totally overwhelming.  There is so much that is so hard and unpleasant, but there is no way around those difficult tasks.  Just like in nature, if you would have the vista, you have to hike.  We can’t find a path that doesn’t have difficulty.  We learn to shoulder the difficultly and 

My dad has learned to shoulder the difficulty and enjoy what is good.

Twister's Foods

Twister loves meat more than anything.  Meat and fruit.  For meat he loves sausage, chicken, turkey, hot dogs or whatever else.  He loves blueberries, pinapple, oranges, strawberries.