The Gurney Gazette

Wasting Away Again...

2010-10-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sophomore year of college my roommate introduced me to the music of a balding white dude named Jimmy Buffett. Life has not been the same since, in a good way.

That year (1989, I believe) I attended my first Buffett show at The Concord Pavilion, it was the Feeding Frenzy tour. Since then I have averaged at least one Buffett show a year, if not more. I've had to take a year off here and there though; one year it was due to being 8 months pregnant another it was due to the fact that he was playing at a small venue in San Francisco and tickets were super expensive.

Jimmy Buffett only performs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Unfortunately he always seems to be here on a Tuesday or Thursday and I have to work the next day because I tend to go to the concerts with my principal.

Vanessa and Principal Carol (listening to the Giants' game on the headphones)

This past weekend, however, he actually came on a Saturday! Shoreline Amphitheatre doesn't allow tailgating before hand but the call of a Saturday show was just too much and, so, much alcohol was consumed in the parking lot ahead of time. We used party cups and when the cops came by, we were very calm and they didn't question us at all (unlike my friend who got busted for drinking beer there tonight before the Bridge School Benefit Show).

Husband Brian tolerates the shows but insists on going each year. I think he is a secret Parrothead.

Buffett shows are like my own private holiday. I have so much fun; I'm up and dancing the whole time, singing (off-key) at the top of my lungs and probably making a fool of myself. I used to dress up a lot more than I do now. I used to wear a hat that I would add one item to for each show I had attended. Stuffed parrots, little figurines, an empty box of Junior Mints, etc all adorned my hat. After over 15 shows it became unwieldy and it was time to be retired. Now I just wear a big flamingo on my head. I get lots and lots of compliments, many people point at me, and more than a few ask to have their picture taken with me. Needless to say, I enjoy the attention. The best part of my hat is that it makes a really good landmark when someone is trying to find their way back to their blanket on the lawn in the dark (just make a left at the flamingo).

Me with my flamingo hat

I still can't believe my favorite performer is an old(ish) balding man who doesn't have that great of a voice, but the show he puts on can't be beat. After over 20 years and 20+ concerts, I can't wait for next year's show. I sure hope he is here on a Saturday again.

Book Lover

2010-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

The first year of Kyle's life I felt guilty much of the time. Kyle is a loving child but he is not a snuggly child. Because he wasn't interested in being held, I just didn't read to him very often. Kyle simply wasn't interested in sitting still and listening, there was so much to explore and play with that books and Mom were not high on the priority list.

Choosing a book from the "library"

All of that has changed in the past few months. Kyle is now passionate about books. More often than not he can be found carrying a book to me and climbing into my lap. He will spend lots of time thumbing through books and looking and pointing at the pictures. Even better, in the past couple of weeks Kyle has started orienting the books correctly when he picks them up.

Kyle with one of his books

Kyle loves to crawl up into the glider in his room with a book and "read."

Thank goodness all that guilt and worrying was for naught.

What I Did This Summer...

2010-08-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight is my last night of summer vacation. I'm feeling some trepidation about going back to work tomorrow, but it will be good to have a routine again. Back in June I wrote a post that spoke to the commitments I made for the summer. Only one person, my mom (thanks!), checked in with me over the summer to see how I was doing on my goals. Overall, it was a mixed bag.

Goal #1 was to write more often. I didn't do so well with this goal. While I actually did quite a lot this summer that I could easily have written about, I'm struggling with the idea of whether I want to write an "on-line diary" where it really might only interest those people who know me fairly well, and even then that might be pushing it or as one that is interesting to a broader spectrum of people. I love reading blogs that are written in such a way that they reach a wider audience and while there might be personal details, the overall outcome is more general; it would appeal to anyone whether they know the author or not. I guess I just need to get over myself and write. Those who want to read will and those who choose not to won't.

Goal #2 was to get more exercise. Yeah, that really didn't happen. I was plenty active doing various things all summer long, but I did not make it to the gym, not even once. The new plan is to go to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays before I pick up the kids from their daycare centers. I just need to make sure I leave work early enough to work in a workout.

Mom and Sharon on the way up to Reno. This is where we found our first box of the trip.

Goal #3 was to reach my goal of 300 letterboxes by early July. This goal I met! On the last weekend of June I went to Reno with my mom and her friend Sharon for Spy vs. Spy II, a letterboxing event. We boxed on the way up and back as well as at the event itself. Since then I have found 28 additional boxes. I have "just" 72 boxes to find before next July. Luckily I live in a box heavy area and finding these boxes shouldn't be too much of a problem.

My mom walking back to the car in Reno after finding a box. Please note, it helps to have a compass that correctly points north!

Goal #4 was to work on organizing the house and getting rid of things. This summer I cleaned out and reorganized the linen cabinets, the kids bathroom, the master bathroom, and my jewelry box. The biggest thing I worked on though was my kitchen. I relined all of the shelves and cabinets and reorganized the entire kitchen. When we moved in over 5 years ago I made choices about where things in the kitchen would go based on how I thought the kitchen would flow. I haven't been happy with some of those choices for years, but didn't know how to fix it. I didn't really know how to fix it now either, I just knew I needed to make a change. So far, I'm fairly happy with my new choices in the kitchen. The two areas of the house that we did not work on are the garage and all of the junk that is being stored in our bedroom that needs to be posted on Craig's List.

Goal #5 was to finish Kiersta's baby book. I DID IT!!!! Kiersta loves it and I am so happy to have this project out of the way. As soon as I finished I got the all too familiar feeling in my body of wanting to start the next project. Hopefully I'll find some time some day.

Goal #6 was to finish the Harry Potter series. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this afternoon. I watched very little TV this summer as I often had my nose in a book. I also watched all 6 of the Harry Potter movies and can hardly wait for the last movie(s) to come out this November. I have to admit that I am mourning my loss of time with the wonderful wizard and his mates.

Here we are in Santa Barbara on one of those bike thingies.

Goal #7 was to have fun. I definitely accomplished this goal. While I spent a lot of time working around the house and acting as a chauffeur for the kids various activities, I did manage to have fun. As a family we went down to San Diego for a long weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday with my best friend from college. While there, we went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, went swimming, drank too much, and caught up on each other's lives. On the way home we spent time in Santa Barbara where we rented one of those little pedal surreys. We stuck the kids in the front basket and Brian and I did all of the pedaling. This is one of those activities that looks like it will be more fun than it really is, but the kids had lots of fun. We also went to Woody's BBQ for lunch--so yummy!!! Additionally I spent lots of time with my kids. We went to Gilroy Gardens and Happy Hollow, the San Jose Museum of Art and the library, to birthday parties, playdates, swim lessons, gymnastics, and Gymboree. It really was a fun summer.

Kyle looking awfully cute at the San Jose Museum of Art.

So, while I didn't do so well with my exercising or writing, I did meet all of my other goals. I guess I was having too much fun to find the time to write, maybe I need to have less fun in order to write more.

PS I wrote this yesterday, but Blogger was down and I couldn't post it. I made it through my first day of work (no students) and found out that I have a student teacher again this year! :)

Mad Respect

2010-06-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

I have 3 friends that I know of who decorate cakes on a regular basis. I, on the other hand, have designed and decorated exactly two cakes in the past 6 years; one on Kiersta's first birthday and one on Kyle's first birthday. Now that I've done those two, I'm done. I don't know how these 3 lovely ladies do it. All I know is that I have mad respect for their amazing talents.

I'll let my pictures do the talking of my cake making abilities:

I made two cakes. The first was a lemon cake that turned out just fine and didn't require photographic proof, though maybe I should have just to show that I am capable of baking a cake. This is a white cake that didn't like coming out of the pan. A little frosting will hide the problem, right?

So I took one layer of lemon cake and one layer of white cake and cubed them and added frosting between and around. The frosting was going on too thick so I microwaved it and made more of an icing. I still had difficulties. Just so you know, I'm attempting to make a pile of blocks, can't you tell?

I piped on blue decorating icing and that actually gave the cake a little dimension. You can kind of tell that they are blocks, though the blocks may be in the middle of falling down after being kicked over by a deranged baker.

With green icing I decorated each side of the blocks. You can tell they're blocks but they are definitely falling over.

Here's the birthday boy with his cake and his big sister blowing out the candle. Kyle really doesn't look like he know what to make of this monstrosity.

Kyle figured things out. He decided to destroy the cake, well at least the one block we gave him. He looks a bit like a crazed clown in this picture.

Luckily I had ordered a back-up cake from Safeway. Safeway gives a small cake to kids for free on their first birthday with the purchase of a quarter sheet or larger. We were expecting about 45 people for this party and I wanted to make sure I had enough cake to go around. Plus, my husband, Brian, really only eats chocolate cake. He was horrified that my cake did not have a speck of chocolate in it. I ordered a chocolate cake with a fudge center and buttercream frosting. I asked for a blue cake with a block theme (to go with my block cake) since it was a boy's birthday. Here's what they gave me:

That's right a pretty yellow cake with pink icing, pink butterflies, and purple flowers. It just SCREAMS boy cake, doesn't it? I didn't get a picture of the larger cake but it also was pink and yellow and said in pink: "1st Happy Birthday Kyle." About the only thing they got right was the block!

What a bunch of blockheads!

Committment!

2010-06-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and I have plans, big plans. I love blogging but I rarely find, or make, the time to write. So goal #1: Write more often. I'm not going to put an actual number of times per week/month, because I don't want to write unless I actually have something to say, but hopefully that won't be a problem, especially if I meet the rest of the goals.

Goal #2: Get my a$$ to the gym on a regular basis. Kyle will be starting back in daycare two days a week starting tomorrow and Kiersta will be attending various day camps for about half the summer. I should be able to find an hour or so a day to workout. If I'm not at the gym, I can workout by going hiking, playing on the Wii, or going for walks. I could even pull my bike out for the first time in nearly 7 years and go for a ride.

Goal #3: Letterbox more! I need to find 28 more boxes in the next 3 weeks to meet my annual goal of 100 per year. I then want to make a good head start on the next 100 for next July.

Goal #4: Get the house under control. My home certainly isn't as bad as those seen on Hoarders, but I'm still not happy with the state of things. I want to do a little each day, with the husband's help, to clean, organize, and get rid of.

Goal #5: Finish Kiersta's babybook. The child is 6 years old. I have done little to no scrapbooking since she was born. This is unacceptable! I love scrapping and I want to find time and space to working on my albums again. At the rate I've been going, Kyle will be nearly 50 by the time I even get around to starting a babybook for him.

Goal #6: Finish reading the Harry Potter books. I'm 2/3 of the way through book #2. I've read a few of the books in the past, but never read the whole series, so now that they're all out, I'm reading them all, one after another (and watching each movie as I finish the book).

Goal #7: Have fun! I want to go to museums, amusement parks, swimming, hiking, and what not. I want to spend time with my kids, my husband, my family, and my friends. I also want to spend time on my own, because I need that.

That's all I've got right now. I'm sure I'll think of more later, but this is a good start.

School ended on Thursday of last week. So far I've worked on goals #1 (with this blog), #2 (hiking over the weekend while camping), #6 (reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), and #7 (gone camping with fabulous friends). I'll be working on #3 later today when I head out on the road for a few hours.

So folks, please hold my feet to the fire and help me be accountable to myself.

Wildlife Sanctuary????

2010-04-25T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking we might need to apply for wildlife sanctuary status in our backyard. Our yard is tiny, hardly more than a glorified patio with some scraggly trees and bushes and a lot of dog poop. But for whatever reason, the birds seem to love us.

Last year we had a hummingbird build a nest on top of one of our wind chimes (We've got Babies!). Mama hummingbird came back again this year and built another nest which resulted in at least one fledgling hummingbird on our patio.

Fledgling Hummingbird on our Patio

Additionally, Brian has spied an egret, or was it a heron?, in our backyard possibly going after the fish in our little pond/fountainy thing. Either way, it had a big enough wingspan that when it flew away its wings dominated the yard. Today Brian spotted either a falcon or a hawk in the yard (apparently I need to invest in a birding book!). We also have kites that like to nest in the trees near us.

On the protected hill just behind our home we have cows (they're there to eat the non-native grasses so that the endangered Bay Checkerspot Butterfly will have their native grasses returned to them for their habitat). Brian has also spotted a coyote or two and I've spent many an early morning listening to their howls passing from one coyote to another (it always reminds me of the dogs transmitting messages in Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians). We have jack rabbits on the hill and turkey vultures soaring overhead, too.

Now we have a new addition that actually is in our backyard. A robin built a nest in one of the scraggly trees about 5.5 feet off the ground. Inside are 4 bright blue eggs.

Eggs in the Nest

Mama-Robin-To-Be flies away every time I try to take her picture. I waited outside quietly for all of about 10 minutes hoping she would return, but I quickly realized I do not have the patience to be a wildlife photographer. Finally, once night arrived, I was able to go outside and snap a few shots. I was aiming in the dark but I think I did OK. I don't know if I woke poor Mama up or if she was blinded by the flash or if Mama sleeps with her eyes open, but she didn't fly away.

Mama Robin Protects her Eggs

So while our backyard isn't the most exciting place and doesn't have much in the way of kid friendly space, it does offer an amazing amount of wildlife diversity in an suburban setting on the edge of the country. I can't wait to see what develops next.

Happy Early Earth Day

2010-04-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Only Way to Travel:

Kiersta Crawling Through the Garden Tunnel

Each year the moms' group I belong to, Las Madres, gathers for an Earth Day hike. Normally we head over to Rancho San Antonio but the parking there on a weekend morning is nothing if not horrendous. It seems that more time is spent cruising the parking lots searching for an elusive space than is spent out on the trails. As a result, we decided to switch things up this year and go to Hidden Villa (www.HiddenVilla.org) in Los Altos instead. Hidden Villa is a magical place and well worth checking out. While there is a $5.00 parking fee, it was so much better to spend a little money to have a spot, and support a worthy cause, than it was to spend $5.00 in gas searching for a parking space.

Three families gathered this year, with a fourth one missing us by minutes, for our hike. After we finally set out, we passed through the various animal areas, including the cow with a calf...so cute! We also went into the hen house where there were at least 100 chicks under the heat lamps...more cuteness!

Mama with her Baby

We finally made it past all of the distractions and hit the trails. Hmmm....which way to go? We decided on the The Bunny Loop Trail, cute name and the kids hoped we would find some rabbits along the way; we didn't but we did find quite a few banana slugs. 1.75 miles and 400 feet of elevation gain later we found our way back to the farm. The kids did a great job (we had 4 year olds hiking with us)! After our hike we crossed the creek and had a nice picnic lunch in a field under a shady oak where the kids decided to climb up the hill and run down, only to find themselves surrounded by pricker plants.

The Las Madres Earth Day Hikers (Minus Me)

After lunch the other two families took off but we stayed around for a bit to let Kiersta play in the creek. Kyle had fun sporting my hat and eating leaves when I wasn't looking.

Kyle with my Hat

Kiersta on the Bridge after Playing in the Creek

Once we finally left, we headed over to a nearby cemetery to visit Brian's grandparents. It would have been Grandma Annette's 101st birthday. We sang happy birthday to her and introduced her to Kyle. Finding the letterbox in the cemetery was an added bonus.

This was a fantastic day with beautiful weather, unlike today where it is pouring and in the '50's! I'm thinking that Rancho San Antonio will not be seeing us for another Earth Day hike, this was just so much nicer.

Love and Kisses

2010-02-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day was pretty good this year; Brian actually planned ahead and made dinner reservations (PF Changs), bought movie tickets ahead of time (Avatar), and brought home a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Of course, I never let him forget one of our first Valentine's together when he tried to make plans at the last minute and couldn't find a reservation to a restaurant anywhere. We ended up going through the Jack in a Box drive thru and then seeing Titanic. Apparently we have an affinity for James Cameron movies on Valentine's Day.

Kiersta and Kyle had a good day, too.

Holy Cow! That's a LOT of Chocolate!!!

Kiersta got a few small presents: a stuffed bear, a HUGE card, a mini-rubber stamp set, and a big ol' Hershey's Kiss).

A Very Smiley but Messy Boy!

Kyle, on the other hand, got nothing except lots of love. He seemed to enjoy it.

The only thing that went wrong was that we were supposed to go hiking on the morning of the 14th, but I had previously made plans to go to the gym with a friend and didn't get back in time to make the hike, get the house cleaned, shower, and go over directions with the grandparents before making our dinner reservations. We decided to go hiking the next day instead--a fine compromise since none of us had to work or go to school.

Salad, How I Do Love Thee

2010-02-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my daughter. Tonight she ate salad for the first time...willingly, on her own. Dinner was being served and Kiersta decided she was going to eat salad. She loaded up her plate with leafy greens (a spring mix), croutons, cranberries, and bleu cheese. I actually tried to stop her from taking so much because I didn't think she would eat it and it would go to waste, but I was wrong.

Now, most of you know that Kiersta is nearly 6 and are probably wondering why it has taken so long for us to get our darling daughter to eat salad, but I didn't eat my first salad until I was 20 years old, so 6 is sounding pretty good!

Tumble Time

2009-12-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Kiersta seems to have overcome her fear of being on stage. Last week she was in a Nativity show AND a gymnastics show! This week she will be singing on stage with her kindergarten class for the parents. It's so much fun to watch her confidence grow!

Kiersta with her gymnastics team and coaches.

The gymnastics class did a choreographed routine. When it is Kiersta's turn to do her "special skill," she is attempting to do a handstand into a forward roll but it comes out looking more like a head dive. :) ENJOY!!!

Where Has the Time Gone???

2009-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't written since the beginning of October. At first just getting through October was reason enough to not write, but I did get through it, with flying colors. The family went hiking to commemorate the one-year passing of my dad. Somehow that hike and having gone through a full cycle of not having my dad around was strangely cathartic. I feel much more at peace but I'm still not sure why.

Kiersta with her Uncle Anders and Aunt Heather at Memorial Park on the one-year passing of my dad.

After surviving October, I just thought that I didn't really have anything to write about, so I continued to not write. However, when I was recently looking at the multitude of photos I have stored on my computer, I realized that there were more than a few post worthy events that had occurred. I thought and thought about writing, but how could I justify spending time to blog when I still haven't sent out the birth announcements (solution: send them out as our Christmas cards), have unpaid bills (solution: pay the bills-duh!), and all the duties that come with having two kids, working full time, and running a household (solution: well, those are all on-going and have to be managed on a daily basis). This morning I got out of bed at 5:30 AM and came downstairs to have some peace and quiet. I wrote the Christmas card letter (Brian will do a final edit when he crawls out of bed), caught up on emails and Facebook, made some coffee (though I have yet to drink any of it), and now I am blogging--YEA ME!!!! :)

So, I don't want to go back in time and write posts for these past events, so I'll just give a quick summary with the use of pictures. Here goes:

October:

Kiersta, my mom, and I spent a lovely afternoon at Don Edwards Regional Park hiking, letterboxing (1st finders!), and running into other letterboxers on the trail (2nd finders) to honor the one-year anniversary of my dad's heart attack that led to his death a week later.

Kiersta needs to open a hat shop! She made us all these ghost hats (they're saying "Boo!") without measuring any of our heads first.

Brian, Kiersta, Kyle, and I went to our local pumpkin patch (Spina Farms) to pick pumpkins. While there we went on a train ride as well as a hay ride (our very first ever). We had a beautiful sunset to accompany our chilly ride.

Halloween was spent with parades and trick-or-treating. We went with a family theme costume this year: Kiersta was Fern, Kyle was Wilbur, I was Charlotte, and Brian was Fern's dad from E.B White's Charlotte's Web.

November:

Brian's birthday is in October, but we celebrated his 41st birthday in November at The Elephant Bar with a few close friends.

Mid-November found us in Jackson for an Amazing Race style letterboxing event. Teams had to travel in one car. My mom, Kiersta, and I were part of an 11 person team that rented a van to hold all of us. This is Kiersta with the two other kids on our team. The big girls were very good about tolerating the younger one.

Me, Kyle, Team Eye Spy, and my mom at breakfast. We all wore matching t-shirts and inflatable antlers as part of our team uniform.

Princess Lea, Team Eye Spy, Bokmal, SJ Honey Bunny (holding Cotton Tail), Ramona the Pest, Disheveled Anime Queen, and Wassamatta U show off their winnings (yes, we were the winning team). The three girls (Princess Tata, Monkey Me, and Kitty Witty) were next door watching a movie while we were dividing our loot.

Kyle started eating solid food. This is his first time having cereal. The high chair wasn't set up yet, so I fed him in the swing.

Kiersta finished her first season on an indoor soccer team. Kiersta was definitely the star player on her team (no, I'm not just being a proud mamma). She was an excellent goalie! I think we'll tackle outdoor soccer in the spring.

Kiersta's "cousin" Anthony, Kiersta, and my dad's cousin Bob and his wife Carol at the Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

My mom, Kyle, Kiersta, and I went up to Sacramento to spend the day with relatives from my dad's side of the family. Since my dad's passing, it seems even more important to stay in touch and make the effort to spend time with the Johnson side of the family.

December:

Kiersta was in her first Nativity play at the Mormon Church. Our neighbors invited Kiersta to take part and while we don't share their beliefs, we didn't see any harm in letting Kiersta participate. She was super excited to be on stage with her friends

Becky, Kiersta, Kyle, and I went to Hidden Villa for a winter solstice celebration. We made gingerbread cookies and yule logs. Here, Becky is blowing glitter off "the best yule log a Jew ever made."

So, those are some of highlights of my life for the past few months. Hope you enjoyed! :)

Dreams of My Father

2009-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

My dad taking pictures at Bodie State Park

October is going to be a hard month for me. We're coming up on the one year anniversary (I hate using that word, an anniversary seems like a celebration not a sad occurrence) of my dad's death.

My dad walking me down the aisle

I remember sitting in KFC with a few of my co-workers on a Friday at lunch and getting the phone call that forever changed my life. While my dad officially passed away on October 18th, I almost feel like October 10th is the actual date of his passing since that is when he had his heart attack and never recovered.

Dad holding his granddaughter for the first time

A couple of nights ago I dreamt of my dad and woke up sobbing. I dreamt that my dad, whom I couldn't directly see--only reflections--but I could hear, like in a Ken Burns' documentary, was telling me how proud he was of me and of Kiersta. He also said that he knew about Kyle and that he was watching over all of us, looking out for us. He told me that I could let go of missing him so much. It was a good dream, but it still made me so sad.

Kiersta and my parents on a hike in Alum Rock Park

To commemorate my dad's passing, my family will be going on a hike and/or having a picnic, having dinner, and looking at old slides--these were some of my dad's favorite activities and seem like a good way to memorialize him. This is all still so hard. I know it has to get easier, but when?

The whole family

Bad Parenting Admission

2009-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

"I like this!"

OK, I admit it, I broke down tonight and specifically put TV on for Kyle for the first time in his short life. I didn't want to do it, but I was feeling desperate for some respite. I think Kyle may be coming down with the same virus both Kiersta and I have had this past week. So much crying on Kyle's part, near tears on mine, lots of sleep on his part, too. His skin also felt warm off and on throughout the day though maybe that was due to the weather or all of the crying.

"If you're happy and you like it..."

Anyway, 9:00 and I still haven't eaten dinner, I'm hungry, finally!, and feeling frustrated because every time I put Kyle down he starts screaming. What's a poor mom to do? So, yes, I broke down and popped in the Baby Mozart DVD and...IT WORKED!!!! A little too well. So much talking and kicking of legs and grins and squeals of happiness. It made me so happy, in a sad kind of way (because he likes the TV so much and he's not even 4 months old yet), to see him so happy. I don't have any kind of belief that watching Baby Mozart will make Kyle smarter but for tonight I'll take the 30 minutes of relief it provides me.

"This is so exciting!"

I think we both will cry a little when it is over.

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

2009-09-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I got my wish of going back to work full time. My change in work schedule meant changes in the rest of the family's schedule too. Brian started working from home 3 days a week. Kyle started going to daycare on the two days Brian had to go into work. Kiersta would be picked up from school by a neighbor twice a week. So much to juggle!

Last week started off smoothly enough. I went to work on Monday morning full of good spirits, so happy to be back. With the half-time schedule, I had had little to no prep time, so I stayed at work until the early evening planning and prepping for the next two weeks.

Tuesday also went well, though I did have to leave quickly after work for a doctor's appointment. Wednesday, Kiersta woke up early and complained about her stomach hurting. Next thing I know, she has thrown up in my bed and on my arm (which didn't even phase me after being spit up on so much by Kyle). No school for Kiersta. Brian opted to stay home with her even though it was one of his actual work days. I went to work but rushed home afterward to take over. Kiersta was still sick on Thursday, but since it was Back to School Night I had to go to work. Friday was my day to stay home with Kiersta. Kyle still went to daycare on Friday, but I had forgotten the breast pump at work so my boobs were incredibly full and sore by the time I picked him up in the late afternoon. Luckily by this point, Kiersta was feeling better so we went to her school for a kindergarten information event, a school picnic, and an author presentation.

Saturday was a great day!!!! Everyone was healthy, we went out to breakfast (my favorite meal to eat out), looked at paint samples for Kyle's room, relaxed, played, walked to Baskin-Robbins after dinner for ice cream, rented movies on the way home, and I actually hung out with Brian after we got the kids down for bed.

Then, KABLAMO!!!! Things took a turn for the worse. I got sick. Whatever the virus was that Kiersta had, I got. However, her fever never got past 100 degrees, mine was at 102.3. I couldn't keep any food down, not that I wanted to eat.

I'm on day 3 of being sick and feeling a ton better now. My fever hasn't gone above 99.3 today. I still don't have much of an appetite, but I'm beginning to feel a little bit hungry. The worst part is that I've had 3 different subs for the 3 days I've been out. I tried to go into work this morning before school started to prep for the sub, but the custodian never showed up and the school was locked. After waiting around for 30 minutes, I gave up and went home and crawled back into bed. I'm hoping that I really am getting healthier and that it is not just the Advil talking.

I hope I can go to work tomorrow, but I'm worried about what I'll be faced with when I walk in my classroom door (especially knowing I can't stay late since Kiersta has gymnastics tomorrow). I'm hoping that these new schedules will work out for our family, but this apparently was not the right week to test everything out.

Not wanting to end on a down note, here's a recent picture of Kyle just after a bath. I LOVE how his hair gets all sticky-uppy on top. :)

It's a Spitty World

2009-09-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

My clothes, his clothes, everything is constantly soaked due to the overwhelming amount of drool this boy produces. This video doesn't do complete justice but Kyle is pretty darn cute.

Shocked the heck out of me!!!

2009-09-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about writing this post for a little over a week now, had a title picked out and everything. Today I am finally finding the time to sit down and write a little and I can not remember for the life of me what that title was going to be. I know it started with a "D" and is a verb or an adjective. Dependable? Diabolical? Dismayed? Nope, none of those, but I know it has something to do with the topic. Ahhh! It's right on the tip of my tongue. Pregnancy brain is making my life difficult, or perhaps I'm just distracted by the lights and sounds of MarioKart being played by Kiersta?

Anyway, I've been teaching full-time since 1997. In all that time I've always thought that teaching is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but since I can't think of anything else that I'd rather do, I continue to work in the classroom. I don't mind teaching and I think I do a good job, but I don't necessarily feel like it is my "life calling."

Towards the end of the last school year, before Kyle was born, I had to make a decision about what I was going to do about taking a leave at the beginning of the school year. I am a bit of a control freak and decided that I didn't want to take full-time leave for a month, instead I decided to work half-time, mornings only, with a sub in the afternoon. I do all of the planning and the majority of the prep (in other words, I still have some control), I'm not a stranger to my students, I'll still have sick days when I return full-time to the classroom, and I still get to spend lots of time with the baby. Really, it seemed like the perfect solution. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself struggling to leave, day after day, at the right time to go home because I wanted to be in the classroom with my students. As the title says, it shocked the heck out of me! I truly did not expect this reaction. I thought I would be ecstatic to be able to spend so much extra time at home, but I'm not. Now I'm hoping that my sub will be offered a teaching position of her own and that I can then come back full-time!

Enjoying a drink on my birthday last month

As I wrote this, I finally remembered the word I was searching for, "dedicated." I didn't know I had it in me. Then again, maybe the better word would be "certifiable." :)

We Survived

2009-08-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Kiersta got up with her alarm this morning without any hesitation. She was cooperative and got ready quickly enough that she actually got to watch a bit of TV before we had to leave for "THE BIG DAY!"

The whole family drove to the school. We had wanted to walk but just weren't ready in time, no big surprise there. Don't worry, we did make it to school on time still. Driving to Kiersta's school was somewhat surreal. As a teacher, I am very used to being at school on the first day of the year, but this time I was tackling the event as a parent! Tons of kids in our neighborhood walk to school and it was quite difficult to turn left into the parking lot...one more reason to leave early in the morning.

As we waited for the classroom door to open, I noticed that many of the parents were sizing each other up, or maybe that was just me? Which parents looked friendly? Who had cute kids that seemed like they could be good playdate fodder? Who was wearing what? Three little girls, including Kiersta, had on the same pair of Payless Shoe Source shoes--so cute, I bought myself a pair as well! I guess we now have Mommy/Daughter shoes. LOL

We were finally admitted into the classroom where Kiersta was given a name tag and was instructed to find a cubby. The teacher took a picture of Brian, Kiersta and me together and then Kiersta had a seat on the carpet to wait for class to start. The teacher sat down and the parents were dismissed. Kiersta didn't cry. I didn't cry, much. It was a good start to a momentous day in our big girl's life.

The First Day of Kindergarten

I used to be little, but not anymore,

Tomorrow I'll get up and walk out the door.

I'm going to Kindergarten - it's the first time for me.

It's great to be big, but I'm scared as can be.

My tummy's in knots. You want to know why?

I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe I'll cry.

When Dad leaves the school and I'm there all alone,

I'm thinking that maybe I'll want to go home.

But wait - Mommy said I'll play lots of new games,

And meet lots of friends - I can learn all their names.

The first day of Kindergarten, oh there's so much to do!

There's painting and books and a big playground, too!

I used to be little, but not anymore.

Tomorrow I'll get up and walk out the door.

I'm going to Kindergarten - it's my first day, you see.

It's great to be big! I'm so glad that I'm me.

Milestones

2009-08-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Kiersta starts her first day of Kindergarten. She's nervous and excited, so am I.

Today I took Kiersta shopping for a new dress and shoes to wear on her first day of school. I hadn't planned to buy Kiersta any new clothes as she doesn't need anything, but who doesn't start kindergarten with a new outfit? We also went and met her teacher and checked out the classroom a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, Kiersta's teacher is out on maternity leave through most of October, so Kiersta will have a long-term sub. Fortunately, the sub is a retired kindergarten teacher from the school who has been spoken of very highly by my friends who have older kids. While visiting the school, Kiersta learned how to do the monkey bars and was a pro by the time we left (turning around and going back the other way without putting her feet down in the middle)!

Here is Kiersta on the monkey bars.

Being the sap that I am, I can't help but remember my little bundle of joy and the many milestones she has reached in her nearly 5 1/2 years of life: first smile, sitting up and rolling over, first tooth, learning to walk, potty training, learning to swim, first day of daycare (where I REALLY cried), playdates, first words...oh I could just go on. Needless to say, Kiersta has come a long way and I am very confident that she is ready for kindergarten, even if she doesn't know it yet. I just have to wonder if I am ready.

KINDERGARTEN WONDER

-Wendy Silva

I wonder what you're doing right now
and if everyone is treating you kind.
I hope there is a special person,
a nice friend that you can find.

I wonder if the teacher knows
just how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
is something she can see.

I wonder if you are thinking about me
and if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
and how you give my leg a tug.

I wonder if you could possibly understand
how hard it is for me to let you grow.
On this day know that my heart breaks,
for this is the first step in letting my baby go.

Never Again

2009-07-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday afternoon. We have four diapers left. I am in a race between running out of diapers and making it to Costco before they close to buy more.

The phone rings. I glance at the caller ID and see that it is Brian and answer despite the fact that I am attempting to calm Kyle down with one hand and the other is reaching for the bulk package of diaper wipes.

"Never again" I say when I pick up the phone.

"What?" replies Brian.

"I am never going to Costco again on a Sunday afternoon by myself with a small child and no help!"

"Things aren't going well?" asks Brian as Kyle wails in the background.

"That's putting it mildly," I say. "I've got to go! Love you! Bye!"

My eyes are darting around looking frantically for a place to nurse the baby. I briefly consider the bathroom but I don't want to abandon the shopping cart piled high with necessities such as pre-made meals, label maker tape refills, fudgesicles, and a discount pass for Golfland; You know, the bare necessities. "Could I sit in the middle of an aisle and nurse?" I wonder. I'm not overly modest and I have a "Hooter Hider" with me, but the thought of sitting on concrete while leaning against 50 pound bags of dog food just doesn't sound appealing. Luckily, Kyle quiets down after a couple of minutes once I pick him up in one arm and steer the cart with the other, not an easy thing to do in the middle of rush hour traffic with a cart that has one wonky wheel and a car seat blocking your view.

I manage to pick up the last few things on my list (shampoo, conditioner, B-vitamins), plus a few extras that were purely impulse buys (macadamia nuts and dark chocolate pomegranate candy--though these were now a necessity due to my state of mind). I find a cashier with no line and have someone else unload the cart while I continue to hold the baby.

I survive my trip to Costco, but I will not willingly subject myself to that misery ever again. Oh, and remember those diapers I was there to buy? Apparently size 1 diapers are not sold in bulk, so I didn't even purchase the one thing that was the biggest necessity of all!

No Longer a Lump

2009-07-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that at just over 6-weeks of age, Kyle is no longer a lump (as one of Brian's friends so lovingly referred to the baby). Kyle is a stereotypical baby in that he actually says, "Ah-goo" in a very quiet voice. He is smiling at us too; real smiles, not just gassy ones. All of this, plus the intense gazes, just make my heart melt.

Kyle continues to sleep a lot, both day and night. Last night I put him down around 11:30 PM. He didn't wake up until nearly 8:30 AM! I was a little worried, but still chose not to wake him up. I don't know if tonight will be as good, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Today Kyle attended his first kids birthday party. He wore a festive Hawaiian shirt to the celebration. He doesn't look so much like David Cook here, now he kind of looks like a drunk movie star, Brian and I are thinking Nick Nolte.

1 Month

2009-07-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Having two kids, you can't help but compare them. My memory of Kiersta during her first month is probably spotty at best, but this is what I remember.

Kiersta was a horrible sleeper, still is. She was awake, alert, and crying much of the time (she had colic). She still cries more than her brother does! As a result of being up so much of the time, Kiersta had a lot more tummy time and her neck muscles were much more developed than Kyle's are at one month. Kiersta was also quite a bit more photogenic than Kyle is, not sure why though.

Kiersta at just over 1-month old

Kyle is a good baby, that's not to say that Kiersta wasn't, but they just have very different temperments (as most siblings do). Kyle tends to sleep away most of the day away and much of the night, too. He wakes up to eat and have his diaper changed. He tends to not cry much. He'll cry for short amounts of time, but once his needs have been met, he stops. Kyle is beginning to be awake for longer amounts of time but he is still not particularly demanding during those times. Kyle is cute (I'm obligated to say that as his mom), but he is not very photogenic. When I try to take his picture, he just looks a bit like David Cook.

Here's Kyle just after a bath

Kyle at one month old looking like David Cook

Happy Anniversary

2009-06-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Me 8 Years Ago...Contemplating the Future

Today Brian and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary. We didn't do much, no presents, no cards, no flowers, which is exactly what I wanted. We did, however, go out to dinner with the kids (it still feels weird to say "kids" plural). However, with kids in tow, we couldn't go any place too fancy. We ended up at The Counter at Santana Row, which was so super yummy!

The Counter is right next to the tiny playground and a grassy area (fake grass that has sprinklers-why does artificial turf need sprinklers???). Kiersta had a fantastic time playing both before and after dinner.

It's hard to believe we've been married for 8 years, together for 13 years. We have our ups and downs, but despite everything, Brian is still my best friend.

Eight Years Ago Tonight...So Happy Together

Custody Battles

2009-06-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

Brian and I are fighting for custody of Kyle with our daughter. Kiersta absolutely adores her brother. We don't need to worry about her being over-jealous, if anything, she is over-zealous! Kiersta wants to help in all aspects of raising Kyle, which is great in theory, but often she ends up being in the way. In the 2-weeks since Kyle has been home, Kiersta has calmed down a lot and is learning the boundaries of what is and isn't acceptable. Brian and I are trying to keep her pre-baby routine as close to normal as possible and we are also trying to spend special one-on-one time with her.

First Meeting

"He's the same size as my dollies!"

I know I should appreciate the love and attention that Kiersta showers upon her brother more than I do. I'm sure that in just a couple of years when Kyle is idoling Kiersta and following her around everywhere, she will probably refer to him as her "little bother" instead of her little brother. I really am very lucky to have such a caring daughter to help out so much. :)

The adoring big sister!

Holding Kyle at his second picnic.

"Mommy, take our picture!"

Brushing Kyle's hair after his first bath.

And Then There Were Four

2009-06-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce the arrival of Baby Kyle! I can hardly believe he is 2-weeks old already. He was born at 5:38 PM on June 9th. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. The funny thing is, he was supposed to be huge (according to the ultrasounds) and so I was induced two-weeks early (yes, today was his actual due date). Instead of being my big boy, he ended up being over half a pound lighter than Kiersta. I'm totally good with him coming early though; I was a miserable pregnant lady, plus he came out face up and ripped me up pretty good during his journey into the world--I can not imagine him being any bigger!

So far, Kyle sleeps a lot! He wakes up every 3 hours to eat and is beginning to be alert for an hour here and there. Input and output are all good and he is gaining weight (he was nearly back up to his birth weight at his one-week check up).

I haven't been resting enough, but with a 5-year old, it is hard to find the time to sit back and relax as much as I should. Kyle has managed to lead a very active life already; I have been taking Kyle out and about since he was 3-days old! So far, we have gone out to lunch with friends and family at least 3 times, had 2 picnics, gone to swim lessons and gymnastics classes with his sister, attended my mom's birthday party, visited with relatives who were here from Sweden, lost his umbilical cord, and gone to the park/playground a few times. We've managed to stay home and not go anywhere exactly twice in the past 2 weeks!

Enough about our days though, here are the pictures:

Minutes after Kyle was born!

Kyle's face all munched up from being face up in the birth canal (good news though--no coning of the head = bigger diameter coming through = much ripping).

Relaxing on Mom's legs.

All set to go home--he doesn't really fit in the car seat very well.

Dazed and confused after his first bath.

We've Got Babies!!!

2009-06-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Babies???? Plural???? Really???? Yup!

About a month and a half ago, we noticed one of our hummingbirds flitting about with bits of fluff in its mouth. These bits were being placed atop one of the wind chimes located on our back patio. Turns out this little bird was building a nest in what seemed to be a quite perilous location.

Our little hummingbird atop her nest.

After waiting for about 3 weeks, we finally noticed that there were baby hummingbirds in the nest. Unfortunately my pregnant belly does not allow for me to climb ladders right now, so I sent Brian up a ladder to take a picture or two of the little ones.

Two Baby Hummingbirds.

It's been a lot of fun watching the mama come and go, I just wish I could get a closer view.

As for my baby, well, I'm scheduled to be induced at 4:30 in the morning on Tuesday, June 9th!

And, for the record, I am only having one.

First Camping Trip of the Year

2009-05-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Brian, Kiersta, and I headed over to Henry Coe Park for a one-night camping trip with two other families. Since I am quite pregnant, we decided to take the old VW Vanagon and sleep in the car instead of a tent. Another plus, little set up or tear down time was involved. I also have to point out that it had been 6-months to the day since my Dad passed away and it seemed very appropriate to be camping, something my dad loved nearly more than anything else. The two other families have girls who used to go to Kiersta's pre-school and were her best friends while they attended the school. They don't see each other too often these days, so it was really fun to see the three of them having so much fun together for an extended period of time.

Isabella, Amne, and Kiersta on the top bunk of the Vanagon.

After a night of relatively little sleep, those mattresses are hard!, we went out hiking, and letterboxing. We hiked for about 3 miles total in over 95 degree heat. We found all three of the boxes we were looking for as well as a rattle snake--the first I've ever seen in the wild!

Henry Coe is known for its spring wildflowers and we saw many. Here are a few:

Poppies

Wildflowers that I don't know the name of.

Iris

Towards the end of our first hike of the day, Kiersta and I took a little rest near an old gate as we waited for our friends to catch up with us. After this hike, we had lunch, and then our friends left. Brian, Kiersta, and I went for one more hike. There was one more letterbox to find in the park and I wasn't going to let it pass me by. Henry Coe is only a few freeway exits away from where we live, but it takes nearly an hour to drive into the park down a long windy road. We had a lot of fun on this trip, for the most part, and I think it would be well worthwhile to come back and explore this park further when the weather and my body are more cooperative.

Letterboxing in Pacifica

2009-05-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

On my final day of freedom; the last where Kiersta was in school and I wasn't, as well as no baby, I joined my mom and her friend Sharon for a day of letterboxing in Pacifica. I had heard that the weather was supposed to be cool and overcast, so I put on long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and grabbed a jacket to bring along. However, the day ended up being just lovely with lots of sunshine, so much so that I came home with a sunburn. Here are some highlight pictures of our day out on the coast of California.

Luckily I knew just where to go if a tsunami were to strike.

Here's my mom waiting patiently while we finish stamping in.

It wasn't hard to wait though with a view like this though.

One of the many coastal flowers we saw.

We made a stop at the Point Montara Lighthouse, which I had never been to before despite frequenting the local beaches in high school and having one of my best friends live in Montara at one point in her life. It was a nice area with great views but not quite as spectacular as the lighthouse at Pigeon Point, a bit further south. As you can see, there is no fog anywhere and I felt overdressed.

Our final stop of the day was at a small scrapbooking store in El Granada that was going out of business. They also were hosting a letterbox, so that seemed like a great reason to stop in and do some shopping. Interestingly enough, a letterboxing friend of mine, WyndRyders and her two kids, had been in the very same store just a few hours before us. Great minds think alike apparently! :)

Here I am, quite pregnant, wondering which way to go next.

Home, coffee, and a bathroom were all I really wanted.

Spring Fling

2009-04-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brian, Kiersta, and I attended the annual Easter Egg Hunt for the mom's group that I belong to. The weather was near perfect; not too hot and not too windy. Each year we have gathered at the same park and I have taken a picture of Kiersta with two of her very good friends from the group in the same climbing structure. It's amazing to see how much they have grown!

Claire, Kiersta, and Sarah, age 3.

The climbing structure seemed so high and I was nervous about them falling.

Claire, Kiersta, and Sarah, age 4.

They're growing up so fast!

Claire, Sarah, and Kiersta, age 5.

Can they really be old enough to start Kindergarten this fall?

They had to bend down so the rope wouldn't block their faces.

It's All in the Presentation

2009-04-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

For years I've wanted to make this one particular cake, but could never come up with a reason to subject my friends or family with the results. When I had a daughter 5-years ago, my hopes of making the cake were further dashed as she is pretty much a girly-girl and would not be interested in having a "gross out" party any time in the near future.

At my school, each teacher is responsible for providing treats for the staff three times a year. Treat day is always on Wednesday. This year I saw that April Fool's Day fell on a Wednesday and I knew I could finally make my cake.

I called my mom to let her know what I was doing.

Here's our conversation":

Me: "I'm making a litter box cake for my work."

Mom: "So it's going to be covered in camo duct tape?"

Me: "Huh??? Oh, not letterbox...litter box!"

Mom: "I guess you can tell what I'm thinking about." while laughing.

My Cake!

I gathered together the ingredients and put the cake together. After microwaving the Tootsie Rolls I had to pinch the ends to make them look like real poop. As I sat there pinching, bending, and burying I couldn't help but giggle aloud. Some of the poops were microwaved a little too long and melted a bit much, these ones ended up looking like diarrhea...EWWWWW!

Would you want to eat this????

On my treat day I brought my box of kitty litter and poop to work and left it on the treat table for all to enjoy. Some of my co-workers dove in with gusto, others were so put off by the presentation, they just couldn't look at it, let alone eat it. A few managed to get past their squeamishness and gave it a try, much to their delight. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the comments I received throughout the day. However, at the day, there was cake left over, which NEVER happens at a school, so I guess my little joke went as planned.

Now I need to start planning next year's "treat." Maybe a camouflage duct tape cake is just the thing I need to make next.

More History

2009-03-11T22:37:00.001-07:00

The first year of The Tour of California, the time trial was held 2 blocks from my home. I was so there! My friends and I staked out a spot about 50 meters from the finish line, across from the large screen TVs where we could watch the starting line and ride progress of the various cyclists.

Here's Floyd Landis, about to cross the finish line of the first Amgen Tour of California. He went on to win the entire race as well as the Tour de France (until the doping scandal).

I live against those hills in the background!

Levi Leipheimer about to cross the finish line. Levi didn't win this year, but he has won the race for the past 3 years!

Now the time trial is held in Solvang each year (where I rode my first Century Ride as a part of Team in Training). I so enjoyed having the time trail close to my home but I think I need to think about taking a road trip next year. Meanwhile, I have the memories and the photos to prove that I was there, helping to make history.

Making History

2009-03-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

As a teacher, I very much look forward to my various breaks. I think I need the break more than my students do. Each February, my district takes off a week for President's Week, also known as "Ski Week." While I love to ski, I haven't been up to the snow in over 5 years; just too expensive for my family right now. However, for the past 4-years, I have found a way to have a lot of fun, for about 15 seconds, each February break. That fun is known as The Tour of California--the most prestigious cycling event in the United States. Each year I walk up Sierra Road in San Jose and watch the cyclists come by. It's over so fast, it hardly seems worth the hour or two wait, but I manage to make it each year. OK, confession time, I didn't go last year because I had thrown out my back and couldn't stand or walk for any length of time, but I have gone 3 of the last 4 years.

This year, I decided to take Kiersta with me to watch the cyclists. It was cold and rainy but we had fun.

A break in the weather! We can hang up our umbrellas by the Swedish flag.

Kiersta was pretty frightened when the riders came by. I had warned her not to step out into the street for fear of her causing a rider to crash. Luckily, both she and the peloton came through safely. However, Levi did hit Lance's rear wheel further on up the road and came down hard, fracturing some part of his body.

Here are the boys from Team Astana (Go Lance! Go Levi!) leading the way up Sierra Road.

I'm proud to be a very small part of cycling history and to say that I was there when Lance made his comeback ride in the States.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2009-03-01T23:09:00.000-08:00

My poor girl has been sick since Tuesday with a low grade fever that has come and gone. On Friday evening Kiersta started complaining about her ear hurting. This is a girl who has suffered from ear infections from infancy and had tubes placed in both ears when she was just over a year old. I knew we were going to be in for a long night. Unfortunately I was right.

Lots of tears, thrashing around, and screaming were to be heard from our bedroom that night.

Luckily, Kiersta's pediatrician has Saturday morning hours. We got the official diagnosis of "nasty ear infection." The doctor offered us chewable tablets instead of the liquid we were used to giving Kiersta in these situations. We pounced on the idea as Kiersta is not a fan of the liquid medication.

We went to a pharmacy to have the prescription filled but they were out. Kiersta's fever was rising, I was exhausted from a night of little sleep, but off we headed to another pharmacy several miles away. Yes! They had what we were looking for in stock. We were told that they didn't know how it would taste, but I figured this medicine was designed for kids, so how bad could it be? 40 minutes later we finally had our prescription in hand. At this point we were both really tired and hungry as it was well past lunch time. The only good thing about the long wait is that we got Kiersta's birthday party planned and booked at the gymnastics center located around the corner from the pharmacy.

We got home and I opened the pills. EWWWWWWW! Gross! They smelled just like penicillan, there was no flavoring at all and I had to have my poor girl chew these up twice a day for 10 days. More tears, on both our parts, and attempts at making pill and cookie sandwiches finally got the medicine down. At this rate, this was going to be a long 10 days. Saturday night Kiersta tried the pill with apple sauce but it was still a long process. Today went much better though. She ate her pills with yogurt by dipping the pill into the yogurt and then taking tiny bites. No tears and she ate them up like the big girl she is.

So my question is, who is the idiot who made chewable antibiotics for kids that are medicine flavored???? Next time I think we'll go back to the liquid medicine that can be flavored.

Kiersta still has her fever but her ear isn't hurting anymore. To make matters worse though, tomorrow is her 5th birthday and she still can't go to her school to celebrate her birthday (and Dr. Suess's) with her friends and classmates. Hopefully she'll feel up to dinner with the family and a trip to Baskin-Robbins afterward.

Here's Kiersta in her pajamas that she has worn all day long after eating her pill with yogurt. No tears! Tomorrow she will be 5!!!

The View From Above

2009-02-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

A few days ago my toes officially disappeared and the baby started kicking hard enough to be felt outside. I would have posted a picture, but my view of my tummy does not translate well to a photo.

The Language of Words

2009-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about language today and how there are many phrases that are used that don't make sense anymore. The three that come to mind off hand are: "roll up the window" (from in a car before there were electric windows), "dial the phone" (from when there were rotary dial phones), and "turn up the volume" (from TV's before there were remotes). It makes me laugh to hear Kiersta using these phrases. I wonder when these archaic uses of language will stop being common vernacular. I also wonder what we would say instead.

What phrases can you think of that don't have relevance in today's world?

Happy Birthday Old Man

2009-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken while I was pregnant with Kiersta.

It's been just over 3 months since my dad passed away. Just over a week ago there was finally a memorial service for my dad. The service was so very nice. I learned a lot about my dad. Many people got up to speak, share memories of him, and voice how he had influenced their lives. It was really neat to hear of so many different facets of my dad's life. While I knew many of the stories (one of my favorites is from when he worked at Yosemite: he used to take his photos to Ansel Adams to be critiqued!) and knew about all these different sides of my dad, I also felt a little guilty; I didn't appreciate my dad the same way that all of these other people did. One of my friends pointed out that my dad was my dad and not my friend. He took his role of parenting very seriously. I certainly didn't appreciate his parenting while I was a teenager, but he was doing his job and doing it well.

Because of my dad, I learned to love nature and traveling. I grew up going to Yosemite several times a year. Road trips, camping, backpacking, and trips to Sweden were all regular events in my childhood. My dad gave me my first camera and I put it to good use, following his example. My dad was a physicist and I also love science and learning. My dad put his family first and was home for dinner every night at the same time; I wish I could learn to be as regular as he was. While I didn't appreciate my dad while I was growing up, I can now see what a good parent, and person, he really was.

Yesterday would have been my dad's 80th birthday. Brian, Kiersta, Anders, Heather, and I went over to my mom's house for dinner. We had made it through the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Anders' birthday all without my dad being there, but all of these events were celebrated at restaurants or my house. This was the first time we were having a meal at my mom's house. I agonized over who would sit in my dad's spot at the dinner table and realized that no one would or should, yet. My mom had a small heart shaped votive candle placed on the table at my dad's seat and it was just perfect. We ate foods that my dad loved for dinner. We didn't have a birthday cake, instead my mom made a kick-ass apple pie. This dinner was a very fitting tribute to my dad. He liked nothing more than seeing the family together and spending time with us. He would have enjoyed this birthday very much.

My gift to my dad this year will be the birth of his first grandson, due in June. Our baby boy's working title is Kyle Richard, Richard being my dad's name. I hope our boy has as much passion for life as my dad did, though maybe without quite so much stubbornness--I think I have enough stubbornness for all of us, just one more trait I inherited from my dad!

A New Start

2009-01-01T21:05:00.000-08:00

Kiersta is quickly outgrowing her toddler bed, which uses her old crib mattress. Today my mom, Kiersta and I headed over to Ikea to see if there were any beds we liked. The youth beds were tiny with strange mattress sizes. Kiersta was seduced by all of the accessories and really didn't pay much attention to the actual beds. I did find one bed I liked, a cute white twin bed with drawers underneath and wainscoting around the sides. It had enough interesting detail and isn't totally girly, though I can't imagine it as a boy's bed. We didn't make any final decisions today, but at least we made a start in the great bed hunt. Here's a shot of Kiersta in her current bed.

After lunch and bed shopping at Ikea (as well as buying frozen Swedish meatballs from an actual Swede), we headed over to Kepler's Books in Menlo Park to hit up their big New Year's Day sale. I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. Unfortunately, most everything I wanted they were out of. I ended up with Anne of Green Gables, a book I've wanted to read since 6th grade but never have. I also bought Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I love her fiction but have had a harder time with her non-fiction. I'll be curious to see how this book strikes me.

After Kepler's, we headed over to a local park and found our first letterbox of 2009. This was my mom's 3rd try on this box. I found the correct location right away. I guess sometimes you just have to think outside of the box. Overall, today was a very good start to the new year. :)

The End of it All

2008-12-31T23:06:00.000-08:00

I haven't written since mid-September, but I think about writing all of the time. After so much time has passed, I just don't even know where to begin. I think the thing that has kept me from writing is the death of my dad on October 18th. I keep thinking that I need to write about him, but I just haven't had the mental energy to do so. I'm not sure that I have the energy even today. One of my friends suggested that I just move on and not get bogged down and that's what I think I will do--thanks Cristin.

I will say that I miss my dad much more than I ever thought possible. He was a good man but he more often than not bugged the crap out of me and I had little tolerance for his whack-a-doo ideas and beliefs. He was super stubborn, a lot like me in fact. The thing is, he absolutely adored Kiersta, and she him. I am so sorry that the two of them will not be able to spend time together anymore.

This is the final picture I took of my dad and Kiersta together, less than a month before he passed away.

The other piece of news that has kept me from writing, is the fact that I have been super tired for the past three months or so. I'm just not a very good pregnant lady. My body does not like all of the hormones coursing through me and fights back on a near daily basis. I didn't know I was pregnant at the time of my dad's death--I thought many of my symptoms were wrapped up in my grief and anxiety of the situation at hand. While grief may have contributed, I now know the full story. It is hard to be so happy and so sad at the same time. I so wish my dad could have been told in person that he was going to be a Morfar (grandfather) again. I have to believe that he does know in his own way though.

So there you have it, the death of my dad and the upcoming birth in mid-June of our second child. As the cliche' says, when one door closes, another opens. Cliches are said for a reason though and this one is definitely true for me right now. I'm hoping that with 2008 ending I can put away my guilt over not writing and bring in a sense of renewed optimism for life with 2009.

Wishing everyone a very happy new year!

Sigh...Back to Square One

2008-09-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Last week Brian took Kiersta in for her "oral challenge" to see if she was still allergic to peanuts. Unfortunately she is. The doctor started with a peanut butter rub on her lip. Everything was going well and the next phase, "chew a peanut and then spit it out" was about to begin. However, right then Brian noticed that Kiersta had hives. The rest of the testing was cancelled and we are back to square one. We have to wait two more years before we have her tested again. Two more years of label reading, two more years of worrying, two more years of not eating Chinese food, two more years of...well, the same.

When Brian called me and gave me the news, I was so sad. I had been so hopeful and felt that there was no way she could still be allergic, but I was wrong. Apparently this had been the second time in a week that there had been a negative scratch test result and then a positive result from the oral challenge. The doctors are looking into the possibility of a bad batch of peanut scratch testers. I just want for Kiersta to be "normal." I don't want her to start elementary school next year where food is unrestricted and kids share. She may just have to go to my school so that I can be there to keep an eye on things. Kiersta is disappointed too.

Here's one sad girl (age 17 months)

Wii!!!!! This is fun!

2008-09-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I bought a used Nintendo Wii. The 14 year old boy I bought it from had only played it 3 times and decided he would rather have a laptop, so he was selling it in order to earn the money. I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with me when the 38 year old female wants something a 14 year old male doesn't want. His mother assured me it's because he has so many other gaming systems and would rather play Rock Band than go bowling.

Unfortunately the kid forgot to include one of the cables and the manuals so I had to wait a few days for him to find them. Four days later I had all of the parts. Brian hooked it up for me on Friday night, but I was so tired from a long week at work that I fell asleep on Kiersta's floor. Brian stayed up until 3 am playing. I took my turn on Saturday. Kiersta had a lot of fun designing her Mii and thought that was a game all on its own. Her favorite game is the cow riding game on Wii Play. I'm feeling partial to tennis. Brian is liking baseball, especially once he figured out that he can hit the ball out of the park by just flicking his wrist instead of taking a real swing. I also learned that I have the fitness age of a 69 year old (because I couldn't time my swings right in baseball and didn't hit a single ball); I guess I'll have to work on that.

I also learned that there is no way we could have had a Wii at our trailer. I would have hit the ceiling when serving or swinging the racket in tennis. As it is, we're not sure we can really even play a 2-player game without causing physical damage to one another. The coffee table is pushed to the side and the couch is pushed back. No, we didn't have to move the couch outside (though that would provide more space), this picture was taken when we were upgrading to a new used couch and had the old one posted for free take away on Craig's List, and it just seemed appropriate.

I've been very disciplined today though and haven't played once. I worked on cleaning out Kiersta's room of toys, books, and clothing that she no longer uses or wears--with Kiersta's input, of course. This process took most of the day.

I'm looking forward to buying some new games. Anyone have any good suggestions?

Encouraging News from the Peanut Gallery

2008-09-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

My little peanut at 6 months on a rainy afternoon in Bodie.

As many of you know, Kiersta is allergic to peanuts. We found out just after her second birthday when Brian gave her some peanut butter on a rice cake; Kiersta immediately broke out in hives. At that time we met with a pediatric allergist and had a blood test done to confirm our fears. Kiersta scored a 3.2 on the allergy scale. What the heck does that mean? Basically, someone who scores 15 or above is pretty much 100% sure of going into anaphylaxis if peanuts are consumed. A score of 2 or below means that a person essentially has no allergy. The 3.2 means that Kiersta has a chance of going into anaphylaxis but the chances are quite slim, however we do carry Epipens (epinephrin shots) with us everywhere we go. The allergist believes that Kiersta has a good chance of growing out of her allergy.

As a result, we religiously read food labels to find out if foods are "processed in a plant that processes peanuts," "is processed on a line that processes peanuts," or actually "contains peanuts." All of these categories are off limits. We've managed to get her daycare to stop serving peanut butter and educated many people, ourselves included, on peanut allergies.

Recently I went grocery shopping. I was, as usual, reading labels and looking for foods without peanuts. I picked up a box of Strawberry Chex and a box of Chocolate Chex (I know, I know, not the healthiest choices). The Strawberry Chex contained peanut flour, the chocolate cereal did not. I thought that was strange but went ahead and bought the chocolate cereal. I gave Kiersta a bowl of it the next morning for breakfast, she loved it. The next day Brian was about to give her a bowl but was double checking the ingredients and saw that it actually contained peanut flour! You may be asking yourself, "How in the world did this happen with all of the label reading that happens in this family?" Well, I'll tell you. The Chocolate Chex had a sample packet of mocha flavored Chex Mix seasoning inside. The ingredients for the sample packet were printed on one side of the box, the ingredients for the cereal were on the other side panel. When I picked up the box, I read the sample side. Why the manufacturer put sample ingredients on the side panel, I'll never understand. I was trying to be responsible, but obviously I screwed up. The good news though is that Kiersta did not have any kind of reaction! :)

Which leads to the events of today. Because there was no allergic reaction we thought that maybe, just maybe our ordeal is over. Today we met with Kiersta's allergist for the first time in 2 1/2 years. I expected to just go in and talk and set up a follow up appointment for actual testing. To my surprise, the doctor offered to have a scratch test done right then and there. I quickly agreed. Kiersta was also agreeable until she realized she was going to get poked on her arm and then attempted to fight off the nurse. The nurse was ultimately successful in scratching Kiersta three times initially and then 2 more when there wasn't enough liquid in the histamine and control scratches. The histamine spot formed a hive. The control stayed clear as did the peanut spot! This is VERY good news. It looks like Kiersta may be peanut allergy free. The next step is an "oral challenge" in the allergist's office where she'll have to eat dry-roasted peanuts while being monitored. Kiersta doesn't want to do this because she thinks she won't like peanuts. While Kiersta may never be a fan of peanuts or peanut butter, it will be so nice if we can go through life without having to be so careful all the time. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Choices

2008-08-31T00:19:00.000-07:00

Life is filled with choices, not all of them easy. Now that I am back at work, I have many more choices to make each day, especially once I leave work.

Upon escaping, I pick up Kiersta and then have to decide what we will do. Do we go home? Go to a park? Run errands? My time is so much more limited now so I have to make these choices carefully; I can't do all that I want to do.

Here are the choices I made this week. Monday, we went to the park for our weekly park playdate. Unfortunately no one else showed up, but we still had a good time. Tuesday, grocery shopping. We pay for everything with our credit card and then pay it off entirely at the end of the month. When I got this month's bill, I hadn't gone grocery shopping for over a month!!! Needless to say, this was a huge shopping trip where I spent over $350.00--YIKES! Wednesday, girls night out pool party that I stayed a for much too long because I was having so much fun. Thursday, hair cut for the first time in over 6 months. Friday, I went to my folks' home for dinner. This is a pretty typical week for me. Super busy and wishing it weren't so crazy all the time.

when I am home, I have to decide how to spend my time. There's always cooking and cleaning to do. I can choose to pay down my TiVo debt (meaning, I watch some TV) or I can play on the computer. I can spend time with the family, too. Lately it seems that the TV and the computer win out, especially once Kiersta has gone to bed.

This is one of the biggest choices I made recently--I chose to go back to school to earn a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership at San Jose State. Luckily, as the picture shows, I've graduated and have more time to make more choices.

A Camping We Will Go-Hendy Woods

2008-08-30T22:37:00.001-07:00

The interesting thing about Hendy Woods is that a hermit lived in a fallen log as well as a burnt out tree stump for years and years before passing away in the early 80's. His two huts are preserved and are now an attraction within the park.

This is one of the hermit's huts.

Here is the other one. I can't imagine calling either of these two structures home for an extended period of time.

On the final day of our camping trip, I cajoled everyone into hiking to the two huts as well as walking in the groves of redwood trees. Many of the trees have fallen over and have their roots exposed. One of the fallen trees has been climbed on so much that a trail has appeared along the length of the tree. Kiersta and her cousins had fun climbing on it. Kiersta pretended the tree was an elephant that needed to be ridden on.

Here are James, Erik, and Kiersta riding on the elephant.

After our hike we started the 4 hour drive home. We made one stop at the Anderson Valley Brewery. Kiersta decided to be very photogenic and kept asking me to take her picture with the Beer.

Bear + Deer =.......................Beer!!!!

Finally, Kiersta jumped into this tree and shouted, "Take my picture, Mommy!" Being the good mom that I am, I obliged her every wish and whim. :) I think I may have a future model on my hands, she certainly has the temperament of one.

A Camping We Will Go-Mendocino

2008-08-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Canoeing and Russian Gulch were great fun, but it was also wonderful to spend a few hours in Mendocino. I love how the town appears in the distance as you drive up Highway 1. The white steeple of the Presbyterian (?) church jutting up into the sky is just charming in an old- fashioned New England kind of way. In college, at UCSB, I took a class on comparative religions and that steeple, or is it a spire?, was on the front cover of my textbook. Unfortunately, that is the only thing I remember about that class (oh, wait, I also ran into the TA on the bus one afternoon).

Anyway, I digress...

After canoeing, letterboxing, and visiting the blowhole that doesn't blow at Russian Gulch, we went into town for dinner. I don't know where families with kids eat in that village, I guess they must drive to Fort Bragg. We eventually found a burger joint, Mendo Burger, that we could all agree on. The food was amazingly good and I would definitely return there--especially since it appears to be the only kid friendly restaurant around. As we were waiting for our food, I was rifling through my letterboxing clues and realized that one box referred to a statue that I had just pointed out as we were searching for food. I ran out and retrieved the box and brought it back to the restaurant to do my stamping.

After dinner, Brian's brother's family headed back to camp. Brian, Kiersta, and I lingered and went for a walk along the Mendocino Headlands in the fog. Blackberry bushes were incredibly abundant and dripping with ripe berries, which Kiersta and I ate with gusto.

We found a large wooden structure that Kiersta pretended was her throne while she was Princess Tata. This is now one of my most favorite pictures of Kiersta. I love the gray background of the fog. What you don't see is Brian hovering nearby because this throne was quite close to the cliff's edge.

We also passed this wonderful old tree. It is just screaming to have a letterbox placed near it, don't you think? Who's going to plant it? I look forward to finding the box on my next trip to Mendocino?

A Camping We Will Go-Canoeing

2008-08-19T22:30:00.001-07:00

Are these two cousins or siblings????

This past weekend we went camping at Hendy Woods State Park in Mendocino County. This is my favorite campground--the sites are huge and fairly private. There are redwoods and the Navarro River to play in. Mendocino is just a 45 minute drive away. There are also MANY wineries/tasting rooms in the area and a brewery that I plan to take advantage of on future trips.

For this camping trip we went with Brian's older brother, Kevin, his wife, Jen, and their two boys, James and Erik. Kiersta had so much fun playing with her cousins. They seem to really like her too and don't seem to mind the fact that she is a girl or that she is only 4 years old. Jen even told me that Erik (pictured above) said, "Kiersta has a great imagination, not a good one, a GREAT one."

On our first full day, we drove to the Big River in Medocino to Catch-a-Canoe to go canoeing. We rented a big ol' outrigger canoe that we could all fit in. We canoed for 2 hours and covered about 5 miles total. The Big River is a tidal river and if you time things right, you can paddle with the tide in both directions which means you don't have to do a lot of work. Unfortunately for us, a boat wasn't available when we first got there, so we went to Russian Gulch for lunch and letterboxing (found two of the three I was looking for).

It was so foggy at Russian Gulch that we could barely see this island just a few hundred feet from where we were eating.

The Russian Gulch Bridge is beyond the island but we were unable to see it at all. The fog was eerie but strangely beautiful. Catch-a-Canoe called us when our boat was available (a policy they had just started 2 days prior) and we had 20 minutes to hustle back to the docks. By the time we got our boat, the tide had shifted. Luckily we had four strong adults to paddle.

Even though we were only 5 minutes away from Russian Gulch, there was no fog on Big River. The water was choppy due to the windy conditions, but there was no fog. We saw crabs swimming in the river, which was pretty cool. I highly recommend going to Catch-a-Canoe. My parents used to take me and my brother there when we were kids. It's exciting to now take my daughter to the same location and to see that things haven't changed at all.

This is the fearless crew of the Outrigger Canoe! Jen, Erik, Kevin, Kiersta, Brian, and Me.

Making Waves

2008-08-14T01:48:00.001-07:00

What is it about the last day of swim lessons that makes me so sad? I think it is because the end of swim lessons signals the end of summer. I'm not ready for summer to end. While I have been in my classroom for 4 days already rearranging furniture, unpacking boxes, and dusting, I am not ready to be back at work full time. I have so enjoyed my summer of being a "soccer mom" even though no soccer was played. I like taking Kiersta to her classes and hanging out with the other moms, it's relaxing and low key, plus I feel like I'm being a good mom! LOL

This summer of swim lessons was particularly fun because Kiersta took lessons with two of her best friends, which means I got to hang with moms I actually know and really like. I've enjoyed spending time with these ladies and am sad that I won't see them as often now--I'm already wishing it were next summer! I've tried and tried to link a second picture with this paragraph of the 3 girls together, but I am unable to do so. This program keeps dumping the picture at the top of the page above the picture of Kiersta with her goggles. I am TOTALLY frustrated right now! The help section was of no help what so ever. ARRRGGGHHHH!!!! I know it can be done, because I see it on my friends' blogs. Please help me, somebody!

Rolling Along

2008-08-11T23:30:00.001-07:00

Kiersta had her final gymnastics class today. This was just a Parks and Rec. class that met once a week for 8 weeks and only worked on floor moves, so we weren't expecting an Olympic caliber performance. Last summer Kiersta took a ballet/tap combo class with the same teacher and pretty much hated it. On the final day of dance class, she just stood and smiled at all of the cameras in the audience and barely did any of the routine. Would the same be true this summer? I was hopeful that a year later she would have a little more confidence and actually participate in the showcase.

Kiersta ended up doing a nice job today. She was definitely nervous and chewed on her fingers a lot and was distracted by her leotard going up her butt, but she participated. Her favorite moves are log rolls and crab walking. We'll continue to try out new classes and skills and have fun watching her grow and gain confidence.

I must be totally whacked!

2008-08-10T23:55:00.000-07:00

Like I don't have enough to do already, and now I've decided to start a blog. Huh? Me, blogging? I don't have an interesting enough life that anyone wants to read about it, especially now that school is about to start. However, I'll see if and where this goes and move on from there.

Today Kiersta had a swim playdate with her two friends Sarah and Maggie. The pool was cold but the girls had fun, for the most part. Sarah and Maggie's mom, Michelle, and I were able to hold bits and pieces of a conversation over the yelling and constant interruptions and demands for attention from the girls. When does this parenting thing become fun for the parents?

We all went out for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, which was yet another adventure. Bathroom trips, nearly knocking over the table, twice!, and cajoling the girls to eat their dinner before dessert made for a typical evening out at a restaurant with 3 and 4 year olds. Luckily Brian was there too so the adults weren't outnumbered by the kids.

After dinner, Brian, Kiersta, and I went for a walk on "our" hill. I decided to check on my two letterboxes and discovered that one of them is missing! My first lost box. We searched the area thoroughly but were unable to locate my missing box. As I walked to check on my other box, I was feeling pretty sad. I realize that I can recarve the stamp, but I can't replace the logbook with all of those images from other letterboxers. I'm hoping someone will return the box, but I doubt that will happen. The good news is that my other box was in more or less the right place and in fine shape.

I have to be at work at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Are you jealous of my oh so interesting life yet? :)