Wherein I Became A Hero

After I got ready this morning, I came out into the living room and opened the windows and front door to let in the breeze - just like I do every morning when it's nice out.  And then we went on with the usual morning hubbub. 

 

Until...

 

I was in the bathroom fixing Amelia's hair when I heard Clara say, "A snake!  Scawy!" as she ran into the bathroom to find me.  Sometimes she just says stuff that I think sounds cute, but I gave it little thought and said something like, "Sure, sure, a snake." 

 

Until...

 

Lindsey yelled, "A snake!  It's skin is by the door!  I see it under the heater!"  So I came running full of dread and fear, in time to see the little snake slither under the heater and disappear behind the couch.  We all did some freaking out and running around (at least I think everyone did and it wasn't just me).  Rand perched himself on top of a chair and Lindsey followed suit, saying she was too shaky to be able to concentrate on her homework (we skipped it last night in favor of going to the park).  Clara ran around saying, "Scawy!"  And Amelia said that she wasn't afraid of snakes.  I said, "You have to get that homework done!"  And then called our neighbor, hoping her husband was home and would be willing to come catch our intruder.  He wasn't there!  Ack!

 

We watched as the snake reappeared from the other end of the couch, slithered past the built-in bookshelves, across the front of the fireplace, and then under the lip of the pellet stove, where it came to rest.  It was showing just enough of it's tail for me to be assured that it was still there while I thought of what to do.

 

I ran out front and grabbed a long stick.  I have seen Randy pick up little snakes with sticks while working in the yard and thought maybe I could do that.  I couldn't.  The stick just scared the snake and made it hide further back under the pellet stove. 

 

Then, in a stroke of brilliance that should earn me a medal, I grabbed a cereal box, emptied it of it's contents, and placed it on the floor a few inches from where the snake was hiding.  He slithered right in!  I grabbed the box, hoping he wouldn't try to flee while I was holding it, and ran down our hill and tossed it down to the bottom of our yard.  The snake slithered free, the box got put in the recycle bin, and I became hero for the day!

 

The pandemonium threw off our whole morning.  We were alternately totally pumped and terrified!  We barely made it to the bus and I had to make lunches and deliver them to the school later this morning.  Lindsey and Rand took the discarded snake skin in a Ziploc bag to show their classes.  I told them they could only take it if they promised they would tell their classes how brave their hero mom is, and leave out the parts about me screaming and flailing about.

 

 

My theory is that the snake slithered from the yard onto our front step (shown above) into the space between the screen door and the front door and spent the night there and shed it's skin in the process (I have no idea).  Then when I opened the door to let in cool air, it dragged the discarded skin onto our doormat, and at some point a few minutes later, the snake decided to investigate his new surroundings. 

 

I'm glad I didn't step on it when I opened the door this morning.  I'm so glad it was small.  I'm very glad we discovered him right away and not in the dark or after it had grown fat on the multitude of crumbs to be found on our floors.  I'm really, really glad we caught it and got that thing out of here!

 

 

I didn't think to get a picture of the snake, but here is a shot of it's skin that I put outside before the kids took it to school.  My foot is there for scale.  And my sandals are cute and went from all the running through the grass.



Core Four Forever

Oh, my roommates!  It has been almost 17 years since we all met, which means we've known each other half our lives!  (I would insert a scanned picture of us circa 1996, but I can't work our scanner, lame.)  And it has been 6 years since our last official reunion with all four of us together, so it was high time for a Core Four Reunion.  Last month, we had a sweet reunion in good old Tejas.  This was my first time traveling to the Lone Star State and I must say, it was enchanting and full of every good thing you could ever want to eat. 

Jenica and I flew together from Baltimore to Houston, where we met Jessica and Stephanie.   Going through security with no kids was so painless!  Flying with Jenica was a real treat!  I didn't have to bring her snacks or take her to the potty once.  And while the man seated with us on our row might have gotten an earful from our long and spirited conversation, it was lovely to just sit and chat interruption-free for a whole flight!  Stephanie's flight got in just before ours and it probably wasn't until the week of the reunion that we realized she was flying in to a different airport.  Jessica, our host, was not phased by this, and picked us all up at 2 different airports, only nearly killing us one time on the freeway when she thought we were going the wrong way. Who knew Houston has 2 airports?  Not me, that's for sure!

We stayed that night at Jessica and Quinn's beautiful new house.  It was so exciting to see all seven of her sweet kids.  I am still in a state of shock at how tall and grown up Chandler (once the rolly-polly baby Biggity C) has become.  Her kids greeted us in their pj's and correctly guessed our names.  They were all just adorable.  After touring the house, seeing the kids, and lots of catching up, we headed to bed.  The next morning, we were treated to a fancy pancake breakfast (best syrup ever) and I even got to flip pancakes with 5-year-old Sophie who told me she doesn't go to school, she just watches movies.  I like her a lot.  And I did some marveling at how smoothly Jess and Quinn were able to get their kids off and out the door for school!

We said our goodbyes to Jessica's family and hit the road to head to Austin.  Texas, as far as I could see, was very pretty, flat and green and full of wild flowers.  The drive to Austin went quickly as we had time to talk and talk.  I'm still thinking about some of our conversations.  I am not a great communicator and/or debater.  I feel like I can easily side with anyone's arguments, and feel like I'm still forming opinions on a lot of topics we discussed, but it was very interesting hearing everyone's takes on things.

 

Our first stop was at the famed Salt Lick for a big barbeque lunch.  It was everything I ever dreamed Texas barbeque would be.  Yum! 

Then we headed into Austin for some sight seeing and a pedicure.  The ladies at the nail salon kept laughing at us and talking to each other in whatever language they were speaking.  I'm pretty sure they were saying stuff like, "I've never seen four more beautiful sets of feet ever." 

We spent some time wandering around the unique shops along Constitution Avenue.  It might have made me feel a little old, being among such cool young hipsters.  Jenica really wanted to buy a lamp made out of armadillos, but it was $6000, juuuust out of her price range.  At some point in there, we ate at a food truck (the city seems full of gourmet food trucks) and had ice cream before making it to a bridge in time to see a billion-ish bats pour out from their hiding spots to eat and fly in circles while people cheered. 

Jenica as a bat

 

 

Each time I called with my family while I was in Austin, Rand would ask if I saw a cactus yet.  Evidently, all we know about Texas here at our house is that there might be a cactus or two there.  As luck would have it, we did see a few!

 

The next day, we drove out of Austin to do a little hike.  At one point on the hike, a little boy walked past us and shushed us all.  I guess we were being too juvenile for that kid!  We went from there back to Austin for some amazing Mexican food for lunch.  Have you ever eaten a deep-fried avocado?  You should. 

We had an entertaining tour of the state capitol by a man who might just moonlight as a dj or whatever people with really booming voices might do.  While there, I might have done a little gawking at all the fancy quinceanera parties taking pictures at the capitol - with the girls in huge fancy, nearly wedding dress type dresses. 

There was a large festival downtown that kept us from being able to reach the river for our 4 p.m. water biking session, so instead of exercise, we went and bought the most ridiculously amazing donuts I have ever eaten in my life.  They were made to order from a food truck and were humongous.  Just to be sure we weren't missing any amazing flavors, we bought 7 of them.  We finished 2! 

 

Every time I mentioned to anyone that I was going to Austin, people would say, "Oh, they have the best music scene there..."  And since we as a group are all about night life and music scenes, we decided to venture downtown on Saturday night to soak it all up.  Four, thirty-something, Mormon women surrounded  by bars and loud music.  It was hilarious and silly.  We ended up taking refuge in an amazing, gorgeous old hotel restaurant where we ate salads.  We were slow to answer a question put to us by the waiter and he asked us if we had been at Marleyfest, which explained the huge festival we encountered earlier.  Surely we did not look (or smell) like we had been at Marleyfest, so instead of answering, we all just laughed.  I'm sure that guy just loved us.

Alas, we did not find a cowboy for Jenica, and we did not buy any armadillo house furnishings, but we did have a wonderful time together!  It went too fast!  I love how we can go without seeing each other for months or even years, but fall right back into fast friendship like no time has passed.  I like knowing we are still besties, and still unable to just take regular pictures when we are together.  (I can delete these if anyone so desires)

I would like to thank Jessica for being our driver and only getting turned around a few times.  She was a good bedfellow per usual.  I would like to thank Stephanie for being game for all the walking we did even though she is pregnant and probably just wanted a nap after all the late nights. And thanks to Jenica for only rolling her eyes a little bit at my lame cell phone and texting skills.  And finally, I should thank Randy for being game for me leaving him with all the kids for a weekend of responsibility-free fun.  I can't wait for our next reunion!  It better not be 6 years before that happens again! 

Everyone needs a Core Four!

Thursdee

Today:

Randy slept in a bit, so we had breakfast together as the kids were getting up (Rand, of course, was already awake).  Eggs and a piece of ham on home made Lion House rolls - perhaps THE best rolls I've ever made. 

I made lunches before anyone noticed me in the kitchen and started demanding food.

I opened all the windows.  It is warm and breezy and smells like spring.

I got myself and the kids ready and out the door 1/2 hour earlier than normal.

I dropped Amelia and Clara off at a very nice friend's house for the morning.

Then we drove to Lindsey and Rand's school and got a parking spot before the place got too busy. 

I met the mom of one of Lindsey's friends and got her contact information so those girls can play sometime. 

I met several of the kids' friends.  All 1st and 2nd graders have lots of energy.

I got to go to Rand's classroom, see him do the pledge and write in his journal while we waited for the buses to come for the field trip.  He insisted I pull a chair up and sit next to him.

Rand's teacher told me how she has loved having him in her class.  I like hearing that!  She is so nice and funny.

Children on school buses are LOUD and excited! 

We saw a musical version of "The Velveteen Rabbit" at a theater in our town that is a "theater in the round" or whatever you call it.  The kids totally loved it.

It made me think of how much Rand loves his bunny.  We lost it for a few days this week and we all feared Fred the Bunny was gone.  But we found him!

The play also made me a wee bit embarrassed.  Seeing grown ups prancing around, pretending to be stuffed animals, always makes me feel uncomfortable (same as when I went on a field trip with Rand a few years ago to see "Winnie the Pooh" at the same theater).  Perhaps I'm too cynical.

Rand is not embarrassed to be affectionate with his old mom in front of other kids, and gave me lots of hugs and a few kisses during the field trip.

I saw a group of moms there from our old ward - they are doing a preschool group and went to the show as a field trip.  Fun idea!

My friend watching the little girls texted me and said they were doing fine, and to go run some errands if I wanted.  Sweet!

I ran to Costco and per Randy's input, picked up a gas-powered power washer.  This will be the third power washer we've owned.  Hopefully it holds up.  Thank goodness for good return policies!

Then I ran to Lowes and picked up a bunch of plants, paid for by gift card.  I might have gone a bit crazy.  Buying plants is fun!  Buying plants with a gift card is even more fun.  (Hope you weren't saving that for anything Randy)

I came home, made a speedy lunch and ate it while whipping up some cookies to give to a lady in our ward to take to a food pantry.

As I waited for my friend to arrive with my girls, and with her girls for me to babysit, I baked a few batches of cookies.  I did not eat any.

I folded an obscene amount of laundry.  Plus started a new load of laundry. We have far too many clothes in this house.

The girls arrived and I put Clara down for a nap, gave Amelia and the other girls a snack, and started a rest-time show so I could finish folding and putting away the laundry.

I sat down long enough to type this.  And now I'm off! 

Soon:  take the girls to play outside, get big kids off the bus, snack, post-school crazy, Randy, dinner, more outside play, bedtime routine, and my nightly walk, before sitting down again.

How's your day going?

p.s.  Clara is transitioning to a big kid bed and does pretty well staying in it at bedtime.  She has only fallen out of it a few times.  But she still likes to nap in her crib some days, which is just fine.

May Day, May Day

We always like to tell people the best time of year to visit us is in May or October.  Right now, May might be beating October in gorgeousness. 

We never get tired of this yard of ours.  We just love it.  Most of the garden is in.  If we can keep those dang dear from eating all of those sweet seedlings that are coming up, we should have lots to harvest.  We even have green strawberries already!  We have been dreaming up some new planting plans for a few of the beds - new bushes under the bedroom windows, some plants along the back fence, perhaps a weeping willow or two in some wet corners of the yard...

Randy has been a mowing champ.  We have had lots of rain and the grass has loved it.  The azaleas came out and totally showed off, per usual. 

A bunch of cuties!  I love forceful picture posing.  And the kids do too.

 

We took cues from our own azaleas and knew they would be in bloom at the huge azalea garden at a lake/dam near our church.  After church last week, we and some friends headed to the park for a "Dam Cinco De Mayo Picnic."  It was lovely!  

 

 

It turned out that there were a lot of kids in our group, which  makes for lots of running and energy and bursts of wild enthusiasm.  It was very fun for us.  But we passed a couple on one of the paths and the woman held up her hands and said, "Children!" in not the nicest of tones while weaving her way in and out of our group to pass us up.  Yikes!

 

The kids went crazy throwing rocks and sticks into this river while we were there.  Luckily, no one fell in.  It was too cold to think about going in and rescuing anyone :)  Randy, true to form, had to escalate the rock and stick throwing by appearing out of nowhere with a huge log that he tossed into the river to make a big splash.  He won.

I seem to have more opportunities than ever to go help at the school here and there.  I just love going - schools kind of buzz with activity.  The other day, I took some pictures of Rand's class for a gift to his teacher during teacher appreciation week.  Just after signing in, we spied him in the hallway getting a drink and he was so excited to see us!  It looks like Rand is getting tall - his pants are too short!  As an aside, Rand has a quirk inherited from Randy - he does not like jeans.  What's wrong with jeans eh?  Why did it take Randy until adulthood to embrace them?  Will it take that long for Rand?  Anyone need some practically brand-new jeans I bought him at the beginning of the school year that he has barely worn?

After we finished the pictures, we stayed for lunch.  Clara was very popular with the girls at the next table. 

Speaking of growing, Amelia's hair is so long!  I just realized it reaches her waist!  We tucked in her shirt just to make sure. 

Yep, it's to her waist.  Such a funny little thing!

Oh that Clara.  She's bossy and smart and into everything, and so adorable I could squeeze her.

Yesterday Randy grilled some Manti turkey for our mother's day feast.  Before some friends got here for dinner, and while we were waiting for the grill to heat up, we played a game of whiffle ball, with bases and everything. 

Lindsey girl is always enthusiastic!  And always striking a pose and being silly!  I wish I was as cool as her!

 

 Everyone participated and loved it.

Except Clara. 

Just to prove spring isn't all sunshine and roses around here, see an unwelcome visitor to our house last week.  I had to kill that beast.  It was so so so big.  It haunts me.  Shudder.  I couldn't go into the kitchen where it was, but I think it's size made it sluggish so I was able to lob a few of Randy's big, heavy shoes at it and managed to squash it from the dining room while screaming like a banshee.  As soon as it was squished, I turned around and noticed Amelia and Clara had both climbed up on the table and looked terrified.  I'm a good example of calm and cool.  I'm sure I'll do great when it warms up enough for those 17-year cicadas to come out of hibernation later this month. 

But seriously, May is a great time to visit! 

Clara's 2nd Birthday!

Clara ignored all of my pleadings and went ahead and turned 2 last weekend.  She thinks she's a big kid now, but Clara is our baby through and through.  I need a video of her saying, "I'm TWO!"  It is cute and a wee bit heartbreaking.

We woke up to all of the kids' excited voices and as soon as Clara was changed and dressed, she went straight into the living room to open some gifts - with help from the big kids of course.

The baby doll and little bed have been a huge hit.  The three girls have been playing with it non-stop all week, dragging the bed from room to room, and filling it with all the dolls they can find.

Smooch.

We made a big waffle breakfast and set out for a busy day of the usual Saturday cleaning and yard work.

I decorated a shirt for Clara (a-la Lynette) just for fun.  I didn't think to do this until the day before and could not find a plain t-shirt, so I ended up with this fancy one that is way too big on this tiny girl!  It kept falling off her shoulder in a nod to 80's fashion.

The big shirt didn't stop Clara from running around like her usual busy self all day.

It's pretty much every 2-year-old's dream to have her birthday lunch at Cafe Rio, so we met several friends there for a little party.

It was delicious!

And fun!

Cute friends!

It was so sweet to see how excited the kids were for Clara and for her birthday.  They celebrated and cheered for her the whole weekend!  We are all so proud of our Clara!

We love life with this happy little person in our family.  Clara is unique and funny and adorable and we all love her so!

Some things to know about Clara:

• She is spunky.  She might seem quiet, but she's got opinions and a loud voice to share them with.  We're working on saying please and no thanks.
• I think she speaks very well.
• She might be our best listener.
• Her hair is the consistency of cotton candy.  It is fluffy and white and never quite settles.
• Clara can be a good eater, unless she's on a food strike - these swings are unpredictable.
• She has smiley blue eyes and two nice dimples.  We think she's a beauty!
• Clara almost never looks at me when I'm trying to take her picture, so it's very hard to capture those dimples properly.
• She takes her diaper off and tries to go commando almost every day.  Perhaps it would save us all a lot of trouble if we would just go ahead and potty train her.
• Clara's favorite things to play with right now include our old "little people" doll house with it's furniture and people, her new doll, markers, bubbles, a mini stroller, books, chalk, tiny lego pieces, swings at the park, and her siblings.
• You can tell Clara thinks she is in on any action happening around her.
• Clara thinks burps and toots are hilarious.  (who doesn't, eh?)
• She loves dogs, birds and airplanes, which we see a lot of here so she's always pointing them out.
• She loves playing outside most of all.
• Clara walks and runs with her head forward, little fists clenched and arms bent and swinging like she's on a mission.
• Clara is a bit fearless and will propel herself down any slide at the park, whether or not I'm there to catch her.  
• She likes to nap in Rand's bed and does a good job sleeping in it and not getting out of it to play.  I imagine we could move her to a bed sometime soon.
• She must sleep with her bunny.  It's not so pretty anymore, and probably stinky, but she loves it.
• Clara is growing up too fast!!

Spring!

Spring has finally come!  Or, perhaps, summer.  Last week was spring break and Randy and the kids were all sick sick sick during the break (but one at a time, making it last the whole week).  And it was cold out.  This week, it's been in the 80's and yesterday hit 90 degrees!  I'm glad we live in a house with a cool basement, big trees and deep eves and fans that help keep us cool-ish.  I cannot, in good conscience, turn on the A/C in April.  This week has been glorious!
 

With all the warm air, our neighborhood bloomed overnight.  Clara was very upset about short sleeves when we first put her in them this week - trying to tug them down.  I love seeing the kids' arms and legs appear when the weather turns warm!

Our neighbor's magnolia tree is magnificent.  I love looking out our front window and seeing this view every day!

I'm teaching a mini, five-minute class tonight on making paper silhouettes.  It's easy.  I'm not sure there's even 5-minutes worth of info I can give about how to do this.  And I'm certain there are more technically awesome ways to do the job.  But I thought since I am going to show how I make them, I could update the ones we have of the kids in our dining room.  It is tricky to get a kid to stand still and relax while looking away from you for long enough to take a picture of them in silhouette. 

Rand wins for the longest eyelashes in the family.  His are gorgeous.

All I do is take a picture of them with a light background.  Print it.  Cut it out.  Trace it onto black paper.  Cut it out, perhaps adding in eye lashes for good measure if they don't show up in the original picture.  Mount it on paper and put it in a frame.  Done!

Clara kept either looking at me or looking away or running away when I tried this with her so that she was mostly just a blur in her pictures.  Stinker!  I wonder if I can make it work with Lindsey's glasses, or if I'll have to just take a picture of her without them. 

And that is that.

Oh!  I think I got one of Clara that will work!