Sunday, March 31, 2013

Stolen phone

Don't you love going through you phone and finding this:







My kids are so weird

I nursed Owen until he was about 26 months. When he would want me to nurse he would come up and ask for "oh no". Apparently, at some point something happened where I said "oh no" when he wanted to nurse and he thought that is what it is called.

Ivy would walk up to me and hold up her finger and say one time. Apparently, I told her one last time one time too many.

Autumn, who doesn't talk much, pants and sings. When she first wants to nurse, she looks at me and starts panting. Then, she nurses on one side and stops, looks at me and sings a song. Ahhh Ahhh.
Ahhh. Ahhhh. We have appropriately titled it Other Side Song.

See, I told you they are weird.





Thursday, March 14, 2013

Kid recess lady

I headed to Owen's school early today to take some morning pictures. Owen and I were walking across the parking lot and he noticed one of his fellow recess ladies walking in, to which he yelled out, "hello Ms. Jay!"

"Good morning Owen."

"Did you get a haircut?"

"Why yes, I did get a haircut Owen."

"It looks good, I can tell clear from over here."

We walked into the office and I signed in and as we headed back outside, along side the recess ladies, I noticed Owen speed up a tad and join his fellow friends. He walked in step with them and told them about his morning.

I suppose he really is a recess lady himself.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Freaking out a little

There are two reasons everyone looks forward to the last day of school. 1. Summer vacation and 2. YEARBOOKS.

I temporarily went insane at the beginning of the year and I responded to a help wanted flyer from the PTA. I volunteered to not only be on the yearbook committee, but head that committee.

I started out with 3 committee members and now I have 1. That 1 is leaving during the last two weeks before the submission deadline for Hawaii and Canada. I am not sure what happened to the other members other than one deserted her assigned task in the middle of it and the other hasn't responded to the last three emails.

The worst part, I prefer to be a committee of one. I am pretty sure I should go to therapy or something for rejoicing in the fact that my help left. What can I say, I like things my own way and with too many cooks in the kitchen, well it doesn't look like what is in my head.

My submission deadline is fast approaching on April 5. I don't mind being a yearbook team of 1 1/2 but if I start to think of the gravity of the situation, that I am basically in charge of creating MEMORIES for 600 plus people, I feel my chest tighten a tad. Let me say that again, MEMORIES FOR 600 plus people. One of the two reasons you look forward to last day of school will be made by me. I am creating a book people will save for years to come.

I am crazy for taking it on and crazy for wishing away my staff, and yet on a daily basis I think about who I should talk to in order to secure my job for next year and what I will do different.

My first order of business - figuring out how to avoid a committee from the beginning.

I know, I need therapy.


Sunday, March 3, 2013

I’m Sailing!

It was time for the 2nd trip on the 12 trips of 2013 tour.  Take a busy month and add to it a bunch of sickies in my house, we opted for a day trip.  At first we wondered if a day trip was ok or if it would be lame, and then we remembered we made up the rules and this time, a day trip was fine!  The rules of our trips are simple, something fun that we have never done before. 

We certainly have never been on a sailboat!

I got a text from Steve for a free boat trip and February’s adventure was soon going to be a reality. 

Angie called me before we left and asked if I really wanted to come. 

“I hate the water, I hate sailing, I hate boats, I hate to be cold, are you kidding, I am coming!”

We sat freezing on the boat (cause we only take adventures where we practically freeze to death), with the most perfect sailing captain, and I looked at our kids having less than the time of their life on a boat and I laughed.  I still laugh.  It was one of those surreal moments when you look around and despite the dark clouds, the wind blowing, the life jackets stuck in the kids’ faces, the babies that can barely move, and the fear of being on the water on a 17 person sailboat, and you realize that you are somehow having so much fun. 

And if there was any question about whether it was a good day, as they started the motor, I heard a little voice say, “Owen, I want to hold your hand” and then I knew that no matter what happened, well other than if our boat had capsized, I was a fan of sailing.

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Friday, March 1, 2013

I will not be lame

During January, Greg sent me a link to go see the snowy owls that migrate to Ocean Shores during the winter months.  He thought it would be fun to take Owen and go.  I do not do anything exciting, so I am sure when I called him at work one day and told him we were going to Ocean Shores that weekend, he was shocked.  I like to do the same thing and keep order, yet at the same time crave chaos and constantly need to be doing something.   (I just read that line and wonder how I even exist.)

Even though it was my own plan, I was a little weary about going, but as I discussed this with myself, in my head, not out loud, I came to the conclusion that the decision to go wasn’t for me, but for the rest of them.  My people don’t care if we are home early for bed before school.  They certainly don’t care if the weekend is spent driving to see owls, leaving no time for cleaning.  They most definitely don’t care that packing is stressful and that there is so much to do before we go.  They only care that we are going and that they will get chips in the car (kettle brand, non-GMO of course) and their pajamas will be there when we get there.

I made the decision to go.

It couldn’t be that easy.  (As if getting to that point was easy..).   I fought with myself some more as I now questioned whether we should stay in a hotel or make it a day trip.  Then my fun self told my lame self that a day trip is totally not fabulous and I reminded myself that I want my kids to remember me one day as someone fabulous and amazing and honestly, how unamazing is a day trip?!

I made the decision to stay overnight.

Of course I was not done with the self talk.  I further pondered the question as to why I am so lame, self analyzed a bit more, decided to change my ways, invented the “I will not be lame: 12 trips of 2013” and we drove away to search for owls, gather rocks on the beach, freeze our butts off, eat somewhere delicious, munch down ice cream, swim in the hotel pool, enjoy the continental breakfast, sleep till we were done, and head home when we felt like it. 

It was fabulously amazing.

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