June Recap

I am anxious to get out of the recap only cycle, but this is not the month that it is going to happen.


Ben - Became a chief resident and got selected to advance to Major next year.  That's pretty cool.  The chief thing I could do without though because so far it has been a major source of stress and a time suck.  Which means Ben now has negative free time.  Which means so do I.

In fun extracurricular news, our team the 'Silverbacks', won league play for Saturday co-ed 18+ teams.  We went into playoffs tied for number one and: two games, one overtime, no subs and a round of penalty kicks later we ended up as rightful champs.

Avery -  Completed (graduated from?) second grade.  Attended a week long fiddle camp where she studied English, Old-time, French/Cajun and Medieval styles of violin/fiddle, crafts and dance.

Miles -  See 'Lynn' below.

Cruz -  See 'Lynn' below.

Lynn - I am full blown mothering mode these days with each at different ages with different needs (whatever mode I have been in the last 8 years seems like a cake walk) Although it is fulfilling and awesome and worth it, blah blah blah, the parasitic relationship leaves me with little to work with by days end (or mornings start), but regardless I still give myself new tasks and hobbies because that's what a modern woman does.  Putting food on the table is not enough.  Keeping house is not enough. Mere survival is not enough! Although it may be the number one accomplishment.  Just yesterday I caught Miles mid-ride on the garage door as it was going up.  Surely this was accidental...but no, Ben caught him doing the same thing the day before.  Within the same hour Avery was discovered trying her luck with a razor in the shower.  Her luck is good and her legs are free of that fine, nearly non-existent hair that plagued her.  And I don't need to list the death defying feats that Cruz performs everyday, all to satisfy his tooth (I would say 'sweet' tooth, but it's also salty, nutty, savory fruity...), but I am running out of hiding spots for treats.  

February Recap

Is it just me or did February seem extra long this month? (haha) I'm sure that we all used our extra day wisely!

February and it's presidential holidays took us unexpectedly to Arizona, via California. We had been planning a family road trip to Canada as Ben and Avery both had four day weekends, but then at the last minute Ben was told he was supposed to attend a course in Arizona over the holiday. I get left at home by myself plenty, so I invited myself along. Of course my research indicated that it would be more affordable to fly to California and drive, so we squeezed in some family time and beach time as well!

Ben - Learned a lot about progressive sinus surgery and treatments. Enjoyed being a guest in his own home this month, before he has to move out again. Luckily, all of his possessions fit in a 2'x3' box.

The Kids: Well, unfortunately a dog followed us home when the boys and I were out for a bike ride (or in Cruz's case, a bike push). They named him Furball, then Oreo, and we had him for one night, actually he slept at our neighbors because the girl next door couldn't fathom that I was going to make him sleep in the garage. The next day when I went back to where he had followed us from there were signs posted. I got Avery out of school at lunchtime so that she could say goodbye. Turns out a family with four boys had been praying for his safe return. Glad we could help.

Me: Got invited to play on a co-ed soccer team that was short female players. I never turn down an opportunity to get out of the house or burn calories (especially when it doesn't involve lugging a toddler up stairs or hand washing wood floors) so I went. I haven't played soccer in 15 years!! (sorry I have to ponder this for a moment...) anyway, it was a super fabulous sunny day, I played defense which is preferred, we won and I was sore for 4 days after...like infirm.

I also started getting up twice a week when Ben does. It gives me about five extra hours to get stuff done with soundly sleeping children. It also gives me empathy for Ben's exhaustion.

January Recap.

Snowstorms, power outages and breaking trees is probably what we will remember this January for, but we had a few other things going on as well:

Ben - Saw his name in print, not once, but twice, this month in legitimate medical journals. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Largynology* and Journal of the Sciences and Specialties of the Head & Neck** (you may know it just as Head & Neck). Pick yours up on news stands today.

The one unfortunate thing is the cover of Annals (if this one actually made news stands I'm pretty sure it would be up high and have black plastic over the cover image) I don't know what this is a picture of, but I have narrowed it down to being anatomy in either the ears, nose or throat***.

He also got to go snowboarding as a work field trip:

Avery: Turned 8 right before our very eyes, without asking if this was okay with us. She also performed in a winter violin recital. I will put this in a seperate post due to pictures and video.

Miles: Started taking real piano lessons. Is pretty convinced he can play almost anything. He cannot, but we do not run short of confidence in this family. He also taught his old mom how to play chess.

The picture of Miles up top is by Sara. To see more of him enjoying the sand and surf go here.

Cruz: Conveniently naps during violin and piano lessons. All other times he can be found moving chairs and stools around the house so that he can climb cabinetry. He has already found my chocolate stash. Both of them. Has an obsession with Star Wars. He even thinks that the baby swings at the park are some type of stormtrooper girdle. He also called 9-1-1****. Then he hung up, but they called back. Interesting thing to note, that even after I gave them the explanation for the misplaced call, they asked if anyone was preventing me from speaking to them. Hopefully I'll never have to use this information but I'm glad to know that they are sophisticated like that.

Me: I don't know what to report other than I did start the year by getting pulled over but not getting a ticket. The officer claims it was because I didn't have my lights on (it was late afternoon which I guess does make it dark here, but I also have daytime running lights. okay it was raining too), but I am pretty sure he thought I was drinking or texting while driving. I was doing neither, nor was I speeding, but I did have to turn around and grab an iPad that was causing problems just a few seconds before, so my driving might have resembled someone in altered state. The first thing he said when he approached my car was, 'oh, I didn't see you had kids in the car' *****. As if that explained everything. He didn't even ask for proof of insurance or registration. The kids lost all technology privileges for three days (I didn't want to punish myself for too long).

The highlight of my month, however, had to be when the UPS man stepped in the door to drop off a large box and said, 'you stay in good shape for having so many kids, woman', just as Ben was walking down the stairs. It was probably awkward for about two seconds, but as soon as he left, I immediately went and placed another order online.

Britt: Not to be outdone by a simple encounter with the delivery guy, Britt had to go and appear on SportsCenter. Over and over and over again. Below is a picture of Britt and her boyfriend Eric and my dad at a recent Clippers game where Blake Griffin dunked, excuse me, posterized****** Kendrick Perkins. So not only was she at the game, she was directly behind the goal when it happened. She doesn't look that impressed Blake. Looks like you'll have to do better next time.

Photo courtesy of ESPN's Sportscience.

*Novel Use of a Suction-Irrigation Device to Remove Impacted Blood Clot from Airway.

**Original report of bilateral carotid body tumors with 2 rare concomitant anatomic findings, an ectopic parathyroid gland and cervical thymus. Wha?

*** Correct answer - Vocal Folds

****He actually had just pushed redial because we had reported a fire in the power lines during the snow storm.

*****Like I drive a station wagon for the heck of it.

******Word of the Month (I had to look it up): a Basketball term meaning to embarrass some one usually while slamming the ball over them. It refers to the guy who's being dunked on in basketball posters. (Source Urban Dictionary). I was pronouncing it all wrong in my mind.

2012! / 2011 Recap

I am ending 2011 with my erase board calendar stuck in September, 359 unread emails in my inbox and owing $2.55 to the library (total fines paid this year: $23.15). Nevertheless, I will skip ahead and join the rest of the world in 2012 and enjoy the chance to start afresh...but let's review 2011 first, and save me a lot of singular back posts (or inspire some):

Ben - Sometime in spring the husband formerly known as Ben became "Divorced Dad", named so because, he lived in his own apartment, provided mostly only financial support and made up for his lack of presence by being super fun, taking the kids for treats and buying them things outside of our norm. And when staying at his place, had things like ice cream topped with cereal for breakfast (may I suggest carmel pecan with honey bunches of oats...)

In July and probably the highlight of his year, he shook Eddie Vedder's hand at a concert in Seattle.

Avery - Started 2nd grade, continued learning violin.

Miles - Learned how to swim and ride a bike.

Cruz - Learned how to walk and speak.

(Britt - One up's Ben's Eddie Vedder encounter and attends a wedding where Magic Johnson is a guest...as well as Kenny G.)

Me and/or us - It was a good year for work and for play - It's a buyers market (thank you historically low interest rates (3.75%+/-), so I had a fun year negotiating and brokering home sales. I also had a chance to reprise my days as a "business analyst" (not necessarily the right term but it was my job title, "indentured servant" may be more appropriate) for my first employer out of college, when they brought a Chinese delegation through Los Angeles.

For fun we hit up Belize in March, Chicago in April, Lake Chelan in July and San Francisco in September. And the kids and I took up residence in California from late October to early December (We also started the year there in January). From there we hit the central coast, beaches in every coastal county in So. Cal, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. You just aren't living until they freeze your credit card for being in too many places in too short of a time. And you are grateful when they freeze your credit card when someone uses it in Brooklyn then Norway and you are nowhere near either of those places.

So that about sums up the year, looking back on it no wonder why it zipped by. We never took a moment to catch our breath. Just how we like it.

What are my wishes and hopes and dreams for the new year? (Besides fewer parking, speeding or red light camera tickets...please please please (make that 6 pleases) Last year was about not looking too far into the future, so as not to enjoy the here and now. It's easy to yearn for days of not changing diapers or making school lunches but when those days are gone they are gone, and furthermore the future will be filled with unseen/unpondered challenges of it's own I am certain. So this year I will build on that live in the present philosophy with another that spoke to me through a banner at the YMCA. It was one marked RESPONSIBILITY and referred to the verse in Ecclesiastes about whatever it is that you find to do, you do it with all your might.

Although I'm a bit worried that this will hinder my multi-tasking abilities, I do think that it will be efficient and rewarding. And it goes hand in hand with the only real resolution I made this year, which is to be a better cook. I like to cook; I like the creativity involved and of course I enjoy the end result. Unfortunately however, the last few years I have let Trader Joe's and Costco a lot of cooking for me. I appreciate that we have sophisticated convenience foods, but I need to hone some basic techniques and learn how to make a sauce for goodness sake. Other ways I will employ this idea - better workouts at the gym, more thorough teeth brushing, and being a more attentive parent - anywhere that I presently spend time out of necessity or desire may I improve my performance. That is my wish for 2012. Let the fun begin.

Mid-Summer Recap

Ben - Has moved out. And I didn't even have to ask him to go. The Army did. They also gave him a sweet bachelor pad (and sometimes a roommate!) in the city. We are about to start our 5th month of his relocation. He spends on average 24 hours a week at home, 80 hours a week in a hospital and the rest in his sweet (read: not great) apartment. Sometimes he gets to stay in luxury hotels elsewhere in the U.S.; Chicago, as documented by my accompaniment on the trip and most recently Rochester, Minn at a little place called the Mayo Clinic where he practiced sewing on vasculature 1/8 of a millimeter thick (Ben made me show him with my fingers how big an inch, then centimeter, then millimeter was, etc. until I was duly impressed). A big thank you to all of those Minnesotan mice for your service.

Professionally, I could not be prouder of him. Every day he becomes and better and better doctor and every day he already starts off as a pretty good one.

Me - I got to keep the house. And all of the maintenance that goes with it. I can almost always be found in the yard, wearing a sweatshirt and boots, wishing I was wearing cutoffs and flip flops.

Avery & Miles - Took a few tennis lessons but otherwise are enjoying everything an unstructured summer should be - except for heat, which we will try very hard to be grateful for.

Cruz - Does whatever everyone else does and generally destroys most things in his path. If it's edible, it's a goner.

February/March/April Recap

We've been keeping ourselves busy so as not to be disappointed by the lack of sunshine that is de rigueur for a proper Seattle springtime. We have learned this much by now. So let's see what everyone has been up to.

Ben - Was awarded the Presidential Airway/Esophageal Foreign Body Award (that's a real thing??) for the poster presentation he did with two colleagues entitled "Novel use of a suction irrigation device for removal of impacted clot from the airway". Fascinating as well as novel, I'm sure.

Avery - Lost one tooth on a Saturday in February, then lost another a few days later while at school. The second one never made it home, so the tooth fairy only had to make one visit that week. Rude, I know.
She also learned how to ride a bike without training wheels.
Miles - Can play Old McDonald Had a Farm on the piano with his eyes closed (literally with his eyes closed).

Cruz - Turned one! And since he is the third child, he got neither a birthday party nor blog entry dedicated to the big day*. Plus I'm too busy trying to think of 33 things about myself for my special day coming up. But we do love our little guy. Even if he doesn't walk (despite standing like a champ and taking multiple steps three months ago). I guess he has to put all his energy towards growing that hair. He also learned to ride a bike this month, and he started wearing shoes on occasion.


Me - I've just been doing the usual: tilling the earth, making butter from cream, successfully curing a kidney infection with a regime of yoga and apple cider vinegar, unsuccessfully representing myself in court**, attending my first ever Chamber of Commerce meeting, making homemade deodorant, selling houses, showing even more houses, testing recipes for a Seattle restaurant's cookbook, fitting 2 years worth of continuing education into one month. Nothing as prestigious as what Ben does, but fulfilling just the same.


*I will get around to it!
**I got a speeding ticket, and I refuse to believe that I was going 40 in a 30. I was just returning a library book for goodness sake. It was overdue, yes, but I had already accrued my fine that day. No rush. There are more details to why I disagree with this but I as I had no evidence what could I do? He agreed to keep it off of my record if I could go without 6 months without getting a ticket. No problem. I haven't been pulled over in 13 YEARS. I didn't even go 4 days. This time 28 in a 20. A full on speedtrap (where the speedlimit changes unexpectedly), which the officer admitted while chuckling. He didn't even ask to see my insurance. He wanted to hurry and get to his next victim ("one after another" he said). So my experience, plus the recent experience of three other gals I know leads me to believe that they are targeting pre-middleaged white women who drive stationwagons or minivans, (my experience in court would lead me to believe that they are targeting uninsured hispanic men in their 20's) all in the name of revenue generation.

January Recap.

I can already tell that 2011 is going to be a busy year. My library holds list is already a dozen books long, my collection of seeds to plant is growing by the day, I get to do real estate related activity a few times a week, have a busy calling, busy children who make plenty of messes, taxes to file, two hours of Bachelor ever Monday night...I mean the list goes on and on. And just when we think we have things under control and I think I might just have time to clean out a junk drawer we have a minor disaster somewhere in the house (one word - mold) which means I need to resurrect the house building blog). So let's get to reviewing.

First, we kicked off the year with a trip to SUNNY, lay by the pool, eat too much good food and play tennis California. And it was fun to see the family and friends too. Our first order of business was to see this guy again after two and a half years (whom cousin Kate is sooo glad that McKay is "not our cousin anymore, he's our uncle!". If anything will turn you from cousin to uncle status it will be a mission I guess. (For the record, he's always been her uncle):

(more family photos to come)

Ben - Started a block of research - YEA! (At least that's how I felt when he first started and I thought he would be around more. I still don't see him during daylight hours (not that there is an abundance of them) so now I just feel like: yea! (with only half an exclamation) because I think he feels like he can breathe a little easier during the day (while I continue to gasp)(but this section isn't about me is it?). I'm not sure what he is researching exactly, but he did give a presentation on face lifts today. So hopefully he's not researching my face.

Avery - Turned 7. For her birthday, we sent her to Vegas. And what happens in Vegas, deserves it's own post.

Miles - Miles spent a good portion of January telling fibs. Big ones. Such as when asked who ate mom's not-so-well-hidden chocolate stash by the bed, he flatly responded "mice". When pushed further on the story, he gave great detail on the apperance of the mice, number of mouse offenders and even gave a demonstration on how mice eat chocolate. Never mind the chocolate rimming his little lying lips.

Cruz - Has officially spent more time outside of the womb than in, although at times he does seem to prefer the former. He will do anything to get to his mom. My favorite is when he is is crawling around the house, spots me and then puts his head down and goes full speed ahead to get to me. His parents are suckers for him and just like the other two before him, he has convinced us that the best place to sleep is right between us, mostly we agree. Although not walking yet (so disappointing) he has mastered not only going up the stairs, but sliding down carefully step by step - a trick Avery taught him. He also claps, leads music and says a few words that only a mother can decipher - mama, dada, ball, Avery and water (okay, I'm not so sure about the last one). And he still loves to eat, not what you are feeding him, but whatever you are eating.

Me - I pretty much covered my stuff in the opening paragraph, so unless you want to hear more about my vacuuming technique or love of laundry (I must love it since I spend so much time doing it), how to re-seal countertops or touch up paint then my thoughts on January are over. Except to say that Britt spent the majority of hers wining, dining, kayaking and being dip kissed in New Zealand. Wah.

2010 Recap

2010 was a fun-filled year, and I'm sad to see it go but alas time marches on. Here are some of our highlights.

Best/Worst Moment - Welcoming Cruz K. by c-section. I will be happy to share this moment by posting a video if anyone is interested. Vote on the sidebar.

Vacations - Road Trip to UT, fall trip to CA, Labor Day camping in the Olympics, Thanksgiving in Victoria, BC. (pictures still to come on some of these)

Visitors - Alise, Heidi and her mom Nancy, Nate, Britt and Eric, Audrey and Kevin, Ryan and Jen (and my SS pots and pans have never looked so shiny!)

Growing - Artichokes

Exercise - H.E.A.T with Janine

Board Game - Wits and Wagers (w/the Manchaks)

Movie- Babies

Punctuation Mark - ?! (mostly I was just excited to learn that this has a name -Interrobang)

Word - Penultimate (which I learned from Prof. Manchak)

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Avery - Beginning violin lessons, starting 1st grade, modern dance.

Miles - Soccer, Hip-Hop, Angry Birds and Cut-the-Rope, sneaking marshmallows.

Cruz - Crawling, teething (6 to date), singing, drumming, wrist twirling/waving, eating everything.

Ben - I don't know how many lives he saved, but probably a lot. (I was witness to one recent display of excellent airway management and potential life-saving that occurred during a church service.) Did his thing as asst. ward clerk and sometimes EQ teacher. Snow/wake/and skateboarded on occasion. Frequently rocked out with the kids.

Me - Got WA Real Estate license (and renewed CA license for another 4 years), served in Primary as teacher, now secretary. Nurtured life day and night.

Looking forward to the following in 2011, besides Ben drinking less soda (you can make resolutions for other people can't you? If so, I am putting Kit on the same program, although that may be pushing it):

Reading - The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1

Television - The Bachelor: Brad Womack. Our favorite bachelor returns Jan 3! (Besides this and a select few favorites I actually plan/hope for 2011 to involve less TV watching)

Growing - A rad garden with tomatoes that turn red (purple, yellow or whatever color they are supposed to end up)

Parties - I have a few ideas up my sleeve including a book exchange, an emergency preparedness block party, an anniversary party...and that just gets us to July.

Blogging - Besides catching up on the posts I never finished in 2010 (and at least one from 2009) I saw a great idea that I plan to implement which is to take a picture of the kids or family every Sunday and post it, so at least I have a weekly recording. I started this a few weeks ago but haven't gotten them up yet.

What you will not find me doing in 2011 -

Wearing pajama jeans. (Although I may sport a grey crew neck from time to time)

June/July/August/September ("Summer") Recap

Ben - Ben had a particularly eventful summer. While still working full time he managed to:

Take a flight with his brother Nate (formally known to many as Nathan and to others and even more formally by his maiden name Nathan Kalana-Westbrook) piloted by the head nurse in the ENT clinic.

The two also took a rafting trip. Neither trip resulted in a payout of life insurance funds - which may or may not be a relief - I need to see what the going rate is these days.



We have an entire CD of pictures from the trip and in each one Ben's mouth is wide open. Cracks me up.

Here he is gallivanting on American Lake with his colleagues, on a weekday nonetheless.

And still another workday resulted in this fine catch. And a lot of sea-sickness I hear.

He also spent a month in Iowa for an work-related course, which was probably more fun than it sounds, at least it is if you like Wagyu beef. This trip also gave him the chance to visit Chicago.


Avery - Started first grade, is wearing skinny jeans* and is playing the violin (which is going much better than I had expected. my ears aren't bleeding...yet). She made a brief attempt at Tae-Kwon-Do but when she realized she wasn't going to get to do any real fighting the allure wore off. Plus discipline is not really her thing. What else... basically this is what Avery's summer looked like:

* Quite possibly the worst moment of motherhood to date when she asked "mom- can I get skinny jeans?" Actually, scratch that, it's a distant second to when she asked if I knew who Lady Gaga is. (When I played dumb she kind of let me know that while she knows who she is, that maybe she shouldn't tell me - to protect my impressionable old mind I'm sure. Uncle Nate was there to witness this interaction.)


Miles - Is still on a sheep riding high. Which is funny considering the rest of the summer he spent preferring to do yoga over sports like t-ball or soccer.

Cruz - All he cares about is where his next meal is coming from. And if it's going in your mouth then he wants it too. Nevermind that he has no teeth. (Actually he just sprouted two last week, started sitting up and does a mean inchworm)

Me - Well obviously while Ben was having all the fun this summer I was responsibly taking care of house and home. (Okay I managed to squeeze in a longish trip to CA and CO)

Britt - Because only Britt's events rival Ben's...I think it went something like this - Vegas, New York, Cabo, Yosemite, Colombia (the country of), Seattle then topped it off with a RV trip from CA to Oregon. And she also managed to work full time. But she couldn't win Wipeout.

Recap since last time I recapped recap.

Recap. Recap. The word sounds kinda funny when you say it a bunch of times. Is is short for something? Another word that I've been thinking about lately - ruthless. Where does that come from and can you be ruthful? Is it Biblical? I'm sure I could find these things out via google but I'd rather use my short time in front of the computer to recap.

{I couldn't help looking. Recap is short for recapitulation, or to put a cap on something. I also saw where it was surmised to mean recapture. All of which makes sense. Ruthless comes from the 12 century word reuthe which means pity, compassion. Never heard of it but maybe I'll start using it.}

Let the recapitulation begin! (now that sounds really dumb)

Ben - All work and no play makes Ben a dull boy. Not much new to report at this time. Although he did manage to turn 31 (and take us on a last minute road trip, and build a firepit and install a hammock). Here he is:

Miles - I think last time I mentioned Miles I was lauding him for being so independent. Well scratch that, reverse it, he has become quite clingy and doesn't want to be left anywhere in the house alone. I thought maybe it was a new baby thing but I think it's a nightmare thing. He said he saw a scary guy in the house and then described him to me. Now I won't go anywhere in the house alone. He has also started "playing" t-ball. "Playing" because they are mostly just learning the rules and playing wiffle ball indoors, it's not a competitive thing.

Avery - The highlight of Avery's last few months is probably her new haircut. She asked specifically for the "Grandma Leah".

She also took her first swimming lesson and is actually quite the backstroker.

Cruz - Eat, sleep, poop. And do it all again. He's great. He's also let us know that he is done with tummy time and he'll roll over any which way to get out of it.

Me - My dry-erase calendar read March until just last week so you can see how on top of things I am. I'm just happy to get Avery to the bus on time, Miles dressed everyday and get dinner on the table most nights. The rest of the time I spend staring at Cruz as he grows before my eyes. I also sweep three times a day and do lots of laundry. So I guess I do stuff, just nothing super interesting. I did manage to get my garden planted with seeds (my original seedlings died while we drove to Utah), now if we could only get some sun in this place things might grow. And eventually I will get pictures of our trip organized so I can post some of our more fun activities. Because we have had a lot of fun. I'm just irritable because I haven't seen legitimate sunshine for a great while. It's June for heavens sake. We should at least have had spring by now. The blooming rhodies and azaleas are spectacular though. If you like that sort of thing.

*If you don't get why I am complaining about our weather check out our recent forecast here. It's not looking much better for the week ahead. 55 and raining is to WA what 80 and sunny was to Hawai'i.

December/January/February Recap

The last three months have been a whirlwind of hibernation/holidays and we are finally back to standard operating procedure around here. If there is such a thing. In other words, after realizing that we have been in our house now nearly a year we decided to re-unpack by going on a major organization binge room by room as well as finishing up unfinished house projects like the kids closets, garage shelving, hanging pictures etc. Sunny days and an impending birth have that affect on people I guess.

One thing I didn't get done as planned was sending out "holiday" cards even though I got them printed and even though I put Happy New Years instead of Merry Christmas just so I wouldn't have any time constraint. I can't remember who I have already given/sent these to and not sure if March is still considered the New Year so maybe I'll just save these for next year and have a baby photoshopped in. So Happy New Year from the Westbrooks everyone!

Ben - Probably the highlight of Ben's last few months was finding a suitcase full of clothes that he packed when we moved almost two years ago. It was like Christmas is February discovering all of those khaki pants and Not Guilty shirts. Not to mention a ton of socks, which is good because I often snag athletic socks from his drawer instead of just buying my own.

Miles - Miles has probably had the most eventful new year as he graduated from nursery and became a sunbeam at church. He also started gymnastics and swimming lessons. I don't know why I didn't do these things sooner since they are free at the gym. I guess I had waited till he was three to sign up for the swimming lessons so that we could skip the mommy and me thing cause I don't even like gearing up for swimming when I am going to go for myself much less for a 30 minute sing song drag your kid around the pool event and nevermind that I don't exactly feel great in a swimsuit right now. But they encouraged me to start him in that class anyway, so I did it and we had fun. He seemed really scared at first but was a pro by the end and he has now moved on to the next class which doesn't require me to get wet and can now float on his back unassisted and do a bit of paddling.

He's also become a wizard on the computer (starfall.com, pbskids.org) which gives me some free time now and then, although we do seem to go through printer paper rather quickly.

The thing I am most excited about is that he his sleeping in his own bed (that he shares with his sister) without a struggle now and for the most part staying there all night. This needed to happen before the baby came because bedtime was always the least favorite part of the day for me but now it's not so bad.

Avery - Started a gymnastics class at the gym and is finally in a class where they actually learn the equipment and real technique instead of just doing obstacle courses. Got her some music books with the intention that Ben could start giving her a weekly piano lesson - or grandma when she's in town - but since I try not to overschedule the kids (or Ben) it may have to wait until summer. In the meantime the only music I'll hear from the keyboard is the awful programmed stuff that the kids love to dance to.

Avery finished her first Sparks book for Awanas which means she has memorized 25 verses and the books of the Bible.

Me - Besides growing a baby I have just been up to the usual - cooking, cleaning, yardwork and whatever other things I signed up for all those years ago. And I am now Avery's sunday school teacher at church.

Books:

I've also managed to read some and a book I thoroughly enjoyed was Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. It's about Reichl's years as a food critic for the New York Times and it is delicious! I always thought that being a food critic would be the best job in the world but now I think that being a food critics friend would be even better. All the perks, none of the responsibility. Reading this book is no substitution for the food she gets to experience but it's about as close as I will ever get to eating at any of these restaurants and far fewer calories.

Movies: I thought Sherlock Holmes was a fun movie in the theater - and I don't think it's just because I don't get to the theater often. And from the handful of DVD's we watched I thought Paper Heart was excruciating, (500) Days of Summer was forgettable, Hurt Locker was exciting enough, and The Invention of Lying was extremely clever and fun. Ben fell asleep midway through all of these but that's not saying much.

The kids have been loving the Pippi Longstocking movies via Netflix and it has been so fun to rewatch her escapades with them. And Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was pretty funny too.

December/January Recap

Should I wait a few more days and just throw February in there too? Yeah, probably.

2009 Recap/2010 Resolution

One year ago today I was writing about doing or not doing resolutions, finally taking down Christmas decor, backdating posts etc. Honestly, I could save myself some time and just cut and paste the entire thing because it all still rings true...down to the finally throwing out the pumpkins from Halloween (this year I had a 4 year old ask me why I still had a pumpkin on my porch in late December - that should have been a hint- but I hope he still enjoys the pine wreath come spring) and Ben is still wishing that I would carry my cell phone. One thing I have improved upon is getting places on time. Really!


So even though I still would claim to not officially "do" resolutions I thought of a good one for me. And that is to not wish away time. I decided this as I found myself doing just that during a block of time at church. Whether it was because it was a boring lesson or if I was just wanting to get home and get something to eat I'm not sure but it tends to happen. It also happens frequently around 4pm when I wish Ben would come home from work - but at least then I have chocolate to turn to. So instead of wishing time would go faster I'm going to try to enjoy every single dull (there's not that many after all) and exciting moment of my life. Especially with my children. And I'm going to stash some chocolate in my church bag to help me power through. And this resolution isn't going to be easy when it's still overcast and raining in May. Or when I've got 9 weeks to go and I already look/feel like I'm carrying a full term baby (actually, although I'm anxious to meet our new little guy and anxious to not be pregnant, I am not so anxious to do the exhausted new mother thing). So here's to making the most of every minute.


But what happened last year while I was still wishing away the seconds?


-Well at some point I got pregnant, although according to the ultrasound dating we had done Ben was out of town at a conference/fishing trip during what would have been a crucial period of his involvement. But those high-tech down-to-a-science sonogram machines are known to make mistakes. Ben says as long as the baby doesn't come out part Thai, black and really good at golf then we should be all right. And it's a boy.

- We built a house.

- The kids got passports. Mostly in case we want to take them to Canada.

- We went on vacation. Without the kids and their passports.

- I found a really good, reasonably priced spray tan: Salon Bronze from Sally Beauty. It comes with about 3 full body applications and an airbrush gun for $12.95. My sister also discovered a really good spray tan by Bliss: A Tan for All Seasons. It runs about $36 at Sephora and maybe has one more application than the Salon Bronze and it is the most real color spray tan I have ever seen. At least on me. (Britt I don't think you read my blog but I used your spray tan while you were gone.)

- I did some mystery shopping, which I have always wanted to do. Most were actually customer service phone shops, one was an oil change and a couple were mall kiosk inquiries - nothing fun like real shopping or restaurants although I did get offered a sporting event that I couldn't do.

- Now that we have a garage and some extra storage space I started getting more serious about our emergency food storage/supplies. More on this later.

- I learned how to properly make mashed potatoes. That doesn't mean that mine are spectacular. I just finally got the science behind the process.

- Music I particularly liked in 2009 was the new Pearl Jam album Backspacer, the song Beggin' by Madcon and the band Recess Monkey for the kids.

- My 2009 crush was on Rick Bayless. He won Top Chef Masters and has a show on PBS called Mexico: One Plate at a time. Something about this nerdy, super nice chef just makes me want him to cook up some duck carnitas for me. I would settle for Ben taking me to one of his restaurants in Chicago and whispering topolobampo in my ear (I don't know what this word means but it's one of Bayless' restaurants and I just love the sound of the word) because darn it, even after all these years I still have a crush on that guy too.

Other stuff happened, most of it has been recorded in previous posts, or if it was personal or difficult, it was recorded elsewhere, or hoped to be forgotten. But all in all 2009 was a success by my standards and I look forward to what 2010 has to bring. This doesn't mean I won't still be digging up posts from 2009 - I have a half finished but very long Thanksgiving entry that I still need pictures for...

November Recap

I'm going to make this quick (quick for me) because my Christmas present to myself is to get every half written post finished before the new year. And there is at least one that dates from 2007, so I am just going to post at random and then put things where they go at a later date. I'm hoping that this spring cleaning will engender the same feeling of freedom that getting a file cabinet did for me. Which I just got this month and have been wanting for years. Don't ask me why it took me this long to spend $31 at Walmart to forever change my life but it did. Previously I had a plastic file box - which is sufficient for to keep the paperwork of one person but not a family of four. If you don't have one go get one. I had paper piles everywhere, under coffee tables, in drawers, in folders, bags etc. but now, mostly, it all has a place.

So back to November. (And don't forget, get a file cabinet) Ben and I officially became old this month, which we realized as we stood outside the door of our daughters kindergarten class waiting for our first parent-teacher conference. It just gives me the chills to recount that moment. And not in a good way. For 30 minutes we had to listen to a grown-up talk to us as if we were grown-ups. Weird. I hope we did okay.

Like I mentioned before, Miles quit soccer. When we are at home he talks about soccer like he loves it. But the last time we went it was starting to get colder and dark and I told him if he kicked the ball once we could go home. Which he did. And I haven't made him go back. $30 down the drain...I could have bought another file cabinet with that.

After spending the previous month undoing our garden I spent November planting. There are now 200 tulip bulbs that I am just daring some squirrel to try to dig up and eat in my yard. Bulbs are not the easiest thing to plant, especially in rocky soil that only gets rockier the further down you go. So we'll see if it's worth it come spring. I also added 4 blueberry and 6 raspberry bushes to the yard as well. I wonder how many years it will take them to produce.

This month I also got a new windshield courtesy of Volkswagen. I had to go in to get new key fobs. Avery took one swimming about three years ago and the other one finally gave out on me as well. I used the valet key for a couple weeks but that got old quick and since my mom was going to be nice enough to watch my kids for a week I knew I couldn't subject her to any more torture. So I went to the dealer and quickly figured out that I might be able to get away with only buying two half keys since only the transponder was shot. So instead of getting only one full key for $170 plus $50 "reset" fee which I was planning on doing I got two for the same price. And they glued my keys back together so I wouldn't have to have packaging tape on them. Now I wish someone would do the same for my camera. While I was there they suggested I get a new headlight and new wiper blades - both of which I knew I needed. The headlight would run a ridiculous $75, which I got later at the VW shop I usually go to for $11 - including labor. But the wipers seemed a fair price and he said they fit the curve of a VW window. It immediately started to rain so I got to test them out. It did fit it except that on one side it kept streaking like it had before. A week later I went back and showed this to the guy and while I was showing I noticed faint scratches where the streaking was occurring. It turned out o be an installation issue. He said he would try to use a clay bar to get it out. It didn't work so on the spot he offered me a new windshield. So I got one. Just like you don't realize how bad your eyes have gotten until you get new contacts or glasses, you don't realize how bad your windshield is until you get a new one. Obviously I knew that I had two rock chips, one that had been there for years and the other a few weeks. But I don't think I realized how the years and roadtrips had marred the glass in general. For a couple days I thought I was driving without a windshield it was so clear. And it was free!

In other lucky news, a few months back I had won a $100 gift certificate to a home furnishings store we like. We finally went to redeem it. Ben wanted a reading chair for our bedroom. We found a brown leather club chair we both liked which was half off from $600 but when we brought it home it was too big for the space so we were going to have to return it - never mind that the receipt said no returns for sale items and a restocking fee for all other purchases over $100. Ben called and they said they would give us store credit. He loaded it back up and came home with good news - not only had they credited our card back they also credited the $100 gift certificate to our card and no restocking fee. Very Nordstromesque of them. So - get a file cabinet and shop at Moe's!

Even though this is not quick like I promised, I have squeezed like four posts into this one so because it's informative and could benefit someone else I'm going to recount another car story - this one not so lucky. So one day my car wouldn't start. It would turn over and almost catch but not quite. At first I had thought one of the kids left a light on and strained the battery but after letting it rest for a while it still wasn't working. So the next day we had it towed to the shop and waited for the verdict. It turns out that the spark plugs were saturated with fuel. So they cleaned them off and popped them back in, no other repairs needed. First of all I also love these guys - Too Quicks German Auto - If you have a VW and don't want to get ripped off go there. (If you're in Maryland go to Auto Centro and in Hawaii go to Tai VW and if you're in Dayton Ohio let me know and I'll look up the name of the shop there). Okay, enough with the endorsements, I swear I don't get paid for these. So how could this strange thing happen? The day before Ben had moved my car just a few feet so he could blow pine needles out from under it. Then he quickly moved it back a few minutes later. The quick start stopping apparently had something to do with the spark plugs getting gooped. So next time your car won't start it might not be the battery or the starter or the alternator (the dealer probably would have told me to replace all three). The spark plugs might just need a good cleaning.

October Recap

Well this October we went on vacation... I thought I'd put up another few hundred pictures in the recap so you can see just how awesome it was (groan, I know, even I was getting sick of the beach footage) (no I wasn't, because with my tan fading fast that's all I have left to hold on to, besides a few lingering bug bites).

But October also brought visitors, birthdays, illness and tricky treat (as Miles calls it).

Miles: Since he was the birthday boy I'll start off with him. He turned three (but if you ask him how old he is he'll waffle between 2 1/2 and 4 then look at me and ask "mom, how old am I?" Since Gpa Mark was in town he scored big with a bike. Previously he was using a very pink bike borrowed from a friend. His very generous parents got him an assortment of fighting instruments and gear from the Dollar Store. A foam sword that lights up and makes sounds for a dollar - c'mon. (Five swords(in case they aren't so sturdy), two shields, two breastplates, four helmets and two robot arms later for $13, PLUS they can double as a Halloween costume - fantastic)

He also started playing soccer (which he will end up quitting in Nov.)

And he got attacked by some pigs at the pumpkin patch.

Ben: Ben's contributions this month include making his kids birthday cake (after I had gotten Miles to agree to having ice cream only for his celebratory sweets). That was nice of him to do. He made his personally favorite birthday cake which I have so far refused to make every year - boxed cake with pudding/cool whip/crushed oreo frosting.

He also handcrafted this sign for the trick-or-treaters when we took our kids out and left a bowl of candy on the porch.

(Front)

(Back)

The bowl had large Reese's cups so this was completely appropriate.

Avery: Missed an entire week of school due to an illness of some sort. I sent her off on a Monday morning and 30 minutes later I was called to come pick her up. I didn't notice anything wrong but she had a fever. I was sad that she would not qualify for perfect attendance but happy that I didn't have to wake up to make a lunch and stand at the bus-stop for a full week.

Me: Besides vacation I spent the month un-planting the garden. This is a lot of work actually. I will never grow zucchini or summer squash again. Mark my words. Too prickly, too invasive, not tasty enough. Plus I'm pretty sure I can get as much as I want from someone else's surplus that they bring to church. Our flower garden was disassembled as well. Avery got on her trike and braved the rain and dark to deliver Dahlia and Hydrangea bouquets to the neigbors.

School Recap

Now that I've officially had a school-attending child for a month now I need to recap and recount those very important first days of school.

Day One - I drop her off and wait for emotion to kick in. It does. The emotion - jealousy. I don't shed a tear, I don't feel nervous, just jealous that she gets to go to school and I don't. Now what? Miles and I drive around a bit as I try to figure out a) what to do at this time of morning and b) what to do with only one child at home and a child I have really never been alone with for any length of time. We head to the gym. Time to try out some of those energizing a.m. classes. We pass Carl's Jr. on the way. They are hiring. Maybe I should get a job?

By noon I feel as if I have been awake forever and I still have multiple hours till she comes home and until I can find out all of the fun stuff I am missing out on. She takes the bus home. I'm a bit nervous about this because the bus schedule is not clear on the drop off times. I wait for 20 minutes. She arrives and I start in with the questions. She is in no mood to talk. All day kindergarten will do that to a girl I guess. She wants to watch cartoons. Later that day I finally get her to talk while she bathes. All I really get from her is that she got in trouble three times. This of course engenders further nagging on my part. She says not like "in time-out trouble" the teacher just said her name. I know that Avery is an interrupter, so I ask and it turns out that this indeed was her offense. She informs me that she doesn't want me to drive her anymore and she doesn't want me to make her a lunch. She wants one of those card things she gets to swipe. I will continue to make her a lunch but I was never planning on driving her to school each day.

Week one - Nothing new. Still cranky when she gets home.

Week two - I ask the bus driver if we can change the bus stop to right by our house since no one else was showing up at the assigned stop and it was a bit of a hike. Wish granted. No more sprinting to catch the bus in the morning. Or at least now it is a shorter sprint. One of my very favorite things about Avery's school - free hot breakfast for all. Good stuff too - omelets, pigs in a blanket, bagel and cream cheese, breakfast pizza or a daily assortment of cold cereal. This blessing alone saves us 15-20 minutes in the morning. I get up 20 minutes till the bus comes and make her lunch. I wake her up 10 minutes till the bus comes and she brushes teeth, hair and gets dressed in whatever she has picked out the night before - or sometimes put on the night before - or sometimes worn the day before, slept in and worn again (this only happened once and she insisted and as I'm not one to care so much for appearances go right ahead). Miles sleeps through this whole affair.

She has been singing Christmas (and Hanukkah and Navidad) songs, which I'm guessing is for an upcoming holiday performance. Now Miles even sings them when she is gone. His Spanish is better than hers.

In each weeks classroom newsletter the teacher mentions those students with excellent behavior. Avery has not been on this short list yet but does get a mention for getting the most "thank-you sticks". These are for helping the teacher in some way or another. When you get ten you get to pick something from the treasure box. 6 more to go.

Week three - Avery is adjusting to her new schedule and is more chipper when she gets home. It also helps that her new and first best school friend sits next to her on the bus and goes to church with her (and turns out her mom is my visiting teaching companion - perfect!). She often exits the bus with glittered hair and purple eyeshadow. One day they had a male bus driver, who based on Avery's impression is from a Slavic country, and who told them "Dis is not a beauty school" From the looks of it they just giggled and went back to painting their faces.

Back to school night. Finally I can get the low down on the getting into trouble thing. Turns out she was interrupting and asking questions just as I assumed but that she has learned the teachers "system" now and is complying with protocol (and common courtesy). Her teacher praised her vocabulary and sentence structure and said she was a very good helper. Her teacher is just what Avery needs - experienced, no-nonsense and has high expectations for her kindergartners. Ben was able to make it to meet the teacher and I'm sure she was wondering why I brought Avery's older brother instead of Capt. Westbrook. That ball cap, baggy pants and Laker's shirt just makes me look ancient next to it. Maybe I should revive my high school wardrobe.

Avery showed us around the classroom and pointed out all kinds of important sounding features - the "literacy lab", the workstations with "polydrons" and some other geometric sounding things.

Week four -

They have a substitute for two days while some teaching training is happening. During this time Avery gets knocked down from the gold behavior level (the best) to green (not so best). The reason "It's a long story". Turns out the story is not so long at all. She was just swordfighting with a boy next to her. With pencils of course. Sounds like a great day at school to me. Avery starts getting "homework" this week, something I've been anticipating but have to yet to experience. It's lame kindergarten homework like recognizing shapes in nature. I did get tripped up though with the 'rhombus' - turns out that's a fancy word for diamond shape. From now on we will be using the scientific name. We don't want Avery to flunk kindergarten.

This week they also switch their social studies unit from "feelings" to family and friend relationships and conflict resolution. And Avery got her tenth "thank you' stick and picked out a not so giant size bag of sour-patch kids (she has her dad's palate) and even though there were probably only four in the bag she shared with Miles, so maybe she's learning something after all.

By now I am enjoying seeing how much I can accomplish by noon. One day I managed to take a yoga class, drop off some left over building materials, pick up some metal lathe, buy some boots and running shoes for Avery (her school does allow flip flops but it's a little chilly for bare toes at 7am), pick up some more plants at the nursery and grab a few things at the grocery store all before 11am. And Miles is actually a fun little companion on these outings.

September Recap

Ben - Did not start selling fruits yet, instead continues the daily grind. Gave up tanning, more on that later. Went to Weezer concert, more on that later. Football season started so we don't talk much anymore. Denver Bronco's: remarkably 4-0.


Miles - Had the flu. I hope it was the swine flu so that we can have been there and done that but who knows. He has made a full recovery. He also recovered from a dreaded grey (gray? I can never figure out which way to spell it) tooth which was the result of falling face first from a bar stool. It appeared a few days later so I didn't make the connection until I did some research. Thankfully it wasn't rotting and we didn't need to go to the dentist. My best hope was that it would eventually turn yellow until it fell out one day (worst case - it would be capped with silver and we'd have to move to Mississippi to blend in) but it came back white after about a month.

Taking precautions.

Just kidding. We don't make him wear a mask.

He was pretending to be Avery's patient but he was really sick.

Avery - See school update (in progress). She also started Awana's again and is a Sparky. She has already learned John 3:16 (which Ben says qualifies her to attend pro sporting events now, or at least make signs for them). In other religious/memorization news, apparently the primary kids are also learning 'How Firm a Foundation' at church as well because she was singing along with that today. I'm so glad that a village is raising my children.

Me - While other people have been teaching and nurturing my children, I have been gardening, landscaping (I use that term loosely) and still setting up house. Mostly I could been found wandering around outside looking for projects and soaking up the last of the northwest's sun for the year. One project on the list was getting a compost heap started. Because building our own would have required moving a sprinkler head I found a good, cost-effective option at Lowe's and Ben put it together for me. Thank you and check that off the list.

In addition to stocking up on vitamin D I have been trying to get serious about our emergency storage which primarily includes filling up Mylar bags with water. More on that later. I also finally got a calling in our new ward. Drumroll please....Activities Commitee Member. Don't be jealous. We work really really hard four times a year. I guess having a husband with 50% church attendance has it's perks.

I keep forgetting to provide an update on our lawnmower purchase. To date we have owned two electric battery powered models. First we tried the cheapest option from Home Depot. It worked okay, but not well enough for long term use so we took it back and upgraded to a heftier version that was on sale but still a lot for a mower. I liked it and enjoyed using it, even if it did cut a bit unevenly. Unfortunately, since I solicited opinions and got a few from the male/eco-terrorist population Ben couldn't shake it and had to get a emission spewing model. It's loud, it stinks but at least it cuts the grass evenly and quickly. I refuse to use it. But at least he uses the mulching function. And our lawn is the greenest in the neighborhood because of it. Or maybe it's because its the newest grass in the neighborhood.

This month we also had Ben's brother Nate and his college roommate Jeff and family come visit (and family includes a gorgeous wife and two identical, adorable little girls). Yea for having visitors. It gives purpose to my life :)

June/July/August Recap

Note - some of the activities mentioned below have photos and more of a story to accompany them, but if i didn't start somewhere i wasn't going to start at all. expect posting and back posting en masse in the coming days. i am also dedicated to getting pics of the inside of our house posted - decorated, unpacked or not.


Our first full summer in the PNW - and it was great! My life changed the day I got a call from a lady in the know and she said the two most glorious words known to man - "outdoor-pool". This was precisely as I had gotten out of an indoor pool for a rather uninspiring swim. It turns out that there is not a complete absence of open-air water here at all. There are spray-parks, pools, fountains, not to mention a million lakes and the sound. I think we hit up every one in a 50 mile radius. Not really every one but we found a few to satisfy our craving for sun. And there is plenty of sun here in the summer. At one point I think it started getting light at 4:45am and didn't disappear until 9:45pm. Which perhaps explains the giant squash. What I could have used more of however was heat. Most sunny days it just wasn't hot enough to justify getting in the water.

We did have a few days of 100F + weather, which I thought was awesome. Even without a/c in our house we survived, so I'm glad we made the choice not to put it in. Speaking of the house - we are still doing projects and unpacking. It just never ends. Even though Ben thinks it would end if I spent less time gallivanting and more time at home.

We also made a couple camping trips. One was at the church campground where they had a stake pioneer day weekend. Camping, softball, food and church services outdoors, it was a lot of fun. We also went for a family trip and even though we left at noon on a Friday (on a non-holiday weekend) there were no spots to be found at any of the four Capitol Forest campsites we went to. 4 hours later we ended up at a private lake and campground which wasn't as rustic maybe as we had in mind but actually turned out to be the most fun for the kids and I would definitely go back. And next time we want to go camping in August we will go somewhere that takes reservations.

Summer also kicked off the season for visitors, which we always enjoy. April H. and children were our first, followed by my grandparents, then my mom, then my sister and her friend Annie (whom Miles fell hard for) then Ben's brother Nate. We're gearing up for another round in the fall but 2010 is completely open so far...

What did we accomplish individually this summer? I think I have covered most of our adventures but something may come to me if I try to break it down:

Ben - Ben did nothing but work this summer (I sure miss those days when he had summer off - or at least a couple weeks off). He had a particularly horrendous month on the ICU, which he is still suffering the effects from based on his ratio of consciousness to unconsciousness when he is at home. One week he worked 100+ hours in 6 days with a smattering of sleep. If you're thinking this should be illegal. It is. (They get around this by using an 80 hr average per month or something, whatever, I don't mind it so much, I know lots of you endure similar schedules - I just feel bad for Ben). I can't wait till he goes back to a 70 hour week.

He did get one fun trip this summer, work related of course, he got to go to Vail for a conference. I always wanted to see Vail in the summer (or anytime) but his room was already full - by those who fly-fish.

Miles - Miles would never go on a trip without me. He won't even go upstairs or downstairs without me. I'm hoping this clinginess subsides in the near future. He does just fine when I am not around, in fact he barely misses me. But if I am in the vicinity he wants to be on my hip. And although unflattering but true, he screams and cries in the morning if he wakes up and I am not around. Besides that he is a joy. He is starting to actually go potty by himself, on his own, either using a stool or by going outside, which is good since he seems to need to go frequently and when it is most inconvenient for me. He is also the most polite little sucker I have ever known and it doesn't seem to just be a phase. He's just nice. His sister on the other hand...

Avery - When we were talking about how she should behave at school in order to win friends and influence people I told her she should just be polite and treat others how she would like to be treated. She shrugged and said "Polite? I'm not good at that". At least she knows her weaknesses.

Besides spending our days out and about this summer we also did every reading program we could. The kids earned ice skating and zoo passes, rubber ducks, free meals at subway and a free book. The reading of course was done by mom or dad (and gpa dwight did his fair share of reading while he was here) even though Avery can read the very basic if she puts her mind to it, but she usually refuses. Which is why I am not homeschooling her.

Me - Reliving our summer schedule I guess moms work plenty of hours too, although it does seem like an awful lot of play. I did steal away for a quick trip to Indiana, which although I was going for rather somber circumstances, was actually quite enjoyable thanks to my mom coming up to watch my children so I could go alone. I also did a triathlon (thanks to my grandparents being here to watch the kids) and in medical news I had a punch biopsy on a mole on my back - which is not noteworthy except that I thought it was funny when I came home and Miles asked if the doctor took my "guaca-'mole'y" off.

May Recap

May was rather eventful for us - events that deserve their own posts and definitely pictures. But if I wait till I get around to that I may have forgotten all that transpired. So here are my notes to myself, with aspirations that they will turn into something better in the near future.

First of all - the biggest news - is that we moved into our house. It's been a long time coming and we're in. Lot clearing and construction started on October 31 and we got an occupancy permit on May 13th. Not bad and worth the effort, sacrifice and wait. Once we are unpacked and cleaned up I will post a pictorial tour.

Upon moving in, we promptly packed up and went to California for vacation. We wanted to take advantage of the military offers for free and discounted admission at Disneyland as well as make the rounds with friends and family. We had a great great time and it delayed the unfun job of unpacking for a few weeks. Plus, since Comcast couldn't come to set up our cable for a few weeks, Ben needed to go somewhere to watch those awful basketball games known as the NBA Playoffs - with people who enjoy them just as much as he does.

Ben - Ben is probably the happiest of all of us to be in the new house. He is now closer to work and he has a garage. He scored a sweet deal on a weight bench and is eager to set up his work out facilities out there so that he can stay fit by working out once a month, while the rest of us normal humans have to put in hard time to get the same results. As if that, plus the fact that he can function without sleep, wasn't suspicious enough, he scored insanely high on his annual shelf exam. In one category (head and neck surgery I believe, not tiling and speaker installation like I assumed) he was in the 100th percentile. So among all ENT interns in the U.S. no one got a higher score, that is crazy to me. It also means that next year he has no where to go but down. Overall he did much worse and was like 96th %. For his achievement he received another Army Commendation medal - which luckily I learned about from one of his colleagues, because he probably wouldn't have told me - and he is supposed to get a free "pass" or extra day off, which I believe if he doesn't take soon, he loses. So hopefully we'll take a day trip to celebrate.

Ben also turned the big 3-0 while we were there. This is what he looks like.

Miles - Nothing noteworthy to report.

Avery - Avery had a busy May, with a trip to the ballet and a recital of her own. On Mother's Day weekend we went to see Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty with our friends Amy and Olivia. Afterward we went to a very princessy "tea" where the girls could meet the dancers and the mom's could indulge in yummy food.

Here is a picture of Avery after her recital helping her dad distribute topsoil around the property. The theater the recital was in would not allow photography or video so I only have a video of the dress rehearsal performance. I haven't decided whether it is worth it to post. It's mostly just grandparent material. (I decided to post it on the sidebar temporarily)

Avery also had her big kindergarten doctor appt. I think it's supposed to be the standard five year appt. but I will only go if immunizations are due or if are forced to meet a requirement. She had to get 5 shots. It wasn't a pleasant experience but we survived. Her recent dentist appt. however was a pleasant experience, or at least it seemed like it:

Me: Nothing noteworthy to report.