Happy Halloween!

Sammy wanted to make a Haunted House so this is our combined effort.

We had a fun October with lots of Halloween celebrations:

School Costume Parade,

 'Brick or Treat' at Legoland, (which Doug said was sorta lame)

The ward 'Trunk or Treat',

 and our own party Halloween night with some fun neighbors, donuts, and cider. 

At least one kid ended up passed-out in a semi-sugar coma sooo...

I call that a success!

Best Laid Plans...

Good thing I bought the bike rack to keep our garage all organized and tidy!!!

*sigh!*

Gray is Coming Out of the Closet--or--How Two-Year-Old's Dream

We moved in to this house a little over a year ago.

It has three bedrooms with a small loft that was converted into a fourth bedroom.  For the first time ever, we decided to be nice and let the three big boys have their own room.

That left Baby Gray.  We put him in our walk-in closet.

He was still in a crib at the time and needed somewhere quiet and dark to sleep.  Yes, it was a little weird having a baby in our closet, but it worked pretty well and everyone was happy.  (Of course there was no longer room to walk into the walk-in closet and it was sometimes impossible to get dressed due to sleeping baby, but whatever.)

Recently I've been wanting to change things up.  I've decided to turn Sammy's room into a dedicated guest room.  After quite a few rounds of guests, I'm getting sick of repeatedly deep cleaning and de-little-boy-odor-izing before anyone can set foot in that room.  And there was the incident of having to scrub boogers off the wall--I still have nightmares.*  (Sam was suitably lectured!)

So we stuck Sam back in Max's room (he's actually fine with it--that's where all the Lego's are) and put our Queen-sized bed in the guest room so the guests wont have to sleep on the Aerobed.

So Max and Sam are good.  The guest room is good.  That just leaves Gabe and Gray.

Well, Gabe now has two twin beds in his room so logic would dictate we just put Gray in the empty bed and call ourselves brilliant!  Unfortunately, it's not working.

Gabe claims Gray is too loud.  That he wakes him up.  That he can't sleep!

So poor Gray is back in the closet.  But he's not so in love with the closet and we have to put him to sleep on our bed, then transfer him to a crib mattress on our closet floor.

---Part 2---

The last two nights, Gray has stayed in bed with me.  Doug has this horrible never ending death-cold-flu thing so he's been sleeping in the recliner so as not to cough all night.  Instead of bothering to move Gray to the closet, we've left him alone

This is what I've discovered:
a) Gabey is perfectly justified to NOT want Gray for a roommate and
b) What 2-year-olds dream about.

Turns out, Gray talks in his sleep.  No, he YELLS in his sleep.  Two nights ago, I was jolted from peaceful slumber into upright awareness when Gray started yelling, "NO GABEY NOOOO!  MINE GABEY MIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNE!!!"  A few soothing words and some patting got him to settle down, but I'm not going to lie--it was disturbing.

Last night it was "MASS!  MY TOON!  MY TOOOOOOOON!" (=Max, my turn!)
And a few intermittent random "NOOOO's!!!!" and "MINE's" scattered throughout the night just as I was drifting off from the last outburst.

Turns out, two-year-olds have nightmares about big brothers stealing their toys.

Gabe is off the hook.  I can't in good conscience subject him to that night after night.

Also, Gray grinds his teeth.

He's going back in the closet.




*You don't want to visit anymore, do you?  Don't worry!  I sterilized the whole room and boiled my hands after!  The room is now boy and booger free!!!  I've sprayed the whole place with a mixture of Lysol and Febreze!  Also, I put chocolates on the pillow!  COME VISIT!!!

Pondering the Destruction of Blogs by Pinterest

Blogging is on its way out.  Have you noticed?  People who have been blogging for years have given up their blogs because, well...because no one is reading anymore.  Or because they can record/express/share the same thoughts more quickly and efficiently via Pinterest/Instagram/Facebook.  (All of which I love and usually check daily.  On my phone.)

Even my blog has taken a drastic downward turn since we moved here because...
1.  I started homeschooling.
2.  Last year sorta sucked what with starting a bleeping dental practice and all.
3.  I got an i-Phone --which allows me to do computer stuff without actually sitting down at the computer--but it is not conducive to blogging.
(At least not to a texting novice like me who was cell-phone-less for 3 years in Japan and therefore has poor thumb-muscle-tone.)
4.  And did I mention Pinterest?  Why blog when there is soooo much to be discovered on Pinterest!?!?!?  Recipes!  Dream Home Ideas!  Cool Tatoo Ideas! Super Cute Pictures of Baby Animals!!!! 

So yeah.  Where does that leave us?  With fewer blogs.

But then the other day I had an epiphany.  We were in church discussing...
something.
Don't remember.  My mind was probably wandering.  But all of the sudden I realized that blogging is a totally worthy and worthwhile Sunday activity!!!  (Actually, I'm sure I've had this thought before...so it wasn't much of an epiphany as epiphanies go.)  (Epiphanies?  Epiphany's?  Epiphani?)

Which led me to my next thought that, unlike so many of my other on-line activities, blogging (at least WRITING a blog post) is never, ever a waste of time.  (Even on non-Sunday's.)

I never, ever look back at my blog posts and think "Gee, I wish I hadn't taken the 20 minutes to write that.  However I OFTEN think "Gee, I wish I hadn't wasted my time watching/reading/staring-at that."

--->Afterall, I don't write in a journal except on very rare occasions.
--->I gave up Scrapbooking when Max was big enough to climb up on top of the table and destroy hours of effort.  (He was about 16 months old.)
--->Nowadays, I don't even write on a physical calendar (which I used to do religiously noting every activity our family ever did).  Now I just put everything on my phone.

Therefore, if I ever hope to have any record or memory of my life, for myself or for my kids, it will come from my blog.  This stupid blog.

And therefore, I can't give it up.  And now that three of my kids are back in school, I'm going to try to do it more.  And I'm not going to be sad that few people read and even fewer comment.  Because that's not the point.  (Even though I really, really, really like comments.)

So I'm back.
And recommitted.


I'm going to imagine all three of you cheering now.

Thanks for that.  See you again soon!

First Day of School and the Rest of My Life

You probably think this is just another average picture filled "Look-at-my-kids-first-day-of-school-in-their-cute-new-outfits!!!" post.  But it's a lot more than that.  Because it wasn't just my kids first day of school.  It was also the first day of the rest of my life.

Why?  Because when school started THREE, yes THREE of my children left the house and didn't come back for multiple hours.

Let's just take a look back on what my life has looked like in the past twoish years:

March 2011:  Max and Sam are both in school full time, Gabe is in preschool three days a week, giving me 9 hours a week of just me and Gray time.  Life is good.

Then the 3/11/11 earthquake happens.
Gabe's preschool is cancelled permanently due to most of the staff fleeing the country.

Max and Sam fall behind because the school stops teaching and focuses solely on treating post traumatic stress in all of the kids.  The school year ends, and we move from Japan to California.

August 2011:
Max and Sam go back to school full time, but we've just moved and we're broke so I keep Gabe at home with Gray rather than pay for preschool.  Two boys at home, two boys in school.

By October I've pulled Max out of 4th grade to homeschool him and hopefully get him caught up.
So, for those not keeping up, I have three boys home with me all day, and one at school.

June 2012, school is out, and Sam is home with me full time.  With Max, Gabe and Gray.
Four boys, home with me, all day every day.

We survive the summer, but just barely.  (JUST BARELY!!!)

August 2012, I put Max, Sam and Gabe in a local Charter school*.  They go Monday-Thursday from 8:30-2:30.  Leaving me home alone, with just Gray, for the first time in a year and a half.

And BAM!  Life is good again!

Now, don't get me wrong...I love my kids.  I love them a whole heck of a lot.  But if you've met them, you know they're a little high maintenance.  They're super cute.
They're also super hyper, loud, and messy.
And when I say hyper, loud, and messy, what I really mean is SUPER DUPER INCREDIBLY HYPER, LOUD, MESSY, AND VIOLENT!!!

Sorry to yell, but I'm trying to make a point here.  Did I mention they like to wrestle?  Well they do.  They like to jump on the couches, throw pillows and body slam each other repeatedly.  And that's WHILE watching T.V.
(Ya know that thing that usually keeps normal kids quiet and entertained for at least 20 minutes?  Yeah, not so at our house.)

They also like to tease each other.  You know that thing kids do when one kid is just sitting and reading quietly and then another kid has to just come and grab his book, lose the place, and start a really loud screaming fist fight?  Yeah, they do that a lot.

And that is why I've been breathing a big sigh of relief four days a week at 8a.m. when Aunt Laura comes to pick them up and drive them to school.

One day, I took a NAP when Gray took a nap!  (Just because I was tired!  For no other reason!)  And one day, I went to TARGET with only ONE KID and ran OTHER errands!  And then another day, I played with Gray UNINTERRUPTED and only made TWO SANDWICHES for lunch!  While listening to NO fighting!!

So yeah.  Loaded picture, isn't it?!

Life is good!

*Via Wikipedia:  Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money (and like other schools, may also receive private donations) but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter.^[1] Charter schools are attended by choice.^[2] While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where enrollment in a charter school is oversubscribed, admission is frequently allocated by lottery-based admissions systems. However, the lottery is open to all students.^[3] In a 2008 survey of United States charter schools, 59% of the schools reported that they had a waiting list, averaging 198 students.^[4] Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field—e.g., arts, mathematics, or vocational training. Others attempt to provide a better and more cost efficient general education than nearby non-charter public schools. Charter school students take state-mandated exams.^[5]

You're Not Going to Believe This Story...

(post edits in red)

I'll try to be succinct, but we all know that's hard for me...

Yesterday morning Doug's car was stolen while he was surfing.  He had hidden the key in one of the wheel wells and our theory was that someone saw him do it and took the car.  Evidently it's common for car thieves to target surfers because they know the car will be unattended for awhile.  (This is the first time he's ever done that.  And obviously, the last.)

Unfortunately, along with the car, he lost his i-Phone, i-Pad and wallet.  (And tennis racket, gym bag, and wet suit but for some reason I don't care about those particular items.)  SO, thanks to some helpful Facebook tips last night, we installed and remotely activated an app called "Find My iPhone".   Unfortunately, it only works if the phone is powered on and connected to the Internet, and as of last night, it wasn't.  Around 4:30 this morning, Doug got out of bed and called his phone--it still went straight to voice mail.

Then this afternoon we caught a break.  I took my kids to school for their reading assessments (school starts Monday.) and while I waited outside messing with my phone, I called Doug's number.  It rang. (instead of going straight to voicemail.)

I checked the "Find My iPhone" app and BAM, a map came up pin-pointing the location of the phone.
I pulled out the policeman's business card from the day before.  They connected me to the detective assigned to the case, and he asked me to e-mail him a screen shot of the map I had on my phone--which I did.  A few minutes later, the phone was turned off.

Two hours later, the phone was back on-line in the same place.  Doug called the detective to ask if anyone had been out to investigate.  He said local police had not been to the location yet.  And then the phone started moving.

So Doug decided to take my phone and go check it out himself.  (Because he's brave and manly and possibly a little touched in the head.)  His plan was simply to drive by and see if his car was parked on the street.  As he drove, the location of the phone changed and he went to the new location but didn't see our car.  About the same time, a police officer randomly came down the street.  Doug flagged him down and told him our story.  As they were talking, a car in a nearby alley/parking lot started pulling out.  The police officer went over and stopped it.  Within a few moments, he had pulled his gun and had three or four "very sketchy looking dudes" in cuffs.  They had Doug's phone in the car with them.

And Doug watched the whole thing from across the street and took pics and video with my phone.
Gus:  "Are you crazy?"
Shawn:  "I wouldn't say crazy. Maybe an eccentric who looks good in jeans."

Woah.  We ARE Shawn and Gus.
Shawn:  I'm Shawn Spenstar and this is by partner, Gus "TT" Showbiz. Gus:  The extra T is for extra talent.


No word yet on the i-Pad or our car, but I'm THRILLED we may sorta in a round-about way be responsible for some bad guys going to jail.  Actually, I'm just going to assume we single handedly toppled a huge crime syndicate and have now started the ball rolling to stop all crime in Southern California.  Go us!

Hooray for savvy Facebook friends (Christian!) and hooray for cool i-Phone apps!

*Post Edit:  

After identifying his phone and leaving it with the cops, Doug came home.  Someone at work had given him free tickets to the circus.  We decided he would take the three oldest boys and our two nieces and I would stay home with Gray.  While he was driving down town, (around 6 p.m.) a detective called him.  One of the scum bags in custody said the car had been ditched a few blocks from where it was stolen.  The detective said we could go look for it because it might take the cops awhile to get to it.  

Doug considered coming back but I told him to just go and I would look for the car.  I called my sister for a ride.  (Doug had our mini-van.) We got some sweet neighbor girls to come watch Gray and went car hunting.  At the same time, Laura told her fabulous father-in-law Larry and he very kindly started combing the neighborhood in his car.  We were getting a little frustrated but said a little prayer for help and kept looking.  We crossed a busy street and some rail road tracks and started looking farther inland.  

And we found it!  There was much squealing and cheering when we discovered it on the side of the road, in sort of a desolate area, undamaged and unlocked.

Found it!!!  And the sun is setting...

The detective told Doug that if we found it, we shouldn't touch it.  Just call the cops.  So we called the cops, didn't touch it or even open it, told Larry where we were, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally I called the dispatcher back.  I said we were in a sketchy part of town, it was getting dark, and I needed to get back to my kid.  They basically said recovering stolen cars is very low priority, that calls were backed up, and they couldn't tell us if it would be 30 minutes or 3 hours.

At that point, Laura and I decided to drive home, look for the spare key, (which, Doug told me later, doesn't exist.) and grab Baby Tired Hyper Nekkid Two-Year-Old Gray.  Thankfully, FIL Larry offered to stay with the car in case an officer showed up.  He was our Knight in Shining Armor last night!

Waiting and waiting in Aunt LaLa's car!

Right after we got back, an officer did arrive.  He got the low down and then started "processing" the car.  He was very kind and helpful.  He dusted it for finger prints and swabbed for DNA.  (Totally cool since Laura and I consider ourselves crime scene experts based on our *television viewing habits.)

Dusting for prints...

At one point the officer asked me to come look and see if The Bad Guys had left any evidence.  They had not.  (Besides all of their fingerprints--dummies.)  They DID however leave Doug's Book of Mormon on CD set, his San Diego temple schedule, his 249 empty water bottles, his stack of 700 business cards, his nail clippers and toothpicks and OH YEAH!  HIS WALLET!  
(You know that's right!)  It was in a closed cup holder in the center console.  You have to push down on the top and it pops open.  It's not terribly obvious, but it's also not exactly hidden.  Clearly, these are not the worlds brightest criminals.  Did I mention it had about $80-$100 cash in it?

His i-Pad, full water bottles, (stealing cars makes you thirsty) gym bag, (stupid expensive running shoes!) tennis racket, (it was old and he needs a new one anyway) and wet suit (it was warm so he wasn't wearing it that day) were all gone.  (Remember the cops had already recovered his i-Phone.)  

(His next wet suit will have a pocket or hook for a car key.)

Later we found out from the detective that the i-Pad had been pawned.  (And probably his tennis racket and wet suit too.)  Evidently they're going to try to track it down today.  I'm wondering if we'll have to do that too. 

So that's the whole story.  Up to this point.  (Friday morning.)

Doug is working with AAA to figure out how to get a new key to his car so we can bring it home.  (Yes, we had to lock it up and leave it last night--covered in fingerprint dust because the one key to it is gone.)

He'll be able to pick his phone up from the police after work today.
I'm sure he'll be on the phone in between every patient today calling and un-cancelling things that were cancelled.


Pretty exciting stuff!!!

I don't think I can go back to folding laundry after this exposure to the seedy underbelly of society.  I'm a changed woman.  I think I need to put my feet up and watch a few hours of Psych re-runs and see if I can hone my skills some more.  I'll let you know if I make any more startling discoveries.


P.S.  Doug says we're buying a gun.  I demand a pink one of my own with a bra holster.  Totes saw the perfect one on Pinterest.

(And thanks to a friend boy in college I already know how to shoot and I'm quite good!  Long live that "right to bare arms" amendment--whichever one that is!!!  2nd?  Clearly I'm Shawn--not Gus.)

And they all lived happily ever after!!!
("I've heard it both ways.")



*Laura loves "Border Wars" and I was a big fan of "CSI" back in the day--and am still a fan of "NCIS".  We both love "Psych" which obviously has adequately trained us to be professional detectives.

P.P.S.  Shawn Spencer: Oh, you mean my pilot's license? That's out back in the Cessna. Or perhaps you're referring to my license to kill. Revoked. Trouble at the Kazakhstan border. I could give you the details but then I'd have to kill you, which I can't do because my license to kill has been revoked.

When Stalking is Okay or Meet the Beesons

It's very rare that stalking is socially (or legally) acceptable.  Blog stalking is a notable exception.  And I have been stalking one particular blog since my early blogging days in Rhode Island. (Did you know we used to live in Rhode Island?  Than you haven't been reading long enough!)

It's called None of Your Beeswax and is written by Kelly Beeson.

This is a picture of Kelly and her family:

On a typical day in Arizona

I don't remember exactly how I found Kelly's blog, but I got hooked pretty quick.  She's a very funny writer, loves books, loves Jane Austen, loves travel, loves to eat, and, the clincher; vacations every summer in the same town where I finished high school.  (I forgot to ask her if she also has a not-so-secret crush on John Cusack.  But really--how could she not, right??)

  

This year when they came to town, we got to meet for the first time.  It's a little bit weird meeting someone already knowing a lot of random personal details about their life.  But I've always been a big fan of stalking so I was down with it.

Turns out, they usually go to the same beach we go to, and even attend church at the same church building.  So we actually got to hang out with them quite a few times!  The kids all got along and we had a lot of fun with them.   Wish I got better pictures!

 Can't wait until they visit again!!!

Families Are Forever

Mid-June was busy around here.  First, Doug took a spontaneous and quick weekend trip home to see  his Dad in the hospital.

His brother Dave was in town to see his Dad too.

While he was flying to Utah, his sister Beth, her best friend Steph, and Beth's two kids Spence and Anna were driving here for a visit.  Happily, Doug was back in plenty of time to party with all of us.

Terrible Pipes picture.  But delicious food.

Max and cousin Spencer

Thai Food with Beth and Steph

Though they stayed in a hotel this time, we had lots of fun meeting them at the Beach, swimming in our pool, and going out to eat.

Legoland!

Thanks to our kind and generous neighbors the L's, we got more free tickets to Legoland and took the kids one Saturday in June.  The boys had a blast.

 The Star Wars displays in Mini Land are always the boys favorites.

This was the first time we've been to the water park.  It was fun but cold so I stayed out with Gray.  Towards the end he tried to go back in the water in his diaper.  

When we stopped at Ruby's for dinner on the way home, they thought they'd died and gone to heaven.  Legoland + Rubys = Very happy boys!

Stay-Cation

Once upon a time (in early June) we went on stay-cation.  That means we wanted to go on vacation but were too broke.  So we stayed home and went somewhere close.  Our good friends the W's had just been to Torrey Pines and recommended it so we tried it out.  You have to pay $10 to park at the State Park parking lot but it's was well worth it.  We drove to the upper parking lot up at the top of some cliffs and then hiked down to the beach.  

Even coming back up it was an easy trek.  The temperature was perfect, the boys enjoyed it and didn't whine, and the scenery was beautiful.  (I've never seen flowering cactuses/cactus'/cacti in real-life before!)

This is definitely a place we'll visit again.

I couldn't help thinking "Why didn't I know about this place?  Why didn't any of the boys I dated in High School ever take me here?"

And then I audibly "Hmmpffh"d.

And then I was glad I married Doug.

...for the billionth time.  (no offense old boyfriends.)

Anyway, come visit and we'll take you to Torrey Pines.  Unlike my lame ex-boyfriends/friendi.

It's worth the trip!

Napoleon Dynamite in Training--With a Little Scott Hastings Mixed In!

LaFawnduh:  Why are you so sweaty?
Napoleon Dynamite:  I've been practicing.
LaFawnduh:  Mmmm. Practicing what?
Napoleon Dynamite:  Some dance moves.


D-Qwon: [excitedly]  
Welcome to D-Qwon's dance grooves, are you ready to get your groove on? 
Napoleon Dynamite:  Yes. 
D-Qwon: All right then, let's get started! 

A Few Little May Things

*Sam starts Karate after months of begging.
First class Monday.
Second class Wednesday.
Suspended from school Friday for Karate kicking and punching a class mate at recess.
Awesome.
(Don't worry--his Sensai had a talk with him and he hasn't had any problems since then.)

Actually, he LOVES Karate.  He has three classes a week and walks out of every one grinning from ear to ear.  After trying gymnastics, soccer, and basketball, we've finally found the sport for Sammy!

*Speaking of sports, Gabey finished in-door soccer and had a great time.  He got "Player of the Week" once (which came with a plastic gold medal necklace and a certificate!!!) and made a few goals and thinks he's pretty much the best soccer player ever.  Which makes it a win in my book.

"Look!  This says I'm AWESOME!!!"

*And because we can't let any of the boys have too much time to relax, we're making them take swim lessons.  A very nice young lady named "Miss Crystal" comes to our (community) pool every Saturday morning and splits 40 minutes between the four boys.  Even little Gray is getting a few minutes this summer.  She's teaching Max and Sam different strokes (Not to be confused with Diff'rent Strokes) and how to dive, and Gabey is working on the basics.  (He can swim, but it's not pretty.)  They actually all like swimming and are getting pretty good.

Let's pretend this is a picture of me, okay?  Thanks!

*In May we also went to the beach a lot despite the sometimes chilly "May-Gray" weather...

Sammy loves to Boogie

*...sometimes with friends like the amazing SHELLY who came for a visit over Memorial Day weekend...

*...which was also the weekend of the AAPD meeting and a get-together with Rhode Island friends.  (Thanks you for babysitting Shelly!)

 (Wish I'd gotten pics with everyone else, but happy I got this one with Diane!  It was fabulous to see you Jen, Melissa, Ginna, and everyone else!!!)

*Finally, we wrapped up the month with Max getting his Webelos award.  Did you know Webelos means We Be Loyal Scouts?  I did not.  

Nor do I approve of the syntax.  

However, I do approve of Max because he worked really hard and he's super cute!

And there you have it.  May in a nutshell. 

It was a great month.