Chickadees

I've only been in California for five days but if you told me I had to leave the house with actual clothes instead of a swimsuit and cover up I would unfriend you immediately.  I am officially on girls weekend or as Ben likes to call it, "mommy's special weekend of hedonism."  The smalls weren't particularly supportive of mommy's departure but have rallied under promises of sugar, treehouses, and "experimental parenting." Honestly, I am too high on beach views and street tacos to worry about what's happening on the other side of town.  "What was that?,  you're drinking Coke and watching reruns of Jackass?  Ok, have fun!"

Highway run

We hit the road on Wednesday and it was smooth sailing down I-5 except for one incident involving a projectile chocolate milk at Subway, but that seems to be our M.O. with every California road trip.  

It's important to take frequent breaks when your schedule is jam packed with movie watching and leap pad playing.

Exposing our children to the wide expanse of humanity, one Motel 6 at a time.

There were definitely some characters lurking in the deep corners of this joint.  Not that I'm judging.  Especially after shorty number two had a bloody nose in the pool and shorty number one couldn't make it to the potty in time and peed straight up in the motel shrubbery. Love it.

This sign was my personal favorite, along with:
CALL 911 in case of emergency

 (Phone located in the lobby.)

But even the shadiest of motels can set the stage for great joy and adventure.  Just as long as you don't think about the alien bug you found on the bed.

essentials

The heat wave is in full swing and aloe has become my best friend.  I am still trying to find a balance between spontaneous pool days and remembering that we actually need clean clothes and food in the fridge.  Right now we're pretty much living on peaches and BL(insert any given vegetable)T's because one thing I always seem to have is bacon.  But hey, no one is complaining.

Definitely not me, especially with this view.

We've adopted my lovely sister for the summer and I couldn't be happier about an extra pair of hands at bedtime, dinner time, and pool time.  What she doesn't know is that we're secretly plotting her kidnapping.  

And then a little this, that and the other

$5 Movie days with the usual suspects

 Backyard water fun with reunited friends

 

 Some thrills

 And chills at Wilson Pool

Rafting the Clackamas rapids with our big girl

Braving the cold waters

 with some rope swing fun

This last moment of kindergarten shot might as well have been taken a year ago with the amount of living we've fit into three weeks.  I'm kind of exhausted and we haven't even left for vacation yet.  Luckily mama scored big time with her upcoming girls weekend in beautiful San Luis Obispo.  Can not even think about it I am so beyond excited.

I'm in the deep end of summer rebellion and just hoping I have enough common sense left to wrangle up a packing list for our next almost four weeks on the road.  Because I'm guessing that a suitcase full of swimsuits and stone fruit isn't going to be enough.

light my fire

If you were to peek in through my living room window this morning you would find me holed up on the couch with this and a cup of hot tea.  The soundtrack I'm enjoying is B on the classical guitar with my moptop reading on the floor and quiet rain tapping the windows.  Not exactly a summer scene but one I'll take happily any day.  Our big girl headed off to VBS and came home with a cowboy hat and a minute by minute playback of her day.
You see we're a good ten days on the other side.  Ten days of co-parenting, solo errand running, spontaneous napping, and general rambling about.  Ten days for our home to fully transition (most days) from complete chaos to the scene of a victorian novel.  Except for VBS and swim lessons we are all together and the masters of our own schedule.  It is the jam in my doughnut.
This past weekend we packed up the car and grabbed a campsite with some good friends for the night.  I have to admit that camping seems a little more work than it's worth, and honestly who enjoys peeing in a freezing outhouse at 7am?  But I've come to realize that those kinds of memories are hard earned.  There's just something about the way food tastes straight off the campfire.  The air is breathed in a little deeper and the views are like buried treasure.

This was year 2 at Trillium Lake.  I love that's it's only a little over an hour away and the campsites are huge and perfect for exploring.

Getting ready to unpack the gear

Little man "helps with the tent assembly

Taking the boat out for a spin


I finally got to play with my new camera lens and took about fifty pictures of the lily pad fields

and jagged trees

And birds

but this one is my favorite.

The hammock:  A series

Not sure what was so funny here

but then Ian got to licking big sister

and didn't like getting licked back.  "Don't do yat Ava!"

Ater three hours of trying to coax out a working fire we finally had dinner.

Waking up in the tent light

The 2 mile hike around the lake is perfect for slow walkers.  Luckily Karl and Abby took Ian out on the boat so we didn't have to carry him, endure the whining, stop and pick up every stick and then pretend to have a pirate fight with our new swords, could enjoy some alone time with Ava.

Ms. A braved the cold waters and swam like a fishy all afternoon

Mr. Ben found his perfect summer moment with the waboba

I was entrusted with rowing Ian out to the middle of the lake to get his nap on.

He easily caved.

Our nature whisperer caught multiple "new best friends," but her favorite was this salamander which unfortunately wiggled out of her hands and landed on a rock, sending her into tears and two nights of "newt nightmares" from which we are still recovering.

So the first summer fun activity realized and even though we set the bar pretty high I think we're all aware of the gift of just being together in a coffee shop on a Tuesday afternoon.  The new rhythms are temporary but man do they knock my flip flops right off.

jackpot

I'm a little late on the father's day medals but I have to give some love to the great men that have drawn a line in the sand around me and my babies.  I'm slightly biased but I definitely won the lottery in the fantastic dad department.

First theres this guy...I can't really tell you when I fell for Ben since it was more of a sliding into love but I can tell you that watching him be a dad is one of the reasons I fall more in love with him each day.  I know when I was in the throws of labor with Ms. A he was supposed to be helping me count to ten and instead lost his breath as she emerged.  I can count on one hand the times he's shed tears (other then during the Olympics) but I can still feel his wet cheek when he put her up to my chest and buried his face into my neck.  He had never changed a diaper or babysat but he wears fatherhood like a second skin.

Before that great daddy though there was this one.  The one who held my own mother's hand as I took my sweet time entering the world.  The one who taught me how to ride a bike and always brought my homework to school when I forgot.  The one who cut my bangs all through childhood and took me to Burger King for devotions. (Even though we both knew I was just there for the french toast sticks.)  The one who grew up with no fatherly resources and relied on God to reset a legacy of faith.  He never waivered and he loves my children even better.  

I am not even joking that when I dropped Ian off with Grandpa he had buried treasure, built a pirate ship, drawn a map and stocked the yard with clues and a real rum/apple juice jug.  I mean seriously, right?!

And last but not least...my father in law.  He fathers with the gusto and passion of a dallas cheerleader and breathes out deep joy and wisdom.  At B's mom's retirement party he honestly dressed in an Elvis outfit and sang Let Me Be your Teddy Bear.  He is always encouraging and constantly sacrifices for those around him.  He is a courage-giver and a beauty- lover, and it doesn't hurt that he sends me flowers every mothers day. :)

I knew I was beyond blessed growing up with a dad who showered me with affection and lived out his faith with more actions than words, but I couldn't have dreamed up the husband and father in law that God had in store for me.  Yes they all have their quirks and there's a little bit of wonky woven in through the family quilt.  But we're bound together by names and promises and I wouldn't have it any other way.

high tide

Well we're in the final stretch folks and I wish I could say I was all free and easy.  That I let the weight of work and teaching and final papers and end of the year assemblies and a "lived-in" house just roll of my shoulders.  I don't.  I stew and clench my teeth and then wander into the kitchen and eat half a pan of rice krispy treats.
Some days the only thing I'm sure of is my Clorox Bleach Pen.  That girl gets me.
I'm pretty sure my breaking point is going to be packing Ava's lunchbox this week.  If I have to wash those tupperware one more time I'm going to lose it.  I swear Hello Kitty is mocking me every time I make another peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Really?  Again?"

And then Ben's all, "We have way too much baby stuff.  Let's have a garage sale this weekend."  And I'm like, "Yes please.  Because what I really needed this week was to emotionally commit to being done having children."  The garage sale is on...I'll keep you posted on my marriage.
Lil'Man update:
In a surprise addition to his superman/spiderman/captain america/pirate/monster truck obsession, Ian has fallen hard for Beverly Cleary.  Specifically, Henry Huggins.  We have to listen to the cd's in the car on repeat and then before bed I get to hear the three year old interpretation.  Unfortunately Henry uses a bit of colorful language and we've had to curb the "dumbs" and "stupids" with threats of removing specific pj's.  It's a bizarre world I live in.
I was especially proud when we were at a fancy restaurant and the manager came over to say, "I love your shirt!  Is that spiderman?"  To which Ian replied with lifted eyebrows,
"None. Of. Your. Beeswax."
Whew, I wasn't sure whether to laugh at his use of the phrase appropriately or be horrified at his bad manners.  Oh, that Beverly Cleary.  She is still rockin the boat sixty years later.

Here he is listening to the new installment on the cd player.  For a straight hour.

So, I'm thankful that the finish line is in sight even if we're crawling towards it.  I know all the life that's been wound tight around us will start to loosen its grip.  I can already see the sweet hugs of cousins reunited, taste the freshly picked blueberries and hear the roller coaster squeals.  I can feel the sand through my fingers and smell the chlorine dripping off the line.  The spring breeze is fantastic but I'll take the dog days every. single. time.