Ages and Stages

It's no secret that Steve loves cars. We've gone through our fair share of wheels in our 15 years together.

When we met, Steve had a Toyota pickup truck with one side smashed in, and had just totaled a Porsche. I drove an Audi. Steve replaced his Porsche with a sleek black BMW 525.

We got married, sold the Audi, and I drove the BMW.

Then I got pregnant. We decided we needed a more family-friendly vehicle, so we sold the BMW and bought a Ford Expedition.


Just weeks after buying the Expedition, we bought our first house - and spent every weekend driving out to check on the building progress!

Then Steve decided it was time to upgrade his beat-up Toyota, so we bought a Ford F-150 truck.

Steve rode BART to work every day, so the truck didn't get used much, and the Expedition was our main mode of family transportation.

He soon realized that the truck drove exactly like the Expedition, and even the interiors were almost identical. It didn't take long before he wanted a fun car to toot around in on the weekends, so it was time to sell the F-150 and replace it with a BMW M-3.



It was a super fun car to drive. So fun in fact, that I got two tickets within six months driving it.

Then, I got pregnant again. There was no fitting a baby seat in the back of the M-3, and with gas prices going up (to like $2 a gallon . . . remember those days?), we decided I should have a more economical everyday car than the Expedition. So we sold the M-3, and bought a VW Passat. We kept the Expedition for road trips and such, but my main drive was the VW.

One day shortly after Jack was born, I was in bed with the flu and Steve decided to take Olivia out for the afternoon to give me some time to rest. I woke up to the phone ringing.

Steve: "Honey, can you come down and open the garage?"

Me: "OK . . . but why? What happened to the remote?"

Steve: "Uuhhhhh, I just want to see if it will fit . . . "

I dragged myself out of bed, walked downstairs, and opened up the garage. There in the driveway was a full size GMC Conversion Van.

(This is almost the exact van, minus the raised roof)

Steve had found a deal he couldn't pass up, and thought this was the greatest set of wheels ever. I was too sick to protest, so we traded in the Expedition for a gigantic van. Complete with a fold-down queen size bed in the back. The kind of van that you'd see with a bumper sticker reading "If the van's a rockin', don't come a knockin' . . ."

I must admit, it was comfy for long trips. But for everyday driving, it was not so good. Hefting a 30 lb carseat up and in was no easy feat. But again, I drove the Passat for everyday, so it wasn't too bad.

Then we moved. Steve was now driving to work everyday instead of riding public transportation. He obviously opted for the more gas-friendly wheels, leaving me with the van that wouldn't even fit in a standard parking space at Safeway.

After a few weeks of that, I had had enough. That very weekend, I got a minivan. I swore I would never be "one of those moms". Minivans weren't cool, classy, or stylish. But once I saw the very many convenience features for moms with young kids, like power sliding side doors, a power lift gate on the back, and all the cargo space in the trunk, I was sold!

I drove the minivan into the ground, and converted several "unbeliever" friends along the way (to minvans, not my religion!).

We've had a couple other cars in the meantime - Steve missed having a truck, so a few months after we bought the minivan, he traded in the Passat for another F-150. Then, a few years later, he missed having a car, so added a leased and luxurious Infiniti M-35 to the fleet. All the while, my minivan kept on chugging along.

Last November, the service technicians discovered a leak in the cooling system and a cracked transmission. We bit the bullet and repaired them . . . to the tune of over $2K. Not so fun anytime, but especially just before the holidays. But we figured it was cheaper than a new car!

Last week, during a routine service, several other big ticket items were discovered and diagnosed. It was time to say goodbye.



While I contemplated getting another van, Steve convinced me to try something different. Like this . . .



Just kidding (okay, not really . . . in Steve's dream world, this would be his car of choice, though maybe not this color!)

All the kids are now capable of buckling themselves in the car. We aren't hauling strollers and other baby paraphernalia around any more. There's not as much need for the easy in/easy out features of a minivan.

We are now the proud owners of a Buick Enclave. It seats 8 (one more than the minivan did!), but feels like a car. I love it. It even has a DVD player (which wasn't intentional - we just couldn't locate an 8-passenger one without it). Road trips are gonna be a dream.


While this may be our 12th set of wheels in just under 14 years of marriage, I think we set a record with both our minivan and Steve's truck. Seven years, 130,000 miles, and hundreds of memories. It was time to let go of that stage of life, and move on to the next one. I can't wait to see where this one takes us!

Who you callin' heavy?

I spent last weekend up in Seattle at my annual girls' scrapbook retreat. After a month of intense writing with my mom (update on that coming soon), it was a much needed respite.

I flew up late Wednesday night, leaving my husband and kids in the capable hands of my amazing MIL.

Thursday morning, we headed up to the retreat location, an isolated house on 20 acres on a hill overlooking Seattle. It was snowing like crazy, creating a winter wonderland. We got settled in, and spent the next 3 1/2 days eating, laughing, being creative, and eating some more. The food was amazing, plentiful, and served hot every 4-5 hours. In between, there was an assortment of sweets and snacks available.

While I choose to do my scrapbooking digitally, I still lugged my full scrapbook with me in my suitcase. I wanted to be able to page through it as I worked, looking for "holes" in my record-keeping so that I don't leave things out. The book is heavy. It weighs close to 15 pounds.

Sunday evening, it was time to head back to reality. My suitcase was packed, and heavy. I felt bloated and full from three full days of eating easily twice my normal caloric intake.

As I was checking my suitcase, the Southwest Airlines clerk looked right at me, and said "You'd better watch your weight." It took me a full minute to realize he was referring not to me, but to my bag.

It's time to get serious about getting back into shape, and ready for my summer wardrobe. No more messin' around. Stay tuned on my progress.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak at what I accomplished over the weekend:

Eruptions

For the last 18 months or so, we've been looking at a toothless grin on this cute face.

He knocked the teeth out during a camping trip in August 2009. Fortunately, they were baby teeth, and his permanent teeth were so far from growing in that no damage appears to have been done. He's gotten used to talking with a slight lisp and gnawing his food with his other teeth.

He's since had a spacer put in the roof of his mouth to correct a cross-bite and create some room for the gargantuan teeth that showed up on his x-rays. Judging by the size of the teeth, I'm guessing (and secretly hoping) he'll be 7' tall.



About a week ago, he came running in the kitchen with a semi-scared, semi-thrilled look on his face, and said "Mom! Look!!!! My tooth!"

Now, a week later, this baby is almost fully erupted. And let me just say, the tooth is HUGE! It's growing in at an angle, almost completely covering up the tooth next to it.

The snaggletooth stage has officially begun. Can you spell B-R-A-C-E-S??? Good thing the rest of him is so darn cute....

Heredity...a funny thing!

Genetics are an interesting thing. We pass on physical, emotional, and mental characteristics, some from generation to generation.

There's little doubt my kids are mine. They all have my blue eyes. They all have Steve's ears. They each inherited some unique mannerisms and characteristics from both Steve and me, easily identifiable to those who know us.

My side of the family has passed down something a little less visible, but equally "hereditary"...which I will share with you here.

My grandparents often told the story of my dad, who as a young boy climbed out an alcove onto their roof...to "relieve himself" in the middle of one chilly winter night. He was fast asleep.

My aunt, and my dad's younger sister, sauntered into a formal dinner party in the family living room late one evening. She lifted up her nightgown, pulled down her unmentionables, and copped a squat right on the living room rug. She was fast asleep.

Both my brothers, at various times in their childhood, emptied their bladders while sleeping into a kitchen cabinet, my mom's dresser drawer, and a garbage can in the kitchen. They had no recollection of it the next day, and my mom was only able to guess who the culprit was.

I have also been known to sleepwalk a time or two. In high school, my mom was awoken late one night by the sound of pots and pans banging in the kitchen. She stumbled in and found me stirring a pot of top ramen over the hot stove. Fast asleep.

Olivia wandered into the family room a few years back looking disoriented, and Steve caught her as she was pulling down her jammies and sitting on the toy box. Luckily, he intervened before the damage was done.

Last week after dinner, Grant crashed out on the couch. After about an hour, he got up, looking completely awake and alert, got off the couch and walked away. He came back moments later and climbed up on the arm of the couch for a snuggle. I put my arm around him, and discovered a naked little bum.

Perplexed, I asked him where his pants and underwear were. He responded with a confused look...he had no idea he was naked from the waist down. That was my first clue that there might be a problem.

Steve got up and went searching...and it didn't take long before he called to me and told me to bring the camera.

I walked into my office, where Steve was standing at my desk, laughing. I glanced over, and this was what I saw.

Just before he fell asleep, Grant had asked if he could play on the computer (his new favorite pastime). I had said no, it was too close to bedtime. With visions of his favorite websites dancing through his head, he drifted off to sleep.

That little stinker had climbed up on my office chair, dropped his drawers, and peed all over my desk. All while fast asleep. Needless to say, I had to buy a new keyboard.

No Boys Allowed!

In early December, we discovered some warm, blackish ooze coming from the wall in my office/project room.

The plumber wasn't sure what it was. His exact words were "I've never seen anything like this before in my life. If I didn't know better, I'd think maybe your house was possessed." Great...just what every homeowner wants to hear. We suspected it was another broken pipe...we've had several since we moved in.

When they cut open the wall, this was what they found:

Who knows how long it had been spewing hot water into the wall...at least a few weeks. It was a wet, soggy mess in there.


The black goo was a combination of mildew, glue from the baseboards, and hot water. Yuck. After fixing the leak, we waited a while to patch up the wall so that it could dry out.

Since that wall would need to be painted after patching, Steve suggested we just paint the whole room...something I'd been wanting to do!

I wanted a bright and cheerful color - something other than the off-white that was currently on the walls. I went to Home Depot and picked out a few samples and brought them home and put them on the wall. I wasn't crazy about any of them.

Steve has an eye for color and said I needed something more feminine than any I had chosen. He got online, went to the Home Depot paint website, and pulled up some design ideas. This color combination popped up.

I wasn't sure about the pink...I didn't want it to look like a baby girl's room! But the design center online looked beautiful, and we decided to go for it. And while I have disagreed in the past with Steve when it comes to paint colors, I've learned that his eye is better than mine and I should trust him.

Here's the "before" pictures:

It turned out absolutely beautiful—the perfect combination of sophisticated and feminine.

The window wall is a deep plum, while the other three are a much softer pink. The pictures don't do it justice.




I still need to find a few things to accessorize the room...but I absolutely love it! And the best part of all is that because of the color, I can declare it a "no boys allowed" zone and lock myself away for days!

Remembering Christmas 2010

Less than two weeks into the new year, and Christmas already seems like a distant memory.

Here are some of the highlights:

A Christmas "Pixie" delivered this gift to us on December 1st.

We named our elf "Rockie" (after the name of our street - Rockford). The kids had a ball finding him in a different spot every day.

Jack had his holiday piano recital. He really rocked it. He loves the song so much that I have a feeling we'll be "Decking the Halls" for months to come!

My brother passed through town with his darling family on their way to Arizona for Christmas. We decorated cookies. I made the kids do it outside in the freezing cold so I wouldn't have to clean up the sprinkles in the kitchen.

We got the requisite picture with Santa.

But we didn't wait in this line.

Instead, I took the kids to the mall over Veteran's Day weekend. In mid-November. Olivia complained that she was getting too old for this. I insisted. And won. As long as she's living in this house, she'll get a photo taken with Santa—whether she likes it or not!

The kids all celebrated the holidays at school. Well, except for Grant. I had the days mixed up for his party, so we missed it altogether. And I was in charge of bringing all the paper goods and a gallon of milk. Oops! Grant didn't seem to mind too much—he celebrated on his own the next day by dressing up as Mrs. Clause.

Christmas Eve brought our family tradition of clam chowder for dinner, followed by the reenactment of the nativity. Olivia is becoming quite the director!

The kids all got new jammies on Christmas Eve, set out cookies for Santa and went to bed early.

Christmas morning brought a whole lot of excitement.

Santa managed to sneak a trampoline into the backyard!






Jack spent hours building his new Lego sets...Steve even set up a "Lego station" in the empty bedroom upstairs (formerly known as Grant's bedroom...we didn't get rid of Grant, he just didn't like being in his own room!)




Grant is learning the art of drifting on his new Big Wheel.

This year, I did much better at not over-scheduling myself during the holidays. I truly enjoyed the kids' time off school, we did fun things together as a family, and I felt like I captured the joy of the season. For that, I am thankful.

Out with the old, in with the new!

2010 was an eventful year for our family. Last January 1st, we had no intention of moving. Here we are, a year later, in a brand new town! The stress and hassle of moving twice in two months is a mere memory.

We sat down as a family tonight to set our annual goals/resolutions. We fell a little short in some areas, but it's a new year and time for a fresh start!

So, without further ado, here they are!

Steve:

Since he didn't master his goals last year, he's doing a solid repeat of 2010.

1. Get under 200 lbs. by June and sustain it through the year.

2. Lower golf index to a single digit handicap.

3. Continue for family to be #1 priority.

Olivia:

1. Do a kids triathlon

2. Stay healthy

3. Keep my room clean and organized all year long.

4. Continue my acting career.

Jack:

1. Do good in school.

2. Help mommy by keeping my room cleaner.

3. Get better at basketball, then join baseball in spring and be the very best swimmer.

Grant:

1. Keep my room clean.

2. Listen to my mother.

3. Learn to ride a 2-wheeler with no training wheels.

and last, but not least....my goals for the new year:

1. Lose 20 lbs. by June. (This includes the 15 I didn't lose last year, plus the 5 extra I gained in 2010. Ugh. Depressing, isn't it?)

2. Exercise 1 hour/day five days a week.

3. Read 15 books. (I surpassed this goal last year and have enjoyed discovering new authors, subjects, and writing styles.)

4. Branch out with my writing, and complete a book project. (I think I'm done writing about art exhibits and school board meetings)

5. Dedicate 1-2 hours a week on creative things. (I've got unfinished projects up the ying-yang. Some are holiday specific, which I had intended to complete this year. Didn't happen. But it will!)

6. Do a better job at keeping things tidy. I have a tendency to just dump when I'm in a hurry. Then things accumulate, and I get irritated with myself. If I can keep on top of it, I'll save myself (and my patient husband) a whole lot of irritation.

I will try and not beat myself up with unrealistic expectations. But I also feel the need to be a better person this year, and know that I can do it!