It's that time of year once again...

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon doing this:

It was the first really hot day of the summer . . . you know, the one where it's too hot to do anything other than lay by (or in) the pool. Today is even hotter. It's also the first day of school. Go figure.

We hustled about this morning, packing lunch and snacks in the new lunch boxes, putting on new clothes, and I even took the time to flat-iron Olivia's hair (a side note on that one...it won't be happening again until picture day. She's got a lot of hair, and it has a mind of its own!).

We set out on our drive, enjoying the view along the way.

We now live a mere 4 minutes from school. After 6+ years of a much longer commute, this is heaven.

Jack and Olivia obliged my request for the annual "back to school" photo on the front steps of the main building.

They then ran off to greet their friends and play on the playground.

I managed to find Jack lined up before entering his Mrs. Henderson's classroom.

He let me hug him and give him a kiss. He was a little nervous.

I never got to say goodbye or good luck to Olivia. Apparently, she's too old for those youthful practices now. But I did manage to snap a picture of her in her classroom without her noticing.

For the next 2 years, all three kids will be in one school. How lucky is that? Tomorrow, Grant will begin preschool, and I'll be child-free for 3 full days a week. What will I be doing with my time? Stay tuned for the update...

17 Again? I don't think so...

High school was a rough time for me. I was insecure, had no idea who I was or what I wanted out of life. I had plenty of friends, but didn't associate with any particular "clique". On numerous occasions, I didn't stand up for what I believed to be right, simply because I didn't have the personal strength or conviction to set myself apart from the crowd.

I didn't apply myself as much as I should have academically, which then impacted my ability to get into college. I went through all the rehearsals for the high school Rhythm B's dance team, then chickened out on audition day . . . because "what if I didn't make it?". I dated boys who didn't bring out the best in me, because I didn't believe in that "best of me". All in all, I don't have great memories of high school, and if I could do it all over again, I would do things entirely differently. But alas, there are no do-overs in life.

The 20 years since high school have been a time of tremendous personal growth and change for me. I am not the same person I was when I graduated. Although in many ways I can't believe it's been 20 years, in other ways, that seems like a different life altogether.

Over the weekend, I attended my 20th high school reunion. I flew up to Portland sans hubby and kids, and met up with a good buddy from 7th grade on through graduation. Neither one of us were attending with spouses, and we didn't want to walk in alone. We met up with a couple other friends for some "liquid courage" before the event began. I had a Diet Coke.

It was great catching up with so many people I used to know. I was amazed at how different so many were, and how some seemed still exactly the same.

As the evening progressed, it became more and more apparent how some of my classmates had not made the most of their life opportunities in the years since graduation. Many were crowded around the bar all night, drinking to the point of stupidity. Some who showed the most promise in high school have wasted the years since in silly shenanigans, never reaching their full potential.

Still others, who were perhaps misfits and outcasts 20 years ago, have gone on to great things. I spent a good portion of the evening talking to a few of those, marveling at how they had changed, grown, and matured. While they may not have been part of the "cool" crowd then, their choices in the years since have put them at the top of the food chain now!

As a rule, the women seemed to have aged better than the men.

(I went all the way from elementary school through graduation with these two!)

I didn't recognize many of the men, who had gained weight and lost their hair, and didn't even resemble the stud muffins they used to be.

I saw my first high school boyfriend, Jonah Elliott. We went out for about 2 months at the beginning of our sophomore year.

Here we both are...aged, and happy with where our lives have taken us!

He was, and still is, absolutely adorable. He is now happily married with a little boy.

The highlight of my evening was a conversation with a casual friend who lived in my neighborhood. He pulled me aside midway through the reunion. Here's how the conversation went:

Him: "You know, we went to school together all the way from grade school through graduation. You flew under the radar in high school. You kept to yourself, you were cute . . . but not really a stand out."

Me: "Uh huh..." (All the while thinking to myself, "where the heck is this conversation going?")

Him: "But I remember saying Junior year 'That Alyson DeLong is going to grow up to be the hottest girl in our class'. And seeing you here tonight, you've proved me right. You have aged beautifully, and you look happy, and it shows."

He wasn't hitting on me—he's happily married with a family of his own. But the fact that he took the time to pull me aside and pay me that greatest of compliments meant the world to me.

And he's right. All things considered, I think I look pretty good for 20 years out of high school. I know who I am, I'm better at sticking up for what's right and not giving in to the majority just to fit in. I'm married to an amazing man, who thinks I'm great. And after all these years, I tend to agree with him!

When 3 turns 4

On this day in 2006, this little man rounded out our family.

He was completely bald.

Today, he still rounds out our family.

We celebrated at Goofy's Kitchen, in the Disneyland Hotel

And he has a full head of deliciously curly hair.

In honor of his birthday, here are four facts about Grant at four years old:

1. He is more coordinated than any child I've ever seen. He can jump, climb, skip, and run higher and faster than most 5 or 6 year olds. He throws a ball long, hard, and fast. He can balance on a skateboard and swing a golf club. I have a feeling that all seasons will be filled with sports for this guy...and I'm banking on an athletic scholarship to pay for his education.

2. He has the attitude of an over-indulged teenager. I don't know where he gets it. As an example, driving in the car last week, he was debating a subject with me. He was insisting he was right. I looked at him and said "Grant, stop arguing with me." He looked right back and said "Now you listen here...YOU don't argue with ME!" What do you say to that????

3. His favorite shows are not the typical 4-year old shows. No Sesame Street, Dora, or Diego for him. He prefers Harry Potter, Star Wars, and iCarly. Chalk it up to having older siblings...but I miss "Elmo's World".

He's been talking for months about wanting a "light saver" and a Star Wars watch for his birthday. Thanks to Nan (grandma), he got both!

4. He has the language skills of a six-year old. I sometimes forget that he's only 4 (or 3, until today). He has an amazing vocabulary, and uses words like "inappropriate", "appreciate" and "prefer" in the proper context.

Grant adds amazing energy to our house. He's loud, smart, rambunctious, adorable, and all boy. I know that if that energy is properly channeled, he's destined for greatness.

Happy Birthday Grant...we love you!

iSharks Revealed!

For the last month or so, I've been working on a top-secret project for our swim team coaches.

Every year at the league Championships, our coaches dress up in some sort of themed costumes. The theme is always kept quiet until the morning of Champs when the coaches come on deck for the team cheer all dressed up. Everyone on the team—parents included—eagerly awaits the big reveal! One year it was Batman & Robin, another year, it was Ronald McDonald & In 'N Out...you get the picture. Sometimes their costumes coincide with a recent hit movie, or other current theme. Last year, they recruited my help in assembling their "UP" costumes, which seemed to fit the duo perfectly.

This year, they approached me again to assist in the process. They threw some ideas my way, I threw some at them, but nothing seemed quite right. That is, until the new iPhone 4 was released. One of our coaches is a huge iPhone fan, and had parents on deck calling every Apple store within a 100 mile radius trying to track one down. Suddenly, a light went on...they should be iPhones for Champs!

This is a screen shot of my actual phone

Figuring out how to construct a man-size iPhone was no easy task...Plexiglass was too expensive and too heavy. Yet it needed some weight and substance to hang right on their bodies. So we called around to appliance stores, and tracked down a refrigerator box. After covering it in black felt, and wrapping the edges in silver duct tape, the body of it was complete.

Then came the apps! I used some of the real iPhone apps - either recreated in Photoshop or pulled from online sites. Then, I created apps of team-related activities. There was an app for each age group of swimmers, apps with photos of our coaches dressed up from previous meets, apps representing our team special activities (Thursday Thunder & Animal Swim) and a "secret" app for each coach—thought up by the coaches.

I created each app in Photoshop, then printed them out on photo paper and laminated them to withstand splashing and wet hugs on deck. I used a super-strength adhesive to attach them, and crossed my fingers that they would hold.

I attached the fronts and backs together with a strong webbing and staple gun, and put a piece of elastic across each side to keep them from flapping around too much.

I used my Cricut to cut white vinyl for the back. Instead of calling them "iPhones", I aptly named them "iSharks", with the "model" represented by the number of years each coach had been with the team.

It took more hours than I can count to put them together, and I was giddy with excitement the morning of the race to see the big reveal. When they walked out on deck, they had their hands waving in the air "for better reception" and everyone went crazy!

I love projects like this—taking an idea and figuring out how to make it a reality. Now if I could just figure out a way to get paid for it...

This one says it all...

Someday I'll realize that my success as mother does not directly correlate with my creativity and home-baked goodness. In the meantime, I'll just suck it up and deal with the curse.

With Jack's birthday falling around a holiday, he's never had a real party. We've celebrated with family multiple times, and once even took a trip to a little water park with two buddies. But never a party with games, food, cake, and goody bags. Until this year.

Walking through JoAnn's one day, he spotted a pirate ship cake pan and that did it. He was dead set on a pirate theme, and there was no going back...

I set about creating invitations, and was thrilled with the finished product:

We made goody bags, full of pirate gear I found on ebay (gotta love the internet!): a skull & crossbone bandana, pirate eye patch, pirate pencil, mini pirate beachball, and a few gold nuggets (aka chocolate goodness) for good measure.

Jack picked the menu, and nutrition was ignored for the day: Mini corn dogs & chicken nuggets (they were the right "golden" color), pineapple (we threw in some strawberries, watermelon, and grapes for good measure, Pirate's Booty, and some Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. To drink, it was "Pirate's Blood" (otherwise known as Kool-Aid).

As moms dropped off their boys, they jumped in the pool and swam until their fingers turned to prunes.

Then, it was time to eat.

After lunch, we played a single game - Stick the Treasure Chest on the Treasure Map.


Then it was time to open presents...Jack was well mannered and said "Thank you" after opening almost every one -


And then, it was time for the big cake reveal. I do not claim to be a master cake decorator. I'm content to either make a plain cake with plain (albeit delicious) frosting, or to buy my cakes pre-decorated from a bakery and deal with the mediocrity of the cake itself. But this time, I did it myself, from start to finish.

After I baked the cake, I was trying to figure out what to put it on. It was too big for my cake plate, and a plain pan seemed to blah. I decided to create an ocean around the cake using Rice Krispie treats...dyed blue!


I had never used decorating tips before, and didn't know how much frosting would be required. So I took the easy route and bought colored frosting in tubes, with a screw on tip. Don't tell Martha...

It wasn't quite as hard as I had expected, and within a matter of an hour or so, it was done!


I used food spray paint to darken up the "ocean" from the "sky" - Steve's suggestion.



Jack was thrilled with the party, and said it was "the best party he'd ever had!" I didn't remind him it was the only party he'd ever had!

Now if I can just get him to finish his thank you cards....

Lucky Number Seven

Seven years ago today, this little guy joined our family.

He didn't do much other than eat, and lie around looking adorable (which, I must admit, he was pretty good at.)

Now, he can scale tall poles in a single bound,

and fuels up with Top Ramen while lined up for his swim race.

He makes us laugh on a daily basis.



and even when he pulls a face like this...


I think he's still the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Happy Birthday Jack...I love you!

Rolling the tape...

I'm a sap for anything sentimental. When I was pregnant with Grant, I would burst into tears anytime the Capital One commercial came on, playing Five for Fighting's "100 years". The thought of time passing so quickly immediately brought me to the verge of hysteria.

Today, I took the boys to see Toy Story 3.

(While I did get a few laughs out of the movie, I don't know that I would classify it as the "Breakout comedy of the summer". Maybe for the hard-hearted...)

The movie opened with footage of Andy, as a little guy, celebrating early birthdays and playing with beloved toys. Then the camera panned out, and you realized that this was video footage being replayed as Andy was preparing to leave for college. I should have taken that as a sign, and got up to leave right then and there. Instead, I stayed in my seat, and began hoarding the napkins. I knew I'd need them.

When the first Toy Story came out in 1995, I was single, young, and carefree. Some friends and I went to see it because we had nothing better to do on a Friday night. A touching tale about friendship, it took us all back to our own childhoods, full of hope and imagination.

Fast forward 15 years. The young boy in the first movie is all grown up. And so am I. I have three kids who are growing up right before my eyes. My oldest is preparing to enter middle school, and I know that in just a few short years, we'll be cleaning out her room in preparation for college. How does that happen so fast?

I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't seen the movie yet, but suffice it to say that I was sobbing, almost uncontrollably. Jack climbed on my lap, turned to me and whispered "Are those happy tears or sad tears?" I could barely answer...just sobbed out something resembling "A little of both". In his young mind, life drags by and his days are marked by when and what he'll eat next and how many times a day he gets to swim...so I can't possibly expect him to understand why I held onto him so tight.

I'll be pulling out the video camera a little more often from here on. I just wish that as director of my life's movie, I could yell "CUT" and stop the film from rolling quite so fast.