It's fall, our kids are mostly out of cribs, and they don't put everything in their mouths anymore. So what are two families with young kids to do? Go camping, of course.

So, the Cruiser headed west this weekend to join up with dear friends. Michael and Scott took the big boys on an overnight Father/Son campout. S'mores were plentiful, but sleep was not. I think the dads secretly recruited extra families to fill up the campsite because by the time the moms came out with the babies Saturday after lunch, the state park was full! Hmmm. Next time, advanced reservations will be in order. For this Type-A person, I was actually proud that we took a last minute trip, so we made the most of the day anyway.

We had a full cooler, so we parked at the picnic areas and made a day of it. Big boys fell asleep on the way home, babies fell asleep within minutes of the mattress, and adults fell asleep in the living room trying to watch this week's Office. You know you're tired when Andy Bernard can't keep you awake.

So, here's the mega post of pics for grandparents and us:

June, looking forward to the Father/Daughter campout


Gathering firewood, high steppin', and chasing an armadillo



Pile on Michael, girl time with June and Wendy




Sibling love and belly buttons



Bocce ball boys



Keeton joining in, an accident waiting to happen, and their own personal court jester



More play, more play, and June's typical eyebrow face (and that's after Wendy shared)




Boys with food and sticks...no additional entertainment needed




Sibling love!


What I didn't get enough pictures of was the cross-family sibling love. Keaton following Owen everywhere and Casen being so gentle and sweet to "Juney-boy". Yes, he just realized this weekend that she is a girl. The short hair and angry eyebrows negate her pink high tops and outfits everytime.

We had a great time, and it was nice to travel with like minded parents who know that a little dirt never hurt anybody.

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:




Exhibit C:
Would be a picture of the nastiness floating at the bottom of the bathtub after the 4 bathed together Sunday morning...but that would be nasty and might have the health department visiting Wendy's guest bathroom


One thing we learned: let the boys clean each other's faces. Casen definitely had the more difficult job and Owen's t-shirt might have to be used as a garage rag. Wait, we don't have a garage. Well, you get the point.




Our favorite family (and ACU's too):

(I would have included more pics of Chef Scott, but this is the only one where he did not dare me with his facial expressions to publicly humiliate him by posting his pic...don't worry, Scott, that time will come!)



Tired, but happy! That about sums up the weekend. Here's to next time.

Self-Interests and Sweaty Socks

A major decision was to be made at our house last week. All parties had evident self-interests at play.

• When one member of your family has suffered a traumatic brain injury, he may tend to be cautious about certain aspects of child safety.
• When one member of your family is primarily in charge of putting children to sleep, she may tend towards keeping children in their cages, I mean cribs, for longer.
• When one member of your family shares a room with his sister, he might see this as the long awaited opportunity to also share a bed.
• When one member of your family is tired, she doesn't care where you put her to sleep.
  

That being said, one fall out of the crib was one time too many at our house, so say goodbye to one more piece of childhood:



Nope, it won't go lower than that. The crib Owen had lasted much longer, but it was left behind in Fresno to a dear friend. This second-hand crib is now dismantled on the porch. Any takers?

It's been a week since the dismantling. I'll confess to doubting June's readiness (15 months?!), but after a few days of catching her asleep at the door or off the mattress, she's figured out that the bed is a lot more cozy than apartment grade carpet...or brother's pee pee sheets.



Yes, these are the pee-pee sheets that were in that black hamper awaiting their laundering. Oh, and those are also his sweaty socks. You see, some mothers perfume their child's sheets so that their child will be comforted by their scent. Evidently, June misses Owen so much while he's at kindergarten, that she too must find some remnant of him to cuddle with. Maybe this is a sign that I need to bathe Owen more often if eau de sweat socks and urine is his signature perfume. BLECH!


Even Hello Kitty rolled over in disgust! But I say, sleep on sister!

As for me, it's naptime here, so I'm off to do some laundry.

For those concerned: we will be covering up the electrical sockets soon and getting a bed frame for Christmas. :)

3 Cheers for Pre-Arranged Friendships

My east Indian neighbor and I had a conversation recently about my love-match and her arranged-match. She had questions about how Michael and I met, our wedding, and how our families got along. I wondered if she did the traditional week-long wedding and how her family knew his. All that to say this, I'm all for arrangements. For example, here are Owen and June with their arranged friendships.



Now, Casen may not be thrilled by the idea and Keaton is hiding his head in shame, but Owen seems delighted with the arrangement and June is looking longingly at my best friend's boys. You will all be friends, like it or lump it.

June, chillin' in Abilene with her boys.


I put another one in just so you could see that Keaton isn't so upset about the idea. And in Casen's defense, he doesn't always wear a helmet to swing. Sometimes it's difficult to decide to swing or to bike; leaving the helmet on gives you options. He's clever like that.



Speaking of helmets, who can come to our house without putting on the Darth Vader helmet? You have an open invitation to come over and test your will power, but I warn you, "Your powers are weak."


Casen and Owen dual it out.


Victory!!



Crazy girl! Walked 6 steps this week and crawled (fell?) out of her crib. We are on the move and going to level orange on baby proofing the house.

How Did That Happen?

How did that happen? #1

PBS: said something about being an American
Owen: chortle
Mom: What's so funny? You're an American.
Owen: No I'm not. I'm a Texan.

For my non-Texan friends, we don't intentionally teach them these things...they just know.

How did that happen? #2

Ten years of being married to this guy:


To be fair, he was following through on his disc golf shot in this picture. No, don't call it Frisbee golf...that would imply that it's a juvenile hobby.

Seriously, 10 years?

How did that happen? #3
We hadn't been away as a couple more than one night since Owen was born (that's 5.5 years!).
So, for our 10 year anniversary, we took a road trip down to San Antonio.

Thank you to Priceline hotels and a compassionate concierge for a great stay at the Emily Morgan Hotel, right across the street from this beloved Texas landmark:


That's the hotel (with the flag flying at the top):

We caught up on movies, went to Schlitterbahn, went disc golfing, and ate so much that I couldn't button my shorts on the last day. Let the workouts resume, I mean, begin!

My main squeeze and I out on the course.

Me, the night of our best meal in a LONG LONG time.

A filet with a chimichurri, fried plantains, deep fried jalapenos, and shoestring potatoes.

I'm so spoiled, I know. Here's to less than 5 years before the next big trip!

A Happy Boy

Owen literally skipped into school on Friday for "Meet the Teacher Night" while reminding Michael of the rules of his school (which may or may not include NO SKIPPING). I cannot do justice to his level of anticipation and excitement, but Michael and I went to bed marveling at how THRILLED Owen was to be back.

Here's the big kindergarten dude at his desk (after looking over the entire room with curious questions about the year to come).



He caught up with some of his pre-K friends in the halls, saw his Grammie welcoming students in the atrium, and came home with a school shirt. It's funny to watch how geeked out he got about it all. After a long summer, I had forgotten how much school lights up his rule-loving, structure-needing, and learning-driven heart. And it made me miss school for myself too. ;) Takes one to know one, right?

This afternoon he told me that we needed to buy him an alarm clock so that he doesn't sleep too long and miss a minute of school.

And this is his teacher, Mrs. Butley. It's nice to put a name and a face to our prayers for this year.


The Lord has been so generous to us in Owen's caregivers over the years. Our Fuller friend Karin helped nanny Owen on the days Michael had class his first year. Miss Gloria spoiled her "muneco" (Spanish for doll baby) at Altadena Christian Children's Center in Pasadena until he was 2. Miss Raquel was Owen's go-to lady at PreSchool Enrichment in NRH for year 3, and Miss Nazeli is still talked about when he remembers his Fresno days and First Steps Preschool.

Friday, he got to read for his Pre-K teacher Mrs. Garcia, and on the way home, he kept saying, "I saw Mrs. Garcia. Woot! Woot!" Mrs. Butley has no idea that Owen is about to become her biggest fan. Reflecting on these fine ladies and one fine dad, I'm reminded that no parent can do it alone, however one arranges one's work and home schedules, and this time of year reminds me of that even more.

May all my teacher friends value the precious ones with which they are entrusted. I have friends who teach at public schools, private schools, online schools, missionary schools, and home schools. We love you all and send blessings for a fantastic school year!

Rollerskating Like It's 1985

Owen's cousins came up to visit for a week. I'd like to say that I had them at our apartment for the whole time, but Aunt Natalie deferred to Grammie's judgment and met them down at her house everyday for some fun. We did have one sleepover though in preparation for next year.

One of our first outings was to the roller rink. After skating with the kids for over an hour, I saw a sign that said no parents on the rink. Come on, momma needs some exercise! AND, no one else was skating backwards, so how are these kids ever gonna learn?

Here is my 10 year old niece and me:
Isn't she gorgeous?

Here's the whole crew. I wish I could tell you what Owen's sign represents, but all I know is that I'm glad we're not in some of my old neighborhoods when he throws that thing.

Owen and I have a silly picture every summer, so here is the one that represents this year.


Owen and my nephew, who turned 7 this fall. I like how he squatted down to be on Owen's level. It was nice to see K-dog being the leader (good practice for a second born) and Owen being a follower (even better for a first born) some of the time.

Siblings...at least Owen and June helped distract them from each other. No shame, it's just a long summer at home with your little bro or big sis...arguments are bound to happen. Thankfully, this was a temporary truce.

I think Keely is stretching her neck a little bit...she compares our shoe sizes every time we meet to see when she will pass me. I think I only have a few months left before I'm dwarfed by a tween.

Last observation, the limbo is not as easy as it once was...

Perfect Pairs

After several overnight trips with friends, I've decided I should move to a commune...or start my own. Seriously, communal living is the way to go. Kids playing with each other, one mom cooks lunch while the other entertains, one mom cleans the kitchen while the other cleans the kids, etc. Being a stay-at-home mom in the summer time is a tough gig, but other families joining in makes it so much fun. A suburban kibbutz...that's all I'm sayin'.

So, in making my short list of who will be on the commune, I'll start with my niece and nephew. Kaden & Owen are truly a knock-out! Sure, Owen gets taken advantage of as a naive younger cousin and Kaden is subjected to kid shows like Dinosaur Train, but most of the time, they kept each other laughing and both spent less time in time-out than normal. (wink, wink!)

Handsome dude!

Hmmm...trying to think of an appropriate adjective for the picture below. So many places to start...the eyes, cheeks, ears, hair, fingers, and mouth. Ok, the adjective is AWKWARD!! Could not one part of his body be normal here? Ha ha ha! Still, it's good for a chuckle. That's my kid!

The boys doing the dino-dig at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. To families going, there is no shade out at this part, so it is like digging for bones on the South Dakota badlands. Be forewarned.

Keely and June. Keely has my mother-in-law's nurturing and caretaking side. K is tenderhearted and empathetic to the hurting. It's often a discipline for me to be merciful, but Keely and her Grammie remind me how it's done. June loves being with the Keelster.
Speaking of Grammie, no one should pass up an opportunity to hula hoop in public, right?

Side note for my Camp Deer Run friends: Yes, I know my kid is a city slicker. I did not need this photo of him riding a virtual horse to prove it, and yet, here it is. The boys loved this area of the museum that shows Fort Worth's cattle connections. Taxidermy, barbed wire, gun cases, and cowboy hats...the boys were loving it!

Shame these cousins live 3 hours away, but we take 'em when we can get 'em.