The Big 10

Today is our official 10 year anniversary.  If you know our family at all, you know a rose ceremony was part of our wedding.  This is where we all (LW, GG, The Hubs and myself) exchanged roses.  The point of this was to symbolize the change in our relationships as we became a family and we come together every year to exchange roses again - adding Bug and Bunny along the way, and talk about what our personal goals are to help make our family stronger.  Since we're all very busy people, we don't always do it exactly on our anniversary, so last night was our night to celebrate.  Since it was our TEN YEAR anniversary, I thought I'd shake things up a bit.

A few weeks ago I sent an email out to LW, GG and The Hubs asking them to provide me with 10 unique reasons they like/love LW, GG, Bug and Bunny respectively - with  reminder that they can't submit reasons why the love themselves.  Their egos are fine people, just trust me on this.  I sat down with Bug and Bunny separately and asked them to do the same thing. Then I got to crafting, hole punching, cutting - SO MUCH CUTTING - and double sided sticky taping and this is what I came up with.

Each kid was presented with this little booklet, made from playing cards and craft paper. It included 10 reasons from each of their siblings, 10 reasons from The Hubs, 10 reasons from me and then two extras reasons about why we like/love them to make 52 reasons.

The thing I really liked about this project was it really made everyone think about each other.  Really figure out what it is they love about them.  It was fun to see when everyone came up with similar answers - Like Bug is really funny, or Bunny sings a lot.

And more funny when the answers contradicted each other.  Like when LW said that GG wasn't judgmental, but GG said that one of the things she loved best about LW was that they could sit and judge things/people together.  (All in good fun of course - no feelings were hurt in the making of these booklets).

The best part though, was letting the kids read their booklets and try to figure out who said what.  Some were obvious, and some not so much.

But ultimately, it let each of the kids feel really good about themselves and about how the rest of the family sees them.  I can't believe we've made it 10 years, but it's easy to see the love in our family that holds us together.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

PS - this project was not my idea, I found it on Pintrest!

Hiccup, Toothless & Astrid

Santa thought we'd been good, so he gifted us with 6 tickets..

to How To Train Your Dragon A Live Spectacular.

Where we got to see Hiccup and Toothless meet for the firs time.

See the gang learn about dragons.

Saw Astrid and Hiccup fall in love.

And watched the most amazing flying fight scene against the big dragon who enslaved the other dragons.

Best. Christmas. Gift. EVER.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

When Friends Become Family

As a family, we've been part of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) for over ten years now.  We were invited one event to come out and camp for the weekend and we loved it.  Quite honestly, what's not to love?  Dressing up in historical(ish) clothes, getting to do arts and crafts, and camping plus shopping for things that have no place in the ordinary world but are still super cool like daggers, swords, armor, and all things dragons, fairies and fantasy.

But it's the people that have kept us going back year after year, event after event.  We camp with an amazing group of people every year.  We started out as a bunch of single people out having drunken revelries, then we got married, started bringing LW and GG (who the whole clan adored and immediately adopted), then more little kids (our Tweedles included) started popping up and we've moved from the party encampments to the quieter ones with quiet hours.  The experience when we go has changed over the years, but we keep going back because we love the people.  And after 10+ years, they've become family.

Last weekend we had the anniversary event of our clan - the Scottish kind, not the KKK kind.  Just a weekend to spend with people we only get to see a few times a year, to catch up, and be amazed at how the kids have grown.  Be excited for good news, commiserate with bad news and do what families do best.. EAT.  We had an amazing feast with turkey and all the trimmings, drinks, laughter, good fun and friends.  The best kind of weekend.

The best kind of weekend that was made just a tiny bit better by a hysterical and completely inappropriate game GG found.  It's called Cards Against Humanity and again I can't emphasize enough how inappropriate this game is.  It's a simple game, similar to Apples to Apples, where a black card is read and everyone has 10 pre-written white card to choose from to give the funniest answer.  The funniest answer wins the black card and at the end of the night, the one with the most black cards wins.

For example: the black card may read: What is my anti-drug?  The white cards could read: Santa Claus or Passive Aggressive Post-It Notes.  This is an adult game as some of the answers are much more raunchy than than my examples (this is a family blog after all).  So we waited until all the kids were put to bed to play and the game went on until the wee hours of the morning with so much laughter, our stomachs were sore. They were out of stock of the game last weekend, so we simply downloaded the pdf and had the cards printed at staples for under $10.  Doesn't get any better than that!

I didn't take any photos from our event. I brought my camera, but was having so much fun, I forgot to use it.  Maybe next time.  Meanwhile, we went all of last year without doing a single SCA event and this year, I think this year we're ready to get back in the game and do events again.  So, expect more pictures to come!

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Pre-Halloween

Last week I took The Tweedles down to the costume store to pick out something for Halloween.  Yesterday I picked up some Halloween make-up to complete their costumes.  And because I'm not so good with make-up I felt the need to do a trial run last night before the big event on Wednesday.

I did Bug's Vampire make-up first.  He wiggled a lot, but it didn't come out too bad.

Bunny's she-devil make-up was a bit more complicated and she didn't like doing the parts around her eyes, but it came out okay I think.

Then I dressed them up and made them give me their scariest faces.

And they were pretty scary.  Even LW got into the mix.

But it was their happy photos that really did it for me.

Does Bug look like Eddie Munster to anyone else? Or is it just me?

Halloween, here we come!

Seriously.. Thoughts?

October 22, 1988

1988 was a busy year.  I say this with some authority because I just looked it up online.  On October 22, 1988 I was 13 (almost 14) and in 8th grade.  And despite my complete lack of interest, lots of things were happening all over the world.  

Some good:

Iran - After 8 years and 1.5 million dead the Iran -- Iraq war ends
Australia - Australia celebrates its bicentennial.
UK - Archaeologists uncover the original Globe Theatre in London
U.S. - US Shuttle program resumes 2 1/2 years after Challenger disaster

And some not so good: 

Armenia - Earthquake in Armenia Kills 60,000
Scotland - Suspected Libyan terrorist bomb explodes on Pan Am jet over Lockerbie in Scotland on December 21st killing all 259 on board and 11 on the ground
U.S. - A new drug Crack appears ( A derivative of Cocaine ) and is increasingly found in US Cities

Being the geek that I am, I can't pass up mentioning some of the great science & technological advances that year even though at the time, I could have cared less.

First transatlantic fiber optic cable laid able to carry 40,000 telephone calls simultaneously
Stephen Hawking Publishes " A Brief History Of Time "
The first major computer virus infects computers connected to the Internet.
The Hubble Space Telescope is put into operation.
The US Stealth Bomber is unveiled.
Using Carbon Dating it is established that the Turin Shroud Can Not Be the Burial Cloth of Christ,
The Antidepressant Prozac introduced which quickly became the market leader for treating depression.

It was also the year of movies like Rain Man, Who framed Roger Rabbit, Die Hard, and a Fish Called Wanda which were much more in my sphere of life experiences than all that other stuff.  Hey, I was 13.  If it wasn't entertaining or a boy, I wasn't much interested.

It was also the year of George Michael's Father Figure, which I admit I could sing by memory even today.

And which, to my 13 year old mind, was the sexiest song I had ever heard.  Ever.

In October of 1988 I was living in New Hampshire attending Oyster River Middle School.  I was on the field hockey team and my favorite teacher was Mrs. Andrews.  I had friends, went to middle school dances, laughed and cried in ways only a dramatic 13 year old girl can.  

And on October 22, 1988 across the country in Southern California, a woman was in a local hospital giving birth to a baby girl.

This girl.  Who would, 11 years later, enter my life.  Who would challenge me in ways I never imagined.  Who would - with the help of her father and sister - turn my world upside down and welcome me into her family.  Who would ultimately 13 years after that, still be making me laugh and want to pull my hair out all at the same time.  Who would become someone I could count on to be there for her little sisters and brother.  Who would grow into the amazing, confident and wonderful woman she is today.

Happy 24th Birthday to my Lone Wolf.  I know this year will lead you down new and challenging paths that you will face and conquer with grace and beauty like only you can.  It is my sincere pleasure to watch you continue to grow into the person you are meant to be.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

And Now It's Too Late

"Where there has been cold, you have brought warmth.  Where my life was dark, you have brought light...

..the true magic of our love is not to avoid changes, but to navigate them successfully..today I take my place by your side."

"Today you are my daughters.  In the years to come, we will laugh together, cry together, fight together and share hope together.  And through it all, my love for you will never waiver. Know that there will always be a place for you in my heart.."

Eight years ago today, two people became one, one person was blessed with two daughters and four people became a family.  A year later we added another daughter/sister and two years after that a son/brother.  Eight years ago today, we promised we'd be there for each other, to love one another, and committed to the new family we had become.

Thankfully, they had no idea what they were getting themselves into..

and now it's too late.   

Happy Anniversary to all of us.. and here's to the journey still to come.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

I Spy

I spy with LW's big eye..

something that looks like me!


Digital photography is so cool!

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

The poll officially closed at 5pm last night and the winner was..

Lucky number three!

I think I still love number two the best (a distant second).

And since LW made this one her profile pic, I think she liked it best - which tied for last place with images 7 and 8.

I still think it makes it look too much like she and GG are bookends to the Tweedles.  Beautiful bookends, but bookends none the less.

Thanks so much for everyone who took the time to vote!

Seriously.. Thoughts? 

The Many Faces of a Lone Wolf

I finally got LW to let me take some photos from her on our trip last weekend.  I think they mostly came out pretty well, but I'm having a really hard time deciding which one to use for our family close-ups.

As a reminder, this is what the other kids' shots look like.  Then I thought to myself, hey, why don't you let the masses decide?  So here they are.  The many faces of our Lone Wolf.

A. LW 1
Love her eyes in this one but her expression seems lacking and not really "her".

B. LW 2
This is classic LW, but not sure about the weird sun highlights.

C. LW 3
She's a beauty for sure in this one, but the nose highlight.. too distracting?

D. LW 4
Too much like GG's?  I don't want them to be bookends for The Tweedles

E. LW 5
The camera angle might be too awkward here.

F. LW 6
Another classic LW expression.  Too Washed out?  Plus, not looking at the camera like the other kids' shots.

G. LW 7
Softer, gentler LW.  But again, not looking at the camera.

H. LW 8
Another classic LW shot.  Not as close up as the other kids though.

So, what do you think? Which one would be the best to finish off my quartet of kid close-ups?

All In The Family

Now that school is back in full swing, we've successfully completed two homework days with little to no fussing.  Bunny had school homework for the first time last night and got it done and her nightly reading done in about 40 minutes!  Bug did 4 more worksheets I found for him and he was done in less than 15 minutes.  Two more stickers on the board and we're rolling.

Since we're starting to implement new routines and rules, we're reviewing chores this weekend.  We've always insisted that Bug and Bunny pick up the enclosed front porch we use as their play room, the toys etc. from the living room and their bedrooms at least once a week.  For weekend chores they both make sure the floors in their areas are picked up so GG can vacuum and they empty all the little trash cans around the house into the big trash cans.

As they're both getting older, we're starting to introduce new chores.  Recently I've added a night-time ritual of cleaning up the bathroom.  That means putting their toothbrushes, hair brushes and clothes where they belong instead of leaving them strewn all over the place.   I've also started giving them more responsibility when it comes to the pets.  They each take turns feeding the dog and our oldest cat (who gets wet food instead of the dry food all the other cats get).

These aren't paid chores.  I do believe in allowance for kids, but I feel like these kinds of chores are just what you do when you're part of a family.  We all help out.  We all do our part.  And I want that to be instilled in our kids - all of our kids.  I've always told GG and LW that if they want all the benefits of being part of our family (taking family vacations, going to Disneyland, and all the other fun perks) that they have to be involved in the not so fun parts of being part of this family too.  You're either all in or all out.  For the older the girls, that mostly means watching the Tweedles.  They only get babysitting money if we're doing something fun like a date.  Oh don't laugh.. it could happen!  But if we're grocery shopping or doing school/work events we can't have the kids at, they don't get paid.  That's just part of helping out the family.  It also means GG has regular chores around the house just like the rest of us on top of taking care of her own laundry and bedroom.

LW is a bit of a different story.  She is, of course, always a part of our family, but she doesn't live here.  So when we need her to pick kids up or drop them off somewhere, she's almost always available if she's not in class.  I also made a deal with her to play with The Tweedles a few times a week in return for keeping her on my cell phone family deal.  Mostly this helps us out with pick-ups during the school year, but it also is intended to help build a relationship between her and the Tweedles since she isn't living with us.  There's a huge age gap there, and I want to foster whatever relationship between them I can before she's off fully living her own life away from us.  This will start to be an issue with GG in the next year or so as soon as she starts living on campus or at least closer to school, and we'll have to work out some arrangement at that point to keep her close with the Tweedles. I don't even want to think about that yet though, I can't imagine our house without her in it.  At this point I usually just stick my fingers in my ears, close my eyes and sing twinkle twinkle at the top of my lungs in denial.

What about you guys?  Do your kids have chores? Do they get paid or is it all part of being in a family? What kinds of chores do your kiddos do?

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Home Grown Artwork

I took these photos at various times over the last year or so.

Super close-ups of the kids.  All the dirt on Bug's face included.

I even managed to get this lovely shot of GG using the manual settings on my camera!  Be proud.

All the kids, except for LW.  I haven't managed to take one of her, that I loved as much as I love these.  In part I think this because she doesn't like to sit still and have her picture taken, so I always feel rushed.  Once I get one of LW that I like, I plan to get them printed on 20" tall canvases and hang them in a set of four on our living room wall.  Maybe all side by side.

Maybe in a four-square.

I've even played around with the idea..

of making them..

black and white.

And maybe by posting this, LW will swing by (when she gets back from visiting with her mom in TN) and sit still long enough for me to get a great shot of her too.  Is that a good enough hint do you think?

What do you guys like best, color or black and white?

Seriously... Thoughts?

Big Sister Bonding

Having had a big sister that was 10 years older than me, I understand the huge gap in sisterly bonding that happens when you're 7 and your big sister is 17.  You don't really play together like friends.  More like a fun babysitter to be honest.   The gap between Bunny and GG is 11 years.  The gap between Bunny and LW is 17 years.  The gap between Bug and GG is 13 years and the gap to LW is 19 years.  Conceivably, LW could have been mom to both of her youngest siblings without too much effort.  Not that we would have wanted her to be 17 and pregnant, but it's not a stretch here people.

I've worked hard to create opportunities for time together. For memories for all of them to create together so they have some common ground.  I know that Bug and Bunny won't ever be as close with GG and LW as they are to each other (either set), but I want them to be able to count on each other when we're gone.  And more importantly, I want them to understand that even when life is happening, college, homework, boyfriends, nights out etc, that family comes first.

Honestly, if you ask Bug or Bunny who's job it is to take care of GG or LW they'll say it's their job.  Who's job is is it to take care of the family? It's their job.  It feels mafia-esque at times, but it's important to say the words out loud so they're real. They're important.  I think too many times we assume kids understand the lessons we're trying to teach them, without actually saying what those lessons are out loud.  I think it's a lot easier for them to get it, when we spell it out for them.  Absolutely you have to practice what you preach for it to work, but spell it out too.  I do this because we take care of family; because it's our job to take care of family.

So when I catch my kids bonding, it's a big deal for me.  Last night during movie night (inside this time so we could start at a reasonable hour) this is the bonding I caught.

A little Bug stretched out on his LW.

A little Bunny cuddling her GG.

For this mom? Best. Night. Ever.

Seriously.. Thoughts?

Sequoia National Forest - Part IV - Muir Grove

Saturday night after the General Sherman Tree, the Museum, and Moro Rock found some of us in this state of prettydarntired.  It's a real condition.  Seriously, go look it up on Wikipedia, you'll find us there looking just like this. Promise.  (okay, not really... but we really were tired).

After going to bed early and sleeping through the night, almost all of us got up super early Sunday morning.  One of us, didn't feel the need to go hiking.  One of us decided sleeping in was far more of a good time than going out into the new world of monster tree epic-ness.  One person .. well, I'm just going to say it.  One person was a party pooper.  I don't want to name any names, but his initials are 1/2 Point.  But you didn't hear it from me.

Those of us who were ready to see Monster Tree Epic-ness TM (do you like how I trade marked that? From now on, just know if you hear that .. it's mine.. and I expect royalties.  A lot of them.) hiked up a trail to Muir Grove which started ever-so-conveniently in our campgrounds - That was Dorst Creek for those of you playing the home game.  And while the trip there wasn't through a sea of Sequoias, it was through some of the pretties forest we've seen so far.

Beautiful ferns as far as the eye could see.

The trail was well marked and easy to travel.  About 1/3 to 1/2 of the way there, we crested a hill and were greeted with this absolutely amazing view.  Seriously, I'm in awe.

We sat for a few minutes and just caught out breath..er I mean.. gaped at the beautiful view before we continued on and encountered this beautiful deer just trying to enjoy breakfast.  How annoyed must all these animals be, to constantly have pesky humans interrupting their day for photo ops??  They really don't like it when you yell "Say Cheese".  They tend to wander off quickly in disgust.  It's a shame really.  Where's their sense of customer service?  I plan to write a stern letter to the Park Rangers as soon as I'm done blogging.

We continued on and crossed multiple streams, some bigger than others.  And I don't know if the park rangers do this on purpose, but the few times we got to cross trees to reach the other side were like Disneyland.  Maybe even better than Disneyland because there weren't any long lines to wait through for your turn.

The trail did actually go around, but how much fun is that?  Especially to a little 4 year old Bug.

Or a 6 year old Bunny, or a 23 year old Lone Wolf, or me whose age is better left unsaid.  That guy on the log?  That's our friend Tamlin who came along with his wife.  He got mistaken for a park ranger a few times on our treks.  But you know, he just rolls with that stuff, answering questions like he works there!

And just when I thought we'd never get there.. out of the pines rose a Sequoia.  Then another, then another, then another.  And this time there weren't any fences to keep us away from the trees.

We had a quick snack of apples and water before starting to really explore.  The Tweedles quickly found trees that were big enough to wander into.

Then we came across a tree we could all fit into.

I got the obligatory "nice family" shot.. and then we went for something a bit more our speed.

I think I'm suppose to be throwing gang signs, but it turned into I Love You signs instead.  Because that's how I roll.  

When we wandered around to the other side of this same tree, we found a space that was even bigger that we all fit into.  I even got to use the timer on my camera, I felt so fancy!

We all decided that come the apocalypse, this would be a great little house in the woods.  Off the beaten path, near a water source (without being too close), plenty of deer and wild editable vegetation, and this tree would probably fit a family of 6-8 comfortably. Add some cut limbs to the sides and back, park a fire in the middle (which would smoke out the top) and it could be home sweet home.  Not that we think about apocalypses much.. or watch Doomsday Preppers on Nat Geo.. or wonder if maybe we should buy shipping containers and bury them in the ground at the farm fully stocked with food, water and ammo just in case.  Nah, we're not like THOSE people at all.  We just have good imaginations for homes in the woods is all.

Tomorrow.. we'll talk Bears.

Seriously... Thoughts?