Today we woke to overcast skies, so we decided to be on our way to the Redwoods, rather than do any short hikes near Crater Lake. It looked like it might rain, and we didn't want to get caught in it.
The drive to our next destination, Crescent City, California, was about 3 hours. We drove first through Grant's Pass, Oregon, where we stopped at a sporting goods store for Will. He brought his older hiking boots, and the sole came off after our first day of hiking. Oops. So he needed to buy some new boots or shoes. He opted for some reasonably priced hiking shoes. We grabbed Subway for lunch and hit the road again.
The second part of the drive was a bit too curvy for all of us. I gave Ethan some Dramamine, and even took some myself. Ethan felt fine. Eleanor refused the Dramamine and then whined the whole last half hour that her stomach hurt. The surroundings are beautiful, no doubt, but these Chicagoans are not used to so many twists, turns, ups, and downs. (Lisa, you would have been unhappy.)
It was obvious when we hit Redwood National Park because the tree trunk size increased dramatically. The kids were trying to find the biggest ones. These giants will be fun to explore the next few days.
We found our cabin easily, a small place on the property of a Mr. Mike O'Connell. He was working in his beautiful garden when we came up. So friendly, he was very accommodating and had the kids happily picking blueberries in no time. Eleanor's stomach ache was miraculously cured.
The cabin consists of a small bedroom, a living room with futon, an eat in kitchen, and a bathroom. Mike was nice enough to provide us with an air mattress and sleeping bags for options for the kids. Eleanor wants to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor, and Ethan chose the futon. Will's and my bed looks like barely a full bed, and I'm pretty sure our feet will hang off the end. :)
We got ourselves settled in the cabin and then got back in the car for a ride into Crescent City. The town itself is pretty tired, but fine. We found access to a beach and introduced the kids to the Pacific Ocean. It was actually a bay, so we were missing the waves. It was low tide, and the kids could have stayed there forever, drawing with feathers and building a dam to protect their drawings. There was a very large pier nearby, so Ethan and I went to explore. Many people were fishing or crabbing. Our host Mike told us people will sell fish right from the pier. Talk about fresh.
Eventually, we dragged the kids away from the beach (Eleanor was pretty wet/sandy), and we hit the Safeway. Back at home, I made a salad and spaghetti while the kids bathed. We let the kids watch Chopped in the living room during dinner because a) we didn't have the energy to say no, and b) our small kitchen table was still filled with groceries. It will soon be bedtime here.
Not sure what, exactly, we will do tomorrow, but I know it will involve lots of trees, likely a river, and maybe some ocean time, too. Mike has plenty of ideas for us that all sound great.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Crater Lake (Days 2 and 3)
***Before I begin, I need to apologize for errors. The ipad gets weird with this blog, and when I type, it flips up and down so it is difficult for me to see what I am typing. I do my best to go over it, but I am also unable to scroll down sometimes, so that is hard. Being an English teacher is stressful when it comes to this stuff...so much pressure.***
I didn't get a chance to write yesterday. We are in close quarters in a cabin in Crater Lake, and when lights were out of the kids, I went to sleep, too. Yesterday was a driving day, for the most part. We were all up pretty early with the time change, and, after spending the night pretty restless, I decided to hit the tiny workout room for a bit. Then we all had breakfast. Afterwards, we walked into the beautiful neighborhood behind our hotel. It looks like a fairly new development, and the houses were SO pretty. My plan is to send Ethan or Eleanor to U of O, and we will buy a house there so they have residency. Will burst my bubble when he reminded me I would have to be working when the kids were in college. So I guess it will just be a summer home. We found a playground, and the kids let out some energy. I left to shower and pack up and when Will and the kids came back, we checked out. We went back into downtown Eugene first, in search of a Duck's Store. We found a few Oregon shirts and then went in search of an REI. We wanted a few things, including a powerful whistle, in the event we cross paths with a bear on one of our hikes. It is not a major concern, but we want to be prepared nonetheless. We also stopped at a Target for beach towels and a few other items we did not take with us. In the Target parking lot, we made a picnic of pbj's and then finally left for Crater Lake.
The drive was long, but very pretty. The kids, in the back, started to feel a little car sick near the end, but they made it ok. we listened to the first disk of three for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so that helped pass the time. When we finally got into the National Park, it was about a 20 minute drive to the rim. We stopped at the first lookout place we could. I hope my pictures will do this place justice. It is BEAUTIFUL. Such a unique lake, set down in the basin from what's left after a volcano exploded. Will was anxious to drive to the spot where you can hike down to the water, but it was after 5 o'clock and the kids were hungry and tired, so we continued another 20 minutes to our cabin. The
cabins are at Mazama Village, next to a campground often frequented by hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. The store has boxes of used items for hikers to look through and use, if needed. I read about this in the book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, so it was neat to see it in person. We have seen many serious hikers here. The cabins, though you wouldn't know it from their steep nightly rate, are very basic and quite small. Each cabin has four units. Our unit is two queens, and a bathroom. There is a tiny table and two chairs as well. No television. It is clean, though, and works out just fine for two nights.
Once we got somewhat settled, we walked over to the Annie Creek Restaurant, which is one of only a couple options for where to eat here. The national park lodge, several miles up the road has a nice restaurant, but reservations are required for dinner. As it was, we had to wait thirty minutes for our dinner at the restaurant. And the food was pretty dismal. Eleanor got butter with some pasta, and I ordered the fettuccini alfredo. The pasta water had clearly not been salted, and the sauce was bland as well. Will ordered a cobb salad that had very little lettuce and was finished within a minute. Ethan had the best meal, a burger, but we decided we would likely not eat there a second time. By the time we were done with dinner, it was nearly 8:30, so we headed home to bed. We were still not quite acclimated to the time change, so we were all exhausted.
Ethan, as usual, awoke first, and Will took him out for a short hike around our cabin while Eleanor and I got a bit more sleep. When they returned, we got in the car for the drive to Cleetwood Cove, the one trail that leads you down to the water. We stopped quickly at a visitor's center to pick up a junior ranger packet for Ethan. Once he completes most of it, he can turn it in for a badge. We figure if he does one in all the NPs we visit this trip, he can collect four!
The Cleetwood Cove trail is not particularly difficult to go down, but it is steep, and the drop offs are anxiety producing for parents of small children. I had a hand on Eleanor for most of it. We went down, switchback after switchback, stopping to take many pictures of the brilliant blue water along the way. At the bottom, there is a dock with a boat launch for the tours that go to Wizard Island, a volcano that sticks out of the lake. The tour looks interesting, but is 3 hours long (insert Gilligan's Island joke here), so we opted out. Will and the kids were determined to swim in the lake, though I had no such desire, as it was only about 65 degrees at the time.
Will eventually got all the way in, and I have video of him swimming. Eleanor, the first to get in her suit, never went in all the way but liked playing on the rocks. There is no beach, just large, jagged rocks to climb on. Several people came down after us, and it got more and more crowded. At once point, this french couple jumped from a cliff into the water. It looked insane, and then more and more people were doing it. A ranger had told us earlier that is where people jumped off into the water. We laughed and said, no thanks. But, as more and more people jumped, the more I wondered, could I ever do it? I asked Ethan if he thought I should and his answer was a resounding YES!
Today marks one year since my Grandma's passing. I had been feeling a bit guilty being gone on this day, knowing it would be a difficult one for my mom and her siblings. Grandma is on my mind daily, but more so lately, as I thought of this day coming up. As I sat in such a majestic spot, I thought, why not add a different memory to this day. So I decided to jump. I hadn't brought a bathing suit so I stripped down to my sports bra and spandex capris and walked up the jumping spot, about 20 feet about the water.
I cannot easily describe this experience. I was scared. Like really scared. I stood on top of the rock for a solid minute, freaking myself out and wondering what on earth I had signed up for here, trying to be brave and show off for my kid. But then I thought, you will always regret not jumping...so I did.
Now, a few others who had gone before me let out a little yelp on the way down. What came out of me, though, was an absolute blood curdling, I'm going to die scream. And for several seconds after I plunged into the icy cold water, I thought I might just do that. The fear combined with hitting the frigid water literally knocked the wind out of me. As I came up, desperately trying to get my sports bra down from around my neck, I couldn't breathe. I was above the water, but I couldn't take a breath. My kids were watching, and Will was video taping, so I have my back to them at first while I try to calm down and breathe. Eventually, I am able to do so, and the hilarity of what I just did comes to me. While it was scary, I really am so glad I did it and feel like I could do it again easily now that I know I can do it. I got to the rocks where Will and the kids were, wrapped a towel around me, and shivered for a good 30 minutes, recovering, but also feeling like a superstar!
I didn't get a chance to write yesterday. We are in close quarters in a cabin in Crater Lake, and when lights were out of the kids, I went to sleep, too. Yesterday was a driving day, for the most part. We were all up pretty early with the time change, and, after spending the night pretty restless, I decided to hit the tiny workout room for a bit. Then we all had breakfast. Afterwards, we walked into the beautiful neighborhood behind our hotel. It looks like a fairly new development, and the houses were SO pretty. My plan is to send Ethan or Eleanor to U of O, and we will buy a house there so they have residency. Will burst my bubble when he reminded me I would have to be working when the kids were in college. So I guess it will just be a summer home. We found a playground, and the kids let out some energy. I left to shower and pack up and when Will and the kids came back, we checked out. We went back into downtown Eugene first, in search of a Duck's Store. We found a few Oregon shirts and then went in search of an REI. We wanted a few things, including a powerful whistle, in the event we cross paths with a bear on one of our hikes. It is not a major concern, but we want to be prepared nonetheless. We also stopped at a Target for beach towels and a few other items we did not take with us. In the Target parking lot, we made a picnic of pbj's and then finally left for Crater Lake.
The drive was long, but very pretty. The kids, in the back, started to feel a little car sick near the end, but they made it ok. we listened to the first disk of three for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so that helped pass the time. When we finally got into the National Park, it was about a 20 minute drive to the rim. We stopped at the first lookout place we could. I hope my pictures will do this place justice. It is BEAUTIFUL. Such a unique lake, set down in the basin from what's left after a volcano exploded. Will was anxious to drive to the spot where you can hike down to the water, but it was after 5 o'clock and the kids were hungry and tired, so we continued another 20 minutes to our cabin. The
cabins are at Mazama Village, next to a campground often frequented by hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. The store has boxes of used items for hikers to look through and use, if needed. I read about this in the book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, so it was neat to see it in person. We have seen many serious hikers here. The cabins, though you wouldn't know it from their steep nightly rate, are very basic and quite small. Each cabin has four units. Our unit is two queens, and a bathroom. There is a tiny table and two chairs as well. No television. It is clean, though, and works out just fine for two nights.
Once we got somewhat settled, we walked over to the Annie Creek Restaurant, which is one of only a couple options for where to eat here. The national park lodge, several miles up the road has a nice restaurant, but reservations are required for dinner. As it was, we had to wait thirty minutes for our dinner at the restaurant. And the food was pretty dismal. Eleanor got butter with some pasta, and I ordered the fettuccini alfredo. The pasta water had clearly not been salted, and the sauce was bland as well. Will ordered a cobb salad that had very little lettuce and was finished within a minute. Ethan had the best meal, a burger, but we decided we would likely not eat there a second time. By the time we were done with dinner, it was nearly 8:30, so we headed home to bed. We were still not quite acclimated to the time change, so we were all exhausted.
Ethan, as usual, awoke first, and Will took him out for a short hike around our cabin while Eleanor and I got a bit more sleep. When they returned, we got in the car for the drive to Cleetwood Cove, the one trail that leads you down to the water. We stopped quickly at a visitor's center to pick up a junior ranger packet for Ethan. Once he completes most of it, he can turn it in for a badge. We figure if he does one in all the NPs we visit this trip, he can collect four!
The Cleetwood Cove trail is not particularly difficult to go down, but it is steep, and the drop offs are anxiety producing for parents of small children. I had a hand on Eleanor for most of it. We went down, switchback after switchback, stopping to take many pictures of the brilliant blue water along the way. At the bottom, there is a dock with a boat launch for the tours that go to Wizard Island, a volcano that sticks out of the lake. The tour looks interesting, but is 3 hours long (insert Gilligan's Island joke here), so we opted out. Will and the kids were determined to swim in the lake, though I had no such desire, as it was only about 65 degrees at the time.
Will eventually got all the way in, and I have video of him swimming. Eleanor, the first to get in her suit, never went in all the way but liked playing on the rocks. There is no beach, just large, jagged rocks to climb on. Several people came down after us, and it got more and more crowded. At once point, this french couple jumped from a cliff into the water. It looked insane, and then more and more people were doing it. A ranger had told us earlier that is where people jumped off into the water. We laughed and said, no thanks. But, as more and more people jumped, the more I wondered, could I ever do it? I asked Ethan if he thought I should and his answer was a resounding YES!
Today marks one year since my Grandma's passing. I had been feeling a bit guilty being gone on this day, knowing it would be a difficult one for my mom and her siblings. Grandma is on my mind daily, but more so lately, as I thought of this day coming up. As I sat in such a majestic spot, I thought, why not add a different memory to this day. So I decided to jump. I hadn't brought a bathing suit so I stripped down to my sports bra and spandex capris and walked up the jumping spot, about 20 feet about the water.
I cannot easily describe this experience. I was scared. Like really scared. I stood on top of the rock for a solid minute, freaking myself out and wondering what on earth I had signed up for here, trying to be brave and show off for my kid. But then I thought, you will always regret not jumping...so I did.
Now, a few others who had gone before me let out a little yelp on the way down. What came out of me, though, was an absolute blood curdling, I'm going to die scream. And for several seconds after I plunged into the icy cold water, I thought I might just do that. The fear combined with hitting the frigid water literally knocked the wind out of me. As I came up, desperately trying to get my sports bra down from around my neck, I couldn't breathe. I was above the water, but I couldn't take a breath. My kids were watching, and Will was video taping, so I have my back to them at first while I try to calm down and breathe. Eventually, I am able to do so, and the hilarity of what I just did comes to me. While it was scary, I really am so glad I did it and feel like I could do it again easily now that I know I can do it. I got to the rocks where Will and the kids were, wrapped a towel around me, and shivered for a good 30 minutes, recovering, but also feeling like a superstar!
Sometime around noon, we started our trek back up to the rim. This took a bit longer, but the kids were champs. The trail was so steep, but they trudged through. We drove to Rim Village, where the big lodge is and also a small cafe. We decided we would eat our lunch out and then just have pb and j for dinner instead of going back to our cabin for lunch. More mediocre, overpriced food, but it got the job done. After lunch, we checked out the views from Rim Village and also went into The Lodge. There is a nice area downstairs open to the public with a great big stone fireplace and lots of chairs and couches. There is also an outdoor area facing the lake with a ton of giant rocking chairs. Will took the kids to a junior ranger program down the way, but I decided to stay at the lodge for a bit. I ordered a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir, found myself a rocking chair, and had a little mommy moment. It was glorious. Then, I met Will and the kids at the end of their program (they built a volcano and watched it erupt), and we explored a bit more of the rim.
Around 4, we got back in the car and drove to one more hike. This was a short, easy hike called Wildflower Garden. It was so pretty. Basically, you hiked one short loop up part of a mountain that was covered in wild flowers. All down the mountain were tiny waterfalls, cutting into the rocks. Will said it reminded him of a gigantic version of my dad's pond. Eleanor, who was hungry and cranky before the hike and didn't want to go, ended up loving this hike. We ended it just as some rain was starting, so we hit the road and came back to the cabin. Then it was showers, reading for Will and I while the kids watched a couple shows on the ipad, and an early bedtime. Ethan fell asleep at 7:45 while I read Harry Potter. Eleanor held on a bit longer, but right now at 8:37, three of four of us is sawing logs. I am going to wake up Will, though, or else he will be up at 3 am tonight.
Tomorrow, we head to California and the Redwoods. Ethan is particularly excited about this leg of the trip, and I think we are all looking forward to a longer stay (four nights) in a larger place with space and a kitchen. The only mediocre food we will eat now will be mine! :)
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Pacific Northwest Trip - Day 1 (Travel Day)
I type this not knowing what our wifi situation will be like tomorrow and thinking I better get at least one post in. It is only 7:20 here, but I feel like it's 3 in the morning. Both Will and I didn't sleep very much last night and were up at 4:15 for our 5 am cab to O'Hare. We woke the kids at about a quarter til. Our early riser, Ethan, likely loved this. Eleanor, since she was excited about our trip, woke up happy, but she did keep asking in the cab, "Why couldn't we wait until morning to leave?"
The drive to O'Hare was fine, though it was raining. I guess this is one advantage to having to be on the road so early. After some annoying run-around by American Airlines, we made it to our gate with a few minutes so spare. We did sit on the runway for about 40 minutes, but we were able to make up some time in the air. The flight itself was smooth and pleasant, and both kids did very well. They watched Kung Fu Panda cartoons, and I was able to watch the latest Avengers movie, which was the in-flight movie. Keeping my eyes open was a bit of a challenge. Our first flight was to Vegas, and because we were a bit late, we had to hustle to our connecting flight. After grabbing the world's most over-priced sandwiches, we trekked to the other side of the airport (seriously, like the farthest away from where we started...we had to take a train) to find our next flight on the final boarding call. Fortunately, we were not the only ones racing their from a connection. Eleanor and I sat together with Will and Ethan a couple rows behind. A shorter flight, it went by quickly and was also pretty painless.
We got our luggage quickly only to realize that Will had left our booster seat on our plane. We were able to retrieve it from customer service and then we took a shuttle to pick up our car. Thirty minutes of annoying sales tactics later, we drove off in our Chevy Impala. Our destination for the night was Eugene, Oregon. Eleanor was asleep in her carseat within minutes (she NEVER sleeps in the car, so she had to have been very tired!) and Ethan drifted off for ten minutes or so. The drive down I5 was pretty, with mountains in the distance, lots of wheat farms, and several wineries. When we got close, Will took a detour to check out the University of Oregon stadium. We were not able to go in, but we did get a picture outside of it.
We had dinner at the first place we saw, really, after driving around for too long in downtown Eugene. Both kids (and at least one parent) had hit their travel limit for the day, and the expensive (yet tiny) sandwiches from lunch had long worn off. The place was called McMenamins East 19th Cafe. Kind of hippy like and very good. I ordered a salad with walnuts and blue cheese with a very tasty vinaigrette. I was interested in some local wines but just felt like I would fall asleep on the table after one glass. Our nice waiter did bring me a taste of a delicious pinot noir. After dinner, we made a quick stop at Hayward Field, the track of Prefontaine fame. Again, we were not allowed in. There was an international teacher event going on. But a very nice guard pretty much told Will that it is not always closely watched, so maybe we will try to run a lap in the morning.
By 6:30 Pacific time, we were at the hotel. It is a Comfort Suites and very nice. We just stayed in one in Indy, and while it was nice, this one exceeds all expectations. We have two queens and a couch bed, so the kids don't have to share a bed, and the room is very spacious. I know already that our next two nights in Crater Lake will be much more rustic...the kids are going to be disappointed after this place. :) The kids took a quick trip to the pool while I got the room ready for bed. Ethan conked out already, but Eleanor keeps asking me questions from her bed. Stinker.
I am going to enjoy some Goldfish crackers and a ginger ale Will pilfered from one of our flights. Will left to "explore," which I'm pretty sure means he won't be back any time soon and will return with a few groceries. Tomorrow we head to Crater Lake, and I am pretty excited to see it. I saw it from the plane - looks absolutely incredible.
The drive to O'Hare was fine, though it was raining. I guess this is one advantage to having to be on the road so early. After some annoying run-around by American Airlines, we made it to our gate with a few minutes so spare. We did sit on the runway for about 40 minutes, but we were able to make up some time in the air. The flight itself was smooth and pleasant, and both kids did very well. They watched Kung Fu Panda cartoons, and I was able to watch the latest Avengers movie, which was the in-flight movie. Keeping my eyes open was a bit of a challenge. Our first flight was to Vegas, and because we were a bit late, we had to hustle to our connecting flight. After grabbing the world's most over-priced sandwiches, we trekked to the other side of the airport (seriously, like the farthest away from where we started...we had to take a train) to find our next flight on the final boarding call. Fortunately, we were not the only ones racing their from a connection. Eleanor and I sat together with Will and Ethan a couple rows behind. A shorter flight, it went by quickly and was also pretty painless.
We got our luggage quickly only to realize that Will had left our booster seat on our plane. We were able to retrieve it from customer service and then we took a shuttle to pick up our car. Thirty minutes of annoying sales tactics later, we drove off in our Chevy Impala. Our destination for the night was Eugene, Oregon. Eleanor was asleep in her carseat within minutes (she NEVER sleeps in the car, so she had to have been very tired!) and Ethan drifted off for ten minutes or so. The drive down I5 was pretty, with mountains in the distance, lots of wheat farms, and several wineries. When we got close, Will took a detour to check out the University of Oregon stadium. We were not able to go in, but we did get a picture outside of it.
We had dinner at the first place we saw, really, after driving around for too long in downtown Eugene. Both kids (and at least one parent) had hit their travel limit for the day, and the expensive (yet tiny) sandwiches from lunch had long worn off. The place was called McMenamins East 19th Cafe. Kind of hippy like and very good. I ordered a salad with walnuts and blue cheese with a very tasty vinaigrette. I was interested in some local wines but just felt like I would fall asleep on the table after one glass. Our nice waiter did bring me a taste of a delicious pinot noir. After dinner, we made a quick stop at Hayward Field, the track of Prefontaine fame. Again, we were not allowed in. There was an international teacher event going on. But a very nice guard pretty much told Will that it is not always closely watched, so maybe we will try to run a lap in the morning.
By 6:30 Pacific time, we were at the hotel. It is a Comfort Suites and very nice. We just stayed in one in Indy, and while it was nice, this one exceeds all expectations. We have two queens and a couch bed, so the kids don't have to share a bed, and the room is very spacious. I know already that our next two nights in Crater Lake will be much more rustic...the kids are going to be disappointed after this place. :) The kids took a quick trip to the pool while I got the room ready for bed. Ethan conked out already, but Eleanor keeps asking me questions from her bed. Stinker.
I am going to enjoy some Goldfish crackers and a ginger ale Will pilfered from one of our flights. Will left to "explore," which I'm pretty sure means he won't be back any time soon and will return with a few groceries. Tomorrow we head to Crater Lake, and I am pretty excited to see it. I saw it from the plane - looks absolutely incredible.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
On the Eve of Second Grade
Dear Ethan,
I’ve been thinking about this letter for a few weeks. Part
of me curses myself for starting this dang tradition of a letter the night
before you start school. Not only is it
a busy time, but the stress of expressing myself – or rather, expressing you, gives
me a little anxiety. Ultimately, the
desire for you to have a written record of these years wins out. Here goes…
Second grade! What?! A
year of full day school in the books – you seem like an expert already to
me. But, at the same time, I still see
in you my little boy, the one who still cries when he’s hurt and wants to
snuggle. The one who still loves to play
with his four year old sister, probably more than anybody else.
I am exceedingly proud of the way you treat Eleanor. You certainly have your moments, but you are mostly so
patient with her and truly enjoy teaching her things. The other day, you played “school” and had
Eleanor trace over letters you made. You
came down to show me how well she did, and she was beaming from ear to ear at
the stars you gave her. She wants to do
everything you do and picks up so many of your actions and sayings. One that comes to mind is your “thumbs up or
down” dinner rating system. This one, of
course, I could do without! But, oh, how
I wish I could freeze a bit of time while the two of you are best friends. And, oh, how I dream of a strong, positive
relationship for the two of you later in life.
Right now, few things make me happier than listening to the two of you
play Legos or Star Wars (or Star Wars Legos…) together, having so much fun.
You have taught Eleanor to be just as creative in her play as you, and
it made my life easier this past year.
Who needs play dates with other kids when the two of you play so well
together?
Just like in Kindergarten we watched you come out of your
shell a bit, first grade pushed you even further. You are by no means a ham, but you seem to
have your father’s performance gene, even if only for family at this point. After our trip to Hilton Head, you became
slightly obsessed with Greg Russell and his guitar stylings. In our basement, we currently have a guitar
on a stand as well as a homemade microphone stand. You spent much of the summer singing your
favorite Greg Russell tunes or
performing other shows like The Spiderman Show, or plays like Rudolph. We took you to see Rudolph this past winter, and you performed much of the show for us,
verbatim. Both dad and I were impressed
with how you remembered such cute details from the show. And now you have started piano and will
hopefully have a chance to perform in a recital. You seem to have a talent for music. And, while the time spent cajoling you to
practice is usually the worst part of my day, I love when you finally get into
it and play the pieces. Your teacher is
impressed with you so far, and hopefully you (we) will stick to it!
Another interest you have that I am trying to really hone is
for cooking. Both you and your sister
love to help me in the kitchen and I try really hard to let you do just
that. You have even helped me chop
vegetables with a real knife. As we cook
together, I talk a lot about what we are doing and why. My ultimate goal is that you will leave this
house knowing how to cook, and well. You
will know how to sauté, make a roux, season appropriately, cook meat properly,
and so on. You will also know how to make Grandmama’s meat and marinara sauces as
well as homemade pasta. She was already
so proud of you, but she will love to watch us cooking together from her
kitchen chair in Heaven.
Perhaps most exciting for me, personally, in this last year
has been watching your confidence in reading grow. We learned in the middle of first grade that
while you could decode words, your fluency was lagging a bit. So we started reading more, and more, and
more. Many mornings were spent snuggling
in bed, reading back and forth to one another.
And now, at the end of the summer, you are flying through Diary of a Wimpy Kid and
not even stumbling over the big words. Plus,
just in the past couple of weeks, you’ve discovered that you can read for fun! I have caught you reading in the morning on
the couch, or in your room, and before bed. For a long
time, I think you were overwhelmed by anything with a lot of pages or
words. Now, you tackle them and enjoy
the independence of being able to read to yourself if no one else is
available. You’ve also conned us into
later bedtimes as you finished “just one more chapter!” That is okay with me,
though, and I really hope this love of reading you’ve had for so long
continues.
Daddy would be sad if I did not mention your involvement in sports. This fall, you will do your fourth year of AYSO soccer. You do not love soccer, but you do not hate it either, and we like to watch you improve. Daddy works very hard with you, and while you may not always appreciate it right now, I know you will look back and feel pretty fortunate that your father cared so much. You will also be in a short season of Fall Baseball. You have some talent here, no doubt, but you are not a sporty kid just yet. You are more content playing Legos or with other friends. This may change, but it may not. Either way, we know the exercise is important for you, and you do enjoy your games and time with your teammates. And, of course, you love the participation trophies you have been accumulating!
Bud, I want you to know how much I love you. I know I am cranky sometimes and tell you to
quit hanging on me and to get out of my face (because, seriously, that’s
annoying), but I will always always always love you. You are my little man. My favorite part of
every day is going with Eleanor to pick you up from school. Love to see you come out enthusiastically and
hear a little about your day. Hopefully,
this year I will still get my daily hug…the hug that precedes the throwing of
your backpack at me before you run for the park. I will take what I can get! You cannot even know how grateful I am to be around for these moments with you, to be able to volunteer in your classroom, serve in your school's parents organization, and be around for the little things. This will not always be the case, and I heartily soak the moments in now, while I can.
Love you!
Love,
Mommy
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Day 5
Phew! Just got the kids to bed...long day!
After not sleeping well last night, I didn't argue when Will got up with Ethan this morning to go for a ride to the beach. Unfortunately, no sooner had I fallen back to sleep when Eleanor, who has been sleeping past 8 every morning, decided to get up by 7:15. Oh well. I had extra coffee this morning. And it is a good thing because we took a long bike ride into South Beach Marina, home of all things Salty Dog. The ride was quite pretty, though it can be a bit stressful with all the kids. The trees I with the Spanish moss are my absolute favorite (and Lisa's). So unique nada do very pretty. We put our name in to eat at the Salty Dog when we got there, and the wait was only about 30 minutes. We opted for inside as eating outside would be a bit sweat-inducing. While we waited, we walked over to where the kids can tie dye their own salty dog t-shirts. We figured a souvineer they had their hand in making was pretty good. Can't wait to see how they turned out. Pretty sure Eleanor chose Bob Marley colors...should be interesting!
By the time we were done and walked in a shop or two, the Salty Dog was ready for us. The hush puppies alone I while have made an excellent meal, but the other food was good, too. Will and I both ate the special, which was a spinach tortilla wrap with three different fish and a spicy aioli. It was quite yummy. And, thankfully, Jake the he dog did not make n appearance in the restaurant. Eleanor had been saying she would not go to the SD because of him. Glad she didn't have to make a scene.
After lunch, we walked over to see some pretty cool macaws, then made our way back home. On the way, we stopped at the baynard ruins, a historical site of an old plantation. The buildings are made from crushed oyster shells. Pretty cool. We came home and rested for a bit and then hit the beach around 4. Will had gone to the surf shop to get something for Ethan's birthday and saw that the waves were really great. The kids loved jumping in them, but the current kept moving them down the beach. And then it appears tht Ben got a small jellyfish sting on his leg. We got some jellyfish spray from a lifeguard (just vinegar, apparently) and he seems to be ok now. Lisa buried all the kids in the sand, then, and we got some funny pictures. We also had a double rainbow and then a single. Of course, this happened the day I decided not to bring my nice camera. I snapped a picture on my phone, so we will see. Forgot to mention that when we first got to the beach, it started raining. There were mostly blue skies, but we had about 5 minutes of rain. Random. It actually felt quite nice.
When the kids were good and sandy, we came home for showers, a quick dinner, and then, finally, the Greg Russell show. He is a very adorable man, and the kids just love him. It is neat to see the generations of families that have seen him year after year. Kids make signs for him to read and he will read them. One sign had an old picture that said my mom sang with you 30 years ago, or something like that. It is sweet. And, he sang the song Ethan now knows from his school program, "The Cat Came Back," so that was good. He also taught the kids a song to annoy their parents on the drive home from HH. Not so good. Thanks Greg Russell. We will likely go back tomorrow, so we will have to think of a funny sign for Ethan for his birthday. To be honest, I think the show is about 15 minutes too long for me. I was very tired and kept hoping he was almost done by the end. He is a great entertainer, but I was just exhausted tonight. The kids were troopers, but this mom could not wait to get home to bed!
Well, this will be my lastl post with a 6 year old, as tomorrow is the big number 7 for Ethan. Crazy. Just crazy. I think it is fun that Ethan is often traveling for his birthday. Maine last year and now Hilton Head. Having his cousins here really makes is special, too. Until tomorrow...
After not sleeping well last night, I didn't argue when Will got up with Ethan this morning to go for a ride to the beach. Unfortunately, no sooner had I fallen back to sleep when Eleanor, who has been sleeping past 8 every morning, decided to get up by 7:15. Oh well. I had extra coffee this morning. And it is a good thing because we took a long bike ride into South Beach Marina, home of all things Salty Dog. The ride was quite pretty, though it can be a bit stressful with all the kids. The trees I with the Spanish moss are my absolute favorite (and Lisa's). So unique nada do very pretty. We put our name in to eat at the Salty Dog when we got there, and the wait was only about 30 minutes. We opted for inside as eating outside would be a bit sweat-inducing. While we waited, we walked over to where the kids can tie dye their own salty dog t-shirts. We figured a souvineer they had their hand in making was pretty good. Can't wait to see how they turned out. Pretty sure Eleanor chose Bob Marley colors...should be interesting!
By the time we were done and walked in a shop or two, the Salty Dog was ready for us. The hush puppies alone I while have made an excellent meal, but the other food was good, too. Will and I both ate the special, which was a spinach tortilla wrap with three different fish and a spicy aioli. It was quite yummy. And, thankfully, Jake the he dog did not make n appearance in the restaurant. Eleanor had been saying she would not go to the SD because of him. Glad she didn't have to make a scene.
After lunch, we walked over to see some pretty cool macaws, then made our way back home. On the way, we stopped at the baynard ruins, a historical site of an old plantation. The buildings are made from crushed oyster shells. Pretty cool. We came home and rested for a bit and then hit the beach around 4. Will had gone to the surf shop to get something for Ethan's birthday and saw that the waves were really great. The kids loved jumping in them, but the current kept moving them down the beach. And then it appears tht Ben got a small jellyfish sting on his leg. We got some jellyfish spray from a lifeguard (just vinegar, apparently) and he seems to be ok now. Lisa buried all the kids in the sand, then, and we got some funny pictures. We also had a double rainbow and then a single. Of course, this happened the day I decided not to bring my nice camera. I snapped a picture on my phone, so we will see. Forgot to mention that when we first got to the beach, it started raining. There were mostly blue skies, but we had about 5 minutes of rain. Random. It actually felt quite nice.
When the kids were good and sandy, we came home for showers, a quick dinner, and then, finally, the Greg Russell show. He is a very adorable man, and the kids just love him. It is neat to see the generations of families that have seen him year after year. Kids make signs for him to read and he will read them. One sign had an old picture that said my mom sang with you 30 years ago, or something like that. It is sweet. And, he sang the song Ethan now knows from his school program, "The Cat Came Back," so that was good. He also taught the kids a song to annoy their parents on the drive home from HH. Not so good. Thanks Greg Russell. We will likely go back tomorrow, so we will have to think of a funny sign for Ethan for his birthday. To be honest, I think the show is about 15 minutes too long for me. I was very tired and kept hoping he was almost done by the end. He is a great entertainer, but I was just exhausted tonight. The kids were troopers, but this mom could not wait to get home to bed!
Well, this will be my lastl post with a 6 year old, as tomorrow is the big number 7 for Ethan. Crazy. Just crazy. I think it is fun that Ethan is often traveling for his birthday. Maine last year and now Hilton Head. Having his cousins here really makes is special, too. Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Day 4
Today started with another beach run. This time, I went on my own. I passed a gator in a pond on the way...that is one way to increase my pace. :) It was definitely hot on the run, but I absolutely love running on the beach. Not sure I will be able to I go back to asphalt. Eleanor was still asleep when I returned, so Will and Ethan went with the Berkley's on a long bike ride. When little miss got up, we made some scrambled eggs and she watched some Disney while I did some vacuuming of the sand. When everyone came back, I packed lunch, and we loaded up to go to the beach. It can be a process. But I do like how so many people ride their cute bikes with baskets and take their beach stuff. We have a good system.
The kids continue to have an absolute blast at the beach. Eleanor is totally in love with the water and waves. She and Will spent at least a full hour in the water with Eleanor right away (resulting in some pink shoulders for Will...). The boys played in the water and also spent quite a bit of time building sand structures. There was also a lot of time spent on sand dollar hunting. They were everywhere in the water. Lisa has collected at least 11 of them and bleached some last night. They look great and will make a great ornament to put on the Christmas tree to remember the vacation.
We finally got the kids out of there by 3:30 or so and came home for baths/showers. Lisa's family made plans to have dinner at a burger place in Harbour Town with their friends from Wheaton. We were welcome to join them but opted out. 9 kids and 6 adults sounded a bit frightening to this small family. We debated between making fish here or going out for seafood. We ended up going out to a place Will had seen a write up for in the NYT. It was called Skull Creek Boathouse. It was out of Sea Pines and a little drive but ended up worthwhile. They do not take reservations, and it was jammed when we got there. Will could hardly get in the door to get our name in, and the wait was over an hour. There was a large outdoor space, though, with stuff for the kids to do, and a pier to walk out on. Will ended up going to the bar and asking about getting take out. The girl said she wasn't supposed to do take out orders when it is so crowded but Will charmed her, apparently, and they let us. It was awesome because there were picnic tables for people waiting for their tables. Tree here was an outdoor bar and beam bag games and - the kids' favorite - a giant connect four game. We played for a while and then Will came out with our meals. We ate al fresco. Perfect.
After dinner, we headed back into Sea Pines and into Harbour Town, where we met the Berkleys and Peppings (their friends...very nice people) for the Greg Russell show. He sings 5 nights a week under a big tree. The last two shows have been cancelled for rain. Tonight, he got out two songs before they had to shut down because a storm a coming in. What we saw of him was a lot of fun. He is a funny guy. Will is still laughing at some of his jokes. Hopefully, we will have one full show of Greg Russell before we leave, but I'm glad we at least saw part of his show. We ended up hitching a ride to our car from Lisa because Will had to park far away and take the trolley. We didn't want to wait for a trolley in the rain.
Tomorrow, we hope to get to the Salty Dog for lunch and to have the kids tie dye their own t-shirts. And, if the weather cooperates, we will hopefully take some nice family photos on the beach.
The kids continue to have an absolute blast at the beach. Eleanor is totally in love with the water and waves. She and Will spent at least a full hour in the water with Eleanor right away (resulting in some pink shoulders for Will...). The boys played in the water and also spent quite a bit of time building sand structures. There was also a lot of time spent on sand dollar hunting. They were everywhere in the water. Lisa has collected at least 11 of them and bleached some last night. They look great and will make a great ornament to put on the Christmas tree to remember the vacation.
We finally got the kids out of there by 3:30 or so and came home for baths/showers. Lisa's family made plans to have dinner at a burger place in Harbour Town with their friends from Wheaton. We were welcome to join them but opted out. 9 kids and 6 adults sounded a bit frightening to this small family. We debated between making fish here or going out for seafood. We ended up going out to a place Will had seen a write up for in the NYT. It was called Skull Creek Boathouse. It was out of Sea Pines and a little drive but ended up worthwhile. They do not take reservations, and it was jammed when we got there. Will could hardly get in the door to get our name in, and the wait was over an hour. There was a large outdoor space, though, with stuff for the kids to do, and a pier to walk out on. Will ended up going to the bar and asking about getting take out. The girl said she wasn't supposed to do take out orders when it is so crowded but Will charmed her, apparently, and they let us. It was awesome because there were picnic tables for people waiting for their tables. Tree here was an outdoor bar and beam bag games and - the kids' favorite - a giant connect four game. We played for a while and then Will came out with our meals. We ate al fresco. Perfect.
After dinner, we headed back into Sea Pines and into Harbour Town, where we met the Berkleys and Peppings (their friends...very nice people) for the Greg Russell show. He sings 5 nights a week under a big tree. The last two shows have been cancelled for rain. Tonight, he got out two songs before they had to shut down because a storm a coming in. What we saw of him was a lot of fun. He is a funny guy. Will is still laughing at some of his jokes. Hopefully, we will have one full show of Greg Russell before we leave, but I'm glad we at least saw part of his show. We ended up hitching a ride to our car from Lisa because Will had to park far away and take the trolley. We didn't want to wait for a trolley in the rain.
Tomorrow, we hope to get to the Salty Dog for lunch and to have the kids tie dye their own t-shirts. And, if the weather cooperates, we will hopefully take some nice family photos on the beach.
Day 3
Another nice day in Hilton Head. Will went for a sticky run in the morning, but not to the beach. I think he stuck of the shady paths. The kids and I ate breakfast and played before we decided to hit the beach earlier today. We got there around 10 and set up shop. The kids played for a while in the water before deciding to build a "hot tub." They worked very hard, and it was great, until the tide came in and destroyed it. Undeterred, they simply moved their construction project back a bit. I wows pretty hot, but as long as you cool off in the water every so often, it feels pretty good. The hard part is trying to reapply sunblock to wet, sandy kids. Luckily, we have not had any sunburn issues as we are all diligent about sunblock.
About 2, we finally got the kids off the beach and home for some lunch. After lunch, I had Ethan lay down in his bed for some mandatory rest time. He has been sleeping past 6, we think, but we knew it would be a later night. He was asleep within a few minutes despite the fact that he "wasn't tired." Eleanor rested by reading books on the couch. I'm pretty sure a few of Lisa's kids fell asleep, too. I showered and then woke Ethan up after 20 minutes. He did some reading and writing before playing with his cousins for a bit.
The adults were debating what to do about dinner out because some storms were rolling in. The plan had been to eat outside in Harbour Town and then watch the Greg Russell show, but It looked like rain. We decided to go to the Mellow Mushroom, a pizza/sandwich place we had heard was fun. It was a neat place. And it was good we went indoors because it did start pouring. Will entertained the kids with magic during dinner, which was a big hit. They could not understand how he got his thumb off and how he got the knife to float!
After dinner, we hit a grocery and picked up some ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Everyone came back to our place to hang out for a bit. Bedtime was rough and the kids weren't really asleep until almost 10. Then Will and I did what we do when we have cable...we got sucked into HGTV shows. We stayed up a bit too late to find out of an annoying couple was going to "Love it or Leave it." :)
About 2, we finally got the kids off the beach and home for some lunch. After lunch, I had Ethan lay down in his bed for some mandatory rest time. He has been sleeping past 6, we think, but we knew it would be a later night. He was asleep within a few minutes despite the fact that he "wasn't tired." Eleanor rested by reading books on the couch. I'm pretty sure a few of Lisa's kids fell asleep, too. I showered and then woke Ethan up after 20 minutes. He did some reading and writing before playing with his cousins for a bit.
The adults were debating what to do about dinner out because some storms were rolling in. The plan had been to eat outside in Harbour Town and then watch the Greg Russell show, but It looked like rain. We decided to go to the Mellow Mushroom, a pizza/sandwich place we had heard was fun. It was a neat place. And it was good we went indoors because it did start pouring. Will entertained the kids with magic during dinner, which was a big hit. They could not understand how he got his thumb off and how he got the knife to float!
After dinner, we hit a grocery and picked up some ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Everyone came back to our place to hang out for a bit. Bedtime was rough and the kids weren't really asleep until almost 10. Then Will and I did what we do when we have cable...we got sucked into HGTV shows. We stayed up a bit too late to find out of an annoying couple was going to "Love it or Leave it." :)
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