Birthdays...

August is a busy month.....we have birthdays and an anniversary to celebrate. 12 years ago I tried really hard to convince Marin to be born on Brett's birthday but she refused to cooperate. I think she already knew it was important for her Dad to keep his birthday all to himself! She thankfully chose to arrive exactly 2 weeks later!

Brett's birthday is a tough one. He will disagree with me but truly, it's hard. I have things I want to get him but I just can't justify it. There are things he would LOVE, but he just can't justify it. Then there are the gifts that just seem to work...

While traveling in Spain last year we had a moment of watching some people play Bocce on a sandy area of a park in Barcelona. We were on a pedestrian bridge looking down on their game and they were having so much fun! There were teams, intensity, camaraderie, belligerence and hilarity. Truly, those are all the components of a wonderful game! So this year my mom and I bought a Bocce set for Brett in memory of that delicious trip to Spain!! (if only the balls smelled like jamon....that would be perfect!)

The kids love a good game - especially a new one that involves throwing large objects. This was no exception! Interestingly enough Marin took to Bocce like a pro and managed moves that we didn't think were possible. She also cheered herself on a lot, gloated, and giggled....very disconcerting to those who were losing.

Marin also was the queen of measurements. Points are given based on how many balls are closest to the "pallina", the first ball thrown in the game. Much discussion goes into deciding which balls are the closest and how to measure - in Spain and in the US! Marin has multiple methods from using her hand-span to her arm length to her arm plus 2 or 3 fingers width. She is pretty ingenious if she would stick with one method while measuring one game.....ha! She goes from arm length plus 2 fingers to counting off 2 1/2 feet length. I'm not sure how she thinks those will compare but it made for some lively discussions.

I think Brett had a happy day. All he really wanted was time with his family. He probably got a really big dose of it - perhaps more than he wanted or expected. What can we say? We just love him!!

Happy Birthday, Brett!

Joyful Noise

JOYFUL NOISE

So....6 weeks of rehearsals and lots of dramatic attitudes at home for the
performance by the after school drama club of JOYFUL NOISE!!!!

For those who have never heard of this book, it is a collection of poems about BUGS.
Here is a description:

Winner of the 1989 Newbery Award, Joyful Noise is a children's book of poetry about insects that was designed for two readers to enjoy together. On each page are two columns of verse for children to alternate reading aloud about the lives of six-legged creatures ranging from fireflies writing in the sky to a love affair between two lice, crickets eating pie crumbs and the single day in the life of a mayfly. Charming large scale soft-pencil illustrations enhance the comical, easy-to-read text.

Marin's 6th grade teacher felt this book could be done with many voices and with dance moves added. It is a fun and fast production with much memorization and movement. It was pure entertainment the first night but going back a second time really highlighted all the silliness and intricacies of the performance.

(this video is the butterflies coming out of their chrysalis)

Marin played the parts of the butterfly, firefly, mayfly, water boatman, cicada, maple moth, cricket, bee and a digger wasp. Some were speaking and some were dancing. She did really well until the bee performance in front of her peers. The bees have to do little bum wiggles to show the shaking off of the pollen.....oh, there were ample giggles! You can start figuring out which bugs are in each performance by the moves and the descriptions of their lives. A very well planned out production!

Top left video is fireflies, top right is crickets

Events

Life never slows around this house but as it's my normal, I don't often see the purpose in sharing. I need to remember that other people (like Grandparents!) love to hear what is going on in our crazy lives. So here is a brief synopsis:

Marin has been in drama club this year and is making final preparations to perform "Joyful Noise". She plays a digger wasp, a whirlygig and a mayfly...I think. She is nervous and excited but has really enjoyed drama and theater this year.

Gabe is an outstanding reader! He passes his reading tests with excellent scores and is reading out loud to us in the evenings. He has such a mastery of punctuation, intonation and grammar. We are beyond lucky!

Brett is starting a string of trips with work....currently in Washington D.C., then Atlanta, then Houston and finally San Diego/Long Beach. He hasn't traveled this much since his last job but he is so good at what he does!

Marin has registered for Junior High School. Ugh. I'm not old enough for this! It was interesting to watch the dynamics with her friends....she thought they would all continue the same interests they have shared through elementary. Not so. Faced with some really great class options, each friend chose a different focus and left Marin wondering what was going on! Thankfully she knows they will all still be together at the same school and they will still be friends...she also wasn't willing to give up an art class that she fell in love with! I wonder if they will cure her of her scissor fetish?

Gabe is a collector. I am learning this about him as I appreciate how he manipulates me. It began with Blue's Clues, to Diego then to Thomas trains (that was a big collection). We moved to legos and kitties and now we are into Pokemon and Bakugan. It is becoming difficult to organize his room as he won't let us move any of the collections to another room. He has managed to find ways for me to skillfully purchase these toys for him when I truly mean to save the money. I am toast.

Brett is practicing a game of "PATIENCE" that is a much bigger and more complex game than I ever thought it would be. He masterfully phones or emails his dissertation chair weekly to get any information about his progress and skillfully evades all familial inquiries about progress of said dissertation. It is a mine field full of emotions and frustrations and short burst of progress. I liken it to birthing a child. If you really knew what it would be like, would you sign up for it?

I am making myself busy to distract myself from not feeling productive. I am continuing to offer PE support at our school (and a few others), chair a safety committee, sit on a couple volunteer committees within our city, help with anything involving trees, try to create paying jobs for myself and cross my fingers that I will get to go back part-time at the Health Department. I like feeling that I am a productive part of the family. I am not one to sit home and enjoy Brett's hard earned pay checks. I want to help! Hopefully the planets and stars will align and open all the doors I have been banging my head against.

Other than that.....we are all good! It's almost spring which is a good time for this crowd to get outside and play..and garden...and ride bikes....and kick balls....and watch flowers push up out of the ground. We're ready!

In honor of Brett.....

A few poignant thoughts for the next few weeks....

I know you are thinking some of those...just don't say them out loud.

The Dissertation Cloud



The Dissertation RUN!!! I think I like this tradition!


They all seemed so applicable....we are cheering for you!

What cures the winter doldrums?

PAINT!!!

Yes, Brett gets nervous when I say, "Do you know what I think we should do today?". He has reason to get nervous. It never ends up well for him. Whatever it is in my brain always involves more work and more mess and more money than he wants to deal with. He'll get used to it.

January brought bone deep cold, monochromatic colors outside and lack of desire to do anything. It seemed the perfect time to shake it up and go buy paint. I have avoided painting the kitchen for the 8 years we have lived here as I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to a color. I still really want to brick the walls but until then, paint would have to do.

here is the boring kitchen before....

Color....now that is a hard one. I have shades of yellows, greens, purples, and browns around the main floor. The kitchen just seemed to beg for something with substance, depth, intensity and vitality. We started investigating spicy colors: paprika, chili powder, pomegranate, and found a color that seemed to satisfy all the requirements. I love it!

The color has warmth but doesn't shrink the kitchen or dining room. It plays in the different lighting around here and pulls the greys and lavender flecks from the counter tops. It really warmed up the cabinets and the white accents and appliances are so bright and clean.

hmmmmm...home at last.



Brett asked why I didn't do this sooner. Ugh.

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

a big mess!!!

The kids are LOVING having 2 weeks off from school

I have not wrapped a single present

We really did send out Christmas cards this year!

I let the kids decorate the tree....it looks pretty good.

We made homemade marshmallows for all our neighbors

We ate lots of marshmallows in the name of quality control

It has been a busy and crazy year but we lived through it

We find ourselves missing Carmen....a lot.

Brett is in the basement, writing. He does that often.

Marin rocks at piano!

Marin is also using all her natural skills in Drama Club at school

Gabe continues to be the self appointed School President

The Principal is OK with it

Gabe lives in a universe with no gravity

He also finds random black holes all around our house

The kitties will now sit within 2 feet of each other....but still will not touch.

They have lived together for 2 1/2 years.

We continue to forge onward and upward.....

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Sticking our necks out....

Brett thinks the title of this post should be "Pies, Thighs and Sighs" after the glorious Thanksgiving dinner we hosted. What an event! Here is a copy of our menu:

Hickory Smoked Lemon Cognac Herbed Turkey (on the BBQ)
Lamb Bracciole stuffed with Pesto and Goat Cheese
Fig, Fennel and Almond Stuffing
Cauliflower Puree Soup with Lobster Dumplings
Scarlet Poached Pears with Blue Cheese and Pecan Topping
Persimmon Pomegranate Salad with Cumin, Lime and Honey Dressing
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Pecans
Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish (from NPR)
Homemade Lion House Rolls
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Pumpkin Pie
Eggnog Ice Cream
Raisin Filled Cookies

Nah.....we weren't feeling ambitious at all and no, we didn't cook all of that! Many items came from another chef close by. Thankfully we had a wonderful family around our table to enjoy all those flavors, textures and aromas.

**********

This time of year lends itself to reflection and gratitude. We are so blessed every day of our busy little lives. We have two incredible children who delight and amuse us constantly. They are so smart and have such great humor-which helps when you live in this house! Brett is SO CLOSE to finishing his PhD and we are trying hard to be patient in all the details it takes to finish. Brett has had such a long, hard road with this final degree and I am deeply proud of him for finishing strong.

We have lived these last 8 years on love and prayers and hope that someday soon we will see what it's like to live on a bit more money....may be interesting! We have learned how to shop very creatively. We have learned how to yard sale and have decorated our home with items that are by all means considered cheap. We have learned to cook very simple dishes and we don't go out to eat much at all! We adore the library, we adore being home and hanging out together and we make the best we can out of not going on big vacations once or twice a year. It has been a humbling and simple time but we are better for it. The lessons we have learned will stay with us forever and our desire to "have it all" has gone out the window.....

This coming year we are looking forward to seeing Brett graduate. We could not afford to go to his Masters graduation so this one is a MUST! It looks like Minneapolis will be our destination and I think we will find plenty to do there. We have promised the kids this year will be the start of collecting their passport stamps with a jaunt into Canada after Brett's graduation. They are excited to start seeing parts of the world around them.

We are grateful for our home we live in and for all the people who have helped us stay in it. I feel so blessed knowing our children are safe, have an excellent school and amazing friends. It has been worth all the sacrifices and all the hard work to see them growing strong and happy. I am grateful for every shovel full of dirt Brett and I have lifted to plant trees and grass and flowers. We have learned how to tackle jobs in small bits and see the end results in stages. We have grown together through it all.

It has been an amazing year and although I have loved every minute of it, I really don't want to repeat it! Here's looking forward to a wonderful Christmas then on to a clean slate for 2010.