Are there really fairies in our world?

Although she has yet to lose any baby teeth, Alyssa has become quite interested in the Tooth Fairy. I can see how her mind is trying to figure it all out and while she's excited at the thought of the Tooth Fairy coming and bringing her treats or money, my tough girl tends to become a fainting lily at the sight of blood so she is a bit anxious about the actual thought of losing a tooth. (I'm not sure where her her idea of the tooth fairy bringing treats came from.)

At the dentist's office the other day she was busily studying an "Arthur" book where he loses a tooth and get's a dollar under his pillow. Since I couldn't really see the book, I'm not sure exactly what it explained, but as we were driving home I could see that she was seriously puzzingly something out in her head.

Alyssa: Mommy, are fairies real? Are there really fairies in our world?
Me (wanting her to believe in fairies at least for a little bit longer): Yes, there are fairies.
Alyssa: But I've never seen one.
Me: There are lots of things you've never seen, but that doesn't mean that they don't exist.
Alyssa: Well, I was thinking about how I could see the Tooth Fairy when she comes to my room. I really want to see a fairy.
Me: Oh, well, what did you come up with?
Alyssa: Well, if I make my room really, really messy, then she'll come in and trip on something and make a lot of noise and I'll wake up.
Me (thinking the last thing I need is for her to have a REASON to mess up her room): Hmmm, I don't think that is such a good idea. She might fall and hurt herself and forget to leave something for you under your pillow. Can you think of another idea?

:::::silence:::::

Alyssa: Hey! I know, I'll get lots of pots and pans....
Me: No, I don't think that's a good idea. Maybe we could use some bells and hang them from your door....
Alyssa: Oh! Oh! That's a great idea!!!! I have those hooks on the back of my door! .... But I don't have any bells.
Me: Well, you have that one bracelet made of jingle bells...
Alyssa: OH YEAH!!!! Yeah!!!! Oh, that is a GREAT IDEA!! I know!! I know I'll hang my bell bracelet on my door and when she opens it, it will ring and wake me up! (Very proud of herself.)

The best part of all this? Later that night she told Michael of her plan to "catch the Tooth Fairy" and ran and got her bell bracelet and hung it on the door, but when she opened the door to show how the bells would ring to wake her up, they didn't chime at all. The look of confusion on her face was priceless. She tried it again with no luck, then just said "Hmmmmm" and I could see the wheels starting to turn again.

******

If your child has lost a tooth, what did you do as far as the Tooth Fairy goes? How much money did the Tooth Fairy leave?

Oma Herrmann's Saucy Chicken

Nothing brings me out of lurkdom better than a request for something or a specific question from someone that is best answered on my blog. It appears that a number of friends have been requesting a particularly favorite recipe of ours, so I thought my blog would be a good place to post it to share. It is actually a recipe my mom received from a family friend when she was on bedrest while pregnant with my sister, so this is an oldie, but a goodie. It played a large roll in our "Holly Jolly-ing" goal over the advent season for our family, as we prepared and gifted this meal to our teachers and an elderly neighbor.

Visiting Santa

Not sure why I didn't post about our Christmas or our "Holly Jolly-ing" - our name for what was going around as RACKing - Random Acts of Christmas Kindness in our social circle.  We did fairly well with our goal of trying to do a kind act for someone each day through the advent season.  We did miss a day here or there, but in general we tried to do something nearly every day and were pleased with the results. We did all number of things, but probably some of the best received or the things we felt the best about were cleaning up garbage on our way home from school one day (we got 3 overflowing garbage bags of trash in just a little over a half mile - we had to quit then because we couldn't carry anymore), bringing small surprises to various staff members at our school who are not often acknowledged one of which was especially fun- giving a roll of quarters to our super sweet custodian who readily hands out quarters to children who have forgotten theirs on popcorn day, bringing a prepared meal and desert to our elderly neighbor next door who was so pleased she wrote a thank you note that she MAILED to us, handing out treat bags with hot chocolate, Hershey's kisses and candy canes to friends and staff at school and surprising teachers with special unexpected treats and notes.  It added a lot of extra work during an already busy time, but it was so rewarding.  I'm hoping that we can continue to do some kind acts even now into the new year and perhaps make an effort to look for ways in which we can help our community throughout the year. It really made us all feel good and it would be fun to try to do some of the things we had on our list and didn't manage to do during the busy holiday season.


We hope you all (whoever reads this) had a good holiday break. Ours was fun, busy and over too fast. I would have liked another week of "vacation" after the holidays.  Christmas was filled with the wonder and joy of children who still are fully into every aspect of the season. We made gingerbread houses, visited Santa, decorated cookies with good friends, ate way too many sweets, stayed up way too late too often and had many, many wonderful hours of fun times with dear friends and family. We even (FINALLY) were able to Facetime with family on the east coast and have what felt like a real visit with them. I swear, Facetime on my iPad2 makes the cost of the item worth every single penny.  2011 was a good year for our family and I was sorry to see it go, but I am hopeful for what 2012 has in store for us.

Christmas Morning

Tristan received a number of Legos

Alyssa received her pink electric scooter

Well, if you have read to this point, you are deserving of the promised recipe, Oma Herrmann's Saucy Chicken (hee, I just accidentally typed "saucy children"!).  We make this with broccoli, but I have had it with artichoke hearts before too and it was quite good that way as well.  Feel free to modify as you wish. You can make this with low-fat options, but I've tried that and it didn't go over very well with my family.  I've also always thought that it would be delicious as a side dish for broccoli by just leaving the chicken out, though I've never actually tried that.

Oma Herrmann's Saucy Chicken

2 Pkgs frozen broccoli, cooked

2 cups sliced cooked chicken or 3 boned breasts diced (I use rotisserie chicken)

2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (or Cream of Mushroom if you prefer)

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use a bit more, closer to one cup)

1 to 2 lemons (one large or two small)

1/2 tsp curry powder (I put in a bit more)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we use cheddar-jack)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Arrange broccoli in a greased 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 inch baking dish (or casserole).  Place cooked, diced chicken over this.

Combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry. Mix well and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Serve over cooked noodles of your choice.

I hope your family enjoys this meal as much as mine does.  Feel free to email me if you try it and let me know your feedback. 

Wishing you all Happy Holidays!!

I managed to finish my holiday cards early this year! Now to get them, address them and send them off!

Shutterfly has elegant Christmas party invitations for your holiday party.

View the entire collection of cards.

Ten Years Ago Today...

I already posted today, but out of curiosity I went back to my old journal to see if there was an entry from Nov. 10th and found this one. Talk about how different life was 10 years ago. We were just in the middle of doing our IVF! I had forgotten all the medications I was on and all the details. Just for my own reference I'm going to copy and paste the entry I wrote back then to this journal. I had forgotten how I used to keep track of cycle days, medications, books I was reading and all of that at the bottom of each of my journal entries. Kind of fun to read for me.

 November 10, 2001 @ 18:11 Egg Retrieval Update 8:30 AM

Well, we leave for the RE’s office in 15 minutes. To say I’m a little nervous would be an understatement. I could not sleep last night at all – too anxious. I read until midnight then woke up at 1:00 am and then again at 4:00am and never really went back to sleep. My mind was just reeling. I kept imagining receiving the news that they retrieved 10 good eggs and that all fertilized and then that I was pregnant with twins! I don’t actually want to have twins right away (I’d like one first and THEN twins), but I’d be thrilled to be pregnant at all with one or two (more than that might put me in a difficult position to make some difficult choices). I even started imagining a journal entry I would write when/if I found out I was pregnant!!!

 Due to lack of sleep I’m feeling a little ‘hung over’ now with a headache on one side of my head and I’m thirsty as all get out. Of course, I’m not allowed to eat or drink anything prior to the retrieval due to the anesthesia. Oh, and Michael and I were joking around when we got up this morning about my wearing a chicken suit into the office and clucking like a chicken about to lay an egg!! :o) Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I don’t have a chicken suit, but I am going to take a long an empty egg carton and place it on the counter when I check in and tell them that I’m ready to collect eggs!!! :o) That should get a laugh at least!

 Well, it’s time for us to go. I know quite a few of you have written me wonderful supportive emails and I wanted to let you know how much it means to me. I so appreciate them. And Ev, I wanted to thank you especially for your letter about your experiences with IVF and egg retrievals. I hope with all my heart that you will be holding a baby of your own soon too! Thank you for being so open and honest with me about your experiences!!

 5:30 pm

It’s over and aside from feeling a tad bit sore, I’m feeling pretty good. I’m thrilled to announce that they were able to harvest 11 eggs!!!! I had been hoping for 8 so we got 3 more than I had been daring to hope for!! Hurray!! Granted, all 11 might not fertilize, but at least we have a larger “pool” to draw from. We won’t find out until tomorrow morning what is happening as far as fertilization goes. Now I am anxious again! LOL I guess it just won’t end, even if we manage to get pregnant, then I’ll worry about the pregnancy!!! I guess I just can’t escape worrying. But still, 11 eggs!!! You cannot believe how happy that makes me. Just one short of a dozen!

 The nurses, Dr and anesthesiologist all laughed pretty hard when I showed up with an egg carton for the egg “collection”! :o) The nurse just laughed, shook her head and said, “You guys are just over the top!” I hope that she meant that in a good way.

The surgery went pretty well from my end. First they put in my IV which went pretty well. I didn’t watch while the anesthesiologist was doing it but he seemed to get it in right away. Then he gave me something to ‘relax’ me and I could feel it pretty quick. All this time a lab technician was preparing the incubator for the eggs and taking out all kinds of instruments and tubes for the procedure. There was quite a bit of bustle in that small little room. Then after just a little more prep, they put me to sleep and the next thing I remember is waking up in one of the examining rooms and asking how many eggs they got. I was just barely awake at that point so when they brought Michael in to me, I asked them again if I remembered correctly on the number of eggs, which I did.

 So after spending a little more time on the gurney in order to wake up a little bit more, I got up and got dressed again. Then they came in with my list of medications and injections for the next half of this process!! Wow! What a list! We now have to start daily Progesterone in oil injections and I start up my twice daily Heparin injections again (oh joy). On top of those I also have to take Estrace twice a day, Doxycycline twice a day, Methylprednisolone four times a day (then go back to my regular Prednisone once I’ve finished that), Metformin twice a day and a baby aspirin once a day. The Progesterone, Estrace, Prednisone and Metformin will need to be continued into the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if I am pregnant. The Heparin will probably need to be continued throughout the pregnancy up to 35 weeks! Then I’ve got Vicoden for the pain as needed. Wohoo! So I continue to be a walking pharmacy! I just hope that it is all worth it in the end and that we end up with a pregnancy!! I won’t care about the shots or the pills as long as we get pregnant! 

Cycle Day: 11
Medications currently taking: Metformin 2000 mg, Levoxyl 125 mcg, Prenatal Vitamins, Estrace 4 mg, Doxycycline, Methylprednisolone, Progesterone in Oil 1.5 cc, Baby Aspirin and Heparin 10000
Non-prescription: Calcium 1200 mg, Vitamin E, Vitamin C
Number of Injections given so far: 104 (total since starting up fertility treatments again in June)
Feeling: Excited and anxious about the eggs fertilizing
Reading: House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III and In Vitro Fertilization :The A.R.T. of Making Babies by Geoffrey Sher, Virginia Marriage Davis and Jean Stoess
Reading via Books on Tape: Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Watching: Nothing

Daily Life These Days

As always the last few days have been super busy with volunteering at school, swimming, Cub Scouts, a playdate and after school activities. On Monday I spent the majority of the day going through and reading old journal and blog entries. I got absolutely nothing accomplished, but I just got sucked in and lost all sense of time. Before I knew it, it was time to go and pick up the children from school, get dinner started and then attend a PTA meeting while Michael took the children to their swim lessons.

The rest of the day I felt like I was in a funny fog, half in the past and yet in the present as well. I had forgotten about SO much of what I had written in my journals. After all, I started my journal in August of 2000, when Michael and I were still newlyweds and before we even purchased our house. I managed to write regularly all the way through 2005 and then semi-regularly through 2008. So much happened in those years. So many ups and downs. And man, we had a LOT of downs those first 4 years. It made me even more appreciative of our life now. Life is so plain NORMAL and there was a time when that's what I wanted more than anything. I've learned that "normal" and "boring" are GOOD things. But really, when is life ever really normal and boring, especially once children arrive?

So the last few days have been normal, but certainly not boring. I try to always find joy in those little moments throughout the day that bring laughter and a sense of well being. On Tuesday I spent the morning at the school volunteering in my son's classroom and then in the school library. It's been so long since I taught myself, it seems amazing to me that I ever was able to handle a classroom full of 2nd graders. When I watch Tristan's amazing teacher I'm in awe of her classroom management skills. When I consider going back to substitute teaching, it's the classroom management aspect that frightens me the most. But in working with the children, I remember why I loved 2nd grade so much. It's a great age.

Later in the library I enjoyed helping the children find books and I love the excitement on their faces when they find just the one they were looking for. I also looked around for some non-fiction books that I thought might spark an interest for Alyssa, as she is an avid reader but not a non-fiction reader. I found a few biographies that I thought she would enjoy and the librarian allowed me to check them out for her. I chose a biography about J.K. Rowling, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" and "Boy" an autobiography of Roald Dahl which I have read before and thoroughly enjoyed.

So later that evening, while Michael and Tristan were off at their cub scout meeting, I sat down with Alyssa and showed her the books I had brought home. She seemed interested in "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Crane," a book about a young girl who was born around the time that the US dropped the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima. The book touched a bit on that and the Peace Day celebrations that are held in Hiroshima every August 6th. We talked a bit about the events and she wanted to read about Sadako even though the prologue mentions that she dies of leukemia. I wasn't sure if reading this might be too much for Alyssa to handle at her age, but she was eager to read it. In retrospect perhaps it wasn't a good choice on my part. It's a fairly short book, only 64 pages with 9 short chapters. I read the first few and checked to see how Alyssa was feeling about the book, and she kept begging me to read another chapter and then another chapter, until we completed the entire book. She seemed to be handling the content well until the very end when Sadako dies. I got choked up and the tears started rolling out of my eyes and then she, likewise, started crying. But I didn't realize just HOW upset she was until I mentioned taking the AR test on the book and she emphatically refused to ever take the test or even look at the book again. She was so upset we had to read a chapter from another book, "The Saturdays" by Elizabeth Enright, to get her mind off the other book so she could go to sleep. Yeah, probably not one of my better decisions as a parent.

Despite the bad ending, I have to say I enjoyed our time together reading that evening. We sometimes get so busy in our evenings that Alyssa often does her 30 minutes of reading time reading to herself in bed before we come in and say good night and turn out the lights, though we do still try to read together when we can. I'm hoping to read "Boy" with her next and maybe give her non-fiction reading requirement a bit of a happier note, though maybe I should re-read it first as I recall there might be a few sad stories in that book as well. Anyone have some other good non-fiction book suggestions for a 9 year old girl?

Wednesday, the next day, was just as busy at school with first the school's Veteran's Day assembly and then working the "snack table" through all 5 lunches.

The Veteran's Day assembly was well done as always. Our school makes a huge effort with this assembly and invites any Veterans of family members or in the community to come and be guests of honor for the morning. It's always touching to see how proud the children are of family members who come and all the Veteran's names are read out during one of the songs. But what was particularly adorable this year, was as they had the Veteran's march down the aisle to exit the assembly and go to the reception which is held for them in our school library, the children were holding up their hands for the Veterans to shake or "high 5" as they walked by. It was like they were rock stars and you could tell they were just so tickled by this.

The rest of the day was just the typical daily business. Tristan had a playdate with his best buddy, then we had to eat dinner and get to swimming lessons. Alyssa was in near hysterics because she was afraid we might be a minute or two late (that girl is loving her swim lessons). After swim lessons it was hot showers and stories and then to bed.

Today was my first day all week that I wasn't going to be busy with something at the school, but still started out the morning at the school with the children for "Moms and Muffins." It was nice to see just how popular this new event was. We could hardly find a place to sit down. Then I came home, got out my "to do" list and got busy with a bunch of things I've been putting off the last few days. It's a gorgeous fall day outside today and so tempting to go out and enjoy it, but I really needed to get some things done. So now that I've finished my lunch, it's time for me to go and continue working on those pesky "to do" items before it's time to pick the kids up from school.

I Need a Little Help from my Friends

For some reason I've been itching to blog again, though to be honest, I'm not really sure that anything I have to blog would be of interest to anyone other than myself. Yet, the awareness that time is flying by and I have been so bad about keeping notes about the children's activities and cute things they say and simply recording daily life, makes me want to get back into that habit again. I remark to myself and others so often about how quickly my children are growing and how big they are getting, but I know that in a few years I'll be looking back at this time and remarking at how little they still were and how much bigger they are currently. It makes me want to record the now, no matter how mundane, so that I can look back and remember and appreciate the joys and struggles, ups and downs of these days.

Indeed, in thinking back to my old journal, I'm wondering how to go back and "fix" my old blog/journal. I can't even remember what blog format it's in (Greymatter, I think), nor how to make any changes to it or anything. It's been so long. I still have the webhost space as well as the domain name (starrbyrd.com), but since I'm useless in regard to setting up any kind of blog software, I don't know how to "redo" that site. If there is anyone out there who could help me, I'd love to chat with them. Granted, I can't afford to pay someone much to help me with it either, but if they could get me started or explain what I'd need to do, I'd be so appreciative. I'd love to create an archived blog for my "Reach for the Stars" journal entries and some kind of new blog for current entries. I'm so bad that I never even completely copied over my old journal entries from back in the old "Diaryland" days. Not sure if they are all gone now or if I can still access them somehow. There too, I could use some help.

How I'd love to go through and fix up my old blog into a format from which I could actually get a bound book of all those old entries. I think I'd still like to go through and clean some of them up, even delete a few, but for the most part let them stand as a testament to those days. There are just so many memories, both good and bad, in those old entries and it pains me that I've let so many years go by without maintaining those snippets of life with my kidlets as they've grown. But then, it's never too late to start again, I suppose. I just have to remember to do a little at a time and be glad for what I have.

Kihei arrival

Ahhhhhhhh. We've landed back in Heaven, we'll as close to Heaven as you can get on earth, at least in our minds. And which, by the way reminds me of the title of a very enjoyable book, titled "Born in Paradise". Sorry, I can't remember the author's name and am too lazy to look it up at the moment. Interesting read and autobiographical account of growing up on Maui at the turn of the century on one of the big cattle ranches on Haleakela.

But I digress. Yesterday, after a long and somewhat bumpy flight we landed on our beloved Maui once again after 3 long years! We've returned to the Hale Pau Hana which feels like home after so many visits. The kids were wild to get their swimsuits on and jump into the pool, so that's what we did, followed by our first walk on the beach, which turned into the first romp in the waves. Alyssa was truly loving every minute of it and I'm so sorry I didn't have my camera or phone with me. She was running into the waves with her arms stretched out above her head screaming at the waves "You love me!!! You love me!!" and then throwing herself into them. She even declared it "awesome" when a big wave swamped her and went right over her head! It was like she was a crazy water sprite and couldn't get enough of the waves. We just watched her utter joy and laughed. It was a great, happy moment I just wanted to ingrain in my mind.

At the same time Tristan was digging in the sand like a little puppy wallowing in mud and water. He would dig in one spot, then run down the beach amd start digging in another spot. And then he would just run and run and run. He'd run away from us down the beach, turn around and run back right along the water line splashing and kicking up sand. Then turn around and do it again. Then go dig somemore in the sand. More precious memories I wish I could just hold forever in my mind.

We checked out the tidal pools (which Tristan gave a special name that I can't recall at the moment) and just thoroughly enjoyed just being in the moment and finally back in Hawaii again.

For dinner we just walked across the road for Thai take-out and had dinner with my parents and sister. The kids just wanted some cereal and ran around on the lawn playing hide-and-seek and then making hideouts with the lawn chairs and tables. Not long after 8:00, they had already crashed and we crashed ourselves shortly thereafter.

Where has the summer gone?

I can't believe that summer is almost over for us! I keep trying to remind myself that really we have 3 more weeks before school starts (yes, we start the Wednesday after Labor Day), but it seems like the time is winding down much too quickly. Even worse, I feel like we haven't done any of the things I had hoped to do during this time. We've never gone to the zoo yet (will try to fit that one in soon - maybe Friday?), we haven't gone on the ferry ride we talked about, we haven't ridden "The Duck", we haven't gone to one of our favorite parks to play, and we haven't even been to the beach! I also owe Alyssa a ride on the local public bus, something she's so eager to do. We did go to the splash pad at the local park for the first time yesterday, but that was completely spur of the moment.

I'm not sure why we haven't done as much this summer. To be honest, I think the weather has had a lot to do with it. (Or maybe I'm just a lame mom?) It seems like it's been either cold (in the 50's and low-60's) or too hot (upper-80's to 90's). We don't do "hot" well in this house. I guess those would have been perfect days for the ferry ride or the beach, but for whatever reason those things didn't happen. Now, we are faced with the end of the summer looming and we still haven't even camped out in our backyard or gone to Jetty Island, both things we were determined to do this summer. I guess I still have a few weeks to get those in.

What have we done? Well, we've had some playdates, had swimming lessons, T-ball ran into July this year, we went to Lake Chelan for a few nights, both kids were sick for a few days which slowed us down, and we've had a few neighborhood gatherings as well as some friends come to visit from out of town. Not much and yet it's felt busy to me. Still, not at all like last summer when we seemed to be discovering so many new things each week.

It just makes me rather sorry that school is starting so soon again. I guess we just have to make the most of the next few weeks and cram a lot of fun in!

A Great Start to Summer

Yesterday was one of those rare days that you wish the day would never end. It was also our first full day of summer vacation and a perfect way to start the summer!

We started the day with a breakfast playdate, with our good friends and neighbors coming over and joining us for breakfast. Our children happen to be the same ages and Tristan and their son, N, were in the same Kindergarten class. Best of all, our children play wonderfully together and really enjoy one another and so do the moms! We enjoyed some homemade blueberry pancakes and play/chit-chat time until they had to leave to run errands.

Then our sweet teen-aged neighbor girls came over and played kickball with Alyssa and Tristan in the back yard. My kids adore the girls and had so much fun. They also ran around so much that they were pretty warm despite the overcast, cool day, so the kidlets insisted that I turn on the sprinklers so they could jump through them. They had a good time getting wet while I made them some lunch.

After drying off and eating lunch, we headed over to the library to pick up books Alyssa had put on hold (she can do that all by herself now). We picked up all her books (she had a stack!) and then played on the new play structure in the library park for a while. (All day the kidlets had been playing so nicely together, so that alone helped make the day a good one for me.) Then we headed to the Central Market and bought our first flat of local strawberries, fresh local corn and then the kids were allowed to pick out some ice cream for dessert.

When we got home, Michael was already home from work, so while I unloaded the groceries, put them away and started dinner, Michael mowed the lawn and the kids sat at the patio table and colored. We had our first dinner outside on the patio and told Michael all about our day, then we finished off the day with some ice cream and watching Wipeout and laughing together.

All in all it doesn't sound like an extraordinary day, but all the small enjoyable moments added up to a wonderful day and a great way to start the summer.

My Little Philosopher

In line with what I wrote about earlier today in regards to recording even the little vignettes of every day life, this morning before going off to Kindergarten, Tristan asked me some pretty heavy questions. I was preparing our lunch when Tristan said, "Mommy, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be dead. I don't want to be dead, but I do wonder what it would be like." We talked a bit about death and what that means and what he thought about it. Then after a few moments of silence he asked me, "Mommy, what is life? Why are we alive?" I was just kind of stunned by these questions and to be honest, even with some thought, I'm not sure I have an answer. I told him that that is a question people have been wondering since the beginning of time and that it is something each person has to answer for themselves. I talked about being a good person and living a good and helpful life -- doing something to make the world a better place with your life. As he always does he listened and took it in and then went back to playing with his Legos. It's moments like these that I'm so incredibly grateful that I get to stay home with my children and spend as much time with them as I do.

Then this afternoon, I was able to go on Tristan's class field trip to Mukilteo Beach. The Kindergartens study fish, oceans and marine life as one unit in the school year and the trip to the beach is a highlight. Tristan heard about it last year from Alyssa so he was really excited about it. I was in charge of Tristan and 3 of his classmates, although we all stayed together as a big group. The kids had a ball turning over rocks and finding little crabs, hermit crabs, mussels, barnacles and whatever else you can find on our beaches. One of the kids in Tristan's class has a mom who dives so she met us there and went in the water and brought some things up from the bottom of the sound like a huge sea star, some sea urchins and a few other things for the kids to see. I think everyone had a really good time and I was happy it didn't rain! It wasn't great beach weather but here in the Pacific Northwest it's not unusual to bundle up for the beach.

We also filled out the afternoon with a trip to the dentist for both kidlets. Other than huge overbites thanks to their thumbsucking habits that we are still trying hard to break, both kidlets had no cavities and great check-ups.

All in all, a good day!

Not Sure Where or How to Start

I've been so bad about this blogging thing and I'm actually really very sorry about that. When I go back and read entries from my first online journal and blog (started back in 2000), I'm so grateful I have those entries to read. I recorded so many experiences and moments that I have completely forgotten about until I read them again then the memory comes flying back -- precious moments when my children were babies and sad moments when we were trying so desperately to conceive. Sometimes, however, the best entries are just those little vignettes about every day life back then. I realize just how much I love those simple, insightful entries of days gone by. It makes me realize that I don't need to write a journal that is stunningly written or of great interest to everyone, but ultimately just need to write for myself, so I can remember these little daily moments in the years to come.

So with that, I hope to post more frequently and make my journal more of a record of our days. I won't win any journaling awards. I can't promise that my grammar and sentence structure will be perfect, or even my spelling for that matter (I really stink at spelling). But I do hope that I can capture moments and feelings that are important to me at that moment so that when I look back on these posts in the years to come I can once again transport myself back to these days and really remember those simple little moments that are sometimes the best of all.

Little League Jamboree

Today was pretty much centered around Little League. This morning we walked down to the Mill Creek Sports Park to participate in the first Little League Jamboree along with 75 other teams! As you can imagine with kids, coaches and parents there was quite a crowd. All the teams were introduced and a short ceremony was held. Despite bringing our umbrellas, we were lucky and the rain held off. We weren't so lucky later in the day when Alyssa had her second softball game which was cut short after a total downpour in the 4th inning.

Alyssa is so proud of her softball uniform, though she was a little disappointed she didn't get pink or purple. Her team chose the name "Green Machine" though Alyssa was gunning for "The Emeralds". Funny enough, there was an older boys team with that name today at the Jamboree. On the drive home from the game, we started coming up with some pretty funny/cute name ideas including the Sugar Snap Peas, the Lilypads, the Evergreens, Poison Ivy, the Green Aliens, and a few more I can't think of right now.

Despite the heavy practicing and game schedule (3 times a week for 1.5-2 hours) Alyssa is enjoying softball and has a really great coach. Now if it would only get warmer and be nice and sunny for the games and practices it would be more enjoyable for us too.

Happenings in the Hertzog Household

Well, it's been far too long since I posted anything at my blog. I had such good intentions when I started it but as all my good intentions, I tend to get sidetracked, and let's face it, lazy and they all go downhill from there.

So this time I'm not making any promises or even planning on writing more regularly (though I would really like to), but I figured there was no time like the present (and since the children are actually playing peacefully together in the other room) that I would at least start writing now and simply see where I end up.

I'm afraid this post and most of my posts certainly won't be very interesting or exciting for others, but I have always written mostly with the intention to simply record our daily happenings and family life so that in the future I can look back and remember moments I wouldn't otherwise remember. Each day I see my children growing up and older and changing and I'm sorry I haven't kept a better record of their childhoods as I had originally intended. Still, I can start now and even if it is only an occasional post, it will be something, and certainly more than if I never did it.

So what is going around in my head these days?

It might be best to simply bullet point...

* I spent the majority of my weekend trying to go through, pick out and upload my favorite pictures of moments to highlight our families 2009 year. Kodak is running an offer where you can get an 80 page photo book for the price of a 20 page book (use the code "extrapages" when paying to get the deal - expires 1/21). So I MUST get that done, especially after spending so much time going through photos.

* I still need to order and print out my "holiday" card and letter. Since I simply decided not to Christmas cards this year, I decided to give myself a break and send Valentine's Day cards instead. Now I just have to DO it.

* I'm still in the process of trying to get more organized. That is just an on-going goal, but I did manage to get a few things accomplished which make me feel good. Now I must keep the momentum going.

* I'm trying to be more organized in terms of meal planning as well. And after buying a lot of provisions yesterday, I'm thinking it's time for me to do a challenge of cooking out of my pantry for the next two weeks, with the exception of some fresh fruits and vegetables. I should be able to do so comfortably, as I have way too much in my pantry and freezer as it is at the moment. It will just take a little more planning and organization. (See points above.)

* I need to get started on planning Michael's 40th birthday party! This weekend I spent some time with a good friend working on scrapbooking (well, she scrapped while I went through the photos on my computer) and she gave me a great idea for Michael's birthday party. I've decided to do a "Casino Night" party. Now I just need to work out the logistics. My friend is even going to come and be our "blackjack dealer"! So glad to even have an idea! Note to self: Send out "Save the date" emails!

* I signed up for a 5K run/walk with a friend of mine hoping that this would inspire me to start the Couch to 5K progam again. So far, I have yet to get started. I'm thinking I need to stop procrastinating and start tomorrow (today I have the kidlets, tomorrow Tristan is back in school and I depending on the weather I can go to the gym or outside). Along with that I also need to really start watching what I eat again and eat healthier for ME (meaning more protein, fewer carbs). This is SO hard for me. I'm such a carboholic and really despise most forms of protein, but I also know it's what's best for me and what works, so I need to reprogram myself again.

* I also want to make a point of simply getting the things done that I need to get done so that I can actually enjoy my "free time" (what I have of it) doing things I like and want to do like reading and knitting. Part of this means I need to step away from the computer more, especially when it comes to things like Facebook and playing Bejeweled. I need to face the truth that they are my way of procrastinating and really when I procrastinate, it doesn't make those things go away, it just makes them go away for a while and I end up with even MORE to do.

So that's what is going on with me and what's on my "to do" list.

As for the children, they are growing so fast. Michael was commenting just last night on how adult Alyssa's conversation is starting to sound. She's always been extremely verbal and loquacious, but her language is becoming much more broad in her use of vocabulary. She uses phrases like "I was trembling" and "this is consistantly..." and "I was perplexed" and "she was flabergasted" appropriately and more frequently. She's really been reading a lot and it shows.

Funny enough, she is also so stubborn when it comes to following rules or doing things in order. She is ALL about doing things in order, to the point that it drives us a little crazy. For example when doing a word search puzzle, she will NOT circle or cross of a word or phrase she finds when she finds it but must find, circle and cross of the words or phrases in the order that they are on the list. NO EXCEPTIONS! And recently she's been driving me a bit nuts because she was on a reading binge reading all the Fairy books by Daisy Meadows (most moms of 7 year old girls are probably familiar with these books). She received at least 3 sets (Rainbow Fairies, Jewel Fairies, Pet Fairies, and some of the Petal Fairies) and was reading one fairy book a day all through Christmas break. We had printed out a list of all the different fairy books so we could check them off as she read them. This is where our trouble began though, because the list lists the "Party Fairies" as the next set and she will not move past that set and go on to read the next set of fairy books (which she already has) because she won't read the books out of order! So her reading has come to a screeching halt. We went to a number of bookstores trying to find the party fairies and after no success I searched online and found out that they aren't even published here in the US yet and won't be until June 2010!! I tried to explain that to her and told her to jump over the Party Fairies on to the next series but she won't. She absolutely will NOT read them out of order! So now she's moved on to the Cam Jansen series instead!

This stubborn trait does have it's advantages though when she makes up her mind about doing something she will stick with it until she's able to do it. It's been that way with her since she was a baby. Once she took her first few steps, she never went back to crawling. When she was ready to start using a potty, she was done with diapers THAT day! When she decided she wanted to take the training wheels off her bike, she took off like she'd been riding a two-wheeler forever. And so it has been with two new things this weekend. She was determined to learn to tie shoelaces. I tried at first to show her, but for whatever reason she got too frustrated either with the way I was showing her or because it was ME showing her so I sent her to Michael. They seem to have a better dynamic when it comes to some things, especially things she gets frustrated with easily. Within 10 minutes not only had she learned to tie shoelaces but she had already successfully done so 3 times before she came down and showed me how she could do it. Now she just wants to wear shoes with laces so she can tie them!

The second new thing is that she decided (much to our joy) that she was really ready to stop sucking her thumb. Both Alyssa and Tristan are staunch thumbsuckers, Tristan even more so than Alyssa, but both have been big time thumbsuckers since they were babies. We've tried many different approaches to try to get them to stop and while Alyssa has half-heartedly tried, she never was "ready" to completely stop. Recently I decided to take the plunge and purchase an expensive thumb guard to finally break the habit. Now that Alyssa is starting to lose teeth (well, she still hasn't even lost a single tooth yet, much to her dismay but she does have some wigglers) I figured we needed to break the habit before the adult teeth came in. We're still probably going to have to do braces with both kids, but perhaps we could reduce the damage if we finally broke the thumb habit. I showed Alyssa the thumb guard and found one for less on eBay. I bid on it but didn't win. (They cost over $75 in the Right Start catalog!) I then saw a fabric type thumb guard called the "Thumbuster" but wasn't sure if it would work because it is easily removable and like other things we've tried, I figured she'd just take it off. I showed it to her and she promised she would use it and try to stop sucking her thumb as long as I got it for her in pink. So I ordered one. She was pretty excited when it arrived and immediately put it on and started using it anytime she watched tv and at night when she went to bed. It also came with a chart so each night she went without sucking her thumb she put a sticker on the chart. She has been wearing it and not sucking her thumb every day since she got it. Once again she's shown how once she makes up her mind about something she just does it. We are so proud of her. Both Michael and I were thumb suckers and we know just how hard a habit it is to break! When it comes to Tristan, however, I'm going to have to get TWO Thumbbusters since he is an equal opportunity thumbsucker - he'll suck either thumb! I'm also worried that he's one who will simply take the thumb guard off, so I'm not sure how we're going to handle that yet!

Well, this is long enough for now. Hopefully I'll update again soon so I'm not always writing a long essay!

Oma's Apfelkuchen

Oma's Apfelkuchen
Originally uploaded by Starrbyrd

I love apples.

I love anything made of apples. I have yet to try an apple-based dessert that I didn't like. This fall I've already made applesauce twice, apple crisp twice and now Oma's Apfelkuchen. You'll have to take my word for it, it's delicious.

Or you could try to make it yourself and taste how delicious it is. It's actually very easy to make and you should have most ingredients to make it on hand. All you need are at least 2 or 3 apples. I used honeycrisp apples for this one and they were quite large so it only took 1 1/2 apples to cover the whole cake.

Oma Herrmann's Apfelkuchen (Apple cake)

1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup)
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs (I actually used two because I didn't have three and it turned out fine)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 apples
cinnamon sugar to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease cake pan (I use a springform pan) with butter and then dust with cinnamon sugar.

Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add in flour and baking powder.

Pour into prepared pan.

Cut apples and arrange on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in oven for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Eat warm or cool. In Germany it's customary to top with whipped cream and enjoy with a cup of coffee for afternoon "Kaffee".

Enjoy! And let me know if you enjoyed it.

Now he's 5!

The day has come when my "baby" is no longer a baby anymore. He's not a toddler, or a preschooler, but a real "little boy." He no longer needs diapers or pull-ups or a sippy cup. He can feed himself, make his own bed (granted, not very well), get dressed by himself, put on his own shoes and socks (though he hasn't learned to tie laces yet) and can pour his own cereal into his bowl (though I still help with the milk). He can express he needs, desires, wishes and dreams. He can almost ride a bike without training wheels. He draws wonderful pictures full of details and can tell amazing stories. He's beginning to hold his own with his older (bossy) sister, but still gives in to her much of the time simply because he is a peace-keeper and doesn't like to see people unhappy. After a bit of a socially rocky start, he's found his niche among his classmates in preschool and is universally well liked.

My "baby" has developed into this amazingly caring, unbelieveably sweet, stirringly sensitive and highly inquisitive little person.

How can it be that just 5 years ago we went into the hospital anticipating meeting this new little stranger who was going to become a part of our family. We had so many unanswerable questions about who this new little person was going to be and how he'd fit into our family. How could we love another child as much as we loved our first? Who would he look like? Would we love having a son as much as we loved having a daughter?

These questions seem so ridiculous now in retrospect, but at the time they were truly thoughts that were going through our heads. Five years later I feel we know the answers to those questions, though now we have so many more. We know having a son was one of the greatest gifts I could have ever received. I love having a daughter, but I truly believe there is also something very special between a mother and son. Had I had my choice, I would have chosen a 2nd daughter and every day I'm so grateful the choice was not mine to make. Furthermore, to have been blessed with such a sensitive, caring and truly sweet little boy has enriched my life more than I can ever express. As for how he would fit into our family, well, I can't imagine our family without his kind heart and generous, giving nature.

It was impossible to imagine as I first looked into the face of this newly born screaming little stranger 5 years ago today, what a gentle, soft-spoken tender hearted little man he would grow up to be. As for what kind of little boy he'll be in another 5 years, I can't really say. So many new experiences and changes lie ahead of him and all of us and it's hard to say how they will effect him. I'm really nervous about his starting Kindergarten next year. He's so young, so sensitive, so innocent yet, and I worry that he will start to lose those qualities, qualities that I see as such an integral part of who he is. I hope that isn't the case. I hope that while he is bound to grow, change and develop that he will always stay a bit my "sweet little boy" forever.

What's really appropriate?

Last week Alyssa came home and told me the following story. We have had some good laughs about it already and thought I'd share with you too.

Scene: We are in the car on our way to Gymnastics

Alyssa: Mommy, something bad happened at school today.

Me: Oh, what happened?

Alyssa: At recess we were playing soccer and one of the other boys kicked the ball really hard and hit another boy in the nuts.

Me: (a little surprised and quite amused at her using the term "nuts" since it's not one we've ever used at home) Oh dear. Did he cry?

Alyssa: Yes. He was really crying. Clay ran to get the playground teacher.

Me: Oh dear. Well, that was the right thing to do. That can really hurt. But, what are "nuts"?

Alyssa: That's the word for his "boy bits" or "privates". (wait a few beats....... and after some serious thought...) But I think it's not appropriate to say "boy bits" or "privates" at school, you just say "nuts."

(!!!) LOL

I simply had to laugh. Though I did correct her and say while "nuts" isn't a bad word, it's really more appropriate to say "privates" or "private parts" instead.

Not sure if it translates well to the written word, but let me tell you, her delivery was just TOO funny. She was so serious about the fact that it was more "appropriate" to say "nuts"!

Early Dismissal Days

Today is one of those Early Dismissal days from Alyssa's school for parent-teacher conferences, and perhaps I'm a little crazy, but I'm actually enjoying having both my children home with me for the afternoon. Granted, ask me by Friday and I might be visualizing a "happy place" where both children are in school for 6 hours a day, but right now, this minute, I'm happy they are home.

Perhaps it is because I just signed my "baby" up for Kindergarten next year just last week and it's becoming clear that time is flying faster than I'd care to admit. Possibly it is because I've been having to contemplate finding part-time work due to hubby's unstable work situation and it's dawning on me just how fortunate I've been to be home with my children these last few years. More likely it is because at this very moment they are playing so beautifully together, proof enough of that is that I'm able to type more than one sentence without interruption. Whatever the reason, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for the days when we actually had more playtime together during the week -- before my daughter went to school full-time.

It's truly a case of "the grass is greener" though, isn't it?

I'm sure another SAHM who is the thick of child rearing with two young preschool or younger children, must think I'm a bit off for not rejoicing more in the time away from children, than mourning the lack of time with them. I certainly felt that way at times when I was busy at home with two young children; and don't get me wrong, there are many days after sending one off to preschool with his father and putting the other one on the bus for school, that I come home, pour myself a cup of tea and rejoice in the peace of my quiet, empty home.

There are certainly days that I'm extremely grateful my children have reached a level of independence that grants me the freedom to sit here and share a few thoughts, indulge in a cup of tea and sneak a personal moment during the hectic day. Yet it is also dawning on me that these same freedoms are paid for in the currency of less down-time for my children, less time for them to play together as they are right now and, most significantly, less snuggle time and play time for us together.

So call me crazy, but I'm grateful today is a half-day of school and that spring break is coming in just a few weeks. We have no big plans, but that's ok. In the end what really matters is simply having time. Heaven knows it flies by much too fast as it is.

Nikolaustag 2008

Nikolaustag 2008
Originally uploaded by Starrbyrd

Once again it's that time of year when we put our shoes out and hope that St. Nikolaus comes to fill them.

As you can see, we must have all be good this year because our shoes aren't empty. Alas I admit, my shoes would have been empty had I not filled them with a few items myself.

This year I went to both of the children's schools and talked to each class about our traditions and about putting out our shoes before giving each child a small treat bag to take home. I think both Alyssa and Tristan enjoyed being in the spotlight among their classmates and enjoyed sharing something with their friends. I, of course, enjoyed being back in the classroom, especially in this capacity, rather than having the full responsibility of teaching.

As I was walking through the halls of the school it struck me again how all schools have the same, very distinct smell. It's like that smell takes me back on a flashback of all my school experiences, both as a student and a teacher. I know I always loved that "school smell" and sometimes wonder if it wasn't what lured me into becoming a teacher in the first place. I doubt I'll ever go back to teaching but hope that I can continue to volunteer regularly and get my school fix that way.

Did you remember to put YOUR shoes out tonight? If so, I hope they were filled with something wonderful from someone you love!

Life lessons 101

Life lessons 101
Originally uploaded by Starrbyrd

Sometimes the person you have a crush on doesn't feel the same...

Translation: I love you Clay. Love Alyssa

It seems her love goes unrequited however...

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Rotisserie Chicken, Mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables
Tuesday - Tilapia Fillets/Fish Sticks, french fries, coleslaw
Wednesday - Homemade Chicken pot pie
Thursday - Chicken and wild rice soup, beer bread
Friday - Left-overs
Saturday - Dinner out?
Sunday - Pork Loin French Dip Sandwiches