Another day, another tooth

So, tooth number two came out today. Just fell on out to join its fallen comrade in Tooth Fairy land. Here's Trev's new smile right after it happened:
Since this important event begs to be over-photographed, here he is just before bed:Oh, and that shirt? Well, some time back, Chad cut the sleeves off one of Trevi's old, white t-shirts, so that he'd have something to wear to bed on super hot nights. I'm not quite sure why Chad decided to add the happy face, but Trev loved it, and became very attached to it. The original shirt was recently outgrown, so the one pictured here is Happy Face Shirt #2. I guess the look is perfect for guy who's missing a couple of teeth......

More painting, and Kevin's birthday

Since we aren't in the great outdoors today, as planned (and it's still raining, BTW), I've been cranking out some more home-improvement projects. The living room ceiling, like the kitchen, has been annoying me with its two shades of white (p.s. I really think white should be an absolute), ever since the roof leaked and the bozos didn't fix it properly. So I'm taking on one more day of neck torture and getting that sucker monochromatic at long last.
Also, the fireplace has been the color of raw hotdogs since we moved in. Now it's brown. But not gross brown. Much better.
Thankfully, the kids were busy celebrating Kevin's birthday while I was covered in paint.
Kevin is five, by the way, even though he claims to be 26. Long story.

Big Basin - The shortest camping trip in history

It's not supposed to rain here in the summer. It really isn't. It usually doesn't. So, when every meteorologist in the Bay Area seemed to agree that we were in for a rare summer storm, on the exact same day that our camping trip was due to start, we had no choice but to assume they were wrong. Or, that maybe they were exaggerating a bit about the downpour, the thunderstorms, and the 100% chance of precipitation. Well, I'm here to tell you that they weren't wrong. And they were not exaggerating. But we gave camping a go anyway. Sort of.

It wasn't raining when we packed up the car and left home. If it had been, we probably would have walked right back inside and made s'mores in the microwave. But we didn't. We hit the road, ready for some adventure.
I think we were about an hour away from the campground when the storm hit. Chad and I chuckled, and wondered aloud how we would go about setting up camp if it was still coming down like that when we arrived....
As it turned out, it was still coming down like that when we arrived, and we wondered some more and chuckled even louder (although you could barely hear our chuckling over the thundering deluge). We figured we'd just hang out until the rain let up enough for us to set up the tents.

Lucky thing #1: There happened to be a giant tree cave in our very campsite. Dry kids.
Lucky thing #2: Chad had happened to grab a couple of umbrellas as we left home, just in case.
Lucky thing #3: The Cookie Crisp (the official junk cereal choice for this trip), milk, bowls, and spoons were easily accessible.
Lucky thing #4: So were the hotdogs (and Smart Dog).
Lucky thing #5: The fire-sheltering umbrella did not burst into flames, even though it steamed ferociously and was burning hot to the touch.
Lucky thing #6: Trees big enough to shelter people inside their trunks are just one of the most amazing things on the planet, and we got to spend time with them.
Lucky thing #7: These days, Chad and I are adventurous enough to have a camping picnic in the pouring rain, but wise enough to cut our losses and bail...instead of spending the next 48 hours being soggy and cold.
Lucky thing #8: We were only a couple of hours from home this time, and our long camping trip is still coming up in August. It will definitely be longer than this one....... :)

Pool and Ceiling

So, when Chad took the cover off the pool a couple of weeks ago, to get it all ph balanced and ready for triple digit days, he was a teensy bit shocked to discover that it was completely empty. Zero water. Slow leak all winter, apparently. So, we took the plunge (har har), and got a new pool. It was hot enough today (and the kids were excited enough) that they were willing to splash around a bit in the freezingness of hose water, even as the thing was still filling up.


When they started to turn shades of purple and blue, they switched to playing a lifeguard game, in which the goal was mainly to look good. I think they succeeded.
And, while all of this was going on outside, I was happily turning our three-tone kitchen ceiling into a one-tone wonder. I realize it sounds kind of pathetic to be painting a ceiling, but, seriously, this is what it has looked like for years:
I'll spare you the dazzling "after" shot of a ceiling that matches itself.

I Heart Monday Mamas

Somehow (um, due to procrastination, lagging, and I-have-no-real-excuse) I didn't blog about the amazing Monday Mamas 10th Anniversary party back in April.

Who are the Monday Mamas, you ask? Well, way, way back when Clara was born, I fell in with a fabulous group of new mothers who met once a week at Kaiser to commiserate and celebrate one another during those crazy, wonderful, newborn days. There were 25 women altogether, and the group evolved over time, becoming a network of support, excursions, activities, and friendship. Monday Mamas is the stuff that chick lit is made of. There actually are a couple of novelists in the group....maybe they could put something together....

Anyway, my involvement has been practically nil over the past few years, what with work, and living a bit further away from Mama Central, but I really, really must make time this year to join in the fun. Serious fun to be had with these women (oh, and the kids aren't so bad, either). :)

Today's MM event was bittersweet, as it was a farewell party for my lovely friend, Cindy, who is en route to Phoenix(ish) as we speak.Good thing you're so cool Cindy!

A Good Day for a Parfait

I wasn't kidding when I said that I might eat a fruit and yoghurt parfait every single day this summer. And I'm bringing Clara and Trevi along for the ride....

Magnet House

I suppose at some point I'll stop taking pictures of, and blogging about, the various structures that show up practically daily on every surface in the house...
But, for now, these things give me such a glimpse into how their little minds work. This house (and garage) was a collaborative sibling effort (a fact which, in itself, merits documentation), and the beauty is in the details. Zoom and enjoy.
The other driving factor for all of this gratuitous structure blogging is that only after I photograph something, are they willing to dismantle it.

I can't handle the tooth!

Trev is quite pleased with the big, giant tooth that's growing in, but it's freaking me out a bit!
Can you see it?? Where is that thing going to go?

When days are hot, when days are cold....

I don't really know what was going through my mind when I decided not to sign the kids up for any camps or activities this summer. I guess it seemed like we'd be so busy with traveling and camping and whatnot...
Anyway, we definitely need something to keep us busy around here, so on an afterthoughty whim, I signed up both kids for a two-week session of swimming lessons. Very good decision.

Clara is amazingly natural with the new strokes she's learning, and Trevi will definitely be ready for all of our pool, ocean, and lake time coming up.And that's 25 minutes (plus travel and getting changed time) of the day taken care of! :)

(ETA- Just discovered that I already blogged about this. Oops. This is what happens when you lag so long between posting. *slaps self on wrist*)

Happy Fathers' Day and Big News!

Our day started off with lots of love for the man of the day. A better dad you will not find anywhere. Ever. Period.
Later on, we celebrated with a couple more great dads (and other great folks, too).
And then, it happened! As Manny munched away on his corn on the cob, HE LOST HIS VERY FIRST TOOTH!!!!!! (At seven years, three months, for the record...)
Said tooth went proudly under the pillow...
So much growing up going on around here....

Monkeys

Even though it's still officially Spring, Summer appears to be in, uh, full swing....We even had our first ice cream of the (unofficial) season. Isn't summer at least 50% about the food?Popsicles tomorrow?

Pierced Ears and Parfaits!

After a long bike ride around town this afternoon, excited bike-rider girl and I went to the mall for some piercings.....

It didn't hurt nearly as much as Chad had tried to convince her it would. (His exact words, if I remember correctly, were, "I used to have earlobes all over the top of my head, and I got them all pierced simultaneously, causing me to scream in pain, as blood squirted out from all of the holes.")
The whole thing was a piece of cake. (Even for me, what with having to watch my little girl constantly growing up and all...)
Then, since Abercrombie is the latest word that 10-year-olds want written across their chests, we hit the sale rack for some new t-shirts. Capitalizing on her special moment, Clara even convinced me to get a bag from the store, instead of using one of the green bags I carry around in my cavernous purse. (Because it would be oh, so much cooler to carry an Abercrombie and Fitch bag around the mall, see?) But this bag kind of freaks me out: Abercrombie Kids? Seriously? The marketing team decided this would be an appropriate photo for the Abercrombie Kids bags? Creepy. Another thing about the bag is that the paper is so thick, I swear it's made from the fibers of 17 trees. Next time we go to the mall, which hopefully will be in 2016 or so, I'll just make her bring this same bag with her. At least by then she'll be a teenager carrying around a half-naked guy. And no more trees will die in the service of helping him flaunt his glistening chest.

In the summer treats department, we have become obsessed with fruit and yogurt parfaits since school ended. I seriously don't know how this completely delicious and easy breakfast/lunch/snack/dessert/even dinner has never before occurred to me. It was Trev's idea, actually. Nice going, Trevi!
I think I might eat one of these every single day until September.

A BIG day

Summer is working its magic already. There's big stuff going on around here. BIG stuff. The biggest news? CLARA LEARNED TO RIDE HER BIKE!!!!!!!!!!! YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!

After a couple of scary falls a few years back, Clara had lost almost all interest in getting her wheels. But there was still a dangling carrot. We told her that she could get her ears pierced if she learned how to ride. :)

I took her out for a few practice sessions over the weekend, and she was still pretty tentative and a bit wobbly. But she didn't give up. We went this morning....still not quite there. But then, after dinner, we went out again, and everything clicked. She got it! She rode around and around the schoolyard for an hour, all smiles.I am just so thrilled that we got this big milestone out of the way less than a week into summer vacation. Way to go, Clara!

In other big news, both kids started swim lessons today. It was a totally last-minute thing (just signed up last night!), and they had a blast in the pool this morning. Summer. Nice!
And, since we've only been off since last Friday, and the kids aren't sick of each other yet, they played peacefully in their invented kingdom all afternoon. King Trevor and Queen Clara (with mylar Mr. Sunshine, who took off in search of the real sun shortly after this photo was taken - sorry, Mr. Sunshine...) took turns making crowns and serving one another. All of this harmony won't last, I know, but Summer 2011 is looking good so far!

Trev Goldberg

If you haven't seen this OK Go video yet, check it out. I think Trevi would watch it over and over for hours if we'd let him. As he watches, you just know those wheels are turning in his head. And this is the kind of thing he makes as soon as he walks away from the computer:It was the OK Go video that taught us that these wacky machines are called Rube Goldbergs, named after good old Rube, who thought it would be funny to draw crazy complicated devices that did very simple things. Trev's favorite new (old) cartoon, Tom and Jerry, also features some amazing Rube Goldberg machines, including this one. I have a feeling I'll be tripping over lots of tracks and dominoes this summer...

Soccer girl is back!

When your kid plays competitive soccer, you exhaust yourself trying to keep everyone hydrated and fed and shaded and rested. You pull stinky socks and jerseys out of the laundry because there isn't time to wash them between games. You drive all over creation, in an oven of a car that smells like sunscreen and shin guards. You feel like you should officially change your middle name to "Schlep".

Crossing your third county line before sunrise, en route to a city you'd never even heard of, you sometimes imagine how lovely it would be if your kid didn't play competitive soccer. You picture yourself sleeping in on Saturdays, getting your toes done, being productive. You grumble about the time commitment, the mileage, the money. But, really, you don't mind it at all. You actually love it. It's thrilling watching that kid of yours doing amazing things out there on the field. Things you wish you could do. Things you are astonished that she can do. Wow. That's my daughter. She is awesome. You have become a soccer mom, through and through.

So, what do you do when your kid decides that she's had enough of the grind? She wants a break from hardcore soccer. She possibly wants to stop playing altogether? It seems to me that all you can do is step back and let her figure out what works for her. The conclusion reached by Clara is that she wants to try out a less intense soccer option this year. No year-round practices. No weekly tournaments. She doesn't want school and soccer to be all there is. I get that. Totally. So, we've had about six soccer-free months. And I think Clara has missed it a little bit - the teamwork and friendship, and exercise - but for me, lack of soccer feels like a huge void. Oh, I love the free time, no doubt, but I miss the community. And I don't like thinking about the whole thing carrying on without us. Most of all, I miss watching my dazzling little athlete in action. Seeing her strength and confidence and determination blazing past me. I miss the excitement and awe.

I'm proud of Clara in oh, so many ways, but today, after what felt like forever, I got to be the proud soccer mom again. And the best part? Soccer girl was happy to be back.It didn't hurt that we went to Jamba Juice afterwards.... :)

School's out!

As I headed out the door this morning, I made Chad promise he'd take pictures of the kids before their last day of school (just like on their first day). And he did! Here they are, ready to wrap up 4th and 1st grade:
And, after school, they wasted no time summering it up. Here you see them before, during, and after the first water balloon fight of the year:It's time to get lazy, hazy and crazy again!

P.S. Our day was capped off with a nice dinner spent catching up with Gomma, who's in town this week. Thanks, Gomma! I neglected to take my camera along to dinner, though, and missed a golden opportunity to capture a Gomma/Clara height comparison! :)