Deep Thoughts Inspired by "Toy Story."

• Slept in...until a time that will not be divulged. It's too decadent.

• Saw the "Toy Story" double feature with Isabelle & Mimi. I suspect I enjoyed the movies even more than the girls did; I was that one embarrassing loud-laugher in the theater. In my defense, though, I must state that I have loved "Toy Story" since Max was just a little tyke. That was ten years ago! Whoa.

Lately, Jack has been reclining in his high chair with a bottle when he needs some down time--and what does he watch?...."Toy Story." He LOVES it. I so clearly remember Max doing the same thing; he'd lay down in a floor nest, sip away at a bottle and stare at Woody & Buzz, mesmerized. That was ten years ago, but i can recall the memory so clearly; Max's solid little toddler-body, his fuzzy hair, even the baby-smell of him. It doesn't FEEL like it was that long ago. The memory of him as a little baby is so clear, and yet all of a sudden I've blinked my eyes and here we all are in the Middle Growing Up Years. So I've been a little disoriented today. Where has my life gone? It's speeding by faster than I ever dreamed it would.

(Those 2 bumps are my feet.)

• Took Jack outside to play in the cul-de-sac while Mimi busted her bike outta training wheels! (My approach to training wheels is basically the same one I use with potty training: Keep the safety device ON until the kid is doing it themselves anyway and the training wheels/diaper are a moot point.) I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Mimi's Freedom Ride. Dangit. I was too busy circumventing all the various dangers Jack posed to himself out on the open sidewalk. And in the street. And on the hill. And in the mud. He had a grand time throwing rocks for an hour straight.

(I can't believe he actually keeps these little shades on.)

• Continued my frenzy of decorating for Halloween. I am an abysmal home decorator, but I like to throw things up for holidays. Cozy.



• Picked up the house while Baby napped, Mimi played at a friend's house and Mike took Max & Sis to guitar lessons (THANK you, Mike). A quiet, clean Pine Sol-scented house....it's like Spa Mom.

• Played around with my blog HTML, trying to beautify my template, ending the session with words I can't repeat here because my kids read my blog.

• Oversaw the evening cleanup in the girls' room. Total pigsty. I'd already used my daily quota of adult language while at my computer, so I couldn't even mutter obscenities under my breath. It took them 1 **darn** hour, but Mimi & Sis did pick up that pigsty.

• Put everyone to bed and played around on Photoshop, attempting to learn that **darn** program, and used up tomorrow's quota of obscenities. Sigh.

The kids have had Thursday & Friday off from school for Fall Break and we have planned one activity per day around which to base our vacation. Thursday was "Toy Story." Friday we will go up the canyon to a park. Saturday I want to decorate Halloween sugar cookies with the kids--an excuse to break out the sprinkles! Sunday we will chill and have a Game Night in the evening. (Translation: After church, I will drop into bed for a 3-hr nap and then we will have Game Night.)

Even though I'm wondering for various reasons, none of which I have the energy to go into now, how life could possibly get any more stressful--it's a happy life.

Goodnight.

I Don't Care if I Never Get Back

(back row, 2nd kid from the left)

Last night was Max's last tournament game, due to a 14-2 loss--ouch. He plays center field and had a beauty of a catch--a pop fly that looked sure to sail past him on the right. He reached across to catch it with a backhand catch (i'm positive that's not the correct terminology), then threw a rocket in to homeplate. It was so exciting! I could hear some crazed fan screaming and jumping, only to realize it was me. Ahem. He was out there, beaming in the field for the duration of the inning. That happy, proud smile made the entire season worth it. But I really am sad to see the end of baseball, I love it so. Best sport there is.

Isabelle has tournament games next week--stay tuned. I really must post a photo of her in her uniform and pink socks. Between watching a wiggly, busy baby and my love (fervor?) of the game, I don't stop for photos like I should.

Here is a glimpse of what my van looked like this spring, every day after school. Oftentimes one or both of them was changing into uniforms in the car right after I picked them up from school. I must say, I was very organized with the car packed on most days.
With the games being right after school and going through dinnertime, I tried to have picnic dinners but honestly many nights it was cold cereal, grilled hot dogs or pb&j's. Ugh.

Look at me, even remembering to feed the baby. Yes, I set the bar high. Try to keep up.

This is an everyday view of my drinkholder: survival food for both me and Jack.

So with baseball wrapping up, I feel like our nights can have some normalcy again. I have seriously felt on the run since April. Is it just me? Am I a lightweight?

I have loved the first week of summer: sleeping in, relaxed pace, setting my own schedule. I find it is taking some adjusting, though, to work the big kids back into our morning routine; When they were in school this year, Mimi & I had a great morning routine going: we'd get them out the door and immediately do her school...

(About a month ago we began this great book, which I also used with Max & Isabelle with great success. Mimi is resisting, so I am breaking the lessons up into smaller bits. We'll see. And we've been working on sight words.)

...and while we did school, Jack had Scruffle Time. He is so energetic in the morning and just swims (not crawls) all over the house.

Each day, after finishing Mimi's schooltime and we'd then go upstairs to do the whisk-through-the-house tidy up from the morning chaos. Mimi helped me whisk while Jack had Upstairs Scruffle Time. He love, love, LOVES the girls' room and all the exciting, non-babyish toys.


Our Summertime Morning Routine is off to a slow start, mostly because I have been sleeping in like Rip Van Crystal. We did make our job charts, though! Finally! I've been planning for an entire YEAR to do these. I got the idea here from Stie, one of my favorite bloggers. I'd meant to do them before Jack was born, ahem, last year, but nope. Just couldn't summon the energy. And I'm finding myself approaching somewhat back to normal energy levels now that Jack is almost at his 1st year birthday.


In other news, I have been exercising again. Sporadically. I need a personal trainer. Actually, make that a personal drill sergeant; someone who'll boot my butt out the door and onto the trail, whether I feel like it or NOT. The chub factor around here needs to change. This view on my fav flat trail (i am back to beginning-level running. sigh.) was so idyllic the other day!

Also, we have been visiting the new library. Every time I am in there I want to do the Maria Von Trapp Sound of Music Meadow Twirl. Every single book is brand new. Brand! New! They smell good, they feel clean, they're all new and up-to-date, and I am usually the first to check out any book I lay hands on. Such a treat.

On the last day of school, Mike & Max went on the Father/Son campout. I think they had fun. Hard to tell. They came back the next day, both answered in mono-syllabic undertones when I asked if they had fun and then both power-napped. No comment. (although, beforehand, Max asked me privately if I would pack his stuff because he didn't want "to be Man-Packed." Looks like he's learned the hard way.)

He hiked up the mountain today and brought me back a bouquet.
I love this kid.

(and please, no comments on the chub factor.)

The Great Garage Cleanout, Day 2

Today was a lazy day, the sort of day that ambles along with no true agenda and I loved every second of it. The parents slept in while Isabelle & Max tended and entertained the baby. I am loving the older kid thing! It makes me want to have 3 more babies. In theory.

In theory.

I remember asking my good friend's mother, who had 8 children, how in the WORLD she raised eight kids. To which she breezily replied, "Oh, I didn't! I raised four children. The older ones raised the younger four!" So true! It's a beautiful thing. But really, I am so grateful that Sis and Max love Jack so much and enjoy watching him. When I need help, they just scoop him up and take him off to entertain him. And in the mornings one or both of them fetches him out of his crib and they just keep him upstairs with the kids while I do my thing downstairs. I've got a stupendous gig here, I tell you.

So today Mike & I (almost) finished the monumental task of organizing the garage. In all fairness, Mike did 90% of it. But I figure he owes me for 13 years of ME cleaning TOILETS 90% of the time. So. The mountain of boxes that should have been in basement storage for the last 2 years is now where it belongs and the garage is gloriously empty. It gives me a thrill.

Max spent four straight hours working on his fort on the back patio. As soon as his Boy Radar detected junk being purged from the garage, he was out there scavenging odd bits and pieces to create a fort, which looks like a lean-to shelter from the ghetto and is the cutest thing I've ever seen. He whisked Jack away as soon it was finished and they hung out in the boy fort for a long while.

He kept Jack entertained for some time by giving him rocks to drop out the fort window.Tomorrow is full of dance, last-week-of-school mayhem and baseball, but today was delightfully slow. A taste of summer. Ahhhh.

Today at church Max's primary teacher stopped me and said what a good kid Max is. He said that Max is just a special boy and that he understands things...he's thinking. You can see the wheels turning. "Max is just a different kid," he said, "in a good way. He's got a light."

I knew exactly what he meant.

Brothers

52 Blessings, Week 12: Max

4/26/08 - Self Portrait under the blanket during Sis' baseball practice

3/19/08 - Poem from school

3/20/08 - Before school (check out that cute morning Tang mustache!)

1999 - About 3 months old, first time he picked something up! Showing off motor skills...

11/07 - I love his green eyes

8/07 - Leaf jumping at Grannie's house

8/07 - At the fair, visiting Grannie

12/00 - 2 years old, with newborn Isabelle in the hospital

3/20/07 - Nerf Bug

Evidently, I am Frankenstein

I was playing marbles with Max today and told him I had to take a quick break to put on my makeup.

"I like you better without makeup," said Max.
"You do?" said Crystal, "WHY?!"
"Because your makeup makes you look like Frankenstein."

Sheesh.

Father Son Campout

Until my guest blogger (Mike) adds the captions to these photos, this post is merely a photo essay! These are photos of the Father/Son Campout on September 14th. They camped at Silver Lake.