And the Celebration Continues...

Another day of birthday fun for Daniel. One of Daniel's classmates has her birthday on Monday so we decided to celebrate Daniel and her birthday together at school today. We helped the kids make picture frames for a class photo, read Daniel's birthday book (it gets donated to the school library), sang some songs (I brought in my ukulele, the kids loved it) and passed out freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

So, so far he has had two birthday celebrations. My parents are coming down tomorrow, so we will probably have another celebration then. AND we are going to Legoland on Monday for Daniel's birthday. So it is looking like Daniel will have at least 4 days of birthday fun. I think 7 is going to be a good year for Daniel.

Seven Years Old...

Dear Daniel,

I really can't believe you are seven already. Where did the time go? One of my favorite quotes is 'I sometimes wonder where the years have gone, but never how else I could have spent them'. I think of this quote often because it is so true for me. I wouldn't have spent these last seven years with you in my life any different. I have enjoyed you and watching you grow to the fullest. And oh how you have grown.

At seven years old you can now ride a bike without training wheels. You are reading chapter books. You can write in cursive and have beautiful penmanship. You are learning to spell, can add, subtract and count by ones, twos, fives, tens and hundreds. You are so big I can barely pick you up. You love finding ways to use initiative. You still love Legos and like playing Batman Lego on the Nintendo DS. You've ran a mile in under 11 minutes. You're best friend is David and you still love school. You love going to after school to be with your friends. Pat and Oscars is one of your favorite places to eat out. You're favorite TV show and movie is 'The Clone Wars'. You love playing soccer and playing tag. You have lost three baby teeth. You are thoughtful and kind and creative. You can reach up and put your hand on my cheek. You love jokes and riddles and are very silly. You are incredibly truthful. You can say the Lord's Prayer, Psalm 23, Psalm 121 and the Ten Commandments. When you are asleep you still look like the baby I held in my arms seven years ago. You are a gift from God and I love you more than I ever imagined possible.

Happy Birthday, my big boy!

Mile Fun Run

Daniel ran in his second Mile Fun Run at school today. The first fun run was a couple of months ago and Daniel had a hard time. I wasn't there, but Dan was helping with the timing of the kids and gave me the low down. Apparently Daniel didn't know he had finished running the six laps and ran an extra lap. He collapsed at the finish line panting and in tears (he is a bit dramatic).

Daniel was determined to do better this time, so I was a little nervous for him. I knew he could do it, that kid can run and run while playing tag. I think it is more of a mental and emotional challenge for him.

Here he is setting off to the park. All smiles.Getting reading for the run. Still a big smile.And he's off.Good job Daniel! (He looks like he is concentrating)

You're doing great buddy! Keep it up!One more lap, you can do it!Triumph! Daniel finished the mile (with no tears) in 10 minutes and 53 seconds. He even wanted to run a couple more laps.I think he was real proud of himself. I know I was.

The Climbing Savant

Today Sammy revealed to the world that he is a rock climbing savant.

For the past year or so I have had the desire to take Sammy to this indoor rock climbing gym here in San Diego, the Solid Rock Gym. I went with some buddies for a bachelor party around ten or fifteen years ago. It was a lot of fun, and I have wanted to go back, but it was one of those things that got lost in the shuffle of getting married and having kids. City Tree has a rock wall (that I, as a school board member, approved a few years back) that Sammy gets to use at the end of his day. It is more horizontal than vertical, and the little guys aren't allowed to go above a certain line for safety. Sammy loves it, and consequently, mastered it very quickly. Since he has many physical and mental attributes that lend themselves to climbing (strong, small, brave), I thought he might be up for something a little more challenging. He was.



We got to the place a little after 11 this morning. I would have preferred to go a bit earlier, but that is when it opens during the week. I guess there is not a lot of demand for indoor rock climbing on a Tuesday morning in January, who knew? I had called a few months back to look into it, asked about age restrictions, things like that. The only limit they place on how old the kids have to be was:

'If your kid can walk then they can climb.'

A profound statement from someone who obviously was trying to separate me from my seventeen dollars, and, if I am a little honest, probably loves climbing and wants others to love it as well.



So, back to arrival... After paying and signing away any rights we had, the friendly, but not really comfortable around small kids, worker showed me how to get into my harness and how to safely hook up all the ropes. Into my harness I went, into his harness Sammy went and, zoom, straight to the wall we flew. I walked, Sammy flew. As Sammy scrambled up his first wall, with the worker looking on to make sure we didn't screw anything up, the worker was just amazed. He said several times how impressed he was with Sammy. He asked how old he was, and finally stated,

'I have never seen a little guy like that do so well. Is this his first time?'

The savant was born.



A quick side note here. Sammy was scrambling up this wall. He was probably thirty feet up in the air. He gets to a hard spot, he's looking around for a way to keep going. He turns, and looks down at us, and it finally hits him. Oh boy am I up high! You could tell he did not know what to do. Getting up there had been his whole thing, he had never given one second's consideration to how he was getting down. So he stared down at us. Not upset, just sort of concerned.

'You are doing great, buddy. Do you want to keep going, or are you ready to come down?'

'I am ready to go down.' He said in a mostly calm voice.

'OK, all you have to do is let go. I have the rope, I will lower you down.'

Silence, just looking at me like I am crazy.

'It's OK, buddy, I got you. If you let go of the wall, the rope will hold you up and I can let you down slowly.'

More silence. Doubt was all over his face, but he tentatively let more and more of his weight onto the rope. Finally he decided to take that leap of faith and there he was, just floating above us all.



As soon as he was down it was off to another spot in the gym to find a different wall to climb. Up, up, up, he went. Quickly, confidently, he would scramble up these walls. Never falling, the only time he needed me spotting him was when he got to the top or got stuck in some spot and decided he wanted to take the quick way down.

At one point one of the few other people in the gym (if you are an adult and you are in the Solid Rock Climbing gym on a Tuesday morning, you are hard core) just stopped what he was doing (I think it was called bouldering) and watched Sammy. This guy had a big smile on his face. You could tell he loved climbing, and he loved seeing this teeny little guy who also had a love for climbing.

'He's a natural. He's not just strong, he has great instincts.'

Thanks, buddy. It was around this point that Suzy looks over at me and says something like,

'He is having a great time, he really loves it. Do we really want him to be a rock climber?'

No, no, I don't think we do. One thing we noticed, though, Sammy was very conscientious about all the precautions you need to take. He would always make sure that I was ready before going up, he was very careful about attaching all of the safety gear every time he started up a wall. It was like he was born to climb. I know that I am being a bit dramatic, but that is what it felt like.

We were there for just over an hour. Sammy must have climbed up the walls ten times. At the end you could tell that his arms were getting tired. He would slip and not make it up spots that he had scrambled through thirty minutes prior. He, of course, denied any such thing. Always wanting to do just one more wall. Finally we were able to convince him that we would be back, soon. My only regret of the day was that I wasn't there to hear him share about the experience with his best friend, Daniel. I want to be a fly on the wall during those conversations when he talks about it.



I was thinking that I was going to entitle this blog post, 'Expectations'. I had these expectations about this, I really wanted Sammy to like it. I thought he would be great at it, and I was hoping it was something that would capture his interest. I was going to be pretty disappointed if it did not work out. Often times as a parent I have had expectations of how something is going to go with one of the boys, and it is difficult because so rarely do those expectations meet what reality is. One of the major exceptions to that rule was the first time I took Daniel to LegoLand. My expectation was that he would love it, and we would have a great time. He did, we did, and it is one of my favorite memories of something I shared with Daniel. So, I was hoping that Sammy would take to this like I thought he could. He did, he loved it. I hope that I can remember this day for a long time, because it made me so happy to see Sammy so happy. So I chose not to call this post, 'Expectations', because that would mean this experience was about me. It was not, this day was about Sammy. All you buddy. Way to go. Good job.

Jedi Sammy vs. Sith Lord Dada

One of Sammy's favorite past times is battling with Dan. Check out his fancy Jedi moves.

Initiative

The boy's school has been giving a F.I.T. award at chapel this year. I have no idea what the 'T' stands for, but the 'F' is friendship and the 'I' is initiative. Daniel and Sammy have somehow mastered the friendship aspect of their relationship, and are each other's best friend (whether they know it or not). Initiative is not a word that either knew the definition of before this year, though. Since they both are very much into getting awards and prizes, they have been motivated to figure out this initiative thing. Whenever Sammy clears his plate without being asked you are invariably about to hear, 'Mama, I used initiative!'. It's cute, and better yet, it encourages the boys to do things on their own without prompting. A win/win for us.

As a parent it is the little things that make my day, and this morning, after I brushed his teeth, Sammy came back into his room after rinsing his mouth, tracked down his toothbrush, took it to the bathroom, rinsed it out and put it away. All on his own. I never asked, never hinted. I was so happy. There I was brushing Daniel's teeth and all I wanted to do was give Sammy a great big hug. My little boy is becoming a productive member of our family. Of course, when Daniel heard all the praise I was offering to Sammy for his initiative he grabbed his toothbrush and took care of it as well.

Initiative, it is sweeping the nation! Join in and you too will have a chance to win the F.I.T. award.

P.s. Despite their best efforts, neither boy has won the award yet. I think they are getting punished somehow because their mom is the PTO co-president and their father is the School Board President. I demand a recount!

So Sad

Maybe next year Baby...

Lend a Helping Hand

A friend of mine sent me this link: http://www.smallthingschallenge.com/

I have heard such great things about these world-wide micro loans. It is a way to reach across the world and make a difference to someone in need. Such a cool idea. Check out the video (it was produced by my friend's husband and his company) and then click the donate button on the homepage and Intel will donate a nickel on your behalf to the cause.

We can make a difference.

Iron Mountain

My hiking group from church climbed Iron Mountain this morning. It was an absolutely beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. The Santa Anas are blowing so we were treated to a gorgeous view of San Diego and beyond.

Here is Iron Mountain from my parked car.

This is the trail head.Starting the ascent.We made it!

We could see all the way to the ocean. We even thought we could see Catalina Island.

A great hike. I would recommend it to all. Get out and enjoy the great outdoors. It is waiting...

Weaving Webs

It's Friday! Finally! What a long week. The boys are tired, Dan is tired and I am tired. We have a full weekend ahead of us, but I am looking forward to it.

The boys decided to weave a web today. I've told my boys about how Auntie Chrissie and I used to make webs when we were kids. It was one of the things we most enjoyed doing. Sammy had a bucket full of yarn he has been collecting (and stealing from Nana) and decided to do some web spinning with it. In my mind the webs we made were thick, you could hardly see the back of the room and my parents could make their way through them. In reality they probably looked a lot like this one. Crawling around under it sure brought back some fond memories.

Fashion Statement

A busy, busy day today. Lots of photocopying, cutting, stapling and distributing. Some errand running and house cleaning. And poor Sammy having to tag along. He was actually a good sport about it and was quite helpful at times.

While waiting for me to get some PTO stuff done in the school back office he made me this paperclip bracelet. Sammy loves paperclips. He is always finding them around here and there and shoving them into his pockets. I find them in the washer quite frequently. I asked him today why he likes paperclips so much. His reply, "Because you can do lots of things with them." Enough said.

So if you start seeing paperclip jewelry popping up in the fashion magazines, remember you saw it here first. Designs by Samuel.

A Boy and his Weapons

Sammy loves weapons. Adores weapons. It doesn't matter what it is, be it a dagger, light saber, gun, laser, bow or just a stick, if it can be used to defend against the forces of evil he is strangely drawn to it. Sammy has been carrying these little Lego guns around with him the past couple of days. He likes to lay them out in some kind of configuration. I must admit they are kinda cute for a gun (I love all things small). And he can just put them in his pocket and go. A full arsenal right at hand. Really, what could be better to a boy who loves weapons?

A Nice Hot Bath

When was the last time you soaked in a nice hot bath? Last week? Last year? Can't even remember? That would be me. It has been a long, long time since I enjoyed a nice hot bubble bath. It's not that I don't like baths, I do. It's just such a pain. I've got three laundry baskets overflowing with dirty clothes sitting in my bathtub at this moment. And underneath who knows what kind of dust balls and grime reside. So the idea of cleaning and scrubbing for half and hour so I can relax in a hot bath for a while just isn't appealing.

Tonight I gave the boys a nice hot bath. The plug to the bath has been broken for a long time so I have not filled the tub for the boys in a while. Well, I was finally able to remedy the plug issue (thanks Babe) and filled the tub to the brim with nice hot water. The boys loved it. And it looked so nice and inviting I just had to roll up my pants and take a dip. It felt wonderful. If I could have fit I would have been in there with them. Maybe giving my tub a good scrub might be worth it.

Kissable

Don't you just want to grab that face and kiss those cheeks? Well, if it weren't for the barbecue sauce smeared across them. So soft, so smooth, so kissable...

Another one bites the dust...

Daniel lost his third tooth today. Actually it was pulled out by Mr. Joe during recess, but it still counts. Hopefully Daniel put it somewhere the tooth fairy can easily get to. I was a little worried when I mentioned to Daniel to make sure the tooth was accessible and Sammy said not to worry because the tooth fairy is magic and could find the tooth anywhere. Even if Sammy hid it. Great, that's just what the tooth fairy needs. Searching around the room in the dark for a tooth smaller than a pea. What happens if the tooth fairy can't find the tooth? Hopefully we won't have to find out.

Mellow Sunday

A little different...

We went to church bright and early this morning as usual, but it was a little different today. Sammy, for the first time, got to stay in service with Dan, Daniel and I and then go to Kids Worship, which is where the big kids get to go during the sermon. He was very excited and was practically skipping out of the sanctuary with joy. He also got to join the Kindergartners for Sunday School. Dan (he is one of the teachers of that class) said Sammy did very well. I have been going downstairs to drop off one or more of the boys at the nursery or preschool for almost 7 years now, so it was very strange going straight to the sanctuary with both the boys. They are getting so big!

On Reading...
I began reading, or rather re-reading, the book 'Celebration of Discipline' by Richard J. Foster, for our Bible Study today. In the intro Foster explains what led him to write this book and writes, "These "saints", as we sometimes call them, knew God in a way that I clearly did not. They experienced Jesus as the defining reality of their lives. They possessed a flaming vision of God that blinded them to all competing loyalties. They experienced life built on the Rock.
...I began desiring this kind of life for myself. And desiring led to seeking and seeking led to finding. And what I found settled me, deepened me, thickened me." This is just what we need in our society that tends to make us frantic, shallow and spread too thinned out.


Boys at play...
I love it when the boys set up little fortresses and scenes for their Lego people to inhabit.

Bombs away...

Sammy loves to jump from the top bunk to the bottom bunk. Me, not so much.

Wibbly, wobbly tooth...

It is just hanging by a thread. Any day now.

Tag! You're It!

The boys love playing tag. There are all different kinds of tag games with many different rules. And there is always at least one base, a safe haven. The boys like to add more and more bases as needed, but luckily the person who is 'it' can call 'Base on fire!' and the ones being chased have to flee the safe spot. It used to be I could catch them quite quickly, but they are becoming pretty fast little buggers. Sammy can turn on a dime and Daniel can really scramble out of the way.

I actually like chasing them around and it is a pretty good workout too. They don't seem to get very tired, but I am always left huffing and puffing. When was the last time you played tag? Gotcha! You're it!

A Look Back at 2007

January - Legoland for Daniel's 6th birthday
February - A visit from Auntie Chrissie and Leina
March - Spring Break in LA
April - Agua Caliente Church Camping Trip
May - Mother's Day
June - Daniel's Kindergarten graduation
July - Eating cinnamon buns at the Del Mar Fair
August - 2nd Annual Family vacation in Hawaii
September - Cub Scouts Balboa Camp
October - Church Family Retreat in Ramona, climbing the mountain to the cross
November - Jedi battles
December - Santa hats, lots of rain and lots of love.

A First of the New Year

What better way to start off the New Year than doing something you've never done before? Well, Daniel did just that. Daniel rode his bike today, without training wheels, for the first time. My Dad had taken Daniel out two previous times to teach him how to ride a bike, but Daniel had yet to be comfortable enough for my Dad to let go of the bike. I don't know what changed, but today Daniel said he was going to try riding all by himself and just like that he did it. My Dad and I were shocked, excited and so proud of him. I think Daniel was pretty proud of himself too. Way to go Daniel!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009!

Happy New Year! Another year has come and gone, and a brand new year now lies before us. There is something about the start of a new year. For me it is an exciting time. I love looking back and reminiscing about the past year and looking forward to what is to come.

We definitely had a full 2008 year. Our family went on our first camping trip to Agua Caliente, spent two weeks in Hawaii and went to a family retreat in Ramona. Daniel finished his first year of school and started the first grade. He has gone from sounding out words to reading with a fluency beyond his years. Sammy has also continued to grow in so many ways too. He has learned to write his name and with the development of his hand-eye coordination can draw pictures (with his left hand).

Dan got to travel to Baltimore for business and got to spend some time with his brother and family celebrating Alex's 5th birthday. I got to canoe the Colorado River last spring and went on a girls getaway weekend to Palm Springs with a bunch of my Mom friends this fall. Dan and I joined a Bible Study at our church and Dan volunteered to teach Sunday School to Kindergartners and 1st graders. Dan became Den Leader for Daniel's cub scout group and I volunteered to be co-president of our school's PTO.

This year we've seen gas prices rise and drop, the economy and stock market take a nose dive and too much fighting and unrest in the world. We've had friends and family experience joy and pain, hope and uncertainty. And yet never have I felt God's presence and hand at work more. His blessings continue to rain down on us. He is faithful.

Yes, it has been quite a year. I can't wait to see what 2009 holds in store for us!