My Toofs

You read that right. Toofs.
Once upon a time we had Asher convinced that if you had a fake tooth or teeth they were referred to as toofs.  See, Scott had his tooth knocked out as an unruly kid flying down a hill on a bike. Trying to beat his Dad home because Scott shouldn't have been out of the house. He wrecked into a car and his face met curbing. (Funny, a similar thing happened to him as an adult. Except he was flying in a jazzy. Word.)
So anyhow,
we had our innocent kid convinced and he continually referred to fake teeth as toofs and we loved it and laughed.
After all isn't that what children are great for.

So Chloe has braces. I'm a bit jealous.
But there are only so many student loans a man can get. Actually there are quite a few a man can get if he goes to school for, oh say, 7 years.

Anyway. I'm not on the list.

I'm a bit bitter.

I wasn't on the list as a kid either.
My teeth weren't "bad enough".  With several siblings I rated middle of the pack- not perfect straight like Ginger's, not corn on the cob through a chain link fence like.... Molly's.  Sorry  Mol.  There's proof, but I won't post it if your comments are nice :)
I whined to Dad about the gap in between my front teeth, and he claimed it gave me character. The gap fixed itself in my early twenties.
I have crooked bottom teeth and an overbite. My smile covers those things.
But I dream of a perfect pearly white smile like Molly now has, Ginger was born with, and Terri paid through the nose for.

So I made a free consultation appointment at Chloe's orthodontist.
I just wanted to know...how bad are they?
They took lots of strange pictures of every angle. Then they blow those pictures up in front of your face with the orthodontist goes over things with you.

I have to say. Nice guy. Real nice guy. Some of these quotes, taken out of the context of the whole conversation sound, well, mean.  But he is a nice guy.
I know I've got an overbite and crooked bottom teeth, but imagine my surprise when he turns and asks me, "Were you hit in the face or did you have an accident and hit your face as a kid?"

Huh?
Really?
ouch.
I wanted to say yes so I had an excuse for the next thing he was about to say.
But it's a no, so...my jaw bone is longer on one side than the other.
Yep.
Left jaw bone longer than right. Significantly.  So my bite sits funny, my mouth opens crooked (I've noticed this on tape when I talk), my chin is too far back, and not in alignment with the midline of my face AND I"m buck-toothed.
Wondering if I can blame my rough delivery with forceps for this?  Anyone have Dr. Henry's address and I'll send him a bill?
To soften the blow the orthodontist did mention that my two baby teeth have the longest roots he's ever seen on baby teeth!! Go baby teeth.
He also mentioned "Hollywood polishing" to even out the bottom of my front teeth. I remember sitting on the bathroom counter with a metal nail file and going to town on the bottom of those front teeth.
That would be "Burley polishing" I presume.
Wondering if it would be better at this point to have them all pulled and get some toofs.
Tempting.

Feed Croup an Avocado Shake

I love avocados, and I've heard tales of Avocado Shakes from Brazil.

I've always wanted to try one. 

So today I did. 

I got a recipe; avocados, sweetened condensed milk, ice, 2% milk.

This had to be good.

Don't even think about the calories in that. It's good fat remember.

Everyone was skeptical. 

Turns out, Croupy Baby was my only taker.

Even Scott, the self-professed non-picky eater didn't like it. 

So I ignored that tingle on my lip and itch in my throat and ate it up. 

Cole asked for ice cream instead. I said yes. 

And then he danced.

And I laughed and laughed.

Clear Creek: Boy's Edition

With back to back 5th graders I got another turn to head to the fabulous Clear Creek Camp.
It was Asher's lucky year.

Our favorite and best overnight babysitter- Grandma- took the load while I ran away with Asher.
In our rush to get out the door Wednesday morning I left something very important behind.
My sleeping bag.  This was not discovered until bedtime.

I'm so happy Cami decided to come up to Clear Creek as it was mostly Fathers there with their boys.
So Cam and I hung out and tried not to get in trouble for talking too much (a common problem we have when we are together).

I really enjoy watching my children interact with their peers.  It's a good glimpse into who they are and how they work in groups.  Asher likes to be great at things. He wants to be recognized for excelling at the things he does, and this is usually the case.  He was so excited to be at Clear Creek, and while I'm sure he would've been fine without me, it was nice to be there and soak it all up together.

After lunch we got ready for rotations.  The boys made calendars for their parents, did some GPS-ing, did some team building activities, attempted to build a case to protect an egg being dropped from a ladder, made bracelets, and my station: tie-dyeing.

We also went on a hike.  The trail was pretty icy and muddy, so we took a different trail, and upon returning to camp were greeted by several deer.

We ate all our meals in the lunchroom.

Here you have an failed lunchroom trade:

Cookie for fruit. 

A surprising fail if you ask me.

Wednesday night was skit night.  This is the best.  All the classes have a song and a skit to perform, the teachers also do several skits and the parents do one.  

Asher really hammed it up in his class skit.  Here he is taking a bath while dancing.  Now I understand why the boy packed a large bath towel and bubbles. 

Here are the boys of  Mr.D's 5th grade class.

That night the boys watched Robin Hood while the adults played board games.

Luckily one of the boys we know had brought 2 sleeping bags and kindly let me use one. 

It was a fantastic time at Clear Creek with Asher.

Looking forward to 2013 with Aidan. 

And then there was one.

I went to check on the littles one last time before I headed to bed.
Pull up the covers, rub their cheek.
When I got to Aidan I instinctively reached up to pull his thumb out of his mouth.


His thumb wasn't in his mouth.


Then I asked myself, "Does Aidan suck his thumb?"
I walked back to our room and asked Scott.
It was a yes.  Of course it was a yes. He's sucked his thumb since he was in utero.
We have a picture of that.
As he's gotten older he would only suck his thumb if he had his blanket and was tired or hurt.
He'd wind up the little yarn ties on his blanket and stick one in his ear while he sucked that thumb.
I remembered old conversations I've had with him about what comes out of his thumb.
He was convinced for quite a long time that he was receiving some kind of nutrition from it.
Funny boy.
So he's almost 8. I've never really worried about the thumb sucking. I figured he would just stop when he was ready and I'm already planning on braces.  Besides it comforted him and he was comfortable with it.

I realized it's been quite some time since I've seen him suck his thumb.
So, it's over with no fanfare. How come I didn't get the memo on that?

And now there is only one thumb sucker round here.

The way I remember it...

Sitting at the kitchen table today sorting through hundreds of photos before I went digital,

Cole sat beside me. 

I was searching for that one special picture of Chloe for my blog. 

There were far too many to choose from. 

Suddenly, Cole yells,

"Oh my gosh Mom! Look at this.  Dad is standing! How is he doing that?!"

My eyes filled with tears as I was reminded that he never knew that man. 

It was before his time. 

Unbelievable. 

When I think of my husband and who he is, I remember dating him.  His constant adoration.  

I remember being newlyweds in a little apartment living on love. 

 So happy to have him home at the end of the work day. 

Greeting him at the door with my new little baby.

I remember moving into our first home and our growing family. 

I remember the sound of his diesel truck as he pulled in the driveway and 

the children yelling and running out to greet him. 

I remember his big firm hugs and slow dances. 

All of these things meld into more current memories and experiences and are one. 

That is who he is to me. 

To think that some of our children have never known that man is strange still.

Sometimes I find myself wanting to fill them in on the whole picture.  My picture. 

Tell them what an awesome snow skier he was.  Or water skier. 

Or rollerblader. Or basketball player. Or golfer.

Or how he pulled the oldest 2 children on sleds like a snow dog endlessly in the winter.

Or that he use to work 16 hour days. 

The father my children know has become even stronger and more humble,

 gentler, and more forgiving. 

His patience has grown tremendously. He is a fighter. A go-getter. A hardworker. 

I looked at Cole and said, "Daddy use to be able to walk son. Before you were born."

He looked at me kind of unsure then pulled the picture out of Scott trying to pull the weight out of the ground in ToonTown.  He giggled, "Look at Dad trying to lift that weight". 

Much Ado About Chloe

You knew it was coming didn't you?
My sweet first born turned 12 early this morning.
Her Young Women's leaders came over on Monday to
talk to her about the program and all it entails.
She is beside herself with excitement.
She is so ready to go to Young Womens and soak up
every bit of it.
I keep saying they are lucky to have her.
That's really how I feel about her.
Her friends are lucky to have her, her teachers are, I am.

If I were to list some of the traits that Chloe embodies they would be:
A Peacemaker
Creative
Thoughtful
Hard working
A Nurturer
Obedient
Funny
Athletic
Sensitive
Forgiving
An Example

Recently one of her friends got braces on.  Chloe gathered her money and asked if I would stop by Arctic Circle on the way to pick up Scott and get her friend a shake that she could drop off because her mouth would certainly be hurting.  One of many examples of her thoughtfulness.

I brought a cake to her class today.  Her teacher said many kind things about Chloe and then prompted her to climb on top of her desk and the whole class started singing "Hooray for Chloe she's a darn fine gal, Hooray for Chloe she's a darn fine gal....".  So cute.  I teared up a bit. I did.

I love you Chloe.

The boy and football

I gave in and signed him up this year.  Asher has been asking to play football for some time.
I decided we could handle flag football financially and physically.
He was so excited. Beyond excited.
He loved practice and looked forward to the games.

I didn't play sports in High School.  Shocker I know.
So, I wasn't really "in" to sports.  I don't watch them on t.v.
I don't get all hyped up about the "Big Game".
However, take me to watch one of my kids play sports and I'm a raging fanatic!!!
I hoot and holler, clap, snap pictures.

Asher was so much fun to watch this season.
We didn't miss a game. At his first game I realized this boy had some football skills.
He was quick and had a good eye for grabbing flags and some sweet moves for celebrating touchdowns.
 I was a proud Momma.
When his very first game ended Chloe turned to me and said,
"I wish girls could play flag football."
"Oh, they can dear."
"Why didn't you sign ME up?!!!"
"I"m sorry.  I didn't know you'd be interested."
Silly me. She sat by me at every game cheering him on.

When the year had ended Asher had learned how to make and call plays, had bruised/cut his hips numerous times from "flag diving", had scored some touchdowns and made some awesome runs.

I continue to say he may have my freckles, but he's got his Dad's physical prowess.

Piano Man

He whines about it.










He complains.



















I persist.

Seriously, it takes him only 5 minutes a day.
And he BEGGED me to teach him.
But, isn't he cute at the piano with his cheeks puffed full of air and the
light shining through his ears?
Play on boy, play on.

He's an XXL

My Mom use to make my Dad's western button up shirts.
She always said it was difficult to find a shirt that fit the man because his arms are so long.
My Mom is an amazing seamstress and his shirts were beautiful. And they fit those long arms.

So my husband has recently done an about face.  You see his clothing of choice is t-shirt and jeans.
It seems to be a family disease. A good disease.  We're comfy people over here.
All his t-shirts say Boise State Football, or Iowa Ping Pong, or Boise State Waterboy.
You get the picture.  Collegiate athletic shirts. Period.
He gets asked often if he played_____ in college.

So anyhow, back to the about face.
He's decided to step  it up and start wearing casual button up dress shirts to school.
I'm behind him 100%.  He looks good in a casual dress shirt.
So we did some shopping and he picked out several XL dress shirts.
He tried them on for school the next morning and looked like an 8th grader who'd hit his growth spurt.
The sleeves all hit him along his forearm.
Ape arms.

So I finally found time to take them back and pick up some XXL's.
Yeah. XXL's.
That's my man.
I actually think it's kind of funny/deceiving that he wears XXL shirts.
He does have some manly shoulders and biceps, but he's not an overall big guy.
Tall, yes. But he downplays his height :)

So the husband has long arms like my Dad,
and while his knuckles may drag,
his arms will always fit all the way around me.
My Mom loves that part. Me too.

Bambi- Cole's version

Cole just came down from watching Bambi in my bedroom.
He climbs right up in my lap and holds my face with both his hands, as he does to make sure he has my full attention.

"What are you watching up there son?"
"Bambi.  It's kind of a sad movie because Bambi's Mom gets killed by a human."

*pause
(My face shows some concern and sadness.  He takes note of this and continues....)

"The human has a gun and shoots her.  But, ACTUALLY, she's not really dead.
 The bullet went right over her head and she ducked down then it hits this really brave guy.
 But he was not really a human. He was just a robot!"
Big smile, as if to say "All better Mom. No one is dead. I've changed Walt's vision of 1942 so you don't need to worry about Deer Mommies being shot.

Thanks son. I'm feeling a lot better about it.
My Hero.

Welcome Winter at the Waldorf Astoria

It was our first day of snow. 

Here was the plan:

Surprise the children by taking them to Park City to the Waldorf Astoria to swim and play for the day.

Scotty's sis Karen was in town on business and her company 

puts her up and some schmancy joints.  We are the beneficiaries of this. 

So the kids got ready for school just like any other weekday. 

We were running late and they were worried because I was fixing my hair.

"Mom, we're going to be late. Are we going to go?"

"Get your swimsuits and put them in your backpack."

Squeals of delight. 

I told them the plan and they gathered swimsuits, games, and hot cocoa and stuffed them in with the textbooks. 

Over the mountain we went. 

Park City was beautifully blanketed in white. 

And it turns out the Waldorf Astoria is not too shabby. 

Valet parking only left the valet perplexed when a minivan 

full of kids pulled in.  

No pride I tell ya. I just smiled and parked it down the street at his request. 

We walked into that gorgeous lobby lugging backpacks full of Capri Suns and swimming flippers.

Big kids carrying little kids on their hips. 

Just smile Amy, the kids think you're a hero right now. 

The room was gorgeous with a fireplace, flat screen, mini-kitchen, and even a t.v. in the bathroom. 

The kids couldn't wait to try that out.  :)

I made some hot cocoa while they lounged by the fire and watched cartoons.

That lasted 9 1/2 minutes and they were ready to hit the heated pool.

It was so fun to swim in that warm pool and the hot tub surrounded by snow!

They ate and ate and ate that snow.

They had some snowball fights in the pool. 

They swam until they pruned. 

We were the only ones in the pool the entire time. 

I guess those stuffy adults don't go swimming when there's snow out.

After the long swim they had baths using the delicious smelling complimentary shampoo while watching their favorite shows.  When the rotation was over we packed up and headed home. 

Thanks to Aunt Karen and the Waldorf Astoria for welcoming winter in a most wonderful way.