Most of the time, Franny and Cole choose to play together. This evening, however, they definitely did their own thing—Franny chose to be in the pool, while Cole chose to chill out and watch…
Scrimmage
14 years ago
This evening, we took advantage of the beautiful ‘eighty degree with a light breeze’ weather and packed up a quick picnic dinner and headed out to Magnolia Park and Fountain. Our time was short, but all the kids had a good time. These are the things that we can only really do during the summer months, so it was great to get out and really feel the novelty of it all. There is absolutely no question—the kids LOVE summer!
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Delaney just does not know what to think about our new television console. For the last month, all the components have sat on the floor next to our make-shift television stand. During that time, she had free reign to create chaos—she would turn off the DVR, set the tuner into random modes we couldn’t reverse, and take the iPod off it’s stand. Once we set up the console, I assumed she would open the doors—it isn’t hard to do—and continue her button pushing. But, she hasn’t done. that. I think maybe it isbecause there aren’t any hardware knobs. She comes up and looks, points at it, chatters at it, and looks quite confused. She would love to get at all those buttons, but doesn’t know how to get there. At least for now, it seems as though we don’t have to worry about her curious fingers. I do have, however, a set of magnetic Tot Locks for when she figures out her current dilemma.
Our driveway has seen a lot of play time this summer. There has been lots of biking, playing in the water table and pool, riding scooters, shooting basketballs, and kicking soccer balls. This week has really been beautiful. Although we’ve had some hot weather, we’ve had some wonderful days, as well. Either way, however, in the afternoons we are, without question, outside maximizing the Portland summer. And, this week, Rick has been home a little earlier than usual, so the kids have had some special, extra time with him. Tonight, he took them for a walk in the wagon. It’s a little tight now that there are three of them, but they all had a good time. And, for the Trio, there is nothing better than extra time with their daddy. The summer is going by very rapidly, this year. Thankfully, however, there is still some time left for more evenings like this one. No place can beat summer in Portland, but it does go by just way too fast!
It is often hard to resist the temptation to buy two (or even three) of everything. The thought being, of course, that there would be less conflict, and everyone could have their own scooter, car, bike, or whatever. Although there is probably something to that, if we did that, there wouldn’t be moments like this. And, I love moments like this!
The weather was hot today, but the kids kept cool in the pool and shade at Grandma and Grandpa’s. I love watching the joy they have playing here—it is a very special place for them. That was particularly obvious this evening—I could see it in their eyes and faces and hear it in their voices. Love, joy, laughter—not even 95 degree weather can put a damper on that! It was a wonderful evening.
Being born in June, Delaney pretty much slept her first summer away. This year, it seems like she is making up for lost time. There is no question she chases after the big kids, but she also is very interested in everything going on around her, and wants to try all that she can. Something as simple as climbing up into the double lawn chair or enjoying an easy swing is enough to bring a twinkle to her eye and a smile to her face. That is one of the things that I love about Delaney’s age; after spending months observing the world around her, she is now ready to take the world on every way that she can. It is going to be a very exciting and fun summer for this girl!
Cole definitely has an interest in baseball, lately. I don’t know if it’s a playing interest or just a general interest, but it is definitely there. This evening, Cole had a great time playing a little baseball with Grandpa. Evenings like this, I wish I could just freeze time and enjoy it a little longer. Given the smiles on his face, I think Cole would agree with me!
I always want the kids to have the best teachers, regardless of what they are doing or how long they are doing it. And, the kids have run the gamut for classes, from swimming to soccer to music, just to name a few. Of all the teachers Franny has had, few compare to her gymnastics teacher, Chelsey. She is nurturing and patient, and always has encouraging words and smiles. She also always stops to say hello to Cole or to me, after class and when we are there for ballet. Franny’s class runs for 50 minutes, once a week. I see some teachers go through the motions, not realizing that small window they are spending with each child has an impact. Franny has really come out of her shell this last year, displaying increasing confidence with each passing week. Most of that has to do with her own character and maturity. But, a large part of it is also that she has wonderful teachers that encourage her and enable her to find that strength and confidence within herself. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Chelsey. She is getting married and moving to Boise and starting a new phase of her life. We are very excited for her and wish her the very best, but we will also miss her terribly. She is a very special person and I’m very thankful that she had over a year with Franny.
Two weeks ago, Cole was riding his bike in PJs and slippers while it was 95 degrees. Today, in the low 70s, and he’s riding in just a wet swimsuit. I guess that’s why we call him Crazy Cole.
Today was what every beautiful summer day should be. We had an easy morning—coloring, having a biggest ‘dinner party’ of all time. Both kids were in aprons—I wish I had a picture of that. There was multiple changings of clothes, and some sort of train game with the playroom chairs that I didn’t quite get the gist of. Then, we headed out to meet our friends at Jamison Fountain for a picnic and water fun. Then, we went to Ready, Paint, Fire and created some beautiful plates. After a little quiet time, we all made dinner together and then had fun in the water table until Rick got home—early! The picture shows a new game they made up—making special drinks with water and sidewalk chalk. Apparently, these are vanilla and pumpkin. Then, dinner together on the back deck, baths, and now a sleepover in Franny’s room. For me, that is a wonderful day—no pressure, nothing we had to do, and lots of fun with friends and family.
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Both Franny and Cole have been waiting with the utmost anticipation for soccer camp, which started today. They dressed up in their soccer clothes—for Franny that included shin guards, which she wore all day. She was thrilled when she learned they would all be walking to the school across the street for her camp. Cole, however, had his camp at their school, but he was completely happy with that. I was thrilled when the director sent me these pictures of Cole; it was one of those moments that I don’t get to see very often. Needless to say, they loved soccer camp, and are already talking about when they will have their second day! I love that Franny and Cole are so active and seem to have fun playing any kind of sport—they have been exposed to a lot of different activities and have never not enjoyed them. There is so much they can learn from the experience of playing sports as they get older. I am very curious if either of them will find that one sport that they love and can also excel at. All it will be a long time before I will be able to see that, I do suspect that at least one them will find an interest in a water sport. Just a feeling.
Enough time has past—approximately three weeks—that I think I can officially say that Delaney has finally become an all night sleeper. She has been going to sleep at 7:45 and sleeping through the night until 6:45. It may sound rather trivial, but after spending a full year getting up 2 to 3 times every night, it is truly a wonderful development!
Yesterday evening, we returned home after eight wonderful days in Bend and Sunriver, or Sunny Sunriver as the kids love to call it. All three kids had a really fun time, and it was really fun to watch them enjoy themselves so tremendously. For Franny, I think her favorites things were riding her bike and playing with her special friend, Megan. For Cole, I think it was jumping into the Sunriver pool over and over again. And, Delaney just wanted to be where the big kids were. I was a little worried about how the dynamics would be with six kids playing together, especially since Franny and Megan are such good friends. My concerns, however, were unwarranted. All the kids played together really wonderfully, and everyone had a lot of fun. The kids are already talking about our return trip as a family at the end of the summer. Until then, we are just going to enjoy our summer at home. Thankfully, as much as the kids love their vacations, the love being home most of all. And, I think that is a wonderful thing!
Our Drake Park pictures turned out a little better than last year, but we just didn’t get that magic shot that was the best of everyone. But, we did enjoy our tradition. It was hot today—in the low 90s—but the grass was cool in the shade and the concert in the park provided us with some fun music. That is, of course, the important part of our tradition—being in a place we enjoy and maintaining the effort. We will, however, try again for our picture when we return at the end of the summer. I am eternally optimistic that we will, by chance, get a great one!
I can think of an easier and simpler way of moving a scooter across the driveway, but I don’t dare question the logic of Cole. Whatever his reason was, however, he is keeping it to himself.
Every year I write about Cultus Lake, after we make our annual trip to this beautiful place. I love that the kids love it as much as I do. The memories we create there I hold very dear to my heart, since I have such special memories of my own visits there growing up. Today was a beautiful day, and the kids played in the water, had a picnic dinner, and had an incredible time. When we left, Cole looked at me with the most serious eyes and said Mama, I don’t want to leave! And, I couldn’t help but think Neither do I, Cole…Neither do I. Cole, of course, just wanted to swim some more and play in the sand and throw rocks. And, I just wanted to hold onto that special feeling just a little bit longer. Thankfully, seeing their smiling faces in pictures like this, evokes another kind of special feeling that I am blessed to enjoy every day.
Cole loves his hats. Yesterday, he picked out this one at the Sunriver stables, and it has only left his head for a handful of minutes ever since. Tonight, however, it is already starting to show some wear—it is losing it’s shape (sleeping in it will do that, you know), the star has come off, and it has cracked in a few places. I’m sure he will soon revert to his favorite John Deere hat, but in the meantime he is having fun with this one. And, it suits him well, I think!
We broke away as a family today and enjoyed a couple of mini adventures after Delaney’s naps. The first was spent at Fort Rock Park, where all three kids had a tremendous time. Delaney tried her very best to keep up with the big kids, and her favorite thing was clearly the merry-go-round. Fortunately, the park wasn’t very crowded, so she had quite a few opportunities to ride it at a fairly slow speed. In the afternoon, we went for a walk and the kids loaded up Delaney’s empty stroller with pinecones. It was a good down day; all the kids are having such a great time, but they were also starting to show signs of tiredness. They really needed a quieter day to rejuvenate for more adventures. And, our time here is passes quickly—it was good to take some time to just go slow, breathe deeply, and enjoy being together.
Rick and I have enjoyed going to Bend and Sunriver together for more than ten years, now. We enjoy it enough that we’ve spent several holidays and anniversaries, there. Since Franny was born, we have a much different experience when we go, but it is still a lot of fun, just in a different way. There are some things we don’t do—my favorite Broken Top Trail will have to wait until they are older—but there are still a number of things that we have continued to do since we started bringing the kids. One place we still always go is the Deschutes Public House. This year, we shared our vacation with good friends—something we do every other year. It is always a great time, and now that we both have three children, it is definitely a full house. When we went to dinner tonight, we requested a table for eleven. Amazingly, we only had to wait 30 minutes. But, the weather was beautiful and a walk around downtown Bend was a wonderful way to pass our time. I couldn’t help but thinking, however, how different things are, now. Although I must admit that I was briefly nostalgic of memories of simpler times, that thought was quickly replaced by thoughts of knowing that I wouldn’t have it any other way. And, that is a wonderful feeling.
Cole has been excited about going to Sunriver for weeks, looking forward to riding bikes, going to the pool, and having lots of fun. But, I don’t think even Cole expected to find tools! In the process of going to the garage to get his bike, Cole discovered this crescent wrench, that Rick had pulled out to fix his own bike. He held onto it for the duration of the morning, and even tried “fixing” his bike with it. What our vacation hold for us is hard to say, but if every day starts like this one, Cole will be very happy, that is for sure!
The kids love it whenever Grandma and Grandpa come over to hang out and play. Today, because of their visit, we had very special ice cream treats. Ice cream is not unusual in our house, but whipped cream, hot fudge, and maraschino cherries were a new twist on the kids’ favorite treat. Later, things got a little silly with the whipped cream, but sometimes silly is a good thing, too. But, above all else, Franny, Cole, and Delaney all had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa. I love seeing how much they adore them—a strength of relationship that can only be developed over time, with lots of unconditional love, and nurturing. Without that, this evening would not have happened. It was a simple evening, but for the kids, nothing could have beat it. I love it when the simplest things turn out to be the best things.
It’s been three months now that I stopped buying crackers. We were going through a huge carton of goldfish crackers nearly every week. It became my first step to improve the way we eat as a family. We weren’t eating poorly, but we really could do so much better. I never said anything about my boycott of goldfish and other crackers, but just tried to redirect them into better, more healthful snacks. Surprisingly, they haven’t even asked about them. I try to have a couple of good options available, that they will like. Most often, they like to make their own trail mix. Franny puts together a great mix of cranberries, golden raisins, almonds, cashews, and sunflowers seeds, while Cole is a basic man, preferring just regular raisins and cashews. Today, however, they chose mandarin oranges and pistachios for their snack. They really liked pulling open the shells. Cole had to work a little harder than Franny, but with some serious concentration, he did just fine. He liked showing me the ones that were “all tucked in”, as he put it. I must give them credit—they are adapting really well to all the incremental changes I have imposed on them. It gives me hope that they will someday actually start eating dinner!
Although we gave Cole a bike for his birthday, it has only been the last couple of weeks that he has started to really enjoy it and now prefers to ride it over his little car. It’s fun to see Cole and Franny ride their bikes up and down the driveway, and I am so happy that we have a long driveway where they can really ride and have a good time. I am looking forward to our first family bike ride during our upcoming trip to Sunriver. Delaney will be in the trailer this year, but we will all be on wheels, which will be first time in nearly two years. I can’t wait!
