Much to Say?

I haven't had much to say. Or maybe I've had a lot to say and no time to say it. Maybe I've just felt like being quiet this winter. I guess it all just depends on the day.
Today? I have a few words.

The days have been filled with work at Hazel's school. I almost typed in "the kids school" but had to remind myself that August is now in MIDDLE SCHOOL! So, yes, working at Hazel's school almost everyday. I'm pretty tired, but it's been good for me to be busy. The play for her school is in full swing right now as well. Hazel is an Oompa Loompa along with many other 3rd graders. We have 95 students who are involved in our play this year. Yup. 95. The credit all goes to Heather Hawkins. She's doing such an amazing job with these kids. There are afternoons when I sit in my little corner doing paperwork and emailing all the families and I look up and think that by this time in the day I would have no patience for all these kids. And even on days when I know that she is tired and wishes she was taking a nap on her couch, that woman is directing these kids like it's the only thing she's got going on.
She's pretty amazing.
In reality? She's acting in a show at ArtsWest, directing our elementary school play AND directing a middle school play. Oh, and she's the mother of 2. Really inspiring.
Hmmm, didn't really start out thinking I was going to sing the praises of Heather, but, there you have it.
Hazel's play is April 8 and 9. Let me know if you want to go. I'm filling out the ticket order this weekend.

In other news? August is a preteen. Annnnddd, that's not so fun.
Recent quotes include, "I don't want to touch anything that belongs to YOU!" and well, do I really have to give you anymore? Meh, this too shall pass.

Who's That Girl?

Hazel donated her long curls to Locks of Love. We've been talking about doing this for a while now and she's finally reached the required 10 inches of ponytail.
I was very prepared for some tears but there were none. My girl was a trooper and was so excited the whole time.
She couldn't wait to show Aunt Kat and then rush home to show her neighbor friends. At this point Trey hasn't even seen it...Hazel wanted to make him wait until he came home...no camera photos, nothing.
It's a super cute, chunky cut. Hazel thinks it looks like the hair on the Ramona's Aunt in the recent movie Ramona and Beezus. She couldn't stop smiling.

It's the Small Things

This video doesn't seem like much but it's pretty special. You see, August and Hazel have a pretty typical sibling relationship. They fight, they tease, they bug, they yell and generally get on each others nerves. But today we were walking through the mall before dinner, I was holding Hazel's hand when I noticed that August was holding her hand too.
I didn't want to draw attention to it for fear that the hand holding session would come to an abrupt stop, so I pulled out the handy phone and tried to capture it.
I think by this point August was squeezing her hand a bit and she was actually asking him to stop, but before that? They were just walking through the mall holding hands. I loved every minute of it.

Photographs

I finally got around to getting pictures taken of the kids!
I would highly recommend our friend Monica Wilkinson if your family is in need of some updated pictures. Take a look around her website...holy COW! Looking at her newborn pictures makes me want to have one just so she can snap some shots!

My LIttle Note Collection

Every once in a while I'll go to bed and as I'm moving my pillows around I find a note. Sometimes the note has words, sometimes it has pictures, but all the time it is amazing!
When I hear the crinkle of paper I get as excited as a kid who just lost their first tooth. I'm not even kidding!
Hazel's notes have often come at the end of a rather rough day. She has an amazing sense for when I could use a little pick-me-up. And her notes are just the thing.
This last one says:
"I love my momy. I hog and kiss her evrey day. I miss her when I'm at shcool and when she is away. When I am mad at her I still love her. When she is sick or srest (stressed) I triy to help. I don't caer if I donet hav a berth day or get eny toys I still love her."

I mean come on! She's killing me lately!

Tired 6th Grader

I think August is feeling the effect of having to wake up at 7:00 each morning. He has his own alarm, which really has saved our relationship, and takes a shower every day. Poor kid has somehow received his father's ability to take super long showers and has to set an additional alarm in the bathroom so he knows when his 10 minutes are up.

This morning I couldn't help but notice that he was dragging a bit more than usual. Last night we picked Trey up from the airport and didn't get home until 10:00pm. I think the kids now understand why we keep their bedtime between 8 and 9.

Speaking of Trey, he spend the weekend in LA so he could see a few shows and came home so sick! He's got that body ache and headache and he just wants to sleep. We're keeping him away from everybody so that it doesn't make it's way through the family.

The kids and I all got our flu shots the other day...well, I got my flu shot and the kids cried and generally threw a fit until the nurse happily suggested that they get the nasal mist. August has always had a hard time with shots, but Hazel? She's been so brave every time...except this time.
But I'm hoping having had the immunizations, we'll be set for a healthy winter.

International Fountain

After looking around for free things to do in and around Seattle I re-found the International Fountain at the Seattle Center. We've walked by it in the past but we've never spent much time there. I invited our wonderful backyard neighbors and we all loaded into their 3rd row vehicle (man I can't wait to get one!) and headed down town for the afternoon.
Between the two families the kids had a great time. We packed snacks and let them graze as they saw fit while Monica and I sat and talked in the sun.
One of the many benefits of doing things with Monica is that she's a photographer. We're not talking a mom with a camera kind of photographer, we're talking a woman who can take great pictures. Check out her website if you're looking for some really nice photos. She snapped some shots of our little outing today as well:
After spending the afternoon together, the girls went to our other neighbor's house to check on their most recent project. Today the guy was making a salad bowl. Yup. They needed a salad bowl so he went out in the backyard and made one. No joke. These are the same neighbors who have chickens. They are selling 2 of their chickens along with a really nice chicken coop if you're in the market...just a thought.
I believe this is one of the chickens they are selling.
After all the running around August and Emma went with our youth group to hang out in Lake Washington till 10:00. They came home super tired.
And now? I'm sitting on the couch with a cool breeze blowing through our screen door while I watch Top Chef and write this blog. All is quiet in the Many house.
Tomorrow? We are going to see Shakespeare in the park in Lynnwood. But that's not till the evening. Think we'll take it easy during the day.
I've got to say- I really love living where we do right now. Having the freedom for the kids to be able to run from one house the other has been so wonderful. It reminds me of when we were young and would spend the whole day outside riding bikes and rollerskating with all the kids in our neighborhood.

A Birthday to Remember

Not sure how this party will be topped! Our friend Jonah was celebrating his 10th and we were on the invite list. How luck are we?
Here's a sneak peak at what we got to do:
Yup! Kangaroos! At the party! Hopping around the yard! And there was a baby Wallaby! It was the softest thing I've ever felt in my whole life.
The kids always love visiting Jonah and we look forward to his birthday parties every year but honestly? Not sure how they are gonna top this one!
I've posted all the pictures to my gallery...feel free to check them out.

Hootenanny 2010

Wake Up by The Arcade Fire
Featuring
Uncle Justin on Bass
August on Guitar
Trey on Drums
Hazel Lead Vocals
Jen Backup Vocals

Art

Hazel came home with this delicate piece of art she created at school:


I've had it on my fireplace mantle ever since.

LIttle Bit of This

August. Man! He's 11 and already I feel like he's on the roller coaster of change.
We just finished up our mid-winter break...thank the Lord! We had no plans so when Hazel came down with a terrible case of strep and August threw up we didn't have to cancel anything!! We also got to enjoy the sun most every day of the break. It was lovely. The house was warm, the dogs were creeping along the floor following the sun patches, just lovely.

August is in 5th grade and in 5th grade comes many things. B.O.? Yup, hit that milestone. Crushes? Well, he won't admit to any but there are plenty of girls who are crushing on him. Flash? What's Flash you ask? Well, it's the health curriculum that our school district teaches the 5th and 6th graders. And August starts his lessons this week. He's been pretty chatty about it, wondering what they'll tell the class and if it will be embarrassing. I've reassured him that the paperwork we've received from the school makes it sound very tame. It's more about what is going on in their bodies than anything else. And they separate the boys from the girls...I think he's glad about that but still feels pretty anxious.
In an effort to lighten his mood about it all we've been singing Flash by Queen and we found the above plaque while we were at the park this past weekend. It's just always on his mind right now.

With 5th grade also comes the middle school tours. Things have changed in our district so that now there is only one school your address can go to. Ours happens to be the largest middle school in the STATE! It's bigger than my high school. I thought I'd be freaked out when Trey and I went on the adult tour but I really had no feelings one way or the other. A few days later we toured the building during school hours with August. His eyes were wide the whole time. The programs this school has are pretty impressive. I think he felt inspired as we listened to the student band play...and it actually sounded like music!!
The above pictures are of the auditorium. How cool is that? Totally art deco. My sister-in-law would love it!

I mentioned earlier that we've been enjoying a huge sunny streak. It's been glorious. The dog parks have been full to the brim with happy dogs and their owners. After church on Sunday we loaded up the car and spent a good part of the afternoon at one of the bigger off leash parks and then went on a little adventure. This particular park has a huge off leash area that is surrounded by water on one side and an even bigger general park on the other. Hazel and I have spent many hours walking this park while we waited for August to finish up soccer practices and games. We had a wonderful Sunday and I think we were all ready to be healthy and back to our regular routine of going to school and play practice.

Rainy Day Girl

Hazel just posted a blog about her experience at Urgent Care check it out:

itshardbeingakid.blogspot.com

Hazel

Hazel is sick.
She complained about a sore throat once or twice on Saturday but she seemed fine. No fever, same energy level. We even met up with friends to see the new Percy Jackson movie and eat burgers. Sunday we ventured out to see Annie at the Paramount. I won't lie, she was pretty sick on Sunday but we gave her some children's Tylenol and she was OK to go tot he show.
Sunday night was rough. She woke up several times crying that her uvula hurt, yes, her uvula. At 6am I called the nurse helpline because she was drooling and unable to swallow. We've called the helpline before and every other time they've talked me down and suggested that we wait until her doctor can fit her in to see her. This morning they wasted no time. The woman on the other line asked if there were 2 adults in the house, she asked if we could both go to urgent care just in case Hazel stops breathing!! And if there was only one adult that I should call an ambulance.
August popped up as soon as I entered his room, threw on some clothes and was at the door. The whole family took Hazel to urgent care.
I was impressed how quickly they took care of Hazel. Once I said she couldn't breath and they saw her drooling they ushered her into a room.
Poor girl went through some throat numbing solution that really was a good idea but didn't work so they put an IV in her and gave her all the medicine that way.
In the end they said it was a terrible case of strep. She's had strep before but it's never been this bad. They gave her a steroid to make the swelling in her throat go down, a pain reliever to help her feel more comfortable (and help her sleep) and more antibiotics than I knew you could give a person.
We came home 2 hours later to a sleepwalking little girl. She slept for 3.5 hours and woke up asking for some food. Right now she's downstairs watching a movie with August.
And August? He's being so sweet to her. He even bought her a little bear that she's been carrying around for the last few days. And? He's delivered some of her Girl Scout Cookies for her...he's such a good big brother.

On My Honor

Hazel went from a Daisy to a Brownie today...anybody want some cookies?

Christmas 2009

A few weeks ago Hazel mentioned that she really likes one of the traditions Trey's mom has of putting baby Jesus out on Christmas eve. We've never had a nativity set and we started talking about how we should be on the look out for a nice little set for our home.
Days passed and Hazel was invited to go to a birthday party for a girl friend from school. They went to this place called Paint the Town. Hazel has been wanting to go this place for so long and we just haven't had the time or the inclination to go. Needless to say, she was ecstatic to spend a few hours with her friends creating something of her own.
August and I rushed over to the little shop to pick our happy girl up and found that she spent her time painting a nativity scene.
Folks, this place is full of puppies, plates, cups, cute little animals, you name it...but Hazel picked a nativity scene.
I was very touched that she wanted to do something so meaningful for our family in the midst of a million cute things she could have chosen.

This was our first year with the nativity set and Hazel was the first child to put baby Jesus out on Christmas eve night. The other day we were driving in the car and out of the blue August reminded her that next year it's his turn.

Snap Shot

We've seen some cold this winter. No snow, but lots and lots of cold. Hazel woke me up this morning with a sense of awe in her voice, "Mama, mama! I want to show you something! You won't believe it!! Hurry!"
I jumped out of bed and threw on the clothes closest to me. Both Hazel and August were standing outside my door waiting. "What's going on?", I asked.
"It's snowing...just barely...but it's SNOWING!", shouted Hazel.
August and I looked at each other with a little bit of disbelief. I was contented to play along, but August is the older brother, and that would have taken too much out of him, so he said, "I looked out the front window and I didn't see anything...I think you're seeing things."
Hazel, the drama queen, looked out the front window and sure enough...no snow flakes...her body was pouting before she hit the couch. Knees up, head down, arms wrapped around her legs.
I gave August "the look" and we went to the kitchen to look out the windows. I called Hazel over to ask if these were the windows she was looking through when she saw the snow. "harmpf, yes...but you won't see any...I SAID it was just BARELY snowing!"
August and I sat at our kitchen table. While I was looking out at the frozen persimmon's hanging from their brittle branches I saw one solitary flake.
"Hazel! I saw one!", I shouted.
Hazel unfolded herself and with a disbelieving smile, slowly approached the window.
August, who was looking out the window facing the bare apple tree now suddenly shouted that he saw one too. Hazel was right. It was barely snowing.
The three of us sat, counting the few flakes, enjoying the cold from our warm kitchen where Trey was fixing eggs for breakfast.

When Christmas Ninjas Attack

Hazel had a great time decorating the Christmas Tree this year.
We were taking turns putting ornaments up when she grabbed something sparkly from the big red box and ran to her room. A few moments later the Christmas Ninja appeared and, arms flailing, began to embellish the tree with such style and force only Santa could keep up with her.
Let's hope the New Year's Ninja is equally as energetic when it comes time to put all the Christmas items back in their storage container on January 2nd.

Birthday

Happy Birthday Hazel!
Your dad made cookies for you to bring to school today.
We are going to a Mexican Restaurant with the families you've invited- Aunt Kat, Uncle Justin, The Bazan Family and Jonah.
You've been talking on the phone non-stop with all your grandparents who love you so much.
I can't wait to see what year 8 brings you.
You are loved.

Hazel Many

Hazel is celebrating her birthday with some girlfriends today after school. I'm walking them all home with Penny. Tank, who loves jumping up on folks is spending the day at work with Trey. The girls will love walking with pretty Penny...she's so petite and is always happy to be with people...she'll make the journey home seem shorter than it is.

I did a whole lotta running around this morning. Picked up a dozen balloons, cookies and a few more party favors for her friends. Hazel decided on a home party (woo-hoo!) this year and wanted to watch the new Tinker Bell movie (thank you Netflix!), eat pizza, do some shrinky-dinks and share some cookies from Specialty Bakery. Done and done.

On the way to school this morning (we drove so that we could enjoy a nice pre-birthday breakfast) this song was playing on the radio...now I am not a fan of Ray La Montagne , but the chorus was a pretty good way to start Hazel's pre-birthday. She has made my life so much better. I love holding that girl's hand.
I love dancing around the living room with her. Her voice on the phone is one of the best sounds I can think of. But I should stop- it's not even her birthday yet...we'll save the real mushy stuff for the 17th.

Halloween Night

It's Halloween night and the kids are out with Trey trick or treating. I think they were planning on hitting a few neighborhood houses before they drove over to a friend's house to hit their area. I'm holding down the fort for all the trick or treating that will come to our door.

August was a mime again tonight...he's taking his role pretty seriously and has worked out an act for saying "trick or treat"...we'll see how long that lasts.



Hazel was a day of the dead skeleton last night but has decided to just be a plain old skeleton tonight.

I'm the bearded lady...or Trey's beard...you decide.
And Trey, who has been establishing a rather nice assortment of costumes through the years, is a Sumo Wrestler this year.