10 little huckleberries and other great news

Great news first.... I was the lucky one to be in the Jewel Basin of the Swan Range of the Rocky Mountains on August 19. And I can report, in very Lewis like fashion, that 26 varieties of wildflowers inhabit the lush hillsides in this region.


Apparently the lack of sunshine and buckets of rain this little La Nina gal brought have not only dampened my spirits but those of the huckleberry in Montana.   On any other year, the berries would be so abundant that the bears would have handed us the buckets get at all those little shrubs loaded with fruit.  But this year I found 10.


Fortunately there were many other events during my yearly August pilgrimage to Montana (Ryan always has business to attend in Brazil in August) to redeem the huckleberries.


#1  My kids get some serious Grandpa/Grandma time

#2 Lots of swimming! Kate learned to swim this summer, all alone.  It's great.

 #3 Lots of time with Mom and Dad, for me

Of course, the fair.

Going backwards, this is what we've been doing....


Kate's, no fuss, all girl (plus 4 boys that she just had to have), all pink, fantastic four-year-old princess birthday party.  Talk about fun fully loaded with lots of sugar.

Cake compliments of Grammy, thank you Grammy!

We grew two kids a little and these two weeds alot!

Had Ryan's birthday, of course with breakfast in bed.  

Ryan's birthday ended with his favorite people doing his favorite thing: dinner at the park.  The kids played and played.  We had his favorite food: roast beef, boursin, red onion on sourdough sandwiches.  


Happy summer had by all.

Sleeping Kids

This psalm is in a little book of prayers for children that we own.  It is sort of naive and simplistic, but I like it.  (Maybe that's because I'm sort of naive and simplistic.)  

The year's at the spring,

And day's at the morn;

Morning's at seven;

The hill-side's dew-pearled;

The lark's on the wing;

The snail's on the thorn;

God's in his Heaven—

All's right with the world!

Although, if I were writing a utopia-themed psalm, there would definitely be a line in there somewhere about sleeping babies/kids. 

There is something radiant and pure about a slumbering child.  Maybe this sleep state is so healing because for many children the contrast between sleep and wake is a such a vibrant contrast (aka Kate) and brings a welcomed respite.  Maybe it's that the relaxed warmth of a sleeping child against my body reminds me of our sacred relationship.  I sense vividly how wholly vulnerable and dependent my little ones are on the caretakers they've been assigned, to shape and format their sense of the world.  This plan of parent/child is not random and I am blessed to be a participant.


I wish I were better at distilling the feelings mentioned above and storing them in my "serenity vault."   I could really use them at 4 pm when utopia is nowhere to be found and I am about 2 1/2 hours away from having a partner home to help with those little angels.  I could open up the vault, draw out the image of my dreaming children and remember who they are and what I am doing.  

Nona and Papa's House and, oh yeah, Disneyland

We were so lucky and took a trip, just our little clan, to California  to visit Ryan's grandparents and Disneyland.  I can tell which experience meant more to Kate, as whenever she is asked about her trip she says, "I visited Nona and Papa!"  When prompted, she of course loves to remember Disney, but I really think she loved Nona and Papa's home more.  Good to know.  But for a little girl in the height of all things Princess, Disney was pretty great timing.    

Ryan was so great to plan most of the trip and make sure everything went fairly smoothly.  Our flights were great, our hotel was amazing.  Nona and Papa were so accommodating to a young, rambunctious family.  We felt so blessed to stay with them and get to know them better.   Ryan even got to stand in at Nona's tennis group because one of the ladies was missing.  So he played doubles with three other ladies who were all 70+, that was fun to watch!   

Nona and Papa's backyard, complete with sunshine.  This was the afternoon we arrived in California, and those rays felt just fine.

 Nona and Papa live in Westlake Village, right by Thousand Oaks, CA.  Their home sits on a man-made lake and almost every home has  a little party boat docked out front for pleasure rides around the lake. This was a great activity for our family, Kate and Rob even got to drive!  The surroundings are beautiful there!

 Robby loved Nona.  He pronounced her name Nana.  Robby also wanted Papa to go everywhere with us.  He always asked for and looked for Papa. 

 This is Nona's favorite Oak tree in their neighborhood.  It's gigantic and gorgeous.  

 The "girls" walking.  Nona, aka Evelyn Muller, was born in 1925 but you would never guess it.  She swims and plays tennis every week (and looks better in her tennis skirt than most 25 year olds) and can actually keep up with Kate, enough said.
  

Paradise Cove in Malibu.  Simply beautiful! We had trouble calling it a beach, as our Oregonian definition always includes winter clothing and not a spot of sun. 
  

I wish I had better pictures of Disney, we were on the go so much it was tough to get good shots!  But we had a blast.  


We arrived at 8:15 am, and left at 9:15 pm.  Everyone was asleep before we left, and that almost includes Ryan and I.  


We ate in New Orleans, had gumbo, jambalaya, mint juleps and beignets.  We saw a parade, went to the Tiki Room, Jungle Safari, and a million other things.  My favorite ride was Peter Pan.  Robby's favorite was Autopia, except he was just barely too small so he got to watch his favorite ride.  Kate's was probably the teacups because she got to steer! Ryan's was the chair he got to sit in with the kids while they napped in the afternoon and I explored on my own.  I haven't been to Disneyland since I was three, so this was basically my first run, and I loved it!  

The Dumbo ride is one of two memories I have of my first time as Disneyland.  Robby loved it and loved pushing the lever up and down!  I got in trouble this time for using my camera on the ride, oops.  

Our little princess at the castle.  

Ryan was in is eight-year-old idea of heaven when we watched a Jedi-training camp for 4-12 year olds which included dueling Darth Vader and that other red-faced guy (my apologies to Ryan for my Star Wars ignorance).  

All of Kates wildest dreams came true when she met and mingled with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.  Kate said she looked very beautiful.  She had planned to say, to Rapunzel, that she was glad she escaped from Mother Gothel, but the intensity of the moment overcame her and she forgot.  Still, it was one amazing experience for a little girl who begs to play "Rapunzel" every waking moment.  

 

You can see Robby's favorite guy, besides Daddy, in the background, Buzz Lightyear.

WE didn't start the fire .... it was just me

There are some moments that are so horrifying and outcomes so indefinite it only seems appropriate that they be perceived to be occurring in slow motion, because you couldn't possibly take it in at real time speed.  Car wrecks, kids falling off the play structures, and of course, fires in your kitchen. When I (with baby on hip) discovered smoke billowing out into the living room and saw the three-foot flame licking the hood above the stove, it all felt horrendously slow, the moment couldn't be over quickly enough.

I hesitate to share this experience because it was very scary and happened to be all my fault, very embarrassing,  and in a house that I don't own.  I feel I can share because all is out in the open with the owners and I can quite happily say most of the damages are totally repaired to their original state or better thanks to a very kind and supportive husband who never once made me feel any worse about my mistake.

A quick summary, I put oil in the pan to fry up tortillas for migas (maybe not relevant for a quick summary, but food's always important even if not relevant.  Have you every tried migas?  Yum.  But not worth lighting your kitchen on fire.)  I turned on the stove.  At the moment I turned the knob, Robby woke up crying in his bedroom.  The fact that I had turned on the stove didn't register in my brain as I was then thinking about Robby, so I went back to calm him and I was having a great time playing with him in his room when I suddenly heard our fire alarm and I knew immediately I was in trouble.  Unattended heating oil ignited into an opulent 3-foot flame in my kitchen. As soon as I saw the flame I doubled back and put robby in his crib, shut the door and then proceeded to handle that fire while Robby returned to crying.  I put on a oven mitt, picked up the skillet and took it outside. At this point I imagine my neighbors were quite concerned at the sight of me wielding a burning skillet.  But then, miraculously, the flame surrendered to my fire extinguishing prowess and went out.  All I did was walk outside and it retired.

As I returned to the kitchen and assessed the damage, I was overcome.  The cupboards surrounding the stove were black as night, the ceiling was the same.  The hood was almost unrecognizable and the control panel for the oven totally warped.  After scrubbing off most of the soot from the cupboard fronts, back splash/tile area, and counters, it wasn't nearly as dismal a situation as I originally thought.

We learned oodles about home repair through this process.  We got to:

1. Repaint ceilings/walls in the kitchen and entry way.
2. Remove the old hood and install a new one
3. Remove the old stove and oven, install a new one
4.  Clean alot!

Here are some before, during, and after shots

 Before

After 

 Before


NO "after" shot on this one, as when I went take one, my camera broke.  I didn't light it on fire, it just broke.  You'll just have to trust that it looks way better.

During

These things are apart of me

Kate and I drew a lucky card when it comes to people who love us.  While the Morgan girls choo-chooed North to Montana for a few days to see Gramma DeAnn and Grampa Pat - many helpers made the trip possible.  Among them are: Ryan, who volunteered (see also: agreed to) stay with Robby in Oregon. Grammy, who also tended Robby for two days.  Maile who, again,  tended Robby (on his roughest day).  Many thanks to all, I wish I could have shared an ice cream soda at Norm's and built a snow man with all of you. 

Here's some of what we did: 

Norms News, a good old-fashioned soda fountain. and a superb place to celebrate anything.  Birthdays, arrivals, departures, anniversaries, loose teeth, train rides, anything!

Think bookstore meets candy shop meets soda fountain, meets high school reunion and you've got Norms.  Of course I saw one of my high school teachers there.  It was great.

There's a fantastic mural on the brick wall depicting norms news through the years.  The mural was behind us, and a big mirror was in front of us.

I got a ice cream sundae with fudge and nuts and whipped cream and a cherry.  Yum.

Kate got bubble gum ice cream.  Yuck.

 Plenty of sledding. Grampa set the world record for distance when he carved a track about 1/4 mile long.  I know I exaggerate sometimes, this is not an exaggeration.  It was a amazing.  Even the deer were amazed.  This is an exaggeration.  They had to keep running to avoid freezing to death.

And a snow man/ UFO, minus the flying bit.  His name was frosty he was lovely until his nose fell off the next day.

A word on parents, addressed to my parents:

Some of you may have heard the term, "eternal round."  I think this phrase and the word parenting should be listed as synonyms.  Life is often one great big circle of loops, peaks and valleys; parenting included.  My parents may have projected, like me, that after their youngest moved out they would shout, "finito!"  Or maybe in their case, as English-speaking Americans, "done!"  Not so.  As the youngest, I thank you for your continued dedication to us, your kids.  As a remote child you continuously call, you mail, you transfer funds, you send your love, and you pray fervently.  As a visiting child you bought be breakfast.  You helped pay for my train fare.  You purchased new mascara for me when I forgot mine.  You called the doctor for me when I needed a prescription.  You chased down a new prescription for me after a fiasco with the original.  You let me borrow your book I hadn't finished when I left.  Even after all you did, you continued to urge me to disclose what else I needed and comfort me as my still child-like tears spilled over the distress of growing up.  Ryan's parents, neither of you, and no one I know is perfect.  Thankfully we have a big round life housing examples like you to soften the nudging elbows of mistakes and misdeeds. I love you both.

Sayonara Goldilocks

Robby's little pony mane crossed the river styx.  Instead of continuing the internal battle to put it in a ponytail, I removed the temptation. With my scissors.  Bye, bye little hair.  Bye to that little part of babyhood.  Sad.

 Before

 During

After

Looking at these pictures now, I realized two things:

1. I'm not very good at cutting hair.  Despite all the years of playing "hair."

2.  I need a hair cut.