Vacation (part 2)

Still stuck on the last vacation and really need to wrap it up so I can post about all the other fun stuff we have been doing.

Last I wrote we were taking off to Alabama. We made that "little" side trip to see one of our nieces graduate from high school. I am so glad that we made it! It was great for Ben and Kiera to see family that they don't get to see to often. We saw "Alabama big cousins" as Ben has labeled my sister-in-laws girls, Auntie Kim and Grandma and Grandpa! It is a wonderful thing to have great in-laws.

The graduation itself was tough for Ben who doesn't like the clapping and cheering and tough for Kiera who can't sit in a chair for 15 minutes let alone a couple of hours, but totally worth it. We were able to let the kids run around in an outer area and then come back in for the actual walk. Ben was so excited that it was his cousin that he was watching that he gave up being mad about the air horns.

A funny thing happened to me while we were there though. I felt really old. I joke about it now and then but this really drove it home. It is not just that time has passed. It was watching all of the kids with there bright faces, excited about jumping into the next stage of there lives. Can you imagine? To have that feeling again. The feeling that your whole life is before you. That your choices will determining your path. That your future is bright with shining adventures yet unknown. It made me feel old, and a bit sad that those feelings have changed for me. I am no longer lulled by the phrase "everything will be fine". I am at a place in my life that that is OK though. Fine means something different for me now. Maybe that is what I long for. An innocence to loss and pain.

It was easy for me to put the thoughts aside and catch some of the contagious excitement. That and a visit to a Chocolate Bar and all was well for me : ) I guess that is something else gained with age, quick recovery.

Love to you Alabama girls!

OH MY GOODNESS!

I have gained 13.5 pounds since my last Weight Watchers meeting!

This is my attempt to put that number glaringly in my face so that I will do something about it. It has been fun eating without thought to the consequences but for goodness sake!

My clothes don't fit!

My bum is out of control!

Something must be done!

So...

Goodbye whole bags of popcorn...

Goodbye Skittles any old time...

Goodbye bacon and smokies when ever the kids have them...

Goodbye as much dressing as "accidentally" comes out of the bottle...

Goodbye white chocolate mocca's...

Goodbye full fat chips and dip...

Goodbye bowls of nuts...

Goodbye achy knees...

Goodbye embarrassment...

Goodbye fat pants!

Hello paying attention...

Hello accountability...

Hello motivation...

Hello positive self image...

Hello self esteem...

Hello energy...

Hello healthy me!

Who's with me?

Shall we get healthy?

It's worth it!

I'm starting right now!

uhhch...

OK, I'm not one of those people who thinks the day is doomed by one bad moment. I have two kids! Mornings are full of one bad moment. But when I went to wrap my hair in a towel after my shower, and was slapped in the back with what was obviously a towel soaked in toilet water (note to self-step back a bit further from the potty when flipping hair over to do the towel wrap) I had an eerie feeling that we may want to stay home today. The biggest reason being that I am now wearing what I hope is clean water but may be Kiera pee on my momentarily clean back. I was luck to get one shower today. You think I'm gonna get two?!?

Vacation

I seem to have an issue with vacation. I come back recharged and refocused but then never post about out trips. It's funny because when the cool things are happening I think "I have to post about this" but by the time I get back into the grove, life takes over and the time to post slips away.

(On a side note-can you believe this! I swear, the boy was 90% more stable being chased by waves than I have ever seen. Fantastic!)

Any way-I'm hoping to get bits and pieces out 'cause there were some great bits and pieces on this last one. I have to get moving before we go away again. So...

We were spending our last few hours on the beach. Our bags were in the car, we were checked out of the hotel and we were grasping at our last minutes of freedom before getting back into the car for the 11 hour (turned out to be 13 hour +) trip to Alabama. Ben was walking, yes walking (OK tipping, stumbling and staggering but still upright!) through the sand toward big mounds of sand that had been pushed up around the board walk. From just down the beach I heard a mom say to her two boys "There's a boy who might want to play. Why don't you see if he wants to play on the hill. He might want to penguin slide with you." Sure enough there went her boys, running up to see if Ben wanted to play on the hill with them. When Ben didn't answer very quickly, they waited.

There are so many amazing, and sadly, extrordinary things wrapped up in those two actions. First, she saw him walking. It is very obvious that Ben walks differently and she not only didn't shy away she actually moved herself into Ben's world. Then she encouraged her children to move in too. And she came up with something that ALL of them could do together. To top it off, the boys waited. They waited and wouldn't you know it, Ben answered. The boy who has so much trouble engaging, was given a chance to speak, and did.

I can't tell you how amazing this experience was for all of us. Well maybe it was just fun for Kiera but it was amazing for Ben, Dave and me. At one point the older of the two boy's came to ask why Ben didn't talk as fast as he did. So I told him, he said "OK" and went back to play. The absolute best part of the day, and to be honest one of the best moments I have ever had, was when the same little guy (we'll call him Big M) called to Ben, "Come on Ben, lets go over here." Ben said "I'm coming!" Big M said "Come on Ben, hurry. (little pause) Can't you run Ben?" to which my little hero answered "I can run Big M, see!" and proceeded to run across the sand to play with a friend.

Our four kids played for about two hours before it was time to go. And about half an hour before we left we learned that they have a cottage 40 minutes from where we live. No kidding. So guess what we did today... we played with two new little friends we met in Virginia Beach, in Michigan.

Sigh...

As I watch Kiera play in the back yard with two little friends my mind is pulled inside where Ben is sleeping. He is so tired that he is sleeping through carefree playtime on this beautiful evening. My heart breaks a little, that he doesn't know this level of carefree. It breaks a little more for me to know what he is missing. Even if he doesn't.

What's For Dinner

I was putting together one of those breakfast-for-dinner dinners and Ben was sing-songing in the background. After listening a bit closer I realized that he was saying "where is the R, I need a letter R..." and so on. He quietly let me know that there is no R then moved on. When I finished at the stove I turned to find this on the fridge:

He made his own french toast.

Guess I better find the letter R.

Whoa! Slow Down!

Ben lost his first tooth!

The dentist noticed the two bottom teeth were a bit loose at the last appointment (My teeth are going to fall out? It's OK buddy they're supposed to. You'll get grown-up teeth to take there place.) but so soon? When the little bugger got really loose we gave him the pep talk "If it comes out spit it out, try not the swallow it." but wouldn't you know it, it came out in his sleep. He swallowed it. Being that it is really hard for him to spit anything out, we were prepared for it and had already told Ben that he could write the Tooth Fairy (Tooth Fairy? What Tooth Fairy? You're tricking me mama. No, really Ben, she comes and leaves you some money when you put your tooth under your pillow.) a note. He woke up, and was just moving into the living room when he started spitting like crazy. So I asked what he was doing since that is not usually how he begins the day and he told me "I have grown-up teeth mama." After a few questions we established that he had just noticed that it was gone so started spitting just in case it was in his mouth somewhere. No such luck. So a note was left and sure enough Ben got a shiny dollar coin from the mysterious but now very cool Tooth Fairy.