Crazy Moments

I was sitting with my in-laws the other day having a nice conversation about this and that when I happened to look out their window into the backyard. I laughed to myself about the general chaos that a puppy can create when set loose on the most unlikely of targets. Dillon's brother Derrick keeps his 100 pound Mastiff puppy back there. This particular puppy, Cuma, is extremely efficient in this adolescent destruction. I couldn't identify most of the things he had descended upon. Just little bits of garbage spaced evenly throughout the yard, like a carefully peppered steak. Ah, puppies. Then I realized, there he was, right in front of the window, he had another victim in his grasp. A white container of some sort? "What is that he's got?" I asked.

"Oh, just some statue," Dillon's Dad replied. I looked closer. Sure enough, Cuma had a hold of a statue of Christ. (Dillon's parents are Catholic and so you are much more likely to find statues of different saints and holy people in their home and yard then the typical Christian household.)

"Oh, that's just wrong," I said, but just sat there and watched. Pretty soon he is getting really excited. Now Cuma is a male dog. Need I say more?

"That's it," I said, getting up, "there has to be a limit." Some things just have to remain sacred. So I had a mission, rescue Christ from the loving embrace of a huge ball of pure muscle. I headed outside and quickly realized easier said than done. This particular bread of Mastiff quite dominate and I couldn't get more than a fingertip on the figure. I had this huge pushy, wiggly, slobbery, jumping, shoving mass to deal with. And that was HIS toy, as far as he was concerned. After a few minutes of playing nice and increasingly beginning to fear for my life I finally got down to business and started yelling at the dog. He backed off a little and I grabbed hold of the plastic statue. Hollow and plastic, I lifted it easily into the air. But then the game was really on for Cuma. As soon as I picked it up he was on me. I had to survive right? Assert my dominance? I started hitting him with that statue for all I was worth. Wham! Smack! Take that, and that! I'll teach you to desecrate sacred things! Pow! Teach you to fear the Lord! Kapow! He was over in his belly in no time. I don't think I could hurt that dog in a million years. He admitted defeat with a look in his eye like, "geez, i was just playin!"

My heroic venture ended with Cuma happily chewing on some other toy and me in a fluster, half believing the dog had nearly eaten me, grasping a faded old figure of Joseph, not Jesus, from an old yard display of the nativity. Ah, the crazy moments of life.

Almost Ready

The coop just needs some paint and a door latch and the chickens can move in. At least they know where they are going to be living. It is still up in the air for us. Yes, we bought this house just over six months ago and have felt happy and at home since day one. Still, we may be moving to Portland to follow available work in Dillon's company. We are heading down for a visit this weekend. Dillon will have his final interview and we will check out the area. Nothing is set in stone yet. There are a couple of options that would allow us to stay here in Puyallup, close to family, and we could keep the chickens. Otherwise, Optimus Prime and Rock may be needing a new home. Such a bummer after all of Dillon's hard work. Doesn't the coop look great?

We've Got Chicks!

That's right folks. We are the happy owners of six adorable chicks as of yesterday afternoon. Now, who doesn't like a fluffy little chick, right? But honestly, a few minutes at the petting zoo and we are all ready to move on. However, knowing these little ladies are mine and that in a few sort months I will be eating the freshest of fresh eggs? Well, that makes them the most awesome, smartest, cutest little chicks I have ever seen. I am quite the determined urban farmer these days.

Pictured above are Optimus Prime, Eli, and Bumblebee. Despite the fact that these bits of fluff are guaranteed to be hens and not roosters, we do have two little boys doing the naming. Our third and fourth chicks are Wolverine and Rock. We have yet to decide on the last two. Any suggestions?

Dillon has been working hard on the chicken coop, in the dark and in the rain, most times. It is almost done and is a pretty fine bit of craftsmanship, if I may brag a little. I'll get some photos later. Thanks Dillon! (This is my mothers day gift from last year. I think he is covered for this year too, don't you?)

Fun With Party Hats

One of the great things about having kids around is that they don't know the rules or the script about how things are "supposed" to be. Isaac figured those party hats were more like a dinosaur costume. He wouldn't stop untill he was wearing them all.
This photo is from New Years Eve. We had our own little family party. All but the baby made it till midnight and it felt good ringing in the New Year together. Actually, even baby Eve got a quick new years kiss from us all at midnight. She looked about blearily and then went back to sleep.
Eli had a bit of a temper tantrum when I tried to make him go outside and look at the fireworks. "These fireworks are pretty and you WILL look at them and you WILL bang pots and pans and you WILL have fun even though it is FOUR HOURS past your bedtime." OK, so parents can be a little unreasonable sometimes. Ahhh, memories!

The Eugenio Family

This is a photo of our family on Dillon's side. It is such a wonderful group. Dillon's parents, who we call Lola and Papa, completely spoil us all. Can you believe that they take the boys almost once a week to spend the day with them and usually keep them overnight? And then when we come to get them, we eat a wonderful dinner. I have come to rely on that break from childcare and cooking. And of course the boys are showered with gifts and treats. Eli cannot leave Lola's house without a "goody bag." But most of all, they spend time with and love my kids. I think about the positive impact my grandparents have had on my life and I thank God that my children are likewise blessed. With Lola and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa Conway, Grandpa Burn and Grandma Carol, my kids are surrounded by love. This is why we moved back to Washington, so that we can enjoy the blessings of family.

Dillon also has four awesome brothers. Dowell is like a kid and baby magnet. I think he must have stumbled onto some kind of kid cologne, they just love him. Derrick is always up for a wrestling/tickle match. He is always ready to play and have fun. Drake is most famous for his cool gadgets. They boys can't get enough of his laughing and whistling ipod.

Of course we can't forget Rekha; I am so grateful for her. I love having her as a sister-in-law. She always has good tips for me and she always makes family a priority. She sets a great example. She and Drake have two boys. Alex is the oldest, at two and their baby Benjamin is only a couple of months old. I had the chance to hold him for an hour or so last week and he is the sweetest little chubby cheeked baby, even when he is cranky. His big brother Alex is a firecracker. He is independent and opinionated and he knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go for it. He is a lot of fun. Isaac and Alex are best buds these days, which is pretty impressive for two two-year-olds. They run around in circles, climb on the couches and make each other laugh and laugh.

Mimi took this photo for us (and added the cool border and text) at Eve's birthday party, which I will post more photos of later. Thank you Meem! And here is a photo of our family as an extra bonus.

Halloween Photos, Forever Keepsakes

We had five different Halloween events to attend this year. Our costumes went a long way. I did a lot of sewing but it was worth it for these photos alone.

Thanks again Mimi. Dillon says the shots with the boys and their guns are his favorite pictures ever taken of the them. We feel happy just looking at them.

What a Day (with a photo bonus)

We closed on our new house today. It is a strange feeling, a good feeling, but also a panicky one, for me. All that debt! Ahhh! Moving in will offset all of that. I can't wait. I can tell we are going to be very happy there and that is what makes owning a house feel so good. Crafting from a house, a home, traditions, values. What does our home purchase reflect about our values? A lot, I think. We have chosen a home with a yard made for exploring and rooms made for sharing. We will be close together when we are inside, with plenty of room to roam when we are outside. That just feel right.
( I am posting a few random photos from the other day but they have nothing to do with this post, by the way.)

I am excited to move into our new house but depressed thinking about moving our of my Mom's. I LOVE it here. I spent a couple decades trying to become independent of my parents. I've grown a little older, more sure of who I am. I don't have anything to prove anymore. As a result, I just bask in the comfortable feeling of being with my mom all day. She loves me, loves my kids, helps me in a million countless ways throughout the day. I have not been lonely once since I have lived here (full-time moms don't talk about it much but I think loneliness is one of the hardest things about being home with little ones.) As a result, I am less demanding on Dillon for him to immediately chip in when he walks through the door, nor do I have to unload on him, because my mom is a ready ear any time.

Not to mention the benefits for my little ones. I love sending the kids to play out back and never worrying once about someone snatching them away. I love that they help feed the chickens and pigs. I love that they have two extra people to hug and kiss at night. Thank you mom, thank you Dean for letting us into your home these short months.
Alas, I know that adult kids who hang around their parent's house aren't taking responsibility for their own lives. We need our own household. We need to rely upon each other more. I have to figure out a way to combat my own loneliness, laziness (there, I said it).

No, she is not crying a black tear, Isaac just got her with a marker a few minutes before. Ah well, it's part of the memory.

Yes, today was a big day. We signed on our house, but that is not all. A new cousin was born on Dillon's side. I can't wait to meet him. Congratulations on beautiful Benjamin. I'll post photos when I can. Also, my sweet sister Beth found out she is having her fourth girl! Such a sweet little family. Beth and Chris will do an awesome job with their girly bunch. Last, Mom's pigs were butchered today. An old friend came and cut up the meat right in the living room. Not life changing, but definitely memorable. My nephew Cameron took home an entire pig head as a souvenir, including the eyeballs. Whew, what a lot for one day huh?

I know that most of these photos are kinda somber. Eve is actually crying in hers. I could have posted one of her laughing but I don't want to forget any of her moods. I've never seen brown eyes that pierce like Isaac's do when he gives you that no quite glowering look. And Elijah. well I couldn't be more proud of that boy, the way he plays with and takes care of his bro and sis. I hope he knows that.

Pool Time!

What could I possibly say that would make these pictures better?

Someday he will thank me for taking this picture. Thank me... or maybe it's hate me, hmmm.

(I removed this photo because of all the rumors of sickos stealing bathtime photos off blogs and putting them on child porn sites. That just freaks me out.)

Tired Outlaw

Dress-up is so much more fun for boys. Any dad who reads that will probably cringe, especially Dillon, but hear me out. On any given day Eli and Isaac can choose to be knights, pirates, space men, builders, frogs, firemen, monkeys, and the latest addition to their wardrobe and prop collection: Cowboys. What do little the little girls dress up as? Princesses. Birthday Theme? Princesses. Halloween costume? Princesses. Yes, it's cute, very, very cute. But I think I will be encouraging the tom boy in little Eve. Thought I would throw this pic in, just for equal representation's sake. It ties in to my dress-up topic, though. That's Eli under the blue blanket, pretending he is a catapiller. Oh and i know, all of you with daughters are going to deny the princess domination, and yes I did exagerate. But really, not THAT much.

A Night Away

I dropped the kids off with relatives (thank-you Mom, John and Mimi!) Friday afternoon and met Dillon up is Seattle. It is a beautiful city when the sun is out. We stayed in a Hotel right on the waterfront just a half block form Pike Place market. Just walking through the city is fun enough for an afternoon. There are interesting shops around every corner and the people watching is quite splendid as well. We ate at the Rosebud which is a very romantic place with excellent food and service. It was the kind of place that serves smaller servings that look like works of art with bright colored sauces and unique vegetables. We loved it and it was affordable too! We saw Twilight Zone Live at Theater Schmeater which I highly recommend. (It's free to anyone under 18, by the way, though I wouldn't take anyone under 8). We visited Dillon's beautiful building which is almost done but completely empty of tenants. And just generally had a good time. There is a certain weightlessness to going about without the kids. Time with them is priceless but time away is, well i won't say it's freedom, because it sounds like having kids is bondage, which is NOT the case. Being without the kids allows for spontaneity, traveling light, moving around more easily, concentrating on one thing at a time, I'm sure most of you know what I mean. Anyway, we had a great time. it's so nice to have so many wonderful things to do right outside the door. Washington is a wonderful place.

**Sap Alert** (Kind of like a spoiler alert only this alerts you to the gushy goo about my husband that follows)

The reason for our little escapade was our Anniversary, which falls on Monday. We will have been married for seven years. I have to write a sentence or two about my love for my husband. I truly am his biggest fan. In my eyes, he has the perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses, hopes for the future and respect for the past. He is ambitious and works hard, but always keeps what's most important closest to his heart. Most of all, he loves me unconditionally, for who I am. Under our picture in our Senior yearbook it says, "the one I was meant to be with, if only for a little while." We put that there, knowing that we were too young to commit to anything more than a high school romance. Knowing that although our love was sincere and real, even at that young age, the timing is just as important as every other element in a relationship. I am so grateful that we grew closer together as we continued to grow up. Things haven't changed. The more time passes, the more intertwined we become, the more our love matures and deepens. I am so blessed and so grateful that our "little while" turned into eternity.

Zeus and a Lawn Chair

Another mix of humor and horror today.

I stood on my front lawn watching our greyhound Zeus doing 40mph down the street hauling our aluminium pink, green, and purple striped lawn chair behind him. And for a second, I just had to admire the comic beauty of the scene. A greyhound at full speed is something to see. Like watching destiny fulfilled, purpose accomplished, raison d'être in motion. The moment was tainted though, because I felt pretty certain I was never going to see him again.

Our greyhound, adopted from the track at 2 years old, was probably yanked from competition the first race he ran. He just isn't that into chasing things, especially not a fake bunny attached to a rail. But set a relentless, near weightless, swinging, scraping, lawn chair after him and boy, he could have been a winner!

When I had finally wrangled all three kids in the car Zeus was long gone. Eve was hollering because when I scooped her up I had already entered panic mode and the toy she was holding slammed into her face. She got no sympathy from me, though, I was imagining Zeus a mangled mess on the road. Eli was loudly pestering me to open his mini-bag of Doritos before I got him buckled. "Eli," I said, "this is kind of an emergency!" But that just got him going on about calling the firemen and bringing the fire trucks. I shushed him as only a stressed-out Mom can but of course I had to go into a detailed explanation of the kinds of things we can and can not call the firemen for, before he was satisfied. I suppose this may have been an important distraction from my excellent imagination coming up with an assortment of horrific ending to this escapade. Isaac, meanwhile, was a perfect angel. I think he must have been quite entertained, himself.

Well, I don't know if the Jehovah Witnesses can save souls but I do owe them the life of my dog. A car full of missionaries out spreading the Word warned me which way he went and then ended up tracking him down and bringing him in. It turns out, he ran out of gas in somebody's yard only a couple of streets away. He's got the endurance of a lap dog after all.

Needless to say I won't be tying Zeus up to a lawn chair ever again. Or maybe I'll just make it a heavier one...

Notice Zeus, sneaky dog that he is, always manages to get some body part onto the baby's blanket, even if it is just a nose and a toe. It's just so comfy!

Febrile seizure

I don't care how harmless a febrile seizure is, it has to be one of the scariest things for a parent to witness. It's indescribable the terror of seeing your little one phase out of reach mentally, twitch and groan and roll his eyes.

Our two-year-old, Isaac, had a fever-induced, or febrile seizure late Friday night. We prayed aloud desperately, called 911, and did everything we could to bring him back. Dillon had him in the bathtub but I had to leave the room to stand on the lawn waiting for emergency response people, I just couldn't stand seeing Isaac like that and so helpless to do anything. Things played out in slow motion. The firemen came and checked him out, gave us a few tips, and told us not to worry. They were right. After a near sleepless night of us watching over him, he awoke the next morning perfectly normal. He never did have any other symptoms.

For you parent out there, here are a few tips that the firemen gave me for when your child has a high fever and goes into convulsions (2-4% of children):

Motrin works more quickly than Tylenol so use that first and then alternate between Motrin and Tylenol every two hours.

If you start with Tylenol you can double the first dose.

Instead of immersing the kid in water, us a spray bottle and spray them down. It is the evaporation that cools them and immersion in a bathtub prevents that.

After they cool down and are wet, prevent them from shivering because that will cause their body heat to shoot back up again. Get a dry towel and hold them close to your body.

I am not a medical professional, so use these at your own risk and discretion. everybody has to use disclaimers to cover their patooties these days!

I felt like laughing... but mostly I felt like crying.

I prayed for some quiet. Isaac was sleeping, Eve had barely stopped fussing in her crib, I knew I had an hour tops before one or both of them woke up. I set Eli up with some games on pbskids.org, locked the front door and went to lay down in my room. I could hear Eli's chair squeaking on the laminate floor as he shifted in his seat so I turned the fan on and put my head under my pillow. The clock was ticking and I needed a nap.

It was only 35 minutes later that I was rattled awake by Eli banging around in his bedroom, where Isaac should have been sleeping. I drug myself out of bed and trudged into his room to preparing a nice little lecture about waking mommy up. Isaac looked a little bleary eyed himself and picked him up out of bed for a snuggle. But where had Eli gotten off to? He had suddenly disappeared. Out in the living room I immediately noticed the front door wide open. My heart started beating a little faster and I stepped onto the stoop and looked toward the street.

Now here is the moment when my world reworked itself in a matter of minutes. How often can we pinpoint the moments when growing up occurs? How often can we say, in the moment, that what is happening is the beginning of a new era? Most of the time we just stumble along scratching our heads bemoaning how quickly our kids are growing. But this time I saw it happening.

Eli was out in the road, coming around behind an ice cream truck, giving the ice cream man a casual wave with his free hand, his other clutching two firecracker pop sickles. The road is far enough away from my front door that I could barely hear the 300 pound ice cream man in his little three wheeled cart say, "See you later," over his shoulder as he pulled away. I think I literally went into shock. I stood and watched Eli come toward me. I don't remember what I said to him. I know I didn't yell or even get angry. I do remember what Eli said to me. I had sat down on the front step and put my forehead in my hands. It was quiet for minute. "I'm sorry." he said. At least he knew he had done something wrong. Then Eli pointed out that he didn't get hit by a car, that the ice cream man wasn't' a stranger, he was just the ice cream man, and that if someone did take him away, they would bring him back later. "I will always come back, Mama," he said. I could hardly stand it.

Eli told me later that he ran outside when he heard the music from the truck and had told the ice cream man to, "Wait just a minute." He ran back inside and into his room where his little bother was sleeping. He took the plug out of the bottom the the ceramic car bank he and Isaac share and shook, jostled and pounded all the money out onto the floor. That is when I woke up. (And Isaac too) By the time I trudged to the front door, It was all over. I still don't know how much he gave that man. I am pretty sure he was either swindled by an cynical, jaded, fat man with crushed dreams, or granted a screaming deal by a sweet soul who loves children and couldn't say no to the poor little shoeless kid who's parents are nowhere in sight.... "How much money did you give him," I asked. "four", he said The ice cream man gave him a nickle back.

I sat outside with my two boys sharing the pop sickles that had brought such a poignant yet elusive shift to my world. I guess the bottom line is that Eli doesn't need me anymore the way I thought he did. Yes, I will be there to make sure that he doesn't get run over, that he doesn't get snatched by a stranger. But he doesn't need me to explain to him that we have to trade money for ice cream, he doesn't need me to flag down the ice cream man down, or ask him politely to wait a minute while he gets his money. He doesn't need me to help him pick our what he wants or explain to him that he only has enough money for this or that. He doesn't need me to remind him to think about his little brother. He is all ready walking out my door. And you have to know what I mean by that.

Big News

I haven't posted in a while. Lots of things have happened. Isaac turned two, Eve rolled over and got her first two teeth (two separate events), and Eli turned four, today actually. Dillon has been working long long hours finishing his project. I spent a luxurious weekend at Sunriver with my mom and sisters, and more more more. But the craziest thing of all is that we put on offer in on a house and it was accepted! If all goes well we will be neighbors to my brother John and Mimi and their little kiddos Jensen, Ellie, and Mia! That's right! Next door neighbors! I am trying not to get too excited, just in case the deal doesn't work out, and also because I am getting attached to this dinky little duplex. And maybe, just maybe, the older I get, the more I fear change. I sincerely love my simple, low frills life. Not that the new house has a ton of frills, it's a pretty humble place really, but the back yard is awesome and the neighbors rock.

Oh and here's just a funny photo of the boys saying good morning to Eve the other day. They love to jump into her crib to play with her.

Writing Challenge

Anyone interested in a fun way to be creative and expand your mind? Join our newly formed online writing group! It is for all ages and all skill levels. This is our second challenge and it was my task to come up with the topic, or prompt. I decided to go with a creative writing this time around. The challenge is this: Eavesdrop. Eavesdrop on old ladies in the grocery store, the slick looking guy on his cell phone at the post office, your husband or wife on a business call. Whatever. Get three or four interesting lines of dialogue (without knowing any context) and then create the back story, the situation behind the conversation and where it leads. Make those few real bits of conversation the basis for created characters and situations. get creative. There are no rules other than using actual dialogue as a jumping point. If ANYONE is interested, please leave a comment and then share your story with me by June 1st. Post it on your blog or email it to me. If this gets going, we'll start a new blog page just for our writing group. Thanks to Rebecca for starting this little group. Here is a link to the first writing challenge and her response.

Easter Photo Shoot

We dressed the boys in their Filipino barong's (formal Filipino attire) for Easter this year and I am definatley making it a tradition. They looked so handsome, and I want them to benifit from their rich cultural background!

Eli and Me!

Eli, my little man. I think I will treasure this photo forever. Usually behind the camera, I don't get to see myself in Mommy mode. Part of me can hardly believe thats my son, that I am his Mommy!

New Version

After reading my essay over again, I have decided that all I really needed was the last paragraph. The rest of it was just a lot of fluffy philosophizing that was quite disjointed. Not very interesting to read. So, my essay is now just a paragraph long but sometimes less is more, right? What do you think?

Dillon kisses all four of us in our sleep every morning at 4am before he leaves for work. He works twelve hour days, then comes home and vacuums. We oogle at our kids together over dinner. He holds my hand during story time. He shows our little boys how to fold their arms for prayer at night. He brings me a burp cloth and situates it carefully on my shoulder as I rock the baby. We talk about politics over dishes: he washes, I dry. We are in the middle of the hard work of true love.

Writing Practice

My friend Rebecca issued a writing challenge and a topic about a month ago with the deadline of April 2. True to the form of my college days, I wrote this essay late at night on the due date. I wanted to participate as a way to oil up my rusty writing skills and boy are they rusty. In college I could have produced something pretty polished in a couple of hours. I am posting this in rough draft form because I can hardly keep my eyes open any longer. I should be embarrassed but I really want to start writing again and I need a structured way to do it and some accountability. Thanks for providing that that for me Rebecca!

In short, the theme was "Is this what romance looks like?" She based it off several excellent essays written by women and published with Redbook. You can find them here.

Here is my beginnings of an essay:

“Daddy’s home,” I say to my three little ones and turn to watch my husband, Dillon, come through the door wearing his heavy work boots, non-descript jeans, bright-orange safety t-shirt, and an exhausted expression. He kisses me hello and says, “I don’t know how you can work like this.” He is, of course, referring to me standing at the stove cooking dinner in my 3x10’ kitchen while our two boys stand on the top rung of a step ladder at my elbow and the baby sits in her bouncer chair in front of the refrigerator. With the dishwasher door open and the dog waiting around for a morsel to drop to the floor, that leaves me with about 2 square feet to move around in. I feel a subtle fear creeping in my mind. We look so different from each other in this snap shot.

Inseparable since high school, we now have just a few minutes a day together. For nearly a decade, our lives were so intertwined that our identities blurred. Now the division of responsibilities makes it so we can hardly relate our day to day lives. Where once we would talk for hours sharing every minute detail of our lives, we now exchange a quick bullet list of notable events and important information because there just isn’t time for more. I wonder where our Hollywood worthy romance is in the middle of all of the practicality. I wasn’t prepared to recognize the true face of romance that happens after the credits roll on the big screen.

We both work daily building our life together, but through starkly different endeavors. I am home absorbed in nap schedules, feeding times, and laundry. Dillon is entrenched in construction schedules, budgets, and blue-prints. We once shared the easily visible framework of our lives but now it is the foundation we share, set deep and sure.

Dillon kisses all four of us in our sleep every morning at 4am before he leaves for work. He works twelve hour days, then comes home and vacuums We oogle at our kids together over dinner. He holds my hand during story time. He shows out little boys how to fold their arms for prayer at night. He brings me a burp cloth and situates it carefully on my shoulder as I rock the baby. We talk about politics over dishes: he washes, I dry. We are in the middle of the hard work of true love.

Apple Anyone? and other slices of life...

The kids know that they can help themselves to certain healthy snacks anytime the feel hungry. I am beginning to rethink that policy...

We keep are pacifier securly attached to Arabella at all times so that Elijah never has to go without.

First pedicure! What cute little girly toes. (Inspired by Gracie, an angel heart recipiant who passed away last month.) I have to say, Eve has little dainty feet attached to some of the chubbiest baby legs around.

Had to include this photo of our little tough guy Isaac.