Had to pinch myself

I probably mentioned this before.  I have frequent dreams about public bathrooms.  Sometimes I need to go and every bathroom I find is filthy.  Other times they are missing doors, have very short doors, or are missing toilet seats.  Usually it's a combination of all of the above.

Today we went to Pike's Place with Jodi and Don and the kids.  Before we headed back home the kids had to go to the bathroom.  We waited in a very long line to get into the bathroom, and once we got inside I burst into laughter.  The doors to the stalls were barely to the top of Madeline's head, so even clinging to the wall outside the stalls, you could still see the tops of people's heads in the stall who were SITTING DOWN.  As you walked past the stall, you had to look away or else you could see them doing their business!  Seriously.  Worst nightmare.  Even if I had to pee like crazy, there is no way my body would have functioned under such stress.  

My girls, however, do not have such shy bladders.  They thought it was pretty entertaining to be able to wave to the people waiting in line as they peed.

Where the nekkid ladies dance

Last year we missed the summer solstice festival in Fremont, a funky neighborhood in Seattle.  This year we made it, but timed it to miss the "clothing optional" bicycle parade.  It was still fun to see painted arms and legs as we walked around, telltale signs of parade participants.

I'd never seen a mannequin quite like it.  And neither had he.  Kolby was wondering if we should let him know she was just a plastic decoy.

Look closely or you'll miss tree man next to bra ladies. 

And the highlights of the festival for the girls:

Just as we were leaving the fair, we saw the backsides of a group of painted people who thought it was time for the evening edition of the parade.  The girls didn't even try to stifle their giggles.  

Things he may not know I remember and cherish

• Sitting with me while I slowly sounded out words 
  
• Cuddling up on his lap and watching MASH or Cheers (and fake laughing along because I was too young to understand anything.)
• Talking thru my day with him when he picked me up after my day at school or work.
  
• Going out to lunch with him after I got married
  
• All the camping, boating, and weekends at the cabin
  
• Daddy-daughter dates
  
• Listening to him sing and play the guitar (how patient he was to indulge our endless requests for  "Matthew" and "Run for the Roses")
  
• All the evenings I could hear the hammers and saws going long after dark while he built our house after a full day at work.
• His calm response to my sometimes hysterical reactions--like the time I pulled my earring through my ear, or the time I thought I was going to get a C in Geometry, or the time Madeline passed out and I was sure she was going to die.
  
• The multiple phone calls coaching me through sprinkler installation and repairs
  
• Always knowing that he was there to keep me safe from monsters, earthquakes, car break-downs, and jerks 
  
• Guiding me through his own loving example to find a man who is a wonderful husband to me and a fantastic father to my girls.
  

Anniversaries

This week marks a couple of anniversaries for us. 

Last year on the 13th of June the girls finished their last day of school in Portland and we came up to Seattle to stay with Kolby.  We were only intending to stay for a week or two before heading back to Portland (our house was still on the market).  But it felt so good to be back together as a family, that we decided to stay "permanently."  (As permanent as temporary housing can be.)   

So last Saturday, we celebrated our anniversary  of "sort-of moving" to Seattle.  We celebrated it with a final t-ball game for Amelia, a swim team clinic for Madeline, and then an afternoon at the beach and a backyard BBQ with friends.  All in all, a perfect moving anniversary.  Made me feel very settled.

Yesterday was Kolby and my 14th wedding anniversary.  We spent the evening at Madeline's first swim meet.  




Fourteen years!  Not much has happened since then.

Free

Today Amelia went to a free 90 minute "kick-around" soccer clinic that the soccer association puts on a few times a year.  At that free clinic, they had an area set-up with soccer clothes and equipment that were being passed down by other kids.  All free.   So I picked up a pair of nearly new Nike soccer cleats for her.  Free.    And then we played at the park, and that was free too.

I love free.

I promise not to make a habit of it.

Why does it take so long to get back into the swing of things?  

This is the first day since May 21 that my whole house has been clean at once.  Actually, that's not true.  My bathroom isn't clean yet.  And the laundry room isn't clean, but that room never is.  So all the important rooms (i.e. the ones people see) are clean.

How do I know the last time was May 21?  Because that's when my parents and my sister Michelle came to visit. And ya'll know that comp'ny means the toilets get warshed.

Eventually I'm going to get around to blogging about the great visit with my parents and my sister's family.  But I'm just so tired.  

So how about some cute pictures of kittens instead?

Madeline and Amelia made several boxes in preparation for the kittens weeks ago.  They are a huge hit.

And this morning I went into Madeline's room to steal a peek at the kittens and I couldn't find them in their box.  After looking around for a while, this is what I found:

Poor little guys are still missing their momma.  Madeline moved Horse Momma to their box so they can cuddle with her all the time.  

NYC: Let the Sun Shine!

I apologize for the barrage of blog posts today, but life has been CRazY and I'm trying to get caught up.  (My posts of the last few weeks are going to be horribly out of order.)

Did anyone catch the Tony's last night?  I did.  And in Kolby's words, we're bursting with happiness for Will today.

Last weekend Kolby and I left the girls with my parents, who were in Seattle after their Alaskan cruise, and we headed to NYC.

I'll skip the part about the altercation on a crowded plane with a 350lb. extra from Sopranos who thought his chair wouldn't recline properly because of us.  (It couldn't have possibly been, I dunno, his size?)

Forget Disney World.  NYC is the happiest place on Earth for me.  And we spent the weekend celebrating some of my favorite people, so what could be better?

We arrived early Saturday morning on the red-eye (NYC actually does sleep.  It was a ghost town at 6am), took a nap (bless you, W Hotel, for letting us check in early!), and then Kolby and I headed out for sushi before meeting up with the wedding party for Milo and Robin's wedding.  Kolby was best man, so he rode to the Brooklyn Bridge in the limo with the wedding party.  The rest of us hopped on the subway---my first time riding the subway to a wedding.  

The wedding was beautiful.  We walked out to the middle of the bridge, under the first arch.  Our friend Cameron married them.  Robin's daughter Lily was the maid of honor.  Plenty of tourists stopped to take photos.  It was sweet and beautiful and fun.

After that Kolby and I wandered around Canal St. (fake designer bags, woohoo!), and Soho.  This was the first time Kolby hasn't had to work when we've been in New York together, and we had SO MUCH FUN hanging out together.  I've said it before, I absolutely adore New York.  And I loved it even more when I there with Kolby.

The wedding dinner was at a fantastic Indian restaurant.  Lots of fun hanging out with friends and celebrating Milo and Robin (and Stephen Jack and Lily).  

Sunday morning I checked off one of the items on my "before I die" list.  I got up and ran through Central Park.  

(swiped this photo from here)

It's the first time I've ever taken the subway to go for a run.  Central Park is amazing.  There are many trails through the park, and it's fun to run past all the activities--baseball games, lacrosse,  remote controlled sailboats, rowboats on the lake, and so many families and bicyclists and runners and tourists.    Even a Salute to Israel Jewish parade.

I headed back to our hotel (Yikes!  Didn't think about how sweaty and stinky I'd be on the subway ride back).  And then Kolby and I went out wandering.  We had to pry ourselves out of this store in Grand Central Station.

Then we took the subway down to the village and walked up and down streets there.  We had lunch at a fabulous little sidewalk cafe.  

We did a little shopping, a lot of people watching, and just had a really fun day together.  Our friend Jeff met up with us while Sarah was watching one of her students in West Side Story.

And then we went to see our friend Will in the musical Hair.  This was the second reason we were in NYC this weekend.      Kolby and Will have been friends for almost 20 years when they performed in plays together in high school.    Will is such a fantastic guy, and we are soooo happy for his success.

Will arranged for us to have seats on the second row, on the aisle.  The actors interact with the audience a bit, so that meant Will positioned us so he could harrass Kolby.  I don't think Kolby or I ever stopped grinning through the whole show.  At the end, when they are singing "Let the Sun Shine!" they pulled us up on stage to dance and sing with the cast and other members of the audience.  What an incredible experience.  Just to look out at the audience and see the love and happiness, and realize that this is what Will experiences every night.  We were just so happy for him.  Such an incredible thing to realize your dream.  We both had tears streaming down our faces.

Waiting for Will on stage after the show.

And last night we watched him on TV and cried all over again:

Bump this one forward to the 3:22 mark. 

Will is the one in the loin cloth.  

After the show, we went out for a late dinner with Jeff, Sarah, and Cam.  

I'm not sure how many times I told Kolby that I could move to NYC.  And I meant it.

Final Day: Can we please go home?

So the girls weren't quite done.  We didn't fly out until 3:00, and they wanted to squeeze out every ounce of fun they could.  We let them choose which park to go to for the final morning, and they chose Hollywood Studios since we hadn't been there yet.

It was okay.

Amelia wasn't tall enough for the Aerosmith Rock n' Rollercoaster, so she and I headed straight for the Toy Story ride to get fast passes.  They weren't until 3:00, so we decided to wait in the 45 minute line.  It was worth it.  Very cool "4-D" ride where you shoot balls, darts, etc. at 3-D screens.  

While we were on that, Kolby and Madeline rode the Rock n' Rollercoaster.  Kolby said they take a picture just as it takes off--it goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds.  Madeline's face in the photo was pure terror.  But she loved it.  

Then all three of them rode the Tower of Terror.  The free falling is a recipe for disaster for me, but they all loved it.

They also did the Star Tours ride.  Meh.

And then we were all ready to go home.  Too hot.  Very tired.  Our own beds sounded wonderful.  

Are you my mother?

We welcomed two new additions to the family today:  Mango and Willow.  Five bucks if you can guess which one is which.  

Mango is the snuggler.  She will burrow down into our laps and go to sleep.  But from the first second she laid eyes on Gabby, she decided Gabby was hers.  And Gabby, the needy thing she is, was more than willing to oblige.  

And our little boy Willow was far too busy exploring to pose for a photo.  He made himself big and hissed at Gabby once or twice, then got back to his adventures.  

The human girls are over the moon.

Lazy Day (Day 6)

On our last full day in Orlando, we decided to play at the resort pool during the day, and then go to Magic Kingdom in the evening to revisit our favorite rides and watch the fireworks.  

It was a good plan.  

First we had a LOVELY day at the pool.  The kids swam.  I swam, sunbathed, read a book, and chatted with Sarah.  (All ingredients for a perfect day for me.)

Miss Lily Juniper

Madeline and Emma....Emma learned to swim this day!

The adorable Charlotte

All the crazy girls

Amelia Bedelia

And then we went back to the park for one last night of fun.

First stop was Adventure Land for one more pineapple float.  Soooo good.  Dole Pineapple icecream over pineapple juice.  I've dreamed about these more than once since returning.  Unfortunately, not all dreams do come true.  Target does not serve these when you walk in the door.  Yet.

Kolby and Bizarro Kolby (aka Milo)

Stephen Jack sharing his glow bracelets

Four very tired and sun-kissed girls.