Do you hear what I hear?

These are a few things that I heard today.

In an intense moment of imaginative play, Aubrey exclaimed that her stuffed puppy, Boltina, was having SUCH A HARD TIME giving up cigarettes. Will this topic never cease to haunt me?

Johanna snuggled up to Aubrey in bed tonight, binky in mouth and purple blanket in hands, while Aubrey read her three Dr. Seuss books. At the end of each book Johanna would say, "More please Aubee."

Dane asked me to say, "Dane, why are your fish (toys) able to swim in the air?" After doing as I was told Dane said, "Because it isn't air, it's water, and you just don't know it."

After looking through a National Geographic article about Saturn Aubrey said, "It makes sense that Saturn has so many moons. It's so big and such a large mass would make it have A LOT of gravity. It probably sucks in big rocks from the asteroid belt." You're darn right I'll take some credit for that one!

Tonight I asked Nathan if he knew how much I loved him and he said, "One billion and one." WRONG KIDDO! It's more.

Greg, currently yelling coaching tips at the NBA game he is watching while working out. It's a basement full of man sounds.

The "What If" Game

Nathan, our curious question asker, asks a constant stream of "what if" questions. He is sincere in the asking but grows frustrated by my answers. My excuse? THEY ARE UNANSWERABLE. I always make an attempt at a real answer, in an effort to not squash his curiosity, but one mom can only reserve a small percentage of her brain for such conversations. And Nathan? You need to know that my mind is always engaged in the simultaneous effort of figuring out an idea for dinner, a better way to teach double digit subtraction, that Valentine's Day needs my attention, where did I put my phone/keys/glass of water/Johanna, and have I scheduled the latest well child appointment. There is only so much I can do.


Below, a sample of true "what if" questions, courtesy of Nathan.

What if a chimney looked like a castle? (?????)
What if you were the slowest driver ever? What if you didn't know how to speed up?
What if dragons were really extinct instead of not real?
What if you liked basketball as much as Daddy? (I answered, "You'd never get a hot meal during NBA season.")
What if for my birthday you gave me a surprise party but I wasn't surprised and I cried?
What if I had ten small toots instead of one giant toot?
What if I could never get clean, even in the bath?
What if I was older than Aubrey?

Tip of the iceberg I tell you. TIP OF THE ICEBERG.

Nathan might accidentally smoke a cigarette

A while back I was out with the kids and we saw someone smoking. Nathan (of course it would be Nathan) wanted to know what she was doing. I grabbed hold of this teaching moment and explained to the kids about how it was a habit that made you feel good at first but hurt your lungs, heart, mouth, etc., was hard to quit, smelled bad, wasn't something to ever try, blah, blah, blah, blah. I felt like the Charlie Brown mom who is only ever a garbled voice in the background. Still I left the situation with a deep feeling of satisfaction. Lesson imparted, children will never try cigarettes.

This is what Aubrey, my first born rule follower, took from the lecture: Cigarettes bad. Don't do them 'cause Mom said so.

Nathan heard something different.

A few weeks later after all the kids were tucked in for the night, we heard Nathan calling for us in a panicky, sobbing voice. We rushed in to soothe him and he wailed, "I AM SO SCARED FOR ALL THE SMOKING PEOPLE!!" Bewildered, we asked him what he meant. "What if they don't know they are hurting their lungs! What if they don't know they can't quit! WHAT IF SOMEONE FORCES ME TO SMOKE CIGARETTES AND IT HURTS MY LUNGS AND I DIE?!?!?!?"

After assuring Nathan that no one could ever force him to smoke we endured another barrage of questions. Why do people smoke if they know it's bad for them? Do they know they could die? Why was the man on Parent Trap smoking? (I didn't even think he was watching that movie!) Why do they make cigarettes if they are bad for you? Short of having a discussion on free agency, peer pressure, economics, and changing health care attitudes, we were rather at a loss.

I ended up back peddling on half my earlier lecture. Yes, smoking is bad but people who smoke are not bad people. Quitting smoking is hard but people do it all the time and if someone forces you to smoke Nathan, I'm sure you could quit. No, you do not drop dead instantly of a heart attack if you one day smoke one cigarette. I nearly offered to go buy him a pack and smoke it all together, just so he could stop thinking that the mere sight of one was going to give him lung disease and death.

He seems to have recovered from the initial cigarette horror but every single time we see a cigarette butt on the ground he says, "Look Mom, it's one of those sickness sticks."

I can't imagine what he'll do when he gets the birds and the bees talk.

More blog than you can handle

I have wanted to post for some time but the longer the absence, the greater the pressure. What should my tone be? Witty, contrite, or flippant? Do I apologize to my ten readers for my absence (implying that it has been a hardship for them) or ignore the gap all together? Pictures or no pictures? Update or humorous antecdote? After mulling these questions over in my head I would walk away and figure I'd do it another day. Understand, I was probably mulling these things over while folding clothes, teaching math, and cooking dinner. At the same time. Which of course is an entire other reason this blog has been neglected.

Yet, here I am, and I figured an update is what came most naturally. And some photos, courtesy of my mom. I have hundreds of pictures trapped on my own photo card, stuck there until I get myself another cord to hook up to my computer. Thanks Mom!

GREG: Coaching kindergarten Upward basketball, playing on his own rec basketball league for the 13th year in a row (fatherhood, injuries, and other commitments have left his team with THE IRON FIVE more than once this year), and rocking fatherhood and husbandhood. Why, just tonight, I called him in a state of panic, demanding chai tea and carbs, lest I lose my mind. He is an obliging man, and smart one, and keeps this family happy, warm, and fed.

Sara: I am home schooling. And raising four kids. And managing a house. And running kids to gymnastics, art, cheer, piano, and basketball. I try to work out in the mornings. I like to read books. I am fearfully addicted to Words With Friends. We host a care group. We go to church. I would like to do a Women's Bible Study, write more, work out more, read more, sit more, go on dates with my husband more, sleep more, and solve world peace. Most of the time I am satisfied to know that what I do is important, fulfilling, and normally enjoyable. For exceptions see above reference to chai tea and carbs.

Aubrey: Our 7 1/2 year old spent her Christmas holiday sick with mono. Four weeks later she has finally turned the corner and can make it through the day without a nap. She loves Upward Cheer but says she will return to basketball next year. (You can hear Greg breathe a sigh of relief from where you are.) She is whizzing through her piano lessons and, while on a brief hiatus during cheer, thoroughly loving a home school art class. She just recently moved out of her brothers' room and in with Johanna. I am already so in love with that sister relationship, it is beautiful to watch. She is our writer, creator, nurturer, pleaser, and hard worker. An oldest girl child, I understand nearly every move she makes.

Nathan: Our 5 1/2 year old son seems to have an increasing level of energy as the years go by. He is our fearless gymnast and would love to be taking more lessons if time, money, and energy would allow it. He is on his daddy's basketball team and while enjoying it, still is working on the finer points of play (which basket is his, what direction he should run). He is a thinker and asks the most mind stumping questions. Where does lightening go after it hits the ground? Why is the South Pole colder than the North Pole? How are snow and hail formed? Why are the different? What did people do with a kid like him without the internet?!? He is excelling at math, tolerates reading, and loves to play games. He is energetic, enthusiastic, inquisitive, joyful, and imaginative.

Dane: Our Danish Doodle turned four this past Saturday and while every day with a child is a joy, I can't say as we were sad to see three go. Dane excelled at being three, what with its illogical outbursts, selective hearing, and general contrariness. Greg and I also say that Dane is our most polarized child. He is sensitive, thoughtful, an excellent sharer without ever being asked, physically affectionate, hilarious, and endearing. He can also be, well, not so sweet and I find myself saying everyday, "DANE, do you like it when I lose my patience?!?" He loves any kind of airplane, legos, transformers, baking with his mama, giving snuggles, and wearing his Superman pajamas. He was also finally cleared to no longer wear a leg brace at night so that was welcomed news. (He was born with a club foot for those who are wondering.)

Johanna: Our baby has turned into a toddler right before our eyes. She is an excellent little talker (she told me today, "Mama, I bonk head"), adores her siblings, loves to be read to, will eat anything, likes to sit on the counter with me and pour ingredients when I bake, watch Elmo clips on YouTube, and hates to be excluded from anything. Ever since she gave up her morning nap school has been moved to the afternoon while she sleeps. She likes to be an active school participant (LOOK, I dumped the markers! Look, I stole Aubrey's textbook! WAAHH, pay attention to me!!!) and we are all happier doing school while she sleeps. She sports a flowing mullet and remains our sweet and gentle baby girl.

IS ANYONE STILL READING?!?

I hope to be back in blogging business. I miss the writing outlet and need to hone my skills if I'm to make millions writing the next American classic.

Happy Snow Day to all!

Betcha missed me

So, summer has came and is nearly gone already. We have eaten it up. My dreams of days of leisurely backyard play and popcicles haven't been as plentiful as I had hoped. Instead we have packed the time with camping trips, a week long Seaside vacation, swimming lessons, Greg and I both completing our first sprint triathlons, swimming lessons, a family photo shoot, BBQs with friends, birthdays, and enough backyard play to keep us all happy and sane. Many times this summer Nathan has told me, "THIS IS MY BEST DAY EVER!!!"

Prepare yourself for two months worth of photos. We are kinda cute.

Angela, Sara, Jenny, and Julie after completing our FIRST Danskin triathlon!

Wetsuit beauties

Greg and Justin with ALL THEIR kids after completing the Race the River triathlon

Silverwood with the Baerlocher fam . We would take up every single ride with just our families.

Dane and Gracie, two lovebirds blossoming in the Savannah

The whole Silverwood clan. Seven kids, four adults, and we actually had fun!

You think this is bad, wait until you see the faces Dane made in EVERY shot during family photos.

These are a bunch of shots from the 4th of July. We celebrated in Liberty Lake and had a great time as a family. The little kids were invited to dance during the music and Aubrey and Dane shook it until it wouldn't shake anymore!

There are still pictures from camping trips, Seaside, and maybe an entire post dedicated to the girl's triathlon, but I think this is a good start, no? You gotta give a girl a few days, and posts, to play catch up with.

Optimus Prime turns five

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to announce that Nathan Paul Jones is now five years old. This means that he can stand on his head, walk around without a shirt on, make Aubrey whine with uncanny consistency, ask inquisitive parent stumping questions, love to read Magic Tree House books, and still cry if he thinks his mama didn't hear him say "I love you" before bed. He is my favorite Optimus Prime and I cannot believe he has been ours for five years. Nathan, you are on in a million, WE LOVE YOU!!!

The first half of the pictures are from Nathan's gymnastics party with friends. The second half are from the more subdued, no legal liability forms required, home party on the night of his real birthday. He had a third mini celebration in Yakima this weekend with my family. That's my kid, milking a birthday for all its worth.

Let the pictures do the talking

My blogging mojo has been sucked into a vortex of busyness. In penance I am giving you what you want anyways, a few pictures.

Because of how blogger loaded my pictures giving them individual captions is nearly impossible. However, in no particular order, you will find Nathan flexing what his mama gave him, Dane double fisting pickles, Aubrey showing off a new toothless grin, Johanna channelling Nicole Richie, misc. Easter pictures, Nathan mowing the lawn, Johanna rocking the hat I made her, and a cute one of Greg with the kids on his birthday. Enjoy!