Feeling grateful

I've been trying to enjoy the little things: rainbows, sunrises, staple removers, fall leaves, and be grateful for what I have.  There is a lot of tragedy going on in the world right now - from as close to my good friend who lost her daughter suddenly at the age of 41 from an aneurysm to as far as Africa and the Ebola epidemic.

The job hasn't changed, but I'm getting into the groove of the instruction and I'm hopeful that I'll teach these kids a thing or two by the end of the year.  Right now my goals are the short vowel sounds and how to add to twenty.  I'm setting my sights a little low.  I've been challenging my students to think a little deeper, and it's not really going well, but we have our moments.  This week, after reading a book about sharks which started out with some information about dinosaurs, one of my students said, "Mrs. Clark, I'm confused.  How did life start on Earth and how did people start being born if there weren't any people?"  I try hard not to impress my views on my students (e.g. evolution), so I told them it was a very important question that people have been talking about for a very long time.  The student on the left shouts, "People evolved from monkeys!" while the student on the right said, "My parents said we came from God."  The student who asked continued to process and push me for an answer, and I kept telling her it was a very confusing question (not really, in my opinion) and she needed to talk to her mom about it.

A few weeks ago I babysat for Grady and Case while Julie and Tim went to a rehearsal dinner and also celebrated their five year wedding anniversary.  We Facetimed with Grandpa and Sanny (mostly to see Max, the dog), and we probably called them six or seven times because Grady LOVES Max.

This is on my sister's fridge and is from my mom's fridge from years ago (the fortunes are Julie's).  I love that these principles were important to my mom, and they continue to be important to me and Julie.

 Here are the real ones:

After I got the boys down, I had a scintillating Friday night and worked on IEPs...

Trey is continuing to take swimming lessons.  He has advanced to the level where they swim the length of the pool instead of across.  Randy and I both like the fact that he is doing well in swimming and making progress.  It's important to Randy because swimming is an important life skill, and it's important to me because Trey is building his gross motor skills. We both win.  Three weeks ago, Trey had a bad swimming experience and got water up his nose while he was diving.  He started crying and we ended up leaving early (I didn't know until later why he was upset).  All week he cried about swimming and said he hated swimming and never wanted to go again.  The night before his next lesson (this was a few weeks ago), I posted on one of my hippy Facebook mama groups asking for some ideas on how to make the next morning of swimming lessons go smoothly.  I was really surprised, and still am, that several mamas told me I should let him quit and that I shouldn't force him to do something he didn't want to do.  I was shocked.  I've been known (and accused by some) to not have any limits with Trey and let him get whatever he wants.  But I do not understand and really do not agree with letting my child quit something after just a little challenge.  What kind of lesson does that send a child that they can quit something if they struggle just a little bit?  I think that is a terrible message to send and not a life lesson I want to teach.  If Trey continues to struggle week after week, then maybe we need to talk about taking a break from swimming.  But after one time?  Really?

We went to swimming on Saturday morning and I told Trey we would talk to his teacher about his worries (diving and getting water up his nose).  I told him I wanted him to dress down and sit on the side but he didn't have to get in if he didn't want to.  Then I bribed him and said for every ten minutes he stayed in he could get a DumDum sucker (I know, I'm a sucker).  After about 20 minutes of the 30 minute swim lesson, Trey turned around and asked me tearfully, "Has it been 10 minutes yet?" He ended up staying in for the entire lesson but we are still dealing with some residual "I hate swimming."  I'm not sure why or what to do, but time will tell.

Success! 

Julie's friend Bianca got married this month and Julie was honored to be a part of the wedding.  Randy and I were planning on going together, but our sitter came down with the stomach flu.  Randy stayed home, so Tim was pretty much my date.  We had some time to kill between the ceremony and reception, so we stopped for some beers.  We tried out a newish place on Williams called the Tin Bucket; it was alright but nothing different than the typical Portland watering hole.  We were on our way to the reception and passed a new brewpub called Ex Novo.  We both commented that we had never seen it before, and when we were about three blocks past, I said, "Wanna stop?"  "Sure," Tim replied.  And here we are...

Deena and Logan were at the wedding too, and luckily we were seated together since I was solo and Tim was at the bridal party table with Julie.

On Sunday, Trey and I went to Maclyn's fourth birthday party.  It was at Curious Comedy Theater and I knew Trey would love it.  There was a show put on for the kids, and it was great.  After the show ended and Kathleen got out the cupcakes, Trey got all clingy and weepy and said he wanted to go home.  When my boy says he wants to go home rather than eat cupcakes, I take it seriously.  I was paranoid that he was getting hit by the stomach bug that went through his preschool, but luckily he didn't.

Super fun show for the kids - plus, they have a bar for adults. 

Maclyn showing off his talents on stage 

My friend Ardis, who is a pseudo-mother to me, lost her daughter this month because of a sudden brain aneurysm.  Jenna leaves behind two teenaged daughters, so not only does my heart break for Ardis but also for her daughters.   I attended Jenna's funeral and was glad to be there to support Ardis and her husband Dan.  There were several other people there from the Woodburn School District who came to support the family.  Afterwards, I went to Yun Wah's with Shelley and Stacy, and we had a great conversation about all sorts of things - living life fully, cancer, sudden death, grief... good friends + a few cocktails + the shock of losing someone suddenly = an afternoon I'll never forget.

 Shelley, Stacy, and myself - my old special ed team from Nellie Muir

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to a really great conference for school psychologists (which I'm not) about assessment and special education.  I was really looking forward to getting away from school for a few days, and I was also really excited to spend some time with Beth and Sarah, my old colleagues from the ESD.  Wednesday night I had the thought that our old old colleague Michele might also be attending, and on Thursday morning I got the return text that she was.  OMG!!!  So happy!!!!!

With Michele and Beth after the first conference day 

I used to walk with Sarah and Beth a lot at the ESD during our lunch breaks.  

Walking the trails at Skamania was a nice way to spend lunch together.  

While I was gone, Randy and Trey spent some time at Kris and John's house.

Trey convinced them to make brownies one night.  Lucky Trey.

Driving home from work, I got to see this double rainbow.  

The rainbow on the left was one of the brightest I've ever seen, 

even though you can't really tell from this photo. 

Thursday night I went to see Cheryl Strayed with Kellie.

It was great to catch up with Kellie and wonderful to hear Cheryl Strayed.

I can't wait for Wild to come out. 

Cheryl Strayed talked a lot about loss and love, and one of the things she said really resonated with me.  She said that the love her mother felt for her was so deep that it was now a part of her, part of her cells.  She said that because of the love her mother had for her she knew what it felt like to be truly loved.  I definitely feel like that was the experience I had with my mom, and, if I do my job right, that is what Trey will be able to say about me.

While I was out, Randy kept sending me pictures of Trey, dressed up for the Bronco game, in his boat headed to Walla Walla.  The boat kept getting fuller and fuller.  Super cute.

My sister and her husband spent a week in Mexico to celebrate their five year anniversary.  Julie put together a week of babysitters that included the boys' grandparents.  My dad and Sandy had the shift from Thursday to Saturday.  We all went over there for dinner last night, and Trey and I spent a lot of time with them today.  While it was fun to see them, it was also sort of a shit show.  This afternoon, my dad and the boys came over and right now my house looks like a tornado hit it and I'm exhausted. I have 9,500 steps for the day, and the only place I went besides Julie's was swimming lessons, if that gives you an idea. 

Friday night madness 

Grandpa and his boys 

Saturday morning troublemakers 

"Grandpa, wake up!"

Trey and I made our holiday sugar cookies today, and I told him we would frost them when the boys were over.  

 The expression on Trey's face pretty much shows how
he and Grady got along all day.

 This room was clean at one point today,
but now it looks like a tornado came through.
At least the boys were entertained...

Grady, future cookie decorator

Obligatory pumpkin post

There are some things that really bug me about Facebook.  The holiday posts where people say things like "Happy Saint Patrick's Day," the "vaguebooking" (thanks to Bianca for that term - I'm not sure if she made it up or got it somewhere else, but I like it), and the pumpkin patch posts.   I don't know why they bug me, but they do.  Maybe it's that feeling of obligation that I have to do something to be a good mother that I don't want to do (go to the pumpkin patch).

Regardless, we have been twice, and I posted pictures both times.  I mean, really.  I have to, right?

Trey's preschool went to the pumpkin patch for a field trip, and I took a personal day and went with them.  There are going to be so many school events that I will miss, so I want to participate when I can.  We were lucky and didn't have any rain while we were there, even though the forecast was for rain the whole day.

On the race to find the "perfect pumpkin" 

"Mommy, I found the perfect pumpkin!  But I can't lift it!!!" 

These are Trey's two best buddies at school.  

Trey doesn't look very excited, but we hear about these guys every day. 

Everett, Ryland, and Trey 

Trey's preschool class 

 Trey wanted to carve his pumpkin as soon as we got home, and he wanted to draw a spooky face himself.

Trey was very proud of his jack o'lantern.  I was proud of the fact that I carved it the way he wanted it even though it was really hard for me not to carve it symmetrically.

Trey's scary face

Randy's parents made a quick stop at our house and we took the opportunity to go the pumpkin patch with them, too.  Seems like an appropriate grandparent thing to do, don't you think?  It was supposed to be a really beautiful day, which it ended up being, but when we were at the pumpkin patch it was pretty cloudy and foggy.  We still had a great time and came home with seven pumpkins.  Seven.  I blame that entirely on my husband.

 Just to prove that it did in fact get nice later in the day...

We've got seven pumpkins on the porch to carve, thanks to Randy, but he seems to have zero interest in carving them.  I'm hoping to work on that tomorrow...

Fall Fun

Last night Trey told me his favorite seasons were winter (Santa comes.  Duh.) and summer ("We get to stay home."), and then he asked me what were my favorites.  I said summer (We get to stay home.  Duh.) and fall.  I love the colors of fall and the weather.  It cools down enough that we can enjoy being outside, but we don't have to wear coats.  

I haven't been motivated to blog lately because I am following the age old mantra of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."  The adjustment to my new job has been rough, and I feel cranky pretty much all of the time.  The stress is wearing on me (teeth clenching, jaw pain, headaches, eye twitching, hands alternating between numbness and cramping, shitty sleep, and now a twitch in the side of my face), and I'm trying to brainstorm some ways to lessen the constant overwhelm (Is that a noun?  It should be.).  Yoga is the only thing I've been able to come up with, but I haven't started yet.  Because I have time for yoga....riiiiiiight.  Right now the highlights of my weekday are Starbucks in the morning, a gin and tonic at night (they seem to be getting stronger and stronger), and going to bed.  Sad but true.  

There are a few positives of my job...

When I left the Clackamas area, I thought I was saying goodbye to Great Harvest.  I spent way too much time in that delicious bakery, enough that they knew me by name and I think Trey is part scone based on how many scones I ate when I was pregnant.  When I drove down to McMinnville in June to do some transition work with the teacher I was replacing, my jaw dropped when I saw that there is a Great Harvest less than a mile from my school.  Beth gave me a Great Harvest gift card for my birthday, and I've been visiting them once a week for a pumpkin muffin and coffee.  Delish.

The sunrises on the way to work slay  me.  I feel like how Randy is when we drive anywhere near a river and he can't keep his eyes on the road.  I just stare and stare, and sometimes I pull over and take a picture (that was for you, Mindy).  I will say that the drive to work in the morning is beautiful.  The sunrises, the fog, the cows, the horses, the farms...I really like it.

As you can see, there is a big park right next to my school.  I have been trying to take a 10 minute lunch break and walk around the park for a little bit to get some sunshine and fresh air.  This works about once or twice a week.  I should add that an upside to my job is that I'm getting a ton of steps each day which makes my fitbit really happy.

Here's a view of one corner of the park.  You can expect more pictures as the leaves start to change.

We have had some fun moments in the past few weeks, and there a lot more to come this fall.  Weekends are precious, and I love my time at home and with Trey more than ever before. 

Dave came over for the Broncos-Seahawks game and the guys did a good job of playing nice.  I won't mention who won.  In overtime.

While Dave was in town, we had another China get together at ABV.  Tracey and Terri like ABV a lot too, and we have run into them there more than once.

The beginning of fall is always marked by the Hood River Hops Fest, and the weather this year was gorgeous.  Mindy, Bill, and Camille came to meet us, and the kids had fun in the bounce house.  It kind of went downhill from there, and both kids got a little fussy.  Being in the sunshine and drinking good beer made the trip to Hood River worth it.  

Four parents vs. two cranky four year olds.

Guess who wins?  

After Hood River, we headed over to Julie's house for a family BBQ with my Dad and Sandy and our family friends Kay, Tom, and Alex.  It was great to see them, and the dinner was delicious.  We can never get enough of Kay's Korean beef.

The boys relaxing at the end of the night 

The best part about coming home from work is seeing my boy.  Only spending a few hours a night with him definitely makes me appreciate our summer vacations even more than before. 

Last weekend we drove back to the gorge to pick up our wine at Cor Cellars.  Kris came along, and we had fun introducing her to the wines at Cor and then getting lunch at Solstice in Hood River.  We had to race back to town for Grady's birthday party and then I had another party to attend that night, so it was another full Saturday for the Clarks.

Can't think of a more beautiful place to get gelato. 

Happy 3rd birthday to Cousin Grady!!! 

Saturday night was the 40th birthday party for one of my oldest friends, Kelly.  Nyree, Kerri, and I made a girls night out of it, and it was so much fun to all be together.  We have been friends since grade school (Kerri), junior high (Kelly), and high school (Nyree).  The theme was 70's night, and the costumes at the party were awesome.  (I felt pretty uncute in my costume, but at least I participated, right?)

Kerri and Nyree 

Pre-funcing at Kerri's house 

Celebrating with Wonder Woman (aka the birthday girl aka Kelly)

PS That wig of mine didn't last long. 

Kerri and Kelly

I've been in a bit of a book slump lately; a few of the titles I had looked forward to came in at the library but I couldn't get into them.  The only book I've finished since my last book post is We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas.  I really liked that and would recommend it.  Oh, wait, I guess I also read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell which I don't really count because it's a young adult book, but I liked it.  I have been working on Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte inbetween books that I can't get into, and that one really resonates with me.  She writes that men usually do 1.5 things at a time while women usually do 5 things at a time while thinking of 2-3 other things.  This explains a lot.  I just started Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng last night, and I'm hoping it's a winner.  I need to get out of my slump.