Twelve

With eyes big and blue

Fine hair in a golden hue

And those adorable cheeks, too

Chloe, I'm so in love with you!

As a child of three

With immense curiosity

A little voice so squeaky

Always adoring her mommy.

Daddy's little girl

Love making your dresses swirl

Not a care in this world

As you dance in your pearls.

Always the little lady

Even though you're the baby

Of two brothers who are crazy

But truly love you greatly.

When you were young and very shy

It was amazing to watch as time slipped by

And you transformed into a social butterfly

Excited to learn, forever asking "why".

Your love of reading and books

Was evident from your very first look

You couldn't help but be hooked

In a house filled with volumes in every nook.

Ever the thoughtful and sensitive one

Your heart carries a heavy burden

For the injustice the world has done

On people and animals both old and young.

As time marches on

And your younger years are gone

The memories stay strong

Of who you've been all along.

You are the light in your Daddy's eyes

He treats you like a special prize

You can do no wrong, you can tell no lies

Listen to your Daddy, he will make you wise.

I love who you are, I like what you do

May twelve be a special year for you

May you grow in love, forgiveness, and grace too

Be who you are, love what you do!

Twelve looks good on you!

Jumping for Joy

Because this sweet girl is turning TWELVE in just 3 days, we decided to take advantage of our last day of spring break and go jump our hearts out in a warehouse full of trampolines and small children. They were having a special deal and being as I can never pass up on a special deal, we chose to pay for 2 hours of jumping which, believe it or not, was cheaper than one hour. Now I know why. No human being can jump for 2 hours straight. It must have been a ploy to see what type of morons fall for a deal that ridiculous. 

As you can see, we adapted very well to our new environment (sorry, the picture quality is going to be pretty bad throughout the rest of this post). And for the first 15 minutes or so, we had the whole place to ourselves. 

This picture was taken well before we were all hot, sweaty and sore. We had yet to feel the effects of jumping like Tigger repeatedly. Apparently, Chuck and I forgot that our bodies were no longer comparable to that of children. Spine compression, stiff necks and general back pain plagued us from the first jump to the last. 

My very first foray into the Foam Pit. I folded in half under all those blue squares and couldn't get out. Gavin, ever my protector, jumped in to pull me back to the safety of the trampoline.

It looks like Chuck is hovering here. But he came down hard on the foam. It took him a good 5 minutes to crawl out of there. To put it in perspective, it took the kids like 30 seconds to jump in and out like it was just water, not foam.

Here's the gymnast showing off her skills. None of us dared try something so risky.

Except Gavin. He had the Parkour flip down pat. He never once landed on his head like his Dad.

This is what Chuck looked like after attempting the same move. Seriously, he thinks he's still 10. At least he was playing on the trampolines like he was. After landing on his shoulder after attempting the aforementioned flip, he crawled out on all fours and lay on the floor moaning because he couldn't feel his shoulder and his neck was tight. But don't worry, he was right back in there after a quick 5 minute time out.

The boys actually took turns in the Dodge Ball area. This was an intense game. It was all boy (for the most part - I only saw one girl and two dads). Balls were flying and hitting hard. 

Chloe and I decided to take turns doing air splits.

This is the one benefit I've received from doing yoga all these years.

After about an hour in to our jump-a-thon, me and the kids were sitting outside resting and trying to catch our breath. We found Chuck and asked him how much longer he was up for jumping. The kids and I already voted and we were just fine with not using the entire 2 hours allotted us. Chloe was ready to go in 5 minutes. You would have thought Chuck just found out they were out of his favorite ice cream, he so bummed. Even though he could no longer turn his neck side to side and his back was stiff and his shoulder barely functional, he was still hoping to play for the entire time. I love that about him! We compromised and stayed an extra 15 minutes. However, truth be told, he came straight home and took a nap by the fireplace. This seems to be our modus opperendi after doing hard, kid-like activities that wreak havoc on our older bodies (such as riding a ton of roller coasters on Bennett's b-day).

College Shopping

I knew Spring was happening on our continent even though those of us dwelling in the nether regions of Minnesota weren't getting the chance to experience it yet. We had to drive down to Indiana before we saw the beauty that comes with Spring. Every flowering tree we passed by I gasped, "Oh, how lovely!" I wanted Chuck to stop the car so I could take pictures of each and every one of the beautiful blossoms. This particular one is a magnolia bloom. Fragrant and beautiful. 

We took the opportunity to travel out of state during the kids' Spring Break this year to go on two college visits for Gavin. We knew we were in for an amazing day when we looked out of the window on our first day in Indiana and were welcomed by this serene vista. Gavin told us the scientific reason for the the fog resting on the river and the atmospheric pressure causes blah, blah, blah...but I was too enthralled in the beauty to be concerned with the science in the moment. Not that I don't appreciate the science...I just appreciate the beauty more.

Our first stop was Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. We didn't have a clue about what to expect and were pleasantly surprised with how wonderful this campus was. We had the best experience during the entire 3 hour tour. Each guide was helpful and knowledgeable. But more than that we each picked up on the vibe of the students all around us. They had a very welcoming, inclusive, diverse culture that really appealed to Gavin. That and the fact that they are the only University to have their own airport on campus. He previously didn't know he wanted a pilot's license - but now he does. Interesting fact: 23 Purdue graduates have gone on to be astronauts - including Neil Armstrong. 

Another interesting fact: apparently, Chuck and I went to college in the Dark Ages. At least we have come to learn as much after this tour. All the cool perks that come with college now-a-days were so not available to us. Heck, we still didn't have phone-in registration during the mid-90's!!! We just found the internet in 1995.  And as for meal-plan options...we practically ate mush. Kids these days have Starbucks and multiple ethnic cusinies at their beck and call. Get this...they even have an app that tells you when your laundry is done and people don't steal it! The only way we could ensure this same standard was to sit on the floor in the hot, stinky, loud laundry room with our rolls of quarters and change out our own loads. For the love! 

The University of Illinois Champaigne-Urbana is only an hour and a half drive west of Purdue. So we decided to hit two birds with one stone (that's such a horribly sad euphemism). We decided to drive around the campus the evening we arrived just to check it out so we wouldn't get terribly lost the next day when we had a schedule to keep. We also had the foresight to take a picture because the weatherman was warning of rapidly approaching serious storm systems. This was not good news for us as our tour would be of the out-doors variety. Plus, we packed for high 60 degree weather - not rainy and cold.  

This was what our tour of U of I looked like. At this point it was only sprinkling. But it got much, much worse. We were at the back of the pack of at least 25 people. We couldn't hear a word of what was being said. We couldn't see anything due to all the umbrellas in our way. We had no idea where we were, what we were seeing or where we were headed. And to top it off, we were walking way too slow for my liking. When there are storm clouds, thunder and lightening looming ominously above and around me, I rather prefer to be cuddled up next to the fireplace or at the very least inside a safe structure with a roof! That was apparently not the plan for our tour guide. This tour was going down do or die.  Three miserable, soaking wet hours later, we were mercifully back in our car. We were starving, sopping wet and oh so disillusioned with the U of I. There were a few things Gavin liked about the school, but his list of cons out-weighed the few pros he was able to find. That's why it's important to go visit. Some things you just don't know until you go there and experience it for yourself.

After finally arriving at our destination, we found that Bennett had secretly left his mark on the back of our weather-beaten, highway-weary car. We can always count on him to add a sense of humor to any and all situations. 

This whole trip was surreal for Chuck and I. We kept thinking that we're not old enough for this. We just graduated from college ourselves, didn't we? It was equally thrilling and depressing. We will be sending our firstborn off to live on his own in a little over a year. I had no idea time would go this fast. I think I'm still slightly in shock. I have no doubt he'll do awesome wherever he goes and whatever he chooses to do. I just don't think I'll do as awesome without his daily presence in my life. 

Recreated Processes

The other night at dinner (those famous last words), we were having another fascinating talk. I never know what to expect when Gavin brings up a topic. I was pleasantly surprised with the direction of this conversation:

"You know mom, it's interesting how most inventions and machines people have created work to recreate processes that exist in nature and in people."

"Oh ya. Hmmm. I've never really thought about that before. Can you give me some examples, Sweetie?"

Internal Combustion Engine mimics the stomach

Cameras mimic our eyes

Computers mimic our brains

Telephones mimic our vocal chords and ears

Airplanes mimic birds

Solar Panels mimic photosynthesis

Pistons/Pulleys/Motors mimic how our muscles work

Bi-ped Robots mimic the human ability to walk on two legs

Google/Siri/AI mimic how our brains and neuro-receptors interpret human speech and commands and work with the information

Mind-blowing!!! I wish I could have thoughts like these. This is why I am forever learning.

Minecraft Tutorial

I love this. It is rare...Gavin and Chloe doing anything together. I guess that's why I love it so much. She realizes that if she wants to spend any time at all with Gavin, she's going to have to do what he likes...which is anything involving computers. So come the weekend when it's time to play Minecraft, Chloe is ever at his side watching him navigate and build his world. He (secretly) loves the audience and attention. She asks all the right questions in all the right places and cheers him on. I'm sure she's learning a ton too being as Gavin has automated farming, created a redstone mechanism that controls a trap door, terraformed an island, made a village auto breeder, linked nether portals together by placing them in the correct coordinate locations and automated a fishing hut. How else would she ever learn these vital life skills if not for her older and wiser brother handing down the tricks of the trade? 

For the Love of Cookies

I love this guy! He embodies my love of cookies. I can relate to him. We are one. That is why when I saw the commercial below last night during March Madness I laughed so hard. I just sat there with a stupid grin on my face. It made my day. It makes me so happy. It is brilliant! This is me. This is what I look like making cookies.

Extravagant Grace

This movie! It is one of my all time favorites. I can't help but cry every single time I watch this. I am incredibly overwhelmed by the grace shown to Jean Valjean by the priest. It is extravagant grace. It's this kind of grace and love that changes people at the core.

None of us are beyond the reach of grace. None of us deserve it, no matter how good we live or how horrible we live. Everyone deserves a second chance. It's not up to me to decide whether or not someone is worthy, deserving, changed or not.  It's not about "right" belief. It's about how well you love.

This is also a good reminder that stuff is just that...stuff. We cannot stay so attached to it that we put it above another human being. The priest could have taken the moral high ground and had Valjean punished for his crime. But he chose the path of non-violence (by not insisting on punishing him). He chose life (punishment could have been death for his offense). He chose love (instead of embitterment after helping a poor stranger). His choice showed sacrifice - sacrifice of his possessions. Sacrifice of his ego. Sacrifice of his rights. He gave his love, stuff and grace away without the surety of these actions truly affecting change in this man's heart. He ultimately knew that love overcomes fear and hatred. 

Myositis

This sweet boy has been home sick for the past week with the flu. Being stuck in bed for days at a time is hard for anyone, but especially when a super active 14 year old. Being still is not one of his favorite activities. Never has been. But it gets worse.

Not only did he miss school most of the week. He also came down with a strange rash all over his body. Odd, I thought. Maybe it was just a typical reaction the body has after breaking such a high fever. Two days after the rash, he wakes up and says his legs are killing him. He can barely walk. Literally. He was hobbling around like an old man in great pain.

He said his calf muscles were in tremendous pain and he couldn't move them or put weight on them without excruciating pain. Our first thought was dehydration. That would make sense after being so sick for so many days in a row. We practically drowned him in Gatorade and water. But by the end of the day he was worse off than when we started.

The monkey wrench in this whole thing is that this was the very last weekend of basketball tournaments for the season and for all of his 5 years in traveling basketball. It was kind of a big deal. He really wanted to play at the State Tournament and we couldn't blame him. But what about the whole legs not working thing? This could be a problem.

We were at the Doctor's office first thing Saturday morning asking if he should play ball this weekend. We didn't want him to do permanent damage to his muscles if he tried playing. I had done a little research the night before and had a suspicion of what the problem might be. I mentioned it to the Doctor and she agreed. 

The blood tests results came back positive for Myositis. A very rare complication of the flu virus. It is an inflammation of the muscles, usually on both sides of the body. Thankfully, it was only centralized in his calf muscles. As with any virus, it just takes time to run it's course. No muscles were damaged because the Doctor wouldn't allow him to play basketball.  Now, on Sunday, he's already walking much better. But man, is it nerve wracking! Every parent wishes they could take the pain for their child. To his testament, he didn't complain, he didn't feel sorry for himself, he just spent time reading and watching college basketball. We got lots of good time together and found something to be thankful for even in the midst of this unfortunate circumstance.

Epiphany of Weeds

There must be some connection to spring and weeds and epiphanies for me. I seem to have my best life thoughts while pulling weeds during springtime. So it would come as no surprise to anyone that I had another epiphany today!

Every time I look out back, all I seem to see are weeds encroaching upon the lawn. Since we are having an unseasonably warm late winter, I thought it would be great to use this awesome weather to get a head start on those weeds before they started growing again - kind of beat them at their own game.

So I head out back with shovel and work gloves in hand. I was amazed with how easy those pesky weeds were to pull up. I was able to make a lot of headway. It was awesome. After a while Chuck got home and joined me. I commented to him, "It amazes me that left to itself, the garden will just continue to grow weeds until it's overcome with them."

Then I was quiet for a real long time contemplating on that deep thought.

I realized that gardeners have to be very purposeful in their weed-pulling. The timing is crucial. They also have to be diligent. A garden doesn't just stay in a state of beauty left to it's self without someone working on it. It requires hard work to make a garden delightful to look at. Not only do weeds threaten the beauty of the garden they can actually choke the life out of it. Invasive species can kill all the hard work a gardener has done over the years if not taken care of quickly.

I was starting to see a lot of correlations to life.

God speaks of pruning us in the Bible. I never saw it as a good thing. I saw it as me not doing things right or good enough for him, so he would have to get rid of those things. But that's not it at all. Left to myself, my "garden" will become overwhelmed with things that are not supposed to be there. Because He loves me, he removes these things in my life so it will be beautiful again.

Cool, huh?! I thought so too.

Sick Strength

Bennett was home sick from school today. Once Chloe got home he asked her, "You wanna go downstairs and play basketball?" Obviously, he couldn't stand to lay down a minute longer. As they're heading down the stairs he pinches her shoulder as any good brother would. She shrieks,"How can you still be strong Bennett? You're sick."

"Chloe. I'm always strong." End of discussion. Apparently his strength knows no limits. Must be nice.

Belgian Fries

Doesn't that look just scrumptious!?! 

In our never-ending winter quest of keeping the cold at bay we were yet again perched in front of our tv the other night watching the most riveting of shows, Food: Fact or Fiction. We were being educated on whether or not pizza really originated in Italy or not. Then there was the ever suspenseful fry debate, are they French or Belgian? The pictures were painfully tantalizing. Our collective mouths were watering. We knew that we had to do whatever we could to get our hands on some of these most delicious sounding fries.

Thanks to Google, within minutes Chuck had found the top 5 places in the Twin Cities that serve authentic Belgian fries (you can clearly see where we fall in the fry debate). Unfortunately for us, it was like 9pm when we learned of this helpful information. So we made a date for the following evening. We would go in search of the perfect fries. 

We were merrily on our way to The Amsterdam, the #1 rated place for this delicacy in the Twin Cities. We knew from the reviews that it was a bar. But really, how bad could it be? Chili's advertises itself as a bar and grill and it is innocuous. I told the kids we were off on an adventure. Chloe asks, "So does that mean you're scared (remember my famous quote: It's not an adventure unless mommy is scared.)? Well, come to think of it, I wasn't scared. So we decided to call this an expedition instead. This is what we walk up to:

The three Xs on the sign make me a little nervous. But we proceed anyways. Our desire for fries outweighing our common sense. We walk in and it is dark. Like almost black. The windows are all covered with black-out curtains. People don't come here to be seen or enjoy the view from the windows or to even try and communicate for that matter. And, oh ya, they're fixin to have a concert. We were unaware of this. But as the sign declares this is a bar and concert hall. Just our luck. It just so happens that a hip/hop/rap/R&B artist was doing a sound check for his show that night at the exact same time we arrive. What luck! We do know about my noise and motion sensitivity issues....right? I just kept thinking: fries, fries, fries.

So, here we are waiting for a waitress to notice we snuck into this loud, black hole. The volume is turned ALL THE WAY UP! You can't hear yourself think, forget about trying to have meaningful conversation about whether or not you like the fries. At this point, we're beginning to wonder if the fries are worth it. I'm sure everyone is waiting with bated breath for our answer. And it is NO. This particular expedition did not win the Best Belgian Fries award. At least not in our book. I'd say atmosphere plays into this decision a little bit.

Did you hear how loud the "background" music was? This is not the typical type of environment we like to have a nice dinner in. Chloe even said, "I feel like I shouldn't be here." But after a while, we were having fun with it. Chuck and I felt a little like the Swagger Wagon parents. We're so pathetically white.  

After this experience we went home, put on the tea kettle and watched a calming episode of "The Great British Baking Show". This activity was a little more up our ally.

TV Guide

Winter in Minnesota sucks. We all become like little hermit crabs and hole up in our shells during the wintry blast. We hibernate by the fireplace and tv while the cold invades our precious outdoors. All the things we love about Minnesota come screeching to a halt when the wind chill plummets, the roads are covered in snow and ice and the gray months seems to play out like a perpetual Groundhog Day.

But have no fear, we have adapted to our surroundings and have learned how to cope. No, there are no more long walks after dinner. And no, there are no bike rides or beautiful sunsets to be had. And sadly, there are no outdoor games of basketball or around the world. Our outdoor time comes to a halt and we are forced to entertain ourselves indoors. For the love.

You can only play so many games of chess, nertz, q-bits, etc. Kids eventually come home from sports practices and want to do something together. It doesn't take all night to exercise. After a while, your eyes start closing while you're nestled up close to the fireplace with your favorite book. What else is there? The tv. We do about a year's worth of tv watching in the 4-5 months of winter. We probably watch an hour or two every night. That's a ton of tv for us. We don't normally watch tv. We prefer to be outside whenever possible.  Obviously, that's not an option right now.

So I thought it would be fun to document the shows we watch that entertain us night after cold night. Five years from now the kids are going to laugh at this list, I just know it. But, trust me, it's hard to find things that all of us will enjoy that are appropriate. One thing we can all agree on is: investigative journalism. Yes - we love us a great reporter! The kids have loved these shows ever since we started traveling with them and would end up in hotels with not many channel options to choose from. From there our love of investigative reporting grew and grew. We love us a good conspiracy theory, whistle blower, fraud or court case (however, we can't watch anything too sad because...Chloe). We've since added anything from the Science Channel, National Geographic Channel and our old favorites, HGTV and Food Network. Thankfully, for us, football and basketball are usually always an option as well. So, without further ado, here's the list:

1. Outrageous Acts of Science
2. Man vs. Wild
3. Brain Games
4. 60 Minutes
5. The Amazing Race
6. The Great British Baking Show
7. Chopped
8. Super Nanny
9. Fixer Upper
10. Flip or Flop
11. House Hunters International
12. Ellen's Design Challenge
13. River Monsters

Well, there you have it. I feel like I've done an adequate job of justifying our nightly ritual of tv watching. I feel better already. Thankfully, spring is around the corner and our DVR will be filled with a back log of programs we're too busy to watch.