When I Grow Up...

Liam has declared, on separate occasions, the following things about his life as an adult:

"When I'm big I'll drive a motorcycle and you can sit on the back and hang on tight. We'll go to Starbucks for coffee and drink it there because you can't drink and drive with a motorcycle. I'm going to drink coffee when I grow up."

"When I'm older I want a convertable. So I can drive it with the top down with other people and with the top on in the winter. I still want a motorcycle."

"When I grow up I don't want a job like Daddy. I want to stay home and play and go to your house and take you out to coffee."

"I don't want kids when I grow up. And if I can't marry you then I don't want to get married."

Quinn, on separate occasions, has declared the following:

"I hope I find someone to marry when I'm in college."

"I think I'm going to be an astronaut. Maybe. I'd like a job like Daddy has where I can come home, cook dinner, play with the babies."

"When I get a car of my own I want a van like yours, Mom. Only blue. Well, when I'm old enough can you just give me your van and then I don't have to use any of my money? I can drive lots of kids around in it."

"I don't know how many kids I'll have. That's up to whoever it is I find to marry me."

Night and day these two. Night and day.

Facebook Status Updates

We just got back from a long weekend up in Door County, Wisconsin. With little to no internet access on my phone I was unable to post the following facebook updates:

• Beautiful! Stopping at the first beach we can find so the boys can stick their feet in Lake Michigan water.


• Found the farm. Setting up camp.


• Cousins are here! Quinn and Henry are already riding their bikes together along the gravel driveway.


• Mmmmm. S'mores


• Heading to the beach before it rains.


• Rain came - driving around aimlessly.


• Found a great state park - Newport - had lunch in the shelter and found great secluded beach. Boys had fun jumping the waves.


• Over $60 to take a ferry?! No thanks.


• Found another state park - this time we found a shoreline with only seashells on the ground. No sand. Just shells. Very cool.


• Heading to a fireboat cruise, then biking, then a fish boil!


• Fireboat cruise not worth the money (or the drive).


• Uh. Don't spin your kids too fast on the tire swing and then put them in car. Looks like we'll be skipping the fish boil.


• Giving the boys baths and cleaning up the van. YUCK.


• Boys are feeling much better. Quinn can't wait for Henry to get back to the farm so they can ride bikes some more.


• Heading home. My van still smells like vomit.


• Home! To do list: laundry and clean out the van some more.

What's that called?

What's that called when you hear someone in your class has lice and all of a sudden any time your head itches you are convinced you have lice?

Or when someone in your class has strep (or someone in your child's class has strep) and now you swear that your throat is killing you?


What's that called?

I Get it!

I've learned this past year to let go of my own inhibitions about team sports. I never liked them. I was never good at them. I didn't like trying out - not making the team, etc. I found my place with music - everyone wins - everyone participates - everyone (usually) has fun. Even if you're not the best player in the band - your part is still important. You are part of a group and you all need to work together to accomplish something great.

So between my past relationship with sports and Quinn's feet issues I was very leery about signing him up for any team sports. And then his Physical Education teacher suggested it. As she put it, "at this age - everyone plays and they really try to make it fun. Any experience he can get running with his friends will help him break into a true run eventually."

So - Quinn's played basketball, soccer, and tee ball this past year. And he's loved every single sport. If you ask him what his favorite is - it's whatever he's playing at the time. We're just finishing up a tee ball season - where I signed both Quinn and Liam up to play together.

I get it now. The boys love it. They cheer each other on. They pay attention to the game (most of the time). They know the rules. They've improved with catching and throwing. They respect their coaches. And they look adorable.

Quinn's also taking piano lessons and it got me thinking. Why are we doing this? I have no dreams/hopes of him becoming a professional musician/rock star. I believe most parents have their children participate in a musical activity to encourage a love and appreciation of music. By participating and not just observing you feel a deeper connection to the music.

And it hit me. Why not give my kids the same experience with sports? I don't believe either one of them will go on to play professionally - or even in college (well, maybe Liam, but that's another blog post in itself). I can expose them to a variety of sports and allow them to build a deeper connection with each through participation and not observation. It'll work for now - as the games aren't competitive and everyone makes the team. We'll see what happens when they're older. But I've put my own fear about not being good enough to play aside and I've allowed them to determine what they feel comfortable trying.

It's All My Fault

Poor Quinn. He just doesn't know how to behave when he's tired/hasn't had enough sleep.

For most of his life he's been put to bed before it's too late, given the chance to nap when he's needed it. I've avoided sports, camps, classes, etc - if it interfered with a good bedtime and/or naptim for him. So really, the only chances he's ever had to get tired were while we are on vacation.

Then comes this summer. We've been much more flexible with the sleeping thing. Going to bed late seems to have become the norm and not the exception.

This would be fine - if he'd sleep in. Or if he'd fall asleep during "rest time".

Instead I find him in his room at 5:45 reading by the light of his window and trying to fool me into thinking he's sleeping until 6:30, like I asked of him. Or reading during a much needed naptime (like when he was up 'til midnight and up at 6am).

I know a lot of parents have this problem in reverse - their kids will stay up later reading with a flashlight under the covers. At night is the only time he'll fall asleep easily. But then when he wakes up to use the bathroom in the early morning - he refuses to let himself fall back asleep!

So it should come as no surprise to me that he's been tired, crabby, cranky, whatever. I'm tired of using that excuse for him - but that's what it is. The kid is not getting enough sleep. I'd hate to go back to our school-year bedtime for the summer - there's so much fun to be had after dinner. Of course, I'm also hating his new disposition.

If only he'd sleep in. Tonight I'm taking all the books out of his room.

I'm such a mean mom.

So it's happened....

I figure since my last post was about my dying grandma, I should extend an update.

She passed away just a few days after I wrote that.

She had many of her family members there at the house with her and went peacefully.

The wake and funeral were beautiful and it was so good to see all of my family that has scattered across the country the past few years. Almost all of my cousins made it in and my aunts and uncles.

We all had such wonderful memories of growing up together and playing together at Grandma's house. In Grandma's basement. At Grandma's cottage.

I love those memories.

My Grandma

My grandma is dying. She's not sick; she's just old.

My grandpa (her husband) was sick with cancer many years ago. I remember about a week before my 16th birthday I thought it was strange that the entire family came to visit him. I didn't know that it was arranged so that we could all say one last good-bye.

My grandma has spent the past few years in Arizona with my aunt. Maybe about six months or so ago she came back to Illinois and my mom (and her siblings) choose a nursing home for her. My mom took her out of the nursing home and brought her home with her and hired a 24 hour care-taker.

This past weekend my mom has begun calling family and letting them know they should come and visit. Grandma hasn't eaten anything since Saturday. Her kidneys aren't producing. And she's been sleeping a lot.

I took the boys to go and visit today and she seemed to be in good spirits. She called Liam "fat" (for lack of being able to think of the proper word for saying he's grown so much). She told Quinn to be a good boy. And she asked how I was feeling. We talked about medicine and how it's helping us all feel a bit better with this weather. She seemed at peace - not in any pain.

My mom has had a chaplan out and is arranging for a priest to come (Grandma is Catholic, my mom is not). My dad said the chaplan was singing to my grandma.

Death is such a strange event - yet such a normal part of life.

My grandma sat next to my grandpa as he passed away.

I'm glad my mom brought Grandma home with her.

I'm glad my boys weren't afraid to see her and talk to her. This is an important stage of life that I want them to understand as much as they can. (Of course, I still don't understand as much as I want to about the end of life.)

I'm glad I got to see and talk to her.