No More Training Wheels!

Starting out down the driveway, shortly after removing the training wheels. Fully equipped with helmet, knee pads and elbow pads.




Chloe wanted to take the training wheels off her bike, too. But that would have been a little too difficult for us to teach both kids to ride bikes at the same time.




So Chloe and Daddy were sillers instead.




Of course any time with Daddy or on the bike is going to make this girl smile.




Look! The boy child is riding a bike all by himself!




He was biking FAST!



And a nice, smooth stop.



No better way to finish the lessons than with some cold, red gatorade!



I have never seen such a determined child. Or perhaps even an adult. Owen was extremely frustrated through many attempts as he felt I was causing the bike to lean or fall out from underneath him. It was such a totally different experience having to balance on his own and not having training wheels. But through all the tears and frustration, he refused to go back into the house or give up. Every time he got right back up on the bike to try again. It did not take more than 30 minutes before he was riding on his own.

Owen practiced coming to a stop using the foot brakes and did very well at this without falling. Still need more practice on taking off on his own without one of us holding the bike steady by the seat. And more practice turning/steering the bike. But overall, EXCELLENT first time riding the bike without training wheels.

So. Proud. Of. Owen.

Sir Paul

It has been a loooong two weeks of sitting on my hands and biting my tongue to keep from telling my Mom that I bought tickets to the McCartney concert for us. I told her she was on a Need-To-Know-Basis and she just didn't need to know details, other than what to wear and when to show up at my house yesterday.

Our good friend Martin was in on it and helped maintain the charade we were going to the High Museum of Art (conveniently at the same MARTA exit) and that they were having an outdoor event, which is why we brought a blanket. The secret was maintained until after we got off the MARTA train at the Arts Center and I confirmed for a concert volunteer we were headed to the concert so we could get street directions on which way to walk. Mom was totally shocked and then so excited.




Seating was unassigned, but we got a decent spot near the top of a hill where we squeezed into maybe three square feet of real estate between other peoples' blankets. An Irish band opened before Paul came on stage close to 8:45pm (lots of waiting and sore/numb backsides from sitting on the ground since 5pm when we were told the concert would start). But oh, was it worth it!




Yes, Paul is older. But his facial expressions and his eyes were still those of the boy from Liverpool, delighting in the response of the crowd and sometimes full of mischief. And that was sexy. Seeing him onstage live (THANK GOD they had two big screens on each side of the stage to show him in clear detail for those of us half a mile from the stage!) and in person was incredible. I was surrounded by so many people who LOVED the Beatles when they were in their teenage years and many of us who were raised on the Beatles by those same teenagers of the 60s. What an awesome energy in the crowd (and no, it had nothing to do with all the joints that were being lit up all over. wow!). It seemed everyone was full of awe and appreciation for this man. His talent. His voice. And his charisma.

Cameras weren't allowed, so I was limited to the camera on my cell phone which is great for up-close, but not for far-away details. Here you can see the two looooong screens hanging on either side of the stage and these are where live video of Paul on the stage was magnified up for all to see.




And here it looks like a blur of lights in the pic, but in person I could very clearly see every detail of Paul. Oh Paul, you still rock!



I haven't been to a music concert in over fifteen years (I know, that's a long time but I just really don't like being in crowds. At all), but this was well worth coming out to see. Walking two miles, sitting on the ground for three hours waiting for Paul and feeling my butt go numb, getting soaked to the bone during a 45 minute cats n dogs rainstorm, standing for two and a half hours while my feet went numb, long port-a-potty lines, walking two miles back soaking wet....none of that mattered.



I got to see McCartney!

And for the second time in her life, so did my Mom :D



p.s. BIG THANKS go out to my husband for staying home with our kids and Martin's son to feed them, entertain them and get them to bed. It was a surprise for all of us that the concert would not be ending until after 11pm and we wouldn't be home till midnight.

Another Tooth Bites the Dust

Owen lost his last wiggly tooth yesterday. This is the fourth tooth that has come out. He is proud to show off his toothless grin, so it is easier now to get pictures of him. Wondering how long this will last.

I am having fun playing with my new camera, but it is becoming painfully obvious to me that I have much to learn about how to use it. Thankfully, until I learn how to use all the features and the difference between ISO and f-stops and white balance, it has an auto-focus mode :) It was a rather spendy camera, so I figure I owe it to myself (and the camera) to learn how to use every button and dial (omigosh, there are more dials than I know what to do with on it!) before the year is out. A photography class is likely in store for me.

The girl child and I took a walk this morning before our guys woke up. The sun was shining, but it was hidden from us during our walk on our nature trail because of all the tall trees. While we walked, we enjoyed hearing the crickets sing to us.



My Beanarina at the top of the steps leading down to the nature trail at the bottom of our street.



Cool lichen growing on one side of a little tree stump.



Here is Chloe walking up to the footbridge. It is just at the edge of our little forest of trees after we walked about half a mile under their cover.




This pic better captured the floating water bug than it did my reflection as I leaned over the footbridge where we turned around to come home.



I thought this was a neat leaf with cool spots. Pretty spider on the underside, although I kept a safe distance. I do better with vertebrates than arachnids or some of the unpredictably jumpy insects.





Some quick fancy footwork helped us jump over this guy on our way back home. He was almost as big as my index finger!



Newest beads using Ekho from Double Helix



Here is the same glass encased in clear. Love the purple that comes out! Need to play with this glass a little more :)



My Owen boy is feeling 100% again after being on antibiotics for over 24 hours. He tested positive for strep throat Saturday morning when I took him into the pediatrician's office. They looked at me like I had three heads when I told them my Wendy treated six cases of it on Thursday (strep season starts as soon as school is back in session). But the quick strep test that normally takes 5-10 minutes to show the results turned Owen's little throat culture back in less than two minutes. Poor guy...he just had strep in February. Although, I'd rather it be strep and get antibiotics to feel better in less than a day, than it be a cold virus and treat the symptoms for a week or more.



And the other good news is that the union for the Southeast did not walk out on strike when their contract expired at 11:59pm Saturday night. Which keeps me at home with my family and not climbing phone poles in Northwest Georgia or Oklahoma. Soooo thankful!

Now if I could just kick this sore throat that I picked up on Friday!

First Day of School

Owen was very excited about wearing his new shoes from Old Navy and using his new Super Mario backpack and SpiderMan lunch box.

He was so sweet to pose for pics with Todd....

And me....

And then we set up the timer on the camera to get all three of us. Chloe didn't wake up until after we got back from walking Owen to the bus stop.

Chloe was excited about wearing a new dress we found hanging in her closet, although we have no idea how it got there.

She was very sweet with Todd....

And me :)

They both had a wonderful first day of school in 1st grade and pre-Kindergarten!

Our Kids Are Home!!!

Yesterday afternoon I was filled with nervous energy and excitement in anticipation of seeing my children for the first time in exactly three weeks since I kissed them goodbye and drove away from their tears and sad faces. Tears and sad faces which were quickly ditched for other fun activities like eating rice crispy bars, playing softball, planning picnics on the boat and swimming in the pool or riding in kayaks. Or so I was told. I know that the tears were genuine. At the time. But c'mon. The kids are 4 and 6 and sadnesses are short lived (oh, if only those quick recoveries carried into adulthood).

The three weeks spread out before us like the ocean, seemingly going on forever when we first arrived home. I stayed busy for the first two weeks cleaning out, re-painting and re-organizing Owen's and Chloe's rooms. But each day passed faster than the one before until I was standing at the gate waiting for my kids to walk off the plane (hugs to the ticket counter agent who gave me a pass through security so I could see my kids that much sooner to smother them in smooches!) and surprise Todd, who believed I was waiting in baggage claim...just like I told him moments before when he called me after landing in Atlanta. :) Yes, I can be sneaky.

So here is the video of their reactions walking into their rooms when we got home from the airport. Gone is my anxiety over the tears and stomping feet yelling "This isn't what I WAAAANTED!" As you can see, I had nothing to worry about.



Do you think the right word for this is nonchalance?

BIG THANKS go to Grandma Sharon and Papa Wenzel for taking care of my children for the past three weeks. There may have been some overindulgence going on (doughnuts for breakfast, cake for lunch, rice crispy treats in the afternoon and pie with dinner for example. yes, there was a security breach, so what happened at Grandma's did not stay at Grandma's....much to her chagrin), but I couldn't be happier about my kids getting to spend so much time Up North in Minnesota with their grandparents and getting filled up on their love.

What awesome memories they will have of these times when they are older. I know some of the snippets I remember of my own childhood with my grandparents bring such a warm feeling of complete and total love. With them, I knew I was safe. They loved me no matter what, even when I was six or seven and ruined my Mom's $300 coffee table with fingernail polish remover when she was napping. My Grandparents were there for me on the phone reassuring me that no matter how angry Mom would be, she WOULD allow me to live.

And that they loved me. So much.

Kid's Room Makeovers: Part 2 - Owen's room

This was the view from our hallway into Owen's room. The double window is just to the left of the bookshelves back in the corner. His cool bunk bed took up half the wall.




For most of the three years he has had this bed, Owen slept in the top bunk. It was this past spring that he moved down to the bottom bunk. I suspect he found it easier to sneak out of bed to play with his toys or read books in the sunlight creeping in from the hallway. Yes, I said sunlight. We are wretched parents who kiss the kids goodnight by 8pm so we can have a couple of hours to ourselves.




And a shot of the armoire between the closet & hallway doors. See? Sunlight. This pic was taken close to 8pm the other night. Just wretched!




And looking in again from the hallway to blue walls with red curtains and bedspread. I had not originally planned on painting Owen's room, but thought he'd feel left out if they came home to find Chloe's room painted and his...not. So I pushed and needled him until he broke down from saying he liked his khaki walls to, "Well, maybe I'd like blue with red and black. Maybe. I dunno." And somehow, his room got re-arranged and the bed flipped over so it is no longer a bunk.




The bookshelves flipped over to the opposite wall and the quilt that my Mom made for Owen when he was a baby just shifted over a few feet.




I pulled my old rolltop desk out of his closet since the bed is not sucking up wallspace like before. Now he has a place to do homework, as well as a Pokemon card storage facility.




I like this picture wall, but need to get one added that includes my Dad with Owen (since he's got pictures with all the other grandparents). I bought new frames at IKEA so all the family pics would look better hung together. Not sure if he's too old for the other pictures of the rabbit, rocket ship and dinosaur, but I painted those a few years ago and admit I'm not ready to let go of him being my little boy yet.



I think Owen got the cooler room between the new color and furniture re-arrangement. I like all the pictures on his walls better now that the frames match and are hung in a spot that's easier to see. He also got a new little bedside light and table with two drawers. Very big boy stuff. I hope he loves his new room.

I have had way too much fun these past two weeks painting the kids rooms and thinking about their reactions when they come home. This will be a big surprise to both of them. I had planned to spend much more time on the torch during this quiet time with them away, but ended up spending the majority of my free time in their rooms.

It made me feel closer to them, the things they love and the smell of their hair on their pillows. It almost helped me to not miss them so much.

Almost.

In four days, they will be home again. I can not wait to throw my arms around them and smooch their little faces until they push me away. And then pull them back for more.

The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I fi

The kids have been asking us to move. Why? Because they're tired of this house and want new bedrooms. Chloe really wanted a pink and purple room. I figured the best time to make that happen would be during the 3 weeks they stayed behind in Minnesota to get spoiled by the Grandparents. That would eliminate any crying or stomping of feet over color selection and guarantee we wouldn't have Pepto Bismol Pink fighting with Vikings Purple on her walls. As a child, my Mom gave me the Pepto Bismol walls that I chose on a paint swatch, God love her. But as an adult, I vowed to myself I would not let that happen. So here are the before and after shots of Chloe's room.

Before, Chloe's room had green walls. All were a light green, with the exception of the window wall off to the right that does not like to be photographed because the lighting screws up my pictures every time. But it is the same green as the bookshelves/headboard I built for her at the head of her bed.


That is her closet door to the right of the dresser and the door to the hallway is to the left just out of view.



There is the rocker/recliner I love. It is so comfy and brings back good memories of Chloe when she was a baby, when I nursed her, and when she wasn't old enough to talk back. And also the quilt my Mom made for me when I graduated from high school. It is not safe from messy cats on a horizontal surface. I love that I could hang it up and still be able to see it every day. Mom put so much time, effort and love into making that quilt for me!




Now two walls are a pale lavender and two are a pale pink. I think the purple really makes the green shelves and her cool IKEA leaf canopies stand out better. There is a rainbow windsock hanging in the far right corner. She picked that out in a shop in Walker when we were Up North. The Cabbage Patch Kids on the left side of the shelves were my first and favorite two dolls as a child. I loved Lavinia and Laura to no end. I still think they are pretty cool and have learned to live with the fact that they will never be clothed again.


The purple matches one of the homes on the quilt. Not visible in this picture, but only due to distance is Chloe's artwork with a ball point pen just next to the calendar by the door. Her handiwork bled through a good EIGHT coats of lavender. Next time I will just use a little KILZ at the start and be done with it!


And a better view of the pink, which is also on the opposite wall with her two windows.

Back from Vacation & Kidless

We had a WONDERFUL vacation where we took a week and a half off from the world of telecom to drive 1000 miles up to Minnesota to visit Todd's folks in Rochester and Up North (any place North of the half-way mark in the state). We relaxed. We ate. We fished. We relaxed a little more. And then we drove home kidless to enjoy peace, quiet and no whining for a whole 3 weeks. And no kisses or sweet little hugs or soft whispers in the ear at bedtime that "I love you more than pancakes and Pokemon."

I haven't spent as much time on my torch as I had planned. But I'm not going to complain. I have re-painted BOTH of the kids bedrooms, spent much time cleaning out closets and dressers. But the most fun has been spending many evenings at the tennis courts watching my honeys do what he loves. When the kids are here, I NEVER get to see Todd play tennis. But now I can go watch him anytime he's playing. I can join in the guy humor and give teammates grief for wearing pink shoes. I can have a couple of beers with them after they're done playing. And then give them more grief for wearing pink shoes. They are fun & good group of guys, most of them married with kids, but ranging in age from mid 20s to late 50s/early 60s. These are my husbands friends. And I like them. All of them. And that feels good.

Up North 3

The largest dandelions I have ever seen were along the running trail in Nevis/Dorset.




Kids playing along the shore. Chloe had to take her top off to be like her brother. This was around 7:30/8pm and was getting cooler, but the kids didn't seem to notice.




Our little fish just loves swimming in the pool.



Such an awful view/way to spend vacation, don't you think? Wretched skies, ugly water and a chauffeur to find the perfect fishing spots.



Parental & baby loons.



Todd caught a bass!