Muddy Mothering

My life isn't as crazy some people think it must be, with five young kids running around.  We're used to it, after all.  We have routine, expectations, and (most of all) the memory of summer 2011 when we had eight young kids running around.  Five isn't that big of a deal, is all I'm saying.

But every so often, my life gets really, really intense for an hour or so.

Like today.

I've been trying to pack a few things everyday, in anticipation for our move this winter, and today I was packing up part of my craft closet.  (Oh, okay, that was my objective, but then I started looking at my beads and jewelry things and was struck by inspiration and sat down and made a new necklace for myself.  If you must know.)  Point is, I was concentrating on something messy.

We had the loveliest rainstorm this afternoon, and Em went out to play in it.  (What can I say?  She's my daughter!)  She begged me to let her younger siblings come with her, and after many promises of Keeping An Eye On Them and Watching Out and Being Responsible, I said yes.  Zee wasn't interested in being out in the rain, so the four youngest trouped out.

I became immersed in my beadwork again, and as long as I could hear all of them from the open window at my back, I wasn't worried.

I should have been.

Eventually, Hebs came back inside.  Zee made a sound of amazement, and I looked up to behold...this:

I shooed him back outside immediately.

This is what baby sister looked like.  (Gee and Em, while very messy, weren't as impressively covered.)

Standing in the pouring rain, there was little I could do but take pictures and laugh.  I stripped the two littles and hosed them off.  (They did not appreciate this.)  I hosed off Em's feet, and made her and Gee leave their shoes outside.  Herding everyone inside and downstairs, I ran a warm bath and plopped the littles in it.  While scrubbing them down--oh, the MUD that ran off their heads.  I had to wash their hair for ages to get it off, and then I had to rewash their little bodies--I directed the two bigger kids to take off their muddy clothes.  While I was washing a screaming Hebs' hair (he hates it on a good day, and this wasn't that day), a completely unclothed Em and mostly naked Gee ran around, chasing each other in the hallway.

After getting the two littles out, drying them off, and putting pajamas on them ("I don't care if it's not bedtime, this is what you're wearing so STOP WHINING PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF LITTLE GREEN APPLES."), I rinsed out the bath (grimy, gritty, gross!) and ran another bath for the older two.  While I was helping Em with her looooong thick hair, Yummy somehow got into the zillions of hair ties and strewed them all over the hallway.  Exasperated, I scolded her and she, of course, burst into tears.

Sigh.

Eventually, we cleaned the hair ties up, got everyone out of the bath and the bath rinsed off again (I'll need to really scrub it tomorrow, but I just couldn't face it), everyone's sweet clean faces kissed and smooched, and I went back upstairs to my beading.

It had been an entire hour of non-stop movement.  I felt like I had run a marathon.  Whew.

But these are the times I want to remember.  I do love these muddy, messy, sweet, fabulous kiddos.

Holes

The hole is getting bigger -- hooray! -- but we're running into snags with slow city approval.  It's only the beginning of the delays, I'm sure.  But I'm eager to get the concrete poured before it starts to rain. Of course, if we have another winter like last winter, I have absolutely nothing to worry about.  Except running out of water next summer...

The girls, hanging out where their room will be. 

The boys, in their "room"

(Gee's first day of kindergarten was not a success, as both he and they were getting used to everything.  He missed recess completely because they were changing his diaper, and he couldn't keep up with the other kids chasing the "gingerbread man" around the school.  He kept getting knocked over, poor buddy.  He told me he had a "terrible" day, which made me want to cry, and he said he was done with kindergarten.

Once I convinced him that he HAD to go to school, Gee reluctantly agreed to go back.  And he was glad he gave it a second chance, because he had a great, wonderful day yesterday and today.  So...we're 2 for 3, and that's not too shabby.)

Impossible

Today is Gee's first day of kindergarten.  (Not. Possible.)

For obvious reasons, and some not so obvious reasons, I'm more anxious about Gee starting school then the other kids.  I've tried very hard to hide this from him, because he's been a little apprehensive himself.  When we went to the assembly at open house, he refused to go into the gym.  "There's too many people!  I don't want that many people in my class!"  And last night, he was holding his midsection.  After some gentle questioning, he admitted to having a little tummy-ache.  We talked about how it was okay to be nervous before the first day of school.  But I think his excitement was greater than his nerves, because this morning he was raring to go.

He loves his backpack.  ("It has four dragons and a castle and a dragon warrior and a horse!") 

They really aren't going to walk all the way to school, but the big kids wanted a picture of them walking. 

 Gee and his kindergarten shadow.

 Many, MANY eager helpers (I finally banished them to their own classrooms.)

(Sniff!)

Non-Ceremonial Groundbreaking (or, the Real Deal)

 Nothing like a ten-foot drop to get a heights-hating momma's adrenaline running!

LaDale!  Can you hear me?  I'm in a hole! 

The hole looks ridiculously big and absurdly small, all at the same time.  How does it do that? 

Man of the house hole.

Queen of the mountain 

I'll bet you can imagine the state of my bathtub that weekend. 

King of the hill

Looking for a new mom (briefly)

To set the scene:  Momma has just banned Hebs and Em from eating plain bread, having found an entire loaf's worth of crusts (with a goodly amount of actual bread still attached) in the garbage.

Hebs:  You're not being a nice mother!
Momma:  Yup, I'm not.
Hebs:  I don't want you for my mom anymore.  I'm going to find another mom!
Momma:  Okay, go find another mom.  Bye!
Hebs: (starting to cry)  You won't be my mom anymore?
Momma: (going to hug him)  Of course I'll be your momma forever!
Hebs: (sniffling)  Will I always be your boy?
Momma:  Hebs, you will always be my boy.  (Big hug)

Groundbreaking

Press Release

The groundbreaking for the Tobler-Ross home was held on August 14, 2012.  Distinguished dignitaries participated by digging small holes in the rocky soil.  Excavation is slated to begin Wednesday, August 22, with a proposed completion date of December, 2012.  

The new home will house the five most adorable children in the known world, as well as their parents and marvelous and wonderful grandmother.  

First Day of School, Zee and Em, 2012

Another first day of school is upon us.  Given the squabbling of the last week, I think the kids are as ready as I am.  

I love the attitude of humoring his old mother...if you must take pictures, I suppose I will stand still.  (We're not going to talk about how old and long and grown-up he looks.  I don't want to cry.) 

She is soooo excited.  And just a touch self-conscious of pictures of just her.  

I wonder what iconic picture we are going to have at our new house.  Going through the gate?  

And, yes, Zee has a "new" backpack this year.  Although his old one is perfectly usable--still quite good, actually, three full years in--Zee thinks maybe it is a little too...babyish.  (Sob.)  Two years ago, the school gave everyone a new backpack, and Zee's has never been used.  (Nor has Em's.)  So that's the one he's using now.  Much more mature.

She's getting so big!  And fortunately she still loves her backpack. 

And away they go!  I love that they can walk to and from school.  As soon as Gee starts (next week), I will be either walking or driving the kids to school, because seven blocks is too much for my Gee.  (He thinks that the three blocks to the church is too much, but I make him do it anyway.  Heh heh.)  But Gee is out at 11:05, so the kids will still walk home from school. 

Oh, the sorrow.  But, Mom, they're leaving without me.  I want my shoes and I want to go!  

Bloom Where You're Planted

School starts tomorrow, for my two oldest kids (kindergarten starts a week later), and that means it's time for our fourth annual back to school celebration!  (2009, 2010, 2011)  Open house up at the elementary school was today, and we met all the teachers.  It should be a good couple of months.

Our theme this year is "Bloom Where You're Planted."  I've been thinking a lot about this phrase.  We're moving mid-school year (hopefully by Christmas), and so the kids are going to have to say good-bye to their friends, teachers, and classrooms and face all new people and situations. If there is one thing I want my kids to learn--besides to depend upon the Lord and keep His commandments--it is that they are in charge of their lives.  They can choose to be happy no matter what the circumstance, or they can choose to be miserable.  I want them to choose happiness.

While we were eating our gourmet meal of pizza boats, chips, and (of course) apple juice, we talked about making the best of our situation.  Zee told a story about an acorn blown away from the nice, comfortable soil into a rocky wasteland.  Instead of giving up, the acorn chose to dig deep and grown tall and strong.  I don't know how much the younger kids understood, but that's par for the course.

After dinner, Daddy talked about priesthood blessings, using stories from Joseph Smith's and Harold B. Lee's lives to illustrate.  Then he gave each child--even the two pre-school littles--a father's blessing.  It was very sweet to watch all my kids take their turn on the kitchen chair, Bradley placing his hands on their heads.  He even gave me a blessing, for which I am very grateful. 

Dessert followed.  The kids were quite excited about my little creation--brownies baked in jam jars, with crushed Oreo "dirt" and gummy worms on top.  That is, they were excited until it was actually time to eat it.  Gee didn't want any (big surprise, not), Zee took two bites, Em and Hebs ate about half, and Yummy made a gigantic mess.  Sigh.  The desserts looked cool, anyway.

 This summer has flown by, and I'm excited to see what autumn brings us.  Happy Back-to-School!

Seaside, Oregon

After tackling the monstrous mountain of laundry and the ever-necessary rotation of clothes, I am ready to tell you more about our amazing summer vacation!  You might think, that simply because it was the absolute COOLEST part of the trip, that seeing Mount Saint Helens was the only thing we did.  But you would be wrong!  We did so many awesome things, it's going to take many posts to record them all.  And I'm starting backwards, with the stuff we did at the end, just because I can.  Heh.

After saying good-bye to Steph's family and leaving Mt St Helens on Sunday evening, we decided to drive to the Oregon coast to see the real, live ocean.  (We'd been around the Puget Sound, and the Straits of Juan de Fuca, but always with other islands or land nearby.  I wanted the kids to see the awesomeness that is the horizon-stretching, never-ending OCEAN.)  We chose Seaside, Oregon, because...well, it was the closest beachy shoreline.  Finding the town was no trouble, finding a place to park the motorhome and sleep was a different story.  There is no overnight parking in Seaside.  Fortunately, there was a little gravelly area just outside of town that the nice policeman directed us to.

On Monday morning, we awoke, ate breakfast, and drove into town.  We decided to explore the Seaside Aquarium on the boardwalk.  It was exactly what the reviews online stated--small, chintzy, kitschy, and perfect for our little kiddos.  It was about half the size of a supermarket, with real live harbour seals as the main attraction.  We bought severed fish parts (ugh) to feed to the seals--the kids were alternately fascinated and a little freaked out.  A little petting pool let the children touch sea cucumbers and anemones and other tide pool creatures.  We were only there for about an hour, the kids had a great time and only Zee got a little bored at the end.

Sea slugs and crabs and who knows what else.

And then we walked out to the beach.  We had a long walk to the waves, as the water was at low tide.  The kids were hilarious, making "sand angels" and picking up sticks.  Sadly, the wind was pretty chilly off the water, and we had chosen not to dress in swimsuits.  That didn't stop us from frolicking in the water, though...

 The beach was pretty huge, and pretty empty.  Hooray!

 Hebs was fascinated with the waves.  We never got a good picture of his face at the beach, because he was always turned away, looking out at the water.  (Or maybe he was following my advice, "Never turn your back on the ocean.")

Zee and Em had the MOST fun, dashing in and out of the waves.  Their clothes were unspeakable messes by the time we were done, but it was so worth it!  (Says the woman who is STILL finding sand in pockets.) 

The littles stayed with Daddy, mostly out of the water.

Gee wasn't interested in getting close to the waves.  He loved building castles, though.  I found sticks and feathers, shells and broken sand dollars for him, and he decorated his building.  However, the tide was coming in...which meant that eventually his sand castle washed away.  This is why you don't build your house in the sand!  (A sneaker wave came up, really far, and while the two older kids and I were shouting to warn Daddy and the littles, they didn't hear us over the waves and got a bit wet.  Gee was fairly philosophical about his wet pants and lost castle, though.  Whew.)

 I think he had a good time, don't you?

I don't love hot-sun-bikinis-crowds-sunburns beaches.  But I have discovered that I LOVE the ocean.  The waves, the shells, the sounds, the smells...wow.  Love. 

Miss Yum Yum, however, didn't love the sand on her face.  That's what you get when you have a runny nose and sandy hands, sweetheart!

Fortunately, big sister is there to help.  I love this sweet picture. 

I wish Bradley was in this picture, too. 

Em's experience, in a nutshell.  She had a wonderful time!  (And how in the world did she get so tall and almost...gangly?  She's growing up too fast!!!!)

Momma, ON A VOLCANO

When I was wee--eight years old, to be precise--I did a book report on Mt St Helens.  I was just beginning my life-long obsession with all things eruptive, and learning about a volcano that had blown its top, just five years previously, utterly fascinated me.  Mt St Helens, along with Mauna Loa and Kileaua, are my original favorite volcanoes.  I visited Mauna Loa and Kileaua in 1998, and again in 2000, but I never made it up to the Pacific Northwest.

Until now.

Our Ross Family Reunion was held in Seattle this year, and we decided to make a real road trip of it.  We rented a motorhome off an ad on KSL classifieds, and took a volcanic detour to see the Snake River Plain, the Columbia River Gorge, and...best of all...the Cascades volcanoes, including my beloved Mt St Helens.

Happy sigh.

We got there on Wednesday morning, and it was everything I could have hoped for.  I was so excited, hopping out at every turnout to look and snap pictures and sigh and wipe tears away.  And then Bradley--my patient, wonderful, loving husband--did something for me that was just AMAZING.

He bought me a helicopter tour of the crater.

I KNOW!!!!!  Most husbands buy flowers or chocolates or jewelry, but my husband knows me very well indeed.  Despite the price, despite the fact that, since we have little kids, he couldn't come with me, despite the fact that we had to buy two tickets anyway (they don't take the helicopter up with just one person, and there weren't any other takers), despite the fact that we had to schedule it for Sunday which meant we had to come back to the volcano after the family reunion...he really wanted me to have this experience.

I have the best husband EVER!!

And what an experience it was!  My best geology friend from undergrad days lives outside of Portland.  Stephanie and I were practically inseparable in our undergrad classes--people thought we must be roommates, we hung out so much--and we've kept in touch through the years.  So, on Bradley's suggestion, I called and asked if she wanted to take a helicopter tour of the volcano with me.

Of course she did!  We--with our families--met up on Sunday evening.

The kids were terribly disappointed that the moms were going on this adventure without them.  Tough luck, kiddos!  (I explained to Zee that I had been 21 when I went on my first (and only other) helicopter ride (in Hawaii), and that he might have to wait that long for his.  He was not impressed.)  We waved goodbye to our husbands and children and...away we went!

I love this picture of Zee.  Does that make me a bad mom?

Our pilot thought it was funny that we were leaving the kids with the dads, that we were geologists--he joked that I would have to give the tour--and that we were so excited.  He was a great guide, flying the helicopter around to give us the best views and angles.  It was a pretty short tour--only about 25-30 minutes long--but we got to see SO MUCH.  Just looking at the landscape and thinking about the devastation and destruction 32 years ago, and how much it has changed--amazing.  Our pilot pointed out trees still floating on the lakes, decades later, and the way the rivers were carving the landslide and ash.

(I am going to write a whole geology post, with pictures, about the trip, so I won't bore you with all the volcanology stuff right now.)

Pre-flight picture--getting so excited!

 Bonus for me:  Steph is a really good photographer.  So, of the pictures below, the ones that are awesome are hers, and the ones that are...um...less awesome are mine.  Heh.

I got to be in the co-pilot's seat.  It was amazing and a little freaky--there were windows in the foot wells! 

The windows bubbled out, so you could get an amazing view without feeling (much) like you were going to fall out. 

Steph with the lava dome in the background.

Fumeroles (steam vents) in the crater, on the 2006 lava dome.  Awesome picture, Steph!

 As we were approaching, Steph got this great picture of the whole mountain--at least, what is left of it.

 It's amazing that less than 33 years later, the mountain is already starting to fill herself back in.

After we returned to earth--in more ways than one--we drove to an area with a playground for the kids.  As they ran, climbed, slid, and hollered, Jacob and Steph and Bradley and I sat and talked and talked and talked.  The Morgans are building a house, same as us--they are ahead of us, having already dug the basement and poured the concrete footings--and so we spent hours talking about that.  It was so enjoyable, I'm so sad that we don't live closer.  Fortunately for us, most of Steph's family lives here in Utah, so they come visit fairly frequently.

Cheese!  Just think, just 17 years ago (um, 17???), we were two scrawny freshman geology majors, so excited to be at college and studying the earth.  Where has the time gone?

Thanks for coming out for an awesome adventure, Steph, Jacob, and kiddos.  We loved spending time with you!