Beautiful Girl

Annalise agreed to be my model for an afternoon a couple of Saturdays ago. We made a special day out of it by going to the salon and getting a snack together before hitting the beach. I've been struck recently by how fast time seems to fly by and I wanted to capture my little girl while I still had one.

Yes, my girl is growing up and showing me every day that she can take care of herself. About a month ago, she found herself in a bind. She was very brave about it and she took matters into her own hands. She had a ponytail in her hair that she wanted to take out, but when she wound up with some tangles in the rubber band that were hurting her, she realized she was stuck. She thought through what I would do if I were helping her and she remembered me using scissors from time to time to cut out stubborn rubber bands. She got the scissors that I had used and she cut the ponytail out. As far as she was concerned, the problem was solved.

Along the day, John and I found clumps of hair laying all around the house in odd places. We were calm at first but after the 7th or 8th clump was found, one hidden in her art supplies, we left a message with the triage nurse at the doctor's office on a Friday evening. We braced ourselves for terrible news about a rare disease. I got out the brush. John asked me not to do it, with a genuine fear in his eye, but I held my breath and combed carefully through her hair prepared for it all to fall out in my hands.

As I brushed, I noticed a distinct pattern to the clumping. All pieces on the floor seemed to be of the same length and when I looked closer, they seemed to be coming from one section of her head. I put the brush down, snuggled her close, and promised that she would not be in trouble if she had cut her hair but I told her that I needed to know. She tearfully fessed up to what had happened. When the nurse called back, we told her the good news, and she giggled and said, "Poor little girl!"

She's healthy and I am reminded again how lucky I am. I hug her more than ever now. We did, however, have a fashion issue to solve. When we took her to the salon, we were told that the only thing they could do was to give her bangs. We agreed but when they were cut, Annalise took one look in the mirror and looked right at us and said, "I look Horrible!!!!" The stylist thought she was just being cute, but it was genuine disgust coming out of my daughter with that sentence. I promised her that she looked beautiful but she wasn't ready to believe me. Yet.

It's taken some time, and while she still hates her bangs, she believes me that they'll grow back. She's promised not to cut her hair again, and she is content with pushing the bangs to the side for now. My joy is seeing her keep her confidence and poise, not letting the trivial things bother her, and watching her patiently grow them out! It's a good story to have so early because I can't find a woman out there who has not cut her own bangs (and regretted it!). I consider her lucky because at 6 years old, my little one has already experienced and recovered from this traumatic rite of passage.

First Newspaper Appearance

Justin's been playing football for a few years now. His first season was on the Flag Blue team with the Panthers, his next season he played Tiny Mite for the Portsmouth Patriots, and then he returned home to play on Mighty Mite Blue and Junior Pee Wee Blue Panther teams. This season they have achieved the ultimate in youth football...A SPOT IN THE Q BOWL! They take the field this Saturday to play for the Championship. Below is a newspaper article that was printed yesterday in the Eastlake Times.

Undefeated Eastlake Faces Otay Ranch in 2011 Super “Q” Bowl

This year Eastlake’s unbeaten Panther’s Junior Pee Wee Blue team (ages 10 and 11) will face Otay Ranch Blue (10-1) at this year’s Super “Q” Bowl, sponsored by San Diego’s Youth Football & Cheer (SDYFC).

The winner will be crowned the best team in the conference and possibly San Diego county, as SDYFC is arguably the most competitive youth football league in San Diego.



Less than three miles separate the two Chula Vista football teams but for two hours a day, four days a week (San Diego Youth football mandates teams switch to 3 days per week after Labor Day) both teams have tirelessly practiced from July to Mid-November to successfully reach this milestone.

Led by first -year head coach, Clarence Freeman, the Eastlake Panthers come into the “Q” Bowl championship confident having beaten Los Toros Bulls last week 31-0.

However, the championship game should be a good one as it will be a rematch from Week 8 when Eastlake Panthers barely beat Otay Ranch 19-15.

Good luck to both teams.

2011 Super “Q” Bowl
Event: 2011 Super Q Bowl (Jr. Pee Wee Division)
Date: Saturday, November 19th
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Southwestern College
Cost to attend: $10.00 adults $5.00 children 6-14
Head Coach: Clarence Freeman
Eastlake Panthers Blue (11-0) vs Otay Ranch Broncos Blue (10-1)

Q BOWL 2011 @ Southwestern College
Mighty Mite-Balboa vs Skyline 10:00am
Junior Pee Wee-Otay Ranch (Blue) vs Eastlake (Blue) 12:00pm
Pee Wee-Del Norte vs Balboa 2:00pm
Junior Midget-Coastal vs Skyline 4:00pm
Midget-Menifee (Red) vs Steele Canyon 6:00pm

Happy Birthday Papa

We have a very strict rule in our house: "If Papa does something, we should probably not do it ourselves." It's a good general rule of thumb for them to follow in terms of behavior because it often guides them in the choices they make. For example, they can ask themselves on the playground before jamming their fingers in a friend's nose, "Would Papa do this?" If the answer is "yes" (he would), they're supposed to choose not to do it.

On this special day, however, we thought a tribute to Papa would be appropriate. The kids practiced and negotiated terms with me in order to make it authentic. I gave in on almost everything they thought of, but I did ask them to change "jerk" to "nerd" so it doesn't rhyme as well as they would have liked. Mom's fault on that...

Enjoy! Happy Birthday Papa!

"Top Gun" kind of day

One of the perks of Navy Life is access to Breakers Beach on Coronado Island. It's usually a quiet, family-friendly place so I like spending afternoons there with the kids. When we went down there last week with John, it was a whole new experience! There was a ton of activity in the air and I felt like we were in a scene straight out of Top Gun.

Here comes a Hawkeye on final approach.

The handoff - right in front of the Hotel Del.

Annalise plays in the sand with PT going on at the water's edge.
She will continue ignoring the handsome men in uniform...

I don't know that anything else needs to be said.

We spent the day in the sand having a good old time. I'm sure you wouldn't believe me if I told you that there was even a volleyball game as we were leaving. Yes, there was. Sadly, it was no Maverick or Goose, Ice or Wolfman, but it was still one for the books.

Remembering 9/11

Daddy and his little athletes at the starting line.

Annalise on the trail - just starting out.

Crossing the finish line.

Nana and Mom enjoying a hard earned iced coffee after the race.

It was 10 years ago that life changed so drastically for all of us. I still remember very vividly the events of that morning as I'm sure so many others do. What I remember just as clearly are the days after; looking for my friends, trying to get from Dallas to San Diego, and driving across the San Francisco Bay Bridge 9 days later listening to George W. Bush declare War on Terror. I was with my boss at the time, a prior sailor himself, and I remember him saying, "Well, that certainly shakes things up a bit!"

I was in Michigan the next March when we invaded Iraq, Justin was 9 months old, and John was deployed to the Persian Gulf. I usually had email communication with him but with all of that going on, email was obviously cut off. I held our son in my arms that day in Grandma T's living room and I said a quick prayer that my family's part in this story would someday make sense to me. Grandma was with me and, in her aging mind, she connected with me again even closer than she ever had before. She worried with me as she remembered her own experience waiting for my Grandpa, a deployed Navy Sailor, to come home safely from WWII.

Life has changed for everyone since that day. For my family, it has meant that the word "war" is a part of our daily life. I no longer consider the connection of 9/11 to what we do today, but when I look back, I can see how much a part of who we are is driven by that event. I also realize how lucky we are that the impacts to our family are merely inconvenience rather than true sacrifice or loss.

We have moved on since September 11th but my husband teaches me often that it's important to stop and remember in order to learn and move forward. I'm not sure what I had planned to do in order to honor the 10th Anniversary, but it likely would have passed without much acknowledgement had John not chosen to remind us all how important it is to honor and remember. In that spirit, we participated in the Travis Manion 9/11 Heroes Run which was created to "honor the fallen by challenging the living."

Justin got to run the 5K Trail Run with his Dad and they crossed the finish line far ahead of me. Justin amazes me with his will to face any challenge on the football field so I'm not sure why I was so surprised at his amazing run, but I was. I learned a lot about my daughter that day - specifically that she is very competitive yet retains her flair for the dramatic at all times. There were several points where she would sprint ahead, leaving me in the dust, only to stop and have to rest because she was "soooo tired!" I coached her along until one point close to the end when she stopped to tell me, with huge tears in her eyes, that she didn't want to finish. I was afraid for a minute that I had pushed too hard, but imagine my shock when she hit the gas pedal a second later to chase down a Grandpa who ran by saying, "Come on little girl - you're not going to let ME beat you, are you?" She finished strong with a smile on her face one pace in front of John and Justin who came back to cross the finish line with her. She also finished several paces in front of the friendly Grandpa who gave her the kick in the pants she needed.

There's no doubt that life has changed for me and this country since the towers went down. I'm thankful for those who have sacrificed so much greater than we have in order to keep us safe. I'm thankful that my gifts in life walk safely and freely by my side every day. I'm so happy that my family stopped to honor and remember and that we will continue to do so in the future.

Little Fish

ICE CREAM EVERYWHERE!!!

Starfish


Swimming and Dunking

I'm not sure why, but Annalise has always had a healthy fear of the water. She's never been a fan of having it in her face and it's generally a bit of a fight to wash her hair in the tub because she needs to be absolutely certain that there is ZERO CHANCE that a single drop of water will even venture near her nose, ears, or eyes. Yes, I know, I should have been running water over her face as a baby in the bathtub, but I didn't, so she's had to overcome the challenge herself.

We've been working hard on getting her to be happy in the water this summer and we started out with a life jacket, paired with a Nemo inner tube, and a death grip on me whenever she went in the water. Eventally, she got brave and she became comfortable in the water on her own with just her life jacket. Through playing in the water with a ton of friends, she's gotten even braver and I've been trying to talk her into putting her face in the water. No luck so far...

I'm not sure what happened today, but I think she just decided she was ready to give it a try! I asked her if she wanted to play "starfish" (which I had seen another mom doing) and as a starfish she was 100% on board with floating on her back with her ears in the water. She says it's peaceful under the water without all of the people screaming all over the place. (Huh - maybe I should try living under the water?). After Starfish was over, she said she was ready to dunk under the water with me. I've been bugging her to try for months so I was a little surprised when she asked me! She held on to my hand and went completely under. I came up pretty quickly to check on her and there she was...hanging out below the surface! We started the day with her holding her nose but, as you can see, she's ready to try blowing "nose bubbles" and now she's rockin' it!

Hanging Lake

Jasmine roughing it at the bottom of the trail.

Self Portraits never turn out as amazing as I imagine them to be. This is me in front of one of the waterfalls at the bottom of the trail just as "sweat fest" kicks in.

One of my favorite spots on the way up

Another favorite near the top

The kids on the hike with Patty

The amazing...Hanging Lake

I remember my very first hike in the Rockies with an amazing amount of detail. It was a fairly difficult hike at the time and I remember feeling like I had found the top of the world when I finally made it to the top. There was a gigantic green lake with two waterfalls flowing into it that seemed like a scene from a movie. I was with two other stinky boys at the time, so I remember playing in the water and dreaming that I was a mermaid princess living in a magical land while they annoyingly duked it out with swords and grenades off to the side. I remember a tree had fallen into the lake and I pretended that it was my bridge to the other side of the world. I've always held that picture in my head and I was anxious to return to show it to my own kids.

The magic was a bit different this time around but it was a day I'll remember for a long time. We got to the bottom of the trail and discovered that we could not bring Jasmine with us so I started out enjoying a spot in a shady waterfall at the bottom while Jasmine explored around us. I was sad not to go up but honestly very happy camping out where I was. Mom hiked part way with the kids and then had an attack of the guilty conscience and came back down to get me. She left the kids with "Ms. Patty" who is a wonderful woman blessed with the patience needed to get through a tough hike with my kids.

I started up the trail on a mission to catch them and I immediately started the sweat fest and the heavy breathing that comes with high altitude. I was a bit embarrassed by my condition given that I had recently run a marathon and it didn't help that my young kids were miles ahead of me! I took some deep breaths, kept going, and relaxed to the sound of the waterfalls winding through the trail. I expected to run into the kids about halfway up, but I never did. I knew they were in good hands, so I sat back and enjoyed the hike. It was a full hour of peace in my childhood mountains all to myself and I enjoyed every second of it. I would have liked to share it with them, but I have to admit that it might have been tainted with periodic rantings of "get your hands off your sister!" and "yes...you do have to keep going or I'll feed you to the wolves" had it turned out the way I had planned.

When I reached the top, there they were, sitting quietly on a rock enjoying a snack. The lake was just as I had remembered and I knew why my brain has refused to let go of the experience after all of these years. It was nature, pure and simple. It was beautiful. I know that my kids did not have the same experience I did, but sometimes that's OK. It's still my lake, my memory, my peace, and my story. From time to time, a mom has to remember her own childhood and embrace the experiences that shaped her in order to be a better mom in the end. My kids will likely remember this day because they got to hike with a new friend and they'll remember the beauty when I prompt them mercilessly. For me, it was a lesson. My kids will always love me and I will always love them, but we might not always have the same journey, stories, or dreams, and in the end that's maybe just the way it's supposed to be.

Golf!

Annalise on the driving range for her first lesson - She did awesome!

Practicing after the lesson was over - that tee is tricky! It took a lot of work to get the ball to stay up there long enough to whack it with a club!

Air Justin

Nana takes flight

Volleyball is much better than dinner on a perfect summer day

Justin's last stop at the snack bar for some candy on the way home. So...t.i.r.e.d....

The kids and I are on a 3 week road trip from San Diego to Denver and on to Michigan before heading home to start school again. We're having a great time so far! We spent two days getting to Denver and we arrived last night to a nice, homecooked meal and lots of TLC! My favorite part of the drive was when Justin took his headphones off, set down the DS, and thoroughly enjoyed "my" mountains. He was underwhelmed until we got to Glenwood Springs (after driving through Utah). Once he saw the Colorado River, saw the rafters, and saw the green on the hills, he was very interested in watching. He told me a few times, "Mom, I agree - your mountains are beautiful!" Annalise was plugged in the whole time...

We slept in this morning and then enjoyed some time at the pool here at Nana's house before heading to Columbine for some golf and even more time at the pool. Annalise had her first golf lesson on the driving range and I passed the time chatting with Mom and several of her friends that stopped by to meet us. Papa took Justin out for a round on the Par 3 Course and we met up afterwards. It was HOT out today so we headed to the pool for some more lounging.

Annalise worked hard on swimming today and Justin fell in love with the diving board. I'm sure I'm not crazy when I say he spent about 3 hours diving and must have gone off there at least 50 times. When it was time for dinner, we ate at the pool and lost Justin to a game of Volleyball with some new friends. After that, he hopped back into the pool to play a championship round of WWF with several of the kids in the shallow end - it was crazy! There were 5 kids climbing all over him and he kept right on playing with them. At one point, he got kicked in the eye but he went back in. One Mom told me, "Wow - he's a great sport!"

We're headed to bed a little early tonight for a second round at the pool tomorrow.

All That You Do (Guest Post)

This is a guest post by John and it is my amateurish attempt to figure out exactly how Lisa spends her days while I am gone. I think I've got it now.

All That You Do

Showers, breakfast, cleaning up the spills.

Making lunches, grab a coffee, give Jasmine the damned allergy pills.

Dirty laundry, funny hat day, four trips back and forth to school.

Volunteering, making copies, “Mom can’t we go to the pool?”

Is that all that you do? Is that all?

Team photographer, editing pictures… long past bedtime.

Making a difference, for your kids and others, too tired to finish your glass of wine.

Take Annalise to ballet and Justin to football, time for some more laundry.

Take Annalise to soccer, someone asks “We need a coach. Are you free?”

Is that really all that you do? Is that all?

Get the dog fed, get the kids fed, oh and remember to feed yourself too.

Fix the sprinklers, mow the lawn, but first you have to pick up the dog pooh.

Fix the plumbing, repair the electrical, and in the meantime make the house a home.

Remove a sliver, ice a twisted ankle, give kisses to your daughter who stepped on a stone.

Seriously, is that all that you do? Is that all?

Paint Annalise’s room, carry a bed down the stairs, go to the grocery store.

Lead “Walk to School Day”, finally the laundry’s done… oh wait there’s more.

Reboot the crappy computer so your kids can talk to Dad on Skype.

Staying patient with your family when all they do is gripe, gripe, gripe.

Is that all that you do? Is that all?

Being kind and patient, a mentor to a very special young man.

Showing him how to see a new world through the camera in his hand

Staying up late, crunching numbers, all for a smile and a thank you

Helping a friend succeed in her life’s work just because it’s the right thing to do.

Please tell me that is not all that you do? Is that all?

Taking care of the family finances, making sure we can retire some day.

Getting passports and booking trips to make sure that we also have a chance to get away.

Being a loving and caring Mommy and raising your kids to be good and true.

Never forgetting to let me know that you love me. That is all that you do!

Freedom of Speech

The kids attended a City Council Meeting with me today and they saw government in action for the first time. The reason we were there, dressed in Game Jerseys and Panther Gear, was to voice our opinion regarding the increased fees that were to be imposed on the use of city fields for practice and games. Had the fees been implemented, it was likely that both kids would lose their sports programs for this year.

The experience was a once in a lifetime lesson because they had a first hand involvement in the issue that was being debated. They heard the comments, saw "The People" voice their concerns, saw the vote happen, and realized our victory. Upon leaving, they could explain simply, "We fought for our fields!" but Justin understands a little more of the issue. He knows that because he voiced his opinion, his sports program was saved and he seems to take ownership in that.

It was a parenting moment that I stumbled on but one I'll always cherish. They got a taste of how important it is to fight for something you believe in, how fortunate we are to be Americans, how powerful it was to hear that whole room recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and how lucky they are to be proud Navy Kids who give a little every day to defend these rights.

In kid terms, they describe Freedom as "not having to do what The King decides we have to do when we don't think it's right." Simply put, I'd say they get it!

*******************************************************

Text from the article which, in my opinion, conveniently oversimplifies the issue and misses many of the main points. If nothing else, it shows what happened today:

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- The Chula Vista City Council voted on Tuesday to put a proposed youth sports fee increase on hold.

Concerned parents, coaches and kids packed Chula Vista's City Council chambers to express their outrage over a proposed increase that would have raised field rental fees 5,000 percent.

More than 10,000 kids play on the city's 50 fields and many parents said the increases would prevent their kids from participating in sports.

"What they're doing is just not fair, not only for Joe Blow who has 3.5 kids but even for everybody else that is a single mom like myself," said parent Deidad Covarrubias.

The city said it needs to generate $375,000 to maintain the fields that many kids enjoy. Without the money, officials said they would have to close fields.

They proposed raising fees that would amount to about $25 to $35 per child to keep the fields open. Right now, the cost is about $1 per child.

"Our going back to the people… to the parents of the people who are playing is not something we cherish," said Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox. "We just want to make sure that these fields are in good condition."

The city manager met with representatives from the city's Youth Sports Council to listen to concerns.

Following the city manager's recommendation, the City Council suspending the fee increase until November to allow further discussions about alternative ways to cut costs and make the cost-sharing more equitable.

The vote will keep the fields in play this summer but does not guarantee they will remain that way without a fee increase.

The council will take up the matter again in November.

Summer Days

Justin's Door

Annalise's Room

Joining Forces

It was a day when I was battling that ever present television at the same time I was trying to salvage my quickly dwindling patience. As you can see by the "No Grouches Allowed" sign on Justin's door, it wasn't pretty.

The two of them were told that they had to find a non-electronic way to entertain themselves for 2 hours before I took them to the pool. You would have thought I'd asked them to live in exile for the rest of their lives for the tantrums and drama that followed. The bike riding idea was out because, "All I can do is ride laps around the dumb neighborhood!" and the reading idea was quickly ruled "waaaaayyyy too boring!" Imagine my delight when they settled on performing an Irish step dancing routine to the recorder (played by Justin) for me. That was when I declared myself a grouch and they were sent to do something that was not only non-electronic, but quiet as well. I was not a fan favorite at that point. The resulting activity was the two of them sitting in Annalise's room together, making signs to keep "The Grouch" (and each other) out of their rooms since I promised to leave them alone as long as they were in there.

Tonight, after the pool and dinner, they allowed each other past the "keep out" signs and linked themselves together to play a football game. They were on the same team and I heard them both giggling and groaning at the same time depending on how the play went. They were so happy in there playing together that they managed to weasel an extra half an hour out of their mean old Mom. For all the fighting they do, when they join forces against a common cause (generally me), they sure do make a great team!

June 2, 2011

Breakfast and Balloons for the Birthday Boy!

Breakfast and Balloons for the Graduate!

"Happy Birthday" from two of his third grade buddies - Skylar and Braden.

A proud mama at the graduation ceremony.

Annalise and Mrs. Lidstone, a fantastic teacher, best known for turning our girls into "voracious readers!"

Annalise sharing her Graduation Day with Daddy in Doha.

Justin's teacher, Ms. Hansen, opening her last day of school present. I was the Room Mom for Justin's class so it was a great moment for me to see this smile. We gave her a class photo framed by notes from each of the kids in her class.

Justin distributing Birthday Doughnuts to his friends.

Post Graduation Pool Party

The Kindergarden Moms who made my year without John so much more manageable. I can't say enough how thankful I am for all of their love and support.

Birthday Cupcakes for the football team.

Sometimes it gets a little bit overwhelming, but being a football mom and soccer coach are two of the greatest experiences I have ever had. This was a fun evening for me.

9 Year Olds may act tough, but they come running for cupcakes every time!

For me, this is what it's all about.

After a very full day, Nana put together a final celebration for Justin. Presents and cake! Presents this year still included Star Wars Legos, Transformers, and the big one from Dad...Tony Hawk SHRED for Wii.

Birthdays and Big Girls

No, you did not read that wrong. It's really the end of September and I'm just getting around to telling you about that day. I'm pleased to admit that I've been delinquent in updating our adventure log because we've been busy having more amazing adventures!

So June 2, 2011 was a big day for this Mama...My little man turned 9 and my baby girl, "Chicken Little," graduated from Kindergarden. I bought lots of balloons and too many cakes, ate too many of the celebratory doughnuts and sweets, and I may have cried a time or two. Or three. Who's counting?

The morning started with a surprise trip to the McDonald's drive-through before they got up and both kids were welcomed to breakfast with balloons and junkfood. They both looked twice to make sure I wasn't pulling a joke on them because I'm generally a stickler on rules for a nutritious breakfast. With grease in their bellies and smiles on their faces, off we went to start our big day.

Justin asked if he could come to the Graduation with us and I was so pleased that he wanted to support his baby sister. Go figure that when he realized that there was plenty of sitting around waiting for it to get started (boring), he was ready to get back to class. At that point, he was treated to an obnoxious lecture based on the "do you know how many football games and practices your sister sits through?" principle. We happened to be sitting next to another Panthers Head Coach who chuckled and admitted that his son was also there watching graduation for the same reason. After some major kindergarden logistics and challenges, Annalise graduated, we cheered, and then Justin went back to Third Grade. Annalise talked to her Dad on the phone and then we headed to the after-party pool party with all of her friends. I brought doughnuts to Justin's class so that he could celebrate and then headed back to the pool party. Justin was flying high from the sugar and "Last Day of School" elation when I picked him up and we spent the afternoon playing in the pool at Erin's house.

After all of this excitement, Justin headed off to football practice and I delivered the next dose of sugar in the form of a cupcake cake for his team. It was the best part of his birthday from what I could see. He smiled a big happy smile during a painful version of "Happy Birthday" from his team before they lined up for their treats. They all slapped him on the shoulder pads and gave him birthday wishes that only other 9 year old football players can deliver. I don't remember exactly what they all said but they were generally wishes for good presents, more cake, and staying up late.

Nana was here to celebrate the day with me and I couldn't have done any of it without her. She's funny, that Nana. She never lets an occasion go by without appropriate notice. She demanded a full cake/presents birthday party for Justin after fooball practice so she spent her afternoon wrapping and planning for the end of the day celebration. I'm sure I would have skipped this last one from exhaustion but Justin was very happy to rip open all of his packages and end his night in front of the TV enjoying one last treat - cookie dough ice cream cake from Cold Stone.

This life sometimes seems to go by too fast for me and I'm glad I took the time to sit down and remember all of this. So much changed for me that day. I realized how much Justin has grown, we all missed John terribly, I finally accepted that Annalise would be in full time school from now on, and I felt great pride when I stopped to look at the lives they were able to create over the last year. They both faced a challenge head on, didn't stop to feel sorry for themselves, and they made new friends in a heartbeat after moving across the country and sending their dad off to protect the world. I know they are growing up and I look back on these days with the normal bittersweet feeling a mother has when she sees her kids reach those big milestones. I hate the speed at which they become independent, but I'm pretty proud of the kids who are growing up under my roof. My wish is that the many birthdays and graduations to come are filled with the same happiness that I felt that day.

Hooray For the USA!

America The Beautiful

The Kindergarten classes just finished a social studies unit on "America" and they performed a selection of patriotic songs for the parents today. Annalise's class chose "America the Beautiful" and I have been listening to her practice that song in the car non-stop for two full weeks! I thought I'd die if I ever had to hear it again. The worst came when Justin was in the car because he'd try to sing louder than she was singing and they would, of course, correct each other each time they didn't think the other had used the words "thy" or "thee" correctly. My favorite debate was about how you should properly sing "...and crown my hood, it's brotherhood..."

Justin has always been a ham on stage and, as you can see, Annalise has no fear up there either. The teachers have been telling me all week that Annalise carries the class in rehearsal and she certainly didn't let them down today! Before she went to line up for her walk to the stage, I told her to sing for her Daddy. She most certainly did! I'm quite sure that all of America heard her singing her little heart out. I was, as usual, the crying mom in the front row so you'll have to forgive the shaky video recording.

Little Angels

Annalise and Coach Miguel

Annalise left Pixie Hollow to join the Little Angels for winter soccer and she loved her new team as much as she loved ours! The Angels were very different than the Pixies. They had a much larger roster (13 players), there were boys as well as girls on her team, the goal boxes here huge, and they got to use the entire field. It was all rather daunting, but the most important thing to her was the oranges at halftime and she was very pleased to see that this team ate oranges too.

Playing Goalie was a new experience for her and I'm not sure that she liked it initially. The first time a ball got past her, all of the kids from the other team were celebrating and I think she finally realized that she really was the last line of defense. She came out of the game and told me she didn't really like soccer anymore, but I was very proud of her when she decided she wanted to go back in. All of the kids rotated positions so she didn't play goalie the rest of that game. When she did try it again the next game, Justin went down to stand by her and he helped her get ready as the ball came down the field. As much as those two fight, it's rare moments like this one that make me know they really do love each other because when the ball came down the field, she listened to what he said and she picked it up right before it went into the goal!

It's funny to watch her play soccer because even though she seems to thoroughly enjoy it, she is usually busy dancing up and down the field with her toes pointed beautifully and she tends to throw in a pirouette any chance she gets. She enjoys the social aspect of the game and she's not as comfortable this time with going after the ball. She's generally dancing along right behind the crowd when the ball moves down the field encouraging everyone along the way.

Spring Soccer starts soon and she's excited to play again. She's been on a two week break between seasons and she gets confused when Wednesday rolls around and she has to go to football practice instead of getting her shin guards and cleats on. She's also asked if she can take piano lessons, guitar lessons, gymnastics, karate, swimming, kung fu, and most recently more dance so we'll see if soccer still makes her eyes sparkle after this season.

Nine Years Later...

Photography by Erin Kelly

I still remember so vividly the day you first told me you that you were mine. You came flying up my stairs, you locked me away from the ears all around us, and you told me you had read my note. I remember being so scared when I saw you because I knew I had put it all on the line and all I could do was hope that you felt the same. My heart was pounding, and I certainly don't recall what you said, but I remember your smile and I knew what that smile meant.

That was such an amazing summer! I went running the other day and I treated myself with a visit to a world that existed nine years ago. I ran by the beach where I tried to play a game of wiffle ball, by the pier where you announced that having a girlfriend meant losing your favorite T-Shirt, up the crowded street where we were young and dumb with our friends every night of the week, and eventually past that corner where I remember realizing that I was driving a U-Haul away from my old life forever. Even then, I would have followed you anywhere...

It's been nine years of love and laughter for me and I don't think that any other girl has ever been so lucky. I often wonder what I did to be given a man like you to share my life with and I pray that this happiness will never fade. I can't help but smile at the things that have changed for us over the years. Today, I miss you because I know you would still bring me a coffee on your way home, just because it makes me happy, but more importantly that you would smile that smile of yours when I start yelling about what that coffee cost. I laugh because I know you would be irritated with all the lights I leave on at night but that you would simply sigh and turn them off for me anyway. I miss you so much because, even though you're the sensible one, you remind me every day to quit taking things too seriously. I miss how you let me dump the troubles of the world on you and how you manage to solve my life problems with a raised eyebrow, a smile, or a hug. Nine years ago, the things that trouble me today didn't matter to us yet, but you still had that way of letting me know, just by being you, that life was going to turn out OK.

Thank you, my love, for being mine...for caring about me the way you do, for being the rock our family depends on, for being our calm in any storm, for always packing way too many supplies no matter how short the trip might be, and for patiently reminding me daily during this time of separation that you will never stop showing me just how much you care. You're my love and I know that life is what it is simply because you are mine.

Lake Tahoe 2010

The Angel and The Traitor

(Skier and Snowboarder)

Justin mastering "The Shred"

"Loserville Lisa" - Is it really so hard to let me know that I look like this? Anyone???

My baby's first ski goes on!

This Colorado Girl is a Happy Girl today!!!

The future Picabo Street!

Look at the form and the confidence as she takes the cones...

Bloody Marys with Nana and Papa

Papa digging us out of the blizzard armed with nothing more than a kitchen broom and a pair of pink boots. You gotta give it to the man - he got it done!

We were treated to a week of skiing in Lake Tahoe this year. We drove up from San Diego on Christmas Day and the Dolbys enjoyed three great days on the mountain! The first day went to pot very quickly for me after trying to get the kids settled with their gear, enrolled in their classes, and then fighting through the crowds to get my own lift ticket and skis rented. I threw in the towel when I realized I was going to have to pay for a full day lift ticket and spend about an hour and a half on the mountain. Bummer...but time for Bloody Marys!

The one day I spent on skis was fantastic! The snow was beautiful, the crowds were under control, and I felt like I had the mountain all to myself. I spent my first few runs warming up and I immediately missed my boots that I forgot to pack. My feet would not connect with the skis at all but I (heroically) got past that. I picked one run and I spent the rest of my day skiing it over and over again because I've always wanted to do that. It was long, it had lots of bumps, and I loved every single minute of it! I usually don't do this, but since I was on my own, I used my headphones and set my I-Pod to "shuffle" which was an incredible experience. I've always had a dumb habit of saying "Schwoomp" to myself (I learned it when I was a teenager and it's from that stupid movie where the bank robbers parachute out of planes) when I hit a hard bump but I found the music to be much more enjoyable.

Thankfully, I ended the day on a high note given what was in store for me...

We enjoyed dinner while the blizzard hit, we got stuck in the village, and we endured an hour long bus ride and a particularly scary ride over the pass in order to make it back to our condo where we lost power somewhere in the night. By the time we were up the next morning, it was time to face a gorgeous day on the slopes with even more fresh snow! It would have been perfect, except I had promised my son I would snowboard with him that day. Oh the things a mother will do for her child...

We got our boards, we got our helmets, and we climbed in the Gondola. When we reached the top Justin gave me a crash course lesson on how snowboard before he asked me in all seriousness, "You're not going to die up here, are you?" Punk. I know how to do the stupid sport I just don't like it...

We made it down the first part of the run. I was feeling very shaky with that dumb board strapped to my feet and my pride on the line. The "steep" part thankfully brought us to the flat section of the (bunny) hill. I managed to stay on my feet and drag myself gracelessly past Justin. Wouldn't you know it, instead of feeling pride for my accomplishment, he got mad!?!? He said, "Mom!!! How are you going so fast?" He never said a word, but it clearly became his goal to beat me down the run the next time. This, of course, made me decide that I wanted nothing more than to beat him and remind him who is boss!

The next few runs were fine and I felt confident in my skills because I had to slow down a little so that I could stay just enough in front of him to make a statement yet not make him mad. We got on the Gondola again (skipping lunch because we are both stubborn) and we got back to the top of the run. Justin says to me, "Mom - You're goin' DOWN!" and he takes off down the run...hell bent for leather. I obviously retaliated by trying to go past him, but I couldn't catch up! This made me even more irritated and I pushed the limit of my bunny hill skills to realize my top speed of about 3 miles per hour. I got to a hill where I knew I could build some speed and I went all out! I crashed. Admission: I initially wore the stupid helmet to serve as a lesson to him that safety always comes first, knowing full well that I would never need the thing, but I saw stars on that crash and I suspect I would have been hating life had it not been on my head!

I looked up to make sure he didn't see it...and there he was...staring at me with panic and concern. My sweet traitor of a child was honestly worried about me! He yelled over, "Mom!?! Are you OK?" I laughed and said, "Of course I am!" He checked again and to my embarrassment we were the talk of the bunny slope for a full minute. When he finally believed I was all right, he said, "Cool - I'll see you at the bottom and I'll turn left instead of right this time." I had to race hard to get down at the same time he did but, wouldn't you know it, he beat me!

We called a silent truce, went to get hot chocolate, and we enjoyed the success of our day with a hard earned pizza. I was all smiles until he toasted me and said, "Here's to you Mom for even making it down the hill after that totally gnarly wipeout!" Punk. It's ON!!!

Thankfully...

...my sweet baby girl was much better behaved this trip. She took ski lessons and she loved them! She was skiing under hoops, mastering the magic carpet, braving the Gondola, hanging out with friends, keeping her skis together and her hands on her knees, and she simply looked like a pro! Tears were in my eyes when I saw her confidently rolling around on her skis. At least I have one honest child in this family who will stay true to the one sport that matters in this world! Yes, I look at her through "Mama's Eyes," but honestly, she was awesome!!!