A Plan

Bryan has a job! He has accepted a position in the same office he worked at last year. That means it's back to the East Coast for us. We don't know the exact timing of the move, nor do we have a place to live, but at least we have a job!

Phoebe's Fancy Fete

On the last Saturday in July, a bright and sweltering day, we celebrated Phoebe's fifth birthday. For years she had asked for a princess party. Then, just a few months before the party, she decided she would rather have a Paris party. I responded with something like, "You do love Paris. Kind of like Fancy Nancy loves Paris. What if we did a Fancy Nancy in Paris party?" She excitedly agreed and that was the beginning of several hours spent scouring boards on Pinterest looking for Fancy Nancy party ideas.

Our location was an open green space with a handful of picnic tables. It's just inside the gates of the gated community in which we lived in New Jersey. We discovered a walking path that led from our party place to a park just outside the gate. We started the party by playing at the park, then, when everyone had arrived, we hiked the path together to unveil our fancy setup.

The party went from 11am until 1pm. I agonized over how to organize the games and the food. No one opens presents at New Jersey parties, so we couldn't count on that as an activity. Finally, we settled on this:

• play at the park
• read Fancy Nancy
• eat pizza at the King's Crown (from the first book)
• get fancy
• play games
• decorate and eat cupcakes

And that's just what we did.

Some of the kids knew Fancy Nancy so well that they were yelling out details before I read them. During our setup I had placed all the tutus on a picnic table and covered them with a tablecloth. When we finished our pizza, grapes, carrots, and juice boxes, I told the kids it was time to get fancy. I walked over and threw off the cover and heard a collective gasp at the sight of all that tulle.

Then we all got fancy. The girls wore tutus, bracelets, necklaces, and tiaras. The boys wore white top hats, bow ties, and stick-on mustaches.

Sophie is modeling our girl look, sans tiara.

And here is Peter excitedly showing the boy look, sans mustache. Actually, no one wore a mustache for very long, but it was fun in theory.

We used the tree to hang our awesome Eiffel Tower shower curtain. It was much less expensive than a print that size would have been. Then Bryan created a fishing line triangle between the tree and two out-of-order tall black lamps he had lashed to the end of each row of picnic tables. Bryan (because I was too short) then tied upside balloons to the wire. It looked very fancy.

Here's the birthday girl, wearing her own special birthday crown.

After letting the kids run around in their sweet swag, I gathered them together for a quick French lesson. We learned how to say thank you, pardon, good day, and goodbye in the fanciest language Phoebe is aware of.

Next was a game of Is It Fancy? I told them to listen closely to the items I would list. If it was something plain they should crouch down, but if it was something fancy they should jump high in the air. They loved this game! Just in case you were curious, cupcakes are fancier than muffins, unicorns are fancier than horses, and skipping is fancier than walking, according to the kids.

After that we played a fancy version of Simon Says.

At this point it was getting really hot, so I ushered the kids over to the table for a less-sweat inducing activity. They decorated spectacular spectacles. In other words, they stuck stickers to inexpensive sunglasses.

Then we moved to a dizzying game of stick the bow on Nancy. We used dollar store mini gift bows and a poster-sized printout of Fancy Nancy.

Finally, since the adults were melting, we did our final activity: decorating delectable cupcakes.

All in all, I think it was a success. I was concerned that we weren't really focusing on Phoebe, but she just loved getting to be fancy with all her friends. And once again Bryan and I make a great birthday party team.

Friends Indeed

Today's Throwback Thursday post is brought to you by our dear friends who live in New York. These are the friends that we had so many adventures with last year. 

We miss them. 

A lot. 

But one of the many wonderful things about these fine folks is their ability to pick up right where we left off. I'm not sure when we'll see them again, but when we do, we will still be just as comfortable as we've been for so many years.

Cub Scout Camp

Also from the draft file, I found this picture of Peter at Cub Scout camp. This was in Oregon at his first Cub Scout day camp shortly before we moved away from Washington. He loved scout camp and was especially good at archery. He still laughs about the funny counselors that worked there and the silly skits they performed.

He enjoyed this summer's cub scout camp in New Jersey as well. It turns out that Peter is on his best scout behavior when he's at camp.

New Jersey Sunset

So long New Jersey.

Morning Surprise!

We woke up this morning to the packers arriving a day early.

One. Whole. Day. Early.

They agreed to come back tomorrow, when we were originally expecting them.

Today I'll be using this massive burst of adrenaline that's left over from the packer surprise to make sure we're ready when they show up again tomorrow.

Also, expect the next two weeks to be full of pictures and movies. Those posts require almost no brain power but still meet my daily blogging requirement.

And they're adorable.

Sparkles

Phoebe has been counting down to her fifth birthday ever since she turned four. Longtime readers of this blog may remember that five is a magical birthday at our house because that's when you get your first official birthday party. She knows this and has been looking forward to her exciting event.

Sometime around March of this year we were talking about the possibility of moving during the summer. Phoebe asked if that was before or after her birthday. When she found out we might move a mere month before her much anticipated celebration, she was crestfallen. She has a tight group of friends here thanks to the co-op preschool and her dance class. She asked if we might hold her party before we move so her New Jersey friends could attend.

Since it was March and we didn't even know for sure if we were moving and summer seemed so far away, I said sure. Then, when we found out the move was happening, and because I obviously wasn't thinking clearly, I decided we should have the party the weekend before we move, because of course there's nothing else I should be doing with my time with just a few days before we need to vacate our house.

The party is tomorrow, the packers arrive on Tuesday morning. I've pretty much ignored any kind of moving preparation, working instead toward the party. That gives me about a day to get ready for moving. But don't worry, I haven't been totally unproductive. In the last four days I've made fourteen sparkly tutus and eight bow ties.

And that, my friends, is why my house, my children, and my dreams are covered in glitter. 

Punctuality

In addition to purging our possessions, part of the moving process for us includes letting total strangers wander though our home while we're not here. The landlord has listed the townhouse for rent and several interested people have come by to see if they want to live here next year.

The week that we were in Atlantic City lots of people came. In New Jersey all rentals have to use a real estate agent. We left the for the trip knowing that our house had to be in show condition. Our hope was that someone would come by, see it, love it, rent it, and then we wouldn't need to worry about keeping everything pristine. For as many chores as we do regularly, it's tough to keep every room totally clean all the time.

In spite of all the people that came by the week we were gone, no one rented the house.

No one called to see it last week either. We started to wonder if the listing had been pulled when I got a call on Friday asking for an appointment for yesterday. That gave me the whole weekend to pull everything into order.

Monday morning dawned and we got to work. Peter was pretty helpful, Cooper was slightly less so, and Phoebe spent most of the day lying on the ground, complaining loudly that her legs hurt. At least, they hurt until her brothers came in to play, and then all maladies vanished. Nevertheless, and despite lots of distractions and calls to come back and help clean, we were on track to be out the door to the library before the agent and prospective renter came at the appointed 4:30.

Shortly after 3:30, with dishes in the sink, unfolded laundry in the front room, and a few errant spots on the dining room floor. I glanced out the window that overlooks our driveway. There was a car. And there was a man that I didn't know getting out of it.

All of sudden, I knew what was happening. "They're here early!!!" I yelled to the kids. "They're an hour early!! Grab your shoes! Grab the library books! Get down to the van!" The kids scrambled to comply, just as frenzied as I felt. I hauled the baskets of clean clothes up the stairs to my room, whisked a doesn't-go-here bag to the basement, and grabbed daytime clothes for a fresh-from-her-nap Sophie. I came downstairs just as they were walking in and saying, "We know we're a little early, We hope it's alright."

In what culture is AN HOUR a little early?

I should have said, "No, no it's not alright. We needed that last hour to make sure everything was done and we could leave before you arrived. Please come back when you said you would be here originally." But I didn't. Instead I said, "Uuuuhhhhh, weeeelllll, okay. I guess it's alright. We could have really used that hour, but we'll head off to the library so we can get out of your way." And then we scurried around gathering what we needed to get out the door, complete with children screaming and being generally chaotic.

We finally got to the car, I opened the garage, and saw that our early visitors had blocked me in.

Awesome.

I ran back upstairs to ask them to move the car. As I rounded the corner on the stairs and before I got the words out of my mouth, I saw the real estate agent's face. She was showing the master bedroom and she was wearing a look of dismay. I heard her say, "Try turning on the other light." But there is no other light in our room. The light hasn't worked in that room since the end of last August. Bryan rigged a wireless switch to a standing lamp, but it doesn't provide much illumination. Phoebe's light failed recently as well. Each time we've needed maintenance we've sent a letter to the owner, and each time the request has gone unheeded.

In that moment, standing on the stairs, registering the look on her face, it hit me: perhaps no one will rent this house, at least not until it gets some attention and care. We've maintained a clean house and have kept our wear and tear to a minimum, but the almost complete lack of upkeep that this house has received over the years shows. I have met three of the former tenants and they each tell the same story. Things broke, the landlord promised repair, then stalled, then simply ignored until the renters fixed things themselves. And while they were reimbursed for parts, they were not compensated for labor. That means the owner has been getting years of free work on this house. Other than installing smoke detectors that weren't ten years old and replacing a broken end-cap on the top rack of the dishwasher, we haven't fixed a thing.

I have no idea if the visitors found anything redeeming about the house. We left for the library before they had a chance to ask any questions.

We have another person coming to see the house today. I'm seriously considering leaving two hours in advance, just in case.

Jersey Shore

Bryan had a work conference in Atlantic City last week. When he told me that he would be gone for the first week of summer break, I asked if we could tag along. So while Bryan attended classes and meetings, the kids and I had fun sight-seeing.

The hotel we stayed in was really fancy. It even had a giant pink chandelier in the lobby. Of course, that lobby opened directly to a casino, which was a new experience for my kids. Phoebe was incensed that she had to be twenty-one years old to cross onto the carpet. Cooper really wanted to "play those video games" that were masquerading as slot machines. I told him those video games would steal his soul. He stopped asking after that.

Our first full day in south Jersey was spent at the Cape May Zoo. It was free, but a good size and well-maintained. The high temperature for the day was 94 degrees, so we made sure to drink lots and lots and lots of water. And to pour water on our heads and necks and arms. And the kids each ate an ice cream bar to stay cool. Peter was so grateful that as he ate he said, "Thanks Mom! This is the first time you've given us a treat without us having to beg!"

Sophie loved pointing out each animal she saw.

There were peacocks wandering through the zoo. We got close to this one.

How thoughtful of the zoo to have a face cutout at just the right height for each of my children.

The next day in Atlantic City I didn't take any pictures at all. We got into swimsuits and sunscreen and loaded up our sand toys. Then we walked up and down the famous Atlantic City boardwalk looking for lunch that didn't require dipping into our 401K. We finally found some hot dogs and headed for the beach.

Actually, we headed for the shore, because that's what the natives call the beach here.

Sadly, a huge storm the night before churned up lots of riptides, so all of the beaches were closed to swimming. Instead, we went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. We played for about an hour, then headed out to get ready for a fancy dinner with Bryan's coworkers. But just as we were about to leave the pool Cooper called out, "Dad!" And there was Bryan, out early from his meetings and ready to swim. So we all went back in for another half hour. It was a fun surprise.

The dinner that night was fancy. And Bryan's coworkers all commented on how well behaved our kids were. Of course, Bryan and I were the only adults at the table not drinking alcohol, so that may have colored their perception a little.

The next day we drove around a real-life Monopoly board and saw Atlantic City from our car. We even drove to see Lucy the Elephant.

After more time in the pool and too much Disney Channel, we were almost ready to head to Baltimore. Of course, we did take one more trip to the boardwalk, but this time with our whole family. We even walked to the shore and dipped our toes in the Atlantic.

Moving On Up

We are finally done with school for the year. This was our first school to have a promotion ceremony for each grade. The auditorium for Cooper's ceremony was full of grandmas and grandpas and moms and dads, many of whom ran up to the front to take pictures long before their child walked across the room. That's why this is the best picture I got of Cooper.

Here he is with his teacher after the ceremony. He had a great year in school. I didn't get any calls from the principal or any reports of dancing on his teacher's desk, which I think is progress. He was invited to participate in the gifted and talented program and that's provided him with some fun learning experiences. And now he's excited to be a second-grader.

His school was attached to a building that used to be a convent. He didn't ever have class in it, but they would take tours and play on the grounds. I didn't have school in or near a building like this until I was in college. I think it's pretty impressive for first-grade.

Peter and Cooper both had wonderful teachers. Peter's teacher was very patient and put up with a lot of silliness from Peter. He spent more time in detention this year than ever before, but he did show emotional and social growth towards the end. And he wasn't suspended at all this year, so that's a plus.

At Peter's end-of-the-year ceremony, awards were given out. I didn't know Peter was going to get anything until they announced a certificate for the person in each grade with the most AR points. A general hum of "Peter" broke out among the third-graders. Peter discovered Accelerated Reader (AR) tests this year. He's always reading so he figured he would take tests and earn points as well. He took as many tests as his teacher would let him. By the end of the year he had earned 601.6 points. Not only did he have more points than any other third-grader, he had more points than anyone is his entire second-thru-eighth grade school. That's kind of a big deal.

The Monday after the AR tallies had closed, Peter was sitting at lunch, reading. Some of his friends came over and asked why he was reading since he couldn't take a test on that particular book. His answer made me smile. "You guys," he said matter-of-factly, "I don't read to take AR tests. I just love to read. The AR tests are a nice bonus."

Strawberry Fields Forever

Some friends in our neighborhood invited us to pick strawberries with them last week. Peter and Bryan stayed home, but the rest of us had a hot, dusty, juicy, wonderful time. I had planned on keeping Sophie in the stroller, but she wanted to jump right in with the big kids. Bonus: most of the berries she picked were a delicious deep red.

Ah Cooper, the man of a thousand faces.

And balancing skills, apparently. Thanks go to my friend Melinda for taking the next two pictures and then sharing them with me. I'm great at taking pictures, but lousy at sending them to people.

Look, Phoebe and I were there too! In fact, all four of us are in this picture, although Cooper is clearly focused on something other than posing for an awesome photo.

We had fun and came home with scrumptious strawberries. They were so sweet. At dinner that night Cooper took it upon himself to pass berries out to everyone, one at a time...

Play Ball

The Next Chapter

The kids and I made a list of things we want to do in New Jersey (and on the East Coast) this summer. We've accomplished some of them (NYC and cloud watching), but have several left. Bryan and I sat down with a calendar and planned out almost all the Saturdays between now and the end of July in an attempt to get everything done.

Why is the end of July our deadline? Because our time in the Garden State is coming to a close. At the end of July we'll say goodbye to New Jersey and hello to Illinois when we move to the Chicago area. We're all excited for the pizza and the chance to visit old friends to the north in Wisconsin. We're not so excited about the winter (people keep telling me it'll be worse than NJ) or Bryan's probable long commute.

And just like when we've moved in the past, I'll miss the people here. New Jersey gets a bad rap for having rude inhabitants. Those that live in our corner of the state do not fit that stereotype. Our friends and neighbors have made our time here lovely.

We're on the hunt now for our next domicile. We've been praying that we will find the right place for our family. Hopefully that place is safe, near a good school, and free of mold. After so many moves, I'm getting better at making friends and getting settled quickly, but I still do not enjoy looking for a place to live.

Search, Ponder, and Pray

Tonight was the much-anticipated Relief Society meeting. The first woman, who has a Master's degree in exercise science and writes for the Huffington Post on health and fitness, spoke about physical health. The second woman, a clinical psychologist who teaches at Rutger's and writes textbooks, spoke about mental and emotional health.

And then there was me.

The sweet sister who was in charge of the evening wanted to introduce each of us, so she asked for a few things she could say. The other two gave their credentials about why they were knowledgeable enough to speak on these subjects. I wracked my brain for anything that qualified me to speak on spiritual health and renewal. I had nothing. Well, I had several funny, quirky things to say about myself, but nothing that made me an expert.

The first two speakers were interesting and informative, and while I listened I discovered I had over prepared. A lot. I had researched and reviewed and agonized and rehearsed. I quickly restructured my lesson while I listened to the other two. I kept the hook and about one-fourth of the quotes and the general idea, but I streamlined it.

And you know what? It went well. It was funny where it needed to be funny and heart-felt where it needed to be heart-felt. Most importantly, I bore my testimony about the vital necessity of daily prayer, daily scripture study, and daily time for listening and pondering.

These are the quotes that I ended up using:

Spiritual food is necessary for spiritual survival, especially in a world that is moving away from belief in God and the absolutes of right and wrong. In an age dominated by the Internet, which magnifies messages that menace faith, we must increase our exposure to spiritual truth in order to strengthen our faith and stay rooted in the gospel. -Elder Oaks, April 2015

We should make daily study of the scriptures a lifetime pursuit. … The most important [thing] you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures. Search them diligently. … Learn the doctrine. Master the principles. …You must … see that … searching the scriptures is not a burden laid upon [us] by the Lord, but a marvelous blessing and opportunity. - President Ezra Taft Benson, Oct 1986

I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns. I find myself loving more intensely those whom I must love with all my heart and mind and strength, and loving them more, I find it easier to abide their counsel. -The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball

·         We are continually counseled to increase our spiritual knowledge through prayer and through studying and pondering the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. - Sister Esplin, 2^nd Counselor Primary General Presidency, April 2015

      The first tool is prayer. Choose to converse with your Father in Heaven often. Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. He is interested in the most important as well as the most mundane facets of your life. Share with Him your full range of feelings and experiences. Because He respects your agency, Father in Heaven will never force you to pray to Him. But as you exercise that agency and include Him in every aspect of your daily life, your heart will begin to fill with peace, buoyant peace. That peace will focus an eternal light on your struggles. It will help you to manage those challenges from an eternal perspective. -Elder Scott, October 2014

·         For us, as Latter-day Saints, wonders also occur in our individual lives. They include our own personal conversion, the answers we receive to our prayers, and the tender blessings God showers upon us daily. To marvel at the wonders of the gospel is a sign of faith. It is to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives and in everything around us. Our amazement also produces spiritual strength. It gives us the energy to remain anchored in our faith and to engage ourselves in the work of salvation. But let us beware. Our ability to marvel is fragile. Over the long term, such things as casual commandment keeping, apathy, or even weariness may set in and make us insensitive to even the most remarkable signs and miracles of the gospel. My brothers and sisters, is the gospel still wonderful to you? Can you yet see, hear, feel, and marvel? -Elder Causse, April 2015

A Morning Stroll

When I injured my foot last September, Bryan took over the job of driving the boys to the bus stop each morning. I gladly let him continue this service during the months of ice and snow. When the weather started warming up, I told Bryan that I would reclaim the morning bus stop responsibility, as long as he stayed so that I could leave the girls at home and walk with just the boys.

Every morning I walk (or run, depending on what time we exit the house) the three or four minute trek to the bus stop. I hold Cooper's hand and often put my other hand on Peter's shoulder. It's a nice chance to just listen to one another.

Then, after they have successfully made it on the bus and departed for school, I walk back home. I made a rule for myself that I can't read my phone as I walk. Instead I focus on the sounds of the birds and the beauty of the trees and flowers. I breathe in the clean fresh air and I often pray as I make my way home.

I'm sure I look a touch silly, smiling at the trees as I walk, but I don't mind. That short time for meditation and calm helps me throughout the rest of my day.

All That Swag

When we moved to New Jersey I made a list of all the family and friends that live on this side of the country. Over the last nine months we've planned trips and adventures around who we could visit, or who could visit us. This weekend, some adventurous friends made the trek to our house.

The kids (their five and our four) had a grand time playing outside most of the day. Seriously, they were outside not long after 8 in the morning. We got some funny looks from our early-morning dog-walking neighbors, but the kids didn't care. After bikes and games and a picnic, we all journeyed to a local Spring festival, though a more appropriate title would be Swag festival. We came home with toothbrushes and Frisbees and toys. The most exciting item that was handed out? Full-size boxes and bags of M&Ms to each person that was willing to stand in line and wait for it, including Sophie. Peter and I can't even eat M&Ms, but it was still exciting. And our guests were sufficiently impressed.

Look! We got all thirteen of us in one picture!

Thanks, Dan and Robin, for visiting!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

What do you do when you finally have a beautiful day?

You go on a walk to the park!

The Spring Thaw

This is what our church building looked like when Bryan and Peter arrived at scouts last night.

I am happy to report that most of the snow has melted. We even walked to the bus stop and then went to the park. Granted, it was really cold and windy, but at least we got a good twenty minutes of playing in before Sophie's cold fingers let me know it was time to leave.

And if the weather app on my phone is to be believed, tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 61 degrees. That will feel so warm I'm almost positive the kids will want to wear shorts.

Confusion

There is snow on the ground outside. It's new snow. It's snow that has been falling all day. It's snow that prompted an early release from school for the boys. It's snow that has blanketed our previously bare deck.

Today is technically the first day of spring, but I think the new season must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because we certainly haven't seen it yet.

Over the Rainbow

We had an adventure on Saturday at the Crayola Experience in Pennsylvania.

We saw the world's largest crayon.

We made melted-crayon drip art.

We saw a fun show about how crayons are made.

We took lots of cute pictures.

We named our own crayon colors. Phoebe's was Purple Love, Peter's was Blazer Red, mine was Sunshine Song, Bryan's was Beware the Ides, and Cooper's was Max.

We watched as a machine filled a marker for each of us to take home.

Sophie did lots of strollering.

Phoebe did some dancing.

We drew with glow-in-the-dark markers.

The big kids burned off energy at a gigantic indoor playground.

Sophie wisely used that time to nap and observe.

Then we raced giant plastic crayon boats.

And we commemorated our trip by being turned into coloring pages.

Hooray for family adventures!