Reflections on Stuff

We have been slowly working on de-cluttering the basement in preparation for the finishing project that will start soon after the new year. We went through all of the toys in November, then took time off during the busy holiday season, and now have to finish before we go back to school next week.

When we went through the toys, I thought "Boy these kids have a ton of stuff." And for the most part, they were O.K. with getting rid of a lot of it since they don't play with much of it anymore. It pained me to turn around and buy new Christmas toys, knowing that one day I would be hauling that stuff out of the basement to throw away too. But the kids are growing, and need different things at different ages, so I know its a necessary evil.

I, however, am not growing anymore. And I thought we did a fairly decent job of keeping the clutter down somewhat in our basement (at least compared to some other houses I've seen!). But every time we clean out stuff, we get rid of more and more stuff that I thought I needed to keep, and then years later realize I don't.

Examples:

Books: I never re-read a book. Never. Yet I keep every book that I bought (and compared to how much I read, I really don't buy many at all and got a lot of use out of the library before I got my Kindle). A few years ago I wondered why I kept struggling to find room for these books that I never intended on opening again. So I got rid of almost all of them, keeping the ones that were sentimental to me for some reason. Then, last month, I realized the "sentimental" books had not been touched since I decided I needed to keep them, and I didn't even know I had them. So out those went as well. We now have one box of books (disregarding the kids' books), and half of those are keepsakes like yearbooks.

Baby Clothes: Today I found several containers of "special" baby clothes. Lots of Maria's dresses, and lots of "firsts" - first pair of shoes, first snowsuit, first swimsuit, first Miami shirt, etc. And I realized that I have pictures of the kids in each and every one of these outfits. They're never going to wear them again. So I got rid of almost all of them, only keeping that first pair of booties, coming home from the hospital outfits, and baptism clothes. Each kid has one container of team shirts - from baseball, soccer, dance, etc. And I immediately gained two shelves worth of space.

Wedding Gifts: Over the years we have gotten rid of several gifts that we know we will never use. Recently we have come across lots of candle sticks - both brass and crystal. When we got married, we decided we would use our candlesticks - no need to save them for a special occasion. But after one use, we realized candlesticks can make a huge mess and are not worth the hassle (O.K. so we were playing 3-man at midnight on the patio of our first apartment in a light breeze, but still). So we quit using them, but felt we should keep them. Until last week, when we finally threw them away.

I guess the moral of the story is the older I get, the more I realize that it's the memories that matter, not the stuff. And the actual stuff doesn't bring back any memories that weren't already in my head. So on with the de-cluttering of the stuff, but hopefully not the memories!

Christmas 2009

Christmas at the Keller house was another fun-filled extravaganza this year. We again were blessed to have both sets of grandparents here on Christmas Eve and Christmas day to celebrate with us. The usual traditions were intact, including Christmas Eve dinner of minestrone soup and sandwiches, singing carols at the piano (both kids played some this year), and opening one gift (new pajamas and a book). The kids went to bed at 10:00, and were up Christmas morning at 7:00. I expected they would sleep in a little since it was so dark out, but between the crazy wind and Maria's cold, they were up early.

By 9:00 everyone was up and the unwrapping could start. By 9:30, it was all over. All of the preparation for such a little bit of time in the end. The kids seemed pleased - their big gift this year was a Play Station 3, which I think was a surprise. But they also had some other favorites - Sam's LEGO Power Miners Crystal Sweeper was a huge hit, as was Maria's new coat and Mind Flex game. They have also been playing with Shrinky Dinks quite a bit (especially Maria), and their new Play Station games - Tony Hawk skateboarding and Little Big Planet. The Wii games have taken a backseat so far - there's even one Wii game that has yet to be opened.

A great day, all in all, even though Maria and I weren't feeling our best - I've had a cold/cough for most of vacation so far, and Maria caught it too, but it seemed to be at it's worst Thursday and Friday. Today I am feeling much better. And really, we have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, that a little cold is not enough to ruin the day.

I am a little disappointed that Sam just recently told me that he "really didn't get that much for Christmas." Reality setting in, I think, that he had now played with everything and there was nothing else brand new to discover. Even though I know he's only 7, sometimes I wonder what else he could have expected - when you make a list with 20-some things on it, you're not going to be able to get everything! So I had to remind him of the good things in his life, and how Christmas isn't only about the presents - how we had all that family time together, etc. Not sure he was very impressed, though!

Zoo Lights

Wednesday night we went to see the zoo lights. It was cold, but not windy, so as long as we kept walking it was tolerable. The kids each took their cameras, so we had to stop a lot for them to take pictures as well. We stayed almost 2 hours, and saw lots of lights, reindeer, and rode the carousel. We ended the evening with a stop at Starbucks and then headed home to get ready for Christmas Eve the next day!

Snow!

One of the things I will miss most when the kids grow up is how genuinely excited they get about the simple things. Like snow.

This morning we woke up to maybe 2 inches of snow on the ground. But it's the first snow of the season, and when they went to bed last night the weather was fine, and I'm sure it helps that Christmas vacation just started so they're in a pretty great mood overall. When each of them got out of bed this morning and looked out the window, "Wow! Look at the snow!" could be heard throughout the house.

The older I get, the more I really don't like the snow and cold all that much. So it's good to be reminded how beautiful it can be - especially when it's enough to look pretty but not screw up our travel plans! And some day, probably when they start driving and have a real sense of how snow may interfere with their social plans, the snow may not seem as magical to them. So I'm enjoying it while I can.

And I'm thankful that they each actually have boots AND snow pants that fit - I'm on top of things this year!

Sam's Gingerbread House Party

Today the first grade had their annual Gingerbread party. They spend three weeks working on a Gingerbread unit, and then invite parents for a program and craft this afternoon to end the unit. Luckily, it started at 1:45, and my plan period is 2:05 until the end of the day, so I was able to get another teacher to cover me for 20 minutes and be at the party with Sam from the beginning. They started by showing a video of the different classes doing different Gingerbread activities throughout the unit, which was actually difficult to pay attention too, even for me. Live entertainment would have been much better, but would have taken much longer to prepare, so I understand why they did it this way.

After the video the parents were supposed to help their child put their Gingerbread house together - it's a foam set so that makes it a little easier. And it was interesting to watch Sam, because he is all business. He wants to make certain he is doing the house exactly as the directions show, and he is very focused on accomplishing this task. If he is always like this at school, I can see why his teacher commented a while back that he is so serious she can't tell if he likes school or not.

But we had fun, and the Gingerbread house looks awesome. I just hope the glue stick holds well enough so I can keep it for a long time.

Art Show

Tonight was Ben's band concert, and the art classes always put on an "Art Show" for parents to look at before the concert. Maria's class were told they could make something for it if they liked, so one day after school last week she created her "Christmas Star" in less than an hour and brought it in to her art teacher. She had no idea that there were awards given, and was thrilled that she got first place for 3-D art in the elementary school.

Then today after school we got a note from Sam's art teacher saying one of his creations had been chosen by her to be displayed. The kids and I hadn't planned to go to tonight's concert, but I wanted to see their artwork. So when Sam and I picked up Maria at the elementary from Destination Imagination, we snuck onto the stage during basketball practice so we could see their work. It was pretty dark, and that's why Sam's picture is slightly out of focus. His is a "Self Portrait."

Anyway, I thought I would share their creations with you.

Miami vs. OSU Hockey

Last night we went to see the #1 ranked Miami Redhawks beat the tar out of the OSU Buckeye hockey team 6-0. We met the Caseys, the Owsleys, and the Smiths there. And we let the Smiths sit with us even though they had on their OSU clothes. We all had a blast - of course it's more fun to win, and especially to beat OSU so badly in their own arena. Sam and Maria really got into it and participated in all the Miami cheers, and Sam had so many questions about the game. He started out sitting by me, and I was doing pretty well until he asked why a guy got a penalty and I wasn't paying attention, so then he sat by Ben who could keep him informed. That allowed me to socialize with Lisa and Linda, so it was a win-win situation for everyone. Ben really enjoyed hanging with the kids at a sporting event - he is working at all Fairbanks football and basketball games, so he isn't able to do that very often. We got home around 10:00, and the kids went straight to bed. Today is a very busy day, so I hope they're well-rested!

Sam's Christmas Program

Thursday night was Sam's elementary school Christmas program. Each grade level (except 5th grade) sang 2-3 songs, but all the kids get dressed up in their holiday clothes so it's really cute. We had a family Christmas picture taken before we left since we'll probably not see Sam dressed up again for a while.

Finally Vaccinated!

Yesterday I finally got the kids in for their H1N1 vaccinations. It has been pretty frustrating for us, as I mentioned in an earlier post, since they only hand out tickets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., which meant that we could never get any. But yesterday they weren't handing tickets out until 2:00, so I left school during my plan period, around 2:30, and booked it to Marysville prepared to wait in some huge line in hopes of getting two tickets for the kids.

And when I got there, I wondered if I was in the wrong place. It was deserted, except for all of the health department workers wandering around with nothing to do. If the kids had been with me, we could have walked right in and gotten the vaccinations. But since they weren't, I got two tickets to come back between 5:00 and 6:00, before their piano lessons which were back to back this week.

When we went back, we again walked right in. There was maybe two other people with kids getting shots at the same time.

Ben and I had talked to Maria and Sam about the vaccinations a few different times, so they knew we felt this was important. Neither one complained or said they didn't want to get a shot - they just accepted it as something they had to do since we said so (we have such good kids). And I think Maria has some knowledge of the situation with all the Swine Flu stuff that was in the news lately. But still, they weren't thrilled about getting a shot, and their fear showed a little when we actually got to where they were giving the shots.

If I could go back, I would figure out which kid would go first before we got there. As it turned out, the nurse left it up to them, and neither of them wanted to go first, so I played the "Pick a number between 1 and 10" game. Which would have gone better if I had worked out ahead of time if the "winner" went first or second. Maria guessed closer, so I told her she had to go first, but she said if she won, why did she have to go first. Good point. So then Sam, who thought he was off the hook, ended up having to go first.

He was brave even though he felt he was cheated out of going last. The worst part about it was that he was so curious, he wouldn't look away from what the nurse was doing. And she was very strict that he look away while she gave him the shot. But he wanted to watch. We finally got him to look away and he only flinched a little when she stuck him.

Then it was Maria's turn. She sat in the chair and dutifully looked away. Sam, however, was right there by the nurse asking her questions as she was preparing Maria's arm for the shot. I was proud of his curiosity, but I don't think the nurse was thrilled about it. So Maria flinched a little too, and that was it. I think the anticipation of the shot was worse that the actual shot for both of them.

Children 9 years and under have to get two doses, so Sam has to go back after 21 days have gone by, but Maria is done. He didn't seem to think that was very fair, but I told him I'll wait to get mine until then and we can do it together - healthy adults are allowed to get them starting next week. And neither child suffered any side effects, other that a little burning where they got the shot, which ended after about an hour.

Letters to Santa

The kids wrote their letters to Santa tonight, so I took a picture of them before they go into the mail. We were going to see Santa at the mall on Saturday, but neither Maria or Sam was thrilled about spending time in line so I told them a letter would do the trick.

Where is She?

You're probably not going to believe this.

Today was the annual Marysville Christmas parade. Each year Maria participates with the dance studio, and Ben's band used to march in the parade but haven't for the last few years. Maria got to dress up as a toy soldier this year so she was especially excited.

This was the first year that Ben was going to be able to watch with us, to help drop Maria at the parade line-up and deal with all of the traffic there. It may not seem like much, but as a band director's wife, I go to 99% of all parades as a single parent, and I was looking forward to going as a family today. It was made better by the fact that the Smiths decided to go to, in part to see Maria.

I have not had great Christmas parade experiences in the past. It used to be just Sam and I, and neither of us enjoyed being cold and so I can't say it was much fun waiting for the parade to start. Then there was the year that Sam (I think he was 4) had to go to the bathroom right as the parade neared us, and we had to dash to the library on the next block and rush back, but we made it in time to see Maria. My personal favorite is the year when Ben accidentally put Maria on the wrong float at the parade line-up (in his defense, she was with 2 of her dance friends, but they were on the Wal-Mart float, so she rode with them even though she was supposed to be on the dance studio float).

So traditionally I do not like this parade. But today would be different, I hoped.

At 1:15, Ben dropped Maria and I at the dance studio, where she dressed in costume, and then picked us and two of Maria's friends up to drop them off at the parade route. We then drove back to town, parked, met up with the Smiths, and began the long wait in the cold for the parade to start.

When the parade finally started, Sam, Mason and Lindsey focused on getting as much candy as they could. Ben was taking video and Andy was taking still shots. Soon came the dance studio group - with toy soldiers holding a banner both in the front and back. And Maria wasn't any of the soldiers. After they passed, the four adults looked at each other and said things like "Did you see her? I didn't see her," etc. I was a little panicked, wondering what happened to her. Ben convinced me that maybe she traded outfits with someone at the parade route - after all, her teacher waved to us so if there was a problem she would have said something to us.

There were seven of us there to cheer for Maria, and not one of us actually saw her in the parade.

So at the end of the parade we rushed to the dance studio to pick up Maria, and I was relieved when she was there safe and sound. And she told us she carried the banner in the front of the group - somehow we all missed seeing her. She looked really cute, and we have no pictures. Unless Ben happened to get her on video (she was on the other side of the street, so we probably wouldn't have gotten great pictures anyway, but still). But Maria had fun in the parade, and the other kids had fun watching the parade, so I guess that's all that matters.

Smart Boy

Last night Sam and I were dropping Maria off at dance and then headed to the library. On the way, Maria and I pointed out (to Sam) a house covered in holiday lights that the two of us had seen on the way to the Christmas Walk Monday night. He liked the display, and then said, "Oh, I get it. It's supposed to be a Gingerbread House." And he was absolutely right.

The sad part is that Maria and I never saw that at all. Once Sam pointed it out, it was obvious he was right - lights made to look like candy, single strands around the windows and doors, and a lighted up Gingerbread Man off to the side. But Maria and I just thought it was cool - we didn't see the big picture. This is the first time that I remember Sam being the first one to pick out something like that, and I was so proud of him.

We could analyze the differences in male and female perspective, how males look at the big picture and females pick out details, but I just prefer to think he is very smart. Which makes me feel better about the concerned e-mail from his teacher Tuesday detailing how Sam was choking himself in music class. But that's another story for another time.

Maria's Christmas Walk Dance

Thanksgiving 2009

Grandparents with grandkids.


The annual turkey picture.


Making the Pilgrim hats dessert on Wednesday night.


We had another wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We hosted, and all family members were able to make it - Ben's parents, my parents, and my sister Wendy and her family. Dinner was great, the kids had time to play together, and many of the adults squeezed in a game of Mexican Train. And now we're ready for the Christmas season!

Trying to do the Right Thing

I'd like to think I'm a pretty reasonable person. I make important decisions after careful thought. I try not to be swayed when the media goes crazy and makes the public paranoid.

I didn't lose sleep over the H1N1 craziness. I didn't decide my children must have H1N1 when they were sick in October. We did call the Dr., however, and let them make the call on whether or not my kids needed to be seen (they did) and whether or not they had the flu (they didn't). I researched the H1N1 vaccine and asked our Dr. her opinion. We decided to be safe and have our kids get vaccinated against this virus that most likely won't be much worse than most, but has the potential to be. Shouldn't that have been the hard part?

But even though the vaccine is now available for children with no additional risks in our county, we still can't get it. Why? Because we are responsible working adults who can't get in line between 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Our county has a ticket system (kind of like Fast Pass at Disney World) where you wait to get a ticket, and the ticket gives you a time to come back for the shot. The vaccinations are given between 1 and 7 p.m., so that kids don't have to miss school. But if you can't break free from work for a two hour span in the middle of the day to get your ticket, you can't get the vaccine.

You would think they would have a plan for people like us. Or bring the vaccines directly to the schools, like originally planned (too high volume expected to be able to come to Fairbanks, they said). Or have the clinic tomorrow, when all the schools in the county are off, and more people would be able to go (the only clinic in the last two weeks is today). You cannot get the vaccine without a ticket, even if you're willing to wait in the endless line. And you can't send someone other than an immediate family member to get the ticket. And they sometimes cancel the clinics, so if I use one of my precious personal days to get the ticket, they may cancel and then I've wasted a day. And we can't use sick leave.

So I want to do what's right. And not only because I am concerned about the health of my children (although that is my main concern), but becuase being in a school I understand how a vaccinated population can help stop the spread of disease. And I don't want to feel as if we need to be housebound this winter so no one gets sick. So I guess we'll just keep washing our hands, using hand sanitizer, and hoping for the best. Because at this rate, I seriously doubt anyone in my house will be getting vaccinated.

Weekly Update

This week has been so crazy that I just realized I haven't update the blog in a while. So here's what's been happening:

Basement clean-up continues. We got rid of another van full of stuff, and have gone through the majority of toys/games/books. There is still stuff in the back room that will probably go but we need to wait until Christmas decorations have been gotten out and then put back, since everything back there will have to be crunched and stacked into corners for the actual finishing project. Other than that and some furniture that will need to go, we're in pretty good shape.

Sam had a fall on Wednesday that turned out a little worse than his usual falls. He jumped off the pool table in the basement, hit a piece of styrofoam on the way down, and I'm pretty sure he landed with his 2nd toe curled under his foot. They iced it when it happened (Ben was home with the kids), and didn't think too much more about it. He was limping, but every time we looked at the toe it didn't really look bad. Plus he can be quite the drama king about his injuries.

But the when he got up Thursday morning, he was still limping and in some pain. Now the toe looked purple and swollen somewhat. So we gave him Motrin, put his largest shoe on the foot loosely, and I walked him to school (per his request which never happens) to tell his teacher about it and get him a free pass to sit out gym if he needed to. Throughout the day at school, some colleagues had me convinced we should get an x-ray in case he broke a bone higher in his foot. But by after school, he was walking much better, and the swelling has gone down. This morning it looks more purple but less swollen, and his limp is still much better than yesterday. So we're assuming nothing is broken. We're just going to keep our eye on it for now. It would be nice if I could say I think he learned a lesson about his reckless behavior, but I'm pretty sure he did not.

The kids are spending the weekend at Rita and Darrell's so Ben and I can Christmas shop - I've been spending evenings developing our plan of attack, and hopefully get the kids stuff completely done on Saturday. Tonight we are going out with Andy and Lisa for a much needed break. Both Ben and I have had very stressful weeks at work and our looking forward to having a relaxing weekend!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wow - this is Post #500. In less than 2 years. That's a lot of writing.

Anyway, last night Ben and I had parent/teacher conferences for Maria and Sam. And it's official, we have two pretty awesome kids.

Maria's in 5th grade now, and almost to the age where we will stop going to conferences unless there is a problem. This is her last year at the elementary, and when she starts middle school next year they do conferences in a completely different way. Anyway, Maria's teacher Mr. Fillman had nothing but good things to say about Maria's academic ability, work ethic, and broad vocabulary. And she's friendly and gets along with everybody. We spent part of the time discussing what he can do to challenge her a little more. No surprises, but always great to hear.

Next we went downstairs to see Mrs. Dulle, Sam's first grade teacher. When we finally got in (she was running behind), she said, "this will be a good conference to end on." We took that as a good sign. Academically, Sam is doing great. Reading is his best subject - according to his recent testing, he's reading at the level they should be at the end of the year, and maybe better, but they're not allowed to test any higher than that yet. He's moved up into a higher reading group as well. Math he does well - I have been concerned because his tests are showing that he is missing some things that I know he can do in the homework. But they're careless mistakes, and getting him to take his time and check things over is probably a battle I will be fighting for a long time. His Chapter 3 test is today, we'll see what happens. And although he hates to write, he can do it pretty well when he has no other choice in the matter. From doing his homework with him each evening, I agree that in the last few weeks everything has started to really click.

His behavior is what I was most concerned about. She said he is doing well, but had some issues at the beginning of the year, but was not specific about what those issues were. I think it just took a couple of weeks for him to get into the routine, and learn to control his behavior a little more. Twice he has had to "move his clip," the most recent being Wednesday when another boy put soap on his face in the bathroom and Sam grabbed him from behind because he was mad. Sam has always had trouble controlling his temper when someone does something to him, and so we talked with him about it. But when I remember some of the issues he had in his Pre-K classroom three years ago, I become very thankful at how far he's come.

Mrs. Dulle also mentioned that he sometimes seems almost unhappy at school, that he seems to keep his emotions inside. She said he is not very often outwardly happy. I'm not sure what to make of that, although he does tell me he doesn't really like school, he never argues about having to go in the morning. I think he's just a very active little boy, and sitting in school for 6 hours of his day is not what he wants to be doing. From my experience as a teacher and especially as a parent to a son, I have a pretty good understanding of how schools seems to be the opposite of what a boy would rather be doing. So as long as he behaves himself and continues to excel academically, I'm not going to worry about it - he's pretty happy and very active at home.

Basement Clean-Up Has Begun

And it's going to be a huge job. Huge. But it will be so sweet when it's finished.

After talking to two contractors in the last month and done hours of research on ways to finish basements, Ben and I decided to go with traditional dry-wall, but to include a self-starting propane generator in the package. The only time we've ever had water in the basement is when the power has gone out during a storm and we have not been here, resulting in the basement flooding when the sump pump stops. It seemed much more economical to do traditional dry wall with the propane generator then to go with the super-duper water resistant panels, which cost over twice the price of drywall. We are also adding a half bath, which is important if we want to use the basement as a guest room as well. The trade off to getting the bathroom is not finishing the entire space, but about half of the space, with the other half divided into a storage area and a game area (for pool table, Foosball table, etc).

The contractors can't get started until right after the first of the year, so that gives us plenty of time to get things in order down there. But we want to donate all the toys (and there are SO MANY toys) so that Goodwill will have them for Christmas shoppers. We are trying to emphasize with the kids the importance of giving toys they no longer need to kids who may not be as fortunate. Maria and Sam are each allowed to keep their one toy box, and everything they want to keep (excluding board games) has to fit in that toy box. Sam had one big and two smaller toy boxes filled with stuff, and we went through almost all of it tonight. He's doing much better than I thought he would getting rid of toys. And Maria has been great, too, doing her own toys and helping with other stuff as well. Without her leadership, Sam wouldn't be helping much at all.

We've spent the last two evenings down there, and have made a lot of progress. But we still have a long way to go. And there are piles everywhere - to be donated to Goodwill, to Kinder Paws at school (especially craft stuff), to be thrown away, and the growing pile of stuff we're not sure what to do with. It's difficult because everything will need to be stored in the unfinished part while the work is going on, and we just don't have enough boxes to put everything in. And the kids both have a friend spending the night on Friday, so we have to get everything somewhat organized so that they have room to play down there. It's the vision of the newly finished basement that keeps me motivated to go down there and keep going. And I'll feel so relieved when the cleaning up is done.

Band on Front Page of Paper

The Fairbanks marching band is going to state marching band competition today for the first time in the school's history. And that was a story worthy of the front page of the Thursday's Marysville Journal Tribune. I was going to scan the picture and story, but Ben took it to school to hang on the bulletin board before I had the chance. A shortened version of the story is at the following link - soon I hope to post the entire story here.

http://www.marysvillejt.com/web/index.php?sid=50&id=6570

Report Cards!

Click on each image to enlarge.

Still a Winner to Us

Today was election day. And yes, the state issues, school board members, and assorted taxes were on the ballot. But the important election in this house was the Fairbanks Elementary Student Council election.

Each 4th and 5th grade classroom chose two representatives to be on Student Council. A couple of weeks ago Maria was excited to report that she and her good friend Lily were chosen as the representatives for their class. As representatives, they have the option to run for a student council office, but if they lose, they still keep their representative status. Maria had the paper for a week, and finally decided to run for secretary the night before the paper was due (Lily was running for Treasurer). That weekend and following week, she worked hard on campaign posters and her speech. I helped her color posters and both Ben and I helped her with the speech. She spent time practicing her speech (shown on live video to entire student body), and I'm certain hers was better written then the other two candidates' speeches. Maria really felt that the office of secretary played to her strengths and she was obviously the best person for the job. Opponents included her nemesis Cami and a 4th grade girl (who is a good kid but always has next year)!

When the results came in, Cami won the election (although it was close). Maria was pretty upset. It's a tough lesson - she knows she would be better in the office than Cami, and worse, she told me that almost no one in the 5th grade likes Cami, so she doesn't know how she lost to her. I truly think the loss was harder to take when she lost to someone with the opposite personality than she has herself. (To give you the Cami-Maria history would be another blog post, but let me just say that Maria doesn't really like Cami but she winds up doing everything Maria does). But probably a good life lesson - Maria doesn't lose much. That is another likely reason this loss hurt so badly. She still is a part of student council - just not as an officer. And Lily lost as well, so at least they have each other. We told her how proud of her we were for trying, shared stories of elections we've both lost, and encouraged her to continue to be herself.

But boy, the first time you learn first hand about how unfair popularity is can be rough. And I would be lying if I didn't admit that this loss has been hard on me too - I just want her to have everything she wants.

Trick or Treat 2009

Last night was Trick or Treat, and for the first time since we've had kids, I think, it was on a Saturday night. Everything was easier with it being a Saturday - from not rushing around getting homework and everything done before we went, to not having to rush kids to bed when we got home. And we also had a little get-together with the Smiths afterward, allowing us to catch up (you would think living next door we would see each other all the time but we haven't seen them in over a month!) and the kids had a blast playing in the basement. They stayed until 11:00 (with the time change, it was really only 10:00, right?), and not once did any kid have any kind of meltdown, which may be some kind of record.

As usual, we started trick-or-treating with the surrounding neighbors. We always start by taking pictures on our porch, then going to the Smiths where we take pictures of all four kids, then on to their next door neighbors, our next door neighbors, and the Nicols across the street. And everyone gives the kids gift bags, not just candy, which is so thoughtful. Then we head home, drop off the loot, load all 8 of us in the van (no small feat given the size of Maria's dress, Lindsey's wings, and Sam's proton pack), and head to Milford Center for a more traditional trick or treat experience. The weather was pretty good - a little cold but no wind or rain, and we spent about an hour walking up and down streets until the kids were cold and tired and were ready to head back.

Another fun Halloween for all. I only wish it didn't mean November is here and with it, the inevitable arrival of winter weather and darkness.

Miami Homecoming 2009

Things have been very busy around here and I just haven't sat down to blog about our past weekend.

We returned to Miami for Homecoming every year, but this year was different for a few reasons. First, we had a hotel room in Oxford. Second, we kept the kids with us the whole time (usually they spend some time with Rita and Darrell in the morning and then they bring them to us at the game) - so that they could participate in the Miami Munchkin Marchers. And it was the 200th year celebration - so we tried to get 200 marchers there (we ended up with 153, still our largest alumni band ever).

Overall, we had a great time. It was so much fun to get together with great friends, especially ones we haven't seen in a while. The kids got to see old friends we have visited in the past, like Dan and Pam (Staunton, Virginia), and Todd Nahigian (Chicago), and they were amazed at how grown up the kids have gotten. Marching with a large band was cool too, although the music was too hard (yes, I faked a lot) and the weather was crappy (wind, rain, and cold). Right after pre-game, I took the kids back to the hotel to swim until the reception after the game.

The Munchkin marcher program didn't do much, and the kids were pretty bored in the morning during rehearsals. Not sure if we'll do it that way again. And since we had to get up and out of the house at 6:45 Saturday morning, the kids were tired and grumpy fairly early in the evening, which caused all of us to head back to the hotel sooner than we would have liked. But it was nice not to have to drive back Saturday night.

Pumpkin Carving 2009!

Maria drew and carved her own pumpkin, Sam drew his but let Ben do the carving. Ben also fried pumpkin seeds, and as always, I had the glamorous job of scooping out the guts.

The picture with Sam and the monkey is for Sam for school. He was chosen as "Student of the Week," and part of the privilege is to bring home the "Class Pet" and take a picture of the child and the class pet doing something together. So we thought it would be cool if the monkey helped Sam carve the pumpkin.

The cool Jack-o-Lantern lights that Grandma K. got for the kids change colors in the pumpkins.

Random Thoughts

I know I haven't blogged in over a week. A combination of not many blog-worthy activities going on and no time - between Ben's band schedule, the kids' evening activities, plus helping Sam with homework each evening and trying to work out 4 days a week, sometimes there is just no time. I did get out by myself for Book Club this week, which I really enjoy and am so happy we continue to do even with everyone's busy schedules. So here are some of my random thoughts this week:

1. A great book - The Help by Kathryn Stockett. A recent book club pick and all three of us thoroughly enjoyed it.

2. Speaking of entertainment - a new show Ben and I like: Modern Family. Probably the only comedy that causes us to laugh out loud, and a great stress reliever.

3. H1N1 flu is getting scary. Sickness in our district is better this week than last, but rumors and news reports can really worry me. Wish this vaccine for otherwise healthy children would hurry up and get here.

4. I've hit the wall on marching season - and I'm not even the one spending all the time in the cold rain. Won't be over until November 7 with the band going to state contest.

5. Miami Homecoming is tomorrow. The kids get to play kid instruments on the field with us for the first time ever - Maria is excited, even wearing her Miami sweatshirt to school today. Sam is indifferent, and will probably ask where we are going when I get him up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. (Sam's lack of attention is starting to concern me sometimes, but that's another topic for another day.) And it'll be the biggest Alumni band in the history of Miami Alumni band, although we didn't quite make it to our 200 marchers (for our bicentennial) goal.

Back to Normal

Everyone's back at school today, finally. Maria missed three school days, Sam only missed two. But it was a pretty predictable virus - cough, headache, and fever for the kids - not much of a fever for Ben and I. Sam got sick starting Sunday and lasted through Tuesday, Maria Monday through Wednesday. (Ben had it Thursday through the weekend, and mine was pretty much Sunday-Monday.) Maria's never missed three days in a row at school before, and she was going crazy by yesterday afternoon. Really, for everyone being sick, it wasn't too bad. No stomach issues meant much less cleaning up to do, and when on fever reducers the kids didn't feel too bad most of the time. They managed to finish Sam's Double Duel K'Nex Roller Coaster and we all played lots of board games in the last three days. And with no one going to evening activities it almost felt like we were snowed in.

But it sure is nice being back to normal!

Health Update

Both kids stayed home again today, with Ben this time. Since they both had fevers (Maria 101, Sam 102), he called the Doctor's office and they said they needed to come in. Verdict: No strep throat, no flu (no body aches and fevers are too low), so just some virus. He said they can go back to school as soon as their fevers are gone. Maria's is under 100 now without Advil, so we bet she may be able to go. Sam's fever is still creeping over 100, so he had more Motrin, and we may have to wait until morning to make a call on him.

But I picked up all of their make-up work tonight, so we have a long evening ahead of us.

Keller Health Update

For the first time in a very long time, all four of us appear to be sick with the same thing. I just wish we knew what this "thing" is.

Ben started coughing and feeling blah on Thursday, but he was able to go to work and the football game, with the help of sinus drugs and Advil. He also had a slight fever, where he feels hot and cold and can't easily regulate his temperature. Saturday morning, which was when he decided he needed to go to Urgent Care, he started to feel better, and was able to go to the kids' activities, although he still didn't feel great.

Friday night I started to feel congested, but didn't really start coughing much until Sunday. And by last night I was pretty miserable. Sam was acting funny at the movie and lunch Sunday morning, and by late afternoon was on the couch with a fever of 101. He and Maria were both coughing a little by then.

Ben and I decided that I would stay home with Sam Monday, since Ben had band practice after school, then he could stay home Tuesday, and repeat as needed (kids are supposed to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school, with all of the swine flu going around).

Sam got me up at 4:30 Th's morning- his fever was back and he threw up a little. Got him Motrin and back to bed - he ended up sleeping until 9:30. Meanwhile, Maria got up with her alarm at 6:30 and showered like normal, but then didn't eat much breakfast. Turns out she had a low grade fever now too. So the three of us stayed home. We're all coughing, but when the kids are under the influence of fever-reducers they are fairly active and spent a lot of the day putting together one of Sam's K'Nex roller coasters.

Then late this afternoon Sam got sick again, and his fever was back even though his Motrin hadn't worn off. Which makes me think his fever would be fairly high without the Motrin. In the meantime, Ben feels that he may now have a sinus infection. So he'll stay home tomorrow and go to the Dr. with anyone here who is still sick. Except me, I have to go to work to get caught up and set up to miss Wednesday.

And of course, with all the swine flu panic, especially the number of children who are dying, it does make me worry more. It just seems that even healthy kids who get medical care, who get admitted to the hospital in plenty of time, can still die of complications. And that is very scary. I've done a lot of reading, and Sam has symptoms that are in both the "cold" and "flu" columns on the charts. And it's not like we're not being careful - we fully plan to get the kids vaccinated this year, but the Health Department clinics for seasonal flu are this weekend, and no word on when the H1N1 vaccine will be available for healthy children. So it's just very frustrating.

Maria the Triathlete

This afternoon Maria participated in the kids triathlon held at our YMCA. She received a flyer at school several weeks ago and really wanted to do it so we signed her up. The kids had to bike for 2 miles, run for 1 mile, and swim 100 yards. Most of her training happened this past week and only consisted of running - her biking is pretty good as we bike several miles fairly often in the summer, and we didn't have the time or facilities to work on swimming. So we really had no idea how she might do.

There were two age groups for the kids - 5-8 year olds, and 9-12 year olds. And girls only completed against other girls, boys only competed against other boys. There were 4 boys and 6 girls in Maria's age groups. The race was run fairly slowly - first the young kids biked, then the older kids. Then the young kids would run, then the older kids. And then swimming took even longer since there were only four usable swimming lanes in the pool.

Biking was first. And right off, we noticed that most kids in Maria's age group had bigger bikes, with more speeds. And that did hurt Maria. She was 5th (out of 6 girls) in the bike race, and very frustrated at the end because her bike just would not go as fast as most of the others (we were planning on getting her a new bike for her birthday in May, and had no idea it would make such a big difference in the race).

Then came the running. She's been running/walking a mile with Ben a few nights this week, and she worked on pacing. So we reminded her it didn't matter who started off the fastest, and sure enough, she was one of the last ones passing us near the starting line, but she was able to jog most of the way (walked a little), and came in 2nd of the six girls in the run. We knew that made up for a lot of lost time during the bike race, because she beat some girls by a lot.

Last was the swimming. They did the girls in Maria's division in two groups, three girls swimming at a time. Maria came in 2nd of the three, but all three were spread pretty far apart. . After her race, I took Maria to the locker room to change so we didn't see the second group of girls race. I was thinking out of 6, Maria probably came in 3rd or 4th overall. And they only award medals to the top three.

But we were surprised during awards. Maria got the silver medal - took 2nd place out of 6 girls. She was really surprised - I think the stress of the bike race at the beginning really made her feel like she didn't have much of chance. We are so proud of her!

So Ben started running races in the spring, and Maria is now racing too. That means I'm next - I plan to run a 5K in the future, but possibly not until spring, mostly due to the weather. I haven't run on the road, but am doing about 2.5 miles on the treadmill four nights a week. So I'm pretty sure I could do a 5K. We're very happy with how physically fit our family has become!

One Down - RIP Sheldon the Hermit Crab

We have experienced the first hermit crab death. Sunday evening I was cleaning the cage, and when I picked up Sheldon (Sam's crab) to move him to the other side one of his arms fell off. I was grossed out, so Ben came in and confirmed that he was dead as his limp body hung out of the shell.

The kids were pretty matter of fact about it. Actually, I'm not sure it bothered them in the least. That's our current trouble with pets - since they die frequently, the kids don't become attached to them. But since they're not attached to them, they're not really eager to take care of them either. And other that getting a more permanent pet, that would require a much larger commitment which we're not willing to do, I'm not sure how to change their attitude. I already don't know who will take care of the crabs (they have to be sprayed with water a few times a day) when we spend the night in Oxford in a few weeks. I just really like the freedom of having no pets to worry about - it's enough with the kids.

But since Sheldon had a 30 day guarantee, we put him in a Ziploc and Ben took Sam to Jack's to replace him last night. He picked out one in the exact same shell as Sheldon (it looks like a baseball), and then decided to name him Sheldon 2. But already, this crab seems more healthy - immediately started climbing around the cage like Larry did on his first few days at our house. Sheldon 1 never moved around much and I doubted his health from the beginning.

So we'll see how long this one lasts.

New Opportunities

In the last week, Maria has had a couple of very cool opportunities that I wanted to share. Last week, she received a letter form her Gifted and Talented coordinator about participating in 2010 Northwestern University's Midwest Talent Search (NUMATS). Basically, it consists of taking standardized tests years before most students take them, and then completing with other students in the same age group. But it's also good experience, espeically for students who score high on the standardized tests that they take at school - this will give a better idea of where her abilities are. It will also open the door for many other gifted and talented programs she will have the opportunity to particiapte in, which is important since our small school does not do much with their Gifted and Talented program. She'll be taking the EXPLORE test in January, which is a standardized test usually given to 8th graders.

Today she brought home a letter stating that she has been selected to participate in the schools Destination ImagiNation team. They selected three fourth graders and three fifth graders. Basically the students work together to come up with "solutions" to different challenges, and then complete against other schools on a Saturday in March. (There's a lot to it - if you're interested you can visit the website at www. IDODI.org.) It sounds like a lot of fun and should help her build some great teamwork and leadership skills, among other benefits. She's pretty excited about this and happy that her friend Lydia was invited to join the team as well. It will be a pretty big time commitment, though, having meetings every Monday after school for two hours and sometimes on Thursdays too if they need the extra time. But she should be able to handle it.

Boy Scout

Sam's been participating in Cub Scouts for a month now and likes it a lot. He is more interested in the weekly activity much more than the meeting, but he really looks forward to going. He was especially thrilled to get his shirt - doesn't he look cute? Ben has been a trooper - takes him every week (which is a huge pain because you have to stay and participate too), and he even sewed all those patches on his shirt last night. I had to go once when Ben had another meeting, and all of those little boys in the same room made my head spin - I'm so thankful Ben goes to the meetings.

Car Seat Dilemma

Yesterday I knowingly ceased to remain a law-abiding citizen. And I will probably stay that way until September 22, 2010.

Last spring, state legislators decided that all children ages 4-7 MUST be in a booster seat when riding in a car. And this law went into effect yesterday, October 5. Until then, booster seats were recommended, not required, for 4-7 year-olds. And Sam stopped riding in a booster seat sometime before his 6th birthday. And then when we were spring cleaning in April, Ben and I decided to throw away both booster seats, knowing Sam was our last child and he would never agree to sit in one again. Our doctor was always very matter of fact about it, admitting that it is very difficult to keep a younger child in a booster seat until they're 8 years old, and so that made me feel better about our decision as well.

So now, we are required to buy two new booster seats for our cars, and convince Sam that even though he was a "big boy" who could finally ride in a car like a normal human being and not be tethered to having to sit in a specific place every time he rides in a car, now he has to go back to riding in a booster seat. And no more "Hey, let's ride with Grandma and Grandpa" on a moment's notice (especially since we told Ben's parents it was OK to get rid of their booster seat too).

Sometimes I feel these car seat/booster seat/backseat laws are a little over the top. Maria has started to sit in the front with us when it's just her and one of us, since even though it's recommended for kids to sit in the back until they're 13 years old, it's allowed when they're 10 years old. And now when she sits in the front, we have the best conversations during car rides. She plays what she wants on the radio, and it's not like she's in a separate room like it is when she's in the back seat. And honestly, kids can drive when they're 16 but not even supposed to sit in the front until they're 13? Seems a little much to me.

My main problem with this new booster seat law is not grandfathering in those kids who used to be "safe" and are now not. Telling Sam he has to go back to a booster seat after over a year of not sitting in one doesn't seem fair. And I'm not sure that there is enough difference between a 7 year old and 8 year old body to make him that much safer in the car. There is a height requirement - a 7 year old that is 4 feet, 9 inches tall does not have to ride in a booster seat. Sam is 4 feet, one half inches tall so I don't think he'll fall into that category in the next year.

So we have decided, for now, to not do it. If you're caught without your child in a booster seat, warnings are issued until April 7, 2010. After that, if we get caught between then and Sam's birthday, we pay a fine of $25-$75, which is still less than what it would cost for us to buy 2 new booster seats. And we'd have to get pulled over for another offense in the first place. I'm not saying it isn't possible, I'm just saying it's a calculated risk we're willing to take, for now.

I just hope that it doesn't cause trouble when Sam rides with a friend somewhere and they need to borrow our booster seat for him, which we won't own. But I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

UPDATE: Upon further research, apparently the main reason for the booster is so the seat belt hits kids in the collarbone and hip bones, as opposed to the neck and abdomen, which is where it hits if they are too short for the seat belt. Our van belts are adjustable, and lowering ours allows - Sam's belt to hit at these safer points.

Fairbanks Marching Band Goes to State Contest

For the first time. Ever. And it only took Ben 16 years to get them there. Seriously, though, it is so much harder on small bands. With only 43 kids on the field, individual mistakes are so much easier to spot, and getting a big sound is tough too - impossible to compete with the bigger bands.

This year, after band camp, Ben even thought it might be a rough year - more of a rebuilding year. He finally got rid of the flag corp, having decided in the last few years that a bad flag corp was worse than no flag corp. And those girls (and their advisor) have always proved to be way more trouble than they're worth. So finally this year he just didn't have very many interested girls and it was fairly easy to kill.

The kids love the show this year, too. It's based on Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas," and to get those general effect points that they won't get from an absent flag corp, the entire band wears face make-up and black shirts/pants to look like Jack Skellington. And the drums actually twirl flags during part of a song where there are no percussion parts. Also new this year, an assistant director that is a music teacher - our new elementary music teacher, who marched in the University of Dayton band.

Yesterday was the first time I've seen the show fully completed. And other than a rough beginning, I thought it was the best show I've ever seen them do. I told Ben that on the phone that afternoon - that maybe this would be the year they go to state. And he was down-playing it, but of course he didn't see the show from the stands like we did. The kids and I were so thrilled when he messaged us that they had, in fact, received their first "I" ever.

I've included a link to a video of the show:

FMB Contest Show 10/3/09 from Fairbanks Band on Vimeo.

Band Beginner

Maria started fifth grade this year. Which means she also started band. This is Ben's 17th year teaching band at Fairbanks, and so it's a little weird for him to have Maria in his class this year. Good, but weird. I'm sure he'll get used to it.

Maria picked the flute to play, which has been her choice for about a year or so now. And she's had over 4 years of piano, so she'll be ahead in some areas. So far she seems to be doing great.

Out of 75 or so kids in the 5th grade, 50 joined band. That's Ben's largest beginning group ever. And we don't know if it's just a really great year (her class is supposed to be very good academically) or if Maria's Dad being the teacher has something to do with it. Even though we know not all of those kids will continue, a group this large does look promising.

The Forgotten Fifth Graders

I'm going to have to give a little history in order for this post to make sense. If you know it, bear with me - I'll try to make it brief.

Several years ago, our school district failed the first try at a bond issue to replace our elementary school that was built in 1914 and was literally falling down (really, bricks were falling off the front of the building and there was a scaffolding around the entrances so bricks would not fall on children entering and exiting the building). Even though the building was badly needed, the public voted down the levy, feeling there were too many perks that we didn't need - like an auditorium (even though our district doesn't have one) and a gym with bleachers so that games could be played there. So the superintendent had a building designed that was bare bones and just big enough, because the public was telling him they would vote for no "extras," including room for growth.

So that's what we got. And don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful building, and I'm happy my children get to go there. But there are issues. Mainly caused by the second part of the promise to the public which was that the 5th grade, at the time part of the middle school, would become part of the elementary, not the middle school. Most people felt that 5th grade was too young to be around Jr. high kids. And they did build three fifth grade classrooms in the new elementary.

Since we moved to the new school over Thanksgiving last year, the current 5th graders stayed in the middle school, and this year's 5th graders are the first ones to be a part of the elementary building. Maria is part of this class.

I was very happy about her remaining in the elementary - mostly because she gets to spend more time in the new building, and I just think our elementary is a better run building than the middle school (and since Ben and I both work there, I think we have a pretty accurate idea of what's going on).

But I have to say as the year goes on I am very disappointed with how things have been handled. While they say the 5th grade is part of the elementary, they're not quite, and while I'm not sure the kids notice, they're not really getting the educational experience they should be getting. They aren't fully a part of the elementary or the middle school. And it's because of poor planning on the part of the administrators, even though they've known this change was coming for 3 years.

Here's some of the problems:

1. Specials (gym, art, music): Because the administration wanted to keep the current middle school teachers for art, gym and music, the 5th graders have their special class each day in the middle school building. Even though the special classrooms are open at that time at the elementary. Apparently it's easier to move 75 kids across the parking lots each day than it is to move three teachers. So the kids get off their bus at the middle school, go to their special class, and then walk as a class over to the elementary. Even in the rain. And snow. I'm mad and the bad weather hasn't even started yet. And they have different special teachers than the rest of the elementary school, which separates them, especially if there are any types of school-wide themes. They're left out.

2. Instead of making the 3/4 guidance counselor full time and covering the 5th grade, they've made the former high school guidance counselor, and current government teacher, the 5th grade guidance counselor. She only handles the 5th grade. For one period a day. If a kid needs counseling during any other part of the day, they're out of luck. And again, since the kids are handled by different people the counselors have to make a point to include the 5th grade in any school-wide themes or projects. Since the 5th grade counselor is dedicated, though, she makes it happen.

3. Band. Fifth graders just started band. Ben teaches band, and goes over every day, carrying a different instrument. He's in a tutoring room, which he had to really find almost on his own, and his fully equipped band room goes unused during that period. I am glad they don't make the band kids walk over to the high school, though. Still, if band was going to be taught there, a proper room would have been nice.

4. Schedule. I just learned today that on Tuesdays, Maria only gets 15 minutes of Science because they have to go to the library on Tuesdays during the other half hour. Once a week, they're cutting instructional time, in an OAT tested class, by 30 minutes so kids can take 30 entire minutes to pick out reading books. Now I do think it's important for kids to pick out reading books, but not during science class. You know most of that time is being wasted - very few kids take 30 minutes to pick out a book, especially when they go back every week. Another scheduling mess that could have been avoided with some forethought and planning.

I'm sure there are other things I can't even think of right now. But the good news, none of this seems to bother Maria (or probably any of the other kids either). But I wonder how long it'll be before they decide things were really easier keeping the 5th grade as part of the middle school. And then I'll be mad that Maria was part of the guinea pig group.

Interim Reports

Wednesday the kids got their first interims of the year. And if I were counting, I could mention that it means the year is 1/8 of the way over. But who's counting?

Seriously, though, we are very pleased and proud. Maria continues to excel, and Sam is doing awesome as well. So glad that he is adjusting well to first grade. We tried to discuss it with Sam, and let him know how good it is and how proud we are, but I'm never sure how much attention he is paying us. He did get upset earlier this week when he and I went over some missed questions on his very first math test. I thought I was being very gentle, but he felt bad and broke down and cried and said "I'm sorry I did so bad." And of course I have felt incredible guilt ever since. (I still feel bad about when I made Maria cry over a math test when she was in first grade.) It was right before bedtime, though, and he was beat from soccer. And on the positive side, I didn't really have any idea he needed to please us with good grades so badly. So it was nice to know he cared. But it is certainly an experience I don't wish to repeat!

Maria's Surprise for Sam

Maria spent over an hour working on this while Sam was a boy scouts, and by the time Sam came home, it was dark. But we took him out with a flashlight to see it. Which was fortunate, since even though it has hardly rained here in the past month, we did have a long soaking rain last night that washed away the artwork.

Birthday Surprise!

We haven't had pets in this house since our last fish, Katie, died and joined so many of her tank buddies had died months before. We emptied the fish tank and put it away when that happened - after almost a year of struggling with multiple problems, which we think the root of had something to do with our water, we were done. What's the point of having a fish tank if you can never see the fish? And I don't even want to think about the money we poured into that project.

But the kids still wanted to have a pet. They decided on a turtle, I'm not sure why. So I started to do some research, and found that a better choice for us may be hermit crabs. Turtles come with more potential problems, like many live in water (so we'd be back to where we were with the fish tank), some carry salmonella, and they're not all that friendly - they bite and are fast. So the kids wouldn't be able to handle them much. And if the turtles do well, they could live 20 or more years, and while chances of a pet living in this house making it that long are slim, I'm pretty sure the kids don't have a 20 year attention span for a turtle. And I have no desire to be a turtle owner long after they have left the house.

Hermit crabs, on the other hand, are fairly easy to take care of. The kids can handle them some, and the cage should be fairly easy to clean (at least easier than a water change in the fish tank). Plus they love their pretty shells. So I did some research both at home and in the pet store, and talked the kids into having them as pets instead of turtles (at least for now).

So then it was a question of when we would get the crabs. About a month ago I had the idea of surprising Sam on his actual birthday, since the party and presents would take place the Saturday before his Tuesday birthday. And we knew we wanted to get Maria one too, so hers is a reward for doing so well on her OAT's. And every time in the last few weeks Sam would ask, "Do you know when we're going to get our hermit crabs?" and I'd say "I know, but I can't tell you." And he would get a little mad that I wouldn't tell him.

But even so, the kids had no idea where we were headed right after school yesterday until we were almost there, and the only real choices were either Wal-Mart or Jack's Aquarium. And we had a decent salesmen who talked directly to the kids about how to care for their crabs and showed them how to handle them. Plus the crabs have a 30 day guarantee, which means they'll probably live for 31 days.

Maria and Sam helped set up the terrarium, and they both like to squirt the crabs too (the crabs breathe through gills and so have to be squirted with water a few times a day. Sam named his crab "Sheldon," and Maria named hers "Larry." Larry has a red shell and Sheldon has a baseball shell. So far Larry is by far the more active crab, climbing the walls of the terrarium quite a bit. That's why there is a better picture of Larry than of Sheldon - Sheldon will peak out of his shell, then retreat back in before you can get back with the camera.

Sam's 7th Birthday Party!

Saturday was Sam's birthday party. We started with a kid party at the pool at the Dublin Rec Center, where there was a total of 12 kids including friends from school and family friends. The kids got to swim for two sessions and then have cake and watch Sam open his presents. We were very pleased with how easy the party was and the kids seemed to have a great time.

After the kid party, we returned home for a family party with dinner and, of course, more gifts. Both sets of grandparents were here, along with my sister and family, and the Smiths and the Caseys. After a dinner of Benny's pizza (Sam's choice) and ice cream sundaes, the kids had a blast running around outside while the adults enjoyed talking and visiting.

Both parties had a Legos theme, which was evident in the decorations as well as the gifts that many people got for him - we had a few repeats that will have to go back to the store. And I realized I have never coached Sam on correct etiquette if he opens a gift he already has - hopefully he didn't seem too rude when he yelled "I already have this." It's just not something I ever thought about discussing with him. Favorite gifts included K'Nex roller coasters and Power Miner Lego sets, in addition to a new Wii and Nintendo DS game. He also got a stuffed Sonic that he had been wanting, and sleeps with it every night. That's my favorite gift, because it reminds me he's still my little boy, at least at bedtime.

Big thanks to everyone who helped on Saturday, including Lisa who helped in the kitchen, Ben's parents who made the emergency run for the forgotten cake candles, and my parents who helped with numerous projects on both Friday evening and Saturday. It was a great weekend, but we couldn't have done it without all of the help!