Inquiring mind

Last year, when we purchased a membership to the Science Center, we received a 1-year subscription to Popular Science magazine. I never did much more than flip through it casually. Honestly, it seemed pretty full of a bunch of far-fetched ideas, to me. But we got our very last issue yesterday, and Jacob was just mesmerized by the front cover.
He easily spent about 10 minutes just quietly studying the picture. I finally asked what he was looking at, and then the questions started pouring out.
"Wook, mom. What's this?" as he pointed to the yellow vehicle. "That's kind of like a car."
Then pointing to the track attached to the yellow car, "What's this, mommy mom?" "Well, Jacob, that's kind of like a train track for the car. See? The car rides on it."
"What's this one here?", pointing to the white vehicle closest to the corner of the photo. "That's another car."
"What's this?", pointing to the headlight on the yellow car. "That's the car's light, Jacob."

Back to quietly contemplating. And then Melinda chimed in, and I had to try and explain how they were pretend and something that someone wanted to invent in the future. Ugh, future - not really something my 4-year-old daughter gets, yet.

But I was really struck by how quiet and thoughtful Jacob was about this picture. Trying to fit it in with his understanding of reality. My understanding is that at this age, he doesn't have the ability to differentiate between reality and imaginary. So I would guess that seeing a fantastical picture like this one would really stop and make him think. No wonder he had so many questions, and was trying to figure out how it all worked.

And you know, I can really see him growing up to be like Jesse. He always seems to want things to be exactly right, and to understand how they work.

*****
On a completely different note, we have decided to move to a new apartment in a different (but nearby) complex, on a 6-month lease. We're very tired of our current apartment (we've been here since before Melinda was 1 year old), and we're starting to feel pretty cramped. Moving will do several things: Give us more square footage (we're going to a 2 bedroom + den), allow us to de-clutter our possessions all at once, give us a fresh clean apartment to enjoy (instead of the infestations we've dealt with on and off since living here, and the really gross carpet), and most importantly, light a fire under Jesse to really start that job hunting he's been meaning to get around to. We picked up an application for the apartment today, and will be turning it in on Monday. Time to start gathering moving boxes!

One year older, hopefully wiser, too

Today was my birthday. We had a really nice day! I actually didn't remember it was my birthday until Jesse kissed me on his way out the door this morning, along with wishes for a happy birthday. "Oh yeah," I said. "That's today, isn't it?" What a world. I do, in fact, remember my younger days when I could hardly contain myself in the weeks prior to my birthday! It's still a nice day for me, now, but not the same as when you're 8 years young. ;)

This morning we got together with our friend Johanna and her children. She introduced us to something that I've known about but never got around to visiting: Cromwell Valley Park. It was really lovely! I wish I had explored it sooner. The park has several hiking trails, and the one we visited runs flat and right next to a nice stream. Or maybe it's a small river.

On the walk along the trail, we passed some Lime Kilns. I guess they used to mine Lime and smelt it right there in the kilns. They were pretty big! But the kids paid more attention to the nice tall grass, which brought back more childhood memories. I seem to be getting a lot of those this week! I remember camping with my extended family at the beach in southern Washington over Labor Day. We would spend a lot of time in the hills just between the campgrounds and the beach, playing in the tall sea grass. Hide and seek, pretending to be animals, nesting, and so on. It was a lot of fun. It seems like we went to the beach every Labor Day. I hope I have a solid family tradition like that someday!

We continued on our walk, and Melinda and Johanna's son ran ahead excitedly. They stopped and sat on the ground after a while and waited for us to catch up, and then ran on ahead to the frog pond and the stream. Once we all got to the stream, the kids all waded into the water without any hesitation. After a while, I walked through the water, too, and it was chilly!! Nobody seemed to care except for Johanna's daughter, who had some fun with it by sitting in the water and laughing at how cold her bottom got! It was very cute. And of course, all river-wading must include throwing rocks, as well as climbing over rocks. Good times.





Jacob and I found a very nice shiny rock. There were quite a lot of rocks speckled with something shiny in them - this riverbed would have been a great spot to explore back in 8th grade Geology with my teacher who was a rock fanatic! Or (and I'll try not to hide my head in embarrassment) back when I was in the Rock Club in middle school. Hey, it was a fun club! I made jewelry out of agates, and I learned that yellow rocks, when put to a grinder, smell very strongly of sulfur (or rotten eggs)! But being in that club definitely put you on geek status, back then. ;)
Melinda gave me a good scare on the way back to our cars. She ran ahead with Johanna's son in tow, and never stopped to wait for us. I turned one corner expecting to see her there, and she just wasn't. I started feeling angry, and then as I turned another corner and she still wasn't responding to my yells, I started feeling scared. There were strangers on the path, a road of cars to cross, and lots of places to get lost or hurt without an adult nearby. And both myself and Johanna were slowed down by younger kids, so we couldn't run ahead to look for them. As it turns out, they both made it safely to the parking lot and waited for us there, but I honestly have no idea how long they were there before we got there too. It could have been 1 minute, or closer to 5. All while cars were driving in and out, and strangers getting in and out of their own cars. Melinda and her friend both got talks from their mommies right then and there. Melinda didn't seem to get it at first, why I would be scared or mad that she ran ahead without waiting. But when I said to her softly, "Melinda, I love you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, and I was very scared!", she started crying. I felt so bad. But I think she understands now. And of course, we'll have frequent reminders for the foreseen future, any time she wants to run ahead.

After we got home and had eaten lunch, Melinda suddenly got pretty freaked out and was pointing frantically to her waist. I looked, and there was a tiny speck. Dirt, I thought. She did get pretty dirty from playing in the stream and then on the beach. I tried to scrape it off, and it didn't budge. I looked closer. It was a tick. This was absolutely the tiniest tick I'd ever seen in my life, so I immediately knew it was the infamous deer tick I have heard about every summer since living in Maryland. I tried calling the doctor for quick info on how to properly remove a tick (and Melinda was getting more frantic by the second, "I don't want it to suck all my blood out!!!!"), but was sent to an answering machine, so I decided just to Google it instead of waiting for a call back. Google is awesome. I quickly learned (in less time it took me to get through the automated doctors phone line) that you should never try to remove a tick with fire, or alcohol, or anything like that. You should just grab it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible, and pull back gently and steadily until the tick releases. The goal is to not traumatize the tick, or else it could regurgitate and increase the risk of infection. I also confirmed what I was pretty sure about already: Lyme disease can't be transmitted until the tick has already been feeding for about 24 hours. I'm positive that Melinda got this tick today, probably while running through the tall grass. I'm just glad she spotted it on her own, because quite honestly, I've not followed the guidelines of checking children for ticks after outdoor activities. I'm not sure I would have noticed it without her pointing it out (frantically). So after I removed it, I took a picture. Because, well, it's so small!! Look closely, it's near the tip of my thumbnail. Inside the baggie, just to be clear. I saved it in case it needs to be tested, and that's Melinda's hand underneath.
After the picture, I did a thorough check of the rest of Melinda, and then Jacob and Alex and myself, too. All clear, phew! Jacob enjoyed the check, although curled up in giggles every time I tried to touch his neck or ears. Sigh.

And of course, there was the birthday evening. I got a huge surprise from Jesse: He got me a new computer monitor. I really kind of needed one, as mine has been malfunctioning in the most annoying ways, but Jesse made it a pretty cool gift: It's a 22" widescreen/flat panel LCD monitor. It looks so sleek!! And big!! I love the fact that it's a flat panel. It frees up so much desk space! Jesse suggested taking a picture of it, but well, honestly, it makes all the clutter on my desk that much more obvious. I'll take a picture once I've cleaned things up. ;)

He also took Melinda and Jacob out to the store last night so they could pick out something for me. Melinda picked out a card. When I opened it, she proudly showed me how the hearts "bend" as you open it (it's accordion style, they kind of open from one side to the other). She spelled out her name and drew a picture. The picture is of Jacob, because she likes drawing him.
According to Jesse, when Jacob was asked what he wanted to get for mommy, he first said, "Something green!" When asked again later, it was "Something red!". And a third time, it was "Something blue!" So Jesse did none of the three, and picked out a black pasta spoon server, which I had amazingly never had in 8 years of marriage. It's a welcome gift. I've been doing more stringy pasta lately, and it's really annoying to serve 4 people a plateful of spaghetti or linguine with nothing but forks or wooden spoons!

After gifts (which we did first, because Jacob was threatening to open them all right then and there), Jesse finished up frosting my cake, which he had cooked last night. And after he finished that up, he cooked up my requested birthday dinner of steaks, salad and Brussels sprouts. Yes, I know, the Brussels sprouts might seem like an odd choice. I usually pick asparagus to go on the side with steak, but I feel like I've done that a lot recently, and I wanted something different. I actually like Brussels sprouts - they taste a lot like cabbage, or maybe even turnips, which I also happen to like. Especially when smothered with butter and salt. Jesse likes them too. The kids didn't feel up to trying them tonight, though, because it's apparently been too long since the last time we ate them, when they both enjoyed them.

After dinner was cake time, yay! We used a recipe from the chocolate Cake Mix Doctor book that I received several years ago. Every single cake we've tried from this book has been delicious, and this year was no exception. I picked the Lemon Lover's cake, which had a hint of white chocolate in it, and was topped with lemon cream cheese frosting (also with white chocolate), and also lemon curd. The lemon curd was supposed to be between two layered round cakes, but we just did a 9x13, so we put the lemon curd on the side and dipped each bite of cake into it. YUM!! We also had a bit of chocolate ice cream on the side, and it was a delicious combination. And I didn't even go back for seconds! Pat on the back for me!

Jesse took some pictures of me with the cake. First one? Bordering on frightening. Not only the inferno of candles, but the lighting on my face.
Jesse used 10 trick candles on the cake, the sneak! I nearly hyperventilated while trying to blow them out, and the whole front room filled up with smoke! I think we're lucky the smoke detector didn't go off! But I finally got them all to stay out. After, Melinda said that she didn't like those candles, and we shouldn't buy them. So we know what not to put on Melinda's cake this year! ;) After we got the kids into bed, at 9pm (boy did my birthday evening take a while!), we watched The Office online (on my new monitor!!). We've been watching all the seasons in order, the first 3 were on Netflix for free, and the 4th season was available at NBC.com. We hadn't ever really watched The Office before now, and it was fun! And while we were watching, Jesse's mom, dad, and sister called to wish me a happy birthday. And of course it included their traditional Happy Birthday song! But this year they really impressed me, they did a full harmony, between two phones! I actually clapped when they were done. :) (And I won't neglect to mention that my sister Melissa called and left a song in my voice mail as soon as she woke up in bed this morning!!) My parents were probably too busy to call, since my brother's graduation was tonight, but I did get a card in the mail from my mom today, which was perfect timing, and also unexpected. It actually had me almost in tears. It said:

You've grown into
a very special woman,
and my love and pride in you
have grown, too.
But there is a secret place within me
where you will always be
my little girl,
and on days like this,
my heart visits that place....
and remembers.

I think I'm starting to understand exactly what that means. And I wonder if maybe my birthday isn't so much more special for my mom than it is for me. I know I'm always very thoughtful on my childrens' birthdays.

And right about now, you're probably wishing I didn't put so much detail into writing. It always ends up being a book. But for whatever reason, I really enjoy the small details. I think I'll appreciate it many years for now. Hope it doesn't bore my blog readers in the process!

Trader Joe's and Puddles

On Tuesday I decided to take the kids out to Trader Joe's. In hindsight, I probably should have avoided the store, since they have the most awesome snacks ever, and a million different kinds of them, but it's fun to go, and it tested my will power. I didn't buy any sugary snacks. Trader Joe's is one store I really wish they had back west, because I know I'll really miss it when we finally get around to relocating! If nothing else, you can always go and get a yummy sample. And Tuesday was no exception! They were giving out samples of pre-seasoned Mahi-Mahi fish, and lime-flavored rice on the side. I loved it so much I bought some for dinner. And after eating it for dinner, I wished very much that I had bought 2 packages of the Mahi-Mahi. We really need to eat more fish than we do. But I've never been much of a seafood person (sorry, Seattle upbringing, I have failed you!), and Jesse is just as bad.

And speaking of Jesse, the same guy who 2 days ago was rolling his eyes at me for eating pudding because it had sugar in it just handed me a spatula covered in melted white chocolate to lick. He's making my birthday cake. Oh well, a few licks won't hurt.

I managed to somehow forget my purse at Trader Joes. It also had my cell phone in it. I got up on Wednesday, intending to get ready and go to the MVA to renew my driver's license. Which is practically another story in itself - Jesse and I both renewed our licenses by mail this year, on the same day, and he got his 2 weeks ago, and there was no sign of mine. I called up the MVA and they said their system showed that it was out in the mail. I figured it was probably lost, but the very next day, I got a letter saying that for whatever reason, they were unable to create a new license for me, and that I needed to come in to the office and get a new one in person. I have no idea what happened, really, because they didn't need anything from me at all at the MVA office- they just snapped a new photo while I was there and sent me off on my merry way. Anyway, so I was just at the computer printing directions to the MVA, when I checked my email real quick, and saw a note from Jesse telling me about my purse's fate. I had *no clue* until then that it was missing. So Jesse drove all the way to Trader Joe's during his lunch break to bring it home to me. I'm happy to say that everything was still inside... I'm glad for honest Trader Joe's employees!

And what Melinda and Jacob love most about Trader Joe's are the balloons you get at the checkout counter. Unfortunately, Jacob's came loose from its string on our way to the car, and it floated away in the sky. I was surprised, though, that he didn't make much of a fuss about it. And Melinda shared her purple balloon very nicely. Even Alex had a good time with it!
After the whole MVA fun of Wednesday, we stopped at Target and grabbed a few things we needed. At the end of the trip, as I was browsing near the front of the store, Jacob started saying, "Look mommy, it's bed-night time! See? Bed-night time!" And I turned around and looked out the door, and sure enough, it was looking pretty dark outside. And it was only about 3:45pm. When we walked out to our car, it was already raining. When we were less than 200 feet from our apartment, the rain suddenly got so heavy that I could hardly see through the windshield. I haven't seen a torrent like that since one particular storm in Colorado, when I was driving home from work and the rain practically made rushing rivers through the streets. I love a good thunderstorm! But I didn't especially like the idea of taking three kids out of the car and into the house, along with a diaper bag and a few bags from Target, all in the pouring rain. So I decided to wait out the heaviest of it inside the car. We sat there for a couple of seconds, and talked about how cool it was that the rain on the car windows looked like we were going through a car wash. And then I decided to turn on the radio, and sure enough, there was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, and it always seems like there are Tornado Watches in effect with those, out here. (The first time that happened, with the whole beeping alert on the TV and everything, I ended up a bawling bag of adrenaline locked inside our apartment bathroom, with a 10-month old Melinda with me, and I was sure we were going to die. I've learned my lesson about the Tornado Watches since then.) Anyway, the alert said that car shelter wasn't sufficient, and you should seek out indoor cover. And while I severely doubted the chances of a tornado striking us, even with as heavy as the rain was, I decided that I would never forgive myself if anything *did* happen, just because I wanted to avoid getting wet. So out of the car we went, and into the house. It took all of about .5 seconds for my Crocs-clad feet to be completely and utterly soaked.

Unfortunately I think I scared Melinda in the process of getting into the house, because I mentioned tornadoes, and then she had to ask what tornadoes are, and then I explained it perhaps a little too well for a 4-year-old, and she spent the next half hour bouncing between the in-motion weather radar on the TV, and cowering on the couch because of the thunder. "Why does Heavenly Father have to make tornadoes???" she demanded. And "Why does Heavenly Father have to make lightning that hits trees???" Well, *I* know why the weather works the way it does, but I had a really hard time trying to explain it to her without getting to technical, or too philosophical. I eventually ended up just trying to tell her about the fun parts of storms, and the good way they make rain that the earth needs. And don't forget the puddles!! I reminded her that thunderstorms are just as good at making big puddles as they are tornadoes and lightning. So she asked if she could go play in the puddle after the thunderstorm, and I promised her that she could. I almost forgot!! But she reminded me. So Jacob and Melinda went out back and got to stomp around in the puddle until Jesse got home and I needed to make dinner. They had fun! And Alex had fun watching.

In this first picture, Jacob has a stick that they found near the tree, and he's starting to swing it downwards, with a loud "HA!" sound-effect.

And this is the result he's after- I nice big splash!!

It didn't take long for Melinda to start kicking the water, either! This picture is very similar to the one I took in late May of last year, after a thunderstorm!!
And then they started pretending to play wolves, which is a new favorite of theirs, since they like to watch Jesse play Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii. The main character goes back and forth between "human" (or elf, I'm really not sure which, but it has pointy ears) and wolf, in this Zelda incarnation. So they pretend to be wolves.

And of course, they both got completely drenched and muddy, but it's all fun!! You can't beat a good bath after puddle-stomping!!I have a really hard time not remembering summers in Arizona, when I let the kids play out in puddles like this. It seems like we would always be in Arizona visiting my grandparents during monsoon season, and what great thunderstorms they would have there! I remember being at my Uncle Gary's house, specifically, and going out with my cousins during a storm or two, running down the curbs of the streets, and dragging one foot through the rivers of water that collected by the curbs. I remember how much fun it was to run around in the pouring, warm rain in the middle of a very hot summer. Of course, I'm not sure why I was allowed to run outside during an active thunderstorm (I think I know a little too much about lightning safety after my college Meteorology class), but I loved it all the same.