MGM

We spent the day at Disney-MGM Studios. The Tower of Terror was the attraction we've all been excited about. Dan took the kids on his own since it's apparently not advisable for an expectant mother to free-fall 5 stories in an elevator. When I met back up with them, Gavin said that he liked it. He's since redacted his statement, saying that he actually didn't like it. I don't think he's decided yet.

Here are some of the other things we did today: we saw a great broadway-type Beauty and the Beast show (Tristan said it was the worst part of the day); we saw all the Disney celebrities in a big parade (you should have seen Gavin's face when the evil queen from Snow White approached him); Jolie got to dance with the performers in the High School Musical 2 show (again, Tristan says it was one of his least favorite parts of the day although I was watching him during the show and he was clearly mesmerized. I even caught him mouthing some of the words to the songs); we got a behind the scenes look at the making of The Lion the Witch and the Wordrobe (one of our favorite books and very favorite movies); and we saw a cool car stunt and special effects show (the fire and explosions were cool but an especially big hit with the boys... of all ages).

Tomorrow we're taking a break from all things Disney. Marriott has some Halloween activities planned and we hope to familiarize ourselves with the resort where we've mostly just been sleeping.

**Sorry for the sideways photos. Dan doesn't have Photoshop on his laptop so I can't edit them right now**

The Happiest Place

We've spent the past two days at the happiest place on Earth. It's been fun and taken a lot out of us. We've covered most of the Magic Kingdom these past two days. Here are the highlights so far:

Tristan's favorites: space mountain and splash mountain (basically anything fast and thrilling).
Jolie's favorites: The ever-popular tea cups (if I remember correctly, her favorite at Disneyland when she was 2 as well) and splash mountain.
Gavin: the monorail, the tram from the parking lot, Aladin's carpet or whatever ride he was on immediately before you asked him.

Gavin has been very adventurous. I was a little concerned about taking him in the Haunted Mansion today, given that he's very succeptable to scarry things. He's up during the night with either a night terror or nightmare about 3 or 4 times a week. He insisted that he wanted to do it though. We'll see what he dreams about tonight. Jolie is definitely on the road to recovery from her pathological fear of amusement park rides. She still doesn't want to go on roller coasters but she'll try most everything else. She even asked if we could go back to space mountain because Tristan has been talking it up so much.

We knew it would rain while we were here and like good Disney guests, we brought our rain ponchos. Yesterday it was very hot and humid and it drizzled for a few minutes here and there. Today was a torrential downpour. Other than the fact that we all looked like drowned rats, the rain didn't slow us down. Dan and I are watching the local news right now and it looks like we'll be having more of the same due to a tropical storm named Noel. Better go air out the ponchos...

A Monkey, A Gypsy and Darth Vader Himself!

Here are some photos from last night's big Halloween carnival hosted by Tristan's school. We were happy to have a chance to dress up in our costumes since we'll be in Orlando for Halloween. I'm already getting flack about not being able to go Trick or Treating. We'll probably take their costumes along on the trip and see what's going on. Dan and I are trying to figure out how spending thousands of dollars and partying for seven days at the happiest place on Earth could still not be enough. Well, at least for one very demanding little person. Anyone want to venture a guess of who that is???

Birthday Get-Away

Dan and I spent Friday night and Saturday in Logan. The weather didn't cooperate but it was fun nonetheless. Dan booked us a beautiful room in a bed & breakfast which was very relaxing. We took our bikes but didn't end up riding them because of the gray, drizzly weather. I got just a few shots of the beautiful fall color when the sun decided to peek through for a few minutes. We took our time coming home and found a little restaurant that a friend recommended. Dan was very sweet to arrange everything, it was a nice birthday gift and a memorable get-away.

I Love Autumn!

Isn't autumn the BEST season? Gavin and I returned from our morning walk a little while ago and the whole time we were out I was thinking about what a beautiful day it is. I hope this season lasts a very long, long time. The trees in the valley are changing, the air is crisp and there's a bit of a breeze but you can still feel the warmth of the sun on your face. A perfect fall day.

The kids and I also decorated the house for fall over the weekend. I'm not one who gets excited about decorating for every holiday and season but this is one that I pull the boxes out for. I like the fact that you can leave fall decorations out from the beginning of October until after Thanksgiving when it's time to deck the halls for Christmas. It seems worth the time and effort to have them up for a while.

I think Dan and I are going to Logan this weekend to celebrate my birthday. We did that a few years ago and it was so much fun. We took our bikes and rode around town, stopping in book stores and other shops, had dinner at the infamous "Bluebird" and stayed in a bed and breakfast. Logan is beautiful in the fall and just a little ahead of us. Since the leaves haven't quite started falling here, I'm hoping to experience one of my favorite sounds of fall: the sound of crackling leaves under foot (or tire).

Feeling Like a Lousy Parent?

Tonight I have a book recommendation for anyone who is feeling like a lousy parent: The Glass Castle. If you've spent any part of your day feeling guilty about any number of parental shortcomings (i.e. "Oh no, I didn't spend 20 minutes reading with my child", or "Darn it, I don't think my toddler ate his 5 servings of fruits and vegetables today") then you should read this book.

Although the author, Jeannette Walls, ends up finding peace and affection for her parents, her memoir left me feeling shocked that children with such a neglectful and dysfunctional upbringing could survive to become fuctioning members of society.

If you like books like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Angela's Ashes, or if you have any level of parental guilt, I think you'll like this book.

My Favorite Assassin

Last night Dan and I hired our babysitters (twin sisters) for a rare night out. I've been dying to see the new Bourne movie. We ate dinner at Rumbi (I love that salad with the mangoes and gorgonzola cheese) and hurried over to the show. It was great! I have to say that it was not a good movie to exit for a potty break, though. I'm already famous for having to use the bathroom half way through a movie, but add to that the fact that I'm 6 months pregnant and there's no chance I was going to make it all the way through. I kept waiting for a break in the action and suspense to make my exit but it never came. I ended up *running* out of the theater during a car chase. I didn't seem to miss much of the story line. Thank goodness for car chases!

This is not my usual movie genre (Yahoo: "Action/Adventure, Thriller"). I keep contemplating why it is that I love the Jason Bourne movies. These are my conclusions:

(1) An assassin with a conscience
(2) Who can say no to Matt Damon?
(3) Shot on location all over Europe and it feels like the real thing: the crowded train stations, the sidewalk cafes, the hotel interiors... I guess it's an escape and makes me reminisce of another time.
(4) They resemble my all-time favorite movie (one of them, anyway) "La Femme Nikita". Not the Americanized one, not the made for TV one... the real one with Anne Parillaud that my French sister, Sophie, and I snuck out to see while I was visiting her in France.

The Miracle of Concrete

What excitement! Who knew that concrete guys were such celebreties? Who knew that chosing a career in the concrete arts would make you such a diva? The driver of our cement truck was so honored with the attention that he let the kids have a photo op on his truck and he let the most awe-stricken child of them all (Gavin ofcourse, just look at the shirt he chose to wear) HONK HIS HORN! We won't forget this day for a long, long, time.

My dilemna now is whether to get Tristan and Jolie from their respective schools at noon so they can put their handprints in the partially-set concrete. It really comes down to what type of mom I am today... am I the mom who needs to get 57 things done between now and 3:45 and thus doesn't want to go to the hassle? Or am I the mom who values the experience and the memories and all that? We'll see...

Destruction on a Larger Scale

This morning Gavin and I were surprised by an unexpected visitor who was ringing our doorbell impatiently at 9:00 a.m. It was "Howard", our contractor's burly, tank-top-wearing demo guy. After I changed into something more presentable and answered the door, he announced that he was here to tear out our driveway and he needed me to move our car. Gavin and I delayed our morning walk for a while so that we could observe destruction on a very large scale. What could be more exciting to a 3 year old boy than not one, not two, not three, but FOUR pieces of construction equipment in his very own yard (for the record: a huge bulldozer, a tractor, dump truck and another piece of equipment I can't accuratly identify but we call it a "grader".) We watched Howard for a while and then went on our walk. The whole time we were gone Gavin kept asking if we could go home. Sitting in a stroller and listening to your mother pant breathlessly apparently isn't as exciting as watching a big guy operate a bulldozer.

For the record, our contractor poured our retaining wall yesterday and they're getting ready to pour the basketball court and side-drive. It looks like we'll be parking on the street for a while since the driveway is mostly demo'd. I don't know when they'll get started on tearing out our front steps and grading for the walkway (which is currently the location of our dead lawn.) I'm learning that it doesn't matter how much you hate looking at your dead lawn though, these things happen as your contractor's schedule allows (and when your contractor only works 4 hours a day, it may be a while!)

Signs that the world knows you're pregnant

I think I can say that I'm officially "showing". These are the signs that have led me to believe this...

(1) At church today, a woman referred to me as "you cute thing".
(2) Another couple of people asked me how I was feeling (isn't it ironic that during my 16 weeks of vomitting and feeling like DEATH, nobody asked me that question...)
(3) This week the manager at Albertson's greeted me warmly, thanked me for shopping at his store, and asked if he could help me out with my basket of groceries.
(4) Lots of up-and-down glances from people who know me well enough but not "well enough".

I thought about posting a photo of my belly but that will have to wait for a day when I'm feeling a little less fat. I'm not one of those women who start wearing maternity clothes (ickkk!) 10 minutes after a positive pregnancy test and who take pride in their growing belly. Actually, it's a hard thing to look in the mirror and see myself blowing up like a balloon.

The First Day

Well, it's been an exciting day. Everyone had a great first day of school. The only complaints I heard this afternoon were:

Jolie wasn't allowed to sit by her friends at lunch (who are in other grades or 1st grade classes); everyone else bought their lunch rather than bringing a lunch from home (obviously Jolie is new to the school lunch experience: she actually thinks she was deprived of something); Tristan's teacher kept mispronouncing his name; and Tristan's new school has assigned seating at lunch.

Given that 90% of their complaints were about lunch, I'd say it was a good day.

I was amazed at how easily the day went for Tristan. He had no reservations whatsoever. He went right into his classroom, he said he played basketball at both recesses and he even has a field trip tomorrow! Unbelievable!

Jolie is wearing her "nervous look" in the photo that I took outside her classroom. I think she may be the one who has a harder transition. She seemed pretty tired and emotional this afternoon, even though she only had a half day of school. I was also surprised that when the bus pulled up after school, she didn't get off. Gavin, Tristan and I beat her home so we walked to the corner to greet her. We waited and waited for her to get off... no Jolie. I climbed onto the bus and the bus driver even called her name over the intercom. Jolie finally appeared. When she got off the bus she had her lunch bag but not her backpack. Turns out she left it on the bus. Sooo... let's just say that I'm glad we walked to the corner to greet her. I do have to say that she did better than the little 2nd grader who got off the bus (at the same stop he got off at all last year) and didn't know his way home. His older brother moved onto junior high this year.

Learning Bangladesh-ese

This week we attended a picnic for Tristan's new school program. He's going into the "gifted and talented" program (I really hate that phrase) which is located at a different school. Other than the fact that it was hot and we ended up sitting on a blanket on the grass (which is becoming less and less comfortable these days), the picnic went well. We met the principal who seems great; we met Tristan's teacher who seems great. A lot of questions were answered and Tristan got a tour of his classroom and the school. I'm hopeful that it will be a great year.

There's another side to this whole thing, though, that's harder to quantify. While we were walking through the hallways of the school, it felt so strange to think that Tristan would be spending his days there. It felt like we were walking through the streets of a foreign country: unusual sights, unusual sounds, even an unusual smell about the place. Tristan is going to a place where he doesn't know anyone. He doesn't know where the bathroom is or anything about the lunchroom protocol. He's spent the last three years becoming acclimated to a place where he feels comfortable, where he recognizes the cuisine and understands the language. Now I'm turning him loose in Bangladesh! What have I done?

Strangely, I'm the only one who's feeling this anxiety right now. I just hope that eight-year-olds learn to speak Bangladesh-ese easier than their mothers.

One Week and Counting!

School starts a week from today. Not that I'm counting (cough) or wishing this wondeful summer away (cough) or anything like that...

We received a recorded message this morning from Jolie's principal, informing us that the class lists were FINALLY posted for all to see. They added a 1st grade teacher at the last minute so there are only 22 kids in her class (a large improvement from last year's 28). The good news is that Jolie has the new teacher and she knows a few of the kids in her class. A brand new teacher is always a crap shoot, but there's a particular 1st grade teacher with whom we have some experience and we were really hoping we wouldn't have to relive that nightmare. Whew! My prayers were answered on that one. Jolie was a little disappointed that some of her friends aren't in her new class but she's easy going and she makes friends easily so I'm confident that things will go well.

I'm going to miss Jolie when she starts 1st grade. Last year was perfect for all of us. She was home in the morning and then got to spend a couple hours of the afternoon at school. Her teacher was warm and nurturing and it was just what she needed. This year is going to be different. She'll be entering the cold harsh world of 1st grade: all day, expected to abide by the rules and regulations, tie her own shoes, do the lunch thing, play on the playground with the bigger (meaner) kids... it can be an adjustment. It will also be an adjustment for Gavin and I, we'll miss her.

The Cabin

We spent last weekend in Island Park, ID at the cabin. We try to make it up every summer but we were unable to go last year. I've been hearing about it all year (!) so we were sure to schedule our trip early this year.

Talk about a child's playground! The river, the dock, hunting for snakes, mountain biking, roasting marshmallows and eating smores, sleeping in a loft... what could be more exciting?

I called mom the morning after we got home and asked if she was glad to wake up to peace and quiet. Aunt Lisa, I'm sure, was too.

Balance? Maybe.. Please??

The other exciting part of Monday was the all-important news I needed from the ultrasound tech at my monthly OB appointment. Ofcourse we were interested to know about the development of the baby and my health and all of that, but we've also been excited to know whether we're expecting a baby boy or girl. There's been a lot of talk around here about whether we're going to have a brother or sister, which each of us would prefer to have, what we'll name our baby, etc. We've (more or less) been divided along party lines, that is, the girls in the family have been hoping for a baby girl and the boys for a baby boy.

Well the girls at last won one! We found out that our baby is "99% sure" to be a GIRL! To Jolie and I that means that we can look forward to a little more balance around here... maybe. We'll see. You never really know what you're going to get, do you?

Happy Birf-day!

Our little monkey turned three on Monday! In a word, the day was very exciting. It all started with Tristan and Jolie waking Gavin up at 6-something to tell him it was his birthday (thanks, guys!) True to the way things ususally go around here, it was all craziness and excitement from that point forward. Tristan and Jolie went to their last book club session of the summer, where there was a bouncy house and clown for the last hour, and Gavin and I ran a few errands to buy school supplies. We picked up the kids and came home for a quick bite to eat. Our only problem was that there was WAY too much excitement in the air for anyone to sit down and eat. After a few bribes and threats, I was able to get them to eat a little bit.

We headed to Salt Lake for my ultrasound appointment (but that's a whole other post). We spend a few very HYPER hours at University Hospital enclosed in a couple of small rooms with very expensive equipment, and then we headed home in the traffic. Dan had met us at the hospital directly from work so it was just the kids and I fighting traffic on our own. I had a couple VERY important phone calls to make, and so the kids were left to their own devices. Unbeknownst to me, some toy swords had made it into my car so a huge sword fight ensued on the way home. The kids were, ofcourse, buckled in, but where there's a will... there's a way.

Once we were home we had about 20 minutes to pick up the house, get dinner going, run to the corn lady to buy our favorite farm-fresh corn, and get ready for the party. It was a crazy day but Gavin enjoyed every minute of it. He enjoyed telling people "I'm having a birf-day!" and then he'd hide behind me or cover his face when asked how old he was or what his special plans for the day were. My mom made Gavin a special "Thomas" cake and he was BEAMING while we sang to him.

Couch Flying

Just a few images of my active little 2-year old while he's still two. I was just downstairs having a (rare) quiet moment, reading the Sunday edition of the Wall Street Journal in the living room. Gavin decided to start "flying" between one couch and the other. Most unseasoned parents I'm sure would discourage this but I've learned that it's futile with little boys. Threre's something about the liberty of the underpants and the tempting two-foot distance between the arm of one sofa and the soft, welcoming cushion of the other that makes it irrestistable. Plus, I'll admit it... It's Sunday evening, I've been fighting the fight all day long, and I'm exhausted! Let him have his thrill. At least I'm within close range if it all goes bad.

Oh, and I couldn't resist photographing Gavin's toenails. He begged me to paint them earlier when I was doing mine and Jolie's. When Dan balked I informed him that unless my news from the ultrasound tech tomorrow is that we're having a girl, I'll be painting the toenails of the next boy, too. He didn't say anything.

So tomorrow is a big day for us! Gavin turns three and we'll know some exciting news about our new addition... can't wait!

My Masterpiece

Success! Thank you to Nancy and Julia Child, my pastry chef mentors.

Sometimes Demolition is a Beautiful Thing

In case anyone has been wondering what Dan's been up to in his spare time (there's so much of it, you know!)... this is it.

We hired a landscape architect to draw a plan for us in the spring and we're now in the second phase of our demolition. Doesn't it look great? Dan made a lot of progress on the demolition while his Dad was here. They pulled out the fence and basketball standard, the concrete surrounding it, and a LOT of bushes. Yesterday we continued the destruction. The kids helped pull out the curbing with a sledge hammer and pry bar.

The good 'ol pickup truck has been an essential tool in this process. It's amazing what a truck and a big strong chain can do. Not to mention a lot of backbreaking manual labor. It's amazing to look at the root ball on some of these shrubs. We're more sure than ever that our former homeowners paid someone a lot of money to design and install their yard in 1985 and then thought that was all that had to be done for 20 years.

We've apologized to all of our neighbors for the noise and ugliness and promised that things will soon be looking a lot better. To most I'm sure it looks horrible but to me me it looks great because it means that we're finally on the road to beautifying our yard and the exterior of our house. Hooray!