The Christmas devil

At church this evening, waiting for the pageant to start...Reece and Greyson keep goofing around, with Reece being especially defiant.

Me: Reece, you need to stop touching your brother and sit still, or I'll have to let Santa know he can take a present back.
Reece: No, I'll stop!

A little while later, when nothing has changed AND Reece has shown his "stinker" face a couple of times...
Me: Reece, that's it, Santa is taking one toy back.
Rather than being upset, Reece looks at me and gives me a smirk. I say, "What does that face mean?" He replies, "I think you're going to forget."

Merry Christmas everyone!

Updates, and OMG Christmas is Only a Week Away

Reece turned to me this morning during our walk to his school and said that there are two weeks left until Christmas. I forced my brain to unfreeze long enough to realize that, in fact, there is ONE week left until Christmas. After I corrected him, I think my head exploded from the shock. Now, I must be honest and admit that I'm pretty much done with gift-related preparations, I don't have to make a big meal because my lovely sister-in-law and brother are handling that and we're just bringing beer (and probably cookies), and the decorations that are going to go up already have. My problem with there only being a week left is that my favorite time of the year is basically Advent - the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas with all the anticipation, the decorations, the holiday songs, and often the first snow. I like to drag that time out as long as possible, and I'm always a little let down after the presents are all unwrapped and everything has been used at least once. This year we have a lot to look forward to even after the present frenzy has ended, so I'll be fine, but I'm going to have to ramp up my awareness of all things holiday between now and next Friday.

On to the updates. The biggest one, I have been sitting on for a while because I wanted to be sure everything was a go before announcing it to the world. However, I've signed the appropriate documents and can now tell anyone who doesn't already know - I have a job that starts when my postdoctoral fellowship ends this coming year. Whoo hoo! I'll be a tenure-track assistant professor at Kent State University's brand new College of Public Health starting in August. And I'm thrilled. The whole situation fits me very well, and I'm shocked that this has all worked out. We really didn't want to move, but I also didn't want to take a job just because it was convenient. The only semi-drawback is that it's a 45 minute drive. However, it's against traffic, a beautiful drive, I will be able to be somewhat flexible on when I go in and leave, and I know that tons of people have longer and more stressful drives. It's just that I've gotten used to being only 5 miles from home and have enjoyed being able to even bike to work when the stars and everything else align correctly.

The other update is that the last of the (current) renovations were completed today. The built-ins are in, and I can get the mudroom organized and clear out the remaining extraneous items from the basement. And finally organize the tools, and our winter gear, and our cleaning supplies, and...you see where I'm going with this. I'll post photos when I've reached a stopping point - hopefully at the end of the weekend.

Mr. Wiseacre

I told Reece he couldn't do something and then he asked me again if he could.
I replied, "Reece, what part of 'No' don't you understand?"
He said right back, "No. 'No' is the part I don't understand."

Here he is making his crazy faces:

Thanksgiving 2009

The holiday officially started for us when Dan picked up my brother, Nick, at the airport Tuesday evening (and then took him to Great Lakes Brewing Company for some Lake Erie Monster beer). The next day, while Reece was at school, Greyson and Nick helped me get many of the preparations for the feast and more visitors done. My cousin, Jackie, arrived just in time to have lasagna with us for dinner. If I'd had any idea at that point the quantity of carbs and fat we would consume over the rest of the long weekend, I would have served raw vegetables instead.

My mom got to take a bump on her flight from Detroit, so instead of coming on Wednesday night, she arrived Thursday morning. She was pressed into stuffing duty right away, while I made the turkey and did other prep. The men entertained the boys (or vice versa) with a rousing game of Sorry:

My brother, Nat, and his family came over later in the afternoon and we ate a lovely traditional Thanksgiving meal:

On Friday, my friend Kimberly came over to take family photos and then my cousin Dave and his family arrived in the afternoon. The last two visitors, my cousins Jill and Susie, arrived at dinner time and then the festivities really took off. Lots of Wii and board game playing, and the kids got to sleep in the basement together while the adults played more games and got silly. As usual, Reece riled up the older kids and had to be removed from their sleeping area, ending up on the floor next to my side of the bed.

Saturday was The Football Game. Reece got clonked on the head early on so watched for the rest of the game. Dan pulled a muscle and Dave jammed his finger but both soldiered on and everyone had a great time. Some action photos and a group shot of the players:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone else's Thanksgiving was as filled with family, fun, and good food as ours.

Final renovations post (almost)

The workers have all gone, except those we've subsequently hired to put in the back walkway, and the only thing we have left to do inside is have the built-ins installed (built in, I guess) in the mudroom the second week or so in December. Amazing. It's already a little hard to believe we ever lived without the changes, which I guess means that it all fits seemlessly. So here are some pictures:

Looking into the mudroom from the back hallway

 

Door to the garage

 

Facing the back door

 

Facing back into the house

 

New 2nd floor new bedroom (also known as the Cleveland Browns room), facing in from the hallway

 

Turning counter clockwise

A little further counter clockwise (the long window looks over the garage)

 

Another turn, facing the same way as toward the backdoor in the mudroom

 

Looking back into the rest of the house

 

Renovations update

We are VERY close to being done with the work on the house (on the current project - I have about 20 more on a list somewhere, so we'll never really be done). Both new rooms have been painted and will have their respective floorings in by the end of this coming week. Furniture for the bedroom will be delivered very soon after that. We ordered built-ins for the mudroom, but they won't be in until the second week in December, so that room will be pretty bare for a while yet. However, I have to say that the single most exciting thing right now is that the garage is FINISHED. And the single most exciting part about that is (drumroll, please)...

Parking both cars in the garage at the same time - with room on either side and in the front and back to move around - and places to store things like bikes and shovels and gardening supplies. I must confess, I actually go out there at random times in the day and just stand in wonder. We had a little drama with the siding paint and garage door color, but we've decided we like it all well enough and even though it isn't what we originally planned, it looks very nice.

In other (but perhaps somewhat related) news, Reece's bed broke. When I sat on it. And then I immediately threw out every sweet in the house (no, not really). Turns out, you DO get what you pay for. We bought it almost exactly one year ago, and when I emailed the company (with photos - see below) they said there is no manufacturer's warranty but they would be willing to send us the part (basically a 2x4 board) at no charge if we just paid $44.95 for shipping and handling. For a plank of wood. They gave us free shipping when we bought the bed originally! Needless to say, I sent back a reply saying thanks but no thanks. We'll dismantle the bed this weekend and take the broken board to a lumber yard near us to see if we can just get one the same size to put back in.

 

A huge congrats for Nick

I didn't get his permission to post this but I doubt he'll mind. I wanted to give a huge shout-out to my little brother who got accepted into medical school!!! He'll start at the University of Vermont in Fall 2010 (which of course means another move across the country).
We're so proud of you, Nick! And Dan would like to add "I told him to go to medical school right from the beginning." You also must leave room somewhere in your vehicle to take a large stack of medical books with you when you stop here on your move this summer. I will be beyond thrilled to get them out of our house, and we promise to warn you which ones we refer to as the hernia makers.

The requisite Halloween photos

This was the first Halloween since we moved here that the kids needed layers under their costumes. We only missed the balmy weather by one day. There were a few tears on the part of Reece, who had trouble keeping up with his brother and cousins who were so excited to move from one house to the next. I'm sure the sleepover the night before and all the excitement didn't help either! All four parents got to go with the kids while Grandma handed out the candy at our house, and everyone was happy. Enjoy!

Last post from Hawaii

Sunset at Waikiki Beach

I know there will be little time once we get home to do any blogging, since both of us have to jump right back into work and home obligations (and hug and kiss the kids tons - we really miss them!). We have done our best to relax as much as possible while here and take advantage of being in HAWAII (I feel like I have to shout it every time I say it, lest I forget how amazing it is that we're even here at all). Dan even managed to become close to the shade of a lobster today thanks to the fact that we went to three different swim/snorkel sites and forgot to reapply the sunscreen after the first one. I have some red spots as well, and no, we don't expect any sympathy at all.

Since my last post, we:

Inside the crater at Diamond Head

1) Hiked Diamond Head, a crater caused by a volcano, where there was a little excitement involving an elderly man who nearly passed out

The view from the top of Diamond Head

2) Visited Pearl Harbor, which involves seeing a 20 minute video summarizing what led up to the attack and the making of the USS Arizona memorial, taking a boat to tour the Arizona memorial, touring the USS Bowfin submarine, and, when it's not in dry dock (like now - we couldn't see it), touring the USS Missouri

The USS Arizona memorial, which goes across where the ship sunk

3) Ate dim sum in Chinatown
4) Body surfed at Sandy Beach (only Dan)
5) Attempted to surf (again, only Dan - I just got on the surfboard for a picture)
6) Swam and snorkeled at the "From Here to Eternity" beach

Dan at the beach in the famous scene in From Here to Eternity. We didn't attempt to recreate the scene.

7) Snorkeled at Hanauma Bay, pretty much the best place for even amateurs to snorkel

Me, on the walk down to Hanauma Bay. We snorkeled right where those people are!

8) Attended a luau, where we ate pulled pork (very good), taro (OK), and poi (not a favorite), and hung out with friends we hadn't seen in over 8 years!

A plumeria, the state flower and what is used in most leis.

Enjoy the photos, and hopefully some of the tropical and sunny atmosphere from them will travel to wherever you are.

Having a great time, wish you were here

I tried to email some pictures from our trip to a few people, but I don't have a way to make the files smaller and the messages weren't going through, so I decided to just post them instead.

The view from our hotel room balcony.

Just to get it out of the way: Yes, it's beautiful here. Yes, we're having an awesome time. No, we're not ready to come home yet. And No, we don't want to move here. We are sticking to Oahu only, although we did look into visiting the Big Island (Hawaii) to see the active volcanoes (would have cost $200/person at least and taken a full day, leaving around 3:30am!). Instead, we rented a car for a day and drove around most of Oahu.

For Reece, who loves Lilo and Stitch.

Things that have surprised us:
Except for the mountains (and a few other differences), it looks and smells a lot like Florida.
Even the newscasters wear Hawaiian shirts - on air.
There are tons of Japanese tourists here, and everything is written in English and Japanese. When I used the ATM, it asked if I wanted English or Japanese, instead of the English or Spanish choices I get at home.
Everyone uses "Aloha" as the greeting and "Mahalo" as Thank You. And everyone is very friendly and helpful, and seem genuinely so.
The sun sets at 6:30pm.
How hot or humid it is depends on whether or not the trade winds are blowing. We LOVE the trade winds.

View of Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach in front of our hotel.

We arrived Friday at 8:30 Hawaii time (so 2:30am our time) after flying through Memphis and LA and were completely exhausted. We fell asleep about 10:30, woke up about 6:00, and have kept that schedule ever since. The first day we checked out the beach and the grocery store, the second day we hit the Swap Meet (a flea market at the University of Hawaii stadium that runs 4 days a week year-round) and did the Oahu drive, which included visiting Waimea Valley and Waimea Falls, and the third day we took a sailing/snorkeling tour (pictures to follow) and swam in the hotel pool. Next up is a visit to Pearl Harbor, a trek up Diamond Head, and some shopping, plus whatever else we can fit in between my conference obligations. Dan will probably rent a surf board and try to surf while I'm busy standing at my poster and making work connections. We're also trying to soak up as much Hawaiian culture and feel (and vitamin D) as we can so we can remember it in the middle of February in Ohio. If we figure out a way to bottle any of it to bring back, we most definitely will.

Dan (very tiny!) in the Waimea Falls

Signs of fall and advice for grandparents/parents/in-laws

We all know the usual signs of fall - leaves turning, temperatures dropping, pumpkins EVERYWHERE. But at Philtur Central, there are a few additional signs. One is the kids suddenly sleeping in much later. I don't know if it's the fact that it's darker longer in the morning or it's colder and they have more incentive to stay in bed, but I've had to wake them up at 8:00 many morning recently, whereas they were leaping out at 7 or earlier this summer. We did finally turn on the furnace, but that wasn't until one morning about 4am when Reece came into our room, crawled over Dan and snuggled between us in the bed. When one of us (Dan) woke up enough to process the fact that a small, very cute intruder was next to us, he told Reece that he'd have to go back to his own bed. Reece's response was, "But it's so much warmer here!"

Another sign is the kids complaining that it's "too cold" to play outside. For children who remember every Halloween costume they've ever worn, they seem to completely lack any memory of Cleveland winters. And speaking of costumes, the third sign of fall at our house is Reece asking EVERY DAY whether it's Halloween yet and can he try on his costume again and how much and what type of candy he will get when he goes trick-or-treating. I've been afraid he'll have nothing to talk about after October 31st, but now he's also getting excited about relatives (especially his cousin, Gracie) coming for Thanksgiving. After that I'm sure it will be non-stop Christmas talk, and then his birthday. After that, who knows. He might just be too cold to talk.

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I've been thinking recently about how much I've already forgotten about being the parent of a newborn or infant and ways that people could have helped me then, which also got me thinking about what is pertinent to my life now that I'd like to remember in the future. In particular, I've been talking to other parents of kids my kids' ages about interactions with their parents and their in-laws. And I realized that I'd like to get something in writing that maybe I can refer to when I'm an in-law and/or grandparent (they don't always go together, you know). So I polled friends and relatives and got many similar responses. I also discovered a very similar article on babycenter.com, so I must have been catching cosmic thoughts somehow!

Here are the highlights of my poll and what was said in the article. Disclaimer: None of these items is directed in any way at anyone related to me or any of my family and friends, and any resemblence to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. If you recognize yourself in any of these items, you're just being paranoid.

1. When you come to visit, or when we visit you, what we really want is for you to spend time with the kids. If you're coming to use our home as a vacation/shopping base, we can recommend some lovely hotels in the area. And while planning some activities while we're together is fine, we have no interest in scheduling the entire visit.
2. Related to #1, when we're together, we appreciate you jumping in to help when you see something that needs to be done involving the children. We are often taking precious vacation time for these get-togethers, and we need a break, too. When we're visiting your house, especially if we have small children, please put away breakable things and consider the needs of the children first when making plans. An hour wait at a restaurant is expressly out, especially since kids never sleep as well away from home and therefore we're cranky, too.
3. HOWEVER, it's probably a good idea to ask first if we want that done. We know our house is not spotless, and even though you think you're helping by scrubbing out the fridge or dusting all the baseboards, it just makes us feel inadequate and annoyed, and we couldn't care less if any of that ever gets done anyway. Unless, of course, we ask you to do it. Then scrub away!
4. Talk to us when something is bothering you. We can tell when you're holding back, and your silence feels like judgement. The only topic that should be avoided is our parenting skills/decisions, unless you truly feel the child is being endangered (and feeding them broccoli does not qualify).
5. Consider what you're talking about when the children are around, and especially monitor the swearing. We know you're out of practice, but even if the kids are in the next room and not obviously listening, they are and will ask difficult questions later or say a word at daycare the following week that requires a parent conference.
6. While we appreciate your experience and knowledge, we don't want unsolicited advice. As with any generation, things have changed since we were being raised, and with the internet it is much easier and quicker to get accurate and up-to-date information. Laws and guidelines have changed, and we're doing what our doctors/the results of scientific studies tell us. We also are a generation that believes there often is no one "right" answer and that each parent must make their own decision based on their own information and beliefs.

In return, we will try our best to do the following:
1. We will bring activities for the children and not expect you to provide all the entertainment when we're visiting.
2. We won't assume that you'll act as babysitters for the duration of our time together.
3. We will let you know when something is bothering us and will ask for your help when we need it.
4. If you want to be kept busy during your visit and let us know this, we will do our best to come up with some activities that will work for both of us.

I'm sure there is more that could be added to both sections, and I welcome any input! I also found out there's a section on grandparents.com called Mothers-in-Law Anonymous where the grandparents can vent their side of the relationship, so check it out if you're interested.

The definition of family

On my mom's side of the family, the definition of family has always stretched way beyond the links of genetics. We called my cousins' other grandparents Grandpa and Grandma, and we visited my uncle's sister's family in Topeka on our way out west one summer just like we stopped to see my mom's cousin in Denver and great-aunt in Kansas. I was thinking about this yesterday when we went to the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for Dan's aunt and uncle. As we walked into the hall - a little late because we had to print out his parents' boarding passes for their return trip and couldn't do that until 24 hours before their flight - I was amazed at how many people I recognized and knew to talk to, and only some of them were in any way actually related to Dan.


Because we lived near Dan's extended family while we were in college and now live back here again, we've been more involved in their lives than the rest of Dan's immediate family. And thanks to the precedent set during my childhood, I find it completely natural to be included in the lives of relatives of relatives. I'm especially glad that my kids have this opportunity as well, so maybe it will continue to be passed on. It has sparked interesting discussions about how people are related, and now when we don't know, we'll say "that's your 8th cousin 12th removed", which cracks up the kids.

About the photos:
TOP - Greyson and Dan's parents
MIDDLE - The dessert table, which held the attention of the kids even longer than Super Mario Brothers. It had three kids of streudel, rugelach, and a Cleveland cassata cake (sponge cake with a layer of fresh strawberries in a custard cream and topped with whipped cream).
BOTTOM - The other item of fascination for the kids - everyone got a box of four Malley's chocolates at their place as a favor, like at a wedding. Greyson wanted to know when we can go to the next wedding.

 

Still making progress

The days are just flying by here, so I'm taking a little time from my lesson planning to post pictures of the renovations as of today. We're in a holding pattern until Friday, when the HVAC person comes to put in the heating/cooling stack from the basement up to the 2nd floor bedroom. The kids have loved having a hole in the floor of the mudporch, where one can stand looking down at the other who is in the basement looking up. Reece even thought he could crawl down through the hole - luckily I caught him before any part of him got stuck.

The windows should be arriving Monday, and then the changes will be more dramatic again for a while. Everything will get trimmed, the siding will be finished, all the electrical can be connected and then the interior finishing can begin. I, of course, already know where I want to put everything the minute I get the OK. Except that we don't even have most of the items that are going into the new rooms, because where the heck would we put them while we wait?? Have I mentioned my bike is in the living room? We are also going to paint the rooms ourselves to save a little money, so who knows when that will happen. Might have to lure Nat and Tara over on false pretenses and then not let them leave until a wall is painted.

Garage door is almond color, and the cedar siding will be stained "mountain ash".

Inside the mudroom, looking out the back door and at the door going into the house (facing north, for those who have been here). There will be a window to the left of the outer door, and below that will be a space heater.

Facing the door into the garage from the mudroom. Being able to enter the house from the garage without getting wet might be the single most exciting part of this whole project.

In the 2nd floor addition, facing north. The door on the left is the existing one into the house from the previous open porch.

Another view inside the 2nd floor room. The master bath is on the other side of the window and will just be boarded over until we redo that bathroom. A fan is being installed in the bathroom since there won't be any other ventilation.

The closet in the 2nd floor room.

And the boys, hanging out in the basement surrounded by folded clean clothes. We fear the Nintendo DS was becoming permanently affixed to Reece's hands so have since instituted a "no Nintendo during the week" rule.