Thunderstorms

I love thunderstorms. I love the sounds of the rain and thunder, the flashing of the lightning and most especially the smell. I even enjoy the occasional hail stone.

Texas has some amazing thunderstorms. Last summer was heaven for me. There were several major ones -- ones that began in the early evening and lasted all night. Thunder woke me up a few times and I loved lying in bed and listening to it. When things calmed down, I fell asleep again to the sound of the rain on the windows and on the roof.

I really miss the fantastic thunderstorms in Texas. Thunderstorms are rare in Colorado. I think the worst part is that I am teased way too often. It's very common to see huge rain clouds coming over the mountains. A huge swathe of the sky turns black and I can tell it's raining on the foothills. But then it all dries up and blows away before anything happens here.

We did have a pretty nice thunderstorm this evening, though. There was bona fide window-rumbling thunder and some beautiful lightning. It didn't last long but I soaked it up while I could.

How's That?

One of my patients today was a 6-month-old baby, in for a well check. There is a place on the exam form for the baby's exact age. I tend to make chit chat with the parents so it's not so quiet in the room and I said, "So she's six months and one day old today."

Um, no she's actually six months, two weeks and two days old.

Isn't her birthday December twenty-third?

Yes.

Okay, well December twenty-third to June twenty-third is six months, plus today. Six months, one day.

But babies' ages are measured in weeks. And she's about six-and-a-half months old since some months have five weeks and some have four weeks.

No month has five entire weeks in it. If you want to get technical, each month has approximately four-point-three weeks in it. December twenty-third to June twenty-third is six months.

Well. :sniffs and turns her head away:

Vocabulary Lesson

I learned a new Spanish slang word. It is tumbaburros and it means to be drowsy. However, when broken down and translated literally, it means to knock down a donkey. Tumbar is to knock something over and burro is donkey. Spanish is funny like that. Gives whole new meaning to the phrase 'knock you on your ass,' doesn't it?

Solomon vs. Wild

Solomon's favorite television show is Man vs. Wild. He just finished watching a particularly interesting episode in which the host makes his way across Siberia in search of the Trans Siberian Railway. As Bear Grylls is jumping triumphantly on to the back of a train, Solomon says, "When that guy gets too old to make this show, I am going to take over for him."

Fun Was Had By All

We spent a beautiful afternoon by the pool. It was warm and sunny. The water was cool and relaxing.

The kids had so much fun. Solomon and Noah practiced cannonballs. Miriam perfected floating on a swim noodle. Adam and Samuel tried blowing water explosions out of their swim noodles. There was lots of laughing. Jennifer and I got comfortable on the lounge chairs and talked about the kids, work, family and all that other stuff. We all snacked on fresh watermelon and cherries.

The pool was busy. Three couples tossed a football around in the deep end. A few people listened to music. A group of girls in their late teens sat across the way with only one objective: to get the perfect tan.

Everyone was having a great time. But the kid having the best time was the 10-year-old, hiding under his beach towel and having fun all on his own. He was really enjoying himself.

Recent Kid Quotes

Solomon: Mom, I just saw a movie star!!
:points to a 6-foot-tall Oopma Loompa look-alike:

Samuel: Mommy, I love you muches more than the galaxy.

Miriam: Your belly is wrinkly. Is that because we were all in there?

Solomon: I can't think. My brain is dusty.

Miriam: I'm sweating like one thousand pigs.

Solomon: I'm pretty sure that two spiders bit me. The poison is in my blood now.

Voluntary Ignorance

It became obvious soon after I started this job that I disagree with most of my co-workers when it comes to politics. It rarely comes up though, and when it does I tend to keep my mouth shut because I am clearly in the minority. I just don't want to go there with these people.

I had lunch with 3 co-workers today. I've had lunch with them before and we have a good time. They are funny women and, even better, they think I'm funny. Today's lunch wasn't quite as light-hearted as past ones because the issue of the presidential race came up.

When the subject of candidates was broached, one woman said to me, "I know you like Obama, honey, because I saw your bumper sticker, but I just wanted to let you know you should research him a bit."

I was taken aback for a couple of reasons. One, I don't know how or when she saw my car. We park in an enormous hospital parking lot and I don't remember once seeing her in the parking lot, either before or after work. How does she know what I drive? Two, it surprised me that someone would think I'd just stick something to my car without thinking about it first.

However, I recovered and asked what she meant. She replied with, "Oh, you know, where he comes from and all that." I asked her to clarify if she meant where he was born or his family or religion or voting record or if he likes peanuts or pretzels. She said again, "You know, where he comes from," and gave me a knowing little nod. I answered that I have done some research on both Obama and McCain and I'm pretty confident in my choice. She looked surprised but she didn't say anything else.

Now, I have no issue whatsoever with someone who votes differently than I do. Live and let live, right? I do have a problem with people who treat me in a condescending way and assume I have no clue what I'm talking about. It's even worse when that same person can't be bothered to pin down her own meaning and give me a clear picture of her intent. Why push me to research candidates if she doesn't even know what she wants me to research?

I think I'll go back to keeping my mouth shut.

Whom Does Jesus Love?

I was looking at more bumper stickers tonight and Miriam was sitting with me. We came across one that read, "Jesus loves real men." Miriam saw it and said, "What?! Jesus doesn't love real girls?!"

She Is Not Fooled

You may remember my recent post about No More Spider/Monster Spray. The No More Monster Spray was called into action tonight for the bedroom closet.

Samuel: Mommy, I'm scared of the monsters in my closet.

Me: Okay, hang on. :goes to get the spray:

Miriam: Samuel, monsters aren't even real. :rolls her eyes:

Samuel: Yes, they are!!!

Miriam: Nuh-huh!!!

Me: Miriam, please be quiet. :sprays the closet:

Miram: What is that stuff really?

Me: It's No More Spid-, I mean No More Monster Spray.

Update on New Year's Resolutions

Seeing as the mid-point of 2008 is quickly approaching, I thought I'd give an overview on my New Year's Resolutions. It's always a good thing to assess and evaluate one's progress, right? In case you don't remember, I decided that the year's theme would be to Do Stuff on Purpose. Specifically, I planned to seek out outdoor activities and to find new books, music and art. I was also going to write down the little stuff in my journal.

I completed my move to Colorado. If that's not doing something On Purpose, I don't know what is. Almost no one packs up all their stuff and moves 700 miles away without meaning to.

All 3 children have bikes and are getting quite good on them now. They are proudly boasting shins and knees full of scrapes and bruises to prove their hard work. I haven't bought my bike yet. I don't see much reason for it until the kids are riding faster than I jog. We get out and bike/jog on the path near our apartment whenever we can. We've also started hiking and flying kites.

I bought camping gear to add to our outdoor activities. We have used our tent and sleeping bags once, but that trip was cut short due to the unfortunate timing of a nasty stomach virus. Trust me, you don't want to know the rest.

Finding new music has been easy since moving here. My favorite radio station plays at least one song I've never heard every day. Sometimes they are good, sometimes they aren't. I've also been hounding Caleb and Jennifer; they have great taste in music and know wonderful artists that I want to know.

Finding new books has been a little more difficult, partly because I haven't had much time for reading. But the biggest reason that it has been hard is that I read an amazing book that made it hard to get into anything else for a while. It was one of those books that I was truly sad to finish. I started, stopped, started again and finally gave up on 3 books after that one because I just couldn't let it go. Fortunately, I am back on track now. (In case you want to read it, the amazing book is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.)

I realized recently that all the books I love are books that I want my children to love, too. Obviously, they can't read most of them (nor would I want them to read a few of them for several more years!) for themselves. But then it occurred to me that they are finally mature enough to listen to longer books without pictures and I can make a project out of reading great series of books to them. We have started with The Chronicles of Narnia. We are half way through The Magician's Nephew and they are loving it.

The kids and I have discovered origami. There is a neat little section of our On Demand cable menu that posts videos of how to fold certain shapes. We invested in a beginner's kit and an extra envelope of special paper. It's pretty fun. The kids are getting really good at matching the edges of the paper and making sharp creases. That has to do something for their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, right? In any case, it keeps them out of my hair for 15 minutes when I need it.

As for journaling and blogging ... well, the blog speaks for itself. My journal has been rather neglected lately since so much information goes here. I'll work on that. I've also made some steps in the right direction for scrapbooking. I asked for scrapbooking supplies for Christmas but I haven't done much with them yet. Last week I spent $16 on prints from Snapfish so I can begin filling those scrapbooks. I can't wait for them to get here.

So, there you have it. The year is half over and we are well on our way to living a more active and creative life. It's kind of fun to make New Year's resolutions and actually keep them.

Bumper Stickers

My vehicle is now 10 years old and has collected enough bumps, dents, scratches and dings that I no longer care a great deal what it looks like. I only fixed the cracked windshield because I was afraid it might cave in on me whilst speeding down the interstate. That would be inconvenient, to say the least.

Because I don't care about the appearance of my car I decided to go all the way and add some colorful stickers. As with most things, I am picky about what I will put on it. (This is a perfect example of how conflicted I am; I don't mind driving a tacky vehicle, but it has to be tacky in the way I want it to be.) I have scoured the internet for the specific stickers I want and I have found almost all of them. My only fear now is that the stickers will long outlast my car.

While looking for my stickers, I came across several interesting ones. Most of these will never be considered seriously for my collection but I like them just the same, either because they are funny or because they are true or because they are both funny and true. A few of the best:

My child doesn't need validation from a bumper sticker.

If trees screamed would we still cut them down? Probably, if they screamed all the time.

I'm a PBS mind in an MTV world.

People would rather be wrong than different.

It is neither possible nor necessary to educate people who never question anything. John Heller

Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. Lao-Tzu

When the rapture comes, can I have your car?

Your possessions own you.

Democrats make better lovers. (Whoever heard of a great piece of elephant?)

I Had a Vision

I saw a family today that gave me a glimpse into what may be ahead for me in a few years; two boys and a girl, the girl was the middle child. I say they are siblings because the three of them looked like clones of their father. There was another boy with them that I am guessing was a friend or cousin. The children appeared to range in age from 6 to about 12 or so.

These four children were playing very well together, obviously having a fabulous time. After a few minutes, I heard intentional belching coming from their little group. I looked over to see the eldest boy egging on the younger boys. Then, quite shockingly, the girl burped louder and longer than any of the boys. They were awed. I was too, honestly.

I couldn't help seeing the similarities between this group of children and my own children with their cousins. I wonder if my daughter, surrounded by males as she is, will be a world-class belcher?

Eight Years of Moments

Yesterday marked 8 years since I became a mother. I can hardly believe it. Even harder to believe is that in 2 years, I'll have been at this for a decade. This is the longest I have been committed to one activity, ever. I think it's safe to say that this will be my life's work.

The magnitude of this job overwhelms me at times. Three human beings ... infancy to adulthood and everything that encompasses ... wow. Other times, I concentrate on the moments and it's not such a big deal. Brushing teeth and putting on pajamas isn't a daunting task (most nights). Neither is driving children to school at 7:45 AM. They're just things to be done and when they are all added up, it's life. In 20 years, I'll look back and wonder where all the moments went.

Some moments are exhilarating. All The Great Firsts are seared into my memory: the first spoken words, the first read words, the first teeth, the first loose teeth, riding the first bike, buying the first school supplies, seeing the first steps, the first screaming bath in the nursery.

Some moments are terrifying, like leaving my sobbing daughter in a classroom for the first time. In that moment, I know she will be fine; she has the same wonderful teacher that her brother had last year. But she's my crying baby and all I want to do is scoop her up, promising that she will never be back there. Being a rational parent means realizing that this isn't feasible; if she doesn't stay for this first day, there will be another first day somewhere else and it won't be easier. So I push through that awful moment, knowing that the subsequent morning drop-offs will only get easier.

Some moments are surprising in their simplicity. The moments I've spent snuggled into bed with the kids and telling them about my own childhood are special to all of us. It's something I experienced with my parents and I am now making a point of it with my children. Other times spent silly dancing in the kitchen or playing I Spy on road trips are no less special than The Great Firsts. I hope my children will look back on their childhoods and remember these, as well as the big moments.

So, here's to the last 8 years, and to all that will follow.