Off to the beach

Our annual family Beach House vacation starts tomorrow. We'll actually tomorrow isn't the fun part, it's the driving to N.C. part. But by Saturday, we'll be on the Outer Banks with cousins and aunts and gramps. Sixteen of us in one big house. It's not the same house we've had for the past two years, but it's oceanfront and has a pool, so I can't imagine it won't be anything but lovely.

We really need a vacation. The kids are beyond excited. We're mostly packed and it's before midnight (good for us). Here's hoping we get a week of sunny weather....

Photo from Beach Week 2007

When I four?

Kisae puts great faith in the magical things that will happen when she is four. She has been looking forward to four since shortly after she turned three (late November). And telling people "I turning 4" since, oh, February. When she knows she can't do something yet, she will ask, "When I four?"

So not too long ago we had this conversation:

"Mommy, when I four, I get...."

She pauses, turns side to side, and makes a swishing/spraying sound.

"....a wiener."

Um, no, not when you're four nor even 44. And I hate that word. And, yes, that's the danger of having a 9-year-old brother.

Triathlon Boy

On Friday, we heard about a kid's triathalon. On Saturday, Ben decided he wanted to do it, never mind that he neither swims, runs nor bikes competitively, nor has any of the attire or equipment of someone who does. He's reasonably athletic and very active, but that's not exactly the same thing. Also, the darn thing started at 7 a.m. Sunday and required a 6:15 a.m. arrival. Ugh. Jim took him, though I did get up to see him off (then fell back to sleep until the late-sleeping Kisae woke me at 8:45 a.m.).
Anyway, Ben did well, considering (9th out of 14 9 year olds, in the middle of the pack for the 154 kids that competed). It was a 50-yard swim, a 2-mile bike and a 1/2-mile run. He tried, and he finished. Pretty cool.
The photos, I fear, are out of order, as it was swim, bike, run. In the pool, he's in the middle, in red rash guard.

white shirt + Ben = still not a good combination

I noticed yesterday that even before dinner, Ben's shirt was stained and filthy. How, I asked, could a shirt get so dirty so quickly?

"Mom," Ben said, "it's white, and it's me."

Yeah, that's it.

My daring duo

A few shots of both kids' daring in the water -- they are daring going in and under, I'd say. It's funny because Ben doesn't like roller coasters (and that's fine, I'm not a fan, either). But he flips himself off a diving board all the time, as though it is nothing. Don't get that.

Fun, with fun photos

Well these photos are helping me get out of earlier funk.

Sunday afternoon Jim took Kisae (and the camera) to a new, little splash park. Ben was asleep, recovering from a sleepover party the night before where he did very little actual sleeping. So I stayed home with him (he slept from 2:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. when I woke him for dinner...not sure he's napped like that since he was a small baby).

Chakisae loved the park, as she loves all things water. Jim loved that she was sporting "free hair." I love these photos!

A long week

It has been another long week (we've had lots of them lately) at work. Much stress, fear of layoffs, people we like and admire are leaving. At least it is Friday.

I was determined we'd have a relaxed, fun family movie night. I had snacks for the kids in the car, figuring somebody's after-camp grumpiness of late was due to hunger. Everyone ate snacks, even said thank you. We grabbed several movies without much disagreement and in fairly good time.

I came home and started a very quick dinner for them -- Annie's pasta, grapes, milk, bread. You know, stuff I could get on the table in like, oh, 10 minutes.

And still in those ten minutes, moods dissolved. Someone (I'll protect the guilty, I guess) was in the fridge getting a drink, and someone else on small wheeled thing (can you guess who?) ran into fridge, banging sibling's head on the door. Or so the complaint went. Then someone got mad, someone else didn't really apologized, but laughed. There was yelling and stalking off and then crying. My mood soured, too.

Finally, they ate and then calmed down (well it helped that someone was temporarily banished to their room). We all eventually enjoyed the movie. And while we watched I did more twists in Kisae's hair (I'd done big ones early in the week but needed to divide). My usual thing. Still need to broaden my skills, but I was at least happy with how that turned out.

Now they're asleep, and I have a headache.

At least tomorrow is Saturday.