he shoots, he breaks a tv

i'm so far behind on posting so i've decided to record
two things that this day will be remembered for:

1. our company's 2nd annual ping pong tournament
2. a broken tv set


our company employs a nice amount of young engineers,
and many of them have been enjoying the ping pong table that we have
up in the office for employees during breaks or lunchtime.

last year two of our guys were given permission to host a ping pong tourney
for employees and colleagues and since it was a big success, exp continued
the tradition this year.  while the boys {and very few woman played}, my coworker
tina and i got folks registered, helped with scoring/and of course taking photos.

while we were having all this fun, my three were home having their own tournament
- a soccer tournament IN the living room.  i learned later the biggest boy of all
actually instigated it.

i come home late that evening to c squeezed between finn and scout on a twin
bed.  he was reading a shel silverstein book to them and i quietly kissed them
and was on my way out the door when c stops reading and calls me back to them.

he said, i have some bad news and before he could get it out, scout eagerly
shared that DAD kicked the soccer ball into our 1 year old tv and BROKE it!
he seemed almost excited to tell {maybe he thought dad was going to get in trouble}.
finn quickly said, but we already bought a new one.

*sigh*

this wasn't fun to hear.
c and i must tell the boys every other day to stop kicking the ball in the house,
and this time my husband was kicking the ball in the house WITH them.
{the same man who is usually disciplined and makes good decisions}. =/

i was frustrated and let out a deep sigh.
before i could say anything though, c said the boys and i will NEVER
play soccer in the house again.  the boys agreed immediately and since I was
was exhausted, i responded good and left it at that. 

what more was there to say.

hundreds of dollars later, we now have a new slightly larger tv than before.
with an older home, we sure could have used that money for so many things:
a new front door, garage door, landscaping, the list goes on and on.

life with boys....it's always exciting, however this isn't the kind of excitement
that i was hoping to come home to that evening. 

~ we did enjoy watching the movie boyhood on our tv that very weekend.
oh it was wonderful....and so different from anything hollywood has done to date.
they filmed a boy over 12 years and the audience watches him grown and struggle
with so many things that boys go through.  it feels like a documentary but it's not.
regardless, c and i thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt movie that is extremely well
acted.  i think i've recommended the movie now to every parent of boys i know.

check out the trailer for a glimpse: 

bye bye birthmark

so much has been happening but i'll just record
the bigger events from the past week and a half.

after lots of research, discussion and two consultations
with medical professionals, scout, c and i decided to
have scout's birthmark removed...the dark brown raised
nevus on the back of his left shoulder. 

his surgery was scheduled for last wednesday,
a half day at school, so he didn't miss anything.
we arrived a radys early leaving us plenty of time
before the surgery to catch up on our reading.   

scout did wonderful throughout it all,
and it helped that his nurses were nurturing and
shared a binder with him that walked him through
the steps of his stay, from registration to dismissal.

here are the only photos i snapped with my phone
last week.  {photo taking was very low priority}

he enjoyed the popsicle they gave him afterwards
{big brother got one too} and he especially loved the
stuffed kangaroo they gave him which he's named bouncer.

he left the hospital with several internal stitches that will dissolve
on their own, and a few external stitches that will be removed in a week.

in the meantime, he had to sit out of soccer practice and one game
{and was really bummed about this}. fortunately, he was given the 'ok'
to play this weekend and he couldn't be happier.
his team, green lightning, is 4 and 0!

i mentioned to c it's going to be very strange to see scout from behind without
'god's kiss' on his shoulder. when he was a toddler, this is what i told him.
he was content with that until he was about 4 and then he wanted more explanation. 
according to his plastic surgeon, he should heal up nicely over the next few weeks,
and in the end be left with a very thin line about 3" long. i told him he could
make up crazy battle/survival story to share with new friends he meets.

and if this wasn't enough, he's heading to an ENT in two weeks to have
his nose cauterized.  he gets nosebleeds often and this will take care of that.
we learned scoutie takes after c who also had this done around the same
age.  they aren't painful, they are just a hassle and get in the way of his activities.
it will be nice to not have to deal with them anymore. 

paddle for clean water: 2014

last sunday was surfrider's 23rd annual paddle for clean water event!

the boys and i look forward to this event every year.

the only times we missed it, are the times we were travelling.

this year, we were all excited about it, except for scoutie.
with his recent stitches, he couldn't paddle or even lay on c's board
because that requires his arms to be outstretched which would pull
his fresh stitches open.

we felt so bad for him.  he really wanted to participate.
while the rest of his family was paddling around ocean beach's pier,
he sat on a towel, ate bagel and watching from the shore.

this year, i'm happy to announce that finn oliver paddled around
the entire pier on his own board.  the days of c putting him on his longboard
and 'towing' him are over.  he carries his own board and paddles it.
it's a BIG deal....almost like a coming of age ceremony for parents at the paddle. 

last year the waves were so big, only a handful of the more experienced,
or slightly crazy, surfers paddled out.  the gerber family was not part of that group,
although we could be called a little crazy. *grin*.  this year the waves were small and
the water warm at 70 degrees...warm for southern california.

as finn talked about how many years he's been participating in this event,
c and i shared with him that we've been participating in it before he was even
a twinkle in our eye. {i could tell he had a hard time picturing this}.
it was awesome back then {c and i even made the nightly news},
but that it's even MORE awesome doing it with our two boys.

 

 

ahhh airstreams

happy friday folks!

my coworker shared this photo with me yesterday
because he knows i love airstreams.
they just make me smile.

i think the allure is they are both retro and modern,
simple and sophisticated all at the same time.
airstreams are just ubercool.

my friend char actually owns two trailers, julius and dottie.
she named her airstream dottie. {my mum got a kick out of this}.
the trailer was her labor of love.  she completely gutted her, had her shined up,
and now dottie is her art studio and sometimes serves as a pop up boutique.

i missed her first big event last month when i was in phoenix
for my heidi's baby shower, but i saved her cute invite and am
looking forward to the next one. i'm SO there!

best book on raising boys

about a year ago, a mom friend with 4 boys
recommended this book to me.

i'm always interested in a good book recommendation,
and since this one came from a mom who i look up to,
{her teenager is so sweet}, i had to pick it up.  i'm so glad i
did because it's been by far, the best parenting book i've read.

raising children is challenging.
when they are little, the challenges are small - our job is pretty easy -
we keep our kids safe, are consistent with nap/bedtimes, teeth rushing,
redirecting, etc.  that's the easy stuff.

as kids grow and become more complex...the hard stuff begins.
the physical demands are less, but the emotionally demands are higher.
the stakes are higher now. alot of parents, including my own, believe the
adolescent years are the most challenging.  i imagine they are so i was
thrilled to find this book covers not just those years, but the entire spectrum -
from the toddler years through the college years.

i love that the authors, with 5 sons between them, have the practical experience
in parenting, and bring the clinical experience which is a prefect combination.

in a nutshell, the book breaks boyhood down into different stages/ages and goes
through each group thoroughly. scout is in the lover's stage {ages 5-7}, and finn
falls in the individual stage, {ages 9-12}. as i read about these ages, it was as if the
authors knew my sons so well...like they had peeked into their minds and reported
back to me and then told me even more. 

this fantastic book has lived on my nightstand for over a year and i reference it often,
and will continue to for years to come.  it's a must read for anyone who wants to help
understand and help a boy in his journey to adulthood.

i'll end with a wonderful quote from the book:
boys do not need to be tamed, they need to be first understood,
and then, embraced and enjoyed. 

finn's movie list

a few years ago, my sweet s-i-l gave me this book as a christmas present.
it was actually part of a set that included two other books:
501 must see movies and 501 must visit destinations. it was such a thoughtful gift.

in the inside and outside cover of each of the books is a checklist for the reader
that includes titles of everything included in the books.  the reader can mark off the
titles once they've seen, read of visited that place. 

i pulled out the movie book the other day realizing i had never gone through
and checked off anything. scout saw what i was doing and asked if he could help,
so as i started dinner, he read off the names of books and i would say 'yes' if i had
seen them and he would  make a little 'x' in the box next to the movie title.

oh how he loved doing this. 

finn wandered in and got excited about the book too,
so when scout and i were finished with it, he took it to the couch and
looked through it, reading descriptions of the movies that sounded interesting.
he made his own list of movies he wants to read from it. here it is.

it's so mr. finn oliver:   

~ oh it's been one crazy week!
work is actually pretty light {my boss is in costa rica surfing},
but at home, things are nutty. c and i are trying to get back in some
sort of routine with school in session and the boys' activities.

there's homework and all their after-school activities have started up again.
soccer season has begun for scout and both boys are taking tennis and
piano lessons.  we are also smack dab in the middle of having our house
painted! oh color is such a tricky thing. *sigh*

oh and how could i forget.  finn's teacher is looking for another room parent,
and i seriously thought about volunteering until finn responded " you are too busy mom.
that's a job for a stay at home parent".  he's right.  all the room parents we've ever had have
been at home moms or dads.  thank goodness for them. {i just hope one steps up for this}.
i do look forward to attending some field trips,  finn's class has some really great ones
planned this year!

cali roadtrip: part 2 {the great outdoors}

on our way back from muir woods,
we picked up cousins soren and ander
and headed to big basin campground.

my brother-in-law, rob, highly recommended this campground.
he grew up in santa cruz, just 30 minutes away from it and camped
here often as a kid/teen.

we had a 'tent only' site reserved, but when the park ranger mentioned
there were a few 'tent cabin sites' open, c upgraded us so he and i could
enjoy a little more comfort. crouching over in the little 2 man tent we've
had since we were newlyweds was not something either of us was looking
forward to.

when we arrived at our site, and the boys saw the tent cabin,
and finn emphatically said "we're not sleeping in that!"
of course not i responded and c explained it was for the adults but the kids,
all 4 of them, would be sleeping in their own large tent outside our cabin. 
they loved this. {we did too}. 

we couldn't have got a better site.  it was surrounded by huge old growth trees,
some with huge hollowed out cores...perfect for playing hide and seek and serving
as the boys' basecamp. there was also a giant fallen tree that the boys used for all
kinds of games. when we weren't off hiking or eating, the boys were running around
the campground like banshees having a wonderful time.

some photo highlights our time together:

~ up until this trip, i can't remember the last time c and i were so relaxed.
without electronics or the daily distractions of life,  we did what we set out to do -
unwind, take in the beauty of these giant trees, hike, and spend quality time
with those we love.  we will definitely do this again someday....

cali road trip: part 1

everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
~ john muir 

for years i've been wanting to visit muir woods and see
the giant redwoods i had read about and seen photos of.
with two growing boys who are past napping, love the outdoors
can hike a few miles, and with a new niece in berkeley, c and i
decided it was time to head north.  

originally c wanted to rent an rv and drive it up the coast,
but after seeing the sticker price for that {and being reminded
we have a fixer home that still needs lots of 'fixing}, he decided
to forgo it and rent a practical mini van instead. 
i was grateful as i didn't want to drive the 'beast' {rv},
especially on narrow and windy roads. it would be challenging.

because c has more vacation time than me, 
the trip up california's coast was just 'the boys'.
i joined them 4 days later when we met in Berkeley.

i learned they had been having all kinds of adventures....stopping in new cities along the way to visit museums,
discovering new beaches and doing some hiking. 

their dad even introduced them to ihop one evening and they
had breakfast for dinner....something we love doing.
the boys were in heaven. they even left me a long voice message
telling me all about what they ate and i refuse to delete it.  

finn and scout discover ihop

a few days into their trip, i flew into oakland to spend
 2 days with my sister leslie and meet my new niece!
{aria gets her own post}

leslie and i went into the city the afternoon i arrived,
walked around beautiful golden gate park and then had
dinner at a yummy café in a cute pocket somewhere in the city.
the food was so yummy.  i ate a salad big enough for 3 and she
ate a hamburger as big as her head. seriously...I don't know where
my petite sisters stored it. {if she gives permission i'll post}. 

that evening we stayed at a hotel and did some shopping the
following morning.  later the boys showed up and we headed
to marin county to visit the muir woods. 

words.can't.describe.it.
it was SPECTACULAR! 
even the best of pictures could never do it justice.
one has to be there to fully appreciate the grandeur and beauty.
i'd never seen anything like it my entire life.

i remember feeling in awe at the first site of the grand canyon.
these giant coastal redwoods were even more impressive to me. 
as we all walked along, stopping to read the plaques commemorating
those who took the first steps to have those acres of forests protected all
those years ago, i was humbled and so grateful. 

we hiked for a few hours and then went back to the hotel.
i had learned weeks earlier, all the campgrounds close by
were completely booked {no complaints by the adults},
as a hotel is sometimes nice break between the dirt.
when the boys started to grumble, i reminded them we had
reservations at another campground, near santa cruz for
later in the week when their cousins would join us.

muir woods - if you haven't ever been, go.
you'll be glad you went.

hopes and dreams: finn and scout

i attended 'back to school' night at explorer last week
and have been anxious to record the exciting night.

with two kids at the same school, dividing time between
each of their classrooms for any event is challenging.
since i already knew scout's teacher {she was finn's asst. teacher for
kinder and 1st grade year}, i spent the entire time in finn's 5th grade classroom,
getting to know miss laura zimmer, a teacher who is new to me.

parents were instructed to sit at their child's desk {which fortunately had a nametag},
and to start by reading their hopes and dreams sheet.  finn's list read:

- build lego robots in science
- get better at math
- learn more about space
- build boats and test them
- build a small rocket in science

none of these were a surprise to me,
but they certainly let his teacher know what is near and dear to his heart.

within just a few minutes of listening to miss zimmer tell us about herself,
and her hopes and dreams for our children this school year, i was smitten
with this young woman's enthusiasm and passion for teaching.
{i felt the same with scout's kinder teacher}.

she talked about the importance of being lifetime learners.
{i smile because c and i use that term at home}

we learned miss zimmer is a lifetime learner, always pushing herself to do new things
{read new books, learn a new language, try solving math problems differently}. 
her goal is to instill this same principle in her students, and part of this includes teaching
them about their brain - how it works and how it learns. wow!! {finn will love this}

i whispered to a mom friend next to me "she's the kind of girl i dream of my boys bringing
home someday".  she whispered back "me too"! she went on to say she is a huge lover
of books and pointed out the shelves stocked with books in her classroom.
she also has 7 nooks students can  check out and bring home. i couldn't stop smiling.
i couldn't have handpicked a better teacher for finn. {he gets the science stuff on his own,
this teacher will help strengthen him in other areas he needs help with}

i dashed to scout's 2nd class to quickly say hello to ms. manguil, and to pick up the packet that
was prepared for me to review. i found scout's hopes and dreams note. it read:

- i hope that i can go on a  family trip to hawaii to surf in the warm water
- i hope that i can go camping with my family again
- i hope that i can go back to florida and see my grandma and grandpa
- i hope that my family can all get better at tennis so we can all play each other. 
- i hope that i can get better at playing the piano so that i can play for my family.
- i hope that me and my dad can modify our R.O.V. so that we can explore Mission Bay.

i really enjoyed reading these.  some of his hopes were new to me, other's weren't.
the trip to hawaii to surf in warm water was and boy does that sounds wonderful
{that's on my list too}. *grin* someday....

~ c was is sacramento for an architecture thing for a few days last week,
so he wasn't able to join me for parents night.  i called him on my way home to tell
him all about the evening and how excited i was about the boys' teachers.

as finn said over dinner this weekend, it's going to be a great year.
{i think so too}

friends: a staple in life

my girlfriend connie flew out from tucson to visit.
we'd been looking forward to our getting together all summer.
finally the weekend came!

she was ready for a little break from her 2 daughters and
arizona's summer heat, and i was needing a break from work and
some girl time.

we stayed at piersouth, a hotel that just opened last year south of san diego.
connie and I found it near perfect.

it was located far from the super trendy areas of san diego which meant
it was more affordable and it wasn't crowded...the hotel nor the beach
directly out front.

the style was modern and minimal....letting the backdrop {water} be the focus.
all the rooms were large suites and each were oceanfront. you could hear the
waves lapping up on shore from your room.  the bonus, they even had balconies
...perfect for sipping our morning coffees.

i joked that it felt like we were celebrating an anniversary or a big b-day.
we weren't officially, but we were celebrating something special - our friendship.
{we go back 18 years and have stories to prove it}.

we spent the evening and the entire next day eating, drinking,
visiting the pier, swimming, lounging and yes, talking....a lot.

old friends....they truly are a staple in life.
i feel so lucky to have her in mine.

~ i almost forgot, the night before connie flew back home to tucson,
i had an impromptu movie night so she could see what gerber backyard movie
nights are all about.  i invited a small group of girlfriends over and we watched
the other woman and laughed out loud throughout. it was lots of fun!