All the dinosaurs are running wild

Monday was our Jurassic trip we had been planning for all of 30 hours. Cher and Magda wanted to take Ben to see the dinosaurs at the zoo. He was so excited to see them as was Claire and Sam was excited to see the older kids so pumped up. We woke up early so we could get there when the zoo opened. Children came from their bedroom like bullets and clambered onto our bed to wake us. It was like Christmas morning. Trav and I stayed up late the night before making sure we had everything packed and ready to go in the morning so all we had to do was eat, get dressed, and hop in the car. Things were going smoothly when I decided to look outside. Clouds? It was supposed to be 78 degrees today and we wanted to get to the zoo early so it would be cool enough that the children wouldn't get overheated and cranky. Clearly not an issue.

I checked the weather online again and it still said it was going to be a nice day. Shorts it is! I brought long sleeved T shirts for the kids just in case they were cold before it burned off. We all piled into the car, kissed Trav goodbye since he had to go to work, and off we went. Just about half way through Gresham it started to rain. Of course. We have been talking this up now all morning and before bed and it is raining. Oh well, we are Oregonians and we can handle rain. If we let rain stop us we would never leave our houses 9 months out of the year.

We arrived to find the parking lot quite full and raining harder when I remembered how much I don't care for going places like this without Trav. There are a ton of people and trying to keep track of 2 kids who are so excited that they follow any crowed of people to go see the next exhibit is nerve wracking. We met up with Cher and Magda and started our quest through the zoo. I knew that Magda and the kids were not going to last too long so I pushed to get to the dinosaurs since that was why we were there. It continued to rain and took a while to find our way there. We decided along the way to stop for lunch. Not long after that we were at the Jurassic gate and could hear the mighty beasts.

Ben at this point started to look a bit concerned with what we were about to see. We walked around the corner and there it was...the first dinosaur! Claire and Cher walked right up to it and were fascinated with it! Ben on the other hand took one look at me and got teary eyed. "They're too scary!" was all he could tell me and hid behind my legs. I picked him up and tried to calm him down by letting him know that they are just pretend and not real like all the other animals we had seen earlier in the day. I tried to walk over with him glued to my neck and waist but when we got about 6' from life sized Dino he panicked and couldn't do it. I reassured him that they were fake and asked him if he wanted to ride in the anti-dinosaur stroller that I had brought just in case (You never know when an anti-dinosaur stroller might be handy. I recommend everyone getting one. I believe that they are available on Amazon for a limited time).

He opted to ride in the safety of the chair for a little while and then decided it was most likely safe because we were in a zoo and not in the wild. He did fine up until we reached the T Rex and then needed a brief sit in the Dino repellent stroller again. In his defense, it was rather large. Overall everyone had a wonderful time and it did eventually stop raining even though it never burned off or got hotter than 62 degrees.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Last night while the kids were playing outside there was a beautiful rainbow. A photo opportunity? Why yes!

The groove

As I sit here drinking my Magic Bullet coffee drink and listening to Scissor Sisters I can honestly say I am feeling pretty darn good. I believe we have hit our stride for now. As all mothers know once you have mastered all the children and found time for other things the next day everything changes. I am going to take today for what it is and relish in the fact that we are all in harmony. Sam is busy crawling and Ben and Claire are dressed up like queens (Pun intended) and parading around the house. I am working furiously on a project, later to be revealed, and trying to plan outfits for our family portraits on Saturday with my dad's family. We are busy but what family isn't?

I feel like I finally really understand how to parent. I have a short fuse and kids are kids which fuels that fire for me at times. More often than not I was frustrated with them and now I feel like I really understand how they are viewing the world and how I can enhance their experience. I have been doing a lot of reading and experimenting with some techniques and have found that they really work. Now I don't have to loose my cool hardly ever. I am learning patience, what really matters, and what doesn't. I am loving my kids more than I thought I could and all of us are happy. Of course not every day is peachy but that is life. We learn to adapt and cope and that is parenting. Happy parents raise happy kids.

As a side note it took me an hour to write this because I have 3 kids. Instead of getting upset with all the little interruptions I embraced them and got this done when I had a couple of seconds in between. I know this change in me will make my family a better and more loving family.

Weigh in Wednesday X2

I was just so busy last week that I didn't get a chance to post but over the last 2 weeks I have lost 5lbs! I will take it and do my best to step up my game to loose more this week.

Mustachio Waxio

We sure know how to have fun.

Dreams

I keep having all these dreams of people I haven't seen in years or since high school. It's weird. The dreams are usually very involved and detailed but normal. By normal I mean that I am not in outer space or flying it's more like in the backyard having a BBQ or driving to pick up kids from school. I keep having dreams where I am married to boys I used to be friends with or wanted to date (I know I met Travis young but there were boys I liked long before he entered the picture).

It takes me a few minutes to realize, upon waking, that I am not actually living the life that I created in my subconscious. At times this week I have been freaked out when I see Travis's face next to me in bed and not the man I was married to in my dream. I haven't shared that with him as I don't think he would like know that I have almost slugged him twice. "Our" kids are my kids I have now but with dream husband's hair color(I believe that Claire is not as cute as a blond as she is as a redish/brownish girl). I don't know quite what to make of all of this. Nothing in the dreams are fantastical it is just daily life stuff.

What I do know is that it is making me very inquisitive as to what these boys are up to now. I really want to know but can't find some of them because they don't exist on the internet. How can these people not have some sort of social web page in this day in age? I am kind of offended because I have all these loose threads that I can't tie up in a pretty bow! It is driving me a little mad. I am also interested to see who I will be dreaming about tonight and hoping that whoever it is has a web page I can browse tomorrow evening secretly.

Dear Karen

Dear Karen,

Today I was searching in my closet trying to find something to wear to church and found a dress tucked way in the back. It was the dress I bought for Greg and Marcie's wedding. I bought it and then had you alter it since I didn't like quite how it fit. I cried this morning just thinking about your hands touching my shoulders and pinning the straps where we wanted them to go. Hearing you laugh as we talked about Claire while you were sewing and making the finishing touches. The loss at times is unbearable. Claire found me crying in the closet and she asked me if I was hurt. I told her that my heart hurt because I was missing you and that sometimes I am sad and need to cry. She looked up at me, took my hand, and told me that it was ok and that she loved me. She is truly the most wonderful girl in this world. I could not have asked God for a better daughter.

My heart is heavy and I am still struggling to maintain regular daily tasks often. I need to get better for my family and have decided that I am going to start going to the pool 3 days a week again. I remember feeling better not only in the body but in the mind as well when I went last year. I am loosing weight again and am starting to gain back some confidence that I had when I lost so much the last time. I really love using the pool as it doesn't feel like you are really doing a lot but the results are amazing.

Magda is in town now for the first time since Ben was 3 months old. The love I have for her courses through my veins. She is one of my favorite people that exists and I wish we lived closer to her. Watching her interact with the kids reminds me of you. She has unconditional love for them and they can do no wrong in her eyes. She is the strongest woman I have ever met and I have so much love and respect for her. If I end up being half the woman she is I will have turned out to be a pretty good person by the end of my life. She thought a lot of you as well. The few times you two spent time together you made a lasting impression on her. You made a lasting impression on most the people you met. It seems like she just got here and now she will be leaving in 2 weeks. It feels unfair that she has to go home so soon as I just don't feel like I got to soak up enough of her. 2 weeks left just isn't enough time.

Travis continues to be wonderful and had a good sermon today. You would be so proud of him as he continues to do his best and care for his family despite all that has happened. You and Steve did a wonderful job making him the man he is today. I am truly in love with him and feel lucky to have him in my life every day. I love him so mush my heart hurts just thinking about him.

It's getting quite late and the kids are sure to wake up early since I stayed up late so I must go. I miss you and hope you are having a wonderful time.

Love,

KT