Scrambled Thoughts XIb - Miami Style

18 - Smoky or Smokey? (smokie or smokay)

Google says smoky.  Apparently, 'smokey' used to be right, but it's now outdated.  This concerned me because I didn't really realize the spelling of specific words could become old fashioned (but of course this is true... old English texts are full of funny spellings now that I think about it).  Thankfully the spelling trends seem to last much longer than the fashion trends, though.  Otherwise my words would be just as awful as my closet.

19 - Fly Like an Eagle

This pier is a special place for us.  Many mornings were spent getting here, staying here, and getting home from here. 

Plus, we got to watch boats.  And birds.

20 - He needs gills.

It's cute the way he feels so comfortable in the water.  Really, it is.  One of the very first words he responded to was 'dunk'.
"Dunk, TK!" the kids would yell.  Sometimes there was a slight hesitation as we watched him decode the word and separate it from the other few he knew.  Okay, let's see, we saw him think to himself.  They didn't say 'clap'... or 'wave'... or 'nose'... ah! and he would slap his face down into the water and come up laughing. Dunk!  I remember!

 21 - Not many people rock giant goggles the way Miles rocks giant goggles.

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with that amazing hair.  Most things have something to do with that amazing hair.

22 - Someone should write a whole post about Brian.

Because he really is amazing.  He just finished 10 years of post-graduate work, you know (not that anyone has been counting).  Every time I go to one of these work dinners I'm told by several people that he is 'remarkable', 'great', 'efficient', and 'wonderful'.  Of course, I already know this, but hearing others say it makes me feel proud all over again for the incredible guy that he is.  Years and years ago, I used to sit home and wonder what Brian was like in his clinic.  I wondered what his bedside manner was like with his patients, and how he got along with his co-workers.  Later, I wondered what 'surgeon Brian' was like as he peered through magnifying glasses with his hair in a cap and his face in a mask and his hands in their gloves holding tiny razors. I wanted to get to know this 'work self' because I craved knowing all the intricacies of his personality.  But over the years, as patients have written notes and given small gifts of appreciation to him, and as co-workers have approached me and painted their own picture of Brian in front of my eyes, I've realized that I know exactly who Brian is at work.

He's the same guy who eats at our dinner table every night.
The same one that carries the baby up to his room and tucks the kids between their sheets.
Who shares that carton of ice cream with me, and makes sure my favorite spoon is with me.
He's the same guy that loves me.  And the same guy I love.

He's Brian.  Everywhere he goes, he's Brian.
That's why it's really no surprise to me when everyone loves him.

23 - But no one loves him quite as much as we do.  And Father's Day pressures us into showing that love.

The relationship between Brian and McKenzie is flourishing right now.  In her Father's Day card, Kenzie wrote "I love my dad because he understands me when I'm sad."  This is precious to me because McKenzie has turned into quite the thinker.  She said what she meant and she meant what she said and she is 100% correct.  There have been several times when Brian has helped me understand what she might be feeling, and I love him for that.  So does she. 

They are quite similar, those two.  And since I believe that girls need strong relationships with their fathers for a whole slew of reasons, I am touched to tears by the look on her face above.  She is literally melting into his shoulder - and his tender expression shows he is melting right back.

These are four lucky kids to have a daddy like that.

24 - Two words: World Cup.

Miles enjoyed watching the games with Brian, but he had his own conditions... ear plugging must be allowed.

25 - That's Shocking.

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuper glad I wasn't on that boat.

26 - Someone should write a whole post about Miles.

Because he had his 5th birthday.  He's a special one, this kid.  And his birthday was something of magic for him.  He did a lot of talking on the phone...

...and talking on the phone...

...and talking on the phone...

 

But since it was Sunday, we also got to go to church.  And, lucky him, our little branch held a fun dinner afterwards where everyone sang Happy Birthday.

Then we came home and had cake and candy covered marshmallows (because they're supposed to look like mushrooms, okay?  Mario...?)

The whole day he was moving way too fast for me to get a good picture of him.  Which I guess is wonderful because it means he was having a blast.

Also, I made that cake, so it was a pretty wonderful day for me as well.

In many ways Miles seems much, much older than five years old.  He is smart and opinionated and gracious and passionate.  His feelings are often very expressive and larger than life and I love that about him.  He makes our home a better place than it otherwise would have been...  Motherhood is sweet in that way, don't you think?  In the way of being touched by these remarkable personalities for a time as you house them and watch them as they refine themselves to get ready to venture out into the world beyond your walls.

I can't wait to meet the man Miles becomes.

Scrambled Thoughts XIa - Miami Style

 11 - Boats are not generally confused with airplanes.

But, turns out, it's possible to be tricked into a double-take when one looks like it's flying.

 12 - To the stranger in the park: thanks for teaching my son how to ride a bike. 

 

There was a time in Miles's life, not too long ago (but, then again, I guess nothing in Miles's life was too long ago because, five years old) when he didn't give up easily.  When he was just a few months older than one year, for instance, I watched him step up and down and up and down and up and down a little stair (which was so small it might be better identified as a 'lip') in our cement patio until he could do it without falling.  "That kid is persistent!  He sure doesn't give up easily," I remember my dad saying as he watched the same scene.

But then Miles got on a bike. One without training wheels, mind you.  And the world around him shattered and crumbled into a million pieces when he realized that learning this new skill was going to require some work and effort.

He gave up.  And then he gave up again.  And again and again and again and again.  And again.  Day after day.  (But the flip side to all of this giving up, of course, is that in order for him to have given up that many times, he had to try that many times which, in the end, means maybe he didn't give up after all?) And each time he'd walk away crying I'd tell cryptic stories about people falling off horses and getting back on them again and then I'd decode the morals for him and he would be left wondering why we didn't just get him a horse instead of a dumb bike anyway.

Every day for two weeks we rode to the park with training wheels on his tires and a wrench in my stroller and, once we got to the playground, the wrench would come out and the training wheels would come off until he rediscovered all over again that he could not just innately ride the thing, but would have to work.  There was usually blood and there was always sweat and tears, and at the end of the day (which sometimes lasted 3 minutes and sometimes lasted 3.5), we put the training wheels back on the bike and rode home.

I did mention a stranger in the title... and I'm getting to that point now.  After a particularly grueling 3.5 minute day after a long string of particularly grueling 3 minute days, a kind old man rode up on a bike of his own.

"I see you're trying to learn how to ride a bike, young man," the stranger said.  "What's your name?"  In response to this question, Miles characteristically hid behind my leg and focused his concentration on a crack in the sidewalk so intensely that I wondered if it were possible to get him to focus his concentration that much in any other situation... such as cleaning his room, for instance.

"Hey," I whispered over my shoulder towards Miles's head, "did you hear this nice man ask you what your name is?"

Such concentration!

"This is Miles," I answered to the stranger for him, "and he appears to be feeling rather shy right now."

"Well, that's okay," the stranger said.  "Let me tell you something, Miles, and you don't have to look at me while I tell you.  When I was learning to ride a bike, my father taught me something very important and very helpful, and when I became a father I told my own sons the same thing, and now I'm going to tell you.

"All you have to do is remember to turn your front wheel in the direction that you're falling.  So if you're starting to fall over on your left side, quickly turn your wheel to the left!  And if you're falling to your right side, quickly turn your wheel to the right!  Good luck, young man.  You'll get it."

And with that the old man rode away.  Miles broke his concentration from the crack in the sidewalk to stare in awe as the stranger slipped down the path through the trees.

And wouldn't you know, the very next day Miles was ecstatic and riding like a champ.  And I was rather embarrassed in the discovery of my apparently awful teaching skills when it comes to bike riding.

Anyway, after riding didn't seem like an impossible dream to Miles anymore, his old persistence and determination came shining through and he rode and rode and rode and rode until he could turn wide circles and then tighter circles and eventually start all by himself.

I think I'll call that guy the Old Stranger Angel Man from now on.  Just because it's fun to say.

13 - Pools are relaxing.

There need to be more things in life like pools. Energy drainers for the kids, energy fillers for the adults.


14 - Pools are also very not relaxing.  Like, if this guy is around.

From before he started crawling, he's had one thought circling through his brain - how can I get into that water?  He even perfected his crawling at the pool-side because the water was such a strong motivator.  The only problem: he sinks like a rock.  Which makes pool time quite the opposite of relaxing for the mama. 

15 - Losing friends is sad.

Really, it was a matter of time.  Candy enclosed in glass over a white marble floor?  It was still tragic, though.  Carson took it the hardest.  Timothy was thrilled however, because, gumballs! 

16 - Loaded Nachos.  The menu description reads: "the most common reactions to this item are: "oooh," "ahhh," "wow," and "where am I?"

I laughed at the description, but figured they couldn't be that impressive (I'm a bit of a nacho snob because that's what I ordered every. single. time. I. could as a teenager).  However, the second I saw the waiter coming with this pile of deliciousness I said, "oooh," and as he set it down in front of me I said "ahhh," and as he was walking away I looked at Carson and said, "wow," . . . and then I stopped myself because I realized I was practically quoting everyone else who had ever ordered these nachos and I refused to say "where am I?" because I already knew that the answer to that question was Flanigan's.  

Carson and I happily packed them away.

17 - Every time the kids find a coconut, they ask if it's ripe.  And every time the kids ask if the coconut is ripe I say I don't know.

Google searches seem to be consistently inconsistent (it depends on what you want, they say (okay, so the problem is that we don't actually know what we want)).  But since there were several that washed up in the waves, we had fun trying to open them.  This one required a hammer and a screwdriver used as a chisel.

Everyone was quite unimpressed with the taste, but using the hammer and screwdriver was exciting. For Brian.

Scrambled Thoughts XI - Miami Style

1.  Paralyzed.  My brain.  Stuck.  Jammed.  Overwhelmed.

I'm paralyzed by all the things... so many perfect moments sprinkled throughout our last month in Miami that really deserve to be recorded, and I can't seem to get my brain to roll with the thoughts in any sort of productive manner.  Instead I sit here with this blank screen in front of me, staring into the light.  But record I must, so I am forcing my fingers to do the work and hoping that by bypassing my brain, something will be accomplished.

If the words leave you lacking, at least you'll have some cute faces to stare at inbetween.

2. Boys and Beaters

Not boys as beaters, let's be clear.  But boys with beaters.  The cooking kind, of course.  Timothy is starting to realize that there are some v.e.r.y special things in this world - like beaters with cookie dough on them.  I'm not sure whether Miles, Carson or Timothy enjoyed this moment more... those big brothers sure are excited to introduce that little baby to the finer things in life.

3. Some boys consider a dog to be their best friend.  Others choose a shovel.

Miles has chosen well.  Shovels don't have to be fed.  And you don't have to clean up their poop.

4. Sometimes motherhood feels a bit like a patient pelican with an angry seabird yelling on its back.

Sometimes I'm the seabird.  Sometimes I'm the pelican.
 
5. Parks. Bikes. Sweat. Sisters.  It's a wonderful life.

I'm afraid that Timothy thinks Kenz is his mother.  She kind of is. 

6. Sometimes I feel self conscious about my appearance.  So I look at this guy.

At first I feel better, but then I start worrying that something is hanging out of my own nose.  So I look at this creature below that doesn't have a nose, and am caught up in the sheer beauty of her.

Now you know, if ever you see me with all of my hair sticking straight out to one side, you'll be able to tell people where I found the inspiration.
 
7. The kids all yelled 'snow!' when I asked them what kind of climate they wanted to live in.  Life is full of disappointments like that.

But they're creative. Now they know that sand and boogie boards don't work just as well as snow and sleds.

And that smoothies and ice cream taste nowhere near just as good as hot cocoa when you're finished. 

8. Missing faces is the worst part of moving.

Also sand and palm trees and hammocks and cool, breezy nights.  Book club was fun and unique in Miami.

9. With a title like the Father, the Girl, and, the Boy (what!?  Looks like we need a refresher on comma usage) Brian and I were thrilled we got the last remaining tickets to the theater.

We were advised to dress up in our Sunday best and to make sure to practice theater etiquette during the duration of the play.  When we arrived, we found it was a full house. We quickly found the ticket booth,

and greeted the ushers as we walked in,

who graciously showed us to our numbered seats.  Front and center, SWEET!

There was no photography allowed during the show, but it was delightful.  And we were shocked to see that the ticket masters, the ushers, and the actors were all the same people!  It was a fantastic show and received an enthusiastic standing ovation upon completion.

10. Having town mascots is cool, just ask the children instead of the teenagers.  And who else thinks sea turtles are the greatest of all town mascots?

Sea turtles, sea turtles, sea turtles.  Sea turtles on every corner for everyone to love.  I think there was something like 60 turtles in our square mile town and we found as many as we possibly could.  The one below is Freedom... the kids' favorite.

He is a massive swirl of color and texture.  Seriously... artists.  They blow me away.  How do they do it?

The one below is one of my favorites because of where Miles is in his jumping process.

And this Carson kid... he is a comedian, I tell you.  I am loving his maturing personality breaking through his childhood skin. 

Stay tuned for more scrambled Miami thoughts!

June Harvest

The days are spinning.  Spinning round and round and round and here I am chasing them down with a hammer, trying to keep them in order (which, I realize is a little ironic because is there anything more orderly than the seconds that compose these hours and days?  But, logical or not, the chaos of my current days requires that hammer). 

I'm not ready to jump into the analysis of the last month of travel and moving (though, for those who are wondering, we are doing wonderfully and are quite happy swimming in our boxes on this, our third day in Vegas), and I am quite (quite) far from sorting through the thousand pictures I've taken of the whole process - but my fingers are hungry for this blog and I miss the time I spend here.

So I'll take an hour away from the 736 other things I have on my to-do list (some of which are quite important such as buy-all-(all-(all))-the-foods-we-eat, and unpack-the-bathroom-boxes-to-find-toilet-paper-so-we-can-stop-using-one-square-every-time-we-need-it-because-it-might-run-out, and other things like that), and put together the June Harvest. The last full harvest of our amazing year on the beach.  My hungry fingers are feeling better already.

1 - Does this even need an explanation?  Oh my heavens.  I have to remind myself to breath with those colors in the background.

2 - One perk about having a successful hubby is that I get to go out to fancy dinners every once in a while and watch him receive awards.  I thought the whole setting was beautiful.  Did you check out those lights on the ceiling?!  And the building through the magnificent windows?  And that tall, handsome man in a suit coat looking all bashful to receive a certificate that he's worked 10 years for?  Beautiful.
3 - A tree in front of my friend's house... I drove down the street twice just so I could see it again.
4 - Sunny clouds
5 - Oh tears... every time I look at Kenzie's face in this one.  There is a lot of backstory that I won't go into here, but the look on her face of pure, childlike love for her Daddy leaves me speechless.
6 - Crazy baby.  He has no fear of that water... I love the way this shot came out.
7 - That, my friends, is lightening. 
8 - This mushroom on the side of the trail was enjoying his time in the spotlight before the sun moved.  I thought he was fabulous.
9 - Double rainbow. 
10 - Love the roots of these trees... wish I could grow one of them in Vegas.

11 - I also wish I could grow this in Vegas.  Isn't it perfect?

12 - This is also lightening.  If you look close, you can see the city buildings in the bottom left.  I'm amazed at how big clouds can be sometimes.
13 - Peaceful morning.  The way the ocean was that morning, it looked like the boat was flying above the horizon.
14 - Rays of sunshine!  Oh, the rays of sunshine!
15 - Funny sidewalk art.
16 - Palm trees.  Green and yellow - love those colors together
17 - Temple.  We visited the temple on Jess's birthday this year and everything (aside from the rather cranky child *cough* miles *cough*) was beautiful about it.  The feelings, the memories, the promises of the temple....
18 - Full, beautiful moon.
19 - Hermit Crab.  We spotted this guy on our walk and my two oldest kids saved him from the path and placed him back in the ocean.
20 - The city view from our apartment during sunset.  I kind of love that crane.

21 - Watching the storms come in. 

22 - Miles gripping the pier with his toes.  The freedom my kids had this year: beautiful.
23 - Smoky sunrise.  We never did find out where all the smoke came from.
24 - Baby feet under the water.
25 - Another picture of that crane during sunset.  I told you I kind of loved it.
26 - After several failed attempts at opening a ripe coconut (how DO you tell?), the kids finally were successful with this one.
27 - Interesting patterns on the ocean.
28 - I made this cake, guys.
29 - Skyline from the ocean
30 - More lightening.  Cruel that we had to leave Miami during all these summer lightening storms.  Amazing!

31 - Gasp