7/26/12 Y camps

This week is the biggest logistical mistake of the year! All 3 kids are in Y camps, but for some reason, the YMCA really spread out their camps this year. So, all 3 are in different locations, and even in different cities. Yikes!

But they're all totally enjoying their camps this week, and all seem really relaxed and happy -- and I SO enjoy not getting the grim look from the counselors about the boys misbehaving together.

Gabriel is in fencing camp. This was motivated by the awesome swordfight scenes in the move The Princess bride, but actually, he's totally enjoying it. So much that maybe we've finally found an activity that he'll pursue! When I pick him up from camp, he's happy playing some game or messing around with other boys his age. Now that's what camp is about.

This week, Gabriel's been all about ordering a new remote-control helicopter, which he paid for with his own money. It arrived today, and he was thrilled!!!

Julian is in a Lego Robot camp, which we thought would be a semi-bust. It's Lego, but it wasn't the most desirable Lego camp or something...I forget, it was a concession at the time. But he LOVES it. The robots they create have all sorts of cool sensors and remote controls, and need programming and do all sorts of cool things like avoiding walls. He can't stop talking about it and absolutely loves it.

They don't do Legos all day though...after the robotics building, it's easy to find Julian playing a ball game with other kids, controlling the flow of the game, able to dominate and order kids around, basking in his stardom, be as much as he can be -- without the crushing influence of his dominant older brother.

Katrina is in gymnastics camp -- perfect for her, I don't hear a whole lot about gynmastics, but she does happily mention things like jumping on trampolines and into a foam pit. Well, she's only 5, OK!

Maybe this too, like fencing for Gabriel, will be her one outside activity. My friends' kids all have 2 or 3 activities; mine have 0, 0 and 1 -- only Julian has Kung Fu, which now he claims he wants to quit. Gabriel and Katrina are a lot harder to get interested in things; if it's fencing and gymnastics, so be it!

When not at the gymnastics academy, Katrina's camp does regular daycamp stuff, like play "link-tag". Katrina always seems happy when I pick her up, though if she's playing with anyone (and she usually isn't), it's older boys. Sheesh, doesn't she get enough of those at home?!

At least at "link-tag" she got linked with another girl.

This morning I ran into Gabriel's 2nd- and 3rd-grade teacher this morning at the Y. In addition to being a 3rd-grade teacher, she'salso a Mom, and expressed consternation about school starting so soon.

And it IS soon! We have only 3 more weeks of camps before school starts. It's not even August yet, and school is right around the corner!

But I have one more camping trip in me this summer -- minor considering I'd expected to camp 4-5 times this summer -- so it's time to start planning. Fast!

However, I'm also feeling intense internal pressure at work. Not only to complete numerous tasks for customers -- at my old job nothing I did mattered; now customers actually care -- but also to complete some classes and exams. I'd set myself up mentally to work every weekend the next 4-5 weekends, but that takes us past school starting, and conflicts with another camping trip.

To make matters worse, school starts on a Monday this year. It used to start on a handy weird Thursday, making a long weekend a natural outcome. Certainly it meant a "day before school starts" outing, which the past 3 years have meant an outing to some sort of vintage military museum.

But this year? School starts on Monday? Seriously?? Now what?!

Being almost 49 years old, I know what's truly important, what will really stick in the end. A summer camping trip will last in my -- and their -- memory and psyches FAR FAR longer than me finishing some online course. So even if there are only 3 summer weekends left, a forest getaway is far far more important than passing Hewlett-Packard Training Exam HP0-Y43. But -- I need to do that too!!

(It'll be hard to top our Mom's camping trip of 2 weekends ago though -- even Gabriel said, out of the blue, "When to do get to do another 'friends' camping trip? That was SO FUN!")

Camping, work, planning for winter (that's a whole other story...!) -- I think I'll fall back on my all-time favorite character's philosophy: "I can't think about that right now. I'll think about that tomorrow."

7/26/12

7/22/12 The Weed

Well, I've heard of weeds creeping in, but this is ridiculous!

Today we pulled this vine out of the backyard, and off a tree it had entwined itself around. This must be at least 20 feet long!

And apparently it's a squash plant of some sort. It had this squash on it.

No idea what this thing actually is, even after opening it.

Our neighbors grow some pretty funky vegetables, so maybe this one escaped -- but how did it get this big without our noticing?! Wow!

7/22/12

7/21/12 The girls are back!

I feel like I need to make a confession.

Bless me mother, for I have sinned....it's been over a week since I've last blogged....

I'd claim lack of material, but that's never stopped me before. I did spend two days in the city for a training class, staying overnight at some longtime motorcycling friends' house. That was really nice -- but I didn't know what to do with myself when I first arrived. I'm not used to "relaxing" after work!

The great news for is us that my friend Kristi's family is going on an Alaskan cruise for 2 weeks, and we get to rat-sit! The kids are thrilled at having the girls back.

None moreso than Gabriel, who says he never ever tires of having a rat in his pocket.

Sigh...we need a pet -- but for the next two weeks, we've covered!

It was super-hot today, unusual for here. Thank heavens for our pool membership!

7/21/12

7/15/12 Uvas Canyon Camping

Twelve children...

And four moms....

tackled camping together in a lovely county park, less than an hours' drive from the Bay Area. Two of us had tried camping here before, and both got rained out, but this time, the weather was with us.

No shortage of water, however, and the favorite activity for all kids was creek-climbing. This included face-painting, getting doused in waterfalls, finding wildlife (including a baby rattlesnake and lots of very very cool banana slugs), some booooring hiking, and of course, lots of climbing.

Lots more pictures, and many from my photographic friends with good cameras that I don't have yet, so consider this a preview.

Still, how can you go wrong with that many children? (Five 5th-graders, five 3rd-graders and two 1st-graders). This was such a wonderful time that we're talking about making it annual! At least for the next few years, before our now-10-year-olds become too-cool teenagers to bother with us :).

7/15/12

7/8/12 Training Wheels??

We're done! Katrina learned to push-start herself on a bike without training wheels! After a lesson at a nearby park with Dad, she practiced all afternoon around our yard, with varying success. But at least she knows what to do and is motivated to do it. Yayyy!

This is yet another milestone to brush off the last bits of baby/toddlerhood, and I say, thank goodness! I'm so excited she has this in her rapidly growing big-kid repertoire.

Not sure where this fits into stereotypes, but Katrina was well behind her brothes in relative age giving up training wheels. Julian was 3-1/2, Gabriel was 4-1/2 and Katrina was 5-1/2. Just a data point, and in our case probably mostly dominated by personality -- for instance, Julian had no POINT to prove when he was learning, he just wanted to learn to ride, and did.

In any case, I'm thrilled they're all on two-wheelers now!

7/8/12

7/5/12 Farewell Cousins!

Even though we squeezed in another glorious day in Arnold, we had to face reality eventually, and drove home Tuesday night July 3rd.

The long drive stinks no matter what, so might as well make the day about a visit to darling downtown Murphy's, an afternoon outing at the lake, and another big dinner scramble, instead of about driving home/. It was super-busy packing up after dinner, but we pulled it off and had a traffic-free hiccup-free drive back to sea level.

But not before I got another coveted photo of the whole crew! On the deck of our temporary home in Arnold.

Too bad photos can't capture scents. The woodsy, earthy, almost balmy scents of the redwoods and sequoias....absolutely glorious. If there is a Paradise in Heaven, it smells like this.

I absolutely loved Arnold -- at 4000 feet, it's just upward of the foothills, but it's still low enough for manzanitas and to be accessible and not risk being closed due to snow, though it does snow there. I've been through Arnold many times, but never spent any real time there. I have such a sense of belonging in that area. Gold Country -- figures!

But flatlands and reality had to interject, and two sisters and five children in a rented Toyota Sienna arrived in Sunnyvale around 11pm. We whisked kids off to bed fast, ready for a relaxed day at home the next day.

July 4th day, we went to, what else, the pool. I'm so happy I joined this pool! I thought it'd never pay off, but July is barely underway and it already has. If nothing else, just to see our five children bouncing around like crazy in the water today (well, 4 in the deep end) was worth it!

Steph and I marvelled at how our children worked out. Our lives have led utterly divergent paths, yet somehow we ended up having our first babies, both boys, within 5 days of each other. In the end, all 5 kids were born within 5 years, and it would have been under 3 years if not for Katrina. And how incredibly fortunate for all of us!

Each visit as they get older, the cousins have so much fun together. And me too. This year especially, I can't think of a better way to explore and enjoy my favorite things and places than with family. We shared a mountain cabin, a lake, a cavern, a state park with massive trees and lots of good food and tons of great fun with kids, together. (I'm so proud that my niece and nephew think I'm a great cook!)

Meantime, lifetime family relationships continued to be forged...Julian indulged in hours of imaginative play with his cousins....Gabriel sucked his like-aged cousin into gun wars....the girls did endless girl-things together when not playing with or fending off brothers (both girls have only older brothers and no sisters).

More as more as they get older, personality trumps age and we can see real relationships forming based on individuals, as well from the juxtaposition of genes and history. Nothing makes me feel more like I've done something right in life than when I see and hear these children playing, talking, arguing, laughing together.

But today, it came time for the Engels to fly home.....still, we were all happier about our fantastic time together than sad about saying goodbye.

Aunt and East-coast nephew/niece...

The boys...

The girls...

The 3rd-graders...

The 5th-graders...

Aunt and girls...

The sister grownups who made it happen....

....and our kids we made it happen for!

7/5/12

7/2/12 California Caverns

Around here, a cavern visit was a must!

I'd hoped to make it to Black Chasm Caverns on a friend's recommendation, but decided it was too far from Arnold. Instead, I picked California Caverns, primarily because the guided tour was "mostly level." Other closeby expeditions were shorter, but involved over 200 steps and might have been a problem with a 5-year-old in tow.

In retrospect, I might have reconsidered if I'd realized how carsick my nephew Aidan gets -- and these roads are carsick roads for anyone! I'm happy to be back in my old motorcycle stomping grounds (classics like Avery-Sheepranch Road and Fullen Road), but in the back seat of a minivan, these can't be any fun.

But we made it to California Caverns, and had some time before our noon tour to take some photos.

Everyone had to wear a helmet. Thankfully, Aidan took it upon himself to mind Katrina and help her through some of the trickier hiking, steps and tunnels in the cavern.

I took a lot of photos in the caves, but only the stationary ones came out. I've been to other caverns that are more spectacular and colorful, but this one is so interesting historically, in that gold miners discovered it and then used it for things like church services and weddings. The miners damaged pretty much every area they touched, but there was one room that was discovered as recently as 1960 and is completely preserved ("The Jungle Room").

Unlike our hike along the fantastic Big Trees, there was no whining or complaining on this tour. Gabriel was probably the most enthusiastic, whereas he'd been the biggest complainer on the Big Trees path, and had objected the most to going out today.

We're so in the swing of things now that we've decided to stay an extra day, and our kind landlady happily agreed!

We'd essentially lost a day because my sister's flight was cancelled (can you believe that?!) and they didn't arrive on their rescheduled flight until well into the evening. This forced us into a delayed, traffic-choked drive eastward, a hurried Denny's dinner, and then a long painful search for our rental house in the dark, instead of an easy, clear, daylight drive with plenty of time to get oriented and re-acquainted (thanks a lot, American Airlines).

Turns out, my initial instinct of 5 days was about right, but we lost a day with the airline snafu. So after our landlady kindly confirmed another day, we were all jumping for joy to have another final day together in the magical mountains!

I can't get over the views, the fragrance of the woods, how things shift so quickly according to altitude here. The Caverns we went to were at under 2000 feet, and not only was the vegetation much different, but it was much hotter and just seemed so different. I'm not sure which I love better -- 2000 ft. near Sheepranch or 4000ft here in Arnold (where it snows) -- but it sure is a terrific dilemma to have!

7/2/12

7/1/12 The Festival

Our 3rd day in Arnold, and we're finally getting the hang of things! Inertia is high, so motivating the whole crew to go do something fabulous around here is tough, but that's fine. There's so much just plain old hanging to catch up on.

This morning, the girl cousins spent a long time sketching trees and chatting together outside behind our rented cabin.

Meantime, two of the boys hunted some imaginary foes with Nerf guns, while the 3rd boy hid.

Julian is having a grand time with his cousins, able to indulge and be led into all sorts of imaginative play that just doesn't exist in the logical Doudna household. At least, none beyond a 5-year-old girl level.

But every parent knows that kids need to get out, away from the house, a change of context, no matter how much fun they're having at home. It happens that a small local art festival was taking place in "downtown Arnold" (that's an oxymoron), which we rounded the troops up to attend. After fulfilling a promise for souvenirs (they all picked polished rocks and crystals at the festival), and for a gooey sweet kids-drink, we lucked upon a local carnival-type entertainer at the festival. Juggling, magic, unicycle-riding, comedy, that sort of thing. What better for a bunch of kids (and two moms) !!

When the entertainer called for a volunteer, Cousin Aidan eagerly put himself out there, and helped the carnival guy with a 5-ball juggling trick that included catching one of the balls in a hat.

It wasn't easy, but Aidan succeeded and got a big round of applause! (And also he was awarded the first audience donation into the same hat.)

After festivaling, the kids were hankering for a swim. The area we're staying in has two man-made lakes with beaches (very hard to find), and that are unusually warm for Sierra Nevada lakes. Arnold is at about 4000 feet -- above snow line, but bodies of water will be warmer than those around Lake Tahoe. We tried one of the lakes that's close to the cabin we're staying in, and this was perfect. Very pretty, with a nice safe sandy beach, and a dock to swim to, for those so inclined and able.

I went for a short run while Aunt Stephanie minded the kids in the lake, and I marvelled at how lovely this area is. I can't get over the scent of the redwoods and the forest and the fresh earthy air. It's warm enough that we keep many windows open, and every morning the crisp woodsy scent wafts into my room and lures me out of bed just to join the outdoors. The tall trees in the mountains are so cathartic, even spiritual, but in a very tangible, palpable way.

We're finally well into the groove of things here, we have a good routine going and are in tune with the energy swings of five children. These will be family bonding memories we'll cherish all our lives! I already am.

7/1/12

6/30/12 For Bonne Maman

The five cousins are happily ensconced in Arnold, CA!

At the last minute, I threw together some knitting needles, yarn and scissors, because Katrina said she wanted to learn to knit. Well, she's in good company -- her grandmother is a terrific knitter, her mother knit for many years, and best of all, her aunt has her own yarn-craft business and is a talented, creative designer!

So Aunt Stephanie taught Katrina to knit, and Katrina was VERY excited about this. She talks about it nonstop and claims that's all she wants to do.

And whaddya know, one day later, she's doing just great at it. She can actually knit now (not purl yet though), including the tough first one or two stitches in a row. She can't recover from loops or cast on or off yet, but she can knit basic rows herself and is doing great!!

This exercise has gotten cousin Remi and brother Gabriel finger-knitting too, though no photos unfortunately.

Today the whole crew went to Big Trees State Park, where we walked around the North Grove trail. Fantastic, amazing, massive trees. There was some tiredness, whining and of course the requisite fighting along the way, but overall everyone found this to be a magical place. Being among the giant sequoias, less than 5 miles from where we're staying....indeed, magical.

Lots more has happened that deserve more blog time, but this will have to do. I got away with these photos under the guise of "Bonne Maman and Papa Paul are waiting for these!" -- so they must be posted!

6/30/12

6/27/12 End of swim lessons

Two more swim lessons this week! And that's it!!

Just Julian and Katrina took lessons this time; Gabriel has (barely) satisfied me that he's safe in the deep end. Actually, Julian's even safer because he likes to play there -- but he likes lessons and is learning flip-turns, so I figured I'd keep him going.

The real holdup -- the real key I should say -- is Katrina. And she's doing great -- far better than I expected at this stage. She's happily jumping into water over her head and swimming back to the side, for instance.

And while I'm not confident her side-breathing would hold up in an emergency, this is how it starts. She's (basically) swimming!!!!!

We ended swim lessons yesterday, just because of time and upcoming vacation. I wish I'd known years ago that this is the way to go for swim lessons: an intense round of private lessons early on in the summer, for about 2 weeks, and then give the kids a way to practice. THAT will solidify water comfort and safety, if not style :).

Meantime, I'm SUPER DUPER busy planning and preparing food for our annual cousin visit, starting TOMORROW!!!!! We'll pick up the Engels at SFO at 11am, then drive straight to Arnold for a rental cabin and 5 days of summer mountain fun.

My sister was kind enough to take on the massive hassle and time-sink and faith-in-the-world reducing experience of continental air travel, so it's the least I can do to present a reasonable food selection. I'm having a great time planning a totally over-the-top menu!

It's driving me crazy, but anyone who knows me knows that this is my sweet spot! I work better under pressure. I'm bound to forget something, but overall, every entree is prepared, sauces made, meat marinaded, hors d'oeuvres planned.

We will most certainly have too much food for our 5 days in paradise (also known as sleepy Arnold, CA, smack-dab in the middle of Gold Country in CA's Sierra foothills, one of my truly favorite places in the world) -- but too much is better than too little. And of course, resources have evolved since the Gold Rush -- there are always markets nearby if I forget some or other ingredient.

After my sister told me that my picky 7yo niece thinks I'm a good cook, I have a VERY high standard to live up to! I must impress...and raise the bar every year!

6/27/12