Another year older....

From a tiny (okay who are we kidding, she was never tiny at 8 pounds 12 ounces) baby to a tall, self assured, opinionated miniature of her mother. She keeps us on our toes, tires us with her endless dialogue (no really, it's constant from the moment she awakens to the moment her eyes shut at night), cracks us up with her funny little jokes

Knock, knock Mommy,
Who's there Savannah?
Apple.
Apple who?
Apple, strawberry head, hahahahaha, isn't that funny mommy?

We are blessed to have a little girl when we really didn't think that it would happen. From her birthplace of Japan, to sunny Florida, she brightens our days just by being alive. Happy birthday to my bubbly, full of life, 5 year old girl!

The Challenge

Today I woke up and the morning turned into one of THOSE days. I felt like I was living last night's episode of Parenthood, except instead of locking my tantrum throwing child into their room, I had him trapped in the bathroom. I had insisted he brush his teeth to go to school, and he threw up his own challenge, to be mouthy, throw a fit, and tell me how much he hates school and that he isn't going. Well absolutely nothing gets to me like hearing one of my kids tell me they aren't going to school. I'm not sure why, maybe because I view it as my time to get as much done as possible, while trying to do something "me" centered, or maybe because I know he really does like school. At first I tried the calm parent approach.....Jack, I know you like school, is something bothering you? As he dumped toothpaste all over his shirt and the sink, I sighed, seeing the calmness make a U-turn and depart the scene. I told him I'd rather he just brush his teeth and comb his hair so he could get dressed, we were at our time already to leave and it looked like it was going to be a while until we actually left. At this point I probably would have been wise to go and get a bottle of wine and mull it over out in the hall, but no, I had to press my point of brushing teeth. Maybe if the child hadn't had so many cavities already, or didn't just have 2 teeth pulled due to a horrible abscess in his mouth I would have just let it slide....but Mr. Cavity needed to brush and so the line was drawn in the sand. A terrible meltdown ensued, on both our parts, and the wine would have been better, it would have at least kept my mouth closed and maybe given me a sense of calm. Finally, I had to drag, yes drag the child to his room to get dressed. Savannah has now missed her circle time, and we are really pressing our luck to get Jack to school on time at all. I literally have to undress and redress this 8 year old boy, sometimes it just seems to be easier. Finally I get to what I hope is the root of the problem....a boy is trying to be friends with Jack at school but is hanging all over him and he is getting mostly annoyed. I ask him if he wants me to email the teacher, he says yes, I do and magically the storm is over. We have both yelled, he has cried, punched the floor, his bed and gave me a once over which earned him an equally evil glare meaning "don't even try it buster if you want your butt attached to your body anymore!" I hugged this headstrong child and we all got into the car for school. He happily dashed out of the car and ran off to his class where hopefully the horror of being trapped in the bathroom with his mother is but a distant memory. For me it's fresh and raw and brings tears to my eyes, it makes me so sad when we have these starts. I don't feel like a good mother at all, not like the ever patient mom of Max in the show, or Sydney's mom who just sat outside her door listening to all the insults thrown her way, quietly downing a bottle of wine in her despair. Nope, I'm the mom who insists we don't wear our pj's to school, we must brush our teeth and at least tame our hair....well there are days we can let that slide. I sure do love that kid, for all his up's and down's he can bring me to tears of joy and sorrow, and do both in a matter of minutes. He is so unique though and I'm just glad he's mine, although I will sell him to the highest bidder on certain days!

My Kind of Girl!

That's my girl! She's the one who is knocking your girl over, and stealing the ball from another. She has the concept of how to turn that ball and how to block out another player, even at 4 years old. She gets mad when the other team scores and even pushes her own players out of the way to get to the ball. I love that girl! I remember another little blond girl, many moons ago who loved to play the game, running over other little girls, smelling the fresh cut grass and playing in rain, torrential downpours, fog and even snow. I love watching her enthusiasm for the game and for scoring a goal. These are the best days around and I'm honored to be witness to the beginning of a new love, that of soccer!

Glacier National Park

One day of vacation we made the trek from the folks house, left the dock and drinks to take on hiking and wildlife. It was a fantastic day and so worth braving the winding mountain roads with a car filled to the brim with wild children and the adults who were dying to get out of the enclosed space containing said children. We started off with a much needed caffeine break in the town of Apgar and let the kids visit the Wildlife Discovery Center. Here they got to see pelts, hold animal skulls and guess weights on animals and skulls alike. After that we were ready for an early lunch at the Lake McDonald Lodge. The lobby is huge and they have these wonderful red buses that transport guests throughout the park. After lunch we let the kids run by the lake and taught them how to skip stones. This is a lifeskill that every child should at least learn how to do just so that their Dad can show them up at every occasion. Yes, Jaesen, I'm talking about you! After that we braved those winding mountain roads to get to the top of Logan Pass where we went on a hike through the snow, and yes there was a lot of it. You wouldn't think that kids who have winter every year would be so excited, but snow is a novelty in August, and many a snowball was thrown. Mom and Bruce hiked a bit with us and then let the Yerger 5 head further on. I can't even describe the surprise on the kids faces (and ours) when as we were walking, or tromping, through the snow and a mountain goat walked across our path. The kids were literally shouting with excitement. Poor Savannah had trouble with the snow and kept falling down so Jaesen scooped her up and put her on his back, our own version of a pack mule. It was a 3 mile round trip hike, and fairly difficult with the snow, we all fell at one point or another, and we finally made it to the lookout for Hidden Lake which still had ice in it. As we were standing there taking in the majestic views and sheer beauty of this place, two mountain goats took it upon themselves to wander down the sightseeing path. We were rooted to the spot, not sure what to do. Would the goats attack, charge, eat one of the kids, chew off our shoelaces, making it that much more difficult to make the hike back? No, they could have cared less about us, they just wanted to climb rocks and meander on through. We finally decided, due to the huge storm clouds moving rapidly our way, that it was time to make our departure. We took many pictures on the way back down and even saw a baby mountain goat, and Jack's favorite, the chipmunk or ground squirrel. I don't know how many pictures I have of those creatures, he wanted to remember them all I guess. In the parking lot, after everyone used the bathroom, we were startled by the appearance of a bighorn sheep which started meandering through the rows of cars. With his big horns I was more worried about him charging a car and doing some damage, but in the end Jaesen got great pics of him and we chalked up another wild animal sighting. We started our drive back down and although we were pressed for time it was decided (okay by me, which later I might have regretted) to do the Cedar Walk. It is a fairly quick hike through a cedar forest on an elevated boardwalk. At the time we finished it was just after 6 p.m. and we had about a 1.5 hour drive to get to dinner on the way home. For those of you who have kids with ADHD and must remain on a schedule, you know that tweaking dinner to two hours late can be a hideous prospect. And so it was. Jaesen had a migraine which was causing horrible nausea. Translation-not in a good mood. Seven people in a car. Translation-way too crowded. Jack with no food and medicine worn off. Translation-one and a half hours of nonstop us telling him to stop whatever it was he was doing repetitively. By the time we got to dinner, after listening to the all the kids ask for the hundredth time, when are we getting there, I'm starving, I was ready to strangle them all, or myself, I wasn't sure which would be better. Fortunately, I got wine which put me at ease, Jack got two loaves of bread and a salad while waiting for dinner, which did him wonders, and Jaesen's headache finally started to go away, although he couldn't eat anything. All in all it was a great day of hiking and sightseeing in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Lake McDonald Lodge buses.

Jaesen skipping rocks

Boys walking through the snow

Jack and a mountain goat


boys at another hidden lake

the bighorn sheep

The cedar forest

Summer is Over....

And with the rush of school, new pencils, crayons and notebooks, we note the passing of summer into fall. This is a difficult concept when it's still beautiful outside and feels like summer. This year Tristan makes the passage into middle school which means a much earlier wake up call, 6:15. He has to leave between 7 and 7:15 to get to school on time so we are all having to adjust to life with an alarm clock blaring each morning. Meanwhile Jack doesn't even have to get up until 7:45 if he chooses since school starts at 9, but Savannah needs to be to her class by 8:45 so she can have circle time to get her day going. The scheduling is a bit of a nightmare, but next year she will be going with Jack, off to kindergarten and out of daycare! I'm am looking forward to that extra bit of money each month. So summer flew by, with visits to the zoo, Children's Museum, a lot of pool time, fishing with Dad, the library and our trip to Montana. We packed a lot in to a short time which is why the season just passed by so quickly. A quick recap of some our activities
Jack's birthday at the Stormchasers game: Getting to throw out the first pitch!


The 4th of July



Grandma Rudolph's 89th Birthday



Kids Triathlon



My Triathlon



So now we can dream about what we want to do for next summer, after all it's only 9 months away....and time is just flying!

Arbor Day in June

And I still learn something new every day....did you know that Arbor Day officially began in Nebraska City, NE? I had no idea. Over one million trees were planted that first year, a pretty amazing feat for one guy with an idea. They have a farm here with tree houses, forest trails, and plenty of cool stuff for the kids. Plus they sell pie. I love pie so this place has to be wonderful just for the fact that they sell pie. Tristan got a slice of cranapple pie, it was so great and immediately I felt like I was transported to the fall, even though it was a smoking 93 degrees outside. We love the outdoors and all it offers, but I suppose it is always a good idea to be reminded of the importance of nature and all that it does for us, humanity. All in all it was a wonderful day. On our transit to the Arbor Day Tree Adventure though we were witness to the power of Mother Nature and the flooding of the Mighty Missouri River which has broken it's barriers and flooded massive amounts of farmland and towns all up and down this region. At one point, the road we were driving on was sandbagged so that passage would be possible. We even saw several houses that were islands in a newly formed lake, even though the river is supposed to be several miles from that point. A reminder that nature is more powerful than us at times.

And Let the Summer Begin....

The dog days are upon us, and I am so excited for this summer. Last summer was tough, moving across country, getting settled in and all the house problems we barely had time to enjoy the calm that summer can bring. This year I plan on enjoying it to the max with the kids. We had last soccer games, lots of fishing already, karate and we have even ventured to the pool once. Tristan is off on his wonderful 10 day Lewis & Clark trip and has driven a truck and a tractor, ridden horses, eaten in spaceship restaurants, and watched calves get castrated (that last one he was not as excited about!). The weather has turned warm and the kids are into their water balloons, chalk and enjoying not having to get up for school. Secretly I am too, I love not having an agenda each day and being able to go do what we want. So bring on summer, the grill, firepits and smores and the pool!

Time....

It seems like it's trickling by and I am unable to slow it down. With so many things happening in my own life, school seems to encompass the majority of my time, I am having trouble to sit and watch my kids and to appreciate them on a daily basis. It doesn't seem like 4 years has passed since Jack made funny faces whenever the camera would point to him, today he tests for yellow belt in karate. It's something that he really wanted to do and opted to forgo soccer for. He has excelled, something which Jaesen and I had questioned due to his ADHD. Although we have always known his potential, even we were pleasantly surprised by how well he has taken to the repetition of this sport.
Tristan, little Mr. Serious, and it's hard to believe he is off to middle school next year (here he will attend a magnet school where it starts at 5th grade). This year he tackled the violin, along with soccer and was finally placed in gifted and talented for math and reading. His imagination stills run rampant, from Harry Potter to Star Wars, he is still just a little guy in a body that is slowly growing. He used to have his imaginary playmates, "the boys", that rode everywhere with us and hung out with him until Jack was big enough to join in the fun. The kid who could navigate through Tokyo station with the best Japanese businessman or climb Mt. Fuji to the top. His nonstop monologues on whatever interests him at the moment can be taxing on a person, but the amount of knowledge in that great big head of his is enormous, and he so wants to share it with everyone.

And then there is Bean, little miss Savannah. How can it be that over four years has passed since her birth? Is time really passing that quickly? I look at her and now she is not a toddler, or a baby, but a strong minded little girl. She can ice skate, battle the other girls in soccer and kick their butts (making her mother oh so proud!), wield a lightsaber with the brothers and write her name. It was just yesterday that the midwife surprised us by saying, it's a girl, when we thought Charlie was going to be born. Just a moment ago when her funny faces could make us all laugh, she waited to walk until her Daddy came home from Iraq, almost like she knew that he needed to be a part of that moment. It's like trying to hold sand in your hands in the ocean, the surge of the surf keeps dragging the sand away, time is moving on no matter how hard I try to slow it down. The best I can do is capture the moments one at a time and enjoy them in the moment.

My Grocery Bills are Through the Roof!

I know you may say, well naturally you have three growing kids, a husband, two dogs and a cat, of course you will have high grocery bills. But now I am scouring the health food shelves looking for organic this and that, whole wheat and natural products, products without high fructose corn syrup and all those added, evil yellow and red dyes. No I haven't become a granola. But I have become the mother of a child with ADHD. I used to think that is was a convenient excuse for parents who wouldn't control their children and think evil things of them in my own head. And then one day I was that other parent. The parent of a non toddler who threw an absolute temper tantrum in the grocery store. Other people would stare and whisper while I tried to cajole, calm and eventually drag out a very strong 5 or 6 year old. We of course then didn't believe we should ever medicate our child, again another excuse for over medication. Sadly, after 2 years of trying different diets, punishments and many cases of wine, we realized our family was breaking and we needed help. At this point I begged on my knees for a doctor to find a medicine for our little guy (after all the blood work and such came back that he was perfectly healthy, other than this one little thing). After taking the medicine for 8 days we woke up to a child who could control himself during the 10-12 hours that the medicine works for him. Not a zombie, not altered, but a wonderful, spirited child that we knew we had but who was hiding within that horrible problem of his brain not firing on all it's pistons at all times. It's hard to be this parent. There are days I literally want to throw that child against the wall with his comments and frustrating behavior (and no I don't act on those impulses, although some days are harder than others). And then there are the days that he shines and makes us laugh and I feel horrible that we waited so long to get him help. These are the dilemmas of being a parent, nobody knows what it will be like for you, what cards you will be dealt, you just get them and have to plow on through and be the best you can. Some days that happens, and some days it doesn't and you feel like crap as you crawl into bed at night. But tomorrow is another day, another roller coaster in this crazy world of "life", and as long as I can keep my mantra that this too shall pass I know that I can get through it. So for now I scour for foods that will help him when the medicine won't, no fun cereals that contain all that sugar and dye, I have to up his protein, and try and keep him away from chocolate milk. Fortunately he loves fruits, vegetables, salmon and organic cereals or I would be in huge trouble! Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the organic section of my supermarket are my new favorite places to be as I scan the labels for magnesium, zinc and calcium, just in case you are looking for me.

A Winter Wonderland

Well the kids finally got what they had been hoping for, SNOW!!!! It even gave them two days off of school while the streets got all cleared off. So hot cocoa, snow pants, mittens and sleds were items of the day. For me, I had three hours of shoveling snow so that I could get my car into the driveway from work, and to get Jaesen out of the driveway for work. Because even though the kids have snow days, we still have work. At any rate, it was a lot of fun, we snowboarded, went sledding, drank hot chocolate, had lots of movies and games, built snow forts and dried endless mittens, hats and boots in front of the fireplace. I love winter!