Separation Anxiety

If any of you have talked to me lately, you already know our little family has a giant case of separation anxiety.

I don't remember the girls ever having it this bad, but Tyson just freaks out whenever I leave him anywhere (he is starting to get a little better when I leave him with Daddy). Here are a few exaples: 1) My friend Kim watches him when I take Kya and Adrienn to swimming lessons and everytime we get anywhere near her house he starts screaming and crying. Then when we get in the door he holds onto me so tight, I can barely peel him off. 2) Nursery at church is quite the ordeal. Whenever I walk anywhere near it, once again the crying begins. Even if I stay in there and hold him the entire time, he wil not play with toys or stop crying. 3) Every Friday moring I drop Kya and Tyson off at daycare at the gym for two hours so I can work out. Kya absolutely loves it and runs in with no problem. Tyson, on the other hand, grips onto me so tight that you would think he thought I was never coming back--but maybe that is exactly what he does think :(

The thing about Tyson is that although he screams and cries and doesn't want me to leave, he has a great time once I am gone. Everyone who has ever looked after him says that he is so sweet and happy 2 minutes after I leave. So what to do??

Tyson isn't the only one with separation anxiety these days. Ever since Jordan has started back to school, whenever I want to go anywhere without her she says "But Mom, I never get to see you anymore" or "We never have any time together" or "I don't get to see you for 6 hours when I'm at school". It breaks my heart. I found this note and picture on my pillow last night when I got home from the gym (Mike said Jordan cried the entire time I was gone):

Between Jordan and Tyson (Kya is usually really good about me leaving her--but once in a while her chin will quiver a little), I feel so guilty going anywhere. I know it must be traumatic for the kids when I leave, but it really is traumatic for me too. I just don't know what to do. Should I stay home all the time?? Am I being a bad mom?? Do I leave them too much?? Boy, is sure is hard being a mom--but great too. What an emotional roller coaster.

Ward Campout

Mike and I always say "we should go camping", but it seems like the only time we ever go is when the "ward" campout rolls around. So every August we head out to Pioneer Park in San Juan Bautista and camp with a bunch of our friends from church. Here's a little about the fun we had:

Mike--Well I really don't know how much fun Mike had. He had the job of putting up the tent. When we arrived at the campsite, we realized that one of our tent poles was broken. Mike managed to get it all set up, but not without frustration. He did get to play volleyball (although not quite the level of play he is used to) and horseshoes with the guys--when he wasn't chasing Tyson around.

Anita--I had a good time, despite one of the most frustrating meal times of my life (the BBQ consisted of tri-tip steak, and although steak is a favorite amongst adult, the kids were expecting hamburgers and hot dogs). I spent most of my time chasing Tyson around. It was nice to be outdoors and with friends though. I loved the campfire and, of course, the smores!!

Jordan--Jordan said her favorite part about camping was that she was allowed to just run around with her friends wherever she wanted. She had fun swinging on the rope swings, climbing on the swing set, catching lizards, making smores, and just hanging out with her friends.

Kya--Kya LOVED the tent. She loved to play in it and cried when we had to take it down. She also love swinging really high on the rope swings and convinced all her little friends to take turns while Mom pushed them so high. She also loved tagging along with Jordan while they explored the campground (although she did get left behind a time or two, which shd did NOT like). She also loved eating smores and hanging out with her friends.

Tyson--Well within seconds of ariving at Pioneer Park, Tyson was lost. I swear seconds after I took him out of his carseat, I looked around and he was gone. A few seconds later we spotted him all the way down the hill playing with the sprinklers on the grass. He spent most of his time sliding on the surprisingly fast slide, playing tether ball (more like getting in the way when all the bigger kids tried to play), playing basketball with Daddy, and just running around and getting into mischief.

All in all, we had a great time. And, of course, next year we'll go again!

My Naughty Boy

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=2187662671729686400&hl=en

I had no idea being a parent could be so difficult. Today I came to the realization that it is not the fact that I have three kids, but the fact that I have just one REALLY NAUGHTY kid!! Any guesses which one it is??? Yeah, I'm sure you guessed it--Tyson.

So, what makes Tyson such a bad little boy? Here is a list of the few things he likes to do:

-run away from Mom and Dad (or just wander off)
-play in the toilet
-scream, arch his back, and have a complete meltdown EVERY time he needs to get in his carseat (and with all the running around we have to do now that school has started this happens at least 4 times a day)
-unload all the cupboards and drawers over and over and over...
-be held by Mommy at all times (unless Mom wants to hold him)
-run into the pool during Kya's swimming lessons
-struggles to get out of whatever he is buckled into (stroller, cart, carseat) and this struggling also involves a lot of screaming and throwing things
-takes off his pants and diaper and runs around naked
-refuses to cooperate when Mom tries to change his diaper
-insists on Mom coming with him everywhere he wants to go
-says "no, no, no!" whenever the girls are watching something he doesn't want to watch
-screams and cries EVERY time Mom has to leave
-arches his back when you try to pick him up when he doesn't want you to
-gets in and out of the bathtub the entire time I am trying to give him a bath
-turns on the hose and makes mud every time he goes outside
-tries to catch and pinch the bees that land on the flowers in our front garden (it's only a matter of time before he gets bitten--I am sure)

Oh my gosh, this list could go on forever!!! Really Tyson just wants to do everything he is NOT allowed to do and he doesn't want to do anything I need him to do. It is quite a frustrating life--for Mom and for Tyson. I am starting to see those looks from other people that say "can't you take care of your kid?". All I can say to them and the rest of you is ; this is new to me (my girls were such angels at this age-right?) and I am doing the best that I can--seriously.

I know Tyson is sweet too. The majority of time I do look at him and wonder if there could ever be a cuter little boy. His grin makes me melt, which makes it hard to be mad at the little guy. Just today when he was refusing to take a nap, I went upstairs and found him in his crib with his diaper off and he refused to let me lay him down. He stood at the end of the crib with such a silly expression on his cute little face that I almost let him get out of bed. What am I going to do with that boy?

A Symbol of Everlasting Love??

How superstitious am I? I thought it was a bad omen when my wedding bouquet tumbled to the floor in a million pieces, but if that was a bad omen, what about my new news--Mike lost his wedding ring in China!!

So yeah, picture this: I was so excited to see Mike after his week-long trip to China and one of the first things he said to me was "I have really bad news". Okay, I was thinking his new bussiness crashed or he picked up some strange desease or something, but his next words were "I lost my wedding ring". Good thing he freaked me out by saying he had bad news or I would have been really mad. I didn't really get too upset, especially since Mike spent so much time and effort trying to find his ring after he realized it was missing (he went back to the place he lost it, the restaraunt he went afterward, the hotel lobby--he even reviewed the camera footage of his arrival at the hotel to see what taxi had dropped him off, and then called the taxi driver to see if he had found a wedding ring).

I have met quite a few men who are on their second, third, or even fourth ring; but as much as I hate to admit it, there is still something special about that ring you buy when you are dirt poor, deliriously happy, and have no idea what you are getting yourself into. But, on the bright side, after almost eight years I get to go ring shopping for my hubby. I am actually kind of excited to pick out a new ring (Mike asked if he gets an upgrade--um...no). And I am pretty sure if I buy this new ring with as much love as I bought to first one, it can still be a symbol of our "everlasting love".

Tyson's Scrapbook

When was the last time I scrapbooked??? Well actually it was last night, but before then, I swear it has been almost a year. I am not a crazy scrapbooker; I only do each kids' first year, but I am still not finished Tyson's--and he's almost two. With each child, it was my goal to get their book done before I had another baby. Since Tyson is most likely our last baby (so sad), I have no motivation--no deadline. Plus, I have become the LAZIEST scrapbooker ever. Instead of using all my stamps, eyelets, ribbons etc., I find myself using more stickers and die cuts. I guess three kids tend to tire me out. Good thing Tyson is a boy, so I don't think he'll mind much (if he's anything like his dad, he won't mind at all), just as long as it gets done.

Back to School

I don't think I'll ever get used to starting school in August, but whether I'm ready or not, this is the first week of school!

With her favorite uniform skirt and shirt on, Jordan was more than ready for her fist day of school. We walked into her little classroom, met her teacher (Mrs. Glenn), and that was it. I left my little baby at school for a full day of first grade!! When 2:20pm rolled around we picked Jordan up. She was so excited to tell me all her old friends and teachers that she saw, who lost what teeth, who had the same uniforms as who... . It was quite an exciting day.

I must admit, I am at ease knowing that Jordan loves her new class, teacher, and friends at school. We are looking forward to another great year!

Soccer or Ballet???

Lately I have been stressing about decisions I need to make about Jordan's life ex: Should she do soccer or ballet, swimming or gymnastics, piano or singing... . In reality, I know these decisions aren't that important--I mean life goes on either way, but I still stress about them.

Mike and I decided to register Jordan for soccer in the fall. She kind of didn't want to do it (she just wanted to stay in ballet--and Mike always says it was my influence that she was so into ballet in the first place--is that so wrong?!), but we thought she should try lots of different things before she decides what she wants to stick with. So now, as time gets close for soccer to start I am totally nervous. I feel like it is ME starting soccer--and I was never that good at sports. That made me wonder if we were doing the wrong thing. Maybe she won't like it, maybe she'll have real hard time with it; or was I not exeptionally "into" sports becaue I never played them as a kid?

How do you know what decisions to make for your kids? I know when Mike gets home, he will reassure me that we are doing the right thing. Thank goodness I am not doing this alone!! I am such a stress case...good thing my husband is always "as cool as a cucumber."

O Canada!

We just got back from our three week trip to Canada. We had a lot of fun, so here is a quick overview:

The Drive

Sixteen plus hours in a car with a 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and 1-year-old--wasn't as bad as you would think. We bought a DVD system for the Jeep, stocked up on treats and dollar-store toys, and just drove, drove, and then drove some more. The kids were great--real troupers. It was definately better than attempting the whole airplane/airport by myself. I was glad to have Mike with me on the ride home. (The picture is the kids at Burger King, about 1 hour before we got to Canada).

Meeting Janae

One of the hardest things about living so far away from my sisters is that I don't get to meet all my neices and nephews when they are first born. This trip was the first time we got to meet Lisa's newest--luckily she was only 4 months old. Janae is such a sweetie!

Strawberry Picking

Sheri , Dad, and I took the kids to a great strawberry patch! We had fun picking (and eating) a few buckets of delicious berries. The kids did more talking, playing, and smushing berries (and in Tyson's case complaining) than picking, but we had a lot of fun.

Birchwood Dairy

At Birchwood dairy (which is just about 15 min away from my parents house), the kids got to pet a horse, donkey, and goats, sit on a tractor, and eat their very own ice cream. They also got to see all the dairy cows--the baby ones were so cute. We went with Grandpa and the Lambs.

Cultus Lake

The day we went to Cultus Lake was one of the hottest days ever! The water was cool, but it felt great. Tina and Ted brought a cooler of delicious food and we hung out there most of the day. The kids all had a great time swimming, playing in the sand (more like rocks), eating, and running around. We had so much fun that I hardly remember the horrific walk to and from the car in the scorching heat with our 100lbs of stuff and the increadibly painful and swollen bee sting I got on my leg.

The Camp

From the time I was born, until I was seven I lived in White Rock at a little place we called "The Camp". My parents were caretakers of "Camp Kwomais" which was owned by the united church. We decided to go back to our childhood home and look around. It was one of the most nestalgic times in my life. There were many momets when I was seriously choked up. I can't imagine how I would have such strong feelings about a place that I left when I was only 7-years-old. What an amazing childhood I had!

White Rock Beach

Whenever we go home, we HAVE to go to White Rock Beach. The day we went started out a little cool and cloudy, but it didn't take long before it was nice and warm (which caused many of us to get sunburns). The older girls played mostly in the water--swimming as much as possible. Kya, Jill, Holly, and Tyson played mostly in the sand (if you can call it sand--it's more like mud to us Californians). Holly and Tyson were so cute together. Because they are so close to the same age, they like doing most of the same things. They were talking to each other (in some baby language the rest of us couldn't understand, although we saw them both shaking their heads "no" a couple times), filling each other's buckets with rocks, digging sand together--just adorable.

Daddy Joins Us

Two days before it was time to leave Canada, Daddy flew up to join us. He had just been to China on a bussiness trip and brought us all "Chinese Presents". We sure did miss Daddy. We also wished we had more days to spend with him--and that is wasn't raining the whole time he was with us.

Hope you enjoyed just a few highlights from our trip--we did a lot of other fun stuff too, but I can't write about everything. We really had a great time--as we always do. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you. It is good to be home, but I of course already miss everyone back home (I mean my "childhood" home--Mike gets upset when I call Abbotsford "home"). Maybe one day we'll live closer...I can dream can't I?