Irene Is Coming! Everyone get into the Dryer!!!!

Couldn't find the twins for a minute this morning while I was running around packing/preparing our little apartment for the storm...until I heard giggling coming from the dryer :)

Okay, A wasn't really IN the dryer...she was the one sitting just outside laughing while I tried to figure out where M was...and then he popped out and I laughed...so she got in for the photo opportunity...

A dryer and Grandm'as blue blankies...what more do you need to prepare for a hurricane???

I am sitting at a desk in Charlottesville, VA while the children are absolutely entranced by the large images on the flat screen TV.  Pretty soon, we will head out to the pool in front here while we wait for Daddy to arrive. Yup, Irene is coming and she kicked us out of our house (not to mention she has wreaked havoc on my grand "Let's All Get Back To Normal After a Month of Traveling All Around Like Gypsies Before School Starts Again" plan...no offense to any actual Gypsies who may read this...I am sure you are much more relaxed and prepared than I am when you are traveling...and you probably don't shout as much...I was very shouty and angry this morning as I struggled to pack the van and bring everything that was outside inside and unplug all appliances and all that business while it was all hot and muggy and the children were running around, attempting to pack all their toys in the food bags and randomly putting on their rain gear and just generally creating a big, huge mess before the hurricane arrived to create its own mess...whew!  I digress)...

This is what happens when you marry a superhero...he has to go off and save the world and then you have to pack the car and the kids up all by yourself as someone tries to smuggle even more toys into the car and your daughter starts shouting about how she desperately needs 2 things to properly evacuate: 1. Fuzzy Pink Panda Footed Pajamas that are waaay too hot to sleep in for at least 2 more months and, 2. A Pink Leotard with Attached Tutu.  Who knows when you may have to dance awkwardly while pushing your booty out into an ungainly squat???  Who knows if that is what it'll take to wrangle a room reservation out of the overbooked hotel staff 3 hours away from the main hurricane impact zone?  No, I'm being funny...F's work reserved a block of rooms for us so we didn't have to worry about that.

I will tell you that we did receive a mandatory evacuation order from the Army on our post.  Apparently, the beach is not an ideal place to live during hurricane season.  We are expecting the storm to pass about 25 miles from our home...and we live in an apartment that leaks and loses power during mild rain storms.  We shall see how it fares during this storm.  Should be an exciting homecoming, to say the least.  I think we are mainly worried about flooding...not sure how our post fared two years ago when the Nor'easter hit.  We were somewhere else and that place flooded so badly that F had to borrow the heavy duty pick-up truck from work to get there and back to our house.  Our van couldn't make it.  The kids and I watched the water creep up the street at high tide...I remember it was up to the hubcaps in the street.  Interesting times, no doubt.  I really don't get all worked up about storms...I was ignoring this one really until yesterday afternoon when F said he had to have the planes fly out.  And then I knew we'd have to go out with them.  I wasn't too worried because I think our media outlets are always hyping things up to an insane degree...which makes them the Boy Who Cried Wolf most of the time and then makes skeptics like me ignore them when they may have a point.  It doesn't matter...F's degree of concern is a pretty good barometer to go by...if he says he is concerned, I know I better start moving...
So anyway...we are safe in a hotel room with lots of peanut butter and crackers and fruit...there is definitely something comforting about being in a room full of food with a storm coming...Charlottesville is a pretty cute little town!  I even have a friend nearby that I used to hang out with in Vermont!  Yaay!  Friends and food and the husband on the way!  So fret not about us...we are safe and well...and totally zombie-fied by the TV!  I'll give you an update later on how well our house fares...cross your fingers for us!
PS It's only dangerous being in the dryer if someone turns it ON while you are in there.  And I didn't do that to poor little M who was all concerned about the storm and said once he was strapped into the car: "Mama? There's a hurricane coming?  Let's go somewhere safe, okay, Mom?"  Guess this was a bad week to read the National Geographic For Kids book about Storms and Hurricanes, huh?

They are watching a show on a big flat-screen TV...totally happy to be in a hotel...

M's face cracks me up...

The Tooth Fairy Came (Twice!)...plus some life lessons...

He finally lost it!  That tooth has been loose for a long time and Daddy was all upset and worried that it would fall out in Oregon (and that he wouldn't see it happen), but it hung in there (stop rolling your eyes!  I am FUNNY!)!!!  He is a little cautious about opening his mouth so I can photograph it...

M had to get in on the action: "See my teef, Mama?"  There peanut butter or something on his face...

We had an interesting week:  First tooth lost (read: first time the Tooth Fairy came to our house), Earthquake (the twins were sleeping, so they didn't notice...L was building with blocks on the living room floor...he didn't notice, either.  I could definitely feel the house shaking and I grew up in Japan with the Earthquake Drills in the Earthquake Truck with its fake Japanese Living Room set up on a flat bed that shook all around, so I knew what was happening.  It lasted for like 15 seconds...and umm...shook people up!  Ha ha!  Okay, you can roll your eyes, I am really NOT funny), and now, we are preparing (others are preparing, I'm just sitting here typing this blog post, which will NOT be of use in the event that Hurricane Irene hits hard) for the Hurricane.  Exciting!  Despite the uncertain weather, I thought I'd write a short little blurb to tell you what I learned from all the Traveling of '11:
1.  It's important to face your fears. This is true if you are a 31 year old woman who breaks out in an anxious sweat and hives whenever you envision yourself trapped flying in an airplane across the Continental United States with an almost-1st grader and 3 year old twins in order that they might meet their 90-something year old Great-Grandmother for the first time.  It is also true if you are a 5 year old who changes his mind after we've already bought $5 tickets to watch the "Dance With Dolphins" feature in that movie theater that resembles a space shuttle that moves slightly up and down to make you really feel like you are dancing with small cetaceans as you watch it and your mean mother makes you sit down anyway even though you are shouting, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!  GET ME OUT OF HERE! I DON'T LIKE THIS! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE DOLPHINS AT ALL!!!" and sobbing hysterically as the hatch comes down while your mom grits her teeth and yanks you backward into the space shuttle, motioning frantically to the movie attendant to get the movie started already for God's sake!  Things are usually not as bad as you think they will be.  Or else they will be as bad as you think it will be and then an angel from Heaven will come down and volunteer to fly with you across the country with your little hooligans on her way to a family reunion in CA for no reason, other than the kindness of her very big heart (She's actually from Buffalo, NY which nobody will ever mistake for Heaven.).  And even if they are as bad as you think they are, they will end eventually.  As Grandma says, "Nothing lasts forever.  This too shall pass."
2.  It's important to be prepared.  Even when you think you are in a new phase and you don't need the wipes and/or pull-ups anymore because nobody has crapped in his pants for like 4 days.  It's good to be confident, but don't go overboard.  If you do, you are likely to find yourself dragging a 3 year old back through the first floor of Macy's as chunks of poop fall out of his shorts while you try to locate the Women's Bathroom (and you will have forgotten the wipes at Grandma's house because you were sure you put them in the back and didn't double check and PS...why did they put the Men's bathroom close to the parking garage entrance, but then put the Women's bathroom close to the entrance to the mall?????  Just to drive me crazy????).  You could get so discouraged by the colossal mess in his pants that you simply wad them up and throw them in the wastebasket after which  you strip him naked and stand him in the sink as you beg some innocent lady to kindly pass you paper towels ("Don't look over here!  You don't want to see this!" you'll shout, taking care to thank her profusely) so you can use them in tandem with the soap in the dispenser to wash him clean (yes, the poop went into the sink which I could not disinfect...sorry about that Portland Macy's shoppers...it couldn't be helped)....so yeah, just make sure you are like my friend, Jen (she's like the Boy Scout of Moms: Be Prepared!  She always has an extra pair of clothes for everyone, crayons, wipes, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, snacks, band-aids, pain meds, etc...I should just stalk her and then I wouldn't have these problems...that's what I did for the two years she lived here...and then she left me, sob!)...
3.  Be Present.  I discovered that the kids are a lot better behaved when I give at least one portion of the day completely over to them and focus on playing with them instead of trying to fold origami vultures while I am checking my email and fielding calls from the dentist/my husband/and my best-o friend-o.  Be present, pay attention.  I think this is why the vacation was so painless.  I was just with them, playing with them, and chatting with my Grandma and my kick-ass Aunt R.  (This was facilitated by Aunt R who did almost all the cooking while I was there.  Oh, and all the grocery shopping.  What I need in life is Aunt R.  Everyone does.  Even people who don't know her.  Trust me on this one.  Only you can't have my Aunt, we'd have to clone her and I'd give the clones out on Christmas to all of you people...).  The real lesson here is that I need to kidnap my Great-Aunt.
4.  Stickers make everything better.  Band-Aids will do the trick in a pinch.  If that doesn't work:  TV is a magical box that makes whining go away!  Yaay for modernity!
5.  It is always worth the hassle to go out of your way for those you love.  You will never regret it.  I was so glad to make the trip across the country to see my family...I am glad I finally had the courage to do it!  After seeing a dear friend struggle with cancer and lose that battle over the last year, I really, really, really believe that life is uncertain and beautiful.  You have to take (and sometimes make) the beauty where you can.  Okay, so since I chose to write this instead of put the kids down for a nap, I have to pick up all the coins they dumped out of a piggy bank and clean the shit out of M's drawers (seriously, yesterday he peed on the floor beside the damn toilet!  Why?  Why would it not occur to him to do it in the toilet that was right beside him????  Aaargggghhh!)...much love to you all!
PS: L said "I love that movie!  It wasn't scary at all!" with his cheeks still wet from tears after that dolphin movie.  Conquering fears while not wasting money on an over-priced 5 minute movie?  That's my idea of a good time...or else a productive time, at least!!!

Transcontinental Kids...Part Two...

On our last day in Oregon, we headed to the  Oregon Zoo with my friends  from high school and their two awesome boys.  Here, M is going through a tunnel with his new peregrine falcon that emits a horrible shrieking noise....I bought two (I couldn't properly hear them in the Zoo Store) because L found them and you know how he is about falcons.  Peregrine falcons.  We'd never seen a stuffed one, so I couldn't turn it down.  Here's hoping the batteries will die soon.

A chose this frightening freakish looking toy...and I can't figure out if it is supposed to be a lemur or a fox...thoughts???

L and A on the wooden horse....L is covering his ears so he doesn't have to hear the grunting pig.  Apparently, that is an unbearably frightening noise...

M riding his horse...

A and the bunny...she wanted to bring it home...

We were just in time for their Wild Birds of Prey show ...which was totally awesome...we saw a  Golden Eagle (they are common in Oregon, but L had been dying to see one ever since we watched that documentary about them a few weeks ago)

 

They trained this rat to change the scoreboard during the show...

The Red-Tailed Hawk...

Beautiful...L amazes me...he knew what this was just by looking at it...and knew that the bird before it was an American Kestrel...

A giving a dollar to the turkey vulture to feed into the donation box...

L is unafraid...

okay, maybe a little afraid ...

So the trip back was mostly uneventful.  Mostly thanks to our Super-hero friend who'd returned from CA to fly back with us two days earlier.  For the first time in our lives, L opted to sit next to someone else...Miss L is a big hit around our house.  I think L will grow up to prefer dark haired girls because of Miss Brook and our friend, L.  This time we were well equipped with sandwiches, yogurt, raisins, chips, pretzels, sticker books, crayons, etc.  And a DVD player that worked in a laptop my dad gave me!  It really saved my bacon on the second half of the trip, the leg from Denver to Dulles.  A was nearly asleep when M insisted on sharing a pretzel with her, thereby effectively punching her in the face.  So...no naps again for the twins.  I had to pop in Dora/Diego until we were landing at Dulles.  Which is when L promptly fell asleep.  Of course.  The next day, we made it back home uneventfully...and now I hope to stay home for at least six months!

Transcontinental Kids...Part One...

 Our trip to OR started with a drive from here to Dulles.  Where we stayed over at a good friend's house so that she could get up at 4 am to drive us to the airport (lucky her!)....

Taking off for Oregon!  I misjudged the layover in Denver (there is  none) and didn't pack us lunch.  So we ate some snacks I brought and the nice flight attendants kept giving us Plane Crackers (which were shaped like, you guessed it, planes...cracked L up)...

Not sure what he's doing, but he's cute, so I took a picture...

That afternoon, in Portland...no naps...hanging out in the park by Grandma's house...A makes a new friend.  We don't have a dog so the kids were deathly afraid of them.  Can't blame them...they are kinda big if you are only 30 lbs yourself...they kept jumping out of Nyla's way (Nyla, Aunt Rosie's doggie who is possibly the sweetest dog to ever live)...A feels like hot stuff because she's got the leash...

Later on, we went to Blue Lake Park with my parents.  L  negotiates the log bridge.  It was super fun.  And chilly if you are used to living under a hot, wet blanket of humidity in the East.  I didn't bring pants because I thought (and you'd think I would know better) 80 degrees in OR would be the same as 80 degrees in VA.  Nope.

Rocking out on the giant xylophone in the park.  Oregon is an awesome place for kids.

Playing in the public water park...wary of those buckets that fill up slowly and dump out on your heads...A is the blue girl...

He doesn't walk much...

Brrr!!!!  We need towels!

Sassy lady in the park with Bailey the bunny and sparkly shoes....

My parents gave him this shirt...L quickly said, "If that shirt is for M, it should say, 'Just do it...in the potty!'"  Good point.

He's got serious business to attend to...

Sweet Aunt R with her namesake and her puppy...

Pioneer Square...where we are far from everything :)

A giving a passionate speech about why the color pink is the best color in the world...

Then we rode the Pink Bus all over Portland with Grandma and Grandpa...Grandpa and L sat in front so they learned stuff.   Grandma, the twins, and I sat in the back where we learned how to distract the twins so they didn't try to jump off the moving bus (Goldfish seemed to do the trick)...

Riding public transportation to OMSI...M was pretty thrilled...

Do you see this lovely girl?  She is a SUPER HERO!  She VOLUNTEERED to fly across the nation with me on her way to a family reunion in CA so that she could help me out.  Volunteered!  Seriously, I would have cried and chugged whiskey without her.

M learning about nano-particles of color and how they make butterflies seem to change color as they fly.  Okay, I totally lied.  He didn't learn anything...but he also didn't break the lever on the display, so I think we were still ahead...

This is what Heaven looks like for L...if only it had whales and some peregrine falcons swooping around...but it was pretty close anyway...a model of the docks in Portland complete with gantry cranes, ships, and trucks!!!

Closer look...

M in a boat...I have to say I was a little disappointed in OMSI this time.  I thought it was much, much bigger the last time I was there.  Of course, the last time I was there I was like, 9, so I guess perhaps my perception is to blame...

We had to check out the Blueback, the only Diesel/Electric Submarine left in America....it was down on the  dock near  the Science Museum...

The boys are ready for the tour...

M at the helm...he actually didn't touch any of the  levers or buttons...nobody did...can you believe it?

Up periscope!  We decided we did not enjoy the "Dive! Dive! Dive!" alarm at all..

Who says girls can't steer the submarine?  Not  this one!

M checking for enemies on the surface...

Maine/Vermont Part 2...

Auntie L and Uncle J came to visit us at the Boston  Aquarium (where I almost did a  3 hour whale watch with  3 kids because I wanted L to see whales so badly...but then thought better of it...namely, I realized it would end up with someone throwing me off the boat or me jumping voluntarily)

They were all trying to touch this sting ray...

African penguins!  And a life-size whale shark model floating  in the air...it was a pretty awesome place for some future marine biolgists :)

M got this $20 sea turtle that he named "Turtley"

Happiness in the cafe with our new  Penguiny (thanks, Uncle J!)...all this excitement led to:

this...they slept til I got back to Maine...

Thank goodness for Grandma's blue blankies!

The next day, we went to Fun Town with Grampy and Dawn.  It is an amusement park where they rode the  Merry-Go-Round...

"Ride like the wind, Bullseye!"

"Yeehaw!"

Speeding along in little boats...

If M ever tells you about the time he rode a sparkly Jeep, this is what he is referring to...

"I see you, Mama!"  M hanging out in the cousins' tree fort in the backyard...

Then we headed to Martone's Deli in Essex Junction, near our old house in Vermont.  L eating a pound of ham...

"Is Daddy here?"

Sassy!

And I drove by reaaaallll slow, like a stalker and took pictures, but I had to see it again!  The house that F (re)built.  They are already selling it after only having it for less than a year!