One of "those" days

I had my camera.  We were on time, maybe even a little early.  We were excited and had talked about today since signing up.  I was planning on having fun pictures of smiling kids, new experiences and new beginnings.

But, there will be no pictures.  Alas, dreams don't always lead to reality, and boy was today a bummer of reality!

Kindergarten Orientation.

Yep.  Let's all get our laughs out now.  Hmmm, I even just laughed a bit.  Maybe that means that the frustration of today is lessening with the passing of a few hours.  Let me fill in the spaces to our adventure.


Kindergarten Orientation!  Yahoo!!  D was so excited!!  We stopped by the school, picked up papers to fill and return, talked about G being at the school at that very moment (!), and shared how great it would be to go to a "big" school (D's words).

A day later the papers were filled out and we again went to the school and returned papers, signed up for August assessment, shared excitement at being able to ride the bus around the parking lot during the Kindergarten Orientation and noticed fun things about the school office.

While I have had some concerns about D starting Kindergarten this year as his birthday is just two weeks before the cut-off and he would be one of the "young ones" in his grade, I had rectified that he was doing well in preschool, learning numbers, letters and even beginning to read words himself when we read from The Book of Mormon before bed.  He is physically big, and he plays well with other kids.  We were moving ahead with Kindergarten!

We really were excited about going to the orientation today.  We got ready to go without any hint of what was to come...until we approached the front doors to the school.  D gets pretty nervous in front of people.  He can be easily embarrassed.  Our friends at church have seen this as he has been asked to share scriptures or short talks in primary only to refuse at the last minute, crumbling into his chair as he would begin to cry.  That started to happen as he saw people inside the building.  He stopped walking and held onto a decorative fence right outside the door.  He said he didn't want to go inside with his glasses.  It's been less than a week since he's been wearing glasses, but this was the first time that he really showed that he was embarassed since the very first time he wore them.  After trying to talk with him and realizing that he was not going to budge, I decided it was more important to get him into the school at that moment than having him wear his glasses.  We decided he could let me hold his glasses until he was feeling a bit more comfortable, then he would put them on.  We walked inside.  Did I mention that I had J with me too?  Hmmm, just checking.

After getting inside, we followed the other parents and kids into the library where chairs were set up.  After a short introduction, all the new kindergarteners were invited to go line up with the two Kindergarten teachers so they could go to the rooms and play, explore, draw and have a snack.  My smile quickly became forced as D instantly started his little crying.  This progressed as I tried to encourage him to go stand in line with other boys that he already knew.  Didn't work.  He began to meltdown as he was now laying on his chair refusing to go with the other kids.  I suggested that I walk with him to the classroom which just brought on louder protests.  Sensing something amiss, J decided to become a bit belligerent--with more volume.  All of a sudden our wonderful trip to the school turned into a nightmare--for both D and me! 

It was obvious that D wasn't going to change his mind.  I have seen this before.  There wasn't much I could do.  While on the inside I wanted to give him a bit of a smack and tell him to get it together, I realized I was only left with calmly trying to follow the information that was being presented to the parents.  It's not fun having kids struggle with life.  I wanted D to be brave and see the fruit of pressing forward.  I wanted him to have fun exploring the classroom that would be his in a few months.  Truly, I wanted to feel like a "good parent" that had well-adjusted kids instead of the parent that the other moms and dads were sneaking  glances at while feeling grateful they weren't in that position. 

Oh well, I've never had "perfect kids" or been the parent that would ever be set up as a model example of perfect parenting.  I don't think it exists in the real world--other than Mary Poppins.  Realizing that there was not much I could do but try to make the best of what was left of our adventure, we headed down to the Kindergarten rooms once the parents were excused from our meeting.  For some reason, it wasn't a big deal now and D enjoyed exploring the two different rooms.  Once we returned home, D appologized and said "I just got a little scared".  What could I do?  I haven't yet figured out how I can help him overcome this type of fear, but we'll work on it.  I did call my mom and relayed our experience with her because I knew she would see the humor in it and I needed someone to lighten my mood a bit.  She did just that.  Thanks mom.

I guess we'll see what comes next.  D does a great job in preschool and I believe he will overcome this hiccup too.  Always something to keep us guessing.  Nothing like being a parent to keep you humble and on your toes.  Can't help but love these little ones though.

D's seeing things as they are!!

We got the call a few days ago, but because D had a stomach bug again (!) we weren't able to go until today.  The call?  His glasses were in and ready to be picked up!

Yahoo!  We were so excited!

D was so good at listening to directions as his glasses were being fit to him.  Then he got to try them on...

He wasn't sure about it all at first. 

Then he thought they were cool.

Then, he refused to wear them and broke down crying.

The Big Guy Lowe picked him up and gave him big loves and they talked quietly together for a bit.

The next thing I knew, D was asking to wear his glasses.  I was curious to learn what had inspired the change.  The Big Guy Lowe had a slight grin on his face that let me know there would be an explanation, but the most important thing was D wearing his glasses and getting used to them.

When we got out to the car, I found out we would be going to another store so D could pick out a toy.  Today was a day to celebrate!!!  It's not every day that you get glasses!!  The other boys were pretty bummed that they weren't getting glasses today.  That might have helped D feel better too.

StarWars Legos have never **looked** so good!

 Grammy and Grandpa thought D looked "so cool" in his glasses.  We needed to stop by and show them because we were so close to their home and wanted to show them.  That was a good call.  All the boys were able to play outside.  All the time the boys were playing D was wearing his glasses.  Change isn't easy, but seeing clearly is worth it!!

Love you D!  Your glasses are great!

Growing up

Every day at 3:10pm you will find me just a short distance from our house waiting for G to get off the bus. 

Well, we are growing up and things are changing a bit.  Our oldest has made a request that he be allowed to walk home on his own.  Hmmmmm.

I know the distance between the bus stop and our home is miniscule.

I know the neighbors on the way know us and could and would offer assistance if it was ever needed.

I know the bus driver knows our routine and wouldn't let G off if she was at all concerned.

So why does it make me nervous??

Like I said, we're growing up...and that includes me...I guess.

Here he comes!!

Home.  Whew! 

Baby steps.  Mommy needs baby steps!

Sunshine, Soap and Suds

First carwash of the season!  Bring on Summer!!

(okay, so I know we will most likely have another few months of cold rain and clouds but I just couldn't help it!!)

Just a weekend trip

What a weekend!

Earlier in the week we didn't have plans, but when The Big Guy Lowe shared that a client had passed away and his wife was having a memorial service on Saturday, we started making plans...and somehow those plans needed to get us to Cle Elem, WA by 1:00pm on Saturday.

While I had no idea where Cle Elem was located, The Big Guy Lowe knew it was a few hours away--about 4 or 5 hours away.  We decided to make a fun family weekend trip.  Friday afternoon we headed up to Bellevue, WA where we chose a hotel that had an indoor pool.  The drive was pretty painless and the boys were all super excited about swimming that evening.  After our pool adventures ended around 9pm, we went back to our adjoining rooms and watched "Gnomeo and Juliet".

I had no desire to watch this movie before that evening, but it was the only on-demand movie that we thought might be "family-friendly" enough for us to all watch.  It turned out to be cute and the boys were all very excited.  Bedtime was obviously very late that night, but we planned things that way.   :)

While the two older boys slept just fine, J wasn't very happy about the sleeping arrangements.  Thinking that I would lay down with him for just a few minutes, I watched most numbers go by on the digital clock that night.  J woke up, tried rolling off the bed, lost pillow-pets, and anything else you might think might stop a 3-year-old from getting sleep.  All I'll say is it was a long night, but somehow I was feeling okay in the morning.  After a good breakfast, The Big Guy Lowe took the two older boys swimming and J and I started getting things ready to leave. 

Our first stop was The Seattle Temple!  It was SO close to our hotel!!  We were so excited!!

**Disclaimer**  Knowing that we are from the Pacific Northwest, our children are not used to the sun, especially this early in the year.  This will be observed in the following pictures...Sigh.  

There were beautiful paths throughout the grounds that we loved walking through. 

Caution, sun in sight... 

 

Back to the car.  Beautiful morning! 

Then we headed back on I-90 East.  Who would have known how excited I was to see a sign that said Snoqualmie Falls!  I've always wanted to go there, but thought the falls were way out in the middle of the state!  The Big Guy Lowe saw my excitement and turned off immediately, deciding we would make this an added adventure to our trip.

What a beautiful area!!  We loved it!! (This is a stock photo I found online).

Back in the 90s, there was a show called "Twin Peaks" that I watched.  Much of it was filmed in Snoqualmie and North Bend, Washington.   More on this later.  ;)

We loved the falls...

 

enjoyed the spray we felt and then headed back across the foot bridge to our car.

We then continued east until we reached Cle Elem.  We were grateful for the time we took to make it to the memorial service.  The Big Guy Lowe doesn't just take care of people's finances, but he helps provide comfort and assurance that things will be okay...especially in life experience that cause great pain.  It made my heart swell with love when I saw The Big Guy Lowe's client recognize him in the crowded room and then give him the biggest hug--holding it just long enough to know how she felt for her financial advisor.  He is such a good guy.  I love him dearly and feel such gratitude when others recognize how wonderful he is too.

The memorial service was very nice and included a time when people could just share their memories.  The boys did a pretty good job of being quiet when needed, but they were ready to leave when things were over.  We walked around outside for a bit before getting back in the car.

As we drove west, we all felt like it had been a good trip so far.  Feeling a big hungry, we decided to stop in North Bend, WA to get something to eat for dinner.  As we drove into town, we couldn't help buy stop at this diner!  This was Norma's RR cafe from "Twin Peaks" back in the 90s.

 After a fire in 2005, it was rebuilt and became Tweeds Cafe, but they still use "Twin Peaks" as a claim to fame. 

 

Great food...even the cherry pie was good.  Special Agent Cooper would be proud.  ;)

In the back of the restaurant there was a wall of memorabilia from the show.

Who knew there were "Twin Peaks" trading cards??

Fun detour down memory lane from our originally planned trip, but now it was time to head home.  We had about three hours of driving to do.  While we had a fun trip, we were all pretty tired.

Unfortunately, when it comes to road trips our boys NEVER sleep in the car!  You can imagine our surprise when we noticed how quiet things were and looked back to see this...

One...

Two... 

Three! 

We love our family.  What a great friday-saturday adventure!

"Eye" spy...

A few weeks ago I had the two younger boys into the doctor for well-checkups.  Other than the horrific experience had by all when immunizations were administered (oh grief!) the appointments went pretty well.  As a 4-year-old, D had his first eye exam.  I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary as D is able to see just fine...or so I thought.

When the exam began, D was able to see perfectly out of both eyes.  Then he covered his right eye, and again, he was able to see everything just fine.  Then he covered his left eye.  It was surprising to both the nurse and myself as D began to stumble on the first line.  It became pretty obvious that he was trying to guess at what he was seeing.  Later, when I asked what was happeneing, he said that he was embarrassed that he couldn't see, so he tried guessing.  I reassured him that he was just fine and that we would be able to go to an eye doctor to get his eyes checked.  When I called, the next available appointment was three weeks out.  D was a bit disappointed he would have to wait so long, but wait we did.

The day of the appointment finally came.  D was excited as we had talked about what the doctor would do to check his eyes.  We also did our best to share that he might even get glasses like his daddy.  He seemed pretty optimistic about it all.

D did great at his appointment!  He followed directions and listened carefully.  First they checked depth perception.  Cool glasses!

Then we waited a bit.  Look at that big 4-year old!! 

Next, they checked each of his eyes by putting a patch over one eye, then the other.  The doctor called it the pirate game. 

Even when D had to have his eyes dilated, something that I've never experienced, he followed directions.  The drops that cause the eyes to dilate sting for the first few minutes, but D was brave and blinked his eyes ten times as the doctor suggested.  By the time he said ten, the sting had gone away.

D did a great job at the eye doctor.  We will be getting glasses for D this next week as his right eye has a prominent astigmatism.  We're so glad we caught this early so it won't get in the way of his learning in school.  While we have been very positive about this, G was so concerned when he first found out D would need glasses.  He began to cry because he was afraid other kids would tease him.  I'm grateful for his tender heart.  We'll post pictures of the glasses once we have them.

Time...to relax...

Things have been especially busy around the Lowe house these days. 

Between the hundreds of hours The Big Guy Lowe put towards the planning and following through of The Life of Christ event (which was truly wonderful!!) and the added hours he's needed to fill with work and increased traveling to CA, not to mention all the activities that are part of our daily lives, we have been ready for some sort of reprieve.  Just time to sit and relax.  Doesn't that sound simply wonderful??  I thought so too.

Flash back to January.  The Big Guy Lowe was invited to a conference for those in his profession.  In order to be invited, you had to be doing very well.  We were thrilled and humbled when an invitation was extended.  As The Big Guy Lowe explained to me what we would be doing and where we would be, all I could think was "Why wouldn't we want to go?!"  One week later it looked like we wouldn't be able to attend as I had a severely burned arm with a lengthly recovery ahead of me.  Gratefully, the new skin on my arm had healed to the point that my doctors said a week in the sun (with sunblock) would be wonderful!  Whew!

Again, Grammy HB was a life-saver as she provided the loving care to our three boys.  We are so grateful mom, and love the memories our boys have of the "vacations" they get to share with you!!  Thank you!!  With the boys under her watchful wing, we were able to head out to Naples, FL.

May 2nd, we headed to the airport at an early hour--4 AM!  Thanks dad for taking us!!  With Stake Conference being the weekend before and The Big Guy Lowe being in CA part of the previous week, our trip kind of crept up on us!  Before we knew it we were on the plane headed east.

After traveling all day, we made it to FL and met up with some wonderful people that we were able to enjoy the week with!  To begin the wonderful-ness--we were staying at the Ritz Carlton.

Very nice is all I have to say.  Take a look at what we were going to have to deal with the next week.

It was going to be rough!!

We started our stay by taking a walk out on the beach.  We were immediately amazed by the number of shells strewn throughout the beach!

There was a beautiful sand sculpture too!

When we were unpacking in our room, we found a little "kipper" that made it into our luggage.  ;)  We decided to take him with us as we explored a few places.  :)

Here's our room, with kipper.

Kipper had a bit too much sun, so opted to stay under the blue umbrella for some time.

A turtle that lives in the trees just up from the ocean made his way out to the water and back.  Kipper was there to see. 

Another sand sculpture was admired by our feline friend. 

While the "cat" might have liked the sand, our favorite view was right out in front.  The water was actually warmer than the water in Hawaii--that includes all of the seasons we have been there.  It also had a greater salt content.  Nothing we couldn't deal with.  Oh it was wonderful!

The Big Guy Lowe had meetings in the morning, and I was free to do what I pleased.  One day that included a class on flower arranging.  This was my final product.

Another morning I sat and read in the most wonderful space.  Sigh...

After the morning meetings, The Big Guy Lowe and I would head out to the beach.  It was wonderful!  So relaxing sitting on the beach and then running into the surf and playing for a few hours until we were tired enough that we wanted to sit and dry off a bit--only to run into the water again.

See that little flag on the pole?  In case we needed some refreshments while we were lounging.  NICE!

We enjoyed reading on the beach too.  I was reading President Hinckley's biography Go Forward With Faith, and The Big Guy Lowe was reading President Monson's biography To The Rescue.  So wonderful being inspired by the lives of modern-day prophets.

In the evenings we would dress for dinner.  Some nights heading out to nice restaurants, other nights attending conference events.  This is where we ate one night--great steaks!

One morning we headed into the Everglades for an "Eco-tour".

This is what we saw...

 

We followed another boat the entire time.

The wildlife we saw was a bit staged.  The drivers hit some milk-type jugs that were filled with stale marshmallows against the mangrove trees...and racoons came a-runnin! 

Unfortuantely our lense was dirty from the trip, but The Big Guy Lowe was able to hold a baby alligator. 

Yep, I did too! 

On our way back to Naples, we stopped at a nature preserve.  We actually saw some wild alligators here. 

 

Look back through the trees...

he was probably about seven feet long. 

While we had a nice time, we were happy to get back to the beach! 

Later that night, the awards dinner was held at a private exotic animal preserve.  Amazing dancers, musicians and fire-breathers entertained.

 

 

 

And we were able to enjoy a few animal-friends too!

Here's Tyson, a FL panther. 

Can't remember the name of this beautiful giraffe. 

 

When dinner was served, this is what our table looked like.  Each table was different and each was beautiful.

Our last day we drove up to Sanibel Island for the morning.  Such beautiful shells!

We also ate at an interesting place, that had pretty good food.  We even tried alligator.  How about that?

Tastes like chicken...chewy chicken.  :)

We had a wonderful time, but amid it all, we missed our boys.  Cell phones have made being away from our boys a bit more tolerable.

The morning we were to leave, this is what we saw on the tarmac.

We were looking forward to being home on Mother's day by 11:00AM.  Unfortunately, a gas line leak derailed that plan.  We did end up getting home by midnight that night after an adventurous day.  The bright point of it all was getting to know Rod and Julie.  I still laugh a bit when I think about the adventures we shared.  We will definitely look forward to seeing them again in the fall.  But nothing could make me happier than seeing this as we drove up that night.

It says "Welcome Home" and "Happy Mother's Day Mommy".

While it's always nice to take a break, it's always better to get back home.  :)