Country living

Another day of authentic country living in Arkansas.  Leo was envious of the trucker hat I had acquired yesterday at Walmart so we went and picked him up one today.  Nothing screams Arkansas like some camouflage and an American flag.  

Here he is gathering some sticks.  

 They placed them in the fire pit for later.

 We had some quality time on the swing.

 It started to rain so Serafina tried to catch some drops on her tongue.

All day long the kids ask if it is time to take the dogs for the walk, unintentionally torturing the dogs with the word "walk".  But it's too hot to go out with them until the evening, so they do it after dinner. . 

Once we returned from the walk, my dad came out to the back deck.  You may be wondering what's on his head.  Well that's a ratty old cowboy hat with a bee keepers net attached to it to protect him from mosquitos.  It's quite a look.

 The sticks were set ablaze.

 And then we took s'mores to the next level.

 Gooey toasted marshmallow sandwiched in a limited edition Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Oreo Cookie is pretty much heaven on earth.  I highly recommend it.

Happy Birthday to Us

 Yesterday, the kids and I got up and out of the house at 5:15am.  Tom was kind enough to take us to the airport where we boarded a plane to come to Arkansas.  The plane stopped in Burbank, CA and Phoenix, AZ before making it to Little Rock, but we weren't allowed to get off the plane.  The kids were amazing during the flight and even the flight attendants commented on how well they did through it all.  We then had to drive about three hours from Little Rock to the booming metropolis of Mena. The kids napped for part of it and we got here tired but just fine.

Today is both my dad and my birthday.  He turned 80, which is kind of a big deal.

I started the day off right with a trip to Walmart.  Gotta go to Walmart when you're in Arkansas; it's the birthplace of Walmart after all.

Only Serafina went with me.  

 We scored some Frozen toys, which are impossible to find in California.

 When we got home, Leo was riding in the golf cart with Grandma Sharon and the dogs.

Then he got a chance to take the wheel.  

After lunch, they did some swimming.  

 Of course, Serafina had her swim cap.   She won't leave home without it.

 Big jump!

 The pool is just deep enough that neither kid can touch the bottom, but they both are good swimmers and didn't have a problem with it.

After dinner, the kids and Grandma Sharon took the dogs for a walk.  Then it was time for some presents and pie.

 I made a simple cream cheese and whipped cream strawberry pie that I've made before.

 Serafina wasn't too sure she was going to like it.

 We got Ito to come to the table and we sung happy birthday.

 We gave him a picture that my friend April took of the kids in a frame that the kids decorated for him.

 The pie turned out yummy, but both kids rejected it.  I had bought some mini ice cream cones from Walmart in anticipation of that.

 After pie, Ito wanted to see Leo bat.  I warned him that Leo is a very consistent hitter and almost always made contact with the ball.

 I pitched the first ball and Leo nailed it right into Ito's leg.  Despite this, Ito decided to pitch to Leo.  This resulted in Ito getting pegged twice more with the ball.

 He was still brave enough to let Leo pitch to him, which had mixed results.

After this, Leo ended up turning into a mushy pile of crying misery.  He was just over tired from long travel yesterday and lots of activity today.  My dad told him "Why are you crying?  I should be the one crying; I got hit by the ball three times."  That didn't really help.

I put them to bed shortly just a little while later and they fell right asleep.  Country living is exhausting, but they are having fun.

Happy Father's Day

Tom got home last night and got in some good cuddling time before the kids went to bed.  

 We had a relaxing day, but Tom did some work and gave Leo a haircut.

Here's a picture of my dad from our visit to the Giants game last summer.  He didn't like the music that played between the innings so he covered his ears.  

Grandma Ruthie

There are times when it is very easy to write this blog and there are times that feel impossibly hard.  I wish all I did was report on the latest field trip or baseball game, but there is more to life than the fun times.  There are really, really difficult times too.  But I can't pretend they don't happen and that this family isn't experiencing them.  This blog is supposed to document what happens in our lives and right now our life is full of sadness.  

On Tuesday, May 27th, Tom came home early from work to tell me the crushing news that his mother had died.  My heart felt ripped from my chest and my stomach lurched.  I loved Ruth and will miss her dearly, but the pain I felt was for Tom and Mike.  They already lost their dad way too soon and this seemed so impossibly unfair.  Ruth became acutely ill and before any of us knew she was sick, she died.  The past two weeks Tom has been taking care of Ruth's affairs and both he and Mike flew to New York on Monday to clear out her apartment.  Yesterday they held a wake and today there was a Mass and burial.  She's been laid to rest in the same plot as her mother who died just six months ago.  

We have been in such shock that the sadness hasn't had a chance to take over, but compiling these pictures brought the heartbreak to the surface.  And so as I type this through my tears, I'll share a little of Ruth with you.  It's so devastating to think I won't see her again, that the kids won't know her as they grow up and that Tom and Mike are essentially orphans now.  

I'm not sure the story with this picture, but Tom found it in her apartment and sent it to me.  She looks so lovely and happy.  

 Here she is (on the right) looking beautiful again with her sister Marie.

This is at our wedding.  I love this picture so much because both Tom and Ruth look very happy.  

 With sleeping Leo on her first visit as a grandma.  I was recovering from surgery and she was extremely helpful.

During this visit we went on a nature hike and she accidentally picked up a slug thinking it was a leaf.  It was disgusting and hilarious, and we loved to tell the story over and over.

During this visit I was fresh off of oral surgery.  I was so miserable and Ruth totally didn't care that I was cranky and, again, just pitched in and enjoyed her time with the kids.

Last summer we stayed with her during our big east coast trip.  Our visit was short but she loved being with the grandkids like always.  

Last November she came out for Thanksgiving with Mike.  On her last day in town we took her to the coast.  It was freezing and we were all slipping on the rocks, but she was a good sport about it all.

This is the last time the kids and I saw her.  I still can't believe it.

Last Dance Class

Serafina had her last dance class today.  Her teacher was awesome and I hope she has her again, but I'm not sure what the schedule will be for next year.  

Beach Day

It was the official first day of summer vacation.  We didn't get a chance to sleep in but we did kick it off right with a fun outing.  We headed down to Santa Cruz to play at the beach.  Even though I lived in Santa Cruz for four years, I forgot just how cold and grey it can be.  The tempeture in Sunnyvale was in the low 90s when we left and but there was a 30 degree drop once we got to the beach.  I wrapped myself in a towel and the kids didn't care.  

Serafina was a little timid at first.  

 She warmed up to the experience pretty quick even though the weather didn't warm up.

When I lived in Santa Cruz, I didn't know this place existed.  Now we never go to Santa Cruz without stopping by Marianne's Ice Cream shop.

 They have a large selection of flavors and everything we've tried has been delicious.

 It was freezing in the shop though so we moved to the back of my car.