Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Never Grow Up!


The baby of the family turned five years old this week.  Miles John Isbell has brought so much fun and adventure into our family.  Carter is very serious and by the book.  Miles is always thinking outside the lines and shows much compassion towards others.  

Every year I ask the kids if they want a party or a "trip".  Last year we went to San Francisco for Miles's birthday.  This year, he wanted a Peter Pan birthday.  That one came out of nowhere.  I thought for sure it was a first.  After a quick glance through Pinterest.  .  .  Nope.  Totally, a typical party.  Not one to completely stick to the norm, I partnered with another mom whose son's birthday falls on the same weekend and we committed to throwing a joint birthday party.  I predict that it will be the new fad.  Two birthdays on one afternoon.  Two moms working together.  One party on two budgets.  Between texting and Pinterest we hit a homerun.  The kids were all invited to "Neverland".  My mother in law made Peter Pan hats, I amazoned some Pixie wings, and a party was born.  




Every kid from Eileen's, grandparents, and some other family friends all joined together for an afternoon in Neverland.  Kids made pixie dust, visited Smee's Tattoo Parlor, walked the Plank, bounced around in Lost Boys' Camp, hit the pinata at Skull Rock, and enjoyed some hot dogs.  The two birthday boys had the afternoon of their lives, and the party was wrapped up at 1pm sharp because we had to jet to the 2nd performance of Carter's Talent Show.  

On Miles's actual birthday he requested a corndog for dinner from Dotty's.  We randomly met up with a few families at dinner and had a great evening.  His birthday interview reflects his birthday requests:

What is your name?  Miles John Isbell
What is your favorite color?  Green and Blue
What do you want to be when you grow up?  A policeman, a miner, and a fireman, I mean and a knight.
Who is your best friend? Savi.  My brother and Mary (dog) too.
What is your favorite food?  Basghetti and Mac and Cheese (exactly the same as last year.  .  . ) without salad.  
What is your favorite thing to do?  Sleep when I'm tired.  Play baseball and play my iPad.
Who is your favorite animal?  A lion.
What is one thing you don't like?  Salad or lettuce.  
What can you do now that you are five years old?  Hoping he can ride in his booster seat.  I'm excited to go to Kindergarten and Carter told me that Mr. Merrihew is very funny.
What was your favorite part of your birthday? My pinata.
Where do you like to go to eat?  Dotty's and eat a corndog there.

Last but not least, I'd like to leave you with a video from Carter's talent show production.  He got a guitar from Christmas and first started playing in January.  Thanks to his Papa, dad, buddies Wyatt and Finn, and some tips from Youtube sensation Marty Schwartz, he rocked it!

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Snow and Sun

There's something about the start of a spring that finds you switching from ski boots to bikinis.  Or, in the case of Carter snowboard boots to board shorts, and in the case of Miles.  .  . ski boots to a "speedo".  The month of March found us on Mountain Ashland every Friday with our school.  The bonus is that you get to ride with your buddies.  The downside is that mom doesn't get to have a beer with lunch.  My mom joined us for each day up there and we had a blast.







I remember the first time that I felt really "independent".  I drove a pickup truck on my 16th birthday all by myself.  New, open, alone.  I LOVED it!  I think Carter got a similar taste on the mountain.  He and his first grade buddies independently loaded and unloaded the lifts.  By the last day, he took run after run and basically just checked in with me.  The only reason Miles couldn't follow suit is because he's a wee bit short to ride independently.

From the snow to the sand we went.  Luckily, the Easter bunny brought the boys some spiffy new shades, sunblock, and rashguards. Easter was spent with the Isbells and my mom came down.  The boys even got up early and went to sunrise service with me.

The day after Easter we jetted off to Cabo San Lucas for six days in the waves.  The kids learned a lot of important Espanol.  Gracias, Por Favor, Cervesa, Mas Cervesa, Si, and Taco.  That one came quick. We spent time together as a family in the waves, on the beach, in the pool, and at every meal.  It was so blissful to just .  .  .  BE.  Uncle Robert and Russell, along with their worker Luis joined us for a few meals, long drives, a nice afternoon in Todos Santos, and a beautiful cacti filled sunset.

Upon arriving in the US, as much as we wanted to embrace the spirit of our Mexican vacation, it seems we jumped right into the business of life.  T-ball, Farm League, school, and work.  The mountain snow is melting and the rivers are rising.  At least, both boys have shades, rashguards, and maybe a speedo or two.