Spring Break 2015!

The motto of Spring Break 2015 was "Work Hard, Play Hard".  It was ten blissful days of chores, Spring Cleaning, baseball, riding bikes, snowshoeing, Easter Egg dyeing, yard work, playing in the snow, double ear infections, fixing warranty issues on car, movie theaters, shopping, family movie nights, haircuts, organizing, and birthday parties.  More importantly, it was a week to be home and enjoy each other.  A week to appreciate each other and our home.

Of course the week had a few highlights.  Easter was fun, and better than Easter Eggs was the fact it snowed lightly.  The cousins had fun together and memories were made.

I earned another "Mother of the Year Award" towards the end of the week.  I was ambitious about getting out into the snow and enjoying the outdoors.  The boys were pretty whiny all day and rather argumentative.  I pushed onward and ignored their moods.  The Subaru was loaded with snowshoes, a kid carrier, and sleds.  We didn't make it all the way to Hidden Lake, but we did enjoy a breathtaking view about a half mile in.  I was very proud of Carter as he went snowshoeing for the first time and nailed it.  The kids did a few sled runs when we got back to the car.  As soon as we got home, I asked them to paint the fruit trees and I mowed and fertilized all of the lawns.  Again, they were cranky and grumpy, but I pushed them on.

That night both boys complained of their ears.  .  .  The next morning I had to take the Subaru up to Medford to get something replaced and I was able to squeeze them in at our Pediatrician.  Yep.  Both boys, double ear infections.  Oh, AND Miles threw up in the car on the way up.  I was carless, roaming the streets of Medford, with two boys who had been pushed too hard by their mommy, and were sick.  

Like I said, Mother of the Year.

The boys rounded out the week with a birthday party for Miles' four year old friend Clara.  At the party, Clara's dad asked me if I had heard about the "lip-lock" he had witnessed between his daughter and Miles.  No, I had not.  Apparently, upon picking up his daughter he witnessed the two of them kissing.  Eileen had walked to the kitchen for one minute and came back to find the same situation.  I had a long talk with Miles about how we showed our friends we liked them by giving hugs and compliments, and furthermore he wasn't allowed to kiss a girl until he was A: 15 and B: he asked her permission.  Carter was listening intently and chimed in, "Yes, Miles.  Plus, it wasn't polite of you to kiss her because you knew you had a cold".  

Let's not get too judgmental there Carter, shall I remind you of this.  .  .

Following the birthday party we enjoyed an evening out to dinner at the Pub.  While we were sitting and waiting for our food, musicians began arriving and Miles caught the eye of an older gentlemen with a mustache.  Turns out his name was "Cowboy Johnson" and he shared a business card with Miles.  Miles spent the next hour dancing up a storm to the live music and ended the evening waving goodbye and giving thumbs up to Cowboy Johnson.  At least he didn't try to kiss him.

To finish I'll leave you with Mr. Baseball's first hit of the season!

Big Six!

The big brother turned the big six this year!  The night before his birthday he lost a tooth.  The upper front tooth to be exact.  He didn't so much lose it as he grabbed it and his elbow got knocked out, but either way it's a hell of a deal for the kid because it turns out the night before a birthday, the Tooth Fairy shells out the big dough.  $10 to be exact.

Carter invited six friends over to participate in a Jedi Training Camp.  All young Jedis reported for training camp and were given a robe, light saber, and task cards.  

Bradley constructed a black hold in the garage from 2x4s and black plastic, the kids popped StormTrooper balloons with light sabers, practiced their shooting skills with Nerf Guns, dodged lasers, and crossed hot lava to defeat Darth Vader.  We topped it all off with some pizza and cupcakes.  The highlight of the party was Auntie Raylene's Sumo Bumpers.  Next year we may have to hold a sumo wrestler training session.

In keeping in line with tradition, Carter answered his annual interview questions this evening.  Here goes.  

Name:  Carter Bradley Isbell

What is your favorite thing to do?  Build mini legos and play baseball.  

Who is your best friend?  Aidan Stewart

Favorite Color?  Red

Favorite Toy?  My BB gun

Favorite Food?  Corndogs

Favorite Drink?  Chocolate Milk

Perfect Day?  My birthday!

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Airplane Pilot and President

What will you miss about being five?  I will REALLY miss Kindergarten

What are you looking forward to about being six?  Doing more fun stuff like another year of T-ball with my brother, going to first grade

What are you really good at?  Building legos and playing baseball.

What are your chores?  I feed Rocky and the chickens when my dad needs my help.  I help my dad build projects.  I empty my green folder from my backpack and get my snack ready for the next day.  

Favorite thing to watch?  The new Lone Ranger, Indiana Jones, and MacGyver

What is your favorite thing about school?  Recess!  I like greeting everyone in the school with my mom.  

Anything you'd like to add about yourself?  I really like going to Disneyland and CarsLand.  

You've never met a more responsible, kind, smart, creative, and detail oriented kid.  We love you to the moon and back a bajillion times Carter.  

Love the Ones You're With

February was only 28 days long this month, but I swear we packed enough into those four weeks to fill a year.  A day short of Valentine's day Miles and I took off for a weekend in New Mexico with my college roomie and her triplets.  Carter was invited along but he has perfect attendance at school and didn't want to miss a day.  I left behind some V-day treats, ensured the frozen food supply, made sure our Amazon Prime credit card info was up to date, and left the boys to fend for themselves.

Miles and I spent a night in Medford, hopped up out of bed at 5am and jumped aboard two planes.  Greeting us in Albuquerque were Kendra and her three beautiful almost two year olds.  Miles was quite the travel companion and did really well all through our visit.  His worst moments came post gummy worms at a yogurt place, and I don't really think that counts.  I wish I was half the mom Kendra is.  Her patience, easygoing nature, and schedule make for parenting genius.  I got to see her husband Micah for a bit and we were both appreciative of the night on the town he provided us with.  It was genuinely heartwarming to watch our friendship pick up right where it left off.  You know you're pretty well off, when the toughest parts of your mini vacay are pushing triplets in one stroller at 6,000 feet on a run.  One hell of a workout.  We were mommy warriors.  We ran, went to the zoo, an aquarium, botanical garden, outdoor mall (with really bad drivers), an REI garage sale (save yourselves), and even out to brunch AT A RESTAURANT.  Olympic distance triathlons have nothing on that business.

Better than the trip itself was the time spent one on one with Miles.  That kid is an AMAZING traveler.  Not only did he get TWO sets of wings, but he never complained, didn't cry once, and enjoyed free rides on my rolling suitcase.

Valentine's Day was spent without my other two true loves, but I was able to love the ones I was with.  The day after we returned I took both boys on a run and bike ride.  Love this view.  .  .

Love Grows

When Bradley and I got married I struggled with what to engrave on his wedding ring.  My mom helped me come up with the phrase "Love Grows".  Being 20 years old, I basically associated this term with his love of gardening.  Ten years later, it rings true a million fold.  Your love for your partner or your children grows.  In growth we can change, but in essence we grow.  When you get married, you can't imagine loving anyone more than your husband or wife, but then you have a child.  You can't imagine loving anything more, and then you have another child.

Sometimes I tell my boys and Bradley that I love them, but simply saying "I love you", doesn't seem to justify how truly deeply I care about them.  Our love pours over into our pets too.  Last weekend Maggie went to doggie heaven.  We got Maggie when Bradley and I had only been dating a couple of months.  She's seen us through many twists and turns of life and has always shown nothing but undeterred love.  Except when I went on a run and didn't take her.  Then she went to my nightstand, took my glasses, gobbled them up, and spit them into several pieces.  She was an excellent friend and companion to all of us and we truly miss her every day.

This week Carter received three awards at school (Citizen of the Month, 100 days of perfect attendance, and Scholastic Achievement) and was also a part of the homecoming royalty at the high school.  My love for this kid runs deep.  Pride and love.  He does the right thing time and time again.

Miles has felt a bit left out this week, and my love for him grows as I see more and more of his personality.  This week he stepped out of the car at the end of the driveway, took a deep breath, and said, "Mom, it smells like crap!".  "What did you say Miles?"  "You know mom, those things we caught at the ocean?".  "Oh, crab Miles.  You thought it smelled like crab."  "That's what I said mom, crap, it smells like crap".  I don't know if I love more the fact that I totally could assume he would smart off and say what I think he said, or that he so innocently mispronounced the word.  As Carter got dressed up for homecoming, Miles joined in the fun too.

It seems so timely to speak of love during the week we celebrate Saint Valentine.  What could the world accomplish if we all believed that love grows?  Plant the seed, and grow the love.  

A lot can happen in one year. . .

New Year's Day night the family gathered around the laptop and watched a slideshow covering 2014.  While viewing the photos we worked on some of our "top moments" of the year.  I wanted to blog about our "Top Ten", but we couldn't nail it down to just ten.  What a fortunate family we are!  Here's to the experiences, trips, and milestones in 2015!

FAMILY EXPERIENCES AND TRIPS:

• Disneyland
• Crabbing at the coast with friends
• Daddy's 30th fishing trip
• Cousin's Week at Lake Tahoe
• Mommy's two trips to San Fran
• Weekend at Trinity Lake with Friends
• Skiing at Mt. Bachelor
• Running the New York City Marathon
• Mt. Shasta for Mom's Dirty 30 run and friend's wedding
• Hiking into East Boulder

WHAT DID MILES LEARN HOW TO DO?

• Ski
• Ride a bike with training wheels
• Ride a Horse
• Turn a cartwheel and master the bars in acro class

WHAT DID CARTER LEARN HOW TO DO?

• READ!
• Water Ski
• Ride a bike without training wheels
• Hit a ball off without a tee

NEW, NEW, NEW!

• Built a Chicken Coop
• Built an AMAZING treehouse
• Started Kindergarten
• Principal of a school
• Playing soccer as brothers on the same team
• Playing tee-ball
• Emissions Compliant - Roll Off Trucks (Daddy worked 60+ days straight on fires!)

MILESTONES

• Mommy and Daddy left their twenties in the dust
• Carter turned five and miles turned three

Will Ski for Cocoa!

I usually get a little weepy when it's time to take the tree down each year, but when your tree goes up before Thanksgiving the transition is a little easier.  The lights are still up outside, but the only trace of Christmas in the house is my display of cherished holiday cards from friends and family, a bit of a Christmas scented candle, and the five pounds around my middle.

The three weeks of school in December were really wonderful.  Our PTO decorated each classroom door, the hallways were full of holiday student artwork, there were wonderful student concerts, a schoolwide Ugly Sweater Day, an excellent entry in our hometown Christmas parade, and a full staff Christmas Concert.  The true magic of the season could be found within the walls of FJE
and the hearts of every Bulldog.

The weekend before break I entered into the local Ugly Sweater Run and won the women's six mile despite a nasty cold and an upset tummy resulting in not one but three vomit sessions.  The first day of break found us at Miles' Winter Dance recital and the Mt. Shasta Ski Park.  Miles learned how to ski in the morning, and stole the show in the evening.

He then went on for a repeat performance of "Marshmallow World" the next afternoon and followed that up with another day of skiing.  This was all in preparation for our short post-Christmas weekend at Mt. Bachelor.  The kid was an absolute natural.  Ski, hot cocoa, nachos, repeat.

The boys are very blessed and had a wonderful Christmas.  Letters arrived from Santa before Christmas and both boys were very happy to find out that they had made the "nice" list.  That status wavered closer to the 25th and next year I hope that Santa doesn't send out his confirmation letters quite so soon.  None the less, Carter's favorite gifts were Lego sets and Miles' favorite gifts were the Whoopie Cushions which Santa gave to both boys in their stockings.  Mom and Dad's favorite gifts were Carter's ability to put together Lego sets ALL BY HIMSELF, and when not one, but TWO Whoopie Cushions broke before Christmas dinner.

For the first time in my life, I was able to enjoy a simple Christmas Dinner.  All my years growing up, I don't really think I truly appreciated the efforts my parents went to in order to prepare a very nice and fancy Christmas dinner.  Delicious food, nice table setting, all cooked and cleaned up.  Last year I did it at my own home.  The whole shebang.  It was an enormous amount of work and was over within a few minutes.  The memories lost.  I bet NOONE in this family remembers what we ate.  This year, after a splendid Christmas Eve dinner, and weeks of feasting, I decided to work smarter and not harder.  It was homemade Mac and Cheese with (gasp) Velveeta.  In an effort to not completely fall off the wagon, they also had a side of Holiday grapes.  I did serve the Christmas dinner on real plates and the boys enjoyed their apple cider in real champagne glasses.  It was all blissfully delightful.

The next day we met up with my mom and sister in Sunriver and spent two days skiing at Mt. Bachelor.  I'm sure glad I prepped Miles with two days at Shasta before this trip.  Both boys did really, really, great.  Carter and I closed the lifts down one day and I'm pretty sure that Miles finished off the hot cocoa machine the next.  We all felt very blessed that Carter and Miles were able to ski with their grandma.  Both boys (as well as Bradley and I) think their Nene is pretty darn cool.  Even if they do love to sing to her the song about Grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

Looking back over this last month, maybe it is a little sad the tree is down and another Christmas is over.  Here's to hoping for another Christmas filled with Whoopie Cushions and Velveeta!

Fake Potatoes and Ugly Sweaters

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch.  The 10th annual Scott Valley Schools' Turkey Trot was a huge success and we had more participants than ever.  This year Carter and Bradley ran/walked the three mile together and Miles joined in with Wyatt and Finn.  Both boys took a nice pre-Thanksgiving dinner nap as a result  In an effort to work "smarter not harder" I contributed to the annual Isbell Thanksgiving with some "instant" mashed potatoes.  I doctored them up with Organic Chicken Broth and a lot of butter.  Nobody even noticed and I saved myself a lot of time and potato peelings.

It's now December 7th and the holiday season is off with a bang.  Our annual tree hunting this year actually yielded a bit of snow and sledding.  This year the boys could have cared less about the tree and were intent to go all-out on their sled runs.

We were supposed to have a full-family holiday photo shoot but I had the stomach flu and Vanessa ended up with Pneumonia.  The boys and my mom had a nice time and the photographer got some great shots.  Our old girl Maggie even managed to sneak in for a few photo ops.


The tree is up, house is decorated, and the boys mailed off their letters to Santa.  Carter wasn't too sure of my new method of letter this year.  I made them ask Santa for something to wear and something they needed.  As both of these categories do not consist of toys, it came as a bit of a shock to the boys.  However, Carter recovered quickly when he realized that he both needed and could wear a new pair of ski pants.

This weekend I hosted my staff for our 1st annual Ugly Sweater Party and it was a huge hit.  I can't wait for next year.  As we move forward with the holiday season, I hope to get less overwhelmed with the lists and must-dos and take time to enjoy each and every day.  The magic of the season is upon us, I've already weathered the stomach flu, so let's just hope no one argues with instant potatoes at Christmas Eve.