"What will survive of us is love."

~Philip Larkin

Steven F. Forcht

4.22.1953 ~ 9.16.2004

if, one day, my washing machine fails to operate...

Why can I never remember to check pockets before I do laundry? That was rule #1 when my mom taught me how to do laundry...and now?...

I swear to you that this is what I pulled off the bottom of my washing machine after one load!

No lies. It's ridiculous.

I think that maybe I realize, that if I did I would spend the rest of my life going through pockets of dirty clothes. How much do you think it costs to remove a light saber from the inner most workings of a washing machine? I shudder to think...especially if the repair man is from the dark side...

stay with me, people...

My husband will tell you that it takes me three times as long to tell a story as it does anyone else. I come by this trait honestly...just ask my mother, she'll explain it to you in great detail.

Chris likes the facts. Who, what, when, where and how. No adjectives, thank you very much. In other words, talking to him is a bore...(just kidding).

Now...where was I? Oh yes...I was gonna tell a short story with lots of finesse. Creative writing was one of my best subjects after all. If you are like Chris, you may want to stop reading here...

When I was little, one of my favorite things was the Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak. So much so that I've kept it all these years. I love Maurice Sendak. His stories...his artwork...and especially my Nutshell Library, which consists of four small books: Alligators All Around, Chicken Soup With Rice, One Was Johnny, and Pierre.

Pierre is the story of a boy who answers "I don't care" to everything said to him. His mother and father leave him at home alone one day because he doesn't care. He meets a lion. He gets eaten by the lion. YES, this is a children's story... with a moral...if the consequence for not caring were not horrifying, then why care? So..., he's inside the lion but gets saved and then he cares! Pierre was a happier boy because of it. Good moral, no?

I grew up in Nebraska. For that reason alone I'm a Corn Husker. (GO BIG RED!) Until I moved to Iowa, I had no idea that so many people hated Nebraska. Including Chris. Sad for me. If I dared to utter a word about Nebraska or wear clothing that represented Nebraska I was shamed by almost everyone I encountered. I am now a "closet" Nebraska fan. I got tired of all the tormenting.

(This is all gonna make sense here in a minute).

Today is the Iowa State vs. The University of Iowa football game. The "Iowans Super-Bowl". I used to say..."I'm a Husker fan...I don't care who wins this stupid in-state rivalry". But then I'd see how excited everyone was about the game, I'd see all the good-natured teasing, and after 10 years I decided to care...because it would be more fun if I did...that's what happened to Pierre after all. So, I chose a team. I based my decision totally on the fact that Iowa has a dental school and Iowa State doesn't. I am in the dental field so that made total sense to me. GO HAWKS!

So, I could have just said, "IA vs. IA State is on today and we are going to watch the game as a family and eat junk food. The End". But that would not have been as exciting of a post nor have a moral... which is, of course, CARE! Life is more fun when you do! Gotta run...game is on...Go HAWKS!

letting go

Every year, right around September, I enter into some kind of reflective state of being. I am more apt to clean, organize, cook and dream than any other time of the year. My own personal New Year is, for some reason, in September. This year has been no different...I feel the urge to sit back and reflect on my life...the good, the not so good, the ways I can change, the things I should change...my resolutions, I guess.

My first realization has hit me.

I need to let go. I need to let go of all the stuff that has been weighing on my mind...what I need to get done...what I should be getting done...what I want to get done but can't afford to do right now...etc.

We, me and my little family, are right smack in the middle of a huge transitional phase. And that, my friends, comes with a big, fat "pause button". Eden has begun scooting around...putting clear Lego pieces in her mouth ( God help me), Ty is going to preschool (sniff, sniff), Colin just lost his front tooth (sniff, sniff, sniff)...

My life as I know it has changed. A small shift, but with huge repercussions. My kids are growing so fast. I can feel them slipping through my fingers...and yet at the same time, I feel like our "pause button" will be forever activated. When can my life go back to my "normal"? And every time I have that thought I feel so guilty! How can I be wishing that things get easier? Because that means my kids have to grow...and isn't that essentially wishing my time with them away?

So, when I get frustrated that I can't go on dates with my husband as much as I'd like to, go out with my friends, talk on the phone, blog, clean... I have to remind myself to let go... just for a while. Sit back and appreciate the time with my children...these little gifts, who have enriched my life so much...because before too long, my life will be easier and my kids will be bigger and I know how much I will miss this time.

So, my dear friends and family, forgive me if I seem to be in my own little world...because I am.

And, that's right where I want to be for now.

Q:

Is there anything cuter than bare baby bottom?


A: No.

why I havn't been blogging...

number one...

'nuf said... ok, moving on...

number 2...

ugly as sin, but now super clean and ugly as sin... these hideous things are our basement stairs which have not been mopped since Mazzy was alive...(for those of you who do not know the history of our doggie Mazzy, I am not going into detail because that would allow you to realize how disgusting that last statement was. For those of you who do know how long it's been since Mazzy died...well...know that I am ashamed...)

number three...

A mad attempt to get my husband to overlook the chaos that has become our lives, and fall madly and deeply in love with me all over again...(hopefully the pie turns out...still in the oven as I type)

number four...

the "help" I received doing number three and the clean-up it required...(look out Jamie Oliver!)

number five...

and we've come full circle...hello sweet girl!...she's awake...

until next time...

Parkapaloosa 2010

I found a great idea in the last issue of Family Fun. A Mom wrote in with her idea about ending summer with what she called "Parkapaloosa". She'd wake her daughter up one morning and they'd hit one park, then another, and another...all day. She packed breakfast and lunch and headed home about dinner time. So cool.

So, feeling ambitious, I decided the Friday before school started we would begin our Parkapaloosa tradition! To make it even more perfect, Sarah and the kids would be back visiting from Tennessee. She bravely agreed to join in.

Eden - 6mos.

The clowns! Ty, Holden, Colin and Asher

Eden and Sloan...a blossoming love?

Park no. 1 went well. Weather was beautiful. Holden, Colin and Ty decided to "swim" in the sandy "volleyball court". Asher being smart enough to avoid that mess! We decided to move on when I got a text from Chris that stormy weather was heading our way.


Park no. 2. Big hit!

The boys couldn't get enough of the "spider web".

Sloan and Eden remained pretty content. We hit a school playground within walking distance and left when it started sprinkling. Parkapaloosa would be rained out! Bummer! But we did have a small trick up our sleeves... an indoor playground! Thank God...we salvaged it a little bit.

Bottom line, the kids still had fun. It was totally worth it...

And we all got worn out... i.e. easier evening for me and hopefully a sleepier bunch for Sarah's long drive back to Tennessee Saturday morning!

*miss you and love you TN bunch!

3 weeks ago and $70.00 richer....

Meet Rex. Then say goodbye. RIP Rex. Victim of Ick. (Here I thought only Henry Huggins' fish got Ick and died...I guess not.) He was Colin's pet for less than 2 weeks.



Meet Max. He had ick too. He survived. Yea.

Now, meet the snails.

These are but two of the hundreds...no, I am not exaggerating...of snails who are currently taking over our 5 gallon tank. Apparently snails can reproduce at a seriously, crazy rate. It's called 'snail infestation". Infestation has never been a word that I wanted to use to describe anything happening in my home. But here we are...

"If I'd known then what I know now" applies here, I think...

If you give a boy a camera...

he will probably elicit looks from his brother that no one else can.

He will probably reveal why he gets those looks...

You may see some things he likes.

He is sure to reveal his muse...

If you give a boy a camera, you will see life through his eyes...

and it will be a gift.

The End.

if at first you don't succeed...try Picasa again!

Ok...so here are the pictures from the first week in July. July 4th...my birthday...37 years old! Way too close to 40 to feel good about, but it beats the alternative so... Happy Birthday me!
My sister Karen and her family were here for the first week of July so that Lilly could attend day camp at Living History Farms. My boys had so much fun with their 2 weeks of swimming lessons that Karen decided to sign Jack up for the week. He was a bit apprehensive at first, but that kid was so brave, and by the end of the week he was a little fish! My boys got to play in the pool while Jack had his lesson. They had a blast!


My Mom and Karen and I spent Friday taking Jack, Ty, Eva and Eden to Living History Farms while Lilly and Colin finished up their week-long day camp. We met up with the campers at the end and took that cute cousin picture on the right. My kids love having their cousins here...and, I gotta say, I love having them here too. I wish we all lived in the same town. I miss my sister horribly!


Overall, it was a great week. We hope that every year we will get a week to spend together with all the cousins! Love and miss you guys!

the return

ok.

I've had my time out.

My blog tantrum is over.

I have forgiven Picasa. I will try it again when I have an ungodly amount of unscheduled time. (ha ha)

As for not blogging anymore...well...I cannot do it, or not do it, I mean. I truly do blog for myself. It is my creative release and my family's story...my journal of our daily lives, however crazy it gets. It is my social life. It's where I get to share my stories with others. It's a community where I get to be inspired or taught or entertained by the blogs I read. Let's face it...it's hard for a Mom of three to get out and about. This is where I come to feel connected. It's where I come when I want to feel close to my best friend...to see her sweet boy's faces, and where she needs me to be when she's feeling alone. It's where my very busy sister and brother-in-law can quickly check in with me. It's where I make new friends. I cannot stay away.

So...I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Although, it was suggested that I try and keep the ugly, manic moments unpublished (thx Kan-do). I suppose it may be better to leave those posts in the form of an unpublished draft... :)

Love you all.