GRRReetings!

Happy Tiger Year!

Above: It's raining, it's pouring, not the purrrfect weather to be out and about. But we're on an impromptu roadtrip, and my "cubs" are looking for some rip-roaring fun.

The Big Cats exhibit at the zoo in Tacoma, just outside of Seattle, proved to be one grrreat way to usher in the Year of the Tiger. We watched with the crowds a Sumatran tiger lap up its afternoon snack of a big cut of a cow's leg!

Of course Kait was also happily prancing in and out of puddles, her shoes and socks were soaked through. Ben would have given the penguins a real scare had he fallen into their enclosure deliberately; he missed 'em so much, the St Louis zoo ones, but it was no excuse. And Jon, oh Jon was ordered not just by me to keep his four paws off a different rock display from Ben's!

Oh yes, there's nary a dull moment with kids.

What's really nice is this small break from the rest of the day-to-day busyness. I'm less hunched over today than yesterday. The backache like a job hazard for me, from the usual housecleaning and marathon ironing. Just before the lastminute packing, and then, my share of the "Daytona" driving out of Spokane to relieve the husband, but at 70 miles/h through fog and rain was fiercer than normal.

Vern has been wonderful to squeeze in this family getaway. I'll try and go slo-mo this weekend especially now with my bad back, and watch him "herd the cats". When we return, hopefully somewhat rested, I am ready to take on the new year, erm I mean new laundry loads... GRRROWL!!!

Hey, I'm working here!

Vern is tied up. See how the little girl endears herself to the daddy, when he's working on his laptop at home, when he's not at work late...

He's sitting on the couch/chair, and she squeezes herself comfortably right next to him.

The same she does, when he's with his laptop at the edge of the bed. She'll climb up and plop down beside him.

Each time, with the toy laptop. And I like that smile that suggests: Work can be fun! Sometimes she'll give the camera and me the funny face instead, that in this instance seems to say: Keep it down, I'm trying to concentrate here!

Kudos to the daddy for staying focused; you know how it is around kids! And it's when he showed her once how to unlock his phone, that Kait knows how to get to her two favourite apps, emails her doodles of smiley faces and hearts to oops-is-it-you(?), and keeps calling the first person on his directory!

More later. Vern is away this second half of the week, and again later next week for work. I try and keep up with my daily load still, but even more so to try and keep my cool. You know how it is around kids!

Kait at 15 to 16 mos, and of course her attention span is something like 3 min, unless the good daddy is watching "Hi 5" with her. And she knows she just has to ask him, to watch that kids' show again and again, if she doesn't already have gotten to the remote control first. She loves grooving to the music, and especially to twirl round and round!

Whoosh!

That's Jon coming down the beginner hill at Mt Spokane -- in style, same day he grasped quickly the basics of skiing (without poles yet), for him to take the chair lift to the top.



And then, repeat that very many times... Wheeeeeee!...


... before the sun was setting at 4, and we had to call it a day.


Ben also learned faster than me, flashing this not as big a risk-taker of a mommy a super big grin as he straddled past me. Me and my two left feet I was trying to keep parallel and take small steps in, for the crab-walk up the slope.


Taking a break from his work, Vern, who had tried a bit of cross-country skiing years back, watched on the sidelines and watched Kait who eventually went down for a much longer nap than any she'd take. Glad it worked out, and we were blessed with a patient and qualified coach in his colleague.

New beginnings, new adventures
Jon had such a cool time, he wouldn't stop talking about this first ski experience. It was also a timely reminder that new and fun adventures do come with new beginnings. The new beginning referring not so much to the new year, but our big interstate move last year after Vern's job search amid us still adjusting to three kids and lots more stress at that same time he was completing the toughest parts of his studies.

Half a year on now, Jon (finally) broke down and cried, missing the people and places in St Louis we've had to leave behind. The way Ben had bawled his eyes out several times. There are tradeoffs with changes we make -- and the children feel it as much as we do; adjustments we're making still; and new blessings, too. All not to be taken for granted: God's steadfast love, and loved ones and friends who care to stick with us through the ups and downs -- in this quick lookback at 2009, and looking ahead (in the picture, from the parking lot at Mt Spokane).

And whoosh... we're into 2010!
It's a rough start though, with the boys more than dragging their feet over school and homework again. Ben's outbursts, Jon's rampages, and Kait's also a big bundle of energy and waking up many times in the night still. Vern is really busy and at the workplace past dinnertime night after night.

Yesterday, I had to heave a reluctant Ben from his booster seat into the shopping cart. Then, picture this crazy mom jumping and going "Whoopee", trying to un-bore Kait in the shoe section -- using the balls of stuffing from the shoes Jon was trying on and the shoeboxes for her to toss them in. Of course it beat chasing her from aisle to aisle. But the longer drive out in frigid temperatures, and even longer 'coz I made a wrong turn, would not have been necessary if Jon had not playfully skated on ice in his regular backup shoes. More antics among the three of them. Those that saw me hit the roof in two days included one foam soccer ball landing on the toaster oven I was cooking chicken in, and some other bouncy rubber thingee hitting my face (*ow*) whilst Kait was trying to nurse!

OK, so it's a new year but there are all these old issues that are very much always works in progress for us. You see why my goals remain to keep up with the children and the chores, and especially to KEEP SANE! I concluded, too, that it does help my sanity when I blog. And not just our "photo-album" moments that are great for the memories, but also our daily adventures and struggles. Because life is the sum-total of these.

Bless you for bearing with me!

Vern took the picture of the boys and me. Used my phone for the other quick shots, only way I could try and not fall splat on my nose!