Showing Dad he's special

Not so long ago, there was this special day. It was before all the rain and flood, and before Sydney's birthday. Though after her party and after we ran a half-marathon... (Just writing this is reminding me why I've been so tired this week).

It was a special day called Father's Day. And the kids were very excited to help me do special things for their Dad.

Except the kids slept in really late, so we couldn't serve Jeff breakfast in bed because he was already awake. So we did the next best thing: brunch on the couch.

AJ excitedly volunteered to help with the eggs. Amazingly I only had to fish one very small piece of shell from the bowl when he was done. Next, Sydney had a chance to fulfill one of her career goals: to be a "server girl".

Making it all the more special... nothing was spilled!

And then it was time to show Daddy what they love best about him... playing with him.

Sydney had gotten a squirt gun the day before as a birthday present. I had quickly figured out we'd need more because what fun is a squirt gun if no one else is armed to play with you. So the kids and I had bought not just one, but two more squirt guns (one for AJ, and one for a friend, babysitter, or... in this battle... Dad.)

The error in my logic is that we now have a total of three guns, for a family of four. I quickly became the designated squirt gun refiller. It wouldn't have been bad except I found myself the frequent victim of friendly fire.

Sydney didn't seem to mind when Jeff shot her, but she would scold her brother, "AJ, you got me all wet."

AJ, who apparently has listened to my sarcasm for far too long, would respond, "that tends to happen in a squirt gun battle."

What a beautiful day it was!

It also happens to be the last day I've seen Jeff at home... awake... for more than 20 minutes. Monday  we saw each other briefly at AJ's baseball practice as I was coming home from work and right before he left for work. Tuesday was the flood and the start of some marathon shifts for Jeff and his colleagues.

Listening to all he was dealing with at work, it kind of reminded me when he was deployed. Sure, I was dealing with craziness at home, but there was nothing he could have done to help and so I made light of the mess so that he could stay focused on the job he needed to be doing. I'm very proud of the incredible work that was done to keep everyone safe in this area the last few days: Unprecedented floods, and nobody died. I'm grateful for his willingness to serve, but right now I'm even more grateful that his 4-day shift has ended just in time for the weekend so we can relax, sleep, and spend time together again as a family. In a house with a dry basement.

Flooded with memories

Poor Sydney. What are the chances that her five-year birthday coincides with a 100-year flood?

Looking out the window, she declared, "I can't believe it's raining on my birthday. I hope they don't cancel my birthday."

On this big day, I should be writing something sweet and poignant about what an amazing girl she's turned out to be and about all the hopes and dreams I have for her.

But instead of encouraging her to reach for the stars, I've been too busy reaching for the wet vac. It's a 12-gallon model. I filled it at least ten times yesterday and twice more today. You do the math. Because I'm far too tired to do much of anything.

7.6 inches of rain in a 24-hour period will do that to you.

Here's a look at the culprit/battle I faced last night. A dysfunctional window well that filled with water and then drained into the basement. That water was at least a foot and a half deep. And it was all I could do to keep up with the flow.

Just about the time the water level would start to go down and I'd think I was winning, the rain would intensify and I'd have to start all over again.

The kids didn't understand the severity of it. At one point, I needed AJ to hold the wet vac for me while I ran upstairs for more towels and a bucket. In terror at being left in the basement alone, he screamed over the sound of the very loud machine, "How long are you going to be gone?!" (I was back in far less time than it would have taken me to explain to him where to find the towels.)

At one point, I think it was around 11 p.m. and I'd been sucking up water for about two hours, I exclaimed in frustration, "This is NOT a fun night!"

Sydney looked at me with innocent confusion. "It's not? Why not?"

"Well, let's see," I started. "The water keeps coming in. I'm sick of the wet vac. I discovered a place where Gus pooped inside and had to clean it up. What part of that is fun?"

She stared wide-eyed, then raised her hand excitedly, "I know a way to make it a fun night. Game night!"

Uh, yeah. Maybe some other time.

By morning's light, the normally calm Midway River was well beyond its banks. To put the below picture in perspective, normally you wouldn't see the river at all from this perspective. It should be beyond the tree line, and the leaves would block it from view.

Yet here it is, covering a good portion of our backyard. The water has continued to rise throughout the day. The kids have been brilliant in their observations. AJ stared in awe, "Whoa! It looks like a river."

Sydney, meanwhile, offered helpful updates, "Look, there's a stream in our backyard again!"

Our next door neighbor has marked in his backyard the 100-year flood mark. By early afternoon, the water level was within a foot and a half of the mark, and I've heard that the river is expected to rise another two feet before it starts to recede. Across the river from us and in other parts of the town, sandbagging efforts are underway.

It simply seems unreal. When we get walloped by Mother Nature, it's in the form of snowflakes, not this. Friends have shared photos and videos on Facebook showing homes that I routinely pass when I run. And they're now flooded or have had their driveway washed away.

Jeff has had to work through much of this. As he prepared to leave earlier today, he kissed Sydney goodbye and said, "I'm sorry your birthday is ruined."

Sydney looked at me sadly, "My birthday is ruined?"

"Not if you don't think so, sweetheart."

*****

There was one very cool birthday coincidence/observation yesterday. (Was that really just yesterday?)

Jeff and I ran three miles as part of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run, a fundraiser for the special Olympics. The first time he did it was five years ago. I was extremely pregnant at the time and came out to cheer him on. One of the other officers had joked that if I went into labor, Jeff still had to finish the run. We had no idea at the time, but just five hours later I did go into labor.

I was remembering this story as we waited to start running yesterday. And then we got going and I looked up and saw on the side of the road...

... that same little sweetheart who, five years ago I had jokingly complained wasn't in a hurry to get on with the rest of her life. And here she is now, bigger than life on a billboard. Who could have imagined? 

Likewise, back to the present reality, who could have imagined the devastation that's rained down in the last 24-hours? Please pray that the worst is behind us. Even more important, pray for those who are enduring far worse than we are.

Party princess

Birthdays are a big deal when you're five (or about to turn five.)

After looking at the pictures I took of Sydney at her party this past weekend, I'm tempted to rephrase that to say birthdays are serious business. Or serious... something.

Here she is looking seriously patient waiting to open her first gift while her brother read aloud the birthday card.

And here she is looking serious while wearing a new tiara (note the one below is different than the one she started out wearing) and checking out a gift she really loved. Really. (Check back in coming days for some awesome shots of her and the squirt gun in action. We ended up buying two more... and probably need a fourth so that the entire family can be be armed.)

And here she is again... seriously concentrating as she unwrapped a cool tiara-making kit. She smiled plenty while making and modeling just about everything in the kit... just not while unwrapping it.

At least she's smiling here:

There it is! The smile that lights up my little princess' face:

Sydney was so excited to have grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins come to her house. After all that fun, her actual birthday - tomorrow - may seem like a let down. We'll have to see if we can get her to smile anyway.

Run for fun

Whew! Jeff and I survived running the half-marathon. I'm proud to say I have not needed a single ibuprofen. Though I would have appreciated if Mother Nature could have skipped the electrical storm last night. A soak in the hot tub would have been nice.

But this blog is about the kids. And they got in on the running action, too, this weekend. Friday afternoon was the annual Whipper Snapper races. AJ's done it a few times, but it was Sydney's first dash.

Of course, a big part of the race is seeing and posing with all the mascots that show up to market their brand to kids race. There was Subway:

And the Vikings. I saw the mascot at the finish line, but apparently the cheerleaders were more accessible. Do you suppose someday AJ will look at this photo and wonder why, with two gorgeous cheerleaders in the shot, he chose to cuddle up to his sister?

There was Harley from the Huskies baseball team. Sydney apparently thought he was a wolf and wanted nothing to do with him.

The Coca-Cola polar bear was okay, though.

Having worn the Aquarium's mascot costume before, I couldn't help but feel extremely sympathetic for whomever drew the short straw and ended up in the costumes. It was a hot and humid day. Maybe that's the norm for armadillos from Texas (Roadhouse.)

And the hometown favorite... Champ the Bulldog:

At last it was time for the big race. They break it up by age and gender, so Sydney, in the girls age 4 and younger (she beat the cut off by less than a week) was first. All afternoon she'd been battling nerves. She needed me to run with her. No, she could do it herself. Mommy, hold me. No, she was a brave girl. She could do it - the finish line wasn't so far. Mommy, please hold my hand.

We were part of the third wave. And when the air horn sounded, yes, she needed me to run with her. I kicked off my sandals and we were off. Can you see us?

Here's a little bit closer look. We're right in the center. Sydney's wearing my special running sunglasses that were supposed to make her brave, but didn't quite do the trick.

As we ran, I told her she could take off on her own if she wanted to at any point. About halfway to the finish, I could see the joy of running take over her. Her face break out into a huge grin and suddenly she was no longer holding my hand. She was all adrenaline and competitive spirit, racing for the finish line.

She even admitted later, "Mommy, you were right. I did have fun!"

Sydney is very proud of her ribbon. For a while, we pinned it to her shirt along with her number. Later, she wanted the number off, but the ribbon remained.

Next it was time to cheer on AJ, who was running in the much more competitive "Boys 7-8" category. It's worth clicking on the photo to enlarge it and see the expression on his face. He's trying so hard!

I wondered how he would take it if he didn't win. He's often questioned why Jeff and I would run a race that not only would we not win, we'd be beaten by a thousand or two other runners. I think now he knows. He jubilantly gave me a high five and announced, "I beat two second graders!"

How thankful I am for a family with healthy bodies, and for living in a community with opportunities like this that promote healthy activities for kids. I hope this becomes a passion for them as it's become for me. Though I can't help but wonder: how many years will it be until their young legs outpace mine? Probably sooner, not later. But as long as it means they're running regularly, I'll be okay with that. 

Redefining clean

Jeff and the kids picked up lunch and brought it to my office so we could eat together yesterday. While there, Sydney was very excited to tell me about a big surprise waiting for me at home. They had cleaned the house! Their bedrooms, the living room - including the ledge in front of the fireplace that's the perfect place for all her princess doll adventures - it was all clean. And she couldn't wait to show me.

She had me close my eyes when I got home so she could lead me around and reveal all the places where she had been working so hard.

Here's the chest that's usually covered with Barbie dolls. Isn't it lovely?

Until you look directly to the left and see where she stuffed everything that's normally on the chest. I've never watched an episode of Hoarders, but I suspect this doll house would qualify.

Same thing by the fireplace. Wow! I haven't seen the rock ledge clear since last winter when we used it as the backdrop for our Christmas card photo.

A note of caution while you're admriing it, however. Don't step back, or you're likely to trip on a whole lot of crap that's been piled on their toy table. And oh look! They've pulled in yet another rubbermaid bin to serve as storage.

Whatever you do, don't look in the office. Anything that couldn't be piled in the living room has apparently been hauled in here. With the plastic bin covers propped up as a fortress to keep the dog from chewing on any of it. Nice touch!

It's a similar story in their bedrooms, with dressers buried under gravity-defying stacks of all sorts of stuff. It obviously never occured to them to put the toys away. They just focused on getting everything off the floor.

I don't know where to begin.

Sydney was so excited for me to see the result of her and AJ's hard work. How do I dash that and say "Now let's really clean." Meanwhile, I have a husband who supervised who clearly thinks what they did was just fine. I'm starting to understand why his dresser looks the way it does.

I'm sensing it's time for another purging of toys. Way too much stuff! Now I just need to find time to do it.

The game of second chances

It's fairly common to hear sports stars – after winning a championship – thanking the fans and crediting their support for its role in their victory.

That's sort of what happened at AJ's baseball game Monday night.

It was, once again, a miserable evening to watch baseball: windy and cold, and growing colder as each inning dragged on. (Seriously. The temperature dropped 10 degrees over the course of the game.)

The kids didn't mind. They were having fun. And were getting hits. Or at least hitting fouls.

There's the hit!

Made it to second...

And he's off to third...

Safe!

So back to the story about the parents being heroes... It was not a fun night to be a fan. And let's be honest, as proud as we are of our little darlings, these games can be brutally boring.

Sydney and I made a quick run home during the bottom of the first inning to grab jackets and a blanket. That made it a little easier to watch the rest of the game.

When the last out was made, the kids came back cheering, confidant that they'd won. Until the coach (Jeff missed that night due to work) calmly tallied the score and announced the other team scored eight, and they'd scored seven.

AJ was crushed! There had to have been some mistake! He looked at me and questioned, "Didn't they count all the runs?"

Just then, the other coach came over and, in front of all the kids, said, "Anybody mind if we play an extra inning? There's still a little time left and there's no game scheduled after us."

Instant cheers went up from all the kids as parents did their best to hide looks of dismay. Yes, we minded. We were miserably cold and wanted to go home. But how could any of us say that and disappoint our children? And so through clenched teeth we smiled and nodded agreement. And the game went on.

Thankfully, the inning went relatively quickly. (Though it lasted long enough for us all to practice saying "NO!" in unison in case they asked to play another inning.) We were up first and scored three runs. When it was the other team's turn to bat, we shut them down. Final score: we won 10-8.

And you better believe every kid on our team knew it. They didn't need the coach to tell them this time.

AJ ran off the field, straight to me with his arms out for a hug. "THANK YOU PARENTS!" He shouted. "YOU HELPED US WIN!"

As we walked back to the car, AJ continued to shake his head in wonder, talking with his teammates and giving total credit to the parents who'd allowed the game to go on so that they could come from behind and win. Later, by phone, he recapped the game for Jeff. "Dad, we were losing, but the parents let us keep playing, and we won!"

It warms my heart. Almost enough to make up for the chill in the air.

She could have danced all night

For all the complaining I've done the last few days about Sydney's first dance recital, it's worth noting the one very exciting and totally coincidental highlight of the experience. It just so happened that Sydney's dance recital took place on the same day and at roughly the same time as Jeff's best friend's wedding. We drove directly from the dance recital to the wedding reception, which meant Sydney got to run around in her dance costume. All. Evening. Long.

Does anyone have more fun at wedding dances than kids? Especially little girls in tutus?

So what if she left a path of feathers everywhere she went? She'll never wear it again. And the ballet shoes she's only been allowed to wear at dance class? She'll outgrow them by next fall when/if she starts classes again.
 
The kids (and by kids I mean all of the kids, not just mine) spent most of the evening running around the spacious hall. But when the playlist started, they quickly shifted their energy to the dance floor.

AJ demonstrated his disco move, to music that had nothing to do with disco. He quickly made it clear that he has NOT been taking dance lessons all year.

Sydney graciously and happily danced with any child who came her way. Afterall, she had the best costume, which in her mind meant she was the best dancer. A side note: whatever Sydney's tights are made out of, I want a pair! Sydney's. She was climbing and sliding and playing in them all night and never got a run!

And then, because it wouldn't be a proper Jaski party without polka music, the playlist shifted to several polka songs in a row. "Auntie" Kathy (she's no relation to us, but everyone else calls her that, and so we've always done the same) stepped in and did her best to show the younger generation how it's done.

I teased her that after watching her have so much fun with her grandchildren (including the cutie that Sydney had been dancing with) we might have to change her title to Grandma Kathy.

At last, to Sydney's delight, Daddy stepped in as her partner. They twirled and shuffled across the floor.

Someday they will likely recreate this scene at another wedding. The difference is, Sydney will be in a wedding dress, Jeff will be in a tux, and they'll be dancing as bride and father. How I hope the smiles will be as joyful and sincere on that day.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance....

LeeAnn Womack