An un(Happy) Birthday

Michael turned 9 yesterday. My sweet, little baby is morphing into a young man in front of my eyes.

My boy is a WWE fanatic, so we planned a birthday sleepover with his best friends, to coincide with Friday Night Smackdown, on the night before his birthday. The stars were aligning perfectly. The weather wasn't too hot. I got the day off. And it was the first day of summer vacation.

Everything was great, until Matthew came down with a double whammy of pink eye and an ear infection 6 days before Michael's birthday. And in doing everything we could to keep Michael from getting it to, he managed to pick up what seemed like a normal cold. That cold, quickly turned into 3 nights of violent coughing fits, so strong that he'd throw up from the coughing.

As I always do, I self diagnosed him, thanks to the never ending plethora of information available on the internet. If you don't know about my past incidences of self-diagnoses, you can find one here.

What did I decide Michael was suffering from? Well, whooping cough of course. Never mind that he's been immunized against it, I was positive that I was right. So I made him a Doctors appointment, on the day of his party, and the Doctor confirmed what is normally the case -- that the Internet is not a good way to diagnose young children's illness -- since Michael had croup and bronchitis. They sent us on our way with prescriptions for antibiotics and steroids and the dreaded parting words "Sorry Michael, no party tonight."

I cringed and waited for the imminent tantrum and crying. And was instantly reminded that I have a well adjusted, young man on my hands. Outside of a sad, sullen look, he took it like a champ. For the first time ever, I told Michael he could play video games all day if he wanted. And he did a great job of laying low and resting. When night arrived, and Michael should have been partying with his friends, we instead opened a few presents and hung out together. And that night, when he should have been up all night, laughing with his friends -- he got several hours of quality sleep... More than he'd gotten in days.

The next morning, we gave him a bunch of small gifts and then surprised him with the big present. Tickets to see WWE's Monday Night Raw at the Thomas & Mack. We've surprised him once before when we took him to see WWE World Tour. And even though his all-time favorite John Cena was "fired", he proudly says that that night was the best night of his life.

After nearly two full days of not leaving the house, I finally gave in and let the boys hit the backyard to play with one of the new presents Michael got from his grandparents Dave and Jones, an inflatable sprinkler for the backyard. (When you don't have a pool in the desert, any water play is fun for cooling off in the heat.)

And as is typical of my two boys, Matthew was all over the water and Michael, who's not big on getting too wet, was quite happy to spray the globe with his new Super Soaker. Here's a video of the fearless Matthew sticking his head right in the spray and promptly trying to take a drink too.

Michael's 9th birthday ended with an evening of cupcakes and family game night (at Michael's request). And while it wasn't at all what we'd planned for his birthday weekend, I've got a child who is slowly recovering, a birthday sleepover to look forward to in a week, and a whole lot of quality time with my boys this weekend.

And that is a perfectly happy ending.

Fishing In The Desert

The desert leaves quite a bit to be desired when it comes to the nature department. Sure, we've got parks with tiny patches of grass. And grass in the backyard. But that grass would be dead in a minute, if the sprinklers went on the fritz.

When I was a kid, my brother and I would spend entire days playing in the woods, building trails, forts and hideaways. Kids in the desert? The only forts they're building are made of pillows and blankets.

So I'm sure you'd think fishing is totally out of the question when you reside in the desert. But it's not. We just so happen to live 5 minutes away from Floyd Lamb State Park. Originally, it was built as a far away destination (yes, the thriving, home-filled, area we currently reside in, was in the middle of nowhere 50 years ago) for future divorcees to hang out until their required 30 day residency had been filled, in order to file for a divorce. It was a country club of sorts, with large pools, lodging and I'm sure plenty of fabulous vintage Vegas partying. Vegas has got so many classic stories like this. As usual... I have digressed. Today, Floyd Lamb is home to 3 large, fish stocked lakes, gorgeous green trees and more grass than I've found anywhere else in the valley. It's also strangely home to tons of very large, colorful, free roaming peacocks. I haven't yet figured out the connection, or the reason they're there. But they're a sight to behold when they raise those feathers to show off.

Michael has always been obsessed with fishing. I equate it to the grass is always greener theory -- he wants what he can't have. Much like he'd like a huge backyard with an ATV track, and an ocean out the window to fall asleep to. It's the barren, desolate desert that makes you crave nature in any form other than brown rocks and tumbleweed. He's actually got two fishing poles, which he's never used. So last weekend, on a highly unusual weekend where my husband and I both got the weekend off -- we decided to take the boy fishing. We brought his favorite partner in crime, Jacob and packed up the kids, the rods and the tackle box and headed to Floyd Lamb on a beautiful spring afternoon.

Full disclosure: I know nothing about fishing. I might have fished once or twice as a child. But I've never understood so many people's fascination with standing at a lake and holding a pole, while hoping for a bite. I don't know how to cast or reel in or put a worm on a hook. Thankfully, Kevin does. (He's one of those amazing human beings who can fix just about anything, he's very do-it-yourself.) Plus, I don't eat fish. So what the hell would I do if I actually caught something. Seems sort of pointless and cruel to hook something I'd never eat.

I was sure the boys were going to bored out of their minds in a matter of minutes. But, as is usual for me, they loved every minute of it.

They didn't catch a single thing... Not one bite. They tangled their lines, got their hooks caught in the bushes, and in my, very female mind, I was sure that they were going to be very disappointed in their first adventure fishing. But they had a reel good time (pun intended). At one point, Jacob said "this is the most fun I've ever had".

Boys Will Be Boys

I've come to accept that I live in a severely estrogen challenged household. Basically, I'm it. I live with the constant sounds of hockey games, WWE wrestling, and boys talking about things that only boys would discuss. I promise you, as a child, my friends and I did not spend the afternoons comparing farts, burps, or who could pin each other to the ground the fastest. But in my house, that's par for the course. I swear, I look longingly across the street some days and watch how calm and politely the girls play together. There's no mud being tracked into their house, no pee covering the toilet seat, no Lego pieces hidden strategically where I can step on them (when I'm barefoot of course).

But honestly, I wouldn't change a thing about my crazy house full of boys. Being the only girl in the house has given me the chance to be the one they all look out for. The princess in a home full of doting knights in shining armor. If I step on that Lego and scream out in pain... My boys come running. If I lay down on the couch after a too long day at work, Michael's even been known to make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (just to be sure that I've eaten). They spoil me, love me to pieces, and fill my days with laughter.

These children are growing faster than I can handle. And no matter how high my frustration levels get on a given day -- I'm content knowing that Michael still wants me to lay with him before bed, that Matthew runs to me when I walk through the door, and my incredible man never goes to sleep without kissing me goodnight. It the simple, little things that matter the most. That's what living in a house full of boys has taught me. That life doesn't always have to be dramatic, gossipy or fake. Sometimes life simply has to be honest. And that's one thing I love about boys. They're rarely fake, they always speak their mind, and most of the time, they're not concerned in the least about what someone might think. It's a lesson I've learned to love.

Black Canyon Rafting

My brother in law and his super awesome fiancé came into town for the last week of our maternity leave.
We'd been eagerly awaiting their arrival as they hadn't met Matthew yet.
If the first 11 weeks of leave were spent never leaving the house...
We packed a ton into the last week of leave while they were here.

One day was spent rafting in Black Canyon at the base of the Hoover Dam.
First, I'll admit... I didn't even know this was there.
I've been in Vegas for 14 years in August and I've driven over the dam countless times and never had any clue that you could get down to the river or take a rafting trip down there.

The company was called Black Canyon River Adventures.
It was a ridiculously hot day to start.  Temps were around 114.
We were shuttled down a private road and we got views of the Hoover Dam that I'd never seen.
It's a completely different experience to see the dam from the bottom.
I guess being on the top of it doesn't exactly allow you to realize how gigantic it really is.

The bypass bridge that's been under construction for what seems like ever, is nearly complete.  I'm pretty sure it's expected to open in November.  I'll tell you.  It's a beautiful bridge.  I grew up on an island so I've spent a lot of time crossing bridges and this bridge is quite the architectural feat.

We really didn't know what to expect of the "rafts".  I can tell you that I bitched all the way down to the river because we were lolly-gagging and taking pictures like we were tourists.  I was sure that we were going to get the worst spot on the boat as the last ones on.

Turns out that it pays to be the last ones on the boat.  We wound up at the front of the boat with incredible views and plenty of water splashing over the front to keep us cool.

I was really surprised at the beauty we saw down here.  The canyon is a stunning, deep brown and the water is crystal clear.  Strangely enough, even at 114 degrees outside, the water was 58 degrees.  We stopped twice for lunch and some exploring and it was tough to get in the water, it was so cold.

Our guide Brian, who was incredibly knowledgeable and extremely funny, let Michael drive the boat.  Michael was so proud of himself and took his job very seriously.  Hilariously, he even told Kevin to sit down when Kev tried to take some video of his captaining skills.

We saw mountain goats.

And all and all had a fantastic time.

I Guess I'll Have To Leave The House At Some Point.

I've been on maternity leave from work for ten weeks now.
It feels like I've been on leave for a week or two.
I can't believe it's coming to an end.
I don't want it to.

I feel like I've sort of just hidden from the world since Matthew joined us.
Like I've been in this tiny, protected place surrounded by the ones I love.
I've done nothing really.
I barely answer my phone at this point.
It's been a big undertaking just to take the baby over to my in-laws for the afternoon.
Which is strange for me actually.
I'm usually a pretty go go go person.
But I'll be honest.
I'm loving this time off.

It's surprising to me that we've been able to spend this long together and not be ready to rip each others hair out.
But I think it's just that my husband, myself and the kids are content.
Content to spend the afternoon doing silly science experiments with household items.
Content to stare at the baby for hours straight.
Content to eat dinner at home, at the same time, together, every night.
Content to laugh together, play together, hang out together and just be a family.

Maybe we're loving it so much because it's something that's lacking so desperately in our "normal" everyday life.
My husband and I don't have a day off together.
We live in Vegas... that's just how it works out here.
We both work 10 hour days at our jobs.
We get home, eat when we can, and are lucky if we get 30 minutes right before bed to catch up.
Add in the needs of our now two kids and it doesn't leave too much for us.
And that's okay.
We make it work.
And we enjoy the hell out of our vacations spent together.

But I'm still not quite ready for this "new" sort of normal to come to an end.
It's nice being able to look at my husband and say "Hey, let's go check out The Slider Truck tonight" and not having to check my blackberry and my schedule and then deciding if it's something we can "fit in".
It's nice being able to re-connect with family.  My mom spent two weeks here with us.  That's something that there's just never time for.  Typically it's quick visits on trips home to Buffalo.  Never enough time to really connect.
It's nice being able to take Michael to the water park, to indoor mini golf, and to just spend time with him.  We don't get a lot of down time when we're working.  It's nice to be able to hang out with him without having to rush to soccer or football or a school event.

And most of all, it's nice watching Matthew grow and smile and respond to us.  He's changed so much in the last 10 weeks.  I hate the thought of missing even a second of it.

Maternity leave is supposed to be about healing and bonding with your baby.  But I've gotten so much more out of this time of.  

I've found that this time has brought me even closer to my family than ever.  

It's taught me how small and insignificant the daily stresses really are.

And it's taught me that no matter how indispensable I feel at work... they're doing just fine without me.

My family, on the other hand, would not...

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've got two more blissful weeks off with my family.

I'd tell you that I'm going to make the most of it and do lots of exciting things... but I'd be lying.

I'm going to do my best to spend as much "down time" as I can with the ones I love.

And I'm going to love every minute of it!

Getaway to Zion

So we finally made it.
I wasn't sure that we were going to be able to make the trip.
But we got one glorious night in Zion.
And it was all I hoped it would be.

If you're planning on camping, the sites at the South Campground often fill up early in the summer.
We weren't going to be able to arrive til late afternoon so I reserved a site at the Watchman Campground.
I hadn't realized previously how far towards town the Watchman Campground is.
We stayed in the B Loop and had a great site right across from the river.
It was perfect because we were able to play around in the river for the evening.  When you've got a child who was raised in the desert, playing in a river is a pretty big deal!

The Virgin River was running higher and stronger than I'd ever seen it.  Michael and Kevin did some river re-routing. I'm pretty sure that Michael's favorite part was actually destroying the re-routing he had assigned to Kevin.  We really tried to give Michael a little more freedom than we normally would.  It's hard for me to accept but he is 8 years old now.  As much as I'd like for him to continue being my baby who needs my protection, he's more independent every day.

Michael climbed trees which is also pretty exciting coming from the desert.  I mean, our backyard has palm trees.  Not exactly safe for climbing.  He scared the hell out of me and scraped himself up pretty good getting down but I guess that's what boys do.  I should probably get used to it.  

Look how happy he is?!?!  Michael really needed this trip.  I think he was really happy to have one night where it was all about him.  No rushing off to feed or change the baby.  No shushing him because he's being too loud.  He's been amazing with Matthew but I still think it's been a huge adjustment having a baby in the house.  He needed this attention and freedom desperately.

Here we are at Weeping Rock.  This trail is steep but short and the view from the top is worth the walk.  The water seeps out from an overhang above non-stop.  When Michael was little, he'd get really upset and want to understand why the rock was crying.  Here's what I realized doing the Weeping Rock trail.  I am seriously out of shape.  I've conquered Angel's Landing before and I struggled to get up Weeping Rock?  Not cool.  

While having a picnic lunch we noticed this in the sky.  I've never seen anything quite like it and found it incredibly unique and beautiful until my husband mentioned that he hoped it wasn't a hole in the ozone layer or something like that.  Then it started to make me a bit nervous.  Okay... not really but I really should look into what this may have been.

This was seriously my favorite picture from the trip.  I don't know why.  Kevin noted that it's just their backs. But I love it.  Every time I look at it I smile!

We spent our afternoon on the second day playing in the river and a little tributary flowing into it.  We built dams, we destroyed dams.  We said the word dam a lot.  I got attacked by a Yucca plant.  I also got attacked by the sun.  Unfortunately, I'm the only one in the family that gets sunburned.  It's ridiculous.  My husband and my son basically look out the window and get a tan.  I spend 5 minutes outside and it's days of  aloe to look forward to.

We drove back to Vegas that afternoon.  Short but sweet.  And upon our return, we rushed to see our beautiful Matthew.  Matthew was spoiled rotten by Gramma for 36 hours straight.  He's changing so fast, I think he got even chubbier in the night we were gone!

All in all, I'm so glad we were able to go!  It's was the break we all needed!  It was an early birthday present for Michael.  It was the perfect over-nighter!

Gigaball Inflation... Not To Be Attempted Alone

One of the gifts Michael got for his birthday was a Gigaball.
The kids were are super excited to try out this thing.  According to the box, a child fits inside and get rolled around.  They couldn't wait the morning after the sleepover to get to the park and test it out.
I had to stay home with the baby so Kevin piled the kids in the car and headed down to the park.

I think he expected to be gone maybe an hour.  Give him 15 to 20 minutes to inflate the thing and give the kids 45 minutes to play in it.
Well the Gigaball isn't exactly that simple.
Thankfully, my husband videoed the hilariousness that ensued.
He has the patience of a saint to stick it out and finish this project.
And although I know he was thoroughly ready to kill someone not enjoying himself, I love the fact that he always finishes what he starts.

Enjoy!




In the end... Michael and his friends had a blast!
But I can tell you this... we won't be deflating the Gigaball anytime soon!