Every night both Gavin and Jonah need some "snuggle time" before they claim they can settle down and frankly, I'm happy to oblige. But, for the record I want to remember how completely opposite these two are in terms of how they snuggle.
The routine is to usually snuggle with Jonah first after reading him a book or having him read to me. Gavin is in his room during this time reading to himself. They both prefer this particular order of snuggling, which makes things oh, so much easier. After reading, Jonah starts to get situated and it's usually 50/50 if he'll get comfy on his belly or his back. But he does not want me to touch him and will even move my hand away if I lay it on any part of his body, he simply wants the comfort of knowing I am there. On the rare occasion he will snuggle my arm for a few moments...seconds really. He says he gets too hot, which I can understand, so I give him some space because leaving is not an option. I usually lay on my back sort of next to him...sometimes barely touching, sometimes we're not touching at all. Then he'll continue to move around, pulling the duvet up, then off, sometimes asking if he can take his shirt off, then more moving until I tell him to stop. After about 3-5 minutes of this he's settled and off to sleep. I kiss him goodnight, tell him I love him and that I'll see him in the morning. "Love you too" he says and "can you please shut the closet doors".
Then Gavin gets his turn. He lifts his duvet for me to climb in to the right side of the bed, so that he can stay next to the wall. Then he covers us and snuggles right into me. My arms are wrapped around him and he lays his head right into my shoulder and chest while he feels the coolness of the back side of my arms. I told him a story about when we were in CA for a family reunion several years ago. He was two years old (almost three) and when we travelled he was obsessively attached to Jared. On this particular night Jared was going off a little before bedtime to hang out with his brothers and Gavin was beyond being consoled. So I got 12 month old Jonah down and went and laid down by Gavin who of course was still crying. It wasn't until I finally took my arm out of the long sleeve shirt I was wearing and laid it over his belly for some prime feeling, that he stopped crying. The retelling of this of course made him laugh, especially because he was now almost 9 years old and still doing the same thing to my cool arm at that very moment. And unlike Jonah when I say good night he grabs me tight and asks me to stay a little longer. When I finally make it out, there is a game of "love you the most" back and forth until he can no longer hear me whisper "no, I love you the most"!
I feel no preference for one kind of snuggling or another because in their own way they both still need me and that's what matters.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Summer Living Part III
You know it's hot in Virginia when:
1. Your glasses fog up when you go from an air conditioned car or house or gym into the outside air.
2. Target's store front windows are all completely steamed up.
3. You sit under an umbrella or shade of a tree doing nothing and sweat drips down your forehead, your chest and your back requiring yet another shower.
4. The pool water is a cool 92 degrees.
5. When the temperature gage on the van reads 81 degrees at 10:30pm and the drive home takes you through pockets of thick fog.
6. You shower in the gym, walk out to the pool to grab your children, and by the time you get to the car, you have sweat literally dripping down your face.
7. When the afternoon rain storms come through and steam comes off the blacktop into the air like water being poured over the coals in a sauna.
Summer in Virginia was late in coming this year, which I'm not complaining about being that we got to enjoy unseasonably cooler and less humid days in the Spring and early part of summer. But it is in full swing at this point and our days too have been full to the brim.
The past few weeks have had a pretty regular rhythm with swim team practice in the morning, tennis team until noon and some pretty exciting meets and tournaments. With tennis finished up, swimming champs are this weekend and for the first time in 31 years our team is looking to oust the reigning champs. The thought makes my stomach tense up......I'm just so excited for them. Gavin is ranked #1 going into the meet on backstroke, which just blows my mind! But, unlike me, this kid handles the pressure beautifully. Like his tennis coach said when he won the tournament last week, Gavin is all business out there, and it's true. This kid just gets it done, whatever the "it" happens to be!
But we did take a weekend trip to the first annual Red Wing Roots Festival in Natural Chimneys, Virginia near Staunton and Harrisonburg. It was a mere 90 minutes from our front door, so it was a no brainer and of course Jared has been dreaming of this day since he first went to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival as a single dude and then with me as part of our honeymoon where I too was won over. The line-up included a lot of bands we had never heard of, but came to love so of course are now listening to as we drive around. I realized that it has been quite some time since we have listened to more traditional bluegrass as the likes of Taylor Swift, FUN, RUSH, Ray Lamontagne or anything cousin Spencer has sent us. Then there were a few bands we had high expectations for: the Dhukes, a great band from Quebec, Canada as well as The Sam Bush Band. The Dhukes were amazing and because we've been listening to them for some time, we got to sing along with a handful of songs. The boys were on the front row leaning over the stage watching the amazing fiddler and the drummer who played mostly on a beat box. The Sam Bush Band didn't start until 10:30, so Jonah and I skipped out on that one, but the rest of the boys had stars in their eyes when they finally made it home at midnight.
In true festival form, we spent a lot of time sitting, playing games, and listening to great music. We parked ourselves in the cool of some shade and wandered around from time to time. The boys explored The Natural Chimneys after playing several rounds of card games. And then there as the frisbee throwing that took up a to of the afternoons. Gavin and Jonah were particularly drawn to the open space of grass near our blanket. It was usually a safe place to throw until one band finished and the crowds were moving.
And then there as the frisbee throwing that took up a to of the afternoons. Gavin and Jonah were particularly drawn to the open space of grass near our blanket. It was usually a safe place to throw until one band finished and the crowds were moving. Jonah was serious about this game and is great at throwing and receiving. The following series of pictures are priceless as you watch in real time the collision Jonah has with a woman he has no idea is there.
The Chimney was lit at night and set the stage for a beautify night of music. Below the boys are transfixed with a band we'd never heard but fell in love with: The Steel Wheels.
1. Your glasses fog up when you go from an air conditioned car or house or gym into the outside air.
2. Target's store front windows are all completely steamed up.
3. You sit under an umbrella or shade of a tree doing nothing and sweat drips down your forehead, your chest and your back requiring yet another shower.
4. The pool water is a cool 92 degrees.
5. When the temperature gage on the van reads 81 degrees at 10:30pm and the drive home takes you through pockets of thick fog.
6. You shower in the gym, walk out to the pool to grab your children, and by the time you get to the car, you have sweat literally dripping down your face.
7. When the afternoon rain storms come through and steam comes off the blacktop into the air like water being poured over the coals in a sauna.
Summer in Virginia was late in coming this year, which I'm not complaining about being that we got to enjoy unseasonably cooler and less humid days in the Spring and early part of summer. But it is in full swing at this point and our days too have been full to the brim.
The past few weeks have had a pretty regular rhythm with swim team practice in the morning, tennis team until noon and some pretty exciting meets and tournaments. With tennis finished up, swimming champs are this weekend and for the first time in 31 years our team is looking to oust the reigning champs. The thought makes my stomach tense up......I'm just so excited for them. Gavin is ranked #1 going into the meet on backstroke, which just blows my mind! But, unlike me, this kid handles the pressure beautifully. Like his tennis coach said when he won the tournament last week, Gavin is all business out there, and it's true. This kid just gets it done, whatever the "it" happens to be!
But we did take a weekend trip to the first annual Red Wing Roots Festival in Natural Chimneys, Virginia near Staunton and Harrisonburg. It was a mere 90 minutes from our front door, so it was a no brainer and of course Jared has been dreaming of this day since he first went to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival as a single dude and then with me as part of our honeymoon where I too was won over. The line-up included a lot of bands we had never heard of, but came to love so of course are now listening to as we drive around. I realized that it has been quite some time since we have listened to more traditional bluegrass as the likes of Taylor Swift, FUN, RUSH, Ray Lamontagne or anything cousin Spencer has sent us. Then there were a few bands we had high expectations for: the Dhukes, a great band from Quebec, Canada as well as The Sam Bush Band. The Dhukes were amazing and because we've been listening to them for some time, we got to sing along with a handful of songs. The boys were on the front row leaning over the stage watching the amazing fiddler and the drummer who played mostly on a beat box. The Sam Bush Band didn't start until 10:30, so Jonah and I skipped out on that one, but the rest of the boys had stars in their eyes when they finally made it home at midnight.
In true festival form, we spent a lot of time sitting, playing games, and listening to great music. We parked ourselves in the cool of some shade and wandered around from time to time. The boys explored The Natural Chimneys after playing several rounds of card games. And then there as the frisbee throwing that took up a to of the afternoons. Gavin and Jonah were particularly drawn to the open space of grass near our blanket. It was usually a safe place to throw until one band finished and the crowds were moving.
And then there as the frisbee throwing that took up a to of the afternoons. Gavin and Jonah were particularly drawn to the open space of grass near our blanket. It was usually a safe place to throw until one band finished and the crowds were moving. Jonah was serious about this game and is great at throwing and receiving. The following series of pictures are priceless as you watch in real time the collision Jonah has with a woman he has no idea is there.
The Chimney was lit at night and set the stage for a beautify night of music. Below the boys are transfixed with a band we'd never heard but fell in love with: The Steel Wheels.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Final Tennis Match
I have so many blog drafts in my head from the past few weeks yet I can't seem to find the time to get one single post put together! It takes a while to upload all those amazing photos Jared takes as well as try my hardest to edit myself, which I know doesn't always come through in the final product, thank you very much for noticing, because I know some of you do! I was never a great writer or speller......
But, I have two worthwhile photos from my phone from todays marathon day that started at 7:40am when we left the house for swim practice and didn't end until 7:45pm tonight when finally made it back home. Yes, it was 103 with humidity. Yes, my skin is sticking to itself at this very moment. Yes, we all have slight sunburns despite using sunscreen and staying in the shade as much as possible, and yes, Jared is on a campout with Caleb so yes, I am tired, but happy! So, I figured I'd take advantage of a quiet night and ease some of my latent guilt of getting a tad behind on keeping a record of our lives.
Gavin and Liam both played in their final tennis tournament today that included most of the teams in our surrounding area. There were 30 boys in Liam's division and 10 in Gavin's. Both boys played very well and I was impressed to see what great form they have compared to so many of the other players. Who knew! I spend so much time shuttling them from swimming to tennis I don't get to see them in action very often.
Liam came off with a win in the first (6-1) and second round (6-4) and was beat by a kid who knew how to hit one kind of shot and he hit it well (1-6). The boy was sloppy in his form, but he would get to most of Liams balls and just send them back with a load of backspin, which on clay courts is hard to get to. Liam was increasingly frustrated and I was able to talk to him at one point and suggest that he try to make the kid move (he wouldn't go for shots that weren't right back to him) which improved his game points, but it was unfortunately a little too late in the match. He was disappointed, but also recognized that making it to the 3rd round was a great accomplishment.
Gavin played his first opponent and "bageled" him with a 6-0 match score. His second opponent wasn't much better and he beat him 6-1. I laughed because the final point was played on a serve from the other kid that was clearly out. I asked Gavin why he played that serve even though he knew it was out and he said he didn't want to win on an error. I suggested he not take that approach with whoever he was playing next :) His next match was against an old classmate who is now at a different school. He was down 2-0, and later said he felt like he might cry, but then came back 2-2, then up 3-2, then back to 3-3, then he was up 4-3, then 5-3, then his opponent came back 5-4, then he won 6-4 on a total winner of a shot....it was beautiful! That should have been the final match because his last opponent for the championship was not as challenging and he won pretty easily 6-2.
Here he is with the final championship match score and receiving his trophy from the tournament host. Nice job Gavin and Liam!
But, I have two worthwhile photos from my phone from todays marathon day that started at 7:40am when we left the house for swim practice and didn't end until 7:45pm tonight when finally made it back home. Yes, it was 103 with humidity. Yes, my skin is sticking to itself at this very moment. Yes, we all have slight sunburns despite using sunscreen and staying in the shade as much as possible, and yes, Jared is on a campout with Caleb so yes, I am tired, but happy! So, I figured I'd take advantage of a quiet night and ease some of my latent guilt of getting a tad behind on keeping a record of our lives.
Gavin and Liam both played in their final tennis tournament today that included most of the teams in our surrounding area. There were 30 boys in Liam's division and 10 in Gavin's. Both boys played very well and I was impressed to see what great form they have compared to so many of the other players. Who knew! I spend so much time shuttling them from swimming to tennis I don't get to see them in action very often.
Liam came off with a win in the first (6-1) and second round (6-4) and was beat by a kid who knew how to hit one kind of shot and he hit it well (1-6). The boy was sloppy in his form, but he would get to most of Liams balls and just send them back with a load of backspin, which on clay courts is hard to get to. Liam was increasingly frustrated and I was able to talk to him at one point and suggest that he try to make the kid move (he wouldn't go for shots that weren't right back to him) which improved his game points, but it was unfortunately a little too late in the match. He was disappointed, but also recognized that making it to the 3rd round was a great accomplishment.
Gavin played his first opponent and "bageled" him with a 6-0 match score. His second opponent wasn't much better and he beat him 6-1. I laughed because the final point was played on a serve from the other kid that was clearly out. I asked Gavin why he played that serve even though he knew it was out and he said he didn't want to win on an error. I suggested he not take that approach with whoever he was playing next :) His next match was against an old classmate who is now at a different school. He was down 2-0, and later said he felt like he might cry, but then came back 2-2, then up 3-2, then back to 3-3, then he was up 4-3, then 5-3, then his opponent came back 5-4, then he won 6-4 on a total winner of a shot....it was beautiful! That should have been the final match because his last opponent for the championship was not as challenging and he won pretty easily 6-2.
Here he is with the final championship match score and receiving his trophy from the tournament host. Nice job Gavin and Liam!
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