Wonderful Grandma Moments

Can't Get Enough Hope

Lotsa, lotsa, lotsa Hope!

Traveling Delights

We were blessed again to take our annual trip from Sandpoint to Lopez to Mazama and back this past weekend. It has become our family ritual, only each year, we seem to bring someone new along...a new kid, that is! It was a great trip for our foursome. All is well on the island and at the yurt -- the property holds such positive energy, the frogs sing as loudly as ever, the sun was shining brightly and Holly B's is still buttery and sweet! We got to take a few ventures out to the beach to throw rocks into the Sound, visited the Lopez Fire Station (twice) and did needed maintanence on the yurt. Our last night off island we visited dear friends in Mazama -- Julie, Susan, Travis and Jori -- and enjoyed the pleasures of two-mom time, a wonderful home cooked meal and an early morning bike ride (with kids!!!) to the Mazama store for early day treats! A perfect trip all around!

Helpful Mowers

Both kids are in on the action helping Momma Shannon get the spring grass under control.

Happy Mother's Day!

The joyful faces of those who make us moms...oh how sweet it is!

Race Day!

33rd annual Bloomsday race results are IN!

Diana Gore
Finish Time: 1:13:38
Overall Place: 7,957 out of 44,490
Ran with a pace of 9:52 per mile
The average pace for 40-year-olds was 14:30

Shannon Barnes
Finish Time: 1:06:46
Overall Place: 5,002 out of 44,490
Ran with a pace of 8:56 per mile
The average pace for 41-year-olds was 14:37

Save for the crowds and the ninja moves needed to get through some narrow spaces, we all had a really great morning! Special thanks to Purple Grandma for bringing the kids out to watch and cheer us on! Kisses from Henry at mile 6 were about the sweetest delight ever!

H & H Update

Update of the kiddlets for those of you who keep telling me that I'm not keeping up with the blog (mea culpa, mea culpa!) I chalk my delinquency up to busy schedules at work, spending lots of time chasing after these growing young ones and what time we do have when the sun shows up being spent outdoors -- thank goodness!

Hope, now just past 9 months continues to be a MOVER! She is active at every moment and has taken to exploring every part of the house. She LOVES climbing the stairs and with no cares, will venture up all 20 steps by herself (much to Mommas' hysteria...) She squawks like a large bird to converse and definitely understands waaaaayyyy more than she can communicate herself! She is completely taken by Java and other large dogs, has found her image in the mirror to be completely enticing and cackles with a 30-year smokers laugh when I tickle the inner thigh.

Henry continues to astound us with his verbal acuity and passion for music! His new favorite video is The Sound of Music and has me fast forward to all the "kids" parts so that he can learn the songs. He has "Do-Re-Me" down and can sing it himself, but finds "My Favorite Things" a bit disconcerting because of the thunder and lightning in the backdrop. Hen has become enamored with the guitar and we've been playing regularly since our friend Julie gave him a lesson. As spring comes, you can nearly always find Henry outside -- he loves to pretend the garden hose is a fire-fighter's hose putting out fires and he continues to love mowing the grass like Momma Shannon! He is a great companion -- still very sensitive, full of stories and creative wonder.

Kindly Visits

Recent visits from friends and family have made the delay of spring all the more bearable! Thanks to all who came to ski, play with the kids, enjoy the beauty of North Idaho...we really love your presence!

Some photos just make me smile!

Henry hiding in the cupboards

Henry and Miranda & their fingers

Henry & Miranda making bread

Hope dressed as a puppy & beaming!

Good Things

New Discoveries:

Shannon, Henry, Hope and I all spent a few hours on Saturday at the Sandpoint Waldorf School here in town. They held a special pre-K discovery day and it was extraordinary. Their methodology was so peaceful, whole child and intentional...we played, we sang, we did movement exercises, we painted, ate carrot/spelt muffins, watched a puppet show, played outside. A big part of their philosophy is letting children explore their surroundings and bring their imagination to play -- so rather than have a "boat" in the classroom, they have a wooden structure that rocks and when a child gets in it, you can ask her, "So, what are you doing?" And she might say, "I am riding in a car" or "I am rocking in a boat" or "This is where me and my mommy are hiding while the birds sing." The child defines the moment for herself in this way...really interesting! They are also very intentional about transitions -- moving as they describe like the breath, in and then out. They mark transitions for the kids with song and verse and "prayer" of a sort (though seemingly completely non-denominational). The whole experience left me full and curious about how to bring more creativity and exploration into our home.

We also took our first family hike through the woods after work last night. Though it was snowing again this moring, we'd had lovely sun melt away most of the ground snow, leaving a path for our journey. Henry was most fascinated by the multitude of animal poop -- so many different creatures leaving their mark. He would call out, "Momma Diana, Momma Shannon, more poopies!!!" and we would come running. Hope was content watching us all from above in the backpack.

We anticpate spring with a fervor, yet are settling into the possibility of more snow on its way. April is very busy for us -- Chris, Chapel and Watson will visit this weekend; our dear from Julie will come from NYC for a few days; we are hosting our friend Stacey's birthday party at the house; a Passover seder in town; a visit with Deb Armstrong and Adelyn; hoping to get some running in so that we will survive the Bloomsday race the first weekend in May. With hope, the sun will come and we can also begin the ready the garden and begin the growing season.

Good things...all good things.

Guess Again!

Name the kid...can you say strong gene pool?

Considering Love

Question from Henry this morning: "Momma Diana, what is love?"

Would love to hear some of your answers...

For those interested...

News of the Jaw Pain Unfolds...

Diagnosis: MRI shows Internal Joint Derangement without Reduction

The superior head of the lateral pterygoid muscle may pull the articular disk out of place when abnormal jaw mechanics place unusual stress on the joint. Abnormal jaw mechanics can be due to congenital or acquired asymmetries or to the sequelae of trauma or arthritis. If the disk remains anterior, the derangement is said to be without reduction. Restricted jaw opening (locked jaw) and pain in the ear and around the temporomandibular joint result. If at some point in the joint's excursion the disk returns to the head of the condyle, it is said to be with reduction. Derangement with reduction occurs in about 1/3 of the population at some point. All types of derangement can cause capsulitis (or synovitis), which is inflammation of the tissues surrounding the joint (eg, tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, synovium).

Mouth splint: awkward piece of acrylic that costs over $1200 which will somehow make things better (at least in 30% of cases)

Insurance Debacle: Blue Cross has specifically crafted the language of their terms so that NOTHING related to the TMJ (syndrome or joint itself) will be covered...Jesus...I have already racked up close to $4000 on this "derangement." The mysteries of the insurance companies...

Hope in Action

Lil' Hope is taking to her feet! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xis-YkhFNaU

Pretty funny -- watch until the end...

International Women's Day

In honor of his foremothers, Henry celebrates in style!

This Week's Wonder

Henry was convinced that the sky was falling. He kept saying, "Stay up, stay up!"

Personally, I have never seen such big snow flakes!!!

Free to be Kids

A fun video of our most beloved kidlets! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sx39wivVfw

A Musing on Exhaustion

So Cass and I exchanged some calls and emails recently about running, about exhaustion and the nexus of the two. She reminded me that her time is pretty open these days, which affords her a certain freedom and opportunity. This led me to consider how free and unencumbered my typical day is...alas, I am not so sure I like what I discovered...

My Daily Routine
Up at 5:00am by an little whisper in my ear, "Momma, can I cuddle?"
By 5:45am, another more eager voice (espeically eager if she has slept through the night), calls out for boob
By 6:30am, we'd all better be dressed and eating breakfast or it is proven we will be late for work
7:15am, out the door and off to daycare having fed the animals, walked the dog, picked up toys and shoveled snow (per the season)
7:45am, drop kids off at daycare and turn right around, retracing precious steps eastward toward CWC
8am: be at work-- these days some are doing seat checks
8am-5:15pm: working for da man
5:15pm drive back into town to get kids
By 6:15pm, we are home again...ready to play, make dinner, feed kids, clean up, take baths, read stories, do puzzles, play music, watch videos (on tougher nights)
By 8pm, both kids are down, a pause settles over the atmosphere, Shannon and I look at each other and don't quite know what to say..."An episode of Dexter?"
By 8:30pm, both of us have fallen asleep downstairs in our respective comfy spots
By 9pm, in bed, dreading the morning alarm once again...

It is almost crazy to articulate this so graphically. How do parents of more than 2 do it? Will it get easier as they get older or simply add more activities to the list?

Wow...no wonder we've been exhausted lately. And to say nothing of running...

Attitude Shifts

So this morning, Henry and I were having a good conversation as we drove into daycare. He was frustrated that he did not get to see the garbage truck this morning, as it comes on Friday and it was only Tuesday. I was explaining to him that rather than get frustrated, he could instead choose to change his attitude about the situation and see things from a more positive perspective; he could choose to be excited that Friday was yet to come and that we would be sure to see garbage trucks in only a few days...I said, "Henry, sometimes it causes us less emotional stress when we just change our way of thinking;" to which he replied, "Just like changing my diaper, Momma Diana?" Exactly...when our thinking is shitty, just change it.

Henry Takes to the Mountain!

The time has come when our young boy bravely takes on the mountain!!! He must have some Momma Shannon genes in him somewhere! Fearless, simply fearless.

A Friendly Visit

Tammy and Lisa came for a visit and got to spend many hours "squeezing" the kidlets...everyone loved it! We ventured out for a snow shoe at Round Lake, drank lots of really great wine and played with our new video capability. Here is one fun look at the gang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8gq0LfO1MI

Oh how we love these girls!!!!

Palm Springs Quickie

Di and the kids taking a swim

Henry enjoying his half-birthday cupcake

Henry helping the pilot get us home!
We had the chance to get a quick adventure to the sun and we took it!!! Thanks to my Uncle Bob who graciously lent us his house, we spent three days soaking in the desert heat and enjoying a change of pace in Palm Springs. Highlight was the Living Desert Museum which has a HUGE working electric train display as well as giraffes, hyenas and cheetahs to see!

Simple Pleasures