Halloween 2012

As the boys get older, I have a harder time trying to maintain control over Halloween costumes.  Ya know, the matching, cute costumes that make for the best photos and the "oh how cute!" responses at the doors. This year was no different.  Jeb was insisting on being some kind of zombie, as was Jacob and Aiden didn't care.  I took full advantage of the not caring and asserted my control over the youngest.  Aiden was putty in my hands - "do you want to be an Indian?"  "Sure."  Jeb took a little bit more persuading - "how about a cowboy?" - "Only if it is a zombie cowboy." - "How about no zombie, but you can carry a fake gun?" - "Sure."

In the end I got 2/3 cute and 1/3 zombie.  But, the zombie was a soccer zombie and we had a blast making his costume!  I gotta say, I may have a knack for this!

Halloween brought 3 hours of trick or treating and over 600 peices of candy.  Luckily, Jeb gave all the chocolate peices to Tom and each boy graciously gave a gallon size ziplock bag to be sent to the troops over seas.  I'd rather have the army on a sugar high than the three little men in the house. Believe me, they're always at battle without the added sugar!

Happy Halloween!

Handwriting From the Past

Today I am getting organized.  The office always seems the last to get TLC, so on a rainy Saturday it seems the thing to do.  My biggest issue is the stack of CDs waiting to be imported to iTunes so that I can finally send them off to Goodwill.  Who listens to CDs anymore?

Music holds memories...highschool, college, and a trip to Europe many, many, many years ago.  I guess I could look at this task one of two ways - (1)great memories or (2)that I am getting old.  Especially as I download The Cranberries.  (Are they around at all?)

But, the biggest surprise came when I opened a R.E.M. cd.  It took my breath away as I looked at the initials marked by a sharpie more that 17 years ago.  Not my own initials, but GSB - Gregory Scott Blauwkamp.  My big brother.  The letters are formed just the way I remembered them - from a hand that was very meticulous and trained in engineering ways.  But, as I looked a bit longer, I also saw the letters written from a young hand, probably 20 at the time.  I haven't seen that handwriting in a 17 years and sadly, I never will again.  It shocks me that my own handwriting has changed to show time and years, yet these three letters stay young.

We've all heard the words 'only the good die young.' In many ways, dying young saves us from the hardships of growing old.  But it also takes away many dreams - from the one that is gone and from the ones who spent many days looking at that young child and wondering what they would accomplish. 

On this cold, rainy Saturday, I wonder where Greg would be if the car accident wouldn't have happened.  Would he be proud of his little sister?  Would he still think I was annoying, as big brothers often do?  I miss him everyday and I thank God for little presents...like three handwritten letters from long ago.

Happy Birthday to Jeb! FIVE!

I have to admit, this birthday kind of crept up on me and I think it's because I was avoiding it!  I mean, Jeb is my baby and a five year old really isn't considered that anymore! 

So, we did a little family birthday party and had Jeb's favorite dinner - pancakes.  There isn't much choice when you really only like 3 things. So, we all carbed up.  After, we opened the gifts that Amazon.com so generously delivered in the knick of time.  Jeb was so excited and the best thing was when he asked his brothers if they would like to share his new Razor 360.  'Share' to them means that they can just have it.  One of the few disadvantages to being the youngest - anything can be taken away at any time...even on your birthday.

New toy!

I was hoping that was it for celebrations, but every time we went to preschool,  Jeb would point to someone and say 'Hey, see you at my birthday party.'  WHAT?!? We are having a party?  I really thought I had avoided this!  But, after sitting Jeb down and asking just how many people he invited (about 20), we decided to have a small party.  I am a sucker.


The party was a week later with 5 boys in addition to Jeb (you turn five, so you get five attendees!).  The party was at our house with all the classic party games.  We welcomed the boys in and started by racing cars.  Everything was timed to the minute and I was so proud of Jeb for not being wild.  Lunch was even more tame...this was going well.  And then it happened.  In the middle of 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey', he laid down.  Then his hand went to his mouth and I flew into action.  False alarm, but I knew he was sick...or going to be.  Thankfully, a friend was helping me.  I put Jeb to bed and she took the party outside. He came out every once in awhile to check on the party's progress. It was a great party, even if Jeb was laying on the ground when he was with the kids.  The boys had a blast and they went home with their party bags and a big serving of hand sanitizer.

All the boys - before Jeb went down

Poor Jeb...laying down a minute after the pinata...

A birthday to remember...or not.  What happened next is for another blog entry.  Let's just say, my feet paid the price.  Happy Birthday Jeb!  We love you - no matter how your stomach feels!

Summer Vacation II: Yellowstone Day 1

72degrees! Well, cold at first, but it sure did warm up! Our destination...the canyons of Yellowstone.

We made it to lower falls around 10:30, after a bit of a traffic delay due to elk. After a steep incline down, and a very nervous mummy, we were at the brink of the falls. The power of water is incredible!

We needed more, so we drove to Uncle Toms Trailhead, which is 328 stairs down! I was a little nervous at times while looking down through the grated steel steps, since I have had a fear of falling through the cracks since I was little...if only I were that skinny! The view was worth it and the boys seemed to enjoy counting steps. So much so that they convinced us to take on the south rim trail, a 2 mile round trip hike! The views were amazing along the way and when it ended at Artist Point, I was so glad we did it!

Then we had to walk back.  It was hot.  The boys were tired...one in particular.  So, we split up and Tom walked with Jeb after sitting in the outhouse with him since he conveniently had to go #2.  Times like these, I am SO glad that I have boys and am not allowed in the mens room!  The older boys and I made it in 20 minutes and were surprised when Tom and Jeb showed up 10 minutes later.  Lots of carrying, but they made it! Trail mix at the end was a big reward and we were so happy to refill our water on this hot day!

We stopped at Norris Geyser on the way home. It looks like armegeddon! Baron land with steam rising. Jeb held his nose much of the time and a few tourist started taking pics of him! I was a little nervous about the smell since I remember my brother throwing up at this place when I young and on my first visit to Yellowstone.  We didn't stay long.

On the way home, we came head to head with a bison, as we stopped on the road to watch it graze. It then decided to cross! It was huge with horns and stood there and stared at us as if to ask us to move.  I thought for sure it was going to gore our car! We were all so excited after, but I never want to be that close again!

Home for dinner and then to bed. Early morning "safari" tomorrow!

Summer Vacation I: The Drive to Grand Tetons

June 15, 2012.  The day we have been waiting for.  Bags have been packed, maps have been checked, the car is FULLY loaded and The Griswolds...er, I mean The Koops where ready to cross the United States!  Destination?  Yellowstone and Glacier with a few stops inbetween.

Please note, this is a long post...meant to document the trip for the boys, who may not remember it in the years to come.  Wait, maybe for me and Tom too!  Anyway, parts are highlighted, feel free to skip around!

Summer!

Summer is here and it's really hard to believe how fast time flies.  Even for my kids - on the last day of school, Aiden commented that the year went by really fast and he wasn't ready for school to end.  Which kind of blew my mind since I remember counting down the days till school was out when I was a kid.  But, maybe it has to do with school getting out on May 29, yes, MAY!  What is going to be really hard is going back in the dog days of hot August.

We are really looking forward to summer.  Afterall, it's a time to sit back and relax because a lot of busy things are done.

Like this:

And this:













And this:













Yes, activities are done. Now is the time to enjoy going to the pool, picking berries, and sleeping in. Yeah, right.  How could I have forgotten what summer with three boys is really like?  Actually, the average number of boys at our house on any given day is around 4-5.  And keeping the house clean?  Well, that is a joke.  Groceries?  I thought I had a handle on it - I would just order online and get it delivered.  But, every once in awhile you need a little something.  Last week was one of those times and I took all three boys for a 'quick' trip. 45 minutes later we were out and I had spent $50 on stuff I didn't even have on the list!  I am exhausted at the end of the day, going to bed at 9:00 most nights. 

BUT, I do love it most days.  So what if we have to buy berries at the farmers market and everyone bails on me when it's time to make jam?  I'll make that memory by myself and it will be a cleaner process.  And so what if the house is in shambles because we headed to the pool?  And so what if the biggest thing I have to yell at my boys for is for laughing constantly.  This is what summer is all about! Time to enjoy the boys while they still want to hang with me.  The rest can just fall to the wayside.  And the house?  Well, that can get cleaned in September!

So, bring on summer!

Just a Refresher

Towards the beginning of spring, things get hectic.  Spring programs, poetry readings, biography reports, soccer, baseball, etc.  And, for a boy, spring somehow brings out the wildness.  For a mother, it's wearing.  And for me, I was not only worn out, but extrememly tired.

The only thing that was keeping me going was knowing that I was going to get a break. And a big one.  My annual reuinion with some very special friends in London.  Sounds extreme to fly 8 hours away from my boys.  But, it had to be done.  No one in the Koops house was appreicating eachother at this point.

So, away I flew on a Wednesday night, waking up above England on Thursday morning.  And as we touched down on a rainy, grey Heathrow runway, I felt myself exhale.  I was in my second home about to see my second family.

There is nothing like the feeling of walking out of the gates and seeing someone you know waiting for you.  Sarah, like always, was there for me.  A year had past, but nothing had changed.  Soon we were in Costa coffee drinking a much needed latte.  It was so nice to sit and be reminded how small Beaconsfield is.  In a matter of minutes, I saw two people I knew.  This is what I miss.

The school run came soon after and all of Jacob's friends greeted me as if I were there everyday.  I found out later, that each of them had gone home questioning why I was there AGAIN without Jacob.  Nothing like the guilt of a couple of 9 year olds.  Anyway, time was spent with the Clark boys playing football in the back garden and listening to all the stories of things I missed since we left.  The one thing I was missing was Jacob and Aiden.  They would have loved to be there. The feeling was surreal, as if no time had passed at all and they were waiting for me back in our house on Sandels Way.

Time spent in Beaconsfield went entirely too fast and after a nice coffee with the school mums, I was off to meet the expats.  And again, I had to say a hard good bye to Sarah.  It will never get easy.  But, when I opened the door at Kym's house and saw all my ex-pat friends, I couldn't have been happier.  So begins the emotional rollar coaster of the weekend.

Off to London we went, stopping at Lancaster Gate for our weekend apartment.  Best move we ever made renting that.  Nothing is better than take-away Indian food and sitting up til all hours of the night catching up with 8 women with whom I have shared so many memories with.  We laughed so much and we talked about our kids, who used to play together each Friday morning.  Sadly, those young ones don't remember the fun we had.  But we sure do!

The weekend was filled with lots of shopping, lots of talking, lots of rain and lots of waiting for mexican food.  We had no idea it was Cinco de Mayo!  It all ended in happy tears and promises to do it again next year.  Maybe in Florida. Who can stand this grey English weather?!

I touched down at O'Hare on Monday night.  Refreshed.  Ready.  There at the gate were my boys.  Refreshed. Ready.  We shared hugs, we shared stories, and we shared how much we missed each other.  Yes, maybe a weekend away is good for everyone...

 First pub drink with Susan and Sheena (gotta have a Pimms!)

A long, successful day of shopping!

Pinewood Derby!

It was a long journey for this little block of wood that was sent home with Aiden 3 months ago. Yes, it was a block of wood, as I discovered when I opened the box. I expected to see a car and I didn't. Fear gripped me as I tried to figure out how Tom, whom I love, could possibly do this. But, with the right tools, even an accountant can make a good looking car! It just takes about $100 worth of new tools, 20+ hours and a lot of patience.

Aiden helped out quite a bit - which worried me when I saw his little fingers close to the sander and saw. But we made it out with no need to run to the ER and no stitches. He even helped paint it. And then Tom thought he would put a second coat on. This is where the trouble began and the "Flaming Dragon" became Tom's nemesis! The second coat looked terrible. Ok, sand it down and paint it again. Looks good. Decals go on. Let's put on the clear coat. Turns out clear coat paint does not like high gloss paint. The sander comes out again. Tom kept his cool and the car looked great. Next, the wheels. Seems easy enough, but they wouldn't go in. For at least 2 hours Tom worked on it and this time, he lost it a bit. Just a bit, but enough. So, we put the car away while he cooled down and the next day he figured it out. The Flaming Dragon was ready to race!

Things have changed in the derby arena since I watched my brother's cars race. Everything is electronic and the cars are pretty good looking. One guy spent 40 hours on his! Woah. We prewarned Aiden that he may not win and to try not to cry. He had 8 races to try. We bit our nails as we watched his first race and jumped up and down when he won! And then the announcer ruined the moment by saying that was the slowest race he's ever seen. Thanks. Thanks A LOT. Aiden didn't care, he was so excited! Race #2: His car went off the track and I saw his face fall and he bit his lip. "Keep it together," I mouthed to him and he nodded his head. The racing went on and it turns out that his winning race really was slow cause he never made it past 3rd place, but it didn't matter to him because he got first place in the first race. Thank goodness for that!

Next year Tom has big plans for his car, wait, I mean AIDEN'S car! Well done boys!

The Flaming Dragon takes it's place...

So excited to win that first race!

St. Patricks Day

Little did we know that when we moved to Elmhurst, that we would be moving to 'Little Ireland.' The amount of Irish Catholics here is staggering and it really shows when 'The Parade' hits.

This year, we got to walk in the parade as part of Kick Off For Kids, a local charity that raises money for children in need. The boys were so excited. When we got to the parade, their friends were waiting with green hair paint in hand. So, we sprayed them and the parade got started! Throwing candy may actually be more fun than receiving it, cause when the time came to sit and watch the parade, they were bored silly. And to give them credit, the parade was two hours long!The fun continued with a band and dancing and it turned out to be a really fun day. I like to think that our Irish side came out a bit - we do have about 2%!

School carried on the tradition of St. Pat. Leprachaun traps were set and fun was had by all - even O'Aiden!

Jeb, waiting for the parade to start

Aiden, handing out the loot. (Glad we sprayed his hair...nice hat!)

And the dancing...

Answering Aiden

Aiden has always been one to ask more questions. Even when he was little, he would always ask simple little questions of how things worked and why they happened. Well, he is older and I guess all those simple questions have been answered. The big ones are rolling in one by one. And it's never when Daddy is around, which leaves me grasping for straws at some points. Like this for example...

One of our friends recently had a baby. I told the boys about it at dinner and they seemed very excited. Aiden didn't say much else until after dinner when I was cleaning up, which makes me think he was really thinking it through while chewing his chicken. "Mummy, how did that baby get out?" Hmmm...how do I answer this honestly and truthfully? - I went the c-section route. Simply, that some babies have to get cut out of their mummy's tummy. Silence. "Is that how I got out?" Ok, now I had to think and as I scraped the dishes I said nothing, hoping he would walk away. He didn't. And now Jacob was there too, only Jacob was giggling. Now I had two problems - how do I answer this and how much does Jacob know about this cause I certainly have never told him! And then Jacob laugh out, "they come our her butt." Woah! I guess I had to pull out the full terminology for this one. My reply, "No, Jacob it's the vagina. Babies come out of mother's vagina." Their eyes were big as saucers and they quickly turned and ran to play. At least they are well informed.

But the questions keep coming. And why are they always on the same subject? This time it was a week or two later. "Mummy, how do babies get in the tummy?" SERIOUSLY, where is Tom?!? I went for it. Well, kind of. "God puts an egg in the mummy that turns into a baby, but with no shell." And he said, "Oh, ok." Sometimes, it best to answer truthfully and leaves some things out.

And tonight, again Tom is out of town (and he is usually around, it's just my luck). This one was easy. "Mummy do you love me more than Daddy?" And I said, "No because you are going to leave me one day and I will have to live with just Daddy, so I better love him a lot." A look of shock and horror came across his face. "Will I have to go to college forever?" "No, you will graduate, get a job, and then at some point you will fall in love and get married." Aiden replies,"How do you get married?" Short answer, "You go to church and tell everyone and then you kiss." Shock and horror again. "I have to kiss her? Yuck. Do I have to do it on a stage? Oh, no!" I tried to console poor Aiden and the only thing that would do it was when I answered yes to his next question: "Will we get to ride in a limo?" Big smiles.

Birds, bees and marriage. Maybe I'm done explaining for awhile? Nah, not with him!

February Holidays!

It's not often that you get two holidays in a row, but this past week we lucked out. And, really, are they holidays? Well, I guess that depends where you live. But, we'll start with the first...

Koops 2nd Annual Ski Holiday, otherwise known as Presidents Day. We did get the day off from school, and we didn't go to Springfield to see Lincoln, we didn't read about Washington, and we sure didn't go to Chicago to celebrate Obama when he was a humble "community organizer!" No, we headed to Wisconsin to Wilmot 'Mountain'.

It's been such a weird winter weather wise, so to even think about skiing felt a little out there. But, we went anyway and sure enough, in the middle of the brown landscape was a white 'mountain' ready to be skied on.

The boys went through 2 hours of ski school to refresh. Jacob spent about 5 minutes on the bunny hill and then was off to the chairlift. On the other end of the spectrum was Jeb, who spent about 1 hour and 55 minutes on the bump of a hill. Aiden landed in between. But, they wanted to keep going. Thank goodness I was with a friend who was skiing and took Jacob off my hands while I tried to help with the tow rope. Running up the hill holding Jeb and Aiden up and then running down trying to make sure Jeb didn't take anyone out. After awhile Aiden took off with Jacob to the chairlift and I was left with Jeb. I got a work out and he somewhat mastered the tow rope. It was memorable and the boys loved it. It's their favorite sport. Which will probably bankrupt us since it's the most expensive. If you are reading this and want to sell some skis, call me!

Jeb, a little off balance, but getting down this 'steep' hill

Jacob on the right, loving every minute.

Aiden making it down the big hill! Thank you to Heather who trailed not far behind!

There was no rest when I got home, off to the grocery store to buy pancake supplies and bacon for PANCAKE DAY! This one actually deserves a day off or at least some acknowledgement at the local schools. Oh well, I took care of it for our friends.

After school, we had 16 kids over for pancake races: flip your pancake while running. First one to the end wins! Jacob had a severe advantage from his time in the UK, but he lost in a photo finish. Everybody won after when we sat down for pancakes, bacon, sausage, and fruit salad. We went through 50 pancakes, 2 lbs of bacon (we needed more!) and 3 lbs of sausage. There were a lot boys there!

So glad we can bring a beloved English tradition across the pond!

Jacob vs. Jake in the first round

Aiden vs. Teddy. Lost in the first round, which he said he allowed because Teddy is younger. ;)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas seemed to creep up on us this year despite being pretty prepared thanks to online shopping and the kids being in school until the 23rd. We had a great time watching Christmas programs, baking, frosting cookies (this was done with 6 boys - very daring...I deserve an award for that one!), and wrapping presents frantically every night. And then suddenly, here it is. Christmas.

We mixed things up a bit this year. We stayed in Elmhurst on Christmas Eve, leaving to see our families in Michigan on Christmas Day. It was so great to have a quiet night with the boys. Well, as quiet as it gets here, that is. We allowed a couple of presents to be opened. The first was photo books that I made for the each boy. Kids love looking at themselves and I loved seeing their surprised expressions. Then came the Wii games. The surprise was 'Just Dance.' We had so much fun dancing and it got a bit heated with the competition! But, the best girl won, of course!

The morning came early...Jacob was up at 5:15, but thankfully waited until 5:45 to come see us. we waited until 6:30 and FINALLY Jeb woke up. I'm not sure he was fully awake, but a present got shoved in his face anyway. By 7:00, the Santa gifts were opened and everyone was busy playing. Jeb was the best to watch...so excited no matter what the present was. Although Cars 2 DVD got the biggest yell! We pulled away for breakfast and to pull out Christmas Crackers. And then we opened a few more presents. The guns. The guns I swore I would never buy. The guns that the boys were ecstactic about. The Nerf guns. I have to admit, I had a bit of fun with them too. There goes the house, as if it hasn't already.

Then on to the car to Michigan for fun with cousins and, of course, more presents. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and watch the kids get so excited just to play with cousins that they don't see often enough. And in the end, when we asked the kids about their favorite part of Christmas, it was the show that they put on with their cousins - a nativity play. And isn't that what Christmas is all about? A little baby in a manger and six little kids who want to retell it in order to remind the busy adults that it isn't all about the baking, the food, and even the presents. Thanks for that reminder.

Lastly, I wish I would have taken the time to write down quotes from Aiden. He was on fire. But, I only remember one, although I laughed at more than a few. Here is the best of the bunch:

Tom got new boots - black, European looking dress boots. He asked for them and I got them. He put them on, a bit unsure of this new style, but we talked it over and thought they looked good. And then Aiden came up from playing and said this, "Wow Daddy did you get new boots? Those are AWESOME! They look just like mommy's!" - And the boots were taken off immediately and sent back the following day. ;)

All set with our Christmas cracker crowns on!

Just Dance! Get's a bit sweaty with all that dancing!

Putting together Lego in record time!

Scalectix - Jacob's face says it all!

Not sure what to say about this one...but sometime I do fear for his future.

Koops cousins

Blauwkamp cousins after the nativity play