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!