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...