Lucky Leprechauns

Westli LOVES green. So it seemed extremely appropriate that we celebrate the luck of the Irish, traditionally associated with green in the U.S., that also happened to fall on a Wednesday… traditionally associated with W-W-W- Westli in our home. Our little Leprechauns were very busy. They crafted a rainbow paper chain and a pot of gold, made havoc out of the box of lucky charms we purchased and threw streamers all over the house. We knew it was Leprechaun mischief because they left their footprints on walls, doors, windows, and the toilet seat (where they turned the water green AND sparkly!) They also turned the water in Wes’ cup green! Shenanigans were had! They even flipped over our rumba, Henry, so he couldn’t clean anything up!

Wes got such a kick out of most of it. But it did make for a rough day. These kind of things are always a double edged sword around here. While he is excited about “holidays”, he just can’t really handle the changes or disruptions in what he normally expects from the day. We vacillate from the extreme celebrate of these days to no celebration in hopes of not throwing him off. I wish that we could find a nice balance where there is just enough celebration to keep him overjoyed and rewarded for having interest and happiness, but not so much that he can’t function for the whole day. Perhaps one day we will find it.

Happy New Year!

Jack-o-lanterns

We carved and painted pumpkins over the weekend.

This was the first year that any of our kids carved a pumpkin al by herself. My kids aren’t often independent, so I still marvel when they are.

Tay and Liv opted for some very simple painted designs. It was fun and not nearly as messy as it used to be!

And I just realized that I never took a photo of the finished products.

Trampoline

During the wildfire our emergency plan involved taking up the offer of my friend and coworker, Kim. When I explained the plan to Wes, he remembered that Kim had a trampoline. After that, he kept asking when we would get to “yellow”, meaning level 2 evacuation warning. He didn’t think of it as a scary, he was waiting anxiously so that he could jump on the trampoline. I wish every child could have felt as immune to the emotional stress that the fires cost. At the same time, I want Wes to learn to empathize with others and that means that he has to learn to feel the real emotion.

After the fire danger subsided, we lived with air quality that was down right hazardous for about a week. Every single day Wes asked if we could go jump, and I told him that it wasn’t safe, but I would ask Miss Kim if he could go there to jump when it was.

Last night, he finally got to jump! He and Ava had a really great time.

I am so appreciative of Kim and her family who extended an offer to help us in case we needed somewhere to go. I’m so grateful to Kim for having us over to jump on their trampoline. It may seem like something small, but it was huge for Wes.

Surviving summer 2020

Side note, Happy 22nd Birthday Evan! Wish we could be there celebrating!

So COVID-19 rages on. For the most part, we have maintained a strict social distance and relative isolation. Last Tuesday we took a family trip to the coast. We chose a less popular beach and a weekday hoping to have more distance and few human interactions. We were pretty successful in that pursuit. We did get too much sun.

All of us have a pretty significant sunburn. Taylor’s is probably the worst as he chose to sit out in the sun most of the day and only applied sunblock once. I tried to tell him, but teenagers.

A few weeks ago Jon, Liv, and I went on a long hike. We meant to travel to the coast, but we misread the length of that journey and did not go prepared for a hike that long. So we did a shorter loop and had a lot of fun and exercise doing it.

Tay and Liv participated in a virtual summer camp through our local community college. Here Tay explains one of his projects. Wes loved that his program caused a light to blink and change colors. They both had a lot of fun.

Ava created this my little pony puppet out of construction paper and toilet paper tubes. She ran out of pink paper right in the middle but creatively solved her problem.

Anyway, a few ways that we are passing the time. Our schools will start 100% virtual in a couple of weeks. They will stay that way until at least Nov, then the district will re-evaluate. Wish us luck!

Fudgy

Wahclella Falls

We took the kids on a hike. A bit more than 2 miles round trip. We posed in front of a lovely waterfall.

Ava and Wes played in the water, tossed stones, and enjoyed watching the early leaves fall from the trees high above.

Tay found a walking stick and climbed about before settling on a huge rock to rest.

Us girls took a selfie while the boys climbed up for a higher view.

This is what happens when I ask Ava to smile.

And when she decides to listen….

It was all going swimmingly, sure Wes complained a little about his tired legs and painting rocks when we get home. Liv and Tay were bored at the falls, and Ava wasn’t pleased that Taylor wouldn’t let her use his stick, but mostly everyone was pleasant. Jon and I even enjoyed several minutes of us simply being in a calm place where the kids were coexisting peacefully.

Obviously this couldn’t last. All the way back to the car Wes complained about being hungry and tired and how he couldn’t carry his rocks. Right up to the point when his foot slipped and he fell feet first off the edge of cliff.

He had been bending over to pick up sones and shoving them in his pockets. I knew he wasn’t being very careful, and just a few seconds before he slipped I had a feeling that I should be close to him. I actually had a thought of him slipping and a flash of what I would do. Then suddenly there I was screaming for Jon as I clung on to him. He was scared and shocked and understandably upset. All the rest of the way back Jon held his hand as we reassured him that everything was okay.

But it’s really not okay. In a moment of pure panic I saved my child from falling 20-30 feet down a rocky cliff. The what if’s are in my head big time. It reminds me how fragile life is and how easily this great adventure might have become my worst nightmare.

Maybe I should resolve never to have any more “dangerous” adventures, but I don’t think that is the best thing for any of us. Discovery is a huge part of life, and living involves an inherent amount of danger, right?

Still, Mother Nature, RESPECT! My heart is still pounding!

Happy 4th of July!

*Coco is not pictured because he spent the day hiding and running from the distant fireworks. He is not a fan!

Do you want to build a snowman?

Yes, I know its summer, well spring... I know this even if mother nature would rather it stay Frozen! We were riding in the car on our way to pick up Jon's bib number on Saturday when our children broke out in song.  The second round was not a good as the first spontaneous round... but you get the idea of the crazy, awesomeness that can be our family.

My kids, like nearly every kid everywhere, are totally obsessed with this movie.  They love Ana and Elsa and the snowman.  Often times I hear them role playing and pretending to be the characters.  I am going to have to find time to watch this movie if I want to know what it is that my children are up to.