Colin
Viewing the Christmas Lights
We decided to take the kids for a drive around Santa Barbara to see some Christmas lights. There is even a website that gives you a whole route to take, complete with directions of where and when to turn. (Thanks for the tip, MK!) It’s the same path that the touring trolley cars take. It sounded like a great activity for the Christmas season.
There is only one word that can be used to describe our evening of Christmas light viewing: BUST!
And it wasn’t because there was anything wrong with the route or that the traffic was out of hand. No. It was because our children either a) fell asleep or b) complained the entire trip. Specifically, the three youngest nodded off before we even made it off the freeway exit and the oldest whined about every single thing.
Maybe we set the stage wrong, I don’t know. All I know is that from the moment we turned on to State Street and the start of the route, Warren began complaining.
“What is this we’re listening to?” he grumbled from the back, even as the brightly lit store displays and decorative stars over the street lamps gleamed outside the car window. The Christmas c.d. had just switched to a comedic story we enjoy hearing once a year, “Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party.” Perhaps he was expecting “Frosty the Snowman” and was greatly disappointed to hear a Canadian accent instead.
After the fourth time whining to know when it would be over, I turned around in irritation.
“Warren, we’re here to see the lights. Your sister and brothers are asleep. That means this is all for you now. If you’re not enjoying the drive and happy to see the lights then we’re going to go home,” I told him sternly. His half-hearted okay led me to believe that his bad attitude would reappear shortly.
Unfortunately, I was right. We continued on the path and made it to the second neighborhood of many participating houses when he piped in once again.
“I’m bored!” he announced in a surly, Grinchy tone.
I took one last terrible picture of a lighted house (photographing in low lighting from a moving vehicle has too many limitations, even with a good camera) and told Colin to turn that car around. We were going home.
As soon as we stated that we were done and heading back, he let out a wail. And then he kept wailing all the way home.
“I want to go back! Let’s go back! We didn’t see enough lights! Please! Please! Let’s see more lights! We have to see more lights!” he cried in outrage.
In our 20 minute drive home I went from supreme irritation to disappointment to sympathy. In the end, I just felt bad for him. Sometimes it’s hard to be a kid. You just don’t know what you want or how to express it and when you do get what you want sometimes it’s overwhelming to handle.
Too much excitement? Too much stimulation? Too much sugar throughout the day? I don’t know what happened with Warren, but I do know that he deeply regretted his choice of attitude. Maybe next time he’ll think before he complains. At least when it comes to Christmas lights.
And maybe next year, more of our children will actually be awake for this outing.
Father Daughter Date
When Maddie learned that I was taking Warren to the library for the storyteller performance, she wanted to come with us. We explained that Warren and I were going on a Mother-Son date. Plus it was her bedtime and she needed to stay home. She was very sad.
To compensate, Colin told her that he would take her out on a date too, but on Saturday. The whole rest of the week she kept asking when her date with Dad would come. The weekend can seem forever away when you’re two.
True to his word, Colin took Maddie out, though she was developing a fever and was pretty tired. He debated not going but he couldn’t let her down.
They had big plans. An outing to Trader Joe’s (where they’d pick up some chocolate “cat” cookies) and a stop at our neighborhood park. She loved every minute of it. For days after she would talk about her trip and tell me that TJs was her date place. The girl dreams grand.
It’s too bad that later that day she got even more sick, passed out on the couch, and had her fever spike to 104 degrees necessitating a trip to the emergency room. But that’s another story. Daddy Daughter Date was a success. Many more outings to come, I hope.
DYI: Backyard Playground
Inspired by Julianna and Danny’s recent acquisition, Colin and I saved up to buy our own playground set for the backyard. It was a large investment we knew would return many great memories in the years to come.
We saw a few sets on Costco.com that looked like fun, so when one went on sale this summer we decided to go for it. For the same price as the less expensive model, we could get more features, shipping included. It was even cheaper if we opted to build the thing ourselves.
Or we could spend $200 to have them assemble it for us. I wanted to pay the extra money just to have it completed right away. Colin assured me that going the frugal route was better since he could manage putting it together himself just fine. No doubt there. He’s a pretty handy guy. Just when would he find the time to do it, though?
Let the record show that we willfully chose the do-it-yourself option.
When the 5 boxes were delivered on a large wooden pallet and hauled (by Colin and our kind friend, Shawn) into our backyard, I looked and Colin and asked, “Are you sure about this?” He reiterated that he would get the job done.
Exactly four Saturdays later, the project was completed. There was much whining, and pleading, and overall impatience before it was over. And that was mostly from me! Let’s just say the subject became a bone of contention between me and my sweet husband. I just wanted it done and he could only go as fast as the weekends (well, Saturdays) would allow.
Each step was painfully slow. I only documented a few of them, but let me assure you that the process was quite labor intensive. These pictures only give you a taste of the construction.
If I were to do it again, I would pay the extra money for someone else to finish it in one day. Colin tried to reason that, by doing it ourselves, we were also teaching our children about patience and working for something that we wanted. True. And valuable lessons, for sure. However, sometimes you just want things to be done. Right then.
He did a fantastic job, of course, even picking out the green paint for the roof and red for the chimney. The kids love it and are out swinging almost every day.
It’s over. It’s done. We’re happy with the results. Let’s just leave the subject at that.
Soccer: Season 3
Another year of soccer has begun. Again, Colin is coaching Warren’s team. This year’s name: Lightning Strikes Back.
This time things are going a little better with the “Dad-is-my-coach” situation. Colin worked out a reward system for helping Warren remember to have a good attitude, especially at practices. This system, as you might have guessed, involves receiving LEGOs. Whatever works.
Warren’s first game was amazing. Not because our team won, or scored any goals, for that matter. It was awesome because Warren seemed to “wake up” out on the field and actually engaged in the game the entire time. He can really plow through those kids when he makes his mind up to do so! He was a soccer powerhouse!
After it was over, we went out for the traditional post-game scoop of ice cream.
The kids always go for the fruity flavors. The ones that are brightest and leave the most stains, of course.
I think Warren may have overdosed on his “Cotton Candy” but he valiantly pressed on to finish.
Participating in soccer every autumn is taxing on our family’s schedule. We don’t have a Saturday free until Thanksgiving. But I think this year, our time spent will be worth the effort.
Colin is a fun, devoted coach that knows how to get the kids excited to play. He even designed the team banner above. Warren is improving weekly in his skill level and ability to play the game. And I think he actually likes it.
So we’ll keep going with this fall ritual. At least for a few more seasons.
Tomatillo Salsa
Every Wednesday, Colin gathers with seven of his coworkers at lunch time for a “Salsa Meeting.” Each person takes turns bringing in a salsa of his/her choice for the others to sample.
This week was Colin’s turn to provide the salsa. Since we received a bunch of tomatillos in our weekly CSA delivery (more on how I joined that in a post to follow), he decided to make salsa verde.
Shepherd Farms Tomatillo Salsa
1 lbs. fresh tomatillos, husks removed
3 Elephant garlic cloves, or 4 regular garlic cloves
2-3 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 bunch fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Juice from 1 limeDirections:
Preheat the oven broiler.
Arrange the tomatillos and jalapenos on a baking sheet.
Place under the broiler and roast for 10-15 minutes until the jalapenos and tomatillos are evenly charred, turning occasionally.
Set aside to cool. (Don’t remove the charred parts of the tomatillos or peppers. They add a really nice flavor.)
Place peppers and tomatillos in a blender with the garlic and cilantro. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper.
Refrigerate until serving.
Colin ended up with two batches: one that followed the recipe exactly, with the required amount of tomatillos, and another that had fewer tomatillos but still the same amount of garlic.
Wow. That second batch could pack a punch! Let’s just say consuming it would keep vampires away for a week. But both were tasty.
Colin’s first attempts at salsa-making were a spicy, garlicky success. I’m going to have to utilize his skills more often.
Occupational Hazard?
Poor Colin.
All he was trying to do was get around the two high chairs that take up more space than we have in our dining area. The babies were done eating and he was moving quickly to get them out. Unfortunately, he didn’t clear the piano. In fact, his pinky toe made full, hard contact with the metal roller on the bottom of the piano leg.
Who knew that feeding your babies breakfast could result in a broken toe? Certainly not the event you’d expect during early morning fatherly duties.
Ouch.
Family Pictures 2011
I had been bugging Colin for the longest time about taking family pictures together. The last one we had was two years old and showed how uncooperative Warren was being at that moment. I wanted something that we could hang up on the wall that included all of our children. I knew that I wanted Tami to take the pictures, but since she lives so far away, I thought it was a hopeless idea.
And then she decided to take a mini vacation to visit us! And she was willing to photograph us while she was here, too! It was literally a dream come true.
I could not be more please with how they came out. There was much bribery, I assure you. But it was entirely worth every scoop of ice cream promised to get the shots that she was able to coax out of my four distracted children. See for yourself.
I love them all! So much! There are many more, but I don’t want to bore you. Plus I need to save some for the Christmas cards.
I wish I could show you my favorite one, but since we still cannot post pictures of Jake and Joe, you’ll just have to wait. There’s a good story too, but it would lose something in translation if I posted it with the question mark over Jake’s face. Trust me. If you know me personally and are friends with me on FaceBook, you can see it there.
Tami, you are an amazingly talented photographer! I feel so grateful that you would take the time to capture these priceless images of our family.
Outing to Target
Yes, in order to go shopping at Target we must make it a full-blown outing. The nearest store is 55 minutes away without traffic.
Despite being a sizable community (we’re not out in the boonies, for crying out loud!) we have very few large-scale retailers here in town. No Target, no Wal-Mart, no Sam’s Club within a 50 mile radius. Thankfully, we do have a Costco just over the freeway and we recently added a Ross Dress For Less to the list which made people salivate the moment rumors of its opening began to spread. We’re that desperate for accessible value.
Back to our Saturday outing. We were all in need of some article of clothing or another, so we decided to spend one of our precious 3-day weekend holiday days and make the trek down to Camarillo. Not only does this town have a Target but it is also home to a large outlet mall with a plethora of stores. And guess who was having a 50% off Fourth of July sale? Everyone! Our timing could not have been more perfect.
Except for the fact that all other shoppers had the same timing. It was pretty packed at the malls and at Target. Surprisingly, though, all four kids did well. Warren and Maddie enjoyed hiding in the clothing racks and Jake and Joe tried to fend off the many adoring onlookers who constantly stopped to tell them how cute they were in their red jogging stroller and coordinating outfits. Twins get A LOT of attention, in case you didn’t know.
Plus we let the big kids run amok in the large fountain since it was a particularly warm day.
We ate our Panera Bread lunch by the water and soaked in the July sunshine.
They even got a chance to ride the $.50 kiddie helicopter and Snoopy doghouse coin-op machines. Happiness is a gently rocking metal seat.
We walked away from the stores with almost everything on our list. A successful shopping day! We patted ourselves on the back that we could accomplish our goal and still drive home during nap time. We pictured at least 3 sleeping children in the back of the car.
Instead we hit major traffic the entire way home. And then the melt-downs began. Joey was screaming from the middle seat while Maddie asked incessantly for a drink of milk. When she wasn’t asking, “Can I like some milk, please?” she was requesting the same for food over and over and over again. We knew after 45 minutes of driving and 25 more miles to go that we would need to stop for dinner.
When we pulled up to The Grill at Padaro we realized that in the 5 minutes we had made the decision to stop Maddie had fallen asleep and the babies were on the verge. Only Warren–the only child we didn’t want to nap– had crashed despite the ruckus.
No matter. We woke up the crew and dragged them out to enjoy a dinner at one of the best spots in Carpinteria. Outside dining and a sandpit playground in the middle of the venue. What more could a tired family ask for?
It was the perfect end to a long outing.
This Father’s Day
No one else could be so agreeable, so even-tempered, so patient in the midst of our chaotic household, with the four little personalities we call our children, as is their dad, Colin. If I haven’t made it clear before, this man is an absolutely wonderful father in every way imaginable. Kind, loving, involved, and dedicated, he’s in there, in the trenches, day and night (sometimes more than I in the wee hours of the morning) with a positive attitude and a remarkable ability to laugh at the ridiculous. And with four young children, there are many occasions to observe the ridiculous.
He is creative and fun, and makes them giggle as he tickles them to the ground, and knows just the right thing to say to diffuse a potentially disastrous meltdown. He is an incredible example of dependability, organization, integrity, and faith– all important attributes I would be grateful to have my children possess.
So when he made a request for Monkey Bread for Father’s Day breakfast, it was the least I could do to express my appreciation. An easy pleasure to fulfill. Almost too easy, really. He deserves a 5 course breakfast, if such a thing exists.
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He was more than pleased with the results.
After church, we were invited to attend a party for some Angels friends who recently finalized the adoption of their two sons. The outdoor BBQ celebration took place on the top of the hillside of Carpinteria, with spectacular views like this one:
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The event was the perfect end to a day remembering the importance of fathers in the lives of children. This wonderful family finally received the blessing of being legally bound together, father, mother, and two little sons. Where these boys would have otherwise not had the opportunity, they would now enjoy the gift of a loving, dedicated father. What a joyful experience to see it all come together for them.
This Father’s Day, I can’t help but acknowledge the blessing in my life of knowing two wonderful fathers, both my own dad and the dad to my sweet babies. How grateful I am that I was raised by a loving man who set the standard for me to go and find such a man to raise my own children. My heart is full with love for them both.
Jury Duty
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Some weeks back, Colin received the summons in the mail: Jury Duty. He placed the paper aside and hoped he would be able to avoid having to appear in person.
That’s the luxury you now get to enjoy because they’ve changed the system since when I was called back in 2001 in Seattle. I had to physically report every day at the courthouse and wait around for them to decide if I would actually be needed for jury selection. Three days I waited with nothing to do but read Better Homes and Gardens. I did end up serving on a trial but it was only one day. Aggravated assault on a security guard. I can’t even remember what the verdict was. Some juror I made.
Nowadays, they seem to be more efficient. Now you’re just “on call” during your week of service. Colin had to phone in the night before to see if he would have to go to the courthouse. Sunday night he was given the all clear for Monday. Monday night, he wasn’t so lucky. He would have to go downtown Tuesday morning.
(The pictures above are some that Colin took of the Santa Barbara courthouse, mostly of the mural room that he says is still in use but they primarily keep clear for the tourists to view. Really amazing architecture and artistry.)
If you have never had the experience of jury selection let me tell you, it’s quite interesting. There are some real characters that come out of the woodwork. Even the judges seem amused by the comments potential jurors make while being questioned.
Colin reported that many people got out of jury duty because of planned vacations, so if you’re looking to avoid being selected for a trial make sure you schedule a trip for about 2-3 weeks after your week of service.
Although it’s extremely interesting to be on a jury, and though Colin hinted that he wouldn’t mind serving on one if his job weren’t so hectic at the moment, he was grateful that he was not chosen for this particular case. It would have been long and messy. It was a murder trial expected to last no less than three weeks. He was fortunate that the jury was selected before his number was even called.
And our whole family was grateful he wasn’t selected either. We only have one car. Colin rides his bike to work every day, which frees us from commuting with him. But the courthouse is 20 minutes away by car, and the bus system is not like Chicago’s, so he would have needed a lift to and from the building every day. It was hard enough the few days during the selection process. All the kids loaded up in the car, circling around during rush hour waiting for him to emerge from the court room because there was no where to park was the exact opposite of fun. I can’t imagine what three weeks would do to our schedule.
We’re supposed to have this sense of pride in serving in this capacity. It’s our civic duty to participate in the cause of justice, right? Then why does it only feel like an imposition on our already busy lives? Maybe one day we’ll be able to appreciate this wise component of our legal system. Until then, we’ll just be grateful that Colin slid under the radar on this one.
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Have you ever served on a jury? Or how have you avoided it?
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