Category — friends

Today was full of writing, but I realized that none of it actually covered the busyness that’s happening within these walls.

All this week we are making sure to have “spread out” dinners, which means that everyone is sitting together and eating together while all the food is “spread out” on the table. The extra effort to get everyone together is because it’s nearing the end of the summer, Kateri is leaving for school in a week and a half and she has a visitor for the next week. This has sparked us to open the door, set the table and have meals for 12-14 people each night. Unfortunately JJ isn’t here to enjoy them with us. He left for France, yesterday morning. He’ll be working for a family for the next 3 weeks and then traveling to Portugal to visit with my sister. There’s a possibility that he’ll be able to visit Italy and/or Germany, as well.

On top of the full dinner table, we are having to prepare for Mariah to get her license, everyone to go back to school and 2 other big changes that I haven’t discussed yet, but that you’ll here about soon.

Gosh I’m tired! There is WAY too much going on and WAY too much to think about!

But for tonight I’m going to sign off, go pick Mariah up from work and get some rest. That alarm rings pretty early each day so that I can try to stay healthy and energetic enough to keep it all happenin’.

Doing the Dance of the Children~

I thought about putting up more pics from the last couple of days, but do you REALLY need to see the kids swimming in another pool?

It’s been beautiful this whole trip. I’m glad I placed my order for some San Diego weather early enough to have it filled! We’ve been outside in the water and sun everyday. The kiddos are getting properly tanned and we’re visiting many a pool or body of water. I know that when I get home I’d like to keep up the momentum of going, going, going, but I’m sure there’s plenty of undone housework and plenty of “real life” to keep me from loading everyone up and forgetting all that needs to be done, to sit at the pool or the beach. But you can bet I’m sure gonna try!

Over the last few days, I’ve come to remember how much driving it takes to be up here. Everything is so far apart. It’s nothing to drive 15 or 20 miles to get to a Costco or a friend’s house. I’ve been spoiled by the ease of proximity that we tend to enjoy in the San Diego area. Yesterday alone I put 123 miles on my car! It was well worth it though. I got to drive through beautiful places and remember some of my youth. I truly forgot how much a part of me these places are. It’s been so good to have this long of a visit to reexplore and revisit.

But I AM feeling ready to head home. I’m missing my older kids. I’ll only be home for a few hours before JJ leaves for the airport for a trip to France, where he will be working for a family to introduce English to their children and then onto Portugal, where he’ll visit with my sister and do a little sightseeing. ~sigh~ I’ll barely see him at all, but I’m thrilled at his opportunity to take this trip! The kids are all missing each other too. There’s something to be said for sibling dynamics-the good, the bad and the familiar.

I’m getting a little time to myself to sit in a book store, enjoy the quiet, do a little writing and know that the lil kiddos are getting some rare time with their grandparents. I’m gonna soak up this quiet time and try to store it away for when I need it on the drive home. I’m a firm believer in grabbing moments and storing them away to draw from when you need a good or peaceful memory.

Here’s to a great vacation. Here’s to family and friends. Here’s to home~

Instead of writing a lengthy post about all we’ve done and the great people who have shared their time, homes and meals with us, I’ll tell the story of the last couple of days in pictures.

Jen and I had a birthday lunch at one of my favorite places in Old Town Auburn

We were invited to spend the afternoon at this beautiful pool with one of my closest friends from high school and her daughter.

At my Aunt and Uncle’s house the kids felt right at home. Gabi found a story doll and told us all the story of Little Red Riding Hood

There were lots of animals for the kids to “love”

Lex chased chickens. It not everyday a Lil Beach-Goer gets to even SEE chickens, let alone catch them! The boys loved it!

Then there were the goats! They spent plenty of time feeding and riding them. These kiddos smelled like livestock by the end of the evening. They couldn’t have been happier!

The boys, heading off to the water slide at the Roseville Aquatic Center

Lex and Alex have been so cute playing together. We’ve found them quietly in the sandbox or making up games. They enjoyed the Aquatic Center together.

Gabi’s been surrounded by boys this whole trip. She’s done a great job of just going along with the boy’s games and getting along with everyone (ok, there have been a few instances of girlyness with her brothers. But mostly she’s done really well).

It’s been a great trip! Today I get to visit with one of my closest friends from school and to meet her children. It’s been so nice to visit with people I shared parts of my life with and to watch our children play together. Today we’ll visit another new pool and soak up some more sun while catching up on the lives of the people who I’ve been away from for so long. Living the life of the Military Family has really kept me away from so many people. Along the way I’ve gotten to meet so many wonderful people who I hope to keep close to, but it’s really good to go “home” for a little bit and to share it with my kids.

Doing the Dance of the Children~

The long weekend is over. Back to the regular routine. I have to admit that I’m SO ready for summer to be here. It seems weird that 2 of my kids have finished up their school years, but that the rest are still at it. Now that Kateri has returned from Gaming, JJ has graduated and is on his European, biking trek, one sister has moved to San Diego and I got to have a weekend of visiting family and friends, I’m ready to forget the daily grind and move into bbq and beach mode. Soon! But before that can happen I have to finish up all the details for my 2, 8th grade graduates. The rest of this week will be a frenzy of memory-board building. I better make sure my printer is full of ink and that my scanner is ready to work overtime.

I hope you each enjoyed the long weekend. I know we did!

Now, back to Doing the Dance of the Children~

There are simply too many topics to write about over the last 24 hours, to pick one and give it a title. So here is what’s in my head on this day in my life.

First off, I’m wishing that writing didn’t take time. Why can’t I just think the thoughts, look at the screen and have them appear…wait…that might be a dangerous invention! But you know what I meant.

As for JJ getting back to school, all is well. He will be going back to school on Saturday and no hoops had to be jumped through or begging done to make it happen. There might, possibly, be a chance that I need to clean out my email and that I could’ve been looking at last year’s itinerary. But that’s neither here nor there and I’m admitting nothing. He’ll be back at school when he’s supposed to be and that’s all that matters…right?

I was also able to get his passport taken care of yesterday. It was completely painless and devoid of any lengthy or time-consuming lines. 20 minutes in and out. Pictures done. Eyes on Spain!

When I got home from the post office, I checked my email and found an email from the casting director of a new game show, asking me if I could come up to LA for an audition this afternoon. Initially I was SUPER excited. Super Excited! I thought, “how fun!” and “whoa!!!! I already took tomorrow off and Kateri is here to do the kids’ routine and dinner etc. Yippee! Perfect!”. Then I shared my excitement for a day trip up to LA with a couple of friends and received an email from one of them, who had Google-searched the show, that put an end to my excitement. One word, that’s all it took. Underwear. Underwear?! Underwear! Apparently the title of the first attempt of this game show is/was Fashion Strip and involved participants stripping down to their underwear, putting together outfits from items on stage and walking a “runway”. Uh….!!!!! I promptly emailed the casting director and asked if THIS was what I was being invited to audition for. And I let her know that the world was certainly NOT going to see me in my underwear, no matter how fashionable…ever! She was prompt in her response and said that the show had changed it’s platform and that no “nakedness” would be involved. Hmmm…the bubble had burst. Yes, I had already taken today off for other reasons and yes, Kateri is here to pick up the pieces and keep everything running at maximum smoothness, but I think there are better ways for me to spend this day than driving to LA to audition for something that I don’t have all the facts for.

So…it’s Kateri’s last day in the US before she heads back to Germany to retrieve her personal items and then head to Austria for a semester of school. We’ve both been so busy during her visit, that we haven’t gotten any down time together. So, kiddos are at school, JJ is working on some reading and helping a neighbor with her yard work, so Kateri and I will be spending a little time together before tomorrow is here and she is gone again.

So, that’s this day in my life…so far.

Have a great day~

Day 1 of the new year ended on a good note. I was a little worried because the day, itself, was a little challenging. I took the 3 youngest kiddos to the grocery store with me to help get a few needed items. When we got back they helped me unload. We have a refrigerator in the garage and I keep extra milk, bread, eggs, etc. out there. While loading gallons of milk into the fridge, one fell out and busted open on the garage floor. Milk flew everywhere! I spent the next 1 1/2 hours removing and cleaning boxes, moving the refrigerator and cleaning under it and hosing down the driveway. ~sigh~ on a good note, the floor of the garage is cleaner than it ever thought it could be!

The rest of the day was spent putting away the Christmas decor and putting the regular decor back up. Then I started prepping for dinner and the men and boys went to a friend’s house for the football game. While I was working in the kitchen I saw someone walk up to my door. What a surprise! Two of Clay’s longtime friends who live in N. Cal. decided to surprise him (and all of us) by just showing up! I sent them over to where the guys were watching football. What a great surprise for everyone and what great friends!

We had a full house for dinner with all the kiddos home, my brother and the 2 surprise guests. It made for a really nice night! Over the years I’ve found that my house feels most joyful and peaceful when it’s filled with extra people. There’s nothing better than looking around and seeing people enjoying each other’s company! It made for a GREAT first day of the year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today-Today is the 2nd annual Mom and Girls Day Out. Last year I took my 4 oldest girls (at 4yrs old, I didn’t think Gabi would mind being left at home) and we headed to San Clemente and Dana Point for the day. It was a great and memorable day. We’ve decided to make it an annual event and this year Gabi’s going with us. We haven’t decided where to go-back to San Clemente or stay here in San Diego and enjoy all it has to offer-but wherever we end up, I know it’s going to be a great day!

Have a great day~

On the last day of 2009 I got up and started the day as usual. I made the coffee, did the dishes, switched the laundry and took my shower. All the while I kept thinking about the year whose last moments I was living in. There were many changes that took place in our home and in our routine. The kids have all gotten bigger and grown in many ways-sports, schooling, attitude, etc.

Then I thought of all the people who have been a part of the year and who have stepped forward in so many ways that have touched and enhanced my life and the life of the kiddos. Wow! What a lucky M.O.M. I am! Anytime a specific need has arisen, someone comes into our lives to fill it.

So I put 2009 to rest with peaceful thoughts of the year.

Here’s 2010! There’s always so much pressure to have your resolution list ready and to wake up in the first moments of the new year ready to tackle them all. It always feels overwhelming. Yes, there are things I want to change and to do better in this new year. But I also want to keep doing a lot of things exactly the same. There are also things I want to get back to. Now that I’ve got a handle on working outside the house again, I want to find the time and energy to start recording the show again. I’m putting this as my #1 goal for the new year. So, more gym time can wait and so can all the other things we “normally” put on those resolution lists. I’m pushing for 2010 to be the start of “getting back to” the things I’ve loved doing.

Here’s to another year of watching our children grow and of learning the strategies that make each day as joyful and peaceful as possible!

Good morning 2010~

Some days there’s so much to talk about that I end up saying nothing because I just don’t know where to start. I was just going to walk away from the computer without saying a word for that very reason. But really, there’s just so much these days!

I’m facing the fact that I’m getting older. This means that all the people I’ve grown up with are also getting older which, in turn, means that all of our parents are getting older. This means that many of them are facing health concerns, ailments, illness and even death. It feels like it’s happening all at once. On the one hand, it’s scary and sad and on the other hand, it’s bringing people closer together. I know that 20 years ago when we were all meeting at friend’s houses for movies, games and visiting that we didn’t think of this time. But here it is and it’s bringing us back into each other’s lives. It’s also giving me a reminder of how important friendship and love are and all the people we bring into our lives who we treasure and cherish. We are all born into families, but we also end up building another family around ourselves that’s made up of all those people who touch our life. I had 3 really nice phone calls tonight that refreshed my memory of all of this.

It’s a shame that our days get so filled with daily life, worry and work that we forget to truly live each one. And that we get so complacent that we forget to tell those around us that we appreciate and love them.

Here’s to another day full of life and loved ones!

Good night~

This day, this day. What a day. Ever had one that is just wrong from the moment you get going until you just, plain call is quits?

We are driving Mariah to her carpool each morning, which means we leave the house at 7 am. This is a huge task! We normally leave at 7:30 and none of us has adjusted well to the loss of 1/2 an hour. Today, there was much dragging of feet, forgetting to brush teeth and losing of shoes. We left 10 minutes late and with no shoes for Tristan. I really didn’t have a plan for how that was all gonna work itself out. We started to drive to meet her carpool and called along the way. Yep, missed them! Through clenched teeth I said that I’d make some phone calls, focus on getting Tristan some shoes and figure it all out. I called work to let them know I would get the majority of the kiddos to the school they go to and that I work at and then would have to drive Mariah up to her school. I then made a call to see if a pair of shoes might be able to meet Tristan at school. No dice! I headed to Target…it was 7:30 am and they don’t open until 8. AHHHHHHH! I made another call in hopes of shoes meeting Tristan at school. BINGO! Ok, off to the school. Mariah was offered a ride, albeit late, to school, from the school we were heading to. Big breath! This just may all work out.

After much discussion, we decided that Mariah would stay with me and help out in the preschool because getting to school late, on a short day of testing, really wouldn’t serve any purpose. So…extra hands at school today. This actually worked out very well. Mariah is truly wonderful with preschoolers. Who knew?!

Oh…the shoes! We were, graciously, met in the school parking lot, with a perfect-fitting pair of shoes for Tristan.

After making it through the preschool day (one potty accident on Lex’s part) I took Mariah to a sushi lunch and then headed to the grocery store. My basket was full when my phone rang…preschool was calling…another potty accident for Lex and even though there were extra clothes available, he had no extra shoes to replace the pee-soaked ones he was now wearing. Off I went to the preschool to pick up Gabi and Lex, bring them home and then head back to get the other kids, after volleyball practice. Weeeeeeee!

On my way, I received another phone call. This time it was a friend letting me know that a dear woman, who I’ve loved and admired for her strength, faith, compassion and love had passed away. Whew….! The story behind this is a blog unto itself and when I find the right words, I will write it. But needless to say, I had an emotional rest of the day.

So, here I am, counting my blessings and reflecting on the people who have touched my life and the precious moments that are within each day…even the challenging ones. I’m taking a big breath, having a glass of wine and being thankful for all that I got to live today.

Live!

Good night~

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks getting everything ready for school and the busy schedule that comes along with the school year. Today’s the big day and all the loose ends are finally tied up. Everyone’s uniforms are in order, new shoes have been purchased, the required school supplies are labeled and packed in bags and backpacks and everyone’s been signed up for sports. Whew! After catching my breath, I realized what a big part many people play in making it all happen for me and the kids.

Being a military spouse and a Mommy of Many means that there are a huge number of variables at play on any given day. With Clay deployed, going to schools or flying crazy hours, making the kids’ schedules happen is my job. Piece by piece it all falls into place. But this couldn’t happen without the many people who step in to fill the gaps.

I really wanted to take a minute and say thank you to the great neighbors, friends, coaches, teachers and fellow moms and dads that make the Lang Clan successful. Without your generosity of time and caring, we wouldn’t be able to make it all happen.

Thank you!

Have a great day~

What a great, full and exhausting weekend! It’s taken me this long to be able to get my bearings enough to even write about it.

I got to start my weekend on Thursday night, by flying up to Washington state to meet up with a good friend, spend the night and then the 2 of us would head to the concert.  I had already had a regular M.O.M. day at home…wake-up @ 4:15, morning routine, took kids to the beach, packed, etc. Now, here I am in another state at 9pm and I’m feeling my second wind!  We started talking, drinking wine and laughing our heads off.  Then we decided a movie was in order.  So…2:30 am rolls around and it’s suddenly time for bed. Yikes!  We spent Friday driving…and driving…and driving some more.  We finally got checked into our hotel and headed to the concert.  We were like giggly school girls! I had forgotten to bring my iPod adapter of the car, so we each had an ear bud and laid the iPod between us (shhhhh…I’m not sure this is the BEST way to drive!). By the time we got to the concert, we had visited many songs that we hoped we’d hear and had decided that Maggie May would, most likely be the encore. We found our seats and settled in.  After the first few songs we realized that we had purchased tickets in the “Please Don’t Act Like You Want To Be Here” section.  Seriously! The whole place was having a great time and we were surrounded by serious-faced, arms-crossed, cotton-in-ears, old fogies! It made us giggle which was REALLY not appreciated.  We were even called “Very rude, young ladies”. Yeah, that made us giggle even more!  But, the concert was GREAT!!!!  Pilar had liked Rod’s music before but I do believe that now she is a bona fide FAN. Yes!!! As for me, well, I was caught swooning…just a little. And we called it correctly, Maggie May was, if fact, the encore.  ~sigh~ I can’t wait until I can go again!

But then it was onto the Dance of the Weekend! We drove back to the hotel, listened to a man across the hall yelling and yelling and yelling and finally fell asleep with the music of the night playing through our heads. A few hours later it was up and out to the airport so I could head to Sacramento and revisit my high school days.  My 20 year reunion had arrived. 20 years!

I gave that reunion a lot of thought. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole thing.  Yes, there were people I wanted to catch up with, but so much time had passed and my life had been so full over those years.  I got married, had 8 more kiddos (I delivered Kateri in April of my graduating year, so everyone knew I had at least one kiddo), lived in 3 states, started Mommy of Many, etc. etc. Who were these people and were we going to have anything to talk about?  When I think back to high school, I really don’t get the warm, fuzzy feelings that I hear a lot of people talk about.  I always felt like I was struggling through each day.  The school work seemed to overwhelm me and the social aspect was a game I didn’t always understand the rules to.  But, something inside me still wanted to go and give it a try.

I must say, I’m glad I did! Yes, a lot of time has passed and a lot of life has been lived, but we were a room full of people who had shared (however loosely) a few years of our lives in the same place. There were many faces that instantly brought back memories. There were people whom I had forgotten had touched my life.  I enjoyed conversation with a couple of people who I am sure I had never had a conversation with before.  All-in-all, it was a really nice night and I’m glad that I carved out the time to go.  I look forward to keeping in touch with some of the people that I was able to reconnect with. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for me to have my kids with me for the family picnic that was the next day.  I needed to get to the airport and head home!

My kiddos had been home and under the guidance and competent supervision of Kateri.  But I think everyone’s patience and tolerance was wearing thin.  It was time for Mom to get home and get things back in order.  I got in, had a cup of coffee with Kateri and braced myself for all the happy bombardment of being home.  Whew!

What a great, whirlwind of a weekend! I now feel a little more connected with my past and the people who were a part of it and am ready for the VERY NEXT Rod Stewart concert that I can manage to get to. Good Stuff!

Have a great day~

Whew! We are back from a wonderful time of visiting family and friends. 

I will admit that it was a rocky start.  It took us 6 1/2 hours to make the 4 hour journey to my sister’s house.  At that point I was pretty much ready to spend the night, turn around and come home.  But, after a little sleep, we kept going and it ended up great!  

Here’s a little of what we did

There was a lot of time spent with nature. Whether it was exploring the wooded area around Gramma and Papa’s house….

watching little fish in a duck pond….

splashing in a creek…..

.

is that the proper term for this water? I’m out of practice with any water terms except ocean, beach and bay….

catching bugs….

and even a snake! Thank goodness it was tiny!

We even got chased by geese!

We packed a friend’s car full of kiddos, bikes and scooters….

and headed to the park. 

there was plenty of outdoor fun…

and time with friends.

We all got worn out! But only Luke-Xavier had the luxury of crashing in the middle of the day.

Gabi entertained us on several occasions with impromptu songs. 

It was so nice to let the kids run around.  We stayed with a close friend of mine who was gracious enough to open her house.  It was so nice to have 2 moms working together, overseeing kids, meals, laundry and the day’s plans.  There’s something about doing all the chores together that can’t be beat!

After visiting, Gramma and Papa, old friends, sisters, Aunties, new friends and Uncle Ted, it was time to head home. 

We put the iPod on with plenty of kid songs and rocked to Raffi while enjoying hot chocolate and other junky, travel goodies.  Lex loved it! 

Now, we are back home, the car and bags are unpacked.  The dishes and laundry are going and we’re jumping back into our regular routine.  It feels good to be back where the ocean breeze is blowing through my open windows.  When I go up North, I revel in the mountain air and even toy with the idea that we could relocate and be closer to everyone.  But somewhere around San Clemente, while driving south on the 5, I realize how I just can’t replace the feeling that’s in the air down here.  It’s nice to know I can throw the kiddos in Lil Car and take these little trips and get the best of both worlds!

I hope everyone had a happy 4th and is enjoying their summer so far!

Back to the Dance~

1 dad home before deployment

1 visiting uncle

1 lawnmower

1 weed whacker

One 15-passenger van

14 people

1 birthday

2 trips to the beach

16 hot dogs 

8 grilled chicken breasts

2 salmon steaks

3 bags of asparagus risotto

2 lbs of broccoli

1 ice cream, birthday cake

2 half gallons of ice cream

2 loads of after-dinner dishes

15 teenagers playing soccer in the street after dark

1 movie

1 late-night round of fresh squeezed lemonade

1 queen-sized inflatable mattress

4 extra people, sleeping, scattered throughout my house

This is what yesterday looked like at the Lang house.  This morning I’m moving through a quiet house, full of sleeping people and picking up the remnants of what the girls found to do after I’d already gone to bed.  I turned off the movie that had been playing all night, wiped up the stickiness from the lemonade they’d made and started load 3 of the dishes from last night. 

I love summer!

Have a great day~

As you know, we are preparing for Clay’s next deployment and it’s just around the corner in May.  With the help of some great friends who offered their house and yard and the many great people who came to help say, “See you next year”, we had a great party!  

Thank you to everyone who came to wish Clay well and offered their assistance to our family while he is gone.  Thank you to John and Casey for offering their great house and yard (look at how beautifully it was decorated!) and thank you to Nelson of Dakine’s Hawaiian Catering for helping me out on such short notice!  If you’re in the San Diego area and are in need of some great food and great service, check them out!  

We still have a little time before Clay walks out the door, but it’s so jam-packed with a mile-long to-do list, that taking this one evening to visit with friends and family was a nice distraction.  

This is my favorite picture of the evening! 

Good night~

Here is a picture blog of Lex’s special day at Disneyland

Luke-Xavier arriving at Disneyland for his 3rd bday

Hi!  Would you like an M&M?

Hi there!  I’m Luke-Xavier and it’s my birthday.  I’m at Disneyland!  Would either of you care for an M&M?

Look who’s over there!

Mickey, trying Lex’s ears

Let me help you

For your efforts, you deserve an M&M!

It’s good!  You deserve it!

After the picture would you like an M&M?

If I keep meeting new friends, I’m gonna be out of M&Ms!  Wonder how many are left?

Me and all my Disneyland friends LOVE M&Ms!

It’s really nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you too.  Aren’t you going to offer me an M&M?

This was a very happy birthday!  I LOVE Disneyland (and M&Ms)

Peace all!  I’m outta here!