overnight

.........these no longer fit

and these do..............

I remember being an adolescent and literally growing out of my pants seemingly overnight but I thought I had some time before I had to undergo that pain as a parent.  The first six months were kind of like that but things had slowed a lot.  And I swear those shoes fit yesterday. Stop Benjamin! Just stop already! :)

Great Grandma Virginia is 80

Last weekend we arose VERY early (even for us) on Saturday morning and were on the road by 615 am and headed to Dodge City, KS, to honor Ryan's maternal grandmother Virginia in celebration of her 80th birthday.
We had a great drive with no accidents (potty) and though I had to painfully drop some cash at Walmart for the first time in 12 years because I forgot Ben's potty seat insert, we made it to the hotel about 130pm.   Everyone had gotten up early and knocked out the decor I was racing to help with so we got to have fun chatting and the boys got to swim for a little while before we got dolled up for pictures and dinner.  

this "jail" was in the lobby of our western-themed hotel

 

*Sadly, shortly after arrival, while trying to stop Ben from putting his new potty seat into the big toilet, I dropped my iPhone into the toilet. I feel like a whole different person without it as it was a huge part of my productivity, organization, and connection to people.  I must now survive 3.5 months until I can upgrade.  I know it sounds trivial and silly but I still fail to find any humor right now in the Little Engine that Couldn't (my nickname for my tide-me-over Droid)

We headed to Casey's Cow Town for family pictures, dinner, cake, visiting and merriment.  The weather forced most of our pictures inside but we all had a fabulous time celebrating a fabulous woman.  Virginia spoke eloquently about her life and about the value of hard work.  

Dancin' fools.

One of the Stramel clans prepping for pics.

Ben was generous with the hugs as usual 

Virginia with her sister Theresa who was 2 when Virginia left home for school at 13.

Newlyweds Payden and Haley

I ordered the cake from Denver via Dillon's and was so thrilled to get another 

Dillon's whipped cream marble cake in my lifetime.

when you hand someone else your SLR :(

Ben and Ian could have wrestled for hours.  

My heart is warmed thinking of the friends they might become.

No nap, swimming, and the car ride meant Ben was a tuckered tike.  I stayed with him and reluctantly sent Ryan to the new Boot Hill Casino.  I had wanted to see it and the adjacent Boot Hill and western town but was secretly thankful for the rest.

Sunday we attended mass and had a wonderful send-off lunch back at the hotel.  We thought Ben had had another amazing accident free trip until right before we got home when we realized he had peed.  The realization was quickly broadened and guilt set in for not stopping more to force the issue.  I think he had more accidents that day and night than in the combined 3 weeks before.  Exhaustion doesn't begin to describe how Ryan and I felt when bed time finally came that night. 

Virginia sent an email of thanks in the days following and it's certainly worth sharing, repeating and always remembering:

"Well I finally came down off of cloud nine!  Just wanted to tell all of you that my 80th birthday party was the best ever.  It was so wonderful to have my family all together and to be able to set back and just watch.  This event us at the top of my list as being one of the most memorable events of my life.  What a wonderful family I have.  Every one had a good time.  The good Lord has seen us through good times and some trying times but we have made it to this day.  You will only understand  until you have reached my age.  I have spent the last several weeks recollecting and reviewing the olden days.  I shall never forget my wedding day in 1950.  Those were such different times.  Malcolm’s passing being such a shock to us all.  The birth of our first grandchild.  Seeing Dan leave for Vietnam was difficult.  I could go on and on.  Of course there were lots of joyful times too.  You just can’t imagine the joy that the birthday party and gathering of family brought to my heart.  Now that I have you all in tears – be happy and enjoy your lives and mostly remember we didn’t get where we are today by being lazy.  We have all worked hard and must continue to do so.  By the way I ordered to day a lawn sweeper that I can hook up to my Dixon mower and also a gas powered weed trimmer from Sears.  LOL.  Love to all   Mom, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother."

swallowing your pride

Uh-OH! I feel a Dear Ben coming on......

Dear Ben, 

A couple of weeks ago, while you were having THE BEST time making a snowman with your Dad, I went and took some maternity pictures for a college friend of mine.  I felt like a bad Mom all day because as soon as I got back home to you, I transferred the pictures to the computer and was overwhelmed with a feeling of failure.  This feeling and trying to right the situation consumed me for a large part of the rest of the day.
 It was a bright snowy and sunny day and my friend wore a white sweater and I failed to adjust the camera correctly so all the pictures were WAY overexposed.  I also made some mistakes and "forgot my fundamentals" (that'll be a whole other Dear Ben) with some of the inside pictures.   It had been a really long time since I'd failed so completely at something and I knew these pictures meant a lot to this beautiful couple.  
It was really hard to admit to my mistakes and ask for a second try.  I had to swallow my pride and ask my friends for a second chance.  It was a really tough thing and a horrible feeling but as soon as I admitted my mistake I started to feel better.  My friends were very gracious and welcomed me back for a second try that you got to accompany me on.  
In the week between shoots, I read a lot and practiced a lot and tried to focus on and remember the fundamental things I had learned.
In the beautiful long life you have ahead of you, you will make LOTS of mistakes (even when you are 33.)  The faster you admit to them, learn from them and try again for success, the happier life will be.  The only way to get better at anything we endeavor is to try, sometimes fail, and try again.  Victory, success, and contentment are only better when we are forced to really try to attain them.
Finally, my dear son, when you are playing 4th grade basketball and your team-mates bring out the John Wooden quotes, you just take them these and tell them Wooden had nothing on your Mama!

(come on people, it is March!)

The lesson learned.............

The Bad

these still break my heart as these two were such beautiful subjects

The Good

:)

I LOVE this one. Totally un-edited it really displays what this lens is capable of and the focus and textures delighted me.

and The Beautiful

 

Huge thanks to Willow and Adam for allowing me to practice and for the second chance.  These two are so gorgeous and their love so natural and apparent that taking their pictures should be easy.  It was certainly a joy.  They are expecting a little girl in the next couple of weeks. :)

"911, what's your emergency?"

Ok. So really they ask you your address first and the phone number you are calling from.  In my case I didn't know the number because I was using the neighbor's nanny's phone.  I'm thankful this was the first time I called 911 in 33 years............ 
It all went down last Tuesday, March 12th. I came upstairs to start rousing Ben from a lasting-too-long nap and opened his bedroom door.  I grabbed some ground beef to brown for dinner from the fridge, turned the stove on high, and tossed it in the pan.  I then noticed the kitchen trash sitting out (a reminder to me to take it out while he slept) and headed out the door.  I came quickly bouncing back to tend the meat and YIKES!! The door handle on the french patio door was LOCKED! This is a lock we don't have a key to and therefore never lock.  It's also tricky because you don't know on the inside if it's locked (the handle moves freely.)
So, with a stove on high, and a sleeping toddler very close with a bedroom door wide open, panic set in and I ran next door to try and call Ryan.  The nanny's car was home but she didn't answer the door so I flagged down the UPS man and borrowed his phone.  Ryan didn't answer and soon enough Sarah (neighor Joe's nanny) emerged and offered her help and her phone.  I took it to our deck so I could see in the window to the kitchen and soon gave up on reaching Ryan and called 911.  I told the dispatcher I wasn't sure if it was really an emergency and that I could break in if I had to and she had already connected me to the local fire station (technology is amazing!!)  I asked the man if I should break in and he told me not to do anything and that they would be there in moments and could likely get me in without damage.  I heard the sirens almost instantly and was somewhat calmed knowing they were so close.  I reached Ryan as soon as they were in route and he started the drive home with keys.  There were four firemen and two were picking locks while one kept me calm and another investigated ways in.  At one point I told the "calm-keeper" that it was lean beef and therefore less likely to quickly start a grease fire.  He just chuckled and said, "ma'am, we're gonna break your door down before a fire starts."  There went my calm!! At one point the "investigator" asked about one of the kitchen windows and I mentioned there was a possibility it was unlocked.  Within moments the calm-keeper had a tool in his hand and was being hoisted to the window by lock-picker #2.  The screen came flying off and HE WAS IN!! He ran and opened the door and quipped, "Hey! It was unlocked!" The tricky door had even fooled him and he commented on how dangerous a mechanism like that is.  I immediately ran to Ben while calm keeper turned off the charred meat.  The investigator had said he could hear Ben making noise but he appeared happy and without evidence of tears when I found him.  He was thrilled to have four firemen in his house and even more excited when he spotted the firetruck with it's lights still flashing.  Calm-keeper offered to let Ben look at the truck but investigator stated they had to get moving. 
I returned Sarah's phone and answered questions from another neighbor and sat. I sat and shook for what felt like ever and took lots of deep breaths.  Ben probably wondered what the showers of kisses were about.
I took home-made chocolate chip cookies to the firehouse a couple days later along with a thank-you note and family picture (in case they have a hall-of-fame of lives saved.)  Engine #16 will forever be on my Christmas treat delivery route and I don't think the sound of a fire truck's siren will ever be the same.
I learned lots of lessons with this experience and got to feel LOTS of my favorite emotion-gratitude.

MPJ

Last Saturday was Day 1 of the making of Michael Phelps Jr.  I suppose it really began when Ben was born with an innate love of the water.  His early swimming lessons and our neighborhood pool in Wichita must have only helped develop his comfort in and love of the water.  
We've taken it one step further with help from a generous MeeMee and Ben had his first private swimming lesson at Denver University.  Because we can't "test" into a higher level anywhere else until he is 3 years old, MeeMee had the brainstorm for us to search out private lessons to aid his development.  
He hopped right into the water with teacher Val and as usual, had no fear.  She gave us a few techniques to work on and already by the end of his lesson, his kicks were straighter and more graceful.  Due to some competitions at the University, this session is only 6 weeks, but I'm quite anxious to see Ben's development in that time.  You all know I'll keep you posted. :)

Cadyns and Tegans and bears, oh my!

Late last Sunday our dear friends from Canada came to visit via Nebraska.  They were able to break up a visit home and swing over to Denver to hang out with us in between weekends with their families.   Caleb, Tisha, and kiddos Cadyn (Ben's first girlfriend from Wichita) and Tegan stayed with us through Friday morning.  Their visit was well-timed during 5280 Restaurant week when you can enjoy some of Denver's best restaurants at a fraction of the regular cost.  Huge thanks to Ben's Tante Mollusk so we adults could partake of the food festivities.  We enjoyed some amazing french cuisine at Bistro Vendome and they were able to enjoy part of a Mexican meal with some other friends at Lola before Tegan made it known he needed his Mama-stat! We also got to enjoy Wash Park Grille, our neighborhood favorite. 
We also enjoyed a snowy trip to Boulder and Hapa, a warm and sunny trip to the Denver Zoo and Pinche Tacos, and their family got some quality shopping time in around town.
We had some very unfortunate plumbing problems during their visit and that combined with the electrician (who was supposed to complete his work the week before) being in and out, made things quite hectic at times.  Despite all that we had a wonderful time chatting with our friends, eating amazing food, and watching Ben and Cadyn mostly parallel play.  I think it will be a year or two before they really might start to play together. 
I was delighted to get to snuggle and coo at baby Tegan who continues to be just as chunky a monkey as Ben was at his age. 
Tisha and I both tried to not be as tied to our cameras this trip and all the commotion, plans, mobile preschoolers and additional kiddo made the photos I did get less than stellar.  It was a great reminder that there is a happy pic-taking balance somewhere between horrid phone pics (see below) and never setting our cameras down.

Thanks SO MUCH for making the trek TS family!! Your travel time and trouble meant so much to us! It was wonderful to spend time with you all and have the perfect excuse to enjoy some of the great food and fun our city has to offer.

Bistro Vendome (at 9pm-yawn!)

brrrr! Beautiful Blustery Boulder

Ben got LOTS of extra iPad time while we tried to let our guests sleep.  Separating them has proved difficult in moments. :)

drummin' at the zoo with Cadyn.

The TS's brought Ben a counting puzzle as a gift and he can hardly get enough!

Ben's monkey cousins at the zoo.

Tisha and her bubs'

majestic bald eagle

Teegs' bellied up for some tacos!!

spring

...will be upon us before we know it! Today on our way to the park, Ben ran into one of our front flower beds and amid LOTS of camouflaging red mulch, pointed out this little bud that I'm pretty sure is a tulip poking through.

This is our first Spring here so this makes me very excited for what else might emerge.  First though, we must deal with Denver's snowiest month.  7 inches to a foot of snow is expected by mid-day tomorrow. sigh.