Dinner Conversation

When the last person sits down, we begin with a prayer.

"Hey mom, hey mom does this gives you a heart attack?" says Owen. I am attempting to toss the salad with the remaining tablespoons of blue cheese we have in the jar, and don't answer.

I look around the table and ask, "Who's ready for a prayer?" William is sniffing the Ranch dressing and moaning while rolling his eyes to the back of his head. Emma is chomping, Lily is comparing her steak to Emma's and Owen is chattering.

"What are you doing?" Mitchell asks Will in an baffled tone. Mitchell lives in a land of munchkins. His closest sibling is 8 years younger and while he enjoys them much of the time, he is completely bewildered and exasperated by them a lot of the time.

"Mmmm it smells good." Will croons. I guess he is hungry after running around and flying kites at the park.

Richard asks Emma if she would like to give the prayer, she is chewing on a piece of steak.

"Hey where's my fork?" Will pipes in.

"It's right there by your plate." I say

"I've already had a bite," Emma confesses. In our house if you have eaten part of the meal then you can't offer the prayer, why, I do not know. Really, does Heavenly Father care if you have had a bite of the meal or not. Are we not worthy to give the prayer if we've had a little smackral of the dinner?

"Oh," Richard says, "Will, how about you, will you give the prayer?" Will shakes his head no, I guess he has had a bite too.

"Mom does this gives you a heart attack?" There is Owen again asking me about the piece of steak stuck on the end of his fork. I shake my head no as I stand and begin serving the salad as Richard asks another family member to say the prayer. . .

"Yuck I don't want yettuce! No yettuce for me it's gwross!" Owen shouts

"Yes you will get salad, you like salad." I serve him up some salad making sure there are no tomatoes, that is one fight I will not fight now. If I can get him to eat his carrots and brocoli, I am happy. When Owen sees me place the salad on the plate he sticks out his tongue and makes gagging noises. Everyone giggles.

"I yike yettuce," Will states sticking his nose in the Ranch dressing again, "especially wif wranch."

"I can't say the prayer, I already had a bite," Lily confesses

"I can't either," says Mitch, I am next in line. I've already had a bite too, but so that we can get the ball rolling and actually begin eating this meal "legally" I keep my little secret and say the prayer.

Right after the prayer:

"Mom, hey mom, does this stuff gives you a heart attack?" Owen chirps again sticking his fork with a piece of steak in my face, he is serious. How in the world did he get that in his head?

"No the steak does not give you a heart attack. If all you ate was steak every day, every meal, all the time, and you were my age, it could hurt you. . . give you a heart attack, but your little."

"That would be bad," says Emma. "You'd die."

"You wouldn't necessarily die, but it isn't good."

"It would hurt," says Emma.

"Yea but we don't eat a lot of red meat!" says Mitch,

Will still is sniffing the bottle of Ranch as I continue to serve up the salad. "Will's a sniffer," Mitchell concludes, "like you dad."

"Yep I am a smeller. I have always got to smell things." He is right, he is part hound dog. The first thing he did when our children were born was smell them. It was quite sweet really, It was like he wanted to experience them another way, sight, touch and smell. He then confesses he smells everything, even his belly button to make sure it's clean, and he checks his breath by smelling his upper lip. "Italian dressing is the worst!" he says, I shake my head staring down at my meal, and ask to change the subject.

"Mom, Mom, hey Mom, does this gives you a heart attack?" Owen asks AGAIN! everybody laughs.

"How did you get that in your head?" I say.

"I told him, we learned about it in science," Lily shares. "It clogs your arteries."

"No honey, it won't give you a heart attack. Don't worry, enjoy it."

"Yea, and eat your salad, because that keeps your body from having a heart attack!" Richard reminds Owen.

"Yea, those veggies are good for you. eat up!"

"What would you rather have, cancer or a heart attack?" Lily curiously asks.

"Neither of them!" Richard says, I nod my head in agreement. I don't want to talk about that either. I would rather talk about smelling belly buttons.

"Yes neither!" I agree.

"Is there any more steak?" Will asks,

"Eat the rest of your salad and potatoes, and then you can have more steak?

"There's no more steak." Richard warns

"There's no more steak?" Mitchell whines, he has half of his left still.

"Your piece was hUge," I say

"Yeah you got the biggest piece," Richard chimes.

"Oh yeah," Mitchell backs down with a smile. I look at my piece, Mine was Uge too. I cut off a chunk and reserve it for the "wild pack" less they attack.

"Eat your veggies and then you can have more."

"Stop that, your always putting tomatoes on my plate!" Lily squirms. She looks at me tilting her head to the side and moans,"She always puts tomatoes on my plate and the juice and seeds get on my stuff." Emma is smiling at her joke. I glance at her sternly and she picks up her tomato and pops it in her mouth then she comes over to me and sits on my lap. "It's irritating Emma, it really bothers me!" Lily shares.

"Mom, mom, hey Mom. Dos this stuff gives you a heart attack?" Owen is sitting next to me holding his fork full of steak in my face, and is looking up at me. I stare back at him smiling. I really don't know what to say.

President Obama: A Perspective

I watched the inauguration and stood, along with my son Mitchell, as President Obama was sworn in as the next president of the United States and was happy. I was happy for a few reasons:

First, because Obama rhymes with Mama and that is what I am!

Second, to see and celebrate the peaceful exchange of power within a nation. For over 200 years we come together as a nation, and witness this change and celebrate it, setting aside our political view for a moment to recognize the great hope that is democracy--that the voice of the people has been heard. Not many countries can claim such a peaceful resignation of power so consistently. That is truly something to celebrate.

Third, I celebrate the fact that we have a black president. I feel it is historic. We have come a long way from our past. Really. When President Obama made mention that he stood at that podium addressing our great nation as the new president, when not so long ago his father would not have been served in a restaurant, I realized what an amazing social transition was able to take place in one generation. Good for you America! It brings me joy. On election day, I was deeply moved when I witnessed many blacks crying at the thought that they too can be president. Yes, You Can! Can you imagine what hope that gives young black men: to see a black man holding the highest position in office. A man who had nothing given to him, but had to work for everything he earned. A man who came from a very supportive family, but with very modest means. Like him if they work hard enough they too can become president? Yes You Can! It makes me a little giddy! really!. I can't help but think of all the kids who crossed my door into my classroom. I tried to teach them that they have the power within them to be great. That words are power and to educate themselves will make great change in their lives, but who am I, a white woman talking to them. I don't know how much credibility I had, when they had their real life experiences teaching them otherwise, but they knew I loved them and wanted them to succeed. However to see it happen, for them to see that it can be done, that is where the money is. They will believe us now! I am curious how this will effect black pop culture. How will this historic event sway the hip hop/ rap scene. What music, art and poetry will be created now, will there be themes of hope. . . I bet there will be! As an educator, citizen, mother, I celebrate this!

Finally I have hope he will be a great leader and lead us into change that will benefit our country. While I don't agree with all of his politics, I still hope he will be a great leader, one who can invigorate this nation, shake us out of complacency, and bring hope. I can't help but feel hopeful when I listen to him. I can't help but feel that the call he makes to each one of us to make more responsible choices, to appeal to the higher sense of ourselves, to reach out to others to make change, to become involved in our communities, to prioritize our children, to make tough choices that will benefit our world, our future and the future of our children is a call from a leader who will lead us into change. I can't help but think that he is right. A great leader inspires those around him/her. I have hope he can be such a leader. The power of democracy is in the people. We are the ones who make a difference.

Why do I feel this hope? Why do I like what Obama has to say, because he says that this country is great, and it is great because of its people, and whatever challenges come our way, we will rise to that challenge and triumph over it. Because of our heritage, our founding documents, and our values as a nation, despite the differences in race, religion, social status, and politics, we will come together and garner strength in one another and overcome. I believe it. And I believe him.

For two years I have received many emails and seen many posts about then senator Obama. Most of them have been negative and emotionally charged, some of them bigoted and fearmongering in nature. At the time, I was undecided about my vote, however, I was not persuaded or impressed by such efforts to influence my vote. After the inauguration I was curious what people people might say and was not surprised to see that of my friends that commented none were positive. That is perfectly okay with me. I am not offended, just curious why so many people dislike him so much.

Knowing that most of my friends and family may not agree with my stance that Barack Obama can be a good president. They feel that more conservative economic policies would better serve our country(in some cases this may be true, however, no conservative president has been able to overturn Roe vs Wade since it's decision although we would hope to be the case) I would like to call all my friends and family to engage in a discussion about President Obama and his policies. I have already heard from some of you on Facebook and have enjoyed the exchange of ideas there. I am coming to this with an open mind and ready to learn and discuss. Please feel free to share your ideas. I am looking forward to it. I want to hear what you have to say.

Post Script: I want to make plain that I do not support abortion or the freedom of choice act. I am pro life. My above statement was simply acknowledging that a change in the roe v wade decision has not come to pass while a pro life president has been in office.

Big Guys and Little Guys

"Big Guy" and" little guy" are terms of endearment in my family. At least I use them as such. It all started with This guy: The Big Guy

The Big Guy aka "Bob" with Wills in '02

Notice I use the article "the" when calling this guy The Big Guy. That is because he is "The" original, "The" first, "The" Big Guy. It's true. The term has been used since when talking to my boys and one or two other guys who qualify for various reasons, but it originated with Bob, my dad. Why is he called The Big Guy? well for one thing, he is big, he is tough and he has a big heart. To tell you the truth, I don't actually know where the name originated from, we just accepted it and never questioned it, it just is. Here is the Big Guy when he was little:

My Grandma Edna curled The Big Guys hair for this photo. Let's keep that to ourselves, if it got out it might ruin his reputation as a tough guy.

Then we have the Little Guy, or as we like to call him yetta guy, Rob--he is my younger brother. Yetta Guy took after The Big Guy in looks and in manner, hence the name, of course he had other nick names capt. barf, and The Fonz for example, but Yetta Guy stuck.

The Yetta Guy aka "Rob" in '75

Here is The Little Guy now that he is Big:

Rob and I last Summer at Santa Cruz Island

Here is The Little Guy and I when we were young.

in the front room of our house in Diamond Bar

Here is both The Big Guy and The Little Guy in the Aug. '85

Outside the Chicago Temple at the Open House before it was dedicated.

Now here is this guy. This is my yetta guy, Os.

This Little Guy takes after The Big Guy in looks and manner as well. Like The Big Guy, he is the biggest of all his siblings by comparison. One day we will call him Big Guy too. I am sure of it. And this is where the story begins. . . This guy has a friend. Not any ordinary friend, mind you but an amazingly brilliant, talented, incredibly privileged, and remarkably nimble friend. I have never actually met this friend, but I hear about him all the time, in fact we all do and feel like he is part of our family. His name is Little Jacob. . .

Here is Big Jacob. . .

Big Jacob is like another brother, in fact he is Mitchell's brother from another mother as we like to say. I am pretty sure that Little Jacob, Owen's best friend, stems from this Big Jacob, whom we all love.

Now Back to Little Jacob. . .

Here is what we know about Little Jacob. Little Jacob lives in a match box house, I am not sure if that means it is small like a match box, or is full of Match box cars. Another thing I know is that he has every toy imaginable and thousands of legos:

"Wow," I said, "Thousands? where did he get them all?"

"For his birthdays!" Owen shares enthusiastically.

"Really, how many birthdays did Little Jacob have?"

"A hundred!" Owen says confidently. And I believe it too, because it seems like every week Owen is invited to another one of Little Jacob's birthday parties. And they are themed parties too: spiderman, superman, batman, or GI Joe parties. Owen is always invited because he, of course, is Little Jacob's best friend.

Little Jacob can do some amazing things. Just yesterday, Owen told us that Little Jacob could stand on the wall upside down. Emma retorted that she could do that, and immediately began forming a head stand.

"No," Owen corrected, "Little Jacob can stand on the wall upside down!" and then he points to the ceiling.

"Really! You mean Little Jacob can stand on the ceiling like Spider man?" Owen, wide eyed and smiling, shakes his head yes. We all are amazed. This little Jacob is quite the phenomenon.

Little Jacob goes to school, but not your average school, he goes to Camp School."Camp School?" Mitchell questions, "What do you do in camp school?"

"All camping stuff, and he has to set up tents, and then he does his school work in the tents."

"Oh wow, that's fun, what else does he do?"

"He cuts wood with axes, and he goes in the mountains, and he plays with sticks, and he climbs on things."

"Wow little Jacob is really lucky," we acknowledge.

"Yes he is and, (a pause). . . can I go to camp school?"

"We can go camping, but I can't send you to camp school. Little Jacob is really lucky."

Little Jacob has some amazing strength. He can lift cars, jump off houses, run through fire, climb up rocky cliffs and other super hero feats that would make the hair of any mother stand on end. I am just glad that I am not Little Jacob's mother or I would never sleep restfully at night.

Surprisingly, however, Little Jacob can't swim. We were all amazed. But, he can walk on water.

"He can walk on water?" Richard questions.

"Yes, on hot water." Owen pronounces, "Little Jacob can run on hot water!"

The adventures of Little Jacob continue to weave through our lives. I felt I should write just a few down before they are gone forever.

We love our little Jacob, just like we love our Big Jacob. Keep those stories coming Os. Oh and by the way, We love you Big Guy!!! and the yetta guy too!!!

The Aftermath

All this talk about the plunge when in fact the real fun is in the aftermath: our visit to Uncle Scott and Auntie Adie's house. It's tradition. . .in fact I am officially making it official that we will forever after go to Uncle Scott and Aunt Adie's house to jacuzzi, have ribs and play tennis forever more--it's in the books, set in stone, after the plunge, forever more. We all know that is the only reason Will got out of bed that morning, and Richard for that matter as well: Will for the jacuzzi, and Richard couldn't wait to watch the Rose Bowl with Dan and Scott. Adie promised to have the jacuzzi ready for us when we got there.

On the way we stopped at Room and Board to see if they had anything left over from their once a year clearance sale. Another part of the tradition. They get rid of all their floor models and clearance items at unbelievable prices the day after Christmas. As the weeks wane the prices keep dropping. But as was expected most of the items were gone. However they did have some great pieces, if we were in need of pieces, since I am not working we definately don't need pieces.

Once we arrive at Scott and Adie's and my boisterous group bangs on the door and they are greeted with open arms and triumphant cheers from Auntie Adie, we snack on some food and prepare for the jacuzzi. The water temp is 100 and is steamy just the way we wanted it. The kids were only in but for a few minutes before dares began to surface. . ."Emma, I will give you this quarter if you jump in the pool." The pool is not heated mind you and is probably in the 50s. Emma thinks about it for about 2 seconds and agrees. You see she is not fazed by cold, in fact she seems to thrive on it, plus she is motivated by money. Up she hops and drops in the pool like a little torpedo with her toes pointed toward the bottom. It doesn't take her long to get out, but she happily returns to the jacuzzi where the rest of us stew to recieve her pay.

"I want to get a quarter. Can I get a quarter?" Will enthusiastically calls as he ascends from the jacuzzi.

"Of course you will get a quarter."

"Don't worry Will, I won't push you in like last year." The same dare was posed last year and William, unsuspecting at the time, and not planning on entering the pool was pushed in by Lily. His shriek still rang in our memories as he hopped out of the pool literally as quickly as he had fallen in, the look on is face was complete terror and pain. He cried as he clambered back into the jacuzzi for comfort. Now, Will was going to do it on his own. He stood at the edge of the pool looking in, gaining courage, waiting for that perfect moment of serenity when he could make the choice to take the plunge. . . when Owen snuck out of the jacuzzi and pushed him in giggling. Instant replay from the year before--same shriek, same look, same rapid, super hero speed exit from the water, only this time it was Owen's name that spilled from his lips like a sad song on a violin as he came to my arms for comfort. We all laughed. Will took it bravely, although he did not like it one bit. I don't know if this will play out as part of the tradition or not, we will have to see.

Well before I knew it all the kids were jumping from the side into the pool. They started out close to the steps where they could get out easy but as the dares increased or as their bodies began to numb, they moved further from the steps to the center of the pool. Emma kept hopping in and recalculating what I owed her. I think she might have gotten up to $6 dollars or something. That girl is driven when it comes to money.

Lily, who always has a load of fun ideas, gathered the two foam rafts and began to make a boat where they could move around the pool without getting in the water. She would take passengers and use the pool cleaner pole as a paddle. She did a great job maneuvering her makeshift boat and I knew I needed to take her to the Island of the Blue Dolphins where she could really show off her talents.

After much coaxing Owen finally got on the boat and let Lily take him for a little Ride. Chloe, Aunt Adie's labrador, was ever watchful of the kids. look at the concern in her eyes. After we sat stewing for an indefinite period of time we all got out and got our cozies on. Time for dinner. Richard was in charge of the ribs and the were delicious.

Thanks Scott and Adie for your wonderful hospitality and for always welcoming us into your home. We love you.

New Years 2009: 2nd Annual Polar Bear Plunge

Triumphant new members of the Polar Bear Club: Lily and William

9:30 a.m. . .

"ohhhhhhhh," I don't want to get up. The house is quiet, but for the cartoons that are softly playing on the TV. Owen has been up for an hour! it doesn't matter that he went to bed the night before at 1:00 in the morning, he is up and atom, ready to go the next morning. It is mornings like these that you are grateful for cartoons. Nine-thirty in the morning: we need to leave in an hour if we want to get to the beach in time for what we affectionately call the Polar Bear Plunge. Last year we got there at like 11:55 and counting. Emma and I were literally running, tearing off our clothes as we ran to make sure we were there for the count down. We made it but with only a couple minutes to spare. I didn't want that to happen this year. We wanted to be there early.

But as I lay in my bed. . .as I sank deeper into the blankets, I wondered if it was really worth it? Ohhhhhhhh the bed was too cozy, my eyelids were too heavy, the blankets embraced me in a warm hug. . .polar bear plunge? what was I thinking. Then I rolled over and saw the warm sun seep its light beyond the barrier of the blinds into my room, beckoning me to get out of bed. It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day. . .I haven't been in the ocean since August 2nd. . . Emma and Lily are really excited. . .gotta get up. The plunge wins.

So I swept the house waking each child and gathering swim suits, warm clothes, beanies, cozies, snacks, drinks, etc. "Let's go. We have to take the plunge!" Emma and Lily are up and focused. It doesn't take much to get them going. They are excited to continue the tradition.

Will, on the other hand, is not so sure. "Will, let's go. We are gonna take the plunge!"

"No way, not me. I don't want to."

"You don't? I want you to. You can do it, your tough!"

"No, I am not going to." He is getting up though and is excited because after wards we are going to Uncle Scott and Aunt Adie's house and they have a jacuzzi. I asked Owen if he wanted to but knowing full well what his answer would be. He doesn't often get in the water in the summer months.

It doesn't take long to get out. Not much prep needed

but brush teeth and hair and I am not sure if that was even done. The kids pile into the car and we head out. The roads were wide open so we got there with time to spare, but as we approached the beach, the warm sun began to disappear behind some thick marine layer. . .bummer! but the adrenalin was pumping and once parked we quickly made our way to the crowd with fifteen min. to noon. I would say that there were twice as many people there this year as compared to last year.

We all took off our clothes to prepare for the plunge. Or I should say the girls took off there clothes. I did for a moment and then put them back on. I don't know if the older we get our nervous system becomes more acute or what, but I felt that cold air and the girls seemed un bothered. We stood around waiting for the remainder of the time while we listened to rose bowl princesses and the emcee of the event introduce us to volunteers from the community. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but listening to them drone on while my body was fighting the cold was like listening to Charlie Brown's teacher speaking in slow motion. "Whaaa Wa Whaaa Wah Wah." I was beginning to think that last years accidental plan of getting there just as they are counting down was by far the superior plan for next year.

With a couple of minutes left, the girls and I went down to the starting line and made our way to the front. The energy was building. I was prepared with my olympus water proof camera to try to capture the event and snapped a couple of shots of the girls and I before we hit the water, when all of a sudden, I see William stripping his shirt and sprinting over to join us. His smile was hUGE! "Yeah!" we all cheer. "Will your awesome!" When your taking the plunge, you don't want to do it alone. It's like your a plunge pusher. . . You want others to do it with you: Your not sure why your doing it, your not sure you want to do it, your not even sure if it is good for you, so you want others to do it with you. . . like a narcotic, That's what we were, plunge pushers, and when Will gave in to the pressure, we were all there to congratulate him and give him slap on the back.

The count down begins: 10, 9, 8, All participators are counting, 7, 6, 5, all supporters are chanting4, 3, 2 all watchers from the pier are joining and 1. . . RUN! watch out, if you have little ones you may want to protect them, in fact Richard had that very thought for Owen as he saw the mad dash of hundreds of almost naked people, of all different sizes, running right at him. Gladly he protected Owen even if he did lose track of us in the water. However he did get this shot of us as dash began.Look at our faces. We are actually smiling as we run towards that frigid water. The temp by the way was 56 degrees (like a spring day in Minnesota) I love Emma in this shot. She is right out in front. She is beating all those grown men to her right. She is the fastest runner in her class for the third year in a row. I asked her the other day if she was still the fastest runner in her class and she said, "Yes mom, I won every time except for the time my shoe fell off and I had to put it back on." That's my girl!

Look Emma was in and plunged before anyone and WAY before I could have the camera ready to capture her. Will and I were still making our way out to the water.

Will fighting his way through. He is taking it like a man.

I was the last one to actually take the plunge.

Emma and Lily making their way back to the beach. You don't spend much time in the water but we did spend more time in than last year.

Lily and Will heading in.

Right at this point Will is feeling the cold and wants to get out quick. His bravery is quickly surrendering to the c-c-c-c-old and some whining is starting to surface. But wait, "Let's try to get one group shot of us in the water. . ." I say. What was I thinking. Needless to say the shot didn't happen.
Here we are back at the beach. Will is still smiling, He was pretty proud of himself and feels pretty confident that he can do almost anything now because he is a polar bear. You gotta click on this photo and see how red his little body is from the water. C-c-c-c-c-cold!

Welcome 2oo9.

A great family tradition.

Your all welcome to do it with us next year. The more the merrier! We don't know why we do it. We don't really know if we want to do it, we don't even know if it is good for us, but we want you to do it with us.
C'mon, it won't hurt you, just this once!!!!