From Rain to Fire

Today was a lovely 75 degrees in Seattle, but it rained most other days this week. The entire month we've been in jackets because it's chilly or inside because it's rainy. We have enjoyed it, but I was looking forward to going home to some warmth. I guess I got my wish:

Utah has been on fire for weeks, but as of this afternoon's fire map, it has only gotten worse. We live just south of Springville, so this picture makes it look like we're surrounded. To put it in perspective, we are 12.3 miles away from Elk Ridge, the nearest evacuated town and 2.6 miles away from the hwy 89/route 6 intersection where they have closed down the canyon. We're still far away--except when you consider that most of the fires are less than 50% contained because of the driest winter in years, the 90+ degree heat, and the winds that have been fanning the flames.

Countless homes have already been destroyed--and we don't even have it as bad as Colorado does (yet). My heart aches for those who have lost their homes, and though the casualties are still relatively low, people are suffering over those losses. I'm praying for the fire fighters who are in a hellish battle. Natural disasters suck.

From talking to neighbors, it sounds like everything is covered in ash and the place smells like one big bonfire, but if those are our only problems, I consider us extremely lucky. Here's to hoping things are still standing when we return home.

Another Rainy Day in Seattle

I've noticed that lately I get bored reading blog posts that have a ton of writing. I'm sorry that I do it to other people. It's just the only way I journal, but feel free to look at the pictures and move on. I would hate to annoy you with my rambling!

I think today was one of my favorite days of our vacation. I've been sick a lot of the time we've been here, and today I felt much better. I've been working on writing a chapter that was accepted for a book that's supposed to be published in January. I've been stressing over it most of the time we've been here because the deadline is next week, but Thursday I submitted a finished draft and got some really positive feedback on it. I'll still have to make revisions, but it's nice to have the bulk of it finished. Hopefully it all goes through and I'll be rich and famous. That was a joke. Nobody becomes rich or famous from academic writing.

Also, today was raining hard all day, which I love, and Andy wasn't traveling, which I also love. Life just seemed better than it has for a while. Andy had some meetings in the morning, but was home by 11am. We took a walk over to the bakery (I'll blog about it later--it's amazing) and had some fresh danishes. Andy had apple and a ham and swiss, and I had blueberry and apricot. Divine. It's fun to have a little pastry shop less than a five minute walk from our house.

Since it was so cold and wet, we decided it was the perfect day to go see a movie, and it just so happens that Brave came out today. There's a movie theater a few blocks from the house, so we walked over there in the rain.

I really liked the movie. Andy thought it was just okay. Autumn was so fun to watch--she was enchanted. She smiled and laughed and ate popcorn and squealed with the best of them. Calvin kept asking to go home, except during the parts with the little red-headed triplets. He thought they were HILARIOUS.

We came home and Calvin and I splashed in puddles the whole way back. We were soaked, but it was fun. Andy walked over to get Italian take-out from this yummy little place that we love. It was the perfect day to have fatty comfort food.

Today I cleaned the house. Read a book. Played with the Kids. Wrestled with Andrew. Played on Facebook. Wasted time. I felt more relaxed today than I have in years. It felt indulgent, but wonderful.

Calvin has started throwing tantrums daily about going home. He misses our house and his toys and his friends. He's been a trooper, but he's just done. I don't blame him. Tonight we watched Puss in Boots and that made him laugh a lot. Autumn just goes with the flow.

Some highlights:

Autumn tying a noose around a Barbie's neck and letting it hang there. I would be worried, except that she's the sweetest thing ever. Today she curled up with me on the couch and said, "you're my best friend." Melt my heart.

At bedtime I kept telling her to quit talking and go to sleep. She kept saying, "hey mom, Knock Knock [long pause when I didn't answer] Say who's there?" then she'd wait for a few seconds and when I didn't answer, she'd say it over and over again. I probably should have answered so I'd know what kind of joke a 2 year-old makes up. (Now that I'm writing this, I feel bad that I didn't answer her. I was trying to teach her to go to bed when it's time. She's so sweet. I suck.)

When we're lying there, she also tucks her feet between my thighs and says, "Look! My feets is a Shammich! (sandwich)"

I think she's darling.

 Our house in the rain. The beautiful flowers from the bushes are fading out, but it looks like any day the wisteria over the porch will start to bloom. I hope we get to see it. Before we leave, I'll take pictures of the inside of the house. It's very cute. Also, the upstairs tenants moved out last week, so it's been SO nice not to worry about the kids making too much noise or driving them crazy.

Calvin playing Angry Birds. He loves building all kinds of structures, and he's very good at it. He's got some great fine motor skills for a kid his age. Maybe he'll be an architect. I told him to smile, and this is what I got:

Then I acted lame and tried to make him smile. He promptly covered his mouth:

Then he couldn't resist because I'm hilarious:

The cutest picture of him ever:

 Full on chortling:

I tried to take pictures at the theater while we waited, but of the dozen I took, I couldn't get ONE SINGLE SHOT with them all looking at the camera or not blurry or smiling. I wish they would just humor me:

Anyway, not an exciting day, but it was a good one. I'll miss living somewhere where we can walk to everything. The rain is still coming down like crazy. 

The End (Finally!)

Bedtime

Bedtime: It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.

I wait for it all day long, especially on days when Andy is traveling and I'm alone with the munchkins from the crack of dawn (which, by the way, is 4:30am here in Seattle. I bribe them with chocolate milk so they'll go back to sleep until at least 6:30 or 7:00), until they go to bed around 9pm. (And then I stay up until 2 or 3am working on my paper or watching the Bachelorette because I hate going to bed alone in this weird place). Mothers and children were not meant to be entirely alone together for 14 hour days.

Tonight they were little chatterboxes. They are sharing a fold-out bed while we're here. I lay down in the middle because Autumn rolls over and kicks Calvin with super fast, super hard little kicks in his shins and ribs. He screams and she laughs like it's the best game in the world.

So, back to tonight.

They could not stop talking. Finally after we had been in bed for an hour and I had tried yelling at them and spanking them and pleading with them, we went outside (still light at 10pm. I miss my shorter days further away from the pole). They looked around, talked, got some wiggles out, and then we went back to bed.

And then my favorite thing of the day happened.

Autumn kept talking to herself like a schizophrenic bag lady. Talking about Princess Peach and the library and zombies and other stuff I couldn't make out.

Finally, Calvin sits up and says: Autumn, please stop talking! I'm tired and I want to go to sleep!

It was silent for 10 seconds and then Autumn, in her squeaky little two year old voice, whispers: You're crazy!

Calvin and I cracked up. Maybe it's funnier if you're sleep deprived.

Then about 15 minutes later, Andy walked through the door. I invited him to take my place and get the kids to sleep since he hadn't seen them for a few days. When they were asleep, he came out and said that Calvin had said, "I'm so glad it's you sleeping beside me, dad, and not the mailman."

Andy wanted to know what I've been doing while he was gone.

As luck would have it, I did look out the window today when the mail was being delivered. It was a 60ish year-old woman. I'm pretty sure I'm not that lonely yet.

 The girl reaching up my shirt.

The boy snuggling up to the pile of laundry I've folded and am trying to get put away.

They're animals.

The Science Museum

Ignore this post. It's going away. It's just to show my friend some pictures of this place to convince her she needs to go there. Here you go, Becca:

I literally took 500 pictures there. I will not bore you with all of them.