Yesterday, sun still shining in our totally uncharacteristic spring, Jeff took Carmen and Charlie to the annual Lahti summer Keen sandal shopping spree. Carmen was thrilled to have bright purple Keens, all her own. No hand me downs this year. Charlie still fits in his from last year. . . does this kid ever grow? Jeff handed off the Littles (Carmen & Charlie) so we could go pick up the Big (Cooper). One look at Carmen's purple clad feet and Coop shouted in his put-off-seven-year-old voice,

"What? No fair! She got new Keens?"

To which I replied, "Let's go. We can go get yours today too."

We crossed the street to load into the minivan and this is what we saw.

There was a scruffy looking guy loading kids into the Keen van. We went to check it out. I told Cooper we should just get on the Keen bus and maybe it would take us to get new shoes. In the midst of our laughing, the scruffy dude looked down at our feet. I had on my red Keens. Charlie had on his blue Keens. Carmen had on her shiny new purple Keens. And Coop had on his gym shoes. The scruffy guy exclaimed "Wow, its a Keen family moment." We all laughed and I told him we were on our way to get some for Cooper. He introduced himself as "Curly" (All I could think was "where are Mo and Larry", I know, I am so hilarious). So Curly says,

"Where are you going to get your Keens?"

"REI. They're having a sale"

"Well, maybe I can help you save a couple bucks." He said, in a conspiratorial voice.

I was intrigued. Who is this Curly dude, with curly black locks cruising around in a Keen bus? He rifled around in the front of the bus and handed me a card.

"Are you the Keen guy?" I asked, not entirely sure what that meant.

"I'm the Keen guy." He laughed.

The card I held said one FREE pair of shoes. My eyes widened.

"Take it to the Keen Garage. You know where that is, right?"

"Yeah," I say. "Right by REI."

I shook his hand and off he went in the yellow Keen bus, chock full of kids.

"Thank you, Keen guy. Curly. Thank you!"

So off we go. We briefly stopped to get some frozen yogurt with a million toppings (gotta take advantage of summer weather while its here, right?) and then we wound our way through the Pearl to find the Keen Garage.

Ten minutes later we walked out with a brand spankin' new pair of super cool black & green Keens for Cooper. I love Portland.

PS. I googled "Curly & Keen" and found that the CEO and President of Keen is named James Curleigh. Keen seems like a fantastic company, based here in Portland. Check out their blog.

This past weekend was one of the best I can remember. Not only was the sun shining, driving my self-diagnosed seasonal affective disorder underground, but I spent the whole entire weekend with you three little monkeys. I can’t say that I always want to spend a whole weekend with you. Many weekends I crave escape in the form of date night, girl’s night out or even work. Not so this glorious Mother’s Day.  It was so great I want to tell you about it just in case you forget in the years to come how much I love being your Mommy.

We started our joint adventure on Friday right after school. But did you know that before we picked you up from school, Daddy & I sneaked away for a walk through the west hills. We went up the trail and over to the Zoo then walked through the rose garden at Washington Park and wound down to a coffee shop and then back up the hill to home. We walked for 2 hours and talked about all kinds of things. But we both agreed that we have the best kids ever.

Since Dad had to work, I whisked you three away with your friends Phoebe and Greta for a quick overnight in Parkdale. The weather was perfect! You rode your bikes and scooters. You cruised three deep on the long board skateboard down the blacktop driveway. You colored with chalk all over the sidewalk and the basketball court. You ate fruit and cheese and crackers and then after dinner you had big bowls of ice cream. When it was bedtime, you curled up in your blankets and had a sleepover in the bunks. Of course Charlie had to be removed from the room since he was being a bit of a rascal. Charlie, Charlie. . . always a bit of a rascal. Good thing you are so cute. Meanwhile, the Mommies sipped a few drinks and talked about Mommy stuff. Perfect.

On Saturday, coffee in hand, I watched you slather syrup on your pancakes and run outside to play in the sun—pajamas still on. We hiked the trail to Tamanawa Falls, crossing bridges and finding treasures along the way. Remember how fun that hike was? You guys collected branches and made a dam in the river. You gathered bark with “secret writing” on it. You found snow in the midst of our sunny day! You ran from one awesome-cool-totally-perfect thing to the next. Your energy was contagious. You made me feel a little bit like I was a kid again. I love the way you guys do that. There were a few scraped knees and trips over roots and pokes by pointy sticks. But I always say, scraped knees are the sign of a good day. I think you might be starting to believe me.

We drove back to Portland after our hike. Dad was finishing up a long bike ride and so after you ran around our own back yard while I unpacked the cooler, we went to a post-bike-ride party. Dad was so excited to see us, and you guys played in the backyard that was so big Cooper thought it was a park. The air felt like summer vacation-hot and clear. I think we played even more once we got home that night.

And then Sunday arrived like a long awaited gift. For days you had been plotting and planning how to make my Mother’s Day so special.

“Don’t look in my backpack” Cooper said.

“Mommy, when can I give you your present?” Carmen said.

“Mommy, you are my Mommy” Charlie piped in.

So when Sunday arrived it felt a little bit like Christmas. This is the first year all of you kiddos were so excited to celebrate my day. We woke you up and got ready for the Run Like A Mother 5K. Even at 7:30am the air was warm and the sun was bright. We milled around with all the other families getting ready for our big race. Cooper & Carmen got t-shirts and numbers pinned to their chests. Charlie ate the free samples. We found our friends and the next thing I knew you were off and running with Dad.  And then I was off and running with the Moms. Have I mentioned that the sun was out, shining down on us like a gift from the rain gods who have dominated the skies for the last eight months!

When the run was over, the Mamas made our way back to your friend’s (Jack & Charlie) house. I was greeted with a mimosa and a brunch spread cooked by the Dads. Yummy. All you kids were running around, dressed up in costumes, playing with Legos and sneaking strawberries from the fruit tray! Perfect.

All I wanted to do in the afternoon was lie in the grass in the backyard and soak in the warm rays of the sun. Cooper spread a blanket out and even got me a pillow. We lounged in the sun, then the shade, for hours. We finished reading Cooper’s book, Redwall, and I cried at the end when Abbot Mortimer died. Cooper, you got mad and said, “Stop crying and finish reading!” I laughed and cried at the same time then.  Carmen, you were playing up in the bear cave and flitting about. You’d come sit with us for a few minutes and listen to the story, then run off to collect flowers and sticks and all the other wonderful things you collect and group and arrange. Charlie, my friend, you were conked out after such a busy day. You slept all the way until our guests came  for dinner.

Dad was out front clipping and trimming bushes. He disappeared to the grocery store for a while and then prepared an amazing dinner on the grill, flank steak and corn on the cob. Your friends Astrid and Teo came for dinner and while you five crazy gooses got naked and ran around the backyard, your parents watched you with giggles and wide-open mouths at your silliness. It was the perfect day. Absolutely perfect, perfect day. Did I mention the sunshine? The amazing food? The looks of total joy, fun, and love on all your faces? I hope you remember me on this day with a look of joy, fun and love on my face too. But just in case you don’t, read this and know it was the best Mother’s Day I’ve ever had. I am the luckiest Mama in the world. Thank you kid-a-loonies for giving me the best weekend ever.

Now go put your shoes on, brush your teeth and clean your rooms before I start yelling again.

Love,

Mama

 The day started with a bit of a shopping spree in Hood River. Sue & Sarah had flown in from Chicago a few days earlier. Somehow after 2 hours in Hood River we ended up leaving with a pair of snow shoes, an expensive dress, matching rings and a necklace to boot. I had planned on wearing snow boots and jeans. . . but the girls had other plans for me.

Snowshoeing followed.

After a great show hike through the woods we headed up to Timberline. The sky was blue, the mountain looked incredible and I was ready to get the party started. I hot tubbed and vodka tonicked for a bit while the hearty guests walked up to the hut. I happily took the Snow Cat. When we got to the top the view was incredible. What better place for a par-tay? Here is a quick slide show to highlight the ascent.

Here I am with my awesome hubby who asked me if I wanted to go see the new 21 Jump Street movie on my 40th birthday. Someone has to be the planner.

Here is the whole crew. I am amazed at this picture--everyone looks awesome. The mountain air must be good for the over the hill crowd.

We ooh-ed and ahhh-ed at the view and then most people hit the open bar. Yes, there was a bar tucked into that snow covered hut. And it got a lot of business throughout the night. Despite the frigid air and the fact that polar fleece was the reigning attire of the evening, I busted out the new dress and high heels. You're only 40 once, right? Hilarious.

The night was great. There was music from every year since 1972. I even busted out a little Thriller dancing. There were a few silly games (thanks Alicia) and some clever limericks (thanks Jen & Brett) When I finally crawled into my bunk I found it had been short sheeted by a few miscreants. I kicked and flailed then fell happily asleep. The next morning was stunning. The sun was shining and the snow was beautiful. We skied right out the door. Look at this day!

So thank you everyone, near and far, for the best birthday ever. So far forty is lookin' pretty damn good.

I just submitted a quick flash fiction story to the NPR Three Minute Fiction contest. There is still time to submit. March 25th is the deadline, so get writing! The rules are simple. Write a 600 word story that begins with the following sentence: She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door.

My writing group unanimously decided that it was a terrible first sentence to be stuck with, but we all joined in the fun and tortured ourselves over each word, whittling 700 words to 650 to 610 and then to 600. It is such a limited number of words to work with, but it was fun. Mine ultimately ended up at 595.

The woman in this photograph was in my head when I wrote about the mother in this story. I had seen her daughter in the clinic the day before and given her bad news. When I ran into the mother in the market I was struck by how much they looked alike. I knew right away who she must be. The story I wrote has nothing to do with the girl I saw or her mother, but I couldn't get them out of my mind.

I Thought I'd share the finished product with you here.

Leti

She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door. The patient’s name had been Leti. When Dr. Goodwin passed through the doorway into the quiet waiting room, she was greeted by the same eyes, staring at her with fear and hope, the way Leti had stared only 24 hours ago. Leti’s mother stood when she saw the white doctor. Dr. Goodwin took the woman’s pink-palmed hands in her own. They lowered themselves to the waiting room bench, scrubbed clean with bleach earlier that morning.

“Leti,” The woman said. “She no came home.”

For a moment Leti was present again, just in her name being said aloud. Dr. Goodwin closed her eyes and saw the handwriting on the patient ledger she had stared at before having the courage to face Leti’s mother. The loop of the cursive “L”, whimsical but confident, followed by a shaky “e-t-i” was etched in her memory.

Leti, a young woman—really a girl—had come to the outpost Haitian clinic in the late afternoon, the team of foreign doctors already gone for the day. Dr. Goodwin was counting inventory when she heard the knock. She cracked the rusted door enough to see the bright whites of scared, sunken eyes and let the girl in. The girl slumped on the bench, and pulled her knees to her chest. Dr. Goodwin gave her a bottle of clean drinking water, and opened the tattered ledger, pages damp with rural humidity. The thin, sweaty girl wrote her name in the book and handed it back.

“Leti?” Dr. Goodwin asked. As she spoke, a thick trail of blood seeped from between Leti’s thighs onto the bench. Dr. Goodwin lifted the spindly patient into the makeshift exam room and placed her flaccid body on the table. She found her portable ultra sound, flattened the sensor over Leti’s lower belly and watched a shadow jump on the screen. The shadow moved, a crown-rump length of 9 centimeters, 14 weeks. 

“How long have you been bleeding?” Dr. Goodwin asked.

“Maten an. When I gather morning eggs. Then I walk all day.” 

Leti’s voice was weak. She closed her eyes and her chest rose and fell as she took rapid breaths. Dr. Goodwin saw the pool of blood expand. She looked around for someone to help, but she was alone. Dr. Goodwin held Leti’s hand and watched as blood spilled onto the table and dripped over the edge. She knew there was nothing she could do. Leti slipped into unconsciousness. With one last convulsion, Leti’s malnourished body heaved and expelled the half-grown life. Both were pulseless.

Leti’s mother arrived the next afternoon.

 “She lost too much blood. Mwen regret sa,” said Dr. Goodwin softly. “I couldn’t do anything to make her better.” She paused. “Or the baby.”

“Bebe?”

Leti’s mother turned her face, all eyes and bones, toward Dr. Goodwin, then bowed her head; two lines of tears silently raced to the bottom of her mahogany chin. She gripped the damp pale hands, the last hands to touch her daughter.

“Thank you. For take care Leti.”

Leti’s mother gathered her sack, opened the metal door and walked down the stairs. Dr. Goodwin turned past the waiting room bench and sat on the exam room table. She picked up the ledger; it weighed heavily in her hands. She opened to the page with Leti’s name, ran her finger over the letters. She curled her knees into her chest and shook to the guttural melody of Leti’s mother’s sobs coming through the window.

Cooper's Mailbox. Before & After.

Carmen Valentine Cape. Open & Closed.

Charlie Hand Print.

Flowers from my sweetheart.

xo

I am a lucky girl today.

The plan was to set out Friday right after school pick-up.  I spent the morning making alfajores with my friend Steph.  Apparently homemade majar blanco (the filling of my most favorite Peruvian delight) takes only two ingredients but one full hour of stirring on a hot stove. And the short bread cookie takes about 30 minutes of kneading. Thank goodness for company in the kitchen.  Especially when the end result is this.

I spent so much time making the cookies, I didn't have a chance to make the aji de gallina that was also on the menu.  Oh well. Dessert is really the most important part of the meal anyway, right?

I packed the car, picked up Cooper, stopped at City Market for fresh mussels, lulled Charlie to sleep in the backseat by singing lullabies while Cooper & Carmen made eye rolling faces at me in the mirror (stop singing, Mom) then turned on the video and drove through the Gorge in uninterrupted bliss.  There is a tunnel just before Cascade Locks.  It has become a metaphor for me.  As soon as I drive through the tunnel and emerge on the other side I feel as though everything else is left behind.  I am truly away. So when I passed through the tunnel on Friday, the long weekend began.  Ahh. Our friends Kim & John arrived soon after I unloaded the kiddos. Pretty soon all five kiddos were running around the house having a grand ol' time.  We popped open the wine and scrambled dinner together in the kitchen. 

The chorros a la chalaca made me wish I was sitting on a beach.  But gathering around our Parkdale table with new friends was even better.

Saturday morning we all packed lunches and threw the skis in the car and headed up for SnoBlasters. There are a handful of kids from Cooper's school signed up for the Saturday ski class for the month of January.  He loves it.  We dropped him off in the chaotic SnoBlaster area, then dropped Carmen in a different ski school area and then finally dropped Charlie in day care.  I had three different colored wrist bands, one for each kid. It was almost 10 o'clock, we had been there since 8:45am.  I finally got my own skis snapped in and hit the slopes.  Icy, windy, cold, snow sparse slopes.  I called it a day after just an hour and a half and searched out Kim, smart woman who had seen the conditions and opted for reading Us magazine in the lodge. Where was the snow?

We picked up the little kids and headed back for afternoon naps and relaxing by the fire.  The hubbies and boys got back a few hours later, and brought with them the first inkling of the blizzard to follow. 

Happy, hungry kids, huh?

Sadly, Kim & John had to head back to an action packed weekend of their own.  But no sooner had we waved good-bye to their car pulling out of the newly snow dusted driveway, then we said hello to a multitude of cars pulling into the snowy driveway.  The hot chocolate stop on the way home from SnoBlasters turned quickly into a pizza party (thanks to Kristina who brought pizzas in from Hood River).  The snow was dumping and the kids got back into all their gear and slid down the driveway on sleds, standing on "snow boards" fashioned from whatever they could find.  I found Charlie sliding down the rock wall on one of my snow shoes.  He grinned with glee, "Look Mom, my snow board." The sun went down and the kids came in looking for flashlights, head lamps and camping lanterns.  Out the window they looked like winter fireflies, darting back and forth, up and down the drifts. The scene reminded me of winter days of my own childhood.  It was a bit magical. I wish I had taken a picture, but you will just have to trust me.

In the morning Jeff couldn't resist the call of the powder on the mountain and he headed up with a friend.  I was content to have a snow day with the kids and after a small nightmare involving Charlie trying to be "independent" while cleaning up his own poop accident, we bundled up and drove into Hood River for a play date. Snowmen, snowball fights and mac-n-cheese followed.

We met Jeff back at home and I sneaked up to our neighbors house to pick up a home grown winter squash so generously offered to me.  They have this incredibly cozy home where I imagine tea is always steeping, cookies are always baking and good conversation is always waiting.  I jumped at the invitation to join them (maybe was secretly hoping for an invitation) for a cup of tea. It was pure bliss to have a quiet hour with no craziness happening around me.  When I got back home, dinner was made and a glass of wine was waiting for me.  I should sneak out before dinner more often.

Hard to believe we had a WHOLE day still before it was time to go back through that tunnel, back to real life.  Monday morning started with kids jumping on us in bed asking if they could go out and play yet?  I swear they were already outside by the time the coffee was made.  Out the window I'd see flashes of pink of green as they ran by in their snow clothes, fleece hats flopping over their eyes and snow boots going up and down.  They came in for breakfast and begged and pleaded to make "snow candy". I've told them about when I was a little girl Grannie used to make snow candy on snowy days.  It is myth and lore as far as they are concerned. So we decided to bring it to life. I'm not really sure where my Mom's recipe came from but I think it was from a Laura Ingles Wilder book. Maybe Little House in the Big Woods, I'd have to ask her.  It is very simple though. Boil brown sugar and water until it bubbles up like a cauldron of syrup, then pour it into shapes in the cold snow. Voila, snow candy. Yum. Perfect for a mid-morning snack.

Its more about the process than the product, but it sure is sweet and sticky.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent in and out of the snow.  We forged new sledding trails, walked up to the irrigation canal, watched Boomer frolic in the foot of powder and explained to Cooper why I would not go down the sled hill while standing on a sled.  I'm amost forty and I just don't bounce like you do Coop.

Hot chocolate, marshmallows, whipped cream topped with chocolate chips soon followed. Might as well give them the weekly sugar allotment in one day, right? 

At one point I had to finally start the process of packing up the fridge, doing laundry, etc.  Cooper asked if he could watch a video while I cleaned up.  I said, go outside for 30 more minutes and then you can watch something.  He and Carmen came back 2 hours later, sweaty and covered in snow.  "Has it been 30 minutes yet?" They asked.  By then the whole house was clean, folded, packed and ready to go.  Love it. And so here we are, on a snowy Portland Tuesday morning counting the days until Friday when we get to do it all again. Life is pretty good. Come join us anytime.

*photo credits to Kim Sordyl, thank you!

Cooper gets one pair of shoes for the school year, then one pair for summer.  The process is an excruciating one that involves trying on ten million shoes and multiple stores.  He is so particular about how the shoe feels, where the tongue is, how it tightens, etc.  So this past September after ordering the right size while at Nordstrom and returning/exchanging at a different Nordstrom two weeks later, we got him the perfect pair of ridiculously overpriced Geox gym shoes. 

Needless to say, just 2 months later he refused to wear the aforementioned shoes because the insole felt funny and the Velcro cracked and rolled up. So they have been sitting on the shoe shelf in the basement and he has been wearing his rubber boots or his soccer shoes.  Ok, long back story, but enter Super Mama.  I searched our September Visa statement, found the transaction, printed it out and loaded Carmen & Charlie in the minivan for our Pioneer Square excursion to weasel my way into a new pair of shoes for Coop.  I'm not really a returner, so this was a big deal for me. In my eager start to the day I kinda forgot that Nordstrom doesn't open at 8am when I was ready to conquer the world.  So we ran a few quick errands and then found a parking place right in front of the Starbucks on Pioneer Square.  Great, hot chocolate break.  Um, kinda forgot that the Pioneer Square population is a bit colorful.  Or stinky and scary as the case may be.  We gulped our hot chocolates whilst avoiding the talker-to-selvers and high tailed it across to Nordstrom.  Ahh, Jimmy Choos for $900 a pair.  I am not usually a Nordstrom shopper, but sometimes it just feels nice to be surrounded by a little luxury.  We escalated up to Children's shoes and before you could say broken Velcro, I had a brand new pair of size 3 Geox shoes in my possession.  Accomplishment #1.  Check.

Next on the list was a desk for Cooper's room.  Being in 1st grade has brought with it the privilege of homework.  I gotta say, I am not such a fan of homework.  I mean he is not really responsible enough yet.  If he doesn't turn it in, its essentially my fault.  But we are working on it, and I figured a desk in his room with his own little pencil cup and desk lamp might be the way to go.  But despite just having scored a $70 pair of shoes for free moments before, I am a cheapskate at heart.  So I pass granola bars around the back seat and off we go to Ikea to find the cheapest, yet coolest, desk ever.  The Ikea kid club was full at 10:45am on a Tuesday morning.  What kind of people make their kids go to the Ikea kid club while they can mindlessly spend money on Swedish particle board?  Oh yeah, people like me.  So Carmen & Charlie twirled around office chairs and opened and closed desk drawers while I stood back, fingers stroking my chin, and searched for the perfect desk.  I ended up choosing a table top with attachable legs.  Then saw a "do it yourself" shelf where you buy a dresser drawer front and mini chrome legs.  The Ikea guy said I'd have to drill my own holes, but don't worry, its super easy. Those of you who know me know that "do it yourself" and "Elizabeth Lahti" should not be used in the same sentence.  But, I could get the whole desk/shelf set up for $29.  Yes, you read that correctly, $29--less than half a pair of Geox shoes.  Accomplishment #2.  Check.

In order to entertain the little ones who were not Ikea kid club worthy, I let them look at all the toys and in Carmen's case the fun fabrics.  On display were some cute tote bags made from the brightly colored fabrics they sell down there by bedding.  By chance, the tote bag pattern was available for the taking.  I grabbed one and let Carmen pick out whatever fabric she wanted.  Much to my delight she chose one that I already had yards and yards of in the attic (a curtain project never come to fruition--see I'm not really super mama if you look at the hundreds of projects I have never finished, let alone started). As soon as we got home Charlie was forced into his afternoon nap, AKA time for Mom and Carmen to do girlie things without being hit in the head with a truck or suffer through a tantrum.  I dug the fabric out from the spider webbed attic and we threaded the bobbin on the machine. Viola! a tote bag was born.  Carmen was beyond excited and made me promise to make a hundred more with all different fabrics for all her stuffed animals. 

 Cute tote bag for stuffed animals. Accomplishment #3. Check.

***

While I'm gloating I am going to throw in here a pic of a cute baby blanket I made for a yet to be born baby girl.  I can't NOT make a quilt for a baby girl and when I found out my friend Carrie was expecting a girl four years after her two boys I went to the fabric store within 24 hours.  I had a hard time getting a decent picture of it before I gave it to her at her baby shower last weekend, but here it is at varying stages.  I almost like the back better than the front because of the cute owls. 

This was a totally random aside, so no accomplishment kudos here.  Let's get back to Super Mama, shall we?

***

Cooper came bounding through the front door after school, like he always does.  Don't they expend any energy at school?  I swear that kid never stops.  So I show him the new shoes. "You're the best Mom ever", he exclaims with his toothy grin. I soak it up; bask in his all too infrequent admiration.  Then, I tell him about the desk.  Jumping up and down, he runs out to the car to see the new desk.  Its in a multitude of pieces.  Not wanting this moment of total hoodwinking him into thinking I am the best Mom ever to end, I tell him to grab me a screw driver and meet me in his room.  The screwdriver is not enough.  I dig through Jeff's work bench and find what I am looking for--a power drill.  I was slightly unsettled to find that it was turning the wrong way.  My handful of little silver screws kept clinking as they fell back onto the brackets.  Not to be deterred I found the reverse switch. I know, say it isn't so. I actually found the switch that said "L" or "R" and figured it out all on my own.  While Charlie covered his ears and yelled "It's too loud Mommy" I drilled the hell out of that desk and shelf. Cooper captured the moment on a fuzzy phone camera pic.

Now don't go looking too closely and tell me that looks like the easiest desk to put together ever.  I am Super Mama damnit, let me gloat.  Desk put together with power tools.  Accomplishment #4.  Check.

Like any good mother in a superstore, I bribed my children with the promise of a stuffed Ikea rat if they behaved.  They delivered on the good behavior so they got new rats to play with.  We got one for Cooper too.  The rest of the afternoon all three kids played in the basement together with nary an argument to be had.  My favorite was when the giant stuffed snakes would chase the rats and eat them.  (Thank you Planet Earth for teaching the life cycle.)  Every now and then Cooper would come up and look at me with total disbelief and say again, "Mom, your the best Mom ever."  He'd give me a hug and run back downstairs.  I would do my very best not to look too eager for praise and appreciation. 

But like I said, Super Mama days come about once a year.  The rest of the time I am hanging on by a thread, forgetting about gymnastics, burning the potatoes, arriving late or shrieking at my kids to put your shoes on, NOW.  So I'll take a Super Mama day.  I'll even gloat a little. 

If the days would stop being ridiculously beautiful, then I might stop posting blog photos everyday.  But the spectacular fall weather keeps on coming.  There will be plenty of time to hibernate this winter.  So here goes another out and about in Portland photo essay.

Carmen and Charlie have Tuesdays and Fridays off from school.  Most little kid days I try to do something remotely entertaining for them so they don't have to watch me do laundry or go the grocery store.  Today we joined forces with one of Carmen's besties, Laney.  Since it was so nice we decided to do something outside.  Portland Japanese Garden here we come. It was stunning.  One of those days and places where you wish you were a professional photographer or even a slightly talented amateur. The Garden keepers have a map for kids, to guide them to the hidden treasures nestled in corners and down windy paths.

The bridge is the most famous part of the gardens, the one you see in every photograph about Portland. I barely captured our little sprites before they dashed on to find the Koi fish. 

In the next one, Carmen is either telling me she found the Koi fish or to stop taking so many photos.  Hard to contain the camera on a day like today. (Nice outfit by the way, Carmen)

Charlie was mesmerized by the Koi.

We found almost everything on the map.  We ran up moss covered stairs, contemplated the rock gardens, shouted with delight and generally had a great time.  I convinced the trio to pose for a shot in front of a Japanese Maple that was blazing just behind a bench.  And then we just goofed around. 

Ahh, November days.  Keep em' coming. 

Friday night, kids in jammies, we loaded up the ol' faithful minivan for what may have been her last voyage to Parkdale.  We are upgrading to a 4wd Sienna in a few days--Yippee!  (As an aside, I'd like it to be noted that I am genuinely thrilled to be getting a swank new minivan but also slightly appalled at what this says about me) Saturday was a bit of a chilly day so most of the day was spent indoors.  My friend Erin and her two girls arrived at noon with grocery bags full of food.  Our goal for the day was to make empanadas.  You know, those little dough enclosed meat pies you buy from street vendors in just about any Latin American country.  The ingredient list alone was two pages long.  This should have been a clue to what our day was going to turn out to be.  Or should I say day, evening, night. . .

We started with the dough since it had to sit in the fridge for at least two hours.  Kneading the dough was like a full on upper body workout.  Did I mention we tripled the recipe so we'd have leftovers?  Holy shoulder muscles.  Next we cut a million ingredients into miniscule sized pieces.  Some we cooked.  Some we chilled.  Ultimately we mixed them all together.  During this whole time Erin & I cursed our other friend (you know who you are) who had given us the recipe claiming "it's sooooo easy."  Like hell this is easy.  It was already 6pm and we'd neglected the children all afternoon.  But we got smart and decided to recruit the little slave laborers. 

Our wine fueled mess became beautiful pinched corner successes.  Aren't they spectacular?  You better say yes because it took us ten hours to make em'

Enjoying the fruits of our labor after the kids had gone to bed.  I know Erin is a little blurry, but the empanada is in perfect focus.  Bliss.

This morning I decided to be ambitious and take all five kids on a nature walk--give Erin an hour to relax at home.  The sun was shining and the day was perfect.  We set off on a scavenger hunt through the woods looking for such things as "ducks, berries, spiders, waterfalls, rainbows" and trying to avoid such things as "poison ivy, spider webs, horse poop, prickly nettles."  We crossed the rickety little bridge, tried our luck on the rope swing and did some serious exploring.  I eavesdropped on conversations between the kids.  Here is my favorite:

Carmen:  What exactly is God?

Cooper:  Some people don't believe in God and some people do.  God is like a good spirit. 

Carmen:  Yeah, he's a good spirit.  He killed all the dinosaurs so he could make people on earth. 

Cooper:  No Carmen, the dinosaurs were killed by a giant meteor that shook the earth, like a tornado. 

Carmen: Oh.

The kicker of this whole weekend extravaganza is that when we pulled into the driveway tonight, back here in Portland, my heart went straight into my stomach.  Boomer!  I left Boomer in Parkdale.  Packed up the whole damn car, got all the kids (small miracle) but forgot our dear, sweet beloved doggie.  Thankfully, the best husband in the world was waiting for us at the door and after popping the kiddos in bed he got in the car and drove back out to Parkdale.  I guess it wasn't the last trip for the minivan after all.  One of these I will have my act together.  Right?  Please tell me that one of these days I will get it all right.  Until then.

The fall soccer season was a success for one reason alone. The weather.  Last year we froze on the sidelines knee deep in mud while holding umbrellas and feeding a steady stream of soggy goldfish crackers to the little kids on the sideline.  This year, we lucked out with only one slightly rainy soccer game.  Cooper was on a team with crazed 1st grade boys but had coaches and parents who were awesome.  Jeff kindly volunteered to be "team parent" and then worked most Saturdays, leaving yours truly to plan the end of the year party.  Thank God for a brew pub that opens at 11am.  Here's a glimpse at the soccer star and the happy to be there spectators.

We also found a bit of time to sneak off to Parkdale to take in the fall colors.  The good thing about the mountain house being so close is that we can go back and forth even just for a night.  If Jeff is working for the weekend I sometimes grab the kids and go and vice versa.  A few weeks ago I also had the luxury of spending a whole weekend there with just girl friends.  Now that was fun.  Also historic this past week was a Jeff & Elizabeth only night out.  We went out to Hood River for a Halloween party and stayed the night, hiking through the changing colors the next morning.  Not bad.  Our uh-mazing neighbors kept all three of our children for the night.  They said it was no big deal and that the kids were "so good" but at least one of them peed in a public place, another one had a fever and the other one wouldn't go to sleep.  Have I mentioned how much we love these neighbors?  We get their kids for the night in a few weeks.  I'm sure it will go swimmingly. 

Here is Charlie with the first hot chocolate in the front of the fireplace of the season, and the whole gang apple picking earlier in the day.

And here are some of the ladies at one of the vinyards we hit (and whose name I cannot remember--the vinyard not the ladies)

And my happy husband frolicking in the leaves on the trail behind our house.

In the midst of all the activities we try not to forget children at various locations around the city, be it school or soccer practice or the car.  So far we are doing pretty well.  I totally spaced ballet one day, but Carmen didn't seem to notice.  Earlier this week Jeff rode Carmen all the way to her ballet class on the Big Dummy bike, only to find that she didn't have class at 3:45pm, instead she had a recital at 5:30pm.  This is so typical of our life. . . we never know which way is up.  So Jeff rode her all the way home (freezing on the back of the bike, I might add), we threw a peanut butter sandwich at her and changed her into tights that did not have holes.  Unbeknownst to me, however, they had dirty knee stains instead.  She graced the stage like a seasoned professional.  Ahh sweet Carmen with the dirty knees. 

Halloween, of course, dominates the October landscape.  The kids have been plotting and planning since the first day of school what costume they will wear, how much candy they will get, what they might be next year.  On and on.  Cooper and his friend Alexander knew early on this was going to be a Power Ranger Halloween.  Alexander's mom ordered the costumes online and the boys tracked it everyday.  "Today its in Kansas City," they would shout gleefully across the playground.  The costumes arrived and the fanfare was slightly diminished when the sword size was not to their liking.  "Real Power Rangers have bigger swords."  They got over it quickly.  Carmen and Charlie decided big cats was the way to go.  Tiger and Lion.  Can't go wrong with that--especially when you have a friend whose mother-in-law sews.  I love handmade-hand-me-down costumes.  It looks like I am uber mother and spent all month sewing late into the night, but really I just swung by Karen's house and picked up someone else's hard work.  I've got this mother thing down. For the last four years we've had the same four families over for a pre-trick-or-treating party.  The tradition continued this year.

I cannot let October pass by without singing the praises of the Brewcycle.  I never knew this thing existed, but now that I do life may never be the same.  Sadly Jeff was working the night of the Brewcycle outing.  Our friend Gary called on a Monday night asking if we could get away the next night to celebrate his lovely wife Christina's birthday.  I scrambled and found a babysitter (score!) and next thing I knew I was pedaling through The Pearl and North West Portland to a multitude of brew pubs.  We'd stop for 30 minutes at each place (Lucky Lab, Dechutes, Bridgeport, New Old Lompoc) for libations and food then hop back on the brew cycle and pedal to the next.  I can't wait to do this again.  I think Thanksgiving week when my siblings are in town.  Here is a photo of the whole gang.  Hilarious.  Don't you want to live in Portland too?

So, life is good with the Lahtis.  We run around like crazy people from 6:30am til 8:30am and then again from 2:15pm until 8:00pm.  But in between there are many moments of tranquility and order.  I'm sure November and December will prove to be just as crazy, if not crazier.  Birthday season is upon us (three-five-seven OH MY) and of course all the holidays.  Sometimes it seems like life is just one holiday after the next.  But I'm cool with that.