Little Boy Kisses

I love little boy kisses and know that they'll come to an end someday in the not too distant future. There are many things that I love about them. I love that they're sweet and usually given with out any provocation. I love that sometimes they're silly and placed on my hip, my butt or any random place on my legs when I am standing. They're still pretty short. I love that they come flying out of nowhere when we're laying in bed snuggling and that they are often accompanied by lots of giggles.

I really love that you can tell exactly what they've been doing by the taste or smell of their kisses. My boys often taste and smell like syrup hours after breakfast on a weekend. Other times it's powdered sugar or cereal. After playing their heads smell of sweet little boy sweat. And peanut-butter can last for hours on their faces. They don't care that their faces are covered in peanut-butter, pizza sauce or dirt. We might say they're dirty, they would just say, "I'm fine mom" and run off after a quick kiss. Many times a little boy kiss is followed by, "I love you mom." And I reply, "I love you too."

In the evening little boy kisses are given at bed time and they smell like fresh babies right out of their bath. They are tired and usually sweet especially if I lay down with them. And one of my favorite kiss stories... One night when I thought Coulter was asleep I went in and kissed him on the cheek. He reached up to his cheek and wiped my kiss off and then put his hand on his chest. I whispered, "Why did you wipe my kiss off?" and he whispered back, "I wipe them off and then I save them in my heart." And then he rolled over went to sleep. It almost dropped me to my knees and still gets me all choked up. Babies say the sweetest things in the most natural way.

So this week I have really enjoyed my little boy kisses. I am drinking in every sweet tasting syrup kiss and savoring the smell of their sweaty heads after playing in the sun. I love my little boys and hope that in years to come when I need to remember exactly what their kisses were like when they were little that this will help me and take me back to this sweet, sweet time.

A Bad Day at the OB/GYN

I am going to have to reassess my stance. I used to let anyone that was residency trained and board-certified in OB/GYN be my doctor, be it male or female. After todays experience I am SERIOUSLY re-considering my previous decision.

I had been seeing a woman who I really liked a lot. I have been having some, ahhh, let's say, heavy flow issues, to put it lightly. After discussing many options we decided on an IUD. This is supposedly simple thing to get. Great. I was given the instructions and came in when I was supposed to. When I arrived at the doctor at 9:15 I was surprised to learn that I was going to be seen by a guy that I have never met before. Being fairly pragmatic about all this I was fine with this. I went in, he explained what would happen and then it was time. I won't go into graphic detail but I will tell you that one only has so much space in there and he, shall we say, seemed to be trying to put it ALL THE WAY in there. I was in excruciating pain. They said that the cramping should pass in a few minutes and I would be ready to go.

After about a half hour of pain that was making me dizzy, nauseaus and totally incapacitated they said, "This isn't normal." When they checked on the IUD's location they couldn't find it. I could have told you that because it was in so far that it couldn't be located. They then said that I needed to go to have a tech give me an ultrasound. "They have better equipment." They can't make an appointment for me but they'll try and fit me in. Great. So I get to lay there in pain and wait. I lay on the exam table for 2 and a half hours....freezing. It didn't occur to me to ask for a blanket.

I call Bob, he drops everything and comes to rescue me. There is no way I could drive when I called him. He comes in. Of course there is nothing he can do but I am so grateful he came and can handle the kids for the rest of the day. I had already called the boy's school and got them some aftercare incase I couldn't get Bob. So he leaves after about 2 hours of watching me in pain and goes to get the boys. I walk over to the ultrasound area thinking maybe they'll take pitty on me.

I finally get in to have my ultrasound at about 2 pm. And have I mentioned???? I am still in pain. The tech says something like, "Wow. That is REALLY high up there." And she can't even get a picture of the whole thing. She goes to see the radiologist who also agrees.....it's really far in there. Great. They send me back to the OB area.

The doctor that I had seen wasn't there any longer so I would now be seeing a different OB/GYN that I also don't know. On the plus side, it was a woman. I waited about 45 minutes and was feeling less like I was going to die. When she came in we talked and she said that it was probably fine but there was a chance that it had perforated my uteris. I could heal fine OR it could go through my uterus and go into my abdomin. Hummmm, what to do, what to do. We agree the best thing to do is take it out. I then ask, "Is it going to hurt?" She says it might for about 2 seconds but it shouldn't be anything like I had been going through. She was right and it wasn't bad. Afterward we discuss my options. She says we can try again in a month or two. I tell her thanks but no thanks. I do NOT want to even take a chance that something like this will happen again. She understands and says that is why she never got one. She was afraid it would hurt. I assured her that it does! A lot! I now have a plan for a couple months from now and that plan does not include an IUD.

So ladies. I am here to tell you that if your OB/GYN does not have a uteris you may want to reconsider your options. I can't believe that a woman would have done that to me as I writhed around in pain. I think a woman would have stopped before it got so bad and that a woman would have known how far something would go in to a uteris. I have had men OB/GYNs in the past and not had a problem but now I am am seriously reconsidering.

Parkin' It

Over the past few days our evening routine for the kids has been dinner, park, bed. Usually it's been Bob taking the kids to the park so I can have a break. I've gone for a few bike rides and last night I worked in the yard. Rather then fight the trend I decided to just combine dinner and park and set up a picnic. I rode my bike this morning so that was already done today.

When we got home from school Sophia had a bunch of homework to do. She worked on that, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and getting our picnic ready. Bob was home early so that was a nice surprise. He helped Sophia finish her homework and we were out the door before 6. We set up a base camp and the kids ran around and would occasionally stop by for a bite or two. It was exactly what a summer week night is supposed to be. There were dogs, kids, games, tennis players, bike riders, Frisbee throwers, strollers, babies and soon to be swimmers all over the place. The sun was streaming through the trees and the air was permeated with shrieks of joy and laughter. It was heaven after a really long and rainy winter.

Yep, I think I am all better. I am over my speed-bumpitis. Thank GOD!!! I am glad that another summer is just around the corner and that we're back in the park. Get out there and enjoy the weather.

Life is Busy

Not that my life is busier than anyone else's it's just that I am the one living this one. I know that this time will pass and I will miss my babies. You know the ones. They make you crazy one minute and give you big kisses and say cute things the next. They take a lot of my time. And the time that I had been blogging in the past I have spent riding my bike. I feel a bit sad that I have been missing out on my blog but I have to say that I think I am feeling much better now.

Lately I have been riding my bike. I am really grateful to say that my wrists that were bugging me since last summer seem to be alright. The riding hasn't made them hurt. I don't have a wrist brace any longer and I am religious about wearing my riding gloves. I don't know how much they help but I am not in pain so I am sticking with it. I think that after almost 2 weeks of sun I am mostly over the SAD of winter. I am getting one of those full spectrum lights next winter. I felt like a speed bump all winter. I could have slept the whole time. Maybe I was a bear in a former life? So between the sun and the riding I am feeling a lot better! Hallelujah!

Last week I put in about 70-80 miles. Sophia did almost 50 of that with me! She rides on the tag-a-long so I know she's as safe as possible. And if you saw my last post, yes the new bigger seat is making a difference! My butt (and the rest of me) is much happier. My rides are definitely more difficult with the tag-a-long on the bike but I try to approach it as a better work out. Sophia thinks that she is pushing me up the hills. I can guarantee you that is not the case. It only takes a short single ride to notice the difference. Anyway, she is learning good habits and we have enjoyed our time together.

Our Memorial Day weekend was a good one. We spent Saturday on a ride and moving Bob into his new office at the Sunnyside Hospital. We all had lunch together, did a couple things around the house and then had friends over for dinner. Sophia had a sleep over on her deck. Bob set up a tent out there. It's great and I can totally see this becoming her new digs. It was all really fun.

Sunday we got up, packed up and went up to mom and Ed's for a quick camping experience. They really do have the best camping spot in the world. My brother Rex and his wife Tina were there as was my Uncle Rex. That really confused the boys. Ed met us at the top of the hill with his tractor and the boys all went straight to work taking the equipment down to the water and setting up. I went to the grocery store with mom for supplies. Sunday night everyone went down to the water and 3 neighbors came down too. We had hot dogs, cabbage salad, potato salad, and some really nice hors d'oeuvres. We all had fun. It was a beautiful sun set and just a wonderful time together. And even though we all had fun I think Iva had the best time of all. She ran wild the whole time. It was like she ate a bag of sugar and then saw a bunch of squirrels. That is good doggie fun!

We came home at a reasonable hour, unpacked and the kids watched a movie while eating pizza. I went to bed early so get a good jump on the week. In all it was a great weekend. Life is good!

Pictures

The site isn't letting me add pictures so check back later. I'll add them as soon as I can.

I figured it out! Hooray for me.

Catch Up

Last week Coulter and Kees had their family nights at school. So cute. The kids write their own plays, make their own costumes and sets and then invite their families to the show. The plays are hilarious and sometime you have to use your kid brain to understand what it's about.

Kees was not too keen on being in front of a crowd. He was excited all day. His part was the Pink Transformer Fish. Hugh? Yep that is it. He got on stage, looked into the crowd, shrunk to the floor. When he saw me he came straight over and took his costume off and sat in my lap. He's 3....I a think that is what Coulter did then too.

Coulter's was the following night. He was a Perocious Penguin (no one is sure what that is) and their play was called the Cloudalanch. The clouds (I think what most of us would call fog) came down to the jungle and could only be driven away by the sun with some assistance from a group of sled dogs....in the jungle. Hugh? Yep, that is it.

Friday Sophia and Bob went to the Father Daughter Dance at her school. She was so cute. She said, I think for the first time (and with panic in her voice), "I don't have anything to wear!" Hugh? Yep, that was it. We, of course, found her something to wear and she was fine, beautiful in fact. I even let her wear a little make up. They had a blast. Did the limbo (Bob held the stick), chicken dance, all the kid kind of dances. They even got a great picture!

Then on Saturday Sophia and I went on an epic bike ride. We went 30 miles on the bike with the tag along. I do not have any pictures of this because I was too dang tired to stand by the time we were done. It took 5 hours with a couple of stops. There were big hills and such but we had a great time but we were dog tired. I will say that I was only a bit sore so I guess there is something to that working out. OH and I got a new bike seat the next day. My BUTT HURT!!!! I think those little seats are part of an evil conspiracy! Have you seen my butt? It does not fit on that little seat. Even Sophia's butt hurt so it isn't just me. I went first thing on Monday and got a new seat. That is my old seat sitting on the new one. BIG diff. Better for my, ahh, physique.

Sunday was spent around the house and then shopping for our summer trips. It was really a nice day.

And yesterday I surprised Bob with a date night. We went to dinner and then to Star Trek. I really enjoyed it and I don't know the first thing about Star Trek. It was worth seeing.

So that is it for now. I think that gets me mostly caught up. No wait. There are a couple of penis stories but those will have to wait until tomorrow.

A Good Day

I am getting back on board with getting in shape. I know what to do, now I have to do it. Basically it's move more, eat less and eat better. I can do this. I eat very conscientiously and then (as promised to Sophia) I go jogging. Not being a jogger this was a big deal. It was the first time in about 10 years or more. Then later, just to get more in I rode my bike to pick up the boys. When we got home I needed to dry off because it rained like heck on me. I had told the boys we needed to go to Fred Meyer to get a couple things. They were excited and wanted to go to Playland. Great.

We get in the car and head out to Fred Meyer. About a year ago I decided that I would get a front spot in the parking lot every time I go. We drove in and sure enough, the first spot was available. That made me happy. As most of you know I often go to Fred Meyer, put the boys in Playland and spend a little R and R in the furniture department. We went in, the boys went to Playland and I went through my routine. I got a coffee, a FM flier and went to the furniture section.

I was a bit cold. Oh good, there is an accent blanket hanging over the sofa that matches my favorite chair. I, giggling to myself, pull it off the sofa and drape it over my legs. Yes, perfect. I am warm, I have my beverage and my coupons. It was so nice. If I were any more relaxed I might have fallen asleep right there. Can't you picture it, me reclined with a blanket tossed over me in Fred Meyer? Nice.

I pulled a few coupons out, shopped and picked up the boys. They had fun and it was a painless afternoon. Again, this is not an extraordinary event to most but I really had a grand time. I loved that I got the front spot in the parking lot and then a cozy blanket when I was cold. If you put what you want out into the universe sometimes you get it. My requests are not grand but it always makes me smile when these little request come so easily.

It has been a good day.

Mom Saves Christmas

I went to a show last night with two of my girl friends. The show was 6 people who were actors, writers, bloggers etc and they were telling stories about their moms. They were hilarious. I thought, "I could do that. I have some great stories" So here I sit today ready to share just one of many stories about a typical day at my house growing up. Looking at this picture you may not believe this story but I swear to you, IT IS TRUE!


It was a quiet day in our house just like any other day. That in and of itself is hilarious if you know anything about my growing up. I don't remember exactly when it was but I will venture a guess... let's just say is was 1978 in the Spring. I was about 13 so that seems about right. It's not that important anyway I am just trying to see if my brain is working.

My brother and I were in the house and we heard something going on in the garage. When I opened the door all I could see was my mom with her head inside a large moving box. One of those that is about 3 feet tall. All around her was a bunch of Christmas stuff thrown all over the floor. Being that it wasn't anywhere around Christmas I was curious as to what she was doing. What could be so important in that Christmas box that she needed to go tearing through it right now?

"Mom, WHAT are you DOING?"

Mom...with nervous laughter "Well I am trying to get our our Christmas decorations because...well...there's a rat in the box."

Me, "What?" I look. "Oh, gross."

Mom continues to stick her hand in there. That rat was going wild. She would stick her hand in there and then it sounded like they were fighting. It was running around and making all kinds of noise. Banging noises, squeaking noises, running noises...you get the picture. I can tell you this much, if I had found the rat in the box there would have been a lot of lost memories if you know what I mean. And eventually she pulls out every last item. I couldn't believe she got everything out but she did.

So now the question is, "What do you do with a wild rat in an empty box?" Mom thought that the best thing to do was to dump it in our old guinea pig cage. Being 13 I went along with this plan. When you are 13 your brain isn't fully developed. If it had been fully developed I don't think I would have gone along with this plan but I repeat, I was 13. And thinking back, mom's brain was supposedly fully developed so I don't know why this seemed like a good idea. Rex was about 9 so he was going to go along with any plan either of us came up with. Anyway.... After buying in to "The Plan" I figure out how to move the rat into the cage, "Alright, you open the top of the cage. Then I'll cut a hole in the top of the box about the same size as the opening." We set up the scene. "Now on the count of 3 I am going to flip the box over and the rat will fall into the cage. Then you quick close the door on the cage." We agree that this should work. We take the cage and the box out into the drive way in case the rat doesn't fall into the cage.

I think we should have asked the next question which would have been, "What do you do with a wild rat once it's in your guinea pig cage?" We didn't ask that question. "One, two, THREE!" I dump, the rat falls into the cage and mom closes the top. Success. The rat is going WILD. It's running all over the place totally freaked out! It is crashing into the sides of the cage at a million miles per hour. It runs around, and around and around until it decides to try an escape. The rat jams itself between two of the bars of the cage. The bars are about 3/4 of an inch apart. "Oh, CRAP! It's going to escape." Mom starts yelling, "Kill it, KIIILLL IIITT!!" Rex and I quickly run into the garage and get shovels and start beating the rat over the head. TONG, BONG, BONG, BANG, SMACK. We're working in tandem like those guys who used to put the stakes in the ground with a travelling circus. BANG, BONG, TONG, BANG....the rat is dead. Really dead.

So now our next question, "What do you do with a rat that is stuck half in, half out of your guinea pig cage?" Of course you cut it in half and remove it. That was mom's plan only she wouldn't execute that part of the plan. She went into the house and retrieved the biggest Henckel Knife we had. She handed it to me with a nervous laugh, "Here." So I sat there for the next little bit sawing a rat in half to save our precious guinea pig cage.

I don't know what guinea pig cages are worth but I think they are not worth as much as my dignity. But I didn't think of that at the time. I was executing the plan as set forth by my mom. Saw, saw, saw, saw, about 10 minutes of sawing. I think, "I wish she would have brought the serrated knife. I think that would have been the "right" knife for this job." As if there is a "right" knife for this. ....ahhh, finally. I pull the head and shoulders off of the rat and throw it in the garbage. I reach inside the cage and retrieve the back half. We hose down the drive way. We clean the cage off and put it away.

It's only now that I think, "I hope the neighbors didn't see this." But how could they not? Really. We were making such a racket. No one said anything but I am pretty sure someone saw something. Thinking about it today I am glad no one came over at the point where we were rinsing blood off of the driveway with the hose. That would be a tough one to explain away.

So that was a little snippet of my childhood. It's a funny story but the funnier thing is at the time it didn't seem extraordinary. It just seemed like something that happened in a normal day at my house. I may have to post a few stories about other "normal" days at my house growing up.

Happy Mother's Day mom. You gave me lot of great memories. I love you very much!

Buddies

Kees' buddy Eliza is over this morning for a play date. I was in the kitchen putting away groceries when Eliza came running down the stairs to report, "Kees needs your help. He pooped." Yes I have to wipe his butt still. He would sit there all day if I didn't, we've tried.

I followed her up the stairs where Kees was waiting with a big smile on his face. It makes me laugh how pooping is a social event when you are 3. Eliza is watching, I am wiping. When we finish I am walking away. Kees is pulling up his pants and says with a giggle in his voice, "Elithah, lath night my penis was poking out of my undeweaah." Eliza giggled and said, "ME TOO!"

Pink Snow

We have been enjoying all the pink snow around here. There have been piles and piles of pink pedals everywhere. I am not sure if they are hanging around longer then most years but I am really enjoying pink trees, pink flurries and pink blankets all over everything. With that being said, here are a few pictures from a couple days ago.

The Leek's Got Talent

Tonight was our church's talent show. Clara our favorite babysitter, fiddle teacher and buddy to the kids and Sophia played in the show. As a matter of fact they were the first act up. The girls had planned to wear matching clothes and hair to give them a finished look. Sophia has been practicing and getting ready for a week now. She said she was really nervous but I could tell she was really ready to go.

Sophia rode over with Clara and Rebecca to the church so they could practice a bit before hand. The boys, Bob and I arrived shortly after them for the potluck preceding the talent show. We all ate, even Sophia, which after thinking about it for a bit surprised me because I knew she was nervous.

So the show started with the introduction of the emcee. Then he introduced the girls. You should have seen them. Clara went up and said that she was Sophia's "Babysitter, fiddle teacher and her friend." I thought that was about the sweetest thing that she could have said. Sophia was so cute. She was standing there looking up to Clara. I was so proud. A year ago she wouldn't go to the front of the church to listen to the children's lesson. Now she is up there performing like a big girl. I just can't believe that I have a kid performing! I can't believe what a lovely girl she is becoming. I can't believe how confident and self assured she is. I can't believe how blessed I feel and how proud I am of her. And I am also so pleased that she has such a wonderful example of a young woman as she has in Clara.

They play. They played really well and Sophia has only been at it for 8 weeks. Oh, look at her go. She is amazing. They are amazing. Clara is so gracious. That is a real pal that will play with you up there. Then half way through the microphone falls down. It crashes to the floor. But it didn't seem to bother either of them very much. And it was fixed and off they went again. It was really cool.

After they were done Sophia came back to sit with us. She was very proud of herself. A couple minutes later she started asking me, "Mom. What's your talent?" I said that I wasn't going to do anything. After lots of pestering from my children I decided that I would sing Summertime. Honestly it's a no brainer for me. The emcee called Sophia up and she introduced me. She said, "This is my mom Heather Leek and she is going to sing a song called Summer. Please give her a big round of applause." Again she blew me away. She hadn't planned that. It was totally off the cuff but she was confident and did a really good job. I said that I had to sing a song because my kids had been sitting in the back asking me over and over if I had any talent. I sang my song. It was pretty funny because I don't think most people knew that I could sing. I've been known to sing a song or two.

So the evening went really well. We had fun and Sophia amazed me. It is an amazing thing to see her grow. I know that we have given her the tools but it is she who has to put the pieces together and grow and she is doing an incredible job. I am blown away. And to Clara....thank you so much for doing this with Sophia, for being her mentor, for being such a good example and for being a big sister and friend to my girl. I couldn't hope for anything better for my girl then you.

So the Leeks have talent and next year look out, the boys are getting in on the act too.

Weekend So Far

So far so good. Last night our friends the Stewarts came over for dinner. The kids played and later watched a movie. All the adults sat on the front deck. It's really nice to be able to sit outside again. I look forward to that all winter .

This morning I slept in and Bob brought me breakfast in bed. Who doesn't like that? Right after that Sophia and I rode our bike (and tag along) over to Laurelhurst to join Julie, Gracie and Bobby for coffee. On our way I noticed that the Hollywood Market was open for the first time this season. Yippee! That is a sure sign of Spring. At coffee Sophia sat on my lap a couple times between playing with her buddies. I looked at her and wondered what happened to my baby. She is getting so beautiful and grown up. I really enjoy spending time with her and am so glad that she'll still sit on my lap. When we had finished our coffee we rode back to the market where we walked through just to get the feeling of it. Sophia was my little motor on the hills. I was calling her "Power Legs." She thought that was funny.

When we got home Coulter was in tears. He wanted to go on a bike ride and have lunch with me. We talked, he calmed down and I agreed to take him out on a ride and to lunch. He was very excited and ran and got his dollar so he could buy me lunch. So dang cute.

We went to Foster and Dobbs for lunch and had a fine time. He made conversation with the woman behind the counter and she helped him decide what kind of sandwich to get. Grilled cheese was the decision. We decided to split the sandwich and we each got a beverage, orange San Pellegrino. Yum. Coulter's friend told him that he should wait to pay until after lunch to make sure he liked it. We sat down and had a really sweet conversation. It's fun to share time like this just one on one. The time when I have nothing but time and open ears is so great. He just talked about his school play and was either telling me about a dream or a story he was making up. I don't know. I wasn't paying too much attention to what he was saying I was just looking into his eyes and and taking him in, all of him. My sweet boy so beautiful and innocent. And on top of all that he was buying me lunch. He was very proud of himself.

When he had enough of his sandwich he decided that it was good and that it was worth paying for. He went up to the counter and talked to his friend. He gave her his dollar for which she thanked him. I then went and paid the balance, trying to keep that from him. I bought some special cheese so I think he thought I was paying for that alone.

Next we went and got some mango sorbet. He said I needed to pay for that since he used all his money on lunch. Alright then. He had his sorbet and again filled the air with his words and I just drank him in. It started to rain but we didn't care, "We can just change clothes at home mom." That's my good northwest boy.

Kees gets time each week when the other two are in school so we have our special time then. It is really special to have time with each of the kids on their own. It's hard to get individual time especially when I have a totally free mind and can give them my full attention. Today it all just worked out.

This weekend hasn't been extraordinary by most people's standards but I have really enjoyed being in the moment with and for my kids. Man I love those babies and I am grateful to feel them so deeply in my soul.