Magical

When I woke up on Monday morning and thought back to my weekend (you know, the one that included Mother's day on Sunday), I couldn't believe I actually lived it and it wasn't just a dream.  I felt like I was floating above and watching this person (ME!) have the most fantastical weekend ever.  It just didn't feel real.  I never thought a weekend like this could happen.  I am pretty sure from Friday afternoon all the way to Sunday night was a fluke and will never be replicated again.  The Toppall Family has hit their peak and it will all be downhill from here on out.

I said to Jeff, "Do you think the awesome weekend we had is what its like for normal families?"  I am always optimistic and looking to the bright side that we will have a good time and get along, but even this weekend far exceeded my expectations.  Like I said, I am sure it was a fluke. 

You are probably by now sitting on the edge of your seat anxiously waiting to read what made this weekend amazing.  I will happily share what filled our days and of course give a photo or two.  There is too much to put in just one blog, so I will divide it by each day.

Let's start with FRIDAY!

You know you live in a small town....when you go into Kohl's to quickly pick-up a Nationals t-shirt for Ian and run into 4 different people you know within the 5 minutes you are in the store.  Yep, that's what happened at 2:00pm on Friday afternoon.  How fun to run into old and new friends.  You can't help but be put in a good mood when every time you turn around there is another friendly face.

After getting the kids from school, I had an appointment for a haircut.  I decided to go super short.  Like crazy short!

Yep, it's short.  Good for Summer. 

After the haircut, it was time for dinner.  Can you say home run?  I made a big salad, fresh baked challah and chocolate fondue (with strawberries, bananas, apples, pound cake, and marshmallows to dip in).  You couldn't help but have a smile on your face as your eating this deliciousness.  The kids love it when I make fondue.

We then took the kids and their bikes and went to the black top at their elementary school.  We needed a good amount of space on a flat surface where cars don't drive for Sam to learn to ride her bike without training wheels.  It was beyond time to take the plunge and get Sam rolling on two wheels.  Sam did great!  It was so exciting!

Here is video of her riding:

Please note:  I got the number of days wrong on how long until her birthday.  In the video I said it was 8 days until she turns 7.  It was actually 23 days. 

And the day isn't over yet.  In my effort to come up with a monthly activity for us to do as a family inside our house, I picked painting with watercolors.  Everyone was up for it.  We all took our time painting a picture and enjoyed sitting at the table together.  So great.

Ian's rainbow picture

Jeff's picture of a house with a spaceship crashing through the roof.

 

 

 

 

 

Look closely and you can see little green guys running out of the spaceship.

My picture

Sam's flower picture

What a Friday and wonderful start weekend.

 Stay tuned for Saturday!

Circus - It's not for everyone.

I got excited when I purchased tickets for us to go to the circus.  Who doesn’t love the circus?  The animals, the acrobats, the guys on the motorcycles, and even the clowns; it’s filled with excitement, danger, and humor.  But maybe too much of all of this, is not a good thing for everyone.

I feel bad that I am quick to dismiss Ian’s inability to handle loud noises and bright, sometimes blinding lights.  I know that he doesn’t like the fireworks on the 4^th of July (or the nightly fireworks they do at Disney).  He also wasn’t a fan of the cannons going off when we visited Colonial Williamsburg and wanted to get far away.   It’s a feeling that I don’t understand and since he suffers silently, it takes a lot for me to realize what is going on.  

 Part of me feels that if he keeps an open mind, he will enjoy whatever it is we are doing.  And it’s just the opposite for him.  Ian is keeping an open mind hoping he will live through it and it will end as soon as possible.

Jeff was able to recognize what was happening when we went to the circus on Sunday.  Everything started off great and we were all happily munching on our popcorn.  Then with about 15 minutes left to the end of the show, Jeff said he was taking Ian outside.  Ian couldn't take anymore.  Ian was miserable.  My first thought (and 2^nd and 3^rd thoughts) was Ian is ok.  Don’t give in to it.  But Jeff stood his ground (and it’s a good thing too) and took Ian out of the Patriot Center.   Meanwhile, Sam who you would expect to have all the sensory issues, couldn’t get enough of the circus.  She was glued to the action and absolutely loved it.  The cutest thing was listening to her comments, “I didn’t see that coming.”

I quickly realized (ok, I don't know how quickly it really is when Ian is about to turn 10 next month) that I have been glossing over Ian’s aversion to loud noises and bright/blinding lights for many years.  It’s not fair to him because he doesn’t make the raucous Sam does to get noticed.  I feel horrible and hope that from this day forward I can be more mindful to what is happening with Ian when he is not feeling comfortable in a situation I've put us all in.  

I had a chat with Ian yesterday afternoon and apologized for all the times I told him he was going to be ok.  Clearly he wanted out and I need to be ok with that.  I asked Ian what I could do to help him.  He said I should give him the option to stay home and let us go without him.  Ugh. I hate the idea of us doing something without him.  I don't know what the perfect solution is.  I asked Ian if I got him earplugs/noise cancelling headphones would that be ok.  He said he'd want a blindfold too.  Um, no. That is not ok.  

Ugh.  I know there are many times that events have a special showing that is geared towards special needs -- the lights always stay nicely dimmed, the music is never that loud., etc.  Maybe I need to keep an eye out and try these kind of performances.   

I give Ian credit for always trying.  I give me a slap on my hand for not being more attuned to my son.  I hope to be a better mom for him and help him instead of telling him to get over it.

Clearly, this picture taken before the Circus began. 

Sweetly Balanced

When we were in Richmond during Spring Break, we visited the Science Museum.  One of the experiments we experienced was seeing if we could perfectly balance ourselves.  The idea was to step on this machine and gently rock your body from left to right to left again until the light stayed lit in the middle.  This meant you were perfectly balanced.  Once you had the position, the timer would start counting to see how long you could hold it.

All 7 of us gave it try.  It was really neat to see how quickly we could get our body perfectly centered. Most of our group got frustrated pretty early on trying to get the machine balanced.  Ian had the best luck at getting the timer to hit 30 seconds relatively quickly after getting on the machine.  I barely could do it.  I think I got the timer to 10 seconds before I leaned to much to one side again. And believe me, I stood as still as I could to keep anything from making the platform move even the tiniest bit.  Sam stepped on the machine last.  From the second she stood on it, she had it perfectly balanced and the counter started. And the counter kept going and going and going.  She reset the timer 3 times before we told her we had to keep moving to another area of the museum.  Not only did she master the balancing part perfectly, but she was able to move/swing her arms and turn her head while standing on the machine.  Nothing was getting the machine to leave its balanced position.  It was pretty phenomenal and such a surprising moment for us all to witness. 

This past Tuesday I am watching Sam at gymnastics and noticing something along the same lines of the balance machine.  This is Sam on the balance beam.

 

 Sam looks amazing being able to hold this position.  How cool is she!?!?  No matter how young I was, I would've NEVER been able to do this. 

It's all about the core.  Her ability to balance is amazing.  I love how Sam can do stuff like this.

I thought this picture was neat too.  Shows Sam is flexible too!

Spring Break - the show must go on.

What a motley crew were we.  In the 48 hours we were out of town for a little Spring Break getaway, my kids and I fell apart.

I had a head cold (seriously, my head felt like it weighed 1,000 pounds and was in a massive state of fog), complete with a raging sore throat.  Sam's trial week of no miralax was an epic failure.  Despite her being back on the magical powder for 5 days leading up to our departure (and believe me, she had started to go again with great results), Sam experienced a major back-up/blockage and was in a constant state of feeling like she had to pee and periods of pain in her side.  And lastly, Ian had his own set of issues. Something he ate didn't agree with him and at 12:30am at the hotel, he woke-up, ran to the bathroom and threw-up EVERYWHERE.  More than a few times. Ugh. 

It wasn't pretty.  Sam's screaming out in pain, Ian is throwing up, and all I want to do is stay in bed and take lots of Nyquil.  Oh and I forgot, Sam also threw up at our last stop on the trip, right before we went go-karting.  Yowzer!

When I would check in with Jeff and give him a report on how we were doing, he kept offering to drop everything and come get us.  We were traveling with my friend Susanne and her kids.  She too was quick to say we could cut the trip short and head home.  I just kept feeling that we would turn a corner and it would get better.  Each thing on its own was not enough to call the trip short, but when you write it all down and read it, it sounds a bit ridiculous we didn't throw in the towel.

Despite all the issues, we enjoyed our time in Colonial Williamsburg, Richmond and go-karting.  The kids and I will  return to Williamsburg (most likely in the Fall) and make sure Jeff is with us. He would adore the town.  We even heard the Declaration of Independence recited, along with the Calvary doing a reenactment.   The coolest thing was seeing the kids hang on the townspeople every word.  They couldn't get enough.  From the wigmaker, to the blacksmith, the wood maker, taking the tour in the Governor's palace, the kids were glued to every demonstration and hung on every word.  

Once we got back home, we started to return back to normal.  I took Sam to the doctor.  She will be fine as long as we don't withhold the miralax ever again!   Ian didn't get sick again, proving it had to be something he ate and not anything more serious.  And my cold started going away.  Unfortunately, Jeff caught it.  Although I kept telling him, "It wasn't me."  :)

So close to the big number.

BIG NEWS!  I've just hit 190,000 miles on my car.  At this point I am even impressing myself with the kind of numbers I'm seeing. My plan to see it turn 200,000 is looking more like a reality every day.

It took a full year to get this last 10,000 miles completed.   With my tires and brakes only a year old, there is no reason why I can't make it another year.  The biggest problem at the moment is that I am burning oil at a rapid rate.  I make sure to check my oil every 2 months or so. And it usually requires 3 quarts when I do get it checked.  There isn't an oil leak because that issue had been taken care of about 4 months ago.  Other than that, the car is humming along nicely.  I am still very fond of it.  Don't get me wrong, I've got my eye a new car. It would certainly be nice to drive something using all this new technology they've invented (back-up camera, bluetooth enabled, USB ports, multiple charging ports, 3rd row of seats, etc).  I don't lack a list of features that are being included in even the base models of cars these days.  But it is not time yet to say good-bye. 

Fortunately, 13 years ago, I made a wise decision in what I purchased and am not tired of my CR-V yet.   The car has certainly been good to me.

Lucky us! or is it Lucky us?

Leading up to Spring Break, it was a crazy week for the Toppall family.  Both Jeff and I got picked to be chaperones on back-to-back field trips.

We live in a very competitive school district and getting picked to chaperone a field trip is like winning the lottery.  Apparently every parent under the sun wants one of the very few spots available and the teacher has to do a drawing to see which lucky child gets their mom or dad to accompany them.  For Wednesday's field trip, Jeff got picked as the sole chaperone for Ian's entire 4th grade class.  And I got picked as one of five chaperones needed for Sam's 1st grade class on Thursday.

Here's a secret few people know and my kids may never know --I can't think of anything worse than going on a field trip.  And yet, every year, every field trip I will fill out the form and hope that I can make either Ian or Samantha's day by going.  My kids want me to get picked.  However, I can only hope that my spot goes to someone else. This is why I have 3 part-time jobs with flexibility so that I can do these things.  Believe me, I put on a good game face.  Not one of the teachers or the class knows that I was wishing I was somewhere far, far away. 

Jeff is a rockstar!  Plain and simple.  He wanted to go on Ian's field trip to Jamestown and Yorktown.  He knew going into it, it would be a very long day (6:15am to 6:15pm).  I believe he was more excited than the kids.  Everyone around him warned Jeff what he was signing up for -- apparently it's been called the "bus ride from hell".  Knowing Jeff and his level of discomfort with loud noises, no escape route and the ridiculous number of children to adult ratio, I was very concerned about his mental state.  I wasn't worried about Ian in the least.  It was only Jeff that had my anxiety up high.  He did great!  And he had a wonderful day.  Jeff would text me throughout the day and each time it was another joke about what was going on.  For example, "We arrived!  We've only lost 3 kids so far.  Good thing we've got plenty of spares."  It was texts like this every few hours or so that made me know he was doing well.  If Jeff can make a joke, he is feeling ok.

I got to go to The Udvar-Hazy Museum by Dulles Airport on the field trip I chaperoned. I was given 5 girls (including Samantha) to be in charge of.  It wasn't too bad.  I have to say the girls were great and very well behaved.  I think Sam's teacher likes me and intentionally put together a fun group for me to have.  The field trip went from 9:00am to 12:50pm.  We got a late start and didn't arrive to the museum about 45 minutes later than planned.  Before I knew it, we were back at the elementary school.  The time really flew by.  I can't believe I am saying this, but I could've used another hour or so to show the girls more of the planes. 

I actually thought everything was wonderful; no kid thew up on the bus this time.  It wasn't stiffing hot, we weren't stuck in traffic and the bus didn't lurch back and forth repeatedly.  It wasn't until I was back in my own car headed to Wegman's that I realized I had a killer headache.  Ah, yes!  There it is, the reason I don't like field trips.  All I wanted was to sit in a dark, empty/noiseless room and decompress.  I think I take my chaperoning responsibilities very intensely and can't relax or breathe normal the whole time I've got other people's kids under my watch.  It is stressful!   It's different when I am out with Sam and Ian's friends and I am responsible for them.  I know those kids and I know what to expect.  But when it is someone I don't know and I don't know the parent, I am going to watch these particular kids even more closely.  Believe me, if you trust me with your kid, they will be looked after really well.  But, we will still have fun!

I am hoping that we are done with field trips for the rest of the school year.  I love that my kids get to experience them, I just don't want to experience them too!

Tales from the crypt

I've  resigned myself that that I am in it for the long haul.  Quitting working for the Crazy Man is not going to happen any time soon.  So let's settle in and get comfy.  Here's a little story to bring a smile to your face.

While the Crazy Man was on his trip in February, he met a magician.  I think the magician was employed on the cruise, but generally works trade shows in Vegas.  The Crazy Man considers himself a bit of an amateur magician, so I can see how he would want to associate himself with a real, professional magician.

There have been many phone conversations with this magician.  The Crazy Man has taken him under his wing and is giving him tips and pointers on how to make his business more successful.  The magician is not young (maybe mid-40's?) and seems to be doing just fine.  His big hook is that if you hire him, he will drive traffic to your trade show booth.

I overheard The Crazy Man on the phone with him about 2 weeks ago.  His suggestions included, but not limited to:  The magician should change his costume multiple times.  Apparently what he wears is nice, but not very memorable.  The Crazy Man said that Green would be a good color for him.  Another suggestion was offered to the magician that he should try to get his wife in his act.  According to The Crazy Man, people like to see couples performing together.

Meanwhile, he had me mail the magician a letter for the sole purpose of the magician seeing the outside of the envelope.  It was a business size, #10 envelope with a "Burn after reading", "Top Secret!" and "This document does not exist" stamped all over the outside.

I guess I should be thankful that this is the only thing that resulted from The Crazy Man traveling to Florida and going on the cruise.  The highlight of March was being able to gather all his tax documents and get it mailed to the accountant the earliest I've ever done in the last 3 years. This is despite him accidentally throwing away the first set of tax forms that came in the mail in February.  Yay!  And when The Crazy Man wanted me to call around to compare Michelin tire prices getting installed on his car, I merely found my research from back in October and was good to go. 

Crazy Man 0, Robyn 1.