Rules are meant to be broken

Wyatt's birthday party was a good time. He's quite a social boy and anticipated his party for days talking about each and every guest he hoped would attend. He seemed to enjoy himself and I definitely enjoyed having so many of our friends in the same spot. We ignored the whole "invite the number of people for the year the kid is turning" rule and had about 30 guests.

We made chocolate orange cupcakes that were generally a hit other than the one eight year old guest who informed me that chocolate and orange do not go together.
Wyatt ate with his usual gusto and was disappointed when the cupcake was gone.

This little cutie is Huck. Wyatt especially likes his name because it rhymes with tow truck.

Check out Lauren in the lower right corner wearing her pretty pink party dress and a hard hat using the excavator. This is my definition of a good party.
Here's the food table about two hours in. We made Barefoot Contessa's Grilled Lemon Chicken Skewers with Satay Dip and Sunset's Caramelized Pear and Sage Crostini. I also served Trader Joe's Coconut Curry Chicken Sticks to eat with the Satay Dip. A cheese tray with Gouda, Brie and Stilton with Dates and Oranges rounded out the menu.
I have a little book that we are hoping to have people write in each year when Wyatt has a birthday. We had our family write in it last year at his party. I mostly started it because keeping track of things is not my strong suit (nor is sentimentality, for that matter) but it's also going to be a great way to see how Wyatt's community evolves over the years.

Happy Birthday Wyatt

Today is the big day. I think Wyatt was mostly excited that it's Friday and today is the day that three gargage trucks pick up the garbage cans on our street. We sat down for pancakes, at his request, after Sesame Street.

After taking one bite out of a pancake, he decided that the pancake was a whale swimming in the ocean. The next bite revealed a wallaby hopping around. A rocking horse came next. And, finally, a tractor was born. The next pancake went from a bear to a goat to a guy. I love seeing his imagination develop and getting a sneak peak of what is going on in his mind.

We just visited our neighbor, Gail, who has two cats named Polly and Colby. Wyatt likes to visit Gail daily but mostly to play with (i.e. chase and harass) the cats. She is kind and lets us come around back to meet her at the sliding glass door off the backyard. Polly and Colby were the #1 and #2 requested attendees to Wyatt's second birthday party. We also visited our other neighbors, Mike and Linda, who have a lovely Koi pond and waterfall in their backyard.

I think we'll aim for an early lunch followed by a trip to the zoo. The last time we went it was rainy and most of the animals were inside hiding from the rain. After the zoo, we're headed to Turlock for a quick weekend visit. I'm really looking forward to it and I'm sure my mom has some special plans for my two year old boy.

A Corner Has Been Turned

After I got home from work today Wyatt and I went downtown to walk around. We ended up at Big Sky for a Grilled Thai Shrimp and Cucumber Salad and strawberry pancakes. Wyatt also filled up on the jalapeno cornbread mini muffins. The boy has not met a carb he doesn't love.

So, what corner has been turned? In addition to deeply loving Wyatt, I now like him too. Today as we were sitting together, enjoying lunch and coloring the place mat, I realized how much I love my boy. He is a delight. He's probably been a delight for awhile but I'm finally able to notice.

My heart is full and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Thank you, God.

My boy last night

He's officially a big boy. As he's reminding me daily, he's almost two. Last night we took a short walk around the court. He's in such an explorer phase right now. Everything is fascinating to him. He stopped for a millisecond for me to take a picture and you can see how pleased he was to cease motion. I am so grateful that he's growing up and am especially enjoying getting to know more of him every day.

A Theme?

There is a lot of three-way cuddling going on in our house but I can't seem to get in on the action.

Happy 8.5 Garett

We spent the weekend celebrating Garett's 34th/8.5th birthday. We visited the zoo, checked out an amazing house on 20 acres, walked on the Port San Luis pier, ate brunch on the patio at Novo and slept in our front yard in a tent. I should rephrase that. Garett and I spent the night in the tent. Wyatt only lasted about an hour and ended up inside in his crib. And Garett and I only made it until 4:30 when we both agreed it was a little too cold to last a few more hours.
One of my best memories of my childhood is sleeping in the backyard. I don't remember pitching a tent very often but mostly dragging out my sleeping bag and sleeping under the stars on the grass. Sometimes I would have a neighbor friend spend the night with me and other times my dad would join me. A frequent occurrence was waking up to the sprinklers soaking my exposed head. My dad always promised that they were off but I think he liked hearing our squeals in the morning and we always had a good laugh. The thought of waking up to sprinklers now sends shivers down my spine and exhaustion through my body. But, as a young girl, I loved all of it. And not getting a good night's sleep was the least of my concerns.

New Look

I found a new look for the blog. The green was slowly killing my enthusiasm for life in spite of the fact that it's my favorite color.

Seriously?

It's tax season and I spent a little time with our accountant last Friday. After the meeting, I decided to add up all of our medical expenses for the year. My jaw dropped as it totaled over $11,000. That includes monthly premiums but, really? We could have bought a car. Or shared more. Or taken a few trips to visit Garett's family in Italy. Or saved for Wyatt's college education.
It's so disappointing to face up to the reality of our health issues. Most days I like to pretend that we're fine, it's fine and it's not a big deal. But, when my calculator tell me that we spent over $11,000 on insurance, doctors and medicine, I'm reminded of the significance that health challenges play in our daily existence.
Not a day goes by that I don't think of the impact of Behcet's on my body. It's usually in the first few moments of the day when I hear Wyatt saying, "Come, Mommy," from his bed and I'm wondering how long I can lay still before I need to get him. I also am reminded when my knees and elbows ache for no apparent reason and I have canker sores down my throat. Sometimes I just can't make it through the day and I call a friend to come over to be with Wyatt while I sleep, hoping to muster up enough energy to make it until Garett gets home.
I'm in the process of learning how to deal with life in new ways. It may be a life long journey. And, although I've walked this path for nearly 17 years, I'm struggling to get the hang of it. I love that God provides us with a community to walk alongside us and I am positive that I could not do it alone. I am also exceedingly grateful for the medical care that we do receive. There's a lot said about healthcare right now but I, for one, am appreciative of the excellent network of healthcare professionals who positively impact our quality of life. I only wish it cost a bit less. And that the pharmacist didn't know Wyatt and me by name.

Elephant Seals

My folks took Wyatt to see the elephant seals when he spent a week with them in December and hardly a day goes by that he doesn't bring them up. We checked them out a few weeks ago.
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The Zoo and a Backbone

Wyatt and I visited the Charles Paddock Zoo this morning and enjoyed a sunny day observing interesting animals. I've been getting to know Wyatt in some new ways lately. I don't know if it's him becoming more of himself or if it's me paying more attention, but either way, it's made it a lot of fun to be with him.
This was our first trip to the zoo without a stroller. We held hands walking through the front gate and made our way to the large cage housing a tiger. He held my hand tightly and walked forward gingerly. He paused, observed for quite awhile, and then wanted to walk to another area. As we got closer to the loud birds, he squeezed my hand, and walked very close to my thigh, trying to hide his head behind my leg. When we finally got up close to the birds, he watched, mouth agape, and stood still.
Wyatt is a cautious boy who soaks in the world around him before diving in to participate in it. My natural tendency is to jump in head first and, on a good day, ask questions later. This has it's perks but also some downsides that show up in the form of lack of follow through and impatience. I have a lot to learn from him and the time he takes to observe and learn.
In other news, Wyatt is recovering from a bad case of RSV and a double ear infection. He ran a 102-103 fever for seven days and had little to no appetite the entire time. Yesterday he leaned over on the couch to reach for a book and I saw the outline of his little backbone peeking out from below his shirt. I don't think we've seen his backbone since he was about four months old and on the skinny side. If only I could contract an appetite-inhibiting illness...

Daydreaming

Stapps 2010

Garett and I made a list of things that are important to both of us as we enter a new decade.

- Less TV

- More bike riding and exercise

- Serve people more

- Read through the Bible together

- More socializing for Wyatt

- Get more involved at FPC

- Design and implement yard

- In relationships - Know and be known; Love well

- Go camping

May 2010 be a year full of hope, gratitude, and possibility.

Sixteen Favorite Things from Baja

1. Outdoor shower next to spectacular cactus. 2. Enjoying the perfectly empty beach.3. Reading many books and magazines (from Sue Monk Kidd's When the Heart Waits to US Weekly).4. A modern home nestled into the desert landscape.5. The local taco stand open only Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday nights with amazing shrimp and fish tacos. Perfect with a Pacifico.
6. Garett's green salsa with delicious tomatillos and new kinds of peppers.
7. Ceviche made with fish caught by Garett from his kayak the day before.8. Sitting perched over the Sea of Cortez on the patio at Hotel Punta Pescadero (two miles south of the house we rented).9. Very kind people, even a couple who gave us their number and email address and offered to watch Wyatt (when we bring him next time) for an evening.
10. Swimming in the ocean, feeling the swell of the waves and the lingering salt on my lips.
11. Long talks with my love. Dreaming together and being reminded of why we married each other. Jotting down some family values for 2010 - kind of like goals only a bit more flexible.12. Seeing the most crazy spider ever (wish I had a picture).
13. Intensely missing Wyatt for the first time - a good feeling.
14. Watching Season Two of the TV show 24. Jack Bauer is my new TV hero.
15. Unusually good eggs and avocados. Probably the best ever.
16. Knowing Wyatt was loved and cared for by his grandparents in our absence.

Christmas: Take One

We spent last weekend in Turlock celebrating Christmas with the Jeter and Moline side of the family. Wyatt's grandparents gave him a cool and very appreciated battery operated motorcycle and a motorcycle shirt to go with it.My mom got matching Hanna Anderson pajamas for all of the cousins (2.5 and under) and this is the only picture that doesn't have at least one child completely blurry.Wyatt approaches the opening of presents with focus.This is my grandpa that Wyatt calls Bumpa.Josh was home for the holiday and Wyatt is showing off the booty he found in the playhouse.Finally, we got a Christmas card yesterday from the Lambs. Wyatt adores Abbey Lamb. He got his hands on the picture and I found him laying on the couch adoringly staring at her photo saying, "Hi, Abbey" over and over and over. Pretty cute.

Christmas Tree Virgins No More

Please don't give me the sad eyes when you discover that Garett and I got our very first Christmas tree this year. It's okay, we're okay, we just haven't really wanted to get one before now. Wyatt asked me about Christmas trees a few weeks ago and we decided that it was time to find a tree. It's a simple little tree with only a few ornaments but it's ours and we're enjoying it. Wyatt appears to be skeptical of the whole thing and has a tree sprouting from his head.
He did love getting to put an angel on the top of the tree, and, even more exciting, shaking the tree and pushing the coffee table into the tree to try to knock the angel down.
Another first was watching the San Luis Obispo Christmas Parade. I've never been a huge parade fan but seeing it through Wyatt's eyes was a new experience. The goats, belly dancers and fire trucks were the highlights and I now have a bit of understanding of the lure of a parade.
We also had a holiday dinner with a few friends and Garett and I enjoyed doing some Italian cooking. I was thinking of our family in Italy while I prepared the food and was wishing we could be gracious hosts in the same way that they were to us. Jenni & Rebekah - I know how you guys like your meat sweet so I'm including this menu especially for you. It's all from Giada's Everyday Italian.

- Spinach Pesto with Parpadelle Pasta
- Peas with Prosciutto
- Roasted Pork Loin with Fig Sauce
- Basic Green Salad
- Panna Cotta with blackberries and blueberries

If you want any recipes, let me know and I'm happy to share. I think the fig sauce was the best treat because it just tasted like Christmas.