Pumpkins and Kids

I spent my Friday night with the Martinelli kids - Isabella, Lucca, Anteo, and Sofia. Mom and Dad are enjoying a much deserved mini-vacation in paradise. Now, I'm the oldest of 5. I teach Sunday School. I grew up baby-sitting and dust off these skills periodically for friends with kids. My resume sounds fairly impressive. All signs indicate that an overnight with the kids should be no problem for this skilled individual, right? I successfully navigated the evening, but man, I'm exhausted. Kudos to all of you with kids. How do you do it every day?

It was a fun time. Friday afternoon Teo taught me how to play Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. He was patient, but I could tell my absolute failure to stay alive very long disappointed him. We tried again this morning. Bella and I played another round. Lucca was impressed by my "skills." Had to give all the credit to my mentor, Anteo Martinelli :o)

Friday evening we went to Miss Daina's house for a Pumpkin Carving Party. I think the last time I carved a pumpkin was when we lived in Oceanside. MANY MANY moons ago. I helped Anteo. Confession. I wasn't a good helper. But, I blame the pumpkin. Everyone else's tops carved out easily. It took me 20 minutes and in the process I broke a child-proof knife. Once I got the da*n thing cut open, I recognized the problem. His pumpkin had a 6-8 inch THICK "crust" whereas all the other pumpkins were more like 1-2 inches. I practically sawed the thing open. Phew! Bella and Lucca used creativity and better pumpkins to achieve great pumpkin carving success! Once I figure out how to download from my new camera to the MacBook, I will update this post with pictures.

Adventure for the weekend. The mini-van wouldn't start. Dead battery. Fortunately, there were helpful handymen around who happily hauled out their jumper cables and charger to get the van up and running. Took a while, but eventually the battery recognized it was juiced up and came back to life. We opted for the long route home in order to fully recharge. Grammy was picking up the kids on Saturday and would be using the mini-van. I figured it wouldn't be good to pass off the kids and a dead van.

Bedtime. Is this always so complicated? Showers and baths. Teo and Sofia tried the water wash version of bath-time. I won the debate in regards to whether or not they needed to climb back into the bath and actually use soap. I think teeth were brushed in 10 seconds flat. I chose not to do the math in terms of how many teeth probably got missed. The bedtime story was 2 pages out of Lucca's insect book - The Hawk Wasp. Uhm. Let's just say what the baby hawk wasp/ larvae does to a spider (specifically Tarantula) is horrific and not a pleasant way to die. Glad I'm not a Tarantula. I'd never sleep.

Where was I? Right, Bedtime. Baths done. Teeth (or at least most of them) brushed. Sofia in bed with bear, baby, and her water. Anteo in bed. Lucca in bed. Bella reads to me out of her chapter book and then to bed. Deep breath. Wait. Wait. Wait. VICTORY! They stay in bed. Sleep takes possession of their bodies. Rest wins out over their active minds. And then bed for me.

Amazingly enough, I actually sleep. I get up with time to spare (kids still sleeping) and achieve my one morning objective - a shower! By the time I get out, Bella, Lucca and Anteo are awake. Playing Wii. They all think it is funny that I take a shower in the morning. :o) We play some Wii (see above mention about my "mad skills" and my mentor Anteo). Breakfast - Cereal, Fruit and Breakfast bar for the boys. Pancakes for Sofia, Bella and Miss Emily. I need to celebrate a moment here. For those of you who know Sofia, all know she is a PICKY eater. Case in point - No amount of arguing about the tastiness of a hot dog or quesadilla at the party last night would convince her to eat anything other than chips. (David and Diane - I tried really hard. She did drink water, so I made sure she was hydrated adequately.) Anyway, this morning, I am pleased to report Sofia ate - 2 pancakes, banana, AND a yogurt. Woohoo!

Grammy arrived about 11am. We successfully transitioned responsibility of the Martinelli kids from her to me. Once relieved of duty, I headed out for a cup of coffee and time with my book. Gorgeous morning - Warm sun, blue skies, and everything sparkly clean from the rain.

All in all, the weekend of pumpkins and kids surprised me by being delightful. Oh, and in case you wondered, the van did start up again this morning. Battery still charged.

P.S. Is it something to do with watching multiple kids that makes you forget their names? I kept calling Anteo "Lucca." Good grief. Is that a sign of parenting brain?

Softball Memories

Softball. Softball. Softball. I truly love this game. Tonight we won. Sadly, I did not hit well. I'm blaming my cough. But, I'm afraid I'm in a hitting slump. (shhh . . . don't tell!)

My first softball season was 4th Grade. An ambitious year - I played softball and was in the Girl Scouts. Oddly enough, I didn't continue either after that year. I have no idea why. Anyway, I played right field. I still remember the thrill of my first pop fly catch and my coaches surprise reaction. I wasn't the best player on the team :o) It was a 9 year hiatus before I returned to the field again.

Church league in Fallbrook. I think I played for 2 years, maybe 3. My memory isn't recalling those specific details at this particular moment. It was fun. The league only required one girl per team. So, initially, I think the guys expected me to be the "token" girl. I surprised them and could actually play :o) I played catcher. I loved (and still love) watching the ebb and flow of the game from this position. All the pieces coming together - defense, offense, TEAMWORK!

Memory: Playing catcher. Runner on 2nd. 1 out. Ball is hit. Guy running for home. The ball comes flying in. I catch it and stand ready to tag the runner. (Typically it is a slide and avoid game). Imagine my surprise when the runner just keeps running and literally bowls me over. As I'm flying through the air I think, "DON'T drop the ball." Then my head hits the ground and I black out. When I come to, the guys are grouped around me. Their faces worried. I'm conscious enough to know I've dropped the ball. And then the pain - head, back, body. Aches! Hurts! I tried super hard not to cry. But, I failed . . . the sobs came pouring out. I got up and made the effort to walk it (sobs, pain, etc.) off. Meanwhile, some of the other guys are holding Damien back from taking out the guy who hit me. "You don't hit girls," he said. I knew, then, I was a member of this team. :o) (As a side note: Ironically, the guy who took me out was the pastor of the church we were playing. Guess he was super competitive and didn't heed the verse - blessed are the meek.)

Another hiatus from Softball. Until The Fields, my church in Carlsbad. I think now I've been playing on and off for the last 6 years or so. The players change each season and we've played in a variety of leagues - Carlsbad, Vista, and San Marcos. My love for the game continues. I'm still the catcher. Observing the game, and occasionally making spectacular plays at home.

Sunday Morning Oatmeal

I am not a breakfast eater. (Yes, I already hear the voices reminding me, "Breakfast is THE most important meal of the day.) It's not that I don't like breakfast. I just typically prefer the extra 20 minutes of sleep. The truth is breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. When I do make breakfast it is simple - toast, cheese and fruit, smoothie, etc. So, to eat out where someone makes a full meal for me is a treat!

Today, I'm home resting. Trying to fight off this cold before the work week starts. Since I wasn't rushing off to church, I took the time to make oatmeal. Growing up, Oatmeal was one of those comfort meals. We always made quite a production out of Oatmeal for Breakfast. Mama would put out bowls of toppings - raisins, coconut, brown sugar, sesame seeds (or other nuts). And we got to build our own bowl of oatmeal. Entertainment and good food! :o)

Annoying Cold

Where did this cold come from? Felt fine and then wham last night - drippy nose, headache, and sore throat. I went to bed early, hoping that would encourage the cold bug to go away. It didn't work. I think I ended up with fever dreams - and proceeded to wake up every 2.5 hours like clockwork. (Whine.)

My disappointment stems from the fact (or at least my opinion) that I had good plans for the weekend. Breakfast with my sister, brother and nephew. Then a walk, talk, and dinner with a friend. Out of kindness to them, I stayed away. Didn't figure I should share the cold (I'm nice that way.) So, instead I drank mint tea, took a nap, read a book, and am now staring mindlessly at the TV while an NCIS Marathon flashes across the screen.

Here's hoping the cold is short lived and I'm back to normal soon. (Which of courses raises the philosophical question - What is normal anyway?)

Birds and Rain

It rained today. I know, SHOCKING! It is actually still raining as I sit inside typing my random thoughts for the evening. I was in Torrance to visit a supplier and this necessitated driving home in POURING rain. I ran the windshield wipers for the whole commute back home - 2 hours. I can't even remember the last time we saw rain in this amount.

But my whole point in even writing, is to talk about the birds. I saw birds flying in the rain - Seagulls, Ravens/ Blackbirds, and Pigeons. What's up with that? Perhaps on their own equivalent of a commute home? Or just out letting the rain pour over and refresh them?

I was inspired by the birds. Out facing the elements. Not allowing the rain to interfere with getting from point A to B. Some of them even appeared to be simply soaring with the currents. So, why do we hunker down and try to dodge BETWEEN the rain drops? Take a moment, and walk in the rain. Let it refresh you.

Enjoy.

Mondays

Last night I spent the evening with my friend Diane and her 5 kids. I am blessed every time I spend time with them! I enjoyed dinner (DELICIOUS pesto pasta and chicken), bath time (managed to keep most of the soap out of Sofia's eyes), played Wii (I suck just as much bowling electronically as I do "live"), held baby Talia (who cried the whole time - guess she has the stranger danger thing figured out), and ended the evening with a heart to heart talk with Diane.

Some part of me wishes all Mondays could be like this one. But then, days like this one would be common place, and I'd miss out on the simple joys of living life.

Simply Emily

I start and stop blogs every year. They always seem like an excellent idea. A place to muse, celebrate, report, and converse. Sometimes I have followers, but usually I don't. Themes have been broad to specific. Boring and exciting.

So why now? Why "Simply Emily?" Perhaps because I'm riding a personal roller coaster. Ups and downs. And to make matters worse, I know I'm on the ride, but have no clear idea of where it is heading. This makes it extremely difficult to prepare myself for the dips and curves. As a result, I feel jerked around and totally out of control. Words provide me with an outlet to unload and process.

So, join with me (or don't) as I navigate my way through life's roller coaster. Ups and downs. Curves and straight lines. I will ride - believing deep down that the Master Navigator is firmly in control - He won't let me fly off the tracks :o)