Concur!

This is one of those stories that I've been meaning to write about for awhile. Back before Christmas Jake was trying to plug in his laptop but unfortunately the outlet is between the wall and the couch. It's sort of a pain to get to.

Jake: Whose idea was it to put the couch here!

Me: Probably mine.

Jake: Well, you shouldn't have done it!

Me: It may have been my idea but Daddy concurred.

Jake: Well don't ever concur with Mommy again!

Me: Oh yeah? If Daddy didn't concur with Mommy we wouldn't have this house. We wouldn't have....

Link: ....You.

Me: That's right.

Jake: Well don't do it anymore!

Me: So Jake, if Mommy were to go to Daddy and say "I think we should take the kids back to Niagara Falls." what should Daddy say?

Jake: Concur! Concur!!!

Career Day

Jake: Guess what I want to be when I grow up?

Me: What?

Jake: I want to work in a bank.

Hannah: Are you going to be a bank teller?

(pause)

Link: Or a bank robber?

Presidential power

Tonight we were having a fairly casual dinner. Jake was making his hot dogs, Hannah was eating what she had made, and Link and I were eating fondue. Because everyone kept coming and going I was reading my book while we were at the table.

Hannah: I thought you said we're not allowed to read at the table.

Me: You're right, I did. But I'm the mommy so I can break the rules sometimes. When you're a mommy you can do the same thing.

(pause)

Hannah: Well what about Daddy? Doesn't he have any say?

(I look at Lincoln)

Link (laughing): Not really.

Me: Daddy is sort of like the Vice President. He has a title but no real power.

A five year olds view of his father

In my continued quest to catch up on things I've neglected over the past few months, I am finally posting the Father's Day story that Jake made at daycare for Lincoln. It is similar to the one that he made for me on Mother's Day.

The story is pre-written but Jake supplied the answers to fill in the blanks. His answers are in bold in the story below.

My Dad
by Jacob Snow

My Dad is the best Dad on the planet. His name is Lincoln. He is as strong as a pig. He is 38 years old. He weighs 100 pounds and is 5' tall. His eyes are black and his hair is black. My Dad's favorite sport is football. His favorite things to do is take naps. My favorite thing to do with my Dad is play the Wii. Dad makes me laugh when he tells me jokes. But when he gets angry he sends me to my room. I love my Dad more than spaghetti.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Love, Jacob

A lesson in joint checking

Jake: Mommy, since it's Daddy's birthday today YOU have to buy lunch.

Me: Okay.

(later)

Hannah: When it's my birthday I'm going to have Mommy buy lunch.

Jake: When it's my birthday I'm going to have Mommy buy lunch too.

Me: What you guys don't realize is that Mommy and Daddy share the same account.

Jake: Wait, what?

Me: Basically we both put all our money in the same piggy bank and either one of us can take money out to spend on things.

Jake: But what if you and Daddy don't agree on what to buy at the store?

Me: Then we talk it out like two grown-ups......and then Mommy wins.

A young Lincoln in training

On Friday night my friend Tracy and I went to a 40th birthday for our friend Tanya. It was a late night out and Tracy crashed in the Treehouse afterwards. The next morning Tracy, Hannah, and I were chilling up in the Treehouse while the boys fed us breakfast. Jake loves nothing better than to serve us in situations like this. At one point, when I had to go down to show him where something was, he got so mad and made me go right back upstairs once I had pointed it out because it was HIS duty to do this and I couldn't help him. Not only did he serve us breakfast upstairs but according to Lincoln he poured, flipped, and plated the pancakes all by himself.

Talk about a little Link in training.

This morning was Link's birthday and I was preparing Link's breakfast in bed. Since this is a rather unusual occurrence in our house Jake naturally asked why it was happening.

Jake: Why do you get breakfast in bed every weekend and Daddy only gets breakfast in bed on his birthday?

Me: Because Daddy spoils me rotten just like you're going to do to your wife someday, right?

It's never to early to start training them.

OMG....This kid NEVER shuts up

Jake talks.

A lot.

And I mean a LOT.

The other day he fell asleep in the car on the way to Kristen's soccer game. When he first woke up he started babbling incoherent sentences. I wasn't even sure he was speaking English. All we knew was that he was awake and therefore he had to be making noise.

Have I mentioned he talks a lot?

Since I walked in the door about an hour ago Jake hasn't been quiet for more than about 10 seconds at a time. He's either talking about school or Dinosaur Train or orange water (OJ mixed with water) or balloons. Seriously, he just talks.

And talks.

Jake: Today, on the bus ride home, it was REALLY quiet today.

Me: Oh yeah?

Link: Why, were you asleep?

(laughter from me, Link, and Hannah)

Hannah: I know! Let's play the quiet game!

(Lincoln, Hannah and I immediately stop talking.)

Jake: HOLD ON! HOLD ON! HOLD ON! Ready? Uno, dos, tres....

(silence for approximately 20 seconds)

Jake: (as he bites into his taco and starts chewing) Num, num, num, num

(The 3 of us burst into laughter again.)

Hannah: You should blog about that. I might blog about that. That is definitely blogworthy.

Jake is always looking for a way to make money

Yesterday Lincoln took the kids and their cousin Kayla for a hike in Purgatory Chasm. I've never been there but after their last hike there Lincoln swore he'd never do it again because it was too nerve-wracking. Apparently there are any number of drop offs and rocks. Delightful, huh?

Apparently Lincoln is a sucker for punishment though because they went back yesterday. I stayed home to clean the house. Fun for me!

Me: Well, on the good news front, the life insurance policies are paid up on each of you.

Jake: What is life insurance?

Me: If something were to happen to you and you died, someone would pay Mommy money.

Jake: Wait? What? I should get the money!!!

Me: You'd be dead.

Jake: Okay....how about this? If we come back alive YOU pay US!

Words of wisdom

Today at lunch we were talking about how the kids needed to clean up their rooms this afternoon. Hannah said that she wasn't happy about having to pick up her room because most of the mess in her room was from Hunter and Jake last night. (Not that we believe her to be blameless.)

We told her that she could solve that problem by not allowing them to play in her room.

Hannah: I don't like letting them play in there because they make a big mess but I like letting them play in there because they're a lot of fun.

Link: Yeah....sort of like having kids.

An October picnic

Today is a gorgeous fall day and the kids decided to put on a picnic lunch for the family. They made the sandwiches themselves, got every one's drink orders and laid out the blanket. Even Leo had his food and water bowl outside although, as you'll notice in the pictures, he would have preferred to be eating the people food.

Ten years

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary. The last 10 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. It's so hard to believe. Lincoln and I often do up celebrations like this in grand style. Any birthday ending in "0" is cause for a celebration. Any anniversary divisible by 5 is also a big deal. For our 5th wedding anniversary we went to Moab, Utah and visited Sand Arches National Park. For our 10th dating anniversary last year we went away for the weekend to a lovely hotel and spa with a fireplace in the room as well as champagne and roses. So you would think that we would do our 10th wedding anniversary up big, right?

Not so much.

Our big plan for today was for both of us to take the day off and veg out all day watching movies and not getting out of bed unless we wanted to....just like back when we were dating and first married. You know those Saturdays when you just stay in bed all day and pop in a movie and do nothing at all? That was our plan for today.

Of course it's hard to stay in bed and veg all day when we had to get Hannah on the morning bus, do the grocery shopping for dinner tonight, get my overdue inspection done on my car, and get Jake on the afternoon kindergarten bus. That left us with just over 2 hours to crawl back in bed and watch a movie before rushing out the door to meet the bus and take Hannah to sewing lessons and then coming home and making dinner.

We may not have gotten to veg out and pretend we were newly married like we had wanted to - and we may have followed dinner with an exciting towel and underwear folding laundry session - but it was still a perfect day.

I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way.

What are we going to do with this kid?

This morning Lincoln and Jake walked Hannah up to the bus stop. When they came back to the house Jake came into the room and confessed to me that he had been thirsty and since Hannah had a water bottle and he didn't he punched her. WHAT? Apparently, while she had it up to her mouth, he punched the bottom of the bottle so that it went into her teeth. Overall she wasn't really hurt but of course it was sore and she started to cry.

When Link and Jake got back to the house, and after Jake's confession, Jake was sent to his room to come up with what he thought was a suitable punishment while Daddy and I discussed it.

Jake (calling from his room down the hall): I know what my punishment should be!

Link: What?

Jake: How about no books read to me at bedtime for three days?

Link (shaking his head no at me): No Jake. That's not good enough.

(pause)

Jake: Well, that's all that I've got.

(Thank god he was in the other room because this is when I buried my face and started to laugh uncontrollably.)

Link: How about no TV all weekend?

Jake: I thought about that but then my brain said "no".

(More uncontrollable laughter.)

In the end, due to the severity of the crime, he received a four part punishment. No TV until Monday. No chocolate milk until Monday (he can have white milk or water). He has to clean the kids playroom all by himself with no help from Hannah (they usually have to do it together) and he's not allowed to whine or complain while he does it. And finally, he doesn't get to have Mommy's "best ever" Mac 'n Cheese that he had requested for lunch today.

Professional cleaning

Lincoln pointed out to me today that we used to have our house professionally cleaned before my Mom came to visit. Now we just have the dog professionally cleaned before she gets here.

It's time for a step back

I haven't written much about my battle with depression on the blog. I haven't even mentioned it since the end of June to be exact. And those of you that read this blog regularly, you've obviously noticed I don't post nearly as often as I used to either. Unfortunately, despite a supply of pills and a great psychiatrist, this battle is one I'm slowly losing....for now.

I feel like I'm broken and I don't know how to fix it.

I do feel like I'm in good hands with my doctor though and I know that Lincoln and my family and friends will be with me through it all but it's still a tough time. As someone who also once suffered from depression told me, "it will get worse before it gets better, but it will get better." That's what I'm hanging all my hopes on.

Today I spoke with my bosses about taking a leave of absence from work. I need time away from the office to get away from the stress there and try to get stuff in my personal life and around the house in order. I just feel like there is so much piling up that I'm going to get buried under it all and it makes me feel like I'm suffocating. After I spent last Thursday, in my pajamas, at my shrink's office, I knew it was time to ask for some time off work.

I talked with my bosses today and they both immediately agreed to this new situation. They've been wonderfully understanding through this whole process and I couldn't ask for anything more from them.

I told Lincoln, and my mother as well, that you can tell when I'm slipping into a bad spot. I stop answering emails, I stop opening the mail, and I stop blogging. Those are the "superficial" signs of my mood. I think the eyes that won't stop crying, the lack of showering, and the long periods curled up by myself in the bedroom staring at the TV are two clues that Link sees way too often.

My mom is coming out next Sunday and staying for two and a half weeks. I've asked her for help getting my life back together but I told her I need to be able to walk away and hide when I feel like it. I know she'll be very understanding even though it will be frustrating to her. It's hard for anyone to understand when they haven't been through it before. Heck, it's hard for me to understand. And like I told Mom, I'm learning my way through this too so just follow my lead. I'm just glad she's going to be here. As wonderful as Link is, sometimes I just want my Mommy.

I am now an official New Englander

Last Saturday night Lincoln and I were invited to my boss's 30th wedding anniversary party. It was a traditional New England clam bake and while I didn't try any clams (or oysters), I did try lobster. Considering I don't eat seafood of any kind I thought this was a HUGE step. It wasn't too bad. I wouldn't rush out and eat it again but I'm glad I can finally say I've tried it.

Lincoln isn't a big lobster fan either so we decided that we would share one. When you go through the line you can stop at a station where a man in a big white apron takes a huge knife to crack your lobster in strategic spots. That was sort of crazy to watch.

Luckily we sat next to a very nice lady who eats lobster all the time. She taught me how to crack open the tail and get the meat out. She also showed me how to remove the "poop line". And yes, that's exactly what it sounds like.

The first picture below is our lobster in its entirety, although a little banged up by the man with the hatchet, on Link's plate. The second picture is of my plate with the lobster tail only. I love the fact that I had lobster, which is very New England, and corn on the cob, which of course is very Iowan, on my plate.

Quality Dining Experience

Me: There are some very stubborn chunks of Velveeta that just won't melt in my dip.....Probably because it's not real cheese.

Link: Yeah, what temperature does it take to melt plastic?

Great minds think alike

(Earlier in the day I called Link from the office)

Me: I found the perfect $7.8M home for us today while reading Boston Magazine.

Link: Oh yeah?

Me: Yep. It's on Snows Hill Lane. I think we should get a discount.

(After I get home from work I show him the ad)

Me: So here's the description on the house. This sensational, custom designed 6 bedroom, 10, 814 square-foot residence offers exceptional living space including a gym, sauna, 2,700 bottle wine cellar, four-car garage, tennis court, lap pool, and heated driveway on 4 landscaped acres.

Link: Only a lap pool?

Me: That's exactly what I said!!!!

Single again....together

Hannah is in Seattle for 4 weeks with Grandma and Grandpa Lentz. Lincoln's sister-in-law, Diane, volunteered to take Jake to Maine for the weekend with her and his cousin Kayla.

We're alone.

With no kids.

Alone.

On one hand, it's exciting to think how much we can get done around the house and in the apartment. No kid to stop and feed. No kid to entertain. Nothing. Just us. Freedom to work and work and work.

OR......

Lay in bed and do nothing. Spend hours watching movies and not having to clean the house, do the laundry, feed the kids........just like when we were dating.

So, what will it be?

An Army of One

This morning Jake was picking out his clothes and chose his "soldier" outfit which consists of a pair of camouflage shorts and an Air Force t-shirt.

Jake: Daddy, do soldiers wear underwear?

Link: Yes.....except for Commandos for some reason.

Sleeping arrangements

I've never been a huge animal lover and I've never been a fan of dogs but that all changed with Leo. I'm so madly in love with that dog. He is just so darn cute and sweet and well-behaved.

Not long after we got him we discovered he did a lot better at night if we didn't crate him. Basically we came to the mutual agreement with him that if we didn't crate him he'd stop pooping and peeing on the floor while we slept. As soon as we let him start sleeping in our room he magically was able to hold it all night long. Go figure.

And once he was out of his crate there wasn't anything to stop him from sleeping with us. We sleep with the door open because of the kids so he'd just come right on in and sleep at the foot of our bed. Occasionally he sleeps with Hannah and once or twice with Jake but nine times out of ten he sleeps with us.

Once again we have come to a mutual agreement that benefits him more than us....and yet I don't mind it all. For such a small dog he takes up a surprisingly large amount of room in a king size bed. The new agreement is that he sleeps wherever he wants and I contort myself around him. So far it's working out. An added bonus is that it has brought Link and I that much closer - literally - since Leo usually sleeps on my side of the bed, I sleep in the middle, and Link sleeps on his side.

Who ever thought I'd turn into such a dog lover?