The King and I-Pykles style

We did it! We made it through another crazy Pykles family adventure. And a few days later I think we are actually very glad that we had this experience together.

This summer our community theatre did a production of The King and I. We tried out back in March and we really hoped that we would all make it in so that we could have the theatre experience as a family again. It was a bit of a scary experience because of the professional nature of the whole thing. The director is straight from NYC and comes here each summer to direct these shows because he is so impressed with the local talent-much of it linked with the school of music. So it was no small miracle when he accepted the whole family. (minus little Lincoln who was just too young). Ben was asked to play 2 roles- the ship captain, and Sir Ramsey, the British diplomat and the kids and I were royal children and wife. This was the perfect situation for our family because given our roles Ben and I were never on stage together except for one 5 min. scene and because of that we were able to always have Lincoln with us-being watched by one or the other of us. That relieved a lot of stress for us and truly made it a family experience. It ended up being TONS of work-a practice nearly every night since the second week in June and many days we found ourselves questioning why we had taken on such a big commitment. But... what a wonderful experience we had. The things we felt our kids gained-from the confidence, to the musical training, to the wonderful people we met-and then to be able to be on stage together (I suppose there will always be a soft spot for theatre for Ben and I). It will be something that we never forget.

The transformation to be Siamese was quite the process each night-spray tanning, black hair, and crazy eye makeup. Most nights it took close to an hour to get hair and makeup done for myself and the kids. Then... take it off each night and start all over again the next night. It was exhausting but the kids loved it!

I was so proud of my kids for seeing this through. It wasn't easy but it was so much fun and they were so good and patient. Jamison was the youngest child in the cast by 2 years and every night when he walked out on stage all by himself to meet the King there was an audible sigh. He was so little and small, but he did just what he was supposed to do and he did it every single night-just right. I was one proud mamma.
Great memories, great experience, great people , etc. etc. etc!

Weekend Canoeing

We took the kids canoeing this past weekend. Oh boy! How many kids can you fit in a canoe?... AND not tip it over in the middle of the lake. It ended up being really fun but once again I've gained a greater appreciation for my own parents and what the words "family outing"/"family vacation" REALLY mean to a mom and dad.

NEVER a dull moment around here. And just for the record-we were in the water!

Jamison turns 4

                                     

Jamers turned 4 this week.  Can't believe how quickly the years seem to be flying by us. His birthday was busy day as we were getting Dad ready to leave out of town again but we invited some neighbor kids over for cake and ice cream and some back yard baseball with his new baseball equipment.  Happy Birthday to my little buddy.

             

4 yr. old memories of Jamison:

• "Mom, do I get to still be 4 tomorrow?" (me=Yeah, for a whole year.) "YESSSSS!"-complete with arm pump.
• "Hey mom-this is my blue jet birthday, OK?"
• "Hey mom-pretty good job on the cake.  You did good."-said with all the casualness of the guy next door. (Thanks son)
• Marshmellow mouth Jamison
• Jamison is the most independent child (except for when he's not).  He can totally take care of himself and often gets very frustrated when we step in and mess things up.
• Jamison is ALWAYS cheerful. He wakes up cheerful-he greets you with a smile and a hug every day is an adventure. It takes a lot to get him upset or angry.  He goes with the flow amazingly and is cheerful about anything and everything.   He asks me a lot during the day "What can I do now?"  As long as I give him an idea he's good to go.
• Jamison's best friend is his big brother Clayton.  I hope it is always this way.
• Jamison is the self-designated protector and translator for Lincoln.        When he's not doing this he's making sure to toughen Lincoln up with a good dose of brotherly torturing.
• Jamison gives the best hugs-there is nothing small or gentle about them but they are full of him!  

Quick Update

A few updates on the kids: The 2 little boys keep me entertained-ALL day. This morning we received a fun package from Grammy-but never mind what was in it (thanks Grammy!)-they just wanted the box for high flying adventures! Complete with goggles!

Every 4 years at the kids school they have the Lawrence Ave. Olympic games. It's a lot like Track and Field Day that I was used to growing up- but here each class gets to represent a country of their choice and then they participate in "olympic events" for a day with their grade. These are pictures of the Opening Ceremonies which were absolutely fantastic. I was seriously so impressed. The kids all marched in a parade with their class-decked out in matching T-shirts, country garb, carrying the flag-and marched from their school through town ending up at the stadium at the high school for a parade of countries, Olympic oath and pledge, a speech from the mayor which officially opened the games, and the lighting of the olympic torch with runners bringing the lighted torch into the stadium. It was so cool and the kids loved it. I loved it! Both Emmy and Clayton got to hold the flag for their classes-a great memory for them both. This week we'll go watch them compete.


The 2 little boys and I have been having a lot of fun days in the garden-trying to finish up the spring preps. The boys have been patient with a lot of long mornings- Friday morning I decided to take a break for a minute from gardening and take them for a little bike ride. About 5 minutes in I looked back and they were both fast asleep.


I rode for about an hour and they both stayed snuggled and sleeping behind me-it was a great morning. They're keeping me young.

Gettin' Lazy!

The entire month of May has blown past us and I find myself gearing up for summer. The kids have just 3 weeks of school left and they're getting anxious to be done. The wonderful news is that we will be STAYING PUT this summer. Ben has a couple of trips for work but the kids and I plan on going nowhere! Hooray. Our past summers are typically lots of travels-usually out west, which is no small journey. We're looking forward to days at the beach, gardening, bike rides, hiking...you name it-just no long trips in the car. Grandma Pykles was with us for much of the month of May and it was so fun to have her around. She did loads of gardening and helped us get so much under control.

Thanks Grandma!

A quick look at the last month begs the question: Where has the time gone?

Perhaps in a self-reflective way of answering my own question I have felt a great need for us to slow our lives down a little. I'm not quite sure how yet, but lately I have felt that we're bordering on craziness...too many nights of wolfing down dinner, rushing to the next activity or meeting, stressing the kids out with "hurry, hurry, hurry!"- and too little time spent laughing together, talking with each other, and remembering why we like each other. We're all on the cranky side and patience has been short. To me-all indicators that somewhere we got a little out of balance.Maybe summer will be the answer-but a review of our priorities has given me some much needed clarity. I'm afraid we've been missing the best part of this journey and I'm committed to doing better in the coming months. So, here's to the "lazy days of summer" from a mom who will do her best to make sure they're a little more LAZY!

Wearing a new hat

Tonight was the first night of T-Ball for the boys and everyone was so excited. Jamison asked me all day long if it was time for baseball yet. About 30 min. before practice Ben called and let me know he would not be able to come home because of some things that had come up at work, so I tightened my bootstraps and prepared myself for a night of running back and forth between 2 different fields. It happens-no biggie. Ha.
When we got there I sent Emmy and Clayton to find out which team he was on and wait for instructions of where to go while I helped Jamison find his team and get settled. Just as I was walking Jamison to his team I see Emmy and Clayton running toward me yelling something and completely white-faced. When they were finally within earshot I hear them yelling, "MOM-you're the coach, you're the coach!" WHAT! Convinced that there was no possible way that I could be the coach since I had only signed up to be a parent volunteer at the concession stand, I got Jamison settled, left him with another parent-friend, and went to figure things out. As we approached the office I hear the guy in charge yelling..."and here's your coach Orange team, Mr. and Mrs. Pykles (read Mrs. Pickles of course)". Again, WHAT!! 10 little kids, mitts in hand, parents at their side all turn around to find...ME. It was one of those "fight or flight" moments and since the team stood between me and my car I decided it was time to put on the coach hat and coach some baseball. WHAT!!! I quickly sent Emmy to go watch Jamison play for the rest of the night and with little Lincoln on my hip I led 10 6 year olds out to the field for our first practice. 50 minutes later I sent them all home with a team yell and smiling faces and wondered how in the world I had ever pulled that off. But I had.
And they will be back next week expecting Mr. and Mrs. Pickles to coach them again. But this time WE'LL be ready (hopefully).
Lesson learned- NEVER,EVER,EVER check the concession volunteer box. Apparently because no one else checks anything, here in Potsdam it's code for COACH. And they don't even let you know beforehand so as not to spoil the secret code.

Happy Easter

We had a great Easter day. The YSA's were with us for the day and the kids love that.


Big smiles=large amounts of sugar



It only took 1 or 2 eggs for Lincoln to figure this whole Easter thing out: find the egg, shake it to see if it's got the goods, throw the egg on the floor to get to the goods, eat the candy as fast as you possible can, find another EGG!
I guess hidden chocolate could lead me to tearing the house apart too!