Cheers

It's 2 weeks into the new school year and I'm exhausted. I'm working full time for the first time in 7 years. I'm hoping the feeling of being hit by a truck every night will pass. I'm not complaining, just commenting. I realize how lucky I have been to do the 2 things I love so much at the same time.

Anyway, I'm on beer #2 and reflecting on the 24 precious darlings who have been left under my care. First there is M who I have to physically remove from his father (who speaks no English and looks like he may burst into tears and I frustratingly can't communicate with him :/) every morning. Then we endure a few minutes of screaming and kicking until his father has left the campus and M can go to the office since he's scaring the rest of the class. Then there is J who is adorable and sweet but not so much when she is whimpering all day while clutching a photograph of her family. And no, she didn't go to preschool. I know you're surprised. A special shout out to E who among so many super cute moments decided to sit in the middle of the wet soccer field and cry until I walked all the way in sandals through the (did I mention?) tall, wet grass to help her stand up and walk to class. She was mad that she was last in line. Life is hard. Then there is G. I'm actually genuinely in love with this guy. Unfortunately I'm not qualified to do anything but love him. He has Down Syndrome, he's nonverbal, and in diapers. I know what you're thinking. I'm so lucky. But truly I am. All of them are only 5 years old (babies!) and have only been with me for 7 days. I have 173 more to realize their potential. Help!

I feel inspired that my own children are doing well. Zac can't talk enough about how nice his teacher is. Claire is, well, Claire. Easy. And Luke has begun a new chapter back at the ECC. (More to come on that later.) Sara started high school and sent me a text saying she has a "few opinions about high school" she can't wait to share. I can't wait!

Summer was a blur of boxes, swimming, soccer, friends, sleep, movies, and more swimming. I wish it could all slow down just a little. Yeah. I'm on beer #3. Cheers!

14 Years

July 4, 1999 Eric (Bus and Mack) and I spent our first night at our first home,1422 N. Ukiah Way, watching fireworks on the roof. At the time 1400 sq. ft seemed like a mansion. 4 kids, amazing memories, and many dogs later, we felt a little squished.

Thanks to Butch and Roro we have now spread out quite a bit at their former home in Claremont. So far the perks are many. The kids all have their own room. There is so much space that the kids wrestling in the back of the house right now while I type isn't as annoying! When I have to take a kid to soccer, or the orthodontist, or a friend's house, it only takes 2 minutes. I love that I can hear the summer school bell at the high school across the street so I know when Eric will be home. Going to the grocery store means running into at least 3 people you know. The kids swim in the pool at least 2 times a day. And the neighbors are kind and actually visit with us. I could go one but I don't want to brag.;)

Butch and Roro's new home in Pilgrim Place is quite spectacular as well. In my opinion the best part is the parade location for the 4th of July.



July 4, 2013

Luke is 4!

April 14th fell on a Sunday this year and in between baseball and soccer we managed to squeeze in a small party for our little guy that day. Spider man was able to take a break from crime fighting to show up at our gathering at Magnolia park near our house. (A park party is something I swore I'd never do. That was before my dogs destroyed my back yard and made it unusable.) Luke was extremely happy and great friends came out to help celebrate.





Luke has had a spectacular year. He continues to improve with his speech and especially language. Right now everything he says begins with "Me." "Me do it." "Me winner." My favorite is, "Me awesome." This habit is improving. Me working on it.

He happily approaches every day and experience. He loves school and he has 2 friends, Jason and Alex, that he is obsessed with. Their mom is responsible for the pictures above. I'm not sure the boys reciprocate quite the same feelings that Luke has for them, but they are definitely good buds!

He likes to tell me that "I'm mean sometimes." I figure that is way better than being mean all the time. We think he is pretty amazing and I can't believe it's been 4 years since we met. Happy Birthday Luke J.!

Thank You Note/Rough Draft

Dear Idyllwild Reserve Campground,

It's been a little over a week since my family visited your RV Park campground. We arrived last Sunday to beautiful, clear weather. This was our first time in Idyllwild and we had NO idea what to expect.

Our first surprise was the giant sign at the entrance of the park that stated, "No Wood Fires." That was just effing ridiculous silly. Especially since we took the time and effort to pack the car full of wood we would later never use. Thank you so much for the $13 per night metal stand and the log of duraflame that would not warm us up at all.

When we drove in to find our sight, we were delighted to see all the gorgeous trees and the giant boulders that would make for awesome kid exploration. Too bad the ground was also solid rock and was almost impossible for my husband, Eric, to hammer the stakes for the tent into the ground. We only change camp sites twice. Thanks.




Our first night was cold but delightful. The stars were clear and the kids were happy. The bathrooms were only a small hike down the steep hill. Thanks.

When we woke up on Monday morning it was surprising to find that we were inside a cloud! Wow! So exciting! It was so quiet you couldn't hear a sound as I hiked down to the bathroom where I surprised a ranger. I want to say an extra special thanks to him. He was so amused when he asked me, "Are you the ones in the tent?" Then he went on to warn me that a cold front was coming in, but not to worry, because the next 2 days will be clear. Thanks.

That cold front sure did come in. First in the form of rain, then sleet, then snow. After a quick drive around the park to warm up in the car, we noticed that we really were the only campers. Everyone else was in an RV. So glad to know they were all warm and cozy. So comfortable, in fact, that not one person came out all day. Ever. Not even all of the times we hiked by them huddled together for warmth under an umbrella in the freezing snow to get to the bathroom. Thanks.

That night the wind came. Fortunately no one came to check on us then either. Not even your Rangers. So thankful they were warm and safe somewhere.

We survived the night, the cold, and the 50mph gusts of wind. I did have some fun moments throughout my sleepless night imagining catchy news headings. "Family of 5 Found Frozen to Death in Tent" or "Tree Kills Tent Campers in RV Park." The best part of the night was when my youngest, Luke, woke me up saying, "My legs are hot." "Hot" in fact was pee. Through 5 layers of clothing and 2 sleeping bags. Hilarious! Aw the memories. Thanks.

Well the Ranger from the bathroom was correct. We woke up Tuesday morning to beautiful sunshine and a layer of ice. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. We enjoyed a nice breakfast and packed up to head home a day early. Thanks so much for not giving us our money back but allowing us to use the credit toward our return trip! Can't wait!



Sincerely,

Maria Tucker

Sports Mania

I recently posted a video on FB that I had to show Eric to help him understand why I try to "do it all" when he was moaning and groaning about 2 days of soccer this weekend. I have a hard time saying no to my kids when it comes to an activity they want to experience.

When AYSO soccer season ended in November for Claire, I got an email soon after from her coach asking if Claire would like to come out on a Saturday and play some more soccer. Claire said, "YES!" Here we are 3-ish months later and finished with our second tournament and attempting an indoor league. It's a lot of time and work but SO MUCH FUN! Her coach is amazing and Claire has learned so much. It fills up my happy tank.



The boys started baseball last week. Luke made the age cut off by 2 weeks and had his first Tee ball practice. It was organized chaos and pure entertainment. Luke feels it's necessary to fist pump and shout, "YES," after everything he does.

Zac had to try out this year and I'm not sure who was more nervous, me or him. He did great and moved up to kid pitch this year. He reluctantly shows up for practice but does well and has an amazing time. We've learned that's just Zac. He always needs that extra push to get out the door.

Here is the glaring difference between my boys illustrated in photographs.


Zac is silly but only with people he knows well. Luke doesn't hold back. Ever.

Zac's 9th Birthday

While cleaning Claire's room today I found the yellow "Queen of the Tournament" banner she received at Medieval Times while celebrating Zac's 9th birthday in November. It occurred to me that I never blogged about this event. I feel it is important for me to retell just one moment, if not for me, but for Claire and Zac to read when they grow up. Because when Claire received the special banner from the Yellow Knight, Zac was over-the-top excited for her. It was a surprise since we were there celebrating his birthday, and she got some serious spotlight at that moment. It was a surprise because then Claire handed the banner to Zac for him to wave since it was his birthday. It was a surprise because Zac handed it back to Claire because he didn't want the Yellow Knight to be upset if he didn't see her waving it, and it was awarded to her after all. All of this was done with smiles and thank you's. A sibling moment I won't forget.

By the end of the night, the kids all lost their voices from cheering. Though the Yellow Knight was defeated in the end, he fought valiantly.



The whole family and Zac's BFF, Drew.

Oh Say Can You See...

I post this with the intent of laughing at it many years from now. The country celebrated President Obama's 2nd Inauguration a few weeks ago. It was a Monday holiday in honor of MLK Jr.'s birthday. The kids were actually quite interested in it. Especially when they saw Beyonce. And Luke, being the adorable age of 3 and has no clue he isn't supposed to think Beyonce is cool, was really feeling her rendition of the National Anthem.