An Adventure

Big Boy #1: "Where are we going?"
Me: "Wherever the day takes us!"
Big Boy #1: "I hope the day takes us to a Rockies game!"

While spontaneity is difficult when you are dealing with a family of five, we mananged to completely surprise the boys with an overnight visit to Laramie. And while Laramie might not be at the top of any normal person's list for a getaway, it's amazing how much fun you can accomplish when the boys were expecting to spend their day hanging out and doing homework.

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We picked them up early from school and got all the way to the parking lot of the hotel in Laramie with nothing more than "We're going on an adventure!" Along the way we found the coolest park in Fort Collins, ran 100 yards down the field at the University of Wyoming and ate a lot of "Adventure Food" (Twizzlers, Bugles and M&Ms. Really - what kind of epic journey would it have been without those staples?)

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Big Boy #2: "Nothing's better than spending time with your family!"

It's AMAZING the crazy things kids will say when you let them skip school and then get them good and sugared up! (And BTW, I couldn't agree more...)

Today I celebrate my fourteenth anniversary with Diamond, so I figured a little looking back was in order...

14 years ago: Everything Diamond owned could fit in the back of his Nissan. Not too hard when the entirety of his possessions consisted of a pile of laundry and two basketballs.
Today: It took two trips in a 17 foot U-Haul to move everything we own into the new house.

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14 years ago: I looked lovingly into Diamond's beautiful blue eyes.

Today: I look lovingly into the beautiful blue eyes of my two boys (Big Boy #2's eyes come from my side of the family - and yes, I look lovingly into his eyes as well.)

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14 years ago: I could go 300 miles in my little Honda Hatchback for $18 in gas.

Today: I can go 300 miles in my big SUV for $65 in gas. Ouch!

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14 years ago: We were headed to the Caribbean for our honeymoon

Today: (OK, tomorrow.) We're heading to Laramie with the boys. Boy have our standards for exciting trips gone downhill!

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14 years ago: I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with Diamond

Today: I would pick him over and over again.

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In fourteen years of marriage, we've had three children, four homes, five cars and six employers. We've had countless disagreements, countless kisses and countless memories. And I wouldn't change a thing - well, maybe that trip to Laramie could be spiced up a bit...

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Here's to you Babe!

Reality Check

I like all kinds of music. The channels programmed on my car radio range from country, to classic rock, to classical, to contemporary pop, to "oldies." I regularly switch between channels as I drive, loosing track of what station I'm listening to, but it's usually pretty clear that Pink Floyd plays on "The Hawk", Plain White T's are on "The Mix" and Trace Atkins stays on "KYGO." Fine. Good.

Then last week I was flipping between the stations. John Cougar Melancamp was singing a little diddy about Jack and Diane, and I stopped my channel surfing to listen. I was reminiscing about watching the video on MTV and singing along in the car with my girlfriends. Fine. Good. Until the station I was listening to identified themselves as "KOOL 105." That would be the OLDIES station.

What?!? NOT fine. NOT good! Since when did the music from the 80s constitute "oldies"? I don't think so!!!

Then I started to do some quick math. Whatdayaknow... Jack and Diane was a hit in 1982. That would be, WHAT! Twenty-six years ago?!?

"Here's a little diddy
about Ganelle who was so bold
She's in her thirites
and forgets that she's old..."

Suggestions?

I think I need to rename my blog.

Technically, I'm not from New York anymore. While I was born and raised in NY - and still identify myself as a New Yorker, I haven't actually lived there for close to twenty years. The title of this blog seems to infer that I am some young, swingin' single living in NYC. Could I be further from that if I tried? I'm in my 30s, live in Colorado, and stay at home with my three boys.

OK, so I definitely need a new name for my blog.

Here are some ideas I had:
-Welcome to My World
-My Three Sons (although my blog is about more than my boys)
-4 Boys & Me
-Colorado Connection
-Suburban Stories

If you've got something better, I'd love to hear it!

Yum!

This is what I heard today from the Caboose.

C: "Good! Good!"
Me: "What's good?"
C: "Candy! Rev's Candy!"
Me: "Caboose, did you eat your brother's candy?"
C: "Yum!!!"

What can I say? I know that #1 leaves his candy out in the middle of the bedroom floor. Frankly, I've been tempted to take a piece of chocolate myself! (OK, I've actually given in and taken a piece of his candy a time or two. But really! The child stockpiles candy like people in Montana stockpile ammunition.)

The Yard

So in less than one week we went from this...

to this...

to this!

(We'll be adding trees, bushes and rock/bark along the perimeter over the next few weeks, but at least the 'bones' are in.)

Now, how do we keep the boys off the grass for three weeks while it takes root?

Handprints!

I have always wanted to put the boys hand prints into fresh cement.

When we were building the house and they poured the driveway I thought it was the perfect opportunity. Ever the realist, Diamond was concerned that if something fell through, we'd be liable for "ruining" their cement. He did have a point.

But we've long ago closed on the house and are now working on the yard. They poured the patio today and the foreman told me that I had half an hour to put in hand prints if we so desired.

My first reaction was "But the big boys are in school, the Caboose is napping, and I'm in the middle of a church meeting! What lousy timing. Such a shame!" Then my very wise counselors, (I think there's a reason they are called 'counselors'), told to me wake up the baby, pull the boys out of school, and end the meeting early - hmm, maybe there was an alternative motive working here? But, as one of the women said "This is a chance to make a memory."

So, I pulled the boys out,

woke up the baby,
and ended the meeting.

and here we have it...

Say Goodbye!

The days of muddy shoes are quickly coming to an end!

The landscapers have arrived, ready to transform our pile of dirt/mud into an actual yard. I can't wait!

However, I wasn't prepared for the landscaper to up-sell me on the retaining wall. That's right people, I am now spending about 20% more on landscaping than I thought I was when I woke up this morning. I knew to be afraid when signing up for the Internet, but I thought by getting a bid in advance for the yard I would be safe. Apparently not.
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But it should be beautiful. And mud-free!

The Caboose happened across this. After looking for a moment at the image, he pointed to Belle and said "Mom!"

Who was I to disagree? "That's right baby!"

Then he pointed at the Beast and said "Daddy! SCARY Dad!"

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Big Boy!

The other day the Caboose had wondered off to play. I found him in the bathroom with his diaper off and his pants around his ankles. He quickly gave me a grunt of disapproval, shoved me out of the bathroom and proceed to slam the door shut.

This is how the conversation went in my head:
Reasonable mom: Hmm. Maybe it's time for the potty chair?

Crazy mom: Can't be - he's BARELY two!
Cheap mom: Think of all the diapers we won't have to buy!

Sentimental mom: But, he's my BABY! I'm not sure I'm ready to be out of diapers!
Reasonable mom: But if he's ready, who am I to slow him down?

Crazy mom: I'm his mother, that's who!

And so the conversation went. I decided to pull out the potty chair, which he seemed to enjoy sitting on - just sitting on.

Then tonight, while I was changing his diaper and getting him ready for bed, he said "Potty Chair." OK, I thought, we'll go sit on the chair, blah, blah, blah.

Then he actually peed in the potty chair. WHAT?!?

So, he got a handful of candy, several celebratory cheers, and a woman who isn't too sure which mom she should be.

The Good News

Apparently, when you forget that you put your cell phone on the roof of your car because you need to strap in your squirming two-year-old, and then drive away not realizing that you left your phone on the roof for some three blocks, and then hit your brakes REALLY hard because you suddenly remember said cell phone, and then your cell phone goes flying through the air...

Apparently, your phone may still work. Amazing!

The book is fine as well.

And the card.

At least I didn't leave my child on the roof.

(I once dated a boy who barely graduated from a fancy private high school. He was so excited to find an ACTUAL diploma in his diploma case. That excitement lasted until he realized that he had left the diploma on the roof of his car. On the way home from graduation. Which blew away. Never to be seen again.)

Maybe they should not have given him that diploma after all...
Maybe I should have never been entrusted with a cell phone...

Confession

OK, so I'm ready to admit WHY I have started to blog.

Have you ever googled yourself? While it may sound like something dirty, it's really just about seeing what comes up when you put your name into a search engine. Unfortunately, what comes up when you google ganelle green or ganelle smith is this (class of '96: note the oh-so-flattering picture along the side.)

Several years ago my friend (?) and I got into a practical joke thing. I put a "For Sale"sign up in her yard while she was out of town, she convinced me that my car had been stolen, I hid photocopied pictures of myself throughout her house - some that she didn't find for over a year - and she submitted my name and picture to my college alumni magazine. ha. ha.

Thing of it is that once you submit something like that, it apparently NEVER GOES AWAY. So, here I am, some five plus years later, and when you google my name, all that comes up is this nasty old picture. Thanks Kris.

In a vain effort to counteract this, I have decided to put out a blog. Maybe if some old friend/roommate/student decided to google me, there would be something out in the cyberworld that is a bit more flattering than my friend's submission to BYU Alumni Magazine.

Now, is there any way to get Google to withdrawal the BYU link???

Viva Las Vegas!

Diamond and I just returned from a brief sojourn in Las Vegas. We left snow, returned to snow, and in between I managed to get a sunburn - really, who thinks about bringing sunscreen in the midst of flurries?

While Diamond was losing money on the slot machines (despite the fact that I was continually making fun of him and telling him that they don't build these big hotels by GIVING money away) I managed to out-cheap myself. I actually made him switch casinos once I found out that Planet Hollywood doesn't give away *free* virgin daiquiris. That's $20 less of our hard earned money THEY'LL be seeing...


But Vegas is all about getting something for nothing, and we did manage to score two free airline tickets for getting bumped off our flight. Hmm, so I can sit and read my book in relative peace and quiet for an additional two hours, and for that you'll give me another vacation - free of charge. CHA-CHING!