Mean McLean Writing Machine

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Vacation in Sun Valley Idaho

Dear Boys,

As part of our summer adventures, we spent the Fourth of July in Sun Valley ID at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Sam's house. We were lucky enough to also be joined by Nana, Gramps, and Cousin Chloe. When we planned this trip we asked Nana if she wanted to come along for the drive. It is about a 13-hour drive from the Bay Area and since she has not seen much of the West from a car, she happily agreed.

We left on the Friday of the holiday weekend. I was very proud of myself because I got us all packed up and shut down the house (including leaving the cats properly set up) all by myself. We drove into the city and picked up Dad and then headed over the Bay Bridge on our way out of town. We decided to get 6+ hours in on Friday night and finish the rest of the trip in the morning. This worked out great. We stopped in Reno for dinner and rolled into our hotel late at night. We slept well and got back on the road early in the morning.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and nice. We arrived in Sun Valley in the afternoon ready for fun and some running around. Gramps and cousin Chloe were there already so everyone was ready for fun once we got in.

You guys gravitated to the indoor racketball court and the game room right way. I don't think we saw you for a couple of hours once you found out about all the fun that could be had in Kathy and Sam's house!

The next morning I got up and went for a run and you guys went to the skate park with Dad. I met you there and we had a great time skating around. Then we went downtown for breakfast and to walk around. You boys decided that fishing was high on your to do list so we got the fishing pools and tried out our luck. We did not catch anything and it even started to rain! For some reason you guys did not want to stand in the rain and fish, I think Califonia living is making you soft on the weather! Dad and I took your polls and gave fishing a shot. After fishing, we went on a drive to explore the State Forest and try to find some moose. No luck. We did find natural hot springs that were sadly not hot due to the crazy amount of snow run off! It was really beautiful out there.

The next day we got up and tried to find a moose! We had asked the local fishing shop where they could be spotted and the guy gave us a map and suggestions about where to go. The surrounding area does not look like where I would expect moose to roam. Once outside Sun Valley, there is a lot of farm land and no obvious place I would expect to see a moose. BUT as we got closer to Silver Creek (where the fishing shop sent us) I could see how the moose would like to live there. It sort of felt like an oasis in the high desert and I thought for sure we were going to find a moose since there did not seem to be a lot of places to hide.

We checked in at the visitors center and the woman confirmed that there were some known places to see a moose. We did a small hike but we were not dressed well enough to prevent the bugs from swarming us. After a little while, you and I returned to the car and Dad kept looking. He really wanted to find me a moose! Even though we did not have any luck, we had a great time exploring!

That night you guys stayed behind with and went bowling with Aunt Kathy, Nana, and Chloe. As crazy as it sounds, Dad and I drove the 45 minutes back to Silver Creek to try and find a moose at dusk. We did a hike and drove around looking. We spoke to a fisherwoman who said she recently saw a mama moose with two babies! As we were talking to her a deer stepped into the river and crossed right in front of us. I kept wishing that a moose would step out next! At dusk, we saw a heard of elk, an antelope, and an owl but no moose. Oh well, a moose hunting date was the best date I could ever ask for!

On the 4th we all went to Bald Mt and took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. We had a great time enjoying the views and hunting for snow. We did eventually find snow and we all threw snowballs on the 4th of July! How awesome is that?! Afterwards, we enjoyed a great lunch high atop the mountain! That night I went with Aunt Kathy, Nana, and Chloe to the ice show at the outdoor ice rink. The fire works were right after and you thought they were amazing!

The next day we took you guys ice skating! Yes, that is correct, ice skating in the summer on an outdoor rink! Can you believe it?! You guys improved very very quickly due in a large part to Nana's tutelage. Never have I ice skated while drips of sweat rolled down my back, it was a very surreal experience and I am not sure you understand how unique that experience really was.

I would love to say that the drive home was as uneventful as the drive there but it was quite the opposite. Brady, you got very sick the day we left and we ended up having to nurse your fever and vomiting the whole way to Reno. When we got to Reno I noticed a rash on your back and knew immediately you had scarlet fever. After a few hours in the ER, the doctor confirmed this diagnosis and we left with antibiotics. You were still off the next day but at least you were on the mend. Brody, you were an angel the whole ride home. We paid you little mind because we were so busy taking care of Brady and you were good as gold. Thank you, son! While we were in the ER, you and Nana ate pizza in the hotel room and Nana put on a baseball game. She told me that you sat back on the couch with your pizza in your hand and expressed utter joy for being able to eat pizza watch sports at the same time. I guess I know what you want to be doing more often!

All in all the trip was amazing and it seems like the memories are cemented in your mind. You talk about Sun Valley all the time now and ask to go back constantly! I hope we can make it back there again soon. Thanks for a great trip!

The fun did not end when we got home! Nana, Gramps, and Chloe stayed for an extra few days and Aunty Ray Ray flew in for a 24-hour visit! I got to go sight seeing with everyone on Saturday while Brady recovered and by Sunday everyone was healthy enough for a pool party! It was a truly wonderful two weeks full of family and adventure! I hope this entry helps you remember it!

love,

Mom

deer

brown speck: antelope

brown specks: elk

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Learning to read

Brady and Brody,

I think besides watching you learn to walk, watching you learn to read has been my most favorite milestone. It is so fun to watch your little brains work, to see you make connections .... and fail to make connections..... It is great for me to be able to take a step back and try to break things down into their simplest parts and try to teach you what to do with these pieces of information. It is especially fun because even though you think I am great at everything, it turns out your mom is terrible at this! It is hard for me to give you the proper phonetical pronunciation of each letter because quite frankly phonics is not my forte. I can barely sound my way out of a paper bag.

Watching you start to learn to read has also been fun for me because like walking, the approach to figuring it out differs from child to child. And as is typical with most things boys, you go about this task completely differently. Brady, you want to know all the rules. You want to know about sentence structure, capital vs lower case letters, what is a sight word and what is something that you should be able to sound out. Brody, you want to memorize everything! You do not want to have to try and sound anything out. No matter what the word is you try and remember where you may have seen it before. Turns out that is okay since because as Nana has said time and time again, reading is largely memorization!

Reading is freedom in so many ways. While I am a little sad that you will be able to decipher things by yourselves at some point and not need me to help you with everything, I am looking forward to the independence you will gain. Plus, let's face it, you guys are going to LOVE having your own book lights to use at your discretion. We are still in the early phases of learning to read but I can tell you guy are about to go from 0 to 60 very soon. All you need is some guidance from someone who can actually help you sound out the words ;) I can't wait to see the progress you make once school starts!

Love,
Mom

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Brady is on two wheels!

Dear Brady,
In April of 2017, you officially transitioned to two-wheel riding! As with most thing so far, Brady, you went about learning to ride a bike in your own way. And in what would seem like a parenting win for Dad and me, we totally nailed how to let you come to the realization that it was time to ride on two wheels on your own terms.

For about a year now, whenever we would ride bikes, Brody would ride his two-wheeler and you would happily ride with training wheels. Even after we upgraded you both to bigger frames, you did not want to attempt to ride without those training wheels. At the end of last summer, we were riding bikes nearly every day. This bike riding slowed a bit when we moved to a hillier terrain. It was not until we found a bike path and got back into riding you seemed to stay contented to be on training wheels. I never pushed you or asked you to try two wheels because I knew you would immediately say no. I did; however, think that after seeing other kids riding without training wheels you may change your mind. I was correct. One day when we were riding at a school you looked around, took an assessment of the situation and asked: "Can I ride Brody's bike for a little while?". Your brother graciously said sure and for about 15 minutes we ran around with you while you tried to figure out how to balance on a two wheeler. Becuase we were riding on blacktop I was not very brave about letting you go. I figured one good fall and you would not want to try again. It also seemed like you were going to need more practice in learning how to balance.

In the ensuing weeks, we acquired some razor scooters. You and Brody loved riding these scooters, so much so that they almost overshadowed our biking. But this turned out to be sort of a good thing. It turns out that the scooters gave you a great sense of balance and the next time you were on your bike I noticed you were much more centered. Shortly after that, I suggested we go out as a family and Dad helped you get fully on two wheels! You did great and he took you up and down a dirt path until you were more confident and happy!

Even though balance was not a problem anymore, you still seemed to be a little timid on your bike and were not very confident in your ability to steer. For the next week, every day after school, we practiced riding around a dirt track so you could get more confident in your steering! I am so proud at how much you trusted me and let me yell out commands at you while you were riding. You are such a good sport!

So now at just over 5 years old, you an official two wheel riding guy and we are very proud of you! Keep up the speedy riding, Buddy!

Love,
Mom

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Preschool Graduation

Dear Brady and Brody,

We had a great time celebrating the end of preschool with you guys, your great school and our friends who we will miss dearly. This school year has been so wonderful. Rewinding to when we decided to move closer to the city last labor day... we made the decision to stay with your preschool in the South Bay because we love it so much. You guys had five kind, caring and energetic teachers that taught small lessons on math, reading, science, social studies, and movement. You also had access to an art studio and two outside play areas. You were so happy at school and sad on the weekends when school was not in session. You made great friends whose families we enjoyed spending time with. Even though it was a very long drive to and from school, I am happy we made the decision to stay. I think it laid the foundation for a life-long love of school, or at least one can hope that is what we invested in!

On our drives, you and I and listened to a large number of audio books. I started a list but lost track around April when we were up to 68 stories. Since the list is so long I still wanted to preserve it. Audiobooks were a great way for us to let our brains wander and share some great stories together. You guys especially loved mysteries and magic stories.

Part of the end of the school year activities was a hoe down, a penny carnival and a graduation celebration. You took so much pride in the dances learned and the songs performed. You especially liked having cotton candy for the first time (though you ended up not really liking it at all!) It was a perfect way to end a very special year and I feel like you are truly prepared to head off to kindergarten!

Love,
Mom