If the Shoe Fits...

I took my shopaholic son on a quick trip to Sam's Club tonight. I took him with me because he has told me many times that he loves to shop at Sam's Club, and I get a kick out of the fact that my 4-year-old knows his retail. As we were browsing through the giant shampoo aisle (the shampoo is giant, not the aisle), an employee breezed by, and in a most unpleasant tone said:

"I assume you know that he has his shoes on the wrong feet."

As I was forming the words to a witty and apologetic reply, I glanced over at the woman and noticed that she looked kind of agitated. A few things occurred to me at that moment:  (1) I don't care that my son has his shoes on the wrong feet; (2) I was proud of my son for getting shoes on his feet; and (3) I don't care that someone else doesn't like that my son has his shoes on the wrong feet.

So I let the idiotic remark linger so we could all hear the crickets, and I continued my shampoo conversation with my son. As I continued to shop, however, I did wonder--sociopath? Other personality disorder?

I cannot tell you how many times someone has informed me that my son, or another one of my kids has their shoes on the wrong feet. Ever since the first time I heard it with my oldest child, I have been perplexed as to such a remark. I'm not talking about the people who playfully bring it up with the child or the person who says, "I remember when my such-and-such used to do that." I'm talking about the people letting me or my child know that such a faux pas has been made, as if (a) I don't know; and (b) it actually matters.

That's right. I don't care that my kids have their shoes on the wrong feet. My oldest is six and she doesn't do it any more. The other ones are young enough that, once again, it doesn't matter. Now, say, if you the reader wore your shoes on the wrong feet, that could be an issue. Bur we're talking about toddlers here, people.

So here's another side to this coin. When my sister was a baby and through toddlerhood, she had issues with her feet and legs that required her to wear corrective "shoes" and also to wear her shoes on the wrong feet. That's right I said required to wear shoes on the wrong feet. Hmmm...who sounds like the insensitive buffoon now? But closer to my heart, (sorry Jessica!) my son actually has fine motor skill issues and as his mother, I am pleased as punch that he put his velcro sneakers on his own feet by himself!

I suppose my message here today is threefold:  (1) If you tell me or my child that my child has his shoes on the wrong feet, I will assume that there is something wrong with you; (2) If you tell me or my child that he has his shoes on the wrong feet, consider yourself lucky if you only get a, "Yes they are," as a response; and (3) If you are four years old and your shoes are on the wrong feet, there is nothing wrong with that.

Let me be clear:  I don't care that my son has his shoes on the wrong feet.

Thank you.

Southern Comfort

As many of you already know, we are embarking on a new adventure. After two or so years of searching, we finally found the right job. It happens to be exactly what Jake wanted and we are absolutely happy about his new career. There is, however, one condition. We have to move. I have had a difficult time wrapping my mind around this move, but as the move looms closer, I am feeling more and more positive. Read on to see why.

I don't know if you have ever heard of Monroe, Louisiana. I hadn't heard of it until Jake came home a few months ago and informed me that if we wanted any chance at this job, we would have to accept the idea of moving there. OK. The truth of the matter is that we both kind of came up with this plot together. If Jake's company wanted someone out there, why don't we just go out there? It was the right job. So we set out to find out more about this place. Keep in mind that I have never spent time in this part of the world--except for a brief layover once in Atlanta. I don't think that really counts.

Here is what we discovered. It is the home of this awesome show. Reason enough, right?

I hope you recognize this scenery, because it is a great show. If you don't recognize it, I highly recommend Duck Dynasty on A&E. It takes place more in West Monroe, which is the small town next door to Monroe.

Jake's company was kind enough to fly both of us out to their headquarters in Monroe to see the town and meet some people before we made the final decision. That was my first time ever in Louisiana. I was amazed at how different things are there than here in Denver. That was really my main impression after our short 3-day visit.

Jake accepted the job, and they gave him one year to get moved to Monroe. (Currently he works out of their Denver office.) So we have been busy preparing to sell our beloved home, selling our home, looking for a new home, etc.

We realized that my bro was probably not going to handle this gigantic transition well, so we took him to my sister to hang with her while we take care of all this. We made a fun trip out of it.

In case you're wondering, I get a kick out of recording Jake trying to photograph our kids. So here's Jake trying to get a group photo of the kids and Superman. Ha ha ha.

We put our home on the market and were fortunate enough to go under contract pretty quickly. We close in just a couple of weeks. 

Last week, Jake and I went on a house-hunting trip to Monroe. I told Jake that if the company's people had taken us to eat at the places where we ate this time around, I would have been more positive about the move from the start. It is crawfish season in the South right now. It is awesome. The local cuisine is awesome. Here is a sampling:

This is a shrimp po' boy with fries and gravy. Amazing. The food is reason enough to at least visit this place.

Most important, however, is that we came away from this trip with this.

I can hardly believe it. We are officially under contract on this lovely home. It is not completed yet, so we get to move into a brand-spankin'-new house. It will be our Southern Home. We are very excited about it.

I will let y'all know when Hotel Ross is once again open for business.

Catch Up and (Another) Big Announcement

 We are a busy bunch. In the time since my last post quite a bit has happened, like:

 We went to California for fall break. We visited Jake's sister and her family in the Bay Area where the kids got to go trick-or-treating. I wish I had a photo of her gorgeous home. I love it. We then flew to Orange County and went to Disneyland. Unfortunately, the Photographer didn't bring the camera charger, and so, of course, the battery in the camera died. She is totally fired.

 Snow. Quite a bit of it. But we live in Weird Weather Zone, so it usually melts within a few days. And then it snows again.

Ellie performed in her dance school's production of the Nutcracker. She was the Cherub. She was the smallest dancer in the entire production.

 Somewhere in there, we experienced Nature. By now you know that Nature is something I typically avoid, but I thought it might do us some good, so I broke my own rule. My dear friend Yuriko was visiting, also, so that helped convince me to get into Nature.

My favorite people in Nature. (Garden of the Gods, Colorado)

Amid all this, there was Christmas and Thanksgiving, a birthday, and some other stuff, but I guess the real kicker is that Jake got a new job and we are moving to Louisiana.

But not yet. Even though Jake starts with his new company tomorrow, we will not make the move until the kids are out of school for the summer. We will be busy over the next several months!

If you want to see where we are going, watch Duck Dynasty. That is where it is. Jake and I flew out for a visit to check things out right before Christmas. We are in for some lifestyle changes. Jake fell in love with the place.

I look forward to learning a new language.

In the meantime, if you or anyone you know is looking for a 4 bedroom home in the Denver area, call me!

62

Dear Mom,

On what would have been your 62nd birthday, I thought I'd show you some things you might like.

Sometimes we can't find Judd. Then we find him asleep.

The kids are best friends. I love watching them play together.

Ellie started first grade and Judd started his second year of preschool. They both love school.

She is growing up.

She is, too, but she is still a baby to me.

This guy is the sweetest boy.

He doesn't love soccer, though.

When Ellie is at school, these two are best friends.

And I think Maki is happy and healthy. The kids drive him nuts, though.

I still think of you every day. Ellie remembers you well. Can you believe it? She misses you but she seems confident that we will all get to meet again someday.

Happy Birthday!

Love,
Katie

An Announcement and Update

First, a big announcement:

I have a new blog. I know, you were expecting a baby announcement. I realize that we are "due" for another baby Ross. Ha ha. Nope. I have graced the blogosphere with a new blog. The beauty of this one, though, is that is centers around my husband. Here is the link. Enjoy. The Adventures of Jake.

Next, I will torture you with things my kids have done or said.

1. Judd had an accident last week at his grandparents' house. Later that day, Jake wanted to talk about the incident.
Jake:  Why did you poop in your pants today?
Judd:  Dad, somebody put poop in my pants today at Boppy's house.
Jake:  ...

He turned 4 last month. Here he is in his new Polo Ralph Lauren outfit, courtesy Aunt Sumie in Japan. Classic.

Please don't mind that chaos on my patio there. I wish I could say a storm did that, but we all know that's just the natural state of my home.

2. My 2-year-old is very good at telling you she is 6 years old. She holds out the correct number of fingers and everything. She's very convincing, except for the fact that she usually looks like this.

She's just a baby! Incidentally, my 4-year-old son uses two hands to tell you how old he is.

3. Teeth are falling out all over the place.

Happy summer!

Happy Mom's Day 2012

Here's a recent (and rare) photo of me with my kids. Note that one of them is trying to push me out of the picture. I believe that we are at a place in our lives where a good family snapshot is a mere fantasy.

As Mother's Day approaches, I find myself thinking often about the role of mothers in general, and my job as a mother, specifically. A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine commented that she was a much better attorney than she was a mother. She, like me, has made the decision to stay at home with the kids rather than pursue a potentially lucrative and exciting career as an attorney. I should have interjected at the time and told her firmly that she is not only a capable and competent parent, but also about as good as they come. I can't imagine a mother who loves her children more. (If you're reading this now, my friend, I hope you take this to heart! )

Her comment, however, made me think about how I view myself as a mother. I can honestly tell you that this is the most difficult task I have ever ever ever taken on in my entire life. I can give you a list of the insanely difficult things I have either done or endured in my life, but motherhood dwarfs them all. (The bar exam? Ha! Not even close!) This stay-at-home mom thing? Impossible! If you see my house on any given day, you would have to agree. My kids run wild, my house is overrun with random shoes and stray food, and every surface that is reachable by a 2 1/2 foot tall human has been tagged with Sharpie. (Incidentally, I think I have discovered where my grey streak is going to be.) You know those blogs where the mom is beautiful, the kids are clean and well dressed, and the home is perfectly decorated? This isn't that blog. This is the blog where the mom is usually wiping poop off of something or someone. Or was that a tropical storm that just swept through my kitchen right after I hand-mopped the floor and scrubbed the grout? I so so so hate grout!

Then I thought of my own mom, who had to do all this, but thousands of miles away from her homeland, from her family. She had to do it with almost no money, an absentee/abusive spouse, and as a result, often waning mental health. My relationship with my mom was always complicated and difficult, but as I delve deeper into my job as a mom, I realize more and more how difficult things were for her. I find myself wondering how she was able to take us all to adulthood, given the circumstances she had.

As you know, my mom died two years ago. However, it was just recently that I figured out what the ache for her in my heart was. For me, despite our complicated relationship, my mom was the person who was proud of me. I could tell her the things I had done, and I knew that made her happy. She would tell me that I had done well or would marvel that I had such an ability to do whatever it was I had done. I truly miss that. Now I ache to pick up the phone to call my mom and tell her about the things my kids have done. I know she would love that.

I owe my mom a huge Thank You and Happy Mother's Day. Also to Jake's mom, Happy Mother's Day and Thank You--you've done a great job!

Today was my daughter's first ever piano recital. She had a brilliant performance. It brought memories of my many piano recitals and how I felt back then. I am glad to report that after she played her pieces, I held her on my lap, gave her a big squeeze, and told her how proud of her I am. Her face beamed, and I saw that my role as her mother isn't so different from my own mom's role as a mother to me.

Happy Mother's Day!