Coyote Cat

"There's a coyote cat in our front yard," Audrey states matter of factly after stepping outside to check the temp this morning.  "Oh," Graham and I brush it off, "There's a cat out there, eh?"

I back the van out so four kids can jump in - and by the corner of the house under the pine tree sits a sick looking, slow, skinny coyote.  Here comes three year old Miles, skipping along shouting "hello!", with mom right behind him.  "Get in the van!" I yell.  Audrey and Neve are yelling, laughing, jumping as they watch from the safety of the mini.  Austin and mom come toward me as I hand her Corrina and say, "There's a coyote in the yard - careful!" Coyote Cat jumps up and hobbles toward the back yard fence.  (As I write this tonight a pack of them is celebrating in the open space nearby - it's probably just a party to welcome lost coyote cat home, right?)

The term "Coyote cat" is thrown around in the car on the way to school, along with theories of how it became a coyote AND a cat.  Austin finally pipes up, "There's no such thing as a coyote cat, it's just a coyote." "Nope, it's a coyote CAT!" insists Audrey.  She's proud to have made this dangerous and rare discovery.  Three of four kids continue to theorize the origins, habits and patterns of behavior of coyote cats as we unload in the school parking lot.  Austin shakes his head with a hint of a smile.  "There's no such thing!"  His voice of reason is drowned out as his little brother supposes "...and then the coyote ATE the cat and that's how the coyote-cat was made."  I'm laughing inside, this couldn't get any more entertaining.  Thanks, kids, for infinite imagination and energy peppered with reasonable facts in this little foursome.  I wouldn't trade this morning with these kids for anything.

Telluride Bluegrass 2015

Another summer solstice has come and gone and it was our best San Juan Mountain visit yet. 

We met and caravanned with the Railsbacks and met the Eurys at our Placerville cabin - or should I say resort?  But let me not get ahead of myself...

The festival was different this year.  Lots less bluegrass during the day, sadly.  Why call it a bluegrass festival and fill stage time with a rock guitar and blues/end rant.  We still love you, T.  We'll just go in the afternoon next year.  Our kids are on about a four hour timer, so better 3-7 pm than 11-3.  As we were leaving the music was just gettin' good.

yep, that's what mood she was in.

not having that much fun.

I didn't have a beer.  It was too hot and the kids were too needy and I hadn't slept the night before, so a cold beer in hand (which was one of two goals for the festival) didn't make it through the matrix.  I did, however, pick kids up and put kids down and answer questions and repeat 'stop whining' and offer them snacks and drinks and repeat 'do you need to go potty' and encourage Graham to go enjoy himself while I watched the kids and wonder where Graham was.  I did those things.  
 
And I danced for two seconds, which was goal number two.
 
There was a fantastic play area inside the festival but out of the blistering sun.  We discovered its potential as we were leaving.  Shaded playground, portaloos (is that what they're calling them these days) and an ice cold stream.  That's our spot next year.
 
Ben was there.  He's hooked.  
 
Then we trekked back to the gondola then van then cabin.  And that was the festival.  Still totally worth every minute, still totally our annual thing.
 
Ah, the cabin.  I forgot to sign the guest book.  But a kid scribbled crayon on the page where I WOULD have signed it, so that counts for something.
 

"of course we'll go to sleep right away with no problems!"

Bunk buddies

There were two favorite things at this cabin-resort.  An informal poll showed the outdoor shower won by a nose, followed by the master bedroom with a bed that rolls out into the mountain night, one story up from the pine needled ground.  We saw stars.  The little dipper.  Pine trees swaying in the bugless night air.  A shooting star, for reals.  That bed was my absolute absolute favorite. 
 

Morning view from roll out bed

View from my side of roll out bed

Kids playing on roll out bed

I'm not one to enjoy being naked outside.  You'll never catch me on a nude beach in the south of France (I might be there, but you'll never catch me.)  Buuut this shower was pretty cool.  Graham thought so too.  One cute thing was lining up six little bare butts and scrubbing them all at once.  Alison wins mom friend of the year for that feat.

We played volleyball, I still have bruises.  Our friends the Eurys are like filled with energizer batteries or something.  They didn't stop.  Running, biking, frisbee golf, slack lining, zip lining, volleyball, campfiring, the list goes on.  I'm all, "Eury take a chill pill!"  
 

Sarah knows her batteries better be fully charged for the day.

"It's ok if, at age 45, you don't remember exactly how to build a boy scout fire."  Mark laughs, but inside he's ticked.  After making the statement I ask myself, "I wonder how old he is?"  I may never know.

Cabin sounds cool, huh?  And I didn't even mention the numerous hammocks, interesting art, salt lick with -at one point- an elk, silhouette of a woman on a phone with her feet up on a table, outdoor banquet table facing an awe inspiring mountain view, 100 acres of mountain wilderness, lookout tower, hike to a large canvas tent with air mattresses inside, paper mache deer head placed randomly in the forest, hiking trail marked with mason jars etc etc.  

One of the buildings

Clifton showing off his running skills while pretending to help kids zip line

kids at banquet table facing beautiful valley - Silas on right

s'mores

Here's a picture of our group at the festival.  Foggy cuz who knows who was drooling on Graham's phone.  Thanks for taking the pic, Ben, and for making your friend group stop to hang out with us fogies when you could have been galavanting around with cold beer in your hands.  I love these guys, and Ben.

To our fourth year at the festival, and to many more!  

Moza and Lauren are moving.

Long story short:  Graham and Marie move to Colorado, Spring 2008.  Moza and Lauren get married Fall 2009 and move to Colorado Springs.  Ben moves to Colorado Fall 2011.  Esther is born March 19, 2012.  Moza wrestles for OTC until 2013, at which point he joins the Army National Guard, still wrestling.  Emily moves to Colorado Fall 2013 for six months.  Army moves Greco-Roman wrestling to State College, PA winter 2014.  Moza and Lauren welcome Jeremiah on January 30th 2015.  Army moves Moza and family to State College March 2015. 

Looking back over the past six years, I see clearly that I ABSOLUTELY took their proximity for granted.  We'd often spend the weekend together with them.  The girls would have a grand time with Esther.  How many times did I have a full house - Ben, Moza, Lauren, Emily, us - siblings and children enthusiastically enjoying each others' presence?  More times than I deserved.  We'd laugh, talk, joke, reminisce about last year, the last decade, the last generation that grew up on the family farm.  We'd honor our parents by reflecting on their quirks and cracking up over stories from childhood (out of love, of course.)  "Pizza at seven o'clock?"

And now a big part of our Colorado lives has moved away.  I texted Ben after our last weekend all together:  "...it's hitting us hard this afternoon."  "Yeah, me too, sad."   It's that Sunday afternoon feeling, like a dark cloud and a heavy burden that settles in and you think you'll feel like that forever and you hold back tears and smile for the kids' sake.  Just went through that last year with Emily.  This is how it feels when people precious to you move away. 

And yet.  A new start for the Fays is God's plan for them.  It is good.  (Mind you, it's no sunny Colorado with mountain views...)  They'll start fresh, encounter new friends, find a niche, make their home.  We will visit them early this summer.  We will meet in the middle in Iowa now and then.  We will adjust and be okay.  And pray they end up near us again someday.  Squeeze those babies for me!  I'll see you soon.

Fay baby shower and going away party

Audrey said...

(scolding the dog) "Maya Noelle Clark!"

2014 in review

2014 was a very special year for us, mainly because we welcomed little Corrina Mae, Clark girl number three into our family in May. Dad got to name her this time, and he chose well, don't you think? We'll just clear something up right here and now: she IS named after Bob Dylan's cover "Corrina, Corrina".  See the exact version of this song here.  At our house we (specifically Neve) changed the lyrics into... Corrina Corrina, Where have you been so long? At the hospital!" Since little "Ina" (pronounced eeeenah, also Neve's idea) spent nine days in the NICU. She fared well for a six week preemie and was off oxygen and medically cleared within a week of hospital discharge.

Audrey turned six this fall and over the year she has gone from a preschooler to a kindergartener, and has grown right up and out of every pair of leggings I can find. She's reading, enjoying school, gymnastics, swimming and piano. She has jobs around the house which include feeding the dog and feeding Corrina solid food. She's my big helper, she notices everything, and she's got her two little sisters ' backs.  (Usually)

Three year old Neve is growing and learning every day. She thrived in swim lessons, ballet, learning letters and writing her name. She went from diapers to potty trained and from a crib (yes we kept her in a crib till she was nearly three!) to sharing a bunk bed with Audrey. She's our little fireball and comedian. She's also now the middle child.  Which means she's extra special, because she's the only one who is a big sister AND a little sister.  It's a big job!

Corrina might end up spoiled. Just sayin'. She's number three and I can't stop holding and kissing and squeezing her. And when I put her down, someone else wants a turn. So it's unavoidable, really. She came into the world in a flurry of drama, but is the most laid back baby I've had. She's sitting up and babbling and drooling and smiling at everyone, and dropping her off in the church nursery or the Y is a snap. What a sweet baby.

We celebrated our eleventh anniversary this year, my how the time has flown.  Graham is rounding out year two working as the controller for the city of Louisville, the town we call home. Some trips we took this year include Reno, Smoky Mountains, Iowa, Steamboat Springs. We enjoyed visits from all our parents this spring and summer to welcome Corrina, and had a great trip back to Iowa for thanksgiving. So good to see family and be in our home state. The weather cooperated this year too. (Someday I'll blog about our trip-from-heck which included a breakdown in a winter storm in Nebraska, getting towed AND hitting a deer.)

Graham's still managing a Boulder rec league softball team that he took to the championship the previous year, and is involved in multiple fantasy leagues as well as Saturday morning basketball at our local rec center. He's such a good father to his girls.  They have him wrapped around their little fingers for the most part, but he can be firm when needed. (Gun license is pending, boys.) 

I celebrated five years as an employee of Avista hospital. I enjoy my job as a nurse, especially since its part time. I ran the rock and roll half marathon this fall in Denver in an attempt to get fit after having baby #3.  When I'm not cooking or cleaning or helping with homework or shopping or planning the next outing, I attempt to go to bed early.  More than anything, I am so thankful for this busy, fun filled, sleep deprived learning period of our lives. We thank God for every moment, because looking back things change so much over a year.  We're savoring every moment we are given in the Clark house!

Thanks for reading.