Sun and Rain

I can't believe we are more than halfway though kindergarten. We hit the 100th day of school a few weeks ago, which was something I used to wonder what the big deal was and I now know it's just a fun day to celebrate and use for practicing counting :-)

Maggie is growing up crazy fast now that she is in school. She reads really well, as in, she surprises me how well she is progressing through the school year. She will walk through the house holding a book reading or I will find her on a pillow in our playroom reading. She has a stack of books and journals almost always in the car next to her booster seat. She reads so much that Max has been memorizing some of the lines when she reads out loud.

2015 so far has brought our family close. We have been on the periphery of tragedies and hardships and I think when that happens it brings people together. I feel the four of us huddling together, relying on eachother. We said goodbye to our family kitty, Lily, whom I got as a kitten way before Maggie and Max came along. She was a good kitty, especially to our crazy kiddos that cried often making her nervous and chasing after her pulling her tail. We had lots of time to say goodbye. Then within a week of saying goodbye, we welcomed our new kitty Charlotte. I took the kids on a planned-out route looking to adopt a cat or two at the various rescues in our area. I knew our last stop was going to be successful...and it was! Maggie and I immediately fell in love with a little grey kitty that was sitting quietly in her cage. She was being petted by others but I snagged her as soon as I could and they let us play with her in a room. Maggie had that look in her eyes that said "I am not leaving here without her" and I felt it too. It was so fun to say yes to bringing home a kitty. She is about 6 months old now and getting increasingly comfortable at our house, used to the loud sounds and making her own loud sounds in the middle of the night and trying to pounce on our toes under the covers. Maggie carried her everywhere for the first few weeks. I even witnessed her being carried in a tote bag around Maggie's neck and the cat looked perfectly comfortable. Maggie has trained her to love laying in a little cat bed too.

I quickly put in a spring garden last week. We have a couple months until it really gets hot, so hopefully we get some fun stuff until then (lettuce, kale, spinach, cilantro, peas). I'm excited to start seeing things blooming and fruiting, it't almost that time of year!


Seen and Heard

Maggie talking to her Nana about building a fort together on the phone: "Yes, let's do that. It has been ages! (rolling her head back, using the phrase perfectly)

Max calling gymnastics "nastics" and Maggie telling him that he was going to have to do a make-up class because he fell asleep on the way there. For a second (which Maggie and I found very funny), he thought Maggie was telling him that he needed to put on make-up and couldn't figure that out.

I was telling Max that we were going to hand out valentines to our mom's group friends the next day. I mentioned one boy in the list of kids he was going to see and he said "What's his number?" Confused, I asked Max what his number was and he said "2". Oh, his age!

We are in that stage where Max narrates what he just saw, slowly but surely (so cute!), and he says a lot of words starting with "W" like "wips" (lips). If you play dumb or laugh, he seriously responds like, "I said wips! (don't you understand?)"

Things to Remember

These notes below are from over the past 4 months or so. I don't really know how it happened, but life is busier than when the kids were smaller. Work is busier with more responsibility. Overall, I'm really happy with life in this moment. I am sad to see Max pass 2, which will happen soon, but the flip side are so many benefits. Max has entered the terrible 2 stage I believe. I don't quite remember this hitting with Maggie until she was 3 (and with girls it seems it's about being more emotional), but we are getting a lot of stubborn-ness, No's!, and generally not wanting to do something when asked. We had to pass on the dentist appointment this fall, haircuts are a little bit of a struggle right now, and when he says he wants something to eat it's usually the opposite (after serving him). But however it is, I love my kids so much and am enjoying it all. I spent a two week winter break with them from the beach to the redwoods to the Sierra snow and it was magical. My goal for that time was to get outside every day and just be active and we accomplished it.

I feel very lucky for my family and my friends. I have good wishes for 2015 and last week was one of lots of bad/sad news so I'm hoping that's it for a good while. I've said goodbye to my word of 2014...expand...and am coming up with this year's word as I write this. Happy New Year!

Seen and Heard (Fall 2014-present)

Shopping at Target with Max in the ergo, which he is probably too big for now but I use it in those rare circumstances like this where I ended up at Target with him sleeping and I needed to do some shopping. I transferred him from car seat to the ergo on my back and he slept for awhile but then woke up in the middle of my shopping and I quickly realized that he got a bloody nose while sleeping and it was all over his face and my back. I tried to calm him and also hide him a little because the blood looked a little scary but we quickly made it to the family bathroom to clean up. Shopping and doing errands is always an adventure with little ones.

It took about one month exactly for Maggie to not cling to me upon entering her classroom and to do it with a smile! Club M (before and after school care) is taking a little longer, especially in the mornings, but overall, it's going well. I've definitely had a few mornings where I walk away doubting all the decisions I've made to get to this point. It happened last week but I knew driving away that within an hour or two that the feelings would dissipate, Maggie would end up having a good day, and that all was well.

Max, as he is learning numbers, he often says this combination: 2-1-5. It's really cute. He is also starting to sing the alphabet. Maggie is a proud sister watching him learn these things. I love that I can look at her when he is doing something cute and she has that same recognition in her face.

Over the course of 24 hours, Max told me he wanted to be a firefighter, go fishing, take his bike camping, and talk to Daddy on the phone. It's becoming easier to have these conversations with him and hear what he wants and it's funny when he doesn't get what he wants. He has a serious pout-y face, often wants to throw something in that moment to express himself, and crosses his arms and makes a show of it. Then, within a minute, he's back to himself, either having been distracted, or just over it, laughing and my cute little 2-year old boy. He also comes back to say "I'm sorry Mommy" and he always means it. This is an improvement from 6 months ago. He will say it to Maggie too and they kiss and hug often after a spat.

Max still smells like diapers and I am going to hate when that smell is gone. I know the end is near so it's a little bit sad!

Maggie is not without pen and paper, or scissors, or stapler...little mounds of paper are being created all throughout the house. She is reading a lot, sounding out words, picking up books and reading on her own, and she gets pretty upset if there isn't much time left at night for stories. I look at my 5-year old thinking how far she has come from baby to kindergartner, on her own during the day, and how grown up she is compared to little Maxie but then I see how young she is in other ways and that she is only 5 and I'm so thankful for that.

Long story short, Maggie was sitting next to her good friend Jameson at his brother's birthday party during an outdoor movie and lucky us!, we witnessed her lean over and kiss him fondly on the cheek. I admit it freaked me out just a little bit but it was so cute in the end and not something we made a big deal of.

Maggie saying about her cup and straw from the backseat of the car: "Come on straw, work with me!"

A note sent to me by Maggie's kindergarten teacher: "Maggie said the cutest thing today. The presenter from the Maidu Center was showing the kids an abalone shell. He said "Does anyone know what this is?" Maggie put her hand up and said "It's bologna." Too cute.""

Transitions

 Maggie started kindergarten two weeks ago and what a time it has been! Prior to this, I have been looking at all the different schools available in our area for two years, so about the time she turned 4. Doing tours, talking with other local moms about the options, and doing my research. What it came down to was Maggie getting chosen at some of the schools we applied to and deciding which route to take in the end.

She started at the California Montessori Project and we got the teacher we requested, having heard from multiple families that one in particular was wonderful. I'm really happy with our choice. I am getting used to the new schedule, new commute, and trying to support Maggie as best I can on this new adventure. Maggie is also adjusting. Such a big change for a little five year old but she is handling it well. There were tears the first week but no tears on the 6th day of school. It's a big change for her to go from 3 to 5 days a week and move from a really safe, comfortable environment of home preschool to public school. She is making new friends, one in particular that she eats lunch with every day. This is a little girl that I have seen since the early days when I first started taking Maggie to story time as a new parent at our library (she was 1!). I always took note of this family at story time and I know the girls had an interaction or two but that was about it and I don't think they remember it. It's pretty cute to hear her talk about her days. After the first day when she was shy and sitting alone in the cafeteria (I know, so sad to imagine!), she got a pep talk from dad that night in the dark about how to make friends. Little did I know, my little girl went to school the next day and made this new friend on her own. She asked her if she could eat lunch with her, and since then they have been a pair. Now they trade off picking where to sit in the lunch room and it seems a boy or two sits with the two of them every day. At back to school night, her friend's parents chased after us introducing themselves and telling us they had heard all about our family, even our old cat! Oh Maggie.

I am thankful for the community we have already become a part of since school started. Part of the reason I chose this school was because of the community but also because of the learning method which is different than a traditional public school classroom and smaller class size. I wasn't planning to tour this school but I did with the encouragement from a friend and when I went into the kindergarten classroom (Maggie's now!), I was amazed. I had already seen other public school classrooms but this one was peaceful, not crowded, organized, beautiful, and it smelled good! I remember telling people after that tour how the teacher must have had a candle burning somewhere! I also remember a little rabbit in a cage in the corner, it was so fluffy and healthy looking :-) It was just a world of difference from what I had seen up until that point and I never forgot that. That was the type of environment I wanted for Maggie and we lucked out on getting in, it felt like getting a golden ticket! I also liked how the before and after school program is on-site taught by teacher's aides who are in the classrooms during the day. I knew even though this would be a shock to Maggie at first, that it would be a good fit for her.

So now I am a mom to a school-age child. She is not with me in the mornings anymore and I feel like I am becoming a mom who is in the car a lot transporting kids and running errands like a crazy woman much of the time! I'm sure we'll just get into a new routine. Moms to kids under five, cherish those years! They go by really fast.

On the back to school note, this is beautiful. I follow a few blogs of woman who have gotten involved with Noonday Collection in the past year or two and it was inspiring me so I decided to host a trunk show for Noonday next month! We have a new patio being put in so I figured once that was done, it would be a great time to throw a party! The story is amazing as are the jewelry and accessories. I can't wait!

(Courtesy of Noonday's website, not a link)

Seen and Heard

Maggie: driving to our first camping trip this summer, we arrived and rolled the windows down and Maggie said "mmm, it smells like nature."

Maggie: "I'm not going to run, my feet are still tired."

Maggie: "I loved it when I was little, Max."

Maggie: rolling over from waking up a few days after kindergarten had started and saying "I don't want to go everyday. I'm getting tired of it."

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We did lots of travelling this summer, here is a quick smattering of some of the places we've been!

Packer Lake (fishing derby)

A yurt in Hiouchi (tip top of California)

Mom's club progressive dinner - Summer 2014 (we all rode bikes!)

Summertime

This morning after I dropped Maggie and Max off I thought to myself "parenting is not for the faint of heart." Sometimes I get stuck not knowing if what I'm doing is the right thing for myself or family. Life is full of these moments - feeling stuck, highs, lows, but most often, being grateful and happy.

My word for the year is expand. I have it written on a post it and every now and then I notice it and think about how it applies to my current situation or how the word can positively influence how I plan to do things.

Last night we had our end of the year banquet in our mom's group and it was heartwarming. We ate good food, played games, had a raffle, and read out loud our answers to some fun questions that helped us learn more about each other. I loved listening to the other women's answers. Some were similar, some were so different and it was a night where I really felt we connected, reminding me of how I'm not the only one experiencing the variety of life's emotions.

I would love to figure out how to blog from my phone. Does anyone know how to do that with blogger? I haven't found an app to do it and using the website from the phone doesn't work.

Seen and Heard

My mom and I went on a garden tour to celebrate Mother's Day and we took Max with. At the first garden, we walked into the backyard and the owner was sitting in a chair quietly. He asked Max to come shake his hand and he did it hesitantly, which I was surprised about! He then asked him his name, and in a little voice he said "Maxie". Such a cute moment, first time I'd heard him say his name.

We've been hearing about the BOB books for reading so I picked up a set for Maggie. She's been learning about sight words and reading small printout books that are similar at her daycare/preschool but I was still surprised when we sat down that afternoon while Max was napping and she started reading the BOB books to me, one by one. It's amazing when reading comes together, I had a moment where I could see all the storytimes and time spent with books paying off. She was so excited, with me complimenting her, and she kept wriggling around with a big smile on her face each time she read a book. It was such a proud mommy moment.

One of the stories from my childhood was me saying to my parents "Don't see me" at a young age because I didn't want attention drawn to me. This was probably early school age but it's always been an example that has been brought up to show how shy I was. Max seems to have more of my traits and although he isn't very outwardly shy, he reminds me of myself or my dad mostly. On a drive this week, hubby was saying "I see you" through the rear view mirror and Max had a grumpy face and was saying "No see me" back. Totally reminded me of myself and I love how he is putting sentences together and a lot of them start with "No" for "Don't".

Max sounding like a pirate. Almost every sentence starts with "Me" as in "Medicine. Me arm" (asked at bedtime in the dark - such a goof).

Maggie thinking the "Gruffalo" or "Gruffalo's Child" is scary and never wanting to watch it. Max, on the other hand, always pulling out the "Gruffalo's Child" asking to see it.

Catching Maggie say "This Maggie cat is pissed."

Max saying "dang it" in response to dropping something, etc. Maggie telling on him when she first heard it and me telling him that a better response is "oh no" or "uh oh". You kind of hate to correct them because it sounds so cute coming out!

Max and Maggie calling me "mama"

5 + 2 does not equal 7

Combo spring birthday party!

It's birthday season again. My little lady, who has gotten quite serious lately, turned 5 in March and my little man, who is goofier by the minute, turns 2 tomorrow. It's been quite fabulous really. They play so much together and I love hearing them giggle together while I do chores around the house. They are both taking gymnastics at the same time, separate classes, and it's so sweet when Max looks over the mini wall to watch his sister or escapes his lesson to join his sister's class. Max will ask me after crawling into bed with me in the morning: "Sissy wake?" When Maggie wakes up, Max crawls in with her and they hug.

Max loves his summer flip flops and doesn't want to wear shoes and socks anymore. He calls them "flop flops" or something similar. His vocabulary is exploding and he's saying 2 or 3 word sentences. He is now sleeping in his big boy bed and it took about a week to train him (although recent nights haven't been so easy and he's wanting out or waking up in the middle of the night). He calls out lawn mowers (his favorite), buses, and choo-choo's on the road. He has been telling us thank you for the funniest things, like changing his diaper. And speaking of, he's using his potty more and more!

Maggie is completely infatuated with the movie Frozen and Elsa, the magical sister. She belts out the songs constantly. For Maggie's birthday, I took the kids on a spur of the moment trip to the beach in San Francisco. We enjoyed beach time, the spa, and riding the train through the city. I've also started a special present theme for her that I will continue as she gets older. I gave her an antique tea cup that she can use with supervision but it's something I want to collect and save for her once she's older and on her own. We've christened it with hot cocoa :-) One day she'll have quite the eclectic collection of little tea cups and it's something we can share over the years.

I'm 5!

How old are you? Five (said perfectly)
Who do you like to play with most? Kellen and Kelsey and all my friends at daycare
What is your favorite toy? Ede (sea turtle named after her cousin) and Howie (her little dog that goes everywhere with her) and Snowball (little white rabbit)
Where is your favorite place to go? Lita's zoo (the Sacramento Zoo which her grandma takes her to often)
Why? Because I like the animal hospital and I see "Doc" there (she makes sure I know she means          pretend)
Are you happy to have a brother? Kind of
What is your favorite show? Octonauts and Stella & Sam (and then lists other shows like Caillou, Doc McStuffins, and Frozen)
What do you like to wear most? Dresses and flip-flops
What is your favorite color? Pink and purple and red and turquoise and light blue...
What is your favorite song? Taylor Swift songs, Frozen songs, Tangled songs...
What is your favorite food? Grains and star or princess soup
What is your favorite animal? Turtle
What is your favorite book? Frozen
What is your favorite craft? Coloring ("in the lines" she adds - first child syndrome :-)

I'm 2! (I hadn't really planned asking him questions but he saw Maggie being asked and was giving me his answers too)

How old are you? One (said in his learning-to-talk voice)
Who do you like to play with most? Me
What is your favorite toy? "raarh"
Are you happy to have a sissy? (nodded yes)
What is your favorite show? na-nauts (after Maggie said it)
What do you like to wear most? Flop flops
What is your favorite color? (sounded like "black")
What is your favorite song? "oo-oo-ah-ah" (Matilda the Gorilla)
What is your favorite food? milky

On the Muni in San Francisco on Maggie's birthday

Coming up for breath

My little Max, soon to be 2, has been taking it "to the Max" lately and mom and dad are trying to keep up. It feels like a different ball game with this boy and it's so interesting to compare the two in terms of personality, when milestones are reached, body size, and so on. This week I was asked by someone if Max was ethnic in so many words. First time I've been asked that but it was cool since he is 1/2 Mexican and that a stranger could see that. Turns out she was 1/2 Mexican too :-) Maggie seems to have more features in that department but to each their own.

This week we were also trying to get out the door one morning and while I was brushing my teeth knowing Max might get into trouble, he ended up with a bloody nose and gashed lip in a second. It was a sign to me in that moment that we needed to slow down and stop for a bit, so we did and it all worked out well.

Between figuring out the best route for Maggie with kindergarten and dotting the i's and crossing the t's for that and making transitions into the next stage with Max, I've had my hands full. In the last month with Max, we've discovered a 2 yr molar growing in which caused a few nights of waking, he's gotten a few bloody noses (climbing up on sketchy things and riding his strider downhill), climbed out of his crib over and over after seeing his cousin and sister do it a few times (which resulted in getting rid of the crib way earlier than I had hoped), refused to nap and go to bed some days (good times...I need those mental breaks!), and been pretty clingy with me overall. It's one of those times that you try to cherish the babyness that remains but it's also frustrating making the transition at the same time. I know on the other side of all this I'll have a 2 year old that has shed some of his last layers of baby skin. It's all good though. My little boy is becoming a big boy, learning to sleep in his little bed this week, weaning, starting to talk, and able to get into EVERYTHING.

Maggie has been saying some of the best things lately. My favorite from this week was Maggie climbing into bed with me before Max was up and snuggling up, whispering in my ear "Mom I love you just the way you are." How does she come up with this stuff?

Now that March is here, we're looking forward to birthdays and a road trip to the desert!

Seen and Heard

Seen and Heard: I cleaned house after Christmas and with a need to purge some things, we also went to our children's consignment store nearby to sell and buy. Maggie is really blossoming into such an independent little girl. It just keeps building upon itself and that is a really exciting thing to watch as a parent. She is an amazing helper, pretty well behaved, and she just loves all of us and shows it. When I told her we were going to this store, she asked if she could get a toy and I explained how she didn't need any toys since we just celebrated Christmas but we could make a deal: if she found something unique or that she needed, something from my "mental list" of things I was looking for, then we could talk about it. Right away, she asked if she could go to the back of the store to explore the toys. I started riffling through the shoes in the front with Max. Maggie brought back various purses that she wanted with stuffed animals sticking out of them and I said no (hard to do - they are cute, I agree!). Then she asked for me to come back with her. After scanning the toys, I suggested a backpack since we've had our eye out for one and they had some hanging there. She starts kindergarten this fall so the need for one is coming up and this is a good way to practice. I found a mini-backpack with Rapunzel on the front and it was pink. Maggie is petite and it fit her just right. She was so excited when I found it and for $2.50, we couldn't pass it up. At home that day, she grilled me on what you put in a backpack for school. She is really into learning to read and write and has started accumulating various notebooks and pens/pencils. She stuffed the backpack full with a favorite DocMcStuffins book, notebook, pen from her gymnastics class, comb, hair clips, chapstick, play phone, preschooler camera, and a new Hello Kitty hoodie. I really didn't think it would hold that much and she happily proved me wrong telling people "My mom didn't think it would fit all of this but it does!" beaming afterwards. Maggie and I have our quiet time together when Max naps in the afternoon. It was during this time that she was filling her backpack and she wanted me to come see the contents once she was done filling it. She quietly said to me after showing me everything with satisfaction "You know mom, a backpack is a sign of growing up." These moments kill me! Sigh. Raising my kids has been one of the best gifts I've ever been given. With Max, I know what is ahead for the most part and it's exciting.

Seen: Maggie getting her flu shot so bravely. I waited to tell her we were going until the night before or day of and when I did, she was so calm. The kids before her and after her were crying and nervous. That didn't affect her...she knew it was fine and was a model for all!

Seen and Heard: Max saying the cutest things, repeating all of us. We've made him repeat "Ewwww" a lot. I'm a happy mama watching him beginning to speak!

Life in Pictures

Thanksgiving day 5k-Maggie ran the whole thing!

 

 

Classic "I'm not sure about this" Max face

 

New Year's Day picnic

 

 

The week before Christmas

Every day now Max says something new or Maggie says something funny and unexpected and I would like to write it down but then the moment passes and it doesn't happen. Max is really starting to talk and babble sentences at 20 months old and I love listening to him and see his excitement in discovering things. It's just so cool to be there watching them repeat a word in their own way for the first time while you're realizing they know what you are talking about but they just haven't verbalized it yet.

Every year with Maggie holidays get a little more elevated. I had it more planned out this year but still, once this week hit, I started feeling the pressure. Thank goodness for good friends and my hubby to relieve anxiety, red wine, and honest conversations. Oh, and Parenthood. I'm hooked on it right now and am goofily relating it to all situations I encounter...yep, pretty realistic, I know. Overall though, this holiday season has been enjoyable and in a slightly different way than past years. I feel that I am growing and with our kids growing up, it takes on new meanings. One of the things I failed at this month...not being able to pull off a popcorn and cranberry garland for Maggie to string around our tree. This is something we read about last Christmas in one of her books and it looked easy, even after googling the how-to, but I burnt the popcorn and it said to string on floss and well, I tossed the popcorn and I'd rather buy something pretty at this point :-)

We don't seem to be doing the same things as last year (gingerbread house, family the weekend before with ice skating, all the movie watching and Christmas lights, Nutcracker) and are more mellow this year. The days on the advent calendar seem to be going by very quickly. We ice skated right after Thanksgiving this year, I actually bought and wrapped gifts early (thank you online deals and free shipping), and we've used lots of babysitting to attend a progressive ugly sweater dinner and a couple other holiday parties.

Here is what 4, almost 5, has looked like lately: Maggie constantly asking for one thing or another. If it isn't gum, it's to do a craft or move on to the next best thing immediately and it might be fine if I just had Maggie to worry about but I'm also managing a toddler. So I often have to par it down with "let's just read a book" or "watch a show together" and she seems happy enough with that :-)

Pictures later...happy holidays family and friends!

October S&H

Halloween is here!

Mom's group event



So much is going on in our life constantly - it's a mixture of play, work, travel - then repeat. And, for the most part these days, good sleep, just early waking. And this blog is my one place, since I don't write in journals anymore, to document milestones in the kid's life and share it with family and friends that read it. So here's to my random monthly (or longer) posts!





Seen and Heard

Max is exploding with his words at 18 months. He loves pointing out dogs (da-da) and big trucks (weee!). He hasn't learned more than a couple baby signs and he doesn't care to. He'd rather grunt to get his point across or try out new words when he's up to it. He has used his baby potty once (#1) and has suprised me in the tub a few times recently (#2). Oh joy.

Maggie is a great big sister. Sometimes she snags toys from his hands to probably get back for how physical he is or because she simply doesn't want to share the toys that were once just hers, but I'm pretty sure she is in love with her little brother and they give each other hugs and kisses when they wake up and when they head to bed. Her story changes over time, but most recently she told me she wants to marry Max when she grows up. Hmm...

Maggie was recently talking to her cousin on the phone and I heard her tell her (after talking about nicknames) that her full name was "Maggidalena."

We also taught Maggie how to place a phone call and the next day after "practicing" she snuck the house phone and called my cell phone from the playroom on her own, what a sneak!

1st good rain of the fall season

Seen and Heard

Life is so fun. We have hard days (or parts of days) but I really think those hard bits make the good times better. At the end of the day though, I am quietly thankful for my little ones and my husband because they make my life so full and vibrant. A quiet house is nice once in awhile but the thought of the kids moving out one day makes me kind of nervous :-)

We had a thunderstorm and rain last week. It was really nice to smell wet asphalt, feel the humidity, and the rain suprised the kids. Then we went to Santa Cruz and saw sunshine, fog, and family. And now we are back in the heat.

{Seen and heard}

Maggie referring to a movie theater as a movie feeder. Why we asked? Because they feed people.

A conversation over dinner with Maggie:

What did you do today? We played that I was the mommy. Kellen was the daddy.
Who were the others? Livvy and Lexy were the babies. Kelsey was the babysitter.
What did the mommy and daddy do? Were the babies good? We went on a date.
What did you do on your date? We ate pizza. Lots of pizza. And we had ice cream before dinner.
Did you pay the babysitter? Yep, $10.

Who is your favorite person? (asked to Maggie at bedtime, lights out) Eden...and you, and daddy, and Maxie...but Maxie is a little rough.

Max saying more words: ow-wee, Judi, get down

Maggie being rough with Max (what goes around comes around I guess) - in one night, Max hits the pavement and scratches his face and then finishes the evening by hitting his head on the outdoor fire ring

Max and Maggie getting stung by a bee in our backyard one week apart

 

Exciting August

Surprise! Life can change in an instant. For us, that means one day we are moving along as usual, the next I am in the ER with my hubby waiting for him to get an MRI, ending up in emergency surgery that night. In the course of 24 hours, he went in, got diagnosed, operated on, came out of anesthesia (hilarious!), slept some of it off, and waited for clearance from many doctors and nurses to go home and recoup for about a month. His stay at the hospital was exciting. Hubby is not one to stay still, so it was a nice change to be the one by his side helping if needed. At home...a slightly different story but after a week, he is being pretty good about not doing too much and I think recovering well. The silver lining to when something unexpected and potentially life threatening happens to you and/or your family: friends and family are there for you wanting to help and make life easier. I appreciate the kindness, it's what makes life so special in the end.

 One of the best and most fun gifts we've received since his surgery is the building of a tortoise pen for Maggie. It was something we were in the middle of so two of hubby's best buds came over to make it happen. It resulted in a day full of laughter between three goofy guys that might as well have been kids back in high school. Maggie somehow ended up on the name Wendy, which evolved into Wendell. It has a back story but the tortoise is most likely a male, so either way, he's covered.

 

 

Our trip to Oregon this summer was brief (sigh) but tons of fun. I was a little worried about Max being a handful in the car and also at night but both turned out really good. We managed to pack in fun activites every day we were there. We travelled with our friends and one of the best parts of the trip was talking over the radio between cars while travelling. That's where we reminisced about past trips (most before kids) and laughed a lot at eachother. We were able to spend a day at Crater Lake and show our four kids combined what it was all about. While the two littlest ones slept on us in ergos, we hiked the Discovery Trail along the rim of Crater Lake. Maggie did great walking 2 1/2 miles. Overall, we got some hikes in, visited a fish hatchery, the guys fished one evening, took the kids on a fun and funky train ride, visited a native american art gallery that is always a must, and made most of our meals at our cabins family-style. All in all a great time.

 

{Kiddo catch-up}

Maggie @ 4 1/2 yrs:

LOVES having her nails painted, tea parties, music and recently Mary Poppins songs (over the movie), her stuffed animals which all have names and they often are being fed with bottles and the like, picnics, and helping me cook.

She tried out soccer this summer and had a good time. She's been asking me what words mean when we're reading books - sly, tricked, cocked (as in "the crow cocked his head" from one of our library books :-). She does not look forward to her hair being brushed but loves ponytails and all types of braids. She is very sweet with her brother. This is one of the best things about having two. Maggie will sometimes mimic us when talking to him and sounds like an adult. They give the cutest hugs and kisses to eachother.


Max @ 1 (16 months):

Max needs a lot of haircuts! He loves to dance, all you have to do is turn on some fun music or he copies Maggie. They like to dance to the intro. of the cartoons Maggie likes. The kids love dancing in the car too while strapped in to their carseats. They made us laugh on the Oregon car ride.

Max gets everything we say to him and gives big nods for yes and shakes his head for no. He says a lot of uh-ohs. He started saying mama at 15 months. Then he started saying recognizable words like turtle, blueberry, and duck after that. He's our goofy boy. Not as dramatic as Maggie but they love to fight for attention at the same time.

Ok, ready for fall and Halloween costumes!