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"

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

 

 

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

She's 4!

 

My, how my life has morphed and been on fast forward since Maggie made her way into our world. Last night we celebrated her birthday. She was a bundle of energy the day before and truly couldn't believe that she was turning 4. She thinks that turning 4 now allows her to do things on her own that she couldn't imagine a day before at 3 and that she must wear 4T, nothing smaller. LOL. More power to her though. She is full of hilarious sayings these days. People have been asking me all week what to get her. I asked her a few times and the last time I asked she hung her head and said "Ugh. I swear, mom" with a smile. I couldn't stop laughing.

Birthday dinner - "brown chicken", grains (TJ's harvest grains), and corn w/carrots

I was at a loss of what to get our sweet girl up until yesterday. I had ideas...pet fish? Not really something I want to be responsible for. Maybe we will introduce a new low-maintenance pet later this year :-) She would love a turtle or bunny but we have a cat and two little kids in this house and that definitely feels like plenty for now. Yesterday was a whirlwind, the whole week was for that matter, but I persevered even after waking up late most days this week due to daylight savings and running around like a crazy woman. On my list as a potential present were pink cowgirl boots. Then the timing was right and I splurged at the insistence of my dear co-worker and got light up ones to boot (you like that?). To Maggie's delight, she exclaimed that she will be wearing them every day from this point forward. I sure hope so, let's get some use out of these puppies! I also snagged the perfect Rapunzel/Tangled singing card. FYI to all you parents-you really can't go wrong with a singing card for your child. It's about just as good as any other gift you will get them (along the cardboard box theme or wrapping paper-sometimes that's much more exciting than the actual present).

These are all of my early morning thoughts after a 3 am waking with Max where momma can't go back to sleep. Did I say that we are also in the middle of the biggest remodel yet at our house? Our master bath got gutted and is being replaced piece by piece thanks to hubby. Last year we did an update on our hall bath. So you can see why I can't sleep. Today we buy all the expensive stuff, are having a friend take some family photos of us, and are getting some dinner out with said friends that are getting married soon. Good times. And, my friends, day by day.

As she turns 4, Maggie is all about letters and words. I'll post a picture of her work soon. She is constantly pointing out words while driving in the car and writes every chance she gets at home. I often see her writing on kleenex. Sometimes her words are backwards or from bottom to top. She loves to write Max, her own name, mom/dad, or friends names down. Other names she asks me to write down for her to copy. We encourage her on this path of course but it is really cool to see a child discover writing and what it all means. She is very enthusiastic about it and wants to figure it out. I have been having conversations with her that start like this: "Mom, did you know that "e" starts with elephant?" The other thing about 3 going on 4 is that she doesn't make a ton of sense sometimes. Either it's some babble where she is trying out sentences or topics that just don't make sense or one day she likes something, the next day she doesn't and usually it has to do with some specific experience she had that was minor in reality but huge in her world. She seems to work this stuff out but it's just a funny stage.


{Joys of Parenting}
Spontaneous kisses and being told they love you or think you are pretty at random moments (these are the moments where you quickly clear your brain and be in the moment with them because these are the moments to remember 20 years from now)
Watching your child focused on something, like writing or dance
Moms group fun (being involved with other moms and their kids-hubby believes there is always high society chatting and consumption of alcohol that ensues at these events)
Watching shows quiety with your kids and speaking of, another comment from Maggie that made daddy laugh: "Mom, let's watch a show, but not Downton Abbey" (she said DA almost perfectly :-)
Watching your kids play outside together w/o you!

{Challenges of Parenting}
Night wakings and loud crying
Tantrums in a store (where you drop everything and escape)
Dropping baby at daycare when they have seperation anxiety

Of course there are more on both points but I digress...it's not even 6 am.



A Maggie shot-Kwan bear with Disney on Ice hat, Pascal off to the side, and Baby Rose wrapped up

February

First things first. Happy birthday sick husband! He was not the best patient this past weekend and I'm glad we celebrated before it hit, but we still haven't recieved his gift by mail yet (drill for our upcoming bath remodel). It's a delayed birthday of sorts, one that lasts a week. We've hit the season in our house where birthdays and celebrations are taking us by storm. I'm more prepared this year but wow, I'm constantly shopping for gifts and getting cards and meals ready.

My kids are taking over. This is one instance from this morning where Max proceeded to climb up on their little table and start ripping Maggie's art off the wall. I read a friend's post yesterday and felt a little more normal after reading it. She has a little guy that is doing the same. But seriously. Max was with his grandma yesterday and he climbed out of his crib at naptime. She found him at his door banging on it. Not crying, just wanting out. Ay yay yay! Before that happened yesterday, I was going to document other good stuff that's been happening around here. Like, Max had a bang and "over the ears" trim at 9 months. His hair was getting a bit shaggy and I wasn't ready to have him get a full cut. I wasn't even sure what that would be. Cutting boy's hair? Not my forte. The stylist commented that he was a great little client, one of her best. He sat on my lap and would look this way and that in response to new sounds. Then it became time for Maggie to get her hair trimmed so we did him again last week because his grew out really fast. He's quickly becoming the little boy. I thought I would mind more, but it's pretty darn cute. He has transitioned to walking in the past week too. Watch out!

Maggie is a cute little dancer. I think she is quickly becoming the teacher's pet. I overheard her at dance class last week being asked to get in front of her peers and state her name, age, and what she wants to be when she grows up. I heard the first girl say a singer. Then Maggie went up and said in a soft voice that she wants to be a farmer so that she can take care of pigs. I peeked in at that point and gave her teacher a smile and she responded to the class by asking Maggie about pigs and said "that's the first time I've heard that one." My daughter, the lip gloss wearing farmer :-) Her teacher held a Valentine's Day party at her studio a couple weekends ago and we signed Maggie up. She was the youngest and stayed close to the teacher all night. I think she had fun but she told us a few days after that she held her tears in while she was there. I asked her why and she said because we weren't there. Such a cute girl, a growing up moment.

I've read and finished my first book of the year: Hungry Monkey. I found this book in the Friends of the Library stacks. It was a very good read. I'll be going through it again to flag recipes and write down ingredients I want to search out. Not your typical children's "cookbook" but a great spin on how to eat with kids with lots of great tips. If you have little ones and haven't taken them to an asian market yet, do it, it's great fun. We're headed back soon.

We went on a family hike recently and leading up to it, I told Maggie we were going to see our friends and hike and she said back "Mom, you remember that I don't like to hike, right?" Yep Maggie, I know sweet dear, but we're going anyway. If you ask me how the hike went, great! Fresh air, good company, and needed exercise. 1/2 the time I carried Max in the ergo. The other half hubby offered to carry Max and then big sis wanted to be carried. This ended up being hubby also carrying her on his shoulders. It was a sight to see.

Wrapping it up, hubby and I may be in over our heads right now. Having fun of course but tired and trying to keep up with these two little monsters :) Max is currently playing with scizzors and digging through the file cabinet and trash, gotta run...

Girly things

I'm averaging about one post a month. My friend in Hawaii who got me to blog hasn't in a year. Patria, if you are reading this, post something - I miss you! When I'm not feeling tired and spacing out, I am excited for the days as they come. As for being tired, like most babies I think, Max goes in and out of being a solid sleeper at night. The past couple weeks I've been up a lot and even though my memory is hazy, I know I'm not getting the good sleep I want (last night was good). I'm definitely not able to watch any of the good shows I keep hearing about past their bedtime (for sure no movies) or spend much time chatting with hubby. After I put Max down, then I do my part in saying goodnight to Maggie which involves maybe a book but singing songs softly in the dark. 95% of the time I'm waking up a few hours later to move to my bed and then there are a few more wakings before morning. I'm not complaining though, just sharing, because I know this is a sweet time that is probably my last, as all of these phases will probably be my last since Max is probably our last, and I know that the phases don't last long. Days and months yes, years no.

A friend shared a great article with me on modern mommyhood. I enjoyed it.

Max has gone from walking around assisted to standing unassisted, then dropping down when his little legs get tired. He likes to push things across the floor, like their little Ikea chair. It's pretty cute to see him go. As long as you point him in the right direction, he keeps on walking. He has entered the stage where he freaks a little if I leave his side. He says "mamamama..." when he's tired and crawling after me wanting to be held and "dada!" when hubby walks into view. He likes to put his hand up to people's faces to say hi (right when you think he's going to grab your eyeballs) and he likes to pull on Maggie's curly hair. Seeing Maggie and Max together is awesome, they've already developed a special bond.

One of my ideas for this year with Maggie was to switch her from gymnastics to dance. She seems to have a love of singing/dance/performing so I thought this would be a step in that direction. Plus side for the parents and grandparents: we get to watch her through the magic window at dance class. I can't wait for the recital! The other bonus is seeing your 3-year old done up in a leotard, leggings, ballet skirt, ballet shoes or tap shoes, and hair in a bun. Never imagined it, but I'm loving this period of being the mom of such a little dancer.

Happy foggy (where is the sun?) Saturday!



Seeing clearly

I'm happy that 2013 is here. I'm feeling refreshed and I like the number 3. I turned 33 a few months ago and with our two kids in tow, we're on a roll. This year I won't be pregnant or living in the trenches of one of our baby's first year. I don't make new year's resolutions because those just seem silly but I do hope to get in some more exercise and reverse some of these wrinkles I'm seeing. I also am going to develop more quality time with hubby and just have more fun, some of that was in short supply last year.

This year I am going to take a trip (or maybe four). I'd love to go back to Hawaii, but I also want to take the kids to Monterey and I know we'll be visiting Aptos, and hopefully Oregon and Cayucos.

I also want to read more which means I need to stay up after the kids go to bed. Hmm...

Our holiday vacation was full of long days but then it was over in an instant. I got a lot of things cleaned out ("spring" cleaning), and I rarely went outside. Too cold. We spent lots of family time together. I cooked new recipes and a really yummy, moist turkey on New Year's Eve. Maggie fell asleep on my chest that night shortly after I told her she could stay up. I think she was holiday'd out and it was just really sweet to have my baby girl peacefully sleeping on my chest. We went on a NYE daytime date to see this movie. Billy Crystal had us cracking up. We saw the snow but didn't make it past the parking lot (our plan was to snowshoe with the kids and friends). It was a challenging 24 hours but I'm still glad we went. Trying times (or ones that don't live up to your expectations) seem to make the best laughable stories and memories!

{More good recipes to share}

Really awesome chocolate chip cookies - the dry ingredients were gifted to us at Christmas. I let the batter chill for 36 hours.

Comfort food one-pot pasta meal with bacon and butternut squash - I used what I had on hand, so instead of shallots I used leeks and white onion and instead of provolone I used cheddar. I didn't use rosemary because I was too lazy to go outside and clip it and I didn't think I'd miss it.

Leftover turkey pot pie - I have been making this for a long time, I think I clipped the recipe in college (the one linked is similar). This time, I used turkey of course, frozen peas and white corn, fresh carrots and onion, herbs de provence, leftover turkey gravy mixed with country gravy to give it creaminess and water to get the right consistency.

Checking things off one by one...

...and taking it day to day. We're four days away from the big day. This month has been such fun with Maggie. Things we've accomplished:

-both kids sat on Santa's lap and it was quick and easy. Then later that night, Maggie sat on a different Santa's lap (more realistic, not creepy) while we toured the zoo lit up with lights. She hopped right up there and started chatting away. No tears for this girl. Not sure if I'm in trouble because even though we wrote out our list to Santa beforehand, she came up with new stuff to talk to Santa about. She told Santa that she wants a ladybug that walks and talks. I think it's a toy xylophone she saw on Doc McStuffins. Yeah, not happening. We don't do crazy presents and I still have shopping to do for others, the kids are set. Hopefully once Christmas morning appears and she opens her goods, the ladybug will magically drift from her mind. Oh, and she asked after leaving the first Santa "Why does Santa love me?". Then after leaving the second Santa she said enthusiastically "Santa really loves me!" Yes, we do :-)

-we made our gingerbread house and tree, thank you Lito and Lita!

-we made it to the Nutcracker. Plans changed last minute but we went with bells on. Maggie was a hit in her dress, one person even asked if she was one of the performers. In her dreams! She got a little antsy during the performance but I know she liked it. She kept asking me in her loud whisper voice when she could go up on stage to dance. Later that night I went into her room and she had all her ballet skirts/tu-tu's laid out neatly. Dance lessons are on my to-do list for her in 2013.

-we took Maggie ice skating for the first time and she had so much fun. They rent "assisters" and once she got the hang of it, she asked me to let her go (sigh) and there were times I had to keep up with her. There was a lot of slipping too. Again, no crying (I'm not counting the one time she fell on her stomach and cried for a minute).

-their letter to Santa was dropped off at our local toy shop. Supposedly they give them to Macy's who then donates money to charity for every letter recieved. Too bad Santa's not writing us back!

This has been a joyous time for us, but also a month filled with sorrow. I was deeply saddened when hearing about the event in Connecticut. As a parent of young children, it really affected me in that sense. I have grieved for those lost but also for our society as a whole because it feels like this is a sickness that we need to somehow heal. I felt better reading this, it's heartfelt and something positive to focus on.

We will be making peppermint sugar cookies in the shape of gingerbread people Christmas Eve for Santa. I look forward to being with my family near and far and hopefully seeing snow this holiday. Merry Christmas!