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!

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

 

Busy bodies

We went camping in May! We never go camping that early and it was awesome. We were invited to camp nearby, but in the mountains, with my mom's group. 6 families. 12 adults. 12 children under 7 years old. I would have never imagined how fun it could be and camping-wise, how easy, but it was. You have 10 other sets of eyes watching over your kids and meals were split up by family. So, over the course of 3 days, we made one meal for the group and then sat back and were fed by the other families. Yep, awesome. There is something to be said for hanging out with people going through what you are going through. The sites were planned out near a kid-friendly beach area and if my kid cried at night, which he did, I didn't feel too bad because it was happening with the other families. It was beautiful weather and it started sprinkling right as we were leaving on Memorial Day.

More family photos from April. They were taken in a local botanic garden. I've started a photo wall in our hallway that is being put together kind of haphazardly but it works :-)

Summer is quickly approaching and so are the 100 degree temps. Swim lessons begin next week, can't wait for the cuteness there and Maggie is going to try soccer this summer. We have 2 trips down, a few more fun ones to go.

We're getting better sleep and I don't feel like I have to go to bed when the kids do every night like I did over the past year. Max wakes about once at night if we're home, every once in awhile it's two or none. He's easier to predict with his sleeping patterns now. Away from the house, a different story but that's ok. I am so enjoying watching them grow up. Every day Maggie says the funniest things as she learns to put words together into sentences and I'm always thinking how I need to film it or write it down and it rarely happens. I would have never known before having my two what was involved day to day with kids discovering and learning. Witnessing it is one of the greatest pleasures of my life right now as an adult, it just feels very satisfying to lead and watch. Sometimes I think about the things I used to want to accomplish before I decided to get pregnant and how those things have been put on hold or have gone out the window altogether. Maybe one day I'll get back to those things, maybe not. My yarn is used more now for kid's craft projects or Max gets into a yarn drawer and pulls some of it across the house.

Just from this morning:

• Maggie woke up from the garbage truck going by outside and said to me "I could use a little more rest."
• Maggie laid out her clothes for the day, pointing out the hot pink in every piece  (saying "hot pink") and used the word "snazzy" to describe her outfit once she was dressed. The girl has style. 
• Max took my toothbrush outside (this has happened before) but then rubbed it in the fire pit/gravel and Maggie brought it to me telling me what happened while walking in her princess dress up shoes. Don't worry, it went in the trash.
• Max ate some of his breakfast, then proceeded to throw it from his highchair (happens every meal). What a waste of cherries!
• Max has figured out how to get up on both toilets, lean over the sink, and turn on the faucets full blast so that he can run his fingers through the water. Yikes.
• Max and Maggie digging in the garden and Max swiping green tomatoes to his father's dismay. We're working on that one.

{More cute pics}

 

Sneak Peak and He's One!

Spring family photo sneak peak :-)

Something that hit me recently and not for the first time...those somewhat insignificant moments that make up the every day (with kids, more often than not, the days are long where you are just wishing for the day to come to a close and for sleep to come without being woken up right after you fall asleep) - you soon realize that those are all the precious moments that add up to to the eventual change we witness in our lives and it's just bittersweet when you look back and realize this. The other day I was reading my old posts and that's when it hit me. I post mostly about my family and when I look back on the everyday this is what I see and it makes me smile.

Here's the other thing that I've been guilty of and then I saw it reaffirmed on an episode of Scrubs :-) - we all think our experiences are unique sometimes, whatever it may be. For me, it could be with my birth experience, parenting experience for whatever age group, marriage, etc. But then you have to remember that you are one tiny person in a big big world and for the most part, you are just like all of the other humans on this earth trying to figure out life. It makes me laugh and it's calming to remember this :-)

Max turned 1 this month! Oh, my sweet big boy. He looks more like a 2 year old. Around 11 months, I would nurse him in public or carry him in the ergo and I started noticing wierd looks from strangers and I got the feeling they thought I was nursing or carrying around a "too" big of a kid. Someone asked me last week if he was 18 months. Yesterday, he threw a tiny fit on the ground and someone said "terrible two's?" Ha ha.


Another peak...how cute is this?

Max is always happy when he wakes up and pretty good about going down at night without a fuss. He's also suprising us with his somewhat consistent sleep patterns at night. I love looking at him when he is in my arms falling asleep, that's when I still see the baby in him. He has the prettiest hair, brown and glossy and lots of it and he has fairer skin like me. His eyes are just like Maggie's. I love-hate seeing his legs get scratched up from walking and falling. It's a sign of him growing up and just a reminder how fast time is really going by.

As for Maggie, one of the themes I've seen with turning 4 is she is really exercising her right to say no. I want her to feel like she can express her opinion and have a a choice in some things. Most recently, her dance class had to go. After about a month of classes, each week it was a new complaint: too loud, didn't want to change into her dance clothes, etc. When she was actually in class, she appeared to have fun and I really liked her teacher. I fought it for a few weeks trying to get to the bottom of it, which I thought maybe we had but then it became a useless fight again. Seems kind of insignificant, but for me at the time it was a hard thing to let go of. As a parent you want your kids to do well, have fun, and learn and when it doesn't go exactly as planned, it's a little disapointing. We're in the "taking a break" period and it's been nice because life has been so busy elsewhere.

I read cookbooks a lot, like all the way through. The other day I got the idea from one to start using lemon curd more. This past weekend I threw together some great oatmeal by using what I had in the kitchen and  I wanted to share because it tasted amazing and it's a really healthy, long-lasting breakfast.

Old-fashioned oats - the easiest way to cook these is pour dry in a bowl, boil water on the stove, pour water into the oats and let sit and absorb for about 5 minutes. I added in dry-roasted slivered almonds, orange-flavored cranberries (Trader Joe's), milk, 1 mashed banana, and after tasting it, it wasn't quite sweet enough, so then I added a spoonful of lemon curd. So yummy. I loved the different sweetnesses and the crunch of the almonds. Max sat on my lap and ate it with me.

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