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"

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!

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

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!

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}

 

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...