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.""

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!

How's October treating ya?

Last week felt kinda hard, this week is I'm feeling good. Last week I was jealous - hubby got to escape on a trip kid free for a few days of fun to the Wild Wild West ~

Don't get me wrong. I do have the opportunity to "escape" as well but I keep turning it down. It all comes down to "do I really want to be away from the baby?" Nah, not really. I just need moments of peace. And it made me think about how much life has changed from the times we used to do those trips together a lot. I really love the open road.

October highlights:
Max army crawling (starting to crawl!), sitting up, toothy grinning and giggling, babbling - I swear I've heard him say "hi" back and saying "dada-da-da...", weighing in at 20+ lbs (maybe I should put that under lowlights? ha ha)
weather fall-ish some days, this weekend rain?
Maggie singing and making up songs, in a "Princess" phase, always hungry
pumpkin patch fun
sleepovers with the grandmas
connecting people
a little bit of home cooking (like the loosly followed minestrone soup recipe where I used up leftovers including tri tip, pasta wheels, frozen summer marinara sauce, and asiago cheese rind that turned into gooey chunks in our soup bowls - yum)
fun family weekend to Nevada filled with visit to see extended family, Donner memorial state park nature walk and picnic, 25th floor hotel room and indoor pool (Maggie ecstatic), ferris wheel ride, and splashing dog competition. Maggie's comment on the dog competition: "I didn't know dogs liked to jump in water!"

October lowlights:
nursing induced hormone fluctuations?
forgetting to take vitamins + carrying 20 lb baby and sometimes 30 lb preschooler=sore joints/body
interrupted sleep (I'm the kind of person that just doesn't feel good if I don't get my 8+ hours)


It's starting to feel like knitting weather again. I haven't picked anything up yet, but I want to! Something new/easy/and gratifying!

Pictures to come...

Two foot pig

Excuse the preggo top, it was hot during our backyard picnic!

I'd like to say it's new baby week but since that hasn't happened yet, it's Easter week. I'm loving the occasional rain and green everywhere. The spring garden is started and we're getting more plants for our front yard. Maggie loves to help garden so for Easter, since it's been back in the recesses of my mind until a few days ago, Maggie is going to enjoy some new gardening supplies with just a smidge of candy (jelly beans and a cadbury egg) in her Easter basket the morning of. She did all things Easter at her daycare this week and yesterday we hammered out the egg hunt with our mommy's group as I waddled around after her.

For the past few days, I've had small bouts of contractions/cramping but no real labor yet. I can't complain but I am getting anxious. This time off being home and free to do what I want has been amazing and I just keep checking things off the the big to-do list. I know all of our family and friends are so excited to meet the new baby, but he still seems snuggly in there despite all the rolling around and hiccupping. I don't think I have any more room in there though and I'm feeling pretty big and have quite the appetite when not feeling nauseous.


I finished Maggie's pig and while he is dang cute, I noticed as I was sewing his eyes on that I made a mistake. He's got two feet, not four! The instructions were vague and even though they said sew the legs up individually, I just proceeded on. To my 3-year old, she doesn't know the difference. All that matters, and it makes my heart sing, is that she loves her piggy and tells everyone that I made it for her. So two legs it is because for the life of me I can't find the end of the yarn to re-do them.

Time

Maternity leave is a wonderful thing. Who doesn't like being paid to be home catching up on things, relaxing, knitting, and being with your family? This week I found a lilac for our front yard, which completes an area we planted last year, I got a snowcone on a warm afternoon with vanilla ice cream inside, hubby got me two more containers of rice pudding before they went off sale :-), I took my first epsom salt bath after a long day on my feet which gave me such soft skin and not so sore feet anymore, and I FINALLY ordered prints for our walls that was long overdue (including the bath photo idea Pat-you rock!).

Something about Maggie turning 3 last week and seeing a flyer for the Lorax at the library got me thinking that Maggie was probably ready to see a movie in the theater like a big girl. The result was a certified girl's night out with my sister and cousin Eden. Maggie went complete with new purse and lip gloss. We ate good thai food and enjoyed $5 movie night. The movie was a bit ridiculous and a little odd the way it was made (I'm not the biggest fan of new animation) but the message to not cut down all the trees in the land and be nice to animals seemed to cancel out the couple "scary" parts that were a little much for both girls. I had to hold down Maggie's seat the entire show so that it didn't fold her up like a taco.

I'm feeling creative and peaceful right now. Almost done knitting this hat for the baby and Maggie has requested this pig.

Medley

Officially on leave after one of the craziest weeks I've experienced in a long time where many things happened spontaneously good and bad, just uncontrollable. So it meant rolling with the punches each day and keeping our heads up.

Today my little one is at daycare on her normal schedule and I'm off mine, which is a wierd feeling as I haven't had a day like this to myself since she was born. It's pouring rain today too so it's stretch cotton and rain boots for both of us today. Lots of things to do in preparation for the baby but also for Maggie turning 3 tomorrow. There are days and moments where I just want to freeze a good moment in time and not let Maggie grow up anymore and keep things just as they are (especially when I know life will be different soon). I've really loved aspects of every stage as Maggie has grown older. She's so good at communicating (when she's not copying baby talk) and cracks us up all.the.time. Hubby and I are often asked or we talk about if we remember what life was like before kids and we do (maybe him more than me but I think we do pretty good at keeping a balance still), but for me, I really do cherish the ups and downs we experience as we raise kids because all the good moments outweigh the other stuff and it's quiet days like this that make me appreciate it even more.

To document this age change for Maggie, here is what she's into right now:

-she LOVES to dance and we try to capture as much as we can on film. She loves singing to our local children's musician Mr. Cooper or Sugarland, the country duo that mom and dad like :-)
-everything Maggie likes is pink "my favorite color!" (and sometimes purple or another color that she will randomly bring up). Not sure if I encouraged it from birth because we didn't paint her room until she was about 6 months old or push pink clothes on her or princesses or whatever girly, she has just taken a strong affinity for girly things as time has gone by.
-we read a lot and check out books every week from the library. She has gotten really good at reading a book a few times that she likes (the Olivia series is in her top 5 right now) and then she can read the book to us almost word for word by memory. It amazes us.
-she loves to snuggle with us in the mornings and tells us it's wake-up time and that she's ready for breakfast. Daylight savings is helping her sleep in a little more this week but we're often up pretty early but we let dad sleep in a little longer on weekends.
-she's constantly hungry and has been saying she's hungry right before we leave her room at night for bed. Pretzels seem to do the trick. 2 nights ago she ate a whole orange with a vengeance in bed right before she fell asleep.
-people still comment that she looks like a walking doll with her curly hair, petite size, good vocabulary and manners.
-she loves the "Sgetti" Factory and eating out at restaurants.
-she loves meat, especially a good steak.
-she loves our cat Lily and has been talking more about pets lately, telling us that she wants a rabbit. Not a super tall order, but we'll have to think on that one.
-she likes gum and thinks it's one of the coolest big kid treats. My mom said sugarless gum is not a battle to fight and I think it just might help get rid of the binky once and for all (that and some recommended reverse psychology).

Helping dad paint baby room

Top of Heavenly in Lake Tahoe - didn't care for "cold feet"

Crazy week

Not sure if the full moon has had anything to do with it, but our life turned crazy Monday and I've been hearing it all around this week. I've been crampy for a couple weeks now with it getting more intense some mornings. Labor feels pretty close. Among trying to wrap things up at work so that I can take leave and just keeping on top of the daily stuff, we were hit with Maggie having a pretty bad asthma attack two nights ago that led into the morning. Hubby has suspected this for awhile as he has the same problem and recognizes the signs but I was thinking cold/cough again. Not sure where winter was this year (I keep thinking we'll get more rain and cold weather still), but the arrival of spring has snuck in and brought back allergy season with it. The white and pink blooms and a bit of wind are off the hook.

I spent many hours at the doctor yesterday with a pretty sick kid on my hands but the treatments they gave her made her perk right up. It felt good to take care of her and see her get better through the course of the day. And now we're having a really good night of sleep after a really bad one so I am thankful for that. The result though is she has to take some regular medicine for the asthma but I'm glad we have this over not knowing why she was getting sick and often. This is linked with the allergy signs we've noticed over the past few years.

I have a long to-do list that is constantly on my mind and I'm slowly checking things off. I joked yesterday that this baby is going to come and we'll be sleeping with him in our bed (which would have happened anyway), taking diapers out of the box after his birth, and digging through paper bags full of hand-me down clothes once he arrives. This is not the type of prepared I was hoping to be but whatever happens, I know he will arrive into our household safe and warm. Planning is great but things don't always go the way you think they will.

Uh Oh

Up another early morning not able to sleep after Maggie needed help going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and my mind activated again. I feel the days getting very close and I feel unprepared. In the last week, I've experienced lots of changes in my pregnancy and the signs are pointing to labor being a few days away to still being out 2-4 weeks. I was ok initially with being at work until that point, now I feel like hunkering down and staying close to home if my days are numbered. I will probably go on leave early and try to relax as much as possible. According to my midwife, having a baby at 36 weeks is safe but it has a few more complications that go along with it. Keep the baby in another week or two!

The realization that hit me last night is that if this baby really is close, I might miss out on some of the last minute things I had planned for March. Belly cast from hubby on Valentine's Day, family photos before birth, getting room set up how I wanted (this didn't matter to me the entire time even though I was collecting things...must be a nesting thing right now), and other little things I haven't checked off the list yet. I know it will all work itself out but now my priorities are changing from what is necessity and what is fun? Ok, go! Ay yay yah. My sister reminded me last night, after we celebrated her 30th birthday (had to document all of this because I don't journal except here and we have lots of big changes happening in our family right now as my sister is also preparing for a big move and I end the night with a momentous late night call), that this baby will come when he's ready and that he will be a totally different being than my Maggie. It's a wierd thought in some ways because I have no other frame of reference other than to compare this experience to Maggie's pregnancy, labor patterns, birth, and everything that followed and the differences are throwing me for a loop. I need a day to recoup :-)

Joys of Pregnancy

It's not all rainbows and unicorns, but @ 33 weeks, I'm feeling pretty dang good. I've got my routine down and I do feel that pregnancy glow some women talk about. For me, it's the 1st trimester that really kicks my butt. I wallow...cry...and whine to get through it, but once it passes, it's mostly uphill. I wish in this pregnancy that I was getting more exercise but it's tough to fit in so I make due with stretching and chasing after Maggie.

I've indulged here and there with caffiene this time as it's supposed to be ok in moderation and I'd say half of my friends have their cups of coffee, etc. to get through the day and their babies were a-ok. Sometimes you are dragging so much from lack of energy that you need that little boost and treat to yourself. I'd love to color my hair as that also gives me a boost in the beauty department and supposedly that's fine too...a question for the midwives :-)

Life is good though as we make (shall I say final?) preparations. Things are coming together and I plan to work up until I can't work any longer. I have a long-term project at work that allows me to easily work at my desk and from home when need be and part of me is going to miss that involvement while I'm on leave. 

We just finished a bathroom remodel which now allows me to focus on getting the baby's bedroom ready. It involves getting rid of/moving/and buying furniture for both hubby and baby. Then I can organize and get the room all ready for nursing, changing diapers, and the like. I recieved some thoughtful presents this past weekend, including a handknit pair of baby booties from a friend that are just about the cutest little pieces of footwear I've seen in awhile (aside from my new Acorn slippers that just arrived today...oh the fleece goodness). The booties and an outfit my sister gifted to us might be the perfect birthday outfit for the babes once he makes his way into the world.

2012

Our holidays were wonderful, not too rushed or crazy, and we were invited last minute by a family to their cabin near Yosemite for New Years. The weather here has been cold but with no rain for a long time and New Year's weekend it was hot outside in the sun...pretty strange. Maggie had fun running around with other toddlers at the cabin and we finished the weekend by taking down decorations and enjoying time at home.

Now that we're in the New Year, I'm simply excited for what's to come. So many of my friends are having babies this year-some their 1sts, some their 2nds, and some their 3rds. Maggie is just a delight and I think she is really going to enjoy having a sibling around the house. She is totally fine on her own but this little guy will be quite the welcomed distraction for her (I hope).

I really enjoyed my schedule too over the holidays, working a few days less. It gave me a lot of time to enjoy being home taking care of my family and myself. A great plus that happened around Thanksgiving-time was that I joined a mom's group specific to my area and it's a great fit for Maggie and I. I've looked for something new in the parenting arena since Maggie was born but nothing fit that well until this. Before joining the group, I connected with a local mom that I've seen at storytime for the past couple years who has three boys (5, 2, and 5 months) and she's been such a wealth of knowledge and has provided welcomed friendship. She is excited for us to be having a boy and Maggie loves play dates with her older two boys. It's really nice to meet other moms living similar situations just streets away.

Maggie was recently allergy-tested (finally) since we've had her off dairy products for a year and I'd been wondering if that was really the issue. Not so suprisingly, her results came back normal except for a mild reaction to pet dander and outdoor/environmental allergies. So, the good news is we've incorporated dairy back into her diet and she is very happy to be eating daddy's cheese and cow's milk. It's nice to not have to worry about it now, it took quite a bit of effort to eliminate it from her diet.


Enjoying "dairy" frosting!



Happy New Year!

+ thoughts

Suprise if you haven't heard but I'm preggers with a kidney bean. Unfortuntately I'm experiencing a yucky first trimester where I'm nauseous all day, every day, can't eat normally, and doing what I need to do to get by with the help of others. Would love to fast forward a few weeks so that I hopefully come out of this and enjoy food again and have my energy back. I experienced the same yuckiness with Maggie but it seemed to start earlier this time and I must have blocked out how how horrible it felt to be nauseous all day because I remember a really nice pregnancy with her.

We got a nice camping trip in the weekend after I got the + test. I was just starting to gag at smells or things people said that were gross. After that, the "morning sickness" settled in and my weeks have been a blur. I was coerced to go on a second camping trip of the summer to Big Sur with my co-workers. I did it but not without feeling like crud sometimes. Driving adds to my stomach pains but the distractions of camping and doing fun things helped take my mind off things. It was our first time to Big Sur. I wish I'd seen more beach and the lighthouse but the weather was on the chillier side so just driving along the coast was fine. I was suprised to see how busy Big Sur was, it reminded me of Yosemite village. Big Sur is pretty, and don't quote me on this because of how I'm feeling, but it's not my favorite. We took the afternoon to visit Limekiln State Park, about 30 miles south, and that was really beautiful. Supposedly this little park is on the list to be shut down next year. 

Group campsite

Michael hiked up to this gorge on the Big Sur River with Maggie precariously balanced in the backpack. I caught a few glimpes of him on the way up and it scared the crap out of me. She was a trooper.

Our crazy curly haired girl





Finishing up the smore a co-worker made for her - she was in heaven

I simply cannot wait to feel good again and by then, I know I will be really starting to show. I don't think I ever lost a little bit of tummy after Maggie and as of last week, I couldn't hold the tummy in any longer. What's with that? I know things look different to everyone on the outside, but on the inside I'm still coming to grips with being pregnant even though we were trying! It's a big committment and with working, feeling sick, taking care of a toddler and our home, it's no joke.

To all my friends out there who have done this multiple times, my hat is off to you. We very well may be a happy family of four.

Other things to note:

-threw together fun date in a matter of hours and saw Sugarland last week!

-Maggie is almost potty trained!

Cheers :-)

Must see

Since my work's Christmas party last week, I want more of Utz! and the Shuttlecocks.

You ask "What or who is that?"

It's a sweet cover band that played at the party and got almost everyone from our company out on the dance floor. I've been out dancing recently and this by far was the most fun I've had in a long while. I know my co-workers would agree too.

So, besides New Year's Eve, where will they be? Jessie, will you join me? Michael, will I get you to dance again? Patria, I wished you lived here!

Egg-O's

I work with a bunch of biologists and like-minded folks. One of the benefits of that is we have lots in common, including eating healthy and growing gardens. A recent trend in this area is for urban people to get chickens and now I have a few friends doing it. I tried to convince Michael upon moving from the City to the County that we should get a coop and a few chickens, but he wasn't having it. However, I've observed a few friends doing it and it looks like a fun venture.

One of my co-workers did it and she started a little co-op. Upon returning to work, I joined in. We help pay for feed and she brings in eggs. The eggs are different sizes and colors. I love the little green ones.With winter arriving, egg production has slowed down but over the past few months Michael was in heaven and I was worried about high cholesterol.

Part of the fun of being involved is I get to hear about the drama in the coop...for the most part it's funny, like what their names are and what they look like, but then there is the real life part including sickness and death. But I don't mind hearing about that stuff. Hate to say it but when wildlife interacts, I'm there.

The best part though is knowing where my eggs are coming from and what the chickens eat, you know, the whole story. Just like growing and picking fruit and vegetables from your own yard. Now, if I only had a magic garden fairy to hoe my beds and plant my winter garden...

Workin' girl

I'm back to work for real now (P/T). Hit a few speedbumps in the beginning, but I'm figuring it all out as I go.

This morning, for example, I'm eating kix as I'm driving to work (yeah, not very safe at all but I like to live on the edge) and I was scrunching my hair with curl gel as I had the heater pointed at me full blast. It actually worked quite well!

I've been pumping a little here and there since she was born, but now it's a serious business and I experienced some frustration with a poorly-working pump so pump #2 is in action now. It's such a funny thing to go through (the act and art of pumping, that is) but at the end of the day I feel good that I can continue to feed Maggie momma's milk. It makes me feel more connected to her as I go about my day and it has such great nutritional value.

I have lots of support at work - three of us gave birth this spring and another co-worker is due in November. We also have a new dad in the office that can relate and many other parents of older children. So, it's all good and what makes me especially comfortable with it all is that our family is watching her. She's in really good hands. For the future, I'm on the search for the right daycare in case one day we need it. This week I toured a feel-good one that is definitely being tucked away in my tool box.

Although at this point I haven't felt like I need work to balance out my life, going back has its advantages (besides bringing in income of course). Not only do I get to see my co-workers and friends, it gives me a little time to myself and the opportunity to do errands and have lunch sans kiddo.

I can tell you though, there is nothing like racing home to your baby after the end of the day and seeing her smiling face when you walk in the door. Maggie loves giving hugs and it's the best thing ever. And oh, did I mention the house smelling of beef stew on a rainy day and seeing your own mom's smiling face as well? Makes life that much sweeter! Add Michael to the mix and his mom's homemade flour tortillas, and I'm a happy, happy girl.

Mammoth

Last camping trip of the season (thank goodness!). We joined my co-workers on a group trip to Convict Lake, just outside the town of Mammoth. It was nothing what I expected. I pictured a forested landscape but it was high desert with a nice shimmery lake and such a vast rocky backdrop that made for some incredible scenery. Highlights from the weekend included the pretty drive, the group dinners, visiting with co-workers and their families and seeing all the kids play together. Unlike some of my co-workers, we were campground-bound most of the time but it allowed us to get to know one of my co-workers and her mom better. I work with some really great people. Maggie got her sleepy time in and we were happy campers, literally!

Working a wee bit

I am on a slow transition back to work part-time. With that said, Maggie and I had a little fun last week as I prepared for some field work. We visited a local rare plant population, which is what we do for various reasons before doing the rare plant surveys. It was a quick jaunt and fun to do it with her. There were some neighborhood kids hanging around and they asked if I was on a "treasure hunt". I laughed but now I'm thinking that for a botanist, it is a treasure hunt!