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!

Summer

Is summer halfway over already? I'm finding it harder to post and more time goes in between when I do but I still want to keep at it because it helps me remember all the wonderful little things that are happening during this time of our lives. It doesn't really get documented anywhere else besides in my mind and it's become pretty clear that the little intricacies of those memories fade away over time. I thought I would remember all the little things about Maggie's baby sleep patterns, the exact month when she started potty training, the length of her curls at certain ages I see in photos, the faces she makes in relation to certain things, all of the funny things she says, and so on in comparison to Max but it really drifts away and morphs into bigger overall memories.

Life is full. Much of the time I don't want to sit down and post just as I don't have any umph to read new knitting patterns or look at my yarn envisioning new projects. I simply get excited these days (and I know I'm repeating myself) to be with my family, especially when I'm away from them. A couple days ago we spent the morning blueberry picking with our mom friends and all the kiddos. I watched them play together and create their little worlds in the moment. I love watching kids free play. I love letting my kids go in the backyard and learn to play with eachother without me interferring. It is full of funny words, sharing, fighting, rolling around laughing, eating plums and tomatoes, swinging, and them running around naked or Max in a diaper exploring the dirt, sticks, or hose. I cherish the time I have with my little ones, it makes my heart very full.

Summer Bucket List

Make ice cream
Make lots of forts indoors {we've started a couple and discovered that the art easel makes a great teepee}
Swing Max around in a big blanket {we did this when Maggie was a baby and she loved it}
Kiddie pool and sprinkler play {the kids got a couple cool sprinkler attachments for their birthdays and this is always a good idea in the 100+ degree heat}
State fair {we've been once with family, we're going to go a second time with friends}
Blueberry picking {check!}
Date nights {last two...Sellands market on couples night out with our mom's group friends last night, the one before that we did sushi + movie}
Watch Mary Poppins (Maggie told me" "I DO NOT want to watch Mary Poppins") {we watched it and didn't make it all the way through but Maggie was fascinated. I think she likes the songs more than the movie}
Read lots of books {visiting library about once a week, one of Maggie's favorite activities}
Make gazpacho
Visit grandparents
Make mock apple crisp with zucchini!
Frame lots of family photos
Visit Oregon {planning for it, especially the long car ride there and back}
One of us take Maggie out to a movie
Have a tea party with Maggie using a special teaset I got from our wedding
Set up obstacle courses in our backyard for the kids

 

Maggie quotes

Me: "I noticed you were making a fort today under the picnic table." We were at Boeger winery after blueberry picking and she was cutely playing with some friends. Maggie: "No, that was our house."

Maggie comes in from the backyard with real tears...me: "What's wrong?" Maggie: "There was a squirrel in the backyard." I think for a minute. Ok wait, she has spent the last couple years doing little screams at squirrels running on the telephone wires or up the trees and around age 2 or 3, she told my mom as she was watching one that they are so talented! Naturally, I was waiting for her to go on but that was simply it. Many animals, big and small right now, are scaring her. She's having wild dreams about them. After talking about it she said: "I wish squirrels weren't in this world." Over the next few weeks we talked about squirrels here and there, encountered them at the park, and sort of faced her fear to where she was again ok with them. Then this week Maggie came in again from the backyard right after she had gone out and shut the door looking outside. I asked her what was up and she said "I saw the squirrels eyes".

Maggie found a yellow jacket nest in her play structure and came in to describe it to me. I knocked the nest out in the morning but they were still swarming so I told her later we would go back out and check it. She reminded me that we needed to go out there in the afternoon. I asked if she had been over there to check it and she said: "No, I wanted to be on the safe side."

Maggie: "Mom, look at my tummy. It's full. I ate all my cereal. I ate all of my fruit cottontail."

Me: "Do you want a hermit crab as a pet?" Maggie: "No, too pinchy."

 

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}

 

Seen and Heard

Seen: toothbrushes scattered throughout the house (and a couple in the garden). Max loves little objects to hold onto and put in his mouth.

Heard: Just after waking up one morning, Maggie looking out the doors to the backyard: "Ugh, the sea turtle was out all night." A few seconds later: "It's ok, she wasn't scared. I hope an owl didn't peck her or something." Goes outside with Max: "Mom, it's nice out here!" To Max: "That's my sea turtle, be nice!"

Heard: I walked out to find Maggie after waking up another morning playing quietly in the living room. Me holding her in my arms: "How long have you been up?" Maggie: "Um, 44 hours. No, 3 hours."

Heard: Outside waiting for her cousin to arrive. Maggie: "I love Eden because she has pretty eyebrows and pretty hair. And, she has a beautiful voice."

Heard: Maggie asking me: "Did you lose your keys?" I said no and asked her if she lost her keys: "No, I'm a kid."

Heard: Maggie running down the hallway before bed: "A girl with messy hair is not crazy!"

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.

Spring Favorites

Spring weather {green trees and grass with sunshine}

 

Birthday girl!

Almost birthday boy!

Celebrations

Gardening with family and flower blooms

New master bath!

 



 

....and lastly, Greek yogurt and Jason Mraz "I won't give up" on the ipod.