Oh these kids…

While it may seem that on a day to day basis I wear the referee hat or the code enforcement hat (whistle…no jumping off the couch…whistle…do not stand on the playhouse…whistle…the soap does not get squirted on the floor…whistle…hold still while you go the bathroom so you don’t get potty all over the toilet…whistle…don’t dump dirt on your brother’s head…etc…etc…etc). Rest assured that amidst the referee/policing I live with three little comedians with whom there is no shortage of laughter on a day to day basis.

over dinner the other night we were espousing the virtues of eating chicken to our middle son. “it will make you strong! Super heros would eat their chicken.” says my husband. “Like powers?” says my son, “oh yes, like muscle powers.” responds my husband. Middle son ponders that. “nah, that’s ok. I just want firepower…what do I need to eat to get that you know so I can roast marshmellows with my fingers?”

Our youngest son who has named every single pacifier in his crib.. the Stella pappy, Conor pappy, Auntie B pappy, the cycle paper, the gator pappy, etc and also must either choose his own clothing (see My life is a comic strip post) or must match his brother/father/sister. Dad has a hat, Kieran must have a hat. Conor’s taken his socks off, Kieran must not wear socks, dad has no shirt on, Kieran must not wear a shirt, Conor has shorts Kieran must wear shorts.

Or our girl who was overheard at school the other day introducing the new student “this is Aaron not like my mommy is running an errand like I’m a boy named Aaron.”

And oh the antics they pull when they are together!

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Welcome New Year

Happy New Year 16 days late.

Thank you Pinterest for some great suggestions on celebrating the new year with the preschool set and thank you dollar store for making it financially possible. The household in general seemed tired so we opted for low key celebrations at 7:30. On tap for the night? Pizza & a cheese tray (nothing says happy new year like rich fatty yummy cheese) and cheesecake (cake pops for the kids) and veggies – guess we had cheese on the brain. We rigged up a balloon drop while the boys were napping and put up streamers and set out party blowers.

Oh and lest I forget, the kids picked up some sticks for me and I made a New Years tree. I think this is a tradition i would very much like to continue. I set out paper and string and with the intent that you would write out something you were thankful for from this year and a wish/hope/prayer for the coming year. Then we hung our wish/hope/prayers on the tree.

I didn’t realize it was going to be a costume party.

The balloon drop was the biggest hit. The kids and GG in particular played with it all for a good half hour. After we rang in the new year most of the house went to bed and I watched TCMs “That’s Entertainment” series. For the brief bit before Josh conked out we contemplated some mischievous act on unsuspecting friends but opted to play it safe and not risk spending NYE in jail. Happy 2014 to all!

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Rockin it Old Testament Style

You must be wondering, what does she mean by Old Testament style…I’m so glad you wondered. I’m talking Pharoah, Moses, the Israelites. We’re feeling like Israel in Egypt lately “LET MY PEOPLE GO”. What I mean by that is the plagues. I hope for us the saying “things come in threes” is true for us because I don’t know if I feel up to the task of plowing through all 10 plagues.

Two weeks ago it was fruit flies. One innocent little forgotten tomato gets a little ripe and squishy and BAM! Fruit fly infestation of biblical proportions. And so it was that the kitchen became spic and span clean in a long afternoon as I eliminated any possible food source/breeding ground. Though not instantaneous, little traps of apple cider vinegar and dish soap did the trick to eliminate over the next three or four days. I took sick pleasure in checking and refilling the traps each morning, counting little bodies floating in that liquid. BE GONE fruit flies.

Two days later it was ANTS. O I loathe ants. Ants, Snails, fruit flies…little pests. Perhaps someday I will understand their purpose on this planet but I have no space for them now. The ants were coming in to get water. Don’t you just hate that moment…its a new day, full of possibility and optimism, you switch on the kitchen light and EGAD your counter is alive with the bodies of hundreds of ants. Neither Josh nor I have been able to shake the sensation that they are crawling on us. We cleaned the stinkers up, scrubbed the kitchen again, laid out the ant trolls. They abated for a couple of days, just long enough to make us think…phew…we are over it when UGH there they were again and back with exponential vigor. Its been three days now and these little suckers just won’t go. Let me tell you, the desire to eat around here has been seriously quelled because who wants to be in the kitchen dealing with those pests. These guys are in the dishwasher congregating at the little puddles of water. NASTY. Since my partner in crime is still home (though only for a few more days..insert sad face) he was tasked with figuring out for once and all where they were getting into the house and eradicating these buggers.

Between these two infestations, NOBODY wants to cook around here, in fact, I’m considering storing all food and beverage off site somewhere, preferably somewhere that comes with its own clean room or housekeeping service.

36 hours ago it was the flu. The violent, messy, lays you out flat stomach flu for our middle guy. This poor guy seems to be the one to get it all. I know its because he’s a finger sucker…wish he would have stuck with the pacifier but nope, finger sucker he is despite our best efforts. If somebody is going to pick up something, its him. So, amidst the two or three lingering fruit flies and unending ant trail add stomach flu in all its glory.

OH! Let my people go!

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A once in a lifetime summer

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” ~ Dale Carnegie

My husband had shoulder surgery back in June due to an on the job injury. Prior to surgery, we were scared out of our wits about what the extent of his injury might be and what the subsequent recovery time would look like. Our house is not exactly conducive to peace and relaxation all the time (read: its a circus). His worst case scenario was a rotator cuff repair which would mean months of immobilization and months and months more of physical therapy. This terrified us all. My husband gets cabin fever after just few hours at home. Since our house is small, there is also hardly any privacy and no place you can get away just to escape. So we all held our breath during the surgery, waiting to hear how the next few months of our life would take shape.

We rejoiced when the surgeon said it was the best case scenario. His shoulder just needed cleaned out in order to heal itself. His recovery time would still be a few months but he could begin moving his arm almost immediately. He would spend an a couple weeks sleeping in a chair and dependent on the iceman contraption (those things are better than painkillers) and it was a little hairy at first helping the kids understand daddy’s temporary limitations but once we made it through that, our whole summer opened up.

Our family was handed a gift this summer. The kids are not in school yet, I am working minimally and daddy is home — all summer! What to do with all that time. I love being spontaneous and this meant that once Josh was feeling better, we had tons of possibilities at our fingertips. The first thing I noticed, the freedom we felt. We could were able to enjoy things all the more because, no matter how the night went, nobody had to get up for work the next day and if I did, Josh could cover for me. The only scheduled things we had were Josh’s follow up doctor appointments and physical therapy. Having weeks of togetherness ahead of us seemed to lighten the stress of our day to day to do lists (because I always have them).

Before you go thinking it was all roses and chocolate, let me say this, it a freeing summer and a special summer, it was not an easy summer but it was a gift. We took some time as husband/wife/mom/dad to figure out what our priorities were for the summer, what did we want to build together/grow in/do and what would regret not doing when this time was over? Obviously Josh had some physical limitations so that put a stop to any mountain climbing or spear fishing he may have had in mind. At times, it felt a bit like an intense family camp as we worked together to put into practice some new tools in our parenting work belt.

We took one spontaneous trip to Oregon to visit family. We took our family vacation to Lake Tahoe, we had a friends wedding, visited with grandparents, had playdates but most of all, we spent time together as a family. I am thankful for this precious time most especially because its given the kids and Josh the gift of time together, time to deepen their relationships. Time to witness firsts (first days of school for example) for the kids. I think at times he’s gotten antsy but in general with our circus cartwheeling around, there hasn’t been much for boredom and no shortage of entertainment.

As summer draws to a close and the kids start school, I anticipate bumps in the road as we all adjust to our new schedules. The biggest adjustment will be when Josh is cleared for work (as early as next week). The kids are so used to having him around everyday, he can’t get away to the store without one of them throwing him/herself at Josh to take him/her along. There may never be another summer where we are all together like this and I am so thankful that we were handed this gift.

Hanging out with dad as he recovers.

Grandma to the rescue. Grandma Janice came to stay with us to help us get through those first few hairy days after surgery.

Dog pile!

Princess Pocahontas…

Ice cream in a ice chest.

dress up

Gotta have a life jacket when you’re in a boat.

a budding Handy Manny.

Relaxing with dad at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

Cousin time.

After the waterslide at the Hillsboro pool.

The fair!

Aunt Katie’s wedding!

Eat more Hula Pie at Sunnyside.

Desi-tin for those chapped mountain faces.

The Statue of Liberty comes to Tahoe.

Not many things better than a boat ride out on the lake.

Our annual kid and dad photo at Taylor creek though somebody did away with the bench this year and the kids were less than cooperative.

and more cousin memories…

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Mini Adventure San Francisco

I woke up feeling brave this morning despite the lack of sleep between the hours of 2:30 and 4:30 this morning. I mean, newly potty trained two and a half year old woke up at 2:30, stopped by my room to tell me he was going the bathroom, proceeded to turn on the light, ask for help with his pjs, take care of his business, ask for a kiss and return to bed and sleep. How could I not feel emboldened? Okay, okay, one doesn’t really have to do with the other but can I get an AMEN for that little guy? So proud of him. Alright, I digress. I woke up feeling brave this morning. My sister was spending the afternoon in San Francisco with my niece and her husband for his birthday and invited us along. Sure, four kids (four and under) two adults, a car ride, bart trip and lots of walking, why not?

The kids and I parted ways (temporarily) so my sis and her family could enjoy a birthday lunch without the Smith circus. So the kids and I grabbed lunch at the Ferry building and wandered around soaking up the downtown culture (if ya know what I mean) and enjoying the fresh air. We enjoyed lunch from ACME bread company (cheese sandwich for them, salami sandwich for me, which ended up being shared by all four of us0. The kids were also treated to gelato (malted milkball).

Conor saw his new giants shirt in the drawer this morning and insisted on wearing it.

and of course, Claire wanted to wear her new shirt too. (pardon the bread)

Running around the Embarcadero.

How they spent a good portion of the afternoon.

And then it was reunion with B and Eleanor, back to the BART station and home again. Pardon me for this brief rant. We boarded the BART train before the heaviest part of the commute hour (around 3:30). The car we rode in was about 85% full but no seats together and many of the vacant seats occupied by extraneous baggage (don’t sit by me type of stuff). The guy in front of us in line took the only available seat next to where we would park the strollers and the lady next to him wasn’t budging either. That left Brieanne and I (each holding babies) to stand and my kids had to stay in the stroller. It was a bunch of people staring at their ‘screens’. I mean, I’m thankful I’m healthy enough to stand for a train ride but really people? You don’t think to offer one single seat to a child or a woman holding a toddler? Honestly.

Anyway, our mini San Francisco adventure was a success and we all had a good time (despite the lack of chivalry).

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Mom life, so glamorous

I continue to be amazed that all three of my children can have bathroom “emergencies” at the same time. This “yep, this is my life” moment is brought to you by my three beautiful children this very afternoon. To set the stage, my sister is in the process of moving and I’ve been helping her procrastinate through some gab sessions on the phone where we swap stories about our kids. Today my youngest had just got up from his nap, my oldest was stamping a picture for her cousin at the table and my sister (via phone) was sharing about how adorable and “helpful” my niece is during the packing process. I look up to see Kieran has wandered outside (still in his sleep sack) and is traversing the damp grass. I retrieve Kieran from the grass and remove the sleep sack and hang up with my sister. Conor wakes up, middle man needs some serious TLC because he wakes up grouchy daily. We return to the living room for a cuddle and to keep an eye on Kieran when Kieran passes by us and I notice he stinks to high heaven. I pull up his shirt to verify that he’s the culprit and smoosh, my finger meets #2 all up his back. Nice. Glamorous, right? Diaper in hand, wipes at the ready, Conor is watching us with bleary eyed annoyance that cuddlefest 3.21 has been interrupted. My full attention on Kieran who must have done some training with crocodiles at some point because he can roll and roll and roll so quickly during diaper changes, he also wiggles and is quite strong. This was a really messy diaper and his crocodile death rolls were in peak form. About halfway through changing him he manages to wiggle free and crawl away (he’s still half messy). I get him back and Conor has to go the bathroom like NOW! His bladder has just woke up from his nap and he’s gotta go. Conor is new to the potty thing and still prefers to have company and encouragement so he will wait for me, sometimes to his detriment. As I’m trying to quickly finish up Kieran so I can attend to Conor, the dirty diaper affixes itself to my sweater sleeve. One hand is now trying to preserve the part of the diaper I have on Kieran and simultaneously keep him from rolling in the soiled diaper while the other arm is trying to extricate itself from the soiled diaper. At one point I came very close to having a toxic disaster flung around myself and the living room. Ok, soiled diaper is free from sweater, diaper fastened on Kieran (who is now striped to just a diaper because his clothes were also soiled) Conor is doing a serious gotta go dance. Conor and I get to the toilet just in time when Claire comes rushing in insisting on using that toilet NOW. Bathroom needs taken care of, we return for our post nap cuddle and to catch our breath and there’s Kieran, oustide in the middle of March in nothing but a diaper of course right? Good thing we live in California.

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dun dun DUN!

Growing up I never understood the laundry basket dedicated to one socks. It drove me crazy and sometimes for fun, I would go through and attempt to find matches. I also didn’t understand the mail pile by the phone. What’s so difficult about file, trash, shred and pay? One of my mottos would be, a place for everything and everything in its place. Somewhere between child one and child three somethings have fallen off my responsibility plate. The toys are all in bins but they are not organized by type. THAT day has come. May laundry basket always has a few clean items that never find their way to their proper place. GASP, I have a one sock pile. It makes me crazy. I’ve got a mail pile and there are little odds and ends that never find their place. I’m through beating myself up about it. Though if you gave me a day to myself I would fix all these things (knowing full well in three days everything would be back to preclean condition.

Its amazing how much time raising a family takes. I see how far I’ve fallen, I’m not even keeping up this blog like I would like. But know this reader, my house may be multiplying in piles and one socks, but the trade off is that we are cooking all our meals from scratch (read eating healthy things), and spending more time with the kids and as a family, and doing our best to get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather we’ve been having (read trying to exercise more).

In exchange for a less than thoughtful post, enjoy some pictures of what our family has been up to.

Half Moon Bay

brain teasers

learning to walk

The Aquarium

“cooking”

working out

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Kids room makeover

I’m not sure exactly what catalyst prompted this makeover. One day we were just making it work in the kids room (with Conor’s recently upgraded bed – crib to twin). The next we were getting a bunk bed and I was pinteresting to high heaven different ideas I could make work in the room. This makeover was somewhat economical, we used a combination of linens and furniture we already had and some new acquisitions. The inspiration for the decor was a baby blanket made by my mother in law.

Here is Conor modeling the blanket.

If you are my inlaws, you might be wary each time you come to visit. You come to visit? We put you to work and this time we tackled the kids’ room. My mother in law painted over our blue wall (sniff sniff little prince mural). My father in law and Josh tackled the bed and I did my best to keep the kids at bay and with my mother in law’s help, tackled the little details of the room, artwork, magnet board, reading nook.

This bed set up is awesome. Its a staircase bunk bed made of real wood (imagine that!). We also opted for the trundle model in the event that we must face the reality of three kiddos in one room. So, Kieran’s bed is waiting for him should the need arise. Not a bad set up if I do say so and pretty economical space wise.

Voila the results!

welcome to our room! (handprint canvas courtesy of pinterest)

Yeah, yeah, the toy box doesn’t go but it was mine as a kid and it serves an important function.

Safari decal purchased from Blik

Here is the bed, a staircase bunk bed with 3rd bed trundle underneath the bottom bunk. Its from bedkingz, its awesome. The stairs are drawers for extra storage and the side of the stairs is a bookshelf. The bedding is from IKEA.

Here we have the reading nook. Still on the to do list is to cover the pillows in a more colorful fabric. The artwork is actually fabric scraps from Conor’s quilt and below that is a homemade magnet board (also a pinterest idea).

Here’s the top bunk. Turns out we had some photo cards from when Claire was a baby that are the same designer as the decal, so we put them up. The kids are loving their new room and my inlaws have returned home probably to get some rest and take a break from being ordered around. Really we couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you guys, guess we owe them big time next time they are in the area.

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Lake Tahoe Trip

My deep affection for Tahoe is no secret. You can imagine by joy as I watch the seeds of love taking root and flourishing in my own kids. They love Tahoe. I’m sure right now it has to do with that vacation mentality, new experiences and lots of attention from extended family as well as Josh and I. Someday I hope it will come to mean time with family as well as an appreciation for God’s creation and a time where they can be close to Him. Whatever the reason for now, they love it. Even my two and a half year old talking about taking trips there to the cabin, the beach, to play in the snow. It makes my heart smile.

Claire and her icicles, she developed a bit of an obsession.

Our trip got off to a really rocky start. (see previous post) But the higher we climbed into the Sierras, the more the mood settled, making room for excitement. A weekend away with the Taylor branch of the family.

This is one of two or three times in my ENTIRE life that I have been to Lake Tahoe and I have not stayed at our family cabin. I was a little sad about this, it might not feel like I was really at the lake and all. Then I looked out the window. I’ll be quiet for a moment and let the view speak for itself.

Peace washes over me when I reflect on this view.

Ok, unplugged (no phone, no internet, not TV) all weekend, family, delicious trader joes hot chocolate (seriously amazing hot chocolate, go buy some now, its THAT good) snow and f-f-f-freezing temperatures. Heaven. What’s not to love.

The kids were up at the crack of dawn each morning and pawing at the door to go outside and play. The time it took for temperatures get into the positives seemed to take forever to the little guys. But really who sends two kids from California out to play in the snow when the thermometer reads -16? I might be a laid back mom but I need to draw the line somewhere. So the kids loved the snow. Claire has been in the snow before a few times but the last time Conor was up in the snow he was like seven months old, old enough to be pushed out of the sled and into the snow (by his sister) and young enough that he doesn’t remember it, thank goodness.

The kids came in the house to warm up and rest but only when forced. We did crafts, puzzles, read books, ate good food and of course, played in the snow. How could you not spend so much time outside when you’ve got a view like that? Breathtaking scenery. Ok, I’ll stop about the scenery, it speaks for itself. Claire made a snow palace, Conor contented himself with a sled run and Kieran actually enjoyed rolling around in the snow and being heffed around in the backpack.

What a great and special way to ring in the four January birthdays in our family. Happy Birthday to all of us.

like I said, views to steal your breath.

little bushed from all this snow

assisted walking is a bit better than crawling on the freezing cobbles.

Is it me or does Conor have one of those expressive faces?

Poor Ellie, doesn’t know what to do with herself amongst her rambunctious cousins.

Yogurt mustache

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Odyssey – Road Trip

Have you ever had times you set out to do something and don’t even get 1/4 of the way through and think to yourself, why did I set myself up for this? I find myself asking that question a lot especially pertaining to things we attempt to bite off as a family. One would think after a couple of potentially stressful situations we would have learned our lesson, alas, no. Josh and I are thick headed and stubborn (and we wonder at our kids sometimes?). A weakness for both Josh and I is once a plan is in motion, we are often too stubborn to put a stop to it. See more of our family adventure misadventures and adventures here, here, and here.

Our adventure odyssey begins as we packed for our weekend get away to Lake Tahoe, obviously a favorite destination in our house. Packing with my troop is no small feat, of course they are all wound up because we are going somewhere and eager to help, a often chaotic combination. As I’m packing and loading the car I am mulling over the potential issues list and contingencies we need to pack for. First is Conor’s nebulizer and medicine in case he has breathing problems (which have been more frequent as of late). Second, something is going on with Claire, her teacher at school made mention of it and I had noticed a potential problem brewing for a few days prior. Do I make an appointment for her and get her seen by the doc before we leave? She seemed to be fine that morning or could it be that I was distracted by the chaos and packing?

Somehow we were mostly packed by the time Josh got home and able to leave not too long after. Signs of trouble that had just been potential little seeds back at home were manifesting themselves not 15 minutes into the trip. Claire needed to go the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she needs to go again. By the time we reached Vacaville (fortyish minutes away) we’d stopped four times. Somewhere between the third and the fourth stop I realized I had left Conor’s medicine at home. Now, this isn’t a medicine he takes regularly but I bring it wherever we go because his attacks are so freaky I don’t ever want to be caught without this stuff. Honestly thank you for modern medicine. Alas, I digress. From that point we enacted operation get Conor’s medicine which involved our property manager, my grandmother and my sister all coordinating. Sheesh.

We plodded on with Claire’s bathroom stops no less frequent and her demeanor rapidly deteriorating. The boys, we desperately needed naps kept waking up each time we stopped for Claire and it became a delicate dance of meeting everyone’s needs. It took us twice as long to get to Placerville because of all our stops and it was in Placerville that things came to a head. Claire was now complaining of a back ache, head ache and needing to use the bathroom all the time. Josh was still coordinating Conor’s medicine, I called Kaiser advice. Kaiser wanted me to bring Claire in. After determining the nearest kaiser we drove back a half an hour to Kaiser to have Claire seen. Two hours later, Claire had antibiotics, we had snacks for the rest of our adventure and were back on the road. Three hours later, a few more pit stops and seven hours in total traveling, we arrived in the mountains. Glorious Lake Tahoe. Our own odyssey.

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