Into the Wild

Not only is that the title of a book by Jon Krakauer that I started reading, it is also what we ventured to do yesterday! It was a gorgeous fall day yesterday so we decided to go hiking. We chose Hagg Lake as our location, packed a picnic lunch, loaded the kids up, and off we went. We were all so excited to get there and then we pulled up to the ranger station and realized that we didn't have cash (and they don't accept anything plastic) to pay for the park entrance fee! So, much to the boys' dismay we turned around to find the nearest ATM...which wasn't that near. :) However, we finally made it to the trails and had a wonderful time hiking through the trees and sitting on the edge of the lake skipping and throwing rocks.

There is just something magical about being out in nature and I know my kids feel the same way. Even Charlotte was wide-eyed at the scenery. It was a wonderful family outing and makes me sad that the rains will begin to descend upon the Northwest soon!

The Freak Show has arrived

In other parts of the country it may not be unusual to see a family with 3 kids under the age of 4, but in Portland, Oregon you are more likely to see a couple with 3 dogs than 3 kids -much less 3 little kids. Keeping that in mind, I have had some very interested social experiences with my children in public. Tonight was just another one for the books.

Tonight was Ryan's first basketball game in the CPA League that he plays in every year. Most times we are unable to go to the games because they are later in the evening and my kiddies are already in bed. Although my gut instinct was to say "no" to the game tonight (for fear of misbehavior on my boys' part), I decided that since the game was earlier than usual it would be fun. We walked into The Hoop (a local basketball gym) and immediately I was filled with nostalgia of my basketball playing days and became excited to watch Ryan's upcoming game. We sat down on the "bleachers" - basically just 3 risers on the sideline - and I was pleased to see 3 other wives of players on Ryan's team - 2 with children. The boys sat down quietly on the bleachers and the women and I all pleasantly chatted, introduced ourselves and our children, and I began thinking, "Maybe my gut instinct was wrong, maybe my boys will be great!" And as soon as that thought crossed my mind, my biggest fear came true: Brayden and Landon's alter-egos - Thing 1 and Thing 2 - emerged. Suddenly my boys were jumping down the bleachers, running up and down the sidelines, going onto the court, yelling "I want to shoot the ball", and the bathroom, OH the bathroom! You'd have thought Mickey Mouse himself was in that darn bathroom with as often as they needed to go. And then I began to feel it: the stares. The oh-my-gosh-how-and-why-do-you-ever-go-out-in-public stares and I realized that those 3 women I had met 30 minutes earlier were now painting a very different picture of me and my children. Not nice and polite. Wild and crazy. Double wild and double crazy.

Thankfully, the game eventually ended and we high-tailed it outta there. Safe and sound in the car with the kids all locked up in their car seats I looked into the rear view mirror at their little faces and realized it's kind of fun to be wild and crazy - I enjoy the spunk and zest that my boys have for life and being a part of the Freak Show just comes with the territory.

My future b-baller - he looks so innocent :)

Here is Charlotte - sitting quietly, happy as can be, enjoying her crazy brothers and the game!

Potty Talk

After 2 years and 4 months of wearing diapers, it's official: Landon is potty trained! These 2 pictures are a very accurate representation of my daily mental state regarding the excretion of bodily fluids in relation to my kids.

I always wondered how my little wild man would ever slow down enough to learn to potty train, but he's actually done quite well. I can thank Brayden as well as the manufacturers of M&Ms and candy necklaces. They are both getting thank you notes and will be on my Christmas list. With all of the backlash that candy manufacturers are getting because of the American obesity crisis they should know that someone (that's me!) loves and appreciates them. :) I have never believed in bribing children with food - much less candy - but in this case it worked better than any sticker chart I could find.

Now, lest you think it has been a potty training paradise around here, I assure you we have had our many potty training mishaps. I won't publish the stories here -that would officially make this blog un-readable - but if you are so inclined feel free to email me and I'll share.

Goodbye Mr. Wiggles

We woke up this morning to a black chrysalis and so we knew that today would be the day Mr. Wiggles would turn into a butterfly. By 9:00 this morning he had broken out of his chrysalis and was ready to spread his wings. The boys and I were so excited! We took him out of his jar and placed him on the kitchen valance to "hang out to dry." By lunch time he was walking all over the valance and really spreading his wings. At this point I decided it was time to say goodbye.

I planned on putting Mr. Wiggles on one of our hanging plants to acclimate him a little, but once we were outside he took off and flew to our maple tree in the front yard. Brayden, Landon, and I all stood at the bottom of the tree and waved good-bye to our little friend. In Ryan's words, "He was a friendly guy, never caused any ruckus. Just did his thing quietly, and away he went." :) This whole experience has been so cool and so much fun to watch. Ryan and I have probably enjoyed the whole process just as much - if not more - as the boys. Nature is an amazing thing. Good-bye Mr. Wiggles, we will miss you!

Just a little bling...

I love love love little girls with earrings. I think they are so cute! As such, I knew that as soon as Charlotte was old enough, she would be getting her ears pierced. Ryan's mom Kathrine didn't have her ears pierced either and so Charlotte and Nana made a little outing of it and had their ears pierced together. They both did great and were very brave! :)

Utah Utah

We have spent the last 10 days traveling to and from Salt Lake and enjoying many great adventures. The car ride was long and arduous to be honest, but the time we spent with family was worth every mile! Here are the highlights:

We stopped in Boise on our way to Salt Lake and took a dip in the pool. 

The boys embarked on a 6 day trip through the Uinta mountains, cowboy hats and all. They had a great time and Ryan got a killer tan.


We have gained a new family member: Mr. Wiggles! He is a caterpillar that will turn into a butterfly very soon. Ryan's mom found Mr. Wiggles in the larve stage and watched him hatch into a caterpillar and fed him. The boys have had the opportunity to pick milk-weed for him and watch him get big and climb to the top of the jar where he has been kept and spin his chrysalis.



 Brayden's traditional outfit for the week consisting of his Superman cape, magnifying glass, and bucket for capturing his treasures.




 Ryan's parents have an equestrian center behind their house and the boys would stand on those ladders and watch the horses forever. They even got to see the horses get new shoes!

Jungle Jims. What a place. We went with Nana and Ryan's sister Tricia and her daughter Natalie. For those of you who frequent Salt Lake and have never been, I'm warning you: The roller coaster you see may not be suitable for children. Yes, we look happy in the picture, but that is before take-off. For a second I thought I was at Lagoon with as fast as that thing zipped around. Of course the kids loved it and I think I am the only one who was queasy afterward. :)





A quick nursing stop at Multinomah Falls on the way home. The boys were fascinated with the water.

Now that's my kind of matching...

Have you ever seen those magazines with the mother - daughter matching floral jumpers or dresses? I never understood the whole mother-daughter matching thing...until now. The boys are product testers for Nike, so occasionally we get passes for Nike's employee store. At the employee store everything is 50% off retail price, so needless to say we love it! Brayden and Landon have been wearing Nikes since they were born, but until Thursday I had yet to buy Charlotte a little pair of Nikes (yes she's little, but for those of you that know me, I am obsessed with baby shoes!) So, I was walking down the baby shoe aisle and there they were - the cutest pair of shoes my inner-tomboy had ever seen - little brown and pink Nike Free Mary Janes. It was all I could do not to pick up every pair from size 2c to 12 and put them in my cart. But I restrained and only put 2 pair in my cart. :) Then came the next challenge: finding me my tennis shoes for the fall. But it was all too easy. Charlotte and I strolled down the women's shoe aisle and there they were - BIG brown and pink Nike Free Mary Janes! Could it be?! Matching Nikes for me and Charlotte?! I was so giddy I couldn't hardly stand it. Silly I know, but true. Suddenly all of those catalogs full of floral matching mother-daughter jumpers sprung to my mind - I understood! Their floral jumpers are my Nike Mary Janes. Now that's my kind of matching....

Happy Birthday Brayden!

Yesterday was Brayden's 4th birthday...I can't believe he is that old already! I remember when he was a baby looking at 4-year-olds thinking they were so big and independent, basically just miniature adults. Now, I know much better. :) haha For his birthday yesterday we went to an indoor bounce-house during the day and then had a little family party last night complete with pizza, chocolate milk, and "transformers" paraphernalia. Brayden is such a good little man and we enjoy him so much! He is an excellent older brother and a great example to have as the oldest child. Happy Birthday Bray! We love you!

Airshow

This last weekend was the annual Airshow at the Hillsboro Airport. We watched the planes practice for days before the actual Airshow and the boys got so used to seeing the planes (or "jets") that they started waking up in the morning and running outside to see the planes every morning. Saturday we watched the actual show from our backyard. It was so fun! Brayden and Landon were so excited when they drew a smiley face in the sky....that was probably the highlight of the entire airshow for them. The boys made paper airplanes of their own (with Ryan's help of course) and put on their own little "airshow".

Cousins by Birth, Friends by Choice

Two weeks ago while in Boise, my brother Paul and his wife Jessica were there with my niece Addilyn. We are planning on Charlotte and Addie being best friends since they are only 3 months apart. :) Despite the age difference, they are very comparable in size and were so cute together! Jess and I bought matching outfits for the girls (thank you Grandma!) and took them to Kiddie Kandids to have their pictures taken together. The girls were so good and the pictures turned out awesome! I could see them being college roommates 18 years from now and hanging one of these pictures on their wall. :)

GOLF

“A kid grows up a lot faster on the golf course. Golf teaches you how to behave.”
Jack Nicklaus

If that quote is true, I will make sure that Brayden and Landon play golf every day for the next couple of years. :) Brayden and Landon have always enjoyed all sports, but golf is one of their favorites. One afternoon during our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, my dad took Brayden out and bought him some REAL golf clubs. Golf gloves and all. I've never seen such a cute little golfer. The most amazing thing was Brayden's determination and the time he would spend practicing! He would hit ball after ball across my parent's yard, often hitting the ball as far as 40 yds...which for a 3 year old I would say isn't half bad. :) Brayden had the opportunity to go to the driving range a couple of times with Grandpa and Ryan and I have been practicing with him since we got home. As always, Landon wants to do what Brayden does, and according to my dad, has a very "natural" swing. What can I say? I am a proud momma who loves to watch my boys' athleticism bloom.

Charlotte's Blessing

Charlotte was blessed today. It was a wonderful blessing that we got to share with a lot of my family. My brother Ric and his wife Lisa came down from Seattle and my parents and 2 youngest brothers came as well. Spending time with extended family and celebrating Charlotte was the perfect way to end a wonderful holiday weekend!

Family Fun

What a wonderful holiday weekend! Ryan took the second half of the week off and we had SO MUCH FUN playing together as a family!

Wednesday morning Ryan took Brayden to the St. Paul rodeo. Brayden loved seeing all of the horses and bulls and even the clown! They had a great time. Wednesday night we barbecued with our good friends, the Christensens, and then watched the 4th of July fireworks in the Oak Hills neighborhood. They were perfect! Brayden was loving it, while Landon and Charlotte enjoyed each other's company a little bit more. I found myself brought to tears with how proud I am to live in America.

Thursday morning we headed out to Seaside. We had perfect weather and topped the day off with a big bag of REAL salt water taffy. Ryan and I had set out our chairs and were enjoying relaxing and reading while the boys played in the sand. After a while, we realized the boys were no longer playing the sand - they had both fallen asleep! It was so funny we had to take pictures of their peculiar sleeping positions.

Brother and Sister

Seeing a comparison of two of my friend's children as babies (and how much they looked alike) prompted me to seek out a picture of Brayden right about Charlotte's age to compare. Although they are not "twins" I thought there were quite a few similarities! In fact, when I pulled Brayden's baby picture up on the computer and asked him who it was he said, "Charlotte." Haha.

Time flies when you're sleep deprived

I realized when I was going through my last batch of photos that it has been a while (as in weeks) since I have really taken any pictures of Charlotte. I can't believe she is already 5 1/2 weeks old...it feels like it's been 2 days! I attribute part of that to sleep deprivation though. Every day just rolls into the next and I've been so busy that I haven't stopped to count the days, or do much of anything outside of the daily routine. I have enjoyed keeping Charlotte home, away from the world and in doing so have kept myself largely away from the world as well. I have decided that it's time for my "maternity leave" to end though so starting next week I have vowed that life will get back to normal...or as close to a version of normal as we're capable of around here... :)











Charlotte is growing fast and getting so big. She is also experiencing classic male-patterned baldness. She has gone almost completely bald on top and it's starting down the sides but has TONS of hair left in the back. I have been tempted to cut her hair more than once, but can't quite part with it, no matter how uneven it is. She has also started smiling and interacting a little bit which is always rewarding. I look forward to continue to watch her grow and develop. I love my boys, but I am having so much fun with my little girl!

Tent: $30. Hot Dogs and S'mores: $10. Backyard Camping: Priceless.

For the last couple of years we have been proud of the fact that we have remained active through camping and hiking, even with little kids. Well, last year Landon officially broke us of our pride. What we planned to be a great 3-day trip with our then 15 month old and almost 3-year old turned into a nightmare 24hr. camping experience that we couldn't wait to end. Landon was obsessed with the campfire and chasing him away became a full-time job. We found ourselves wishing we had brought along a collar and leash and tied him to the tree (just kidding....or not...) Not to mention the fact the Brayden (then weighing in at almost 40 lbs.) seemed too big to continue carrying comfortably in our wonderful hiking backpacks. So, we packed up early, headed home, and vowed to never camp again with toddlers.


Fast forward to this year - still remembering our vow, yet wanting to continue to enjoy the outdoors, Ryan decided to do some backyard camping with the boys, and I think it was just as fun as any campsite camping we have ever done...probably because I was in the house in my bed! :) We roasted hot dogs over our tiny camping grill and finished off with S'mores...YUM! Ryan and Brayden slept in the tent, while Landon was more than happy to go into the house and sleep in his bed. Overall, we all had a great time with our backyard camping and I'm sure it's something that will continue to be repeated many times throughout the summer.

Baseball, Baby, & "Brayden"

Summertime has basically arrived and the boys have been enjoying many days playing outside. One of their favorite activities is playing baseball! Ryan has been working with Brayden and Landon on their hitting and catching skills. It's a nightly routine that the boys love!

Here is the most recent picture of Charlotte. Her favorite position to sleep in is with an arm or two above her head. She is still such a good baby and I am enjoying her so much!

This morning Brayden wrote his own name for the first time! We had to tell him how to spell it, but he was able to correctly write each of the letters we told him, except for maybe the "E"...which is my favorite. :) I couldn't help but take a picture of it - the handwriting was so cute!