But then Little Boy decided he REALLY wanted to start acting TWO and Sweet Baby Girl decided that night time sleep is WAAAAY over-rated and when I was just about ready to make a cardboard sign that read "Two Free Kids" and park them in a wagon on the sidewalk outside of our house with the freshly painted sign, Wonderful Husband decided to take a couple of vacation days off from work and help me get these kids under control. (I think that was code for "prevent wife from having a mental breakdown").  Neither one of us wanted to take these two crazies to visit the grandparents like we had previously planned (to many variables!!) and so our "staycation" was born.

6 days later...I'm so all over it. Lo and behold, our kids turned back into sweet little angels the first day Wonderful Husband stayed home. We used day one as an opportunity to head up to Richmond B.C. to Watermania. If you haven't heard about this AWESOME waterpark (really it's Richmond's Community Pool) it has a little gym with a waterslide and sprayers perfect for toddlers. The wave pool goes on and off every 20 minutes, and there's floaties, noodles, and innertubes to enjoy. There's also a kid friendly hot tub to relax in. Little Boy had the time of his life for 2 hours and Sweet Baby Girl floated around with me in her cutie infant swim suit for a full hour. Best part? $11 Canadian for the whole fam. Boo-ya!

Next up? Flying kites and picnic dinner down at Zuanich. A lovely evening with take out pizza (really - could I get any lazier??) and kite flying for LB. Zuanich is never too crowded and there's a great playstructure and don't even get me started on the docks. Oh, what fun can be had walking up and down the docks with LB.

We also managed to fit in the Farmer's Market (successfully with no breakdowns! I know - you must envy that experience - it's the first time in 2 years), blackberry picking, gardening at our house and various playdates.

But perhaps the best day of all was yesterday. We headed up to Mt. Baker (Husband has been wanting to do this for a long time with me shouting "NO! Naptimes, meltdowns and feedings!" but yesterday I obliged) so of course, it turned out to be the best day ever. We drove up to Twin Lakes - perfection because Twin Lakes is normally the kind of altitude and place that can only be reached by backpacking and some serious hiking. LB ran around and explored for a couple of hours while Husband and I held SBG and took turns staring, open mouthed at the beauty that surrounded us. We ate lunch lakeside and then hopped back in the car and drove to Artist's Point. From there we took a 1 mile hike (2 1/2 year old LB walked/ran the entire way!!) and again, gaped at the beauty. Can I tell you how much I love Artist's Point? Tons of trails to choose from - all perfectly kept up and suitable for walking toddlers, and I swear, some of them could even handle a jogging stroller.

*AND* since yesterday was our ninth anniversary, we capped it off with a glass of wine and a toast to ourselves after kiddo's bedtimes. :)

He likes to:

feed her (his crackers)

bathe her (and get a little wet himself)

rock her ("stop crying! stop crying!" while frantically rocking her chair)

show her toys (mom says "please don't lay your trains on your sister's face)

and tell us what she's doing in the car ("eyes open" minutes later "eyes closed" minutes later "eyes open" minutes later "eyes closed")

But the best part about LB, Lover of Baby Sister, is his willingness to pitch in.  Husband changed her on the couch and left her there to fetch new clothes and from the other room he heard LB...

"Hello, Baby Sister"

...

"Be gentle"

...

"Good Boy"

...

"I GOT HER!"

My mom heard about Bear Creek Nursery (in Bellingham, out on Lake Sammish Rd.) on the radio. They advertised an Easter Egg Hunt the Saturday before Easter. It's right by our house, so I thought I'd give it a try. We were in for a real treat! They had:

Toys to play with (and beautiful nursery flowers for us to peruse)

Facepainting

Cookies and Capris Suns (LB had two of each!)

An Egg Hunt

Prizes in a prize drawer (and wonderful ones at that! LB chose a baseball and a large cannister of play dough).

It was awesome! We were there for literally about three hours. Time flew. We went back today (I called it the "park") and again, LB entertained himself in the playhouse and with all the toys, diggers and dumptrucks, lawnmowers and everything fun for boys and girls. I got to slowly pick out 4 new plants for my yard. What a beautiful morning!

And for the second great thing, we were told about Laurel's Country Farm and Western Supply Store customer appreciation day yesterday and we hopped in the car to head over and check it out. It was WONDERFUL!  LB got to catch a fish (a 14 inch trout, mind you!), pet Ben the Bull, various cows and calfs, a horse and fole, bunnies and chicks. Wow! He also got to ride in a horse drawn wagon and we ate a free, delicious lunch served up by the staff of fajitas, chips and salsa, hot dogs, and soda. The workers were so friendly and everyone was welcoming and sweet to LB. We had a fabulous time.

However...LB had a 102 fever when we got home the next day and he quickly got worse. I got his cold and it turned into pneumonia. That was a few weeks ago and we were all on the mend until LB Carrier Monkey brought home the flu from the park. It's always fun taking care of a throwing up toddler and a newborn. Then the worst of the worst happened - yup, my husband and I got it. So I'm sitting here on my laptop, finally with some time to update the site because LB is at the grandparent's, Husband is sick in bed, and I'm sick on the couch with a rare moment of BG sleeping.

But we're so happy. And doing surprisingly well. BG is a dream and LB is so sweet. Here's a few pics from those few days between colds and the flu. :)

Imagine my surprise when they came over bearing cake and treats and an Ergo Carrier for me (they've heard me talk about how badly I want one weekly!). I started crying. I was so blown away by their generosity and thoughtfulness. They said they did it just for me because I host playgroup every week, but I feel so lucky that they're willing to come over to my house, rather than me having to drive somewhere!  I absolutely loved it. And I can't stop thinking about what wonderful friends I have.

I have great friends, close family and a little boy who's cuter than words right now. Just the other day I asked Little Boy what it will be like when Little Sister is born. He looked at me like I should not be confused, then he grabbed both my cheeks in his hands and got his face close to mine and said "It's gonna be great, mama!". He looked REALLY concerned that I didn't know this already.

Too many blessings to name right now and a baby that should come in the next 3 weeks. This is my warning that soon I'll be entrenched in newbabydom. I'm sure I'll be MIA, so I'm trying to to get as many things on this site for spring as I can right now.  Enjoy, and I'll try to keep you posted on this baby.

We taught our 2 year old how to ski. He does great! I skiied my last run yesterday. I am now 4 weeks away from giving birth and I figured out I just can't do it anymore. And my pants really don't fit. :)

We went on a family vacation to Whistler (courtesy of the grandparents - THANK YOU!)

We celebrated a birthday.

We've gone sledding.

We made Valentines crafts - looooots of glitter still being vacuumed up in our house.

And we've planned and replanned our summer and spring projects.

Oh! And speaking of that baby, we've gotten a baby room together and stuff set aside. It's amazing how hard that is with a helpful toddler. :)

Hope your winter is going great too!

We had the various holiday parties, tree cutting day, decorating day(s) and cookie making/baking/holiday shopping/wrapping/planning days.  We also headed to my husband's home town of Puyallup on the 19th of December for 5 days to visit friends and family with at least two things booked for each day.  We had a ton of fun. LB starting getting a cold on the first day though, and for the first time in his life (and much to our resting dismay!) he ended up fitfully sleeping with us every night. We came home sick and exhausted just in time for Christmas Eve. We spent it in Bellingham, quietly, with the other grandparents. It was a much needed "break" and LB continued with his cold, on holiday overload, unwrapping presents and sledding every day. On the 26th we took off for Leavenworth (per longstanding tradition - 31 years now!) for a week of cross country skiing, sledding and relaxing by the fire. Again, though, LB was sleep and camped out in our bed until the very last night when he made it through in his pack and play!

We came home to recover for 5 days (while we unpacked, undecorated and unwound from the "vacations") until we switched gears for LB's birthday. He's two this year, so we didn't want to make a big deal out of it. A simple sledding party (his favorite activity!) up at Snoqualmie Pass at my parent's cabin. Lo and behold, there was an avalanche. My parents have owned a cabin with my grandparents for over 30 years on the hill at Hyak and never in a million years have we ever been worried about an avalanche. Until the morning when my mom called in tears, telling me to check my email. She had forwarded pictures of their hill and all the distruction. The cabin above theirs slid completely off it's foundation. Ours was unharmed, but the feelings of loss and sadness for our friends is overwhelming. So, needless to say, the sledding party with all the cousins was cancelled.

So, with the weekend plans cancelled, we woke up on LB's birthday and had playgroup at our house as usual. After he woke up from his nap we went to the train museum in downtown Bellingham. To say that LB simply loves trains would be a HUGE understatement. It was a hit. He wandered around saying "Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness" over and over. Then we went to the best of all kid restaurants - Red Robin! I knew they'd have fast service, give him balloons, sing to him and present his own special icecream sundae. Does life get any better? We came home from the big night out and quickly opened up presents (a shovel, rake, metal vehicles and a recorder - remember playing those in elementary school?) and an exhausted LB went to bed happy and satisfied.

I need to do a better job of sticking to my plan of keeping things simple. Because, really, that's what made this birthday the best for him!

me: "Mommy will spread the frosting and then you can stick on some candy!"
LB: "Mmmmmm"
me: "Oh! Save the candy for the house! Can you put a piece on your house?"
LB:  "Mmmmmm. Yummy!"
me: "Ok. No more candy in your mouth! Put some on your house!"
             (LB takes the candy out of his mouth and puts it on the roof)
LB:  "Gorgeous!"
me:  "It is gorgeous! Can you do it again?"
LB:  Sticks an entire handful of candy in his mouth and takes one piece out at a time and sticks it on his house.
me:  "So pretty"
LB:  "Mommy pretty"
me:  "I love you."

We dropped off the gorgeous/pretty house today at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal for display. Some of the other entries may outshine LB's, but do they have have half eaten snowmen leaning up agains their houses? No. The Port Celebration is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday with tons of fun activities and the Lighted Boat Parade.  It starts at 5:30 at the Bellingham Yacht Club in Squalicum Harbor and makes it's way to Fairhaven. I called the Port and they said it will probably arrive between 6:10 and 6:40ish in Fairhaven. Hope that helps. :)

The Port's activities:
Friday, Dec. 5 noon - 8 p.m.
Music & Dance Performances * Santa Alaska Ferry Send Off * Gingerbread House Display and Silent Auction

Saturday, Dec. 6 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Music & Dance Performances * Santa Horse and Wagon Rides * Gingerbread House Display and Silent Auction Children’s Art Activities  & Lighted Boat Parade

Sunday, Dec. 7 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Music & Dance Performances * Santa Horse and Wagon Rides * Gingerbread House Display and Silent Auction Children’s Art Activities

It didn't take long for us to decide that a vacation without LB would truly be a vacation...ie the most relaxing time. We also felt like we should treat ourselves before this new baby girl comes in March and we dip back into the parenting vortex for another year. But we also knew that we are on a tighter than tight budget and that free airmiles are almost too costly...so that left us with a list that went: 1. Free or cheap   2. Sunny and relaxing  3. Fun and easygoing. Huh.

Imagine our delight when a friend at Husband's work said he could use his friends and family discount to get us a room at a WorldMark Resort. We looked up their locations and found one in Palm Springs (Indio) where a 1 bedroom was $42 a night. GET OUT! Our luck was looking up! Add on some free airmiles and the fact that the suite had a full kitchen so we could grocery shop and avoid going out to eat and we were all over it!

So we left last Wednesday and came home Tuesday night. One blissful almost week away from home, hecticness and LB. I missed him immensely, but two sets of grandparents took care of him at our house and apparently he never even asked for us. Much to my happiness! Every day was around 85 degrees and we spent most of it lounging by the pool or riding on this cool "river" ride in innertubes. We also went into town to a couple of markets and made our way up to Joshua Tree National Park. The first pic is of the view from our room. Can you say AWESOME?!

Scratch that for this year! I found wishlist.com where I can add as many lists as I want, so I put on a family wishlist and a wishlist for our second baby due to arrive in March. No more guessing for people! I love it. I'm going to keep it up year around as things occur to me. It might cut down on spur of the moment purchases too. :)

 The wishlists feature a picture (easily downloaded from different websites, etc), a description, price, and personal notes. Go to wishlist.com and click on the downloading option - right click to add it to your favorites and then when you go to your favorite websites or search for what you want, you just click on the wishlist in your favorites and then it pops up a tiny window. Click on the "picture" box, then click on the picture of what you want. Click on the description, then click on the description on the site. Etc. with the price, then it pops up an extra window to change that information and add notes. Then save it to your list. SO EASY!

www.wishlist.com

We have too much stuff.

LB doesn't really NEED anything.What we do want/enjoy/crave for LB (and what he wants for himself but doesn't know it yet) is EXPERIENCES rather than more THINGS.

If he does get things we want them to be QUALITY rather than QUANTITY and something that stands the test of time.

Wow. What an intimidating response. I sent with it some ideas and brainstorming (wooden Thomas the Train to work on a set, a gift certificate for swim lessons for the winter, a gift certificate for the next family pass to the Children's Museum that we'll have to get this winter, etc.)

But then I thought that I needed to put my money where my mouth is. My nephews certainly don't suffer from limited toys, so Christmas and Birthdays are always difficult. Also, as they grow older, they're wishlists seem to grow monetarily so the things they can tell me they want aren't necessarily within our allowed present budget.  After a lot of thinking I came up with what I call my genious plan:

I want my nephews to have experiences and not stuff too. Especially because we live far away and toys have a pretty short lifespan, but memories last forever.

Kids need to open up presents, though! It's Christmas, after all!

So I'm giving them a bunch of little experiences that they can open together and share. My list so far: two passes to the pool, two milkshakes at Red Robin (a big treat!), two day passes to the Children's Museum, two tickets for iceskating and rollerskating, and two tickets to the local children's winter train. I'm going to put each of the gift certificates in tiny boxes along with a tiny trinket that represents the day so they have something to open and play with. Then I'm also going to give them disposable cameras from my Little Boy so they can document their "Days of Fun" for us to see.  Here's some cute packaging ideas I found online...

And the creme de la creme, I thought of putting all the odds and ends in boxes and glueing them onto a Christmas Tree or a Snowman (like the buttons are boxes) so the just take off the lids...or putting them in a decorated paint can like the one above with each of their names on them and numbered boxes so the paint can with their names on them becomes their "Memory Cans" for the pictures and souveniers.  I'll take a picture when I finally get this all done!

Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through the end of October. $2 per person, $5 per family on Thur/Fri (kids 3 and under are free). $3 per person, $10 per family on Saturdays (kids 3 and under are free). Bring cash or check (no credit cards) and some extra for a train ride ($3) and food if you would like. Most pumpkins and gourds are by the pound. http://www.stoneyridgefarm.com/

The animals...

Wagon ride to the field and the pumpkins!

The TRAIN! (I made the huge mistake of calling this train Thomas which then led to a major breakdown until LB got to ride "Thomas"...twice)

Other cool things (donuts, firepit, the playground...can life get any better?)

And the reason why I love Stoneyridge...the cutest pictures ever! Most of these are my "repeats" from last year so I can have the same photos showing Little Boy as he changes from year to year. :)

So here are a few of those toddler things that occurred while I was testing my ability to take a 2 minute shower, unloading groceries from the car, putting away groceries, or (heaven forbid) trying to go to the bathroom alone. These also made me smile. So mischevious, this one!

     Wearing my hat; stolen from the TOP shelf!                          Helpful organizing.                      What I found after my bathroom break.                    

         Refusing the highchair now.                          After getting into my eyeliner.                       "NO GLOVES! NO GLOVES, wait..."

 His favorite new obsession (dressy shoes only)  After a friend dropped off his old baby jumper... Taking his purse (my purse) and LEAVING!

                           No more slices!!                                                  It's exhausting being me.

Last year was my first fall off in 6 years. A fairly easy decision for me with little LB in my arms still (or trying to crawl out of them and scoot across the floor). And while I am happy with my decision not to go back to teaching middle school and instead work part-time from home, the sadness and disappointment came as a surprise to me this year.

It came at the oddest times...As I watched the neighborhood kids madly ride around on their bicycles, trying to soak up the last bits of summer free for alls, when I walked into Fred Myer and was greeted by the back to school displays (I actually stood in the isles for a good 15 minutes soaking it all in when I got a beloved sans-LB shopping trip), when I dropped off some extra supplies at my local elementary and suddenly smelled butcher paper and text books and waxed tile floors. I cried when I thought about all my nervous kids from 3rd through 8th coming through my door on the first day - them never knowing I was just as nervous as them. The satisfied smiles at the end of the day when everything worked out and I would sit in my chair and reflect on the calm before the storm. It seems as though every first day of school I've ever taught has always been sunny and cheerful.

When my friend dropped off her fourth grader and then met me for coffee I grilled her on everything. What did it smell like? A million sharpened pencils? Did the kindergarten parents look sad? Were the kids voices all a loud murmur of excitement and nervousness? Were all the teachers by their doors greeting all the kids? Did he pick out his desk? Did he write his name on his new name tag? Was it so, so wonderful and sad mixed into one?

So I came to terms with it. I'm a little bit of a mess. I miss teaching so much, but not enough to dedicate all my days to it and miss LB that much more. I wish I could just set up my classroom this year, meet my perfect kids, and teach. For a week. Or maybe two. Maybe just until November - LB has hit his toddler stride complete with tantrums and screaming fits...so maybe I wouldn't miss him thaaaaat much. :)

Here's a few of my favorite family members on their first days this week - Kenzie on her first day of kindergarten, and Ellie on her first day too, Dillon is an old pro...

So now I can't believe I'm the mother of a famous model. I don't want it to go to his head. I mean, I know the next stop is Paris and Milan, but LB should just enjoy the ride. I've started giving him Evian in his sippy cup and he no longer takes phone calls directly from playdates (I have to relay the information - he's to busy reading Vogue). I try and only give him carrots and soy yogurt for meals so he can maintain his perfect figure. This stagemom life is hard.

Kidding. Only kidding. LB isn't even aware of how cute he really is unless he can start counting the kisses I bestow on him all day long. The magnificent man's "famous" picture is below and here is the link to his big page: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5156242

So stinking cute.

 Until this year. We have had two separate nights where I was setting up the fans in LB's room and fretting about the temperature. I'm a little bitter about that. I should have had countless nights like those. I should be an old pro at setting up the fans throughout our house. Instead, our fans have sat forlorn in the corners of rooms waiting to be used more than twice. July usually gets off to a slow start, but the hot August days actually make me look forward to fall. I feel like fall came this week. My maple leaves have turned red, the woodchips under the playset are soggy, and my plants don't need to rely on me to water them lately.

 So I've joined them. All the naysayers and pessimists talking about the horrible weather. It is horrible. And it becomes ten times more horrible with a cooped up toddler. But, I'm quick to forgive. Give me the rest of August and early September with summer sunshine and a couple of nights where I can still wear my shorts outside at night.

ps. LB picked out his own outfit this morning. It consisted of two striped t-shirts, a diaper, his rainboots and his raincoat. Pretty funny. Especially when he insisted on putting it all on before he ate breakfast in his highchair. I talked him into pants just before playgroup started. :)

Bloedel

Elizabeth Park is now my favorite for these hot summer days. It's pretty much completely in the shade and it has a great playstructure, space to run around in, a little fountain to watch and a pavilion to stomp around in. We kept cool as cucumbers in the heat.

Home for a nap..short because LB's room is about 80 degrees, and then off again to my favorite part of the day. For those of you who have never been, Sudden Valley has the most amazing outdoor pool with a fabulous toddler swimming area. It has two gradual steps leading in and then it only gets about as deep as LB's chest. They also have A TON of kid's pool toys for everyone to play with. Admission is $3.25 and kids under 2 are free. There's a lot of lounge chairs and several tables and umbrellas, so you can make the most of it. Turn into gate 2, follow the signs to The Barns and park in the lot, walk south towards the end of the barns, pay in the last one (where the coffee shop is) and enjoy the day. We enjoyed the 2 hours in the evening we spent!

Hats off to a cool day in the sun! What does everyone else do to stay cool?