Grandma's final resting place

We love you, Grandma. Thanks for giving us so many memories that we will always carry with us.

Grandma's new views

Resting with her mother and father

A field on the farm where Grandma grew up

The creek Grandma played in as a child

Yuck, yuck and YUCK

What a weekend!! On Friday, Kate woke up with her very first sickness. I know we're lucky that she's almost two and never been sick but, my, what a weekend it turned out to be. Kate had the stomach flu and got sick a few times. Kids are great, though, because immediately after she was sick, she'd play as if nothing were wrong. It seemed all cleared up by noon, but she was still pretty lethargic (for her). She'd actually take breaks on the floor or the couch for at least a minute or so. Those of us who know her well know that she never lays still for more than 2 seconds, so this did indicate she wasn't feeling perfect. I put off my trip to the coast to spread my grandma's ashes, and decided to wait to leave until Saturday morning if she was still better. She was fine, so I left early on Saturday. On a side note, my mom, uncle, aunt, brother and I had a wonderful day reminiscing about my grandma. Little did I know what was to come. By Saturday night, I talked to Ryan and HE was feeling ill. It really hit in the evening, so I made plans to come home earlier on Sunday, knowing from when I had pregnancy nausea that it is NO fun taking care of an active toddler when you're sick. But then.....in the middle of the night on Saturday, I got it!!! Yuck! It was very much not fun driving home from the coast while feeling as thought I needed to pull over every 10 minutes, but I really wanted to get home. Yesterday, Ryan and I were literally useless and could do nothing. Usually, I can rally when I don't feel well, but this was totally different. I can't even remember the last time I had the stomach flu (maybe high school??) and I was completely shocked that I could barely even move. Thankfully and to her credit, Kate was awesome all day and played by herself really well while we just sat and watched her. So, now it's Monday, and Ryan is pretty much well and I'm getting there. I went to bed at 7 pm last night so I know I'm rested! I think the baby is wondering why I am not eating anything, and is NOT happy about it (if that's what all the violent kicking and lodging him/herself under my ribs indicates). We're all on the mend, though, so that's good. I just hope it's a good, long time until Kate gets her second sickness and that we don't catch it. Nasty bug! I will post some photos that I got from the day with my family tomorrow because I am TRULY thankful that it was such a nice day and did my grandma justice.

My modern girl

As told to me by Kate, while playing with her little people and animals: "Mommy, this guy is listening to his ipod." Ha!



PS This photo cracks me up every time I see it. Kate in one of her favorite outfits (diaper & boots), carrying a purse, posed as if to say "watch out world, here I come." Indeed.

3 nights down!

Kate has been her "big girl" bed for three nights now, and it's going so well!! She seems to love it and we haven't heard a peep from her. Whew! I don't want to jinx it, but she's doing way better than I expected. Of course, while she slept peacefully, Ryan and I didn't get great sleep the first couple nights since we were each waking up thinking we heard her or thinking of all the freak scenarios that could happen to her in her new bed. Obsessive worry comes along with parenthood, I suppose!! I think the transition will take longer for us than for Kate! I can't believe she's such a big kid now. I'm really, really proud of her!!

First day of summer!

Well, summer's officially here and FINALLY we had some weather that looked like it. It was warm and sunny and just how "summer" should be. I'm definitely hoping today is a sign of a lovely season ahead. As I took Kate out in the stroller yesterday morning, I listened to (or, rather, re-listened to....) "Eat, Pray, Love" and it included a quote I thought was so perfect and fitting: "Little girls who make their mothers live grow up to be such powerful women." The first time I listened to and read this book I was just pregnant with Kate, and couldn't imagine who the little human growing inside me would be. Now I know and, yes, she does indeed "make me live." Isn't that just a wonderful way to express what kids can do for their parents? I had a great life before her, but it's so, so much more meaningful and so much more great now. It's one of those things that can't be described to you before you have kids, but you are infused with the feeling the moment they arrive. I, for one, think Kate WILL be a powerful woman one day. After all, she's a pretty powerful toddler.... Anyway, we "lived" the first day of summer by enjoying the sun. We went to a park that Kate chose because it had to "have swings and the bumpy slide." This park is in the middle of a few baseball fields and next to the middle school. We explored around, only to find Kate's paradise: the maintenance area of the school where there were two John Deere tractors and a backhoe! They were just sitting there, begging for her to "drive them." And drive she did. What a find!! Then some "really big kids" (I'd say 12 or 13-year-olds) came to the park on their bikes. Kate proceeded to practically drool all over them and their bikes. They liked her, though, and let her follow them around and even let her sit on their bikes. I think Kate almost died and went to heaven. The afternoon after that was probably anti-climatic but we did play with water and buckets in the front yard for quite some time. Then came the VERY best part of the day: when daddy comes home! I'd say it was a pretty perfect way to kick off summer 2010.

Birthday party!

Busy collecting party hats...a few hours later, she had donned broken swimming goggles and two party hats!

Two buddies playing cars & house

Ryan, the birthday boy!

What do I do with this thing?

Sugar high, Shaun?

We had so much fun at Ryan's 5th birthday party!! Josh and Jen (his parents) must STILL be exhausted from hosting that shindig. I can see what Ryan and I have in our future, especially if our next baby is a boy. All the kids did wonderfully, but it is mayhem, for sure! I felt guilty leaving their house since it looked like a tornado had passed through (or, similarly I guess, a whole bunch of 5-year-olds!) It was all good fun, though, and Kate really had a great time. We were there for 6 hours and I think she was only just hitting her party stride! She completely did not get the whole "birthday" thing and, true to her word, she DID NOT like cake. Jen made these fabulous cupcakes with DELICIOUS chocolate frosting (this coming from someone who likes her frosting!!), but Kate tried the tiniest of bites and proceeded to make some of the best food-reaction faces I've ever seen! She was scraping her tongue and contorting her face, only to announce, "I don't like pancakes!" So, perhaps we won't be serving traditional birthday cake when she turns two (at least not to her)! She did eat her weight in watermelon, so I guess she was right when she announced her intentions to us that morning. Aside from the food, Kate loved playing with all Ryan and Shaun's toys, especially the trucks. That's my girl! The sweetest part of the day came when Shaun announced that he was the daddy and "baby Kate" was the mommy, and their baby was his stuffed puppy. They made coffee in the play kitchen and it was enough to make this mommy swoon--at least until Shaun announced that I could be the grandma! :)

Happy Father's Day!

We love you, daddy! When I asked Kate what she wanted to write on daddy's card she said, "my dad rocks." I thought that pretty much summed it up. He does indeed rock and is, of course, so much more than that. Kate and I are the luckiest girls around because we not only have the best daddy and husband, but THREE fantastic grandpas/dads in our lives. Happy, happy father's day to Ryan, Mac, Bob and Bill. You make our lives immeasurably better. Ryan, Kate and I just finished our special pancakes and bacon breakfast, and we get to have Grandpa Bill and Grandma Connie over for a bar-b-que later today. We will miss Grandpa Mac and Grandpa Bob(bby)! You're there with us in spirit (and hopefully HERE with us for a visit very soon!)

It's 9 a.m....

Is your house as messy as ours?? If you have kids, I'm guessing it's possible. If you don't have kids and your house still looks like ours, well done--you must be having fun!! Here's to a fun (with whatever accompanying mess that entails) weekend. On our agenda: little Ryan's 5th birthday party. It's been quite some time since Kate went to a birthday party, so we'll see if she gets the concept at all. Somehow I'm doubting it. I asked her if she was going to eat some cake at the party and she said, "No way." If they have watermelond, though, she's a "maybe." That's my fruit lover!!

9-13-2010

Family and friends, mark your calendars!! September 13, 2010 is the day that Baby #2 will arrive! It's scheduled and I'm not at all disappointed about missing out on the mystery surrounding when the baby will arrive. I'll settle for no labor and keeping the mystery surrounding whether this baby is a boy or a girl. I have no inkling, but everyone seems to think it's a boy. Although, a lot of people said the same thing about Kate, so I'm not putting TOO much stock in it!! We'll be thrilled either way. And, cousin Cindy, start channeling your energy toward the 13th so we can have babies with the same birth day!! Well, that's the happy and exciting news around here. Unfortunately, there is sad news as well. My grandpa on my dad's side passed away yesterday. He took a sudden turn for the worse, and passed quickly. Fortunately, though, my dad was able to get to North Carolina in time and he and my Uncle David were there holding their dad's hand as he passed on. He did not have to suffer through a lot of pain, for which we can all be thankful. He had such an interesting life, and many stories to tell from his 91 years. I imagine he's happy to be reunited with my grandma Marilyn, who was the love of his life and his wife for over 65 years. It has been a tough few weeks where my grandparents are concerned, but I suppose as I get older, the passing of their generation is something that I knew was coming. It really is heartening to me to know that Kate got to meet all of her great-grandparents and that new life is soon coming into this world. I know that all the great-grandparents will be somewhere watching.

My first attempt...

...at cutting Kate's hair! I did try once before, many months ago, but I couldn't even get close to her with the scissors. This time went much better. It's relatively even, and no blood was shed, so I think it was pretty much a success. I had a good run of taking her to the great kid's haircut place near my dad's house, but I'm not sure when our next trip to Portland will be and she was getting downright shaggy. There's only one kid's place in Bend, but I just couldn't bring myself to go there since it advertises "spa parties" for kids and offers highlights!! Highlights? For a child?? What is this world coming to? Sorry, Kate, you're not getting any sort of streaks until you're well past 10. The haircuts there were $16.50, so I figured I dutifully saved us that much...well, at least until I spend it on something else..... :)

Outwitted by a not-quite-two-year-old....

I've been wondering when some sort of organized discipline would begin in our household, and the answer became abundantly clear: YESTERDAY. Kate was at her absolute feistiest and was testing every boundary she could. I drew the line when she began throwing her number magnets around the kitchen. I asked her not to do it, and we discussed (as we've had to do a lot lately) that the only thing she may throw is a ball. She didn't stop. The act that brought about our first use of the "naughty step" time-out technique was when she threw a magnet and then looked at me and said, "I did it on purpose." Clear as a bell! I was thrown for a moment by this blatant call for discipline, so I carried her over to a stair and said that it was her "naughty step." She knows about this since one of her Olivia books involves a time out. I knew she wouldn't stay there, but I explained why she was there and when she could get up anyway. She got up, went right to the fridge and threw another one. Back to the step. Again, up she got, right to throwing another magnet. But this time, she quickly said, "I did it on purpose" and then proceeded to go to her favorite little red chair. She sat down, looked at me (almost sarcastically, I think) and said, "THIS can be my naughty chair instead." Seriously?! I've been outsmarted after just two tries at time out?? I guess I may have to figure out another system......Happily, though, today was MUCH, much better in the behavior department. The weather was horrible so Kate and I tested out an indoor play park called Kiddoz. It was just perfect: a large room filled with all the stuff you basically could have at home, but then your kid probably wouldn't be nearly as excited about it. There was also a big structure with slides and such, but mostly it was just little nooks with dollhouses, blocks, etc., etc. PLUS lots of couches for parents and a coffee bar! Can't beat that. Kate was happy playing by herself and with the other kids, mostly, so I took advantage of those couches! This might be a good outing for us as I get bigger and bigger and bigger, and tired-er and tired-er..... We stayed a good 2.5 hours and Kate was nowhere near over the novelty of the room. And, Starla, you'll chuckle to know that she spent a good deal of time in the kitchen area, where there was a little table with four different colored chairs. True to her daddy's genes, she dutifully matched all the plastic vegetables and fruits with their corresponding colored chair. The other kids weren't sure why she was stacking carrots on the orange chair and green peppers on the green chairs, but I definitely knew why!! We'll see where this drive to organize takes her!

New town, new house, first parade!

Getting her horses "Tuck" and "Slick" ready to watch the parade

Kate's next Halloween costume, perhaps?

We've made it to our new place!! We've been here a week now, and we've got a phone and the internet again, so now we can catch up with all the friends and family we've been missing! The move went well, and we are really loving our new town and our new house. Much to our relief, Kate didn't miss a beat settling in. She now has a "big girl" bed in her room, and her favorite thing is to stand on the bed and watch out her window. We're right next to an elementary school so she can watch all the "big kids" and school buses. She can also see a road and likes to watch for trucks. She'll spend quite a long time watching and exclaiming, "blue truck!" or "white truck!" or "motorcycle" as she seest them pass by. There's also a little door in the downstairs closet which conceals the house's crawl space, but it's the perfect place for Kate to hide and keep her toys. She's really enjoying making all the discoveries at her new house! She also discovered the tutu that Grandma Connie bought her when I was unpacking her clothes. She said, "I put that on right now!" and she's been wearing it a lot ever since. On our first day here, she was wandering around in her pink tutu dragging Ryan's hammer, which we thought pretty much summed her up! Ryan and I think we definitely made the right decision choosing to rent in Sisters to see if it's where we'd rather be. So far, it definitely is the place for us! We love that it's a small town, but has lots of amenities that a larger place would have (like a brewery, movie house, athletic club...) We can easily walk downtown, which we've done for morning coffee and to watch the Sisters Rodeo Parade yesterday. Sisters really must have the most festivals per capita of most any town. Just this weekend there is the big rodeo and an Arts in the Park festival. Next weekend, there's a Beer & Wine Fest and the Oregon Ballet Theatre is coming to town. Combine all that with an outstanding public school system and all the trails and outdoor activities we could ever ask for, and we think this will be our home for quite some time. We can't wait to host visitors....hint, hint!! :)

Moving day!

We're packing up and moving yet AGAIN today, but this time to a place of our own! We're renting, so this won't be the last time we pack up but I hope it's the last time for awhile. I'm sure Kate is going to be sad to be leaving all the good digging dirt behind, but I'm sure we'll have new adventures at our place--and I'm sure we'll be visiting Dusty Loop quite regularly! I don't know when we'll have internet again, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of tales to tell next time.....

I want 2, 3, 12, 37.....

Kate has discovered/learned three things that I have decided are not good in combination: tantrums, numbers and colors. Actually, I could do away with tantrums entirely, but I know this is just part of having a toddler, and an independent toddler at that. I'm happy she's confident in her numbers and colors, but this knowledge does not serve her (or me, really) well when she is in a tantrum-y mood. Most of her outbursts begin with her wanting 2 or more of something, sometimes in combination with a color (i.e. "I WANT 2 blue cups!!!" when I offer her a cup of milk). It gets way more complicated than this as she starts demanding 5 or more of things we don't even own, or demanding things that don't exist (i.e. the purple bagel she HAD TO HAVE at the store recently.) There's not much a mom can do to meet some demands, although we try compromise whenever possible. Hence, her hairdo today. She wanted 5 ponytails and she ended up with 3....strange to look at but MUCH easier on the ears than not meeting her part of the way there. I'm learning as I go......

Kate has little in the way of girly-girl tendencies (she does like heavy machinery, after all) but I think shoes may be her one girl-weakness so far. When she saw this pink pair of Keen sandals, she said, "I try them on RIGHT NOW!" At least they'll dry out faster than her rain boots!

First family photo

I just realized that this is the first photo of our family of four: daddy, mommy, Kate and baby bump at 25 weeks. I look at Kate and can't imagine having a little one who looks any different than her but, genetics being what they are, I have no idea what this active little bump might be like! Another redhead?? We'll see in just a few short months. As for the three of us who are already on the outside, we'll be moving into our new place in Sisters on Friday. It's been quite awhile since we've been on our own; we won't know what to do with ourselves without grandmas and grandpas around! We're SO incredibly thankful to have had such wonderful hosts this past month or so. I know they all say it will be too quiet without us there, but I imagine it might be nice to have their houses back! Fewer toys to step on, at least!! THANK YOU Bob, Starla, Connie, Bill and Mac--we couldn't have done it without you!