Fair fun!

Kate's not too sure about ice cream, but her friend Addi is!

Hmmm...maybe this stuff isn't SO bad...(but I still like the truck better!)

One-day-old baby goat!

Aaaah...now THIS is what I'm talking about!

Kate had an awesome 2nd birthday! We went to the Deschutes County Fair with her new friend Addi, Addi's parents and Addi's grandma. We saw a bazillion animals, but let's just cut to the chase: we found a BOBCAT DISPLAY and PONY RIDES. What else could Kate need?? Nothing, apparently, as she could have been left there quite happily. When she saw all the Bobcats just sitting there, ripe for the touching, she pretty much went into silent and serious mode so she could properly revere them. She touched the signs, the machines, anything with the Bobcat logo. They were even open so she could "drive" them. Perfection. THEN, we found pony rides. I wasn't entirely sure Kate would actually ride one but, as usual, I was completely wrong. After her first go, she just said, "Do it again." And again and again. She and Addi would have probably monopolized the ponies all day if we'd let them. I'm hoping they have pony rides at the fair in Yreka (where we'll be in a few weeks) because I really want to see her ride from afar; the ponies actually went at a good clip and Kate was bouncing around liking a bucking bronco. I think she'd have a chance on the mechanical bull. The day was just perfect for a 2nd birthday and could have only been better if Ryan didn't have to work. Never fear, though, she found her fighting partner when we got home!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE!

Just born...

...first birthday...

...and now you're TWO!

Dear Kate,

How did two years with you pass so very quickly? You are the light of mommy and daddy's life, and we can't imagine life without you. You've brought us so much happiness and we love you more than anything. You are an amazing girl who makes us smile everyday. We'll be celebrating your birthday on Saturday with ALL your grandmas and grandpas! We know this will make you very happy. Today, we'll go to the fair and see all the animals, but I know the best part of your birthday will be when daddy walks through the door. You'll get a big grin on your face and you'll tell him you want to "fight." You'll giggle hysterically as you "wrestle" with daddy and I'm sure this will be your best present of the day! We hope you keep your liveliness and can't wait to see where this year takes you.

We love you! Mommy & Daddy

New car!!

Well, new to us, at least. We've (and by this I mean Ryan) been looking for a second car capable of fitting the double stroller for quite some time, and then we (Ryan) found this beauty! Yes, there were other reasons we needed a second car, but I did freak out when I realized the double BOB couldn't be crammed into the Vibe (at least not without leaving at least one child behind, which is probably not good parenting and pretty much defeats the need for the two-kid stroller...) Anyway, this Jeep popped up and turned out to be just the right one: big enough, equipped with latches for easy car-seat installation (a must these days!) and purchased from a couple with the cleanest garage I've ever seen, which means they must be good car owners, right? I think we'll all like it a lot--Kate's already saying she "only wants to ride in the new car." Sorry, Vibe, your glory days have passed! :) And, in MUCH more important news, we want to say a big, big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Starla!! We can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend!

Oh, the guilt of a mommy....

So, I've been trying hard to follow the "Love & Logic" principles when it comes to Kate's terrible two behavior, and we've had a few bedroom time episodes where she was told she could come out when she could be a nice, sweet girl again. Well, today I went out into the garage to put something in her stroller and I closed the door between the garage and the house. I wasn't quite ready for her to get in yet, but about 2 seconds after I went out I heard a sweet little voice calling "I'm ready to be a nice girl." Oh, like a dagger to my heart. I just felt so bad, like she thought she was being naughty. Sometimes you just can't win, especially when the mommy-guilt kicks in!! Luckily, she HAS been quite a sweet girl today and didn't even protest when I told her it was time to leave the swimming pool (a lot of progress from the usual flailing screamfest). We're having a great time with Uncle Jay and Aunt Cyndi, and are very appreciative of Grandma Connie who watched Kate last night while we went out to dinner and will watch her again tonight so we can go watch a stage in the Cascade Cycling Classic. It's the first time since Ryan and I went on vacation last September that I've gone two nights without putting her to bed....I must admit, it's kind of fun to be out and about!! Watch out for the mommy on the loose in Bend tonight (albeit a pregnant mommy who tires about 8 pm, but still.....)

Where will this take her?

While I was on the phone the other day, this is what Kate was doing: organizing things into groups and patterns. This is something she does with almost everything that can be grouped. She's always telling me she wants to "match" and to "organize" (not in the cleaning up toys sense, mind you). I know Ryan was methodical like this when he was younger, so Kate's definitely got his gene there. I wonder where this quality will take her?

Kate's nocturnal activities

Kate's been in her "big girl" bed for over a month now, and it's really gone much better than I expected. She's never tried to get out of her bedroom and has stuck to her 7 pm to 7 am schedule. At least we THOUGHT she was sleeping that entire time. Recently, I've noticed that she must be getting up because books are scattered about when I go in there in the morning. Not so bad, though, because she puts herself back to bed. But last night I checked on her before I went to bed and found her sleeping in the rocking chair, surrounded by pillows! It must have been quite an effort to drag pillows up there and then to wedge herself behind them. I moved her back to bed and she didn't make a peep, so all's well that end's well. Except....we've noticed that she is way more tired during the day, yet still doesn't nap. And she's been so much more difficult in the behavior arena lately. I was chalking it up to turning two soon, but could it be that she's just entertaining herself during the night? Perhaps. Oh well, she STAYS in her room and that's what counts. Right?? Right?

Umm, Sesame Street?

So, Sesame Street, I think you may have dropped the ball a bit when you made "Elmo's Safari" coloring book. Kate loves to color in this book, but Ryan and I were a little surprised when she announced "I want the naked Elmo" to us while she was coloring in it. We just sort of ignored her and told her that Elmo wears his safari clothes, but she kept firmly insisting that she wanted "NAKED Elmo." I took the book, thumbed through and, lo and behold, on a couple of the pages Elmo is not wearing his safari gear. To the eyes of an increasingly anatomically-minded toddler, this meant Elmo was indeed naked. Now, I do know that this "naked" state is just normal Elmo and that he IS covered in fur, but KATE doesn't know it and she is fascinated by this disrobed little creature. This is the same girl who gleefully announced "Daddy's naked!" to the swimming pool. (He was, of course, not naked, but he wasn't wearing a shirt). Her first made-up joke was also about anatomy, but I'll leave that one out here.....Anyway, thanks for feeding her naked obsession, Sesame Street. Guess I'll add this to the ever-increasing list of things we HOPE Kate doesn't announce in public!

Sugar and Spice

Isn't there some nursery rhyme that says "when little girls are good, they're very good and when they're not...watch out?" Or something to that effect. We've decided the author must have penned that saying about Kate. Hence our weekend, which was mostly delightful, punctuated by moments (some loooooong ones) of sheer tantrum-y terror. Kate's either sweet and nice, or completely off the rails. I suppose that's what we're in for as we enter the "terrible twos." We met a couple this weekend who have a two-and-a-half year old and when I mentioned that ours was almost two, the dad just said, "oh, welcome." I completely caught his drift: it is like joining a club, forcibly at that. But, as to not dwell on the more difficult moments of the weekend, I will say that we did have lots of good times. We went to the pool twice, the brewery once, the library and had Uncle Jay and Aunt Cyndi visit for a night before the headed up to see an Elton John concert. It was a nice preview of this weekend when they'll come back and stay a bit longer. We also met the aforementioned couple who have the home across the street from us as a vacation home. They're daughter came and played outside with Kate, and it will be SO nice to know some other kids in town. On the note, we randomly met another couple who have a daughter who is almost two and have just moved her from Montana. Oddly enough, the dad has a Master's in Forestry and is named Ryan, so, of course, I'm thinking we're destined to be great friends with them. At least we're meeting people in town and getting Kate some playmates! So, that's our weekend in a nutshell--the good, bad and, sometimes, VERY ugly!!

Asserting independence (AKA "Becoming a two-year-old")

I SWEAR Kate knows she's turning two in a few weeks and she's gearing up, practicing to live up to all that is said about two-year-olds. I mean, she's had the art of the tantrum down for awhile, but suddenly her willfulness (of which she has an incredible abundance) has accelerated dramatically. So, I did what any desperate parent would do: took cousin Cindy's great recommendation to read "Love & Logic" hoping for the magic cure to the terrible twos. Okay, so I KNOW there's no magic cure, but some insight would be nice. I've been trying the book's techniques and I do wholeheartedly agree with its philosophy. One big thing is to offer kids lots of choices and give up some of your parental control, so that when you do need to make a choice for them, they're a little more agreeable to it. This is how Kate ended up wearing one polka dot shoe and one red shoe yesterday. I generally give her the choice between two outfits, but the shoe arena is all hers. Man, does she have opinions about shoes (as I've said before, it's her only nod to girliness). So, we're doing the choices thing. Another idea in the book is to give empathetic responses and let consequences do the teaching, as opposed to lecturing and saying "That's one, that's five, that's 250..." Instead, you just say something like, "uh oh, how sad, looks like it's time for a little bedroom time" when things are really going awry. Then you take them to their bedroom, tell them they can rejoin you when they can be sweet again and then shut the door. Kate's had two bedroom times now. I kept asking her if she was ready to be nice and, for a good while, she'd say, "NOOOOOOO!" At least she got it. When she'd calmed, I went in, hugged her, told her how nice it was to have my big girl back and that was it. I like this technique (and am hoping, probably to little avail, that we won't need too many bedroom times.) Just when I was getting a bit more confident with this whole discipline thing, though, Kate again showed me that sometimes she's just too smart. We were playing outside yesterday and she was throwing toys around when I'd asked her not to. Before we could get to the "uh oh" stage, she looked at me and announced, "Olivia's mom says: you really wear me out, but I love you anyway." Olivia being a book about a precocious little girl (well, pig) who's mom DOES say that to her. After this announcement, whenever she did something she knew she shouldn't do, Kate looked straight at me and said, "You love me anyway." Yep, outwitted by a toddler again.

I doubt this has been said many times before....

Kate and I went to the park this afternoon, and there was a guy working with a Bobcat in an empty lot nearby. After playing awhile, Kate announced, "I want to give a kiss to that Bobcat." So, off we went to, well, look at it anyway. I think the guy thought she was quite a sight: a girl in a dress, pig tails and pink shoes, telling him, "I love your Bobcat." She has since been adament that she wants a BLUE Bobcat and that we "should go buy one." Sometimes it's blue and pink. So, Santa, how are you going to deal with THAT??

She's a trooper!

As if we haven't moved around enough in the last couple months, Kate endured yet another change last night. It turned out that her bedroom was the hottest room in the house, with the evening sun streaming in just about at her bed time. Although she's been sleeping fine, Ryan and I have been constantly worrying that she's going to suffocate, bake, and all the other worries only parents can concoct. We finally decided to just move her to the other bedroom, which stays cooler, and hope for the best. I tried to hype her up yesterday, telling her about how fun it would be to have a new room. As with most things, I worried more about the change than she did. She took it just fine, seemed happy to switch and, hopefully, got a better night's rest last night. I know I did. So, Kate, thank you for being so amenable to change. I'm sure you'll pay me back for saying that once the baby comes! :)

HOT, quilts and two months to go...not necessarily in that order

Summer has hit full force around here and it is officially HOT! I'm learning why people always comment about the horrors of being pregnant in the heat. I do love my warm weather, but I'm definitely less comfortable with a lot of extra weight attached to my mid-section! That and the swelling and....oh, I'm guessing no one wants to hear about that. So I'll move on. We are actually enjoying the glorious weather by finding water, shade and just basically bathing in sunscreen. On Friday, Kate and I went to the pool at the club we just joined. Kate is new to this whole swimming thing, but she's getting into it. Especially when a nice boy of about 12 shows up and exhibits all the tricks only boys of that age are willing to do. He was such a nice kid, playing toys with Kate and obliging her many requests for him to "jump in again and make a big splash." I should not be surprised that Kate discovered that she really likes being hoisted up in the air and splashed back down. She also got into sitting on the side of the pool and "jumping" in to my arms. As long as it makes a splash, she's all for it. We went back today (Sunday) and I've officially decided that a pool is the ultimate thing for a pregnant lady. I mean, who wouldn't want to feel weightless at this point?? Kate was more brave today and was completely convinced that she could jump in at the deep end, just like "the big kid did." She was not impressed when I said, "mommy can't touch the ground here, so we have to jump somewhere else." She looked at me as if to say, "Jeez, mom, if that KID could do it surely you could just catch me." There's not much winning once they've got long term memories. :) In other news around here, the annual quilt show was yesterday. Lest you think "right, likes THAT'S a big event," let me just tell you that the world is apparently filled with avid quilters eager to come display and or look at them. I'm not sure how many quilt shows there are in the world, but this is touted as "the biggest" and I would not doubt it. People come by the tens of thousands, from all over the world, booking at least a year in advance to get a place to stay. Ryan and I have already decided that we'll be renting out our place next year, wherever we are in Sisters. We did take a stroll downtown to check out the works (really we went to get ice cream, I'll admit it), but it was neat because the entire main street is shut down to traffic so it's just quilters and quilts galore. As I'm not crafty in the least, I can't imagine the work that go into these creations, but I know it's a lot. And I'll end this epic length, not very exciting post, by saying that it's just about 2 months until the debut of Singleton #2! I know the time will fly....especially if I can spend a good portion of it in the pool.

Toddler dreams?

When I went into Kate's room this morning, she was still sound asleep. As I opened her window, she sat up as if she had never been sleeping at all, laughed and said, "the brown horse makes mischief." Then, after a pause, "I want a purple cat." Hmmm....wonder what was going on in her dreams??

PS Kate LOVES this book right now. Shocking, isn't it?

Early summer photos....

....just because I think Kate's gorgeous (shamelessly).

Happy 4th!

Daddies do the best job of chasing and wrestling!

Kate can't get enough of twisty slides!

Seriously, you have to love this: nominate YOURSELF as Queen of something!

We've already been informed that Kate will be "on a bike" at next year's parade

Perfect day for a holiday and a parade

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Ours is winding down now (we won't be heading out to any firework shows since Kate and--ahem--I would never make it past 10 p.m....), but we've had a great day nonetheless. We started it out be heading to Bend's Pet Parade, which is not so much a classic "parade" as it is a chance for anyone and everyone who every WANTED to be in a parade to do so. There were a lot of pets, but there were also just loads of people fulfilling their parade fantasy. I've never seen so much candy flying through the air--kids were just chucking handfuls! There were lots of decorated bikes, which Kate has decided will be her role next year. My very favorite parts were one boy of about 5 who was riding his bike with this look that just said, "get out of my way, I don't care if this is a parade, I am GOING TO WIN this thing." Somehow, I think this could have been Ryan and just might be Kate next year.... I also loved the little girls who were dressed up as princesses and queens, riding in little kid cars, waving as if they were just made Miss America. Talk about great way to fulfill a fantasy! I think the whole town was out for this parade, half watching and half in it! Watch this spot for us next year!! After the parade, we went for a picnic, played in the park and got ice cream. Pretty nice day, I'd say!

Baby factory?

Or, at least, that's sort of how it feels at my new doctor's office. Don't get me wrong, he is a very nice guy and, as I'm finding out, one of the most well-respected OBGYNs in Bend. So I know he's good at what he does. However, that doesn't really change the fact that I had my 28-29 week check-up yesterday and was in and out in 10 minutes flat. And we're not talking doctor face-time here, we're talking 10 minutes from the time the nurse called me back, weighed me, took my blood pressure, told me the doctor would be right in, waited a few minutes, doctor comes in, measues my belly, listens to the heartbeat, asks how I'm feeling, says I look good and sends me on my way. In 10 FREAKING MINUTES. And since they put you on a payment plan to avoid sending a large bill at the end, I paid $100 for the pleasure. Jeez. I suppose I shouldn't compare to last time around since I had midwives and, well, their role is to guide you through. They're people-oriented and I guess traditional OBGYNS are just more business-oriented. Fine, but I'm really glad this isn't my first pregnancy. I was often in the midwives' office for 45+ minutes, with them explaining all that I should expect. I even still keep in contact with the nurse who taught our birthing class and the nurse who came to our house after Kate was born. Somehow, I doubt that's happening this go around. It's not a bad experience, it's just different. I think one big advantage to going with a midwife is that they make it feel like a really special thing to have a baby. A regular doctor seems to see it at more of a normal routine. Again, not bad, just different. Oh well. No real moral to this story. Just me venting. But, my word of advice to anyone who's not yet a mommy but wants to get a lot of help and information when they are pregnant is to go to midwives who work with a traditional OBGYN. If I were pregnant again (HIGHLY unlikely!!!!), I think I'd shop around here a bit more. But that's just me.

Random musings on a Thursday morning....

I'm enjoying the quiet before Kate wakes up, with nothing particular on my mind, so here's some of the randomness.....Grandma Starla and Gumpa Bob come tomorrow! Kate is really excited and keeps asking "when do I see Gamma Starla and Gumpa Bobby?" She's also pumped for the Pet Parade on 4th of July. Actually, she's not so much excited about this particular parade, persay, she's just happy there's another parade to go to. She asks nearly everyday if she can go to the "Sis Parade" (Sisters Parade) again to see the horses and the Bobcat. Hopefully, this one isn't a let-down since there's no heavy machinery (on that note, her FAVORITE book right now is "I am a Backhoe"). What else? Well, I'm thinking how much I LOVE, love having a CSA every week filled with fantastic veggies and fruits. If you've ever thought about taking part, DO IT. We've been getting a box every Wednesday from Groundworks Organics and it is one of the best things we've done for our tastebuds and eating habits. Just last night, our dinner was roasted fingerling potatoes, beets and turnips (all from the box), eggs scrambled with zucchinni, kale & cherry tomatoes (all from the box except for the eggs from a different farm) and strawberries (from the box). Yum, and what a great variety of nutrients. Plus, we didn't have to go to the grocery store for any of it! And, last but not least, although I do love the quiet time to myself before Kate-the-whirwind awakes, I woke up thinking how much I love her sweet voice. I mean, I could just eat it up. It's so fun now that she speaks in pretty clear, complete sentences and we can have actual conversations. She loves to draw right now and we spend a lot of time at the kitchen table, drawing and talking. It's amazing what thoughts she has that she can now verbalize. She thinks about so, so much and it's so interesting to hear what goes on in her head. I love how she's starting to make her own jokes, or at least knows when she's saying something that's not reality. She'll say things like, "I want a pink bagel." And I'll say, "Do you think there are pink bagels?" And she'll say, with a devilish grin, "Maybe there are! And maybe they make pink horses, too." And then she'll laugh and laugh. I know, it doesn't sound that funny but, for some reason, it just is. Probably because she muses on everything with such joy. Oh, I could go on and on, but I'll let the rest of my morning thoughts remain thoughts. I wish everyone such a relaxing morning!