Adventures of the Vees

Ryan - 15 Months

2011-12-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Ryan,

Now you are 15 months old. Your 14th month was a very busy one, with Mommy waist-deep in a work project that took me to Boise for the day and back -- the longest time we'd been apart from each other. You and Daddy did fabulously together while I was gone.

Your 4 top teeth really came in, but it was a difficult month food-wise. You were bored with many of the foods that you'd been eating for awhile, and rejecting almost all of our suggestions for things to eat. It made me a little crazy as you started nursing more, which was not the direction I wanted to go in. But towards the end of the month, with some helpful suggestions from other mamas, I found a bunch of new foods to add to your diet and you have been happily eating more since then. Your favorite at the moment is brown rice toast. I hope you continue to like it for awhile!!

Smoothies are another favorite, thank goodness. I like to sneak coconut milk or almond butter into them to give you more calories and protein and to help both of us get a good night's sleep. It works most of the time!

The playroom was a fun discovery for you this month. You knew it existed, but you came to realize how much you enjoy having a cozy little place for you to go and be comfortable by yourself.

Yup, you still LOVE to play with balls.

And now you love to read, just like your big brother.

We got together for a Christmas party with friends and you had fun doing parallel play with friend Oliver.

One day you really needed a nap but fought the nap so hard. Eventually there just wasn't any milk left and you cried and cried and somehow wedged yourself into this position and finally fell asleep. It was so sad and so funny at the same time. Sigh.

An attempt to get you to eat by presenting you with multiple options. It was semi-successful.

You've been a very busy, growing little boy. And sometimes you needed a break from all that busyness and growing, and sticking with mama was just the thing.

Juice containers make really good toys.

I had to get a picture of the sweet curls on the back of your head. They get tangled and your least-favorite thing is when I get the knots out. But they are so beautiful.

My sweet, sweet little one. I love watching you grow. At the end of this month you had a low-grade fever for 5 days (over Christmas, of course) and when the fever finally broke I could see obvious signs of growth -- you were taller and you started adding more words to your vocabulary. You also hug more and kiss us and pat our backs when we hold you.

We love you so much, Ryan.

Hold Up!

2011-12-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

...new posts coming soon.

Winter Solstice 2011

2011-12-21T22:19:00.000-08:00

We decided to have a party to celebrate the winter solstice. Corky, Sara Beth, and Guthrie all joined us.

The boys had a fabulous time playing balls with Corky. Some people never grow old ;)

Ryan's shirt says "Oh come let us adore me." Cute.

For our solstice dinner, we did individual, homemade pizzas. Available toppings included goat mozzarella, goat feta, parmesan, black olives, red peppers, artichokes, mushrooms, spinach, real pepperoni, and zucchini. A feast! We ended up with 9 individual pizzas and ate them all.

I wanted a picture of us pretty girls.

They boys insisted on another picture to show off my shirt.

After the 2 little boys went to bed, the 5 of us took a moment to appreciate the celebration and significance of solstice. First each one of us received a fire wash (smudging with sage stick). After everyone had done that, we each wrote down on paper things that we wanted to let go of for the previous year, things that were negative, fears, or bad habits. When everyone had finished their papers, we went outside and lit a fire and threw our papers into the fire and reflected for a moment (or rather, until we were too cold to stand outside barefoot any longer).

Then it was time to get happy and giddy again with this amazing cake! It was chocolate with peppermint and soooooooooo good.

Guthrie, the expert cake-cutter.

Then we got playful (I'm sure it wasn't the wine).

I took this picture to show off the pretty new earrings my aunt gave me.

Just in case you weren't already drooling...

Jake -- 5 and a half!

2011-12-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Jake,

You turned 5 and a half years old. It is so funny to hear you tell people "I'm five AND A HALF," stressing the importance of those additional 6 months. But I don't blame you, you've grown very much in the last 6 months, including adding more than an inch to your height since your birthday in June!

You started kindergarten in September at a new school. This wasn't easy as not only was it a new school with MANY kids but you entered a Spanish Immersion classroom where you hear nothing but Spanish 90% of the day. Despite that, you've done amazingly well with picking up a new language, and I can see you thinking in 3 different languages as you work to select words from one language to another. You love your teacher and you've made some great new friends while still continuing to have playdates with old ones.

The biggest thing over the last few months, other than starting kindergarten, has been your increased love for Legos. You are so amazing with Legos -- you can build an entire fire station, like in this picture, in one day by following the instructions exactly, or you can make up the coolest race cars or robots by building from your imagination. Either way, it's worth it though it means living in a house where I constantly find Legos in every corner.

Self-picture with one of the 3 iPhones/iTouches in the house. One of which is now yours. You use it to play games and watch episodes of Arthur. Otherwise you like to be on the computer, either on the Lego.com website or PBSkids.org. You are growing up in a world filled with computers and handheld devices and in a few years you'll be as tech-savvy as your mom and dad. (Eek!)

Daddy took you to the library and you got your own library card. It was pretty cool. We haven't been to the library much lately, though, since you've been busy with school, gymnastics, and playdates. I know you'll start using it more this summer and after since you're becoming an amazing reader. I love watching you take a book and read it. Despite your growing reading abilities, we still spend lots of time reading to you. This fall you and Daddy read Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which you thought was awesome. What was even more fabulous was having Gramma take you to see the play at the Children's Northwest Theatre. You were enthralled and asked to see more plays.

When not reading, playing Legos, or in school, you love to be outside. Not only can you still run very fast (faster now) but you climb trees, play hopscotch, and became very good at riding your bike (I did a 3.5 mile run while you rode alongside me. That was cool but you haven't wanted to do it again. I hope you will join me after you get your training wheels off).

I love you my 5.5 year old son. You are so sweet to me and often stop what you're doing to give me or Daddy or Ryan a hug and some kisses.

Jake's Kindergarten Class Holiday Party

2011-12-16T21:58:00.000-08:00

I went to Jake's classroom for their holiday party. There was popcorn, grapes, carrots, and cookies. There were kids running around with bells on a string. A game was attempted but with 24 kids hyped up on sugar cookies and glitter it was happy chaos.

Ryan and his friend Silas were both there. Ryan and Silas will be entering Kindergarten the same year, at Jake's school.

Jake with friend Luna and Ryan.

Haircut

2011-12-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

While the rest of us in the family have long-ish hair, the 5 year old prefers his out of his eyes and short. It was beyond time.

Hello, shaggy.

Little brother waiting in an adjacent chair during the cut.

Hello, handsome!

He loves it.

Ryan -- 14 Months

2011-11-30T21:00:00.001-08:00

Dear Playful, Sweet Son,

Big things happened this month! You went from tottering around to walking to learning to walk faster! And you got 2 top teeth! Well, the teeth are still working their way out/down, but you can definitely see both pearly whites peeking through. I think you've already started using them to help you chew your food. When we are in the kitchen you LOVE to help mama and daddy out by letting us know if the toast has popped or the oven timer is beeping; you do this with very empathetic pointing and body language and then are delighted when we understand what you're pointing at and thank you. Too cute. Also every night before we start eating dinner you sign "thank you" to remind us to say grace before our meal.

This month you've really moved away from toys to... the kitchen drawers. It's really nice that they keep you happily entertained but boy do you like to make a mess, especially with my storage bags drawer. But that's okay, I know you won't be doing that forever. The baking supplies, pots and pans, and bags of herbs are also fun to play with.

You've finally shown an interest in reading books. Now you will sit in our laps and actually tolerate reading a book for more than 2 pages. It helps if we talk about the pictures rather than reading the words (you would think I'd never done this before).

It's so cute when we see you grab a book and find a place to settle and read it.

Playtime with your brother and Daddy is always awesome.

Now that you can walk, it is so much more fun to be outside!

This month Aunt Jeanie came twice to take care of you (and Jake) so mama could work. You had a fabulous time going down to the village in the stroller, playing on the swings, eating Thai food, and visiting the shops.

More playing with Daddy.

Jake got a new booster seat as an early Christmas present. You think sitting in it is the bee's knees!

It's been such an exciting month. You discovered that your favorite way to sleep is on your belly, with your butt in the air. Adorable. For some reason you love socks and often will carry one around the house. It doesn't matter who the sock belongs to, but your own socks are your favorite for bringing into the shower (!) to play with.

You also gained a greater awareness of yourself this month. While looking into a mirror, you pointed to your reflection and then pointed to yourself. It was so amazing to see that self-awareness come to you! Now you point to things that you want and then point to yourself. Couldn't be any clearer!

We love you, Ryan, it's so much fun to see you grow.
xox

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T21:00:00.001-08:00

We had a quiet, relaxing Thanksgiving at our house. There was a storm brewing outside but we were all cozy inside and having fun together. After a yummy breakfast (Dutch Baby) we cleaned up a bit and then Daddy and baby had a nap while child watched a movie and I went for a run in the blustery, refreshing weather. After showers, we dressed, took 10 minutes to all run around cleaning the upstairs at the same time, then went downstairs to snack and start cooking the big meal.

I was so excited to make these Harvest Pies. They came out great!

Sitting down for our meal.

Corn Chowder, Harvest Pie, and Brussel sprouts with hazelnuts. Fabulous!

The Harvest Pies had roasted butternut squash, roasted cranberries, potatoes, onions, carrots, wine, and seasonings. Served in a homemade pie crust with some gravy on the side. (Next year I will make my own gravy, this one wasn't very pleasing.)

Then the pumpkin pie which was amazing. It has FOUR ingredients in the filling. Cashews, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice.

It sliced perfectly and beautifully!

We ended the day with a bit of movie-watching and bathtime and an easy bedtime :)

Just Because

2011-11-23T21:29:00.001-08:00

Two cute pictures just because.

Vee Photo Shoot 2011

2011-11-17T10:10:00.001-08:00

For the 5th year now we had Amy Wilbanks take our family photos! Here are some of our favorites, although there were lots that I did not include here.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween!

I am so not a costume person although I'd like to be in the future when I have more time/not so young children. At least I still tried to dress for the holiday. Jake was so surprised when he saw me wearing this -- I haven't been able to wear it in about 3 years :)

Ryan loved playing with the gutted pumpkin.

Love the spider on my mom's head! We were at Jake's school to watch the all-school Halloween parade.

I love this frowny face.

Here comes the parade! Lead by the principal.

Jake's teacher, Sra. Lagos. I think she's supposed to be Mary Poppins.

There's ~~Jake~~ Buzz Lightyear!

Who would not look in our direction despite us calling his name.

The parade came back through again.

Jake's friend Douglas as Iron Man.

There he is again!

And he finally saw us!

Home after school for a costume change and to get ready for trick or treating in the Village.

We got there nice and early and went through the shops.

Everyone liked their astronaut costumes.

Back home again, richer by a bucket of candy. Jake and Daddy put a face on the pumpkin.

Then we went to Skylar's house for dinner and a pre-trick or treat party. Then the 4 kids went out and got another bucketload of candy.
Ima, Mia, Skylar, and Jake. (Yes, Jake changed his costume AGAIN and was Spider-Man. He couldn't decide among his costumes...)

Ryan -- 13 Months

2011-10-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

It's been a year and a month since you came into this world and delighted us with your presence. We have loved learning who you are and loving you. Last fall the 2 of us mostly stayed inside being together, staying warm. This fall we are outside more, enjoying the changing of the leaves, the colder weather, Halloween. There are lots of new things to engage and delight you.

This month you finally learned to sign Daddy, and you actually switch between using your forefinger and your thumb to sign it. However you do it, you sign Daddy many times a day; he seems to be your favorite person around. (He's just the right height to comfortably hold your hand as you nearly constantly walk around the house.) You started wobbly walking mid-month on your own, but then you had a bad fall where you landed on the back of your head and decided to hold off on that for awhile. Instead you hold our hands when walking, although you do practice standing sometimes. When you are not walking, sleeping, or playing, you can sometimes be found lying with your whole body and head on the floor, either to fully feel the surface that is under you or to take a little rest or both. Either way it's pretty cute.

Your personality is definitely playful. You want to explore everything, but you are more interested in things (like the inside of the refrigerator, pots/pans, laundry) than toys, although you will play with those as well. What you are not interested in yet are books, which to me is a surprise -- Jake loved books early on. I do hope you will let me start reading to you soon, before you outgrow all the cute baby books!
No to books but yes to technology... you try so hard to leap off our laps to bang on the computer keyboards and you know how to push the 'home' button on the iPhones so that the picture comes up. You haven't figured out the slide yet, though.

13 months old and still only 2 teeth! Regardless, you love to eat, especially if you can feed yourself. You are already showing proficiency with a spoon which I'm grateful for since you are able to make full-scale self-feeding messes that often require a complete change of clothing despite the bib. In other ways you are tidy -- when you are finished with the mama milk, you will often then pull down my shirt for me. So cute.
And you know how to get our attention, whether it is for more food or something else. You already know how to bang on tables and other surfaces. You make us laugh with your smiles and funny faces.
Here's to more fun times head, little love.
Love, Mama

Date Lunch!

2011-10-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

Mike and I got to go out for a much-needed and much-appreciated date lunch. Yes, lunch because it is just easier on the boys right now. The boys had a great time with my parents!

We went to Blossoming Lotus. We shared this Fruit and 'Cheese' board which was divine! We also had salad, soup, and dessert. So good.

And we took pictures of each other. Sorry for the bad lighting on this one!

An October in the Life of Two Brothers

2011-10-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Waiting for cookies.

Starting to stand and take a few steps!

One night I noticed on the baby monitor that Ryan had crawled over to Jake and fallen asleep on him. So I snuck upstairs with my camera...

Jake moved his foot right when the camera flashed, it was actually not on Ryan's face. They kept sleeping like that even after I took the picture.

Pumpkin Patch with Kindergarten

2011-10-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Jake's class took a field trip to the pumpkin patch. Ryan and I joined them. We got a beautiful, sunny day for it!

Listening to a lecture on the different varieties of pumpkins.

The 3 of us on the hayride.

Ryan watching the classmates play.

Duck race with a hand pump!

Lunchtime.

Jake loved it and had a great time. However, when I picked him up from school he said "but I did no work [at school] today!" I explained that some days you get to just have fun :)

The Day that Ryan Discovered Chocolate in the Drawer

2011-10-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

He managed to get a bite before I found him.

So sorry, baby!

Grandma Vee

2011-10-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma Vee came to stay with us for a week to help with the boys while I worked. I increased my work hours from 24 to 32 per week, and it's been an adjustment. Very grateful to my mother-in-law for coming down and helping with the boys and the housework. And Jake and Ryan had a great time!

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

2011-10-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

The 6 of us got together to celebrate 3 birthdays. We played, had a fabulous dinner, chatted, yummy desserts, presents... and then serenaded a suddenly overtired baby quickly out the door.

This guy REALLY liked his salmon.

And this one thought it was all yummy, but most especially the desserts.

Three birthday people!

Jake demonstrates Gramma's new slippers.

Ryan wanted to spend almost the entire time walking around. We took turns but it is Daddy whom he most favors right now :)

Mama got a new umbrella (necessary for the new school drop-off, with the parking, multiple block-walking, staying outside with no cover until the school bell rings...) and some yummy wine aptly named 'Libra.' Thank you wonderful parents!

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-10-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Another year around the sun.

I had a fantastic day saying at home and making really yummy things to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I also made myself this marionberry pie. I had been saving those berries we picked just for this pie. And it was yummy.

I am so lucky to be a mama to these 2 beautiful boys!

In the afternoon Mike took both boys to OMSI and I stayed alone in the house for two hours. I spent that time blogging and listening to music/knitting. It was wonderful. The boys had a great time. Just what a mama of 2 little ones needed.

Happy 1st Birthday, Ryan!

2011-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Ryan. Happy birthday to you.

Digging into his apple crisp!

Ryan -- 12 Months

2011-09-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

You reached 12 months, your 1st birthday. A year has flown by so quickly, it was just yesterday that you were just born and we were wondering who you were, what color eyes you have, etc.

This past month we've enjoyed the last days of summer. You love spending time in the backyard, particularly when we make the rounds to find you blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and cherry tomatoes to eat. Then you eat until all the ripe ones are gone!

There's been playtime with Jake.

And on your own.

Sometimes it is naptime. This month you have gone back and forth between 1 and 2 naps a day. If your nap is more towards the middle of the day, then you have no problem making it until a 7pm bedtime, and you crash hard. If you have 2 naps then it's pretty difficult to put you to bed on time. We just go with the flow for that day.

It's always playtime.

Oftentimes it is time to eat! Despite having only 1 and a half teeth at this point, you still love to eat. Mommy's granola is a favorite.

We also discovered you LOVE broccoli, which is awesome.

Your other favorite thing to do this month is to walk around, but you need hands to hold to do it. Mommy and Daddy spend a lot of time walking you around, and it's pretty fun to see where you want to go and what you want to see.

While you're not walking on your own, yet, you have been practicing standing for a few seconds here and there.

And you love to play with the walker. Sometimes you stand or sit on it while we push you around, sometimes you push it around yourself.

You play, you talk with us both in sign language and by saying simple words, and you dance. Boy, do you love music! You often instruct us to put music on, and it is one thing that will soothe you when you are having a screaming fit. Thank goodness for Raffi and Bananaphone!

You're my sweet, sweet baby. Everyday is a joy with you, even though you have become an acrobatic nursing monkey this month!

Keep growing, baby boy. Right now you're 20 pounds of healthy and growing just right. Someday you'll be big like your brother but for now you're just the right size.

We love you so much. Happy birthday, Ryan!

Routine

2011-09-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

So it looks like we've had no adventures this month. Really, we've been having the "adventure" of finding and settling into a new routine that comes with a new school year at a new school.

School evenings now involve starting dinner between 4:30 and 5, eating dinner by 6:15, bathtime, reading a book and bedtime for both boys between 7 and 7:30 each night. Jake and I recently finished Charlotte's Web and are now reading Pippi Longstocking. Daddy and Jake are reading James and the Giant Peach.

Then all 4 of us wake up/get out of bed around 6:30am, dress, feed Jake breakfast, make his lunch, brush his teeth/comb his hair, and head out the door to school by 7:35am. Sometimes I get breakfast if I've been fast enough with dressing, etc. but most of the time I wait until I return home. If we're lucky, we don't get stuck behind a school bus on the way to school. The school bell rings at 8am, and it's amazing that it takes 25 minutes to drive to school (with traffic), find a parking spot, walk to the school and then enter the classroom. After drop-off, Ryan and I return to the car for some milk before heading home if we don't go to Gramma's house for a cup of tea.

Our days are also filled with Mike and me working, me running at least twice a week, Jake going to gymnastics class once a week, and playdates. Every weekend there have been birthday parties. Ryan has been great about just going with the flow on all of this!

Jake's First Day of Kindergarten

2011-09-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today Jake started Kindergarten. He is attending a public school with an awesome Spanish-immersion program that is just 4 blocks from my parent's house. We had to go through the lottery to get in. First preference goes to siblings in the program and in-district residents. We are out of district, but live only a 10 minute drive away. In May we found out we'd gotten a spot on the wait list and were listed as #3! (There are about 180 applicants for 52 spots. 20 make the wait list.) It wasn't until August 25th that we got the call that a position had opened up for Jake. Yes!

My Kindergartener!

'I'm not going to school! I don't want my picture taken! I'm still brushing my tooth!'

Entering the hallway outside his classroom.

Happy to see his friends Luna and Diego and their little brother in the tie-dye.

Here I go! School day is from 8 to 2:15.

Inside the classroom. After checking on Diego and Luna and then being re-introduced to Douglas (on the left in the glasses), Jake sat down and began playing with plastic-colored worms. We said good-bye and everything was fine. I love how confident and social he is.

After school I had freshly-made chocolate chips and almond milk in the car. Jake was thrilled. He'd had a great day and sat with Douglas at lunch and played 'Superheros' with him during recess, and they had a fantastic time. He thinks his teacher, Sra. Lagos, is really, really, really nice and doesn't think they spoke any Spanish today :)

After school. Quiet, restful play time.

I think he's really handsome! <3

Well of course I look cool. Now bring me a banana.

BBR Summertime! Part 2

2011-09-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

More games of And Rollin', with chocolate sourdough cake on that night. Soooo yummmmy.

And games of Parcheesi.

Getting ready for another afternoon at the pool.

The kitchen curtains turned out to be highly entertaining.

Monday Mike worked in Bend. After he returned and had dinner, he and Guthrie headed back to Portland. I had all day Tuesday alone with the boys before my parents arrived. I decided to make a day of it so we rented a bike trailer and planned a long afternoon outing.

We biked to the Big Meadow. From left to right, 3-Fingered Jack, Mt. Jefferson, and the slope of Black Butte.

We saw this path which is new and thought we'd check it out (despite the warning).

Black Butte.

Jake is learning to take pictures, which I love!

We then rode across the bumpy bridge to Paulina Springs.

Jake worked on what he called "rock balancing."

Then we ate a picnic lunch. So pretty.

Side story -- between the Big Meadow and the bumpy bridge, I spotted on the bike path some cow dung which looked on the fresh side. This was very strange. Nearby was a wooden step ladder that straddled a fence. I wondered. Later, as we were picnicking at Paulina Springs, a BBR worker approached me and asked if I'd seen a cow! A cow had somehow escaped. Hilarious.

Then we rode over to the Lodge area to the sand playground and played there for an hour or so. Jake is under the playstructure in the background.

Finally, back home. Ryan fell asleep. They really need a better design for the bike trailer/helmet combo.

Mornin'! Lying over the heat vent. It became cold during the middle of the week.

Play ball with me?

Working on a puzzle book.

We had some wonderful guests come for dinner one night.

Cooked carrots and beans for lunch.

Again came Friday, and Mike and Guthrie returned with Voodoo donuts!

The hot temperatures also returned, and we did some toenail painting.

Mike and Guthrie came back with a bike trailer from a friend of mine that she didn't want/wasn't using. (Many thanks, E!!) We had a fun family bike ride before going to the pool with a picnic lunch.

We left on Monday, to get back to town for getting ready for school and work.

BBR Summertime! Part 1

2011-09-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Jake, Ryan, and I recently spent 11 days in Central Oregon for an end-of-the-summer vacation. We mostly had a fantastic time.

Friday afternoon the 3 of us, plus Mike and Guthrie arrived. That night, Guthrie taught Mike and me the dice game "And Rollin'." It was so much fun (and addictive)! It became the game of the vacation.

Mike kept getting all straights so Guthrie made this face.

Jake found a pair of funky sunglasses hidden in one of the bunk room drawers. We think they may have belonged to Tyler.

It was in the 80's/90's over the weekend, which made for fantastic pool weather.

And helped wear out the baby.

There was fire in the area while we were there. (Called the Shadow Lake fire.) We could go and see the smoke, and some days it was smokey/hazy, and on a couple days ash rained down, but mostly it was not a problem on the ranch.

Happy! He drove this thing up and down the driveway and even around the house multiple times/days.

We had a dance party on the deck one night with glow sticks.

Ryan -- 11 Months

2011-08-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,
This month has been so much fun! Your first tooth, your bottom right tooth, decided to show up, but even when it did it came in s l o w l y. I hope that tooth, as sharp as it is, is helping you chew your food because you are a voracious eater! You love to eat so many things, especially black olives, fresh and dried strawberries, cereal, peaches and just this month, bananas. You also discovered that you really like using Jake's old sippy cup (which was missing a piece, which I finally replaced so you could use it), and now you drink water out of that. One time Mommy went out for a night with some friends, and you had a bit of Mommy's milk in the sippy cup, and that worked out just fine.

It's fun to see you being such a happy, active little boy. You discovered the stairs this month, much to our amazement and exasperation. The gate on the bottom of the stairs quickly went up when we found the missing pieces to that, but every chance you get, you exercise by crawling up the stairs. You also LOVE music, and most days will demand we play music by directing us to the music player. 'Bananaphone' is your favorite, and you haven't gotten tired yet of hearing that one. You like some others as well. Luckily, you and Jake have the same taste in music at the moment!

Lots of work on your gross motor skills this month! Lots of pulling yourself up to a standing position, walking along while holding onto furniture, seeing the various ways your body can move. Also lots of bumps and falls and bruises but nothing some cuddles and milk can't cure.

It's been a fun August. We've spent quite a few days out in the backyard, with you enjoying the little baby pool. Although, with the heat this month, bedtimes have not always been easy. You do not like to sleep when it is hot. Previously, if you were filled up with milk but still not asleep, I could stand up and rock you to sleep. All of a sudden this month you were having NONE OF THAT. No matter how sleepy you were or not, you kicked and screamed and flung your little body about and simply. refused. to. be. rocked. So Mommy had to work with you to get you to sleep other ways. Not easy!

At least it is easy to entertain you during the day. You enjoy playing with anything that is not a baby toy. But you really go nuts for balls. You love any size ball and if someone else has it you strongly let us know that you want it! Your throwing and passing skills are already amazing.

Ryan, we love you so much, and more every day. You are very much a part of our family. I love seeing both yours and Jake's smiling faces in the back seat of the car and anywhere else. I'm so glad you love to be carried in the Yamo or any of the other slings we have. Your sweetness is just as great as your assertiveness -- you figured out how to give us raspberries along with kisses! You love your Mommy, Daddy, and Jake equally, and will go to any one of us depending on your mood. You laugh (most of the time) when Jake picks you up and carries you, and demand to be included in everything (which is only right!) Keep growing, sweet baby, soon we'll celebrate your first birthday!

Not-Beach Trip

2011-08-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every summer we try to get to the beach at least once for a beach day. It's tricky because the Oregon beaches are very finicky with their summer weather. We'd already been thwarted the weekend before ... and we were thwarted again.

Going to the beach, everything looked good. The Apple weather app showed 70's with a sun. It was beautiful, hot, and sunny on the drive there. 3 of us already had sunscreen slathered all over, and we were excited. Then, just ONE mile from the beach: cold, wet, misty fog. Noooooooooo!! We were at Cannon Beach at that point but up north it looked nice and sunny, so we decided to try our luck at Seaside. Apparently many other people had the same idea as there was traffic and we slowly crawled toward Seaside. Yuck. However, when we got there it looked good so we found a public parking garage and got all of our stuff and headed out. As soon as we got out of the parking garage, the cold, misty fog hit us and it was cold and not sunny. DRAT! So disappointing. So we all got back into the car and decided to find a state park to eat lunch.

Got back on 26 heading east and after a few miles turned off into Klootchy Creek County Park. It was beautiful and sunny and warm but not hot. Perfect!

We were happier than we look in this picture. It was a nice picnic spot and we kicked a soccer ball for awhile after we ate.
We found a little hiking loop trail that ended at this tree.

Then we went to the creek. We couldn't believe how perfect it was for playing!

Ryan loved picking up the rocks and throwing them into the water.

We played in the water for a couple hours. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Jake liked finding the tiny little fish in the water.

Then we headed home. When we got closer to Portland, we saw the thermostat on the car going up, and up, and up and realized that where we spent the afternoon couldn't have been more perfect -- we were able to be in the sun without overheating, which is what would have happened had we been in Portland.

We got home, showered, and headed back out to my friend Sara's house for a small dinner party. Guthrie and his mom cooked us a fantastic meal.
I love their backyard/deck overlooking the Willamette River.
Wonderful day!

2011 Multnomah Days

2011-08-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

It was time for Multnomah Days, including the parade, again! Mike went down early with chairs, iPhone, and got some coffee and nabbed a spot in the shade for us (it was a day that was predicted to get up to 90, which it did).

By chance, Ali and Skylar joined us for the parade-watching.

You can see Jake waving his arm "throw candy my way!!" He had his arm up practically the whole parade. Very cute.

Our gang.
Kids scrambling for candy.

Home from the parade with a slightly-smeared shark and cherry-red lips from a popsicle. Fun!

That afternoon Mike and I rolled up our sleeves, donned aprons, and processed about 80 peaches. We got Jake to take a picture of us.

Garage

2011-08-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had no plans on Saturday afternoon and Sunday's planned day-trip to the beach got cancelled due to cold, wet beach weather. Saturday just after lunch it dawned on me that with the cool weekend temperatures, it was the perfect time to do the garage clean-out/re-organization that we'd been planning to do for awhile.

So we got started... we made piles -- garbage, electronic waste, Goodwill, etc.
The boys played. We even found play sand that we'd forgotten about and made a little sandbox that kept them occupied for a long time.
End of Saturday/start of Sunday.
Sunday afternoon. One car back in the garage!
Even better, now room for the second car.
The final result.

The garage wasn't that bad to begin with; we were able to get both cars in before we even started. So you may ask what prompted this? Well, before this, we could only open 3 car doors on the Subaru while inside the garage, one door was blocked because of the big white cabinet. This wasn't a problem before Ryan was born, but with 2 car seats in the car, Jake's had to be moved over. What Jake has been doing the last 10 months is he had to crawl under Ryan's car seat to get in and out of the car, and then I would buckle him up through the open window (which doesn't even go all the way down). This worked but was a bit annoying.
Good thing Jake is limber! But, he is growing and is not finding it quite as easy to get in and out as he once did.
Now he can open the door on his side!

Ryan - 10 Months

2011-07-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

10 months already?! You are the cutest 10 month old I know. You spent the month working on your big motor skills -- becoming an expert crawler and learning to pull yourself up to a standing position. When you crawl, it is mostly with the crab crawl, one leg sliding while the other leg pushes you along. Jake crawled the same way, although you sometimes do the traditional crawl where both knees alternate sliding forward.

You love to eat. You pretty much have 3 'meals' a day plus snacks and have developed a lot of the signs that you use most often around food. "More" (clapping hands together) and "all finished" (waving hands back and forth, like a bird beating its wings) are obvious now. Sometimes you also sign "down," "mama," "water," "food." There is also waving for "hi" and "bye." Very exciting. More than one person has heard you say "da" and "mama" as well.
Everyday is a chance to play and explore the world. You never tire of crawling around and finding things to do. Sometimes Jake plays with you and you are delighted! A favorite game for the 2 of you is to have you sit inside a box while Jake pushes you around.
Cars are a big hit with you. You love to push them along while you crawl.
And the spiderman ball. I can't believe how good you are about playing ball back and forth with someone else.
You are just so cute.
And most of the time totally happy.
Yes, you recently got into the toilet paper. The roll is going to sit on top of the toilet for awhile.
Saying "hi" while standing!
You are delighted with your ability to pull yourself up to a standing position, and have been doing nothing else over the last few days.
Ryan we love having you with us, and you are very much a part of this family. Sure, it's annoying that you make a beeline for the dishwasher every time we open it (consequently, we can only load/unload it when you are elsewhere) and you like to close doors and I worry about you getting stuck on the other side, but your assertiveness with exploring is pretty wonderful! Also, the kisses and cuddles we get from you make my heart melt.

Keep growing, my strong, healthy, smart boy!

Random July Pictures, Take 2

2011-07-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Smiley Jake (pre-haircut).
Mike studying.
Ryan exploring.
Mike making the cat's food. Notice Theo sitting on the counter, waiting for the food.
Play. Kitchen drawers are fascinating!
Jake tripped and fell and hit his forehead on concrete. Got a combination goose egg and bloody scrape :(
Me and my boys.
Summer arrived in Portland!
And then it was time to get out the kiddie pool.
Cute brothers.

Raspberry Bounty

2011-07-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

We went raspberry picking, one of my favorite summer activities.

It was the perfect day. Just on the verge of being too hot, but with a nice breeze.

Ryan stuffed himself with raspberries. It was the first time he liked them.

16+ pounds altogether. Made lots of freezer jam for the coming year.

Summer Day at the Zoo

2011-07-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I took both boys to the zoo. Despite it being pretty crowded, we had a great time!

We saw a few animals on the way to the grassy lawn where we had a picnic. After we ate, Jake ran around on the grass (and made a friend who ran around with him) while Ryan played with the stroller and I relaxed on the blanket in the sunshine.
Then we went to see the elephants inside the elephant viewing area. The look on Ryan's face when he saw the mama and baby elephant eating together was priceless. I hurriedly got out my camera and was able to capture a little bit of that awe on his face.
Both boys looking at the elephants.
Jake was so happy to be at the zoo!
Ryan enjoyed his time in the stroller, but after awhile he was tired and had enough. I was smart enough to have the yamo carrier with me so he spent the second half of our time at the zoo on me.
We got to see all 3 lions out and lying in the sun!
We also saw the rhino, hippos, zebra, giraffe, monkeys, bats, sea lion, and otter. Stretch!

After 2.5 hours, we headed home, happy.

Random July Pictures

2011-07-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

He's still my baby even if he's 5.
Grocery shopping. Ryan's first time sitting in the cart. So cute!
Exhausted after the Fair.
Awww...
They were laughing at the bubbles on top of each other's heads.
Just playing.

'Picnic' with Friends

2011-07-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had some friends come over for the afternoon -- we had been planning on a hike and picnic but it was pouring rain so we had an indoor 'picnic' instead.

All the kids were delighted to have an afternoon with playmates!

Ryan and Arielle, who were born 2 days apart (September 30 and 28, respectively).
Tree, who was born 2.5 months later. He crawls on his back like an inchworm.
Peekaboo Walter.
Daddy and son.
Daddy and daughter.
Superhero boys!
It was hilarious to find all three littles doing the same thing at the same time.
We had a great time! Alethea, Arielle, Steven, Lee, Jake, Mike, Ryan, Walter, Mike, Tiffany, and Tree.

Pea Bounty

2011-07-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

So grateful for the bounty from the garden!

Oregon Country Fair 2011 - 5th Year

2011-07-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

This year marked our 5th year going to the fair -- the first 2 years we went for the day only, the next 3 we camped. We were all excited! Jake remembered it from the last 2 years. This was Ryan's first year and he camped like a pro.

Drove down on Thursday with the futon on top of the car (it was worth it -- very comfortable and much easier to deal with a nursing baby than on an air mattress!) Arrived at Zumwalt.
Set up our brand new tent. We were so excited! It sleeps 8 and gives us plenty of room for our beds and our bags and we could stand up in it. Camping in style!
Ryan was happy to see his friend Porter.
Mini-tent peekaboo.
We camped with 11 other families and set up a community kitchen like we do every year. Then most of the families participate in meal-sharing. This meant I only had to cook 1 meal out of 5 while camping. Really nice!!
Jake shows off his tattoos -- one of the moms brought a whole bunch of them and the kids loved putting them on.
Hello, happy to be here!
Essence of the Fair.
Good morning! (Friday morning)

Cleaning up from making breakfast for everyone.

Friday -- to the Fair!!
We first saw the Banana Slug band. Was fun.
Tofu Palace for our first meal of this year's Fair.
Wasn't too long before the boys needed to crash due to the excitement of camping and the Fair.
After this we did make it to the show Nando, which is insanely popular and thus packed, but it was worth it.

Fair people.
Jake trying out a hula hoop at the Fair playground.
Cool cubed world.
Saturday morning at camp. We had perfect weather.
Max and Jake had a great time with Legos inside the tent.
While Ryan and Porter shared a snack.
Then to the lake on Saturday afternoon.

Hi.

There was a singalong that Ryan and Jake enjoyed listening to.
Then the kids put on a skit.
The skit was about a candy shop. They had three Dads come and be the candy shop (arms raised in the air). Then the kids went up to the owner of the shop (girl in the pink hat) and asked her if she had a particular candy (chocolate, bubble gum, gummy bears, etc.) and each time she answered no. Finally all the kids went up and asked what kind of candy she did have. Her response, just some 'suckers.' Har har.

S'mores!

Ellie and I took Jake, Max, Ryan, and Porter to see the belly dancers. Max and Jake were really cute and sat up front together.
Sunday morning - packing up the camp.
And then back to the Fair to enjoy another day there! I liked this Native American costume.
Salmon burgers and fries!
Ryan's first time trying a french fry.
We had fun watching this magician.

We went to Chela Mela Meadow and hung out under the big tree. The Monkey Palace right next to the tree has kid-oriented shows, and we had fun listening/watching. Then they announced they were doing a kid's talent show. Jake immediately wanted to be in it! When I asked him what talent he was going to show, he thought for a moment and then said "somersault!" Okay then! So he went up and stood in line with other kids and waited his turn. Some of the other kids sang or danced. When it was Jake's turn he did one somersault. Then when people started clapping he came to us and rolled his eyes. I think next time he'll pick another talent, although it is so cool that he did this!
Right after the talent show.
Playing while resting and people-watching.
After grabbing some coconut bliss ice cream (vanilla for Jake, chocolate for me), we made our way to the Main Stage to see the band March Fourth. We got front-row seats in order to see the interpreter and then had a great time!!

The music was awesome and they had these wonderful stilt walkers.

Who also did some fabulous pole dancing moves.
While Mike and I watched, Ryan alternated between nursing and playing with various objects from our backpack.
And Jake slept!!!
Back through the Fair. Where's Waldo?

We picked up some pizza for Mike and Jake, then meal from Tofu Palace for me, and some cookies for the ride home. Then we made our way back to the car (about an 8 minute walk).
Starting the drive home. Happy -- we had so much fun!

Fourth of July weekend at BBR...

2011-07-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ryan discovered the space under the stairs.

My 3 boys. -love-
Both boys are crazy about black olives.

Kids sometimes find the funniest places to hang out. Jake's watching a movie on my iPod.
This one thinks water bottles are fun to play with.
We had a great weekend filled with time at the pool (hooray for sunny, warm weather!), lots of bike riding for Jake, Ryan loving time in the swing, good food, and competitive games of online Scrabble.

Ryan - 9 Months

2011-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

Wow, 9 months already! Very soon you'll have been on the outside of me longer than you were inside. I look at you and I'm astonished at how much you've grown, and how much you've accomplished this month.

One very notable thing this month is you nearly always have your little feet crossed when you are in a sitting position. So very cute!
Your laughing face.
Your eyes are very blue but I can't really figure out what color your hair is. Sometimes blond, sometimes brown, and occasionally red in direct sunlight.
Nap times happen twice a day, and you will either have a long one in the morning and a short one in the afternoon, or a short one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon.
You really started moving around this month, first by pushing yourself backwards, then twirling yourself from place to place while in a seated position, and then, the last 4 days, officially crawling! We put the gate up on the top of the stairs mid-month, and it was perfect timing!
You weren't sure what to make of the gate at first, but now you're just so excited about being able to move around that you don't make anything of it. It has been so cute to have you crawl to us when we are in another spot in the room.
Even though you are mobile, I still love carrying you when you need it.
Daddy is your favorite person at the moment. You reach out for him whenever you can which is good since Mama has had to work many hours this month!
But you also LOVE to play with Jake. The other morning Jake realized that this cardboard box was the perfect size, so we put you in it and Jake pushed you around. How you laughed!! Jake loves it that he can play with you more as you get bigger and stronger.
You two sure make cute brothers.
Lots else has been going on! The funniest thing in the beginning of the month was when you started shaking your head. There didn't seem to be any reason for it except you liked the sensation and it would elicit smiles and mimicry from us. You also discovered clapping, and love it when we do 'Patty Cake.' You will ask us to do it 3 times in a row. As for toys, what you most love right now is balls, any size balls. You figured out how to roll/toss the ball to us and we roll it back to you. Right now it seems that you do that about 10 times a day, a few times with each of us!

You're a fantastic eater and drinker. You love cold tea infusions and will reach for the cup every time Mama or Daddy is drinking. Just like your big brother, you are a huge fan of strawberries, but will also happily eat artichoke, black olives, pickles, melon, cucumber, red bell pepper, O's, apples and a few other things of which I can't think. Avocado and beans are sometimes a hit, sometimes not. Potatoes and rice are a no. And still no teeth!

Communication has taken a big leap this month. After taking a hiatus from signing for awhile, it came back this month. You sign Mama and Daddy and milk pretty regularly. We have also seen pickle, more (once), ball, and bed. You have also said Mommy! All very exciting.

Ryan, we LOVE having you in this family. You are such a joy to be around, and I am so glad you are my baby.

Love, Mama

Elowah Falls Hike

2011-06-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

The 4 Vees went on a day hike to Elowah Falls which is on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. We hiked just over 2 miles, total, which is pretty good for a 5-year old's legs!

I carried Ryan on the way in, and Mike carried him on the way out. Turns out that Ryan is more comfortable on the shoulders/back than a backpack!

We found a nice, sunny spot to picnic by the water. Jake was delighted and spent almost the whole time throwing rocks into the water.

Silly baby tasting a rock.

After having our lunch, taking a little break from rock-throwing.

My view while eating lunch.

Hiking back, Jake was tired (read: bored). So we had him see how fast he could get to the top of the switchback trail, then found him a walking stick which was cool for about half a mile, then had him count to 100. By the time he finished counting, the car was in sight. Success!

Jake's FIVE!

2011-06-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Jake,

You turned FIVE years old. This is so amazing to me. I literally see you growing before my eyes. As you approached FIVE, I saw you grow taller, you reached 40 pounds, your hair grew longer, and your questions and observations grew deeper and broader. It is such a pleasure to converse with you and to talk about our day. At dinner time we ask each other "What was your favorite part of the day?"
You are a very, very social person; your teacher called you a "social butterfly." There are constant demands for playdates, and you love them every time. Most frequently you play with Cole...
...and Skylar. And of course you all think that superheros are awesome. You are pretty awesome when playing -- I can see you using your imaginations, role-playing, and problem solving all at once. Sometimes you and your friends make up really cool games -- earlier in the year Mama had made a few treasure hunts for you, with you following the clues to something at the end. You and Skylar one day made a combination 'Blue's Clues' and treasure hunt game, which was so neat to see!
Most days you are Mama's little helper. You are often in the mood to help cook, sweep the floor, pick things up, water plants, and other little tasks around the house. I love it when we get to do those things together.
Your second year of preschool at the Montessori school was wonderful, with you becoming more of a leader in your class -- a sweet one at that as you are so very kind to your classmates, and have been known to tell someone that they were missed after they return from vacation. Besides your classmates, your favorite part of school was "lessons from Teacher Lydia." Being shown how to do new things would often have you coming home excitedly saying "I had a lesson today!"
Earlier in the year you were really into numbers. On a daily basis you were asking us "what is five plus three?" and having us write them down (it was pretty funny when you would write "10,000 plus 1" and other such big but simple numbers. But this was all part of your learning about numbers, and it was so delightful to see. And you're READING! This is so exciting! You primarily read books and your High Five magazines, and have started reading a few baby books to Ryan which I adore. With Mama and Daddy you read a wide variety of books but your favorite of all is any of the 8 books in the Captain Underpants series. We don't mind because the books are fun for us to read, too. However, I am about to get out the Chronicles of Narnia and I hope you will enjoy me reading them to you! Other things you did this year -- you are funny about colors. For awhile your favorite color was red. Then yellow. Then it would change on a daily basis! When not doing numbers, or reading, or playing games, you love to watch Busytown or to read those books. But your most favorite new thing this year -- Legos. You are now building quite a Lego collection of your own, and you and Daddy love to build vehicles -- airplanes, cars, trucks, rocket ships, etc. with the Legos. You two have a fantastic time in that world together.
My beautiful, brown-eyed, five-year-old firstborn son, everyday you teach me so much. I love being your Mama. You are full of the need to cuddle, snuggle, kiss, and hug, every day and it is the sweetest thing. Ryan couldn't have asked for a better big brother -- you include him in all that you do and talk with him and sing to him, especially in the car. Mama and Daddy are so lucky to have you in our lives. We love you.

Jake's 5th Birthday Party

2011-06-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Jake's birthday party! It was a superhero party and guests were asked to come as either a generic or character superhero. The birthday boy is Spider-Man.

The set-up in the background was the first game of the party -- an obstacle course.

The end of the course was this bad-guy (bad-guy used to be a nice disco dancer but, with the help of a black sharpie marker, my mom and I turned him into bad-guy.) The kids loved running around the obstacle course, whacking the bad-guy, and going around again. And again!
Mike as The Flash.
The little superheros! Kasey, Skylar, Jake, Cole, Kingsley, and Caitlin.
Ryan and Grandpa with the decapicated bad-guy.
Inside, Gramma lead the game 'pin the badge on the superhero.'

We made the superhero using Jake as the outline to trace. The kids all thought it was pretty cool (and harder than it looks!)
Me and baby Superman.

The last game was sort of a treasure hunt, but for the missing cake.

The kids ran all over hunting down Mrs. Evil and finding clues.

There was a clue across the street...

One by the bird feeder...
They really got into it and it was so cool to see all of them working on reading and figuring out the clues. There were two older sisters there as well, and they helped read the harder words. Total win!

Another in the oven...
By the apple tree...

The fireplace had a clue...
Then up the street to Skylar's house.

Mrs. Evil ended up dropping off the cake and fleeing.

So we sang Happy Birthday.

And had a vanilla cake with strawberries.

Then it was time for presents.
Calendar from Gramma and Grandpa.

LEGOS!!

Then outside to play!

Baby Superman chasing the other superheros around!

Jake modeling my Wonder Woman mask.

It was a great party!!

Strawberry Picking

2011-06-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Strawberry season is late this year due to a cool, wet spring we've had (again). The season finally opened on the 17th and we went picking 2 days later. Need to start getting those berries in the freezer for the year-round stash!

And it was Father's Day but Mike is an awesome sport about this sort of thing. Including a 40-pound almost 5-year old on his shoulders on the walk from the parking/barn to the field!
Five minutes after we arrived at the field and started picking, this is where we were standing when the almost 5-year old announces "I need to go to the bathroom." Of course. And you see the red barn and the blue/white trianglar roofs next to it? Nearest place to pee.
After Jake, Ryan, and I walked back to the barn and then back to the field, we finally got down to business picking. Mike had already filled half a bucket with strawberries.

Milk break in the strawberry field.

We ended up getting 3 buckets-full, yay! Nothing better than Oregon-grown strawberries!

Out in the Yard

2011-06-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

Mike had no work so while Jake was in school and I was working, this is what Mike and Ryan did.

Jake's Birthday Celebration at School

2011-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jake had his birthday celebration at school (a bit early since his last day of school is June 14th). He was so excited!

Laying the months of the year around the candle (sun).
Mike and Ryan and I all were able to go!

"The earth goes around the sun. The earth goes around the sun. It takes 12 months for the earth to go around, and then Jake turned 1 (2, 3, 4, 5)."
Cole and Skylar, Jake's best buddies!
Our family, with the poster we made for Jake showing a picture of him each year.
Then it was lunchtime. We sat at a table with Jake and Skylar.
After lunch Jake handed out his treat of choice to everyone -- gummy bears! (Last year it was donuts. I was really surprised/puzzled at the gummy bear request but everyone really liked them.)

Just for fun

2011-06-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

Random pictures I've taken recently, mostly of the boys.

First taste of summer!! So delicious.

Skylar and Jake.

He loves his new t-shirt.
Playing with the dinosaurs.
Cute pajamas from Aunt Amy and Tyler from their trip to China!
Love seeing their height difference -- 8 months old and almost 5 years old!

Ryan - 8 Months

2011-05-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

You turned 8 months old!! You are such a delightful little baby and you've really been making your presence known more than before. It was fun to watch you starting to clap, and we started doing Pat a Cake with you. You also learned how to raise both your arms up at us to indicate you wanted to be picked up, which has been so helpful! This has also enabled you to raise your own arms above your head in response to the 'how big is the baby?' game. Too cute! Your ability to move around on your own has increased -- over the past month you've worked on going from a sitting position to being able to twist around 180 on the floor, to go from sitting to your belly by 'diving,' then from being on your belly to also twisting around 180, and now you are doing 'push-ups' and pushing yourself backwards. I can see that you are getting ready to crawl all too quickly.

You and Jake have a great time together. I couldn't have asked for 2 sweeter boys. Jake gives you LOTS of hugs and kisses, and you take it in stride. Jake doesn't pick you up and carry you as much as he used to; you've gotten heavier and taller!

You have a bit more hair all over your head than Jake did at that age, but as you can see from this picture, that hasn't turned out to be a problem!
You love sitting in your red chair on the island with all of us, especially when we are all together for dinnertime. You frequently have avocado, apples, pickles, carrots, and other fruits and veggies, and occasionally salmon or beans, but at the very end of the 7th month we introduced you to O's (organic Cherrios) and you LOVE them and cannot get enough. You are actually a really good eater in that you are careful to slowly enjoy and mush up whatever is in your mouth before swallowing it.

I'm amazed at the amount of new growth I've seen from you this month! You really found your voice; I hear and see you babbling a lot, and have heard ba-ba-ba. You still think blowing bubbles is hilarious but what I think is funny is that your idea of kissing me is to bite me on the nose. With no teeth yet, that's fine right now but won't be for long. Besides, your jaw is getting stronger! For months now my nickname for you has been 'Little Love' because you are the littlest boy in my family whom I love.

Although I've enjoyed you so much this month, you have actually been in a 'Daddy phase' for the past month (and continuing). You want to be with Daddy every time you see him, which makes my heart melt. The only time you really want Mommy is when you're hungry or need snuggles, which is fine with me.

We've been having a very cold, wet spring (again) so you have been wearing the same pants and long-sleeved shirts for awhile now. Hoping that changes soon so you can start to get your first real experience of summer!

We love you, Ryan, so very much.

CA/OR Road Trip - Redding and beyond

2011-05-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning we left Amy and Tyler's neighborhood after the time at the playground. We drove north while both boys slept. Stopped in Williams for some gas and snacks and pretty much did a snacky lunch thing in the car on the way to Redding.

Once to Redding we stopped and went to the Turtle Bay Museum. This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip! (Turtle Bay Museum is free if you have OMSI membership!)

Jake likes to collect those flat penny souvenirs.
We went to the outdoor animal/native wildlife area. I thought this gray fox was beautiful.
This bat has a longer wingspan than Jake has an arm span!
This was the path from the Admissions entrance to the museum, though beautiful cottonwood trees.

Petrified cottonwood tree. You can see the roots through the glass floor.
This elderly salmon gave me a big yawn when I first walked up to him. The native PNW aquarium was wonderful.

The museum's current exhibit was Grossology. Totally cool!
When Mike and Jake went to use the restroom, this was the picture inside their stall door. I should have taken a picture of mine -- mine said "In a survey of non-English speakers, the word 'diarrhea' was most often picked as the most beautiful-sounding word among a list of choices."
There was a 'playstructure' of the digestive tract.

We left the museum at closing time. Right outside the museum is the Sundial Bridge. It accurately tells the time on June 21st.

One of my new favorite family photos!! Thanks to the random guy who was walking over the bridge.

Then we went to a restaurant close by in Redding called Gorilla Bites. Their food was awesome -- a mixture of yummy vegan/vegetarian food but also naturally-raised meats. Mike had a buffalo burger and I loved my vegan meatloaf so much that I took a picture of it.
After dinner it was back in the car. Ryan slept most of the way but Jake enjoyed the scenery with us.

Driving through the Mt. Shasta area was so beautiful! This is a picture of Black Butte. I thought it was so cool since we have our own Black Butte in Oregon.

Mt. Shasta, obscured by clouds (darn).
I just liked the light from the setting sun here.
We made it to Ashland at about 8:30pm. Jake was kind of wired and Ryan woke up from a 2.5 hour "nap" so it was perfect that the Stratford Inn had a lovely indoor pool and hot tub which all 4 of us thoroughly enjoyed. Then it was bedtime (but not before Jake vomited on the floor of our hotel room, he was still sick during the trip). Oddly enough, we had our best sleep of the trip here, perhaps because we were back in Oregon? :)

The next day after a relaxing morning we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel (they actually had a very decent breakfast spread!) Then we hopped in the car. The boys were both still tired and immediately went to sleep! I drove all the way to Roseburg. On the way, the BMW, which has a nice computer, informed me that the coolant was low. Huh.

We got to Roseburg and stopped at the Visitor's Information Center because we couldn't find a park that we were looking for. We stretched our legs and went for a short jaunt along the river where there were beautiful flowers.
Returning to the car, we looked through the manual to try and figure out what was going on with the coolant, i.e. how serious it was. When we turned the car back on, the message was more serious: "Coolant extremely low!" Uh oh. So we stopped at a little natural foods grocery store and got crackers, goat's milk cheese, and pears for lunch. We spotted an "import specialists" auto repair shop across the street, and asked for help with the coolant issue. Turns out that there was NO coolant left and they could see that there was a leak somewhere. Bad. After waiting for the engine to cool down, they filled the tank with more coolant. We had no idea how fast the coolant leak was, so we pointed the car toward home and drove. Our planned Eugene stop got thrown out the window, but we did stop for a short time at a rest area since Ryan was yowling to get out of his car seat. He'd had enough of this road trip, although he did very, very well for most of it!! I found that new toys/activities for both boys and their favorite Raffi album 'Bananaphone' was perfect for the trip.

All in all we had a fantastic time and would love to do another road trip at some point!

(The BMW was taken to the shop the next day and it turns out that the radiator was cracked... it was a slow leak that probably started before the car even left Portland... so glad it wasn't a problem until the very end!)

CA/OR Road Trip -- Berkeley

2011-05-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesday late afternoon we arrived at Amy and Tyler's cute little house. (And for those of who who don't know the big news, they got engaged March 25!) We enjoyed talking and playing and Amy made a fantastic stir-fry dinner. Then it was soon bedtime and the Vees rested while the 2 MBA students, who had just finished their finals that day, went out to a bar gathering.

The next morning there was fruit and oatmeal and cereal. A nice change from pancakes. We hung out a bit before walking to a park.

Ryan with Aunt Amy.

And with Tyler.
Overlooking the rose garden and beyond to ... SF or the Golden Gate Bridge, I can't remember -- I saw several amazing views!
We went to a wonderful playground and had a fun time for a while!

This slide was so cool!

Ryan loves swinging so much.

CA/OR Road Trip -- Solvang, Picnic

2011-05-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

Monday night we left Disneyland around 6:30 and drove a very short distance to California Pizza Kitchen. The Vees shared a yummy dinner. David, Jackie, and Max were to join us but Max fell asleep in the short distance from the parking lot to the restaurant so they opted to head home. After our dinner we piled into the car and headed north on I-5 for the start of our road trip. The boys quickly fell asleep. I have to say I really enjoy the car pool lanes down there! The strangest thing was that it started to rain about 30 minutes into our trip north and rained on and off for 1.5 hours. After a quick stop for gas and switching drivers, we soon made it to Solvang, a cute little Danish town 3 hours north. We found our hotel and easily transferred the boys from car seats to beds. It was pitch black when we arrived, but the next morning was clear and sunny and I had fun taking pictures!

The Kronberg Inn, which we really enjoyed. A bit too cold to use the outdoor pool.
We walked a short distance into the town and had breakfast. I especially liked the fresh-squeezed orange juice -- you can see the big juicer full of oranges behind Mike.
Danish pancakes with a side of eggs. The pancakes were SO good (way better than IHOP)! I was still not able to eat it all.
Our waitress was nice enough to take a picture.
Around the cute little town...

A random picture I caught of Jake. Poor boy was sick the whole trip, with a bad cough and a fever that spiked occasionally. He still had fun when fun things were happening :)
After our short morning in Solvang, we got on the road and headed up the 101. The drive was stunningly beautiful. We stopped in San Luis Obispio and found a natural grocery store and brought picnic supplies. Needing a good picnic spot, I studied the map and we took a detour off the 101 to highway G14 and headed down a 2-lane, 35-45mph highway to Lake Nacimiento. Once there, we found a day-use area with a view of the lake. We had the place to ourselves, except for a few RVs, the owners of whom were either boating or hiking.

We had peanut butter and jam sandwiches, apple, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.
Our view of the lake.
Mike climbed the tree and came face-to-face with a gecko, who promptly ran up the tree.
After our lunch, we then headed up G19 (including over a 1-lane bridge!), reconnected with the 101, and drove through farmland to the 880 through Oakland, to my sister's house in Berkeley. The boys slept most of the way!

Disneyland!!

2011-05-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon we left downtown LA and headed to Torrance to hang out with my cousin David and Jackie and Max for the afternoon/evening. Jake and Max had a great time playing. My Aunt Dotty and Uncle Ronnie joined all of us for dinner.

The boys having popsicles after dinner.

Then we left and stayed in the Super 8 near Disneyland. The Super 8 wasn't super great but it was fine for one night. The next morning we all woke up excited for Disneyland! But before that, there was the problem of breakfast. The Super 8 breakfast was a no-go. Muffins and donuts and fruit loops do not make for a good energy breakfast before a busy day, that is just asking for a mid-morning sugar-crash temper-tantrum. So off we went... to IHOP. (The nearby choices were VERY limited.)

The experience at IHOP was... interesting. In the car to IHOP, Jake informed me that Ryan was pooping in his diaper. Great. So as soon as I arrived at IHOP I took Ryan to the ladies restroom. The baby changing table was inside the largest stall, which was locked. So I stood there and waited. And waited. Then I started talking to Ryan, "Yes, baby, your diaper needs to be changed and we're waiting for the changing table" hoping that the person inside would get the hint. More waiting. Finally I looked under the stall door and discovered it was empty. Locked, but empty. Argh! So I had to get one of the waitstaff to crawl under the door and unlock it from the inside. I then changed Ryan and went back to the table where we proceeded to order very cautiously but still managed to receive enough food to feed 2 more people.

With a protein-filled meal in our bellies, we started the day's much-anticipated adventures! We met David, Jackie, and Max just outside the entrance and started down Main Street. I went to Disneyland quite a bit growing up, having cousins who lived just an hour away, but the last time I went was in high school. Walking down Main Street again after all those years, I was struck by how small everything seemed. Ha.

The first ride Jake wanted to do was the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride. Luckily, it was right off Main Street and didn't have much of a line.
Buzz greeted us inside.
So excited!

Jake and Max were too excited to look at the camera.

On to It's a Small World, which I love. Jake loved it, too and his eyes were as big as saucers throughout the ride. It was great that Ryan was able to come with us on a number of rides, including Astro Blasters, It's a Small World, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Carribean, and Winnie the Pooh.

To Mickey's Toon Town which is new (to me).

Hanging out in Toon Town. They waved at Pluto and some of the other characters.
Jake loved being with David.

The adults took turns going on the new Indiana Jones ride -- first Mike and David went, then we swapped the children and Jackie and I went. A bumpy, fun ride! After that everyone went on the Autopia car ride except for Ryan and me. Then it was the Disneyland train to get from one side of the park to another.
The line for the Winnie-the-Pooh characters was pretty short, and the boys were happy to meet them!

My cousin David and me with our sons -- we have a picture of us when Jake was 4 months old and Max was 3 weeks old. This picture was taken in line to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I was so excited that the boys were tall enough for it and to take Jake on it since it is my most favorite ride in all of Disneyland. And Jake LOVED it! He was so excited during and after! Max was just okay with it, but Jake immediately wanted to go ride the Matterhorn, so he went with Mike and David and loved that one, too! I have to say I'm not surprised -- both Mike and I love roller coasters.

Wedding Parties!

2011-05-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Party time! (During these parties I focused on socializing with family and friends and taking care of one or both kids. Thus I did not bring my camera along and have obtained pictures from other people's cameras to post here! Thank you to those who did take these pictures.)

There was a ladies bridal shower Thursday night that my Mom, my sister, and myself attended. Ryan was the only male present. The other males were at my Aunt and Uncle's house for a BBQ. Jake had a fantastic time playing with his second cousins, Austin and Max (who are 3 months older and 4 months younger, respectively).

Max and Jake decided to read a book together. <3

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner party. Unfortunately, Jake had a fever that evening and so he needed to stay in the hotel room and rest. Mike stayed with him and ordered a room service dinner while Jake watched TV from the head of a very long bed.

Ryan and I rode a bus with all the other party-goers from the hotel to the groom's parent's home where they had the backyard all decked out.

Uncle Bud, me, Ryan, and my Mom.
The bride with Ryan.
It was a fun evening!
The next day was the wedding! Happiness all around. It was a fantastic party.

My Mom and her sister, my Aunt Dotty (also mother of the bride).
My cousin Barbara and her new husband, Justin.
Kinda-cousin Tom with me and Ryan.
Totally handsome!! Jake and Max.
Jake and Lauren, second cousins.
My cousin Anne with Jake.
Gramma and Jake.
Dancing with a tired boy.
All finished partying. Resting with Joe.
And.... OUT in the hotel room (this was the next morning, he was the last to wake up!)
Laughing Ryan (who was the first to wake up, naturally).
Sunday morning family brunch!

All 5 kids -- Austin, Jake, Ryan, Lauren, Paulina, and Max. Silly picture.

And nice picture.

Checking out of the Biltmore hotel in downtown LA with my sister.
Owning the couch.

To California, Beach Time

2011-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

We took a flight down to LAX for the start of our 9 day vacation.

When we arrived, my Dad picked us up in his car -- he and my Mom had taken a road trip and driven down to the L.A. area. We then took over his car with the kid car seats and our stuff while he rented another car.

Then it was to the beach!! Our hotel was right on the beach in Hermosa Beach. Did I mention we were at the beach?

Look at that face!! I think someone tasted sand for the first time...

The next day it was sunny, such a nice change from the Portland rain. I went for a 3 mile run along The Strand.
Then more time at the beach, hanging out.
Hats and sunglasses were the order of the day.
We got as much relaxing done as possible before heading to another hotel in downtown L.A.

Ryan - 7 Months

2011-04-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,

Today you are 7 months old. I had a sudden moment of panic that you were growing so fast. This month saw you getting several new toys -- some things to make it fun for you while mama worked.

Like the exersaucer. Also a jumping thing that hangs from the doorway.
You are sitting up so well on your own, although for most of the month we put the nursing pillow behind you so you wouldn't suddenly fall backwards. You love tummy time as well -- something Jake never liked! You quickly learned out to rotate 180 while on your tummy, and did a tiny bit of scooching backwards. You also learned to carefully 'dive' from a sitting position to your tummy. And now you are doing push-ups on your tummy -- your arms are getting stronger and your legs won't be too far behind!
One of your favorite things is to sit on the rug with your basket of toys and pick what you want out of the basket. Now that the weather is getting warmer, you have been sitting outside at times, and you like that! You examine and play with grass, rocks, leaves, etc., and you actually do not put them in your mouth. I am amazed at how well you do playing on your own.
Although you still look very much like your mama, people have been saying how much you are starting to look like Jake.
We also got you a seat for the bathtub so you could enjoy baths with your big brother (and not break mama's back).
Peek-a-boo is the funniest thing ever. You are such a cutie pie and we love you.
You have begun to mouth foods in earnest, and even though you don't actually swallow that much, you really enjoy tasting foods! You don't even have teeth yet but you can sure clamp down hard with your gums. Right now you eat avocado, potatoes, pickles, cucumber, watermelon (yum), oranges, and carrots.

But your favorite is definitely apples.

Easter pictures

2011-04-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday at Gramma and Papa's house! Jake loved finding the eggs.
The little creatures that were inside the eggs.
Dyeing eggs.

Totally excited to find a Thomas the Train Easter sticker book.

Naptime.
Love the color coordination here.

My new favorite picture of the boys.
Mike took all the pictures and we forgot to get a picture of him!

It was a fun Easter (and of course, it was pouring rain so we were inside, nothing new).

Another BBR Weekend

2011-04-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

One of the shortest in a while, but worth it despite the horrendous Friday afternoon rush hour traffic on the way out. Coming home Sunday night starting at the boy's bedtime was a breeze.

First time in a swing and Ryan LOVED it! It was so much fun for all of us to see him enjoying it, especially since Jake did not like it when he was that age.
Ryan has started to stick out his tongue when he is very happy. Hilarious.

Mike worked on raking up the pine needles. A big job that took most of the day but it was done! The needles have to be raked up 30 feet from the house all the way around. Much easier this year since there was less than 3+ year's worth of needles on the ground.

Late afternoon relaxation time, listening to Neil Diamond and having appetizers.

There was ping-pong, time at the pool, and general play outside.
And inside play, too!

Funny videos:

Play

2011-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

I took some adorable pictures of my offspring yesterday.

Sweet Potatoes

2011-04-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Look Alikes?

2011-04-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ryan - 6 Months

2011-03-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Ryan,
You/we celebrated your half birthday! I can't believe you are already half a year old. The last 6 months have flown by, and you've grown so very quickly before our eyes. Your personality is starting to really come out and you have been increasingly talking and gesturing. You also have been signing quite a bit in the last half of the month!

You and Jake adore each other. Although, sometimes Jake gets in your face more than you'd like, but you quickly figured out, on your own, how to handle him -- by grabbing his glasses. If that doesn't work or if he doesn't have his glasses on, then you go for his hair or his ears and that makes him back up pretty quickly.
You have been BEGGING to try food -- you have been staring longingly at us when we put food in our mouths. I held off as long as I could, but finally when you were 5.5 months old I began to let you taste foods. Here you are with avocado -- not so sure at first.

Then comes the smile. You gummed raw carrot and honeydew melon. You love the taste of grapefruit juice from my pinky dipped in the fruit. You liked banana but it gave you a bad diaper rash so we are not doing that anymore right now.
You mastered the art of rolling over. And chewing on things. Which feels good because you've got some teeth working their way up.
People have been saying that you and Jake look more and more alike than when you were just a teeny baby.

Jake insisted on actually celebrating your half birthday with cake. So we got a small cupcake for us to eat. However, you decided you needed a nap during and after dinner, so we sang 'Happy birthday' without you there. If you look closely at the monitor, you can see your sleeping face!
Happy half birthday, sweet baby!

Alaska 2011 Day 4 and Trip Home

2011-03-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

We woke up at Grandma and Grandpa's house that morning and had pancakes for the 4th morning in a row. Yum. There was more playing and hanging out. While Mike and his mom went shopping, Ryan and I hung out around the house and rested while Jake and Grandpa got busy out in the snow.

They made a snow cave -- you can see Jake's boots sticking out of the snow.

Jake LOVED playing in the snow.

Mike's cousin Devin came over to say hi. He's good with babies -- we have a picture of him with Jake when Jake was about that age!

Later that day, Mike, Jake, and Grandpa went flying in Grandpa's little yellow airplane. They flew for about 20 minutes and then landed on a frozen lake and got out and walked around in the woods for a bit. Then got back on the plane and flew back. They loved it!

Then going home was an adventure in itself. We left Anchorage at 9:30pm and flew to Seattle, arriving at 2am. The boys slept on the ride to Seattle but Mike and me, not so much. We hung out at the Seattle airport waiting for our 6am flight to Portland. Neither Mike nor Jake could sleep. Jake watched movies while Mike read and walked around. Ryan and I got a little bit of sleep on the bench, until there were vacuum cleaners running in our area. At about 4:30 the shops started opening up and we got hot tea and muffins.

We finally boarded our flight. Mike and Jake passed out as soon as the plane was in the air. Ryan stayed awake charming passengers until 10 minutes before we landed, which made for a very tired mama.

Back home at last at 8:30am we all ate a big breakfast and then took naps.