Carpe Diem

I've come to the realization living here that when the sun is shining, you absolutely must go outside and enjoy it. This can be seen two ways:

1. It makes you more aware of every day and causes you to go and do fun things even if you don't feel like it. The days don't all blend together because when it's rainy, you realize how much you love the days that are sunny. You are more acutely aware of what a treat the sun is.

2. The guilt of being inside on a sunny day is so annoying. If the sun is out and you are in - shame on you. You never know when that sun will be back again. But some days you just feel like staying home, you know? (ps this is all self inflicted guilt)

The other day the sun was shining, but we wanted to play inside. So we showed the sun who is boss and stayed inside all day.

Leaf Collecting

Does anyone else get panicky when you drive by autumn trees that you are going to "miss out" on the fall colors - that tomorrow they all might fall off the tree and you didn't "enjoy" them enough?

I've decided to make some kind of tradition in our family where we go "leaf collecting" every year. That way I can relax when I ride by them, knowing that "phew, we for sure fully enjoyed them while they lasted".

Washington "dusk" is not the same as Vegas "dusk". We were freezing! Grossly under dressed. Now I know.

Avery lately names herself after whatever outfit she is wearing that day. For example, today I had to call her "polkadot". At joy school, she introduced herself as such.

Sometimes her name is "horse" or "flower".

While she was playing with her friends at "recess", she was running around with her "grayskull" (sword/spatula) trying to find He-Man. Her two little boy friends have no idea who He-Man is.

She runs a constant dialogue while playing. It's a total blast to listen to.

This kid has grown so much lately. He is no longer a baby in any way. His baby smell is wearing off, but I still smell it when I walk into his room in the morning/after nap. His blanket still smells of it, and sometimes I will shove my nose in his mouth to smell his sweet breath.

After I get him out of the bathtub, he runs on his skinny, naked legs for Avery's room. He's running at the excited, squealy pace that is right on the border of falling over until he gets to Avery's bed and flops himself onto it. I love that naked little tooshy.

When he plays, he lays on his belly with his head on the ground driving the car along a road. Why do boys love to watch wheels roll so much? He does the same thing with cans of food and spools of thread. It's adorable.

Sometimes I get shy about blogging every little nook and cranny about our life, and wonder if am too obsessed with documenting every little detail.

But then Jimi and I will go back and read posts of when Avery was a baby ("I do not remember her looking like that! Where was I when she had so little hair?") or last year ("Remember when you only had four days off in three months? Getting this new job was so pivotal for our family."), and I feel so relieved that I documented it all.

Never ever have I gone back and said, "Why did I post that picture of my kids? I know what they looked like back then." Those rascals change weekly, and if I will be compared to the Buendia family of 100 Years of Solitude, then so be it! I will etch our daily minutia into the spools of cyber space. Our legacy will be the doldrums of the every day. I will be able to look back and say:

"I    know    what    my    kids    were     wearing      on     that     day     in        October."

anyway.

Evan had to hold the basket, and neither seemed too particular about the prettiness of the leaves. But it's all in the pursuit of "enjoying" those leaves. Check.

Look at this monster we came upon! I think it's pretty.

Pumpkin Carving

Make no mistake, carving pumpkins is an activity that kids can't really participate in. The mom and dad pretty much do all the dirty work. But the atmosphere in the house is worth it.

Especially with this baby cooking in the background. I made it from the leftover scraps taken from our pumpkin.

Oh! You caught me. The empty can of pumpkin gave it away.

before...

after.

I kind of want a redo on mine (the wolf howling at the moon - you can't even tell that's what it is).

It's so fun to light them every night and have them peek in at us.

Spooky!

Stoney Ridge Farm

One of the locals who helped Jimi unpack the moving van explained,

"you know where you're from, you have four seasons: fall, winter, spring, and summer?

Well here we have: almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction."

So far we are loving "almost winter". Who doesn't love this time of the year? Everything is so full of spice and atmosphere and anticipation. There is so much to see and do. For me, it's the season with the most "feel".

This pumpkin patch farm we visited was "dripping with atmosphere" (Jimi's description). It was right out of a Charles Wysoki puzzle.

Of course he threw rocks into mud puddles.

apple cider doughnuts, pumpkin doughnuts

Next time we are all going to wear boots. It was muddd-yyy.

 

You have to walk through a grove of growing Christmas Trees to get to the pumpkins. I was downright giddy. Two of the best holidays clashing into a big pile of fantastic!

The perfect pumpkins. Let's go turn them into jackolanterns.

Hey Ladies!

Some things that are so fun to do without kids (for a few days):

- Walk around Costco. Eat the samples. Don't push a cart full of kids and food. Don't try to eat the samples, share the samples, and navigate the cart all at the same time. Take your time. Mosey over to the book section.

- Clean Jamie's kitchen. No stopping to redo a chore (like reput silverware in the silverware tray after it has been spread all over the kitchen floor), and no stopping to turn on a show, break up a fight, or serve a snack.

- Sit on the couch and watch whatever I feel like. (survivor and project runway)

- Stay up until 3am pillow talking. Me and Jamie shared a bed, and Nettie and Emily shared a bed. Just like old times. We could hear N and E pillowtalking (b/c Nettie's version of a whisper is to just talk with a deeper voice). I said "Nettie loves to pillowtalk", and Jamie said, "you love to just go to sleep", and I said, "it's 2 am people! haven't I redeemed myself yet?!" (because last time we were all together I went to bed early because I had a newborn who got up every 2-3 hours. Give me a break.)

- Get a pedicure. Copy Nettie's choice of polish. I have never had a real pedicure, and it was awesome.

- Hold babies for fun. Annie and Reese were such good babies. I think because my "baby" is almost two, I forgot how fun they can be when they are sweet little immobile things. Plus I got to roll over and go to sleep when they cried in the night.

- Go out to eat without having to hush a scream, deliver food to mouths, clean up after children, hurry out of the restaurant so that we don't have to see the look on the face of the person who has to clean up the mess under the high chair.

-Go on a run with Emily and Kim on the steep hills behind Jamie's house. I have discovered that my lungs are wimpy from living at sea level. wheeze.

- Talk nonstop without interruptions. And I mean NON STOP. You get seven moms in the same room, good luck getting a word in edgewise.

- Speaking of getting a word in edgewise, me and Nettie were arguing about whether or not raw chicken is full of bacteria (I say it is, she says 9 out of 10 raw chickens are harmless), and Emily was trying to add her opinion, but couldn't. She yelled "I can't get a word in edgewise!"....five minutes later she still hadn't been able to speak and yelled "I still can't!" ha haha.

- Shop for clothes without being in a huge hurry, trying to beat the "I'm sick of it" clock that kids seem to be timed for. We all found killer deals. Maybe Mary will post a picture of her new purse so that I can look at it. It's cute.

- Cheesecake Factory, The Lion King musical. Just being out as late as desired.

- Getting home around 11ish after the play and eating leftover cheesecake, standing up, with forks and no plates. mmmmmm...raspberry lemon cheesecake.

- talking talking talking until all our eyes are squinting from sleepiness.

- Having the choice to sleep in real late, but choosing not to because you want to go see who's awake downstairs.

And resume the talking.

When I met up with G and G Larsen to be reunited with my kids, it was so fun to see them. Avery commented on my blue painted toenails. "oooh, they're so cute!" and my new skirt

 "I like your skirt! It's so cute!"

And Evan smiled and reached his arms to me.

However, nothing slaps you back to reality like a 3 hour flight home with kids.

I missed them.

Another Find

I also found this map of the world puzzle at the thrift store. It's the exact replica of the Rand Mcnally Map you get from a National Geographic.

I wish I could retain all the geographic knowledge I gained while doing it, but I've already forgotten where the Sandwich Islands are.

And I was really hoping that a piece was missing so I could crack the joke, "Spain is missing", but alas every piece is here.

(so i snuck the joke in anyway. see that?)

Total Score

I've been hitting up the thrift stores looking for some cowgirl boots for the Avery's Halloween costume...and found these babies. The universe is pretty much begging Avery to be Jesse.

What Every Mom Needs to Hear

Ok, that's enough looking at my wrinkles.

Lately Avery has been saying to me:

"Mommy, I love you so so so much. Do you know that?"

I'm In Charge

It's so weird how one day you realize you are 31 years old and in charge of a whole household. One night we sat down to eat chili and cornbread, and I was struck by the fact that I had made dinner for my family. I am the mom. I have wrinkles and say things that I never thought I would say:
"do you hear me?"
"we don't hit our sister or our friends"
"yes, you have to wear a jacket, it's cold outside"
"I'm in charge here!"

Avery picked up the "I'm in charge", and says it now and then. She yelled it at Evan the other night, and Jimi replied, "no, Mommy's in charge".

I've been thinking a lot lately about our family's "stage" in life. While everyone else is settling down into a back-to-school routine, we continue to float around with nowhere to be and no one to answer to.
The current schedule in my life is the unschedule. A nap, maybe, but that's about it. For us, it is the season to play. Developmentally, that is the most important thing for us to do.

Woof, I need a Rapunzel to wipe away those wrinkles.

Gray Day at Birch Bay

Open Cupboard, Insert Blankie.

I always find treasures in that cupboard.

cans of food

sippy cup with who knows how old orange juice

toys

pasi

silverware

apple slice

crust of bread

The funniest is watching him stuff the blanket in there like it's an important assignment he needs to get done pronto. The boss is breathing down his neck, and if he doesn't get the job done correctly this time, he's gonna be out on the street.