A little R & R

By a "little", I truly mean little. We just got back from vacation and, while that may sound relaxing, let me assure you it was pretty far from the serene image you see above! My grand dream of a relaxing 2 week vacation to visit family in Oregon and Washington was packed with go-go-going and interrupted sleep, but I was so happy to see everyone while we were there that I have almost forgotten how much this trip kicked my butt!

Our whirlwind adventure started by going to visit my dad, and my 3 siblings and their families in Oregon. We had a great time hanging out, BBQing, having a family picnic by the river complete with rides on my brother's boat (well I didn't go on the boat, but I had the baby) and a trip to the Oregon Country Fair (as visitors instead of working like I normally do) all in the span of 3 1/2 days. I know, I'm exhausted just thinking about it again.

This is why I can't have 3 kids! It's hard enough just trying to get 2 looking and in focus for a picture, but we had fun trying to get a decent shot! My niece Megan was like a built in baby sitter. I'm pretty sure every time I set the baby down she was there to swoop her up and tote her around!

                 

Uncle Ryan getting some girl time in. They are pregnant, well not him but you know what I mean, and are hoping for a girl this time around! Oh and for all of you doubters who keep asking me where Arielle's blue eyes come from, here is proof that they're in the family!

My daddy with some of his brood.

Some baby decided that she was going to start officially crawling and pulling up to standing on the second day of our vacation. I guess a change of scenery motivated her.

Finally we spent time at one of my favorite places, the Oregon Counttry Fair. I have only missed going a couple of years since I was 6 years old. I usually work on staff, but this was the first year I came as a commoner (ha!) and it reminded me why I usually wait for the public to exit before I go inside! It was hot and crowded, but we ate some amazing food, got faces painted, did some great people watching and most importantly I got to show my real family off to my fair family. I'm pretty sure they were starting to doubt their existence! All except the baby that is, since she was in my painted belly when I was there last year.

{yes, my man can rock a pink and leopard print back pack, thankyouverymuch}

Sadly, I was to busy taking pics of the kids and trying to figure out the manual settings on my camera to realize that this was the only picture I got with my sister Kiersten in it. I miss my family a lot and, as hectic as it was trying to shove a bunch of fun into a short time, I enjoyed seeing them all!

...stay tuned for part deux of the trip where we go see these people. :o)

Arielle at 7 months

Some baby is....

...7 months old

...sitting up without falling over.

...is able to go from her belly to sitting up by herself.

....is now using this sitting up business to prolong going to sleep.

...is exploring everything she can get her hands on.

...has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, brocoli, apples, pears and banana and loved them.

...has tried avocado and gagged.

...decided she wanted to get all 4 front teeth over with at the same time.

...is starting to get more peach fuzz on that pretty little noggin.

...is still as smiley as ever.

...has settled into 2 good naps a day, but is still waking up once in the night.

...finally said mama and I'm pretending it was on purpose.

...loves to make razzing sounds with her tongue.

...has decided to comando crawl by dragging her lower body while moving herself with her arms.

...is more contemplative than her big brother and harder to make laugh.

...has super chubby baby thighs and that's the way I like'em.

The great debate

In any debate there are two sides, the Pro and the Con. Notice I did not say the right and the wrong. Rightness is so subjective and anyone who has ever been married knows that there is always that grey area where you have to agree to disagree in order to move on from a sore subject. But what happens when the issue is a big one? I'm talking huge. Allow me to digress for a moment.


My husband comes from a big family. He is one of 4 boys and when his parents divorced and his mother re-married she had twin girls to add to the brood. That's 6 kids total, if you're counting. God bless my MIL because I've only experienced the brothers in adulthood and I can just imagine the chaos and insanity they created as children.

I, on the other hand, came from a somewhat dysfunctional family dynamic where my dad was married 4 (yes, I know) times and I have 2 older half sisters and one full blood brother. I basically grew up with my younger brother and for a few years my sister who is 8 years older than me. My parents divorced when I was young and my mom raised us largely by herself.

Where am I going with this? We have 2 munchkins right now, ages 3 and 7 months. One boy. One girl. I'm just fine with this scenario, my husband is not. He wants more kids and I am pretty dead set against it. The Pro and the Con. The problem with this debate is there can be no real compromise. We can't exactly have half a kid, (where did they get that 2.5 children thing anyway?) so we are left rehashing the issue over and over. When it comes to the major issues in life, how do you decide when the two sides are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum?

In my head I have a huge list of pros and cons on the subject, and to be honest the con list is way longer for me. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with having more than two kids, I just don't think it's for me. I know my patience is questionable at times (lots of times), I know our finances are not geared for any more kids (at least at the present time) and I really love the one boy, one girl, one first born, one baby, no middle kid thing we have going. Isn't it better for me to be a good mother to 2 than a crazy, stressed out, yelling all the time mother to more? Am I being realistic or selfish? I wish I knew for sure.

Handmade Birthday Fun!

Last week was the week of birthdays.  Natey was first and then 3 of his little buddies also turned 3 in the same week! The first party was for Luca. Her mom and I met in prenatal yoga when we were pregnant with our now 3 year olds. When you have 3 birthdays to go to in 3 days it's hard to come up with gift ideas that are fun, unique and won't break the bank. If I have the time and inspiration, I love to make handmade gifts for people. I saw a tutorial for these awesome beanbag numbers and thought I'd give them a whirl. I wanted to involve Natey so I let him pick the fabrics!

Aren't they fun? I'm going to make some for Nate now because he liked them so much!

Luca's family is into music. Both of her parents play instruments and she is learning the guitar. So what is more appropriate than showing that girls rock!

I hope she liked the gifts as much as I enjoyed making them! Stay tuned for the other handmade goodies I came up with for the boy's birthday gifts!

Four's a Crowd

Are you hiding something from me?

Come on, can I just have a peek?

What is that I see?

Could it be?

4 Teeth?!

All in a week?

That explains the lack of sleep!

Captain Natey turns 3

It happened.

My baby turned 3 on Sunday.

What the what??

It can't be possible, but I guess it is.

He requested a "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" pancake.

I threw in a 3 for good measure.

He would only wear his pirate gear for 5 minutes....in the morning...but not for his party.

I got a little overzealous and made my own cupcakes and cream cheese frosting.

...48 of them.

...and toppers to go in them.

...Joelle helped.

Note to self: no matter how much food coloring you put in, the frosting will not be red, just pink.

 

Nate has no problem being the center of attention.

I think his favorite thing is being sung to...by a crowd of people.

That wasn't his birthday outfit either.

He jumped in the giant inflatable waterslide with his clothes on and had to change.

(no picture because I stink!)

His birthday outfit was super cute, but only lasted 6 minutes.

Nate had requested more "surf pops".

I attempted to make skulls.

Edible food coloring pens don't work worth a damn.

I am no Bakerella.

Nate had a blast.

I cried a little.

I'm not sure if it was becase my baby turned 3 or because I was so busy running around like a mad woman that I didn't even get to enjoy the party or hang out with our guests.

Next time I am getting catering.

Oh, and not doing the Providence Art Festival the day before and running out of time for party preparations!

Wordless Wednesday

This is the ONLY picture I have of both of them smiling.

It is now my favorite picture of all time.

 Thank you, my friend.

Sneak-a-peek

I have not fallen off of the face of the earth, but I might as well have! As you know, an amazing, talented, all around wonderful person came to my tiny state to take some pictures. This was not just any trip, it was a don't blink, don't breathe, eat when you have time, juggle 2 small children, 8 photoshoots in 4 days we-are-now-bonded-for-life kind of trip. I will dedicate a whole post to the insanity that was Lisa's visit later, but for now, I will show you a snipit of what she captured!

Isn't she amazing? And these are just the tip of the iceburg....check it out.