snow day

This past weekend we went up to Mt. Hood to hang out with our small group and play in the snow. Unfortunately the wind was blowing so hard that I decided to stay with Ian by the fireplace in the lodge. Ava enjoyed a little snowball fight with Ben and took a couple of walks. I barely survived the walk to and from the car. We actually went up last year this same weekend and here's how my baby has grown.

Hoopily Hoop

Ava made up this song a couple months ago and it always cracks Ben and I up. She sings it all the time and I even get it stuck in my head a few days a week. I finally got out the videocamera and had her sing it. Just in case you don't catch the brilliant lyrics, it goes like this:

Here we go the hoopily hoop, hoopily hoop, hoopily hoop

Here we go the hoopily hoop

In the housey white

my sweet boy

I don't know if it's because I'm more confident the second time around or if Ian is an easier baby but I'm enjoying him so much. Here's what I'm loving right now:

*when I hold him up to my shoulder he rubs his face back and forth on my shirt until he gets bright red

*right when he falls asleep he smiles really big

*when he nurses he makes two fists and holds them really tight against his chest

*he lets me know he's unhappy with this little complaining sound before he starts to cry

*he's on the verge of laughing and it looks like it's going to burst out of him when I nibble on his belly

*he focuses on faces really well and loves to coo and smile at you if you talk to him

*he loves ceiling fans and when we go to new places he always looks up to see if they have one, I can almost feel his disappointment/judgement if they don't :)

*he just started sucking his thumb and he's terrible at it. He repeatedly hits himself in the face until it lands near his mouth and then he puts in a finger and a thumb and makes the loudest sucking noise until it falls out and then he cries. Seriously this kid needs a new soothing technique because he is definitely challenged in the thumb sucking department. I will document this on video soon because it is so cute.

I love this boy!

Vacation

I don't know if it's because it's the middle of March or because I'm sick of making foods that require mashed potatoes to be the appropriate accompaniment but I have had vacationing on my mind lately. So I've decided to take a look back at a few of my favorite trips with my favorite person. Because I met Ben when we were still 19 I hadn't really gone anywhere before us. I am actually really glad that he is a part of all my best adventures. And I think the memories are going to have to sustain me for quite a while.

Top 10 vacations:

#10 ~ THE CARRIBEAN

Sad that this is the worst, but because I was pregnant and there was a mild hurricane it ranks at the bottom. We had a great time visiting the local zoo and Ben made up some fun games at the resort.

#9 NIAGRA FALLS

#8 YOSEMITE ~ This was my first real hiking experience and my first experience being attacked by squirrels who wanted my lunch.

#7 NEW YORK CITY ~ loved central park, shopping and restaurants

#6 SWITZERLAND ~ Beautiful but a little touristy

#5 BANFF CANANDA ~ Gorgeous open spaces and unreal landscapes. We had an amazing b&b and were able to go up to a glacier.

#4 MEXICO ~ Infinity pools, the best tacos, guacamole, and apple pastry with cajeta sauce, exploring old churches, cheap room service, and the sunsets...

We both look a little tipsy in this picture! :)

#3 FRANCE ~ Paris was fun but exploring southern france in a tiny car with the best tour guide (thanks Amy) was amazing!

castle in Carcassone

#2 HAWAII ~ There are too many good memories here but the best one's include dinner at Brown's Beach House, picking passion fruit from the tree outside our jungle hut, snorkeling, seeing real lava, and the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.

Drumroll...

#1 ~ LEVANTO ITALY ~ Pesto, gelato, outdoor markets, old ruins, cheap scooters, house wine, opera in the palazzo, fireworks, beaches, the people, dancing, unreliable trains, and the language. This place is the DEFINITION of romance.

And now back to reality, the rain, and the pot roast in the crock pot...

2-month check up

We took Ian to the doctor on Monday and it was just as I suspected, long and skinny. He's in the 75% for length and 25% for weight. He actually did really well and didn't even mind hanging out in just a diaper on the crinkly paper. The nurse was really fast with the shots and he was very content after getting to nurse for awhile. I think it must have been traumatic for him because he's been sleeping ever since. The first night he slept for 7 straight hours and most of yesterday. Then last night he slept for 7 1/2 hours. He's also started sucking his thumb, which seems a little late, but is super cute. I forgot to bring my camera so I didn't get any doctor shots. Maybe next month.

celebrity

So a couple days ago I mentioned something to Ben about my lingering jelly belly. He of course told me that I look great for just having a baby and I should stop reading celebrity websites. Which got me thinking about celebrity motherhood and all the perks that go along with it. Oh how nice it would be to wake up and have someone bring you the baby to nurse and then catch another 2 hours of sleep. All the while there is a wonderful woman downstairs doing creative arts and crafts with your toddler, all in spanish of course. Then you get up and get ready in the quiet of your personal spa. Finally you head downstairs and open the front door to receive your personal meal plan for the day, all delicious AND healthy. After eating and playing with the kids for a few minutes your trainer arrives for a workout that isn't even hard but somehow targets all the areas that you need help with and make your boobs look perky. Then you decide what you want to do for the day as your assistant arrives to bring you a selection of dresses for your date with your fabulous husband to the best restaurant in the city. I should stop here because this is starting to sound too good.

I really consider myself blessed because I have two parents who take my kids whenever I need them and allow me to go to small group every week and even a date night every month. I do love my life even with all it's chaos and I'm glad that even though I have to endure all the poopy diapers and 3 year old tantrums, I never miss out on the unexpected coos and cuddles and hilarious Ava ramblings. This is a season of long days and short years and I don't want to miss a minute of it.

Regardless, I'm giving up celebrity websites for lent...seriously. :)

our favorite market

So when we moved here a year ago I frequently passed this fruit stand type store on the way up to our house. For some reason it took me about 6 months before I finally went in. And how much do I regret that decision. We now go at least once a week and feel like we hit the jackpot everytime. We are a fruit loving family. Pears, apples, oranges, bananas, berries, mangos, plums, you name it and we devour it. I probably made 30 fruit crisp combinations this past summer and all with fruit bought from Spicer Bros. First of all it is SUPER cheap and second, there is a sign on every item saying where they're from. Most of it is local, which I love! The apples are always crispy and you get to try new varieties that you wouldn't at the supermarket. So we went yesterday to stock up and took some photos. We even ran into my good friend Jenny and her little cuties, Grant and Miriam. Ava was thrilled! Even Ian climbed aboard the produce train. And the final tally: 10 apples, 5 pears, 2 tangelos, 2 tomatoes, and a yellow pepper... $5.80!

Uh Mom, why is there a giant eggplant in my lap?

Current state of affairs...

So Ben took this picture before leaving for work last week and it pretty much summarizes my life right now. Let me describe the scene...

It's 7am and I haven't eaten, showered or let's face it, even peed yet.

I'm wearing a crown on my head because Ava has declared that I am an evil queen.

I am holding Cinderella who is planning a shopping trip to Costco with Tiana because they are out of apple juice.

Oh yeah and there is an infant enjoying his 3rd breakfast off of me.

I don't know if I'm convinced that someday I'll miss these moments...

Some cute photos from the weekend

Bowling with the Terwilliger Family. Nothing cuter than size 8 bowling shoes!

Ava took this picture of silly daddy.

Ian and Grampa bonding.

Ava experimenting with green and loving on her baby brother!

Valentine's Day

So my feelings on Valentine's day are rather mixed. I love holidays (even made up one's)! Any excuse to get gifts and have a little romance on a weekday is always good in my book. But I'm usually not a sucker for bad (ok really bad) movies and cheap (insert bad candy/stuffed animal) gifts. I would rather spend money on a yummy dinner and get Ben something he really wants (like bike parts or a Fedor calendar. ) However this year we were on a little more of a budget, not to mention time constraints with me nursing. So we had to settle for bad chinese food from Safeway and a 6pm showing of Avatar. Wow that seems even more pathetic once I've written it down. Anyway, Avatar was pretty ridiculous for a variety of reasons. I will summarize:

1. It's pretty much just the story of Dances With Wolves. (bow and arrows...really?) Except the Indians are 10 feet tall and blue.

2. Could the characters have been any more one-sided. I was ok with the main guy but everyone else was like a cartoon. "Let's kill these bastards so I can get home in time for dinner!" Does anyone actually utter these phrases?

3. It basically felt like he was making a response to Bush and the Iraq war but he was about 5 years late.

4. Don't even get me started on Sigourney Weaver's avatar wearing jean short cutoffs and a mini Stanford tank top...

I was pretty much laughing the entire time at how stupid the dialogue was. I did enjoy the forest scenes at night. It was very creative.

Anyway, there's my rant on the movie. Ben and I had a very enjoyable time just being together and wearing 3d glasses and snuggling. And Ava enjoyed making cookies with her friend John and wishing everyone a Happy Balentine's Day! Here's some photos of the little cuties!

We love Tia Christy!

So Ava has a rock star aunt, otherwise known as "Tia." One of Ava's (and Mommy's) favorite things is to skype with her. Ava prefers me to not be in the room because I take attention away from her and she can't be the center of the universe. Anyway, we love to skype because Tia can babysit from thousands of miles away and mommy can get things done around the house, and simultaneously be entertained by their conversations. Tia is very patient and creative (I think you have to be to have a 45 minute conversation with a new 3 year old.) This is a photo of their most recent chat after they needed me to create a fort for their storytelling adventure. We love you Tia!

Avaisms

When we pull into the Costco parking lot Ava always says, "Momma there's the perfect sparking spot!" She only says this when we go to Costco. I think she knows that there are never any parking spots there and she needs to be on high alert. Unfortunately she doesn't understand why we can't park in the handicapped spot. And frankly, neither do I. Any woman going to Costco with 2 young children should be considered handicapped.

When we play princesses she points her wand at me and says, "I'm going to put a smell on you!"

She plays lots of tricks on her daddy and then says, "I'm dust doking (joking) with you. Mommy we're dust paying dokes on eat(each) otter(other.)"

Her favorite joke is this:

Ava: Knock Knock

Me: Who's There?

Ava: Boo

Me: Boo hoo?

Ava: Boo, Light, Car, Window...stop crying stop sign!

Ava: Am I hiyarious momma or ridicuyous?

Me: Hilarious

Ava: Are they opposites? :)

What I wanted to accomplish today:

*Target

*Power walk around the neighborhood with the babies

*Make sugar cookies with Ava

*Decorate cookies to be adorably valentines dayie

*Clean

*Trip to paper zone for envelopes

*Address envelopes and mail Ian's birth announcements

*Make a Valentine's Day slideshow for Ben's gift

What I've accomplished today:

*fed Ian

*held Ian on the couch for an hour so he would stop crying

*fed Ian

*held Ian on the couch for an hour so he would stop crying, while simultaneously playing princess dolls with Ava

*fed Ian

*made arrangements so I could go to the bathroom

*fed Ian

*thought about getting ready for a walk and then realized it was raining

*read a story to Ava

*thought about making sugar cookies and then realized I didn't have the cream cheese needed in the perfect recipe

*successfully put Ian in his crib for a short nap so I could type what I have not accomplished today

I guess there's something to be said for my accomplished list being longer than my to do list. It just feels like I've done NOTHING today.

Oh...and now I can add cleaning up cat puke to my list of accomplishments...wooh hoo!

So that's where the string to Ava's balloon went.

Waiting...

I've been waiting for something. I got a fake one when I was in the hospital and then after we got home there was the hint of it. There were a few half ones a couple times and once I think there was a real one but when I turned my head to look it disappeared. Then I got a real one but wasn't quick enough with the camera and it didn't come back for many days. Until today...wait for it...wait for it...

"You are not funny mom."

"Maybe a little bit funny."

"OK You're hilarious!"

A smile to me is the recognition of my existence to my child. The silent thank you for the endless sleepless nights, the constant embarrassment of having to gracefully attempt to pull up my shirt in public places to nurse, the endless washing of clothes, and my personal favorite, the throwing up everything I just fed you and then crying because you're hungry. Oh...it is all worth it for the smile. Now back to the laundry...

Hiking With Daddy

When we first moved here Ben found this great little hiking spot across the river. He took Ava a few times before I was invited along and now it is her favorite outing. She loves to talk about how the plants are changing and that dead mouse we saw once. One of the things I love about living here is that you can be outside year round. Everything's just a bit muddier in the winter. :) I love to hear Ava talk about how God made this tree or this flower. I've always sensed God's presence greatly through his creation and I think that's something Ava and I have in common. We took Ian along for his first hike and I hope it will be a family tradition for a long time to come.

A Conversation...

Ava: Mommy my bottom is talking to me!

Me: What is it saying?

Ava: Take me to the potty. I need to go poop!

At least she's been paying attention when I tell her to listen to her body. :)