gross

Ava: I ate a booger mama but that's a surprise!

Crossroads

Tomorrow is a big day for our family. For the past two months we've heard rumors of budget deficits and job cuts and it's finally coming down to a vote tomorrow. There was a lottery and Ben didn't get a great number but close to the middle so it could be worse. I've had a pretty significant peace about it, which a wise soul reminded me was a gift I should be thankful for. I figure the worst that could happen would be selling the house and having to move all our acquired belongings into a pod. I'm pretty much just thankful that we're all healthy and getting along on most days. Ben also has an interview tomorrow for an instructional coordinator job in the district. They posted it internally on Thursday and he applied that night and got an interview Friday. We drove by the school and it's beautiful and even closer than his current school. This would be the perfect job for him because he's been ready for a change and it would be a good transition into becoming a principal. (As a side note he just cut his hair and put on his Varvatos suit and whew!, I would hire him and then take him right there in my office...uh hi Dad!) Anyway, it's not everyday that you either get fired or promoted so for those of you who believe in the power of prayer, tomorrow would be a good day to give a shout out for the Hsiehs. Did that sound kind of blasphemous? Maybe, tomorrow would be a good day to lift our concerns up to the Lord. There, that sounds better.

Giggles...

My babies are kind of on the slow side when it comes to a sense of humor. I've probably heard Ian laugh less then 10 times in his life. We are always looking for ways to get him to giggle and Daddy seems to have found one. Of course every time we've tried it since, he's only given us a slight smile, as if to say, "You're going to have to try harder than that."

Desperately Seeking Ava...

I think my daughter was born in the wrong decade.

And can I just say that she is a delightful little girl.

Check Up

I took Ian for his weigh-in last week and he's gained 3 pounds in the last month! He's still only in the 14th percentile but he looks chubbier and feels heavier. He's finally getting some kissable rolls on his chin and thighs. I think the formula is working and he seems a lot happier. Yay!

adventures in food carting...

So last Sunday we tried a new food cart with a family from church. Our girls have become fast friends after bonding over similar experiences in mama abandonment. They suggested we go to the grilled cheese grill and after hearing that you eat in a school bus, we were all for it. The girls LOVED it. They sat at the "bar" and took turns driving and then of course there was grilled cheese. I got "the preschooler" which is the classic with the crusts cut of. The other varieties looked equally tasty and I was very tempted to get the fatty melt which was a hamburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as buns, but decided I had devoured a few too many calories over the week to justify it. Anyway, this is the spot to go with kids and apparantly after all the bars close and your drunk and craving deep fried cheesy goodness.

could they be any cuter?!

birthday week!

So today it was back to reality after Ben and I spent a few days celebrating our birthdays. And oh it could not have been any more beautiful, relaxing, spontaneous, and foodilicious. Except maybe if we had celebrated in a certain far away land where Gelato and topless sunbathing on the mediterranean are the order of the day. But I digress... Ben took Thursday off to celebrate my day and also to not have to teach with his mouth full of canker sores. He let me make every decision and cleaned all the dishes and did kid duty all day. We started with breakfast at our favorite local spot and even played cards while Ian slept and Ava relished her hot chocolate with extra whipped cream. Then we drove along the river with a new cd and the windows down and stopped in Lake Oswego so I could wander through the stores. Ben entertained Ava with the princess memory game on his phone and Ian chilled in his stroller. The weather was 70 and sunny and then we came home and I read outside and took a long nap. We took the kids to a fun park and then met my parents at Red Robin for our free birthday burgers.

On Friday we took the kids to my parents house and went to the park to play tennis. We used to play all the time and I don't think I've played since before Ava was born so it was so nice to do a pre-kids activity. Then we changed and went downtown to try a new sandwich place we read about. It was good and a new neighborhood is always fun to explore. Ben went to a favorite bike store and then we finally made it to voodoo doughnut. I've been wanting to go here for years but the line is always around the block and even though it's right by our church we can't ever seem to make it. I think it's one of the only Portland restaurants to make it onto food network which makes it imposible to get into. So when we drove by and there was no line I made Ben pull over for a maple bar with bavarian cream filling. I know...I know... So onto more shopping and then to a consignment shop to buy each other our birthday gift of a painting for our living room. Although we didn't find anything so finally we went back to my parents to pick up the kids.

Ben's actual birthday was Saturday and he had to help someone move so he didn't get much of a fun day. I did make him an awesome chocolate oreo milkshake for dessert though and he enjoyed his real present later that night. :)

All in all we had a great weekend and I was sad to see it end. I got some really fun presents from my awesome friends and I felt loved and celebrated! Here's a few highlight pictures:

Ava at the park

aforementioned doughnut

Mini cupcakes from Anne...AMAZING!

hot chocoloate bliss