Ryan’s parents are visiting us.
They arrived this afternoon after a long flight across country from New York.
We spent the afternoon playing outside in some of the most beautiful weather we have had all year.
We’ve got a lot of hanging out to do and an adventure planned.
Stay tuned…
For now, we all need to get some rest.
home is…visits from the ones we love.
This is the new view from our kitchen window…
Ryan spent all day finishing the railing so the kids are safe.
We will stain the railing, add stairs from the grass, and a rope ladder next to one of the trees on the back.
Now all we need is beautiful weather for having our friends over to play!
home is…a husband who has made his wife and kids very happy.
My kids (husband) bought me a beautiful silk shirt from Anthropologie for Mother’s Day.
Really, it was beautiful.
I tried it on and really, really liked it, but I couldn’t think of a time when I would wear it.
Yeah, for the rare times that my husband and I get to go out, but for the most part it would just sit in my closet and look pretty.
Pretty, but lonely.
I don’t want my clothes to be lonely.
I want them to be loved.
Worn.
So, I got this dress from Boden instead.
Remember the flower wallpaper I mentioned in this post last Friday?
This dress reminds me of it.
I can still wear it out for a date night, but can also wear it with the kids or for a night out with my girl friends!
It will be loved.
Worn.
home is…finding a happy medium.
*btw, the formatting is all messed up on this post and i am not going to try to fix it. sorry!
So, my last two posts were written from my iPhone.
From my bed.
After I remembered that I hadn’t written a blog post for the day.
Technology is pretty cool.
I like writing blog posts.
I don’t want to back down from the challenge.
I am doing this challenge for me.
I know I won’t disappoint any of you if I miss a day here and there.
I also know that I won’t disappoint myself.
But, I’m not backing down from the challenge.
I am more than 33% done.
The good news is that there are some days that I have posted more than once…and in my mind, those extra posts make up for a missed day here and there.
It’s no big deal.
Moving on…
There’s lots going on in our lives.
Some of it I can’t write about on my blog…yet.
But I will.
When the time is right.
For now, we are doing things around the house.
A little spring cleaning.
Getting ready for a visit from Ryan’s parents and a getaway to the Oregon Coast.
The end of the school year is approaching.
The little guy is almost done with his first year of preschool!
He’s gonna be in the pre-k class next year.
Baby girl is starting to use her words.
She is really good at “NO!”
Summer plans are being made.
The yard is being prepped for playing outside…lots!
It’s gonna be in the 70’s and sunny today, so I am going to hit publish and get ready to go outside.
The little guy is sick, but I think some vitamin D and playing in the warm air will do him some good.
home is…hitting publish.
Today the family headed up to the mountain for fun in the snow (and sun)!
The little guy and I skied while Ryan and baby girl people watched and cheered us on.
The little guy did awesome!
We took lots of runs down the slope next to the Ballroom Carpet at Mt. Hood Meadows.
He didn’t want to stop.
In fact, we finally took a break for lunch and then he wanted to go ski some more!
He did not want me to hold on to him at all. Each time, at the top of the “Magic Carpet” he would say, “Mommy, hold off!”
He likes to go fast and is not afraid to fall. I tried to teach him the wedge to slow down and he said that he did not want to slow down. I told him he would have to stop at the bottom of the hill or if he thought he might hit someone…he told me he would just fall to stop.
There was a beautiful blue sky, sun, awesome snow, live music and the people I love the most in this world. A perfect spring skiing day in my book! It was probably our last day to ski this season. I am already excited for next season and can’t wait until baby girl (and Ryan) can ski with us!
By the way, today was the first day that I have spent on the mountain and actually been able to see the top of the mountain. It’s majestic.
home is…a family day up on the mountain.
I had hoped to get a post up of our last day in Colorado, but after an afternoon spent in airports and an airplane alone with the kiddos I am spent.
I did take 600+ photos this week…and have another 100+ that I got from my dad’s camera. Oh, and that doesn’t include photos taken on my iPhone. There will be more posts to come.
I did not mention it, but during all the fun we had I was battling a cold that I caught the week before we left. It’s still sticking around. It started out with my left side (nose, ear, throat) all stuffed and plugged and migrated to my right side the last couple of days. Not sure if I also had allergies in Colorado, too…the wind was blowing all kinds of dust around!
At any rate, I am headed to bed with some kind of get better medicine and vitamins.
home is…home sweet home.
We made it to Colorado with the two kids in tow!
We got up to my parents house last night after a pretty uneventful morning of travel.
We got acquainted with the wildlife (actually said hello to some deer out the back window, too).
Played with a new remote control Jeep that Topher brought home.
And had dinner with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece.
Ryan left to fly to Florida for work on Sunday morning, so he missed out on the festivities which included lunch with the Catlin/Fields/Larson/Maiman bunch.
A little time playing outside.
And, a visit from the rest of the Larsons on their way home from Costa Rica!
Baby girl also learned about Elk poop.
And, how to fall down gracefully in a tu-tu.
I also feel like I have been eating non-stop since we got here. Might have to go for a run tomorrow morning to work some of it off!
home is…time for bed after a busy couple of days!
On March 5th, 2010 I went wine tasting to celebrate a girlfriends birthday. We went out to dinner, spent the night at The Allison Inn & Spa, had breakfast, a massage, and stopped for lunch on the way home. It was good to feel independent for 24 hours.
When I got home I found out that my baby girl had not eaten anything since I left the previous day at noon. She had a jar or two of solids, but no milk. She was 6 months old and wouldn’t take a bottle.
I felt like a terrible mom.
I felt like a terrible wife.
How could I have left to have fun when nobody was having fun at home?
What was I thinking?!
She never did drink from a bottle.
We tried for 6 months after that.
I bought every bottle I could.
We tried sippy cups.
Nothing.
When she turned a year old I asked the pediatrician how I should go about weaning her. I was ready to be done. I needed a break. He just told me to stop…cut one feeding a week. (Meaning, if I was feeding her 4x a day, cut down to 3x for the 1st week, 2x for the 2nd week, etc.)
I did.
It took a little over a month.
It was fine.
She still doesn’t drink milk.
On March 4th, 2011 I spent the first night away from my kids since that night. Almost one year to the day.
This time I did not worry about the bottle. Baby girl can eat. She eats all day.
I felt liberated.
Independent.
Free.
(But, I still wanted Ryan to send me pictures of the kids eating their dinner and sleeping in their beds)
Thanks, Ryan. I needed that.
I’ll write more about it later.
home is…not worrying about the bottle.
…it’s Monday!
And, a rainy Monday here in the Pacific Northwest. Which means we are back to normal winter weather around here. After 5 winters here I think I am finally getting used to the rain. I love to look out my window to our backyard and watch the rain falling through the huge Douglas Firs. I really, really love living in the Pacific Northwest. It is where I am meant to be…for now.
That being said, today feels like a Monday. I am trying to be positive and embrace my new feelings for Monday, but today is tough. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Today I feel like a Southwest Airlines commercial…I want to get away.
I hoped to get to a morning workout today, but that didn’t happen. I switched up my exercise routine a bit and today was supposed to be a “run” day, but baby girl is drooly, snotty, coughing and can’t go to childcare. So, I decided to go to Stroller Strides…then I looked out at the weather and did not feel like loading the kids into the stroller in a downpour (this was after I got us all dressed and ready to go). So, I had to figure out what we could do at home.
I decided I would try to get the artwork hung in baby girls room. I got up there and decided that the furniture needed to be moved around for the artwork to work (remember I move furniture when I get frustrated). Then I got even more frustrated that I was moving the furniture and not hanging the artwork. Then I got frustrated that the kids were in the way and the room was a mess with toys, artwork and furniture everywhere. Not good.
Here is where we stand…
The fact of the matter is I should have just put the kids in the car and gone to Stroller Strides. I always feel better when I exercise in the morning. I am able to get through my day without my frustration level getting too high. We weren’t going to melt in the little bit of rain that we would have encountered on our way from the car to the class. I should know that by now.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Now, I haven’t exercised, I didn’t hang artwork, the kids aren’t happy, the husband isn’t happy, and I am beating myself up for all of it.
I should have remembered to get moving…it’s Monday!
home is…practicing what you preach.
A couple of things happened in October 2003.
The first of which was I found out I was pregnant on October 10th. It was not planned or expected. I was terrified to tell Ryan. I had just spent 3 years going back to school for my Interior Design degree. I was looking forward to finding a job. And, financially, we really needed me to be back at work. This was not in our plan.
We met at a parking lot near our home (I can’t remember if we had an appointment at the bank, or if we just met there). I started crying and told him. He was in shock, but hugged me tight and said it would be okay.
We decided to keep it to ourselves until we had a grasp on it and felt comfortable telling our family and friends.
We never told them.
Later that month I went up to my parents house to spend some time with them. It was a weekday and my dad was home working on some home projects. My mom had been to the doctors that morning for some tests. I could tell something was not right. I finally got them to tell me that my mom had a biopsy to check a lump in her breast. They didn’t want to worry us and were waiting to find out the results of the biopsy before they said anything to my sister or me.
A couple days later my mom called me to tell me she had breast cancer. Sadly, I don’t remember what type, or stage, or the details. All I remember is being in shock.
The realization that life could be created, and possibly taken away, so unexpectedly was a lot to handle.
home is…not being ready for the unexpected.
stephany taddeo 