Rollerskating

10 Comments

Today we had one of our best mornings ever! 

I have wanted to try the Oak’s Park Skate & Play all winter.  I was a bit skeptical and scared about trying to get the little guy on rollerskates, with baby girl in tow, on my own.  Yesterday, I decided that today would be the day and sent out an e-mail to the Mommies of Friday Playgroup to let them know we would be going (this insured that there would be no backing out on my part if others are expecting us to be there).  So, I got the kids ready to go, loaded them up in the hybrid, stopped to get some mommy fuel at Starbucks and we were on our way!

Nobody was able to meet us, but we were going on our adventure anyway!  I put the kids (just in case we had to make a couple of laps around the rink without skates to warm the little guy up to the idea), the camera, the diaper bag, and the Ergo Carrier in the double BOB and we walked into the rink.  The little guy was not as enthusiastic once we got into the rink, but we got him some skates and scoped it all out.  Once he saw a couple of other preschoolers getting the skates on he warmed up to the idea. 

He  became interested in the “cubbies” and wanted to put his jacket in one, so I humored him…ends up we needed the “cubby” anyway! 

We practiced walking in the skates on the soft carpet, and then we took the BOB out onto the rink and I held the little guys hand as he skated.  I explained, as we saw other little kids fall, that it was OK to fall and all he had to do was get right back up and try again.  I decided that I should ditch the stroller and put baby girl in the carrier and walk with the little guy as he skated. 

This idea ended up being a winner!  We found a couple of balls that were painted like farm animals and this encouraged him to skate around the rink to find more!

The little guy caught on like a champ! 

After eating the snack that was provided in the rink snack bar, he was fueled up and ready to take a few more laps around the rink. 

Then Chipper, the Oaks Park mascot (who is a Squirrel), made an appearance and the little guy wanted to say hello!  A couple more laps around the rink and mommy was exhausted and ready to head home!  I finally convinced (with help from the loudspeaker that informed us that we had to get off the rink) the little guy it was time to go home. 

I am so proud of him trying something new and doing really well at it!  We’re already planning to go again next Tuesday!

A Tuesday Drive

2 Comments

Last Tuesday we were all feeling a little under the weather.  The little guy had a cold, baby girl was at the pediatrician’s the day before for RSV, and mommy was worn out and sick, too!  We had to get out of the house to do something, so we went for a drive. 

One of the awesome things about where we live is that it doesn’t take long to get “out into the country” and feel like you are in another world!  We drove down to Newberg through a thick fog and then up to Bald Peak (elevation: 1629 feet).  The following photos are from the top of Bald Peak!

the itsy bitsy stink bug

11 Comments

Some of you are familiar with the stink bug invasion of aught-nine.  Well, they keep  crawling out of the woodwork.  About once a week, I still flush a stink bug, ever so carefully, down the toilet. A couple of weeks ago, the Little Guy was screaming, “Mommy, HELP!” from his bedroom.  I thought, “Here we go.  Another excuse for me to come into his room!”  I ran up the stairs in case he really was in trouble and here is how it went:

Little Guy:  “Mommy, HELP!”

Mommy:  “What’s wrong?’

Little Guy:  “Mommy, stink bug!”

Mommy:  “Stink bug?  Where?” (I was sure he was making this up!)

Little Guy:  Points to his pillow from a safe distance across the room.

Mommy:  Walks over to the bed to investigate. 

I did not see a stink bug, but peices from his blanket that looked like they could be an imaginary stink bug.  And then I spied it!  On the corner of the pillow…A BIG FAT STINK BUG!  I freaked out in my mind and grabbed the pillow and put it on the floor, went to to bathroom (shaking the heebie-jeebies out) and grabbed some tissue, came back into the room as calmly as I could and grabbed the bug. 

Mommy:  “Say goodnight stink bug!”

Little Guy:  “Goodnight stink bug!”

I took the stink bug into the bathroom, stuck him in the toilet and flushed…lid down!  Then, I walked back into the Little Guy’s room.

Little Guy:  “Mommy sing a song.”

Mommy:  “OK, what song?”

Little Guy:  “The stink bug song.”

Stumped, this is what I came up with…

Mommy:  “The itsy bitsy sting bug…” 

You know the rest.  YUCK!!!

The Mommies of Friday Playgroup

14 Comments

Just about 2-1/2 years ago I walked into a large room in the corner of an office building for the first time.  I put a blanket on the floor, took off my shoes, filled out a name tent, and sat quietly waiting for the meeting to start.  Oh yeah, I also took my 6-week old baby boy out of his carseat and placed him on the blanket in front of me…like all of the other new moms in the room. 

For a little more than 4 months we met in this room once a week and discussed the realities of having a new baby.  At 6-months old, our babies graduated and we were on our own.  Little did I know that I would meet 14 very special women and their children through this group.  We had been split up into smaller playgroups to meet on our own schedule.  Our group decided that Friday Playgroup would work for us.  There are 15 of us.  Some of us stay home full-time, some of us work full-time, some of us do a little of both, but we meet every Friday.  We have been meeting every Friday for over 2 years.  We started out with 15 babies…now there are 15 2-1/2 year olds, 8 additional babies, and 3 more on the way…including our 1st set of twins!

The Mommies of Friday Playgroup

We weren’t able to celebrate our first pregnancies together, but we have celebrated all of our babies 1st and 2nd birthdays together and have had baby showers for the new babies that keep expanding this playgroup!  I love our Friday Playgroups, but I cherish the times that we have Mom’s Night Out to laugh and talk and not be mommies (although most of our conversations still revolve around the kiddos)!

I am so thankful for the Mommies of Friday Playgroup!

“That mom”…yep, that’s me.

14 Comments

Right now, the little guy goes to “school”. I say this in quotations because he actually goes to “daycare” 2 mornings a week. I call it school because it sounds silly for a stay at home mom to send their child to daycare 2 mornings a week. That’s why I stay at home, right? So we don’t have to put him into daycare?! I’m not going to go into why he goes to “school” now, but instead where he will go to school in September.

Preschool.

Yup, preschool. And, it is crazy how serious this is! I am reading status updates on Facebook about other kids who are already registered for preschool. I am reading blogs about how to I need to get cracking on getting my child registered for preschool or else he won’t be going to preschool next fall. Every local parenting periodical has an Open House Guide in it…and I have read them all. I have them highlighted, dogeared, and am putting the dates for Open Houses on my calendar! Last week, I attended the Lake Oswego Preschool Forum to find out more about the preschool options in our area. It was a madhouse! I am not kidding. There were mobs of people talking to the teachers and directors like this was the biggest decision of their life! I actually heard one father say, “Oh yes, I went to Montessori, ” like he is now a better person because he attended a Montessori preschool. Am I a bad person because I did not go to Montessori?!

Here’s my problem. I am stressing out about this! I know, I didn’t think I would be “that mom” stressed about getting their kid into the right preschool. My mom is a preschool teacher for heaven’s sake…I always thought my kids would go to her preschool…she just happens to live in the wrong state (she would say we live in the wrong state)!

It’s not that I am afraid that there is not a good school out there for him. There are plenty of preschools to choose from. I am just afraid that the preschool we want will not have space for him. What if I needed to get on the waitlist before he was born?! What if I forget to call on the registration day? What if the one I want him to go to right now (because it is close and convenient) does not meet my criteria when I go to the open house or to visit? What if the #2 choice doesn’t work out, either? #3? #4?

All I know is that this IS serious stuff. And, I’m going to be stressed about it until he is signed up and guaranteed a spot in the RIGHT preschool! Yes, I am “that mom”. Whatever that means.

Grown up looking storage solutions for kid friendly spaces

9 Comments

If you are anything like me you long for a space in your home that can be designated as a “Playroom”.  I dream of a room like the ones I see in the Pottery Barn Kids catalogs that can be dedicated to my children and all the toys and activities that keep them occupied.  In reality, we share all of our space with them.  Our “Family Room” is exactly that, a FAMILY room.

Recently, we made some very big changes to our “Family Room” that have made it a comfortable space for all of us to “play” in.  Using Markor storage solutions from IKEA, I have created a “grown up” look to store all of our childrens toys.  In addition, we have storage for DVD’s, video games, books, accessories, and our new flat screen TV!

Reminder: I am an interior designer, not a photographer!

While I still long for a designated “Playroom”, I am happy with the solutions that we have put into place in our “Family Room”.  What storage solutions have you implemented in your “Family Room”?  What would be on your wish list for a dedicated “Playroom”?

{milestones} the little guy is two and a half and baby girl is four months

6 Comments

This week the little guy turned 2-1/2 and baby girl is now 4 months old!

The Little Guy at 2-1/2:

  • Has all of his teeth and cannot use them as an excuse to get “medness” (medicine) and prolong the bedtime routine.
  • Fed ducks down at the park and the “mommy duck” ate bread out of his hand.
  • Loves to watch himself in videos made on the Flip…loves to sing, dance, and mimic his favorite TV character (of the moment), Caillou.
  • Has gone 2 days in a row this weekend without a wet diaper…we may be moving on to underpants!
  • Is an awesome big brother and very patient and kind to his little sister…except when she needs to eat.  He says. “Mommy no feed baby girl.”

Baby Girl at 4 months :

  • Eats all the time and gets mommy up multiple times a night…I hope she learns the benefits of sleep, too!
  • Rolled over from her tummy to her back 3 times in a row yesterday.
  • Smiles A LOT…she is such a happy baby!
  • Had mommy laughing tonight after her bath because she was giggling as I was putting lotion on her face!

2010 Goals

4 Comments

I’m all about goal setting.  I have always set goals as an individual…my parents taught me to do that at a young age.  It is satisfying to set a goal and reach it…with a straight path, or many detours!  Each year I write goals for myself.  We also write goals as a couple and, now that I think of it, should write goals as a family.

On a smaller scale, I am a list maker.  I consider these micro-goals.  Each day there are micro-goals and they will probably help to achieve the larger goals that have been set.  That’s a whole other post in and of itself!

At any rate, one of the goals I have for myself is to post to this blog on a regular basis.  If not for you, the readers (made up of mainly family and friends), but for myself and my kids.  I don’t keep baby books, journal only occasionally, and want to make sure that I document as much of their young lives as I can.  Here, I can do that, and share it with you.

So, in addition to uploading photos to Shutterfly and sending out a link once a month, I also have a goal to post to this blog at least once a week.  I’m putting this in writing for all of you to see.  Hold me to it!  That is your goal!

Green Tree

6 Comments

Did you know that cutting (or buying) a real tree that is “farmed” just for Christmas is greener than a fake tree made from plastics?!

Here are some photos from our annual trip to Sleighbells to cut our Christmas tree.

Ryan and the little guy in search of the perfect Christmas tree!

Photo op…or as close as we are going to get!

Our personal lumberjack!

Timber!

Saturday Morning

1 Comment

Ryan went into the little guys room on Saturday morning. All I heard was, “Mommy?”
The little guy came running into the room I was in and said, “Mommy kiss!” and planted a big smooch on my lips. It was a beautiful way to wake up!!