run Meredith run

m-runs from c on Vimeo.
I love watching Meredith run. Her steps are little and her right arm swings wildly. Sometimes there's a little kick from her right leg as she moves along. It's so fun to watch as she tries to keep up with Thomas in every way possible...

birthday pinata

Can you make out Meredith in the mayhem?

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The Pinata Strategies of Toddlers

• most kids: grab as much candy/toys and stuff into bag as fast as possible, don't stop until bag is full and/or floor is clear
• Thomas: carefully choose and only pick up candy that he likes; sit on stairs and enjoy said candy while watching the others
• Meredith: pick up whatever is close and hand to nearest adult

water falls from... the sky?

I opened the screen door to let the dogs inside and saw these odd little spots all over the patio. I began looking around trying to figure out where they were coming from and/or what was making the spots. It's rain. Oh, how quickly we've become accustomed to daily sunshine and the very rare rain cloud. I think today is the 5th time we've seen any precipitation at all in 6 months (and what you see there is about all) and it has been months since the last time...

16 months

mug shot

birthday weekend

It seems that this is the weekend for birthdays! A friend and I celebrated our birthdays Friday evening with a girls' night out. The kids had a fantastic time this morning at their friend's birthday party (see photos above). And this evening we were at a friend's party and, again, someone brought a cake for their daughter's birthday. Hopefully tomorrow we'll all come down from this sugar high we've been riding, eat some solid, healthy foods and drink lots and lots of pure, fresh water...

cooking playdate

Thomas always loves to have friends over, but even more so this morning. Maybe it was the small group that came or these specific children or maybe the sun was shining just the right way today... Who knows, but several times he has said to me, "I like having my friends over to play. I liked the pizza and ice cream we made. I had a good time. Thank you, everybody!" Nuff said, eh?

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Thomas with the beautiful pizza he made. It was fun to watch these 5 preschool-aged children make their pizzas. Piled right in the center or evenly distributed around the perimeter only (my child), they each had their own method for making their special pie today.

aquarium

Legoland has opened a new Sea Life Aquarium next door to their SoCal theme park. There are plenty of parks and aquariums around to go view aquatic life, but it's nice to now have one so close to home. Design-wise, it's great. There are plenty of opportunities for all visitors to get up close and personal with the exhibits. Meredith loved it.

all the buzz

Today Thomas got his first buzz haircut. We didn't have much time and the three boys ahead of us were getting them, so Thomas got one, too. He loves it and has told me no less than half a dozen times in the last 40 minutes how much he loves his hair short. It does feel pretty good and looks cute. The only problem is that he has a sweet little habit of twisting his hair when he's tired (see above) so what will he do now with no hair to twist...?

sushi pack

This morning M took Thomas to his first movie in a theater. It seemed like the right time and despite not ever having seen this cartoon, Thomas enjoyed the 60 minute movie. M said it was pretty boring, but it sounds like a cute concept -- a team of wasabi, salmon roe sushi, crab sushi, tuna sushi and octopus sushi use their wits and emotions to save the world and educate young children. The "Sushi Pack" as they are called, live in a Japanese restaurant with humans. Our family went out for sushi last week so from eating a sushi dinner to watching a sushi-packed movie, Thomas is definitely getting his fill lately of all things sushi. And he's not complaining!

Olympic Games

This morning our playgroup put together a fun Olympic Games for the kids. There were 40+ kids from just a few months old to 4.5 years, but most are between 2 and 4. There was several hours of games, ceremonies, food and Olympic cuteness... It was a great time for everyone involved!

Some of the group wait for medals ~ everyone was a winner today!

kiss the cook(s)

Next week we've invited some friends over to cook with us. I had planned to put together some quick and easy chef hats and aprons for the kids, but when I saw these in the dollar bins at Target I quickly changed my mind. Definitely worth the little bit of money and a super find! They are a little large for Meredith, but the kids are all Thomas' age so they should work fine. Can't wait for that playdate!

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The kids have been helping me in the kitchen this afternoon which they both love to do. We've been making a potato salad for a potluck tomorrow and a dish I'm taking with me tonight to cooking club. Fun!

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"Is she coming now?"

Written at the top: "Days until Franny & Cole come". Thomas is so excited that their cousins are coming to visit soon. He's asked me about a dozen times already today if Franny is going to come "now". I'm hoping this paper link chain will help him understand that their visit is still a few more days away. But I'm pretty sure he'll awake tomorrow morning and, once again, ask if today is the day that Franny comes. Needless to say, we can't wait!!

homeowners

It's official! Last night we opened champagne and toasted the next 30 years of incredible debt.

an old friend

New to Thomas, but an old friend for his daddy... Tonight we assembled Thomas' latest ride, the Big Wheel. Remember these? Thomas loves it. He calls it his motorcyle. Tomorrow he can take it for a test ride on the open road.

first dental visits

For various reasons, Thomas had his first dental appointment today. I was a little concerned that we had waited too long to take him, but everything went very well and his teeth and gums are healthy and look great. Before his appointment I explained that he'd have to keep his mouth open when the dentist asked him. He ended up keeping his mouth halfway open nearly the entire 30 minutes we were in the dental office. So funny! When the 4 year old boy next door started screaming and crying, I worried Thomas would also become frightened but he didn't. He didn't mind any of the cleaning, flossing, fluoride... such a trooper. I know from experience that the first visit is usually very smooth for Thomas, it's the second or third visit when he knows what to expect that are questionable. We'll hope for the same good visit in 6 months!

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Since we were there and I had the two kids, Meredith also hopped up into the chair for a little look. She was not as happy about her 2 minute checkup, but walked out of there smiling and clutching her little goodie bag of toothbrush, floss, stickers, etc.

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Note: The hygieniest said it was great for me to take photos and parents do it all the time, so why is she giving me the middle finger...??

lagoon walk

We finally got the double stroller... but with four "kids", you never know which two will be going for a ride.

a long road home

kids in the Stone Brewery gardens
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Six months. That's how long we've been here and how long we've been renting. It was weird to go from owning a home in Portland to renting a house in Southern California, esp. with young children and active dogs. But today we took a big step to change that. Today we signed the papers to purchase this home!

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To celebrate our soon-to-be purchase, we went out for dinner this evening to a local brewery we've been wanting to check out since we moved here - Stone Brewery. Fantastic beers and delicious foods all in a gorgeous building, inside and out. It'd be great if it were a little closer to us, but then we'd probably go there often and given the extremely large purchase we are about to make, we really shouldn't. On our way out there M said we should be at home clipping coupons and eating Top Ramen. Ha. Probably not far off, but what fun would that be??

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Anyway... we're expecting to close mid-next week! Stay tuned!!

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[Don't remember the photos of this house we posted when we first arrived? Look in the old posts, mid to late February 2008.]

entertaining ourselves

Thomas' favorite

This morning we met up with the playgroup for some fun and lunch at Chuck E. Cheese's. We never go there so what a treat it was for Thomas! He was super excited to see Chuck E. Cheese and immediately hugged the tall, furry mouse (Meredith had a completely opposite reaction). But once Thomas caught sight of this Monster Truck ride? Oh my. He planted himself in the driver's seat with a cup full of coins and was in heaven...

favorite spaces

When we first moved into this house, I busied myself in the kitchen finding the perfect spot to keep things. Lovely large, deep and adjustable shelves in the island cabinets were perfect for all the kids' cups, bowls and plates because they could access the items themselves. The bookshelves at the end of the island were perfect to arrange all my cookbooks on. They'd be accessible to me, so I'd cook more delicious, fresh and healthy meals for my family. It was wonderful! Then things started to be pulled out of the cabinets and pulled off the shelves, only to be left lying around the kitchen floor. My tactics to have these items returned to their proper areas or, better yet, to be left alone entirely were unsuccessful. I gave up. The kids' won. Now these once-treasured spaces of mine are treasured spaces of theirs. Here we'll find them hiding, playing, resting, taking a break from the other or just hanging out. Next to the pantry, these are two of their favorite spaces in the house. Note: The pantry is hands-down everyone's favorite! If you saw it, you'd understand. It'd be your favorite, too.

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monkey see, monkey do

"Monkey see, monkey do" is something we say daily in our house -- and for good reason! Meredith takes all her cues from Thomas. If Thomas sits, Meredith sits. If Thomas drinks, Meredith drinks. If Thomas plays cars, Meredith plays cars. And so it goes... Sometimes he's irritated and doesn't want her to copy everything he does, but we tell him that it's because his little sister thinks he's really cool and wants to be just like him. And she does.

girls' day ~ boys' day

This morning the boys in our family went out for some fun while the girls in our family stayed home and had fun. We had a tea party, played dress up, lounged around cuddling and snuggling... and the boys? Biker Beach Party. The first thing M said when he and Thomas got back was "we missed the bikini contest". Hmmm...?? It was good to hear they enjoyed looking at new Harleys, eating at the Hooters catered event and picking up some great buys. Below, Bela models her incredible patience... oh! and some hats and things laying around the playroom. Isn't she just the best dog ever?

their new ride

I debated for months whether or not to pick up a double jogger for the kids. But with all the activities we do and places we go, having a double simply makes sense. Thomas does great walking but he does tire long before we do. Today we picked up this Dreamer Design off craigslist, M spiffed it up and this evening we took it with us to the city's Family Movie Night in the Park. It worked great and makes me wish we had purchased one months ago...

happy girl

Every single day someone comments on how happy this little child is. M and I remember her first many, many months (8 months? 10 months?) differently and it still seems weird to hear that she's "always so happy", but she sure does seem pretty happy most of the time these days...

As for the parents of this happy child: tonight was our first date night in what feels like forever! We knew it would be awhile since we moved 1000 miles away from all our family and friends. But five months? I was a little nervous about it all week, but after seeing D interact with our kids I knew they were in very good hands. We were very pleased to hear our happy girl (and boy!) remained their happy selves all evening... Given what we saw before we left for dinner, I'm pretty sure we'll hear the same tomorrow from Thomas. Hooray for good finds and good friends who are willing to share their good finds!