Meredith & Felicity

A smaller group of us (within the larger playgroup where we met) have started having weekly playdates. It's been really nice for social butterfly Meredith since the group consists of 5 girls and 3 boys, all between 23 and 18 months. She really enjoys the time with her little friends and Felicity is definitely one of her favorite pals. The two girls are perfectly matched -- they're nearly the same size, close in age and enjoy all the same girly things. The other six toddlers can be off doing six different things while these two follow each other around and copy every thing the other does... taking shoes on and off, sharing snacks, chatting on their cell phones, holding hands, hugging, cooking up things in Felicity's kitchen from Santa... I love seeing these two together.

bath time

The kids always bathe together and with a jack-n-jill shared bathroom arrangement, it always made sense to bathe them in their own bathroom. But a few weeks ago we threw them into our bathtub and pretty much all of their baths since then have been in ours. They love it because they get to "swim" and have more room to move around. I love it because I'll often use that time to actually clean the master bathroom. It's definitely a win-win in my book.

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college plans

T shows his race medal from Saturday to his preschool classmates during "sharing" this morning ~ it wasn't his day to share, but he really wanted to...

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We have a small jar that M and I will put our coins in almost every evening. Once it is full, we let the kids take it up to their rooms, divvy it up and add the coins to their own piggy banks. Tonight it was once again pretty full so we all went upstairs to get their piggy banks. While Thomas was inserting his coins he asked, "Can I save this money for college?" Seriously! He didn't talk about wanting to spend it on a new toy or anything else. The kid is well-trained.

21 months

Meredith: flashdance from c on Vimeo.

Meredith loves to dance. She can kick up her heels alongside the best of them and dances every chance she gets...

one mile ~ 20:33

Thomas sizes up the competition

Running is one of my loves so to share this with Thomas today was great. He was excited to participate in his first organized running race through one of his favorite places, Legoland. The morning started out wet but by the time we were parked it had already stopped and the skies were clearing. It was a perfectly cool 60* start. The event is well-organized and the kids are grouped according to age, beginning with "12 and over" and ending with the "diaper dash". His field was probably the smallest and consisted of racers age 4 and under. There was more walking than running today, but we crossed the finish line - after a quick photo with Darth Vader - and he earned his medal and kudos from everyone watching. I thought it was a great running event for kids, but would have liked to have seen the "healthy living theme" continued to include post-race snacks. Half a banana would have been better than Keebler snacks, but I guess when it's a Keebler-sponsored event that's what you get. Thomas enjoyed the snacks!

BOY

Meredith has taken to calling Thomas "Boy". Don't get me wrong, she points out all the boys she sees and calls them all "boy", but she doesn't have another name for Thomas. He has simply become "Boy". We've tried Tom or Tommy, but she won't say these nicknames. To her, he's "Boy" and on a few occassions she's even said "my Boy".

"Where do babies come from?"

Today we prepared dinners for two mama friends who've recently given birth to their second child. The kids waited in the car while making the deliveries so they didn't get to see the moms, babies or their friends, but after the second drop I told them all about the new baby I had just met. And that is how our Q&A session regarding babies and where they come from began. Thomas had many, many - oh! so many - questions.
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Questions like:
"Where do babies come from?"
"Do mommies have the babies or do daddies have the babies?"
"How do babies get out of the mommy's tummy?"
"Do babies come out wearing clothes? What about diapers? Why not?"
"How did Meredith and I both fit in your tummy?"
"What did Meredith do while I was in your tummy?"
"Whose tummy were you in?"
"Whose tummy was daddy in?"
"What day was I born? Why was I born on my birthday?"
...etc...
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And then the line of questioning changed to:
"What is an in-law?"
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Three year olds ask the best questions, don't they?

playroom painting project

These two approach everything differently and painting is no exception. Thomas' painting is controlled, careful and more intentional. He holds one arm back while he paints with the other. He doesn't make a mess and only puts paint directly onto the canvas he's painting. His strokes are mostly abstract, but he did paint a car today. Remember the vintage car from the movie Cars -- was it a Detroit Electric? That's the car he said he was painting. He describes in great detail just what the parts are as he's painting them. "This is the air intake and over here is a big muffler..."
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Meredith's painting, on the other hand, is an experience. She moves around her canvas. She squats, she stands, she even bounces to the songs playing in her head. She holds her paint in one hand and her brush in the other. Sometimes she'll hold a brush in each hand or even two brushes in one hand while she paints. She paints the canvas, the concrete patio, the bin her canvas is raised up on and even herself.
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True, some of the differences are due to their age, but they are also due to their unique personalities. It's fun to watch these little people become big people.

family hike

Despite most of us feeling under the weather, the beautiful weather found us enjoying a hike with the whole family this morning. The girls don't get to come along as often as we'd like so this morning's adventure was especially fun for us all. Bela and Greta loved checking out some different smells and splashing around in the creek.

Mr. Popular

enjoying his party favor after a pal's birthday party today

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It's nice when your child is liked by their peers and Thomas definitely is. He's invited to a lot of birthday parties - friends from the playgroup, neighbors, friends from his preschool... Some classmates will invite all the kids in their class while others only invite a few. Regardless, Thomas is always invited even if he's the only one (as was the case with one classmate's birthday party a few months ago). He's a great kid and it's nice to see he's liked by so many.

pelican party

The local pier isn't the nicest on the California shore, but it's always fun because there's just so much going on. Surfers are so close you can hear their conversations, fishermen line the length of the pier, watercrafts of all kinds are out on the ocean, tourists walk up and down the pier hoping to catch a glimpse of dolphins and the pelicans are plentiful.

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Some days it's like a pelican party on the local fishing pier. The fisherman reel in their catch and the pelican hang around waiting to snatch them up. They generally stand on the rails, but this morning they were standing and walking around on the pier posing for photographs while they wait for their prize. Fun to see as long as you don't get too close!

Pets Rule! at SeaWorld

l: a dog jumps rope at the Pets Rule! show

c: kids look for the tusks on a bashful walrus

r: polar bears playing like our dogs do

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At SeaWorld this morning we enjoyed a show we hadn't seen before called "Pets Rule!". SeaWorld has adopted all kinds of animals, many from local shelters, and have given these pets an entirely new purpose that they all appear to be really enjoying. The majority of the animals in the show are dogs, but there were also many feline friends, a trio of ducks, a colorful parrot and a pig. Our favorites, of course, were the dogs but all the performances were so fun to see. Who knew these pets could all be trained to do the things they did today.

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On our way out I snapped some photos of the kids, each doing what they are seen doing a lot of these days - Meredith's little tongue is always peeking out and Thomas is always running. Next weekend he and I are participating in his first organized running event (I can't wait for that!).

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the red ballet flats

Little Miss Meredith received these fabulously bright red ballet flats this week from her cousins. They have tiny heart cut-outs, a simple red bow on the top and an elastic band to ensure they stay on her fat little feet. In short, they are perfect for Meredith and no little girl could wear them as well as she does. She's received many compliments from friends and strangers to which she always smiles and lifts up her foot so they can get a better look at her pretty shoes. She loves these shoes!

fun with leaves

Yesterday at preschool all the kids in Thomas' class each brought in a bag of leaves. They played independently at first but quickly learned that playing together was way more fun. The leaf collection project is also part of a recycling project they've been working on. From the photos and videos his teacher e-mailed last night it looks like all the kids really enjoyed this one.

no tapping the baby

Meredith loves her babies. Yesterday we took a baby in the stroller to the park with us. Today she took another baby in her purse when we dropped Thomas off at preschool. And when our friend Brian came over to play this morning and was curious about the baby she was feeding? She was okay with him looking at the baby, but was very unhappy when he tapped the baby's head a couple of times. She immediately wanted the baby out of the highchair so she could protect the baby from his curious fingers. It's very sweet to watch her care for her babies.

raking leaves

This morning we raked our neighbors' leaves. Really! Thomas' preschool class is doing something with leaves and his teacher asked that every student bring in a bag of leaves. In our Portland home we were raking leaves daily for months every Autumn. But here in our California house? No leaves to be found. Fortunately our neighbor does so that's where we gathered ours!

Thomas' favorites

friend: Michael

drink: orange juice

food: strawberries

place: zoo

animal: alligator & tiger

color: red

girl: Sierra

game: Candy Land

saying: "Chuck E. Cheese likes pizza." (Santa told him this)

about your dad: "His ears are so big, bigger than my ears."

about your mom: "You have different kinds of things than I have."

about Meredith: "I really like that white bear she has a lot."

about Bela & Greta: "They eat dog food."

sunny and 70s

The calendar says early January, but it feels like spring out there today. I took a nap in the yard since the kids are napping, but had to come inside because I was getting too warm and had developed a tan line from my shin-length pants and tank top. Seriously! The weather is beautiful this week. Still haven't made plans to come visit us? What are you waiting for??

psst... jetblue has $79 one way tickets between Portland and Long Beach, Calif... that's a fantastic price!

the sofa

The Rules

concerning the new sofa and ottoman

1. No dogs.

2. No eating and/or drinking.

3. No acrobatic tricks.

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The new sofa was delivered 3.5 hours ago and two of these rules have already been broken. Is it really asking too much to have one nice place to sit in our house?

a perfect morning

Temps already at 60 before noon, clear blue skies, beautiful surroundings for a great 4.5 mile walk and playing at our nearby park for over an hour with friends all adds up to a perfect, perfect morning! We are so fortunate to live where we do and to experience beautiful days like today all year long.

speaking her mind

Meredith has been "talking" for some time, but the words she chose to use most frequently were far and few between. We were beginning to worry and talked to the pediatrician about it at her 18 month appointment, but our concerns were unwarranted. Since our stay in Oregon she has started to say different words and string more words together. I'm guessing in another month she'll be speaking in full sentences and chattering up a storm.
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My favorite: "Here you go, Greta."
The one I like least: "Mine."

Oregon Holiday

T tries out the sled and practices his "high-wire act"

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Though there were a few mishaps along the way (okay so maybe cancelled flights, being snowed in, missed gatherings with friends, food poisoning for M, stomach flu for Thomas, coughs and colds to start, blah blah blah is more than a few mishaps...), our holiday trip back to Portland was filled with wonderful moments with those we love. Unfortunately I left the camera behind much of the time, but I did manage to capture a few photos.

M wasn't crazy about the hood but loved her cousin's dog, Star

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M shows her "stop drop & roll" moves while T shows off a hat

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dinner at the kids' table with cousins

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silliness with cousins
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M texts her friends while waiting for a plane

glad to be back

San Diego airport, 9:30pm last night

She's still smiling and running around!

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Thomas came down with a stomach bug that left him vomiting all day and into the evening yesterday. Needless to say, it made for a long travel day back to San Diego from Portland. This photo was taken while the kids and I played musical chairs (two carseats and a stroller) while waiting for M to get the SUV. Thomas threw up again before we could even hit the 5, but he had a good night's sleep and is keeping fluids down this morning. Let's hope it passes quickly (and doesn't get passed around)!