Where have i been?

There is a direct correlation between the number of blog posts and the departure of my coworker who moved back to New Zealand. Darn you Tessa - i'm still blaming you for not getting my stuff done :). We are adjusting workwise, but it's been a bit of a challenge. Even more challenging when Zach & Natalie's buddies are parading around in bathing suits. We've skyped a few times, but it's hard with the time difference. I'll also blame lack of blogging on the new computer which i haven't been able to "talk" to my other computer which houses the pictures...i'll add that to my list of things to do!

Yesterday, I had opportunity to go for a yoga retreat at my dear friend's yoga studio - Bainbridge Yoga House. It was 6 hours of yoga, relaxing, visiting, eating and having nobody ask me to get anything. I'm sore today - but that good sore. Getting to yoga usually twice a week has been such a blessing these past 2 years since she opened her studio. It's my chiropractor, counselor, exercise and sometimes social scene all wrapped into one!

Kids updates - Zach is still adjusting to life without our neighbors and his 24 hour/play date. They were forced to move out when the owners moved back in. We were pretty displeased about the whole situation - even more so when the teenagers had a party last weekend. UGH! Zach is getting ready for t-ball this spring, is in swimming lessons again, and really just enjoys riding his bike, being outside, playing legos, drawing, watching or thinking about Star Wars. He continues to be a really good big brother most of the time. We just signed him up for full day kindergarten for next fall! He's doing really pretty great with the glasses.

Natalie is 2 1/2 in a big way. She is tall, active and talks a ton! She has become picky about her clothes, but has learned that if she doesn't choose, mommy will choose for her and she probably won't like it so she better pick herself. She loves Curious George, running around the house and playing with friends. She is actively choosing princess dress up clothes these days. Sadly many of her regular clothes don't fit her for long - she's already wearing size 4 in most things. I'm hoping the growth will level off as I'm getting through hand-me-downs at too quick a pace. And she's already over-taken 2 of the girls that were giving her hand-me-downs! She still sleeps in the crib, has started to protest some of her naps but fortunately for all of us, she will still nap most days because we all need her to! Mommy learned after battling with Zach for a long time to stay in the bed that the crib for a longer period of time is a great, great thing! She continues to make great strides on potty training - i haven't bought diapers for months and she only needs them at night, not even every night. Accidents are more profuse than with Zach's potty training but he was 33 months and she's still only 31 months. Please note the batman costume which is adorable and Zach's last year. The boots she only will wear if she's bribed - she hates the feel of boots - and these are just so cute, it's a tragedy!

Zach adds glasses

Zach got glasses several weeks ago - turns out he is farsighted. They are very cute - he has done great with them - except for the occasional reminding to look through them rather than over them. On a sad note, our neighbors had to move because the owners moved back in to their house. So we have lost our 24/7 playdate options. We're making the effort and the kids get together once or twice a week - but it's definitely been an adjustment. Their youngest came over yesterday during Superbowl Sunday for nap and playtime. Zach did quite a job orchestrating "his band."

(This draft was forgotten when I tried to download the video of them playing "band" and realized that the cords and ports aren't "matching" so i need to figure out how to get the video downloaded).

Potty Training?!?!

I strarted doing this several weeks ago and then it was left in drafts . . . so now it's the October-December update...

OK - so Natalie had her little friend Arden over last weekend and she was wearing big girl undies so of course Natalie decided she was ready again. So I busted out the little potty and remembered what a pain it is to potty-train! (Later note - who potty trains between Thanksgiving and Christmas - DUH)

I'm a bit behind on blogging. Against my better judgement, Natalie was a cheerleader for Halloween - how stinkin' cute. Maybe if I put her in it now, she won't be one when she's older (no offense to all my cheerleader friends, it's just i don't get it). Zach has gotten a ton of mileage out of his Seahawks Uniform he wore.


Christmas was good - crazy, but good. Happy to be in 2010. Zach is now 5. We took him ice skating for his birthday - trying to make a decent thing out of him having a Christmas Eve birthday because truly, he does get a little short-changed. Natalie went to daycare and we had a Daddy, Mommy & Zach day. I think this is a tradition I could get behind as it's so fun to have either one of them one-on-one. He was so very proud of himself which of course makes us proud.

Christmas Eve, Daddy was working so we went for a visit to the Fire Station and then headed up to Auntie Shannon's for presents and hanging out with cousins and grandparents. Zach had a great time, Natalie was a little wacky without a nap, but held up pretty well. I have a great cousin picture but my computer doesn't want to bring it up, so I'll have to try later.

After Christmas with my family we went to Alderbrook Lodge - it was great except that Natalie didn't nap and wouldn't go to sleep in the hotel room, so Ryan had to take her home.

Zach loved playing with his cousins, getting to stay up late, swimming at the pool and hot tub. It was definitely fun.

Nat's First Haircut!

Natalie had a mullett so it was time. I finally made her appointment. She did great and it's really cute, but there is something about cutting a girls hair that makes me nervous.











We are still trying to keep her bangs long but I was sad because I knew her sweet curls were going to be going away. She did great, the gal who cut her hair was pretty amazed how much hair she had for a two year old.













Zach also had his haircut, but he's been doing it every couple months for almost 4 years :).













She was pretty excited about the lollipop, not so much about the "pretties" she got at the hair cutting place!

My Little Bruiser

Poor Natalie had a rough Sunday. First she slammed her finger in the door. Her finger is all bruised and I'm sure her nail will get all black and gross. Then she was flopping on the bed and bonked her head on the wall. Then she was outside after throwing balls for dogs and climbed up the play set ladder (which she has done a zillion times before) but lost her footing and bonked all the way down.
She looks horrible but it's getting better quickly. She's tough :).

Zach was outside playing and I heard the water running (which usually alerts me that something is amiss. And I went out to find this cuteness. "Mommy, I'm fighting a fire." As luck would have it, it was 9/11/09 when he did this.




The other cuteness in our house is the Saturday soccer Zach is doing. It's so cute it makes me want to cry. A team of mostly blonde little boys running up and back on the field trying to kick the ball into the goal (hopefully the correct one). Zach told me after the first week - in which he scored 2 goals, "Mommy, we beat the yellow team, the referee told me so." Mind you, they don't keep score. :) Competitive already!!! They improved markedly from the first to second halves. Ryan is coaching with our friend Elizabeth.

In true 4 year old fashion, Zach had a break away and went all the way down the field. He was so proud of himself - he was just beaming! He was sick last week so didn't make it. He is eager about this weeks game and especially his shin guards and jersey!

I want a wife . . .

First let me preface that I don't claim to be any hugely fantastic wife but I can hold my own... and Ryan is a really involved husband and dad and certainly pulls his weight around here. But I must say, I'm often reminded that there is a TON to do to manage a household. We had Septic inspection the other day and the guy left his tool. Needed to go out, find tool, put back where kids wouldn't get it, call Septic guy. Then a week later, the alarm starts going off with more regularity - after a toilet was left running which is no big deal. During Ryan's 4:30 a.m. shower before work, WAY bigger deal. So it's another call to him to take a peek and figure out what he messed up. Fortunately he's a self-sufficient guy and I don't need to be here when he shows up - timer has been replaced, hopefully problem solved.

But then there are the doctor's appointments, Ryan's appointments, kids birthday party scheduling, camp transport (thanks to neighbor Jen, I don't even have to pull my weight on that one), scheduling play times for socialization (again thanks to neighbor Jen for moving in and providing a nearly 24 hour
playdate opportunity for both kiddos), signing up for activities like soccer, swimming. Oh and not to mention the constant laundry, feeding kids, (mac & cheese again). I made 4 appointments today alone! It's crazy - I don't know how parents of more kids do it - except to hire things out or to keep the wife or husband from working! Oh and the bill paying, scheduling my own physical therapy, getting my 30+ hours of work done a week, scheduling house cleaner twice a month (and picking up before they arrive), working in the yard, scheduling family gatherings & time with friends, arranging babysitters for our Soccer Date Nights, getting Family Photos from brother-in-law from LAST August, creating my own photo album, editing video of kids . . . it just goes on and on. Oh - and let's not forget clothes and toy organizing which could possibly be the worst job as a parent. To get rid of things you have to do it on the down-low or you could face a full on TANTRUM!

It's a crazy, beautiful life - most of the time :). As I was sitting in yoga studio with a precious extra 20 minutes in my life this morning I was thumbing through a spring magazine (I'm a little behind as usual) and came across this lovely quote: "We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry." - E.B. White

And dang it if that means I eat chips and salsa with my beer for dinner, and watch the kids play in the kiddy pool, then so be it! Because not cooking brings me happiness.

Also - so do 2 year old girls doing yoga on the mat!

Natalie is 2

Sweet Natalie is 2 today. Hard to believe. After waking this morning, Zach went up to her room and sang Happy Birthday to her - it was pretty cute. She and I went shopping this morning, got oil changed in the car, went to Costco so she could pick out a birthday cake. She is a happy girl - except when it comes time to have her teeth brushed, hair brushed, or hair in a pony tail. Then we see her "Leo"ness.

It's a HEAT wave here! On Tuesday the kids played with Jobe & Mia - in buckets of really cold well water put into their sand pit. They had a great time and it was a good way to beat the heat. We've been holding steady - i make my rounds in the morning opening ALL the windows and then once it warms a little outside, I close everything off. Then once it starts to cool down at night again, i open the downstairs back up to air out a little. We've been lucky that it's been staying in the low 80s in the house when it's been upper 90's low 100's outside. But the best thing ever happened yesterday and a neighbor passed along an unused window AC unit and so now the office is quite pleasurable!

Seeing the pictures of the sand pit reminded me of where we were 2 years ago . . .


8/3/07 Zach, Natalie, Mia & Jobe

At the time the girls were born, the boys seemed so old (Jobe was 2 years 4 months, Zach was 2 years, 7 months). But when I look back now, Zach looked really little.




7/28/09 Mia, Natalie, Zach & Jobe

So Happy Birthday Natty! We're so glad you've completed our family!