December Album: Director Park

A cold day of downtown shopping was highlighted by some free play at Director Park.

JOY for the New Year

Happy New Year!  What a year!  2010 started out with a New Year's party, posole, and the goal to spend more time with friends and family.  This year we hosted New Year's again, complete with posole and an East Coast countdown for the kids, who didn't quite make it to midnight.  Matthew even led the kids (13 of them!) in a practice countdown (so they'd know what to do - all of them were 4 years old and under) with percussion instruments and kazoos.  Fun times.  Oh, how New Year's Eves have changed...

2010 was an unpredictable year.  I started out with so many goals, and changed course so many times.  I accomplished some of the goals, some not so much. We were able to complete our will, make the final payment on our Subaru, plan our trip to Hawaii to celebrate 10 years of marriage, and figure out a way for me to earn my project management certificate.  Whew.

And then the beginning of my pregnancy spurred a halt in the completion of anything (which lasted a few months).  When I found out that we would become a family of FIVE in March 2011, all my energy seemed to evaporate as this new reality sunk in.  I waited almost 18 weeks before I let the cat out of the bag publicly.  There were so many questions I anticipated that I wouldn't know the answer to, and I really didn't want to hear the questions, e.g. Are you going to stop working?  How much time are you taking off?  Are you going to get a new car?  Are you going to move to a bigger house?  What are you going to do about daycare?  On and on...  I still get the questions and I still don't know all the answers, but it just doesn't matter.  In this two-kid town of Portland, we will have three kids.  Done.  We bought a mini-van, and I kind of like it.  We'll have three kids in daycare for a few months until Dean is in kindergarten, and we're not the first family that has done it.  So freaking what.  Somehow we'll manage.  After all, I am #3 child in my family of SIX, and if my parents were ever freaked out about having three kids when I was born, and then one more after my brother was born, I never knew it.  We were normal.

As I was coming out of my pregnancy brain coma, I worked on Fiona's baby album (which I managed to complete before she turned two!  Yay!), and I started getting excited about the baby in my belly.  Holding Fiona for the first time, introducing her to her big brother, taking her home and bathing her, feeding her, watching her grow and change and develop into a feisty little girl - it all happened quickly and naturally.  She and Dean are now peas in a pod.  So our pod will get a little bigger.

We started sharing our news finally this fall, and I actually was surprised by all of the support (why was this surprising?).  We took some steps back into our social scene, hosting parties to celebrate Matt's, Dean's, and Fiona's birthdays, and we even were convinced to throw another New Year's bash.  My creativity was sparked when my mom visited in November.  She and I were a bustling sewing team, creating skirts and dresses for Fiona, and trading tips on the best sewing blogs (me) and how to fully appreciate the power and skill of my Bernina (Mom).  I have been on a crafting frenzy since she left.

I'm back, and I'm enjoying this sudden burst of energy.

2011 holds so much promise.  My sister issued a one-word challenge for the new year, of one virtue or attitude that we should try to embody.  I immediately thought of JOY.  This new year began with both my children and my husband celebrating joyfully among friends, making all kinds of happy noise to welcome the new year, and the baby in my belly responded with kicks and movement.  For the moment, no one was worrying, anticipating answers to all the unknown questions or challenges of the upcoming year.  It seems so simple, but after the last few months, I want this self-reminder to be jubilant - in thanksgiving of the present and hope for the future.  I will try to embody this feeling of joy.

Santa’s workshop

For Christmas this year, we made a felt board for each of the kids with three different stories and some people, paper-doll style. I found silhouette images online, printed them out, cut some templates, and went to town.  I never usually work with felt, but this is fun!  Matt made the boards with thin plywood and we glued the green felt backing.  The only sewing required were the pouches in the back to hold all the pieces.

Three little pigs:
Three billy goats gruff (does everything come in threes?):
Little red hen (OMG she has three little chicks!  totally subconscious):
Dress-up! 

each felt board has a pouch in the back:
     
playing with the boards on Christmas day:
They were getting creative, mixing and matching the pieces.  Dean thought that the wolf and the dog should play together, the people should live in the house with a cat, and the little red hen story needed a pig. 
I am such a fan of homemade presents.  I also somehow managed to sew three pajama sets for Dean, a knight tunic (Matt designed the special “D” shield), and a skirt for Fiona. 
    
Is it nesting?  Last year we cranked out a kitchen with a cart, a faucet, some door knobs, and leftover marmoleum from the kitchen floor – all of which was collecting dust in the basement.  That was all Matt’s creation, though I sewed some play food with leftover fabric scraps.  Check out the spaghetti, bacon, eggs and pancakes with butter!  I think we just like pretending to be Santa’s workshop.
  (see how little she is!)

I’m definitely back in my sewing and crafting groove for now – one last hurrah before baby is born.  Now it’s time for more curtains.

toddler species

I-need-it-saurus!

Fiona exclaimed the other day as she pointed across the counter for a toy dinosaur just out of reach.  What a great common name if the dinosaur toddler were its own species.

Merry Christmas!

Santa came early this Christmas - we finally swallowed hard and bought a mini-van for our growing family.  Since it had to be done, I lobbied my way into heated seats and an entertainment system.  The kids are pretty excited (though we haven't shown them the DVD player yet).  Dean wanted to fill it with books and toys as soon as he noticed that his door had the built-in pockets for all of his stuff. 

This photo was taken Christmas Eve, after our inaugural ride.  oh, what fun!

Merry Christmas!

November Album: Maui

Some time ago, I received a divination from my favorite Vietnamese pho place.  I actually forgot about the fortune, but I guess I kept the hope alive because I found this little piece of paper a few days ago. 

And we did.

Matthew and I celebrated 10 years of marriage with a trip to Maui, leaving 40 degree, rainy Portland for this beautiful tropical island.  Oma and Papa watched the kids back home, and we were on our own!  The entire experience is highly recommended.
Our resort’s lobby was an oasis,
 
and the beach was right at our doorstep.
 
We drove the beautiful highway to Hana:
   
Stopover at the Ke'anae Peninsula:

We visited the old Banyan Tree in Lahaina, which was planted in 1873.  It was only 8 feet tall at the time, but now has 12 trunks and covers 200 square feet, at least.  This tree is a-maz-ing.  Can you see Matt? 
 
Me, in downtown Lahaina.  My entire wardrobe was provided by my sister, Rita, by the way – I had no reason until this trip to own summer maternity clothes.  Rita, your clothes had a wonderful time.

We lazed around at this fabulous Napili Beach – reading, swimming, and watching these paddle surfers – something I’d love to try when I’m not so equilibrium-challenged.  Look at this incredible scenery!

One evening, we dined on Makena Beach at sunset to celebrate our 10 years – it was a beautiful evening, and the restaurant sent our table a platter of happy anniversary chocolates at the end of our meal.

Of course, no trip is complete without the luau, which was also in Lahaina, and very tasty!  Open bar, so lots of smoothies garnished with pineapples and orchids for me.   My new favorite: the lava flow, a pina colada with blended strawberry on top, which I guess resembles a volcano or something.  Mmmmm.  Wonder what it’s like with rum?
before the show, we had an opportunity to gaze at the sunset and get our photos taken
 
hula!

 
A small day trip to La Perouse Bay to see the last lava outflow, some 200 years ago.

Shuffle boarding at the resort on our last morning – we were more evenly matched here than at putt-putt.  I’m guessing that the forward vs. sideways stance and my baby bump has something to do with it.  Plus, Matt’s just better at putt-putt.

our happy second honeymoon – a refreshing and romantic getaway! 

Hawaii dreaming

Have I mentioned that we’ve been married for ten years as of August 12?  To celebrate, we are hopping over to Maui for five nights after Thanksgiving – sans kiddos (well, except for peanut).  Thank you, Oma and Papa, for keeping watch over our little ones and giving us this chance to reconnect and get centered in our marriage!  I am so grateful for this time together – unplanned, just plane tickets, hotel and car reservations, travel book, and time.  Less than one week to go. 

   8.12.2000

    9.10.2010