Freakshow flyers, take two...

I'm not doing so hot on the weekly posts I promised myself...  Lots of pics piling up here that I want to journal!  Now I just need time!  Lol.

We made it back.  But with a few bumps ;)  I figured the baby would be rough, turns out the seven year old had the hardest time :(

P is a pro traveller.  Seriously, pro.  But he started with a headache at the Wichita airport...  I shrugged it off as hunger (he hadn't eaten well all day) or sinus (he's still stuffy from his last cold).  But when Grandpapa rubbed P's back and P pushed him away, I was shocked.  Sooooo not P.  And definitely not P with one of his favorite people on earth.  Moments later as we tried to go through security, he was almost falling apart (and the baby decided she was suddenly starving)...

By the time we were half way to Denver, he had spiked a high fever and was the picture of pale misery.  By the time we landed in Denver, the child was in tears.  By the time we made it it our gate (after hovering by trash cans and carried by Superman) he was actually wailing.  The child never cries in public.  He (sadly) hates to even cry in front of E.  I was seriously shocked and a bit worried.  His head hurt him so badly he was nauseous and clambered onto my lap.  Not one for most meds, I sent Superman on a serious hunt for Ibuprofen.  

Drugged and lethargic, P patiently waited for our next flight.  That was delayed.  And delayed again.  Zia decided she needed to be bounced non-stop, so this was actually a blessing.  

After dragging our carry-ons, kids and cat onto a full flight, the child dazed out... only to barf half way across country.  (Fortunately, seeing his face, I'd already stuck a barf bag in front of him.  Honestly, I'd always wanted to see somebody use one of those things.  Childhood curiosity checked off of the list ;)  The baby didn't' have any interest in sleeping, each announcement woke her all day.  So she flirted and cooed at passengers until she was miserable and finally zonked.  Until the next announcement.

And after doing a stellar job of holding her poo all day, she finally erupted with business as we landed.  Which necessitated a quite lengthy cleaning and changing job in the bathroom.  Which meant the evening announcement for "Passengers arriving from Denver on Frontier airlines, please pick up your baggage, Frontier is closing" was meant for us :)  (Insert mental image of as many carry-ons as possible flopping behind two people carrying kids (and a quite pissed cat).  At top speed, through an empty airport.)  And you know how much I love Portland?  When we got to the empty baggage area, the lady thanked us for coming to get our bags.  In a sincere way.  People are just freakin' nice here (not that Brooklyn didn't have its perks, just saying').

And then we made it home.  Intact ;)  You know, I had three separate people come up to me with pitying remarks that day.  (Sweetly put pitying remarks, like, "Oh, you must be exhausted.")  But I have to admit, I was surprised each time.  Writing it out like this it sounds a bit nightmarish (and I love a little flair for written drama), but it was actually a pretty nice family outing.  Really.  I just love my family so freakin much, getting to spend the day with all three, squished up next to them where they can't get away from me, its pretty sweet :)

Hurling and fistcuffs

Seems both of the kids have been working on self-control this week.    Zia is obsessed with her hands and figuring out how to control them.  So obsessed, in fact, that she practices (and practices and practices) getting them into her mouth at night, while she sleeps in the crook of my arm.  I'm learning to ignore the practice flails and wake for the hunger ones.  Learning curves for all ;)

P, after a happy Halloween (for which I nevertheless felt some guilt -at the lameness of it all.  Just as he is old enough to do some great projects and really get out to pumpkin patches or something, just when his dream of a front porch to decorate finally materializes... I'm MIA.  Next year, I kept reassuring myself, next year he'll still be young enough and I'll be better at juggling...)  But we managed to finally carve the pumpkin just before dinner.  And this year he actually did it himself!  Except for removing the guts, of course, yuck ;)  He drew his design and sawed away with his carving kit.  The neighbor boy joined and watched in awe (P had crashed their family carving party the day before:)

Snapped in the dark during treating, but at least finally snapped ;)

Then it was a mad dash to do dinner and don the Harry Potter costume before Zia started her "bewitching hour" ritual.  We didn't quite make it,  thus the absence of cool costume pictures :(  But we did make it to the neighbors in time so that the boys could trick-or-treat together, along with a couple of other kids (of whom, the older princess and P had quite the courtship;)  He was so happy being with his buds and collecting candy that he barely even noticed a few blocks later when I had to exit with a screaming baby who would no longer play second fiddle :)

Unfortunately, being allergic to all things unnatural and Halloween don't go together as well as peanut butter and chocolate.  P ate some of his candy a few years back and was so miserable he hasn't tried any again... until this year.  The lure was too much.  He carefully put it in piles (per usual) and spent forever looking at wrappers and asking names and asking me to describe the flavors.  And then he decided it.  This year, he would eat some.  "Its only one time a year, Mama," he reassured me :)  I agreed!

He was very careful the first night.  Avoiding the nutty ones or any with obvious food coloring, he selected the two I said had been my favorites.  We were both impressed when he woke up feeling fine the next morning.  Oh, happy day!  Could he be outgrowing this?  (Not that I want him to eat shit, but it would be nice for it to not make him sick if he does:)  The next day he ate, erm, quite a bit.  Not a lot by a normal kid standard, but a lot for the Little Man.  He woke up puking the next morning with a bright red tush to boot.  After a few trips to the toilet to hurl his already empty tummy, he looked askew at his candy filled pumpkin and asked, "Where can I put that?"  He now has No desire to eat traditional candy ever. again.  (At least not for a  few more Halloweens ;)  Super self-control ;)

Mine is growing stronger too, as I forgo favorite foods.  I really buckled down this week and was super careful to stick to turkey, potatoes, apples and brown rice (with a little pumpkin seeds, millet bread and avocados for variety;)  Poor Z started going downhill.  Waking every 5 minutes at bedtime, shrieking.  P was scared :(  E was alarmed.  Then it hit him.  His brother is allergic to potatoes.  Oh Em Gee.  So I stopped the sweet potato habit and whalah.  Happier baby!  I hope this video loads.  I haven't edited it, so excuse the babble, but there's (post-potato) baby smiles!!!

Ode to a husband

"Oh, all of this nursing and pooping just wears a girl out!"

An exhausted Superman, sneaking some zzz's with Zia.

We had our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago (14 years of marriage - about, what, 22 years altogether?  Wow, time flies;) when I was sick. Superman sweetly carried in food and didn't blink at my boogery-self's uselessness.  Then his birthday hit the day after his daughter's and he was massively lost amongst the shuffle.  Labeling him "Birthday Boy" each time I addressed him was about as far as that all went...

And now, his bed-rest stricken wife has lazed about for a week, stuck upstairs with the sweetest little (constantly nursing!!!) babe while... he has gotten up before the crack of dawn to work a half day, then rushed downstairs to make said wife breakfast, wash diapers, clean dishes, do more laundry and diapers (umm, this kid is so getting EC'd as soon as I'm mobile!!!), scrub bathrooms and then turn around to fix more food for the silly, starving, stuck wife.  Oh, and he changes diapers, holds and coos at his daughter and then spends the afternoon creating creative number games with his son...  Honestly, the gratefulness I feel for this guy feels just. too. big.  Were I the type to enjoy being waited on hand and foot, this might just be the time of my life...  As it is, that constant of motherhood, Guilt (the bitch) taunts me.  Fortunately, Superman seems to be weathering the storm...

But, weathering it or not, I wish I could give him a Great Big Vacation.  For now, he'll have to settle for a public statement to his greatness :)  Ethan, you are my Superman.  Thank you.

How to walk the cat

We've had a pretty mellow two weeks.  I've been sick (twice!) during that time, (after a health-filled pregnancy I had to ask my midwife this week WTF?!  She mentioned that slowing down could be the key at this late point in the party...  d'oh;) but we've still been having fun in the sun.  Just the sun that hits closer to home...

The garden is making us smile.  Except for the weeds that (also) continue to grow with gusto, taunting me and my new inability to bend beyond halfway.  (I think the baby has dropped?  My midwife said this week that her head is waaay low (NOT breech!!! yay!!!) and my waddle has gone comically over the top.)  So, if we ignore the weeds, we're all smiles.  Especially since the tomatoes started turning and the child wanders in during the day, scented of that lovely earthy tomato vine scent, cheeks puffed out with cherry tomatoes, juice spilling down his chin...  P picked this bounty last week and then set it up all pretty for a photo shoot.  Cracks me up.

That's Bob, in the front.  The photo doesn't really show it, but this tomato grew an enormous looking schnoz, perfectly complimented by the toupee-like top greenery and the Phoenix inspired green bean gams.  Unfortunately, I'm guessing Bob will rot before he is eaten...

Our big news right now has to do with the cat.  P has pleaded for a harness since achieving a backyard.  Having had the cat on a harness before, we have been, erm, reluctant.  But finally relented.  The cat and the child couldn't be happier.  While I know most families would let the wild feline wander at will (as proven by the numerous fat cats that frequent our yard and leave behind their kitty presents...), living on a really busy street with a very old but very adventurous kitty seems like a short term solution.  We told P this was an option, if he so desired.  But warned him that this would, in all likelihood, shorten her life.  (After she zoomed out the door one night, unbeknownst to us till bedtime, and I walked the dark with a wailing child  looking for our frisky cat, I was even more assured that we couldn't handle his nightly worry for her safety...)  Long story short, he came up with the idea of a leash and she actually likes it.  Well, she likes that it gets her outside... ;)  And the child loves that he can have his dearest beloved beside him in the yard.

 She chills in her chains in the shade while he burns things...

 Being non-dog, she sometimes required more intense, erm, leash leading.  Especially when her walker isn't very patient.

 Proof positive that "she just adores it, Mama."

After all, how many felines are so doted upon?  And given flower ringed necklaces?

Ethan has been a savior these last two weeks. Being sick so much and this pregnant kinda sucks, and he has really stepped up his already good game.  Dishes, vacuuming, carryout, kid care, you name it, he's conquered it, and all after his 12 hour work days.  P, loving to make and craft and E, not loving this so much, have found a happy medium in origami.  One part brain puzzle, one part creation, they have made some lovely cranes and about a zillion paper airplanes.  I've heard talk of an origami dragon....

We've also been reading a good deal when my throat cooperates.  And sewing.  I started some wool diaper covers from recycled sweaters and after achieving one, the child quickly decided he needed something sewn for him, too ;)  And so it begins ;)))

And, of course, with warm weather but no trips to the pool , the hose and sprinkler have been a godsend (no, we have no water shortage issues here in the Pacific Northwest;).  Here he climbs the porch, attempting to get away from his imaginary attacker.  One lovely thing about being sick and pregnant is that he has very, very low expectations of me, occasionally leaving me the time to just sit and eavesdrop on his imaginings.  Totally one of my favorite parenting past-times and worth every sniffle.

Lost Lake

P had his first lake experience this weekend!  Unfortunately, we, uhm, didn't realize it was a lake experience sort of expedition (yah, which one of us do you think did the research on this jaunt, eh?) and were completely unprepared to enjoy said jaunt, but that's another story ;)

We thought we were going to hike in the mountains by a lake.  So we packed the picnic, the hiking boots (which, lo and behold, come to find out, as of this week can no longer stretch to fit swollen pregnant feet!), the polar fleeces.... Ya know, mountain hiking stuff.  A little car sickness, a few pee breaks (I'm fairly certain I have now peed along more mossy roadsides in the last two months than many woman do in a lifetime...) and a very cranky (due to immense hunger and previously mentioned problems) pregnant lady later, we pulled into a... whathef*@#?  A lakeside retreat.  With boats and bathing suits.

Expectations are a bitch, really.  E and I were immediately disappointed, having hoped for cool mountain air, conifers and quiet.  Of course, this all has to be relayed through eye movements and sneaky sighs, so that the kid can translate his day without our bitchy baggage ;)  The child, still fabulously living in the moment, popped out of the car, all vim and vigor, happy as a lakeside clam.  Some picnic munchies later and our balancing blood sugar was able to try and meet the kid's happiness.

He actually said, "I am So happy!" When he jumped out of the car.

A little walk around the lake (to call it a hike would be blasphemy) and a little playtime by a tree base was all we could fit in before the child's extreme excitement about the boats he'd spied became the focus of the afternoon.  So, we went to see a man about a boat.

The child was so excited, he walked this ledge all the way back, tapping his stick in time to a little ditty he made up.  Something along the lines of "we're going to rent a boat!"  Chanted over and over and over again ;)

They rented per hour and that sounded like about as long as E and I were interested in ;)  But once we got out onto the lake, everything melted away into the peaceful mountain getaway we had originally hoped for.  The weather was fabulous, the sun low enough for comfort, the backdrop really beautiful.  Not to mention that the kid was t-h-r-i-l-l-e-d.  He sat, completely captivated, watching his father, carefully looking over the edge for snakes or salamanders, barking out directions...

I am a geek.  Family portrait ;)

After watching E row us for half an hour, the kid wanted a go.  Oh my lord, that was one of the most enjoyable shows I've ever seen.  Talk about unschooling in action.  He set to it and worked it until he was actually moving the boat the way he wanted to.  Granted, we did lots and lots of circles before reaching that point, but determination paid off.  He paddled us back to shore, turning and angling like a mini-pro.  I snuck a little video of him (see below) and his mouth movements when he's concentrating crack me up.

As do a couple of comments (that have been covered by the music - the sound quality was really shoddy.)  First, after struggling in circles, he tries turning his body the other direction.  He quickly realized this didn't work so well and turned back around, saying, "Getting the right position is weally twicky."  Then, he asks "which direction are we going?"  My ever supportive response, "Ummm, well, kinda circular..."  :)  And then, after he started nailing a rhythm, he asked if he was doing an even better job than Papa had ;)

On the way home (for which he sat, completely contentedly in his carseat - again -still blowing my mind!  Is this the same baby boy that couldn't stand his carseat for 3 seconds when he was little?  I keep expecting requests for DVDs or entertainment, but he seems to love to look out the window and watch the scenery fly past.  Score for worry number one in moving out of the city...)  At any rate, on the way home, he asked three times, when can we go back to Lost Lake???  Hehe, next time we'll know to bring water shoes, bathing suits and towels ;)

Drove the Chevy to the levee, Papa, don't let Mama die...

P wanted some beach time last Saturday, but we (I;) wasn't up to the long hike into Crescent.  E hoped we'd hit low tide and sneak into Crescent Beach from Cannon Beach.  It was a perfect plan, if not for the fact that tight timelines aren't really our specialty :)

The Little Man could have cared less.  There was a large dune to run down along with ample sun and surf at Cannon.  But the beauty of leaving a very busy metropolis and furthering our options beyond Coney Island, is not being amongst a lot of people :)  So we found a secret-ish spot just off the main beach and its bustling tiny town, had a great picnic and tried to race across the sand in time to hit that low tide...  My waddle and P's crawl (he was busy being Woof-Woof) may have slowed us a tad bit ;)  As we rounded our hopeful spot, waves sprayed, announcing our lateness.  Whoops.  Well, there was this lovely rock-face we could climb over....

E and I had barely glanced at one another to confer before the child, sensing the solution, was already scaling the wall.

It was steep, but there were plenty of handholds and good footing and the rocks were, ahem, rock solid (har-har), with no slide.  I figured it would be totally doable.  And, really, it was.  But, about half way up, that silly little thing called pregnancy (8 months now!) gave me vertigo (I never really have issues with heights) and I closed my eyes and leaned into the wall to regain equilibrium.  No sweat.  E, who really treats me like an equal, no babying or bothering (which I appreciate) noticed and used his frantic voice (this guy is soooo not cool when worried that its actually funny).  This, alerted the child who, apparently assessing the situation (E was closer to me than he was) shouted out, "Papa!  Don't let Mama die!"

Broke. My. Heart.  And made me chuckle :)  But, lesson learned.  We're done climbing until this baby comes out.  There is no more denying it, I am very pregnant :)

Atop the rocky face was a lovely incline of wildflowers.  The boys, full of hope, raced to the top... only to find a sheer drop off on the far side.  No Crescent Beach for us!  And no wonder it was so vacant when we were there the other weekend.  Its a wee challenge to get to.

The view was lovely.

Back down we went.  P figured any beach was still a beach :)

He chanced upon a tidal pool and went into discovery mode.

Then, sand play.  Poor BB, he was buried.  Alive.  A feather was used to mark his grave.  P malevolently chuckled as he bounced and danced above the buried monster, saying the sand, mysteriously, was extra sproingy...  BB, where are you?  Check out this bouncy sand!  BB?  Mwahahaha.

Per request, Ethan dug P another huge hole.  The child wanted to check it out and was lowered in. 

Right side up, he wasn't as impressed with its depth....(though the dedicated father had dug till he hit water)

The poor pink monster was eventually unearthed and taken for a nice dunking, er, swim...

P bouldered for a bit after his sand and water needs were met.  Then we had another picnic and headed home for an early evening.  En route, P discovered his other new favorite song (since E required a brief break from Akufen's "Train to Barcelona":), Don McLean's "American Pie."  The child sang the chorus over and over and over this week, trying to work it out.  Not knowing what a lot of the words meant, he filled in what he could with repetition.  So, for the first few days, it went something like this, "drove the levee to the levee but the levee was dry.  And good ol' boys, whisky whisky and die, this will be the day that I diiiiiiiieeee."  Now, he's also become really interested in foreign languages in the last couple of months, requesting tutors and the whole nine yards.  He spends inordinate amounts of time speaking in "foreign tongues", trilling his letters and rhyming (he typically sounds very Italian).  So he incorporated this into McLean's work with the bestest rolled "r" in the world in "dry."  E and I had to work overtime not to chuckle at the cuteness, as this is highly insulting to the child.  Finally, around Wednesday, he nailed the lyrics and told me he was proud of himself :)  Now, if I could only find a way to catch a performance on a video....

Crescent Beach

We totally hit the beach jack-pot this weekend!  I was less swollen, the kid was psyched, the picnic cooler was packed and we were ready to roll...

To a dead halt.  We're guessing now it was an accident.  But the highway to the beach came to a stand-still for a bit and we crawled across the countryside.  Not wanting to plant worried seeds in little minds, E and I just exchanged "this does not bode well - holiday weekend" glances.  Then, just like that we were zooming through the mountains...  Phew.

We're (in our limited experience;) used to empty Oregon beaches.  And while it was reassuring that we could easily find a place to park on the July 4th weekend, I dreaded our quiet escape had converted into Coney Island for the summer.  The smaller lot we had planned to visit was full and there were actual other humans mulling about...

So, we picnicked and tried to put together our new plan.  We spied a trail sign for Crescent Beach, warning hikers that it was an advanced trail, muddy and steep.  Hmmm, this seems like just the sort of thing that would send the flip-flopped tourists another direction...  I suggested we do it.  It was only a mile and a half in.  The kid was game.  E reminded me I sometimes have trouble walking these days :)

The scenic overlook.  The big bag?  Almost entirely dedicated to digging toys and water...  The beach beyond the lookout?  Our destination...   P's bag?  BB of course!  With his favorite (real) dog (his imaginary one, Woof-Woof, is always with us...) Poodlena.

 The hike was gorgeous.  It alternated between canopied forest and little meadows with breathtaking views. 

The high cliffs both called to P and made him a wee bit nervous.

(Belly shot, Dina!;)

The child has been hiking on his own two heels really well lately, but this one tuckered him out.  Super Papa carried him some.  And the bag :)  Super stud.

 The final downhill run of switchbacks.  The child sprinted through them.  Here, we passed one family, leaving the beach.  

The Little Man immediately set to collecting, talking to himself and the objects he found.

E planted our stuff behind a rock, ran in the water, and then pointed out his plan.  He thought he spied some tidal pools (P's favorite) just beyond the only other family on the entire beach.   The hike was worth it;)

A lovely waterfall fed a small stream that ran into the ocean.  Tiny fish skirted around our ankles.  P was so alive it was adorable.

The tidal pool promising rocks in the distance, with lighthouse!

Bingo!  

Then we rounded bend after bend, fortunate for the low tides, and found a series of caves.  That connected to one another!  E mentioned the Count of Monte Cristo :)

Examining cave walls.

Checking out starfish and crabs

Playing with the tide and Papa

And finally, it was evening.  Fortunately, the one other family had mentioned a, erm, shortcut.  The hike back would have been pretty arduous, and definitely cut into our beach time, so we were excited to see about this trail that supposedly led straight up to the parking lot.  Well, come to find out, it wasn't really a trail.  This family had basically bushwacked through a protected area to make it down to the beach that morning :)  But it was really too late for us to attempt the other hike and chance getting caught in the dark woods, not to mention that once we'd made it up the super steep, sandy embankment and realized the folly, I had no idea how I'd backtrack back down!  I believe Ethan's exact words, as he hovered behind me as we climbed almost straight up were, "If your mother could see you right now, she'd tar and feather me."

All I could think was how happy I was that the child was so sprightly and I could comfortably let him climb ahead of us.  And the view was unbelievable.  Not to mention how great it felt to feel capable again for the day.  But I didn't stop to take any pictorial evidence, knowing my mother is coming for a visit ;)

P takes it all in before we start our return climb.

We picnicked again, watched some elk walk around and then took off into the sunset, supremely happy.  And listening to, of course, "Train to Barcelona"...    The child, he's nothing if not consistently obsessive ;)