I hope your Christmas was a wonderful time spent with everyone most important to you. Our day was filled with tears (even a few of joy), whine (and wine), coffee, love and friends. After opening gifts with Papa watching via Skype, we spent some time playing with the new toys and then cleaning up the aftermath. By mid-afternoon we had a half-dozen people over to play games and eat yummy foods.
The hit game of the night was a new (to us) game called Munchkin, specifically the Zombie version of the game. We had a good time playing. Kendra suckered Kai into playing a few games of Uno with her. That kid is vicious! She is a take no prisoners player. We are in trouble when she learns poker!
Santa was good to both kids this year, bringing Kendra a guitar and game and Darian some toy cars and a dragon pillow pet. Dan gave me wonderful electronic keyboard. With luck, I'll find time to practice and regain some skills I used to have.
All in all it was a good Christmas, and I'm thankful I was able to celebrate the blessed holiday with my wonderful family.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Less and Less
A few weeks ago I joined a private exercise class with a fellow preschool mom. We had our halfway check, and although I gained a bit of weight, my waist, hip, BMI and body fat percentage were all down. I wasn't too disappointed with the weight gain either, because I'm still less than I have been since I moved here!
I gave Dan a juicer for his birthday, and I plan on making use of it to get a bit of weight off. This morning my breakfast was fresh juice and half a bagel. The juice was a mixture of a granny smith apple, fuji apple, pear, orange, bok choy, spinach and kale. It was fantastic! I felt fabulous all morning, and may be on to something.
I gave Dan a juicer for his birthday, and I plan on making use of it to get a bit of weight off. This morning my breakfast was fresh juice and half a bagel. The juice was a mixture of a granny smith apple, fuji apple, pear, orange, bok choy, spinach and kale. It was fantastic! I felt fabulous all morning, and may be on to something.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Space Needle Lunch
Today dawned sunny and clear, so I decided it was the perfect day for a special treat - lunch at the top of the Space Needle! I asked Kendra if she wanted it just us or would she like a friend to go as well. She wanted her friend Ian to go, so I called his mom and off we all went.
It started off a bit rocky as Kendra lost her shoe in a giant sploosh of mud, but it was found after a bit of searching (and almost loosing my own shoes!). A run through the washer and they are good as new. Kendra was so excited about being there with Ian she didn't even mind the fact that her socks were too soaked to wear.
The kids had a ball and the view was spectacular. I enjoyed having lunch with Jana and getting to know her better. What a great day.
It started off a bit rocky as Kendra lost her shoe in a giant sploosh of mud, but it was found after a bit of searching (and almost loosing my own shoes!). A run through the washer and they are good as new. Kendra was so excited about being there with Ian she didn't even mind the fact that her socks were too soaked to wear.
The kids had a ball and the view was spectacular. I enjoyed having lunch with Jana and getting to know her better. What a great day.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Where Does The Time Go?
I'm not sure how two months has flown by without me realizing it, but somehow it has. Without further delay, here is all the news!
Kendra: We back to preschool on September 13. She is enrolled three days a week, and loves it. I kept her in the twos and threes class so she has the opportunity to be the big kid at school. Our school mixes all the ages on every day but one, and that one is for the younger kids. It was the right call. She shows so much empathy and sweetness to the younger kids...it is amazing. Despite the rotten attitude we see all too often at home, apparently our lessons are sinking in.
Halloween was a total hit this year. Kendra dressed up as a little cowgirl riding her pink pony, while Darian was the cutest tiger ever. Dan's office offered trick or treating to the employee's kids, so we headed there first. We quit after a scant 3 floors (out of 21) when Kendra couldn't carry her candy bucket because it was so full. She was even given a really cute stuffed dolphin by one employee.
Darian: Little Man continues to grow like a weed. We had his 4 month check-up on October 8. He weighed in at 14lbs, 15oz (50%) and was 26" long (90%). He had his second round of shots and seemed to tolerate them very well. Since Kendra attends a co-op preschool, I work roughly one day a week in the school. Darian gets to go to preschool with me on those days, and he is a hit. The kids adore babies, and Darian is so good natured he tolerates everything without much (if any) protest.
We started Darian on solid foods October 26. Our pediatrician said he was big enough at his 4 month check up that we could start him at any time. By the end of the October, it was obvious he was completely ready to move into solids. Between then and now (a scant week!), he's gone from a few bites of rice cereal to downing entire jars of baby food at every sitting. He loves Gerber Puffs as well, and we generally stuff a few of them in him to keep him happy while we get the rest of the food together. He still nurses regularly, but the regular feedings of food have made things easier on me. He absolutely loves food, and squawks loudly if we don't shovel it in fast enough. Scamp.
Dan: Dan continues to enjoy his new job. I like it as well - he is much more relaxed and has a more regular schedule. I've encouraged him to start a guys night out, but so far no luck. He keeps pretty busy working around the house, and hanging out with us. Roughly once a week Dan and Kendra have dinner together. I either go to school meetings or out to coffee with friends. Kendra loves her daddy, and really enjoys their time together. He's such a great dad.
Me: Raising the kids and keeping the house in some semblance of order is plenty to keep me busy. I am on the school board for the preschool, which requires more time than my job last year. I do enjoy it, though, and I love being involved in her school life. I've met some wonderful moms there, and I'm becoming better friends with them as time goes on. I even started a girls night out so we can get together one night a month without the kids. This week several of us met to work on various craft projects we are donating to the school's fundraiser in December. We had ball!
As part of trying to teach my kids empathy, we have begun volunteering at a food bank. Once a week I pick up bags from the food bank, pick up Kendra from school, and the three of us deliver bags of groceries to the home bound. I wear Darian in a baby carrier and he naps, while Kendra helps me knock on the doors. I enjoy it, and hopefully she does too.
I've also volunteered at my church to be a Eucharistic minister. I'll start at the new liturgical year, and continue for one year. I'll serve every three weeks and if it goes well, I hope to continue. The downside is I can't take the kids with me to church on the days I serve (unless I can convince Dan to come with me and watch them!)
(We have stickers on our noses from a birthday party gift bag. It's cake-induced silliness at it's best.)
Kendra: We back to preschool on September 13. She is enrolled three days a week, and loves it. I kept her in the twos and threes class so she has the opportunity to be the big kid at school. Our school mixes all the ages on every day but one, and that one is for the younger kids. It was the right call. She shows so much empathy and sweetness to the younger kids...it is amazing. Despite the rotten attitude we see all too often at home, apparently our lessons are sinking in.
Halloween was a total hit this year. Kendra dressed up as a little cowgirl riding her pink pony, while Darian was the cutest tiger ever. Dan's office offered trick or treating to the employee's kids, so we headed there first. We quit after a scant 3 floors (out of 21) when Kendra couldn't carry her candy bucket because it was so full. She was even given a really cute stuffed dolphin by one employee. Darian: Little Man continues to grow like a weed. We had his 4 month check-up on October 8. He weighed in at 14lbs, 15oz (50%) and was 26" long (90%). He had his second round of shots and seemed to tolerate them very well. Since Kendra attends a co-op preschool, I work roughly one day a week in the school. Darian gets to go to preschool with me on those days, and he is a hit. The kids adore babies, and Darian is so good natured he tolerates everything without much (if any) protest.
We started Darian on solid foods October 26. Our pediatrician said he was big enough at his 4 month check up that we could start him at any time. By the end of the October, it was obvious he was completely ready to move into solids. Between then and now (a scant week!), he's gone from a few bites of rice cereal to downing entire jars of baby food at every sitting. He loves Gerber Puffs as well, and we generally stuff a few of them in him to keep him happy while we get the rest of the food together. He still nurses regularly, but the regular feedings of food have made things easier on me. He absolutely loves food, and squawks loudly if we don't shovel it in fast enough. Scamp.
Dan: Dan continues to enjoy his new job. I like it as well - he is much more relaxed and has a more regular schedule. I've encouraged him to start a guys night out, but so far no luck. He keeps pretty busy working around the house, and hanging out with us. Roughly once a week Dan and Kendra have dinner together. I either go to school meetings or out to coffee with friends. Kendra loves her daddy, and really enjoys their time together. He's such a great dad.
Me: Raising the kids and keeping the house in some semblance of order is plenty to keep me busy. I am on the school board for the preschool, which requires more time than my job last year. I do enjoy it, though, and I love being involved in her school life. I've met some wonderful moms there, and I'm becoming better friends with them as time goes on. I even started a girls night out so we can get together one night a month without the kids. This week several of us met to work on various craft projects we are donating to the school's fundraiser in December. We had ball!
As part of trying to teach my kids empathy, we have begun volunteering at a food bank. Once a week I pick up bags from the food bank, pick up Kendra from school, and the three of us deliver bags of groceries to the home bound. I wear Darian in a baby carrier and he naps, while Kendra helps me knock on the doors. I enjoy it, and hopefully she does too.
I've also volunteered at my church to be a Eucharistic minister. I'll start at the new liturgical year, and continue for one year. I'll serve every three weeks and if it goes well, I hope to continue. The downside is I can't take the kids with me to church on the days I serve (unless I can convince Dan to come with me and watch them!)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Clean Bill of Health
Darian went to the pediatric urologist last week. After another ultrasound he was given a clean bill of health!! There is a small (20%) chance he has a blockage, but there is no easy way to test for it. We were advised (and I agree) to keep the possibility in the back of our head in case anything ever comes up. If he starts running a high fever that can't be explained, or begins to get a series of kidney/UTI/bladder infections we may want to get him tested at that point.
One thing I learned I didn't know was regarding his circumcision. The urologist said by having him circumcised we reduced his chance of having any complications 10 fold.
What a relief!
One thing I learned I didn't know was regarding his circumcision. The urologist said by having him circumcised we reduced his chance of having any complications 10 fold.
What a relief!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Two Months Already
If you can believe it, Darian is two months old already. Yesterday was his check-up and the beginning of his inoculations. He weighed in at a whopping 12 pounds and was 24" long. That put him squarely in the 50-75% percentile across the board. (Kendra was 8lbs, 11oz and 21" at 2 months). I knew he was heavier than I remembered her being!
After screaming bloody murder at the doctor's office, he absolutely refused to let me put him down. I ended up spending the entire night holding him to keep him calm. Today, he seems fine. I got lots of smiles this morning and even a few coos. I love the smiles!
Today we went to the park, and had a great lunch courtesy of Katie. She made a great picnic lunch for all of us. The kids ran around and played, eventually ending up in the water feature. I hadn't brought Kendra's swimsuit because I didn't care if her clothes got wet. She however, had another idea. I looked up to see a trail of clothes leading to the spray feature, and my kid buck naked running through the water. Oh well.
After screaming bloody murder at the doctor's office, he absolutely refused to let me put him down. I ended up spending the entire night holding him to keep him calm. Today, he seems fine. I got lots of smiles this morning and even a few coos. I love the smiles!
Today we went to the park, and had a great lunch courtesy of Katie. She made a great picnic lunch for all of us. The kids ran around and played, eventually ending up in the water feature. I hadn't brought Kendra's swimsuit because I didn't care if her clothes got wet. She however, had another idea. I looked up to see a trail of clothes leading to the spray feature, and my kid buck naked running through the water. Oh well.
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Camping We Will Go
We spent the weekend camping with Kendra's preschool class in beautiful Scenic Beach State Park. There were 10 families - roughly 20 kids - in a primitive group camp setting. (And yes, we took Darian along. He did great!) It was amazing! Lots of room for everyone to spread out, and yet we were separated from the rest of the campground so we had the whole area to ourselves. The kids could run free range between tents, ride bikes, play games and still be safe. Down a short path there was a playground, a day use area and access to the beach with spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains.
The beach was mostly rock, so there was a ton of sea life to study. At low tide we saw starfish, oysters, clams, baby eels, crabs, various fish, and seaweed. At high tide the water was crystal clear, blue and inviting. There were even divers going out. The water was chilly, but not so cold that people weren't swimming in it. The hot day probably helped too.
We planned on a group dinner Saturday night, so everyone brought an assigned ingredient to make paella. One of the dad's cooked it up over an open fire, and it was DELICIOUS!! We finished it up with Dan's Dutch oven peach cobbler, and Jean's "kick it" lemonade ice cream (made in one of those ice cream balls you kick around.)
After a sunset walk (or swim in a couple of the kids cases) the little ones went to bed and the adults sat around the fire chatting until the wee hours of the morning. It was pure heaven.
Sunday we had a great breakfast and cleaned up the camp before heading to the beach for one last time. It was drizzle raining and much cooler, so there was no swimming this time. We caught the ferry home, and all hopped in the shower to de-grime ourselves. It was an early night for everyone, but we are ready for another go-round!
The beach was mostly rock, so there was a ton of sea life to study. At low tide we saw starfish, oysters, clams, baby eels, crabs, various fish, and seaweed. At high tide the water was crystal clear, blue and inviting. There were even divers going out. The water was chilly, but not so cold that people weren't swimming in it. The hot day probably helped too.
We planned on a group dinner Saturday night, so everyone brought an assigned ingredient to make paella. One of the dad's cooked it up over an open fire, and it was DELICIOUS!! We finished it up with Dan's Dutch oven peach cobbler, and Jean's "kick it" lemonade ice cream (made in one of those ice cream balls you kick around.)
After a sunset walk (or swim in a couple of the kids cases) the little ones went to bed and the adults sat around the fire chatting until the wee hours of the morning. It was pure heaven.
Sunday we had a great breakfast and cleaned up the camp before heading to the beach for one last time. It was drizzle raining and much cooler, so there was no swimming this time. We caught the ferry home, and all hopped in the shower to de-grime ourselves. It was an early night for everyone, but we are ready for another go-round!
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