Fancy Nancy

Last Saturday Gracie and I went with her two friends and their moms to a production of Fancy Nancy.  Fancy Nancy is a book series and the main character (Nancy) likes everything fancy.  It's very colorful and magical and thanks to Gracie's Aunt Traci and Uncle Mamo she has a couple of the books and they are some of her favorites.  Oregon Children's Theater put on the show and they did a fantastic job.  The theater is in downtown Portland and is old and detailed with three balcony levels and is pretty fancy itself.  We took the girls to an early dinner before the show at Pastini and walked downtown to the show.  The girls were in their fanciest get-ups and had a great time.  

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm...again

What I love most about Tim's days off is when we begin one with no plans.  During breakfast this morning we decided we would venture down to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm again...this time Tim would be able to go.  Plus, when the girls and I went before the weather was pretty bad.  Today was supposed to be sunny most of the day and fairly warm so we packed a lunch and headed out.  Due to yesterday's heat the tulips suffered from lots of wilting, but still gorgeous nonetheless.  The girls got to enjoy the outdoor activities more and we had a lot of fun.

Warm Day!

I joked to my grandfather the other day about Oregon's "bi-polar" weather. Don't get me wrong...I love it. Not too much of one thing for too long...raining buckets one minute and then break out the blue skies. Oh, the skies....so pretty. 

Today was in the low to mid 80s and tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer than that...and then it will be in the 60s and rainy this weekend...bi-polar...

Today the girls and I took Tim an iced coffee for a treat at work this afternoon and then played at a park near his work until he got off (it was a slow day because who wants to be at a dealership in this weather, right!!!)

I was smart and remembered to dig out the  sunscreen before we left (has anyone seen how white my Charlotte is?!) 

We did the slides and the swings and we picked "daisies"...I call them daisies but I think they're actually some sort of weed...but oh, so pretty growing all over! Then we found "wish flowers" and taught Charlotte how to do them. Then we sat for not even ten seconds searching for ladybugs in the tall grass before we found one. It was warm. It was magical. 

This was what she did when deciding which wish flower to pick.

Telling me what she saw...

Ladybug! 

Tim has the next two days off and we are excited! 

Tonight he took the girls to do Mother's Day stuff and get them some dinner...daddy/daughter time. It gave me some time to walk around a store by myself! I love being in stores alone...especially since I have my own Mother's Day projects up my sleeve and I really needed to think without my little lovely distractions. Yesterday my dad was down and I got to go to Michaels all alone...I could have stayed there all afternoon! So two days in a row I got to be in a store by myself and I loved every minute. I feel so refreshed. 

Transparency

I'm going to stick my neck out and be pretty transparent for a minute. 

Back at MOPS in California I met an amazing mom. She is raising a handful of boys 😊 and from the outside she seems so put together. She goes about mommy hood with humor and creativity. Before we moved she was real with me and told me that even though she and her husband and boys had been moved from their previous home for many months (or had it been over a year? I can't remember) but she got teary and told me she still had times of feeling lonely. I was shocked. You? Lonely? You seem so happy all the time!

I like to think that I seem happy to other people. And most days I am. But I have had a couple times recently where I just break down. Today was one of those days and not like last time where it started with my whole cup of coffee being spilled on the carpet by my toddler...

Today I felt lonely. 

Not because I can't call a number of people and have a conversation with any one of them. Not that kind of lonely.

I miss the laughter with other moms. I miss sitting across from a girlfriend with a cup of coffee talking about life. 

I looked outside this afternoon and saw moms standing together watching their kids at the park across the street. I listened to their kids laughing together. I had been cleaning all day and was in my "comfies", unshowered, and in addition to feeling lonely for mommy friends I began to feel guilty. I should have my girls outside on this gorgeous day. But I didn't want to. And I didn't want to stand by myself while these mommy friends laughed together. 

Besides Tim, I have had 3 short conversations with adults face to face in the last three days. Each lasted no more than five minutes (except Celia the 88 year old) 

Now I feel like I am complaining and feeling sorry for myself...but I don't. I am so incredibly grateful for all that I have right now and that I have the amazing privilege of being a stay at home mommy and I love my girls more than anything. 

I just want to laugh a little with someone every once in awhile...maybe over some coffee that isn't in jeapardy of being spilled by my toddler.

In the meantime my amazing husband is on his way home with ice cream. 

Astoria 2014

Twenty four hours.  That's all we had, but we decided to take the girls and skip town anyway.  Tim has a crazier week than normal coming up and only had one day off with us so we wanted to make the best of it.  MINI has a great incentive program and because of them it allowed us to take the girls to the Cannery Pier Hotel.  It has been voted one of the best 25 hotels in the west by Sunset magazine so I knew we would really enjoy it.  I have loved Astoria from afar ever since Kindergarten Cop came out over 20 years ago.  My dream when I was younger was to live in Astoria and teach at the school from the movie.  Astoria is nicknamed "Little San Francisco" for its hills and old Victorian era homes everywhere...and probably for the water and bridges I would imagine!

We headed out late Wed afternoon and got to the hotel to miss the wine and cheese hour...but they offered complimentary wine anyway...yes, please!

Here was my plan...we would let the girls jump on the beds and have sparkling cider in the bubble bath.  Then we would let them enjoy one of the complimentary fresh baked cookies the hotel offers every night at 8...then we would watch American Idol and let them fall asleep and hopefully sleep in.

I wanted to create some fun memories...and for the most part all of this happened...until the sleep part.

Lacie loved it!

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Around 9 Gracie was asking for us to turn off the TV so she could go to sleep.  Charlotte, on the other hand, was in rare form.  So we turned off the lights and I put her in bed with us.  She was not having it.  She cried.  She babbled.  She tossed and turned.  This process repeated ALL. NIGHT. LONG.

I don't think the child slept more than a couple hours...and neither did we.

She was up for the day at 6:15.

So all morning we watched cartoons, ate breakfast in our room, and drank coffee while watching the ships go by.  We did see lots of ducks and even a swimming sea lion.

One of the vintage cars the hotel has to chauffeur guests in the evenings 

Late morning we headed into town to see the Astoria Column (which was way to slippery inside to bring the girls up all the steps).  Then we drove by John Astor Elementary (from Kindergarten Cop) to fulfill a longtime dream of mine, and headed to lunch.  We found the greatest restaurant (thank you, Yelp!) and had the best dining experience we have ever had with the girls.

I had to do it...!

The picture I have waited a long time for!

Wet Dog Cafe...great food and even greater service...all with a river view!

All that and we were home just in time to get Gracie to swimming lessons.

April 24

I think it's safe to say most people can remember when the first young person in their life passed away.  For me it was Greg Bailey.  Excited to become parents with Kendal he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and fought hard, but the cancer fought harder and soon after baby Reese turned one he lost his battle.  A young man with so much more life to live was taken so soon. 

Greg hadn't been around us for very long, but everyone loved him.  He was the kind of person who you could easily talk to.  I think that's why it was so hard.  I was substitute teaching the morning I got the call from Tim.  Thankfully it was a PE class so we were outside and I had sunglasses on.  As the students got involved in their activities I fought back tears the best I could.  It was my first experience with death as an adult.  Tim and I had just taken little Reese for part of the day so Kendal could be with Greg at the hospital the week or so before and I had the hardest time dealing with the fact that Tim and I were getting to do something with his precious little girl that he would never be able to do...taking her to the park and watching as she fell asleep in her car seat on the way back to her house.  And as I stood there in the grass in the middle of a PE class a butterfly hovered near me. I was reminded that he will always be near those who loved him.  He will always be hovering near Reese from a distance like a butterfly and can see from Heaven the beautiful girl she has become.

April 24th doesn't come and go without remembering.  Greg, you left your friends and family too soon and we were REALLY enjoying getting to know you.

 

Easter 2014

I had the kind of day today that makes you end it with complete contentment. Could it have been better in little ways? Yes. Could we have spent it with family and friends back in CA who we miss so much as well as family here? Yes. But as I reflect back on this day my heart is full.

We began the day at the early service at church. The girls cooperated while being woken up and getting ready, we had plenty of time to get to church and even get a couple pictures of the girls before the headbands, necklaces, and shoes were abandoned for the day. 

The girls both had great times in their classes and service was amazing. At one point I had my hand in my pocket and felt the tags for the girls (you know, the "ticket" to pick them up from their classes) and felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I try to live my life with a heart of gratitude but especially on a day like today I was feeling extra thankful for Jesus and for the fact I have little tags in my pockets because that means I have two little faces to be greeted with after service. As a parent, even on the bad days, I am thankful that those sometimes snot-filled and sometimes sassy faces are mine.

 

After church we headed home to let the girls open their Easter baskets. They were actually sitting out before church but I wasn't about to let them attack them AND try to make it to church by 7:30. So I did what any parent in my situation would do...I told Gracie that the Easter Bunny takes a short nap and delivers the rest of the baskets while the kids are at church. 

They both loved their baskets...just a book, painting book, and jelly bellys (thanks mom!) and some orange play doh shaped like carrots, a new straw cup, and chocolate lollipop thing. Together they got The Lorax movie and new sidewalk chalk. 

Then it was time to finish prepping for brunch. My dad and Debbie would be joining us as well as my Aunt Carrie and cousin Sara and my step brother Nick and his wife and their boys Xander and Cannon. Jen (my step sister in law) had seen the idea in Pinterest to do an egg hunt where each kid looks for one color egg...so we did that and had a lot of fun! The kids always have so much fun and play well together. It was so nice to spend the day with family just sitting and visiting. Tim was home for the morning and then had to head in to work...and just told me that he actually sold a car on Easter (I think they're nuts to be open...but my opinion doesn't count ;) 

We hid the eggs in the park 

Finding her purple eggs

Opening eggs while sitting in the dirt...doesn't care as long as her mouth is full of candy.

Sidewalk chalk eggs!

Charlotte and Gma Debbie

Yanking in her cousin!