Crafting her heart out

Mia Gianna spent a whole afternoon last week crafting Valentines for her friends and family.  

I helped her by cutting out hearts and writing her messages.  While she was crafting, I took pictures of her. I tried not to laugh as more and more marker got on her little hands, and on the end of her nose!  It was also so sweet to watch her use little mannerisms, like flipping her hair, or holding her chin in her hands and sighing as she thought about something. It was lovely watching this little girl put so much thought and attention into each card.

The design of each card, the colors picked, the sizes of the hearts, were all her ideas.  Each time that she started a new card, she would announce who the card was for, and then she would spend a long time coloring and crafting the card. After she finished all of her Valentines, I put them all out on the dining room table to dry.  We looked at them together, and I admired how she had made each one different. I told her that everyone is going to be so happy when they open the mail and find a Valentine from her.  She beamed, pleased with this news (and maybe, with herself).

Sadly, I have not put them in the mail. The snow we got this weekend kind of put a halt to my usual routines, like shopping and errands.  I am going to put them in the mail tomorrow.  Please know that Gianna made these Valentines with so much love, and I'm so sorry that I'm lazy and couldn't mail them on time!

Happy Tuesday.

xo

PS Bode made only one Valentine, for "the white-haired Grandma" (as he says). So Nana should feel extra special when she opens her mailbox and finds an envelope from Bode Wm! xo

06/52

A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014. Linking up with Jodi and her 52 project. 

Bode: was so excited when snow started falling that he could not wait to get outside.

Gianna: has discovered my shoe stash, and has worn different pairs, off and on, all weekend.

Nico: playing the sock tree game (a game Bode and I made up when I fold laundry. I drape all the random socks on a "tree" (child) and the child tries to pull them off before I can drape them all on.

Flashback 02 10 2013

I haven't posted for the 52 project because I have temporarily misplaced my photos. Has this ever happened to anyone?  I've been searching all the photo files but can't find what I just uploaded. When I hit "Delete" did I really delete my photos? (What?!)

While I was searching for my recent pics, I came across a file marked, "02 10 2013." Realizing that was a year ago today, I  clicked on it.  Big mistake. I was then sucked into a time warp, viewing photos of my preshus baby:

Swoooooon.

I think he's saying, "Hello! I'm losing my balance because I can't sit by myself yet..."

That mouth.

Double swoon...my two boys.

Back when Bode used to call him Nicoras, with an R instead of an L.

That baby hand. And those two feet together.  Sigh.

I hope that you've enjoyed all this babypie goodness on this dreary Monday morning.  All things are still shut down here.  The schools are closed and businesses are operating on an as-needed basis, due to rain/sleet. Our street is still closed, but RWF ran out for milk and bananas. Unfortunately, he did not pick up ingredients for dinner. This means that we're having a whatever's-in-the-fridge dinner tonight.

Tomorrow, things will be back to normal (I hope). I need to replenish supplies and honestly, I just need to get out of this house.

Happy Monday.

xo

Snowmageddon 2014

Ai yi yi!  The snow here is unbelievable!  It is so beautiful outside, with the snow falling steadily and the wind (!) blowing it around our house.  I'm so glad that I don't have to be out there...though really, the city has shut-down completely. Everything has been canceled and everyone is asked to stay off the roads during this winter storm. Thursday night, RWF sat in his office forever (even though everyone  else left at Noon!) because he wanted to avoid all the traffic.  Late that night, after he had been home for a couple of hours, he got a couple of texts from colleagues, stating that their trip home from the office had taken over 4 hours!  That is some crazy drive time.  

Portland is not set up for this kind of weather, so everything has been pretty much shut down since Thursday.  RWF worked from home on Friday (as I'm sure most of Nike, Intel, and other businesses did).  Access to the main road from our neighborhood has been barricaded (because it's on a hill).  I had to run out to the store yesterday for milk & other essentials (I had taken a longer route around and gone to a store I normally don't shop at).  There were very few cars out and even those were creeping along so slowly. We still have snow tires on our 4 wheel drive car, so I felt comfortable driving (but was still safe, and I refused Bode's request to come with me, for safety reasons). The store had been ransacked, and had very little milk (!) and no bananas.  It just seems crazy.  (When I talk about this shut-down like, "I just can't believe how everything's shut-down, it's just a little snow...." RWF laughs at my know-it-all, "been-there, done that" attitude. Ha ha)

We are having fun though.  We have a steep hill in our backyard (it's actually a roadway/drive to the last house behind us) and we've broken out the sleds!  It has been so much fun sledding down the hill, over and over, with Bode and Gianna.  RWF and I both have taken turns going out with them.  Nico doesn't have any proper footwear, so he can't go out. I also don't want Nico out in the cold, It's not anything that he needs to be out in right now. 

Last night, I made chicken enchiladas, black beans (in the slow cooker), and rice for dinner.  We sat at the dining table in front of our big window with candles lit, enjoying the snow scene, each other's company and food, in our warm house. It was a very nice evening.

These pics were taken when it first started snowing. Bode was so excited and could not wait to go outside.  Priscilla was a very happy, bouncy dog, running around and enjoying the cool temps, too!

These photos were taken Friday afternoon:

Bode, my little dare-devil, would scheme all kinds of ways to go faster down the hill. Gianna went down by herself a couple of times, but preferred being with me. I felt like a kid, laughing and whooping it up as Gianna and I flew down the hill in the red sled. We got going pretty fast, and I would take my legs out to brake just as we neared the fence. Exhilarating!

Our only plans for the rest of the weekend are to stay home, stay warm and enjoy the slower pace of life.  We're not going out. There will be no skiing this weekend, either, because of the roads. I have enjoyed having my little family home together, "grounded" for the time being by the city and the weather. Life will be back to its regular pace on Monday, when the snow melts and everything goes back to "normal."

Happy weekend.

xo

Snow day

I never thought when we moved  here that my children would be sent home for a snow day!  But that is exactly what happened today. 

Gianna's teacher actually called and left a message last night at 9:30 PM, giving me the option of keeping Gianna home today (but I was sleeping and did not get the message until 1:30 AM when I was up with Nico!). I didn't worry about the weather, thinking that our NY winters have been worse.  So this morning, I bundled everyone up, and we walked to the school in the freezing wind, only to find Bode and Gianna's teachers conferencing together outside about whether to cancel classes.  After some discussion (they had recently learned that the public schools had cancelled that morning due to the winter storm that is slated to hit this afternoon), they decided to close. 

So we turned around and got back into the car.  Instead of driving straight home, I drove to the Starbuck's that has a drive-thru.  We ordered a couple of muffins and bagels to share (oh, and a venti mocha for me, but that goes without saying, right?).  We had a mini breakfast picnic while discussing the school cancellation.  (Bode and Gianna felt special, I think, to be privy to their teachers discussing whether to cancel school or not.  We saw parents/schoolmates walking to the school on our way  back to the car, and Bode and Gianna gleefully shouted, "No school today!")

Bode always says he doesn't like sweets, but always manages to eat them???

So this has kind of thrown my day for a loop.  In fact, I was planning on going to the grocery store with (only) Nico this morning. My plans have obviously changed. I am NOT going to the grocery store with three monkeys. The last few times I've had to take all three children to the store have been very...trying. In fact, the other night I took all three into the hardware store to buy hose bibs and there was a TOY display right in front. Toys in the hardware store! In the very front of the hardware store! The one place I thought I was 'safe' from toys! Bode and Gianna flocked straight to the toys. Bode found a build-your-own solar system kit. Of course, he started begging me for it.  I told him that we were not there to buy toys, but to buy house stuff for the freezing weather.  This exchange went on for awhile until my patience was wearing down (it was close to dinner time, too).  Finally, with no more ammunition, I  said, "You know what? That is a Daddy thing! He would love to do that with you! Talk to Daddy about it when he gets home."  Well, this know-it-all lady checking out near us, loudly informed me, "It can also be a Mommy thing. Those things aren't just for daddys and boys, you know."  I wanted to reply, "Well excuse me, ma'am. But I did not ask for or need your opinion on this matter between me and my son." What I did say, after taking a deeeeeep breath,  was "I'm all for equality. I'm just trying to get what I need and get out of this store. Thank you."  She didn't get it. She said, "I'm just saying, he doesn't need his daddy..." Oh my god! Butt out, lady! Don't try to give me a lesson on equality. I'm all about it. I can build a solar system just as good as the "daddy" or the "man" or the chimp at the zoo.  JUST NOT RIGHT NOW WHEN I'M TRYING TO BUY HOSE BIBS IN 19 DEGREE WEATHER at 4:58 PM. THANK YOU.

Anyway. (Sorry for shouting. That obviously is still a sore spot with me.) No grocery shopping today means that I have to scrounge in my pantry to find something for dinner. I think I'm making black bean soup! Let's hope that it turns out well.

Mmm. Bagel and cream cheese.

Other plans include Valentine crafts and possibly a movie (shhh!) if "we" need quiet time. Right now, Bode and Gianna are playing great by themselves in the playroom (and Nico is napping).  I know better than to mess with a good thing...so I'll leave them alone for now.

Stay cozy, friends.

xo

A family trip to Mt. Hood

I'm glad that I took this picture. One day, I'll think, "What did they look like back there? Where did they all sit?"

This past Sunday, we went to Mt Hood Ski Bowl. Every week,  RWF and I discuss taking the family, and every Friday night, I decide that I just don't have the energy for it.  First of all, it's a commitment because it takes a long time to get to Mt. Hood.  It's not a quick drive, and traffic can be ugly. Second, Bode's ski lessons are a two-part event, starting in the morning and then ending after 1 PM.  So by the time his lesson ends and after the drive home, it's almost dinner time. RWF and Bode have been going every weekend since we moved here.  It's been nice for them, but also kind of hard on the family (with all of us being separated for the day).

This is his "clowning around" face...he's telling us a story.

We decided to go as a family this Sunday. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision (as spur-of-the-moment you can be, packing ski gear, drinks, and snacks for a family of 5).  We had a nice drive up. The roads were empty, probably because it was Super Bowl Sunday. This also proved good for the skiing, too, as not many people were out.

The funniest moment, one that I wish I had a picture of  but I do not (hopefully, I'll always have a mental snapshot of it), was when I insisted on keeping Nico in the stroller on the way into the ski lodge.   I knew it would be rough going, getting over the icy parking lot. But I just thought I would need the stroller. And when you're stuck inside a place with two small children (one who is a walking baby that wants to explore everything), you need  containment (a stroller) and free hands. So there I was, trudging through the snowy, icy parking lot. And then we got to this snow-filled hill, our only way up to the lodge, with not a single track walked into it.  The only way up was...well, up. So as I was pushing Nico in this cheap travel stroller, the wheels kept getting stuck in the snow. I was just trying to "plow" our way up the hill. But of course, the stroller was not made for plowing.   So I kept having to stop, or being stopped. At one point, I was stuck again, and I looked at my family ahead of me: RWF loaded with bags and skis, Bode slowly climbing up, his arms full with his skis, and Gianna, making her way up, bent at the waist, trying to find purchase in the snow with her little feet.  And I looked over at the other side of the hill, where there was a moving walkway for the people using their sleds to move up the hill.  I saw one lady looking at me, stuck in the snow. She must have wondered if I was not very bright, or if I had been misled about our excursion for the day (I should have wailed, "But I thought you said that you were taking us to the mall!").  I looked up and saw RWF looking at me. He shook his head, disgusted, and muttered, "Unfreakingbelievable."  And I busted out laughing. RWF said, "Right?" We were quite the picture. The BeverlyFreakingHillbillies. I was doubled-over, laughing at the picture I must have made, pushing our cheap green travel stroller through the snow. I laughed and laughed. Bode and Gianna stopped and asked me what was so funny. I continued on, and then got stuck again. More laughter. More stuck places. Finally, RWF got exasperated, and even though he was fully loaded, he walked back down to me, grabbed the handles and carried Nico in the stroller the rest of the way up hill.

Now. I only insisted on the stroller because I didn't know what to expect of the lodge! And I thought it would be helpful to wheel Nico around. But of course, there were stairs everywhere (into and in the lodge) so the stroller really was not used. And the lodge wasn't that big. It makes for a funny memory though.

We went into the lodge, and we found that the back area was completely empty. We set up camp there, emptying our duffels of snacks and pulling out gear.  Bode started whining about the chair lift, and how he didn't want to ride it.  (Ed: there are a lot of "issues" lately with Bode, with things that he suddenly is fearful of or unwilling to do/try/use. We are holding steady right now, and just calmly accept his reluctance and do what he wants.) He told RWF that he didn't want to take ski lessons. He insisted that he didn't want to do the chair lift and he didn't want ski lessons. So RWF  told him that they would ski together. This meant that instead of Gianna skiing with RWF while I waited around with Nico, Gianna would have to wait for RWF to finish with Bode before she could go out. RWF and Bode suited up and left.  

Gianna, Nico and I sat down after taking off our jackets.  Even though it was early, and we had eaten breakfast, I broke out the snacks almost immediately.  I find that snacks make waiting a lot easier!  We ate a bunch, and then walked around the lodge. We were upstairs, so I had to watch Nico carefully around the stairwells.  Of course, there were a couple of trips to the bathroom.  Then we went to our camping "spot" and watched the bartender build a fire in the fireplace.  Once he got the fire going, we sat in front of it and watched the fire for a bit.  Nico loved looking at the fire (and I held him in my arms the whole time).

Awhile later, we were pretty much over the lodge.  So we suited up and went outside.  There is a children's play area but we didn't have a pass (and I didn't have my wallet...but I was glad to tell Gianna we weren't allowed because it looked grimy to me!).  We walked around, watching people tubing down a hill.  I kept scanning the horizon for RWF and Bode. I was dying! I was trying to be light-hearted and fun around Nico and Gianna, but the waiting was wearing on me!!!

Finally, I spotted RWF and Bode skiing toward the lodge. I let out a 'woo hoo' and pointed them out to Gianna.  She was so excited, because she knew it would then be her turn to ski with Daddy.

Of course, Gianna was not ready to ski.  We all went back into the lodge to get Gianna ready. RWF discovered that he hadn't brought in her ski boots.  So he had to trek back out to the car and get them. When he got back, he discovered that her gloves were in the car. So she borrowed Bode's and then she went out with RWF.

Gianna, so happy to finally get to ski with Daddy. She was so patient, and so good, while we waited.

While we waited, Bode plowed through the snack bag. I knew he'd be hungry but I could not believe how quickly he ate everything! A peanut butter sandwich, a bag of pretzels, a bag of almonds, a bottle of milk were all gone in a matter of minutes.  He told me that he was still hungry!  So we went downstairs to the cafeteria.  They offered the usual junk - burgers, fries, pizza and nachos.  I asked Bode what he wanted and he did not hesitate. He wanted a cheeseburger and fries.  I figured that this is what he always got with RWF, so I just ordered it.  Well, when we got it, I knew that RWF probably did not get this food for Bode.  The burger was just...gross.  The bread bun was a doughy mound on top of a flat grey patty.  The fries were extra crispy, obviously coated in something. I know that RWF would not let Bode have something like this junk!  But we sat down and Bode ate the fries. Nico also ate some fries because he was hungry. I asked Bode if he wanted to try the burger. He looked at it warily and said, "No."  So I tried it, and it was as bad as it looked.

Gianna and RWF returned from "skiing" (it was Gianna's first go in a long time).  Gianna ate some French fries. Nobody wanted the burger. Gianna dropped a bottle of Gatorade, and it bounced off the table before splashing all over my boot and spilling onto the floor.  Without skipping a beat, I continued talking to RWF as I   picked up the Gatorade, reached for a handful of napkins and began mopping up the spill.  RWF started laughing and said, "I think we are there!" I giggled, too. He congratulated me on 'getting there' in motherhood, where a huge spill doesn't even phase me. It was a pretty funny moment, because I acted on auto-pilot, had zero reaction about the spill, and just moved through it quickly.  After everyone drank Gatorade and got their fill of fries, we loaded up like Sherpas and headed out to the car.  

Our drive home was long. I am amazed that RWF has made this road trip so much.  I told him later that I would not be making the drive every weekend.  It's too hard with a baby.  Nico did beautifully but a ski lodge is no place for a baby to hang out.  It is too long of a day for Nico and me. We struck a bargain that we would make a family trip every three weeks. So I have 2 weekends to rest up for our next trip to Mt. Hood!

The weather here is definitely of the "global weirding" trend.  We have had snow flurries all day (of course, nothing sticks). It's going to be super cold this week. 

Stay cozy!

xo

05/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.  Linking up with Jodi and her 52 project.

Bode: always happy skiing

Gianna: waiting patiently to ski with Daddy

Nico: happy to hang out in the lodge with Mommy