Updates

Other recent happenings... the quick version:

1) Graeme gets probably 3 good head bonks everyday. Some self induced, some helped along by big brother.

2) Gavin went skating with Craig for the first time and had lots of fun. We bought him skates today. I'm next in line.

3) Gavin also loves riding his Skuut bike. And has ridden the track in our backyard all by himself.

4) Yes, you read that correctly. We have a "pump track" in our backyard. Consider it a Christmas present to Craig. He has had fun this break making it and riding with Gavin in the backyard. (It goes around the grass on the play side, so it doesn't take up the whole yard or interrupt my garden space. Good thing.)

5) We did get a Christmas tree after all.

6) I'm realizing that I relied on my mother to take all the pictures over Christmas so I have basically nothing to post yet. (Hey, mom, send me copies!)

7) Graeme is trying to talk. Tonight I'm pretty sure he said, "Blueberries, now!" (He's quite demanding.) It actually sounded like: "Boooo brrrr a, noooooooowwwwww!" He tries to say anything you say, really. It's pretty fun, I can't wait till they start talking with each other. Other than: "No, mine!" "Nooooooo." "No mine." "Nooooooo."

8) We are officially a whole family that "Cheers!" at dinner. Graeme and Gavin get a kick out of it, as do we of course.

9) I've got my yoga books and some new yoga clothes, so I'm ready to go for training! Yeah! It starts the end of January. So excited.

10) Went to yoga today and realized I'm very out of shape. A few weeks out of the gym (colds/holiday) weren't good. I have approximately one month to get my keister in gear.

The Christmas Crossword

Of course, again, there is so much to write since I haven't written for so long. Where to begin? We had a fabulous Christmas up in Canada. My parents came up here, we piled into the suburban, and headed to Craig's mum's. We spent a few days with the Burke's and then drove to the his dad's on Christmas day for another fabulous visit. The hospitality and food were tremendous at both stops. We all had a lovely time. Gavin has asked to open presents everyday since we've been home.

One of my favorite parts of the Canadian Christmas tradition is the gigantic crossword that comes in the paper. It is so much fun. Everyone gets involved to some extent and it is a great way to endure family time. (Kidding, of course. I enjoy family time immensely.) I suppose it is not great, however, when your son's asking, "Mummy, come play with me!" and you try to hide in the crossword for a break. Grandparents are around, though, right??

Every moment of our trip was delightful and there is so much to write... but, alas, Bridget Jones is on and I'm afraid I'm a bit of a junkie for sappy romantic comedies.

A Confession

And, just so there is full disclosure, my suitcase from the Thanksgiving trip is still on my bedroom floor. Now at least half packed, but filled full of other stuff. There is just always so much to do around here!

Getting ready for the big day

I haven't posted in a while it seems. How time slips away... particularly when you're wiping noses and hoarding your own stash of tissues. We're all getting better here, finally. I've been working on a Christmas letter, pasting labels (God's gift), and figuring out how many more Canadian stamps I need to buy. I must say this about our Christmas letter: it's better than nothin'! I wasn't going to send one, then starting feeling a little bah humbug. So, of course, the natural next step is to make more work for myself by writing a letter and stuffing envelopes. I hope you all enjoy it, dammit. Just kidding. I rather like doing all of this, though that's quite strange. This year I attempted a poem, so be forgiving when you read it. Poetry might be left to Celeste and my mom! The jury's still out...

As for the boys, they are great, of course. Gavin wants a fire truck for Christmas, but we're hoping that he'll forget that he said that when he sees what else we got him. He wants a fire truck with a ladder, but the ladder is always broken within the first couple days. And he already has a couple ladder-less fire trucks. Graeme should ask Santa for more teeth (he's got six), but since he does quite well with those he has... maybe Graeme will ask for anything he's not supposed to have. That's been the order of the day this past week.

We're excited for Christmas this year. It is fun when they both are into it. Graeme knows the word "cookie" now - he doesn't say it yet, but he gets a really big smile when he hears it.

Will you unpack for me?

We've been back from our Thanksgiving trip for a few days now, and I still haven't unpacked. There have been lots of other things to do, but I can't fight the urge to complain that it is because I'm actually unpacking for three people as my bag also includes all of the boys stuff. Since I've needed said "stuff" during the last couple of days, my once very organized bag is a mess of clothes, diapers (clean), and other jumble on the bedroom floor. It's just that when I get a free moment, that's not the first thing I'd like to do. But that doesn't change the fact that I still have to do it...

We did have a lovely trip to my parents' place, seeing Celeste's family as well. I think fun was had by all despite the fact that we contaminated everyone, giving out three colds, not including Graeme's. He won first prize with a crazy cold and his 4th ear infection. I think everyone is on the mend now, but our apologies again.

Now it is time for Christmas decorations - mostly done. (That's what I've been doing when I should have unpacked!) I am excited for everything considering both boys are old enough now to get into the Santa thing and all the decorations. Graeme even tried to say Santa today. It didn't sound like much, but he does try to repeat whatever you say (usually "tractor" which comes out "ah or").

I'll try to be better about writing more. It is easy to leave it too long and then be too tired. Sleep has been an issue with us lately, but the last few nights have been good. Let's hope that continues!

Speaking of...

Off we go!

Tomorrow we head to Radiator Springs for Thanksgiving. Or that's what we call it. We're headed to my parents' place in Hurricane, Utah and Gavin is very excited. He's excited to see everyone, for sure, but even more because Mater and Lightening McQueen live there. It really does look like Radiator Springs. Gavin keeps saying, "I want to go to Radiator Springs! The cutest little town in Cabrerater County!" 'Carburetor' is hard for him to say.

I'm excited too! Not entirely looking forward to the flight, but we'll get through. I've armed myself with snacks, new little books (a la Cars), and - would you guess - some actual cars. Actual toy cars, that is. All of that will be in the carry on, of course. I just had a vision of myself wearing an overcoat filled with all of those things, kind of like the guy who's trying to sell stolen watches. I don't know if that would get through security.

Since I can tell I'm not really making sense, I need to sign off and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy a break, your family, friends, or just some needed quiet space... whatever the day brings.

Good Morning!

Saturday morning and the day is full of possibility. Though we had a short 4:30am wake up with Graeme, and a squawk with Gavin around 6am, the family slept until 7-7:30am. That hasn't happened in ages! (Like, really, probably before we had kids.) Of course, Craig was sleeping with Graeme on the couch and I was snuggling with Gavin in his bed since the earlier wake ups, but I'll take it! And, to top it off, Craig is upstairs making french toast and sausage for breakfast while I, um, watch the kids.

Oops, getting called for a snuggle!

A Case for Captivity

I'm just contemplating the title of this blog, and wondering: Is it possible for a 2.5 year old to pass up the candy stash at the grocery check out? Probably not.

Since Gavin is getting older, and more mature (right?), I've been experimenting with having him 'free' in public places. (As opposed to being strapped in a stroller or cart, of course.) So far, I'm not a big fan. He does alright now that he's had a little practice, but I'll give you a glimpse of my grocery store trip this afternoon.

It starts out sanely enough. Gavin's hopping, of course, because he wants to be a bunny, but that's fine. He does ok in the beginning... lingering a little long by the cake section. Then we meet the cracker and cookie section, which is unfortunately placed across from eggs and cheese (otherwise, I'd avoid it!). He grabs a couple bags of rice cakes and starts running away. Cute, right? A little. He thinks it is incredibly funny, as do some of the other shoppers (thank God), but I find it cute maybe the first time. When I ask him to put them back, he says, "I'm just going to stay here by these. I live here." Meanwhile, Graeme is being an absolute angel (and why wouldn't you be, right? He's got so much entertainment), but cute as can be. Not a peep.

Gavin comes with us for a while, till he sees the Oreo cookies. Then he lives by those for a while. This continues until he magically finds some twist ties in the produce section. (Note to self: start in that section!) Those seem to amuse him for some time and he stays by our cart trying to make a hook (for a tow truck, or Mater, naturally). Then... check out.

Heaven help mums (and dads) who've got free and able children at the check out. Who can pass up all that colorful candy? Three times Gavin grabs something and runs forward, so like on his way out the register line. I have to get him, of course, which requires leaving the post. I ask him to sit by my, because he has flopped on the floor, and he starts crawling back to the candy, now beyond the lady in line behind me. "I totally understand," she say, "I've got one myself." But really, who is this lady (me) who can't control her kid! Yuck.

I was not in the best mood when I got home. We'll try it again next time. I am amazed by mums who's boys (or girls for that matter) just hang out by them while they shop. Gavin is into everything, wants to race everyone, and eat all the food in the grocery store. Usually through the plastic packaging.

If any of those mums are reading this? What's your trick? (Aside from maybe being better at discipline than we are... that surely couldn't be the problem! Ha!)

Bye bye!

The boys are sleeping now. However, my extra two hours of free time have magically disappeared. For a while, I could drop Gavin off at preschool and then return home to put Graeme down for a 2 hour morning nap. Then he'd take another 2 hour nap with Gavin later in the day. He's discovered my motives, and now will not take an afternoon nap at all if he sleeps that long in the morning. So, it's back to the gym. Probably better for us all and certainly good for me considering the number Skittles I've eaten in the last 5 minutes.

When we dropped Gavin off for school today, Graeme had just fallen asleep in the car. As I unbuckled Gavin's car seat straps, he leaned over a little and gave Graeme an air kiss. Then said, "Bye bye, Graeme. I love you!" So cute, and not prompted by me at all. And then inside as I talked to his teacher, I got, "Bye bye, Mummy! Bye bye, Mummy!" which had an entirely different meaning.

Feel the Burn

Last night I neglected to mention that I almost burnt all of our taste buds off, along with the garlic bread which I ALWAYS burn no matter what. I made BBQ pork sandwiches for dinner (leftovers after having carnitas the night before). My usual trick is to Google whatever recipe I need and then make whatever looks yummiest. So, About.com had a BBQ page and they looked easy and good. Little did I know that 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper goes a long way! Of course, Craig and I are spice wimps, but I didn't really even think about this being spicy.

I made two sauces because they both sounded fun.

Pulled Pork Sauce
http://bbq.about.com/od/barbecuesaucerecipes/r/bl40424b.htm

Mustard Sauce
http://bbq.about.com/od/barbecuesaucerecipes/r/bl80905a.htm

It was yummy. I'd totally make it again.
I'd just make something different for the kids!

Getting Bigger Already

I just thought this was cute.

I need to stop waiting till the end of the day to write, because by the time I get here, I'm feeling too tired to be witty. So, instead, I'm going to do a quick synopsis of our life these past few days. Mostly a 'boys' update, since not too much is going on with Craig and myself. Here goes:

1) Making forts and pillow jumping is now a family favorite in the afternoon. The boys usually play ok together for a while, and it is extremely fun to see them laughing with each other.

2) Graeme has started giving me "kisses" where he smooshes is forehead and face into mine (very slowly) and then holds it, then pulls back to look at me, and then does it again. It is funny. And slobbery. But melt your heart sweet.

3) Gavin is getting the hang of being polite. Yesterday we went to a pottery painting place and he said to the lady working there, "Please will you give me a lollipop please?"

4) And today, we got flu shots, so I told Gavin he could get a lollipop if he was good in the doctor's office. And he sings, "Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly lolly lolly... duh, duh, duh." Too cute.

5) Graeme is turning into a little man. You can see it happening. It's crazy. Last night at dinner Gavin and Craig were making car noises, and Graeme joined right in with them. Totally smiling the whole time knowing he was doing what they were doing. I suspect I'll have dinner with car noises from this time forward.

Love the snuggles!

End of an Era

Today was, finally, the last day of tomatoes. Yes, they lasted this long. I was amazed. Nearly all of our tomatoes from this summer ripened, and they lasted forever without getting icky.

I'm kind of sad to go to the grocery store tomorrow. It'll be the first time I've purchased tomatoes since probably the beginning of August. Crazy.

Might have to buy an InStyle magazine to make myself feel better.

Update on the Boys

I was wondering what to write about tonight. That was until I went to check on Gavin. "Mummy, I did it," he says. "I took my pants off. I apologize for taking my pants off, Mummy."

How can you be upset with that? SO cute. (This has been his new habit - taking everything off after we put him to bed. And, just for the record, the diaper stayed on this time.) I got him back into pants and into bed, then he wanted to snuggle. So I climb in with him for a few minutes and he employs the neck latch so I can't get away. Not that I'd want to, since he is very cute tonight. (As opposed to other nights where he "wants" to snuggle, but then just pokes your nose or says, "Eyebrows. Mummy has eyes!") But he gets really close and then starts sniffing my check, like the cute little puppy dog that he wishes he was sometimes I think.

We snuggle for a bit, then he says, "Mummy, I have a question for you." "Yes?" I say. "May I have some water please thank you?" "Of course, sweetie." Now let's hope he's asleep.

That's been Gavin's thing lately: "Daddy, Mummy, may I ask you a question?" Then he usually says: "Trick or treats are yummy!" or "Pickled peppers are yummy!" We're trying to teach how to ask proper questions, but either way it is quite sweet.

Graeme is also very cute, of course. He is getting faster and faster in walking and climbing. And he still employs "turbo crawl" when needed. I think his balance will be quite good since a lot of the time Gavin is trying to push him down or take toys away. Graeme is, however, starting to fight back. And he does have a bit of a temper, even with us. Where Gavin was totally content to let us brush teeth, cut nails, or do pretty much whatever needed Graeme is the opposite. He hates it and tries everything to get away: plank, spin, arm blocks, etc.

He is starting to enjoy books, which is fantastic. He has favorites - Curious George - and he lets you know (employing above techniques) if he's done reading or doesn't like the book you've chosen. Turning pages as fast as possible is also something he loves. With Gavin I could sit and explain pictures and point things out, and Graeme is all about keeping things moving. It is great, though, to see him pick up a book while they are playing and just look at the pictures. It is usually a truck book, but you've got to start somewhere.

New Adventures of Old Coach Cara

In keeping with the name of my blog, I wanted to note that I've started coaching again. A new adventure that might open up lots of possibilities, for me and hopefully other people too. I had been thinking about getting back into that "world" (so to speak, life coaching or personal coaching), when a former client called to work with me again. It was perfect timing!

Now I am working toward certification for personal coaching, in addition to doing the yoga teacher training. My hope is to blend the two disciplines in order to help people to be healthier, happier, and enjoy life more. For those who may not know, I did complete training to be a personal coach while I was in school for my MA (different programs, of course). Now I just need current hours.

In order to get certified, I need to work with a lot more people. So, (shameless request) I'm just putting it out there that if anyone is need of some focus, accountability, fun, etc. or you just might wonder what coaching is... let me know.

Put on your shoes, cause we're walking!

Just a quick post to announce that we officially have two walking toddlers. (Not waking. Hopefully not waking, at least not right now.) Graeme has taken off today, walking everywhere. He is SO proud of himself; just a crack up. And only a couple face plants.

Now I'm a little worried about how my life will change...

Halloween Trick or Treats!

"Trick or Treats are Yummy! Trick or treats are yummy, Mummy!" Gavin was all about the trick or treats today. He started early. "Where's Gavin?" I ask. (Common question.) I find him downstairs with the jar of Ovaltine (our chocolate milk) open, eating chocolate right out of the jar. Hmm... I've learned now, if Gavin isn't where you think he should be, he's probably somewhere with candy or snack of some sort eating in pure bliss.


[Just an aside: I could have a blog completely based on the snacking habits of my kids. They are pretty funny. They do eat regular meals -- I do feed them vegetables and such, and they eat it all. They just eat constantly. Everything.]

Anyway, that was the beginning of the day. As if the sugar he'd consume later wouldn't be enough, he needed a warm up.

Luckily, Gavin did wear his costume, sans hat. And I was able to weasel Graeme into his long enough to go trick or treating. Gavin was "El Materdor" and Graeme was the bull. Pretty cute. I'm quite proud of the costume, which I said before I know. But really, I am. I wish that he'd worn it longer than 1 hour. Oh well. Maybe Graeme will want to be something similar next year. We even found roses that lit up - cheesy, but fun!


Graeme was kind of confused about the evening. His look was, "Why are we walking around in the dark? Everyone looks weird." And Gavin, having the time of his life anticipating the "trick or treats"he'd eat later, wanted to go into everyone's house and eat candy without having ripped of the wrapper first. He did, however, say "Happy Halloween!" to everyone, which was pretty cute.
He also said, "Ole!" A lot. Graeme, could he verbalize his thoughts, would've said: "I'm tired. And hot. Can I have some milk? That's a camera!"

El Materdor Emerges

My accomplishment today was getting Gavin's Halloween costume done. The trick on Saturday will be getting him to actually wear it. He's going to be "El Materdor," which if you're Cars fans, you might know what that is. It's from Mater's Tall Tales, where he used to be a famous bulldozer fighter in Spain. Graeme is going to be the bull. This actually signifies their relationship right now pretty well. I'll post pictures after the weekend, but I have to say I'm quite proud of myself. Value Village is the best for finding cheap costume ideas and materials.

Other notes: I'm getting a cold. Blah. No fun. Let's hope the rest of the family doesn't get it. If only I could quarantine myself at, say, the Seattle Four Seasons. I'd be totally willing to sacrifice a few days.

Flashback last weekend

Our friend's had a birthday party for their daughter, so we went up to Canada for the weekend. We stayed at the Hotel Rushton, where they have three kids, Smudge the cat, and Bailey the dog who doesn't like thunder. The birthday party was fantastic, virtually kid proof for accidents, except for Gavin who ran into the kitchen at the end of the party and turned on the burners of the stove. He's Craig's son, because Craig apparently did that when he was that age.

Gavin has become fond of the disappearing act, which is a little scary. Sometimes it is funny though. We we are the Rushton's house chatting, playing, making food, and marveling at the chaos that five kids can produce. I look around and don't see Gavin. "Where's Gavin?" I ask. I look in the play room. No Gavin. The living room. No Gavin. Is he upstairs? Nope, no Gavin. As I'm walking back to the kitchen, Gavin runs out of their pantry (under the stairs) as fast as he can into the den carrying a nearly empty bucket of winegums. (He's just recently really figured out what candy is, which is unfortunate.) "It's candy day!" he says. And we all can't help but laugh. (The bucket was empty when he got it, so he didn't eat them all.) Here's the culprit:


As for Graeme, he fell in love with their cat Smudge. Graeme woke up around 11pm on Saturday, so I brought him down for a while. He noticed Smudge immediately and started to crawl toward him. It was so cute to watch because Smudge just played with him. Graeme would get close, then Smudge would dash away giving Graeme the brush of his tail. Once he even jumped over his head! Then Smudge would hide till Graeme found him and headed his way. I've never seen a cat so playful or so fun with kids. These pictures are from the morning; the play continued.

Today's Highlights

Quick highlights or funny stuff from the day, which will turn into a long post for sure.

1) Graeme slept till 6:30am!! Great! (But Gavin woke up at 5am. Not sure how to help that one.)

2) We're down to just a morning bottle for Graeme, otherwise he's on sippy cups. Pretty good.

3) Don't under estimate the fun factor of a pile of pillows.

4) Gavin telling me when waking up from his nap: "It's crunchy out there." (Me: "Out where? What's crunchy?") Now, getting up and trotting down the hallway: "The square cereal is crunchy. It's crunchy in the pantry." (Square cereal is Frosted Mini Wheats, and I can't blame grandparents for that one.) Does he dream about food???

5) Reading a book about Halloween with Gavin -- he likes the "smooky ghosts".

6) Tonight at the dinner table the whole family laughing together. So fun. Graeme was done with his food, so I took off his tray and pulled him up to the table. He promptly put his feet on the table, and Gavin starts laughing. "Feet on the table!" he says in his sing-song voice of something you're not supposed to do. (That's a rule for us. Straight to bed.) I put his feet down and he puts them back up, etc. Gavin and Graeme were cracking up!

7) Ok, this wasn't today, but it is kind of funny. Graeme has learned to headbutt from Gavin as sort of a greeting. Gavin does that with him, of course, and really everyone who might potentially take his toys. Yesterday I noticed that Graeme pushed his head into Gavin without prior provocation. Too funny. When will they learn that this isn't an acceptable greeting?

Dilly beans

We tested our first dilly beans tonight! They were edible! Yeah! Everyone loved them, even Graeme ate a bunch. I'm happy that they turned out. And that was the first batch, so hopefully the others will be even better.

Not much news to report tonight other than pickles.

Finding Time

I think today is a turning point. I've done three things today that I've been meaning to do for a LONG time. Though I won't bore you with details, I'm excited to see what comes from those actions. What started my flurry of energy was the realization that Graeme really still needs a morning nap. I was thinking that he was ready to switch to one, thus I would take Graeme to the gym while Gavin was in preschool. But that didn't seem working for him, since he gets grumpy. So, today I took him home for a nap. He slept two hours and, now, is sleeping two more. I think he needs it, but anyway, not the point.

The point is, that two hours gives ME two hours. Two more hours in a day to do WHATEVER I think needs to get done. Hooray! What a revelation, provided that I still go to the gym. I can take the boys and do that in the afternoon. Right after I write this blog and then go wake them up. And, hey, this happens on Tuesday AND Thursday! So that's an incredible 4 hours of time that I can do stuff. Amazing. Why didn't I do this before??

Although you may not be interested in the minutia of my day (maybe you are since you're reading this), but here's what I did today. I downloaded a couple free podcasts and listened to them while I did my strength training in our basement. It was great and it worked! It worked because 1) I'm not so burly that I can't just use my equipment at home, and 2) I felt more energized by listening to something inspiring and educational than I would have watching TV. All I did was Google "free motivational podcasts" and a bunch came up. Try it! Kind of cool. Now, I'm off to wake up the sleepy ones. (It is hard to wake them up though... a quiet house is so heavenly sometimes...)

Sharing Graeme's Birthday

Today was Gavin's day to share something in preschool. Luckily, it was also Graeme's first birthday. So, as good grandparents do, my parents sent gifts for Graeme and one for Gavin as well. (Those first born kids always get more stuff! ;) Gavin's gift was a "pretty sweet" John Deere tractor that wasn't just a dualie, but had four huge wheels on each side. Certainly the Dualie's dualie. Of course, Gavin wanted to take his new tractor to share with the class. The teachers recorded what he said (presumably answering their questions):

My new tractor... a John Deere.
It goes on hay. From mummy.
It's a triple dualie. 1,2,3,4,5.
I want a snack.
Tractors live on hay.
It goes up the ramp.
--Gavin, 2.5 years

On the way to school we worked on saying "quadruple dualie" and counting the tires, but he came up with the "tractors live on hay" bit. And, I love the "I want a snack"! That's classic Gavin. Oh how many times a day I hear that...

Graeme had a pretty good birthday. Actually, that's not true. He was kind of cranky for most of the day. Maybe it's because Gavin got a cool tractor and he got clothes. (I'm totally kidding, Mom. The clothes and plush puppy are great.)

Happiness is...

These pictures were too cute, so I had to post them. I'm realizing that my posts are all about either sweets or vegetables. I guess a balance is good, right?? Gavin's favorite treat this summer was a chocolate dip cone from Dairy Queen, which is right down the street from us. I can hear him now, "I want a treat! Let's get in daddy's truck and go to Dairy Queen!" I have to say that Daddy did start this, but I didn't complain because I like them too. This was Graeme's first experience with the dip cone.

"Happiness is..."

"Hmmm... yummy... we love ice cream... chocolate..."

"What? I was just doing what Gavin was doing.
And look, I've got this cute french look going for me!"

Since Graeme can't talk yet, he's subjected to me speaking for him. Luckily, he won't realize this until much later in life.

One Year Old!

Ok so, technically, Graeme is not one year old until Tuesday, but we did have a very small party for him this weekend with grandparents and a few friends (resulting in a manageable number of kids). Here are some pictures of the highlights. He loved the cupcakes, and really wanted to share.
Gavin, having learned in his sweet-filled two years of life that he loves cupcakes, could not be kept away from the cupcakes for the first half of the party.

And here is our latest family picture. All bellies full of cupcakes and green tomato salsa!

Garden Goodbye

This will probably be my last post about our little garden. I thought I'd post some pictures, as I'm not feeling too creative right now. (It figures, I finally have some time to myself and I just feel like going to sleep.) But, there's lots to update, so here are some pictures from the tomato take down mentioned earlier. I'm happy to say that lots have ripened up! I will have enough to freeze one, even two, more batches of red tomatoes and I have hoards of green zebra tomatoes that will hopefully ripen too. I made green tomato salsa with some of the green zebras this weekend, which turned out pretty good... so we might have lots of that! The last picture is of some cherries right before I dried them in the oven - yummy! I totally recommend that for anyone who has lots of cherry tomatoes that may not get eaten in time.



So, I had 6 tomato plants and they all went crazy, which has been fun. I'll be sort of sad when I have to buy tomatoes from the grocery store again. Let's hope that next year is just as good! I definitely learned a lot this year, and hopefully I will remember some of that come spring.

Halloween Pumpkin Prep

We went to the farm yesterday to pick out pumpkins. I have to stuff Graeme in the backpack so I can chase Gavin around. He loves to be chased, which can be challenging at times. He usually wants to run all the way to the back of the farm to visit the tractor, but somehow I was able to persuade him otherwise. Graeme isn't fond of being captive in the pack, but since he can't walk yet and tries to eat everything on the ground, he has no choice. Incentive to learn to walk.

This year, maybe because Gavin is old enough to understand Halloween or that we have an October birthday to celebrate now, I've been trying to get more creative with decorations for Fall and Halloween. (Which is to say that I'm decorating at all, since I usually don't.) The South 47 Farm that we go to has a bunch of different kinds of pumpkins. If you were crafty, you could channel Martha Stewart and have very cool decorations. I resisted the urge to buy one of everything or more. And, really, I'm only aspiring to be one of Martha's interns. (Although, they probably do much of the creative work anyway.)

In any case, my efforts in budget decorations have yielded these results: 1) corn stalks from our corn in the front yard, with dried sunflower heads for the birds (will they actually eat them??), 2) "spooky" pictures from the Civil War era pasted over our family pictures, 3) pine cones in vases, 4) our one little pumpkin that we grew here, and 5) tissue paper ghosts that Gavin helped me make.

My only regret with the farm experience was that I didn't bring my camera. So, since we have grandparents coming down today, I'm hoping to recreate the experience and get some pictures with the boys. I doubt I would have been able to orchestrate a photo shoot with two free range toddlers anyway.

Tomato Take Down

It was a sad day yesterday because it was time to take down the tomatoes. I had noticed some black spots on the leaves and the weather is now quite chilly, so a couple of people recommended taking them down. Bummer. There are two methods (at least that I know of) to choose from: 1) picking all the tomatoes from the vine, setting them inside and hoping that they ripen, or 2) cutting the entire vine and hanging the whole thing upside down in a dry place until the tomatoes ripen and fall off. I would have loved to try method #2, but really, my tomatoes were huge. (Not a metaphor.) And I've got six of them. (Certainly not a metaphor.) So I sincerely doubted that Craig would want six enormous tomato plants hanging in the garage for who knows how long. I maybe could have hung them outside, but it rains so much they'd get wet anyway.

I guess I could have just said that I picked all the tomatoes. But now you know my thought process.

The result? I laundry room crowded with five roasting pan-sized containers full of (with any luck) ripening tomatoes. I did take pictures, but I'm too lazy right now to post them. Maybe tomorrow. I have a feeling some will ripen, but if the others don't... does anyone know a good recipe for green tomatoes? I've only heard of fried green tomatoes and green tomato chutney. I'm not sure either of those sound good to me. Any ideas?

I also pulled down most of the beans. When doing so, I encountered my tiny, yet enormous, spider friend. Total hee-bee-jee-bees. I know it probably wasn't the same spider, as those spiders are everywhere around the garden and getting visibly bigger every time I walk outside. It makes sense to me now why spider webs are such a mainstay of Halloween decor. If only our spiders were more concentrated at the front door where I could just spray them with silver spray paint. That would take care of decorations and pest control.

Cupcake Insanity

Tonight I decided I was clinically insane. I decided to make cupcakes with Gavin at 6:30pm. Seems relatively harmless until you add the extras:

1) Gavin had gone without a nap, and so was extra cranky and spazzy. (But did actually do a really good job helping me clean up the toys and his room... thus, why I entertained the idea when he ran the to spice cupboard, grabbed the sprinkles, and said "Let's make cupcakes! I want to eat them and gobble them up!" I mean, come on, SO cute and funny... but totally not something I want him to do.) Anyway,

2) Graeme was getting fussy at this point, and I didn't realize he had another surprise for me that needed to be taken care of (you can guess what).

3) There were already a TON of dishes from dinner, since I'm trying to be "Sunday dinner-ish" and made a roast chicken.

and 4) Craig was gone to his first hockey game of the season, so I was without backup.

Insane. Oh, and I had to call the neighbor and borrow some butter because I got half way through the recipe and realized we didn't have enough butter. But, as I sit here and eat my yellow (chocolate chip) cupcake with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles, I'm glad I did it. Gavin had fun (Graeme not so much, but he went to bed halfway through), and then Gavin went to bed without a peep. Even a toddler can't argue or protest to someone that just made them cupcakes, right?? Unless maybe it was his birthday, since all toddlers seem to be grumpy on their birthday. (Just something I've noticed... maybe you have too.)

And, here's the crafty part. I froze most of them. Now when Gavin's been good (or me too) I don't have to bake a whole load of cupcakes. I can just stick one in the microwave for 30 seconds and I'm golden. Or it's golden. And then Gavin can frost and decorate his cupcake to his heart's content. I suppose I just have to keep frosting on hand, which could prove to be dangerous.

An added plus is that, when Craig gets home (and I hear the garage door now), he can have a cupcake to celebrate a win, or console a loss. Hopefully they were victorious!

Fall Garden and Bedhead

So, I have to say that gardening is freaking awesome. I'm totally hooked, if you didn't know that already. Tonight I had a vague idea of what to have for dinner -- some fish, some pasta -- and then I just went outside. Here's what I brought in:

One ear corn, one pepper, some tomatoes, couple carrots, couple cucumbers, oregano, basil, parsley, and a couple zucchini. Add that to the beans and onions I'd harvested already, and we had lots of veggies to go with dinner. So cool.

The garden is seeing the last days I think, but it is still hanging on. We got lots still growing, and I'm curious to see how much we'll be able to snatch up before for the weather gets too cold. I did plant some Fall stuff like cabbage, but we'll see if it turns out. It is officially Fall, which I've been reluctant to admit. I wore a bright tank top this weekend and felt completely weird the whole day. So, winter hats and scarves came out today and shorts ran away with any other summer clothes. I still sport my hopeful flip-flops though.

On another totally unrelated note, there is something just incredibly cute about watching Gavin get out of bed from a nap, stumble groggily down the hallway with crazy bedhead, and fling the pantry open for some snack. Adorable. And then a couple toots to boot. Even funnier. And he finally smiles. I'm sure I'll see the same scene until he moves out of the house. May not be as cute when he's a teenager. And then there will be two looking for snacks and farting in my kitchen.

Traveling by Night

We just returned home from a quick weekend trip to Canada for a birthday party and grandparent visits. A bit of a whirlwind, we were sure that both kids would fall asleep in the car. Graeme was out within the first 10 minutes, but Gavin lasted at least an hour before he nodded off. In order to keep himself awake, he was extremely chatty. It started when we were crossing through the border. Here's a snip:

"I am picking my nose. Gavin is picking his nose. We are going into the United States. We are in 'Candada'! We are going to the United States. Dualie! It is a dualie Gavin. Daddy turn the blinker on. We are turning right. This is my right hand. Daddy turn his blinker on. Dualie! It is a dualie! We will drop you off at the hotel. ("What hotel are we going to?" we ask.) The Rick Steves. There's the moon. We are traveling by night!"

Too funny. It certainly kept me awake, and smiling. We wonder where he comes up with some of his phrases, though I guess all kids end up picking their noses at some point.

Snuggles with the Tractor

There was a time when Gavin loved his bed. That time is apparently over. For a while he would snuggle with his blankets and lovies (2 of each), and say, "I'm sleeping." He'd nap or go to bed without a fight. I didn't relish this phase as much as I should have. Maybe he feels as if he's stocked up from all that sleep, so now he doesn't need any at all. He's been "in bed" for almost 40 minutes and still chatting away. Then, come 4am or 5am, we hear, "You woke up this morning. And the sun comes out. And you have lots of energy!" Sometimes we can get him to get back to sleep, other times not. I just checked on him and he's planning on sleeping with the tractor AND the hay baler. I'm ok with that tonight.

Backyard Fun

I have a workout solution for all the moms, or dads, out there (provided your children are under 40lbs.). Put both kids on a towel and then drag them around the backyard for a half hour. They have a great time and you get a great workout. That's what I did today and, believe it or not, Gavin and Graeme were both laughing. Graeme was sitting in Gavin's lap and there was no hitting, poking, or anything! I was amazed. When I finally pooped out and Graeme crawled off the towel, Gavin said, "Wait, I want my Graeme. Come back!" It was really cute. Anyone know how to get heavy grass and dirt stains out of a towel?


Graeme is certainly our mountain climber. He's starting to trek around the backyard with the dump truck as support. He doesn't seem to care for the other "walker" toys too much; it's like they are too "baby" for him. If I leave him for a few seconds, he'll scan the area and head straight for the stairs. Of course, we have baby gates in the house, but we don't have them outside. This is as far as he ever gets -- I just turned around to get the camera I'd set on the patio table.

He's also climbed up on Gavin's bed, onto the kid chairs we have outside, and pretty much anything. Whenever he's standing, he's always got a leg up like, "Hey, can I climb this?" He's also started to point to things, like the sunflowers in our yard or inside when I cut some. It's like he's getting ready to start communicating. Though I'm sure, with the amount that he babbles, that he thinks he's already fluent in English, but he needs a little work.

Graeme: "Hey, what are you sayin' about me??"

Weekend at Our Place

We've developed this habit of going out to breakfast on Sundays, going for a walk, and then I'll go to yoga. (Ok, we've done it two Sundays, but that's habit enough for me.) The problem with this is that since we get up so early with the boys, but the time I get to yoga I am extremely caffeinated. If you practice yoga, you know that they often direct you to tune into your thoughts, see where they are going, what you're thinking about, etc. Today all my brain could think was: "I've had too much coffee! Too much, too much! Coffee, coffee, coffee... yikes, yikes, yikes. Love coffee!" Hardly the serene, centering thoughts you'd like to have, but at least it made me laugh.

We've had a pretty uneventful weekend thus far. Friday there was a little excitement as I almost got a ticket -- which is to say I got pulled over, but the guy gave me a warning. Nice police officer. I apparently ran a red light. It seemed yellow when I went through it, but if the truth be told, I was probably busy pointing out diggers and cranes to Gavin as we drove through the intersection. I didn't explain this to the police officer. This is in downtown Kirkland, where there are TONS of pedestrians, so no the best awareness on my part, but understandable because they are doing a big construction project. The funny thing is that we'd just received updated insurance cards for our cars the other day, and Friday was the day we needed to switch them out. I remember looking at it as I left thinking, "I should really put that in the car today, but oh well, I won't need it." Luckily, the card in the car was good through Friday, so I was covered. And I did put the new card in when I got home. Everyone repeat after me: "Trust your instincts. Trust your instincts."

Also Friday, I saw the most massive spider ever. I have to share a picture, even though he'll (or she'll) be much less impressive than what I saw. I was picking beans and corn, but decided I was done when I got to close to this guy.


Ok, so he still looks enormous. My chivalrous husband volunteered to "take care of" him for me and, of course, the attempts were only successful in creating one angry, gigantic spider whereabouts unknown.

On the bright side, I did get some corn picked before I met my little spider friend. We have one sort of normal size corn, and then smaller ones that are a perfect size for the boys to eat. It's actually pretty cute to see Graeme eat corn on the cob. He's pretty thorough considering he only has four teeth.


Gavin has always loved corn, of course, but these days he's in love with TowMater. Craig found some Tow Mater's Tall Tales on YouTube, which were pretty cute, then we bought a book of Mater's Tall Tales. Now that's all that Gavin quotes. He can pretty much recite the book verbatim, but he loves reenactment as well. His favorite is Mater as a daredevil. In this picture, he's playing at home, and Craig just posted a video to YouTube of our walk to the grocery store. (Link below the picture.)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alxkXQCJEO4

That's it with the Maclean's today. I'm off to do some yard work and maybe spray our neighbor's cat with the hose, if he's in our yard, of course.

Freezing Tomatoes

While the boys were sleeping today, and before I noticed the horrible rash on Graeme, I froze some of my tomatoes. We have a lot and I don't actually like the taste of Roma tomatoes in salads in comparison to the others we have, so I froze them to use in soups or whatever later. They are apparently good for freezing and I got equivalent to a can, I think. This picture is before I squashed them all to get the seeds and juice out. That picture would'nt have been so neat and tidy.

Preschool and Hives

Big day today! First day of preschool. I think Gavin had fun - he says so - but he did have a "Hey, Mummy's not here!" freak out moment. Or at least one. I was assuming that part would be a little hard since it is the first time he's been taken somewhere and left with people he doesn't know. Our only babysitters answer to the name "Grandma", so it's understandable to be a little distressed. But they do fun things and there's only 5-6 other kids, so he should warm up to it after a couple times. Here's a picture:

I asked him what he did at preschool and he said very matter of factly, "I didn't push any of the kids. Mummy would be mad, mad, mad." And then later when we asked again he said, "And I pushed all the kids." I'm not really sure which to believe. I did warn the teachers that he was in a pushing stage though...

Gavin right now is in his bedroom, not sleeping even though it is almost 9pm, saying, "Mummy, please get me out of here. Mummy, I put these in the bathroom. Mummy, I open the door for you..." He's learning all the techniques. Of course, I'm writing here rather than going to help him.

Hopefully he won't wake up Graeme, who is asleep right next door and has been for almost two hours. He needs his sleep as he's just recovered from an ear infection, and today, is covered with blotchy hives. It's actually quite funny because the rash doesn't bother him, and he's just as smiley and happy as ever. Only he looks like a baby leper. Turns out, he's allergic to penecillin like I am. At least his ear infection cleared up before we had to stop the meds. I didn't take a picture of the rash, but here's a recent one of him. (11mo.)


When we walked into the doctor's this afternoon, we passed a red Audi and Gavin goes (without prior prompting from me), "That is an Audi!" This weekend Grandma Karen gave him a car that's an Audi and he recognized the emblem. Crazy. Then when we left he said, "That is a pretty sweet Audi." I had to agree.

Football, Yoga, and the Boys

Ok, just to start, the Raiders can't win in the last couple minutes of the game. That's a total bummer. I'm writing a little and then watching the game, because Craig is watching it. Or, at least I thought he was watching it. He's snoring now. This may be the first and only time I'm more interested in sports! Yeah! Touchdown. Ok, things are as they should be in football land.

On another note, I took a great yoga class today from one of the teachers that does the teacher training (at Yoga Tree in Fremont, if anyone's interested). So, I've decided to sign up! Yeah! I'm excited to do something different that will help my brain out of the Mummy Madness and also help me improve my health and fitness... and presumably that of others once I start teaching.

One thing I noticed in class though - and this will seem a bit "Captian Obvious" - was how the core really effects the alignment of the rest of your body, and possibly how you feel overall on any given day. If you engage your core, your posture automatically corrects itself. More incentive for me to focus on core exercises since that's my weakest link! My little "Ah Ha!" moment for the day.

Quick update on the boys: Gavin starts his preschool tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. He seems excited (it's only 9-11:30, so not all day), and keeps telling me that they have a firetruck, and a tow truck, and Thomas, and the crane (Frankie, for those interested). I'm interested to see how he does with everything. I'll write more tomorrow. Graeme is our little mountain climber. He heads straight for the stairs wherever he is - up, up, up. Every once in a while, he'll sense me behind him and turn around like, "Hey, what are you doing back there?" Still working on walking, and getting braver everyday.

My Little Monkey (#1)

I finally was able to make pickles and pickled beans today! Yeah! Thankfully, Craig's mum was here. She helped with the whole process, and played with the kids to keep them out of the kitchen. We got four jars of beans and four jars of pickles (though I did buy some pickles). We'll see how they turn out, and how they compare to the others I did in August.

While we were working away in the kitchen, we let Gavin play downstairs by himself for a while... which I do sometimes, because he's pretty good. Today, however, I went down to check on him and he wasn't playing cars like he normally is... he wasn't in the laundry room... not in the bathroom... so, I looked in the guestroom (which is currently inhabited by Craig mum and Michael), and there is Gavin. With a cute little smile he says, "He's up on the china shelf!" (From another Richard Scarry book.) He had climbed onto the bed, over the headboard, and onto the window sill - and it's a smaller window, so he had to crouch too! Little monkey! I coaxed him down with snacks.

(And for the worry warts, the window is only about 2 feet off the ground. So, had he fallen out, he would've just said, "Hey, I'm outside!" and then run to play.)

Sexy Coffee Anyone?

OK, so, something else is on my mind and, since I have no other forum really, here's what is bugging me today. Why is it that that all the little drive-thru coffee huts around here have started advertising baristas in bikinis and sexy outfits, or show those flashy little stripper/mudflap signs in their window? My heart sinks into my stomach when I see that. Really? That's necessary?

I'm assuming that they wear the cosutmes, though I never would go to a place with such advertising, and I get why they do it. Of course it gets attention. It is just extremely sad to see. Take an already low paid job (presumably) where you have to sit in a box all day and add having to sell yourself too. Why not just make good coffee and be a little more creative to get the word out?

Not much else to say about that, I suppose. Is it similar in other areas? Have you all noticed it too? Maybe not such a big deal, but it bugs me nonetheless.

Loot and Spiders

We did get more rain this weekend than we have in a long time. Tomatoes did pretty well. They still fell over, but not as bad as they probably would have. Today, though, I figured it was time to cinch my hoodie tight and crawl into my bean mess to pick some beans. There were tons! I got a whole basket full, even skipping some in order to avoid a very large spider waiting hopefully in the center of his web. (I was hoping that he was the only such spider.) Anyway, here's a picture of my loot today. The beans fill up the basket, then everything else went crazy too. Amazing how water helps the whole process. I even have enough to share with my neighbor Deb, who usually brings over all sorts of goodies to us - from cookies to crab!


I cut some flowers too, which I'm sure are allowing an army of tiny spiders to infiltrate my house, meet friends, and make babies while I'm down here writing. Let's hope they're nice. (Can you tell I love spiders?)

Anyway, it looks like I'll be trying to pickle beans and cukes again. I tried this once with a "hot" method where you boil the finished jars and now I'll try a "cold" method where you don't. We can compare and see how different they are (if they turn out, that is). Gardening certainly is fun, and I have to say I'll be sad when the season is over. Although, I realized that the way to usher in Fall without too much grumbling is to go shopping and check out all the new sweaters and coats! That is totally shallow, I realize, but hey, it made me feel better.

Time for Rain?

We've had the best summer up here since I moved to Seattle. It's been great and totally fun with the boys! Of course, as I write that, I realize that it's also the first summer where I have neither work nor school to spoil the sunshine. That could definitely cloud my perspective. And for those of you who may see that last bit as gloating, remember that my eternal companions are a toddler who often thinks he's a puppy dog and a baby/toddler who must orally sample every substance known to man. Today the best sample was some very old styrofoam found in the sand at Alki Beach.

In any case, it is supposed to rain this weekend. Since it hasn't rained in a while, I actually looked at our little garden and thought ahead to tie things up so they don't break with the weight of the rain. The tomatoes are most at risk, so I now have an intricate labyrinth of ties from one tomato stake to another, then to the posts on the deck. Pretty safe, I think, aside from the slight hazard of mild decapitation.

It seems I'm so pleased with that last phrase that I can't think of what else to write. Might be time for bed.

Learning from Richard Scarry

One of the fun parts of growing vegetables, for me, is learning how the plants actually grow. Vine, bush, or whatever. We planted some corn, which is now growing quite well (although somewhat strangled by beans). The other day Craig asked me if the corn was going to have more than one ear per stalk. My response was, "I don't know. I assume three ears, since that's what corn looks like in Gavin's Richard Scarry books." It's always good to get your cultural knowledge from children's books. [And, just FYI, learning experience for growing beans: don't do it in an enclosed bed where you will then need to 1) crawl inside the bush mass to pick beans, and 2) dress in long pants and sleeves so you don't get a rash from the leaves. ]


Gavin loves the Richard Scarry books (thank you, Carol). His favorite story these days is about Pierre the Paris Policeman who captures a robber. Now when he's taking something from the kitchen (a bag of pretzels or the salt shaker, for example), he runs around the kitchen yelling, "Stop that robber! Stop that robber!" He's also started quoting Officer Monty of Monaco who says to "always walk on the sidewalk". I keep reminding Gavin that he also says, "Never push or hit. No one likes a bully." But so far, Gavin's not really taken that advice to heart.

As a result, Graeme is getting quite good balance. He mostly gets a kick out of Gavin's attention, and I'm sure he's just giggling because he knows he'll be fairly equal in size pretty soon.

Let's try it!

So, I've been trying lots of new interesting things lately, or interesting to me at least. I usually call them my "Adventures in Domesticity", because most things I do these days involve kids, cooking, or trying to find bargain home decor. I've lately found myself wanting to share, or write about my endeavors, so I decided to start a blog. "Adventures in Possibility" seemed more all encompassing and I like to think that's sort of a theme for life. We'll see how it goes...

I think this is partly prompted by watching the movie Julie and Julia too. Has that movie increased the number of people starting blogs? I wonder. It certainly got me thinking. But really, this is mostly so I can stop talking to myself. We'll see what it turns into.