"My am Sad"

Last night, I made Gavin and Graeme fish sticks as I knew they wouldn't eat the enchiladas on the menu. Toward the end of dinner, Graeme held out a piece of fish to Craig... as follows:

Graeme: Here Daddy!

Craig: Thanks Graeme! Thanks for sharing!

(And he gobbled it up. Then, Graeme looks at Craig, then at me and starts crying - with full frownie face.)

Graeme (crying): Daddy ate my fish stick! My am sad.

A lesson I suppose he needs to learn: if you offer something to someone, they just might take it. Be prepared to part with it.

Craig and I couldn't help laughing little, but then (since Gavin wasn't eating his) Craig took a piece of Gavin's fish and gave it to Graeme. Then Gavin started crying too.

I just had to laugh. They were both crying over a fish stick. And Craig was the bad guy without being a bad guy at all. I guess that's how it works sometimes too.

Urban Christmas Adventure

Here are some pictures from our Christmas adventure into the city this weekend. The kids enjoyed riding the carousel and I wish I could've captured Gavin's face while he was riding. So sweet! Graeme was a little cranky by the time we got to the carousel, so there aren't really any good ones of him there. But here he is with his "scary" face as he tried to scare all the pigeons at Pike's Market:

They weren't paying very much attention to him. Maybe they had seen some scarier sights.

Gavin's caption: "That's one of Daddy loving me!"

Our kid-friendly, kid-decorated Christmas tree with two monkeys in full view.

Gavin on his horse after the ride was over. Not quite as precious as seeing his expression during the ride, but I was afraid he'd fall off if I let go of him to take a picture. It was a pretty fast ride. I got a little dizzy. That was the most adventurous we were on our outing. Otherwise, we had a few yummy snacks and just enjoyed the day!

Yoga Room Completed!

I'm SO excited to say that I have my own yoga room... er, dungeon... but whatever. I can close the door. That's the important part. No toys, no trucks, and definitely no boxes of who-knows-what. Only my mat, some pictures, all my yoga books and magazines, and - if needed - our stash of wine behind the curtain. Just in case. (Note to self: put another bottle opener in yoga room.)

As you can see, it is very rudimentary without drywall or heat. I do have a space heater and some candles (Craig approved). And, an old Seattle SuperSonics sticker that adorned the wall just after I was born.

The idea, as stated before, is to wake up at 5am every morning and do a little yoga, then read a bit. Maybe plan a class, maybe write a little, maybe meditate. Just the idea of having a "room of one's own" is delicious, and hopefully I use it enough to keep me focused and sane as we move into the New Year!

Looking ahead...

Yesterday I received in the mail my Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog! I was surprised how excited I was... and now I'm already thinking about next summer's garden. (Let's hope for better weather!) I've been glancing at it all day and circling varieties I'd like to try. I have vowed (sort of) to keep to the things I know my kids will eat or things I can freeze and use later. That means lots of beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers... but lots of other stuff too. I think I'll just plan to buy peppers at the farmer's market though. I've had enough disappointment in that area. I've even got Craig thinking about how I could rig a light in our laundry room to grow starts properly... stay tuned... (oh, our exciting life!).

In any case, planning a summer garden is something hopeful on a very wet and somewhat dreary day! (Though we did have a few amazing sun breaks today!)

How Sweet It Is...

Since it is the Christmas season and Craig's birthday today, it has been pretty sweet at our house lately. I thought I'd share the sugar and post a few pictures from the madness. First, we have Craig's cake - a mixture of birthday and Christmas. Gavin helped me make it (mostly by playing in the "snow" with his cars) and I had to take over the decorating. (For those who might care, the noses are dried mango and the scarves are fruit rolls.) It was pretty yummy!

And, yes, the gingerbread gluttony! Here we have Graeme who at most of the decorations for his house. At some point, he did finally stop gobbling gum drops and started rearranging them instead. But this is what he looked like for most of the process:

Then there was Gavin, who was SO excited, and actually didn't eat much of anything. I was surprised. (Anyone who's seen Gavin around sweets knows what I'm talking about.) He did try a few gum drops and had the same reaction I had: "Eww! Those are icky." But he LOVED that his house had a functional door and he did eat a few round candies.

Overall, quite fun. Hopefully, it will create a bit of tradition without cavities. We brushed teeth well both nights (like always, right?) and we'll have a sugar break for at least a few days. Then maybe we'll do Christmas cookies next...

Life in Pictures

A few pictures from the last month or so...

Stories in cozy jammies.

Very proud of his "monster truck Mater" taller than him...

The sweetest outfit we've concocted yet... it had to be documented.

Sorry Graeme.

Friendly burrito with Sarah when the Thiel's came to visit.

One of my favorite pictures of Gavin.

No, he's not sleeping... just being a monkey.

Carry Me! Carry Me!

This morning Graeme had to have everyone downstairs to snuggle on the couch. Here's how it went down, as I'm standing in the stairwell waiting for him:

Graeme: Carry my pi-wo. (Brings me his pillow.) Carry my milk. (Brings me his milk.) Carry my George blanket. (Brings me his giant Curious George blanket.) My carry Monkey and Pengie. (He brings over his lovies to carry them himself.)

Me: Are you ready?

Graeme: Carry Monkey and Pengie. (Holds out his lovies for me to carry those too.)

-Big smile. He grabs the railing and starts down the stairs, as I walk backwards carrying ALL his stuff. No small load. -

Graeme (halfway down the stairs): Carry me! Carry me!

Me: Graeme I don't have any more room! My arms aren't long enough!

Graeme: Mummy carry me! Carry me!

Then he proceeds to sit on the second to last step and begin to cry. (Quite cute actually.) So, of course, my arms grow a little longer and I manage to pick him up and take him to snuggle on the couch. Big smile again.

Possibility...

Though I love the title of my blog, a recent post by another blogger has my thinking about how I might re-frame my perspective. Here's the link to the full post if you are interested:

http://whitehottruth.com/inspiration-spirituality-articles/beware-of-possibility-thinking-how-to-leverage-your-manifestation-ju-ju/

In short, the idea is that if you are always focused on things being possible, they may never manifest. You get stuck in this 'what if' scenario where your dreams are always just beyond your reach. They are possible, but without any 'stick-to-it-iv-ness', nothing really ever happens. You're kind of in limbo. This resonated with me, because I have lots of dreams and things I'd like to happen. My natural reaction to dreaming, however, is to take a nap.* While this creates a hopeful, rested me, it doesn't actually move me toward realizing dreams. Naps are far less scary than actually putting yourself out there.

*While this is my natural inclination, it doesn't happen really anymore. To be truthful, I'd still nap if I got the chance.

New challenges, new habits.

It's now December and things are beginning to change in our little world. The boys, of course, are growing like crazy and getting interested in big kids things like drawing, writing letters, and doing projects. (This means that I need to tune into my craftiness!) It has been fun to see their interest grow... Gavin has even been playing around on the piano with his "music notes". This is where he spreads out all the sheet music he can find and then bangs on the piano a bit. But it's a start, right?

My new project is trying to get up early. 5 am. I did it today and it felt pretty good, so we'll see if I can manage it everyday. For a long time, I've wanted (wanted? maybe realized it is necessary?) to get up early to do yoga, read, write, or generally get some quiet time to tune in and learn a little something. Now, however, I will be starting to teach a 5:45am morning yoga class at our YMCA on Monday mornings. So, I need to retrain my body so waking up early is normal... so I can me mildly functional in front of other people. To help them wake up too.

I've also got a few other 'irons in the fire' so to speak where I could be teaching at other places, but nothing is finalized yet. I'll keep you posted. I'm nervous and excited to be beginning a new adventure... whatever form it takes.

Results... not too bad...

Gavin did pretty well smiling for the camera, and Graeme not so much. The picture of him was THE only picture that was cute when he was actually looking at the camera.

There one before this where Graeme was strong arming Gavin to push him away.

Gavin should be saying: 'Hey, we're all looking the same direction! This'll be the one!'

Family Picture Day

We haven't had any family pictures taken since Graeme was 6 months old. So, today is the day. We've rescheduled once already due to a runny nose and a scratch on the eye. I realize now that we will never have family pictures taken again if I wait until there are no scratches or sniffles or bruises. Today's pictures will be a window into our current family status... the scratch on the eye is gone (Gavin), but has been replaced by a bruise (on the other eye) and the runny nose still lingers (Graeme) even worse than last week.

That's a pretty good start! Couple that with a late bedtime and an early wake up call - these are going to be sweet. All around fun day! I think Craig is the most excited.

I will bring fruit snacks and candy. And lots of tissue.

Halloween Preview

This weekend I made my first cheesecake ever! (Maybe the last considering what actually goes into a cheesecake.) The initial prompt to do it was to donate a cake to the YMCA cake walk at their Halloween Carnival. Gavin picked out the cake design online and, since the boys are spiders for Halloween this year, it seemed fitting. However, since Craig's brother Collin and Cristina were visiting this weekend, we ended up eating it (with full intention of baking another, different cake to donate, which didn't happen).

But, the cake was massive, so we only made a tiny dent. I cut up the rest of it and pawned it off on three different neighbors. Maybe they ate it, maybe they didn't, but at least I didn't have to throw it all away!

Then, tonight we ventured out to the Halloween Carnival... which was a total mad house. We stayed long enough to do the cake walk (didn't win) and get a lollipop for the boys. It was enough for them though too, since they are not old enough to understand the concept of waiting in line for anything. It was a good test run for the costumes... they need a few adjustments. ;)

Graeme's Birthday

Graeme is 2 years old! He had his birthday last week, and though we didn't have a party, we had lots of grandparent visitors and plenty of toys. Here are a few pictures of our mini celebration. Earlier in the week, Gavin suggested we should make a bumper car cake for Graeme's birthday, so we made bumper car cupcakes. They turned out pretty good, if not entirely Martha-worthy. And Graeme blew out his "2" candle all by himself.

I was also happy that Graeme agreed to don the birthday hat for at least a few pictures!

Graeme ate mostly frosting, as his tactic was to dip the fork in and pull it out, eating whatever stuck.

Essential training

I forgot to mention that I've also got the boys trained to raise their hand and say: "I promise no freak outs!" before we get out of the car to go anywhere. It is pretty funny... not totally effective, but funny.

From mouths of babes...

I don't know why I find that this is the most fun for me to write about these days - the new cute things the boys are saying lately - but, it is just fun to see them learn and grow and figure out how to communicate with the world.

Graeme, today with his arms outstretched toward the spider webs in our backyard, says: "Hello, Mr. Spider! My catch you Mr. Spider. My catch you." Then to me, "My love them Mummy!"

Needless to say he'll be a spider for Halloween. But it is so funny how he LOVES spiders and bugs of all kind. Craig and I agree that he'll be the biologist or naturalist of the two boys. Gavin liked bugs and spent a fair amount of time petting slugs and inviting them in for a movie, but Graeme seems interested in everything bug life or otherwise. Pine cones, twigs, worms, flowers, leaves, bees, snails, you name it - he likes it. He also wanted the worm he found to come in and watch a movie, but I convinced him to place him in the dirt instead.

Graeme uses "my" for "I" whenever he talks about anything, and a "My love you Mummy!" is the best. Tonight at dinner he even just said: "My really happy!" It almost made me cry.

Both boys are really lovey lately. Gavin has been giving out kisses like crazy, which is really sweet until the kisses turn into slobbery zerberts. But truth be told, even those are kind of fun.

Gavin is also learning how to talk the talk. The other day Graeme said something to Craig and me, then Gavin turned to us and said: "Did you hear the little attitude on that guy?" Neither of us can remember saying that phrase, so we're not sure where he got it... but quite funny. He is really trying to understand everything that goes on around him. If someone is talking about something he doesn't understand, he'll stop the person and just say: "What are you talking about?" or ask later, "Why did X do Y?" or something similar. It is great to see him figure in all out. He is turning into a very cute little man (if I do say so...).

Favorite phrases

Graeme's favorite answer to any question these days is: "Yeah, sure!" or "Yeah... Sure." Pretty funny for a little guy, though doesn't sound that funny as I write it. ("No!" is a close second.)

Gavin's favorite phrase is: "Otherwise, I'll..." For example, "You need to give me this toy, otherwise, I'll... eat you up!" He's also started coming up with fairly elaborate explanations for why we should go camping (centered around marshmallows) or go for a drive in the dark (because we have lights).

Girls Weekend!

A little out of order, but last weekend I went to Victoria for a girls' trip. Very much needed and so much fun! Here are a few pictures from our night out. Thanks ladies!

Colonnade Mini Rippers

Yesterday we took the boys to the Colonnade bike park under I-5 in Seattle. It is covered, so we thought it a good (and somewhat experimental) option for a rainy day. The boys LOVED it! A more successful trip than we planned, but almost too much fun for them. (Can of worms officially opened.) We have some video of them riding on the pump track area, which is pretty benign in terms of risk, but Graeme has THE CUTEST giggle every time he goes over a bump! Priceless!

Scouting the BMX track

Yesterday morning Craig watched some BMX motocross racing with Gavin in the morning. Gavin turns to me and says: "I want to go THERE!"

So, I find myself looking up BMX tracks in our area. There is one just north of us, so we packed in the car to check it out. We brought the bikes just in case. Of course, as we were getting off the freeway, it started to rain. Bummer. Then, the park was all locked up. Double bummer. It looked pretty cool, but totally understandable that they don't want people riding it without supervision. Could be dangerous, though certainly not for me and my two skilled riders! I'll have to email the park and see when my monkeys might be able to check it out. Hopefully when it isn't too busy with normal sized riders.

Then I got a little bit lost, as the park is in an area that I don't know very well. Gavin looked like he was going to cry... then we happened upon a doughnut shop. All was right with the world again! Chocolatey goodness to the rescue! Gavin agreed that a chocolate doughnut was a good consolation prize.

End of the Season

Today I'm taking down the garden. Sniff. It is just too wet out and everything is getting moldy. Sniff, sniff. I don't know if it was me or the weather, but the garden wasn't as exciting this year as last year. The spiders seem to like it though - we've got lots of those!

Graeme helped me pick the rest of the tomatoes a couple days ago. (He was a good helper because he usually picks all the green ones anyway, so this time that was actually helpful!) I had one tray to dry and then the rest are ripening. But we ended up with only two pans full, opposed to like 5 last year. Still, I can't complain really.

As for the beans, the purple ones seemed to overtake the planting space and there weren't many green beans to speak of... but neither were as abundant as last year. The purple beans were flat, though, and even if they did produce tons, I don't think I would have pickled them.

There is one lone brussel sprout, that I started from seed, which seems to be doing quite well. It will stay just in case it produces sprouts we could actually eat!

Morning hugs and random cuteness

This morning I carried Graeme downstairs to play (he's like a clinging monkey when he wakes up) and Gavin (who was already awake) set his cars down and gave his brother a hug! That's what I like to see. Then, after a little pause, Gavin turned to me and said, "And then I picked a boogie!"

I love that the boys are still wanting to snuggle, even though they are getting big enough to do most everything on their own. Graeme's first words to me this morning were (as he stood bright eyed and smiling in his crib): "Mater!" (who he sleeps with sometimes) and then "Cozy jammies!" (because he was wearing his slipper onesie jams, since it is getting colder already).

They've both taken to calling me "Chicky Mummy!" which is cute, but I'm not sure where it came from! I like it better than "Cara" or "Mother" - both of which Gavin uses to address me at times. I like "Mummy" the best... even if it is "Chicky Mummy!"

Biking Maniacs

As most of you know, the recent development in our house is that Gavin took his first runs on his pedal bike without training wheels this week. It's pretty amazing, and quite terrifying. I think I need to get some new running shoes. Here the link to the short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orhyDZ-rBvA

Here's a link the the long video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROZHJ-5XBc

Graeme is right behind him too. On the bike track in our backyard, there is a small drop off in the corner of the yard that goes from the ladder bridge down a hill. Yesterday, Graeme attempted that drop off. At first, I think he saw the other kids doing it and thought, 'Hey, I want to do that!' So, at first he asked for "a slow down" where I hold onto the back of his shirt so he doesn't go too fast. By the end of the day, he was apparently flying over it no problem on his own. Equally terrifying (but very cool)! We've talked with our friends about how some kids have a healthy sense of fear and reservation toward more daunting feats. Graeme doesn't seem to have much of that.

I took both boys to the local BMX/skate park a few times so far. It is a great place since there is the biking, but also a little playground as well. (And the boys don't stray too far.) Gavin is usually fine when he rides on his scoot bike - with the occasional wipe out. Graeme, however, will push his little bike up the ramps and then proceed to fly down whatever crosses his path. So, I need to trail him and redirect a bit when he attempts to sail down the bigger ramps. Luckily at this point, I can keep up and he is small enough that I can pick him up, bike and all, and turn him around. On the last visit, however, I realized...

It's time to get a proper first aid kid for my car. Or maybe past time, but I really should get one.

Wonderful Day at Home

We had the most perfect day today. Craig and I both woke up with the thought: We don't have to go anywhere today! No plans set. We can do whatever we want! (Within reason, of course, as we still do have two children who need constant snacks and a bathroom that requires work in order to be functional.)

But, it was fabulous. We watched cartoons and drank coffee. This was after I did my meditation practice while the boys watched the Busytown Mysteries. (Yesterday I had a monster truck video in the background. Whatever it takes, right? Begin where you're at... or some such...) Then, Craig worked in the bathroom for a bit and the boys and I played outside. This meant that they rode their bikes and I worked in the garden. Yummy.

Though I am not quite as excited about my garden this year as I was last year, it is still amazing to see how the plants develop. I inspected the growth on all the plants and then weeded, trimmed, cut back the raspberries, and contemplated what I'd like to do both in the Fall and next year. Lots of projects stewing...

After that I spent some time proofreading a application essay for a friend. I must say that I love editing and proofing papers. For whatever reason, I find it extremely fun - my mom does too, so maybe I get it from her. Then, we had our friends over so the kids could play and we could work on her paper a bit. Wonderful. Let's hope the time spent results in an acceptance!

Overall, the day could have been improved only by maybe a massage or getting surprise money in the mail. And the weather was great too, even though it was forecast to rain.

Long Lost Friend

If any of you read Better Homes & Gardens, you probably saw this web address. But, since it feels like I've found a long lost friend, I had to repost it: http://penelopeloveslists.com/

I've only read a couple posts, and I LOVE this lady already. Though I can't say that my household is completely organized at all times, I so aspire to that level of compulsion. With my two little gems constantly mixing things up and tracking in dirt, my brain gets a little overwhelmed with constant clutter of toys, trucks, magazines, and whatever else. If my surroundings are clean and organized, then I feel a little more at peace with life. The clean visual landscape gives my brain a break and allows me to breath a little more deeply.

Thought you might feel like that too. Or at least enjoy the possibility of what could be...

Happy Bee!

This morning as I was watering the garden, I saw this bee buzzing happily along covered - and I mean completely covered - in pollen. He was so heavy that he was flying like a drunk bee would fly. Too funny. Completely yellow. Apparently he'd just had some fun in a squash flower.

The tiniest of tiny

Just a quick note to say that I'm excited about my little garden. There are a few new developments in particular.

1) I've got tiny little buds on most of my pepper plants. Even though they are tiny plants, they have even tinier buds. They are cute, I have to say it. And, they are supposed to be mini peppers (chocolate and orange, I believe), so hopefully they'll actually survive and produce fruit we cat eat! They are plants I started from seed, so it is especially fun.

2) The tomatoes are ripening. Even the bigger ones. Yum!

3) The Mexican sour gherkin seeds that I planted are growing nicely, but they are SO delicate and small. And, alas, there aren't any flowers on them yet. So, I'm waiting...

4) The beans are growing. Purple and green, although the purple ones turn green when you cook them. Bummer, but maybe that will be good for the kids. Not sure they'd eat purple beans.

Anyway, I'm hoping to have lots to harvest when we get back from houseboating.

Garden update

So, now that I'm done shopping online, I figured it would be the best bet to update you all on my garden. (Since I'm sure you've been wasting away hours wondering what's going on in my backyard.) The garden looks pretty good, even more now that I cleaned it up a bit today. Bolting broccoli, who needs it?

I am excited to say that, though I have more bugs that last year, things still look good. Tonight at dinner we had all of the vegetables from our garden... well, ok, not quite all. But we had broccoli, beans, carrots, lettuce, and peas from our garden. The cucumber and tomatoes aren't quite ready yet. I did spray some soap water on the black bug infestation, so we'll see if that helps business. Luckily, the bugs have gravitated toward the flowers and not the vegetables. I can deal with dead nasturtiums... not so with anything else.

Ground cherry husks, sort of blurry, but cool.

We'll see what they turn out to be.

Gavin after he "puck" some lettuce and a carrot. It is fun to see the boys so excited about vegetables. He swears that he loves squash, now that it is growing in our garden, yet I can't get him to eat it at the table.

Some Strawberry speckled lettuce that was the hit of the garden this year. So fun to grow (since I don't have any hungry rabbits around), and looked very cool. Plus, it was tasty too.

I have to say that I am most proud of my little tomatoes that I started from seed. I have no idea what kinds they are now, but there are three and they are starting to bud (tiny as they are). What's also cool is something I bought called a ground cherry. It is supposed to be treated like a tomato, growing style, but it is a sweet fruit with a husk like a tomatillo. I have two growing really well, and today I just found three more that survived my neglect. So, I've moved those into sunnier location sto see ho they do. They are a very pretty plant and, though I have no idea what they'll produce and what I'll use them for, I'd recommend the plant just for fun.

Ground cherry: Very pretty foliage as far as I'm concerned.

Even if the fruit turns out to be weird.

There are tiny cucumbers growing, so hopefully there are enough to pickle... as pickles demand high esteem in the Maclean household. (Helen's are always better than mine, but she's been doing it longer.) And a few of my tiny, tiny pepper plants have developed blossoms. We'll see how they last between the boys pronouncing them "weeds" and the summer sun. (Thank God for Deb, our neighbor, who waters our plants when we are away... usually for the hottest months of the summer.)

There are also lots of beans growing and blossoming, so hopefully they will survive and we'll have lots to freeze like last year. I enjoy just watching everything grow and develop. The zinnias that I planted are starting to blossom, not as many survived as I had hoped, but I always forget how things hang on and grow quite quickly (being neglected all the while).

Camping on Whidbey

This last weekend we went camping in South Whidbey Island with our friend Kevin and his two boys Eric and Owen (their mom Robin was home studying... or at the spa... which would be my choice). Here are some pictures of our quick trip. It rained all Saturday and then Sunday morning we did a great little hike down to the beach. I love the ocean. Just that little breath of salty air... love it!

We found lots of star fish and little crabs. Very cool. It made me excited to find more tide pool areas.

Graeme's new found stride on his bike was the best part of the weekend. I'd taken he and Gavin to the bike park/playground last week and Graeme seems to be getting the hang of the bike. But, he won't sit down. I try to explain to him that he'll go faster if he sits and glides, but my explanations and suggestions are met with a resounding "No!" So, he'll get that part when he decides. He was doing "wheelies" and going over bumps... more to come, I'm sure.

What's new?

Well, the best laid plans... I've been meaning to write a ton and constantly think of cute things that the boys are doing, but haven't obviously been writing. So, here (again) is a short update.

1) Gavin is turning into quite the polite big boy, unless he isn't of course. Most of the time he still snuggles with his trucks and will play forever with them. He gives Graeme a hug and kiss if (by stealing a car or toy away) he happens to make Graeme cry. They usually (well, at least sometimes) end up laughing. It makes me smile that they like each other.

2) Graeme is growing into a little boy too... and still likes to give "Mime out!" to mummy and Gavin (followed by a huge smile). And he still will do or say anything his big brother does or says. There is even a song from the truck video that they watch and you can hear Graeme singing it. I'm probably the only one who would catch it, but he certainly tries! He loves singing. He also has been more of a snuggler lately... "Mummy nuggle!" "Daddy nuggle!" And, if I'm at the computer, he'll come over and hook his little arm around mine and pull me away... all the while giving me a look that say, "you should be playing with me!"

The other day, actually, I accidentally squirted a Go-gurt on him when I was trying to help him get the rest out. He was not amused and gave me a look that just melted my heart! So full of emotion - he was really hurt. But I hopefully made it all better and he won't b scarred for life. (He's got the looks though! He certainly knows what he wants to express!)

3) We are remodeling our bathroom, which is to say that Craig is doing all the work. We might help by picking things out. A little leak turned into (surprise) more than just a little leak, so we figured we might as well redo the whole thing since we've known we've needed to for a while.

4) I taught a small yoga class in my backyard with friends tonight, which was quite fun. I'm getting practice as part of a mentoring program with the YMCA so I can teach there. It is great practice and I'm very excited to teach more.

5) The garden is doing well! We've had broccoli, peas, and loads of lettuce. Pretty much anyone who comes over to our house goes home with some lettuce. The tomatoes are doing well and the cucumbers are growing, but not as fast as I'd like. Graeme likes to pull out the tiny potted peppers (which get replanted for him to pick again the next day). Gavin likes to pick carrots and eat them in the yard. They are just getting big enough to be eaten in more than just one bite! Today he said, "Look Graeme, at the carrots I just puck! I puck some carrots!" So excited and so sweet. Oh, and we all ate a bunch of super yummy strawberries this morning. Red all the way through. Yum! (In fact, an offer to pick strawberries was the only thing that worked to pry Gavin away from the trucks to come outside.)

6) Otherwise, we are happy and tired and, most likely, trying to do too much. But that's what summer (and parenthood) are for, right?

More to come soon...

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I've posted something. Both boys already need new haircuts!! More to come shortly, as I need to upload pictures of the garden and monkey activity at our house (there has been a lot). For now, a few notes...

1) Gavin is very much the "Ferdinand" at soccer camp, as he participates for maybe half the class and lays in the grass for the other half.

2) Graeme is fond of giving his brother "time out's" and knocking on Gavin's bedroom door saying, "Anybody home??'

3) Craig and I are home this weekend, which is a special occasion in itself. I love visiting friends and family, but I think our neighbor needs a weekend off (as she waters our garden whenever we leave). I don't think I have enough good lettuce and such to give her for repayment.

First Hair Cut

Here are some pictures from Graeme's first haircut (and Gavin's hair cut too). They are in reverse order, as now that we're using Google Chrome, I can't seem to cut and paste pictures.

The much anticipated lollipop at the end of the trim.

Gavin is always very excited to get his haircut, as he knows this follows.

Very happy, cute little man!!

He sat in the same jet that Gavin did for his first cut too. There was a lot less screaming, but in Gavin's defense his first haircut was a lot sooner. I think he was around a year, where Graeme is almost 2 years old.

Brotherly Bond

Just another quick note. When I was watching Gavin and Graeme play this afternoon, I noticed Graeme do absolutely everything that Gavin did. It was very cute and a little window into the future. If Gavin was playing with dump trucks, Graeme would play with dump trucks. If Gavin sat on the blanket, Graeme would come sit on the blanket. Gavin took his shirt off (because it was wet), and Graeme tugs at his sleeves to take off his shirt too. But what was even sweeter? I noticed that every once in a while, Graeme would come over to Gavin and just pet his head. It was the cutest thing ever! Just a little, 'hey, I like you!' and then he went on his merry way.

I hope they grow up to be close. We tried, for a few nights, to have Graeme share Gavin's room. We put Graeme's mattress just on the floor and, luckily, there wasn't any resistance from Gavin. They did, however, have way too much fun regardless of bedtime. So, Graeme is back in his room for the time being, but I'm glad that when the time comes, they will be happy to share a room. A little bonding time is always good.

Enjoying the Afternoon

I have to say that I'm loving our yard right now. It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a neat and tidy landscaped yard. But it works for us. The boys love the dirt and mud alongside the scoot bike track (as well as the track itself). I love the way it looks compared to when we moved in... no lower deck, no shed in the middle taking up space, no manky dog run, no wood pile, no ivy (well at least a lot less), and generally a lot less 'ick' and a lot more enjoyable space. And what is also fun is dreaming up the next projects... but that's for another day.

There is something magical about working in the garden. Today was the first glorious sunny day we've had in a while. And it was wonderful to finally be able to work in the garden for an extended period of time and have the boys be entertained on the "kid" side of our yard. It is (and I believe will continue forever to be) amazing how you can take a little plot of land that is just weeds and turn it into beautiful plants you can eat (or otherwise enjoy). I love watching the development of everything. How big is the broccoli today? Are there any caterpillars to be captured? How is the lettuce coming along? Any slugs? It is just fun to watch things grow. (It is fun to watch people grow too... both my children and anyone who learns their way through a challenge.)

But more than just making wandering observations or throwing together a cool, homegrown salad, I LOVE watching the pleasure with which Graeme and Gavin pick and eat the veggies and berries we have.

Granted, they don't always pick the right things or at the right time, but I'm trying to let that go and just enjoy their happiness. So fun. Graeme eats the green raspberries and, as of yet, it doesn't seem to bother his system, if you know what I mean. He says, "Pick raspberries! Pick raspberries!" and now will always walk up the little hill to check out what he can reach.

For the sake of efficiency (and a little selfishness since it really is fun), I try to pick the majority of stuff myself. Otherwise, we would have nothing left in the ground and very thin carrots in our salads. Graeme also yelled across the yard to day, "Pick weed, Mummy!" and you could tell he was SO proud of himself for helping to pick weeds. It was so sweet! He also continued that helping as he picked out a few of my cosmos, declared them "weed" and then "ho'd" them to the ground. (They had not yet bloomed, of course, so it was an honest mistake.)

[For the record: Tonight we had a salad with lettuce, radishes, raspberries, strawberries, and peas from our yard. How cool. That will always be cool to me.]

Oh How Your Garden Grows

This was the massive worm I mentioned in a previous post. Graeme found it and Gavin, naturally, took it and adopted it as his own "favorite new worm".

Here's what the garden looks like from the deck. It's all starting... yeah!

Our raspberry harvest today... after a few were gobbled by the helpers.

That's the raspberry bush and the peas up top. I have two kinds of peas... some are "dwarf," which I realize now means that they don't grow as tall... not necessarily that the peas are smaller. (Which made me feel a little silly.) But that could be too. We'll see.

Venturing Toward Independence

Lately I'm feeling like I need to read some parenting books. It isn't that the boys are really all that different, but they are becoming more, shall we say, independent. This is great of course, as long as I can figure out a way to shape that independence into a framework that creates two cute little boys rather than two monsters that freak out if they can't stuff grapes in their trucks.

Craig and I were just talking about the "No!" stage and, luckily, we haven't had too much of that response. We've always used, "That's not for Gavin/Graeme!" or "We don't do that..." something less "No" like. I think by doing this, our kids thankfully only use "No" at the right time. (Knock on wood.) And, even when they do use it, they've developed an endearing way of saying no.

When Gavin was learning to talk, he said, "No, nee, no!" And that made his defiance sweet. Now that Graeme is learning to talk, he's developed his own way... "Nah! Noooo!" It usually trails off a bit, which is even cuter.

It's not really the no's that I'm concerned with these days. It's the "poo's" and "hush's" and bips, boops, foodoo-foodoo's, fwaps, and punks... and all the other interesting behaviors that have surfaced. These behaviors are, of course, accompanied by their own language. Translation?

Bip, boop, fwaps = all some form of hitting usually during play, most always when I'm trying to get someone changed or dressed

Foodoo-foodoo = messing up one's hair (funny when he does it to Graeme, not so with me)

Punk = some sort of tweak, usually associated with the backside

Gavin is the instigator of everything, yet Graeme is right beside learning ALL the new words and behaviors. Where's that book Celeste sent me??? Let's go find it...

Musings for the Day

Here are a few thoughts that have crossed my mind today. First, I realize now that, as a mom of two boys, I'm going to have to be eternally interested (or feign interest anyway) in trucks, worms, and other 'catchable' creatures. Trucks are a given, and I've become used to that... I can spot dualies* and diggers faster than Graeme (not as fast as Gavin though). And, as a emerging gardener, I also like worms, but not enough to put them in my pocket. I was cooking dinner tonight and the boys were playing outside with Craig. Gavin came to the door no less than three times saying, "Look mummy! A worm! I've got a worm!! I like worms, all the time. This is my favorite new worm." He is genuinely excited about each one, and before he came inside for dinner we had to do a highly technical worm extraction from his pockets. Total? Three. All still alive and tossed into the garden.

(For the record, yesterday Graeme also found the most massive worm I've ever seen. This worm was truly interesting - at least for a little bit.)

As another example, Gavin wanted to play inside today, but I wanted him to go outside at least for a little bit. He wasn't interested at all until I said, "Hey, there's a cool slug outside. Want to come see it?" He jumped up immediately and was like, "There's a cool slug. I want to put him in my bucket." Out the door in a heartbeat! (My apologies to said slug, as I have no idea where he ended up. Not in the pockets though, I checked. And I might as well also apologize to the rolly-polly bug in Gavin's backpack.)

What were my other musings today... now I seem to have forgotten. Oh, about dinner. Tonight I made fajitas prompted by Craig buying a mango. I've realized that fajitas are my comfort food of choice, with avocado, mango, lime, and cilantro. It reminds me of home and makes me feel happy. And it's healthier than mac 'n cheese. What's also interesting is that I don't mind making dinner every night, which I thought I would loathe when this little family business first started. I've actually developed a pretty good interest in cooking cool stuff, but (with any luck) it is a time when I'm by myself. That may sound horrible, but alone time doesn't happen much these days. The boys were with Craig this afternoon and, aside from the periodic worm show, it was just me with all the yummy potential in the kitchen. (And it turned out pretty well too...)

I had more to write, I'm sure, but I don't remember now. It seems, in this Facebook oriented world (or at least household), I go through my day thinking of witty status updates that I never end up posting because I've forgotten them by the time I sit down to write. (Except for Gavin peeing down the heating vent, that was pretty easy to remember.)

In any case, I should be studying right now. My yoga program finishes this weekend and I've got an exam and two things to teach. Needless to say, writing this blog isn't going to help me do well. Except, on second thought, it is helping me relax and wind down, so maybe it is helping after all. (And if I need another diversion, I'll post pictures of the massive worm and the boys' new haircuts.) Stay tuned. ;)

*Dualies are trucks with two wheels in the back, which in our family also includes any massive truck that has more than two tires in the back. It's a constant: "A dualie, look a dualie... another dualie..." in my car every time we go somewhere.

Window to our world...

Today is a rainy inside day... 'toons and trucks for the boys and homework for mummy. Well, and a little diversion here and there for a break from yoga test-writing and studying. I thought I'd post a few recent pictures. I made an appointment to get the boys' haircut today, so we'll have to say adios to Graeme's little wispy curls. It had to happen sometime, I suppose. Here's a little window into our world lately...

Gavin's preschool picture.
Of course, he's screaming.

A rare moment when they are both in one spot.
Luckily, they both love reading stories.

Caught in the act. This happens with every new roll.
Just too much fun I guess.

One of the reasons I love summer...
first cut flowers from our yard.
Peonies and roses.

And our first official 'harvest' from the garden. Dwarf pak choy, which I've realized is great slug bait, and three different kinds of radishes... all tiny since a certain someone likes to pick them all at once.