2 and the Flu

Jacksen turned 2 on January 22. Unfortunately we all ended up sick. I started the whole thing and then one by one everyone got it. Body aches, fever, cough...Happy Birthday Jacksen. The Birthday Boy didn't end up sick until the night of his birthday so were able to still have a fun day. Donuts, painting, Happy Meals, digger decorations, and a gummy worm dirt dessert. It is absolutely bonkers that this little guy is 2 and just a few months away from becoming a big brother. He is a sweet and mischievous little guy and we love him so much.

We had made plans to take the train to Seattle to visit my parents that weekend but had to postpone our trip until a week later. Jordan and I figured that a week would be plenty for us all to be back to normal. The kids were so excited when we made it to the train station and got to board the train.

By the time we made it to Seattle what had started out as a little cough for Jacksen had turned into a fever and another round of sickness. He was such a trooper and we managed to have a great time. We laid low but ventured out a bit, one of the highlights being a ride around the mall on a motorized elephant.

They called these things Zoo-mers or something equally hilarious. You rent them and can drive them all over the mall. There were several animals to choose from and we ended up with the elephant. Lu was over the moon. If I were 5 I would've been too!

Besides Jacksen not feeling his best, it was still a good weekend getting to celebrate him. Our train ride home was fun too, aside from a grumpy lady calling me and Jordan lazy and telling us Jacksen was the loudest child she had ever been on a train with, but whatever. Jordan told her to take a seat. We made it home in time for the Super Bowl and Jacksen was back to himself after a few days. Hoping things are a little healthier for his next birthday.

It's a boy!

On Christmas Eve we found out we are having another boy! After my Doctor's appointment on Christmas Eve we brought home the jammies and ultrasound pictures, wrapped up for us to open. The lid came off and we were all seeing blue.

Lucy was a great sport. We could all tell she was a little bummed, but after a girl's only frozen yogurt trip her spirits were lifted.

Lucy made for a rocking Mary at her preschool Christmas program. She remembered her lines like a champ and it was the sweetest thing.

We celebrated Christmas here in Portland with Jordan's family. We started out with brunch at our house, made a stop at Jordan's Dad's for lunch, and ended the day with a big family dinner at his Aunt's. The kids were loving all the festivities and I even got Blazer tickets! Lots of smiles all around.

We closed out 2014 with friends and an 8pm countdown for the littles. While the grown-ups got crazy with a dice game named after Mennonites, the kiddos played and watched Madagascar. There was pizza and there were cream puffs and it was a great night.

As for 2015, its looking like its going to be a good one.

Time Flies

And just like that its December. I'm not going to bother going through the giant time gap I've left between blogs except for a couple highlights. Lucy turned 5, Jordan and I turned 31, Thanksgiving was great, and I'm 18 weeks pregnant! We are super excited for baby number 3 to join our fam. We get to find out what we're having on Christmas Eve, but we are going to switch things up a little bit. Instead of finding out in the ultrasound room we are going to have a friend take the envelope with the gender inside and wrap an outfit and ultrasound pictures for us to open as a family. I've been thinking girl, but lately am feeling clueless. Lu is definitely hoping for a girl, but Jordan thinks its a boy so who the heck knows.

Other than that, life has pretty much been business as usual. Lucy just got her part for her preschool Christmas play. She's Mary and her line is "Don't worry Joseph, God will take care of us." Last year one of the kids puked. He had just finished his lines and was passing the microphone and then just threw up. He was helped off stage but the show went on and the puke was covered with a poinsettia. (They cleaned it later.) I'm hoping there isn't a repeat this year.

We headed back to Sunny Day Tree Farm for our Christmas tree this year and picked a good one. Its a bit of a drive but a great spot. Once you're done getting your tree there's free cocoa or cider and a cozy fire to warm up by.

Our Elf on the Shelf has also started making appearances. He shows up holding a little paper scroll with some sort of Christmas activity or treat that we do each day. Yesterday's scroll sent us to see some reindeer. I think it would've been a lot of fun had we not been in crisis mode over a lost Princess Aurora sticker. I'm relieved to report, the sticker was found.

I really do love this time of year though. Cocoa, Christmas lights, parties, there are just so many fun things to do! Excited for the rest of this Christmas season.

Yurting

A couple weeks or so ago we headed to Ft. Stevens with a group of friends to do some yurting. I've been camping a handful of times in my life but have never tried yurting. I'm a big fan of being clean and taking showers so I've never felt the draw to the whole camping thing. But after this experience, yurting I can do.

There were five families, all with two kiddos. Each family had their own yurt which were all pretty close together. There was a big sand pit for the kids to play in. At one point I hollered out for any of the kids who wanted to go play in the sand to get in line behind Jordan for him to take them. And they did. So he marched them over to the sand pit. He's the best.

The sleeping arrangement was really the biggest downfall for us. Jacksen was really hit or miss sleeping in the pack and play, the first and third nights being horrible. With us all sleeping in the same canvas tent of a room it was a little rough and I felt terrible for our neighbors, but we made it. Lucy loves sleeping in bunkbeds and claimed the top right away. There weren't bathrooms in the yurt but they were a short walk away, showers included.

We had figured out meals ahead of time and mostly ate together which was super fun. Once the kiddos went to bed we had grown-up campfires and just talked, ate lots of really unhealthy food, and played ridiculous games. Really good to just have time with friends.

It was great getting to see all of the kiddos running around together. Whether it was riding bikes or chasing the abnormally overweight squirrels (one which they named Cakey), it was just special to see them being friends.  Speaking of chasing overweight squirrels, the menfolk may or may not have fashioned a homemade trap from a cardboard box with a pull-string attached and muddy buddies as bait. And we may or may not have all sat around while our kids napped waiting for the squirrels to show themselves. Seriously though, the squirrels were crazy. Coming like inches away from you and even stealing paper towels. Little stinkers.

One of our days there we went over to the actual Fort at Ft. Stevens which is an old military base so that was cool to walk around and explore. The kids loved climbing in the old jeep and giving us all heart attacks as they took turns venturing way to close to the open ledges.

Another day we made a trip to the beach. You could drive down onto the sand and there was a super old shipwreck there. The kids were all having a blast (and so were the adults) and it was just the best. Seriously, smiles all around. Sand toys, kites, and wet clothes from running around in the ocean. Definitely my favorite part of the weekend.

The beach is also the perfect backdrop for jumping pictures. 

Even ones that are photobombed.

I loved our little yurting trip and am so glad we went. Hopefully it becomes a yearly tradition. Its these kinds of moments and experiences that remind me how blessed we are to have such great friends.

Last Day!

Today was Lucy's last official day of preschool for this year. She will be doing a Summer school program they have which extends the year for a couple more weeks, but this was her last day with the class she's been with all year.

Lu has had a great year and I have been so impressed with the program, teachers, everything. Having a lot of experience in the preschool scene myself, its such a great feeling to walk into a place and feel confident leaving my child in someone's care, knowing that she is cared for, loved, and safe. When I picked her up today the hallway was lined with goodies for each kiddo along with all the stuff from their cubbies to take home. All the kids were so excited! It was important to me and Jordan that we send Lucy to a faith based preschool to help lay a strong foundation. She's a tough customer when it comes to spiritual things but we know that God is working in her little heart and we are so excited to see where she goes from here.

This is a picture of Lucy's first and last days of school. I think she looks pretty much the same. Equally as excited in both. I asked her some questions about herself that first day and asked her them again today. Her answers from that first day are here and there are her answers from today.

Favorite color: Light Pink

Favorite animal: Giraffe

Favorite Food: Mac and Cheese

What do you want to be when you grow up? Nothing anymore. I just want to be me. :)

Her answers were all pretty much the same except for the light tweak to the pink. That last answer was different though, what she wants to be when she grows up. She always gets a little uncomfortable when I ask her that question but I think she had a great answer, at least that last part. I just want her to be herself too. Can't wait to see who this little lady becomes.

Date Night

A few posts back I wrote about the date night exchange we do with some friends. This past Saturday me and Jordan went out for one of our dates. We pick the actual days awhile in advance but they always seem to sneak up on us and then we never know what to do. This time around we wanted to switch it up a bit. We debated for awhile and finally ended up with a plan.

After dropping off the kids we headed out to Monkey Subs. Since we drop the kids off in the Beaverton area I looked for restaurants somewhere in that general area. I found some reviews on this place and we decided to try it. Super good. We love sandwiches and these were some great ones.

Next stop? Driving Range. I had never been before so I was super excited. Jordan is not a sports guy but he was totally up for this. We got a large bucket of balls and borrowed some clubs. There were two tiers to hit from and we chose to go for the upper level. Honestly, I was just giddy about the whole thing. We teed up and starting hitting, trying different drivers and clubs (is that even the right terminology?!) There were several instances of balls ricocheting off of the roof and railings and even more complete misses, but it was so much fun. At one point I even hit the ball picker-upper truck, although I did feel bad afterward and waved at the driver. (And no I wasn't actually aiming for it.) We finished up and both decided that we would like to become golfers.

After we headed over to Well and Good Coffee House. Its a great space and we had fun looking at all the fixtures, sipping coffee, and finding things we thought Jordan could recreate for us.

On our way back we made a quick stop at Target and then off to get the kiddos. They were happy as always and ready to go in their jammies. We both agreed that this was one of our most fun dates lately. So fun to try something new together and just be silly and goofy. Seriously though, I want to be a golfer.

Easter Egg Alphabet Matching

Every Holiday brings with it its own stuff. Birthday banners, Christmas trees, pumpkins, and plastic eggs. Easter isn't Easter without plastic eggs. I never know what to do with them after and always end up buying new sets every year. This year I decided to change it up. After looking at Pinterest I found a really fun idea on how to turn those plastic eggs into a fun Alphabet Matching game. This isn't an original idea from me by any means but super easy to do.

I cut the hinge on the eggs and wrote a capital letter on one side and a lowercase on the other. Lu has gotten really good at capital letters but we haven't done much with lowercase so I thought this would be a fun way to start. This site used sticker letters but I just went with permanent marker. 

After writing out all the letters you make a bug jumble and then the kiddo go to town trying to find the matches.

Here's what they would look like all matched up! I'm planning on adding this to her Busy Box. She really liked it, by the way, but I can already tell the activities are getting old. The first time we brought it out she was really excited but every other time she seemed to be expecting something new and when there wasn't anything else in there she was unimpressed. Hopefully this will turn things around! If you're interested in more ideas like this one head to Pinterest and just search Easter Egg Alphabet. There are tons!

Easter 2014

We had a great time celebrating Easter this year. After Jacksen's 15 month doctor's appointment (still can't believe he's that old), we hit the road headed to my parents' house in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Traffic turned our usually 2 1/2 hour trip into closer to 4, but don't worry. We broke up the time with Disney movies and McDonald's.

The day before Easter was really chill. We did some shopping and had a family movie night with Grandma and Grandpa. They had never seen Frozen and asked us to bring it. Of course Lucy was more than happy to oblige. After the kids went to bed, we went to work on the Easter baskets. Its always my goal to make it fun and special but to not go crazy. I like the things in their baskets to actually be usable. Not just like cheap plastic bunnies. We ended up with some candy, beach toys, and other fun things. And yes, they each got a bunny. From my Mom.

The kids woke up and Jacksen went right for the ball and truck. Lu was happy with her goodies too. Her Easter basket was actually a basket for her bike. It even has blinking lights. Score.

After church while lunch was cooking, me and Jordan set up an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Lucy could hardly contain herself and was peeking out the window trying to plan her egg hunting strategy. We gave each of the kids a sand bucket and led them outside and let them loose. Lucy was on the move right away. Jacksen was pretty confused. We had to put the eggs directly in front of him for awhile and then he started to understand what to do. They were both just so sweet to watch. 

Once the eggs were gone, we tried to take a picture of Lucy and Jacksen, but Jacksen wasn't finished. He continued filling his bucket, but switched to rocks.

After the egg hunt, we all had a great meal together. Lu even threw in a "He is risen indeed!" It was a great time celebrating Jesus. So relaxed and just so great to be together. Loved it. 

A Busy Box for Lu

Lucy and independent play have never been very close. She'd much rather be entertained then figure out how to do the entertaining herself. I finally decided to try to help her along. First stop, Pinterest. Of course I hit the mother load of ideas, even some I could handle. One that I kept seeing was a Busy Box. These are little boxes filled with art or activities that the kiddo can do all on their own. I plan to make it a special thing so she feels excited when she gets it out. I found a few of my favorite ideas and some that I thought Lu might like and headed out to the craft store to pick up supplies. I chose a couple from here and found this one on Pinterest too. Now I'm not the craftiest person on the block and you could definitely take a more creative approach but here's what I ended up with.

This one is a Number Wheel. Lucy can definitely count past ten so once she gets the hang of it I'm going to make an 11-20 wheel. The idea is to count the number of dots in each section and then match it with the right numbered clothes pin. Pretty straight forward to make with a wheel printable, card-stock, contact paper, and clothes pins.

Lately Lu has been interested in trying to sound out words so I thought this would be a good one for her. I took some notecards and added small words along with a sticker with the picture of what the word is. I picked up some plastic letter magnets and used contact paper to laminate the cards. Lucy will pick a card and then search for the letters to spell the word.

This one is another number and counting one. I taped the numbers on the end of pipe-cleaners and got some fun beads. For this one Lucy will just read the number and then count out the right number of beads and put them on the pipe-cleaner. Lucy likes beading and pink is her favorite color so hopefully this will be a winner.

I bagged all the activities into their own Ziplocs and added a Coloring/Sticker book and some modeling clay. My plan is to add in new activities every so often to keep it interesting. I am hoping that this will be a hit but you really never know. It could last for a few minutes or best case scenario she will ask for the Busy Box again and again. I will keep you posted!

Date Night Exchange

Newsflash. Date nights aren't just for people who are dating. They're for married people too. They can also get expensive. Especially when you have to add in the cost of a baby-sitter. Enter the Date Night Exchange. Awhile back I talked with a friend (find her here) about setting up a monthly date night exchange. My husband and I go out one night, they go out another night, and we watch each other's kids. I think we've had it going for 6 months or so and I seriously love it. Not only do we all get to have date nights but our kids get to hang which is just the best. We set ours up so the dates are a bit on the earlier side so all of our kids get to sleep in their own beds and go down at a reasonable time. Sometimes scheduling can be a little tricky with random snowstorms or sick kiddos, but we have managed to make it work. It feels really great to be making that time a priority in our marriage and to help our friends have that quality time too. On our last date night we went to Elephants off 23rd and then headed to a coffee shop for some serious Scrabble. We are crazy I know. I will admit that Jordan did win. For maybe the second time in our relationship. Meanwhile, we know that our kids are hanging with a great family having a great time. Seriously people, date night exchanges are where its at.

Girls Night

A little over a week ago some friends and I decided to have a Girls Night. No kids, no husbands, just the ladies. We have all been friends for quite awhile now. They all met in college, but sadly, I had to wait a few more years to meet these lovelies. We met up on a Thursday night at Por Que No. Now crazy enough I am not the hugest fan of Mexican cuisine. I just like things simple. But this place is delicious. We waited in line for a few minutes and looked over the menu while enjoying some delicious juice. We ordered and found some seats. It was so refreshing and so much fun to connect with these friends. We talked, laughed, and ate way too many chips. We topped off our meals with some churros. Seriously yum. Plus they have these really cute temporary taco tattoos. Score.

After that, we weren't quite ready to call it a night so we hopped in the car and headed out to find some coffee. Walking up to a Starbucks, a man outside informed us they were closing in ten minutes. Too bad he jumped out from behind a pillar to do that. Ok maybe not jumped out but he definitely stepped out and I yelled. Realizing coffee was going to be a no go, we scratched that idea and just made our way over to Buffalo Exchange, looked around, and took some selfies to commemorate our evening. We finished up the night with some 90's rap and said our goodbyes. It was a simple night but a great one.

I go to this preschool Mom's group at my church called Sprouts. Last week we had a speaker share about marriage. One of her points was that your husband is not one of your girlfriends...did I really just use the term girlfriends? Ugh. That may seem kind of obvious, but after I really thought about it, I felt like it went deeper than the obvious. Just because you're married doesn't mean you don't need friends. Good, solid, girl friends.  Its a different kind of relationship and its a really special one. I feel so incredibly blessed to have friends I know will be there no matter what. Even if my kids are going nuts, even if my house is messy, and even if life is messy. Especially when life is messy. Thankful for these friends and the other amazing ladies God has put in my life.

Door to Door Salads

Ok so a week or so ago, we were getting ready for dinner. Jordan was cooking and I was hanging with the kids when the doorbell rang. Jordan went to answer it. I didn't see who it was at first but could hear a conversation, Jordan mentioning something about already making a vegetable. Then I look up to find two strangers coming inside our house. "We're going to make you a salad" they say. Um, what? We get lots of solicitors but never someone selling salads.

Well it turns out these two were here to show us their fancy salad mixer thingy which they continually reminded me was free. Of course I would have to invite them back to make an entire meal for a house full of my friends but hey, I'd get the mixer. The woman went ahead to demonstrate the different attachments, using vegetables she assured us had been washed. She opened up shop right there in our kitchen going to town on cucumbers, apples, and even adding her own homemade vegan dressing. I just kept looking at Jordan like "how on earth did you let this happen?!" When it was all said and done, we agreed to look over the materials and let them know if we were interested. As the two salad solicitors left I closed the door and turned to Jordan. "You are never answering the door again."

Before sitting down for dinner, I quickly texted my friend/neighbor, warning her about the traveling salad sellers. Jordan brought the bowl of salad over to the table. "Oh we aren't eating that," I told him. Call me crazy but I don't know where those veggies came from and I didn't see her wash them. I'm not about to feed my kids something I can't vouch for. Jordan scooped some onto his plate and then of course Lucy wanted some too. "Why can't I have the salad?" she asked. Ugh. I tried to explain my reasons to her. We don't know where it came from and we aren't sure its clean. Not super convincing as her Dad munches away. Of course nothing happened to him and I'm sure the food was fine but seriously? Door to Door Salads? Really? There's got to be a better sales pitch than that.

3. Things I Just Don't Understand

3. Freakin' Caillou.

Lu watches a lot of different shows and they kind of go in spurts. One week it will be My Little Pony and the next its Strawberry Shortcake. Some have a lot more staying power and others just come and go. Enter Caillou. This past week when Lucy was picking out a show she saw Caillou and wanted to watch it so we turned it on. We've seen it a couple times in the past and I've never been a fan but I powered through. He's definitely a whiny little guy which I don't love, but hey its a kids show. Well, a couple days ago, Lucy used one of his little tag lines on Jacksen and it was not ok with me. Caillou likes to say "bad cat" when his kitty Gilbert isn't doing something he should be. Jack was playing on the floor and went to grab a toy from Lu, and she said "bad baby." Um ya, no. We went into a whole little conversation about it and it was no big deal, but it just kind of blew my mind. She got it from Caillou! Needless to say, I made sure she knew Caillou was so no longer welcome in our home. What I really don't understand is, how is this show is still on? Does anybody like it? I'd much rather watch some high-pitch voiced ponies sing about friendship and treating each other kindly than see a tiny whiny boy complain about his cat and constantly forget his pleases and thank you's. Kids really do listen to what they hear whether its the music we're listening to, the things we say, or the shows they're watching. Thanks for the reminder Caillou.

1!

Last week Jacksen turned 1 and I still can't believe it. The weekend before we had a family brunch for him. We decided to ditch the whole huge party thing this time around. We definitely did it with Lu, but it can just get so crazy (not to mention expensive). We did fruit, cinnamon rolls, a yummy breakfast egg dish, and donut holes. Instead of cake, Jack dug into a donut with chocolate frosting which he was thrilled about.  It was a super fun celebration and so much less stressful. I still wanted it to feel like a party, so I still decorated a bit. I made some pennant banners to hang around the house with pictures from his first year and a mini version for his high chair.  I love balloons so we got him the giant 1 balloon which was probably my favorite.

On his actual birthday we tried to think of some of his favorite foods and landed on pizza, so we decided to make our own. Lucy and I made cupcakes too. Both were definitely a hit. Later in the week he had some baby buddies over for a little play date party and that capped off the birthday festivities.

The night before his birthday, I started remembering back to a year ago. I've thought about it before but of course this time was different. I remember the contractions and thinking, "this is it." I remember sneaking in to kiss Lu on her forehead as she slept, knowing the next time I saw her, everything would be different. I remember right before all the craziness of pushing and thinking, he's really coming. And then there he was. Our precious Jacksen Cary Cliff. Sometimes when you're pregnant it can seem so long, but then suddenly a year seems so fast. 

Jacksen is such a sweet little guy. He gives hugs, waves, and has the best giggle. He is a great sleeper (thought not quite as awesome as his sister ha). He likes to shake his head while we say "no, no, no." The boy loves the kitchen (definitely learned that from his Dad) and his favorite time is bath time. He loves going in to wake his big sister up in the morning and crawls all over her bed while she hides under the covers. His favorite song is "If you're happy and you know it" and he is a master hand clapper. Jacksen has changed our lives in all the best ways. I can't wait to see who he becomes!

2. Things I just don't understand.

2. Vegetables.

I don't understand how people actually enjoy the taste of vegetables. A couple of weeks ago we were eating dinner. I don't remember everything we had but I remember the broccoli. I looked over at Jordan as he was eating his broccoli and asked, "Do you really like the taste of that? Do you really enjoy eating broccoli?" His answer? "Oh yeah, its delicious!" Seriously? I just can't believe it. When I think of things I like to eat, veggies are pretty near the bottom of my list. It all started back in daycare where I succumbed to the peer pressure of preschoolers. That's when I noticed that other kids didn't like eating their vegetables so neither should I. Its been a struggle. I remember in elementary school one day, there was a teacher or lunch lady walking around the cafeteria. She told me to eat some carrots from my plate and stood there and watched me while I did. I can still feel the involuntary gag reflex. As Lucy has gotten older I've realized that my time of veggie avoidance is coming to an end. How can I ask her to eat them if I won't? Its been a slow progression but I'm happy to say I've made some headway. Green beans and asparagus are a couple favorites. Not sure if favorites is really the right word, but as far as veggies go, they're at the top. Do I think they're delicious? No. Do I eat them anyway? I'm trying!

Merry Christmas Colonoscopy

This was Jacksen's first Christmas and it was a good one. We have spent the last month gearing up for this special day with all sorts of fun Winter/Christmas activities. Tree cutting, Zoolights, watching Polar Express, Lucy's first preschool Christmas program, its just all been so great. We have a little advent calendar that I used when I was younger. It goes through the Christmas story with these tiny books, reading a part of the story each night. Its so fun sharing it with Lu and Jacksen now.

We started out Christmas morning at our house. We opened stockings as a little family. Jacksen was mostly puffs and squeezers but he was happy as a clam. Next Jordan's Grandpa Jack and his wife Fran came over with Jordan's mom and brothers and everyone had breakfast while we opened presents together. Then it was off to Jordan's Dad's and then ending the day with a Christmas dinner at his Aunt's.

Lucy has been so excited, asking for Cinderella shoes practically everyday and stopping to try them on when we pass them at Target. We don't do Santa so I told her to ask Jacksen for them and he definitely came through! She was thrilled when she opened them and insisted on wearing her little high heels out to see friends. I think she kind of loves the little clicking sound they make on the wood floors.

Jacksen wasn't super into actually opening the presents, but loved the paper. And the toys inside it. It was a really special day. So crazy to think that Jacksen was hanging in my belly at this time last year and now he's almost one. Time seriously flies.

One thing I could've done without? Colonoscopy prep. I had to schedule a colonoscopy for the day after Christmas otherwise my deductible would reset. Of course the only time they had available was the day after Christmas. Lucky me. So there I was on Christmas rocking a clear liquid diet while everyone around me enjoyed delicious food. The real kicker was that nasty 4 liter drink you have to down but I made it through, watching Downton Abbey while Jordan and the kids were at his family's Christmas dinner. The actual procedure was no big deal and I came home to a yummy cinnamon roll and Christmas feast saved for me from the day before. 

My parents came down the next Saturday and we had our own little Christmas with them. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends to celebrate with. I love Christmas and I already can't wait for next year.