Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Rosie's first year
In lieu of writing a letter, Sacha encouraged me to make Rosie a video just like I did with the older kids, so I did. I had a lot of fun going through all our photos from the past year. Hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
First birthday!
Happy, happy first birthday to our own Rosa Jane! A letter will follow later today...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Library organized!
This weekend the kids and I did a really fun project! We reorganized the library. First we watched some videos online about how to organize a library for children. The video got Mateo in particular very excited and more than willing to help out! Then, we went to DollarTree and bought tons of bins to organize the books into. Mateo got to choose the bin colors. Natalia was in charge of the little stickers that we put on each book to label them.
With the color coding and the stickers, even Natalia can put all of the books away in the correct spot. The labels are facing out (just like stores put cereal facing out, not by the spine) to make the books more attractive. The whole project didn't take too long and left me feeling quite accomplished!
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| The green sticker is for all of the board books - both on the bin and on the top of each book. The yellow sticker with the letter C in it is for each of the chapter books. |
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The library books obviously don't have any home stickers, just the library bar code. |
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Spanish is just a yellow sticker and Disney is a pink sticker with the letter D written on the sticker. |
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| Here is one of our shelves. The large books go on the sides and most of the books out of the bins are parent books. |
With the color coding and the stickers, even Natalia can put all of the books away in the correct spot. The labels are facing out (just like stores put cereal facing out, not by the spine) to make the books more attractive. The whole project didn't take too long and left me feeling quite accomplished!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Or not
As it turns out, I should have avoided writing about Rosie not putting things in her mouth anymore. Almost as soon as I did, things started coming OUT of her mouth. As in, vomit. Yes, she had her very first stomach virus last night. That was one milestone we had hoped would never come. She came into bed with us in the middle of the night and was nursing when she suddenly started puking, all over Sacha. Poor Sacha even got tagged in the face, which was seriously gross.
Of course, gross had nothing on the sadness of a sick baby. Luckily, although she had several episodes in the night, she woke up just fine in the morning. Whew! I spent the rest of the day expecting some or all of the rest of us to go down in quick succession, but (knock on wood) everyone appears to be fine. I just hope we didn't pass it on to Apa, who came over and cooked Sunday dinner last night. Sacha just told me that the normal incubation for a stomach virus is 48 hours, so we may not be out of the woods yet...
I am about to segue to talking about food, which is rather awkward, considering what I was just writing about, so I will insert a cute baby photo here as a transition:
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So, Apa made the MOST DELICIOUS dinner last night. It was absolutely amazing - a Thai massaman curry from scratch. It had fresh Thai basil, anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and lots of yummy coconut milk, plus peanuts, chicken, and potatoes. It was so good that I would have licked the bowl, if there had been anything left to lick. It was a tour de force.
It also caused us to reminisce about some of Apa's other greatest hits, such as his Christmas dinner feast and lots of other great dinners. We are so lucky to have him in many, many ways, and his cooking is a wonderful added bonus. Thanks, Apa! Here's the dinner in process and then looking all beautiful and cozy in its bowl.
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Of course, gross had nothing on the sadness of a sick baby. Luckily, although she had several episodes in the night, she woke up just fine in the morning. Whew! I spent the rest of the day expecting some or all of the rest of us to go down in quick succession, but (knock on wood) everyone appears to be fine. I just hope we didn't pass it on to Apa, who came over and cooked Sunday dinner last night. Sacha just told me that the normal incubation for a stomach virus is 48 hours, so we may not be out of the woods yet...
I am about to segue to talking about food, which is rather awkward, considering what I was just writing about, so I will insert a cute baby photo here as a transition:
.jpg)
So, Apa made the MOST DELICIOUS dinner last night. It was absolutely amazing - a Thai massaman curry from scratch. It had fresh Thai basil, anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and lots of yummy coconut milk, plus peanuts, chicken, and potatoes. It was so good that I would have licked the bowl, if there had been anything left to lick. It was a tour de force.
It also caused us to reminisce about some of Apa's other greatest hits, such as his Christmas dinner feast and lots of other great dinners. We are so lucky to have him in many, many ways, and his cooking is a wonderful added bonus. Thanks, Apa! Here's the dinner in process and then looking all beautiful and cozy in its bowl.
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
And, exhale
We have been on alert for months because Rosie has been putting things in her mouth that don't belong there. By things, I mean everything. And, before you say that all kids stuff things in their mouths, let me point out that we have three of them and that Rosie's oral fixation is a bit beyond typical.
We have been sweeping tiny objects out of her mouth by the score, for as long as she has been able to crawl and to pick something up. Having two older siblings with lots if toys with tiny pieces has exacerbated this. I can't stress enough how constant this cycle has been, a la "Rosie, what's in your mouth?" followed by a mouth sweep and frequently a bite from those sharp little teeth!
Anyway, it has slowed to a trickle, which is almost as good as stopping entirely! So exciting!
Right now, she is happily playing with a bunch of teeny tiny stickers that her siblings left behind, and not a one has been masticated. If this is one of the changes having a one-year-old will bring us, then her birthday can't come fast enough!
Here she is with her tiny, unsalivated stickers:
PS: I could just eat her up :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We have been sweeping tiny objects out of her mouth by the score, for as long as she has been able to crawl and to pick something up. Having two older siblings with lots if toys with tiny pieces has exacerbated this. I can't stress enough how constant this cycle has been, a la "Rosie, what's in your mouth?" followed by a mouth sweep and frequently a bite from those sharp little teeth!
Anyway, it has slowed to a trickle, which is almost as good as stopping entirely! So exciting!
Right now, she is happily playing with a bunch of teeny tiny stickers that her siblings left behind, and not a one has been masticated. If this is one of the changes having a one-year-old will bring us, then her birthday can't come fast enough!
Here she is with her tiny, unsalivated stickers:
PS: I could just eat her up :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Lunch date
I took this cute kid and his baby sister out to lunch today, and took this photo. I can't believe how big he is getting. Holding his hand while crossing the street is always a reality check, because his little hands aren't so little anymore. We had fun at lunch and he fell asleep in the car in the way home, just like old times!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, March 16, 2012
Settled
Things have been really good lately. In the past year, we've experienced a number of things that have made me, and Sacha, feel more and more settled - in a good way!
Almost a year ago, we had the birth of our third, and last, child. Later, we bought a new house, in which we can see ourselves for a long time. We found a great new preschool for next year for Natalia. We found out that Mateo is going to a great school next year. The only thing that's up in the air is Sacha's job for next year, as she's planning to look for a position closer to our new house.
All this is to say that it feels like everything is falling into place nicely, and it feels great.
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In other news, we went to an indoor playpark today after Sacha got out of school and spent most of our time playing in the baby area. There was another little girl there who was quite fixated on Rosa and spent most of her time carting her around from one place to another. This made Mateo and Natalia feel rather possessive of their baby, so Sacha had to do a lot of negotiating amongst potential baby-holders.
We were laughing because we would never have allowed things to get so rough and tumble with first or second children, but by this point, we knew enough to realize that Rosie was just fine. In fact, she was having a blast. She would come down the slide with the friendly little girl and just be smiling from ear to ear and laughing all the way down. It was pretty cute. It's good to lay off the helicoptering now and then :)
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Mateo and Natalia have been playing together really well lately. There have been times on our more unstructured days that I have been able to have them upstairs just playing together, while I've worked on stuff downstairs. Both of them normally like to be with one of us at all times, so to have them be upstairs and getting along? Fabulous.
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We have a nice weekend coming up. Happy Friday!
Almost a year ago, we had the birth of our third, and last, child. Later, we bought a new house, in which we can see ourselves for a long time. We found a great new preschool for next year for Natalia. We found out that Mateo is going to a great school next year. The only thing that's up in the air is Sacha's job for next year, as she's planning to look for a position closer to our new house.
All this is to say that it feels like everything is falling into place nicely, and it feels great.
***************************
In other news, we went to an indoor playpark today after Sacha got out of school and spent most of our time playing in the baby area. There was another little girl there who was quite fixated on Rosa and spent most of her time carting her around from one place to another. This made Mateo and Natalia feel rather possessive of their baby, so Sacha had to do a lot of negotiating amongst potential baby-holders.
We were laughing because we would never have allowed things to get so rough and tumble with first or second children, but by this point, we knew enough to realize that Rosie was just fine. In fact, she was having a blast. She would come down the slide with the friendly little girl and just be smiling from ear to ear and laughing all the way down. It was pretty cute. It's good to lay off the helicoptering now and then :)
*****************************
Mateo and Natalia have been playing together really well lately. There have been times on our more unstructured days that I have been able to have them upstairs just playing together, while I've worked on stuff downstairs. Both of them normally like to be with one of us at all times, so to have them be upstairs and getting along? Fabulous.
*****************************
We have a nice weekend coming up. Happy Friday!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
San Diego
We had a perfectly lovely trip. It was sunny and warm the whole time we were there, which was fabulous and bright! So much sun! It was a good problem to have. We got to spend lots of time with my parents, lots of time as a family, and had just the right blend of structured and unstructured time.
We went to the zoo as our major excursion, and then spent a lot of time hanging out at the hotel, which was right on the beach. We played in the sand, got a bit sunburned, played in the pool, and ate lots of good food. We also got to learn quite a bit while we were there, as we were all attending an event put on by the Carter Center, which does an impressive amount of humanitarian work all over the world.
We also got to see some good friends and their kids while we were there, which was a lot of fun. We spent time with them at a park on the little island we were staying on and all the kids played together really well. It was so much fun to see them together. Later, the adults went out for pizza and beer while the five kids stayed with one babysitter! They had a big pajama/movie party and were running around like banshees when we got back. Fun stuff.
On another good note, we found out on Friday that Mateo got in at the private school we applied for. It's the same school my mom and two uncles went to as young people and we are all very excited that our family will get to be a part of it, too!
Really, it was a great, great weekend. It actually felt like a vacation, which is saying something! Here's a big thank you to my parents for taking us on such a fun trip. We didn't want to leave, but real life was calling. We got home this evening with some very tired children as our traveling companions. They are all salted away and we are probably not going to be up much longer, ourselves. Good night!
Photos to follow, from my phone :)
We went to the zoo as our major excursion, and then spent a lot of time hanging out at the hotel, which was right on the beach. We played in the sand, got a bit sunburned, played in the pool, and ate lots of good food. We also got to learn quite a bit while we were there, as we were all attending an event put on by the Carter Center, which does an impressive amount of humanitarian work all over the world.
We also got to see some good friends and their kids while we were there, which was a lot of fun. We spent time with them at a park on the little island we were staying on and all the kids played together really well. It was so much fun to see them together. Later, the adults went out for pizza and beer while the five kids stayed with one babysitter! They had a big pajama/movie party and were running around like banshees when we got back. Fun stuff.
On another good note, we found out on Friday that Mateo got in at the private school we applied for. It's the same school my mom and two uncles went to as young people and we are all very excited that our family will get to be a part of it, too!
Really, it was a great, great weekend. It actually felt like a vacation, which is saying something! Here's a big thank you to my parents for taking us on such a fun trip. We didn't want to leave, but real life was calling. We got home this evening with some very tired children as our traveling companions. They are all salted away and we are probably not going to be up much longer, ourselves. Good night!
Photos to follow, from my phone :)
Monday, March 5, 2012
Tabula rasa
It seems to have been a few days since I last blogged. There's no reason for this, other than the consuming nature of having small children and the desire to do nothing at all that sets in after they go to bed. In fact, this morning, the kids and I spent several hours watching the young son of some good friends, giving me four children for a span of time. It actually went fine, even well, which was pleasantly surprising. Now, to lobby Sacha for another child...not! I can see the divorce papers being written up even now :)
Anyway, I wanted to write briefly about a blank slate in our lives: our yard! When we bought our old house we fortunately/unfortunately inherited a beautiful garden. In fact, it was so beautiful and abundant that it was almost too much - too many plants in a small space, tons of work, and nowhere for us to create something out of our own heads. It was great in many ways and we enjoyed the carefully chosen plants throughout the year, and throughout the years.
At our new house, we have the fortune of having an almost completely blank slate. There is next to no landscaping anywhere, except for a few plants and bushes here and there. We also have a deceptively big yard and what feels like all the room in the world to do what we want with it. I mention this now because yesterday was finally a nice enough day that we could do some work out there!
We started small, with one bed that's right under the window of the master bedroom. I did most of the grunt work, including pulling up huge amounts of thick black cloth that the previous owners had spread everywhere, and Sacha went to the garden store to buy plants and seeds and such. What did the kids do, you ask? They did what any self-respecting kids would do: they made as much mud as possible and then stomped in it. They had a great time. We have a huge amount of work to do before the garden is the refuge and play space that we imagine it to be, but we will get there.
In the meantime, the rain has returned and taken the nice weather away. Lucky us, we get to escape it for a few days, as we're heading to southern California for a long weekend vacation with my parents. More when we return!
Anyway, I wanted to write briefly about a blank slate in our lives: our yard! When we bought our old house we fortunately/unfortunately inherited a beautiful garden. In fact, it was so beautiful and abundant that it was almost too much - too many plants in a small space, tons of work, and nowhere for us to create something out of our own heads. It was great in many ways and we enjoyed the carefully chosen plants throughout the year, and throughout the years.
At our new house, we have the fortune of having an almost completely blank slate. There is next to no landscaping anywhere, except for a few plants and bushes here and there. We also have a deceptively big yard and what feels like all the room in the world to do what we want with it. I mention this now because yesterday was finally a nice enough day that we could do some work out there!
We started small, with one bed that's right under the window of the master bedroom. I did most of the grunt work, including pulling up huge amounts of thick black cloth that the previous owners had spread everywhere, and Sacha went to the garden store to buy plants and seeds and such. What did the kids do, you ask? They did what any self-respecting kids would do: they made as much mud as possible and then stomped in it. They had a great time. We have a huge amount of work to do before the garden is the refuge and play space that we imagine it to be, but we will get there.
In the meantime, the rain has returned and taken the nice weather away. Lucky us, we get to escape it for a few days, as we're heading to southern California for a long weekend vacation with my parents. More when we return!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Floating and relaxation
Between teaching and being the mom of three young children, I feel like my body and mind are always going. I am thinking about what we are going to do this afternoon, what I will teach my students. I'm running after Rosie who just put a grape in her mouth.
I am "on" when I am teaching, and when I get home from school I am "on" again with the kids. Alayna is amazing about letting me take a nap sometimes, but this is just the nature of life at this stage. And it is wonderful. I wouldn't trade this for anything else.
At the same time, sometimes I need a total rest and break. Sometimes I've gotten massages. I really enjoy going to the chiropractor. Now I have a new favorite activity: Floating. (I went to a place called The Float Shoppe, which I highly recommend if you live near Portland.)
Never heard of it? Well, I hadn't either about 1 month ago. On a date night, Alayna and I picked up this alternative weekly newspaper and the front article happened to be on this thing called floating. The basic gist is you go into a room that is completely pitch black and get into very salty water which causes you to float. The water is at the same temperature as your skin and the air, so you eventually relax and loose track of where you start and end physically.
What a relaxing, amazing experience. I really can't describe it. Some people say that it has a spiritually component for them. For me, though, I was able to let go of all of the tension I hold in my neck and back and just relax. My mind was busy for the first 60 minutes of my float, and then towards the end, I just was able to breathe, relax and be at peace.
After the float, I felt energized and ready to be with the kids. I was full of ideas for how to connect with more teachers at school, recommitted to eating healthy and physically relaxed. What more could you want?
I am "on" when I am teaching, and when I get home from school I am "on" again with the kids. Alayna is amazing about letting me take a nap sometimes, but this is just the nature of life at this stage. And it is wonderful. I wouldn't trade this for anything else.
At the same time, sometimes I need a total rest and break. Sometimes I've gotten massages. I really enjoy going to the chiropractor. Now I have a new favorite activity: Floating. (I went to a place called The Float Shoppe, which I highly recommend if you live near Portland.)
Never heard of it? Well, I hadn't either about 1 month ago. On a date night, Alayna and I picked up this alternative weekly newspaper and the front article happened to be on this thing called floating. The basic gist is you go into a room that is completely pitch black and get into very salty water which causes you to float. The water is at the same temperature as your skin and the air, so you eventually relax and loose track of where you start and end physically.
What a relaxing, amazing experience. I really can't describe it. Some people say that it has a spiritually component for them. For me, though, I was able to let go of all of the tension I hold in my neck and back and just relax. My mind was busy for the first 60 minutes of my float, and then towards the end, I just was able to breathe, relax and be at peace.
After the float, I felt energized and ready to be with the kids. I was full of ideas for how to connect with more teachers at school, recommitted to eating healthy and physically relaxed. What more could you want?
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