Adventure is out there!

Most Saturdays we get out for an adventure. This is usually because Ben, who needs to be an explorer in another life, sits in front of a computer all week at work and goes stir-crazy. And then he comes home on Friday night and says, with a wiry look in his eyes, "What should we do tomorrow?".

I typically don't protest because I have noted how his sanity increases in direct correlation with the amount of time he spends outside, but this Friday night was different. We had wanted to go to the coast for weeks, but then I looked at the weather. It was going to be a high of 50, 100% chance of precipitation with 35 mph winds. Not really ideal beach weather, so we decided to do hang out at home instead. But then Ben said, "Let's go anyway!" and before I knew it we were inviting friends, packing gear, and readying for a wet, wet day at the coast.

We had to stop at our favorite pitstop in Elsie, Oregon- Camp 18. Our friends the Scharmanns, who we had invited, had never been. It's a big lodge that sells cinnamon rolls the size of your face. Outside they have all sorts of old train cars and logging equipment. We love it and the kids love it. Win-win.

Big as yo' face

Nayeli with the Scharmann boys- Devon & Elijah

Touring the outdoor museum. That's the lodge in the background.

It was raining quite a bit (note our hoods and umbrellas in the above picture) but we decided to continue our trek west to the coast. Our first stop was Ecola State Park, another one of our favorite destinations. There is a beautiful area that looks out over Cannon Beach. It's a must see.

Can't you just see the motion of the wind in this picture? It was pretty intense and I almost lost my hat.

Group photo! I love this picture. It was cold, windy and wet but we were just having a great time.

We then drove down to Cannon Beach- it's the one with the iconic Haystack Rock. We have a secret parking spot there and everything, but of course we didn't have to compete with anyone for parking on this day. In fact, we were the only ones crazy enough to be out on the beach.

The wind was really intense and if you wanted to get a picture with the iconic rock in the background you had to face right into it. It practically blew water right up your nostrils it was so strong. The poor kids. Luckily they calmed down when we put our backs against it.

We'd brought all kinds of toys for the kids to play with, but all Nayeli would say is "I want to go home!".

We could not stop laughing. I kept thinking, "We are nuts!" Our poor friends probably thought we were too but they were really good sports and laughed along with us.

Post-drench. Teddy is so happy all the time- unless he has rain and 35 mph winds blowing into face of course.

Please note the raindrop dripping from my nose in this photo. We were soaked!

After about 10 minutes on the beach we decided to call it a day (although Ben went back to look for cool pieces of driftwood while I got the kids settled). We got into dry clothes, ate our packed lunches, and headed out. It may have been crazy to go, but it was probably one of our most fun memories we've ever made. Besides, sometimes you just have to go because... adventure is out there, you know? :)

"June"uary

The two Januarys that we've been here in Oregon have had some pretty decent weather, which is why the month is sometimes called "June"uary. Some days you can even go to the park in just a jacket. But of course there's also the rain... and since it's rained pretty much every day this week and I'm pretty sick of it, I thought I'd post some pictures of lovely days at the park.

This picture was taken on New Year's Day. I put Teddy down for a nap then Nayeli and I went to run some errands. Fifteen minutes into my trip Ben texted me saying, "He woke up, so we went hiking!" Leave it to Ben :)

This was one day when we went to Goodwill and then as we walked out of the store Nayeli begged to go to the park.We weren't dressed super warm, and it was only 42 degrees, but that didn't stop us from a little swinging. Being outside is just good for the soul.

Another day that wasn't super warm but we all needed to get out of the house so we bundled the kids up, put them in the double stroller and walked down to the Willamette River dock by our house. And of course we had to stop by the swing.

On the days when it was chilly we played a little dress-up. Nayeli is OBSESSED with pink right now. Some days she will refuse to wear something if it isn't pink. 

Like I said, pink everywhere.

Poor Ben. If he happens to fall asleep while we're playing dress up he might end up with a tiara.

As I mentioned in my birthday post, Ben went out of town for a week in the middle of January. It was definitely not an easy week and I might have had some "monster mom" moments, so I was so happy when Ben came home. Not all the moments were bad though. Here were a few fun times while he was gone:

Nayeli and Teddy are starting to play together at times. It is so fun to see.

Our friends happened to be out of town while Ben was gone so we went and played with their cat every other day or so. Nayeli loved it and is still asking for a kitty.

We have church at 9am and Nayeli is not an early riser (just like me). I sent Ben this picture Sunday morning with the caption, "Do you want to be the one to tell this girl she has to be ready for church in 20 minutes?" I am proud to say though that we were on time. Major accomplishment, people.

She requested pigtails for the first time while Ben was gone so I sent him this picture. They are really cute, but I prefer her hair down and wild. And it saves me from having to do it which is a major bonus.

We didn't eat out the whole time Ben was gone until the very last night when I took the kids to Wendy's. I let Teddy try his first french fries- he might have eaten a whole box. This kid can eat.

One of our favorite parks, the "volcano" park (as we call it) will soon be remodeled with the volcano being torn down. That's why we've been trying to get in as many visits as possible. This was the day after Ben got home. The kids were so excited to have him back. Teddy snuggled on his shoulders much of the afternoon.

My wonderful kiddos

My 30th Birthday

This year I turned the big 3-0. As my birthday was approaching I kept thinking of that Deana Carter song "Strawberry Wine" that says, "I still remember when thirty was old..." and that's exactly how I felt. But then the day arrived and there was nothing I could do about it except celebrate. So celebrate I did.

Every year for the past three years Ben has been gone on my birthday because it is typically when the knife industry goes to a big show in Las Vegas. Fortunately, this year the show was  later so Ben was able to fly out on the day of my birthday. Then he could at least be there in the morning, which I was excited about.

We celebrated the night before by going out to eat. Ben surprised me by getting a babysitter all lined up then taking me to a steakhouse in Portland called Ringside. He had received a substantial gift card for Christmas from work and so we thought we might be able to eat there a few times... that is until we saw the menu. It was the most expensive meal we have had in a long time and we had a ball. We ordered fun drinks, got the most delicious onion rings, I got a $60 steak while Ben ordered fried chicken and then we ordered creme brulee for dessert. The food was divine (the steak melted in my mouth) and worth every penny. In the end (once the gift card was applied) we only paid $35 for one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten. It was great and what we would have paid had we gone anywhere else anyway.

Creme brulee for dessert

The morning of my birthday Ben woke up early with Nayeli and they decorated the front door and living room with balloons. She had so much fun wrapping gifts and being a part of it all. She's getting to be such a fun age.

Nayeli picked out the pink balloons, of course.

Cute little Teddy

Ben gave me a rose, a target gift card, and a doughnut making pan that I've been wanting to get forever. He also wrote me a list of "30 reasons why I love you". It was really sweet. There was also the promise of making me a hand painted sign of a saying I love- more on that later.

We then loaded up the car to take Ben to his coworker's house so they could drive to the airport. We dropped him off and I looked at the clock. It was only 10am. I thought, "There's no way I'm going to go sit at home with my kids on my birthday." So it was off to Target we went. I spent the gift card Ben gave me on various items, the most notable being a box of hair dye.

We arrived at home in time for lunch. My birthday wish was that we all would get a good nap, but it seemed unlikely since the kids often play what I like to call "musical naps" in the afternoon. That means that while Teddy is asleep Nayeli is awake and then by the time I get Nayeli to sleep Teddy is awake. However the fates must have heard my plea because we all got amazing naps. Best birthday gift ever. After waking I then had two friends bring by flowers which made me feel really special.

I let Nayeli take my picture on my birthday. She did a decent job!

In the evening I had arranged for a babysitter to watch the kids while I went shopping by myself. I went to Joann's fabrics to pick up a few materials, then bought a hot chocolate at Starbucks and perused the aisles at Goodwill. I was in heaven.

I arrived home by bedtime and put the kids to sleep. They went to bed easily and I had the whole evening to myself. I began by putting that  box of hair dye to good use. Call it a mid-life crisis, but I needed a change, and a box of hair dye was an inexpensive way to do that. I had dyed my own and my mother's hair multiple times before, so I just slathered it on thick and... voila!

Before and after. The left is my natural hair color.

In the picture it doesn't look too bad but it turned out a lot more strawberry-blonde than I wanted. Oh well! What was I expecting from an $8 box of hair dye, right? I texted Ben the above picture and he only responded "Oh boy...". I knew he secretly liked it :)

I was then wide awake and on a roll so I decided to cut all the squares for a t-shirt quilt I have been wanting to make for years. It's a compilation of Ben's and my shirts, mostly from college and our missions but also from when we were dating and after we married. Each shirt has a memory and a story associated with it and I was so excited to finally begin the project. I ended up going to sleep about 1 am.

I have pieced it all- I just need to tie and bind it now. I'm so excited for it to be done!

So that was my birthday! It was such a great day and although I missed Ben I had so much fun. I really feel so happy with my life to this point- I have made great friends, traveled abroad, graduated from college, served a mission, married the man of my dreams, had two beautiful children, and I feel like the best is yet to come. Here's to another 30 years!

Teddy at 9 months

At the end of January Teddy turned 9 months. I can't believe how the time has flown, except that every time I look in the mirror I can see the growing bags under my eyes that have appeared since his birth. Teddy is the sweetest, most wonderful little boy and has brought us all a lot of joy, but he is an awful sleeper. I'll get into that later. For now, here are a few facts about Teddy:

- He is crawling and can pull himself up on furniture. He used to only army crawl which was really cute.
- He weighs 18 pounds but has only gained four pounds since his two month appointment. He's in about the 50% for weight now.
- He gulps as he eats and was extremely difficult to burp as a baby. He can now burp himself except when he is nursed to sleep- then I still have to burp him before I lay him down.
- He will eat almost anything. He's getting really good at eating finger food and prefers them to baby food.
- He has six teeth: two on bottom and four on top. He has earned the nickname "Jack-o-lantern smile" from the family who sits behind us at church. He was really into biting while nursing for awhile but we kicked him of that habit quickly.
- He is the most intense and alert baby you could ever imagine. He is constantly moving and taking in the world around him. This may contribute to why he is a bad sleeper? Who knows.
- He loves to give big slobbery kisses.
- He has learned to clap and can sign "more" when eating.
- He loves to get into everything. With Nayeli I never had to put locks on my cabinets but as soon as Teddy was crawling it became a necessity.
 - He LOVES hair. He often pulls and tries to suck on mine. He made me want to cut a pixie cut for awhile, although I'm glad he didn't because he is now more gentle with it and will play with it while he is nursing.  

What else? Here are a few photos to illustrate other things about Teddy:

He loves to be outside.

He is learning the natural consequences of having an older sister, like having to dress in pink sometimes. It's a good thing he's a natural- note the hand placement here.

He loves to put his sticky hands in his hair after eating.

He loves to mooch food from Nayeli.

He also loves to pull her hair. It's caused more than a few tears in our home.

He's discovering our apartment and I now have to keep certain doors closed.

He loves Ben.

As for his sleeping, things are getting better but it has not been an easy road. For the first six months of his life, Teddy woke every 2-3 hours at night. That's not an exaggeration. I did EVERYTHING I could think of, but little changed. Finally, at about six months, I had a heart to heart with Heavenly Father and told him I couldn't do it anymore. I needed the problem to be taken away or strength beyond my own.

Like the loving father that he is, he gave me both things. After my prayer and a blessing from Ben, for the first time since his birth Teddy slept through the entire night. He didn't do it the following night, but it was enough. I felt Heavenly Father was sending me a message. I heard him telling me, "I'm here. You're not alone". Sometimes it is really difficult to be away from family because if I lived closer I could drop the kids off after a bad night with the baby. That's why it was a welcome reassurance to feel that I wasn't alone. I felt him strengthening me and making me feel that I could do it.

I haven't told a lot of people about Teddy's sleep problems because I got tired of the advice. Initially I poured over baby sleep books, highlighting text and dog-earing pages. I talked to mom after mom about their experiences. I created pages and pages of sleep plans titled, "How to help Teddy sleep better". I read article after article on the internet and then... I just felt so stinking confused! I felt everyone was telling me, "If you would just do this..." but I felt I tried everything I was comfortable with doing and nothing got better! Essentially, no one else was living what I was living and no one else could figure out what needed to be done but me. I finally had a moment that the Spirit said to me, "Your kids are your kids. They are not her kids, or their kids, they are your kids. You must be the one to decide what is right for your child". And then I stopped stressing about what I could be doing and just did my best. Soon, things got better. Not perfect, but better.

Most nights he wakes only once, although every once in awhile he's up four times a night. A lot depends on illness, teething, temperature, etc. But this last week was the first time he slept through the night TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW! We're making progress people. We're making progress. Besides, he really is such a sweet boy and I love him so much. He was meant to come to our family.

The Last of 2014

Our 2014 ended wonderfully. Here are a few photos from December:

I laid Teddy down for a nap one day then went to run errands with Nayeli. Ben sent me this picture 15 minutes later with the caption, "He woke up, so we went hiking!" I couldn't help but smile. He'll jump at any chance to take the kids outside. He's awesome.

One Saturday in the month my friend Dennine invited me to go to a glass-fusing class with her in Portland. We were the least artsy-fartsy people there, but we had a great time. We made a platter (left), small bowl (bottom right), 6 necklace pendants (middle top), and I made a Christmas ornament (top right). It was the first thing organized activity I've done on my own in a long time and it was really liberating. I loved it.

Before being put into the kiln

The class was all morning, so Ben took the kids to the Tualatin River bird refuge. They all had a great time, even though they didn't see a ton of birds.

Nayeli has had an obsession with binoculars ever since Ben showed her some. She even has her own play set that she takes on "adventures".

Bird refuge buddies

Teddy's first time sitting in the front of the cart. Nayeli was thrilled, he was... maybe not so thrilled :)

When we set up the Christmas tree, we put it up on a end table so that I wouldn't have Teddy eating all the needles. That didn't stop him one day from finding a low strand of Christmas lights.

 

He was so proud of himself

 

This is about the moment I dropped the camera and intervened

Nayeli and Teddy are finally starting to play together. Sometimes it goes okay, but Teddy is still very little and Nayeli has the patience of a two-year-old. You can see how that might get interesting. Then there are moments like this, when they laugh together as they play. It melts my heart.

As for New Year's, we have learned since we got married that we are not really party people. We like to go to bed at 10pm instead of hitting up a late night get-together.

New Year's Eve

This picture is a perfect representation of a typical night at our home. We clean up dinner, and then play with the kids in the living room. In this case it was airplane in pajama pants. One of my favorites :)