First Adventure of Spring

Saturday was the first day of Ben taking a whole week of vacation from work. We were planning to meet Ben’s parents in Hood River after naptime to drop the kids off for THREE NIGHTS, so we wanted to do something special in the morning as a family.

The boys LOVE trains and always spot the max train as we are driving along the freeway, so we have been wanting them to actually ride on it. And what a better place to ride it to than the Portland Saturday Market? Ben and I had never done that, so it was a new adventure for all of us.

Our first stop was at the zoo to check out the old steam engine train on display (we always drive past it but never get to see and touch it up close!) It was actually pretty cool. My favorite part was when Seth and Sam saw the big logs, they starting retelling the Richard Scarry story about trees, “Then the logs will “float down the river, then get jammed, then go the chipper.” They are learning so much so quickly!

Sam in orange, Seth in blue (check out the cool hats Aunt Kristi made them!)

Seth and Sam seemed to really enjoy the max. The route from our house to downtown is perfect because there are some spots that max goes really fast, two tunnels, and then a slower downtown section. It’s been a couple years since I have rode the max, and I had forgotten the diversity of people that ride (sometimes we are so sheltered here in our suburban home!). I love exposing the boys to lots of different kinds of people, and explaining to them that God made them all. The market was fun, busy and loud. We didn’t linger and look at many shops, but instead headed to food court, bought pizza for the kids, BBQ ribs for Ben and Persian cuisine for me. It was all great. We sat by the fountains and ate while we people watched. The boys scored some cool crowns from a couple guys promoting Liberty taxes and sported those the rest of the day. The outing ended with messy sweet potato cupcakes on the max ride home. 

By the time we got home, we were all exhausted, but happy from the adventure. The boys’ favorite thing was “the max when it went fast.”

After a quick nap, we packed up our car and headed for Hood River to drop the boys off for three nights. Yep, three nights of quiet, good sleep, and freedom! We said our goodbyes to Seth and Sam and then drove up to Timberline Lodge for dinner. I had never been to a ski hill, and the weather was beautiful making the views fantastic. Check out our dinner view:

 

The snow drift in this next one may seem pretty normal—unless you knew that we’re on the 3rd floor of the lodge! It was amazing how much snow there was! (check out the icicle on the top left corner of the picture.)

We stopped at a viewpoint in Sandy on the way home (because we could and didn’t need to worry about bedtime) and got this picture:

We came home to peace and quiet and rest for the next couple of days. It was our first time at home without the boys since they were born. We really didn’t do much at all; we stayed in our sweats, slept in, Ben watched a ton of basketball, and I scrapbooked 8 pages (I’m caught up to summer of 2007, ha ha). We walked to Subway on whim (because we could and didn’t have to be home for naptime). We went on another dinner date to PF Changs and spent some time with friends. It was really wonderful. Seth and Sam did fantastic on their “sleepover at the grandparents house.” It’s really nice to know that we can do that more often! The next couple of days we are returning the favor and watching Caleb and Levi for Ben’s parents so that they can have a break too. It’s a pretty good deal if you ask me!

Snow

Sadly, this was the first time the boys got to play in the snow this year. After their wimpyness splashing in rain puddles the past couple of weeks, I wasn’t anticipating a long play session…but they actually did pretty good. Sam was very intent on “we get to eat it?” And Seth managed to dump a big pile of mud on the deck, because he was trying to fill his bucket with snow (hopefully not to eat it; although the dirt streak on his cheek would indicate that there was some mud eating). After they played, I made them snowshakes (recipe here from friend Mindi’s blog) and we watched a bit of the new show on Discovery channel called “Frozen Planet.” I thought that was a very wintery thing to do.

Sadly, this was the BEST out of 5 pictures of the boys. They are horrible at this posing thing!

Sam finally got to eat his snow.

Seth and his mudpile. Note the mud streak on his face. And one can imagine how dirty his gloves are at this point.

March Madness!

I know it may be surprising to everyone, but March Madness is a big deal in our household. Opening night we all had our brackets filled out, and the boys were dressed and ready to play their own basketball games. I got some great pictures of Seth and Sam and their game:

Our brackets all on the fridge.

Seth, Sam (photo 1); Sam, Seth (photo 2)

Seth was really into pulling his shorts up while running around the “court”, thus making for some really funny and dorky pictures.

Seth with his shorts up, Sam running with his tongue out (just like I did as a kid!)

I know I’m biased, but can you believe Sam’s jump shot form in these two pictures? Seriously? A two year old with perfect jump shot follow through!

Seth going in for the dunk as Sam runs laps around the court.

Spring Into Good Times

When the boys were babies, I stressed out about the clock changing and how it would mess up their schedule. But now that they’re older, I didn’t have a second thought about Spring Forward. Apparently I should have, because the boys woke up crazy, cranky, whiney, and naughty. I don’t know how many times during the day Ben and I looked at one another quizzically and asked, “Are we on the funny farm?”

Thankfully, our week didn’t continue that way. It was actually quite wonderful. My perspective is always a bit different on life after a week of sickness: it’s nice to have life back to normal. We had a fabulous night on Tuesday: we went out to eat at Red Robin (the boys were so excited for their favorite: pizza and fries, and we were just happy they were eating again after a week of strep throat!) and then we got frozen yogurt, letting the boys pick out their own toppings. Little things like that are so fun as family. We capped off the night with the boys playing football in the living room and then each of us filling out our own March Madness brackets to put on the fridge. Simple, but special. Traditions in the making.

Here’s our week in photos:We wore a lot of hats: Sam  We smiled and laughed a lot: SethWe wore mom and dads shoes: Sam Seth, asking for a hug from Sam (mom’s idea)Neither boy willing to walk for a hug Finally I bribed them for this picture

  

New development: Seth starting holding a pen the “right” way—without us showing him how to do it. I wonder if he’ll be an artist!

Tuesday’s art project: bunny rabbits using cotton balls.

Sam: the basket around his neck is actually serving as a dust mask for his sawing (pretending to be like daddy). I’m not sure what purpose the cowboy hat is serving.

This is Wesley, the sweet boy that I watch a couple days a week. We have so much fun with him!

Wesley LOVES splashing in puddles and probably would do it all day. My boys, on the other hand, were total wimps about it. I caught one of their few actual splashes in this picture, they then proceeded to complain about it being cold and their pants being wet.

It is not easy to capture three kids on film. Especially when my boys were as cranky and uncooperative as their faces illustrate. (Sam, Wesley, Seth)Take two: no luck. Alas.

Ahh…Spring!

Today my heart is singing a song of praise to the Lord for the hope of Spring.

Ben and I dread the winters here in the Pacific Northwest to be quite honest. They are wet, dark and dreary, with little hope of snow days. It got even worse when we decided to have children. Winter of 2009 I was pregnant and throwing up constantly. Winter of 2010 the boys got their first flu, constant ear infections and were horrible sleepers (oh and we passed that flu along to our family, who were throwing up on Christmas Day). Winter of 2011 we renovated our bathroom in the midst of the boys having sinus infections, ear infections, and you guessed it, being horrible sleepers. But, we faired much better this winter than usual in the Morris household; for some reason one bout of the flu, bronchitis, a major cold, and a kitchen renovation didn’t seem that bad. Is it a perspective change? Or perhaps that the boys can finally sleep pretty good? Regardless, when Ben and I flipped the calendar to March, we were ecstatic—we made it through another winter!

Then we had this week. Let’s be honest, I’ve had much better weeks. While I was looking forward to a week of putting final touches on the kitchen project, instead I’ve been spending a lot of time dealing with sick boys, while being sick myself. After a couple of days of Sam having a bunch of odd symptoms (saying his mouth hurt, on-and-off again temp, rosy cheeks, nausea, cuddling way too much) I decided to take him in to the doctor, feeling like something was “off.” I’m so thankful for God-given motherly instincts, because sure enough, he has strep throat. According to the doctor, it’s highly contagious, so we were just waiting for Seth to get it. So begins my day today:

4:15: waking up groggy with my own cold, I hear Seth crying/coughing/moaning. I get him to the kitchen sink in time for him to throw up. Poor baby. He has strep. (who would have thought nausea would be a symptom of strep?) I’m too out-of-it to make a lucid decision, so have to ask for Ben’s opinion on what to give him/how to start antibiotics. We decide to wait until after breakfast, in hopes of getting some food in his tummy first. Thankfully he goes back to sleep.

7:45: force myself out of bed for some quiet devotion time before the kids get up.

7:50: Sam decides mom doesn’t need that time, he’s up. I give him books in his bed in hopes of that quiet time.

7:55: Seth wakes up moaning again. Ugh. I’m sick, tired, and no quiet time.

8-9: cuddle with boys who both obviously don’t feel well. Neither do I.

9:00: leave a message for Seth’s dr. in hopes of getting antibiotics over the phone for him without an appointment.

9:05: call my dr. in hopes of an afternoon appointment for me, so that Ben can watch the kids. The only appointment open is for 9:30. Great.

9:15: by a miracle, we are all on the way to my dr. Both boys are not happy. Seth’s only eaten half a banana and I’m hoping that’s enough food to get the antibiotics (which are in my pocket) to stay in his tummy.

9:30: of course, now, the boys’ dr. finally calls me back asking questions about his condition. I quickly try to answer, but not quick enough. My name is called. The nurse gives me a dirty look for being on my phone as I drag two 2 year olds into my appointment: just what every doctor’s office wants. Luckily they are so cute stomping down the hallway in their rain boots that she gives a little smile as I hang up and explain to her my situation.

But in all this, today it was easy to be thankful. We made it through the doctor’s appointment, through Sam screaming that he didn’t want to poop on the toilet at the doctor’s office, through multiple bouts of diarrhea as a side effect from the antibiotics (all in the toilet!), through fevers, and another throw-up, and lots of tears.

We made it through because of the hope of Spring. Sun shined down on our pale faces as we lounged on a blanket listening to the birds sing. The boys were trying to imitate their songs. Every room had a window opened, filling my home with the sweet aroma of fresh air. In the midst of walking around inspecting all my plants and seeing various sprouts popping up through the soil, I even got the lawn mowed and the trees sprayed. I felt my mind and body awaken in anticipation of the growing season.

God did a fantastic job in creating the seasons. He knew just what He was doing, and the hope that it instills in humans. Thank you God for the hope of Spring. Sammy is just as excited about spring as I am :) Check out the socks (Seth’s even pointing at them for me!), and the necklace…silly boys  Sammy (again) sporting the two hat look. They’ve been really into drawing this week and even drew their first stick figures (with our guidance)

Spring means fire-pit season—Ben’s favorite nightly activity. They had a “guys night” by the fire tonight.

Update: 2.75

I’ve been ruminating this post in my head for a while, but have been held back by one thing: kitchen renovation. It has completely consumed our life these past few weeks (actually months, but who’s counting). But today I’m breathing a sigh of relief and refusing to do anything kitchen—because we’re almost done! (Who am I kidding? I started this post over a week ago, and am just now finishing it!) Countertop is finished, painting 90% finished, and backsplash is 90% finished. We LOVE it, but truth be told, I’m totally burnt out on house construction and ready for it to be over. I’m tired of using every spare moment to work on the kitchen, thus causing all my other chores to back up. Not to mention the extra chores that the renovation has caused like the layer of sawdust the covers every inch of our house, or the extra laundry from our work clothes or rags, or the scrubbing of the carpet from all the stains created. All that said, however, I can’t wait to completely finish and post pictures of the renovation—because it’s gorgeous!

Now to the real reason of the post: my boys growing up. How can it be that Seth and Sam are 3 months away from their third birthday? They are so grown up now. Here’s what those little twins of mine are up to these days: (the picture below is of them in their fort eating popcorn: Seth, Sam)

-Pretending, pretending, and more pretending. They will spend hours on an elaborate imaginative trip with their stuffed animals, backpacks packed (with blocks for clothes), going to the couch (the car), driving to various places (usually Dufur or Lakeview), to do various things (usually a football or basketball game). When I asked them how long they would be gone, Sam replied, “Four days,” while Seth, “Two weeks.”

-One of their favorite things to pretend is playing music. Our wooden train tracks are guitars or drumsticks, while their aircraft carriers are the drums (yes, this makes a loud noise). Their pegs are trumpets. My favorite song they’ve made up is one in which they belt out, “I don’t want to sing, I don’t want to sing…”

-Basketball is still huge in the house, with the addition of fouling each other—HARD. Like plowing each other over. I made the rule they can only do that when Ben is watching as the ref. They also play defense with their arms out and shuffle their feet while squatting down…pretty good form actually. And they fall down on purpose lots. Because apparently that’s what they’ve picked up from watching uncle Caleb’s games: fouls, defense, and falling down.

-We’re entering into the questions phase (thankfully not “why” yet, but other questions). I feel like I hear, “What’s dat mama?” and “What you doin?” a million times a day. They want to know what every sound is and where it comes from. They always want to know where I am and what I’m doing. They want to know how everything works. It’s cute, and good—but also very mentally exhausting for me.

-They know almost every letter in the alphabet. They can spell and recognize both their names. They can also spell “mom,” “dad,” “stop,” and “go.” They want to know what all our family member’s names start with, and have almost all those memorized. They love to learn and are very curious.

-They completely get themselves dressed each morning.

-They love doing art projects, coloring, cooking with mama, playing trains, doing puzzles, wrestling with daddy, taking baths and most of all, playing outside. They are very earnest in all they do.

-Word of the month: college. Not sure where they got it from? Maybe college basketball? They use it in very funny ways, but never correctly. “This is my college house.” “The ball is college.” Hum…

-In general, they get along pretty good. However, they have entered into quite a selfish stage. When one boy says, “I want to play with ____,” I’ll see the other run to try to get to it first. If one is wearing a certain shirt, the other one wants it. I spend a lot of my day saying, “Don’t covet what your brother’s playing with.” “Why don’t you ask for a turn in five minutes?” and most of all: “Stop being so selfish.”

Sam:

• Lots of funny expressions and voices. 
• Likes to mimic and tease.
• Laughs a lot and thrives on touches and attention. 
• When he’s happy, he’s very happy. When he’s sad, he’s very sad.
• Tends to be a bit of a liar (can you say that about your kids?). Yep, he will lie, exaggerate, etc.
• More social than Seth; usually plays with people of any age and has lots of friends.
• Doozy comments of the month: when asked what he wanted for his birthday present (and after Seth had replied, “A basketball"), Sam told us that he wanted “his present to be bigger than Seth’s.” Are you kidding me? Ben and I’s jaws dropped, and we stumbled to tell him to not say selfish things like that and to want good things for his brother too. Second comment: as Seth was stressing out trying to find something, Sam told him, “Don’t worry about it. It’s in the drawer.”

Seth:

• This month we discovered Seth has been struggling with acid reflux; we are not sure for how long and are wondering if some of his sleep problems have been attributed to it. He’s been on medicine for a couple weeks now and is doing better.
• Has been struggling with what I call a “countenance problem.” In kid language: a poopy attitude…just being whiny and discontented. In hindsight, we believe that this may be attributed to his tummy hurting a lot. It seems to be getting better with the medicine.
• Loves to cuddle, especially with his mama!
• Is a potty training champ, and hasn’t had an accident in over a month. The great part about it is that he does it all on his own without me having to remind him.
• Is a “door nazi,” i.e. always wants to be the only one opening and shutting the door. It drives me crazy.
• Doozy comments of the month: when he was sad that Ben was going to a Blazer game without him, and I told him that we’d take him to a game soon, Seth seriously said, “Yeah, when I become a man.” And on the same night, as he was pretending to play guitar, he told me, “I the big (meaning biggest) guitar player in the world.” Where do they get these ideas?