Snow Again!

Considering that I have a bad case of spring fever and that last week's 55 degree, sunny and beautiful weather added to it, I was not too thrilled about the snow on the ground this morning. Dylan however was ecstatic and couldn't wait to get out there to play in it. We ventured over to the park where he took full advantage of the fresh blanket of snow and loved how fast he could go down the slides since they were so snowy and slick. (See the video below that I took before my camera battery died).

I'm hoping it's all melted by the end of the day and that spring is on its way SOON!

A Week of Firsts

This week was my first week not working full-time since the beginning of the school year and while it feels a bit strange not getting ready for work every morning I think I like it! It was so great to be able to 1) spend more time with Dylan 2) catch up on things around the house 3) get my lazy butt to the gym and 4) have a few playdates with friends and enjoy the gorgeous weather.

On Wednesday I took Dylan to his first dentist visit. While it was not "fit" free experience once we got past the initial cleaning he actually made quite a good impression on the dentist and was quite pleased with himself when he came home with a bag full of stickers, toys and a new Lightning McQueen toothbrush. I on the other hand was pleased to find out that he inherited Kevin's genes in the tooth/bite department. Maybe he will be spared the years of orthodontia that I went through....and we'll be spared the cost!

And finally on Friday Dylan had his first sucessful poop in the toilet. While he's been doing fantastic with his potty training we still had this feat to overcome. Thanks to some added fiber to his diet this week he finally earned his big Buzz Lightyear that we have been bribing him with for weeks. He was awfully proud of himself and I am hoping this will signal an end to diaper changing for good. Now it's time to have another one- Ha!

Day with the Demings

After leaving Portland on Sunday morning we headed to my brother Paul's house in Vancouver to spend some time with his family. Luckily the morning rain stopped and the sun managed to make its way out and it ended up being a beautiful day. Dylan loved playing outside on their swingset and on all the outdoor play equipment- he especially liked the pedal go-cart although he required pushing to make it go. Later in the afternoon we ventured out for a walk/bike ride with the kids to the shores of the Columbia river. Dylan and Brian were quite the pair throwing fistfulls of rocks and dirt into the river.
After a delicious dinner and dessert to top it off we headed back home. Dylan was asleep after 10 minutes and went straight to bed when we arrived home- too much playtime!

Visiting the Bakers

On Saturday we got up and headed south to visit the Baker family and meet little Elliott Jane. I have been dying to get down there since Marcy gave birth on January 16th, but this was the first weekend that it worked out for us to visit. We got to their place around noon and I just couldn't wait to hold the baby girl. Right away she gave me a couple big grins-- and of course melted my heart. Elliott has the cutest facial expressions.....she definitely was studying my face when I held her and even furrowed her brows at me a few times. I think she is going to give her parents a run for their money someday!

It was so wonderful to spend some quality time with Marcy and just hang out. During the late afternoon we decided to get out of the house for a bit and went to McMenamins for a drink and appetizers and then we headed back to their place for dinner. I had to laugh when it was about 10 o'clock and all of us were ready to hit the sack....parenthood has definitely changed us!

I'm so thankful that Marcy and Jake live closer now and we can go through parenthood together!

Valentines Day-- Elementary Style

Today I celebrated Valentine's Day at school with my little third grade class that I have had the privilege to spend the last 10 weeks with as their long-term sub. Today was not only our Valentine celebration but also my last day as their teacher since their classroom teacher will be returning next week. Having been out of the classroom for the last 4 years working as a math specialist I kind of forgot what Valentine's Day means to these kids.....to sum it up I'll use the following words: pure anticipation, excitement, and sugar induced craziness. All I can say is thank God it was on a Friday and I don't have to face them tomorrow.

Every year at my school the teachers get together to compare "treasures" that our students bring us. For several years the chocolate shaped roses and silk roses from the dollar store have been popular with the kiddos but there is always a few things that really stand out and are fun to giggle about. One teacher friend today said she got an empty swiffer box filled with all sorts of trinkets from one of her fourth graders including rub on tattoos, McDonalds toys and beads. Another friend actually had a student hand her something wrapped up in a greasy paper towel, when she asked the student what it was she said "It's a chicken bone for your dog." Interesting huh? I didn't get anything quite so entertaining but I did get lots of chocolate and a Starbucks card- a winner in my book! While the gifts may not be things we necessary want or need they definitely come from the heart and for these kids (whom many don't have very much) they surely mean the world to us.

I decided to document my "loot" and also share the poster my kids made me in honor of my last day with them. I wish I could post our group shot with their precious little faces but it's probably not the best idea to put that out on the www. I'm ready to relax and enjoy a glass of wine now!

Lazy Days

We spent a low-key weekend at home. Lately the weekends have been an excuse to stay home, catch up on much needed chores (like the week's worth of laundry that needed folding) and get some R&R. I'm happy to report that this is my last week working full-time and while it's a little scary to think that I won't be earning a full-time income, I am going to be so thankful to have some more flexibility in my schedule. I have lots of ideas for supplementing the income....I just need time to work on them!


I had to take a little video of Dylan playing one of the guitars that he received for Christmas. The other night after dinner he handed one to Kevin and said "Wanna rock out Dad?" We thought it was hysterical. I was trying to get him to say it in the video, but just like a typical kid he wouldn't perform. Notice his little dance moves while he pretends to play.....I have no idea where he got them. I might have to teach him some better ones if he is going to be a rockstar someday.

Here's the rugrat while out to dinner Saturday night. He's such a big boy eating his slice of pizza.

Also he's now graduated out of pull-ups at public places and has done great!

Under the weather weekend

As a parent I can honestly say there is nothing worse than having a sick child. The three of us have all been fighting a bug of some sorts over the past week but Dylan had it much worse than Kevin and I, and ended up spending Saturday evening throwing up anything that went down. I think we changed his clothes 5 times and gave him 3 baths in a 12 hour span. At 4:30 this morning he woke up telling me how hungry he was but I was too afraid to let him eat anything since he hadn't even been able to keep down water during the night. Fortunately after a lot of down time and a long nap he perked up a bit and was able to enjoy playing with Uncle Mike & Auntie Robyn while they visited during the Superbowl.
I think we've made it through the worst of it and he is sleeping soundly- hopefully for the rest of the night because we are exhausted! Here's hoping next weekend will bring a little more fun and a lot less puking!