Still in a hurry

Eileen is now 19 almost 20 months old and is still trying to grow up as fast as possible.

As mentioned in a previous post, at 18 months Eileen not so subtly informed us that she would like to be potty trained.  I was less than enthusiastic and have been pretty lazy with it and have been using pull-ups.  About a week ago I put Eileen in underwear on a whim.  She wet herself and was so upset about it that she basically hasn't wet herself since and started telling us when she needed to go potty.  She even tells us when we are out in public or in the middle of crazy happenings.  Yesterday, she told us she need to poop for the first time (she usually informs us during it).  I really can't complain and appreciate her making it easy on me so far.

Potty trained? Check.

In other news, Eileen has started getting dangerously close to escaping her crib.  It's a little extra scary since the floor is hardwood.  Since the crib converts to a toddler bed, last night Dave took off the front rail.  We had Eileen and Linus swap beds since his toddler bed has a side rail.  For the first 45 minutes, Eileen kept saying she had to go the the bathroom and then tried to get more books to read.  Then there were tears.  Many many songs later she settled down. Two hours later, she was asleep. Tonight was better.  Only out of bed twice, one extra trip to the potty, and one hour later both kids were asleep.

Big girl bed? Check.

Eileen decided she no longer likes her rear facing car seat or being helped into the car for that matter.  She recently started insisting on getting in herself and then makes a beeline for the spare carseat in the back and proceeds to attempt to buckle herself.  The tantrum that ensues when we move her, complete with flailing body, is not fun.

Big girl carseat? Check.

Eileen impresses us every day with her vocabulary. She is now becoming quite the songstress.  I often catch Eileen off in a corner singing to herself--twinkle twinkle, rock a bye baby, ring around the rosy, etc.  Whenever I start to walk upstairs with her for nap, she immediately begins singing, "Goodnight Eileen." During our Whidbey Island drive, she sang along to Caspar Babypants.

Aspiring solo artist? Check.

Today while at the park Eileen said to Linus, "Hug?"  Then with her arms wrapped around Linus, gently patting him, she said for the very first time, "Love you."  She's never told Dave or I that she loved us.  I think it's so sweet her brother was the recipient.  It was a certified lovefest between the two of them the rest of the day.

Making declarations of love to an older boy? Check. Check.

It's odd to think how when Linus was this age I was so excited for him to grow up, to experience new things.  I wanted him to feel like a big boy so he wouldn't be upset when when the new baby came.  Now with Eileen, all I want is for her to slow down.  I want to savor those last remnants of babiness.

Weekend on Whidbey

Some parts of my childhood were quite idyllic.  My grandparents lived on the beach on Bainbridge Island.  The 4th of July celebrations of my childhood consisted of the island parade, afternoons of beach combing and exploring Fort Ward, hand cranking ice cream on the back porch, and building bonfires to roast marshmallows while we set off fireworks.  I miss those days on Bainbridge Island with every fiber of my being.

Luckily, I married into a family that has a monthly get together, and each summer one of those gathering takes place on the beach on Whidbey Island (my sister-in-law's husband's parents are gracious enough to open their home to our large brood).  I look forward to it every year as a chance to share something special with my children that I had as a child, a simpler version of summer.

Linus was excited for a day of adventure.

"I'm a tourist!"

 Knowing ferry traffic would be bad, Dave and I decided to drive all the way up to Deception Pass and have an adventure at Fort Casey before driving down to the south island for the gathering.  I always forget how beautiful Deception Pass is and am now making plans to take a camping trip there.

Linus liked the idea of the Fort Casey--guns, soldiers, armies, and battles.  I think he was a little disappointed that everything wasn't in working order.  I made sure to bring a headlamp to explore the long dark hallways and rooms.

Park Ranger Linus giving us a guided tour.

Lots of nooks and crannies for crawling into

We spent the afternoon on south Whidbey with the family.  By the time I got out of the car and into the house, Linus was already headed down to the beach to explore low tide.  Eileen and I hung out, watched swarms of blue herons, and relaxed in the hammock.

beachwear

Eileen adores her cousin Avery.  I think the feeling is mutual.

Ice cream on a hot sunny day.

We all swam at the pool. Eileen even swam with water wings unassisted! She was very proud of herself.  I was proud of myself for actually getting in the pool. After swimming, the men took the kids out rafting.  Linus told everyone, "My mom pukes on boats."  It's true, but needless to say, I wasn't invited.

On the way home that night I asked Linus what his favorite part of the day was and he said there were too many.  I agree.  My heart feels so much lighter having spent just an afternoon at the beach house.  I could have stared out at the water for hours.  Maybe someday we'll have our own family place on the Puget Sound.  Nothing big or fancy, it just needs to be right on the water with room to build a bonfire and set off fireworks. In the meantime, I remain grateful for the one special weekend every summer on Whidbey Island and am already looking forward to next year.

From the Mouths of Babes in June

Linus: Excuse me Mommy.  I don't like the paint on our car.
Me:  What color do you think it should be?
Linus: Red with lots of color. We'll call it the swagger wagon rainbow truck.

(farts in bathtub)
Linus: It's a message from mars!

Linus: You know how you get rid of a cold? Coughing.  But you can get rid of the pickups (hiccups)  by taking a bath or eating a pineapple.

Linus:  When I die on the cross again I'm not gonna wear my socks or pants or my shirt.  I'm just going to wear my underwear.

Eileen: a-b-c-d-h-i-j-k-p-q-r-v-y-z now I ABC next time sing me

(Linus picks at his food)
Me: Believe it or not, I only make you yummy food.
Linus: (sings)  Believe it or not I'm walking on air.  I never thought I could feel so free.  Flying away on a wing and a prayer.  Who could it be? Believe it or not, it's Linus!

Yes, that's correct.  My 3.5 year old knows all the words to the Greatest American Hero theme song.

Pioneer Woman

Linus and I went on a little date the other day.  We went to Great Harvest Bread Company for lunch (I was pretty sure they would have peanut butter and jelly, one of his favorite foods).  While there, we sampled some of the most yummy bread--asiago pesto and cinnamon chip.  The cinnamon chip bread was so mouth-watering good.  Linus suggested we make our own some time.  I agreed.

This morning I woke up to overcast and drizzle and thought it would be an ideal day to once again try my hand at bread making.  Reasons I don't make bread: it's time consuming, I hate dealing with floured surfaces, and I have no countertops.  I find the idea of fresh baked bread to be very romantic.  I want my kids to be able to think back on their lives and remember the scent of fresh baked bread wafting through the house, afternoon snacks of bread fresh from the oven.

I decided to consult Pioneer Woman.  This woman must have a personal trainer to counterbalance all the delicious, calorie laden food that she makes.  That or she also does chores the pioneer way, churning butter. scrubbing floors on her hands and knees, and so forth.  She does live on a ranch and homeschool her four children. So who knows?  She's one of those amazing people that make you feel completely inadequate.  But I digress.  Her recipes with step by step instructions and pictures are awesome.

Today Linus and I attempted her Homemade Cinnamon Bread. My original goal of having fresh bread from the oven when the kids woke up from nap was met with the reality that it takes a little over 5 hours to make.  Five and a half hours later, I pulled a dense loaf from the oven.  It was fully cooked, but I think it did not quite properly rise during one or both of the two hour rising periods (that's right, four separate hours of rising).  I was left to recall an episode of PBS Frontier House where two of the moms make cakes.  One is gorgeous and the other, not so much.  My bread falls into the latter. So much hope, so much promise, so much utter failure. Sigh.

Sometimes I wonder how I would fare in the event of a zombie apocalypse, or any civilization ending event.  I don't possess any carpentry/civil engineering skills, and apparently I can't even bake bread with modern appliances.  Things are not looking good.  I think tomorrow I will try something easier like cookies. 

Fêting the Father

I chose wisely when I chose Dave.  He is an amazing father--committed, loving, creative, fun, nurturing, stern when necessary.  I seriously could not have chosen better. Thus, it becomes important to properly fête the father of my children on Father's Day.


I woke up at 5:30 am to make breakfast.  Lemon brioche french toast, bacon, blueberries, and orange juice.  Linus helped pour the orange juice.  While breakfast cooked, I packed a picnic lunch, snacks, and a diaper bag.  The kids and my gift to Dave was Sounders tickets (to be used later).  Dave got to sleep in all the way until 7:30. Ooooh.


After breakfast, we loaded the kids and headed south to Northwest Trek.  I haven't been there since I was maybe 7 or 8 so I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I've gotta admit, it's pretty cool and worth the 1.5 hour drive.  I can't believe we don't go more often.  It wasn't super crowded which was nice.  I think the highlight of the trip for me was during the tram ride when we saw baby big horned sheep hopping around.

Sittin' on a fence, waiting for the tram.

This moose was only a few feet away when we drove by

Believe it or not, I do try to take pictures of Linus.  Unfortunately, he often has a strong aversion to having his photo taken (unless it's his idea).

Northwest Trek was great. I wish the trails and zipline had been open, but it just gives me a reason to go back.   The babies napped for two hours on the drive home (we added time to the drive so they would sleep longer).

Nothing says Father's Day like BBQ for dinner so we headed to our favorite joint, The Boars Nest.  Eileen ate until she had a food baby.  It took all the will power I had not to just keep eating.  Seriously.  Check this place out for cheap and amazing BBQ.   The sides are all pretty good (the mac and cheese balls are AMAZING), although the cornbread is nothing to write home about. We tried to leave a little room for dessert at Cupcake Royale.  Then it was off to home and early bedtime ( a gift that mommy and daddy can both enjoy).

Happy Father's Day Dave!

Goal: Summer of Adventure

It's been a very rainy June, but I am trying to stay optimistic about summer.  I think everyone agrees that summer goes by way too quickly.  Somehow by mid-May it seemed like all the weekends this summer were getting filled.  I don't know how people with much more active lives than us manage.

I have one very simple goal for this summer:  go on lots of adventures and have fun.  This week is the last week of preschool.  We just finished a season of Lil' kickers and I ended Eileen's Gymboree membership.  I have resisted all temptations to enroll the kids in summer activities.  Even though my kids thrive under structure, I want to enjoy flexibility this summer.  I don't want to look back and regret that I didn't spend more time enjoying everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer during the summer.  Linus and Eileen have plenty of time ahead to go to swimming lessons, sports camps, dance camp, circus camp, or whatever.

In true Charlotte fashion, I have compiled a list of activities--rainy day and sunny, near and far, free, cheap, or not too expensive.  I hope that we are able to do the bulk of them.  I'm trying to not let Eileen's potty training hold us back (she's doing pretty well in case you are wondering).  With a little bit of planning, I think we can definitely make a dent in the list.  I don't have any intention of going everywhere on the list, but if we do even ten of them, it will make for an awesome summer.

A few destinations include: Deception Pass, Kelsey Creek Farms, Owaijimaya, swimming, a museum or two (Museum of Flight, SAM are at the top of the list), Pt. Defiance Zoo, Fort Nisqually, dollar movies at Regal Cinemas, and Matthews Beach.  Maybe I can convince Dave to get extra adventurous and go to the Olympic Game Farm.

Yesterday we took advantage of the weather and walked to Woodland Park playground.  It's a little over a mile away but about 7 blocks of the trip are uphill.  It is quite the workout when pushing a double stroller as well as carrying another child on your back in an ergo.  It was a beautiful day at the park and we enjoyed a lovely picnic.

Later that afternoon, we trudged back up the hills of Phinney Ridge to go to the library, but not before stopping off at Bluebird Ice Cream.

I would say that summer is already off to a good start.  I invite anyone to come along on our summer adventures.  We've got lots of room in the swagger wagon and an extra carseat.

SH*T

If there is one thing that parenthood continually reminds you, it's don't make plans.  We have a busy summer ahead of us with my sister's wedding and a trip to San Diego.  As mentioned before, Eileen sometimes acts like she is in a hurry to be a big girl.  At 16 months she liked to play on the potty.  Yesterday at 18 months, she not so subtly informed me that she would like to be potty trained.  My reaction was, "Aww, sh*t."

Eileen is a woman who does not mince words.  Yesterday she noticed the potty book hanging around. She simply grabbed it, marched to the bathroom, and instructed me to remove her pants and diaper.  She then proceeded to do her business.  I was a  little stunned.  Later that day, we came home from our soccer game.  Eileen again grabbed the book and walked into the bathroom to do her thing.

This morning while getting dressed, I thought I might ask if she wanted to go potty.  Her response was: potty.  She sat and waited for me to read the potty book.  Success.  I went to put down the book, she got mad  and insisted I read it again.  I agreed and then she pooped and asked for a wipe.  I don't think she could have been any clearer about wanting to be potty trained.

I was unprepared for this development.  Today we went out and got her some panties and started the process.  It went okay.  She had three accidents, two of which were totally my fault, and stayed dry through nap.

I don't hate potty training.  It was a fairly straightforward process with Linus.  He potty trained at almost 21 months and had the basics down in a matter of days.  I just don't have the energy to potty train Eileen right now.  I don't want to have to hunker down in the house for several days, watch the clock for potty breaks every 30-45 minutes, and then stress about bathroom locations and how much time I have when we are out in public.  I don't want to clean up wet spots on the carpet.  I think my selfishness and lack of enthusiasm is due in part to the fact that I watch an additional child three days a week, an additional child who wants/needs my attention and energy (I love both kids that I watch, but three kids at a time is significantly more difficult than two).  The first time around, potty training seemed a little daunting and challenging, but I was excited.  This time it is overwhelming, stressful, and inconvenient.

I know I need to just suck it up and deal.  A potty training window has opened and I need to accept this.  Perhaps Eileen will let me off the hook and potty train herself.  Maybe these past two days have just been a total fluke and she will wake up tomorrow with no interest.  In the meantime all I can say, both literal and figuratively is, sh*t.