Happy 5th Birthday Adelaide!

Today is Adelaide's 5th birthday, only she doesn't know it.  Her birthday party is going to be Friday, and I tried to explain to her that her real birthday and party were on two separate days but that conversation never ended well. We eventually gave up and have been claiming that Friday is the 18th and her real birthday.

Adelaide is the cutest and sweetest girl you could ask for and I feel so lucky to be her mom, although sometimes the way she explains life to me makes me feel like she is my mom.  She is consistently instructing myself and those around her how to do things effectively and knows what she wants.  I'm grateful she was born in a time when women are encouraged to follow their dreams, because she has many and I can't wait to see what she does with her life.  She often repeats that she "can be whatever she wants" and I hope she never loses that confidence and motivation.

This last year she has grown up so much and is so creative, smart and kind.  She loves to do crafts: painting, coloring, decorating with stickers, making jewelry, creating forts and playing with chalk.  She likes us to dictate how to spell out things; her latest masterpiece was a letter to the baby that said, "I love duh baby."  Adelaide enjoys dressing up (and dressing up others- see Grandpa's earrings below...), dancing, riding her bike or scooter to the park, counting money, swimming, going to the beach, camping, shopping at the farmers market, visiting the temple,  holding babies, spending time with family, being crazy with Maverick, going to church, tea parties, fairyland, the boardwalk, having playdates with friends, doing "homework," finding snails, making new friends at the gym kids club, getting mail, princess stories, watching movies, picking flowers, wearing fake tattoos, making muffins and donuts, picking produce from our garden, engaging in deep conversation, changing her outfit multiple times a day, collecting rocks and flowers, and listening to stories.  She still hates when the sun gets in her eyes and cannot be trusted with scissors (she cut off her and Maverick's hair earlier this year but is rocking the short hair look). She is so full of life and makes everyday an adventure. I honestly cannot believe she is five already, it seems like yesterday that we were celebrating her first birthday!

I've enjoyed sharing some childhood past times with Adelaide.. she has my old bitty baby that she often plays with, some polly pockets that I got suckered into buying once I spotted them on e-bay, the pretty pretty princess and hi-ho cherrio games, iron on bead shapes, barbies, and I'm sure there is more I just can't think of right now.  I'm glad there are so many classic toys out there that keep on giving.  It is so fun for me to have a little girl to do all the fun girly things with, I loved throwing her birthday party last year and am excited for this Friday's "Frozen" movie night in the park with a few of her friends and family.  She has been excited to tell us exactly what she wants (nail painting, crown making, fake tattoos, etc.)

Happy Birthday to my little miss Adelaide. I can't wait to celebrate you this Friday. Here are some fun pics of you from this past year that make me smile. xoxo.

Dear Baby Boy

I am so excited that you are almost here! Your "due date" is August 27th (just two weeks away!) but who knows when you will actually come.  On the one hand I am so excited to meet you and see what you look like and see what your disposition is, but on the other, I have a lot of things to get done before you arrive (buy diapers, make your bed, wash your clothes, buy my birth supplies, etc).   I was going to get all of that done this past weekend but I caught a cold and then your dad went to a youth camp so I haven't had a chance yet.

This pregnancy has probably been my hardest due to life circumstances (which still hasn't been too bad, I'm a lucky one in pregnancy). I got in a car accident with your aunt Jessica that resulted in some minor physical injuries like lots of headaches and some post traumatic stress and depression afterwards.  We moved (which is always a little stressful!) from a cute condo that one of Adelaide's friends called our "treehouse" to a great four bedroom house with a little yard for you and the kids to run around in.  Someone I consider to be a friend, Kate Kelly, has been excommunicated for following her heart and trying to make our church a more equal place for women, leaving me feeling quite discouraged about our church.  Some friends and family have "unfriended" me for sharing my views and my heart and I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. There have been a few other things that have been hard for me during this pregnancy that I don't want to write about now, but I just want you to know that when I've been feeling down I try to instead think of you, and the thought of you always makes me feel happy and at peace.  To borrow imagery from Maya Angelou, you have been a rainbow to me on my cloudy days.

There has also been a lot of happiness during your pregnancy.  I planted my first real garden (and it is doing awesome!) Maverick is mostly potty-trained (it is nice to have a little break from poopy diapers before you get here). Aunt Jessica, aunt Meg and Mimi Michelle threw me an adorable baby shower in your honor where you were gifted the most adorable clothes, blankets and everyone helped to make you an alphabet block set.  It was so nice to spend a night with so many women that I love and look up to. I have been growing my food blog, and having a great time cooking new meals for our family.  I found an amazing midwife, Judy, to help bring you into the world.  We went camping in Yosemite.  We took lots of trips to the beach and the boardwalk.  Aunt Meg and Benj brought a baby cousin into the world, Vera, and I was honored to be able to be there for her birth.  Aunt Jessica moved in with us.  I had a ten year graduation anniversary trip with some of my best girlfriends to Redondo beach.  I have fallen in love with yoga and swimming.  Adelaide was in her first dance recital.  Maverick has begun really talking and by the sound of it will never stop. We have taken some day trips to places like Fairyland, San Francisco and Monterey. You dad has been helping me make the house the way we want it as nesting has kicked in and we have a nightly ritual of watching Seinfeld or Suits before bed.  I get a little intense during pregnancy and your dad seems to always know how to help me chill out and smile.

So, as you can see, your pregnancy has been a time of ups and downs, that is just life I guess.  Through it all I have often thought of the lyrics to the song "I Get to be the One" by JJ Heller and I just can't express how excited I am to be your mom:

Well hello,
Little baby.
Your eyes have never seen the sun
You should know
Little baby
That I am the lucky one

I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one.

Don't feel alone now,Little baby.
Do you hear me singing you a song
I can't wait to show you
Little baby
How to crawl
How to walk
And how to run

I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one.

How does someone so small
Hold my heart so tightly
I don't even know you 
I love you completely

I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one to hold your hand
I get to be the one.
Through birthdays and broken bones
I'll be there to watch you grow
I get to be the one.

This was on Mother's Day. I love being a mom to Mav and Adelaide and can't wait to be yours too. 

I love you completely. XOXO

Mommy Daughter Date

Adelaide and I went on a little date together earlier this year and had the best time shopping at the mall, eating frozen yogurt and picking out candy.  Adelaide's just about the cutest girl ever and I feel lucky to be her mom.

Happy Thanksgiving

As I reflect on my blessings I am especially grateful for my beautiful family and feel a little sad that I have not been better about documenting our adventures here on the blog for safe keeping.  I just unloaded a couple thousand pictures from my iphone and my goal is to transfer some of them to this blog before the new year, and be better about blogging our adventures in 2014.

Grateful for these three and frozen yogurt of course

Zoorific Day

People close to me know that I'm not a fan of zoos for a variety of reasons, but I sucked it up and took my kids this week with our friend Emily and her three cute kids.  It actually turned out to be really fun (for us at least... I'm not so sure the captive animals living in small spaces while squishy faces observed them all day would agree).

Maverick really liked the tortoises and bears.  Maverick would take a while to visually locate the animals but you could always tell once he did because he would start pointing or waving at the animal... it was precious.  Maverick was pretty hurt when he was barred due to his height from riding all the rides outside the park besides the carousel and train- he wants to do everything his big sister does.

When I asked Adelaide what animals she liked the best she said "the birds, the snakes and the monkeys... all of them!"  Adelaide also loved playing in the little animal statue fixtures throughout the zoo and the train and rides right outside. She did NOT like visiting the goat barn! She put on her diva face the whole time we were hanging out with them and kept yelling "Let's go... these stink.  It smells so bad, it hurts my nose!" Of course there was a little bit of stomping her feet to go with it.  

Emily is a great photographer and she sent me some cute pictures from the day:

Happy Birthday to Me!

Now I am 27, Happy Birthday to me! Today was a great day... I woke up to my sweet little family singing me happy birthday in bed, during Adelaide's preschool Maverick and I did some damage at Anthropologie, after preschool the kids and I met up with Rick downtown and we went for a walk and had a picnic, after work Rick brought home some ice cream sandwiches for dessert and the night is still young!

Adelaide learned how to take pictures on my new phone today

Ice Cream Sandwiches are the best!

Can this sexy man fit 27 candles on this mini dessert?

Success!

Nothing better than having little helpers to blow out your candles.

This past year has been pretty awesome. Here are some things I have {re}learned while 26:

Listening is almost always better than talking

Tea parties are lovely

Organizing saves time in the long run

Eating on patios with twinkle lights is the best

Fear of judgment is powerful yet pointless

Judging others is a waste of time

Having phone reception is important 

Doubt can be a gift

Faith is a choice

Natural deodorant doesn't work

Forgiveness is powerful

I can make it a whole year without seeing my sister

Good friends love you unconditionally

I want to go back to school

It is near impossible to control children; teaching, encouragement and positive reinforcement is the way to go with my kids.

Community is important

I am privileged in many ways and want to give back to the world

I'd rather be filled with wonder than anger

Homemade ice cream is so much better than store bought (even Ben & Jerry's!)

Coconut oil is like magic... so many uses

I can do hard things

I'm married to a seriously wonderful person

My children are capable of learning and teaching amazing things

Here's to another great year of life. 

Dust if you Must

I came across this poem today and I love it! 

Dust if you must.

But wouldn't it be better,

To paint a picture, or write a letter,

Bake a cake, or plant a seed?

Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must.

But there is not much time

With rivers to swim and mountains to climb!

Music to hear, and books to read,

Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must.

But the world's out there

With the sun in your eyes, 

the wind in your hair,

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come round again.

Dust if you must.

But bear in mind,

Old age will come and it's not kind.

And when you go, and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust.

-Rose Milligan

Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in making sure my house is tidy, the laundry is all clean, the dishes are all done, and any number of important but not-so-important things.  This poem is a great reminder for me to find a better balance in my life of both chores and enjoyment.  The house will never be completely clean, the laundry will never be totally done and there will always be more dishes... but my kids will only be kids for so long and the sun will only be shining for so many hours. 

Mav's Words at 18 months

Maverick is mostly a grunter but he does treat us with some words every once in a while now that he is 18 months old.

Here is most of Mav's current vocabulary:

Ball (one of his very favorites!)

Ta-Da (after something impressive)

Bird (usually accompanied by his pointing towards the birds on our patio) 

Adelaide (more like Ah-duh)

Mama 

Dada

Uh-Oh (After he drops something or spills)

Wow (he is full of wonder, so we hear this often)

More (Usually for milk or food)

Belly Button (sounds more like boo-ah-bah)

Ear (sounds like eeeh)

I'm sure there are more, but these are the words I can remember right now.  I feel like he doesn't have as much motivation as Adelaide did to learn to talk because he has an older sibling to take care of him and his grunting and pointing usually work pretty effectively.

Oversized Orange Swing

I have really been slacking on posting family pictures and events on this blog... and the longer I go the more discouraged I get that I won't be able to catch up.  I consider this blog my family journal & scrapbook all rolled into one since I'm not good at either of those things typically.  Inistead of worrying about catching up (which I may or may not end up doing in the future) I'm starting fresh and hope to document more of our family adventures and thoughts here regularly.

Starting now.  Thanks Louie for inspiring me :)

Today we headed to San Ramon Central Park to meet up with some friends.  Adelaide and Maverick got pretty wet and had fun playing in the water but mostly they just wanted to be pushed in this oversized swing.  I'm not sure what the deal is with this swing... is it for obese children? or handicapped kids? or adults? It is pretty big.  Anyways, the kids absolutely loved it and would have stayed all day if I let them.  I got too hot though...

I love these kids.

Chalking

I love that Adelaide and Maverick have started playing together; it is so cute to watch them interact. The other day they were coloring with chalk so nicely together on their patio that I was able to take a few photos.  These moments are precious to me ♥

Adelaide is a Child of God

Last night Adelaide was singing her favorite song, "I am a Child of God" and here it is.

I love this girl.

For Lent

"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all"
-Thumper

For Lent this year I am giving up negativity.  I will redirect any thoughts or statements that lack positive or constructive features and could be described as unpleasant, disagreeable, gloomy, pessimistic, unfavorable, detrimental, hostile, disparaging or malicious (thank you online dictionary).  I'm excited to take the next forty days to focus on positivity and to devote more time to spiritual study and prayer.  In my religion we fast one day each month from food or drink but since I have been either pregnant or nursing for literally the last four years I have not really been able to participate fully and am excited to have Lent as an opportunity to show my devotion to God and renew my spirit.  I attended a Lent service last night at an Episcopalian church and it was really quite beautiful. I realize I'm not an overly negative person but I can be very critical at times (usually to the people  I love and the societal institutions I belong to) and am excited to give those thoughts away. As I practice mindfulness and positivity I will especially remember the great examples of goodness and optimism I've had in my life- my great grandpa Dahlin and my grandpa Walton, among others.

My grandpa was too busy doing good things in his life, like riding his bicycle, to invite any negativity into it.  

Grandpa & Dad

Here is a totally unrelated picture of Adelaide eating olives the classy way.  I was too slow to snap a picture of an olive on each finger, but 3 out of 5 is pretty good in my book.

Berkeley & Santa Cruz Weekend Adventures

Life has been busy lately and I have not been good at documenting our adventures.  We have been having the best weekends lately, making it a priority to get out of the house and do something fun.  

Last weekend we went to Berkeley and checked out their farmer's market, the flea market (it was a little scary but I bought an awesome basket from Ghana so it was worth it), downtown, and Tilden Park (we hoped to take the kids on the carousel but sadly it is closed until February).  

This weekend we headed over to Santa Cruz where it was a beautiful 70 degrees. Rick surfed and the waves were pretty big.  He had some close calls but thankfully made it out alive.  I had the best time hanging with Mav and Adelaide while Rick surfed... we built a sand castle (more like I built many sand castles while they enjoyed destroying them), Maverick ate a ridiculous amount of sand, and we sang lots of happy songs.  Maverick didn't really take notice of the ocean for the first half hour, but once he did he went crazy for it. He kept running as fast as he could straight for the ocean.  I held his hands while the huge waves broke on shore and he got soaked.  It was cold but he LOVED it.  Whenever I tried to bring him back towards our towels he cried with the saddest little face.  I think he will be a surfer like his Daddy.  It's a good thing Adelaide is currently afraid of the waves because if they both loved the water like Maverick I could never stand a chance watching them on my own!

Cable Car in SF & Other Traditions

I love Christmas traditions! Some of my favorites are definitely chopping down a tree the day after Christmas, making sugar cookies and delivering them to neighbors, chocolate advent calendars, driving around to look at lit-up homes, sneaking through Christmas-in-the-park in LG and going up to San Francisco to ride the trolly with friends and family.  Those are the classics that I grew up doing.  I am also trying to think of new traditions for my own family, the only two new ones I've thought of are an advent calendar with toys inside for my kids and I'm going to attempt to sew our pajamas this year for the Christmas eve pajama box.... if it goes well it might become a permanent thing :)

Last night we enjoyed a night in SF with friends and family.  We rode the trolly, lost and retrieved Maverick's shoe (Way to go Rick! Glad you weren't decapitated by that ambulance), sang Christmas carols, and ate too much ice cream at Ghirardeli's.  Thanks Mom and Dad for watching our kids pretty much the whole time... it almost felt like Rick and I were on a date :)

I made a 25 square boxes out of scrapbook paper (Thanks Mom for teaching me this skill when I was like five years old) and filled them with goodies for my kids to open each day until Christmas.  Adelaide and Maverick love it.

My mom, Adelaide and I made Christmas cookies over the weekend.  They were delicious and so fun decorate, even if we did go a little overboard on the amount of frosting :) Adelaide was napping (a small Christmas miracle) when we finally broke out the camera, but she is represented by the handprint on my mom's shirt.  Adelaide noticed some leftover sprinkles when she woke up from her nap and kept asking if she could have some of the "cupcake salt." She also refers to coconut milk lately as "polka-dot" milk.  Kids are too funny.

  Do you have any awesome Christmas traditions that I should be aware of while I'm brainstorming our family's? Please share!

Sibling Love!

I love watching these two little ones build their relationship.  They laugh, cry, eat, play, read, explore and even sleep near each other and they are just the cutest. 

Happy Birthday Mav!

 Happy Birthday Mav! I can't believe it was one year ago that you came into the world.  I was getting so frustrated waiting for you to be born but you were totally worth the {long} wait.  You were such a beautiful baby and you are turning into the sweetest little boy.

Even though I was really tired after your birth I would still stay up sometimes and just stare at you while you slept... such a perfect & handsome little guy.

I've heard fathers and daughters have a special bond but now I know mothers and sons have something really special too ♥

You have always been pretty easy going and have gone with our family wherever our adventures have taken us: road trips, moving homes twice, multiple camping trips, the park, the boardwalk, bike rides, and the beach.  I sometimes forget important things on our outings but you don't seem to mind that we improvise.... I often end up putting Adelaide's hat on you, letting you drink out of Adelaide's sippy cups and walking around with you on my hip when I forget your stroller.

You are just a baby in this picture and obviously didn't know any better... but no giving the bird in pictures now that you are one!

You and your big sis Adelaide have so much fun together and I love watching the two of you. At first I was constantly trying to protect you from her since she would push you down, steal your toys or give you really tight hugs.  But now you can usually handle yourself.  You two are always giggling together and playing games that no one else can understand.  I have a feeling you two will be good friends.

Now that Adelaide knows how to take pictures on my phone camera I find cute candid shots like this of you.

You are always trying to climb on things-- up the slides at the park, up stairs, onto our couch, and on and off our bed.  You somehow always wiggle your way out of safety belts and end up {momentarily} standing in your high chair and sometimes even in shopping carts.

You are so strong! Rick childproofed this cabinet but after a few shakes you broke the entire cabinet off its hinges! It is near impossible to change your diaper, you wiggle around and I can't hold you down.

You love to walk around and often head in the opposite direction that we are trying to go.  You learned to walk during your tenth month which I wasn't quite prepared for! You prefer to walk around without shoes and take them off every chance you get.  Lucky for me you haven't quite mastered taking off your socks yet.

You love going to the park and running around, sitting on the teeter totter with your sister and going on the swings. 

You LOVE blackberries! We pick them during the summer and you grunt like a little monkey until we feed you one, then after you finish it you grunt some more until you get another. And on and on it goes.   You can eat a whole basket full all by yourself when I let you.  You are a pretty good eater in general and eat most foods but you especially love fruits and butternut squash.  And you love apples... you eat the entire thing, even the core if I let you.

Sometimes when you are worn out you just lay on the floor and put your head down.  Only for a couple of seconds though, and then you pop back up and continue playing.

I have a feeling you will be a surfer like your daddy because you love water! I was worried you weren't going to because you went through a phase where you cried in the bath or shower, but you quickly moved on.  You splash around and don't seem to mind if the water is even a little cold.  You also lean down and try to drink any water you are around whether it is in an open dishwasher door, a pond or the bath.  You also love toilets (but you've never drinken that water) and if we aren't vigilant about keeping the door shut you get in their quick, lift the lid and start splashing your hands around.  It is pretty gross but also funny how much you love it.  It is so much easier to wash your face than it was to wash Adelaide's; she would always resist it but you embrace it and try to drink the rinsing water.  

We loved going to concerts in the park every Friday night during the summer. You would bounce up and down to the music and smile at everyone around. 

You have the blondest hair I've ever seen! Everywhere I go it seems like people stop us to comment on your blondness and tell us about their nephew or husband or son that also had really blonde hair.  

You loved your chocolate birthday cupcake.  You've never had anything like that before and you thought it was pretty great.  

Happy Birthday Maverick! I feel so blessed to be your mom and look forward to all the adventures ahead!