Highlights from our week

Today I took Max on a special outing, just the two of us. It had been a long time since he and I have gone out to do something just for fun. We went to see these two jugglers, Brothers from Different Mothers. They were great and I enjoyed their jokes. It was really sweet to watch Max's eyes light up with excitement as he watched the performance. After the show he picked out his first ever snack and juice from a vending machine and thought It was SO cool. We sat in the high school cafeteria eating our snacks and having a nice chat. It was a really special outing. Alicia and Loren came over for dinner tonight and the kids had such fun playing with them and staying up late. max sure loves his godparents.

Yesterday we trekked down to the aquarium where the kids enjoyed playing with replica octopus tentacles, trying on scuba gear (max walked in three different huge pairs!), touching starfish, and watching a scuba diver in a huge tank. On the way there Alice looked out the car window and said "taxi" for the first time. Earlier in the week she pointed to a picture of shawn and his dad and said her first sentence: "daddy in dat." So cute,

Thursday we met shawn for lunch at a Thai restaurant near his office and the kids behaved so well and ate a good lunch. As shawn so well put it, their restaurant behavior has really turned a corner.

Max has excelled at cooking this week, mixing up cornbread batter with no help from me, we baked a great cranberry orange bread during Alice's nap the other day and he has so delighted in eating bread he made. this morning he helped make pancakes, he is getting to be a big help in the kitchen.

Max is desiring more complicated projects, little activities we do each day while Alice naps. He used to be satisfied with a memory card game or a construction paper project, but now he wants to do more hands on projects. He loves creating and making things. So,I have started scouring a book of preschool activities shawn picked at the library. I think I will be making a trip to the craft store soon to pick up supplies. I also going to comb a few thrift stores in search of another set of tinker toys. He sure loves creating with those. I'm at a bit of a loss of what to do with my son who is no longer interested in playdoh, duplo legos, or reading with me during the day. I have started working with him on adding and counting numbers, it is so fun to see him grow.

Alice is thriving and gaining weight, the iron supplement we started her on a month ago has made such a huge difference, she is more cheerful, her coloring has vastly improved and and her appetite has more than tripled, we are overjoyed to see some babychub on her frame.

It's been a good week, I am finally feeling almost back to normal. I saw my naturopath on tuesday who thinks I caught the HIB virus just a few days after christmas. An ear infection is a common secondary infection from HiB. it is good to know finally what i have been sick with for over three weeks. Supplements and acupuncture are helping a lot. We have a fun week coming up. We are looking forward to friends coming over for dinner tomorrow night, Sara Egbert's fabulous nature school Monday morning, Max's swim lesson Tuesday night, and I can't remember all what else right now, but I'm so glad to be feeling better. shawn has been such a huge help, hooray for awesome, patient and generous husbands!

Counting blessings from Max and Alice

I'm continuing to feel better and get some energy back from what my doctor thinks is the nasty HIB virus. Thankfully kids these days are vaccinated for it! I. So thankful to have more energy to do projects and play with the kids. Yesterday I taught a little cooking class project to max and his friend colm. It was so fun to watch them put together a little filled pastry that they got to eat and enjoy. It has made me think of many things I love about max and Alice.

Spontaneous afternoon popcorn parties with Alice

Leisurely mornings with max and making him special eggs at 9am

Afternoon dance parties to random itunes mixes

Watching the two of them snuggle and max asking his sister for more hugs

Alice playing in the tub for ages

Max telling me "mom, you are the best maker of things"

How cuddly both of them are when they wake and that I get to soak it all up without hurrying on to get out the door.

Max constantly inventing fun games for us to play.

Looking out the window at garbage trucks with Alice.

Its made me realize that having your health really is everything, I am glad mine is returning even if this means no goat cheese or wheat for few weeks (my doctors advice so my ear can heal and not be bothered by these foods).

It is 11pm, I really should get to bed, alice has been waking early with new teeth coming in.

I love you, my little family (you too Shawn!)

Productivity!

Lately I've been feeling flustered that I can't seem to complete a project or even make a meal from start
to finish. This morning Shawn took the kids to the library and I finally moved everything out of our old storage
unit (it's only been a year!), took stuff to Goodwill, fixed Alice's scooter, put a new bin stacker in the kids room
for organizing toys, and pulled out infant toys and books for a friends baby shower later today. It felt so good to
get some things accomplished! I'm in a good mood today, yesterday and today my hearing has really improved. I'm
very relieved and thankful. I'm looking forward to an evening out tonight at my friends babyshower and seeing other girlfriends.
Tomorrow we are going out to my brothers house for dinner. Max is excited to go play with his cousins. My brother built his
kids a clubhouse, I'm sure Max will love it!

Alice is FINALLY down for her nap today and Max and I are about to try a chocolate soymilk icecream recipe from his Highlights magazine, you shake chocolate
milk, sugar and ice in a ziploc bag until it sets. Fun :)!

Slow progress

I went to see the doctor again today about my ear infection. Truthfully, I've still been feeling really run down and was wondering if those super strong antibiotics that are sapping my energy and tearing up my gut were working on my ear. They are. The infection is gone, but the damage, swelling and fluid remain. He thinks my hearing will return in a weeks time. If it doesnt I'm off to see a specialist. I just returned from a soothing acupuncture treatment which I hope will speed the healing. I miss being able to hear fully and I just want to feel like myself again.

Today I'm thankful shawn's company is offering a healthcare flexible spending account again this year, we are able to put aside tax free money to help defray our medical costs. We didn't do much today, went over to a friends house for a morning play date. Max especially had a good time, I love watching him with his friends. Here's to hoping I feel better soon and I am able to get out for some more fun activities with the kids.

Max, closing in on age 4

Max can't stop talking about how he's almost 4. He's already planning his birthday party, telling me that he wants to have it at Meridian Park again. Fine with me, a beautiful pesticide free park that I can use for free! I'll brag about his accomplishments for a minute: he's getting close to being fully potty trained and has been dry at night for at least a month. He's been very good about sharing and his manners rapidly improving with him saying "Thank you" and "You're welcome" during his imaginary play. He's enjoying playing with many new Christmas toys, including transformers and tinker toys.

He is really enjoying structured learning activities such as ABC cards, books about counting, finding hidden pictures in his Highlights magazines, and memory games. While I've been under the weather I've tried out some structured 20 minute activities with him and he's really taken to it. So, starting this week we are having 1 morning a week with some at home preschool lessons. I hope each week that a friend or two can join us to enhance the fun. Max has also told me that soon he'll need a "bigger kid" preschool as his school accepts children as young as 2. I'm hoping he can hold out though the fall as I would be delighted to have him and Alice attending the same school together!

Today I'm thankful for my hearing. I have a severe infection in my left ear. I'm on antibiotics, but I've lost most of my hearing in that ear. I hope it's only temporary, but there's a chance I may not regain all hearing. I'll know in about a month when the eardrum has fully healed. It's really made me appreciate what I CAN hear out of my right ear.

I'm also thankful that I am home with the kids. As hard as it is some days, I know in my heart this is where I'm happiest. While Alice took a much needed four hour nap, I had a delightful afternoon watching Transformers cartoons with Max, making tinkertoys telescopes, and even dozing for awhile on the couch while Max played on the iPad, he woke me with a kiss on the cheek when he needed a snack. Such a sweet boy.

Thankful

I am sitting here in bed on the iPad, it's almost midnight, I've taken two vicaden and I am battling a sudden, extremely painful ear infection, due to the nasty cold I've had for a week and no doubt not helped by the fact that I've been cheating and eating some dairy as of late.

I'm counting my blessings. The awesome dr at our neighborhood clinic called in antibiotics for me tonight and shawn ran out to get them. As the pain is slowly subsiding it is reminding me of how very thankful I am for shawn and so many things in our life. Even though our car is old and leaks and I've been complaining about it, it allowed shawn to get me the medicine I desperately needed in thirty minutes, we were also able to quickly travel the 20 miles down to seward park in south seattle this morning to go on a delightful toddler hike which both kids thoroughly enjoyed. As hard as many days have been due to numerous health problems I have had this past year i am so glad I am home with the kids. They are both so wonderful and special and I love watching them grow.

My new years resolution is to remember to give thanks each day. I am thankful for shawn and his job which he so enjoys that provides for our family. I am thankful for my children who are happy, healthy, and love one another. Every morning and evening they hug and snuggle. I am thankful for friends and family who brought over groceries and fresh baked bread this week when the kids and I were sick. We really have so many good things in our life and I want to reflect on them all this year.

Alice at 16 months

Alice turned 16 months old today (this photo is from August, but I love it so much I wanted to post it anyway). I wanted to jot down a few things about her while I have a moment. Today at lunch she laughed more than I had ever heard. She had a tupperware with orange slices in it and she delighted in putting the lid on, shaking the tupperware, and having me take the lid off. We did this for at least ten minutes with her just laughing and laughing. I got some delightful pictures which I will post on here when we get the latest batch of photos off the camera. She is starting to talk more. Here are her words:

Gi-on (our 2 year old friend Gideon)

Dat (that)

Dis (this)

Guck (truck)

Dad

Mamma

Ma (Max)

Owie

Zoo

I

Yeah

Fish

Book

She loves snuggling with Max and watching a few minutes of cartoons (this week it's Richard Scarry's "Busytown"), racing matchbox cars with him, climbing on furniture, watching garbage trucks (she could seriously do this all day), brush her teeth, and read books. She constantly brings us books with a big smile lighting up her cute little face.

We love you, Alice Wren!

New Years Brunch

We enjoyed a lovely brunch with our friends The Careys and their nice friend Sean who took these pictures of us. It was a great way to start the new year, yummy pancake breakfast, an 18th century punch, and lots of nice conversation.