My Little Fishies!

The kids are both doing swimming lessons and love it! I cannot believe how big they have both grown the last few months. Meli passed two levels recently!! One had to do with bobs and then holding her breath under the water. Colin just passed his 2nd level! He was working on that for a little bit. He could not quite get the back floats down. I am so proud of him. He did his 2nd level and learning to ride his bike. Master Colin is on a roll!

Sunflower Project

The kids and I are working on a spring/summer science project of growing sunflowers and some herbs. Colin and Meli love watching them grow from seeds and for the responsibility of watering the plants. Meli totally dumped the seeds in the bigger pot (well kid pail) we used. I will definitely have to split them apart at some point. The ones we planted in the small mini pots are not as happy. Probably because their dirt keeps coming out when Meli over waters them. They are still doing well though. I actually did not expect them to sprout. 

Below is Colin's sweet basil. It is really starting to come up!

Meli's cilantro is starting to appear. Like one or two...but she did put more dirt on top of the seeds then she was supposed to. We will see though. I hope it works. I love cilantro!

Proud Mama Moment

While I was away on a kid-free weekend, my son accomplished something that he has been too nervous to really try - he learned to ride his bike without training wheels!!! Colin has always been a very logical, common sense kind of kid - which made him a little more timid when it came to swings, slides, bikes, etc. He was always aware that there was danger involved (Meli is the complete opposite). Last summer he was ready to take the training wheels off, but once we did he had no interest in getting back on the bike. I would try to convince him that it was safe and we would not let go until he was ready...but he would have none of it. It did amaze me the few times he did try how much effort it took on our end to keep him straight up. That kid would be leaning over so far. He even made me nervous.

About 4 months ago, he learned how to ride his scooter. To me, that seems a lot harder than a bike. Then for some reason, once I leave for a weekend he decides to try his bike...and does it!!! As much as I hate to have missed that awesome life moment, I am so happy that he has accomplished something that he saw as such a hard thing to learn. He is just growing up too fast.

                                               ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                        The B Family

The Kid's Reading Corner: March

I have mentioned how Meli will usually pick very random books. Well, she loves Santa...so we usually always have a Christmas book. This one, A Bad Start for Santa, was very cute. Meli really got into finding the missing glove. 

Colin has a goal of trying to read two chapter books each month. In March one that he really liked was Galaxy Zack. I think this is a series, so I need to check that out. It was perfect size chapters. During spring break I had him read a chapter a day. The print was not overwhelming for a kid new to chapter books. The art was cute too. 

With a crazy month at work, I failed to take pictures of our favorite library books. I will do better in April. Some other favorite pics were:

•  Elephant and Piggie (My Friend is Sad)
• Elephant and Piggie (Today I will Fly)
• Skippyjon Jones Cirque De Ole - this was on CD as well. The author does a great job with the voices. We listened to it a lot.

Working hard for the money...haha!

Colin wants to order a new Battle Beast (well technically used because they were sold in the 80's) on EBay. Will has a few from his childhood that he has "loaned" to Colin. I am pretty sure when Colin moves out the Battle Beast will remain behind with their true owner!

To help him out, I told Colin he could pick up a few more chores and help me with yard work to earn some money. Oh my, he was such a stinker. I had to constantly remind him why he was out there. Finally, I told him that he would have to come to me and ask what he could do. I was no longer going to chase him down. In the first hour Colin had earned .25 cents and Meli a dollar. After our talk about work ethic, he improved tremendously. Another hour and Meli was at $2 and Colin $1.50. It probably helped that we were pulling out bushes and planting flowers. Meli loves dirt!!

A Delightful Easter

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend. It rained off and on during the two days, but there were some very pretty moments with the sun decided to shine. We had a nice family weekend, with some friends sprinkled in. Friday night, Colin was going to a sleepover ( I cannot believe we are at this age) and Will was hanging out with friends, so Meli and I had a girls' night. We cuddled, ate junk food, and watched the new movie Peanuts (which was cute). Then I laid with her until she fell asleep. I had a good time with her, but was so ready for my "me" time. Had to catch up on my reading (slacking a bit) and on Blindspot (love the show).

Saturday we cleaned up (still adjusting to working) and dyed eggs. We had friends over that night for an Easter dinner (delicious ham, corned pudding, scalloped potatoes, and from the garden salad!) It was so nice to catch up with friends! Also, I got my baby time with sweet Aviel. She is six months and precious!

Sunday we went to a friend's church. They served brunch and had a nice Easter service. Afterwards, we were able to go out and do an egg hunt. There is another church that rents a room from this church for service. The families are mostly from a remote area of Guatemala. Remote enough that they do not all speak Spanish, but a mountain dialect. Some of the kids were in Meli's kindergarten prep class. I believe the group is a Pentecostal church, but they do not celebrate Easter like it is done here. It was very sweet seeing the kids in their traditional Guatemalan clothes doing an egg hunt for the first time.  I was very proud of Colin who gave more than half of his eggs away to some of the younger girls from that group that only found a few. One proud mama.

                                                   ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                               The B Family

Our New Adventure

The kids provided me with little trinkets to decorate my office

So...after almost three years at home with the kids, I am putting myself back into the professional world! Meli starts school next fall and the perfect opportunity came across my path. I am truly excited about this company and position. My title is the IT Business Analyst. A new position to the company and one I have some freedom to mold myself. I am most excited about the company. Their story and work mentality is very inspiring and intriguing! 

I am starting my 4th week. Our family dynamic has changed tremendously.  We are still adjusting to the new routine. Thankfully Meli only has to go to daycare/preschool part day. Definitely a benefit to her at this stage. It is working out nicely to have Will working east coast hours and at home. 

I am still figuring out my new workout routine and trying to be better at meal planning. Will has been so sweet at helping it out with cleaning and cooking. He is getting fairly good with a crockpot! It will get crazier with soccer starting and swimming lessons for both kids! 

The Luck of the Irish...Or not!

Our St. Patrick's Day celebrating over the years

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!

This year was a bit of a hectic St. Patrick's day. We love this day of celebrating parts of our heritage, but this time we did not have the luck of the Irish on our side. It did not turn out to be a horrible day. We just look forward to the day so much, that to sprinkle it with any unfortunate events was a little disheartening. 

We started the week, with the purchase of this little guy pictured, Odhran (meaning pale green). I found him at a little trinket shop (I love antique shops). One morning, Meli discovered that he was in a new location (a little curious). So they started to keep an eye out and noticed that each morning he was in a different place (even more curious!. Will and I had no idea what was going on. So, Colin came to the conclusion that maybe Odhran is a magical leprechaun!  Sure enough each morning he had moved to weirder and weirder locations. Then on St. Patrick's Day morning he had a chocolate surprise surrounding him. Colin decided to set a trap for him to see if we could catch him. His first trap was a little scary looking. He had sharp nails poking down a plastic jar. Will helped him with a more safe and humane approach.

Colin woke the next morning to all of our toilet water green and Odhran on top of the shoe box. Not captured like he had hoped. He did discover Meli's Elsa shoe inside the box too!

Colin's trap

That morning was pretty crazy with all of the kids' excitement with the magical discoveries, trying to get both ready for school, and myself ready for my day. I was also trying to start our Guinness Stew in the crockpot. I really need to start reading recipes the night before. There was a lot more that went into it then just dumping ingredients into the crockpot. It was totally worth the extra chaos. So delicious!

Later I came home to Irish music, a clean house and the lovely aroma of the Guinness stew. I opened a bottle of Guinness and started making the champ and traditional Irish soda bread....then Will's phone somehow (conflicting stories from Colin and Will) broke. Well the screen would not unlock and had lines going across it. I googled how to fix it, which involved tools and a suction thing...more work than either of us wanted to do. Sadly, it was Will's work phone and he needed it functional for work the next day. So, after dinner I headed into town to our local AT&T store. Thankfully the employee was very helpful and we were able to get Will added to our plan. I can no longer tease him about his tiny phone, since he got the iPhone 6 like me. He even got the plus, so it is better than mine. Such a stinker. I never get to brag about my phone because I always go for the oldest one they carry. For being in IT, I try to avoid the newest technologies.  The last time I got a phone, they did not have any of the "free" ones, so I got drawn in by the big stature of the iPhone 6. Totally out of character, but I really do like it. Anyways, my mom was also up for an upgrade...and they were having a super good deal on the iPad...long story short I was there quite some time. Until closing in fact. 

So, a bit of bad luck...but Will got a new fancy phone, the kids an iPad to use for educational games after school. If they earn it...that is another story though. At least the food was tasty, the beer delightful, and the company of family wonderful. 

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday!!!

I will leave you with a few of my favorite Irish blessings:

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

---

May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go,
and guide you in whatever you do--
and may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.

---

May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

A Wonderful Soul

The kids' drawing

Yesterday evening was the first time I had to tell my kids (Meli did not quite understand) that someone they knew had passed away. Our family has lost some dear family members (Will’s Uncle Ed and my Aunt Kathleen) since the kids have been born; but they were either too young or had not met the person to truly understand what that means. It makes a difference (when that young) to explain that someone they had seen fairly often will no longer be there.

When we first moved back to Oregon, we were staying in Cottage Grove with my dad until we figured out where to next. While we were there, I was told about a program (resource center) that helps families figure out all things "children" in the area. They also had a place where kids could come and play while the parents visited. This place, APC, really was a life changer for me. It introduced me to three very, very special ladies (who work there) and connected me with some fabulous families in the CG area. Most of the people that I met in Cottage Grove were from that one location. I am so grateful for my time there!

One of the ladies, Ms. Peggy, was so helpful with any questions I had about the kids and the stages they were in. She truly was a wonderful instructor, person, and friend. She dedicated her life to children and supporting families. My kids adored her!!! They thought it was awesome that she had white hair with a dyed purple streak (it was pretty cool). Whenever we were in the area, the kids would ask to go visit Ms. Peggy, Ms. Lesly, and Ms.Ana Maria.

I found out a little later that Peggy was and had been battling cancer for several years. You would have never known from her attitude and patience with the kids. She would come back from a chemo session and be so happy to see the kiddos. The last time I saw her when visiting, I could really see a difference in her physical appearance and energy. That was around Christmas time. Now she has gone on to the next part of her journey. I am so sad to say goodbye, but I know that her suffering is no more and she can find peace.

Colin was very sad to hear about her dying. He did say that we needed to say a prayer for her family and friends. He also thinks that she is able to watch us now from heaven and is happy.

Peggy –

My prayer...is that you know how very loved you are. I pray that our goodbyes and tears reach up to you. A little community was so blessed to have been a part of your journey. You will be forever missed. Thank you for your patience, guidance, and love for our children.

Here is a link to her cancer story that she shared. 

An After School Walk...at the Lake!!!

I absolutely love being in an area where just a few minutes drive and we are at the lake, the mountains, the city...just love it!! Yesterday, after C got out of school, we went with some friends to walk around the lake. It was such a beautiful, perfect day for it. Cool enough for a sweatshirt, but not uncomfortable.

We were actually walking on a (somewhat) service road (not a busy one). The path was easy (great for bikes too) and was right along the lake. About a mile down we took the kids to play around the lake. They all play hard and had a blast! I was grateful for a nice way to use their energy up. It can be harder during the winter to tire them out. Even though, this family braves the rain! We love it! Still...I do appreciate the sun when it decides to make an appearance!

     ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~  
                  The B Family