Time Lapse: Mi-Ma's Backyard

Meli was funny with the squirt guns. She mostly just drank out of it.

This past April marked 5 years since we moved back to Oregon. Meli's first time seeing our beautiful state and (in my opinion) finding her home. I think Colin could fit in to either state, but Miss Mae definitely has a PNW (Pacific Northwest) spirit. 

My sweet, sweet boy

Good ol' Facebook provided me with a little walk down memory lane of that first month back home. What a fantastically, sweet time with my kiddos.  I was fortunate to be home with the kids for a few years before going back to work and I am so grateful for that period. I am so glad to be back to work now, but it was perfect timing to have that before school started and to help adjust to a new life.

That first summer, we spent a lot of time outside in MiMa's yard. Sprinklers was Meli's favorite thing. 

As the kids seem to be aging at such a rapid pace, I have been loving the memories from those first few years. We all have adapted to being in a new state. I think Colin took the longest since he had more bonds with East Coast family. Meli was not quite 2.

We also lived a block away from one of the local schools, which was a perfect place to take the kids. The air rocket launcher was an enormous hit!

Meli turned 7 this month, and I feel like it is closing a chapter. More about that in a future post. Mama is being emotional this month!

Mr. Popper's Penguins Musical

 
On Sunday morning, I decided to take the kids to Eugene and attend a show at the Hult Center. One of the books on my reading list for the kids is Mr. Popper’s Penguins. I enjoyed this book as a kid and was glad that there was a movie we could watch afterwards too. As a bonus, I came across a poster at a coffee shop during my traveling for work for the musical.

I thought that this could be a fantastic way to get Meli excited for the book. Plus, she had not attended a show yet. She has been begging me to take her to a ballet. This was a cheaper way to see how she would do during a show.

The kids and I got dressed up, grabbed our copy of the book, and headed out for a mom/kid date night. Meli took one of her penguin stuffies with her as well. I did not realize how many she had! It was hard to decide which one got to join her. 

I had a blast with the kids. It was fun to get dressed up and go on a mom date. Colin had been to a ballet there a few years ago. Meli  thought the balconies were so cool. I told her next time we would have to get tickets up there. Then Colin started thinking about earthquakes and how that would not be the best seat. I was wondering why he was randomly asking me the likelihood of earthquakes to occur in Oregon. Then I noticed that he was staring at the balconies. 

Meli did an excellent job! The only issue we had was some visibility for her and I due to the family in front of us and Meli crying when the penguins were sad.

She has a tendency to get really attached to animals in films. As a result of that she gets really emotional if they are sad or being mistreated. Similar to her reaction when watching Pete's Dragon. Thankfully she still ended up loving the show.

It normally takes a lot for me to get irritated at people, but the family in front of us did not need much time. I can understand the cuteness of matching hairdo’s (for a mom and two daughters)…well I do not exactly understand the attraction, but at least it is not normally something I would dwell on.

So, not only was one of her girls talking throughout the play (which I can understand, I have a talker myself - although I tell mine to be quiet), but all of the girls wanted to sit in an adult's lap. (Again, totally get it). So, the adult moved in front of Meli, then put her daughter in her lap. The three of them had these really big buns (or maybe it is a knot) on the tippy top of their heads. I am thinking there was something inside the buns to make them bigger, because the size of them was not natural for the girls' ages. It seriously added another 4 inches to their heads. Well, maybe 3. With her sitting in her lap that did not provide a lot of options for viewing with their heads next to each other. So, Meli got in my lap (I did check behind me to see if we would block anyone's view). It felt like the mom kept leaning over to her side. So, then we had to lean over. Not an ideal situation, but not the end of the world.

OK, sorry for the venting session. In spite of all of this it was still a very enjoyable show. It actually was fantastic! I was not sure how it was going to be with two people that were the puppet masters on stage. They did a wonderful job of being an extension of the puppet and not just another body on stage. It actually ended up being one of my favorite parts. Huge kudos to the crew. Amazing job!! The music was great, the penguins were awesome, and they even got crowd involvement at the end.

Until next time! Keep singing!

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
 The B Family

The Kids' Reading Corner: Wonder

The kids and I recently finished the book, Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. I highly recommend this book! It was a great read for being done out loud. My 4^th grader thought it was a wonderful combination of funny and sad. The book has an honest approach to bullying and how we react as a society to difference. I liked the glimpse it provided on how someone being perceived as different understands the situation. I learned with regards to when people want to try and be considerate of the person’s feelings, that can also be painful. Still seeing the reaction.  Kids see/understand way more than adults give them credit for.

I thought it spoke volumes on the book that my son had this as his requested storytime choice. His teacher read this book to their class this year and we went to the movie as a field trip. He enjoyed it so much that he wanted to hear it again. Plus, he thought that I would really enjoy it.

I really like the voice of the characters. It is told by Auggie, his sister (Via), her boyfriend, and Jack (Auggie’s friend). I think another friend may have a section as well. I love when an author will have different characters describe the same situation.  

Keep Reading!

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
 The B Family

It Happens to the Best of Us

"There are only two kinds of people in the world: the Irish and those who wish they were". - Irish Saying


I am fairly certain that I googled a few weeks ago what day St. Patrick's Day would fall on. I may have failed to look at the year, but it said Sunday. I swear. I am not sure the reasons that occurred to make me not look at my calendar on my phone or computer - but there was one. I am sure of it.

I made plans to have my mom come over on Sunday for a big Irish feast. This is one of my favorite holidays to cook for. We even invited friends over for the occasion. The whole time they were probably thinking we were just planning for a different day due to conflicts, but no I just had the wrong day. The whole week, I was thinking Saturday was the 16th. I am constantly in my work calendar, so it is amazing that I did not notice. I must have been really tired that week and busy.

Colin had a birthday party on the 16th, which I confirmed on the 17th (thinking it was the 16th). So, we missed this poor girl's birthday. I felt horrible. Then at Colin's game on Saturday morning, I noticed a lot of green and jokes of pinching. I turned to Will and said what is the date today. Low and behold it was the 17th.

Now it is not a big deal not to celebrate it on the actual day. The holiday is celebrated the whole weekend and it is not even so much the holiday specifically, but that we love celebrating our heritage and traditions. I imagine people in Ireland think it is overkill and annoying. I will admit we do have the kids plan and set traps for the leprechaun, but it is a good way for them to use their creativity and strategic thinking.

I made sure we did some things on Saturday, after I discovered my goof. We went ahead with our big feast on Sunday. It turned out to be so much fun and delicious! My mom got to meet some of our new friends and I got to make dinner for her. A lot of the time she comes up to babysit and I realized that I do not cook for her very often. I cannot have my family thinking that my cooking skills are the same as when I was a teenager and early 20's when I had no interest in it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating a wonderful culture filled with beautiful traditions.

"A good friend is like a four-leaf clover. Hard to find and lucky to have" Irish Proverb


Cheers to being Irish!

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Kids' Canvas: A Pot of Gold Watercolors

Usually throughout the month, the kids and I can squeeze in a few different art projects. Most often with Meli. Colin will join for at least one, especially if it has to do with a holiday. This year for St. Patrick's Day, we did a pot of gold.

We were short on time, so I used some big magnets we had to trace the pot of gold and three-leaf clovers. The kids used color crayons to color them in. Then, we went over them with watercolor.

Meli also traced a Fluttershy

Colin also drew a Link from Zelda. He traced the outline from a magnet.

Until next time...Happy Creating!

 Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Charlie's First Year

In February, we celebrated Charlie being in our lives for a year. Our little guy has brought so much change and love to our home. The kids think of Charlie as a younger brother. He provides the typical ups and downs of a younger sibling. He takes their toys and shoes. He repeatedly bugs them when he wants to play.

Will has gone from extremely anti-dogs to a major dog-lover. He even shows the kids puppy videos and likes them! Charlie and Will are buddies. It is adorable to see. This has made me so happy, being a huge dog person. I love the cuteness. I did not think I could fall more in love with him!

I am so glad that Charlie was the one out of the litter that stole my heart. With his diagnoses of Addison’s disease, I am glad that he ended up with a family that could provide for his medical needs. He seems to be doing well and adjusting to the prednisone and monthly shots.

Happy first year in the B Family!

Until Next Time...

Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Reliving My Youth

Colin is playing basketball this year and I could not be more thrilled! Basketball was one of my favorites sports growing up. I forgot how much I enjoyed the sport. I love taking him to his practices and games. We have been trying to make it out to his school to play each weekend. This has been great for me to get in better shape. I am working out without really thinking about it! Bonus!

I did experience my own funny mom moment. Or maybe more of a “I am getting older” one. I was going to show Colin how to do a lay-up. Right before I did it, I realized that I have not done this in probably 15 years. So, I said to myself a quick, “please do not let me fall on my…” Thankfully, I did not. Pride intact.

I am loving this opportunity to bond with Colin. We now have books and basketball. I even created a GoodReads account for him to track his reading. I love my little book nerd and basketball player!

Until next time... Keep Playing!

Love, Hugs &  Kisses ~ The B Family

Charlie's New Love

I think that Char-Char was the biggest fan of all! I did not expect him to enjoy the snow, but he played outside forever!

Happy last days of winter!

 Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

We Got Our Snow!!

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." - Dr. Seuss

I am glad the kids had a day of snow this season. It would be a bummer not to have at least one snowfall.

The whole family got out to enjoy the beautiful day! We were beginning to think that snow would not happen this year...but it did!!

Colin's first snowman

Snowman #2 that Colin, Mae, Daddy and I worked on

Mae's kitty. If you look closely you can see the ears, eyes, and nose. It also has a tail.

Happy winter!

       Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family

Those Quiet Moments

"Enjoy the little things in life for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things" - Kurt Vonnegut

I love when our mornings have a peaceful mood to it. We are not rushed. Everyone is happy. No struggles to get ready for school. Pure smoothness. These seem to be more rare compared to the normal hustle and bustle of the weekdays. Our goal for the weekends (most of the time at least) is a relaxing morning.

I snapped a picture of a recently of Meli just taking the morning in. She is my child that is less likely to wake up on her own on school mornings. Most often, I go in and wake up my little goober. If it can be a slower process, her mood is usually pretty sunshiny. Especially if I wake her up by singing "You are my sunshine" or "Meli had a Little Lamb". Other mornings can be fairly horrific. Similar to me, she likes to do things on her own time. Unfortunately (as I have learned), that is not always possible. I am trying to teach her to pick her battles...In time.

This particular morning was a good one. I loved observing her in her own personal "thoughtful" moment. It reminded me of my title for this blog.  Playing in the Rain: Enjoying Life's moments in the midst of beautiful chaos...This is parenthood. The struggle and frustration that can come with parenting more often than we would like, is all made worth it in these little moments.

I love playing in the rain for the beautiful moments of love, cuddles, and laughter. 

Enjoy the rain!

~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~ The B Family