Autumn in Portland

I love Portland in the Autumn. The changing leaves, the cooler weather, the return of the rain. As much as I love the busy summer months it's nice to slow down and cozy up on the couch at home while the rain falls outside. When it's dry we love to get out to the park or go for a simple walk. It's beautiful.

#autumn

A photo posted by Crystal (@sciencekiddo) on Nov 11, 2015 at 9:36pm PST

Portland in the Fall. #pdx #autumn

A photo posted by Crystal (@sciencekiddo) on Oct 22, 2014 at 4:54pm PDT

Bouldering

This month Tommy has been taking a bouldering class that he has LOVED. He really excels at individual sports where he only has to focus on what he is doing without worrying about what everyone else on his team and the opposing team is doing.

He works so hard during his bouldering class. We usually get there 10-15 minutes early. Tommy jumps right on the wall and uses that extra time to improve his skills. During class he never goofs off. He is there to work hard and improve, which he is doing in leaps and bounds.

There is one particular overhang that he has been working to conquer for several weeks. Last week when we arrived at class early he jumped right on the wall and started working on this overhang. I said something like, "Ya know, Buddy, one of these days you are just going to jump on this wall and climb up this overhang without any problem...Um, well, looks like today is that day!"

Week after week this kid has tackled this overhang without being able to fully conquer it. This week was a different story. He jumped on the wall first thing, declared war on the hardest climb, and finally defeated it once and for all. Not just once, but at least six times over. So proud of his hard work and dedication to improving himself!

A photo posted by Crystal (@sciencekiddo) on Nov 18, 2015 at 9:42pm PST

It's pretty awesome to see how much stronger and braver he gets each week. His self-confidence is improving (not that he ever lacked in that area) and he is working hard to achieve real goals. I love it!
The first 10 seconds of this video are what get me. When he is hanging by his fingers and trying to find the foot holds. That takes an incredible amount of upper-body strength and control that I have not yet developed. Tommy is my inspiration!

While Tommy climbs Lily dances. She likes to climb before and after class, though. She is anxiously waiting to turn 4 next month so that she can enroll in bouldering class as well.

Biking While Pregnant

I am now three weeks away from my due date. We get asked two questions very regularly:

1. Are you still biking?
2. How are you going to get around after the baby comes?

Yes, I am still biking. Just yesterday I biked about five miles to the science museum and back with the kids. Most people seem very impressed by this news, but seriously, don't be impressed for the following reasons: a) I bike very slowly, b) Tommy rides his own bike frequently now, which takes 60 pounds off my regular load, and c) It's actually easier to bike than to walk at this point. I waddle around while walking, but I can sit up tall and forward while biking, which is actually pretty comfortable. Plus, biking is built-in low-impact exercise that makes me feel good for the rest of the day.

33 Weeks

And, let's be honest, we are only biking 2-3 days per week now. As the weather gets colder and wetter and it gets dark earlier and earlier we tend to bus and stay home more anyway.

37 Weeks: Big Belly!

Tommy biking home from a homeschool group activity. This kid is the BOMB! He beats me up all the hills.

So, on to the next question about how we are planning to get around after the baby comes.

Our plan is simply to walk and bus everywhere we need to go. We are not planning to buy a car at this point. We looked into it, weighed our options, and decided that we simply just don't want a car. Period. It's not a matter of finances anymore, though the savings are sweet. Carfree living is a lifestyle we have come to love and value. We have been carfree for nearly three years now and we see no reason to get a car at this point. If we lived further out from the city we would probably consider it, but since we live right in the city with a bus stop right in front of our apartment building and at least two other major lines within walking distance, we see no reason to.

I have a friend who put it this way: "You can always get into more debt." If we find that carfree living isn't possible with a baby we'll go out and buy a car. Simple.

Biking will be out for the most part for about one year. The baby can start riding on the bike when she can hold her head up with a helmet on, which will be somewhere around 11 or 12 months old. Ben will continue to commute to work via bike and we will continue to do our grocery shopping with the cargo bike as well. (Just on the weekends now so one of us can stay home with the baby.)

Our next task is to get this baby to come out and play. Stay tuned...

October Videos

Here are a few videos for your viewing enjoyment!
This is one the kids' favorite games. They strike a random pose on the couch and then say, "Box!" and wrestle each other to the floor.
We love going to the park to ride bikes and scooters.
The kids really wanted to watch a movie and we said no. They worked together to craft a plan to trick us into letting them watch a movie.
We enjoy waiting for the bus! The kids have a handful of games that are specifically saved for bus stops. City kids :)
Lily LOVES dancing. We got her into a ballet class this month that she absolutely adored.

Halloween 2015

This year we had an epic battle between a superhero and magical princess: Batman vs. Elsa.

Our Halloween celebration this year spanned the entire month! The first item of business was a visit to the Pumpkin Patch to choose the perfect pumpkins right off the vine. This included, of course, a tractor hay ride and running around hay mazes so that we found hay in the kids' nooks and crannies for a few days.

Next on the agenda was our annual Halloween party and chili cook-off at the church. The kids had a great time trick-or-treating at the church classrooms and parading their costumes across the stage. I was a little disappointed that my chili didn't win the competition, but I'll try again next year. I've got a trick up my sleeve for next time :)

Next was our homeschool Halloween party. We held it Friday evening so that dads could participate, too. As we walked into the fully-decorated room and saw our friends dressed up, carnival games for the kids to play, and dinner all ready to go, I nearly choked up. We have been so fortunate to connect with a strong, reliable, and creative group of homeschoolers here. The kids are all kind and get along really well. Our entire family has found valuable friends whom we love. It's remarkable that a group of regular families can get together to pull off big, fun events like this.

Last on the list of Halloween fun was Halloween night and trick-or-treating. We watched the weather forecast all week. As Halloween got closer and closer the forecast got rainier and rainier.

We went to the gym that morning. On the bus ride home the rain was beating down so hard that several streets were completely flooded all the way up to the sidewalk. It's true that it rains a lot in Portland, but it's usually a misty drizzle, not a torrential downpour. Tommy looked out the window of the bus and asked, "Do you think Halloween will be canceled?" I told him that nothing can cancel Halloween and then asked, "Do you still want to go trick-or-treating? Is it worth getting wet to get candy?" He looked at me like I was a two-headed monkey and said, "Um, yeah, of course! What are you thinking?"

So we went trick-or-treating.
We dressed up in costumes, donned rain boots and umbrellas, and set out for a wet and wild night.

I couldn't believe how generous people were. We stayed out trick-or-treating for about two hours and the kids came home with enough candy to give a small village diabetes. I think the rain kept a lot of people home, so those of us who braved the rain made bank.

I checked in often with the kids to make sure everyone was dry and happy and warm. Nobody complained the entire night. When we got home the kids happily collapsed in the hall, unable to take another step. We shed our wet clothes and tore off our glow sticks. Lily stood in the corner in a daze. We assumed she was just tired, but when we pulled off her rain boots and a pool of water spilled out onto the floor we realized that she had been sloshing around in cold rainwater the entire night. Her feet and legs were soaked almost to her knees. Her hair was also soaked since she wore a crown and held her umbrella back so it wouldn't knock her crown off. She had been wet and cold all evening and we didn't even know. We quickly got her into dry, warm clothes and as I snuggled her close she said, "I'm still happy, though!" Probably because of all the candy.

In spite of the rain, everyone had a great time. Even Lily. It was definitely a Halloween to remember!