This year Tommy got to celebrate his birthday on four different days. He had a party with his friends at Playdate PDX, we had a party at home, he got to open presents from us and from Grandma and Grandpa Chatterton on two different days, and then we went to Utah and he got to open more presents and celebrate with the Wards.
Tommy has had a very big year as a five-year-old! He has learned all those big kid things this year, like learning to read (he read 100 books before his birthday and was rewarded with a gigantic LEGO Police set), learning to tie his own shoes, and losing two teeth (the bottom ones in the center). He is making good strides to learn how to ride his bike without training wheels, too. He is one amazing kid!
Tommy loves to play with his sister and his friends. He loves to be active by swimming and playing soccer. He enjoys learning new things and building with LEGO. He says he wants to be an engineer when he grows up.
Lily was feeling a little bad that it wasn't her birthday so Tommy came up with some ideas all on his own to help her feel better. He said that she could help him open his presents and that she would get the first piece of cake. He even gave her the stuffed animal the Playdate PDX gave to him. Lily was completely satisfied with this arrangement. It warmed my Mama heart that he would give to her even on his birthday. He is the best big brother to his little sisters.
Happy Birthday, Tommy! We love you!
Hugh, Wyatt, Tommy, and Clara.
Asher, Lily, and Niamh
Lily with Pinky and Tommy with City Kitty.
Birthday dinner at Subway on the way home from Playdate PDX.
A couple of weekends ago we spent some time at a friend's beach
house in Florence, Oregon. We were expecting a relaxing weekend on
the beach. Ya know, sand toys, bubbles, a good book, maybe dabbling
in the water. Suntans and swimming suits. Beach stuff. Like San Diego
and Maui, right? Wrong. What we got instead was a fantastically
surprising adventure.
I have heard that the Oregon coast can be cold and windy. I am
here to tell you that, yes, indeed the Oregon coast can be cold and
windy. Extremely so.
Shortly after we pulled into the beautiful beach house we set out
for the beach. We loaded up four beach chairs, buckets, sand toys,
and a couple of beach towels onto our arms and shoulders. It was
early May, so we figured we would leave our swimming suits behind
because we probably wouldn't be getting into the water this
time. We were foolhardy. Any of the residents who saw us set off
toward the beach loaded down as we were must have shaken their heads
and felt sorry for us.
The Hobbit Trail
The walk to the beach was an adventure in itself. We walked to the
end of a road to find a path that descended into a swampy region
where the nearby Siuslaw River empties into the Pacific Ocean. This
path was aptly named the Hobbit Trail. Before we knew it we were
walking on a board walk through a 6-foot high tunnel that had been
carved from the swamp trees. It was dense and dark and narrow. It was
awesome.
The Hobbit Trail then opened up 20-foot high sand dunes. Suddenly
we went from swamp to Tattooine. The path was nearly too steep for
our three-year-old to climb up, even on all fours. Ben and I carried
all our stuff, including now kids' shoes. The wind picked up with
each step we took toward the ocean. We went up and down sand dunes a
few times before it finally opened up to miles of flat, sandy beach.
"We made it!" we shouted. As we stepped out from the
protection of the dunes the wind ripped into us like I have never
felt before. We estimate the winds were coming in around 45 mph at
that point. I held onto my three-year-old's hand, fearful she would
get carried away with the wind. At one point I dropped a beach chair
that was folded up and it started bouncing down the beach like a
plastic bag. The wind drove the sand into my ankles like a thousand
tiny hammers. We all walked sideways toward the water to shield our
faces from the wind and mouthfuls of flying sand.
Ben was determined to get to the water. He was smiling and
laughing like a madman. He LOVED the adventure we were on. I wasn't
so sure. The wind kept getting stronger and stronger. I couldn't
imagine having any kind of fun in that kind of weather. We finally
decided to turn back to the dunes where it was still windy, but less
so. Ben eventually went back to the ocean on his own to touch it once
before we left.
The kids were amazing. I didn't hear one word of complaint from
either one of them. If anything, I was the party pooper of the group.
While Ben and the kids played in the sand and dug an epic hole (one
that all three of them could fit into) I huddled under a beach towel
for warmth and tried to wear a smile.
The Sand Dunes
The next morning we woke up to perfectly sunny and calm weather.
We rushed out of the house to enjoy it before the wind rolled in
again. This time we drove down the street a bit to a different,
bigger set of sand dunes. We bought toboggans and had a blast
sledding down the dunes, running back up, jumping off, rolling down,
racing up, sliding down. We spent a couple of good hours playing
before the wind kicked up again and it got cold and sand-in-the-face
again.
There is nothing quite like letting go of all adult inhibitions
and just playing like a kid. Just letting it all out, holding nothing
back. I find that I am often too serious in my life. I don't stop to
play. I enjoy my life and I love watching my kids play, but the times
that I actually run, jump, roll, slide, and laugh like a kid are
rare. If nothing else, this trip gave all of us the opportunity to do
so, even if just for a few hours here and there.
So if you are planning to visit Florence, Oregon anytime soon, be
sure to check the weather before you go. And if it is a windy time of
year, wake up early and get to the dunes before the wind picks up in
the afternoon. Remember to let go of your inhibitions and laugh and
roll around until you find sand in all the strangest areas of your
clothes and body!
This year we belonged to a fabulous group of homeschooling families who met together weekly for activities. At the end of the "school year" we held this fun talent show. This is the Chatterton Family performance: "Reindeer are Better than People." Notice how Tommy is hiding his face throughout the entire song.
Once in awhile we walk over to the grocery store to eat the cheapest of cheap lunches. For less than $5 I can feed all three of us, including dessert. Lily made up a song after we ate.
Hey, how's it going? Been awhile since I've seen you. It's probably my fault since I don't post very often, but we're still friends, right? I'll give you a little update to prove it.
We started homeschooling in earnest and it is going well. So well I can't even explain. Not every day is perfect, but it doesn't have to be. The kids are thriving and happy, and that is what is important to me. One interesting side effect of homeschooling that I didn't expect is how much closer I am to my kids. I mean, I'm with them all day every day and I have been since day 1, but now we have at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted, totally devoted, Mommy/Kid Time every single morning. It's easy for us to kind of ignore each other, even when we are together and interacting, so having 90 minutes every morning where we focus on learning stuff together has been incredibly positive and really fun for everyone. I haven't regretted our choice to homeschool for one minute. Not once. But I could go on and on about that, so let's move on, shall we?
Ben is participating in NaNoWriMo, which has been a goal of his for several years now. I am very proud of him and I look forward to the book that is the product of this month of hard work. He is doing well at work, has earned "Dad of the Year" for the fifth straight year, and enjoys his bike commute, even in the rain.
I am working hard on Science Kiddo. I am learning so much and trying so hard to get this thing off the ground. I have big plans, but it is definitely a roller coaster ride. One evening I am so discouraged I want to just delete the entire website, the next morning I'm doing a happy dance because a post was received well. Hopefully it evens out a bit as I get the hang of being a real Blogger.
Tommy is an awesome kid. He is kind and thoughtful. He loves writing little love notes to the other members of the family. He is so sweet to his little sister and is always willing to get her things, play with her, and help her out. He is her #1 cheerleader. Tommy loves babies, math, and staying up way past his bed time. He recently had a genius idea to make all of us potty charts so we each get stickers when we go potty (this is to help Lily out, of course). Even though he has been potty trained for over three years he is now earning prizes again for going potty on the toilet.
Lily is a funny little girl. She loves Tommy more than anything and especially loves to wrestle him to the ground. She is constantly making us laugh and smile with her funny sense of humor. She plays with her food like it is a family, she treats her stuffed animals like babies, and she loves to put puzzle pieces in the wrong places just to be funny. She loves to climb on stuff and she loves all things pink and princess. Lily is so empathetic and loving to everyone. She is always the first one to give us a hug or to worry about a sad kid at the playground.
We haven't really been up to much lately. Just busy homeschooling and hanging out with our homeschooling group and going to the gym and the library. The weather is turning cold and gray, but I am looking forward to the season of soups, hot chocolate, and Vitamin D pills.
Here are some pictures from Halloween. Grandma Chatterton made the kids' costumes again this year. She's so talented. Winnie the Pooh and a Black Ninja. The kids worked hard to go trick-or-treating so they get to eat their spoils and enjoy the sugar rush.
Here are some other pictures from this Fall. A fun picture from the zoo and one from the pumpkin patch.
Here are a few videos from our Fall adventures:
Eating a Sour Patch Kid Halloween Night
"I got an MRI and now I'm dizzy. I went to sleep and there was an MRI that I didn't even know and now I'm asleep."
This summer we have seen our kids shift into being each other's best friend. It is the most rewarding thing I have seen them do so far. Not only am I happy they love each other, I'm also happy they have a constant playmate so that I get a few more frequent breaks during the day :)
