May Beach Day

It's no secret that the past few months have been very difficult for our family, especially for me. That's just how it goes with a new baby. Sleepless nights, constant nursing, anxiety, insomnia, and isolation are only a few things that I've been dealing with. The warm weather and sunshine have been a very welcome and needed change in my life.

One night I was having a particularly difficult time getting to sleep (even though I was exhausted). I lay awake thinking about what would make me feel better. I decided a trip to the beach would be just the ticket. And it was.

On Mother's Day weekend we rented a car and got out of town for a few hours. We just drove up to Vancouver and played on a beach along the Columbia River. It's one of our favorite places to go, and actually much more enjoyable than the Oregon Coast. (In our experience, anyway.)

We ate lunch - Lunchables somehow have become our beach food tradition - and played in the water. The weather was perfect. Warm, but not too hot. Sunny the whole day. Clara was amazing. We made a little tent for her to keep her shielded from the sun. She sat happily and played with toys while the big kids played in the water. I dipped Clara's toes in the water and she wasn't too excited about that! It was ice cold.

Cold water didn't stop the big kids from wading waist deep into the river. The played fetch with sticks and tried to build a raft out of logs. They of course dug a big hole and filled it with water. We had a lovely day together.

A day at the beach is just what this mama needed to feel full and happy. I love watching my kids play outside and have fun together. I love watching them get SO excited about big waves coming in. And I love to watch them happily collapse into bed after a day full of sunshine, fun, and exercise.

Blessed Spring

This year I have absolutely RELISHED springtime. The flowers seem brighter and more beautiful this year than in years past. I guess that's how it feels after an especially long, wet, and gray winter.

On one of the first really nice days this spring we went to the waterfront and had a picnic lunch. I rode the bus with Clara and met Ben and the older kids there, who arrived on bicycle. Tommy biked about 10 miles that day. He was absolutely exhausted, but happy as a clam! It was so great to get out and enjoy Portland again. It was right after St. Patrick's Day. We saw a few different groups of people all dressed in funny green outfits running along the path. I have no idea what they were doing (it appeared to be some kind of race), but I just laughed and felt so happy to embrace the uniqueness of my fellow Portlanders.

I miss being able to ride my bike with the kids (since Clara can't ride until she is 10 months old or so), but I have loved taking simple walks around our neighborhood. We have explored every street and know exactly where to find the best iris, rhododendrons, daffodils, tulips, roses, and azaleas. We know where the cherry tress and the dogwoods are. We have even noticed the blossoms on the chestnut trees this year. My kids know where to find the best mint and rosemary bushes in case they want a little snack. I don't know much about plants, but it has been delightful this year sharing what I do know with my kids.

The cherry blossoms were just exquisite this year. They bloomed full and pink and bright. Then it got windy one day and they blanketed everything in a terrific whirlwind of pink snow.

Since Clara sleeps a lot during the day it has been difficult to get outside as much as we used to. She only lasts a couple of hours between naps. We have adjusted and try to go for a walk to the park in the morning before school starts or a walk between naps. Sometimes after her afternoon nap we pack up and run errands or go to the park. We stay a lot closer to home now than we did before she was born, but that's OK. It's nice to get to know our neighborhood so well and really enjoy it before we move.

Several of our neighbors have these terrific tree swings. Rope swings and little libraries in their front yard. We always take advantage of them as we walk.

One afternoon I felt like we got caught in an episode of Portlandia. The kids and I were walking around, buckets in hand, gathering flowers, sticks, and rocks. Three twenty-somethings dressed in railroad engineer overalls approached us and explained that they were part of a new art institute on Hawthorne. They said they were gathering samples from the neighborhood for the art display. I didn't understand what they were talking about. They asked Tommy what his favorite thing about the neighborhood is and after some hesitation he said, "The blossoms." They handed him a little plastic baggie and asked if he would mind gathering some blossoms to put on display at their art space. He gathered a few leaves, twigs, and pulled some grass. Lily gathered a few handfuls of blossoms for her baggie. They labeled the bags "Tommy's Nature Collection" and "Blossoms Gathered By Lily". Then they walked off. As we turned down another street I saw them rummaging through a box of junk someone left on the corner. (That's how people in Portland get rid of their stuff. Apparently walking it to the Goodwill is just too far.)

Later that same day I just happened to be on Hawthorne with my friend, Michelle, and we stopped in the art institute to see what it was all about. It's a neighborhood bar founded by artists with a dedicated art space. They were excited to see me again and showed me where they had already displayed the kids' art samples. They showed me around the space and pointed out all the different samples they had gathered from the neighborhood: some old speakers, a board from someone's fence, a block of chipped cement, some old cassette tapes, several nature samples in baggies. Wow. Just wow. I have to admit that it was pretty cool, but it was just so Portland. SO PORTLAND.

We got to go to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden when my mom was here in April. I'll write more about her trip next time. For now, just enjoy this picture of my little fairies in their magical garden. I wasn't kidding about the beautiful spring we have been enjoying this year.

Oh yeah, in other news, we are definitely moving this summer. Hopefully not far from where we are now and hopefully to a place with another bedroom and a backyard. We are doing fine in our apartment, but it will be nice to have a bedroom for the baby. Right now she sleeps in the living room at night, right alongside all three of our bikes. We have some plans cooking that we'll share when things become official!

Lastly, here is a video of Clara enjoying her first taste of fresh apple. She couldn't get enough! She will be so excited to eat solid food in another month or so.

Clara Smiles

The most exciting event to happen during Clara's first six weeks was when she learned how to smile. All the sleepness nights, the explosive diaper changes, the discomfort of endless feedings are forgotten when she flashes a bright and happy smile at us. Now she smiles easy and often, much to our delight. Here are some of her first smiles.

Ballet Class

Lily has always had a natural talent and love of music and dance. Over the past year Lily has taken several ballet classes that she has loved every time. Here are some pictures and a video of her most recent session of ballet.

Clara's Blessing Day

Today we blessed Clara at church and it was beautiful. Ben blessed her with his dad, a friend from the ward (Jeremy Five Crows), and the Bishopric.

He talked a lot about how she will be compassionate and serve those who have less than her. The point I remember best was that she will see the injustices in the world and fight against them and that she will be a voice for those who don't have one. The image that popped into my head was that of an advocate or a lawyer for those who are disadvantaged and mistreated. Or maybe a social worker. We'll see. I'm excited to get to know my little girl as she grows.

It's always amazing to listen to newborns receive a blessing 10 times their size. It's like a little glimpse into the soul of this tiny bag of potatoes we recently brought into the world. It turns out that babies turn into contributing members of society one day. They don't poop all over themselves and wake the entire household up throughout the night forever :)

We were blessed to have Ben's parents with us for Clara's blessing day, as well as several of our friends and neighbors who aren't LDS. They were gracious enough to join us for the blessing and then to celebrate and share lunch together at the church afterward. It was a small way I could say thank you for all the incredible help they have given to our family since Clara's birth.

Lily Turns 4!

Lily was SO excited for her birthday this year. She wanted everything to be perfect. Her cake had to be a rainbow cake with yellow frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Lily helped me make it the day before and, oh, she worked so hard on it. When we done frosting she said, "I want my cake to be really special." And it was, simply because Lily wished it to be so.

The first thing she said to me in the morning was, "Do I look four?" She opened her presents in perfect grace with punctuations of, "I love this!" and, "I always wanted an Elsa dress up!" and saying thank you without any prompting. This girl is a delight in every way possible, a ray of sunshine, an empathetic and loving little human. She makes us laugh with her "Lilyisms" and her spontaneous dance parties.

A few days after her birthday she fastened her own button on her pants and said, "I think four is a good number to do my own button." She also wanted to know if her clothes would still fit when she turned 4. I guess since we always talk about how big she is getting she thought she would literally be bigger after her birthday.

Lily is always the first person awake in our family. She is sometimes awake at 5:30 and will sit in her bed, patiently watching the clock until it turns 7:00 and she can exit her room. She loves eating cereal more than anything else, but all breakfast foods are high on her list. She loves the frosting on top of the cakes and donuts the best and often just licks off the frosting and leaves the cake behind. Lily loves dancing, coloring, doing stickers, playing school, playing with friends, and holding Clara. She is a strong little girl and knows how to set her boundaries. Her best friend is Tommy. They play all kinds of imaginative games together and miss each other after being apart for just a couple of hours. Lily loves playing Candy Land, Sorry, and lots of other board games. She loves to help me bake. Her favorite activity is watching movies and Netflix. If she could watch movies and eat cereal all day long she would be totally content. Lily is our little adventurous buddy. She is always game to go for a walk or to accompany someone to the store. She loves to choose her own outfit every morning. She is creative and colorful and fun in every way possible.

We love you, Lily Bug! We are so happy you joined our family!

Christmas 2015

We had a very low-key Christmas this year. Having a newborn will do that to you.

We ate our Christmas breakfast casserole, opened the mountain of presents everyone was so kind to send us, and ate our Christmas pizza. We spent the day playing, watching new movies, chatting with family far away, and hanging out. It was the perfect day.

The highlight of my morning was watching Ben open his gift from me and the kids. It was the first time in our 7 1/2 years together that I was able to genuinely surprise him with a gift he really wanted.