Life in Pots

Orson turns 3 and Rainbows are everywhere

2012-01-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

Orson turns three tomorrow and all I can think is a) when did my baby boy become a little man and b) I'm not old enough to have a three year old :) He has become such an amazing, loving, joy-filled, exciting person. Last night he slept the entire night through in big boy underwear without an accident (this from the kid I thought would go to college in diapers), he has started going to pre-school and loves it (and doesn't seem to miss me at all), he is obsessed with matchbox cars and loves to build things with legos and blocks. He has also started singing along with songs, jumping everywhere, playing with imaginary friends, trying to share with his little brother, become attached to his teddy and counting everything. I love, love, love him (even on our worst days).

For his third birthday he told me he wanted rainbows, cake and his friends. I came through on the first two and we had our new friends over for a little party. The Rainbow theme was so much fun and I am so glad he picked it over cars and mickey mouse. I got my crafter on (spending lots of time on pintrest) and made decorations, rainbow cupcakes, rainbow themed snacks (fruit kabobs, colorful veggies and rainbow goldfish), rainbow playdough, rainbow jello, rainbow games and rainbow art projects for his party. When he came down in the morning to a decorated house, he had a huge smile and I thought "we should leave this up all winter...it makes it happy around here :)".

For breakfast we had three year old pancakes (not 3 years old, Dad, the number three) Orson ate a ton!

Then it was party time!

The decorations, food and fun

Rainbow art project

Pinwheels and Rainbow cupcakes

Pin the cloud at the end of the Rainbow

Orson picked out the take home favors

Presents

Food!

The party:

Ferdinand (slept through a lot of it) and Will

Cake and Jello time!!

The jello was a huge hit with Orson

and Will

Presents

Jack and Hannah helped Orson figure out how to build with his rainbow blocks from Ferdinand

Orson got a scooter (which he moved so quickly on that we didn't get any pictures), books (from Maddox), dance classes (from Grandpa Jones), a shirt and ipad game from Aunt Annie and a memory game and playdough game (from Matt and I). He loves everything and is already planning when to play with everything.

It was a really great day and I can't wait for tomorrow and his real birthday!

And a picture from each of Orson's birthdays:

Birth

One

Two

and Three

I love you little dude, thanks for three amazing years!

Orson

2012-01-03T21:16:00.001-08:00

So the combo of no nap Orson and new baby Ferdinand has led to Orson having way to much Mickey Mouse Club House time. How do I know this? Mickey Mouse always has four tools to use on his quest that are carried around by Toodles, a giant flying Mickey Mouse face. The tools range in randomness from a rope to a baby elephant and the characters have to decide which tool will work to solve the problem at hand.

Orson has started calling for Toodles during his imaginary play and whenever we are on an adventure in the car. A couple of days ago he was in his car seat and wanted an apple, which I did not have, so he decided we should call for Toodles to get us one. When Toodles arrived he apparently had two choices. The first was a hammer, Orson said "what should we use, hmm a hammer, no that's not right." "oh I know, the monkey!" "hey Monkey will you get me the apple" "no monkey don't be silly, I want an apple, you can't get it, then go away" "oh come back monkey and get me that apple" "oh thanks" crunching noises ensued....I love his imagination and I love listening to his stories.
Other pretend play lately has either been phone calls, get smart style through his shoe, to Grandpa Jones, Aunt Annie, Maddox or any of his other friends in CA or with his two imaginary dogs one of whom is Chiquita.

He starts school tomorrow, I am so excited for him and a little bit sad that he is big enough to go. I am looking forward to one on one time with Ferdinand though.

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-31T13:28:00.000-08:00

We have had yet another exciting year full of joy and change. The biggest being the addition of Ferdinand Oliver to our family and coming in a close second, moving across the country to the DC metro area! We had no idea at the beginning of last year that either blessing would occur :)

Most of the year was spent in Sacramento, enjoying our close knit group of moms, kiddos and their dads. We also went hiking and exploring quite often in CA, we went to Texas for the MS 150 (Dad's bike race) and got to go to Disney World with the Jones side of the family. After we found out we were moving, we took some last minute trips to Tahoe and the coast and then Orson and I headed for TX and Nathan's wedding, while Matt wrapped up the packing of our house and then drove cross country with his Dad and everything we owned.

The move has been wonderful for Matt and his work. He stayed with the same company but is now working out of their headquarters in Fairfax, VA. He is lucky to be working with his old boss and coworkers from when we lived in Louisiana.

Orson is slowly settling in but still constantly asks where his friends from CA are and when we are going to see them. He is in love with his baby brother and calls him his best friend all the time. Orson starts preschool next week which I think will go a long way to help him find new friends and get settled in. We have also met up with one of Matt's old neighbors who (along with her three kids and husband) is proving to be an awesome new friend.

Celebrating his second birthday and hanging out with friends

So much change in one year. He has turned into a wonderful, challenging, adventurous, loving kid.

I've been busy packing and unpacking, preparing for and having baby, and trying to make some friends of my own. We were blessed to find midwives who were willing to take us at the last minute and we were thus able to have the home birth we originally planned. I am so thankful for the ability to be home for Ferdinand's birth and my recovery. He arrived on the 2nd of Nov weighing in at 9lbs, 22 inches about a month after we moved into our house. He has been a talkative and alert baby from the start and we are overjoyed to have him. Mothering two boys is going to keep me busy but I'm sure it will be fun.

Mother's Day in Monterey

Pregnant in DC

Ferdinand Oliver

We were also blessed by the relatively quick short sale our house in CA, with minimum issues and bank demands, we are so thankful to have the house off of our hands in this down economy. The place we are renting here in VA is beautiful and has enough room for all of us, plus Matt's Dad who joined us out here. The car accident and all the legal mayhem that went along with that is also finally over and we are all thankful to be able to regulate that to the past. We are enjoying having 4 seasons (with the first snow fall already happening in October!) and all the educational and recreational experiences that the DC area has to offer are keeping us all busy. As is the steady and welcome stream of visitors that have come out to meet Ferdinand and see our new home.

Grandpa Jones and Tia Sofie

Orson's best friend Lucy

Grandma and Grandpa Pat

Auntie Annie

Even though our life seems to be constantly changing and taking unexpected turns, the blessings and experiences that those turns give us truly awe and amaze us each year. We love never knowing quite what to expect next in life and we also love knowing that the love of our family and friends is with us where ever we end up. God is truly good in all of his ways and doubt and worry should have no place in our hearts.

Wishing everyone a blessed and merry Christmas and a truly joyous and adventurous New Year.

The Ewalts

Matt, Kim, Orson and Ferdinand.

Ferdinand and an Ewalt update

2011-12-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

So Ferdinand is almost 7 weeks and I haven't posted since he was born! Life is much faster with two.

He is now bald, weighs in at 12 lbs 10 oz, smiles all the time, still talks up a storm (and growls when he is hungry), is holding up his head really well and is Orson's best friend (according to O).

We love him so much!

First bath

Big feet but not as big as Orson's were, which means he gets to wear all of the cute baby shoes!

Where did his hair go?

In other news, our house in Sacramento sold!!!! Our car accident settlements finally got settled, we just traded the Camry in for a minivan (yep we are officially a van family now) and Orson starts preschool in January. Lots of changes in all of our lives but all for the good of our family and we are so thankful for all the support and love we have had.

Visitors and getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

So I am way behind posting because we have had so many great visitors this past month. Dad and Sofie came for two weeks at Thanksgiving, the Gordons (Lucy, Gina, Melia) and lastly Pat and Pat. It has been so nice seeing everyone and having family time, plus it is joyous to introduce them to Ferdinand.

We have also spent a lot of time getting ready for Christmas. Dad and Sofie helped put up the tree, we have decorated the house with Orson's favorite part of Christmas so far, lights, we have been opening an advent calendar and reading one story a day to go with it and of course trying to get presents and cards all in order (they will all be late...new baby and new house is my excuse) and baking Christmas cookies (O likes this part too!). I haven't been great about taking pictures of most of this but here is what we have:

Decorating the tree

Even Ferdinand got in on the action

Such a cute present under the tree!

Lots of family pictures around the tree (thanks for making us do it Bob)

Lucy and Orson were over joyed to see each other and Gina and I weren't too far behind, we had a great long weekend with them:

Playing in the bath tub on a rainy day

Melia and Ferdinand listening to the spalshes

Bubble beards

Sharing an ice cream cone (went much better then expected!)

Visiting the National Zoo

We miss our CA friends!

And finally Grandma and Grandpa Pat:

Such fun and now the house feels empty again...can't wait to see Aunt Annie for Christmas.

Thanksgiving: A week to be thankful for

2011-12-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Jones and Tia Sofie joined us for Thanksgiving this year. It was an awesome two weeks full of good food (Thank you so much Sofie!!!), laughter, hiking and family. It was so hard to say good bye and we can't wait to see them in TX for the MS 150.

Grandpa sure makes up good rain outfits!

My Boys

2011-11-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Orson sleeping at 2 weeks:

Ferdinand sleeping at 2 weeks:

Orson lounging after a meal:

Ferdinand lounging:

I think they are brothers :)

Ferdinand is a squeaker...he keeps me up at night wondering what in the world all the sounds coming from him are about.

He loves to cuddle on my chest (or Matt's) and he loves his swing.

He loves to watch Orson whenever he is awake.

Orson is in love with Ferdinand, he gives him hugs, tells him that it will be ok when he is crying and offers him toys constantly.

Orson is also currently enthralled with Christmas trees (I can't wait to put up our decorations), fire trucks and his Daddy.

Week One

2011-11-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

We have added a new member to our family and could not be more happy or feel more blessed. Ferdinand Oliver was born at home November 2, 2011 after 13 hours of labor. It was a very intense experience full of pain and ending in awe and joy and is not something I would trade for painkillers or a hospital ever again. Our midwives were amazing and Matt was even more amazing. He was my rock through the entire labor (just like with Orson's) and I could not have done it without him. Labor started around 2:30 am and I waited to wake Matt up (because I didn't think it was real) until around 6. We called the midwives shortly after and then prepared the bedroom for the day. Orson woke up a little after 9 and was great through out everything. He spent most of the day with Grandpa watching movies and coming up every once in a while to check on me and tell me that I was doing a "great job" :) Sometime in the early afternoon my water broke and everything became much more intense and extremely painful. I tried getting in the tub but felt trapped in it and as I was bleeding a little more then normal, the midwives preferred that I give birth in the bed. Ferdinand's head came out with the cord wrapped around twice and his shoulder was a little stuck behind my pelvis but the midwives acted quickly and were able to get him out without injury to him and with only a little tare for me. Apparently my first response to Matt saying it was a boy was "well I guess we will just have to try again." My response to seeing Ferdinand was instant love and joy. He is already an amazing member of our family and all of us adore him.

Ferdinand came out at 9lbs, 22 inches (although we all think he is longer, he just wouldn't stretch his legs out). His head was 15 cm around, over 5 inches! He is olive skinned, has darkish eyes and lots and lots of dark hair (not just on his head). My favorite is that he has little hairy butt :) He is a good sleeper and an even better eater (he was back to birth weight within 3 days of coming out). He is also super alert when he is awake and the midwives said that as soon as his head came out that he was giving them the stink eye.

We had a list of names ready for the little guy but ended up feeling like none of them fit. That night Matt sat up in bed and said, "What about Ferdinand?" I looked up the meaning the following day and thought it was perfect for our family and Oliver (also not on the list) fit right in. His names mean: Adventure/traveler and Peacemaker. After a week I cannot picture him as anything else and even nicknames don't seem to fit.

And here are the pictures:

Right after the birth:

Daddy cutting the cord a couple of hours after birth

Hairy little man

Orson (above) and Daddy below cuddling baby

Long arms, looking cute and first smile:

Mommy being spoiled with amazing bedside service from Daddy (who knew he could actually cook!) I got amazing meals every night this week, great lunches and the best scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Lounging after a meal

Orson glowing with big brother pride

My boys!

And Orson getting lots of bonding time with Dad.

Welcome baby Ferdinand. We are so glad you are here and that you didn't wait as long as Orson did to come out.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Orson was a cowboy for Halloween this year. We have been watching lots of Roy Rodgers and Calamity Jane lately and that combined with his awesome Texas boots led to a request to be a cowboy. It worked out well for me since I had plenty of material leftovers in my craft boxes to make up a costume.

Boots, Chaps, Vest and Hat (thanks Grandma), what more does a cowboy need?

Oh yes, his horse! (a second birthday present from the Whites)

Cowboys are serious mom!

I met up with an old neighbor/friend of Matt's from Portland last week for lunch and playtime (they just moved here from Florida in June) and she invited us to their house for a party and trick or treating (do to VA traffic we missed most of the party but we made it to trick or treat!). It was so much fun to go out with a group and I look forward to many more play-dates with her family.

A cowboy and his Dad....Orson was much more nervous about decorations and such this year, so he had one of our hands almost all of the time. He was however very good at saying Trick or Treat and then Thank You. Yeah for manners!!

Oh and in case you are wondering, baby dressed up in its costume too. It just wasn't quite out of my belly.

Halloween Fun

2011-10-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

We have been so focused on house and baby around here that I realized that Orson and I haven't really talked about Halloween. So today we watched a Madeline Halloween special and a Charlie Brown one as well and then painted the baby pumpkins we got on our apple picking trip. Now what to do this rainy afternoon?

A whole lota catchin up to do

2011-10-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well I thought it was about time I put up some pictures and caught up a little. We have been super busy unpacking and I think we can officially say that all the boxes that were in the house are unpacked, the cardboard is put away or recycled, things have found homes and life is settling down, some what :) There are still a million little things to do but we have actually gone on some weekend adventures (instead of just staying home and unpacking) and I have started cooking again (actually a lot, since my nesting instinct this time seems to be making freezable meals) and Orson has figured out which town home is ours when we come back from a walk. The leaves around here are changing and the colors are wonderful, if baby doesn't come this week I think we will head out and do some hiking and picture taking. Some of our local adventures have included a trip to the National Zoo (note to selves, never try to park at the zoo itself again), apple and pumpkin picking in Maryland and walks/playground visits in the neighborhood (we even saw an owl catch and eat a mouse on the trails right by our house!!!). We have run into some very friendly people and this coming Thursday Orson and I are going to try out a playgroup we found out about at the church we decided to attend, wish us luck! Here are some pictures from our adventures:

Walking around and playing at the playground:

This is the view of the back of our town home

Orson thought the jungle gym was awesome, especially when mommy showed him how to climb it (I think I forget how pregnant I am some times :)

He made a friend by stealing his soccer ball, they had a blast together (the little boy was 4 and O had a good two inches on him!)

National Zoo:

Apple picking:

Orson was in heaven, first a car trip, then a ferry and then...

a tractor ride to the orchard!

O's final pumpkin (or pinecone as he calls them) pick...a green one :)

He also loved the snake squash!

Apple picking was a success, Orson has finally stopped asking to go to the beach (well mostly) and instead asks when we are going picking again.

Baby is still hanging out inside (for those of you who are curious) and the midwives think all looks and feels well. I was measuring small but caught up again at this weeks appointment. We have been out to their new office twice, Orson loves it. It is on a small farm complete with gravel road (Matt loves this part) leading to it, goats in the neighbor's space and cats and dogs in the front garden. Orson has taken to being very loving to my belly again and enjoys spending time in the afternoon cuddling in our bed and teaching the baby about monster trucks and race cars.

Overall life is good, though we miss our friends terribly and Orson asks constantly (as I do in my head) when his friends are coming, we are settled in and ready for baby and Matt is loving work.

Made it safe

2011-09-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

I realized I never posted that we have arrived safely here in Sterling, VA.

Thanks for all the support and prayers for safe travels. Pictures will be soon, we haven't really taken any lately and a complete update as well. For now, I met with the midwives this week and am getting really excited to meet baby (not that we have found any of the baby boxes yet), we have most of the boxes upstairs unpacked, Orson keeps asking when we are going home, and over all it is going well. We are missing everyone tons and skype calls are certainly helping.

Orson Memories and some Baby too

2011-09-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

New favorite words/phrases:
I can't like it
Never
I bove (love) you
I want Daddy (when he is in trouble with mommy)
Lucy come back soon (he doesn't seem to realize we are the ones that left)
No naps and No buggies (the second refers to shopping carts at grocery stores)

Actions:
Orson will climb in my lap and kiss every part of my face while saying which body part he is kissing and then wants me to do it to him....one of my favorite parts of any day :)
He asks me to copy things he sees on TV now, today he gave me a branch and asked me to walk around and say "Tut, Tut looks like rain"
He is throwing more and more tantrums and I am having a really hard time dealing with them....something to work on I guess
He is totally into picking his nose!!!

Baby is getting big in my belly. Hiccups are getting to be a regular occurrence, especially at about 4 in the morning. Baby seems to really like certain foods and drinks, it starts dancing in my belly two sips into a Strawberry milkshake, a half glass of wine and anything lemon flavored :)

Congratulations to the Bride and Groom

2011-09-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Matt was in the same city as Orson and I for an entire weekend!!!!

What was the occasion? My youngest brother's, Nathan's, wedding. It was a lovely weekend full of family, friends and sappy love, and I enjoyed it greatly. Most of us came in at some point last week and we got to meet Dad's girlfriend Sofie (who is a happy and joyful person to be around and makes Dad extremely happy), have a little Labor Day labor party, sit around and talk and run around and do last minute wedding things. I hope to have more pictures of the Labor Day party later but here are some from this weekend. Allison was radiant and Nate was pretty snazzy himself.

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Post Party, Party

Blessings

2011-09-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

As an update and a prayer of thanks. We got a note back from the midwives that we loved and they offered (without us asking) to work with our upfront costs so that I could still give birth at home. Suddenly my prayer that all will work itself out for the VA side of the move is answered.

One last prayer, get this house here sold :) Nothing like asking a lot, huh?

Moving and saying good bye

2011-08-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to formulate this post for a while, we are so crazy busy trying to get everything in place that life just seems to be spiraling out of control. Last week we spent in North Va trying to avoid natural disasters and find a place to live. This week I wrapped up my photography class and Orson and I are home packing. Next week we go to TX for the wedding, a labor day party and family time (Matt joins us for the actual wedding weekend) and then we move (My departure date from TX is still undecided!). That means this week is also about saying goodbye to all of our friends and realizing how much it hurts that I won't see their new babies when they are born, I will have to explain to Orson why his friends aren't coming over to play and that I will yet again be giving birth somewhere without a support system around to help us. I know, I know, cry me a river :)

The house hunt seemed to go well but we still haven't heard if we got the place that we applied for, so Matt is now looking when he gets off work everyday for anything he can find. This leads to lots of late nights on Skype passing house pictures back and forward only to find out that it was leased the day before. The house here is showing well but no one is actually making any offers, which leads to questions on the rental side about how we are going to pay for both....Lets just say that we miss the simplicity of renting in Baton Rouge, where they sit down, talk to you and plain decide if you are a good person or not. I also met with midwives and realized that we won't be able to front the money that they are asking to do a home birth....this means I am now trying to figure out a birthing center or anything that is not a hospital. I am a little terrified at the thought of repeating Orson's birth but I'm sure it will all work out (babies come out one way or the other, right?). During all of this we did take some time off from the hunt (and to celebrate Matt's birthday) to visit a few museums, Orson and Matt's favorite was the Udar Hazy Smithsonian. Below are a few pictures:

This week Orson and I have already been to a splash park with Lucy and walking with Maddox, we plan on visiting Wacky Tacky tomorrow and after our midwife appointment Thursday I'm sure we will be getting together with other friends. It is so hard to say good bye. Orson is also struggling with why his Daddy isn't here and wakes up from every nap and sleep looking for him (normally followed by an uncontrollable cry when he can't be found). The only thing that seems to help is the promise of an airplane ride to TX to see Grandpa, Uncle Nate, Aunt Anne, Aunt Allison, Aunt Lynda and Snuggles :) I have also been trying to say goodbye to my garden, which is hard, since the sunflowers I planted are finally blooming and the birds have really taken to our fountain as their daily bathing spot (I still haven't been able to get a photo of the hummingbirds taking baths). Plus, if we don't get the house we want, I will be also saying goodbye to our piano and some other items that just won't fit in the smaller in town options we have been looking at, which is hard to. Like all things, I know that God will work it all out, already Matt is loving his work again, so the main goal is accomplished. Orson and I will figure out our new places in the world and life will keep on. Its just hard when you are in the trenches. Anyway here are some pictures from this week:

Monday: Splash Park with Lucy

Wednesday: Wacky tacky and Fountains with Lucy, Maddox, Ava and Angelina

Sunflowers in the garden

Oh and some shots of the handsome and wonderful birthday boy who is such a good sport and let me take his picture for my class.

*******Update********

We found out we got the house! Yippy, one thing off the list, now I just have to motivate to get some packing done :)

Chateafeest

2011-08-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last night was my last Chateafee(st) or Chatting, Tea, Coffee (and dessert) with the moms. We tried a new place downtown and as usual had a great time. It will be so hard not to have this break from toddler, husband, life during the week once we move. These ladies have been my life line, my support, my constant companions through the difficult and amazing first two years of becoming a mom of first an infant and then a toddler. We talk about pooping, peeing, birthing, sleeping, eating, husbands, hitting, biting and even sometimes everything else in life, constantly and loudly (probably to the embarrassment of those around us). I will be so sad to miss the births of round number two (by weeks in some cases) and even sadder that they won't be near for the birth of our second. The man at the restaurant told us to come back when the babies are all one, I think I should start planning that trip :)

Anyway we had a blast last night, the pictures mostly speak for themselves.

Here we go again

2011-08-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

So at this point most of you know that by this time next month we will be moved into the DC metro area (probably northern VA)!

The move:

The timing is a little stressful but I know that it will all work out and at least we will be settled in before the baby comes in Oct (fingers crossed). It is going to be a time of new beginnings and we are all excited for the move (well Orson doesn't really get it). We are hoping to find a 4 bedroom with one of the rooms being an in-law suite because Matt's dad is moving across the country with us as well. So far Gainsville, Burke and Herdon, VA seem to have a few options in them. This upcoming weekend is our only weekend left when all of us will be home together, so we will spend it packing and organizing our lives so that the rest of the month works out. The next week we will all be in DC looking for a house, the next Orson and I will be home but Matt will be staying in DC to work, the next week Orson and I are in TX for Nathans wedding and Matt will be home (Matt will join us for the wedding that weekend) and then we come back and the rental trucks will be here waiting to load!!!! Whew, we never do things the easy way. We probably should have stayed home and packed this last weekend but we had been planning a trip to Tahoe with the Pats for over a month and we didn't want to cancel at the last minute and the weekend before that we didn't have the move offer yet (although we thought it was going to happen so we spent Sunday packing up the front room) so we went to a garden in San Mateo to take pictures for my class (which ends just before O and I fly out to TX).

With all this excitement going on we are also having to say goodbye to all of our dear friends, the house (which we are trying to short sale), all the adventures we have had here in Sacramento and my garden. Last Thursday was our last time watching Lucy :(, this Wednesday will be our last play date at the house and this week will probably be the last time I get to go out for tea with the moms sans babies, I have been trying to take lots of pictures of everything and will post as I have a chance.

San Mateo Gardens (Folili Gardens and Estate) and a side trip through Nappa:

The gardens were so pretty, they were walled off sections with gates in between each. I really liked the formal flower gardens but the fruit and veggie area was interesting as well (Orson liked the unripe pears the best). The house was also interesting but I am an outside girl for the most part.

Nappa

The gardens

Tahoe and Virginia City:

This weekend was tons of fun. We stayed in the condo of one of Pat and Pat's friends in Incline Village (we had never spent time on the North side of the lake), met up with Matt's Uncle Greg, Aunt Rene and their twins Royce and Jackson who were in Squaw Valley showing their Rolls Royce (the pools there were amazing!!!), and then on Sunday, drove out to Virgina City to ride on a train and walk around. It was so nice to have some family time and some time that we didn't think all too much about the move (except to hyperventilate every once in a while about how much we had to get done). Thank you so much Pat and Pat for such a lovely weekend. Orson is still complaining that we didn't bring Grandma and Grandpa home with us :)

Orson showing off his two year old devil horns when he thought no one was looking :)

Summer fun

2011-07-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days we have been busy with our friends. Lots of people are moving away by the end of this summer so we are having playgroups by the bucket load.

We had a swim party at Jamie's house. Orson even went to the first step of the pool, which was further then I was willing to go, it was chilly water :)
but the playhouse was the real hit.

Then yesterday was our last playgroup that Penny and Griffin will attend. Their mommy got a great teaching job in middle California and they are moving this weekend. We will miss them but it does mean that we now have friends only 20 min from the Monterrey Bay Aquarium!

We tried really hard to capture all the kids in one photo, it of course didn't work but here are my attempts.

Below is the best of everyone :)

And then there were a few hams that wanted to see a picture of themselves.

Our newest mommy group addition, Jude...

Orson's sleeping has been a little hit and miss lately which resulted in a very early wake up for me yesterday...I spent some of the time out in the garden trying to coax the birds into showing themselves for my camera.

Its hard to see in the little picture but this is Mr and Mrs Gold Finch, they seem to love our garden and fountain.

Mrs. Hummingbird stopped by, I was hoping that her mate would come take his morning bath but no luck.

And just to remember, some favorite Orson stuff:

He is in love with the baby in my belly, kisses, hugs, talks, toys all go to it instead of me now

Whales, sharks and other ocean related stuff is one of his favorite topics of conversation, as is asking to go to the beach.

Dinosaur Train is his favorite kids show and he normally wakes up to tell me about dinosaur related dreams that he has had.

His favorite mantra the car is "No nap, no go home, no naps"

He asks if his "friends are comin" all the time

He is potty trained almost completely when he is awake and not wearing underwear....

His dad is his favorite person

He asks to go ride an airplane to see Grandpa Jones all the time (I think he misses our trip to England almost as much as I do)

and he loves his little pool in the yard

Orson this weekend (part 3 of 3)

2011-07-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Orson started his weekend off on Friday with his first class of gymnastics at Flip it in Roseville (thanks Aunt Annie):

The swings were his favorite part.

Then he joined Matt and I on the camping trip :)

Orson at the playground:

Helping set up the camp site (aka how to contain a two year old when attention is elsewhere):

Orson at the gardens:

At the beach:

Running around:

Links to The Trip; Landscapes and Flowers

Lanscape and Flowers (2 of 3)

2011-07-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Glass Beach:

Mendocino Botanical Seaside Gardens:

Camping:

Links to The Trip; Orson This Weekend

This Weekend The trip (one of three)

2011-07-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, really this weekend started on Thursday with a trip to the camera store....well, maybe we have to go a little further back. My AmeriCorps Education Award is going to expire in November of this year and I realized a) I didn't really like Emergency Management classes and b) I would never get a chance to use a Masters in Emergency Management because I would never want to be away from my family for so long, c) our family needed a new camera. Taking into account a,b and c, I decided to look into photography classes. Originally I wanted to take community college classes but, funny thing, California's economy sucks and all the community colleges are filled up and have waiting lists miles long for classes that may or may not get a teacher. So I turned to Google and found the Art Institute of Pittsburgh online division. Now, these classes will more then likely be way over my head and, even though Matt and I plan on taking them "together," I do have the wedding of my brother and a little thing called baby number two coming up, so I don't know how many I will end up actually completing but I am really excited for them! Which brings us to Thursday when I found out I was scheduled for classes starting on the 25th of July and needed a dSLR camera. So we went to the local, family owned, camera store and walked out with a Cannon 60d and a bunch of other "school" supplies, just in time for our camping trip to Van Damme State Park just south of Mendocino, CA.

We took so many pictures that I had to divide them into three sections, The Trip, Orson This Weekend and Flowers and Landscapes. This section is The Trip:

We left early Saturday morning with a loaded down car and very excited son (who was so excited he refused to take a nap in the car). We made it to just north of Nappa and decided it was time for a stop. So we pulled over in Calistoga to take advantage of their awesome playground. Orson seemed to remember it from Jessica and Dan's wedding.

Then we loaded back up and headed toward the campsite. After a very long few hours, we arrived and set up camp and then headed up to the Fort Bragg area to visit Glass Beach. The beach is covered in recycled glass that was dumped there a long time ago and that has turned slowly into glass pebbles. Unfortunately people have collected the glass over time but there was still enough to make it a neat and different beach to visit.

Orson loved the tide pools!

And wanted to love the unripe blackberries :)

We made a quick stop in Mendocino to visit the toy store and look at their pretty gardens.

After the beach we headed back to camp to cook dinner.

Our "neighbors" had Legos.

We were hoping to introduce Orson to sitting around a camp fire, drinking hot chocolate and reading stories but half way through cooking dinner it started to rain. So we quickly ate up my cast iron skillet cobbler (recipe at end) and got into the tent for reading and bed. Orson had a hard time falling asleep and both Orson and I had a hard time sleeping once Matt started snoring (apparently Orson took to hitting Matt and saying no Daddy no whenever it got too long) but we slept in later then expected and woke up to a beautiful day. After pancakes on the griddle, we took off for the Mendocino Botanical Seaside Gardens. Between the cool weather, the rain and the amazing garden I felt like I was back in Cornwall!

The gardens were amazing and Orson loved the signs throughout the showed pictures of what you might see...He took to pointing out birds on the signs and then "looking" all around :)

Matt and Orson have the exact face in the above picture, I love it :)

The hand over his eyes is how we knew he was "looking." I have no idea where he picked it up but he has been doing this sign for a multiple months now.

We also loved the views of the beach, the vegetable garden and well everything!

Orson found and then proceeded to try and eat a pine cone

The dahlia garden was my favorite

After a bite of lunch we headed to Jughead State Reserve to let Orson have his much asked for beach and shovel time. It was a great beach and we couldn't believe it wasn't more crowded. We had a very hard time getting Orson to leave (and then to get him to leave his kelp snake behind).

On the way home we made two short stops, one in Geyserville for a drink and for Orson to see the fire trucks. When we walked over to look, the firemen invited him to sit in any truck he wanted, he chose the rescue truck, and they let him turn the lights on!

Then we stopped in St. Helena for a Gott's strawberry milkshake and a little running around.

It was a great weekend and we can't wait to try camping out again.

Cast Iron Fruit Cobbler (sorry I didn't get a picture, darn rain)

Filling:

3-4 cups of fruit (used nectarines, apples and plums)

2tbsp sugar

1 tbsp of cinnomon

dashes of your favorite baking spices (I used nutmeg, cloves and allspice)

2 tbsp gluten free flour mix

1 tsp vanilla

mix everything together in a bowl with a lid and pack in ice chest

Crust:

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of gluten free flour mix

Mix in a baggie and bring with you

1/4 cup of butter (bring with you)

When ready to cook, get the fire nice and hot and place grill on top. Warm up cast iron skillet, place filling on bottom, then sprinkle crust on top, place slices of butter evenly on top of everything. Cover with foil and place on indirect heat of fire for 30-45 minutes (you will hear it bubbling).

Friends, Soccer and a summer craft

2011-07-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Lucy and Orson have been getting so big. They wander around the house and outside hardly needing help from me to come up with things to do. Lately they have loved reading together and I love the super cute pictures that result.

They also love looking out the big front window and making up stories about what they see outside. So fun to listen to

A couple of weeks ago we made crayon "stain glass" to replace the Easter eggs that were hanging from our chandelier. I shaved the crayons that have slowly been collecting in the bottom of my purse (from going out to eat) into little bits and then Orson and Lucy sprinkled them all over wax paper. When they were done, I put another piece of wax paper on top and then used the iron to melt the crayons. Then we sat down and I cut out the shapes that Lucy and Orson asked for, strung them together with thread and voila, we had great art to look at during our meals.

Last week Orson (and most of his friends) started soccer! Well pre-soccer. It involved a lot of running around, trying to get the kids to dribble and well, chaos. It was lots of fun to watch :) Orson was actually pretty good at dribbling the ball, when he put his mind to it, and he has talked about how much fun it was all week.

Lucy and Hazel

Maddox (he is gonna be a great goalie)

Ava and her dad

You can also see Will in the bunch.

We rounded out last Saturday with a trip to the barber for Orson. He is now a full fledged little boy, with a short hair cut!

Oh and I almost forgot, Orson has been working on potty training for the last few weeks and doing great. He still has accidents when wearing underwear but can go all day (when he isn't wearing them) without having one and yesterday he went pop on the potty for the first time!!

The Yard

2011-07-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to do this forever! My yard has been so fun to watch unfold this year. We have a mix of flowers, edibles and toys all over it and sitting outside and enjoying the breeze, smells and laughter has been one of my favorite pass times this summer. So without further ado, here is a little picture tour through the garden:

The front yard:

Above is our reoccurring broccoli in the foreground, below is bee balm

I planted the gladiolas when we first moved in and we added the grape vines last year

The backyard:

We rearranged the back shade corner this spring so that I could have somewhere to sit and see the entire length of the yard....I love the new arrangement

Below the pomegranate is blooming

This is my sunny side, I used some wood and old shelves that we had laying around to make some make shift beds...

The tomatoes are taking off!

As are the peas

Out in the yard, the lavender and rosemary are very happy, I also have pepers, basil, thyme, oregano, summer savory, cilantro, sage and....

STRAWBERRIES!!! hidden all throughout the flower beds

We had a great display of gardenias that made our noses happy

And lots of the plants from last year have pushed out their beautiful heads

Oh and we got a new fountain, the hummingbird loves to take baths in the top. I love waking up to that sight.

I filled in the wine barrel fountain from last year (I just couldn't keep the kids out of it)

And finally some of the spoils from the garden. We get about a pint of strawberries every couple of days. The peas have been super crisp and good

And today we got our first three tomatoes too!

Saturday Adventures

2011-06-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today we drove north to the Lake Tahoe area. We started the day off at one of our favorite breakfast places in Placerville, Sweetie Pies. Matt and Orson were excited by the nice car out front and I was excited for some bacon and eggs :)

Then we drove up to Horsetail falls and hiked up to see them. We couldn't actually get all that close, but the hike in was about 1/2 a mile with a gain in about 500+ elevation (according to our hiking book) and it included climbing over lots of boulders. Orson made it the entire way up! Most of the way down he did on Matt's shoulders. The water was running high and fast and we saw lots of smaller falls on the way up and had a great hike.

Orson was in heaven with all of the stream crossing he got to splash through.

One of the minor falls we passed!

The down trees had great patterns to them.

Daddy had it hard on the hike back.

After the hike we drove into South Lake Tahoe for ice cream and then stopped in Lake Tahoe State Park, near Sand Harbor, and hiked down to a small beach to have cheese and crackers on the water. Again, Orson hiked most of the way down and he also did most of the hike up (aided by "power pills" aka Annie's Gummy Bunnies). My mom always brought some kind of power pill on hikes when we were kids and boy do they work! The lake was beautiful but Matt and I both felt like we picked the wrong spot, as it was populated by young adults that wanted to be on the Jersey Shore show (overheard conversations included, "oh I know him, we have the same parole officer" and "I couldn't understand why she was in a relationship for two weeks and hadn't had sex yet")! Needless to say, we didn't stay long :)

We started at a parking lot at the top with great views.

And made it all the way down to the lake via a bunch of switch backs.

and then got back up to the top somehow :) I think pregnant momma struggled the most on the way back.

All in all, Matt figured that Orson hiked about 2 miles today! Needless to say, we had a quiet drive home, little bear was so tired.