Sorry it's been a while

We haven't been updating the blog because of some technical difficulties and, well, life. But we will be back on it.

First strawberries of the season

We went out strawberry picking with our friends Jen and her son Ronin. 

So fun! We picked over 12lbs in about an hour. 

Fun day!

Happy Mothers Day

Every year on Mother's Day, I try to get a photo of me with the kids. This year's photo might be my favorite so far. 

Forest and Farm Girl

Olivia's class at MLC has been learning about the forest and all of its creatures this trimester. They have been heading up to Forest Park regularly--they even take a city bus there! She is enjoying the different ways her teacher has approached the topic from forest yoga to art, writing and spirit animals. I love that she is getting out into nature and exploring on her own. Also that on forest hike days she has to wear jeans. Jeans! They look adorable! 

These days she likes to say she's a farm girl. She has shown a remarkable dedication to the chickens, checking on them and caring for them. For her elective at school her first choice was gardening--and she loves it! 

So great!

Another sleeping Sammy photo

Olivia's work

Olivia's poem:

As the unicorn shows her shadow

And the Fairygodgirl lowers her lasso.

The sun shines bright!

The flowers bloom.

And the little hummingbird flies his tune!

The cat's whiskers dangle down

The baby dog hides his frown

We had our mid-year conference with Olivia's teacher and were very happy to hear how well she is doing in class, what a helpful member of their community she is. A friend to all, is how Cami discribed her. She also has gone from kindergarten-level reading at the beginning of the year to end-of second grade level now. Olivia told all of us she wants to learn and spell new and big words. I'm pretty proud of her. 

Here is a recent portrait of the family by Olivia: 

Sammy's Drawings

Sammy's portrait of Chris. Today he added glasses after weeks of just dots for eyes. The lines across the face are lips and mustache. I also love Sammy's floating guys pictures:

And his picture of himself and daddy, not to scale:

The Wolf Club

Olivia's teacher sent an email saying that the Wolf Club, a group of first and second graders who gather on Mondays to discuss wolves during recess, was looking for help gathering crafts for the craft fair. I said to Olivia, "Did you know there's a wolf club in your class." She looked at me and said, "Yeah, I'm in it!" So, note to self, I do not know everything that is happening in her life. We created necklaces to sell that feature her drawings of wolves: 

So proud of her. 

2015 - A Year in the Life

Here's a short movie I made using the app 1 Second Every Day. I didn't actually manage to capture every day of 2015, and most clips are longer than one second, but you get the idea.

Heroes and Villains

Sam sleeps in his Captain America costume. Alisa bought it for $5 at a thrift store and added some fabric to the waist so
it would fit. It's been through innumerable washes and is pretty ragged around the edges, but he loves it dearly
and wears it daily. Olivia also likes to wear her hero costume occasionally and joins in our superhero games as
Doggy Girl or Kitty Girl, but for Sam superheroes are almost a religion. He can name all of the Avengers and
is familiar with many of their origins. He has a reference book of Marvel characters that he likes to have read
to him in lieu of bedtime stories. He loves to play superhero games, which he calls "badguy games," possibly because
he has some confusion about the roles of superheroes and villains, but I like to think is because he uses the word
"bad" to mean "good" in accordance with street vernacular.

Whatever the case, I try to emphasize the helpful and noble nature of superheroes when we play our games. Captain America
assists in returning helpless stuffed animals and toys to their homes at cleanup time. He uses his considerable strength
to lift great cushions off the floor and return them to the couches. Captain America shares with his sister. He poops in
the potty, not in his costume.

Then, of course, there is the wrestling and play fighting that goes along with any super role-play. I can't resist playing
the role of Hulk on a rampage, lumbering and smashing my way around the house as Captain America knocks be down with his
cardboard shield and Kitty Girl pounces. It does take me back.

Sleeping Sammy

Someday very soon Sammy will tell me to please stop photographing him while he's sleeping. But until then...

Positive thinking

"I am special just the way I am."

"Olivia-- A caring girl who doesn't care when it's raining... A girl who has a caring heart... A girl who loves a chicken named Maeve."

Sammy's first day of preschool

Walking to school, it was bittersweet. 

Such a big day, Sammy's first day at Little Lights Playschool. I didn't cry...I wanted to cry that my baby's growing up, but I kept it cool. His favorite part was snack time and meeting friends. I am so happy that he gets to experience this sweet little school. 

Circus performer

Olivia has been showing her fearlessness this summer. First, I heard from her aunties how Olivia traversed a three-story high tightrope at Great Wolf Lodge. Then her goal of becoming an otter at swimming lessons was realized after she tried and tried and tried to learn to float on her back. After weeks of trying, she did it. And with aplomb, she said, "it's because I tried really hard, Mom."

There was a song I sang to her every night when she was a baby: "Trapeze," by Patty Griffith. I always wondered if the girl in the song would be the kind of woman Olivia might grow up to be like. In some really amazing ways she has.

Sammy is three!

Sammy turned three on Sunday. He's officially a preschooler and not a baby or toddler anymore. What a sweet little guy he continues to be. Even when he's recreating a ferocious fight between a lion and cheetah, ther comes a time when some critter gets hurt and Sammy nurtures them back to health. He is getting more and more into super heroes, his dad's influence, I am sure: 

He and Olivia play dress up every day and I am so glad he has such a great guide. Olivia has a rich creative vocabulary and helps him cultivate his different "identities" from Spidey to kitty to dead slug. As much as these two fight, there is an equal amount of love. 

Pretty soon it will be time for this little guy to start preschool. BUT, we still have a few weeks left of summer. Here are some of my fave moments with Sammy in a few of the places we've been this summer: 

Home:

The zoo train:

Puget Sound:

Ketchikan, Alaska

Whale Pass, Alaska (Grandpa's house)

Love this guy!

Raising a boy

Sammy and I spend lots of time just running errands and going to the coffee shop. It's fun just hanging out with him but it's also good for him to be around people and to work on manners. But, he's still 2 1/2, he's not on his best behavior 100% of the time. (Who is?) 

Last week we were at Target and having promised Sam that we would look at toys as soon as we picked some new sheets, I needed to distract him. Aha! A price scanner on the end cap! He pushed the buttons and scanned things. A few moments peace. But, an employee (older lady) called out, "It's not a toy!"

I looked at her hoping for understanding or something. And then I got it: This is what the world is for little boys. They are chided and shot down for doing what comes naturally. I have the benefit of having gone through this age with Olivia and it was different. In a world controlled by women which is, let's be real, the world occupied by young children, is guided by expectations that girls can meet. Be quiet, sit down, obey. 

I felt bad for Sammy's little spirit. The same thing happened at Portland Nursery yesterday. Sam was playing with a water fountain in 85 degree weather, not bothering anyone. An employee (older woman) came by and said he couldn't do that. "It will wear out." The fountain will wear out because a toddler is putting his hand in the water. Wtf?

I am very conscious of Sammy's behavior in public and obviously don't let him act like a turd out there. But I won't allow the world to kill his little spirit.

Olivia Artwork

Olivia's writing and drawing has really taken off. We can hardly keep up with the paper supply required. Some of her writing is about something that happened immediately before and her feelings about it.

Usually it has to do with fighting with Sam. She also writes about being a Nature Fairy, school friends, how much she loves her dad, etc. The act of writing and drawing is therapeutic for her and also very entertaining for us. 

Princess Cats

For the "I wish I could make art like my kid" category.

Princess Cats

Flower Balloons

Pig

Catch

Daddy, what if life was like this: what if you could take your eyeballs out and throw them to another person. And then the other person could take their eyeballs out and throw them to you, and then catch your eyeballs. And they could just keep throwing and catching and throwing and catching.

Could you still see through your eyes while they were up in the air?

Yes!

That would be great if life was like that.

Self portrait with little brother