Addie is osum!

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You know, I knew it had been a while since I'd blogged.  And darn it, I think about blogging so often that i't hard to believe that almost a month and a half have passed.  Anyway, I'm here now, might as well make the most of it.

Our kindergarten teacher is THE.BEST.  I mean I know there are parents of kindergarten students everywhere you think that, it goes without saying that really FABULOUS people get hired to teach this grade, to do this job.  But ours, is, without a doubt, THE.BEST.

She sent me this text today: And her writing is "osum" too

Weekend News~

In case you can't see the picture, it says: 

I went snow showeng.  Lily ned a caof.  There was a step hel.  I wrk hrod.  I was osum.  

In case you need interpretation: I went snowshoeing.  Lily knitted a scarf.  There was a steep hill.  I worked hard.  I was awesome.  

She's telling the truth about all of it.  

Lily got the grand idea back in October to knit each of us a scarf for this event, so we could all be matching.  She made that happen too.  She got her Grandma to help and her cousin Jayme too.  She even taught me to knit and I produced one of these!  We looked great and she was SO SO proud of the scarves we each wore.  Bryson didn't want to wear a pink scarf but I put it on him backwards while we were strapping on his snowshoes and he didn't even notice.  

Steep hill ahead

We did our Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer snowshoe event on Mt Hood this weekend.  All the kids snowshoed.  Lawr pulled a sled with Bryson in for part of it.  It was hard.  It was partially steep. And our kids powered through.  We did too.  This wasn't the hardest year we've done this, but it was difficult to get everyone up and around the course, staying warm and happy, all at the same time.  We have grand schemes and we get tired and frustrated but we have a lot of fun.  Then we get back in the car and we say, wow, we just did that.

With 3 little kids.  Little.  Kids.

Finish line, that's Lawr with the sled and Lily and Bryson.  Addie finished first in the family and you better believe she didn't let ANYONE forget that! 

And we feel proud, and happy, and alive, and we are osum.

The first day...again

Addie - First Day of Kindergarten - 2012

Lily - First day of Second grade - 2012

I took the first day of school off.  I decided last year to do that every year.  Every person in our family's birthday off and the first and last day of school.  It was a good idea.  

After Kindergarten I brought Addie home so we could bake.  We made some yummy Paleo chocolate chip cookies.  It was my first attempt at baking grain, sugar, and dairy free, and it turned out awesome.  The kids loved them too.  Addie and I had lunch together, played a game, baked and hung out together before it was time for to get Lily.  We did out first day of school interview.  

What's your name? Addie

How old are you? Five
What was special about today? about Kindergarten? No.  I was wondering what you were talking about.  Even stuff that aren't in my kindergarten?  I don't know what you are asking me.  Stop typing.  KINDERGARTEN!!!!!

How did you get to school?  By the car
How did you get home? By the car 
What is your teachers name? Um, I always get them mixed up about two things.  I forgot.

What's your favorite color? Blue

What's your favorite book? Cars
What's your favorite song? Everyone was kung fo fighting
What's your favorite movie? Cars
Television Show? Is it, can it be? Word World
Who's your best friend? I don't really know.  Can you pick one?  Can you list a few?  Um.  Carter, Rachel, that's it

Favorite Smell? flowers

What's your favorite kind of candy? chocolate chip cookies that we just made

Favorite Sound? I don't wheely know. 

Is there any sound you can think of that you really like to hear? The sound of an airplane like I hear right now - or something (it is a motorcycle)

What's your favorite instrument? ukulele

Favorite thing to do at school? Do cwafts. 
What do you hope to learn this year at school? To learn about bears Anything else? uh-uh.
Don't you know about bears already? But I wanna learn more

What's your favorite game? The bear game you got me
Favorite Food? Chicken nuggets
Favorite thing to drink? pink lemonade

What's your favorite animal? Bear
What's your favorite thing to do? cuddle with bear-bear and mommy
Outside? um, the parade in Joseph
Front Yard? play in the sprinkler

Back Yard? Look for butterflies with our net

What about on the swing set?  I wike to do Ninja Warrior and get acwoss without touching the bottom. the. ground.
Where's your favorite place to go? Sauvie Island
What's your favorite Toy? Bear Bear
What's your favorite thing about Lily? Um, I like to play with her

What's your favorite about Bryson?  I like to rub his face and his body because it's so soft. (LOL)
Okay, What color are Lily's eyes? Bwown

Brysons?  Blue Yours? Blue 
Anything else about Lily that you want to share? nothing else, I wanna be done
Anything else about Bryson that you want to share? I wike to cuddo with him when he doesn't kiss me in the eye
How old is Daddy? I don't know Guess.  33 Did I guess white?
How old is Mommy? I don't know. Guess. 15 (smile)

What makes you happy? To cuddle with bear bear
What do you want to be when you grow up? A wace car dwiver

What is your favorite word that Bryson says: I like him say wheel things that we don't even know what he says
What is your favorite word?um, cars
What is your favorite time of day? I like it when it's not too sunny but it is sunny
What is your favorite way to have your hair? I like it just one clippy he-o and one clippy he-o (here)
What is your favorite Holiday? 4th of July
Why? Because it's my bday and I like my bday
What other holiday do you like? I like Christmas holiday

Whose your favorite character? Lightning McQueen
What is your favorite day of the week? Fwiday

What's your favorite room in the house? my woom
What's your favorite thing about daddy?That he's my buds
What's your favorite thing about mommy? That you cuddle with me at night night
What was your favorite trip this summer? Jenny's beach house because Bryson was in the room (with her and Lily) and I like 2 people with me, and I like myself with me.  Haha.  (she said haha)
What do you like about Uncle Matt? Um.  Um. That he's nice
What about Grandma Lanie? Um. I don't weally....Um. That she's nice.
What about Grandma Carol and Grandpa Steve? They're cause they're nice
Who do you sleep with?Lily, cause we share a room.  Anyone else? only at Jenny's beach house, Bwyson slept with us.  Bear-bear
Anything else you want to share : Um, no.  What is it sharing with?  Is is sharing with my teacher.  No just with my blog.  Block.  Oh, so it's for a blog.  

I picked up Lily and thought about how at only 2pm, it was my 3rd and not last time at their school that day.  I rolled my eyes and then secretly felt like a really cool soccer mom since my next time would be for soccer practice.  We went to our favorite little local coffee shop, and I brought one of Lily's American Girl Kaya chapter books for us to read.  We finished the 4th book in the series then did her interview, all while Lily sucked down a vanilla smoothie.  

Lily: 

What's your name? Lily

How old are you? Seven n a half - do you just write what I say?
What was special about today? Uh the first day of school

How did you get to school? You took me 

How did you get home? You drove me to Metro Perc in the car
What is your teachers name? Mrs. LB 

What's your favorite color? Turquoise

What's your favorite book? The Bible, The Kaya (American Girl) books, Junie B books, and Junie B puzzle book
What's your favorite song? The sun will come out tomorrow

What's your favorite movie? Annie
Television Show? Mickey Mouse
Who's your best friend? Rachel

Who are some good friends at school? Emma, Lucy, Brady, Gavin 

Favorite Smell? The smell of mondel bread getting cooked

What's your favorite kind of candy? Um, tootsie rolls

Favorite Sound? Um, listening to songs

What's your favorite instrument? accordion

Favorite thing to do at school? Math
What do you hope to learn this year at school? Harder Math Anything else? How to type

What's your favorite game? Monopoly
Favorite Food? Ice cream and pancakes
Favorite thing to drink? chocolate milk

What's your favorite animal? Penguin
What's your favorite thing to do? Spend time with you
Outside? I think it's going to new parks that I never been there before
Front Yard? Play in the sprinkler

Back Yard? Play on the swing set

What on the swing set?  Do Ninja Warrior and do my flip on the ropes
Where's your favorite place to go? Bullwinkles and to see Grandma and Grandpa
What's your favorite Toy? My stuffed animals in my bed
What's your favorite thing about Addie? When she laughs and when she is in a happy attitude and she wants to be a big girl with me. 

What's your favorite about Bryson? When he plays with me and hugs and kisses me
Okay, What color are her eyes? Blue

Brysons?   Blue Yours? Brown Anything else about Addie that you want to share? no that's it for Addie
Anything else about Bryson that you want to share? I like putting him to bed and when he cries when I leave because he loves me, I mean, I don't like that he cries but I like that he loves me a lot.
How old is Daddy? 39
How old is Mommy? 35

What makes you happy? You and Daddy and my family
What do you want to be when you grow up? An acrobat and a teacher.  I kind of want to be be an acrobat and a teacher and a guy who cuts hair

What is your favorite word that Bryson says: he-a, he-a (here)
What is your favorite word? that I say? I don't know I like a lot of words.  So list one.  I don't know.
What is your favorite time of day? Right when I wake up so it is a long time to go to bed
What is your favorite way to have your hair? a pony in the back
What is your favorite Holiday? I think it's Christmas
Why? Because it's Jesus's birthday
What other holiday do you like? Is my birthday a holiday? no.   

Halloween and Easter and Yeah
What is your favorite day of the week? I think it's Friday, so we have the weekend and it's movie night

What's your favorite room in the house? The playroom
What's your favorite thing about daddy? When he gets me ice cream at Joseph and when he's nice to me
What's your favorite thing about mama? When she hugs and kisses me and puts me nigh night and gives me love
What was your favorite trip this summer?   The trip to Joseph, both of them, and the trip to the beaches
What do you like about Uncle Matt? I like it when he does fun things and gives me piggy back rides and let's me climb on him
What about Grandma Lanie?  When we go there, and when she reads to me, and does crafts with me and when she does fun stuff like that with me.
What about Grandma Carol and Grandpa Steve? When Gma Carol gives me chocolate milk, when she gives me ice cream for snack, and when we make Mondel Bread together.  And for Gpa Steve?When he reads me books
Who do you sleep with? I sleep with Addie and my guys.  What guys? Mickey, Penguin, Socky, Monk-Monk, Elephant, Kaya, Polar Bear, Piggie and Ducky, and turtle that Rachel likes, let me think if there is anything else.  Did we put Monkey?  Green monkey is monKEY and brown monkey is monk MONK.  And that's who I sleep with.  Wow full house.  Yeah, I pretend in my bed is my house, I pretend the foot of my house is outside in the backyard.  YUP  (nod nod nod)
Anything else  you want to share: I pretend that the blankies folded at the foot of my bed are benches outside, and their my outside furniture, and some of my stuffed animals like sockie usually sleep out there.  

Twas a wonderful full day of school.  I didn't feel as sad as the last two years.  But I did get a little teary eyed during Mrs. O's "see ya later alligator" song when she said "give a hug to your partner, Kindergartner"...that got me.  I love her, and my Addie is in Kindergarten.  Then I got choked up while reading about Kaya thinking of her sister who had been kidnapped 3 books ago and the stray dog that was leaving Kaya.  My sentimental came out in strange places on my first day of school this year, that's for sure.  I'm a blessed mama, a happy mama, a tired mama.  Good night.  

Just a few funnies I wrote down from a "few" months back (ha. July.)

Lawrence (on the phone with me while I was at the store/bank giving him specific instructions about something):  "I don't know, I'll just call Julia and ask her" 

Me: "Why can't you just let me tell you right now?" 

Lawrence: "Because you are kind of panicking for some reason and I really want to get off the phone with you"

After we hung up, I laughed and laughed and laughed.  Because he was TOTALLY right.  I was late, had to pee, unload groceries, wearing a jacket when it was way too hot to wear a jacket, I was giving him specific instructions and I could tell he wasn't listening to them, so the agitation in my voice was MORE than a little bit obvious.  He was so right.  I did sound like I was in a shear panic.  And I think it's funny that he wanted to get off the phone with me and was candid about it.  This probably won't even sound funny to anyone else, but it reminds me about something intangible that is great about us.

Me: Addie, please don't be so rough with Bryson's hand while you show him how to do that, be gentle 

Addie: I have to, mama. I'm rough, I'm a rougher, that's what roughers do.  They say rough, rough, rough.  So if you tell me not to do that, I will say I am a rougher. 

(Covering my mouth to hide laughter)

Addie: Lily, you are really smart 

Lily: I know.  I'm really smart for a six year old, but I'm not really smart for an adult.  You are really smart too. 

Addie: I know. 

Photos by Holly Kae

Sorry, but my 3 year old is FUNNY

Addie wakes me up by crawling into bed with me WAY too early and spooning, facing me, and then starts talking about something random at full volume.

Addie: (sniff sniff right in my face) Mommy, did you toot?

Me: (Surprised, awake, annoyed, turning away) No, Addie that's probably my breath...

Addie: (after a few minutes of consideration) Why yo breat mell like toots?

And that, my friends, is the best way to wake up ever.

Sister, don't come looking to me for all the answers...

On the way to her 6 year check up last [edited to add TWO WEEKS AGO] Tuesday (side note: she is 45 lbs/45 inches, that puts her in to percentile 50 & 50. Here eyesight for both eyes is 20/20, yes she is a squared child.) Lily told me a funny story about a conversation she and Addie had the night before at bedtime.

We could hear them giggling up there for almost a half hour, they were both excited about an upcoming trip to Grandma Lanie's house. The talked about all the pillows and guys they would pack. I'd limited them both to only 2 guys, a blanket, and a pillow. Lily chose her penguin (no brainer) and after much consideration decided on her Uncle Matt doll. Addie took a LOOOOOOONG time to mull it over and decided on 2 bear - bears. This was a huge shocker to us all, since she needs her 2 bear-bears to do nearly everything. haha. Lily has skirted the system by sleeping on her Sammy the Pup stuffed animal as a pillow, thus that is her pillow. Since Lily isn't bringing a regular pillow, Addie wants to be aloud another guy. Instead she settled on a pillow that Bean-Bean's parents sent her for her birthday. So it's all set. Or you'd think. But actually AFTER this discussion, there was a long bout of giggling and talking. I love the sisterhood. I'll admit I have moments of hating it, the arguing, the whining, the comparing. But mostly, I LOVE it. Each time I think one of them is getting cheated out of their own room, I think how special it is to go to sleep with a friend each night...

Okay so back to the conversation:

Me: Lily, can you take your hands out of your mouth, we are about to go in to the doctors office and there are a lot of germs there, you are finally not sick, so let's keep it that way.

Lily: Mom, last night in bed I was coughing in bed. But it only lasted for a minute, so it must have been allergies.

(perfect logic since we spend much of the spring time figuring out if daddy is getting sick or if it's just allergies).

Lily continued: I was coughing really hard and Addie said, "Lily I hope you don't throw up. If you throw up, I promise you, I won't know what to do."

(Insert me laughing which caused Lily to laugh - so the next part was through escalating giggles).

But I said, "Addie, if I throw up, I don't expect you to know what to do, I would run to the bathroom and go to the toliet, I WOULD NOT ask you what I should do!!

Addie said, "Okay, that's a good idea, because I do NOT know what to do"

If you know Addie you can hear her cute squeaky voice, pronouncing in ALL seriousness and importance to Lily who is barely coughing, that if she barfs, do no look to her 3-year-old self for all the answers, because she'll tell you right upfront, she doesn't have them.

I laughed until I cried. My cutie. Cuties. Plural. Lily LOVES it when she makes me laugh. She can't get enough. She laughs when she says anything that makes anyone laugh and then she spends the next two days asking why so many times you'd think she was 2 years old again. "Why did you laugh when I said...." "Why did Addie say...." trailing off into a fit of hysterics as she lavishes at the memory of your and her laughter.

Sometimes it drives me crazy, and I'm like, "Okay, Lil, I don't know why so and so said this or that," or "Because it was FUNNY!" (Now that you've tried to get me to describe it 100x and three days later, not quite SO funny, but still...funny and now a little bit annoying.)

But other times I think of how good it makes you feel to make someone else laugh. That belly laugh that makes your cheeks beam when someone really gets you. Or thinks your story is funny. Or thinks YOU are funny, in a great way. That does feel good, and you do want to relive the moment. So I get that when you are six, you just want to remember how it feels and why you want to get your mom to keep recreating it.

Just so we are clear, though. If you do have to vomit, do not go to Addie, she simply does not know what to do in such a predicament.

Addie's Prayer Last Night

"Pwease help me to not hit Bwyson tommowoe. If I do hit my brudder den it's dist an oopsie and you will foegive me, okay God? Okay!"

Family vacation in Sunriver

Our Family Vacation - East and West Coast Herman's

the recap - it's a long one

All of us!

Jayme, Cassidy, Lily, Addie, Tyler

Lily & Bryson with cousin Jayme

The Herman Family

I always get hung up blogging after a trip because it feels a little overwhelming to write a post that does the trip justice. But if there is one thing I have learned as a not professional blogger, it is that it is better to post a post not doing an event justice than to wait, or not post at all (ahem, Lily's 5th birthday party!).

Lawrence's parents and his brother arrived with the twins in tow on Friday afternoon, my sister-in-law and oldest neice arrived on Friday night and we picked up 2 rental cars for our caravan to Sunriver. Saturday morning (Day 1) after loading a trailer (and I do mean TRAILER)full of stuff, a quick trip to VooDoo Donuts, and packing up coolers of food, we were off. When we were pulling out of our driveway, Addie said, "Okay, evwebody, weddy to wok and wool". Very funny, little girl, who desperately needed a nap yet only slept for 30 minutes of the 4 hour drive.

We all arrived at the house a little before check in, about 3:30pm. The kids got on the bikes straight away, and we all unloaded and claimed bedrooms. The house had 5 master bedrooms and we figured out sleeping arrangements that worked for everyone. Bryson was happy in the closet of our master, and the girls were thrilled to sleep in the kids bunk room with their cousins.
Tyler was thrilled to finally have a boy to hang out with. Though I think a year from now he will love it even more. He was hoping to teach Bryson how to pee standing up. We got half way there, Bryson DID learn to pull himself up fully to a standing position this trip! We couldn't resist getting cute boy cousin pictures in matching clothing. Bryson was even happy about it!

Of course we had to get some of matching girl cousins too!

Day 2, since the temperature was forecast to be a high of 69, included a trip to the High Desert Museum. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was cool. Lily really enjoyed the presentation about the Birds of Prey and was taking a million pictures with her camera. There were a bunch of neat interactive type exhibits and I was impressed with the types of questions she was asking. We ran into some friends from Portland, which was funny and unexpected. The kids ran and played and got dirty. They also enjoyed an exhibit where they got to scrub the wood floor of an old farm house. Go Figure.We tried to push Addie through her nap without luck, she fell asleep in the stroller for a few minutes only to wake up a screaming monster version of her self. Good thing we were on our way out of the museum as it was. She screamed the rest of the way back to the house, (about 20 minutes) and when we got there, I took advantage of her overtiredness to give us both a much needed nap, cuddling together. I guess Lawrence, Julia, and the in-laws had the rest of the kids, but I was so busy snoring and drooling in Addie's hair that I couldn't say for sure. At around 5:30 pm I knew I needed to wake her or she'd never go to bed that night. So I took the opportunity to take some sleeping photos of her. Lawrence came in to wake us both and found me awake, standing on the bed snapping photos. :)

That night before bed, Lawrence, Lily, Julia, Addie, and I took a long bike ride. It was nice. I hadn't ridden a bike for a while. Fun. Addie rode in the trailer, Lily rode on her own (still with training wheels) and Bryson stayed with Grandma while we relived bike riding childhood memories with our girls.
Lawrence and I managed to have a lot of fun together on this trip. We got along awesome and were both in a very good frame of mind with a relaxed attitude. See what taking away work does for the soul?!

Day 3 started like most others, Uncle Mark making yummy breakfast sausage for everyone while I fumbled with my coffee, and dripped vanilla creamer all over the floor due to a mutilated lid. :) Then we bathed the children, who managed to get dirtier and dirtier earlier and earlier as the week went on. A surefire sign that fun is being had. It was COLD in the mornings, as low as 29 degrees one night, so the coffee and fireplace in the morning was great. Lawrence even went for a run and then jumped in the hot tub after that day. Something I planning to do each night but was collapsing with exhaustion after kids were in bed, so didn't. Exhaustion and dry skin! I was, we all were, very under packed in the lotion requirement department. High dessert. Cold and dry. A few times I spilled water on the kitchen floor and Lawrence was able to just mop it up with his dry feet. His joke, not mine. Anyway, that day, we also went to the park, sans our two little napping guys who stayed with Julia, and had sports fun with Lily.Jayme and I beat Lawrence and his dad in a soccer scrimmage (and that is REALLY sad considering I was wearing flip flops)! We played track ball, did the parachute, and once the little guys were awake, Julia call and we all packed up and went to the North Pool in the afternoon, Came home, had dinner and then did S'Mores that night.Bryson reading books with Grandpa before bed

Day 4. Tuesday. Overtired Addie asked to take a nap at 10:30am. Since we didn't want to see the screaming monster inside our 25 pound blondie, we let her and I stayed home with her (can you say quiet house!) then she and I met the rest of the fam at the pool (we discovered the much better and WARMER South pool this time) after a solid two hours of sleep. Bryson again LOVED the pool, when I arrived he was just falling asleep and took a nap, wet, in his bathing suit, wrapped in towels in the stroller. Man, he was cute. When we got back to the house, we all got showered and ready for family pictures. Devin Miller arrived a few minutes early and we had 2 hours of photos taken. They were good, especially considering we had 6 kids and 7 adults, and it was hot and kids were tired and hungry. She had her work cut out for her, and everyone was rewarded for sort of smiling pretty with more S'Mores that night back home. Uncle Mark also found an old style popcorn popper with a big pot/crank and made some home made popcorn. It was yummy and we all agreed popcorn just tastes better when it's made that way!
Day 5 - Bikes, Pool, Picnics, Bikes, Pool, and not much else. We had a very good day. And that night, Mark, Laureen, Lawrence, and I had a night out. THANKS JULIA! It was fun to have some kidless time with them, and to be able to sit and talk uninterrupted. It's been 2 years since we had that with Lawrence's brother and his wife. Way too long. I think Day 5, Wednesday was my favorite day of the whole vacation. No plans, beautiful weather, good family, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We aren't at a stage of life where vacation is relaxing.
It's fun, but it is not restful. This would be the day that was the most restful day if there was one.

Day 6 - Played in PJs all morning with cousins. Addie and Tyler still have a really cute special bond and they can't get enough of each other. I found them playing school and reading books together in the loft, just the two of them. After naps, McMenimans's Francis School for happy hour in Bend. I might have given Bryson his first tater tot, and he might have really liked it. Before bed Addie asked me how many more nights left, I said, 2 counting tonight. She said, "But I tot we have a whole week". The boys smoked cigars after bed time and tried to soak it off in the hot tub.

Day 7 - Celebrated our niece's 10th birthday a day early. Happy 10th Birthday Jayme!! In the morning, she went with her dad on a horse back ride, and our nephew gave everyone a scare with what ended in an urgent care trip for what turned out to be an asthma attack caused by partially by altitude sickness. Otherwise, the day was awesome. We played games, rode bikes, pulled the wagon, played ping pong (Lawrence REALLY enjoyed playing with his mom), foosball, and finally ate birthday cake and MORE S'MORES!! Before bed, I told Addie it was the last night, and she said, "But I still have one more pull up left". Ha! That was her Advent Calendar of the 7 nights of vacation. But she didn't bargain for us bringing an extra.
On the last day, we packed up - headed to Sunriver Lodge to take some pictures and then hit the road for the 4 hr drive home. We had one more dinner with Lawrence's family before they got on the red eye back to NJ.

At around 9pm that night I was beat, and I certainly was not jealous of the rest of the family who was just boarding, 4 tired adults with 3 tired kids. We were glad to have Sunday to clean up, do laundry, and regroup for the week ahead.

Thank you so much to Lawrence's parents. As the family grows and life gets busier and more expensive, time passes and it is difficult to see each other. We truly appreciate what they do to put a trip like this together for us all to see each other. Lily and Addie were broken hearted on Saturday night. Goodbyes have been plentiful as of late, and this one wasn't easy for them. They've looked forward to it all year and they loved the time with their cousins so much.