Evergreen Aviation Museum!

Today, as a surprise, we took James to an early 4th birthday gift of the Evergreen Aviation Museum to see the Spruce Goose (which is actually made of birch, not spruce). James was SO excited to see all the airplanes, and Ellie was happy as a clam running around checking everything out. James really wanted to "go in the big plane!" so that is what we did. The spruce goose weighs 200 tons, has 8 engines, and is HUGE. Highlights of the day (for me) included sitting in the cockpit with Eliot (some nice couple asked us if we wanted to go on their tour with them), James figuring out the flight simulators, Watching all the kids run around the airplanes and fly in the airplane ride, and watching them all play together in the park. James couldn't believe there was even more airplanes every time he turned around. We were blessed to be joined in today's adventure by Papa, Mimi, Uncle Nathan, Aunt Lindy and cousins Levi and Asher. It was a fun group, though the place was so big we rarely saw one another! I also ran into my friend from the Chorale Ron, who works as a volunteer there as a former Marine. All in all, it was an excellent day. James Asked me if we could go back next year. :-)

Ellie is 20 months old!!

On May 29th Ellie turned 20 months old. Words I have to describe her at this age are "independent," "sassy," "happy," and "sweet." She refuses to hold our hands or be held because she wants to explore at her leisure. It makes for some power struggles in places where she needs to hold our hands for safety reasons. Ellie also throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way, either in screaming protests or by throwing herself down face-first on the floor and laying still and quiet. I call it the "peaceful protest." She only really says a handful of words at the moment (for whatever reason) but she communicates very well with pointing and making affirmative/negative head nods. Ellie also loves her brother and misses him when he's not around. She will look at me with he palms up and make a questioning sound and then I know she is looking for James. They like to tickle each other, chase each other, and play footsie. It's quite cute. :-)

James is saying all kinds of funny things. Yesterday he saw some ants in a cobweb and said, "Mommy, those ants are BROKEN!" :-) He also calls it the TV scream and can't figure out why we call the three meals something different... To him they are all Dinner. And sleeping is always "my nap" or "quiet time" no matter if it is during the day or not. James also likes to give his and kisses a lot, and he loves our snuggle time.

Ellie has learned to give "big hugs" where she will run to you with open arms. But she doesn't want to sit on my lap anymore for story time and she also wants to walk to her bed herself instead of being carried. Miss independent indeed.

I feel incredibly blessed to be a mommy to two such amazing kiddos. My heart is full. <3

Last day of "preschool"!

We have begun a summer unit study of Alaska with the kids in preparation for our Disney cruise to Alaska, so I declared today to be the last day of preschool for James. He is moving into Kindergarten level activities next year, but no rush... what he need more time on we will take our time. The beauty of homeschooling is he always goes at his pace and I can tailor his education to what he is interested in. Right now he is very excited about Alaska. We have a countdown chain looped around the living room and he keeps talking about the bald eagles and Mickey's boat! He is growing up too quickly. Last night Eliot and I found a baby band sticker from the hospital the day he was born under our bed (we got a new one and were doing some deep cleaning). It's hard to believe that little bundle we brought home from the hospital is joking back and forth with me about being a pinecone or a pickle pie and building amazing LEGO creations. Watching him and his sister discover the world is the most amazing blessing I've been given.

Ellie is 19 months old!!

Ellie is 19 months old (as of April 29th... we've all been sick so it's taken me awhile to get around to posting about it)! She is turning into a little girl rather than a baby, which makes me so very sad while still excited to see how much she's grown. She is very communicative, and tries to say any word we throw at her (sometimes even correctly!). I can give her instructions and she will (usually) follow them, such as "find your shoes," "go to James's room) etc. Along with this new communication has come a LOT of tantrums... the girl knows what she wants and is not afraid to let you know if she is displeased! Ellie is also a climber, which gives me a few grey hairs at times when I see what she is climbing on and what she's been able to access because of it. James has started having a whole imaginary life that he is very vocal about. Apparently he drives a blue mini cooper with yellow stripes, lives in a red house in California (with lots of stairs), and also has about 3 planes and a purple helicopter. He likes to tell me about how he is going to drive me to his house in his car or take his helicopter and go to daddy's work and pick up his truck with the helicopter and bring it back to our house. It's quite funny and it's been going on for about a month now. He had a very vivid imagination! We've been busy getting the backyard ready for our summer garden. James helped by moving some rocks and digging, and Ellie pretty much just practiced going up and down the stairs on the porch (which she sits down to do, even if it is a small step haha!). We are putting in a big garden this year, complete with potatoes and onions (new for us), and I am taking some classes on Urban Homesteading this summer including foraging, canning, and preserving. Today Eliot played at a local nursery for their open house, and I visited with the kids. Both of them took turns playing with daddy... James loved it as he's been asking forever to "play music on the stage!"

A big change in mindset for me is being grateful for what I've been given instead of always wishing for something more. So we've been fixing the house to accomodate our family of 4 instead of complaining about not having enough space. We got a new pantry that has provided enough space for our food in the kitchen, freeing up our kitchen counters. I'm moving the kids (in September) into the same room so we can free up the other room, and I am making the kid's room also into a playroom so we have a place for them to play besides the loving room. I'm also decluttering the house and getting rid of anything that isn't necessary, and also finishing part of our attic so we can store more things up high rather than in the house. The Lord has blessed us with two wonderful children and a house to raise them in. I can't guarantee we will stay here for a long time, but for now I choose to see it as a blessing instead of complaining about the lack of space. Many people in the world would view us as rich with all that we have... I'm choosing to see us as rich as well. And now, for pics!

Easter 2014

We've had a crazy amount of illness in our home this year, so much so that it has taken Easter down to just a weekend of activities rather than a month of them like I normally do with the kids. It's been wonderful, though... It's allowed me to focus on what's really important about Easter and getting the message of the Cross to my children. We've decided the Easter bunny isn't going to be a part of their childhood... We will still have baskets celebrating Jesus's resurrection, but the bunny, while cute, doesn't really focus on the true message of Easter. 

We dyed eggs today and had a little hunt in the backyard. Ellie thought the hunt was great fun, she even found some non-egg treasures for her basket (namely a baseball and a dandelion). James loved hunting them all and then insisted on flying a kite (I sang Let's Go Fly A Kite to him last night for a bedtime song and he really took to it).

Ellie has been saying all kinds of new words, including egg, bubble, and keys. She also learned to sign bread, horse, and alligator. Ellie is a climber... That girl will seek out the highest spot she can reach and get there in an instant! It's pretty terrifying for us, honestly. She's been getting a lot of teeth in including some molars, so she's been particularly crabby recently. But Ellie has a helpful and sweet temperament... She loves her stuffed animals and can often be seen holding as many as she can at one time. She loves to go wake up James from his naps, first by knocking on the door, then going over to his bed and saying "Hi!" Ellie is also my little laundry helper, always  there when I'm putting things in the dryer.

James is taking off with his drawing, actually creating pictures with some semblance of what they are. He particularly favors airplanes when he draws. Once in awhile he will write his name, but it's still a work in progress. James is an absolute HAM.... He knows the opposite of everything, so when we sing songs or rhymes he likes to insert the opposite word in (example: the song about the wise man building his house upon the rock has a chorus that says "the rains came down and the floods came up" and he likes to say, "the rains came up and the floods came down.") He's just silly. :-) James also loves to watch Little Einsteins "in France" (French) and build houses, trains, and planes with his Legos. 

Tomorrow we head to church and then hopefully we will have a relaxing day with the family.

Some pics from today:

Ellie is 18 months old!!

My baby girl turned 18 months old two days ago. She has such an adorable personality... She poses for cameras, has an obsession with shoes, and can't get enough of stairs, pointing at things, and smiling. She still isn't talking much but she signs a lot, just like James used to. She is communicating well. Also, Ellie has three teeth now!

We are currently visiting family in Baltimore, so this post will be a short one. I hope to post more pics from the trip when we get back. We've taken the kids to the aquarium and the B&O railroad museum and they loved both places!

James is doing well though travel and obedience do not go hand in hand for him. He tends to run away from us and run outdoors without us which is terrifying when traveling. He is seeing lots of new people and places, though, which he has clearly enjoyed. James absolutely loved the train museum and has enjoyed all the "transportation" parts of travel (planes, busses, rental van, etc). 

Anyway, a few pics of my 18mo old lil girl!!

Ellie is 17 months old!!

My baby is 17 months old today!! Ellie continues to be a happy and sweet presence in our home. She stopped saying many words except uh-oh and dada on a consistent basis, but she will try to imitate your speech patterns for almost anything you say. She also signs a TON of words, sometimes she will just hear me saying a word in a sentence and I'll look over and she's signing it!

Ellie is very determined to climb on just about anything... Today she made it to the top of the couch, sat down, and beamed in pride at her accomplishment. I think she learned the climbing from James... One of his favorite spots is te top of the couch.

Ellie has an undiagnosed problem at the moment... She's not growing much, even with her taking her thyroid meds. We saw an endocrinologist up in Portland and she said it would take 2 weeks to get the results back. One week down, one to go... We are praying it's not something with her pituitary or worse. You wouldn't be able to tell she has anything wrong except she only has 1.5 teeth and is really small for her age.

James has been making all kinds of strides recently... He's been focusing on writing and coloring, and colors inside the lines (where 2 months ago he would just scribble). We are working on writing his name, but for now he can spell it and put the right letters in order which is a good start. James also still loves anything trasportation related... Cars, planes, trains. I was talking about dreams with him the other night, and I asked him why his dream was. When I suggested being a pilot and flying in a plane, he said, "No mommy, I'm too small for that." Upon asking him what he DID want, he said, "I want to ride in a speed train! A speed train isn't too loud!" He's pretty frightened of loud sounds and is convinced that high-speed trains don't have loud horns lol!

As for me, I'm singing with the choir again and we have a concert coming up, which makes me happy. I'm doing some sewing and prepping for our next adventures, which is always fun. Eliot is working... A lot. I'm so proud of him for being so willing to work and provide, but I worry he never gets a break from it all. Such is life, I suppose. On my "night off" tonight I put a tantrumy kid to bed (which took 1.5hours) and then did some picking up of toys and laundry. Laundry waits for no woman.

And now, some cuteness of my lil 17 month old and her brother!