Category Archives: Family

Happy Monday…Oh and Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s day is one of those Hallmark holidays that I can give or take. Actually, now that I have children, it is actually quite inconvenient. Or maybe it’s just because I have small children – one of whom can’t yet write his own name and so I am forced to manage the entire valentine-writing myself. Then I have the other child who can write his own name but sees a pile of 30 valentines on the table and feels overwhelmed by the workload. We managed to finish them up in shifts throughout the day yesterday. I don’t know if there’s a Bah, Humbug! equivalent for this holiday but that’s how I feel.

On a not-quite-so-cranky note, we had a fabulous action-packed weekend. It began with Iron Bartender on Thursday night, then Friday was my first pre-op for my brand new laser eyes (coming soon!) and dinner and a movie with my husband while the boys hung out at daycare for a few extra hours (thankfully I was able to see again by the time the movie started – eye dialation is no fun). On Saturday we had swimming lesson, a trip to the safety Saturday at the fire station, a consultation to get french doors (yay!) and then another night out without the kids – dinner for one friend’s birthday and then a stop by at another party celebrating two more friends. Sunday involved a little furniture shopping and a nap for all four of us – we needed it.

So, because I have not had time to edit all photos from the weekend (surprised?), I will share this little one for the current I Heart Faces challenge. This week is all about RED for women’s heart disease awareness. I took the photo in the back of the car while we were waiting at the grocery store and, since he’s wearing a red shirt, I think it counts. I just love this little slice of life and it’s a good reminder that I need to capture more photos that record our daily adventures. I also love that he’s covering his eyes and not doing a silly face or fake smile for the camera. It makes this one a little different.

 

 

Farewell January…

…it was nice knowing you, but I can’t say I’m sad to see you go.

Oh, there were good moments like Kei starting a new job, an end-of-month girls weekend at a spa (more on that later) and some great progress at the swimming pool for our five-year-old (head  fully under water!). But there were also quite a few challenges like Kei starting a new job (bye bye reliable schedule), a plague that swept through our house and took down Samuel and me at the same time, a workload that threatens to pull me under and, of course, the endless dreariness of a Northwest winter.

I’ve been feeling tired, uninspired and generally crabby –  but the optimist in me hopes that a new month and the promise of only a few more weeks of winter will help pull me out of this funk.

Thankfully my two year old seems to be coming out of his. The past week or so has been an enormous improvement in terms of behaviour and general attitude. He yells less, laughs more and has fewer tantrums. He’s also more likely to wake up in the morning on the RIGHT side of the bed. I’m cautiously optimistic, but I feel like I may be getting my happy baby back.

Which brings me to my I heart faces photo this week – best face photo in January. It’s not a perfect photo by any means, but it’s a wonderful memory of a nice, relaxing bedtime without arguments, challenges or screaming – a routine that is become more common as my little boy grows up. And how grown up he looks!

So goodbye January and hello to a February that promises more photos (with some new equipment), new eyes (hoping literally as well as figuratively) and the possibility of a little more sunshine.

Say Cheese!

I need to take more photos – at least that’s the conclusion I came to while sifting through recent photos for this week’s I Heart Faces photo challenge. I find winter in Portland to be such a tough time for inspiration. On the rare occasion that the sun is shining, I usually find myself driving in the car or sitting in a cubicle. Of course my christmas present should help get me out of this rut – but first I need to learn how to use it.

Thankfully I found one little gem that was perfect for this week’s challenge. I took it a week or so before Christmas. I know the cheesy smile is frowned upon in many photography circles, but this face means that Samuel actually wants me to take his photograph – and Samuel is usually very clear about where and when he wants his photograph taken. The kid definitely has the attitude of a 2 year old.

2010 A Look Back: The People I Love

3rd and final post in my attempt to wade through thousands of photos and choose my favourites from the year. It began with “The Places I’ve Been“, then “The Things I’ve Seen“. This post will share a few of my favourite photos of “The People I Love”.

2010 was a great year for family bonding. We managed to see almost every single member of our immediate families – both Kei’s and mine. With my family in Australia and Kei’s spread between Ohio and Japan, this was no easy task.

In just twelve short months we:

  • Were witnesses to a beautiful wedding in Melbourne. A wedding that has resulted in the promise of a new little addition to our family in May (nephew #6).
  • Caught up with Aunts and cousins from across Australia, many of whom I hadn’t seen since my own wedding over 11 years earlier.
  • Sent our children off with the grandparents for  their very first overnight stay without us and we all survived the separation -even the grandparents.
  • Watched my three nephews experienced the Pacific ocean for the very first time, all while trying to come to terms with the fact that I now have a nephew in college.
  • Stood back and observed while a twelve year old bonded with his four year old cousin over Star Wars.
  • Traveled back to the place where we first met to visit a mother-in-law who we had not seen in over 12 years – and then marveled at how quickly it felt like no time had passed at all.
  • Felt immense relief and joy when a five year old boy literally jumped into the arms of the grandmother he had never met.
  • Caught up with a long lost brother and his young family – nephews #4 and #5.

Sure, it was expensive and, at times, exhausting, but the one thing that I think about when I reflect on the past year is how incredibly fortunate we are to have a family that remains connected despite the enormous distances that keep us physically separated. Here are just a few of the many photos that I took celebrating this connection.

And finally, our little family on January 1st as we look forward to making more connections in 2011.

Christmas Is Over – And I have little to show for it

Christmas is done. The month-long build up has reached its climax and I don’t quite seem to know what to do with myself. It saddens me to think that the Christmas tree will be coming down within the next week, yet I am ready to move on to January and all that the new year will bring – more exercise yadda, yadda, yadda.

As has been the case with Christmases past, I took very few photos. I just find it very difficult to work with the lighting in the depths of winter and I prefer to be in the moment rather than behind the camera – although I did spend a lot of time trying not to place my large rear in full view of Kei’s video camera setup.

Thomas woke early on Christmas day and the poor kid had to wait a full 30 minutes or so before Samuel woke up and we were able to head downstairs. Santa was good to both boys this year with a Melissa and Doug castle for Samuel and a Fire Station Lego set for Thomas. This was really the first Christmas that Samuel understood the concept of opening presents and, after a quick tutorial from his brother, he jumped right in.

Of course Thomas is already a pro.

After opening all of our presents, grabbing a quick nap (for all four of us) and catching up with our families in Ohio and Australia via Skype, we finally settled down to eat a massive hunk of meat and some delicious glazed carrots, complete with the Thomas seal of approval. Oh, and my apologies in advance to any vegetarians who may be stopping by the blog.

For Christmas I received a brand new Canon Speedlight Flash for my camera from my wonderful husband so next year I’ll be tasked with taking some *good* Christmas photos next year. For now I’m focused on finding a space for the new toys and disposing of a pile of wrapping paper that threatens to overtake the living room.

Oh, and I head back to work tomorrow. Now it seems Thomas isn’t the only one praying for snow instead of rain.

Only the Best Pre-Christmas Family Day EVER!

We woke up on Saturday without any specific plans, only that we would try to visit Santa at Macy’s downtown. So we headed out the door, parked the car on the outskirts of the city, and jumped on the lightrail.

After hopping off the train and making a very quick stop at Finnegan’s toy store (that place is a parent trap), we finally turned the corner to see this.

I’m sure it’s even more beautiful at night, but I was satisfied with the cold wintery day and the flashing led lights that look like little sprinklings of snow.

After looking at the tree for about 2 minutes before the kids got bored and asked to move on, we headed into Macy’s. Based on past experience I had my doubts about whether Thomas would be comfortable talking to Santa and, since Samuel takes Thomas’ lead on most things, our chances of a picture with the big guy were doubtful. Sure enough, Thomas told us he’d rather stand back and look at Santa from a distance. Unfortunately the setup at Macy’s means that this was the closest we got.

And I’m OK with it. Sure, I won’t have that iconic photo of a screaming child in Santa’s lap, but part me of me likes the fact that Thomas is a little wary of strangers, especially the kind who ask you to come and sit on their lap and offer you presents.

The biggest benefit of choosing Macy’s for our Santa visit was that Santa is not the only draw. Reindeer and elves were there in abundance.

Even Rudolf made an appearance.

We then headed over to Pioneer place for lunch and a stop at a couple of stores (the ipad was calling my name at Apple – sadly I left empty-handed).

And then, without warning, it SNOWED! Inside! Sure it was some weird-smelling foam substance, but for the few minutes that we were in the mall it was amazing.

At one point, Samuel simply looked up at the falling snow and let out a big sigh of contentment.

So, you’d think getting a glimpse of Santa, saying hi to Rudolf and an unexpected indoor snowstorm would be the highlight of our day, right? Wrong.

We headed back outside and looked across the street and that’s when Thomas’ head exploded.

They were there to draw attention to the Salvation Army bell ringer (it was working). Of course Thomas was too afraid to get close – those Storm Troopers are bad guys you know – but Samuel was game for a Chewbacca high five.

He even tried to relieve one of the Storm Troopers of his blaster.

That’s one authentic Chewbacca outfit.

After adding a little money to the Salvo bucket (they earned it), we headed further up the street and that’s when our day reached it’s peak. I think the only thing that would have made this moment better would have been if Carrie Fisher herself walked out in a gold bikini (circa 1985 Carrie, not 2010 Carrie). Since that was unlikely to happen, we settled for a Princess Leia stand-in and the scariest guy in the universe. (and some random child in my photo because it was difficult to avoid other people’s photo opps and there was no way my children were going to stand anywhere near the dark side of the force).

I’m told that the guy above on the right was trying to be Luke Sywalker because he has the green lightsaber – but that he “doesn’t REALLY look like Luke Skywaker mum”. I explained to Thomas that even Luke Skywalker doesn’t look like Luke Sywalker anymore. I hope I didn’t crush his dreams.

Thankfully, this guy never changes.

Alas, Darth and the Ishidas had to part ways – Darth, to collect more money for the poor and the Ishidas to enjoy a little hot chocolate as the perfect end to our day.

Well, almost perfect. Thomas’ snow globe ornament that I let the him choose at Macy’s earlier that day was not long for this world and ended up in a wet, glassy mess on the floor of Peet’s (rookie Mum mistake).  And, since I couldn’t let the day end on that note, I quickly ran back to buy a new one before we hopped on the train to head home.

Then it really WAS perfect.

And then Samuel got sick later than night and threw up on me – the end.

Ahhh, reality. It always brings us back with a thud.