Monday Madness and a Little iphone Love

I’ve realized I should top talking about how busy every day is and just accept that this is the normal rhythm of our lives right now. Work is crazy, life is crazy – end of story.

Thankfully the weekend was a minor respite from the madness of work. Amidst the swimming lessons and trips to target (I should just deposit my salary there) we managed an unplanned trip to the Zoo. It was cold but the sun poked out once or twice and it was a lot of fun. Zoo membership means that we don’t have to try and reach every little corner of the zoo each time we go. It affords us the luxury of choosing so that our visit is not threatened by the meltdown of an overtired two year old and I think we escaped it on this visit by the skin of our teeth (what a horrible expression). This weekend we focused on the big cats and the primates. The Orangutans were the biggest hit, followed closely by the enormous pythons that seemed to be hidden in every corner (I think we counted five by the end of our visit). Such a fun family day.

But, alas, it is Monday and I need to get the kids off to a play date so I can head to work. This week is going to be busy (ahem – normal), so I am preparing myself for it now.

I have just enough time to share my I heart faces challenge photo. This week it’s all about the cellphone photo and I found this little gem hiding on my iphone. It was taken way back when the days were warm and the reflection of light off the table was enough to illuminate Samuel’s face – and what a sweet face it is. It was back when he still looked like a baby. Now he looks like the cross between an adorable toddler (on a good day), and an angry teenager (on a bad day).

I took a few photos of our trip to the zoo and hope to share them later this week.

Loving on a Friday…

A tribute to the year of the Rabbit (aka MY YEAR!)
This exact conversation that occurs with Samuel at least 10 times a day lately. (no wonder the kid gets away with murder).

“Mummy?”
“Yes”
“I love you”

Oscar fever – and, after tonight, having miraculously seen 7 of the 10 best picture nominees, thanks partly to a couple of marathon aeroplane trips in the past 12 months. (ran out of time for The Fighter, 27 Hours and True Grit. In fairness, I’ll probably NEVER see 27 hours).
Thomas “reading” his Star Wars book to us each night and practicing during the day so he can read it to his friends at school.
Flavelsome Beats – plugging my baby brother’s latest gift to the ears.
Glee! Mixing my love of TV with my love of musicals. It’s perfect!
Dancers among us. Mixing my love of Musicals with my love of…well…life.
Feeling completely inspired after a couple of GREAT photo sessions – one at the Portland art museum with a group of coworkers (just for fun) and one for Iron Bartender last night (also fun, but for charity). A few of my favorites from the Portland museum are shared below.
3 nights out in a row (a mummy miracle).

Happy Friday

Moments to Myself

A couple of Saturdays ago, Kei took the boys sledding. By himself.

It was a gift to me. A few solitary hours to do with as I wished. Well, almost. I did have a big work project that I had to spend a few hours on, but there was no way that I was completely giving up a Saturday all to myself – a SUNNY Saturday all to myself.

So what is an overworked, exhausted, creatively-drained mummy to do with a few hours to herself? Why, take pictures of course.

I headed down to Mississippi avenue – a place that we visit often but that I never really take time to look at, much less take pictures. I’m usually too busy chasing five year olds or two year olds to making sure they don’t run into traffic or, worse, other people.

Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my family, but being alone for a couple of hours on a favourite urban street suddenly opened a whole new world of opportunity.

Like vintage stores with objects so fragile and beautiful that a two year old would find them irresistible…

Tiny galleries in which I could browse the collection of strangely engrossing (and quite hilarious) photographic art for longer than a five year old attention span.

Wonderfully spiky plants in apartment building doorways that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Replicas of Easter Island relics sporting Christmas lights well into January. (OK, not sure what that was all about and pretty certain the boys would have found it hilarious as well).

Beautiful signs against even more beautiful blue skies.

And, most importantly, more than a few minutes to sit in a cafe with coffee and brunch, read my favourite magazine and just watch the world go by. Perfect.

Wordless Wednesday: Portland Art Museum

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.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Australia Day

Photos taken during our last visit in March – which right now feels like a lifetime ago.

Wasted Weekend

The MLK long weekend had so much promise. 3 days to recharge and relax, get some things done around the house and spend a little fun family time together. We had plans for sledding, we were invited to a sushi party at a friends house, I was going to be ALONE on Monday. Yes, it definitely had promise.

But alas, Samuel’s illness that began Thursday night turned into a five day event, taking me down for a day and Kei for a few hours in the process (he got off easy in my opinion). Thomas seems to be the only one unaffected so far (banging very hard on the closest piece of wood I can find). I am starting to feel almost back to normal today, although a little weak and out of breath. Samuel woke up chatty and happy – a far cry from yesterday when he lay on the couch for hours, even while the TV was turned off.

So, needless to say, there hasn’t been a whole lot of time for blogging and taking photos between loads of laundry (about 10 loads since Thursday), looking after two boys and trying to squeeze in a little of my day job. Oh, and Kei is in week #2 of his job so him taking a day off to balance the childcare has not been an option. Feeling sorry for me yet?

OK – enough complaining. I am going to power forward and make it to Friday and then I am going to collapse in a heap. Good thing I have a girls spa weekend away in the not-to-distant future. I seriously am counting the days.

And since I haven’t picked up my camera in a while, I only have a few iphone photos to share. The boys and I managed to venture into the front yard on Monday for about an hour while the sun was shining. That 60 minutes may have been the only thing to preserve my sanity.

My Baby As He Should Be

Samuel is sick. Not “slight sniffle and a little cranky sick”. Nope. He is “barfing until the pile of laundry hits the ceiling” sick. Thankfully we seem to have some temporary relief from the carnage and he is sleeping soundly on the couch right now. He didn’t get to sleep until 2:30 this morning and was up at 6am so he has some catching up to do. Come to think of it, so do I.

Looking forward to the next few days when (hopefully) my baby is back to his normal self. In case you’ve forgotten what that might look like, I share with you a quick modeling session that Samuel and his Daddy blessed me with a couple of weeks back.

Show me happy!

Show me thoughful!

Show me surprised!

Show me angry!

Show me scared!

Now please get well soon so I can see happy again.

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.