Category Archives: Motherhood

For Grandpa

My Dad left a comment on the last post with a couple of questions/requests and, being the dutiful daughter that I am, I will respond immediately.

First, that chalk drawing by Kei was of the Millennium Falcon, otherwise known as Han Solo’s ship. Grandpa, I suggest you begin brushing up on your Star Wars trivia because you WILL be tested by a four year in a couple of weeks. I would begin with a viewing of all three original movies because, although your grandson has never actually seen them, he is somehow in the know about every plot point and can name characters that I had never heard of.

Once you have made it through the first three films, then move onto the prequels. Oh, and don’t be alarmed if you find yourself in a conversation about the medical and technological wonders of reattaching an arm after your evil Dark Lord father manages to chop it off during a father/son light sabre battle.

Second – here is the mini van, although I am yet to get a full body shot. It’s a lot bigger than our little Mazda and I am still learning to parallel park, but other than that Thomas and I have enjoying driving it to school each day. The only problem is that the size of the vehicle has caused Thomas to suggest we have three more babies to fill out the back seat. I told him those seats were reserved for his friends… or his grandparents when they next come to visit.

P365: Sugar Rush

On Friday night we picked Samuel up from daycare and then Thomas from school so we could all head out to grab a little sushi. It had been a tough week last week with everyone being sick, so we decided to get out of the house and share our germs with the rest of Portland. Ha – kidding Portland (Really!).

I love that my kids love to eat sushi, even if it is the messiest meal on the planet. Samuel insisted on eating with chopsticks which meant he kept stabbing large pieces of california roll and managed to get about three grains of rice in his mouth at a time. That kid is stubborn and takes a REALLY long time to eat a meal.

After dinner we headed to Ben and Jerry’s for ice cream – which was Kei’s idea, and a good one until we got home and the kids were all hopped up on sugar. Thomas chose chocolate ice cream of course.

For my next photo, I couldn’t choose just one… Samuel’s facial expressions definitely deserve a series.

Saturday was busy with two birthday parties for Thomas to attend – one right after the other. The first one was at a jumping castle indoor playground where Thomas enjoyed the sensation of bumping into things without getting hurt. He spent most of his time with his friend Grant who he insists on calling by his full name – first and last – every time he talks to him, refers to him or yells to him across a crowded playground. I think he’s found a new best friend at school in Grant and it seems the feeling is mutual. Thomas was telling us today that Grant just wants to play with him all the time but that sometimes he just wants to be alone and he has to ask Grant to go away (nicely, of course). Not a bad problem to have.

I picked Samuel up to join us for the second part, this time at an indoor kids gym. He enjoyed watching the big kids run and jump, but most of all he loved the cupcakes.

After getting them both hopped up on sugar, I took them home where they both passed out and I left for 3 hours of shopping ON MY OWN. Yes, it is a rare occurrence and I enjoyed it immensely, mainly because I found three dresses to choose from for the upcoming wedding (yay!).

Sunday was sunny and warm enough that Kei and Thomas enjoyed a little sidewalk chalk while I lay inside and tried to finally recover from my cold. I am assuming this piece of artwork is Kei’s.

Sunday night was Mummy’s superbowl, otherwise known as The Oscars. I LOVE watching it but the downside is that it starts way too early on the West Coast so I have to try and pay attention between desperate cries to “watch soooomeeethinggg”. During all of this, Kei left to pick up our new car and make us the proud owners of a (drumroll) mini van! Yes, I am now officially a driver in the pre-school mini van convoy.

And, finally, Monday night was a quiet one where we tried to recover from the weekend and look forward to the next one. It can’t come soon enough.

Waving Goodbye to Rain…Soon.

Samuel has always been very good at his greetings – waving and saying “hi” and “bye” to anyone that crosses his path. Lately the greetings have gone in another direction. He likes to sit on his little bike and push himself around the house singing “GOODBYEEEE! GOOOOOODBYE!” at the top of his tuneless voice while he waves and pushes himself into the next room. The blame lies with a revival of Yo Gabba Gabba in our house.

I asked Samuel to look up at me and he immediately gave me this cheesy grin which made me think 1. The kid knows how to perform in front of a camera and 2. He no longer looks like my baby – he is a little boy. Makes me sad and happy at the same time.

I had to run an errand in St Johns the other day and took the opportunity to walk quickly down to the bridge and take a few pics. I have driven past this bridge many times and taken photos out of the car window as we drive by at 50 miles an hour. Such a beautiful landmark that I’m sure has been photographed many times – but not by me. It was nice to be able to take my time and compose my shot without having to stop my children from running into traffic.

I picked Thomas up from school today and noticed that one of his teachers had already decorated the classroom door with a few Sakura (cherry blossoms). I also noticed that our sunny days have ceased for the time being and the rain is back. This decor reminds me that the sunshine WILL come back soon, although it didn’t quell Thomas’ requests on the way home that we move to a different country where it doesn’t rain.

Day 50

This post marks 50 days into my Project 365. It’s gone quickly, but I can’t say it’s always been easy. Sometimes I find myself struggling to find something worth photographing, especially after dark when I know the photos will be less than perfect. I am trying to remind myself to take more pictures of the everyday. That’s the purpose after all – a record of our life this year. Now on to the next 50…

This little one has developed quite the personality. This look is one of his classics. He dips his head and looks with his eyes upward and a stern look on his face. Then I return the look and we stare each other down until Samuel starts laughing. After laughing for a few seconds he gives me the look again in the hope that I will continue to play the game. This can go on for quite some time.

Posing for a quick picture with some Wiggly fingers. Yes, that is a Star Wars shirt – his other obsession. Don’t worry, he has never seen the movie. He just understands the story and characters through conversations with his friends. He has also gathered quite the collection of small Star Wars figurines. It’s like they have multiplied and taken over the house. But he plays with them almost every day, acting out scenes in his imaginary world, so it’s worth it.

Spring is already arriving in Portland. Of course now that I’ve said it out loud, we should be expecting a snowstorm any day.

On of the many ways that we have witnessed Thomas’ growth this year is with his love of drawing and art. I has been amazing to watch how his drawing has changed in just a few months. When he started school last September, he was drawing people with one big circle head/body with stick arms and legs. They all looked the same and were all declared to be Stormtroopers. Now he draws elaborate scenes with people who have heads and bodies and elbows and fingers. Today he drew a picture of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, complete with a tornado. He has also been learning about French artists in his after school program and every day I receive a lesson about Monet or Picasso or Seurat (for the record, Monet did not like Seurat). I thoroughly enjoy his enthusiasm and hope it never goes away.

There is so much going on in this photo:

  1. Samuel enjoying a snack after school by himself. He often sits by himself at the table because he likes to linger while he eats and the rest of us run out of patience. Today he sat there for about 30 minutes before dinner and another 30 minutes during dinner.
  2. The helmet is back. Samuel is obsessed with hats and if he manages to get his hands on his helmet then he’ll wear it non-stop until we hide it while he’s not looking.
  3. Still wearing his jacket and shoes even though he’s been in the house for 30 minutes – another obsession.
  4. Red paint samples on the wall to the left that promise a soon-to-be painted dining room and a big massive pile of paint swatches in the middle of the table – although I’m not sure how having 1000 paint colours to choose from makes the decision-making any easier.
  5. A tiny little bit of daylight remaining at 5:45pm – the days are getting longer.

Sweet Things – P365

We begin this P365 post with a photo that is not the best, not even in complete focus, but that tongue in the cheek says it all. Pure concentration. Thomas came home from learning about Monet at his after school program and just had to paint. I think you’ll agree that his work of art would rival Monet any day of the week.

Just a couple of days before Valentine’s day and that means candy has begun infiltrating our house again.

Kei and I had an actual adult night out on Friday. We visited a restaurant that I been wanting to try for a long time (about three years) and the food was AMAZING! I’m still thinking about the soft shell crab with the shrimp gumbo, paired perfectly with a cucumber mojito. Then we headed to see Avtar in 3D (fun, but a little long) before picking up the kids. The only downside to the entire evening was that we didn’t have time to make it to Pix for a totally extravagant dessert. Next time we’ll see a shorter movie.

I told Samuel that I was going to take a picture of us. He said “no picture” and pushed the camera away. This is the result.

For the past couple of months I have been purchasing our groceries online from New Seasons. It means paying a little more – both for fully organic groceries and the “bring it to the car” fee, and I have been wondering if it is really worth it. Today we decided to make a trip to Fred Meyer for our weekly grocery shop, mainly because we had to pick up a couple of things that were not available from New Seasons. Within five minutes I had decided that New Seasons was worth every penny. No whiny children asking to buy every toy they see, no guilt at having to purchase products that were likely shipped from halfway across the country, and no wasting two hours doing something that you can do in 30 minutes with a laptop. I think I’m sold.

Here’s the whiny kid – well, one of them.

Bad, Bad Parents

Yes, we’re those parents. The ones who allow their children to ask for “swords” from the balloon guy, and then let them run around chasing each other with aforementioned swords until they wear themselves out. In fairness to us, though:

  • It is winter in Portland and we are starved for children’s entertainment.
  • The Crystal Ballroom floor is big. And bouncy. Perfect for two active little boys  – and perfect for wearing them out.
  • Only ONE child asked for the sword and the other decided on behalf of his brother. Who knows? Samuel may be a pacifist underneath all of that big brother influence.
  • Balloon swords only last a couple of hours. Less, if you manage to get a little too excited and accidentally squeeze it until it pops.

Seeing the Light: P365

Portland has a bad wrap when it comes to winter. We see a lot of rain and experience grey skies for about four months. But this winter has been relatively kind and a few small signs of spring are already poking through the drabness.

If you’re snowed in on the East Coast of America right now then you might want to look away from some of my most recent P365 pics. I’m so sorry.

The first one is relatively safe – taken at our monthly excursion to see a local (family-friendly) band. It’s at a local pizza place and this shot jumped out at me from the many I took that night. It even beat out the disco ball.

Sunshine streaming in Samuel’s room on Saturday morning. BOTH children slept past 8am. It doesn’t happen oftenbut when it does it’s a beautiful surprise.

Kei had a couple of friends over for Superbowl Sunday. I am not really a football fan (actually not at all) but I have to say that I was glad when New Orleans won. I have no idea what the score was or who was named MVP (or even what MVP means), but everone was feeling so warm and fuzzy afterward that it felt…well…not like a football game.

I warned you East Coasters – don’t hate me. The cherry blossoms are already beginning to bloom at Thomas’ school.

And this one just he’s cute. And sneaky. Samuel called out my name about thirty minutes after I put him to bed tonight. I thought he may have lost his binky (as he does too often) but he just looked and me and said “head” meaning “I hit my head”. Then he put his binky in his mouth and laughed at me like we were both in on the joke when in actuality he was the only one who found it funny. I told him to lie down and go to sleep. He kept laughing. I left the room and haven’t heard a peep from him since. So I suppose we both win.

Fun with reflections, or the reason why I appear in very few family photos

Full length mirror. Check. Fairly decent lighting. Check. Coorperative children… maybe not.

Thomas was pretending to be asleep and I’m not exactly sure what Samuel was doing.

The mirror did present other photo opportunities.

Thomas spotted making faces at himself.

And Wiggly fingers (we’re deep into another Wiggles phase).

And finally of the three boys together.

Catching Up – P365

This week has been crazy. It began with my blurry trip to San Francisco and then on Tuesday I hosted a Lost season premiere party (no photos – too busy watching the show) add snack duty at pre-school and a very busy day job and I’ve been a little under water.

Good thing I take photos every day. Sometimes I’m not sure there’s any other way I would remember our lives.

Thomas likes to set the chairs up like this, using one as a chair and one as a table. Samuel has become his little shadow lately and so of course he had to be set up with his own chair/table as well and Thomas was more than happy to oblige.

I tried for about 10 minutes (and risked my camera getting wet) to get this glimpse of Samuel’s reflection. He’s wasn’t in a very cooperative mood.

This kid is funny.

Old fixtures in an old house.

Making the most of some good window light during our visit to the Crystal Ballroom on Sunday. More photos of that fun family outing to come.

Pretty much all I saw of San Francisco on Monday during my quick visit. Oakland airport is probably the least inspiring place on earth so I’m pretty proud of myself for being able to take at least one decent photo while waiting for my flight.

OK – I forgot to take one photo this week. I blame it on Lost – I was so caught up in that show (and maybe a little wine) that I forgot to take my photo for the day. So it seemed appropriate that I took a photo of my coffee cup as I got ready for work in the bathroom the next morning.

Samuel playing in the curtain before dinner. It’s amazing how a piece of material can keep him occupied and entertained.

And finally, a photo of me (shocking!). I decided I needed a new facebook picture so I took a few quick photos in the mirror. Probably not the most inspired idea after a long day at work but I have since decided that high key black and white conversions are my best friend – over-exposure can make anyone look good.

Love Letters From My Child and Other P365 Adventures

Sometimes I really wish I was in Australia for the beginning of project 365. I really miss the natural light in this dark, dreary Portland winter. I leave for work in the dark and I get home in the dark, so I consider myself lucky if I am able to catch a worthwhile picture or two in between. Good thing I have a persistant attitude and plenty of stubbornness on my side.

Thomas brings home a ton of papers each week. Some of them are just tracings of letters (English and Japanese) while others are works of art worth keeping in the special portfolio that we bought for the purpose.

And then there are the few pieces of work that deserve pride of place on my cube wall at work. This one is officially the first love letter from my four year old, complete with hand-drawn love heart. Of course when I asked him to read it to me, he explained that he was most proud of the penguin sticker in the middle.

On Sunday we searched for things to do outside the house during the seemingly endless downpour. Sadly, hanging out at the mall was the only thing we could come up with that was free and, at the same time, allowed us to run a few errands. This little guy is one of the resident dogs that sit in the counter at the place where I get my shoes repaired. He was cute and the kids loved him. I am still resisting adding a furry addition to our family though. Stay strong Nicole.

Kei I bought a light reflector with part of the gift certificate we received from his sister for Christmas (thanks Mary). I won’t go into detail about how much effort it took me to get Thomas to stand next to the reflector so I could take a test shot. Let’s just say that four year olds are not the most cooperative of photo subjects – I think I may have even bribed him – and I didn’t even try it with Samuel. It was good test nonetheless, but I think I’ll save future use for objects other people’s children.

Tonight at bath time. I was home by myself and grateful that the boys were enjoying each other’s company. In fact they were having so much fun that I eventually had to drag them out of the bath. I won’t even begin to explain the trauma I went through to get their pajamas on.

Oh, and on the winter darkness depression thing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve booked a trip home to Australia – and one with a wedding no less. Can’t wait for the photo opps!