Water Babies

I think we can call 2013 the Summer of swimming, well for the kids anyway. After years of intermittent swimming lessons, we decided this year to enroll the boys in six weeks of daily lessons.

It was risky move given Samuel refused to enter the pool when we last tried this approach. He’d sit on the stairs and refuse to budge despite bribery, threats and pleas.

I’m thrilled to say that, this year, Samuel is like a different child. Or maybe he’s just the same child with a couple of extra years under his belt. He was a little tentative getting into the pool for his first lesson, but as soon as his body hit the water he was all giggles. My stubborn little boy even decided to participate. That’s huge!

Thomas, meanwhile, has been swimming underwater, practicing his freestyle and overcoming his fear of the deep end of the pool. He’s becoming quite the little fish.

So, swimming lessons have been a huge success for us this year. The only thing that would make it better would be if they let parents in the pool on 95 degree days. It’s really not fair to make me watch the boys enjoy the nice cool water while I sweat on the sidelines, although I have managed to read a book or two and, when I get tired of that, I can close my eyes and pretend I’m on a beach in Maui.

July 4th Portland-Style, Part 2

Part 1 was all about sparklers and fireworks that didn’t make me fear for my children’s safety. Part 2 is where we moved on to enjoy some real fireworks courtesy of some of our neighbors.

I didn’t have my tripod so the results of my walk around the neighborhood may, at times, be a little blurry. Let’s call them artsy.

I love the starbursts that appeared in these photographs.

And that’s a wrap for Independence day 2013 – a day that my youngest child declared at one point to be THE BEST FUN EVER!

July 4th Portland-Style, Part 1

I grew up in a country where displays of fireworks were a special event and handled only by professionals. They were massive displays that lasted 45 minutes to an hour and were sometimes accompanied by a radio soundtrack – and ONLY on Australia day or New Years Eve. (I also grew up in a place where you couldn’t buy alcohol in grocery stores, but that’s another story).

I’ve lived in the States for 10 years and I still find it shocking that I can walk into a grocery store and spend $29.99 on a packet of fireworks that I am allowed to set off in my backyard. I’m sure others in our neighborhood cross the border into Washington State and spend way more than that. I won’t do that on principle – and also because I’m a big chicken with two little boys who love fireworks in a way that makes me fear for their safety.

Last year we were in Australia on July 4th, so it’s been two years since my boys have witnessed the light show. And what a difference two years makes. Thomas was 5 last time, timid and shy. Now he’s seven and wants to light the fireworks himself (we didn’t let him). Two years ago, Samuel was an oblivious three year old. We may have even sent him to bed before the real fireworks began. This year, he’s five and his excitement freaked me out just a little bit, but he was incredibly entertaining. The friends who joined us for the 4th of July get together have children the same age – a boy and a girl. Looking back through the photos, it’s clear that firework are very much a boy thing, although five year old girls enjoy sparklers.

I’m breaking this post into two parts because I took way too many photos (or maybe just the right amount). The size and intensity of fireworks grew over the evening.

We begin before the fireworks.

I have no idea what’s going on here…

Look how sweet she is… oh, a how I wish for a little girl (until puberty anyway).

Bring on the sparklers.

Our sparklers come with a declaration of “Wingardium Leviosa!” Although I’m sure that happens in every family…

This is Edie. She almost makes me want to get a dog… almost…Perhaps if we could clone her…

After the sparklers we moved into the alley behind our house and started with the louder stuff.

Right now, they have no idea what’s coming.

Samuel was unable to keep still from excitement. See? He’s levitating.

Three, two, one…LOUD!

And then the light show started.

We took a short break for S’mores…

And then kicked it up a (small) notch.

Impressive and exciting, but the most impressive fireworks came courtesy of our neighbors. I’ll share those tomorrow.

Image

Wordless Wednesday: Storm Clouds Approaching

Around Here… in iPhone Photos

A quick look back at events over the last week or so. I’ve been using my iPhone a little more lately, mostly out of convenience. While I continue to prefer the images I’m I take with my big camera, every now and then I’m surprised by what I can capture on my phone.

Last weekend – The boys and I took a (slightly wet) ride in the Portland Parkways – an event where bikes take over the streets for a few hours. Local vendors set up booths at each park and hand out freebies. Franz gave away mini loaves of white bread for the kids. My kids never eat white bread but now declare that they REALLY REALLY like it.

Thomas mastered the stilts during on park stop.

And we watched some Shakespeare in the rain.

Last week was all about Japanese camp and swimming lessons – and lots of running around.

They look how I felt by the end of the week.

This past weekend brought a mini heatwave (one that continues). We kept cool by joining forces with the neighbor kids in a backyard water fight. Next time we plan to use real water balloons instead of regular balloons (ouch!).

This week is hot and busy while I juggle work, camp, swimming lessons and children. Think I’d better go buy some popsicles. I think I’m going to need them (and perhaps something ‘spiked’) to get me through to the 4th.

100 Years Young

Our neighborhood park celebrated it’s 100th anniversary last night with a 12 hour party. We headed over at about 6pm to eat (bad hotdogs), drink (just a little) and be merry.

I took this first photo at about 6pm. By the time we left at 9, the park was a lot more crowded.

The first thing we did was to join our friends while we ate dinner and listened to some fantastic big band music.

After the kids enjoyed a free ice cream, I took a group of them over to the bouncy house – so we could wait in line for 30 minutes before their five minute bounce.

While I waited in line, the boys wrestled…

…the girls danced…

…and ran around…

…or just waited quietly and watched others enjoy their bounce.

FINALLY the bouncing began.

And then ended just as quickly. The kids seemed satisfied but I felt a little short-changed, even if it was free.

But at least that meant we didn’t miss out on seeing my first ever real-life maypole. I’m not sure I fully understand the concept of the maypole, but it sure looked pretty.

On our walk back to the other adults, we bumped into a crocodile wearing swim trunks (as you do).

We also dodged a few jugglers.

We arrived back at our picnic spot to discover that the music had turned from big band to funk… and that’s when the dancing started.

I wish I had this guy’s moves.

My boys asked me to dance and it was so much fun! Thomas gave up after one song but Samuel and I got our groove on for quite some time until the lure of the iphone became louder than the music. In fairness, they were both pretty exhausted and a little wind down time was needed.

We headed home at about 9pm as the sun started to disappear. We didn’t have the stamina to stay for late night movie.

Good thing too, because I could still hear it playing when my head hit the pillow at 11pm. Such a fun way to spend a warm summer evening and a fitting way to celebrate 100 years.

Goodbye Pre-K…. Forever…

Excuse me while I reminisce a little. Just over a week ago my baby (MY BABY) finished Pre-K. It was an emotional day, not only because the baby years are officially over, but because we said goodbye to a teacher who cared for both of our children during a year when they seemed too tiny to be in Elementary school. Although tears threatened to cloud my strong composure, I didn’t cry. A miracle really because I feel like crying at the end (and the beginning) of every school year. Once those hormones kick in during pregnancy, they never truly leave.

The kids spent the first week of their holiday at Zoo camp and IT WAS AWESOME! I picked Samuel up after the first day and asked him how it was and he said “GREAT!” He rarely says great to anything. During the course of a week, between them they got to touch a rabbit, Australian walking stick, turtle, lizard, boa constrictor (!) and a hedgehog. I was most envious of the hedgehog. They’re heading back to Zoo Camp for another week later in the Summer after Japanese camp and outdoor camp.

Honestly, the logistics are a tad overwhelming. I can’t really complain because I signed up for this in the hope of saving a few dollars. Nanny’s are expensive and that was really the only other option. We’re also restricted in day camp options because rule #1 for me is that both kids need to be able to attend the same camp and there are not many camps open to kids entering kindergarten. Still, the boys seem to be enjoying themselves and I’ll only need to work late into the night for a few more weeks…

But before I completely move onto Summer, I need to look back at the last week of school. It’s almost like if I didn’t blog it, it never happened, so bear with me.

A couple of days before school ended, parents were invited to listen to the first grade kids present their insect project that they’d been working on for a few weeks as well as a Japanese reading. Can I just take a moment to thank the first grade teachers for not scheduling this on the last day of school? I’ve already experienced running between classrooms to give equal time at class parties and I was grateful not to have to worry about it this time around.

First up was the Japanese class where the kids read their interpretation of The Hungry Caterpillar. The best part about the reading is that we were able to witness Thomas’ leadership skills in action. He helped the other kids get into position and assisted them when they had trouble reading the Japanese characters.

He was pretty proud of himself when he finished.

Then he had the chance to read a story he wrote about his family (all in Japanese). His Mum is “very nice” and his Dad is “very fast”.

Again, the best part was the opportunity to witness Thomas’ kindness when he asked if other kids whose parents weren’t there could read their stories to us as well. So, so proud.

After a brief change in location, we headed to the English classroom to hear Thomas present his project on ants, complete with table of contents. It was awesome and I may have learned a fact or two.

He was most proud of his scorpion vs ant picture. I can see why.

At the end of the week I was able to attend Samuel’s year end party. It began with a group story…

…and progressed to sushi rolls. It was chaotic and noisy but so fun to see Samuel in his “natural environment”. That kid has grown up so much in a year that it makes my heart hurt – in good and bad ways.

After we got home we opened report cards and they were… terrible! OK, I’m kidding. They were perfect. I may be bragging just a little but I can’t help myself. We’re so lucky to have such wonderful children…

… and I’ll remind myself of that tomorrow when they’re driving me crazy.

Parenthood is all about the ups and downs, but mostly the ups.

Making My Father Proud

My Father is a gardener. Not just an occasional gardener, a hard-core, get out there every night and weed, weed, weed gardner. And, despite his insistance that I must have the gardening gene passed down from my grandparents, I’m not sure I’ll ever LOVE gardening.

But I am learning to like it, especially now that our backyard no longer looks like this:

I took this photo in 2008 after our house renovation, during which a bulldozer came in and basically demolished what was left of our backyard. I haven’t looked at this photo in a long time and, now that I do, I’m pretty impressed with what we’ve achieved – even if it took about 5 years.

I didn’t manage to get a photo from the second floor for comparison but here’s a quick one from the deck (on a very sunny day).

In five years we’ve added french doors, a back deck, a patio, a veggie garden and a shed. Not to mention a good place to put my wine while I take photos. We’ve planted grass off to the right but currently the weeds are winning so I’ll spare you the trauma of that view.

Here’s closer look at the veggie garden.

Our snap peas are coming along nicely. Samuel spent at least 30 minutes grazing on them last night.

I have my fingers crossed that our warm early summer will produce a few peppers/capsicums.

I used to grow Strawberries in the hanging baskets but this year I planted some ground cover flowers. The basket linings also provide nest material for our hummingbird visitors. That red thing is a hummingbird feeder and it’s attracted at least one return visitor who was too quick for me to take a photo. I may have to plane a stake out to catch him.

Carrots, brussels sprouts and chard. How do you know when a carrot is ready? We pulled one last week and it was a teeny tiny little thing. I was embarrassed for it.

I also planted a flower garden this year and filled it with things that smell good like lavender, thyme and sage. I can’t wait until they threaten to take over the yard. (I find pruning quite therapeutic).

I have high hopes for this peony.

And, finally, my bother and sister-in-law’s contribution. I think they bought it from a dollar store in Melbourne. I’d say it’s a little bit of Australiana in our backyard but if you look closely you’ll notice that the flag is backwards. How many people can say they have a backwards Aussie flag in their veggie garden? I think that makes it all the more special.

I can see us spending a lot of time out here over the Summer watering, weeding and simply enjoying our backyard, all while I wait for our hummingbird friend to return.

Then and Now

It’s the last day of school today which means lots of reflection about how much the boys have changed in just nine short months.

THOMAS THEN AND NOW

When Thomas began first grade he was struggling with his reading. We were told that he was within the normal range but it still felt like a hurdle, one that I wanted him to get over mostly because I knew how much he would love reading if it was less of a struggle. At the end of first grade, he wants to read chapter books and our days of spelling things out to hide our conversations from the kids are over. It’s really incredible and I am so proud of how far he’s come.
He struggled to write more than a sentence or two at the beginning of first grade but last week read us an insect report that he wrote – more than 10 pages, complete with a table of contents.
He started the year with all but one of his baby teeth and now they’ve almost all been replaced, making his smile even bigger with those two huge front teeth. He also asked to grow his hair out (no more buzz cuts) which makes me realize that this is just the beginning of the many decisions he is going to want to make for himself in the coming years.

SAMUEL THEN AND NOW

When Samuel started Pre-K he seemed so little. There were many mornings when I had to peel him off me while he cried for me not to leave. Now he gives me a quick kiss and hug and barely looks at me while I walk out the door.
At the beginning of the school year Samuel could read some letters and knew how to write a few letters in his name. Now, he can write his name in English without even thinking about it and and even copies his name in Japanese. He recognizes words in books and sometimes surprises me by reading a street sign or book title. I have about 20 letters that all say “I love you Mum”.
He GREW – about 3 shoe sizes and almost skipped a full clothing size. He is no longer the smallest in his class (not the biggest either) and his baby features have faded. He is well and truly a boy.

Ahhhh – the bittersweet feeling that comes from being proud that your children are growing up happy and healthy, that they’re learning and developing minds of their own but, at the same time, they’re GROWING and there’s just no stopping it. I don’t have babies anymore. Today, we’ll say goodbye to the Pre-K teacher who taught both Thomas and Samuel. In a thank-you card I jokingly said that we should have another baby just so she can teach that one as well because I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to Pre-K forever.

But I will because I have to and, besides, Kindergarten will be fun too and Second grade is a whole new world we are yet to discover. I’ll just keep telling myself that until school starts again in September.

Visiting Old Friends at the Oregon Zoo

It was a 75 degree Sunday, Kei was playing golf and had to get the kids out of the house. We arrived at 9am when the gates opened and stayed for 4.5 hours, saying hello to every single animal. We’ve had a zoo membership for about 5 years and so now some of the animals are like old friends. It felt good to be back.

Thomas put himself in charge of the map which only resulted in a few arguments.

As we walked around, I posted on Facebook about how grateful I am that our stroller days are behind us. We now have so much more freedom to relax and take our time without having to find ramps or stop for endless potty and feeding breaks (although we had a couple).

I am also grateful that I can stop and take a photograph without the fear that one my kids will run off while my back is turned for 30 seconds

We arrived just as the bears were being served breakfast.

This is the crowd that we had to navigate for a glimpse.

A favorite from the day. Goats are pretty cool – and able to stand still for a long time.

A quick stop to climb some statues.

It amuses me that his fingers are in the Lion’s nostrils. Looks uncomfortable.

Another favorite.

A tip for managers of Zoos around the world – if you want kids to read about animals, put the information on some sort of screen. Printed signs were ignored but if there was a screen around, we stopped Every. Single. Time.