seedlings

tball!

Last Wednesday Cade had his first t-ball game.  Despite only having one official practice, and very little understanding of the game, the kids pulled it together and did a really good job on the field.  We found out that Cade is really good at hitting the ball, and has super speed when running the bases.  His catching and throwing could use some work but I'm pretty confident in saying that this could offer him a college tuition. :)

Here are a few hitting and running shots:

Here he is, bringing it home:

The cheering squad:

One final picture:

easter egg hunt

Our neighborhood has an Easter tradition that has gone on for the past 36 years: The Volunteer Park Easter Egg Hunt.  We've participated in years past but this year we were actually the coordinators for the event.  800 fliers, 80 kids, 460 eggs, and an Easter Bunny.  The event went really well and we were fortunate to have beautiful weather.  Here are some pictures from the "drop-off" the day before:

On the morning of the event Jared and I brought all 80 baskets that we filled the night before to the park.  We had some volunteers there to help us hide eggs but were foiled by the sneaky birds who, upon putting out the first eggs, flew off with entire eggs in their mouths.  We had to put off hiding until the last minute then had volunteers run around with large sticks shooing away birds.  It was a mad rush in the end!

The Easter Bunny was a huge hit with everyone but Deacon.  He wanted NOTHING to do with him, which was funny to me considering it was his own Dad!!  Yes, Jared played the coveted roll this year and the kids loved it.  He even got a carrot and card from a couple of kids.

playing in boxes & pretending it's summer

Standing in a warm window, eating snowcones CAN feel a little like summer, right??!!  Cade even took his shirt off to make it realistic.

where is spring?

I always get a little down this time of year.  As most of the rest of the country enjoys sunnier and  warmer weather, we maintain our winter routine of rain, wind and 40 degree days.  There is just so much indoor activity time two boys can take before everyone goes a little batty.  I'm craving play days at the park, fresh air, gardening and sprinklers.  I just want to open a window and get a little air, is that too much to ask?  Instead this morning we turned on the fireplace.  Yep, over it.

Last week we DID enjoy a little indoor time at Jump Planet with some friends.  Here are some pictures from our excursion:

Cade and I love looking at this next series of pictures: READY...GO!!

belly: 16 1/2 weeks

Here is a picture from this morning.  I've started adding them to the "belly" photo album on the right :)

transitions

In January, when I found out I was pregnant, life was a little different.  This pregnancy happened a little quicker than we imagined and we were still living the, "Deacon is the baby of the house" lifestyle.  He still nursed on demand, slept in our bed, woke up all night long.  It had been working just fine for us (although Jared may disagree a bit on this topic :)), but with the new news we realized that things had to change.  Having a definitive deadline looming I lay awake at nights trying to figure out the best way to transition the little guy from baby to "independent" toddler.  I wavered back in forth on which huge transition to attack first: weaning or moving into his brother's room for sleeping.  Ultimately the sleep thing won as I was suddenly racked with first trimester exhaustion and sickness.  So, we moved Deacon, his "lovies" and books into the bottom bunk in his brother's room.  I wish I could say that this has been an easy transition but it certainly hasn't!  I've ultimately lost a LOT more sleep in the process but I CAN at least say the following statement: Deacon now shares a room with his brother and sleeps in the bottom bunk.  I still can't add to that statement that he sleeps through the night, nor can I add that he does so independently (imagine me wandering back and forth at night), but it's a step.  I'll take it.

Nursing on the other hand has gone well, better than expected.  My pregnancy resulted in a huge drop in supply so most of his nursing was simply for comfort (and getting to sleep).  I can now officially say out loud that he stopped nursing about 3 weeks ago.  He still asks for it constantly and getting him to sleep has been a nightly wrestling match, but it's been a success.  I'm pretty proud of both of us for getting through this transition!

So, with all of the changes happening around here I'm sure you can imagine that Deacon has not only become a *bit* more independent but he's also become a bit more unruly.  All of these changes have thrown him head first into the terrible 2's a bit early I'm afraid.  These next pictures describe it perfectly...sometimes he's still my sweet little baby, other times it's as if Darth Vader himself has possessed the boy.  With some extra love, hopefully we'll work through it :)

the final leg: Portland

After a fun 24 hours in Cannon Beach, we hopped in the car and headed east to Portland.  This part of the trip was quite a bit different from the easygoing beach portion.  We stayed downtown in a nice hotel, The Nines, and spent the evening walking around town, hanging out by the river, and then went out to eat at a delicious Lebanese restaurant.

The next morning we met an old high school friend of mine at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).  They had a very cool Lego exhibit on display along with LOTS and LOTS of hands-on activities for the kids.  Cade and Deacon played with the water tables, sand room, lego building stations, the ball room.  They also both enjoyed a ride on the "earthquake house."  Imagine Carole King's "I feel the Earth Move" on repeat, over and over and over.

the end.

road trip: Cannon Beach

After driving through wind, rain and floods, we arrived in Cannon Beach just as the clouds began to clear.   We stayed at a charming little beach hotel right on the beach.  Here's the view from our porch:

Cade really enjoyed exploring the shore and he, Jared and the dog spent a lot of time chasing the waves, or "tsunamis" as Cade called them.  We had to take some shots in front of the classic Goonies rock while we were there.  I thought that Cannon beach was SO BEAUTIFUL and I'd love to come back in the summertime to fly kites and enjoy the summer ocean breeze.

After a night in Cannon Beach, we headed back north to Seaside to hit the boardwalk arcade.  Cade had been looking forward to this part of the trip since playing Skee Ball and acquiring tickets to buy candy necklaces has become his latest passion :).  Here we are at the Seaside beach and playing a few games:

Next stop: Portland

road trip part one

This week Jared started a new job. He planned his transition just right, allowing for a free week in between gigs. We decided to take advantage of this extra family time and hopped into the car, heading south down the coast. Our first stop was Astoria, OR. THE sight of the classic movie Goonies. Here we stopped for a nice lunch at a place along the water:

We then headed to the Boat Museum.  The kids loved it...lots of interactive activities and even a real Coast Guard boat to explore:

Before heading out of town, we did a quick "drive by" the old Goonies house.  It made Jared and I realize that Cade would probably REALLY like that movie.  It has all the components that he likes: danger, treasure, pirates, and adventure.

Heading to Cannon Beach, we hit a little road trouble.  Due to the excessive amounts of rain, parts of the road were completely under water.  Cars were being asked to turn around and only trucks and SUVs were able to travel on.  It was quite an adventure...I was actually surprised that our car didn't stall out considering water was splashing up on to our windshield!

Next post: Cannon Beach and Portland!!

a new baby joins the group

Last Friday, my friend Jenni had her third baby, a little girl to add to the mix.  We had joked that we would both have boys, totaling 6 in all between the two of us.  She broke the streak and the big question is: will I too?  Guess we'll have to wait until September to see!

Here are some pictures of Cade and Ben (the biggest brother) playing around in the hospital and holding baby Leah.  Not sure why their shirts are off, total mystery.