they are just the cutest

We had a family dinner last night with our Manilla-residing cousins. More time with Addie and her parents and grandparents . . . Em wasn't quite so jealous at this playdate and the girls bonded over their mutal love of Mara the cat.
Addie heard about an accident Em had while bouncing on the ottoman and warned Em a couple of times to not fall off again. Addie is so very sweet and happy. The girls are nearly the same size, wear the same shoe size and are in love with their papas. I am so excited to see them continue to grow up together and be international penpals.
I have to brag about Tall House, Double Cup. I am out of commission with a staph infection in my foot. I have to keep my foot raised above my heart and stay off it - so THDC took over the dinner party - ordering in fabulous bbq from Russell St., getting the kids bathed and dressed AND picking up the weekend toys so the house looked great for our guests - all things that are very important to me that THDC took very seriously and really came through on. He is continuing to help me out in so many ways. It's really frustrating to be on bedrest - I would love to be home for a couple of days - but only if I could sew, organize drawers, iron, and generally be a busybee. But just google "staph infection" images and you'll quickly sit down and put your foot up too. Scary.

the best ever

I spent the past couple of days hosting author Jon Scieszka at the library. You'll know him from The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheeseman. It was such a treat to have him in town - meeting nearly 2,000 kids and parents. He's a total doll and very funny. At the end of hosting authors and illustrators, I usually want to fall into a hot bath and go to bed but he was such a joy, I am ready to charge right back into work and put more energy into my projects. Read Jon, read him frequently!

e's first school dance

E had his first school dance. He was ready to party and celebrate spring with his friends. We cramped his style a bit by attending but it was a family dance so lots of little brothers and sisters were around too.
We had a great time - and in true kindergarten fashion, we ended the night with a trip to the playground for some jungle gym time. Below is a video of E in the hopping contest (this deejay knew how to get little kids moving).

easter

I finally downloaded the pictures from Easter. We had a lovely day of some home celebration and some big family celebration. I don't think Emme knew exactly why she was picking up eggs but she was determined to keep up with her brother. Both kids loved all of their presents and the time they got to spend with cousins

cousin party

We were SO SO SO excited to finally get to see Cousin Addie! Born just two weeks before Em, she's visiting with her mama from Manila while waiting for her new baby sister to be born. I read Addie's blog daily and feel like I know her so well! She has the most charming way of saying, "Yes." I think I got her to say it two dozen times! She is outgoing and very personable - just how I imagined her in her pictures!
Em was not as welcoming and was definitely feeling a bit shy and maybe even jealous! I am hoping for more playdates so Em will warm up. She was especially concerned when her dad hugged Addie - that was just too much for her!

But Sara got some great photos of when Em had more of a smile than a scowl on her face :) Both girls as in love with Mara the cat so they bonded a bit through her. I can't wait to get together again and hear that charming, "Yes!".

easter box arrived

E tore into the box minutes after it arrived from UPS - the annual Easter box from Nana and Jonesie - filled with presents and treats. Even the parents each got a carmel eggs. E loves his chocolate bunny and Em loves her new Charlie and Lola books.
Thanks Nana and Jonesie!

little miss

Em is moving right into the true toddler phase - we don't have to watch her every minute she is moving, she is adding new words all of the time and showing interest in big kid things. She seems to understand nearly everything we say to her and hates to be told no if it involves being held. She can take no when it comes to Otter Pops for breakfast but if you tell her you can't carry her while you make dinner, watch out for the waterworks.

Lately I've just found so much delight in her. I love the way her hair curls around her head, her sweet puppy breath in the morning, the way she tidies up and closes every door she walks by and of course, her self-initiated hugs and pats. When I was pregnant with her, I was so worried I wouldn't be able to love her as much as I love E and everyone reassured me I would. I find that I love her in a different way - totally unexpected way. She is just our delight and ball of light. I love you Em!

no little monkeys were harmed in this blog post

E has made a really good friend in kindergarten. To quote the great Bill Murry in Meatballs, "If you make one good friend a summer, then you're doing pretty well." I would say the same is true for a school year.


Anyway, the boys are really into the same things and feed off each other's imaginations. They loved surprising me this weekend with a ninja kungfu show - and of course, they felt shirtless was the most authentic way to go. I have to admit, I pulled the mom card right after the show was done and convinced them the didn't want to catch cold since they both had a birthday party to attend the next day. Sensible ninjas they are.
Video below:

opening day

You have to love opening day for Little League. Hundreds of kids in their brand new uniforms, all jumping around with excitement - and this year's day featured . . . . wait for it . . . . sun! An unheard of accompaniment in Oregon.















E is very proud of his dad being his team's coach. And Emme wants to be in the thick of all the boy action. I am loving all of the cool moms on the team this year - lots of game chatting potential!













Below is a video of their team running the bases and getting high fives from the rest of the player. So fun.

garden starts

E and I got the first set of peas planted as well as some leek starts.

I've never tried growing leeks before but had the most delicious

braised leeks this winter so now I am a major fan.

san diego

We just returned from a great trip to San Diego for spring break. We hit it all - Legoland, Wild Animal Park, San Diego Zoo, La Jolla, Birch Aquarium and lots of beach time. It was wonderful to spend a week with just the four of us. We had lots of time to hang out, talk, read books, sleep and play. The place we stayed was amazing - Crystal Pier Cottages in Pacific Beach. I loved sleeping over the ocean - the pier would rock every so often and we had a private deck with lots of room for eating our meals outside. We spent lots of time peering down through the floorboards to watch the ocean below us. The weather was a lovely 68-70 every day. sigh. I miss it already.
I did manage to catch strep throat during the trip. I have never had it before and thought it was a bad head cold - but I guess once you experience this, you remember for the next time. I am happily on antibiotics and painkillers today an in recovery.

for the dish lovers out there

I brought out my spring dishes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I love love love the day three times a year when I rearrange my dishes and other pretties in the living room and dining room. Fall brings out the Peach Luster dishes from the 40's, the holidays and winter feature my green pottery from Portugal and the spring collection features Majolica and Jadeite - all pretty colors of green and blue. Skip these pictures if dish porn isn't your thing.

happy St. Patrick's Day

We celebrated early with a family party on Sunday night. We had our Irish fortunes told by a curling shamrock, old-fashioned boiled dinner, and crazy, sweaty boys playing and screaming on every floor of the house. We all got our Irish on for a night.

first spring afternoon

We have spring fever and lucked out with our first after-school and after-work weeknight with some outside play time. We broke into the playhouse (and found out the underside of the chalkboard didn't appreciate being left in a semi-wet former garden shed and developed some mold). Balls were thrown, golf club hockey was played and crocus were stamped on.

jumping girl

Em is crazy about her jumper. Aunt Peggy requested a video of her in action. This is for you Auntie!

granny square scarf

Here is a closer view of the successful granny square scarf that I just finished for Nana. I am already hot on the next one and am in love with how it turned out. The top picture is the scarf artfully draped around the neck and the bottom picture features it tied. There is definitely a front and back side to the scarf so I prefer it draped.
Enjoy Nana!

week with Nana and Jonesie

Jonesie and Nana headed back home to Wisconsin yesterday. E woke up sad and would have stayed that way all day but a lucky call came from one of his good friends to spend the afternoon at a pizza place - so there was happiness, by distraction. Even Em was out of sorts after walking up from her nap. I'm up early this morning and am missing sharing coffee with my dad. So we are all feeling the funk of a quieter house.

Special guest star

Jonesie was the special guest star in E's class this week. He talked about growing up on a farm and about all of the animals that live out in the country at their place now. The kids were most interested in the owls that they are currently studying and liked the bear stories. E was very proud to get to introduce everyone to his Jonesie but while making the introduction to the class he told them, "This is my Jonesie but you should call him Bob."

beach trip

My camera seems to be permanently ill so I haven't been blogging much this month. I borrowed Jonesie's and took some pictures of our family beach trip.
We rented a house at Cape Kiwanda and had a weekend of relaxing, reading, and sleeping. We had some beach time but the rain kept us on the move - not a lot of sand playtime.

generation day at school

Today was one of E's school spirit days - generation day - dress from the 60's, 70's, or 80's.
E went with the 80's preppy look - double polo and spiky hair. He kept saying, "I'm peppy" instead of "I'm a preppy."
You can't imagine how much product is in his stick-straight hair to make it do this.
He met a young 80's Madonna on the way into school.