so much fun right in our backyard

we are so blessed to live where we do. there is always something fantastic happening, ever day of the week. we took full advantage of the area today and enjoyed fabulous weather to boot. petey had a ball and betsy was an angel, tagging along as usual, napping like a doll. that darling child is a real trooper (AND she slept from 7-4 last night! so good).

we finally made it back to the poway farmers market this morning, it had been several weeks of saturdays with other activities planned in the mornings.  i was really missing it - and so was my produce drawer so the four of us set out, momma pushing the double jogger full of babies and baxter in tow.  just far enough to make for a really great stretch and mini-workout but not too far that we were exhausted at the end.  i bought some beautiful floweres that coordinate oh-so-nicely with my new artwork a-la etsy.com and some other great produce and my favorite white cheddar goat cheese. divine.  my friend, farmer steve gave me a basket full of the most delicious plums i've ever experienced. they are totally amazing.

this afternoon post-nap we loaded into the vehicle (sans baxter) and headed east to ramona's country fair. ramona is a teensy town out toward the deserts, about 20 minutes from our house. and this fair was definitely small town design but just the right size for our family to enjoy. it wasn't crowded this afternoon which afforded petey the opportunity to get a lot of walking down while betsy snoozed in the stroller.

we spent a good deal of time enjoying some old red case ih tractors, which petey practice driving for a bit. shared a snow cone. listened to some music and danced just a tad. walked through the rides and watched in awe as they did their thing (no petey didn't get to ride any, he was a few inches too short and there just weren't enough people around to supervise all that needed supervising anyway).  i mean, he would stop dead in his tracks and just stare and stare as the rides went round and round. next summer i won't be able to get away so easily, i'm sure he'll insist on riding them. such fun!  we nibbled a cheese quesadilla and hit up the 4H barn where the rabbits were being judged. (sadly the big livestock is next weekend, i guess they had a problem last year with fair goers who had had a little too much to drink bothering the livestock at night last year....so sad, but we may go back next weekend to see it). on our way out we stopped to sample some delicious locally made honey and chatted with the bee lady while petey pointed to all the bees on her table cloth and buzzzzzzed happily. at the end of the day we're all happily exhausted and ready to snooze. days like today are such a joy to spend with my children and a blessing that they go by so very quickly and bring us blissfully one day closer to homecoming.

dad - i'm hoping one of these will make it to your desk at work. :)

skype @ grand bear

reid's mom took these pictures during our family reunion way back in june....i didn't know there WERE any pictures, but how cool are theses? this is most of the family coming running when they heard reid was talking to me live, online.  let me explain the towel - we had been leaving the computer on and ready for skype in case reid had a chance to call during the reunion. of course he called while i was in the shower. so reid's cousin lauren knocks on the door and says "sarah, reid is on the phone".....i was so excited i almost ran upstairs in JUST my towel. but then thought better of it, running around in those tiny hotel sized towels is not good in any circumstance, but certainly not when you gave birth one month prior and definitely not when your husband's entire extended family is around. nope. so i put clothes on and wrapped my hair up and ran upstairs. what a fun chat we had!

wild animal park

we have GOT to go there more often. its practically in our backyard and it is a fantastic place for little boys to run around and explore.  there is so much to see, climb on and experience - and yet mommy's can rest easy that the wide paths are 'enclosed' on each side by fencing or landscaping. all i had to do was keep up.  we enjoyed the park with our dear friends and petey loved bopping around with those two little boys.  what is sweeter than three little dudes in floppy hats?

awwww, how sweet - they're all sitting still together.....

in a group like this you gotta be quick, someone is always on the move. (that someone is usually petey)

there he goes.....off to the next thing.....

cute but not surprising that his favorite thing at the wild animal park (there are elephants and gorillas here, folks) was the duck pond.

one jeep seat, two steering wheels, three little boys in heaven :)

*and yes, miss betsy was along....but she was in naptime mode/stay out of sun mode. next summer we will REALLY have fun!

don't eat that!

i don't think he believed me when i said licking sand would not taste good...

take it all in

in all these things, i am learning.
how to be a better mother.
and a better me.
all these crazy things that make up my days are teaching me.
sometimes i don't even realize i'm learning.
but at the end of the day, so many lessons have been learned.
about life.
and love.
and patience.
and forgiveness (well, asking for forgiveness).
and how a child is so happy to forgive.
and how giving a hug and a kiss let's you press the "start over" button.
that poop on the floor doesn't ruin the morning.
and soapy water all over the kitchen actually cleans up nicely (and you get a clean floor!)
and barf on the dog just gives you something to laugh about later.
that best friends really ARE the best.
and sometimes you just need to stop. and relax. and breathe.
being a good mom isn't always about doing anything.
sometimes being a good mom means laying on the floor and watching your child play.
and playing with him.
who else would teach him how to fit all the animals in the barn?
or making funny faces at your baby for 10 minutes while you watch her smile.
sometimes you just have to leave the lists alone on the fridge.
sometimes you can just get to it later.
sometimes clean laundry can just sit there until the next day.
its all ok.
and it will all be ok the next day too.
i am learning (again) how to prioritize.
and how sometimes the things i think are important are actually the most pathetic, unimportant things going on at the time.
i'm learning.
its a really really long course but i promise i am learning.
i hope my kids understand that.
and my dog, too.

petey. march 2008. 3 months old

betsy. july 2010. -almost- 3 months old

growing old together

my little one is growing oh-so-big! we just moved her into her 6 month old clothing stash and i'm having to button her fuzzi bunz diapers more loosely now. it was incredible to see her smile at petey yesterday. once when he greeted her as she woke from her nap - he climbed up on the side of the crib and peeked his head over to see her and she gave he a gigantic grin. the other time was during petey's bath, she was watching from her bouncy chair and just watching him had her practically in stitches. i think as she grows older and those two can interact more i am just going to *LOVE* the fact that they are so close in age. how magical it will be to watch those two together!

petey discovered the mirror in our garage. and i just can't help myself, those fuzzi bunz are just the cutest things. and its much easier to race to the potty at top speed when he's not wearing pants. and yes, he did #1 and #2 on the potty yesterday. i can't wait until that becomes the norm. woo-hoo petey!

it must be monday

yep, today was definitely a monday.  we survived, don't get me wrong. but it was absolutely, without question a monday. and on mondays, you should never put dish soap in the dishwasher instead of dishwasher soap. they are not the same. at all.

Evelyn's Shower @ Bernardo Winery

i enjoyed a lovely afternoon with my red devil ladies at a the bernardo winery, just up the road from my house, celebrating evelyn's upcoming wedding. what a beautiful place! and betsy enjoyed spending time with the ladies too. thanks emily for hanging out with petey!

its been hot...

and we've been busy. and i consider ourselves lucky and count my blessings because of it.  its been a wild mix of mornings spent in our backyard pool (some days with and some days, ahem, without clothing depending on what the thermometer reads), afternoons spent running errands, evenings spent celebrating friends accomplishments and birthdays of their children, morning play dates and entire afternoons spent in our very own livingroom.  i am doing my best to stay in the moments as of late, to get in a groove, to feel the routine, to be aware of what the kids (and their momma) need in a day....to accomplish what needs doing and plan some fun along the way.  its all wooshing by in a whirl of movement with a humming rhythm and an energy that is carrying me through.  exhaustion at the end of the day is my cherished friend, knowing i lived another day well spent and knowing i'll fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.  exhaustion fights off insomnia and i am thankful for it!  thank you time for passing by oh so quickly this year. in the new year you may slow down considerably, please and thank you. but for now, keep on movin!  we've got a homecoming party we're dying to attend!

family photo shoot

we were stuck inside most of today because it is so hot hot hot here! so we played around with the camera a little bit and made another video for daddy to enjoy of his boy at play.

caught her smiling - petey is in the middle of saying "BEBE".....

peter & betsy july 15, 2010

grandpa nannen is 60!

fuzzi bunz

well i'm loving cloth diapers. both kids are in them and they are a choice i feel fantastic about every step of the way.  and for something that i had so much anxiety about it was easily incorporated into our daily life with no problem at all.  i did go back to disposable dipes for our 2 week vacation home because we didn't stay put anywhere for more than a couple of days which complicated the laundry strategizing and really it was just too much to pack up and bring along. i think if we had stayed put in 1 vacation destination for those two weeks i could have managed it - but i opted to use seventh generation diapers and wipes and really loved their products. it was fascinating to watch betsy react to different wipes. i brought along some cheap kirkland's travel wipes for the airplane ride and used them on our day of travel and her bum was totally angry and looked miserable.  we arrived to our destination and picked up the seven generation wipes and diapers and viola - never would have known she had a rash or reation. its amazing that children's skin prefer fewer harsh chemicals.  well, here are some adorable pics of petey sporting his fuzzi bunz with style...