Time & Growth....the Long Update

Where do I begin after such a long pause between postings? In March, it will be a year since the last post.....the fillings of this span has been the sweetest time of my life. Each day is an amazing blessing as we go about our days. I have found her to be the sunniest and truest of companions. Her insight to me has been remarkable; it's kinda weird having someone know me so well.

That said, here are the highlights of the last year:

Earth Hour, March 28th, 2009. Seattle turned out the lights for one hour as a way to bring awareness to climate change. We joined the city by turning out our lights and then going out for a walk. It was the first time since moving here that the Space Needle lights did not beam out like a beacon. What fun to look around this time of day all bundled up with excitement.

Eden got to ride Grace on Easter morning. We often see our doggie friends at this little park three blocks from our condo. We went up to the park to hide Easter eggs & Easter treats we had received from Omi (Grandma on the Groth side) so that Eden could hunt them up. We also hid some bones for Sera to run around and find. We saw our friends, Grace (pictured above) with his people, Alan and Monica who invited Eden to saddle up.

We had a second Easter egg hunt with Kai, Tom and Kay at their house on the hill.

A very quotable moment occurred when we received an Easter card from Grandma D depicting Jesus wrapped in a blue robe. Upon opening it, Eden asked, "Who is that?" I said, "That is Jesus" to which she replied, "Jesus takes a bath?

Eden Exploring Sounds of Her Own Voice (March 2009):

It was a fun spring which led us to Montana for a visit in May. Maeve, Clare, & Fiona were a huge inspiration to Eden while they played with bikes because Eden loves them so much...bikes and the girls.
We had a long summer of beach play. It was a hot one and so Sera, Eden and I got out everyday to some outdoor location for a full day of play. We had many, many naps in Seattle's great parks and beaches.

Dancing in the Sun

Our fascination with the sun and shadows comes to life.

Cool Sunglasses

Eden and Kai exchanged sunglasses in this picture. It was nearly impossible for Kay to capture a photo when both of them had glasses on. They took turns helping one another in and out of their glasses. Sometimes they paused to chew on their glasses or put them on mommy. It seemed as if there was no time for such silliness as taking photos.

These days Eden is repeating back most words...that is if she feels like it. Tonight she was saying, "Daddy, hi, lotion, knees" after her bath. This went on for more than 5 or 6 minutes. Once she is on to an idea or game, she is really into it. Her hair is getting long. I put her bangs into a pony tail above her forehead as often as she will let me to get the hair out of her eyes. She resembles Pebbles Flinstone and gets lots of compliments. If she happens to be wearing her sunglasses some people comment that she looks like a rockstar. She loves to twirl, dance and play on her sit n' spin which is very rockstar-esque. All is well in Seattle...livin' the good life.

Saint Patricks Day Dash

We woke up on Sunday (weekend preceeding St. Pat's) to watch our good friend Sarah Smith run in the St. Paddy's Day Dash. The race involved 20,000 participants which all ran down Aurora--the hiway right outside of our front doors. This was so fun. It snowed then rained on everyone (a "soft day" as they say in Ireland). We played Dublin Gulch music out our second story windows which brought waves and smiles to little Eden watching from above. It was the quietest morning we can remember in our 3 years living on Aurora despite the 40,000 feet pounding the pavement.

Princess Eden looking out over the merriment of the occassion enjoyin' her her scrambled eggs. The engineer in the house built this thrown.

If yesterday was real...today was really REAL

So today we arose at 6a.m. Ash and Finn joined us in bed stirring little E...I heard them get up before this. Ashton saw her MY Little Pony in our bed and so she started telling us how special her my little pony is to her as she picked it up and started stroking her hair. She also said that when she was a baby she liked to see other peoples toys and that as soon as she was ready she would hand the pony over to Eden to look at it. Finn then proceded to tell me that his mom said that his "toys have his germs and that is why Eden cannot touch any of them." After they had both explained to us their philosophies on toy sharing, Finn started throwing all of our diaper and wipe supplies across the room. I playfully removed him from the window ledge thereby awkwardly wacking my ankle on the space heater which then stopped working with a zap....whoops....good morning!! In the kitchen we got started with a little grapefruit while Ash and Finn looked over the menu. Yes, we are playing restaurant and it's way too easy with the kitchen set up. They sit at the counter and it is just like a cafe. They like to treat me like a waitress to bring them what they ORDER. This morning I did make a french press of what ever those beans were...they tasted like they were straight from heaven--thanks sis. I added a few menu items which they were both very excited about....especially SMOOTHIES. Another, "Eggs in My Pocket" which involves scrambled eggs in a pita, was my favorite. I filled the coffee all the way to the top (sound familiar Sean? Yep...to the very top...now I know--that first sip--way up there at the top--is golden). Smoothies were ordered and yes, Finn had cereal again. Ashton, however loved eggs in my pocket served with a side of sausage.

Finn stayed home from montesory for a little personal time with Auntie Onie--totally my intuition decision. No school and he didn't fight me on this. Ashton wanted to wear this incredibly short little linen dress today which was so cute but as I mentioned previously the weather changed overnight and it was all wrong for the cold weather. She compromised on not wearing it to school but allowing me to bring it to her at school when I picked her up so she could wear it to the children's museum. As all of this discussion was going on Finn locked Ashton, Eden and I in our room (the lock is in fact on the outside). Having mastered the lock on the kids door a few days ago, I did not sweat it even though it was 15 minutes until go time getting Ashton to school. We got 0ut, got Ash into some jeans, and got out the door. Sans Ashton, the rest of us went to find Onie coffee number two at a drive thru cafe. I found that the Children's Museum (my plan for the day) was not going to open until 10am. We killed some time at the Real Food Store because I needed some items for a recipe. Of course Finn and Eden were hungry so we got some snacks. Turns out Finn will eat wild rice sticks like crazy (now I am incredulous about them...I've had to reconsider....are these junk or good? They fell into the good for you category previously but now that I've seen Finny scarfing them I may have to dig deeper). As we were leaving a cashier announced over the load speaker that a subaru with a ski rack appeared to have a flat tire. Oh no, I thought as I pondered seeing a low tire when we first arrived. Then I went out to the car only to find a note expressing that our tire looked flat. So, the timing was fairly good because both kids were full and happy. We headed to EAGLE TIRE three blocks away....driving very slowly as Finn asked really smart questions about the flat. E & F played legos while the tire was being looked at. Turns out that the tires were from Les Swab or Firestone...I still haven't searched the glove box. But whoever Chris and Ais used before I am going to recommend to them and anyone else traveling thru Helena, Montana to take their business to EAGLE TIRE....it is where super man works. Yep, Wes, the owner came out to tell me that the tire was, "all chewed up inside but luckily had a warranty somewhere else." He went ahead and put a used but from what I can tell a very good tire on the car as a loaner until we get the tire replaced--probably at Firestone I imagine. He did us this favor at no cost only asking that we return the tire later. I guess there are angels looking out for us. A tear came to my eye which I swept away quickly to continue playing/referieing the kids with their legos and loading them up AGAIN. We got to the Children's Museum an hour later than I had expected but from there on it was AWESOME. We played for two hours before we headed home for lunch. This time Eden fell asleep in the car. She napped, Finn bathed and I cleaned. As it turned out, it wasn't the heater that broke this morning, rather a breaker that tripped. I spent a bit of time locating the breaker box and doing a few common things around the house after Finn and I ate lunch. Oh my gosh, it was 3:15 in no time....I was officially late to pick up Ashton.....whew....I woke Eden up, rushed Finn to get ready and then went to pick up Ash. Of course in my hurry I forgot the dress I had promised to bring for her. Oh well, she did not freak at all. She was very forgiving of my being late and we went straight to the Children's Museum for her. We closed the place out. Next we went to Taco del Sol. It was sweet because they have mini burritos for kids and all were very pleased. We got home again and after a brushing of the teeth and putting in what Finn calls the "Sinking Ship Movie" (the Titanic) everyone fell asleep on the couches. I carried everyone to bed again. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Noteable quotes and moments of the day: Finn: After a gargantuon belch....I mean as big as I have ever heard him make and it was just he and I in the room today while Eden napped. He says, "'BRRRAAAAAAPPH' did you hear that?" It was a very Elf moment.

While watching "The Titanic" Finn exclaims, "not again." I asked, "what?" he said, "I always say that." It appears that Finn says this, "AHWWH...NOT AGAIN" statement anytime a couple on TV looks at eachother lovingly or romantically. I guess he is saying.....oh no, more gooshy stuff =).

Tonight as I drove to Taco Del Sol Ashton said, "the car drives itself!" "Huh?" I asked. She said, "don't worry, whenever my mommy lets go of the steering wheel the car drives itself."

Helena has a great Children's Museum with lots of cool outdoorsy and nature-loving things for kids to explore. My personal favorite, located on a steppe along a painted mural of a mountain is some fake deer poopie with a sign asking, "who left this behind?" Eden always finds the horsie=)

A really REAL day

Why was this such a real day? Because although it was as fun as the other days it was more like what I had envisioned when Aisy asked me to come watch the kids....busy. It was probably a more typical example of what a single mother of three would regularly experience.Today started at 4a.m. Eden was up for 30 minutes and then I got her back to bed. Finn and Ashton were up and dressed at 5:30a.m. (It's as though they knew it was Mardi Gras and were psychically connected to their kid counterparts in New Oreleans). There was definately some sort of barametric shift through the night and I felt it. My eyes and body were truly not having it. E and I have been warding off a cold that finally caught us. (I've taken lots of vitamins and greens trying to keep up with these guys which probably helped but darn nonetheless). We got up and after a toy tussle between Finn and Eden, I saw 3 hours of inside "playing" looming in front of us and I shuttered. Since everyone was dressed (Eden and I having slept in our clothes) we all loaded up and went to Starbucks with some cereal bars, fruit and oatmeal and had breakfast there. Ah...my constant constant caffiene and kid-friendly haven. Having been a patron since the late nineties and being a former barista, I knew I would only find friendly, smiling faces and a warm mocha in my immediate future. Making coffee to wake up seemed an impossiblity. My early morning day dream was soon a reality. Of course, there was the usual spilled milk, kiddie chatter over who gets to push the highchair back, Finn announcing that he was leaving the building putting one foot out of the door and then bringing it back in with a smile, etc. It was at that point I realized how having Eden in a sling makes life so much easier.Overall it was a suprise to all of us to have this little hiadus so early in the morn. Eden and I grocery shopped and she took a little nap while I watched a movie and peeled our veg for dinner....what joy! Later, Finn passed out in the car after school. I carried him inside to his bed and then Ashton, Eden and I read books after a snack. The DVD player did not even come on all night!!!!!!!!!!! Usually, that is the first thing they are interested in....the change of pace was awesome. The dynamic of two kiddos was totally different than all three of them together. We definately found our evening mellow. Ashton, E and I ate together (Canned All Star Pasta and a mix of roasted root vegetables--keepin' the balance right?). Then I woke Finn up who was "hungry" but definately NOT interested in potatoes and did not want Eden to look at him. He ate none of the same stuff. Cereal was more his speed, although he also accepted Keifer, grapes and strawberries. He had a hard day, was tired, and definately was missing his mommy and daddy. In fact the night prior I had to massage the worries and lonesomeness right out of his head. He looked so peaceful to just let it all go and drift to sleep. He even told me that, "his mom is smarter than me" to which I fully agree. He had been tearful at the drop of a hat and my heart went out to him. I would have given him just about anything he wanted to eat to make him smile to which he made good choices and smiled anyway. It was pretty cool to have dinner one on one with both of these guys (of course Eden was in my lap...she dined twice in her up down style. Finn and Ashton both seemed pleased with the arrangement). Ashton fell asleep on the back of the couch while we were eating dinner so I carried her to bed. Everything was going great until, with me in the kitchen, Eden and Finn in the living room, she smacked him on the head with her kleen Kanteen sippy cup. Oh man, that sucked, had it been two days ago I am sure it would not have fazed him--I mean I watched him fall running and even have a little wreck on Ashton's bike without a wimper. Today on the other hand, if anyone looked at him "mean" he would tear. When this went down, I just took my husband's advice and focused on him rather than Eden and held him and rocked him. She got it....she watched and looked like she got it. Time to wind down, Finn picked out a movie (not too interested in books after all after a bonk). He was okay in seconds. What a little cuddler--it doesn't take much lap time with hugs and kisses to set his world right again. Five minutes later he was passed out on the couch...Eden too. Up and down the stairs....funny how they all seem pretty weightless or similar in weight anyhow. Let this be my reminder that healthy knees are essential to parenting--and, I imagine, good grandparenting--especially if you have stairs in the house between the living room and the kids bedrooms. I am going to have to spiral mine into better shape =). Oh, with such a full day, I forgot to call my buddy Beckie to tell her happy birthday. So.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY.....I love ya.

Wow. Another day with three babes, a cat and a dog. It went a-ite. Finn is missing his mom. He has said it once each day since they left. And...he did mention the other night that the waiter had the same name as his Dad. He was tired at montessory school today and his teacher called me to pick him up early just as Eden was drifting off to a much needed nap. I was stuck. I was also struck--for the first time I saw that having multiple children necessitates brilliant resourcefulness. I had to stretch my mental limits today and maybe I wasn't brilliant but I did figure out how to unlock the kids bedroom after Finn locked everbody out...including him. I asked him, "how do I open it?" He said, "my Dad knows how to do it." "Oh, okay." It wasn't until hours later I was able to occupy everyone enough to break away and break in. VICTORY...well that is how it felt. Finn and Ashton fell asleep in the living room again so I carried them down to bed for the fifth time. It is a huge priveledge to be able to do this. I love the way their little bodies just curl up perfectly and hold onto you while you take them to their beds. Then, when you set them down, they make that totally cute smacking sound with their mouths....ADORABLE.