First Date

Today is the 6th anniversary of our first date. I won't go into too much detail but let's just say it involved Johnny Lingo, Slurpees and getting lost. It was after this date that I decided I just might like this guy. We had many more fabulous and fun dates to come (bookstores, bowling, fairs, fires, etc.) and were married about 4 1/2 months later. It has been the time of my life since then. Happy "Anniversary" Babe!

Sailing on the Bay

One of the coolest things we have done out here! A sailing club in Richmond gives lunch and free rides once a month. This time we arrived early and got on a boat with our friends, Jared and Erin, and another older couple, just after a BBQ lunch. It was awesome!! I can totally see why people own sailboats.

Brendan had fun looking around the cabin and lounging in the bed below deck. Even though he had already gone potty, when he found there was a bathroom on the boat, he declared he need to go. The captain even let him "help" with some of the sail ropes. He was so proud of himself.



Eva hopped from lap to lap and just chilled (until it was WAY past naptime, and then she whined). She got to "steer " a little too.


Jason had a wonderful conversation with the captain who, it turns out, used to be an Israeli paratrooper. I took lots of pictures and enjoyed the peace of the ocean. If you live in the area, check out Tradewinds Sailing Club.

Crabbing

On Friday we were invited with a bunch of 3rd year friends to go crabbing. We were supposed to wake up early but it didn't happen so we were running late. We drove about an hour to Lawson's Landing where we thought we were to wait for our group's leader to come and get us in a boat and take us to the crabbing spot. Note here that the husbands, bless their hearts, coordinated this adventure and, needless to say, they don't always communicate the details. We waited for over an hour until Jason decided to rent a boat himself with another late-arriving family and set out to find the spot on some sketchy directions left with the boat rental people. It was super foggy and we couldn't see the other side.
Since there were only 5 allowed in the boat, I was going to stay behind with the other wife until the guys found our party and came back for us. Eva wanted to go with her daddy but pitched a fit about wearing the life jacket and being in a boat (she was totally confused as to what was going on) so Jason put her back on land. Lucky me. She cried the whole time for her daddy. She has become quite the daddy's girl. Anyway, just after the menfolk (with Brendan) pushed off, the group's leader came in his boat asking after Jason and Chad, telling us that if they headed the wrong way, they'd be in open ocean. Great. So we went on the boat with him and went to meet the others. I was a little concerned that the guys were totally lost in the fog but soon we saw Chad in the boat on his way back and were able to touch base. I am still note sure how the whole "getting to the crabbing spot" thing was supposed to have gone.
Anyway, after the initial arrival fiasco, the day turned out super fun. Brendan and Eva played with the kids in the sand and water. Eva was practically coated in sand and, I am sure, ate some of it. Brendan waded into the ocean to his waist several times. He was soaked and cold but continued to play. A ton of crabs were caught and eaten. Brendan liked crab, Eva did not. Jason helped bring the crabs in and played a little football on the beach. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting and talking to all the dental wives. It seems I never get enough adult talk these days.



Eva was beyond tired about 1pm and by then Brendan was shivering and asking to go home so we boated back over to the landing and drove home. I wish we could have stayed longer but we were "living on borrowed time" with the kids. All in all, it was a great time and I would love to go again.

Like father, like son

A kind friend of ours gave Brendan a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine for Christmas. He loves getting it each month. Today when his magazine arrived, he told me, "Mom, I need to go upstairs to potty to read my book." Guess what Daddy does while "indisposed"?

Moments it is great to be a dad

Exhibit A: When your baby wakes up crying and then falls asleep on you, feeling comforted

The toilet seats will be down!

Aha! We outnumber them now! Today we learned that we are having another girl. I was sure this one was a boy but I have been wrong with every child we have had so why would this one be any different. :)
Everything looks good. She is growing great (already 14 oz). Apparently, she's a stubborn little one as she refused to roll over, even after much prodding, so they could get a better look at her spine. We may have a back sleeper on our hands. I have to go back in at 28 weeks to recheck the placenta. It appears to be a bit low. The doctor said that it is not of concern at this point but they need to check again later to make sure it is in the proper place to avoid complications in delivery.
Here's a picture of our newest girl.

Passing on a tradition

When we went up to my parents' house for Labor Day, we took the opportunity to stop at some thrift stores so Jason could hunt for polyester ties (his passion). I stayed in the car with sleeping kids. When he came back he showed me his best find - a clip on polyester tie for Brendan. It was adorable!! Jason tried it on him and he really liked being "just like Daddy." On Sunday he wore it to church. As he was getting dressed, I told him that he got to wear his tie today. He said, "My mission tie? Yay!" Jason was pleased.

A man in uniform

For his AEGD application, we needed to get a picture of Jason in his dress greens. Thought I'd share with you (and our future blog book).

Small town America

While we were at my parents' house it was the Orland Centennial Jubilee, celebrating 100 years since the town was founded. There was a weekend filled with events, a parade, food and fireworks. We didn't get to see much of it but we did attend the parade. I love a small town parade. There is something to be said for knowing most of the town. A few highlights of the parade were the middle school marching band, WWII veterans riding in military vehicles, firetrucks, prancing horses, elementary school dance troupe, local businesspeople dressed up in costumes and lots and lots of candy being thrown. The kids loved it too.


Even though I spent the majority of my energy trying to get out of a small town in high school, I don't think I'd ever be happy living in a big metropolis. There is just something so charming and homey about it. I'll tell you about the annual frog jumping contest on the 4th of July some other time.

Labor Day Birthday

This year Jason's birthday was on Labor Day. We had made plans to go up to my parents' house for the second birthday party of our nephew. His birthday was a few days before. Jason, being the laid back and unassuming guy that he is, didn't mind sharing his birthday party with a 2 year old. I really think that he wouldn't have minded any sort of day on his birthday. He has never really been comfortable with celebrating about himself. He won't let me make too big a deal about him, even though he is amazing, smart, funny, a wonderful father, clever, kind, etc. Can you tell I love him?
Anyway, this year his birthday started out with a bang (or should I say a "barf"?) Eva woke up around 5:00 am because she had thrown up. I stripped her, cleaned her up and put her in bed with Jason to snuggle while I cleaned up the playpen. But a few minutes later the poor little girl wasn't done yet. She started to retch and so Jason put his hands under her chin and caught it. I don't know that I could have done that. YUCK!! Well, he then went to clean up and Eva settled down for a restless sleep. He later commented to me that throw up is involved in a lot of people's birthday celebrations, though it is usually their own after way too much to drink. Always the kidder.
We had the joint birthday party around lunchtime. No Jason isn't 230, Dane is 2 and he is the big 3-0. Dane is sad because he wanted to touch the fire.

Next was the pinata. The kids did little damage and when it was Jason's turn, he decapitated it.



On the drive home, Eva vomited again and it was the least pleasant 2 hours I have ever spent in a car. When we got home I spent a while cleaning things up again. Not the way I wanted to celebrate his birthday since now we couldn't go out due to Miss Sicko. But Jason was happy as could be playing his new Guitar Hero game and reading the Nibley book I gave him as his present. I apologized that his birthday turned out the way it did. He looked at me incredulously and said, "What? Are you kidding? I got to spend the day with my family. What more could I want?" Yep, I sure do love this man. Happy Birthday, Babe!

"Mommy, it's dark up there"

Update

For the record, Brendan was nice to his sister all day yesterday. It was great. The trend, however, didn't last long. This morning I am already contending with "Mine!" and "No, Babygirl!" Sigh. It was good while it lasted. :)

A change for the better

This morning Brendan woke me up by coming into my room and telling me, "Mom, I shared with Babygirl. She likes trains and 'struction and motorcycles." I congratulated him and tried to go back to sleep. He came in later and said, "Mom, I shared my train book with Babygirl." I praised him and decided to get up (no luck with getting back to sleep and I was curious about what I'd find in the kids' room). Sure enough, Eva was sitting happily in her crib amongst several of Brendan's favorite toys! He was so proud of himself for sharing and she was loving the opportunity to play with "forbidden" toys. I reiterated how much she loves her big brother and praised him yet again for being so nice. And they have gotten along great all day so far (cross your fingers). Maybe he has finally realized that she is his biggest fan and that is a great thing to have. Whatever prompted the sudden niceness, hallelujah! I just had to write this down so that someday I can whip it out to prove they did play nicely at least one day in their lives.

Eva's ears

Since Eva has had 3 ear infections right on top of each other the pediatrician referred us to an ear, nose and throat doctor to discuss getting tubes put in. We met with her today. The good news is that the latest round of antibiotics are working but there is still fluid behind the ear drum. She has 2 more days of the meds before she's done. The doctor was concerned that if she continues to have persistent infections that hearing and speech would be affected. Her hearing is fine so far and her language development is on track, but if things keep going the way they have been, we may have problems. The doctor gave me information and said we could wait and see or schedule the procedure right away. I opted for the "wait and see" approach since her ears are looking much better and I am leery about a surgical procedure on my 18 month old if it can be avoided. Only time will tell. I got the doctor's card and was instructed to call her again if Eva's infection continued or if she got another one directly after this one.