My Ayden Thomas is now THREE YEARS OLD! So hard to believe that three years have flown by already! It is utterly impossible to remember life without our little boys any longer! Ayden’s third year has been full of growth, change, fun, excitement, challenge, learning, discovery, wonder, laughter, love and all of the other things his little world should be full of! He can no longer remember life without his little brother, and it’s so fun watching them interact more and more as Owen becomes a little boy too! Nothing better than having a built-in playmate!
To celebrate Ayden’s third year we threw a shared birthday celebration with our friends (met through the MOMS club) the Clough’s - Everett is pictured above with Ayden. The boys are only a week apart in age and are as close to “best friends” as you can get when you’re three years old! The Clough’s generously offered up their home to host the party, which was very well attended by many mutual friends from the MOMS club, in addition to a few family members and other friends. We managed to pick a day with record high heat (I think we ended up hitting the 97 degree mark that day), so we went with a water theme out of necessity. We had several pools set up in the backyard, as well as a Slip And Slide. We also gave each child a large squirt bottle as part of their ‘goodie bag’ which proved to be a hit! Bridget (Everett’s mom), in her eternal craftiness, homemade an adorable Thomas the Train cake, complete with three cargo cars made out of ice cream sandwiches. The entire cake was delicious and entirely devoured! There are many photos of all the festivities in the new gallery, in addition to some random photos from around the house during Nanna’s visit over the past few weeks.
After the party, we headed back to our house (with the cousins in tow) to open presents. For the first time in his three years, he has actually switched from being entirely truck/tractor focused to a very recent and extreme dinosaur fascination. I think this was triggered by the exhibits at both OMSI and the Oregon Zoo. For about a month now, he has not been able to get enough dinosaurs! This made birthday presents both fun and easy - and he was totally thrilled! As a side note, this is again something I’m having to come to grips with as a mother of boys. There are just some things you never expect to really know in great detail, including, but not limited to: parts/pieces/models/types/styles of tractors/trucks/heavy equipment/chainsaws/tools, scientific names of dinosaurs including the pertinent information about habitat/diet/behavior. I’m sure we’ve only scratched the surface. 
Ayden’s 3-year doctor appointment is scheduled for the 17th, so I’ll have all the customary and statistical (though otherwise useless) information to report then.
So I missed the mark by a few days… what can I say? We’ve been a busy lot around here! Nanna arrived last Friday to visit and help out with watching the boys while Patrick and I frantically try to gut and update the interior of our rental property out in Troutdale (nearly an hour drive each way from our house!). Each of the past four weekends, in thier entirety, have been consumed by this… so Nanna’s help is very much appreciated, and the boys are LOVING Nanna time!
So back to Owen… in his 13th month he really managed to perfect his “riding” abilities. If we put him on any of the little tricycle-type bikes we have, he can really rip along (both forward and backward), and if he can pull up along side something to grab onto, he can successfully dismount and crawl off to some other trouble! He still can’t turn or steer at all, so if he ends up running into something, he just complains until someone comes to rescue him or he gets off and heads for greener pastures.
He also added a few baby words to his vocabulary… besides “da-da”, he can now say, “Nana”, “caca”, and very enthusiastically “Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” while doing the rapid open-close hand wave with both hands. You can really tell that he’s becoming very aware of his world and surroundings. In the past few days he has starting copying our cat when he meow’s. He actually almost sounds like a real “meow” - it’s very cute! He can also oink like a piggy, and sniff to smell things when he hears other people make a sniffing sound. He’s also become quite animated with the faces he makes during meal time, especially once he’s full or if he doesn’t like the flavor of something! As of today, four days past the official 13 month mark, he is pushing through BOTH eye teeth simultaneously. Joy. He’s a misery guts and not sleeping well because of it… and neither are we. On to the fourteenth month and Owen’s second Indepence Day, though first one where he’ll actually be aware of all the fireworks and commotion… should be fun!
As promised, I have finally posted a bunch of photos from Owen’s birthday party this past Sunday. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we had a great turnout with family and friends. As is tradition in our family, Owen had his first taste of ice cream in the form of a Baskin Robbins Clown Cone. My mom started this yummy tradition with me and my siblings almost 30 years ago - and still going strong. The highlight of the party were the large household spray bottles that Auntie Korrisa brought for the kids to use as squirt guns (on steroids!). There are tons of photos for your viewing pleasure! Happy Birthday Owen!!! 
While having some polite conversation with Ayden over dinner this evening, the subject of dinosaurs came up. I told him that we’re likely going to the Oregon Zoo tomorrow to see the new Dinosaur exhibit. I’m the first to acknowledge that having life-like dinosaurs at a ZOO does potentially send the wrong message to children. Here’s the conversation that ensued:
Ayden: I want to see REAL dinosaurs Mommy.
Chloe: Well sweetie, there are no REAL dinosaurs anymore. They are all extinct. Extinct means “dead”.
Ayden: Why are they dead?
Chloe: Well, there are two main ideas. One is that a big mountain called a volcano erupted and changed the sky and made them all die. Another idea is that a big asteroid, which is just a rock, flew through space and the sky and crashed into our world. Either way, there are no dinos left… just the bones, like the ones we saw at OMSI last week.
Ayden: …[long pause to ponder this]… Well mommy, there is still ONE dinosaur left [said with much emphasis while holding up one finger].
Chloe: Oh? There’s one left? Where does he live?
Ayden: In a cave. With water in front of it.
Chloe: Really? Where is the cave?
Ayden: It’s across town. You can’t see it and you can’t find it. But there is still ONE dinosaur left.
Well then. I certainly can’t argue with that now can I? So says Ayden!
Well, the baby of the family is officially no longer a baby. Owen turned one year old yesterday (May 16th). We’re almost to the point of NOT counting his age in months… though that seems to last for the first 18 months, and sometimes as long as 2 years. His twelfth month was an eventful one, full of small developmental accomplishments and discoveries. It’s the little things in life that make him a happier little person, like figuring out how to tip his head and bottle UP so that he can get the water out. He now is attempting to point at things by pinching his thumb and first finger together, then pointing with his little pinky sticking straight out. It’s pretty funny! He’s really starting to babble like crazy now. He can officially say “Da da” now… and as excited as Patrick was to claim Owen had pronounced his name first, Owen then promptly pointed at our cat and said “Da-da!”, then at a shoe and said “Da-da.” Yeah, we’ve got some vocabulary yet to learn!!! It’s hard to believe that a year has already gone by. Though it’s equally hard to remember life without our fourth family member. Since Owen’s special day fell on a Friday this year, we’re doing his official birthday celebration on Sunday when the family is able to get together. Pictures of the party will follow, but for now enjoy the photos from his “real” birthday on Friday!
Yikes, it’s true! I’m officially into my THIRTIES - shudder! On April 27th I hit the big three-oh. And for the record, I was totally unprepared. I never thought an age or a number would bother me, but this one actually did. SO much happened in my 20’s, both deliriously good and woefully bad (plus a lot in between), that I’m just not sure if I’m yet ready to usher in a new era so-to-speak. My wonderful husband made a valiant attempt at a surprise birthday party celebration, but to no avail. The surprise was leaked (though it was still a surprise to me even if it wasn’t on the day he intended), but the party went on as planned. Patrick set me up for a morning at Rejuvenation Day Spa, complete with a full-body jasmine tea wrap, followed by a one hour full-body massage. Trust me, it could have been worse! I came home to a festive backyard bbq in full swing, attended by some dear friends and family. The kids all had a blast running around the garden, playing in the sandbox, trying out the new croquet set, and generally frolicking in the sunshine. The grownups ate, imbibed, conversed and played a clever Birthday Quiz designed by Bill and Kathy. I’m not one to like having a fuss made over me, but this was a real treat and something I’ll not soon forget. Thank you to all who attended, thanks for the kind and generous gifts, thanks for all the planning a preparation that goes into an event like that, and THANK YOU to my beloved husband for going above and beyond to make my special day a happy and memorable one!!! Be sure to check out all the birthday pictures too!
Yes, you read that right. We saw goats in trees today. Many thanks to our neighbor Janet who recommended this excursion! Fir Point Farms has been in Aurora for many many moons, and the highlight of their offerings is the ability to feed the pygmy goats that have to climb a series of ramps up into the trees to collect their oat treats. I was imagining an Ewok village in the forest, but it’s not nearly so elaborate. Nonetheless, it was a very exciting experience for the kiddos (Ayden, Owen, Lindsay and Emery) to see the goats 20 feet above our heads, waiting patiently for us to fill the PVC cup with grain and then use to rope/pulley to send the treat up to them! There are a number of pictures in the gallery I just posted. You have to see it to believe it! The goats weren’t the only fun at the farm… we also saw chickens, roosters, rabbits, and Noah’s Ark play structure, Hazel’s Nut House (a small log cabin FULL of hazelnuts), a large tee pee, a lovely nature trail through the woods, a trout pond, greenhouse full of perennials and annuals, market full of fresh local produce and treats, a home decor gift shop, and several lovely picnic areas and large grassy areas to run around. We spent well over two hours exploring the grounds, hiking the trail, having a picnic under the recently elusive sunshine, and purchasing several flats of beautiful flowers and plants. Whew! We were all pleasantly exhausted by the time we headed back to Heather’s house. The kids had a blast, and we’ve already decided to take “the dads” back to check it out in the near future. This is a great outing for the whole family and I highly recommend it! Plus, telling people you’re going to see “goats in the trees” is sure to get you some sideways glances!!!
Spring has most definitely sprung! We headed down to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn (our second annual trip) to gawk at the sea of vibrant colors. Well, Heather and I did the gawking, while the kids busied themselves with the pint-sized entertainment. Ayden was thrilled to climb all over the piled up hay bales that had large culverts in, under and on them. The kids also had a go at the water pump duck races, the Boisvert’s rode the “cow train”, and Ayden, Owen and I headed for the antique tractor parked midfield. The weather turned out to be great… overcast, mid 50’s and great light for some good photos! Check out Heather’s site for more photos of our outing too. If you’ve never made the trek down to Woodburn for this event, do yourself a favor and hit the road. During the week the event is entirely free and the scenery along the way (not to mention once you get there) does not disappoint! What are you waiting for?!?!? We can’t wait to go again next year!
First order of business… Owen is 11 months old today! One year, here we come! He capped off the day with a record sprint to the top of the stairs - this is day two of his stair ascension prowess. There are a few photos of the triumphant event in the new gallery.
Second item on the agenda - to explain the title of this post. Ayden has recently taken a liking to the game “hide and seek” and has asked to play every evening for the past week or so. In the beginning, as he was still trying to get a grasp on how the game works, Patrick and I would work together by dialogging something like this:
Patrick: Where’s Ayden? Mommy, can you smell him in here?
Chloe: Yep. I smell him. [audible sniff]
Patrick: Oh, me too. I think I’m getting closer… [sniff, sniff, etc]
Somehow or another Ayden managed to interpret this version of the game with a new name… Smelly Stinkers. So instead of asking us to play “hide and seek”, we’re now asked to play Smelly Stinkers every evening!
Owen has finally managed to accomplish that which separates us from most of the other animals on the planet… he stands! At the end of last week he figured out how to crawl properly up on his hand and knees (rather than dragging himself across the rug with one arm). He’s gotten rather quick at that now and I’ve had to recommission the gate at the top of the stairs. So I’d say it was Friday that he had the crawling nailed, and on Saturday he experimented with pulling himself up onto his baby grand piano. He was feeling quite overconfident at that point and has several large knots on his head to prove it! Then the rest of the weekend was spent figuring out how to not trip over his own feet as he cruised along the ottoman, couch, bathtub, etc. I’m already having to move things up in the house that I haven’t had worry about in almost two years! The other unfortunate side effect to Owen being able to stand is that he can do so in his crib - though he can’t get back down. He therefore screams bloody murder until we come to lay him back down - or he ends up falling and adding another braille bump to his skull! Ah well, one step at a time I suppose! This too shall pass! Enjoy the newly added pictures from the weekend.