It’s all relative. In the life of a young family, with the youngest just turning 20-months yesterday, a monumental event can be defined thusly: Owen pooped on the potty like a big boy! Heck of a way to celebrate turning the big two-oh (months, that is!). To be honest, Patrick and I haven’t even given a thought to beginning the potty training adventure with Owen yet. The only attempt has been the pre-bath ritual, after the boys have stripped down to their birthday suits and run from one end of the house to the other, of each taking a turn on the potty before getting in the tub. Owen always eagerly climbs up, but had never actually deposited anything in, if you know what I mean. In fact, what usually happens is that once he climbs off the pot, he generally gets chilled and ends up peeing on the carpet before getting into the tub or shower. Cue simultaneous screaming “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” from mommy and daddy. Until yesterday… when I went into to his room to get him after his nap, he greeted me with a loud “toot” and said clearly, “Potty!”. So off we went! And sure enough, he went!!! Hooray! A monumental achievement in the life of one little boy! Ahhh, the things that excite us and we find blog-worthy as parents. Charming, isn’t it? 
Archive for the 'Chloe' Category
Yes, my boys are definitely of the 21st century! They both know YouTube by name and have their favorite clips that we have to watch, like clockwork, daily, in the same order, while doing the same silly little dances, anticipating the end of each clip moments before the last note, only to then promptly request a “Replay” or onto the next clip! So sad, I know. Their current favorites are maddeningly inane, though admittedly catchy and you’ll find yourself singing them for the rest of the day (week? month? beyond?). Oh, and endless thank-you’s (NOT) to Auntie Heather for sharing them with us! Enjoy!
Here’s the Christmas card that we sent out this year. I designed the card using one of the many templates offered by Heritage Makers as my starting point. The photos were taken by Christy Andrea, a friend of mine from the local MOMS club. Enjoy!
OK, so I have some e’splaining to do! It appears this site has been “post free” since just before Halloween - tsk tsk! So hang on tight, here’s the holiday season review!
Many thanks to the Clough clan for the hand-me-down Halloween costumes again this year. We received two costumes, one monkey and one pirate. Ayden was originally quite sure that he needed to be the monkey… after all, it came with a “banana” accessory! Owen looked entirely adorable in the pirate garb, though the hat kept falling down over his eyes. We did manage to teach him to say “Aaaargh!”, like a pirate though - very cute! However, since we received the costumes in the middle of October, the novelty of the monkey (and the fact that it was actually a size or two too small!) started to wear off, and Ayden decreed that they would swap costumes. And so, come Halloween, we actually had Ayden the pirate and Owen the monkey. It worked out beautifully 
Late October and early November also found us trying to keep up with the massive volume of leaves that were falling all around our house. Trees definitely have their pluses on a property - aesthetic, privacy, SHADE, climbing structures, bird-feeder hangers, fruit, etc - but they also have their minuses, LEAVES being the main one. It was a nearly impossible task, but the boys had fun “helping” me, each with miniature rake in hand
Let’s see… with the sale of the duplex in Troutdale, we found that we actually had TIME to spend on our OWN HOUSE on the weekends, rather than expending countless hours and dollars on someone else’s home! Ayden insisted that we begin our home improvement efforts in his room, as he’d been requesting for some time that we paint his walls blue. So not only did he get blue walls, but he also got a ceiling fan installed (no easy feat, since there wasn’t a light fixture in the middle of the room where we wanted the fan - it sure is nice having a handy and capable husband!). Ayden has since decreed that Owen wants green walls. And so it will be.
Ayden has kept our schedule very full with his swimming lessons twice weekly, and variety sports class and pre-school-syle classes on Tuesdays. He’s had a blast doing all the craft projects and proudly presenting them to us once they’re done. The icing on the cake is that when we get home, he then gets to choose where in the house the project will hang. Many of them have ended up in Owen’s room… he’s very sweet to his little brother (or Ayden’s trying to tell us something about the decor in Owen’s room!).
The second weekend in November, between rainshowers, a friend of mine from the MOMS Club came to the house to snap some candid family photos for us to use for our Christmas card. We were SO happy with how the photos turned out! She really managed to capture everyone’s personalities and some sweet family moments. Thank you Christy!!! :-) In late November, the California contigent of our family arrived for Thanksgiving! We knew that my Nanna and Grandee were coming for the holiday, but it wasn’t until relatively last minute that we learned we would finally have ALL of my mom’s side of the family together for the Thanksgiving holiday - I can’ t even remember the last time that happened. It was a wonderful, though far too short, vist with the family. We spent a good portion of the time scanning old family photos to have them digitally archived for safekeeping, and also to put to good use in some Heritage Makers storybooks that we’ll be collaborating on.
It’s hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since Owen’s surgery at Legacy Emanuel Hospital - but having been a patient there for “more than 5 days” scored us tickets to the hospital’s annual Christmas party. The party was complete with live music, face-painting, SANTA CLAUS, raffles for presents, unlimited Krispy Kreme doughnuts and other munchies, arts and crafts, and it was staffed by the friendly faces of the hospital that we got to know during our stay (and I have since gotten to know better as a member of the Family Centered Care Committee that I have participated in monthly since Owen’s stay). This was the first official “talk with Santa” for either of the boys and Ayden took it very seriously, asking specifically for a crane and an excavator that “scrapes up the road”. Lucky for him, Santa knew exactly what he was talking about, and both items appeared under our Christmas tree this year
As I’m sure most everyone has heard, northwest Oregon was hit with fairly unprecedented snow over the past two weeks - bringing most Christmas preparations and festivities to a grinding halt. Ayden’s last swimming, sports and pre-school classes were all cancelled - and he was supposed to get his certificates :-( We also had countless MOMS Club events and activities planned that all had to be scrapped due to the impassability of ALL the roads in the metro area. The silver lining to this cloud was that it really allowed us to slow down and have a relatively relaxed Christmas. No last minute paniced shopping trips, no masses of presents to wrap into the wee hours of the morning, no babysitters or evenings away from home for holiday parties, and no travelling around from home to home at Christmas to make sure we saw everyone in the family. Instead, we just stayed home and enjoyed the day and eachother. It was wonderful. On Christmas morning, my mom, Heather and family, and Stuart and Chelsea arrived (all with very little in tow, since no-one had had a chance to shop due to the weather - and yet, nobody missed the presents!) to spend a lovely day with us, complete with a delicious Christmas dinner, and Chelsea’s famous white chocolate cheesecake! I have to say that Ayden did ask after his Grandma Kelly and wondered why we didn’t get to see her… though I think we’ll be doing a couple of belated Christmas get-togethers with the family members we missed on Christmas day in the days/weeks to come. I have many photos of the huge snowfall we had here, as well as lots of Christmas shots which I’ll put in a gallery of their own - but not tonight. Check back soon. For now, that’s the holiday wrap up, wrapped up!
With Owen’s 18-month mark just around the bend (November 17th to be precise), he is growing and developing at an astonishing rate now! Every time we turn around he’s doing or saying something new… we literally can’t keep up anymore. In fact, at dinner a couple of nights ago, as I fed Owen his last bite of dinner, he very clearly announced “ALL FULL!”… as Patrick’s head snapped up in astonishment and asked, “Did he just say ALL FULL???”. I had to shamefully admit that Owen’s actually been saying that for about a week, though I had neglected to mention the accomplishment to his Daddy… there are just so many little achievements like that these days that my head is just spinning as I try to keep up! A few of the more noteworthy items Owen has added to his vocab of late include: tractor, truck, book, Emery (said “Emreeeeee”), happy (said “ha-peeeee”), Halloween (said “hah-weeeeeen”), blanky (said “bah-keee”), welcome (said “weh-coh”, though with the proper tone and inflection - and he often follows his own “thank you” with a prompt “weh-coh”).
There is no trace of baby left in Owen… he’s all boy now (except that he still loves to suck his two fingers when he’s sleepy and he has to have his special white blanky at bedtime!). And having big brother around is both good and bad… Owen loves to imitate Ayden - whether it’s yelling “NO NO NO!” in a very obnoxious, bratty 3-year-old tone of voice, climbing a tower of couch cushions that have been stacked into a pile 5 feet tall, or hiding from Mama under Grandma Gail’s bed when I’m searching the house looking for them. I’m fully aware that this mimicry is just the tip of the iceberg and will continue for many many years. Oy vey!
Owen has also become rather obsessed with cows - I think largely due to a YouTube video that both he and Ayden can’t seem to get enough of. Dancing Cow! Whenever the laptop is open, Owen points to it and emphatically says “MOOOOOO! MOOOOOO!”, which translates into “please play the Dancing Cow video from YouTube!” Both of the boys get HUGE grins on their faces and start to dance as soon as they hear the first note of the song. Owen even knows the video/song so well, that about 5 seconds before the end, he’s already doing the hand-sign for “more” and asking us to replay it!!! I kid you not!!!
Ayden is feeling like quite the big boy these days, since he’s taking 3 classes through the local Parks and Rec program. He’s enrolled in a swimming class (the second in the series), a “Kids Sports” class (which is basically a variety sports class where they do a different sport each week), and a “Play, Learn & Explore” class (designed to be a pre-school style one-hour class). None of these classes allow for parent participation, so he’s been forced to be Mr. Independent. This didn’t go so well for the first week or so (lot’s of crying and separation anxiety), but I stuck to my guns, and though heart-strings were tugged almost to the breaking point, I left him to fend for himself and stand on his own two feet. I’m glad I did, because he’s absolutely thriving in all three classes and looks forward to going each week with uncontrollable enthusiasm!
Since we’re already nearing the holiday season and it seems like the toy commercials are already ramping up, Ayden has seen his fair share. The other day he came to me and said, “Mommy, if I had a Candy Castle I would be SOOOOOOOO happy!”. First of all, I have no idea what a Candy Castle is, and secondly, how does he?!?! Well it didn’t take long for me to see my first Candy Castle commercial and to learn where Ayden got the idea. Since then, we’ve received literally dozens of toy catalogs in the mail, which Ayden goes through and tells me each item that would make him “SO HAPPY” if he had for Christmas. Seriously, where does a three-year-old get that idea???
I just can’t seem to catch my breath this summer! Every time I stop to look, another month has screamed by and I’m frantic to scribble down some notes before I forget the details! Sorry folks, it’s been a jam-packed summer this 2008! On to business…
A very happy 30th birthday to our dear Uncle Chad! Yipee! You’re officially old like me!
Uncle Chad turns 30 years old!
We said “Goodbye!” to Patrick’s beloved $4.90/gal diesel guzzling truck via private sale on Craigslist.
Daddys monster truck goes bye-bye!
We made our second annual trip to Antique Powerland:
Ayden has completed his first-ever series of Level A swimming lessons at the Conestoga Aquatic Center!
Ayden exits the pool after his first-ever swimming class!
A fun family trip to Seaside to visit the family and the beach - it’s been awhile!
Chloe and the boys on the Seaside beach.
We helped Emery celebrate his THIRD birthday! What a BIG BOY!
Emery devours the traditional BR Clown Cone.
Our annual family trip to the Clackamas County Fair to let the kids ride the rides, see the animals, walk through the exhibits and generally experience good old-fashioned fair atmosphere!
Lindsay, Emery and Ayden trying to have fun in the 95 degree heat!
Whew! I wasn’t kidding when I said we’ve been busy! This pictorial jaunt takes you through our past four weeks and pretty much brings you up to date. I’ll try to post the associated galleries that have the many, many other pictures that go along with each of these adventures - but this is what you get for tonight! I’m going to bed! Enjoy!
So I’ve just finished a marathon of photo uploading from the past month, the highlight of which was certainly the nice long visit from Nanna! The photo above was taken at the end of Nanna’s visit, the last time all the cousin’s were together for a photo op. There are more pictures in the gallery, which also includes some photos from the 4th of July holiday. The next gallery has a selection of photos from a fun trip to Oaks Park Amusement Park’s preschool morning (held twice weekly during the summer) that we took with the Boisvert’s and our friend’s Bridget and Everett. The kids get the chance to ride on a train, go on amusement park rides, and the morning concludes with story time complete with milk and cookies. The last gallery includes a fun family trip to the Oregon Zoo we took a couple weekends ago to show Daddy the dinosaur exhibit finally, the fun and festivities at the biennial family reunion “farm party” (Patrick’s mom’s side of the family), and some silly pictures from hanging around in the family room here at home. Enjoy!
Time to play catch-up once again! Sorry folks, consistency is not my forte these days! Owen turned 14 months old (geez… a week and a half ago already! What kind of mother am I???). He’s still not walking, though really should be. He has the strength and balance to do so, but he just hasn’t taken it upon himself to become that independent… still likes to hang on Mama’s leg and whine to be picked up ;-) Thus far, it’s working - the whining, not the walking. He has pushed through both his eye teeth, though none of his molars, which the pediatricians says is a bit unusual and out of order - as usual, Owen does things his own way and by his own schedule. Always has, always will. His funny little personality is getting bigger everyday. He has mastered the “fake” laugh (HA HA HA) which he uses when he hears other people laughing… which makes us laugh even more! :-) He believes fully that every furry animals makes the sound “Meow!”. He uses the hand sign for ‘all done’ properly after meals and when he’s finished all the snacks on his tray. He loves taking showers with Daddy and big brother and doesn’t mind all the water running down his face while he sits on the shower floor playing toys. He can climb up onto Ayden’s bed and Mommy and Daddy’s bed via step-stool without help, much to our chagrin. Owen’s a much more adventurous and fearless little climber monkey than Ayden ever was, which makes it that much more difficult to keep the bumps and bruises at bay. He’s very much a music man and will enthusiastically rock back and forth or clap and smile when he hears peppy, upbeat music playing. It’s adorable to watch him choose a car, truck or train toy and orient it properly on the floor, then crawl along, pushing it as he goes, making his own “engine” sound as drool pours from his mouth! He’s also learned the sound of the garage door opening when Daddy arrives home in the evening and he’ll squeal “DADA!!” and make a beeline for the garage door to greet him. He is a total riot and he makes us laugh every single day. What a beautiful little spirit! He just gets more and more fun as the days goes by!
As for the statistically significant medical update, here’s how that played out:
Height: 32.5″ (95th percentile)
Weight: 24lb 6oz (60th percentile)
Head: 49.5 cm (100th percentile)
In summary, tall and skinny. His next official doctor visit is at 18 months.
Ayden was busying himself with a colorful pile of large Legos in the middle of the rug in the family room. He had used the square lid to the Lego storage tub as a foundation for his current work of art. He had carefully stacked Legos all around the perimeter of the lid and about three or four blocks high. On one “wall” he had placed three blocks perpendicular to the rest. This was the point at which I looked over to see what he was up to and asked as much:
Me: Hey Bud, whatcha building over there?
Ayden: Um, it’s a bathtub.
Me: Oh, a bathtub. That’s very clever! And what are those three blocks on that side?
Ayden: These are the faucets.
Me: How come there are three?
Ayden: [pointing to them one at a time] This is the “Hot”, this is the “Cold”, and this is the “Very Refreshing.”
Come on… you just can’t make this stuff up! Kids really do say the darnedest things! It doesn’t get much cuter than that!