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.
First order of business… a few photos from Easter through last night in the newest gallery. Enjoy!
Second order of business; I keep meaning to post a couple of funny tidbits about Ayden - so here they are:
1) Ayden received a big ceramic piggy bank from a neighbor for his first birthday. He’s always had fun putting random coins in whenever he comes across them, but otherwise hasn’t really paid much attention. Until recently. Now in the evenings when Patrick is putting him to bed, he asks Patrick if he has any money in his pockets, and if so, can he have it!!! The kid is only two years old! I thought we’d have at least another decade before he started asking for handouts!!! And so it begins….
2) I have no idea where he picked up this new mannerism (Lindsay maybe?), but a few days ago he started crossing his arms (complete with a lip-out-pout and the “hmph!” sound to go with it!) when he isn’t getting his way or I’m reprimanding him. Unbelievable! I asked him where he learned that and he said from Grandma Kelly! When I told Grandma about this, she denied that she ever does that - so I don’t know where he got it. Talk about a two year old with ‘tude!
Even though Ayden is nearing the 3-year-old mark, today was technically the first real Easter Egg Hunt he had the pleasure of attending. Our MOMS Club chapter hosted the hunt at Commonwealth Lake Park in the Cedar Hills area. A handful of families attended, dodging dark clouds and raindrops! 
As soon as Ayden gathered what was going on and just how this whole “egg hunt” thing works, he was very excited - especially at the prospect of chocolate inside those eggs! You should have seen the wonder and amazement in his eyes when he figured out that some eggs in this world actually have chocolate inside!?!?! He filled his John Deere bucket to the brim.. and then the heavens opened up on us! Just as quickly as the kids had raced into the field to collect their eggs, the parents scooped up their kids and raced for the cars!!! The hunt was a success and Ayden had a blast! Enjoy the pics!
The only explanation I can offer is that the two-week hospital ordeal managed to throw off our “regular” doctor visit schedule. So here we are, Owen is now beyond the 10 month mark, and I just took him to his 9-month checkup. Oh well. What can you do? Cutting to the chase, here’s how he checked out:
Weight: 21 lbs 8 oz. (50th percentile)
Height: 29 1/2 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 47 1/2 centimeters (90th percentile) - following in his brother’s footsteps!
Owen also had to suffer through two shots, Hepatitis B and Polio. He cried for about 5 seconds and then sucked on his fingers. No prob. Everything else checked out fine and we were told to come back for his one-year checkup (relatively on time if possible!). Ayden thought the whole trip was a blast since it was Owen that got the shots AND Ayden got to choose a toy from the basket for being so good! Reality check next time though!!!