HOLIDAY '13 RECAP - INSTAGRAM

FRAMED GIFT FROM HUBBY / 2013 ORNAMENT

     The framed gift was from a super cool new gift boutique in Newberg, Pulp & Circumstance. In full disclosure, Dan went there and picked out something entirely different and this is 1 item that we exchanged for. The actual gift he gave me was a necklace with a carved wooden bird. (Big points for putting a bird on it, and even bigger points for trying to buy me a present in a fancy stationary/gift shop with a toddler in tow, but it just wasn't something I would have actually worn. I will not suffer fashion to avoid hurting my husband's feelings. And really, he had no hurt feelings. He honestly said "I had to be quick! I had Raine!")

     The ornament was from a gift shop here in Carlton. I picked it because not only was it pretty...It lights up! That seemed fitting because Raine was so into THE LIGHTS! (MOMMY! THE LIGHTS!) this holiday season. ;)

RAINE & THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES / DONATION CARDS

     There is one business in particular in Carlton that is always fun for Raine to pass the shop windows on our way to the coffee shop every morning (GIANT HORSES! POODLE FIGURINES! FROGS ON THE SIDEWALK!) During the holidays Raine was extra enchanted by their festive items. GINGERBREAD HOUSES! GIANT SILVER PLASTIC SHEEP! NATIVITY SCENES! Not to mention a life-size retro SANTA outside the front door. Unfortunately, it is not a shop 'for minors.' There is wine tasting, just as there is wine tasting in practically every business in our town, so no toddlers. ;)

     I raised some funds and collected gift cards to send to five families in Washington that were affected by the tornado. These were the beautiful cards by Rifle Paper Co. that I bought and had the total pleasure of mailing the donations in.

CHRISTMAS MORNING / HOLIDAY BREWS

     It was absolutely hilarious to watch Raine open presents this year. He thought it was the most exciting thing, and yet was still a little bit unsure of it all, and what was happening exactly. He STILL doesn't know how to grab a present and just rip into it, despite three Christmases and two birthdays. But once you get the unwrapping started, he will certainly help finish! After his first few presents from Santa (including this clearly AWESOME Hungry Caterpillar puzzle --way to go, Santa!--) he started grabbing the presents from under the tree and proclaiming, "For me! For me!" After several more presents from family in Illinois, he started running around the room in utter excitement and stopping at the tree and screeching, "I am here! I am here!" And he would repeat grabbing presents and shouting "For me! For me!" Dude was jacked UP on Christmas! Ha!

     A favorite holiday brew of mine was Fireside Chat spiced ale by First Amendment. I also enjoyed one of Dan's gifts to me, the Experiment Ale (with Oregon marionberries) by Harvester, which was a welcome treat as I had changed by Christmas to a gluten-free diet. Additional seasonal brews we enjoyed this season were: Deschutes Jubelale winter ale

10 Barrel Pray For Snow winter ale

Fish Fish Tale Organic Ice Breaker winter ale

H.U.B. Abominale winter ale

Ninkasi Sleigh'r winter ale

Portland BlackWatch cream porter

 Widmer Brrr ale

Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean*

*Dan's favorite ;)

DINNER BY LORRI / RAINE'S FIRST SNOW

     The weekend after Christmas, we enjoyed celebrating with Lorri and Carmen in their new home. She pulled out all the stops to give me a beautiful, satisfying gluten-free dinner. :) We had slow-cooked pulled pork with barbecue glaze, smoky black eyed peas, and gluten-free ham biscuits with a homemade honey orange butter. Raine was a huge fan of those biscuits and butter and I have to say, after two weeks of no baked goods (going gluten free) it was the BEST Christmas present for me. :) They were delicious!

     Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Yamhill County saw a half inch of beautiful snow for one day. :) Roads were frozen and it was hard to drive anywhere (we don't salt in the Northwest) but the scenery was worth it. Raine woke up that morning and was excited by the sight of snow. It was certainly new to him. He is very good at telling me what we are dealing with each morning, weather wise... I enter his room, turn on the light, and open his curtains. He proclaims: "Fog!" (Sounds like "F*#!*") "Raine!" "Sun!" And that day, I taught him, "Snow!" We are looking forward to our trip this weekend to Illinois when he can actually play in real snow. ;)    

the 2nd birthday

Raine surprised by his cake and everyone singing "Happy Birthday." ;o)
Photo by Christie Glynn Photography.

It has been three months, so it is probably silly to talk about Raine's 2nd birthday now, but I could use some cheer! Years ahead, when I use this blog to go back and look at things, I will probably be in the habit of searching a few months ahead for a recap on a special event, anyway. I imagine myself remembering this as a time of chaos. I would like to think this is a phase, related to so many big changes in one year (my mother's illness, buying a house, renting our condo, moving to a new town, traveling, changing jobs, and the whirlwind of Raine growing up so fast...) but who knows?? Perhaps from here on out, the tempo will stay at this rate?

Anyway...

Birthday gear.
Train signs for photos of guests, a card Raine bought himself (HA!), birthday ribbon & cap, & birthday tee.

Raine turned two and I initially had no grand plans. I was a *pinch* obsessed with making his first birthday party absolutely perfect, so the following year, I gave myself a free pass. No party. He is only two and wouldn't remember a party or gifts, right? I planned a quiet morning with the three of us, and just giving Raine an art easel and train track. However, as the day approached, Dan tugged my ear a little bit about at least having a few of our friends over to share in celebrating. I agreed to check with them, and to my surprise, they were all available, as well as the additional people I started asking. ;) In the end, I had a last minute excuse to put on my super creative hat and couldn't resist giving Raine a little party with a small Thomas the Train theme.

Train ticket invites.

I browsed the internet to see what train tickets look like and made my own version as an invitation with Illustrator. I made sure every guest family had their own train (number and name) and that each family member had a corresponding seat on their train. I even made sure that the departure/arrival times were appropriate. For our family in Illinois and friends in Colorado, I sent an additional letter from the commissioner at the Island of Sodor explaining the weather in the Rocky Mountain Pass might make train travel that week unsafe. (This helped the adults explain to the kiddos that they couldn't actually use the train tickets we sent them.) Dan thought I went a little bit overboard, but it is my attention to detail that makes me 'me.' ;o) I also had a fabulous assistant to help me save time with stickers and addressing envelopes:

His birthday weekend was busy with trips to the park and pool Sunday morning, Dan and I sang 'Happy Birthday' when he woke up and brought him out to the living room full of balloons. We watched him open presents that were shipped from family in Illinois. He was excited about everything and so sweet. When guests started arriving around 10, he was shy at first, but quickly warmed up once he was playing with Carlie. ;o) He had a little orange juice and cake, which was more sugar than he normally has --especially in a given day--so that was probably HIS favorite part of the day. LOL. He played, played, ate cake, played, opened presents, ate again, played, and opened more presents. There was a lot of running, bubbles, and balloon animals. It was adorable.

Help from daddy opening presents. 2 years old and he still doesn't quite get it. LOL.

What a special boy we have! Custom Thomas artwork by Mark & Mel. Pretty cool, huh?

Party down.

Conductor Raine. ;o)
Photo by Christie Glynn Photography.

Raine scored some major awesome loot. And I can say that after three months he is STILL playing with all of it quite happily. In no particular order of awesomeness: A tool set, Dr. Seuss matching game, wooden barn set, trains and a track, matchbox cars and a monster truck, an art easel, a wooden train whistle, bandana, and conductor hat (embroidered with his name!), books, socks & shirts, wooden produce, felted pizza, puzzles, a soccer ball, and custom artwork!!! :o) The best part was seeing him play with his friends and loved ones. I am totally happy it worked out that way. *And a special thank you to Dan, who baked the cake, cooked brunch, and mixed my mimosa. XOXO

You can see more photos from his birthday weekend in my album or more beautiful ones taken at the party by Christie here! ;o)

 

Currently

LOVING
My little work station at home. We have the desk in the dining area and hubby got me some shelves for Christmas that are great for all of my piles of crap. Lovely things I have found for my station are colorful notebooks by greenroom, a cheerful desk calendar and file box with bird folders from Paper Source, and the COOLEST fox metal sign by FluffyCo, a gift from Allyson. Aside from finding all of my neat little things, we put a TV tray next to my chair so that Hobbes can lounge next to me and purr in content at the fact that he thinks we are having quality time together. Without that perch, he thinks he needs to be in my lap or ON the keyboard. Anyway, the work station is because I am building my own freelance copywriting business. This was the first week of nearly non-stop work and I am exhausted! Getting up with Raine at 5 or 6 am and then working 9-6 pm, then playing with him until he goes to bed, and then sitting down and working MORE is one heck of a long day! But I feel it is completely worth it and I am so excited! I hope to share more updates soon about the projects I am working on and how my little business is progressing.

Lovely things for my desk.

THINKING ABOUT
We are in the early stages of potentially buying a second home. It is complicated and we are trying to figure out if we can do it and the best way to do it. So the chapter of our life that we have spent in our condo is nearing a bittersweet end. While a lot of our situation is stressful and scary, we are focusing on the end goal of that day where we will get the keys and open the door to a home that is everything we have been dreaming of for six years. I am dreaming about no stairs to struggle with, a yard and a designated place for our car, and maybe a fireplace! I am thinking about a little more space and something we can make our own over time. I am imagining a place where we can spend the rest of our lives and watch our children grow. It makes my heart smile and I am thinking positive thoughts. We can do it. (And while we aren't shopping yet, it sure is fun to look! Here is an example of a home currently for sale that we love!)

ANTICIPATING
Back up baby-sitters! Woo-hoo! We are interviewing several candidates this weekend. We found them using Care.com (which is how we found our primary caregiver for Raine.) When I was pregnant, the goal was to find her AND also a back-up person that we could call when we needed someone short notice. Well, we never got around to it and we have spent the last year and a half scrambling (and I will admit I am usually in a TOTAL panic when I scramble) to figure out how to watch Raine when our sitter is sick or otherwise unavailable. We have been fortunate to have GiGi help out when she is able, but other than that, we have no available friends or family in the area. Dan and I end up trying to take half days off work and splitting the time. We are fortunate that our employers have accommodated this, but really, how much is enough? I am tired of having to tell my boss that something came up and I need to leave, work from home, or miss a day or two altogether because we don't have anyone else to watch our son. It also really eats into our paid time off for trips to Illinois. So, we are finally finding someone! I am so excited to meet the three women that responded to our job listing. I think it is exciting to meet new people that share an enthusiasm for your child. I am hoping that the person(s) that work out will be long-term and have a great relationship with us and Raine, just like our super awesome primary caregiver does. Fingers crossed.

LISTENING TO
More radio (thanks to Josh M. for suggesting 90.7 KBOO - quite quirky and good) and Shazaming! I synced my Shazam to Facebook so I can see what my friends are Shazaming. I downloaded the Spotify app, per Corey's suggestion, but I have yet to start using it. Here are a few things I Shazam'd this week and also some tunes I discovered on Pandora (the app we use on our TV to listen to music in the living room.)

More Than Life / Whitley
Eyes / Rogue Wave
Michigan / Milk Carton Kids
Sleeping Sickness / City and Colour
Crave You / Flight Facilities (Radio version feat. Giselle)
Constant Surprises / Little Dragon
Essence / Lucinda Williams
Lover's Revolution / Iron and Wine

EATING
No appetite lately. Craving chocolate milkshakes. Stress diet?

WISHING
My mom was doing better. And that we could visit her. Since my last post, we realized she had been exhibiting symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy but they also had to also check her for stroke or any other brain damage because the symptoms are similar. They found her ammonia levels were elevated, so they are monitoring those and I guess considering an antibiotic for possible infection in her intestinal tract. Her specialist at Mayo isn't quite sure it is HE. Long story short, she isn't quite herself and we don't have definitive answers yet as to how to fix it or what "it" is. And although her spirits are high, she is struggling with cognition, judgement, speech, and some movements. We are waiting to hear more about a blood test this weekend and starting a new medication. Dan and I were considering a trip back to Illinois around Easter but I might just have to see if we can move it up.

Sorry to end this "Currently" on a sour note. How about some cute pictures of Raine? Sure! I have plenty of those. Let's take a look at what he's been up to currently:

Elmo slippers & Ernie on TV.

Playing with mama at the park.

At this point, I guess he's going right-handed.

Big fan of no pants playtime.

Obsessed with getting food out of the cupboards. Especially crackers.

 

 

Baby Gifts!

Gifts for baby cousin (parents Kevin & Katie) ETA end of October :)

A beautiful book by Pacific Northwest artist Nikki McClure, wooden rattle by Educo (this was one of Raine's favorites), sweaters and onesies like these from H&M were staples for us! We also gifted two items from their registry: the Boon grass counter top drying rack and thinkbaby bottle starter gift set.

Girly goodies for baby Ever Jean. :)

And it seems like just yesterday I was attending Mel's shower for Enzo, and super excited to buy a baby gift even though we were having trouble conceiving...! Time flies and here we are! Mel and I have two adorable boys ... and now she has a baby girl due this month! Enzo and Ever will be only 18 months apart! Holy moly. You go girl! (Yikes! Lol.) I got a sweet little owl blanket from her registry and then totally had fun picking out girly clothing. ;) (Pink tee by Paige Lauren (a new fave of mine...Raine has a great little romper and hooded jacket) and gray knit dress & leggings by Wheat or Angel Dear (I can't remember....Mel??) I found them at Posh and shopping there totally makes me miss Henny Penny. :(

Happy 2nd Birthday Alexis!

Happy Birthday, Girlfriend!

Grandpa just sent me this photo of our beautiful little niece who turns TWO today! I can hardly believe it. When we saw her last, she was six months younger, but wow, what a difference those months can make! She doesn't look like a baby anymore...She looks so tall and grown up! I suppose this is the point where she starts entering the "terrible twos" but I don't really know if that is a real stage kids go through or just myth. I DO know that my sister has mentioned Lexi's occasional little attitude, but she's bound to have a little sass with her sweetness, right? (I mean, if she is going to be anything like her mama! LOL.)

January 2012 - The last time we saw her!

It is really fun to watch her change as she grows knowing that she is only one year ahead of Raine. It is like a little preview of what I can expect! (I also think she is old enough that I can stop referring to her as "The Nef's Lil Sis.") We are hoping to Skype with the family tonight and see her and Logan. We don't do it nearly enough. Rachel and I have this fabulous technology so that we can see each other's kids whenever we want despite the fact that we live so far apart, and we rarely use it! I guess we are a LITTLE preoccupied though with our kids, households, jobs, etc. So I am very much looking forward to our next reunion in October. Can't wait to give this little girl a hug. Also in the meantime, we shipped a present for her party on Saturday. AND HOW MUCH FUN IS IT TO SHOP FOR A LITTLE GIRL. ;)

It Took Me Three Weeks to Bake Banana Bread

I bought the ingredients.

Time passed.

Dan teased me.

The ingredients went bad and I had to buy new ingredients.

Time passed.

More teasing.

I finally baked it. And it wasn't very good...! Lol. Oh well.

Finding time and energy for things has been tough lately.

Today is August 1st and I don't know how we got here so fast. The days are flying.

I've started three posts in the last week and had to save them as drafts. Sometime soon I will catch up.

Until then, here are some Instagram photos from our week. :)

Happy almost Friday!


P.S. I am trying out posting with my iPhone blogger app. Did it work??

1. A preview of Raine's birthday party decor...The pennant banner :)

2. Raine and Nexus reunited!

3. Tour de Cure - Hillsboro, OR July 2012!

4. Miss Lorri & Raine 

5. August in my Charley Harper calendar...So cute!

6. Enjoying Carmen's 2009 Black Butte XXI  by Deschutes Brewery. Delish!

7. Hello Kitty find for Alexis' 2nd birthday gift! How much fun is it to shop for her!?

8. More birthday party decor...Flowers from NSM. Only the best for Raine! :)

9. Raine's new buddy, Ralphie. 

10. The best pizza in Portland: Lorri Barone's made from scratch!

Mother's Day Rocked My Socks Off

I can't even begin to describe how excited I was about this day. Sometimes I have to stop and pinch myself because I am a mom. I just didn't really know if it was ever going to happen, you  know? It makes me pretty happy. ;) My family makes me happy. Friends, family, and my sweet husband made the whole weekend super special. There were cards, flowers, a giant balloon (YES!) and some pretty awesome gifts. I think the 1st Mother's Day is going to be tough to beat! :)

In proper Herzing fashion there was FLOWERS, BEER, and FUN...!

My super rad bouquet!

My super rad booze!

My super rad balloon!

A new heat wrap!

Another terrarium! :)

And....An iPad from this handsome little guy. :)

More photos and details can be found here!