Canoe Field Trip (catch-up post)

So before I get behind on summer pictures- I'll try and catch up with a couple things that were fun in the last month or so that I haven't posted anything. Andrew got to go on a field trip with Ainsley. They went on a HUGE canoe on the Willamette river. It looked like so much fun. I call that I get to go the next time one of our kids does this field trip, Andrew says that he is doing it again and I can do OMSI and the Children's Museum. I don't think so. They spent all day and despite getting rained on (because you know, it is spring 2010 and all it has done is rain) they had an amazing time. They went into the locks at Oregon City and went up to the water fall. They saw sea lions, and went over onto an island to have lunch and play Native American games. I'm totally going next time.

Camden Conversations

Our third child is an adventure every day minute. You never know what he is going to need to talk about. Here are some recent conversations:

(very agitated) "The sun IS NOT fire mom, there is no fire in it. Fire is red, the sun is yellow. There is no fire in the sun mom." (how does he know what color the sun is? We haven't really seen it this year.)

(again agitated) "I want Mountain Hood to wake up and not be sleeping, I want it to explode. I want to see it 'rupt. Mom, WAKE IT UP!"

(in the car) "We are going to wrong way mom!" me: where are we going Camden? "I don't know where we are going, but this isn't how you get there."

Baby toys

If I had digital pictures from when Ainsley was a baby I would insert them here. Use your imagination and picture a little baby girl, laying on the floor playing with little pink bunnies, rubber ducky teething toys, and baby Einstein peek-a-boo mirrors. Now look at the baby who has two older brothers. That is a shield of some sort that she has pulled on her tummy, and a soccer blanket she has wiggled her way onto.

And yes, that is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask she is playing with. We are all about developmentally appropriate toys around here.

Let the messes begin

Here it is, "The First Bite."

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to two different people that I hadn't started feeding Reagan baby food yet. She was sleeping through the night and if you have ever seen her thighs, arms, cheeks, or even her little feet, you would know she is hardly malnourished. And the thing is, feeding a baby takes lots of time. It is not like I'm wandering around aimlessly looking for things to fill my time with, so I was going with the far end of the "start solid foods between 4 and 6 months" guideline.

Of course she promptly started waking up at 4:00 in the morning with a growling tummy.

So a few days shy of turning 6 months old it was time to break out the baby food. Hudson was happy to help. She loved the food (I mashed up avocado) but she couldn't figure out how to swallow it. So rather than swallow it, she figured out all sorts of other places to put the avocado.

By the time we were done, it was everywhere. How cute are those little green slime covered feet?

I have some mixed emotions about my last baby starting food. (I think many things the last baby does will elicit mixed emotions.) On the one hand it means other people can care for the little bottle rejecting princess in my absence. On the other, that first bite is the beginning of her breaking up with me. And even when covered in green slime, she is too cute to want to let go of her.

***Edited to add: I fed her a couple of times for two days, then got busy and didn't feed her again for 4 or 5. Oops. But we are back to baby food again about once a day. The fun thing is last summer and early fall I spend lots of time with my vita-mix and made then froze lots of baby food for her. Funny that I'm starting to pull out squash from the freezer that I grew, harvested, cooked, and mashed for a baby I hadn't met yet. I have lots of pears, peaches, squash, pumpkin, carrots, and who knows what else that we grew or bought from Thompson farms (on our street) in the freezer ready to feed her that is actually older than her.

May the force be with you (because that's the only Star Wars phrase I know)

Hi my name is Tiffany and I don't like science fiction. In fact, I've never seen an entire Star Wars movie, which I believe is the gateway drug to science fiction, and all things nerdy. Consequently I have not been super excited about my kids liking Star Wars stuff.

However, their father has managed to sneak it past me and they have a full set of Star Wars garbage and we even own the movies. The conclusion I have come to in observing many different parents is that lots of people feel okay about letting their kids play with S.W. stuff because it doesn't feel like they are fighting with weapons, but these same parents won't let their kids have fake guns.

We have chosen to be okay with fake guns, because my boys can make a gun out of a peanut butter sandwich. I have to tell you, in the kids minds there is no difference between S.W. weapons and G.I. Joe weapons. And the thing is, if my boys were out there right now with fake guns, there wouldn't be nearly as many injuries as there are when the are swinging plastic sticks at each other. On another note, but stay with me-it is related, as I mentioned before I buy Valentine's after the 14th each year for the next year. Hudson is so excited because he got G.I. Joe valentine's, completely embracing the love theme of Valentine's Day don't you think?

Grandparent Football Game

My parents may have raised two girls, but they had no problem playing football outside last weekend with my boys- and Ainsley. Petty cute.

Hospital Tour

Ainsley has thought for awhile now that she wanted to be a nurse or doctor (see more from her birthday letter below). Andrew happens to have the son of a fundraising director from Providence on his tennis team and she was sweet enough to take us on a tour today. Ainsley just loved it. Hudson went also and he did a great job of listening. Ainsley says after going on the tour today that she definitely wants to be a doctor, and Hudson decided that he wants to be the driver of the oversized golf cart that they have to help move people around the hospital!

What a fun day!

Happy Birthday Ainsley Grace

Dear Ainsley~

Nine years ago today you made me a mom. You made your daddy and I parents. You made us learn what true love is.

Over the course of these nine years you have made us so proud we wanted to explode, so happy we want to dance, and sometimes so frustrated we want to lose our minds. We love you fiercely through all of it.

This has been a big year for you. It is the year you got a sister. I don't know if a child could be happier about anything on the planet. You love Reagan so much it is amazing. You love taking care of her and having a baby in our family again has matured you. Your pride in her and what you can do for her overflows.

You have also had some interesting experiences this year. Tonsils removed, braces on, a ride in an ambulance to an emergency room, and a lazer procedure to lighten a birthmark. When you were younger you didn't like going to the doctor or dentist at all. It was a MAJOR trauma. Now your much more okay with it, in fact, now you very interested in medical stuff. Your a huge planner, and consequently your talking about wanting to be a doctor or nurse when you grow up. It is going to be so fun to see what you decide.

You are fabulous at school and have surprised your teacher with how well you have done this year. You sailed through state testing amazingly well. To say you are a voracious reader would be an understatement. You love, love, love to read. I wish I had a list of everything you have read over the past year, but your favorites have been mystery books. (this makes mommy happy because that is my favorite fiction genre as well- could be I've pointed you to books I enjoyed as a kid).

We are loving how helpful you are around home. You have such good common sense we can really trust you and your going to be a great babysitter when you are older. You already were the babysitter for our community group this year. The kids all stayed in another room and you did deal with all of them really well.

You have always loved music, and this last year you have become quite the little Christian Pop music connoisseur. The Fish radio station is always on in you room. It is hard to find a song they play that you don't know all the words to, and usually you can quote the title and artist. You and daddy went to the Rockin' Worship Road Show this spring and you just loved it. It was a big concert and was so much fun for the two of you to do together. One of the presents you are opening today is tickets to see another concert, Natalie Grant and Britt Nicole. Your going to get to take Lauren with you to celebrate your birthday.

Ainsley, you are growing into such a beautiful young lady. Your beauty is not just on the outside, but on the inside as well.

We feel like we are seeing you change every day. Thanks for making us parents! We love you.

Pictures from your birthday tonight. We have entered a new faze- no toys. You wanted itunes gift cards (you got two ) book store gift cards (also two) and a play make-up set. You also got clothes and a pretty wallet. We also got you the aforementioned concert tickets and a hospital tour for next week (maybe the thing you are most excited about.) Where did our little girl go?

Have you seen anything cuter than this today?

It is hard to beat the first pony tail!

I don't want to miss anything.

Last night we were driving home from OMSI and Hudson was doing some thinking:

Hudson: Mom, you know when I'm 8 and I get to go to Seattle with Grandma and Grandad?

Me: Yes.

Hudson: When I'm there, don't go to OMSI.

Me: Okay.

Hudson: Long pause..... and.... don't go to Disneyland either.

Me: Don't worry honey, we won't.

Hudson: and..... long pause... don't eat any Oreo's.

Me: Laughing

Hudson: Quiet. Nothing for 3 or 4 minutes. (Ainsley is reading, Reagan is fussing, Camden is quiet)

Hudson: And mom, (yes), don't have my birthday then.

Me: Okay sweetie, we will just sit around the house and miss you.