hailey is almost two and other stuffs

Hailey will be TWO years old on Friday!  I have been kind of slowly getting ready for her party.  I'm not really making that big of a deal of it, it's just like...people come over and we'll have cake, mostly, and not really decorations or any of that.  She has become obsessed with Cinderella ever since she lost her cinderella baby in the puget sound...I sewed her a Cinderella dress (I'm so happy with how it turned out, I just hope it fits her, ha) and am planning on making her a little Cinderella themed cake.  I never said anything to her, but she must have heard me say something, because every time we ask her how old she is going to be or mention her birthday, she replies by shouting, "Cinderella party!!!" ha.  So hopefully that will be fun!  My family is just coming out for the day on the 4th, and possibly some of Jeremy's family will join for cake time, but I always find it difficult to merge our families for gatherings, so we will see.

She has been wearing her new "sun hat" whenever we go outside (a bonnet I sewed for her last week), and the other day she wanted to be naked, so I took the kids potty out and she was obsessed with sitting on it.  She did manage to even pee on it, but apparently she thought she was supposed to stand like Shea.  I'm glad we have tile.  And I guess I have some training to do.

These are from Sunday.  I hung out with Hailey in the nursery for a bit during children's church.  I sometimes wonder why I even go to church.  I basically am just in the nursery by myself playing with Hailey or trying to keep my kids quiet the entire time.  

We also went for a trip on Sunday to Centralia.  I don't remember if I ever mentioned this to any of you, so sorry if this is just repeat, but we were looking into buying a hotel in Centralia.  It has been ongoing for a couple of months now (It's the Old Wilson Hotel if you are interested in googling it and it costs 250k).  It is an awesome building in a really cool location, and a really unique opportunity, but the amount of repairs would cost between 500k and a million dollars.  The place is HUGE though, and a few families could live there and it has retail space we could work out to support it. We were trying to figure out if it was something we could repair over time while living there, the point to turn it into an intentional community/ministry thing (the possibilities are endless!).  It needs a lot of work though, I mean, it would really become our lives.  Its sort of unique, because we could live there AS IS if we wanted to (with holes in the floors and ceilings and all) and then work slowly on bringing it up to code, although it would need some things immediately from the beginning, like new plumbing and electric.  Anyway, maybe if we didn't have kids.  I'm not sure.  Jeremy keeps saying its just like if we were missionaries to another country, but actually, possibly better living conditions than that.  Anyway, we're pretty sure its not going any where, but we'll see.  It's almost impossible for me to wrap my head around leaving our home in Indianola, but who knows!

Although my Etsy store isn't really running right now (I allowed all my listings to expire), I am hoping to sell my stock of things and a few new items (such as these foldover clutches I have been working on) at Indianola Days this year.

And, we have been out in the garden a TON lately.  Shea and I worked on this village the other day.  He was so excited!  We painted the castle together and worked on houses then set it up.  He played out there for 4 hours in the morning, and then when he came in for lunch he said, "I can't WAIT to play out there more after rest time, mom!  I played 3 different games and have even more to play!"  Oh I love his joy and creativity!  I have been working on setting up the inside of the fence as more of a play area for the kids, and we have been trying to make the fence a little more purposeful and less of an eye sore.

I set up a crude little "mud kitchen" for them and a "sound" wall, where I hung up a bunch of lids and pots and different objects from around the yard and house and recycling bin for them to hit with drumsticks.  There is a lot more on the wall since I took this picture now.  Oh and I'm not quite sure what Hailey is doing in that picture, so I threw it in.

My garden is finally starting to look fuller, although I have no pictures.  I finally got some good soil amendments and compost and everything started perking up.  All of our chickens seem to be laying now, too!  We have been getting 2-3 eggs every day. It has been so nice to not be buying eggs and getting them fresh for breakfast has been so rewarding!  They are almost no work these days and we always have so many scraps to feed them, it hasn't cost much at all.

I hope you have been able to get out in this SUN lately!  We have a busy weekend - the annual rotary auction on  Bainbridge is tomorrow, so we will be up early for that and we invited people over for a bonfire in the evening.  Sunday we have a birthday party and I'm going to an essentials oils class a friend is hosting in the evening (I am looking forward to my mom's night out!).  Then strawberry fest at our church is next Saturday, so I am helping making pies and prepping for that, as well as getting ready for the fourth at our house.  I've been at home so much lately and just with the kids, so it will be nice to be around people this next week.

Hawaii (and pre hawaii crazyness

Someday I am going to blog with fewer than 1000 pictures!  I miss the days where I could whip up a post a week and do a quick recap. Having a baby on the move is much more time consuming than one who will just lay on a blanket!  

My non cuddly baby has been a little bit more of a mamas cuddly boy lately. This is not to say he cuddles often, but in the evenings he will rest his head on my shoulder and sink in for a few minutes before falling asleep, and goodness I love those few minutes! 

I made cupcakes for the pure reason that Paul and I like to eat cupcakes. I froze the cupcakes and then froze the frosting on the top of them. They tasted amazing straight out of the freezer, they would have been far too dangerous left on the counter. 

I drove to church before Hawaii eating out of this 3lb container of yogurt, I may have looked ridiculous but it was amazing. I had agave, fresh fruit, and granola added to it. 

Eli just went to his first Sunday in nursery this last week and did fabulous.  I hadn't put him in before because he alwayssss needs to nurse during church. As in he ususally hasn't nursed for 3+ hours by the time we get there.  Well I was talking to the lady who runs all the child care and she said they could text me if he gets fussy, I love technology!  I was a  able to leave him in the nursery and they texted me 10 minutes before the service was over saying he was getting fussy. He was all smiles when I got there but I let him have a snack in the cry room so that he would survive the after church chit chat and the 20 minute drive home. 

Eli falls asleep in the carrier on my back if I am busy doing stuff around the house. I can mow and vacuum and he loves that, but if I try to do stuff where I stand too much (food prep in kitchen, weeding, or things of that sort) he gets annoyed with me and wants out.  He was going through vacation withdrawls for about a week not wanting to be left alone in a room since Paul and I were with him 24/7 in Hawaii and he was never out of site even in the condo because of the lack of babyproofing (tile and glass and granite everywhere!). He is finally back to his normal self and will roll around and play for half an hour without me needing to entertain! 

We stopped by for a quick visit with Isaac, Eli's "due date buddy" born 11 days after him.  He is bigger than Eli though, so weird to see Eli looking small, since he is anything but small! I think we are at about 18 lbs now but I havent weighed him recently. 

Eli loves chewing on celery! I am going to do everything I can to have him love healthy food.  As in I will offer every fruit and vegetable many times, all the time, time after time. :) 

We hung out at Steve and Kathys two days before we left for Hawaii so Paul could help cut down some trees.  Eli was a champ outside, and when he got tired just nursed, took a short nap, then we headed home. I love having a versatile baby! 

Eli is getting to be quite the explorer. You can often find him posing in this sitting position.  

I left the room for two seconds to hang the cloth diapers up to dry and I heard a clang, came running back and this kid had moved 6 feet in less than a minute!  The cat food is no longer on the floor! 

We also went to the Redondo aquarium where little man loved staring at all the water, then went on a nice walk along the pier. 

And now to Hawaii, with pictures in the most random of orders, thank you blogger. 

We went to this bakery 3x! We found it though yelp, and each time there were only locals there. It was off the beaten path, not near downtown, no curb appeal, and the inside was just warehouse, with no aesthetics but the baked goods? Best. ever. hands. down.  Paul got the same donut each time and I tried something new each time, everything was amazing. Good thing this place isn't in auburn! 

Snapshots of Hawaii. 1. more sink baths than I can count 2. rides on daddys legs while looking out at the ocean 3. daily pool swims 4. posing in his stud clothes right outside the condo 

1. first sunset 2. 6am coffee on the beach because somebody liked to wake up at 4:30am every day (ahem eli) 3. my boys watching the sunset 4. more morning beach coffee. 

1. sunrise at the top of a mountain (we had to leave at 2:45 am to get there in time) 2/4 repeats 3. this boy lovessss water! 

1. little punk was suppposed to be napping but kept peeking out at me :) 2. naps by mama are the very best per eli, even when we are sticking together with sweat. 3. Eli met mr turtle. 4. This kid practiced "crawling" the entire vacation

1. another picture repeat! 2. Eli's first time on the swing! 3. My payback for not ever holding on while my parents carried me is a kid who leans as far away as possible while in carriers. 4. naked by the ocean, elis very favorite

1.  Eli tried his first banana, he seemed to like it. It was way better than store bought, it came from the banana tree outside the condo! 2. Beach tent lovin 3. Beach tent napping 4. Ocean side nursing after mama snorkeled. 

1. Last Maui nap before we had to board the plane 2. We ate at a little restaurant, Sam Satos, with amazing yelp reviews, again we were the only tourists. That is how you know it is good! 3. So. many. naps. The heat and humidity wears a little boy out! 4. A hike in the Iao Valley, there was lots of up and down steps, I was sore for days after! 

1/2 Napping between paul and on on the airplane. 3. Somebody needed to nap by mama when we got home 4. First airplane nap on the way home was an all too short 30 minutes. 

1. My boys napping 2. Eli was being a pill and the only thing keeping him happy was this ikea wooden thing 3. Eli's "I know i am supposed to be asleep right now " smile 4. Glued to my hip for almost a week upon returning home. 

I hope all you ladies are having a fabulous time with this summery weather!  Eli loves being outside, which is an awesome easy cure to the fussies! 

Hello, hello!  I have been done with school for almost an entire week now, and am starting to get back into swing of NOT having to do assignments in all of my free time.  This has meant a lot more time outside in the garden, cooking and meal planning again, and lots of park and library trips and reading with the kids.

I am taking a break from school until at least January now.  I began to apply for the Birth Institute, but after further discussion with the admissions director, we have decided to put it on hold for a little while longer.  Neither of us are fully ready for the time commitment or lifestyle of a midwife. It will come down the road if it turns out to be truly what I want to do (which I still think it is), but there is plenty of time.  Even if I didn't start school for 3 more years (when Hailey is 5), I will only be 33 by the time I can be licensed.  In the mean time, I am planning on becoming a certified birth educator (just one weekend workshop along with 30 hours of online schooling, and then I just have to attend two births and have a teaching series assessed) and doing a few online nutrition classes, which I am very excited about!  An important part of any midwife is getting connected in the birth community, so I'm going to start there, and when the time and apprenticeship opportunity opens up, I will already have some connections.

We also lost a chicken!  I came home last Thursday, and the door to the chicken coop was open.  Only one chicken got out, thankfully, but she was our best layer (we had been getting eggs for a week at that point).  On Sunday, I was sure I heard her in the woods and went searching for her, but couldn't find her.  So we are down to 4 chickens, and the one that is laying keeps breaking her eggs! ha.  Oh well.

I uploaded a bunch of pictures in random order as usual.

This is from today!  I sewed Hailey two tops and a pair of pants.  I have loved sewing the last few days.  My goal is to sew all of her clothes for fall, and once I saw her in them, I don't think I can stop designing things!  These tunics are perfect because they are lightweight for summer, but can be worn with leggings or pants and a shirt underneath, and they are the perfect length to hide her huge cloth diaper bottom!

This is our CSA box from the farm this week.  The strawberries are the best I have ever tasted.  I think I am going to make some strawberry shortcake tonight, but they are so good on their own!

Hailey modeled the back side of her clothes for me.

This is from a few weeks ago at the mall playspace.  Hailey is also wearing a tanktop I sewed for her, but its a little tight, so I have to try again.

Our first egg!

Shea has been obsessed with being superheros.  Today his superman shirt was dirty, so he dressed up as batman instead.

Just hanging out.  Eating a snack.

On Sunday we all went out to a little bakery in Kingston for breakfast.  Yum.  I enjoyed the break from making breakfast.

Hailey's other dress.  I love this one!

Our teepee.  Jeremy put up a clothesline for me and since we had to support the beam at the end, he sort of built a teepee.  I had some old fitted sheets, so we wrapped them around and clothes-pinned them together.  The kids love it.

That's all the random stuff I have for now!

Adopting update

Found out today we are "not an appropriate match" for the girls we wanted to adopt.  I'm sad but we always knew it was only a possibility and not a sure thing.  Not sure what we'll do next.  I won't really get a chance to talk to Joe about it till next week because he works 60 hours this week (with 12 hours of driving in addition)!

I have been meaning to blog forever...

But my baby is much more mobile now and also doesn't nap worth a darn anymore. This is just a quick picture dump because I don't want to forget all these moments.  I have been running around the house today because on Friday Paul saw a deal on our favorite condo in Maui, he looked at flights (like he always does) and they too were super cheap. Then he scoped out rental cars, all the while saying we should go to Maui...well Saturday we booked everything and we are leaving tomorrow (monday morning) for a 9 day vacation in paradise. Nothing like last minute aweseomeness. 

Today I have mowed the lawn, cleaned three bathrooms, vacuumed the house, gone to church, prepped and frozen a lot of food (we just went grocery shopping and got a bountiful basket friday/sat!), and done 4 loads of laundry! Getting ready for a last minute vacay is a lot of work, but will be oh so worth it! 

Now for a random picture dump. 

Eli's 4 month check up. 90th percentile. 16lbs 6 oz and 26 inches long. The shots were awful. He screamed longer than ever before, didn't stop till we left, and he bled, and he had diarrhea, and puked more than ever. Not cool. 

He rolls everywhere now and the cats arent sure what they think! 

1. stud muffin at church 2. basket 3. visiting relatives and bro in seattle 4. bedtime sweetness

1.  this crib nap lasted 5 minutes 2. the nap in my arms lasted much longer 4. his smile is my favorite

1. he would live naked if I let him 2. always pointing 3. Nakey bathroom selfies. He is only allowed those now...not later in life 4. I learned how to shine shoes! 

1. diaper laundry ever 4-5 days 2. baby woke up screaming and had to help me finish muffins 3. cinco de mayo tacos! 4. basil starts 

1. shopping with gabe, somebody was getting grumpy 2. bouncing in nike store 3. he fell asleep 5 minutes from home after screaming 4. best salad ever

Gabe and I watercolored and Eli and I sported our new outfits

Some days are quite tiring! 

Daddy came home early on mothers day and took us to a picnic dinner at Ruston! 

Nap refuser, baby shower attire, and trying to teach eli to chill. 

daily snuggles, morning routines, pointing fingers, bountiful basket

sleeping babe, fun outfits, wiggles at church, big stretches 

teething bites, smiles always, driving the car, cutest hat award 

Redondo, five mile drive 

ice cream at pick quick, sitting in baths, smiles all the time, blanket love 

sleepy, pudgy, lovey

watches us eat every meal. 

flowers at the botanical garden just minutes from my house 

silly love bug 

I had to print out a paper so the ups guy could leave elis new carseat at the door and my dad was entertaining eli outside. New shirt to support adoption and charity

Botanical garden with my parents! 

 Awesome outfit from candice, snuggles, bumbo, girls day! 

Redondo boardwalk

 sleepy lovin

 planking, granny shoes, edge sleeping, loves this water bottle! 

 snuggles and smiles 

Ok, picture dump complete. I was holding a bouncy baby half the time and the other half trying to keep him out of the cat food. 

Love to all!