Labor Day

I just realized that I haven't posted about Labor Day yet - almost a week ago.  Not that it was super fantastic, but I have the pictures, so I might as well post them, right?

When we got to the beach (Ocean City State Park, WA), it was overcast and slightly drizzly. (BTW - I just love all of the ways to describe rain in the NorthWest.)  The girls didn't mind and soon after we got there, they wanted to jump the waves.  Good 'ole Ken - he's such a good Dad - he took them down to the shore and held their hands while they jumped the waves.  I chose to sit and watch - staying dry and warm.

Sophia was also super excited to fly the kite.  Here she is pointing to it up in the air.

And here is Amelia's 5-sec. video of Sophia flying the kite.

The girls both loved collecting and playing with feathers they found on the beach.

I tried not to be grossed out by all the seagull feathers . . . but I had to stop Amelia from picking up a feather that was still attached to the dead bird - yuck!

We haven't been to that beach before, and we probably won't go back.  For one thing, there was much too much traffic ON the beach.  Apparently you can drive onto the beach and there was a steady stream of cars, trucks, and horse riding tours going back and forth.  Not something I want to watch out for when playing at the beach.   And I was surprised that there were no bathrooms near the parking lot, and since the walk from the parking lot to the water was through the woods and over the sand dunes, it didn't exactly make it convenient for potty breaks.  I guess it's a good thing both girls are still in diapers.

We were at the beach for about  3-4 hours and the sun came out during the last hour we were there.  And then it was perfect. . . a perfect ending to summertime fun at the beach . . .and then on our way back to our car, Ken realized he had lost his wedding ring at the beach.  Sigh!  That's the 2nd ring he's lost at a beach.  Perhaps we should have a new rule that wedding rings stay in the car or at home when playing at the beach.  At least that ring was less expensive than the 1st one.

Just Another Manic Monday

• Amelia desperately wants a pet (although not enough for that to be incentive to potty-train).  The other day there was a large spider that had built a web in a very visible spot in our garage.  Amelia was so excited to finally have a pet.
• We got a little toy baby stroller from our friend, Lisa, awhile ago, but recently it has become Sophia's.  She pushes it everywhere, fills it with everything, and has to have it near her whenever we're in the house.
• I love Primary songs and love that the girls like listening to them too . . . but practicing them on the piano and listening to them almost non-stop when we're in the car is giving me a bit of Primary song burn-out.  It's a good thing they like other music too.
• Amelia loves insects.  I keep hoping she's not going to get bit and/or stung by one, since she picks them up whenever she finds them.  The other day she was intrigued to watch as a bunch of ants tore apart a dead bug . . . Sophia wasn't as excited.
• The girls have had a bunch of new "foods" lately.  Jello Jigglers weren't on the repeat list - yeah!  Flavor Ice were a huge hit . . . but I felt silly having to teach a 4-yr old how to eat one (maybe I should have introduced those earlier).  And cotton candy - Amelia was actually afraid to try it . . . until she saw Sophia's eye's light up when she started to eat hers and then she happily jumped right on board.
• The other day I had a thought that going camping is like having a baby . . . stick with me here.  They both take a lot of preparation.  The actual experience may not be the most pleasant.  But eventually the negative feelings start to fade and you only remember the really great moments.  Maybe that's why we only go camping once a year ;)
• On Saturday, we went to the Sand in the City event.  Ken had to work, so I invited my friend, Carrie, and her kids to join us.  We had something else we had to do that day, so we only spent a few hours there, but the girls had a great time digging in the sand, getting their face painted, and making crafts. 

A Camping We Will Go

We went camping at Mt. Rainier for a few days.  The girls and Ken were SO excited.  I tried to be happy.  I used to really love camping, but lately, I haven't enjoyed it as much as I used to.  I came to the conclusion that it is the girl's fault ;)  But this blog post isn't about why I don't enjoy camping like I used to, but about how I enjoyed this camping trip.  I have a great fire builder who always had a fire ready when we needed one.  The girls loved sitting around the fire in their chairs (doesn't Sophia look so old in this picture?) . . . and digging in the dirt . . . and playing with rocks and sticks . . . and roasting marshmallows.  I tried not to get upset when they got super dirty . . . but I did have to put a stop to Amelia making dirt angels and the girls pouring dirt over each other.

Ken helped cook a lot of the meals - so that made the camping experience better too.  He even planned some new meals that we've never tried before - Cowhorn biscuits (canned biscuits wrapped around the end of a broom handle, cooked over the fire, then filled with scrambled eggs, etc.).  The kids weren't as excited about that one (or the hot dogs wrapped with crescent rolls) as we thought they'd be, so perhaps we'll hold off on doing those again for awhile.

We went on quite a few short hikes around Mt. Rainier - or as Amelia called it "Mountain Reindeer".  The weather was perfect - not too hot, no rain, and the wild flowers around Mt. Rainier were in perfect form.

Amelia LOVES flowers and always wants to pick them.  It was so frustrating to her that she couldn't pick any flowers - not even the ones on the side of the path.  She eventually picked one, but then Sophia wanted one too.  I'm sure we weren't the only couple with children illegally picking the flowers ;)

I know these pictures just don't do justice to the awe and beauty of Mt. Rainier, but I had to take and post them anyway.

The girls were great hikers (mostly).  And hiking is a part of camping that I really DO enjoy.  We hiked into a lake (which we were told we could dip our toes into).  Turns out there wasn't much lake access, and then when we finally found a spot, the water was ice cold (I guess that's what happens when a lake is fed by a glacier) and surrounded by mosquitoes.  Both girls enjoyed playing in and around the water anyway - but paid the price by getting covered with mosquito bites.  I don't know why we didn't think of putting insect repellant on - we had some with us, just not on our hike.  I was the only one that didn't get bit by mosquitoes - I must not be sweet enough.

This picture was taken by Sophia on our way back from the lake.  Pretty good for an almost 3-yr old, I think.

I'm a sucker for waterfalls.  This was Christina Falls (I think).  We didn't even have to hike to this one - just drive and park.

Proof that I was happy on our camping trip.  This picture was taken before I discovered that the mouse? that had somehow gotten into our trunk, had eaten through the backseat of the car to get to the bag of snacks that were in the front seat.  

When we camp, we're pretty cautious about leaving food out - day or night.  We always put our cooler and other food containers in the car over night.  But on Monday before our hike, we discovered a small hole in our trail mix.  It looked like the bag had got caught on the zipper or something, so we didn't think much of it.  However, on Tuesday morning as we were getting ready to hike, I discovered our bag of nuts was completely empty and trail mix was all over the inside of our Camelback.  I quickly discovered other similar holes in bags, plus mouse poop inside a food bag.  YUCK!  There went a lot of our snacks - thank goodness we were heading home that day.  We still couldn't figure out how the mouse had gotten to our snacks . . . until we got home and I took out the carseats to vacuum and clean them.  Behind one of the carseats was a pile of stuffing from the back seat and a small hole that went from the backseat to somewhere in the trunk or under the car.  So much for keeping our food safe by putting it on our car.  I guess sealed plastic bags aren't mouse deterrents.

But enough of the icky . . . how about this stunning shot of Mt. Rainier and Myrtle Falls?  We were stunned to see that there were only a handful of people and we somehow managed to get pictures without any of those people in the picture.  Yeah for going on a weekday morning!  The first year we tried to do this hike/walk, it was covered in snow - in August.  The next year it was severely overcast and you couldn't even see the mountain while standing right in front of it.  So this year we felt like we hit the jackpot - perfect weather and minimal people.

And so the mostly happy campers ended our camping trip - as we headed back down hill and toward home.

Beating the Heat

It doesn't get really hot here very often, so when it does, we have to find ways to cool down.  Yesterday it was over 90F here - and humid - and for those of us in the Northwest, it was pretty unbearable.  Being the nice mom I am, I took the girls to play in the water in front of the Children's Museum.   I thought the water felt rather warm, and not really cool and refreshing, but the girls seemed to think it was great. Here is Sophia riding on a fish . . .

. . . and Amelia swimming with the fishes.

Due to an over abundance of fruit snacks, left over from our UT roadtrip (but hey, can you ever really have too many fruit snacks?) I have been taking them with us on outings, small errand runnings, etc - where I'm sure every Mom takes them, but my children are thrilled by them.  Mostly because I never buy them and now they're showing up everywhere.  But not only do my girls love the fruit snacks themselves, they also enjoy the bags they came in.  This became a great toy to play with while we were there . . . fill it up with water then dump it on a rock; watch it float down the stream and chase after it, carry it around with you as a prize possession (that is a whole story on it's own - maybe for another time).  I wish I had gotten a picture of the girls with their fruit snack bags, but they had as much fun with them as any other water toy.

Going to parks and other public places reminds me that even though I love to talk, I do not like to talk to random strangers or hear them tell me about all their trials, etc.  I find it so odd that people I don't know and will most likely never see again, feel the need to share rather personal information with me.   And on another side note, I found it odd that on a Monday afternoon, there were just as many Dads there with their children as there were Moms.  Maybe I shouldn't see it as odd, but rather, as really cool that so many Dads were there spending time with their kids.

More Random Ramblings

• I've been missing letters from my Mom lately.  She wrote weekly to all of us kids for as long as I can remember . . . probably 35+ years.  When I mentioned it on Facebook, my lovely cousin Kathryn wrote me a letter "from my Mom".  It sounded just like my Mom would have written it.  I love it - and want to share it here.
• Dear Sharon,
  The zucchini are in full harvest now. We can't keep up and people have started locking their cars at church again. We also have had some corn and beans. I think the tomatoes will be coming on next. 
  So and so stopped by to visit, it was nice to see them again and it was so nice to see their kids. Dad showed them some magic tricks with his hands and they laughed and laughed.
  I met so and so down at the post office yesterday and she mentioned that so and so had a baby boy. That's 3 boys now. I think I will make some homemade bread and drop it by later. 
  I heard so and so got hit by a typhoon on their mission. Turns out all the members were safe, but the missionaries got to ride by boat to the next town. They are focusing on clean up now. 
  Sure hope all is well with you.
  
  Love, Mom
  
  P.S. You are doing a great job with the girls. Hang in there through the rough times, diapers won't last forever.
• The city of Lacey is giving out toilets to customers if they can prove that their current toilet uses more than 3 gallons of water per flush.  We definitely had one of those toilets . . . so we applied and got us a brand new toilet.  Ken installed it the other day . . . and then told me he was "afraid" of the flush because it was so fast and powerful.  Perhaps I should keep the girls away from that one until after they're potty-trained ;)
• Our next door neighbors are doing a major yard remodel and have had lots of friends come over regularly to help them.  One of the helpers has an almost 4-yr old, who has made friends with my girls.  I don't mind play dates, but having a neighbor continuously coming/going from our house and our girls going over there is definitely something I'm not used to.  I have to put on my "flexibility" hat quite often, which I can never seem to find.
• I don't think I've mentioned lately how much I LOVE free berries in the summertime in the Northwest.  We have picked blackberries twice - made multiple batches of jam and even a blackberry pie - and blueberries once.  We can't seem to grow anything in our yard that yields fruit, but berries are growing abundantly in our area if you just know where to look for them.
• We're gearing up for going camping next weekend.  Ken and the girls are excited . . . I'm trying to find my "I love camping" attitude so that I don't ruin the weekend for anyone.  I really do like camping, but camping with food allergies and young children has put a damper on my enthusiasm lately.  Maybe . . . hopefully . . . this year will be better than the previous 2 years.
• The above mentioned neighbors installed a fire pit in their yard as part of their remodel.  They have completely and fully put it to use, almost nightly, since it was installed.  I don't mind neighbors enjoying together time, but when it involves alcohol until 2am, loud laughing, and lots of smoke (both campfire and cigarette type), my tolerance hits a limit pretty quickly.  This morning I was irritated to wake up to the smell of smoke in my house, yet again (the neighbors often forget to "turn off" their fire, resulting in smoke all night and morning), but then realized it wasn't the neighbor's fire burning, it was something bigger burning.  Apparently there are now small fires burning in our area of WA and the smell of smoke is definitely in the air.  So I ate a slice of humble pie for breakfast.

The Potty Tale

Once upon a time there were two beautiful girls named Amelia & Sophia.  They lived with their Mom and Dad and were such lovely, happy girls.  They loved to dance and sing and play pretend.  But there was one thing that they both refused to do . . . use the potty.  Their mother has tried everything she can think of, including getting a friend to help, but to no avail - they just don't want to use the potty.

But then there are those moments when I (oh, I mean the Mommy) think I see a breakthrough.  Like when we were traveling and Sophia suddenly decides she wants to pee in the potty and does so, successfully, 3 times in a row.  But then won't even try it once when we get home.

Or the morning Amelia surprised me by getting ready all on her own, including changing her own pull-up!  And continues to change her own pull-up, as long as it isn't poopy.

And lately, Amelia has been changing Sophia's diaper . . . as long as it isn't poopy.

One day this week, I told Sophia that she should teach Amelia how to use the potty because she was so good at it.  But Sophia answers with "no, Amelia is afraid of the potty".

On another day, Amelia spontaneously told me that she didn't want to wear underwear because "underwear is messy".  Perhaps this is because when she's worn underwear, she refuses to try to sit on the potty, so she gets the mess all over her and then has to help me clean it up.  I've been trying to convince her that diapers are messier . . . especially when they're not designed/built for big girls and can't hold everything.

And now my little princess has told me that she doesn't want to go to Kindergarten next year because she doesn't want to wear underwear.

Of course, the Mommy tries to convince herself that she's not a bad mommy because her children are stubborn and don't want to be potty-trained.  And she tries not to worry that she's going to have to homeschool her children because they won't get potty-trained.  The Daddy is saving his money for a new iPad, but what we really need is an iPotty.  I'm pretty sure I'd pay whatever the cost!

Random Travel Notes & The Last Few Days

• I come to the conclusion every time I go on a road trip - there are no good road-tripping snacks that don't involve wheat, oats, or peanuts . . . except for popcorn and some candy.  Needless to say, I ate a lot of popcorn and candy in the last 2 weeks.
• And speaking of snacks, I learned that it's not a good thing to bring snacks for the girls that they've never tried before.  I thought it would be a good idea, like bringing new toys to play with, but I was left with a bunch of snacks no one wanted.
• The activities/games/entertainment for the girls went better than last year.  There were only a few things the girls didn't want to play with, and ironically, it was the same things they loved playing with last year, just with a new look.
• In my preparations for the girls entertainment, I reserve movies at the library - movies they haven't seen before or for a long time so that they're new and fresh.  I got a bit ahead of myself this year and reserved some a bit too early.  When I went to the library a few weeks before we left, they handed me one of my selected movies.  I couldn't hand it back to them and ask them to hold it for me longer, so I took it home, intending to just renew the movie before we left.  But a few days before we left, when I tried to renew it, I discovered that the movie had a hold on it and I couldn't renew it.  Now for my dilemma - do I return the movie without the girls even watching it or take the movie with me and incur a late fee?  What a dilemma for a rules girl like me.  With Ken's encouragement (he's the little devil on my shoulder in this case), I took the movie with us, and returned it 1 day after we got home, and paid my $.90 late fee.
• While we were traveling and while at the reunion, all 4 of us slept in the same room.  I discovered that both girls talk in their sleep.  One night I heard Amelia say something and then Sophia answered her . . . and it made me giggle.
• Ya know how it is when you get home from a vacation, it seems like it takes as much time to unpack, unwind, and get back into the swing of things as it did to prepare/pack for the trip.  It seems like it has taken even longer than normal this time.  Amelia got the stomach virus on Monday - thank goodness Ken had the day off.  But then Sophia and I got the virus on Wed night/ Thurs.- thank goodness Ken was able to call in sick to take care of us.  And now it's Friday already and I still don't feel like I've gotten much done this week.  Here's hoping next week is better.