December

Its time to deck the halls, light the lights, and dig out those ol' woolen mittens. November in the Pacific Northwest was wild. Windstorms that brought down our electricity, rainstorms that brought down the rest of the leaves, and the sun went into permanent hiding.

With this cold and gray come a new challenge: What does one do with a couple of toddlers when its too cold and wet to play outside?

Feeling limited in our 2-bedroom apartment, we try and get creative. We've started exploring our artistic talents.

Such as:


Coloring!

(And yes. In case you were wondering, the green crayons do taste better...)





Bear in the Big Blue House

This is it. Their FAVORITE show. EVERY morning and EVERY afternoon they surround me, "Bear? Bear? Bear? Bear?" And yes. I eventually cave. We have the shows on dvd. And they love, love, love them. We are working to limit tv intake to one hour a day. Ross and I are in agreement! Now if only we could get the babies on board...



Play dough

Oh yeah. Play Dough is a BIG hit! The old fashioned stuff. They love it!. It rolls, it squishes, its smooshy, and its wonderful to make little shapes from cookie cutters. (Also happy to report that it sticks to the carpet with the same stubborn resistance as when I was a kid).

Oh. Those are sun butter sandwiches and juice all over the table with the play dough. Little artists, it seems, need snacks to keep them inspired.



Nest Building

...that would be Jember. She LOVES building a nest (behind couch cushions, in boxes, you name it) and then filling her nest with EVERY toy that she can find. Then she climbs IN to the the nest herself, piling everything on top of herself.





Reading

Pop up books are our favorite. Someone gave us a bunch of "Tonka" pop up books, and these are high on the list. Also on the list are "Goodnight Moon", "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", and any books with pictures of babies. Jember loves books with "shapes" and Jonas loves the "Here we go round the Mulberry bush" (partially I think, because I sing it instead of reading it). We read before bed every night. A tradition I hope we always keep.




Dancing!

The following is a joyous reaction to a musical card that my parents sent us for Thanksgiving. Dance party everyone! The kids LOVE music and dancing. Sometimes, they play their musical toys and spin and dance in their room. Ross and I sit on the floor and watch them, mesmerized by their intense joy. They are so amazing.





(My little scientist. He eventually took the card apart, discovered the wires and little battery and began to experiment with how the whole thing was rigged).



Thanksgiving

We were down in Seattle and Aunt Linda's and Uncle Jims. I was really bad about grabbing the camera this year. Something about spending half my time cooking and the other half chasing after two little imps. (Who by the way have been dealing with wicked colds. Can't seem to keep that nose wiped enough. Ah well. Its all part of the season, right?)


Sampling Aunt Linda's delicious sugar cookies





Smilin after Thanksgiving Dinner!




Is that Ross petting a camel?



Yep. Jonas is there too (though hidden behind Ross)

I was juggling restless a daughter who was intent upon meeting the reindeer in the next stall. (Gotta love Seattle). We went out to breakfast with the family the next day at the "Greenhouse". Cute cafe surrounded by greenhouses...and a mini petting zoo during the holidays. Hey. Why not?

And now the holidays are upon us. We're off to find our Christmas tree this weekend, followed by adventures of decorating the tree with ONLY non-breakable items. Solstice, Christmas and yep...Kwanzaa adventures to follow...

Stay tuned! Hope your own holiday preparations are merry and bright!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Antics.

Perhaps the only thing harder than trying to take a picture of a lion and an elephant in their natural habitat is maybe trying to take a picture of two toddlers dressed up like a lion and an elephant in THEIR natural habitat!

Getting ready for their first Halloween party with WMOM (Whatcom Mom's of Multiples)









...later at the party. So many treats!










(Listening to the rules of the game about to be played.)




Carving our pumkin








Trick or Treatin'

...with neighbor Bud across the street




Downtown Fairhaven. Joining good friends (Nate, Jackson and Lydia.) The streets are alive with little ghosts and goblins. We get our picture taken at the pharmacy...a tradition that goes back 50 years! (Kids are looking a little tired. We went home right after this, made a big pot of soup and settled into the night handing out treats to the other trick or treaters!)




Happy Halloween family!

Pumpkin love

Another October has found its way to us.

Its been a strange sort of autumn. 2 weeks ago, temps were dancing around the 80's. Summer it seemed, had returned for an encore performance.

Then suddenly, with the sun still taking root in the sky, the mercury dropped into the 50's during the day. Frost covered the ground at night. Summer disappeared for good and autumn seemed to take hold at last.

I of course, love this weather. It reminds me of my Midwestern upbringing. Crisp, sunny days...and extra blanket nights. Colors snap alive on maple trees. Pumpkins appear in the market places. Bright colored scarves start making appearances. I start itching for a pile of leaves to jump in. There is something so magnificent about these clear days of reds and oranges. The harvest retired, woodsmoke in the air and a nearby marching band practicing in the distance. I love it.

It doesn't last long. The real northwest autumn must eventually settle herself. The skies shift to milder tones of gray. The rain begins to fall. And sleet appears on the windshield. We become more aware of the lonely sound of foghorns in the distances, and the quieting sense of comfort a hot coffee can bring. Quirky north westerners can be heard breathing a hundred sighs of relief. "Thank goodness the rains have returned".

Sometimes I feel like I'm really out of place here.

Regardless. It was during the brilliant window of "Midwestern" autumn that Elizabeth and I took Jonas and Jember to the Stoney Ridge Pumpkin farm. Located in a nearby community, Stoney Ridge farm invites young and old to come and sample her delights every year. Upon arrival, one may experience any array of wonderment to the senses: a petting farm, a "country store", a shop serving homemade pies and ice cream, and hayrides awaiting passengers for a ride out to the pumpkin fields. We had a wonderful time. Though I must add that Jember wanted to free the rabbits and later tried to climb into the pony stalls. (She really loves animals!). Later my nature girl, surrounded by a field of pumpkins insisted on kissing as many as she could find. I'm quite serious here. Jonas got in on the action himself. He hugged a few pumpkin friends, then took to the more important matter of running here and there in the October sunshine splitting his time between finding the perfect rocks to throw and discovering which pumpkins where best for climbing.

All in all. A perfect day.

So many things to look at!


Choosing pumpkins is very focused work!


This pumpkin is quite bumpy.


Growing taller!


"Ok. 2 questions. What the heck is it? And how do I set it free?"


Elizabeth and the kids. (Love this pic). Jember is fascinated by the foilage and Jonas can't take his eyes off her camera/phone. So many buttons. Great example of their different personalities!)


"Hmmmmm. This could be the very pumpkin I've been searching for..."


Exploration of the perfect pumpkin continues.


So many pumpkins...so little time.


Waiting for the Great Pumpkin to rise up...

Fascinated by pumpkin stalks


Wheelbarrow Boy


Getting there is half the fun.

Sunshine in October and a day with my kids. Really. What could be better?

and finally...

One year ago today:






How time flies!