Forgive some out-of-order blog posting since I’m finally getting around to writing about the rest of our Bend vacation last week.  Sigh… we just got home a few days ago but it seems so long ago already.

Anyway, here’s to some reminiscing of a really nice week away with the family.  Since we’ve had kids vacations have been fun but not really all that… relaxing.  Our week in Bend was actually relaxing, which was a lovely, lovely change of pace.

So what did we do?  We went for a lot of hikes/walks/strolls and a couple of bike rides.  I loved the bike ride – the kids, well… not so much.  Poor little Sam had a hard time with his helmet so we ultimately took it off.  By the time we got back to the house he had fallen asleep with a little pout on his face.  We were able to bribe Clare through the trip with snacks.  Note to self: next time we take a bike ride load up on pita chips and grapes to pacify the troops.

Yes, if you are counting we have 6 adults, 2 children and 4 dogs.  I’m pretty sure it took us twice as long to actually get  here than we spent hiking.

Clare’s favorite part of hiking was walking Pat and Dave’s little dog Chloe.  She was the perfect speed for our little dog walker.

Mostly there was a lot of playing.  Clare and Sam playing on the floor, wrestling with kids, posing them in cute places (exhibit a: baby in a laundry basket), and just generally enjoying each other in a way that seems harder when there is work to do, emails to reply to, bathrooms to clean, and lawns to mow.  It was, exactly, what a relaxing vacation should be.  (I’m missing it a little – can you tell?)

Sammy has what J calls “elephant trunk arms” where he can reach well beyond where you think he can to grab things.  His aim is spot-on and very, very strong.   J was holding Sammy and Sam reached over J’s should and grabbed a picture off the wall.  Seriously – an 8×10 picture right off the wall.  Fortunately we caught the picture before it landed on the floor.  In the picture above Sam was joyously picking handful after handful of grass.

 Clarie is “growling like a monster” in the picture above.  She has a serious monster obsession going on now.  Every single day she tells us about monsters who live under our kitchen table (they like to be fed her food – particularly the foods she’s not fond of), down the hallway, under beds and in closets.  Generally the monsters are friendly, or if they are “scary” it’s in a fun way.  While we were in Bend we watched the movie Monsters, Inc.  Clare liked it OK, but was a little bit frightened of the scarier monsters.  That night she had her first nightmares that “bad monsters” were hiding under her bed, so we pretty much had a parenting fail with that one.  Fortunately Daddy is pretty tough and he scared away the bad monsters.

Also while we were in Bend, Clare saw something that had the Sesame Street characters on it and said “hey look! It’s my TV friends.”

Is there anything sweeter than snuggling a baby to sleep?  I don’t think so.  I’ve never been a big fan of cry-it-out, both because it breaks my heart to think of my baby screaming for me and ignoring them, but also because I just looooooooove rocking and cuddling my little ones to sleep.  Obviously I can’t do this with Clare anymore so I’m getting every last minute of Sam snuggles that I can get.

I’ll end with a few pictures of sweet sleeping children.  Clare prefers to “read” her books after we turn off the lights, so we leave a little nightlight on for her.  After 20 or so minutes I’ll come back, take the book away and turn off the nightlight.  This night she was especially tired and was already asleep, with the book, by the time I got there.  It was to sweet not to take a pciture.  (Yes, she still sleeps with a binky at night.  I’m not sure how to handle this situation…)

 OK, we didn’t really run away but we are in the beginning of a week-long family vacation in Bend.  Ahhhhh Bend.  Every time we come here we say it’s not long enough and vow to stay longer.  This time, we are!  We only arrived yesterday but so far our 30 hours here have been filled with relaxing, hiking, climbing on rocks and stumps, playing , giggling, and generally having fun.  Tomorrow a bike ride in Sunriver is on the agenda, and we plan on several more hikes, possibly a trip to the swimming pool, visiting new playgrounds, and lots more hanging out with our favorite munchkins.

Sammy from his usual vantage point.

I made J leap over Clare about 5 times before I was able to catch this photo.

I’m standing below them – Clare literally climbed up on this rock by herself (with J close behind).

We saw a “beautiful rainbow” today.  Magic.

Good thing he’s not a stock, because he’s not for sale!  We’re hanging onto this little guy for as long as we can.  Though if he has anything to say about it, it might not be for that long.  Sam was born knowing that he wants to move, and everyday he’s getting closer to making that happen.  He’s rolling over now from front to back – though his average is about 50% between when he tries to and when he actually accomplishes it.  More then that, he’s start scooting himself around with his hands in little circles.  He hasn’t figured out how to move his legs so he pretty much just rotates around 180 degrees.  Between the occasional roll and his rotating you never know what position you’ll find him in compared to when you set him down.

At the pediatricians office they couldn’t get over how big he is, and how mellow he is.  For the past two appointments he hasn’t even flinched when they gave him his shots.  Literally, one shot in each leg and he didn’t so much as jump much less cry.  Sheesh, Clare cried when the stethoscope was cold.  Sam’s to busy checking out new surroundings and people to care about things like needles.

Really people, haven’t you seen a 6 month old wearing 12-18 month old clothes before?  All the kids are doing it.

We do an awful lot of dress-up around here.

Tonight Clare and I were snuggling and she asked me “what do you say Mama?”  I told her I say “I love Clare and I love Sam.”  I asked her what she says and she told me “I say ‘Merry Christmas everyone!'”

A few weeks ago I had a meeting in town, so I got to stay home a little later and eat breakfast with Clare and G.  It’s always entertaining to hear their breakfast conversations (their upcoming birthday parties are a pretty big topic) but on this particular morning Clare was telling Gabe all about her trip to Colorado last month.  She didn’t tell him about the birthday party, or the airplane ride, or the visits to the park, or any of the other fun things we did.  Nope, she was telling him in great detail about the bunnies that live in the park behind JP and Debbie’s house and about how she tried to chase them.  “The bunnies were scared.  I didn’t try to scare them but they ran away.  I told them ‘don’t be scared bunnies’ but they still ran away.”  When I asked her if she was talking about our visit with Baby Maddy G looked up at me, nodded with authority, and said “Yes.  Baby Maddy has bunnies.”

 The little guy isn’t quite rolling over yet, but he is rolling back and forth while on his back, arching his back on his side, and generally beginning mobility.  Especially when he’s watching Clare run around he desperately wants to join in.  He waves his arms and legs around, tries to throw himself off our laps, and anything he can possibly think of to join in on her game.  It will be pretty wild around here when they’re both mobile.

The funniest development of this month is Sam’s discovery of his tongue.  For the past week he hasn’t smiled without sticking his little tongue out.  He’s also started giving “kisses” by slurping up the side of your face.  Its… uhhh… sweet.  It just adds to his goofiness with his little tongue sticking out, but it’s pretty sweet.

His little bottom teeth are just under his gums – you can see their outline underneath his little gums, which are stretched so tight that they’re practically white.  He’s handled teething pretty well – excessive drooling, a little diaper trouble, a little fussier than normal in the evenings, but generally pretty well.  He’s constantly working his little mouth around as he’s getting used to the new sensations in his mouth.

 I’ve written before about how much Clare loves Sam and has adjusted really well to his presence.  It’s also given her great opportunities to practice her two-and-a-half-year-old independence.  When we get ready in the morning, she gets dressed almost entirely by herself, gets her coat and shoes from the closet and puts them on by herself – usually on the right feet.  She goes up and down the stairs by herself, climbs in and out of the car and her car seat independently, and generally does whatever she can without our help.  This can go a little far – sometimes if we’re a little slow to wake up in the morning we’ll hear her drag a chair across the kitchen so she can get her own slice of bread out of the cupboard in the morning.  She hasn’t figured out how to use the toaster, but I imagine she will one of these days.  She’ll also open the fridge and if there’s a sippy cup of milk or juice in there she’ll get it out.  One night I left a bag of chocolate chips on the counter and I found her eating the chocolate chips in the morning.  I’m trying to put this independence to good use though – Clare clears takes her dishes to the sink after eating, puts her own clothes and toys away, and helps me with laundry.  She loves it and tells me “I’m your big helper Mama!”

 On the work front, I’ve cut back my hours to part-time.  I only work 3 days a week, which is about the perfect balance between being home and getting away for some adult interaction and intellectual stimulation.  I thought being home an additional two days a week would mean I would work out more, my house would be cleaner, I’d spend lots of time gardening and I’d keep up with laundry.  Snort.  I definitely spend more time cleaning, though I’m not sure that the house is actually any cleaner.  I still do laundry every day – and I always feel behind.  Our poor yard was so neglected we finally called in landscapers and it took them two days to get it into shape.  I haven’t been to the gym since before getting pregnant with Sam.

The big difference with me working part-time is that we spend more time doing family activities and relaxing on the weekends instead of laundry, cleaning and yard work.  There is more time spent wrestling and tickling, making delicious breakfasts in our jammies, going to the park and for hikes, and generally enjoying our foursome.

 There’s also more time for moments like these – my kids playing in the laundry basket.  One of the classic, simple moments of childhood.