Andrew!

Well, now is the time that most parents dread. The time when their sweet, cute, laid back toddler hits the terrible twos. Yes, Andrew is only 20 months, but he is definitely there. From throwing toys to tackling the cat he shows all the signs for this difficult, yet necessary stage of development. The first words out of his mouth in the morning, while he is still in his crib are, "No! No!" He hears these words quite often throughout the day. We are trying to keep it positive, but I'm at a loss for what to say to him when he is laying on top of the cat for the tenth time in an hour other than no, no! He has experienced time out, a stern voice, yes even a spanking, but nothing seems to work. He is into everything all at once, all the time. He turns on the dishwasher, stops the washing machine, turns up the burner on the stove, jumps in the bathtub with his clothes on. Wow! Let's just say I'm a little tired by the end of the day. But we still love him and will do our best to help him through this important time in his young life. Underneath the defiant exterior he is still our sweet little boy!

Outdoor Activities

With the new H1N1 virus infecting people at such a rapid rate I have decided that I will be keeping my kids out of large public places. Can you say NO FUN! I love taking my kids to the zoo, the science center, the library. It's a chance for them to explore exciting places and a chance for me to feel like part of the real world. I have tried over the last few weeks to keep them primarily at home, but none of us are doing very well with that. "Andrew get off the cat!" Hazel stay out of the snack cupboard you just ate lunch!" "Let's clean the house up again, it's been 5 minutes since we last cleaned!" There are so many positives for taking the kids out of the house, so I had to think of something. Here is what I came up with: The Great Outdoors! Large open spaces, not crowded with potentially sick people, nothing to touch that other people have been touching. It sounded great! And it is! Last week we started our outdoor activities with a trip to the Arboretum. It was amazing! Not only can the kids and I get out of the house we can learn how to identify many species of trees and shrubs that are grown there. I was able to print out a map of the different types of trees and plants in each section of the garden. We got to walk across a wooden bridge, look at beautiful trees, and visit with the ducks. We all had a great time! I look forward to going back and finding other outdoor places to explore.

Pumpkin Fun

Last weekend, our family, on two seperate trips, visited a pumpkin farm. Hazel had been home sick all week so when Saturday came and it was time to go to the farm Hazel just wasn't up for it, so Andrew and I went with Jo, Ted and Ted's family. We had lots of fun but missed the rest of the family. I knew how much Hazel would love to be there. On Sunday we took a drive to Steven's Pass to see the fall leaves and on the way back home we stopped by the same pumpkin farm so Hazel could enjoy it too. There was a pumkin patch, a hay ride, John Deere bikes for the kids to ride and a playground. It took us two days, but we all made it and had lots of fun!

What Hazel and Andrew Like

It is so fun and interestiong to see your child develop. I have been watching Hazel change and grow for four and a half years. I can't believe it! Andrew is getting to that age now where he is showing an interest in certain things. Here is just a few of the things each of the kids like. If you know Hazel at all you know she likes dinosaurs. Obsession comes to mind when thinking about her and dinos. You may not know that she also likes ponies and horses. She likes watching videos (so much that I have to limit the time she watches them). She likes chocolate milk, even made with rice milk and a chocolate powder full of vitamins and green foods. She likes cantaloupe. She likes ice cream. She likes sleeping with the hallway light on. I could go on and on, but I'm sure the list will change soon enough so I will move on to Andrew. He is now 19 months and definitely knows what he likes. One of his favorites things to do is to brush his teeth. He carries his toothbrush around all over the house. When he wants to brush his teeth he says "beef". This is a shortened version of brush teeth that makes me laugh everytime he says it. He also likes having his shoes on even if we are not going anywhere. He will find his shoes and bring them to me and if I don't take the hint to immediately put them on for him he starts crying. It works everytime; don't judge unless you have kids of your own! He likes watching Elmo. He likes opening and shutting doors. He likes oatmeal, almond butter and peanut butter crackers. He likes putting as much food in his mouth as possible and having both hands full of food for when it's gone. He likes taking a bath. Kids are so much fun because they show every emotion without reserve. I love seeing my kids get excited about the things they like and how it makes their faces light up when they discover something new.

Tofu

Our family likes tofu, well except for Andrew, but why write about it? Because the Tofu I am writing about is not a food it's a cat. Last year we had to put our cat DJ to sleep. She had multiple health issues and was 12years old, so it was hard to do but the best thing for her. Since then we have talked about getting another cat, but with two kids and not much sleep it hasn't seemed like the right timing. Then last weekend, Jared surprised me by saying, right in front of Hazel, that he thought it was time to get another cat. Wow! You all know my husband and if you know him well you see the significance of this statement. With our previous two cats I practically had to beg him to let me have them, so even though I didn't feel too ready to have another responsibility in my life I knew I needed to go along with this decision. On Saturday we went to our local PAWS shelter with a list of cats we were interested in from their website. The first one we saw in the "visiting" room was Tofu. She sounded like a good pet for our family because her description said that she was young and playful. So here we are, all four of us in this small room with this cat. Hazel was trying to pick her up and following her everywhere. Andrew was screeching and throwing cat toys. Jared and I were trying to contain them. What was Tofu doing? She was just walking around unaffected by anything that was going on. She was definitely good with kids. After her we visited with a kitty and an older cat. The kitty was playful but too small to be around a rambunctious toddler. The older cat hid under the chair to get away from the kids. It looked like Tofu was the one for us. We wouldn't change a thing about her except her name. Hazel liked the name Eleanor and so did I, but when we found out that she had already had two kittens and adopted five others we decided to call her Maia which means "good mother". We were disappointed to find out that we couldn't take her with us that day because she had to be spade before leaving the shelter. We were able to pick her up yesterday and I will let you judge from the pictures how she is doing in her new home.

Fun at the Beach

This summer we had so many hot days that our family was able to go to the beach a lot. The kids love digging in the sand and getting their feet wet in the cold Puget Sound water. We went to two different beach areas which are both in Edmonds. One is called Marina Beach and has a play area and the other is called Brackett's Landing and is right by the ferry dock. We spent many hours at both of these beaches and enjoyed every moment. Andrew discovered he likes the taste of sand. I was so happy for him. Hazel discovered that although the water is cold once you get in it is not so bad.

Whistler Vacation

We just got back from a fun and relaxing family trip to Whistler, BC. We did a little hiking, a little soaking in the lake, and a lot of resting and going to the library. Andrew just had fun opening and closing the doors in the condo. Hazel loved having a TV in her room. Ugh! We won't be getting her one of her own anytime soon. Jared was content watching a "good" movie and eating candy bars. I did some candy eating myself and watched too many movies to count. We all enjoyed spending time together.