All About the Ns

E's Cat Song

2012-01-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

I like to take a catnap in bed.
I like to have my door open,
But I don't have a door
So that's lucky for me.

I only have cat choices
My only choice is to pick.

I don't like rabbits.
I don't like dogs;
We fight all the time.
I don't like bees
They sting me.

All I do is be a cat.

Dining Room - Glorious After

2012-01-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

This is the garbage produced.

Inspired to clean by the beautiful floor!

Dining Room - During

2012-01-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Day One

Our friends EdgyK and her husband Stenny helped us. Without their help we would have gone nutz and it would have taken a LOT longer.

I am being useful here, it just doesn't look like it. Haha I was dictating measurements while EdgyK marked the laminate. (Blogger loaded these pics all jumbled up.) Here you can see we were nearly done with the kitchen. The kitchen took a long time because of all those corners we had to measure around.

M discovered the advantages of a wood floor.

Here is the picture of how far we got the first day. We finished the kitchen. We had friends coming over that evening, and EdgyK had a family party to attend, so we stopped around 5pm.

M and E used the boxes as coffins. My kids are so morbid. They did a mummy exhibit and drew bodies inside the coffins.

When everything got ripped up, we discovered there was a half-inch difference between the dining room and the kitchen. Mr N had to run to the store and get some boards to even things up. This set us back about two hours.

Here is E being a mummy. Apparently mummy = zombie without a hunger for brains.

Day Two

Day 2 dawned bright and early. It was New Years Eve and Stenny & EdgyK showed up at 8am to floor the dining room. That's earrrrrrly in case you were wondering.

After the kids got bored with the mummy exhibit of Day 1, they turned the boxes of Day 2 into a tepee.

Okay so admittedly I did not work as hard as Mr N, EdgyK, or Stenny. I was on baby duty a lot. It's its own form of hard work! Day 2 while the baby was napping it was me, EdgyK and Mr N on floor duty while Stenny was our cutter.

Mr N picked up a set of laminate installation tools on a whim during his trip to Home Depot on Day 1 and they turned out to be VERY useful. The dining room was much faster to floor due to its large rectangular shape. We finished laying laminate around 1pm and Stenny stayed and helped Mr N nail all the baseboards back on. They were done around 2pm.

Dining Room - Before

2012-01-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

Between Christmas and New Years, Mr N had the entire week off. At the top of a very short "Honey Do" list was ripping out the carpet of the dining room and cheap laminate of the kitchen and replacing it with the highest quality wood laminate we could afford. Look at that nasty carpet! Naturally we didn't bother vacuuming before snapping this pic.

I snapped this picture in case Mr N didn't feel like smiling at the end of the project.

Here's a picture of the laminate in the kitchen. Mr N had already pulled the fridge out. Sorry the lights in the kitchen are pretty yellow. There was nothing major wrong with the laminate; there were several small holes and dings in it and there was discoloration in the entire center where we walk around.

Sibling Love!

2012-01-03T23:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

We decorated a gingerbread house on Christmas Eve.

We went on a marathon walk (nearly 2 miles) and watched that old stop-motion animation movie of how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus and had pizza for dinner. It is a tradition from Mr N's family to watch a movie and eat pizza on Christmas Eve night.

The children got to open one present Christmas Eve - their new pajamas. We were worried they would take forever to fall asleep, but they both conked out right away. Apparently the long walk coupled with weeks of anticipation was too much for our little ones.

Here is the living room after Santa visited!

Our Christmas tree.

The children posing with their stockings.

The baby ponders the joys of Christmas.

We didn't take many pictures of Christmas morning, it's mostly video. I'll upload that...sometime. We had a lovely Christmas and hope you did too!

This Girl's So Cute!

2011-12-12T22:26:00.000-08:00

Updates to the Kitchen

2011-11-30T23:15:00.000-08:00

Our dishwasher has been dying a slow death for about a year now. We were planning to replace it with some tax refund money. About a week before Thanksgiving, our oven suddenly popped loudly. The stovetop worked, but the oven was completely out. The replacement part was nearly as costly as a new oven, so it was time to head to Lowe's. They were having a pre-Black Friday sale, and the prices were great, so we got an oven and a dishwasher! They are so pretty. And they both work. So, you know, yay!

Late November

2011-11-30T22:58:00.000-08:00

(E is patting Baby's C's head, if you couldn't tell.)

E made potions in these sippy cups and was very proud of them. I like how E & M are posing so similarly (unplanned). I'm not really sure how she got her potions to be blue...perhaps I should look into that.

Baby C, 4 Months

2011-11-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

Baby C will be four months old in a week! I find it hard to believe that just four months ago she was born; it feels like she has always been part of our family. We all adore her.

Baby C is such a happy, smiley baby. She smiles sweetly at all of us. Right now her favorite person is me, can't say I mind it! Honestly I am adoring her special smiles and how she follows me with her eyes wherever I go.

Baby C's likes:

Her big brother and sister
Mommy
Daddy
Being held as much as possible
Being swaddled tightly
Snuggling with Mama in bed whenever I'll let her

Baby C's dislikes:

Napping during the day for longer than 45 minutes (totally forgiven because she sleeps so well at night)
Not being held
Me taking more than 30 seconds to start nursing her

Learning from Daddy

2011-11-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Mr N: Who do you like more, me or your teacher?
E: My teacher.
Mr N: Why?
E: She teaches me things.
Mr N: I teach you things.
E: Dad, all you've ever taught me if how to shake my booty.

I figure anyone who reads this blog knows Mr N and what a goofball he is. He loves to tell the kids: "I need you to do something." He's done it so many times that they now just roll their eyes and say, "We already know - shake our booties." Then they all put their hands in the air and shake their booties. My family is nutz.

Some Recent Pictures

2011-11-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is Baby C wearing the dress I knit for her before she was born. It is extremely satisfying to see her wearing it. It doesn't hurt that she looks darn cute in it too!

Mr N asked me why I am including this picture. Because it is gross.

I found this suit coat for M at a local thrift store. He looks so dapper in it. I like this picture because you can see how much E & M love each other.

Baby C is a rough character. She has to defend herself against ruffians. It's quite shocking.

Here you see M watching the television instead of smiling at the camera as Mr N requested!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Halloween night - spiders

Church Trunk or Treat - pirates

I had different costumes for the kids, but M always wanted to be what E was, thus the haphazard nature of his attire in both photos. The last photo is of M wearing Mr N's sombrero. Mr N wore it to an adults-only Halloween party. Baby C didn't trick or treat. She went to the trunk or treat dressed as Santa's little helper (sorry no photo).

We've Got Smiles!

2011-10-07T14:05:00.001-07:00

Baby C's 2-month stats:
Weight: 12lbs 6oz
Length: 22.5 inches

Baby C's Blessing

2011-10-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

Baby C was blessed at our church on September 25. Both sets of grandparents were able to attend, as well as Mr N's brother J and his beautiful family. Here's everyone:

Here's a picture of the cousins:

Mr N did a lovely job blessing the baby. She had the hiccups the entire time; it was hard not to laugh! She wore the blessing dress my mother made after Miss E was born. It was a beautiful, happy day!

Grandparents' Visit

2011-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

My mom has been here for the month of September. She actually leaves tomorrow (boo!). My dad was able to come out too, for a long weekend when Baby C was blessed. Here are a few pictures of the festivities (pictures of Baby C's blessing day in another post).

Grandma doesn't like to be photographed.

Mr N harvested his pumpkins. He got a very impressive crop this year. The children were very excited.

Look at M's face! So cute.

Miss E quickly figured out that Grandpa is a big teaser. She had great fun bossing all her grandparents around!

Our New Arrival

2011-08-14T22:01:00.001-07:00

Most of you already know this, but Baby Girl arrived last Sunday, August 7!

This photo was taken by Mr N moments before we left for the hospital. The kids were SO excited. They went to some friends' of ours, who took them to church. This photo was taken around 7am. I didn't realize I wasn't turned enough for the full effect of the belly to be appreciated. I was alllllll belly.

Baby C was born at 5:45 pm, weighed 8lbs2oz, and was 20 inches long. She was born 12 days before her due date, for which I am eternally grateful. She was posterior for a while, which stalled labor for about 6 hours (also grateful for epidurals!), but once we got that resolved and I was fully dilated, she arrived in less than 10 minutes! Very fast, just 7-8 pushes. It took about an hour for my brain to catch up to the fact that it was all over!

We came home on Tuesday. The babysitter snapped this photo, the first of all of us. We are a family of five!

She is a sweet baby, great at nursing, and beloved by all of us. Miss E loves to sing to her, and pick out her outfits. The kids love to put "hanitizer" (hand sanitizer) on so they can touch her. They are both great at being gentle. They are also being helpful, getting burp cloths or new blankets for swaddling.

The other day Miss E said Baby C was cute. "No!" shouted M. "She not cute!"
"What is she, M?" Mr N & I asked.
"She's pretty!" he answered.
Awww.

She likes to have one hour-and-a-half fussy period each night. She likes to mix it up so we never know when it will strike. Fun. But other than that, she is doing so well. Her weight got a little low post birth. At four days old, she was down to 7lbs5oz, so we had to go back to the doctor the next day for another weigh-in. Fortunately she was up an ounce, so no supplementing is necessary. Her favorite place to sleep is in her parents' arms (of course)!

Mr N is off work for paternity leave which is marvelous. He is home through the rest of the month. We have mostly been splitting the labor as I take care of the baby, he takes care of the older two. However, now that it's been a week I'm feeling more able. Plus we can tell the kids want to spend more time with me than they have lately. But it is really nice that Mr N can take the kids out and about, so they don't get stir crazy. I am a bit hermit-y after a new baby arrives. I think I barely left the house for three weeks after Miss E was born. Though we have already been out as a family a couple of times this week. My hips are still recovering from pregnancy so I still can't stand or walk too much at one time or I get very sore & stiff.

We are in serious baby love here at the N house!

Pregnancy Update

2011-07-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am having a bit of a rough time with this pregnancy. On Friday I fainted at the craft store. Fortunately there were many other people around so I never made it to the ground. We went to the hospital so I could be checked out, and everything was fine. They said I need to be sure to eat & drink enough. So I've been doing that, but I am still having periodic lightheadedness. Mr N strongly urged me to not go anywhere by myself, and I had to see the wisdom of his counsel. If I fainted somewhere out and about with the kids, that could go very badly. So I am sticking to home more, and mostly limiting my outings to places where I can sit basically the entire time (library, McD0nald's). Yesterday my friend went with me to the grocery store. If you could keep me & Baby Girl in your prayers, that would be very appreciated! I have a little over 5 weeks to go and am hoping to avoid giving myself a concussion. Ha ha

Some friends of ours gave us their old swingset, so the kids have been having a blast playing on it. We've had a couple of cool days and some rain (boo). Before that though we were having classic Oregon summer weather, so the kids have been having fun playing in the kiddie pool in the backyard. I sit in a camping chair and knit while they play, it works out very nicely for everyone.

Baby Girl is healthy, active, and head-down. Tomorrow I get an ultrasound to see how big she is. I requested this ultrasound because I am worried about having a baby even bigger than M (he was 9lbs6oz). I don't think I'm quite as big with this one so I don't think she will be bigger, but we'll see.

Finally

2011-06-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Guess who finally decided using the potty was not only doable, but awesome? M decided a couple days ago to stay dry all day (!) and use the toilet multiple times (!) and wear underwear all day!! So very happy about this. He tried things out two weeks ago, but apparently got discouraged after a couple of accidents. Two days ago he decided he was ready to try again and he is doing a great job. I am so happy and proud of him.

The pediatrician had recommended that we not even try anything this summer because he would probably regress after the baby arrives. I won't even care if that happens. He is guiding this and he seems pretty motivated to stay dry. I just ask him occasionally if he needs to go, but he seems to be quite aware of when he needs to use the toilet. He did wait until he was in his nighttime diaper to go #2, but eh, I don't care about that either!

With Miss E, she was probably ready 3-6 months before I was. With M, I was probably ready 6 months before he was! Ha ha I guess it's true that you just have to wait until they're ready, because this is really pain free so far.

6 Months Down, 3 To Go!

2011-05-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Miss E is on antibiotics for the first time in her life. She has an infected eyelash follicle which had swelled up quite dramatically. However, after just one day of eye ointment and oral antibiotics it's already improving. She HATES getting the ointment in her eye (understandable, especially since it blurs her vision for a good ten minutes afterward), so we are totally bribing her. Or using the reward system, whichever you prefer. I'm comfortable with the term "bribing." She will get this doll once the medicine is done and her "bump" (as we all call it) is gone.

Her last day of preschool was today, we had a little party. As in, everyone brought food and the kids played the whole time. It was a preschool co-op, twice a week, and I taught one week a month. It was great for Miss E, I think it helped with her socialization skills and increased her interest in learning the alphabet, but I don't think I'll ever do it again. Teaching preschool is not my thing. M can't go to preschool this fall since he's not pottytrained yet, so I'm thinking I'll just save some money from next year's tax refund so I can put him in an official preschool in Fall 2012.

M has reached the defiant threes. My mom always said age three was worse than age two, and after two children hitting those ages & stages, I agree. M is figuring out the boundaries and whether I really mean it when I say, "Go to your room NOW!" (Hint: I do.) He also gave up naps completely though it means we now have to be really prompt about putting him to bed on time. Otherwise he has a meltdown at bedtime.

Baby #3 is so active we call her Ninja Baby. The kids like to talk to her but they don't seem interested in feeling her kick around. M was going through a phase where he wanted to be a baby and was baby talking a lot, but that's faded away. Now he insists that he is a little boy and he wants to sleep in the bunk bed with Miss E. (We've tried it a couple of times but it hasn't worked yet. They just giggle and play for an hour and then start fighting and we put them back in their own beds.) We're not looking forward to the exhaustion, but I'm getting really excited to meet Baby #3!

Tulips for a Clean Room

2011-04-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Mr N made a deal with Miss E that if she cleaned her room she could have tulips. It took a very long time (she must have inherited her procrastinating skills from both of us!) but eventually she got those tulips!

Playing Daddy

2011-04-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

I especially like the pointing finger. She really knows how to act like Daddy! Ha ha

23 Weeks Pregnant

2011-04-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Motorcycle

2011-04-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

Shopping cart as motocycle, basket as helmet. Love it!

Easter Finery

2011-04-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

M is not much of one for posing nicely for pictures.

Easter Candy!

2011-04-28T22:02:00.001-07:00

The actual Easter egg hunt is on the video camera...so that's not going up tonight. Ha ha

M's Third Birthday

2011-04-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Recognize the cake? M wanted the same cake he had last year - a basketball. This year though he asked for chocolate cake with sprinkles on top.

For M's birthday, we went, per his request, to Chuck E Cheese, where both kids had a blast. (It wasn't as bad as Mr N or I expected, probably because we went on a weekday at 4:30.)

Then we came home for cake and presents. M got a booster set of big lego blocks and a hammer set. He loved them both. We are so happy to have M in our family! He is a sweet boy who loves to give hugs & kisses.

M's Obesession

2011-04-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

M is obsessed with boats. Due to his father, he knows a fair amount about them. He often builds me boats out of big lego blocks, complete with kicker motors and trailers. It's awesome. Here is a picture of how he rigged together the bike & trike to be his truck and boat on a trailer. I love his happy, proud face!

When Children Feed Themselves

2011-04-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

They make butter & Goldfish cracker sandwiches. Yum!

Sorry for the Dearth of Posts

2011-04-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed a peculiar lack of posting going on over here. There is, in fact, a simple explanation for this. A few months ago, I got my own laptop and the old laptop became Mr N's. Though admittedly it is also a little bit Miss E's, because I let her play games on the Nick Jr website during M's naptime/quiet time. I have not uploaded the needed software for downloading from our camera to my laptop. Honestly I have no idea where said software is. Nor have I even bothered to look for it online. So there you have it. However, as you know April is a busy month for the N clan, so there are some important pictures to share with all y'all! So I actually got on my husband's laptop (risking his eternal wrath - I'm so brave) and am uploading all the new pictures as I type!

Briefest of brief updates:

M turned 3. I will no longer be typing out Bonesteele because 1) it takes a lot longer than typing M, and 2) Spellcheck doesn't recognize the word Bonesteele and seeing those angry red lines under my son's pseudonym is rather irritating. Ha ha
Mr N celebrated a birthday with root beer floats and spaghetti & meatballs (his request).
Mr N & I celebrated 9 beautiful years of marriage. heehee
Today is my birthday; I have reached the dubious milestone of 30. I'm fine with it - 30 sounds nicer than 29.
As of tomorrow, I am 24 weeks pregnant with baby #3, which is a GIRL!

Gender?

2011-04-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

In two days we find out if this baby is a boy or a girl! Any guesses? E wants a girl, M wants a boy. Big surprise, eh? Stay tuned!

Most People Who Read This Already Know, But...

2011-02-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

The Kids Put on Makeup, Or Why I Only Buy Washable Markers

2010-12-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hello? Potato Calling!

2010-12-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

Snow Day!

2010-12-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Mommy & Miss E

2010-12-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

Playing in the Leaves

2010-12-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Quotes

2010-11-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

"[T]his gift [of faith] takes root in our hearts as hope and, nurtured as a seedling, will eventually flower as knowledge and bear the fruit of eternal life." --Dallin H. Oaks

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." --Ether 12:4

"We should seek after spiritual gifts. They can lead us to God. They can shield us from the power of the adversary. They can compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections. Almost a century ago President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency taught the Saints:

“If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. … No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lacks wisdom, it is his duty to ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth.” (Millennial Star, Apr. 1894, p. 260.)" -- Dallin H. Oaks

Quotes 1 & 3 Quote 2

He's Not a One-Trick Pony

2010-11-07T20:35:00.001-08:00

We are all very happy and delighted here that Mr N is so strong!

And such a good sport. Ha ha

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

Bonesteele is a ninja, FYI.

On the Saturday before Halloween, our ward had a trunk or treat followed by a Harvest Fest. Mr N reports the kids had a great time.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Mr N took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch! They had oodles of fun, but flatly refused to pose nicely for any photos. Poor Mr N!

This is the cheesy grin Mr N gets from Miss E when he asks her to smile. And Bonesteele just does his own thing.

The Patch had a bouncy castle which both children LOVED!

Believe it or not, this is the closest both children came to looking at the camera at the same time.

Silver Falls State Park

2010-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

Captain Underpants

2010-11-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

Hawaii

2010-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

My m-i-l asked if I wanted to go to Hawaii a few months ago. I didn't really answer since it seemed unlikely. Then Mr N volunteered to take off work and hang with the kids so I could go. Boy howdy! What a great husband! Especially since he's never been to Hawaii either. We bought our tickets, but it still seemed surreal. Sandy and I flew out to Kauai via San Fran and arrived in the early afternoon on Oct 26. The second we stepped off the plane, we looked at each other and went, "Woah." The humidity had just smacked us.

I quickly realized the map provided by the car rental company was seriously lacking, so we headed to one of the few places actually listed on the map: Wal-Mart. The parking lot of said establishment was hoppin'. Apparently it's the place to be. We saw our first wild chickens of Hawaii:
Chickens are everywhere on Kauai, I am not even kidding. We were in the middle of nowhere hiking up a canyon and I heard a rooster crowing.

Tiffany arrived later that night, which is when I discovered that 1) Kauai goes to bed very early and 2) it does not believe in street lights. I managed to get lost three times on the way back to the resort. w00t!

The next day we headed to the beach!

This is Shipwreck Beach, very near to our resort. Soooo beautiful. It was pretty windy that day, so we just stood happily in the very warm water.

Put me in front of a camera, I do weird things.

Here is a picture of our lovely resort. This shot is taken from our patio. It didn't have an ocean view (if you stood on your tippy toes you could see the ocean through some trees) but it was a beautiful view nonetheless.

Sandy & Tiffany took a snorkeling boat tour out to the southern side of Na Pali, but I didn't go because I get seasick when I snorkel. (In fact, it was so bouncy out there that Sandy got sick, so then I was doubly glad I didn't go.) Besides, I had managed to burn that first day at the beach, so I laid around and recovered.

The next day we went up to Waimea Canyon. I think you can see why it is called The Grand Canyon of Hawaii. It was much larger than I was expecting. Probably because the Grand Canyon of the East, in Pennsylvania, is soooo underwhelming. Anyway, this was very cool. And it was also cooler, as in 10 degrees cooler. At first that felt really chilly, but once we started hiking, I was glad it was only in the 60s. It was still very humid though.

We hiked a trail called, imaginatively enough, Canyon Trail. It is between MPs 13 & 14 on the Waimea Canyon road. It was 4.8 miles round trip and it felt great to get out and stretch my legs, especially after laying around the whole morning the day before. The first 20 minutes were unpleasant, as it began to rain just as we started the hike. But then the rain pretty much stopped. I see now why western Oregon is called a temperate rain forest, because while walking through the drizzle I felt like I was in a warmer version of Oregon. Just like Oregon, Hawaii needs twenty-one names for rain.

Remember - camera + me = weird faces/poses.

Suddenly the forest opened up and we were at the peak of a very tall mountain, with precious little to prevent us from catapulting off the side. Those of us who are scared of heights (no names...but it wasn't me...or Sandy) experienced some discomfort during this part of the hike. The view was so amazing.

Those formations behind me are natural. They're pretty much inaccessible to mankind.

That night we went to a luau at the Kilohana Plantation, with an interesting dance-theater performance afterward. My favorite part was definitely the awesome fire dance. Also the kalua pork was divine! We were too cheap to buy the official pic though, so only a couple of random photos taken by Sandy commemorate the event. Unfortunately, both of them turned out lousy.

The next day (Saturday) we went ziplining. In case you are wondering it was AWESOME. We all had a blast, even Tiffany who was a little nervous starting out. There were seven ziplines, which led us gradually down a valley to a small river where we had a late lunch. It rained kind of hard for about five minutes when we first arrived, but then it cleared up and the weather was just fine for the rest of the tour.

This is when we learned that a gecko can be used as an earring. Yeah, that thing is alive.

Self portrait.

What can I say? Waiting for other people to zipline could get a little boring.

Luckily for my dear blog readers, someone volunteered to get a shot of us in our fab harnesses and helmets. The helmets were NOT to prevent injury should we fall to the valley floor. They were to protect our heads from banging into the cables, which I think all of us did at least once.

Sandy looking sassy and happy!

Sunday we went to church at the Kalaheo Ward, which was about thirty minutes away (even though it's only like 16 miles) (25 mph zones are de rigeur on Kauai. bleh) Apparently Hawaiians all say, "Aloha," when they get to the pulpit, and everyone Alohas them back. I thought that was just a weird quirk of people visiting the mainland. Ha ha Also church there seemed a lot more casual. Perhaps it is the awesome island vibe. I'm not sure. All I know is, the bulletin read like a chatty newsletter, the main speaker wore sunglasses on top of his head the whole meeting and freely admitted that he wrote his talk the night before. The other thing I know is church was the coldest place on the island. We were all freezing.

The rest of the day we enjoyed PERFECT weather and we lounged by the pool. Tiffany walked along the coast for a while.

Monday was our last full day, so we spent a fair amount of it at the beach. First we stopped by Spouting Horn, where we bought most of our souvenirs. Especially Sandy, who might have doubled her jewelry collection in forty minutes. Ha ha Tiffany rented a boogie board and rocked it! That's her in the picture above, coming in perfectly on a wave at Brennecke Beach. Sandy stuck to body surfing. The water knocked her around a little bit, but they both had a blast. I could feel myself burning, so I went home after a couple of hours to shower & reapply sunscreen.

Tuesday before our flights we went to Wailua Falls, which as you can see is very beautiful. Tuesday also brought some bad news - Sandy's & my flight was seriously delayed, which would have made us miss our connection. We ended up having to fly to LA on the red eye. SOOO unpleasant. Especially since I slept not a wink. I got about an hour & a half of (interrupted by a screaming child) sleep in the airport between flights. Ugh. We got in to PDX at 9:30 am and were home before 11. It was great to see my family again! I really missed them in Hawaii. Mr N had put up banners and balloons to welcome us, so it was a party! The kids ran around like headless chickens.

Thanks to Sandy and Tiffany! It was such an awesome vacation and I had a lot of fun!

Passing on Important Knowledge to the Next Generation

2010-08-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I made a pot roast with baby carrots for dinner. I gave each child two carrots and informed them that if they wanted peach pie, they had to eat those carrots. Bonesteele flatly refused and went to bed without any peach pie touching his lips. Miss E really, really, really wanted peach pie but those two carrots were a terrible burden. She had only managed to eat half of one when I decided to impart some wisdom.

"Just pinch your nose and you'll be able to eat them without tasting them. I did it all the time when I was a kid."

She tried it out and announced delightedly: "It works Mom! I can't taste them!"

Sooo glad I could help.

Fire Station II

2010-07-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Visit to the Fire Station

2010-07-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Mr N's friend works for a fire station, so we got to have a close-up look at a fire truck! We got to go for a ride around the town. My favorite part was blasting the enormously loud horn.

Bonesteele was terrified until we got going, then he had a blast.

I must say, I was a real natural at extending and retracting the ladder.

Everything's a Motorcycle in This House

2010-07-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our Little Hambone

2010-07-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Why WOULDN'T You Put Pretzel Sticks in Your Vacuum Cleaner?

2010-07-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Gangster

2010-07-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Bonesteele found this sign in Mr N's graduate school bag and promptly put it on. Appropriate, no?

Miss E's 4th Birthday, Part III

2010-07-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Littlest Pet Shop, adored by young girls everywhere, was the gift Miss E pleaded for prior to her birthday.

The puppy dressed as a duck was also a hit.

Those boxes are hard to open!

R keeps it real while supervising the children!

Miss E's 4th Birthday, Part II

2010-07-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Miss E's 4th Birthday, Part I

2010-07-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Miss E requested Tinkerbell cupcakes for her Hello Kitty party. We played Pin the Hairbow on Hello Kitty and decorated door hangers with princess foam stickers.

Jubilee Lake

2010-07-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Bonesteele Will Not Appreciate This Later

2010-07-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Be a Monster

2010-07-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is What Miss E Does During Quiet Time

2010-06-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

You can't tell, but she is wearing every pair of panties and every sock she owns.

Kayaking Fun

2010-06-30T13:26:00.001-07:00

Patrick and Carli came out for a weekend visit, and the men decided to go kayaking. They had fuuuuuun! And they saw bald eagles.

L to R: Kirk, Mr N, Patrick.

Bonesteele's Birthday Pics

2010-06-30T12:59:00.001-07:00

I made Bonesteele's cake from scratch and decorated it like one of his current obsessions.

For Bonesteele's birthday, as he was turning 2, we decided to have an intimate family party.

This was Bonesteele's expression the entire time we sang to him: utter amazement.

Blowing out the candles.

Belle very nicely agreed to attend the party.

Bonesteele attempting to shove an enormous piece of cake into his mouth.

Fingers assist in getting every last bit in!

Belle felt the full effects of all that icing.

Bonesteele got some little trucks from his paternal grandparents (technically left from Christmas that he never opened then!) and some Toy Story gear from his maternal grandparents. My friend and her children gave him a soccer ball-shaped basket (which Miss E promptly took control of). It's escaping my mind at the moment what Mr N & I gave him! But I'm sure he loved it. Ha ha

Wow this recap is really late. Oops.

Bonesteele Sings Happy Birthday

2010-06-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

This video was taken on Miss E's birthday.

Mr N's Birthday

2010-06-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Miss E's New 'Do

2010-06-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

She can't decide if she loves it or hates it. Depends on the day. Her parents love it. She looks like a big kid!

It's Still Snowy in the Mountains

2010-06-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Bonesteele didn't last too long. He fell in the snow and wanted to get back in the car.

Miss E didn't want him to miss eating snow, though!

Miss E loooooves the snow!

This is What the Kids Do With Chapstick

2010-06-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Elbow

2010-06-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Mega Blocks

2010-05-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Easter

2010-05-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Uncle Travis, Aunt J & cousin Jewell joined us for Easter. Miss E is old enough to understand an Easter egg hunt, so it was really fun to watch her.

Miss E was soooo excited to look for Easter eggs, we could barely contain her in the entryway until Jewell & Bonesteele were ready to join in.

Bonesteele helping himself to some of Miss E's candy.

My cake disaster - the icing hardened into a rock so we had to hack at it to access the cake underneath.

Kirk & Brittney joined us for Easter dinner. Kirk is a good sport and kept Miss E quite entertained.

Playtime!

2010-05-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tulip Farm

2010-05-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

Mr N took the kids to the Tulip Farm. I didn't go because my allergies are pretty bad this year. We didn't know it, but Miss E was getting sick. You can really tell in the photos; she looks miserable, poor thing!

Bonesteele felt great though!

Mr N managed to coax a smile from Miss E.

(Poor baby.)

"Stop telling me to smile, Daddy!"

Mr N says Bonesteele went up to this thing and looked out of it for five minutes. Which in two-year-old time is approximately three years.

Playing at the Beach

2010-05-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

While I went shopping at the outlets with Grandma, Mr N headed to the beach with the kids and Grandpa. Looks like they had fun!

Oregon Coast Aquarium

2010-05-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason, we didn't take any pictures throughout most of the aquarium, just at the very end, at Passages of the Deep (which is in fact the coolest part). You walk through tunnels that are surrounded by water and fish and sharks! Even the floor has see-through sections.

At first Bonesteele would not even step on the see-through floor sections, but then he got into it and laid right down for a better view.

Watch out Grandma! There are two sharks right behind your head!

Also in this shot are C, Emma & Mya.

Hatfield Marine Center

2010-05-13T16:20:00.001-07:00

The Hatfield Marine Center is full of cool things to see and do. Above is a tidepool full of anemones that you can touch.

We went with Mr N's brother J & his wife C and their kids Molly Emma & Mya.

"Not...quite...tall...enough!"

From L to R: Molly, Emma, Mya, Miss E, Bonesteele.

Playing hide-and-seek.

Bonesteele can say all the most important words, like "turtle."

Snippets by E

2010-05-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Mrs N is reading a story to Miss E.

Miss E: There's coloring in this book.

Mrs N: Someone must have colored in it.

Miss E: That would be me.

* * *

Miss E jumps on Mr N's stomach.

Miss E: Hey Daddy, I don't wanna work, I just wanna bang on a drum all day! (beats on Mr N's stomach) It's your song, dad!

Bonesteele joins in banging on the drum all day and the children laugh delightedly.

* * *

(Out of nowhere) Miss E: Don't tell me, I'm a crackin' egg!

* * *

Miss E: What would we do without all the baby clonk-clonks?

(No idea what a baby clonk-clonk is.)

* * *

Miss E is upset because she had getting read to taken away as a consequence of naughty behavior. Mr N is getting her ready for bed.

Mr N: You're a good girl, Miss E.

Miss E: No I'm not.

Mr N: Yes, you are.

Miss E: I used to be, but that was ages ago.

Mr N: You're a good girl right now.

Miss E: I will be, once I'm not angry anymore.

Anatomy of a Hug

2010-03-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

A really exuberant, enthusiastic hug.

Achoo!

2010-01-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Saying Hi

2010-01-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

This one's a bit old, but it gives you a feel for Bonesteele's grunting.

Miss E Playing with Uncle Travis

2009-12-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

Bonesteele Is Not That Into Presents

2009-12-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

New Words!

2009-12-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

Bonesteele celebrated Christmas by adding lots of new words to his vocabulary. Before our Christmas trip he could say: mama, dada, car, duck, ow, and uh-oh. Now he's added:

sock
night-night
no
hi

and my favorite

I love you

Can I just tell you how gushy it makes me that his first sentence was "I love you"?!

Christmas Pics

2009-12-31T08:29:00.001-08:00

Sorry there are only a few. Mr N mostly took video, which I will try to upload soon.

Here's our adorable little niece, who will be 1 next month!

The little ones were naturally most interested in each other's toys. Here is Bonesteele playing with his cousin's Mega Blocks set. Even though he got his own Mega Blocks set.

Fun in the Snow

2009-12-31T08:09:00.000-08:00

We went to eastern Oregon to spend Christmas with Mr N's family. On Christmas Eve, Mr N and Miss E went up into the mountains to go sledding with some of the family. They had a great time!

Miss E is the little one in the pink snow gear on the right. :D

Bonesteele Eats With Gusto

2009-12-31T07:54:00.001-08:00

Oh, and I cut off his mullet.

Miss E Knows How to Dress for Success

2009-12-31T07:50:00.001-08:00

Bonesteele and Daddy

2009-12-31T07:43:00.001-08:00

Or, Bonesteele Loves His Binky.

Miss E in Her Christmas Dress

2009-12-30T23:02:00.001-08:00

To Mr N's dismay, Miss E was not interested in posing seriously.

A Day at the Ocean

2009-12-30T22:29:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we headed over to the coast for a day of sand castles and delicious food. Amazingly, there was no wind and it wasn't too chilly. We had a great time. We decided winter is the best time to visit the coast because the beach was practically deserted.

Miss E pretends she is having an awful time. Look at that impressive frown!

Christmas Conversation

2009-12-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

Mr N: Who's excited for Christmas? Mom?

Mrs N: I am.

Mr N: I'm excited for Miss E for Christmas.

Miss E: Daddy! I'm not a present!

Recent Pics

2009-12-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Miss E models her Halloween daywear. Please note she even sports Halloween socks.

Bonesteele feels very proud of himself for climbing into the rocking chair unassisted and Miss E tries on "coy."

Mr N chopping a tree for firewood in eastern Oregon. Looking good!

This boy is impossibly cute.

Contrary to appearances, Miss E is not standing on Bonesteele's head. The futon is deep. Ha ha

Speaking of Which...

2009-12-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Bonesteele has himself four words:

Uh-oh
Ow
Mama
Dada

Clever boy that he is, he learned mama & dada on the same day, so everyone felt equally adored.

* * *

Miss E has some unique pronunciations I think you might find amusing:

I'm so decided!
mabana
neslick

Can you tell what she is saying?

I'm so excited, banana, and necklace.

How to Rid Yourself of Halloween Candy In Three Easy Steps

2009-11-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

1. Get a large box and pour all your leftover Halloween candy inside.
2. Make a sign reading "Leftover Halloween candy - Help yourself" and tape to outside of box.
3. Put box on the sidewalk in front of your house.

That's it! Within 24 hours, the entire box will be gone. No messy cleanup.

A Typical Day

2009-10-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

6:30 - My alarm goes off. I hit snooze.

6:35 - I wake up (sorta) and read scriptures for as long as I can keep my eyes open.*

6:45 - Mr N leaves for work. Thanks baby!

6:50 - I try to get a few more minutes of sleep in.

7:00 - Bonesteele wakes up, here follows a flurry of diaper changing, panty put on-ing, and usually at least one bed that needs to be changed. My kids sleep for 13 hours, I'd like to see you go that long without leaking through your diaper/Pull-Up!

7:05 - Miss E asks to watch Sleeping Beauty, if she can have milk, if she can eat Cheerios dry in a bowl while watching Sleeping Beauty, where we are going today, if she can wear all ten of her Halloween rings to the store, and can she have her milk in a princess sippy cup. This intense level of communication continues unabated all day.

7:15 - Bonesteele attacks my back with his signature "Hug Mama From Behind While She's Crouching." The first few back hugs really caught me off guard!

8:30 - Kids have eaten and are settled down with Dinosaur Train or Super Why or Insert Your Favorite PBS Show Here. (Recently though it's been All Sleeping Beauty, All the Time.) I hate soggy cereal, so I just don't even try to eat until the kids are done.

9:00 - I think about getting dressed. Decide to do the crossword instead.

9:30 - If it's sunny, I go on a long walk. I have a route, 2.75 miles. It takes me right past the movie store and bank, so it's multitasking.

If it's not sunny, I make up an errand or go to the library. I say make up an errand because the kids get rawther bored if we stay home all day. And yes, Miss E wears all ten of her Halloween rings (skulls & bats, thanks dollar store!) to the grocery store. Bonesteele brings a small jar of PowerBait. I cannot explain his attachment to small jars of PowerBait, but he really truly loves them.

11:00 - Wish I had gotten dressed earlier, and therefore out of the house earlier, and therefore wasn't still out when Bonesteele is STARVING for lunch because oh my gosh the boy cannot handle discomfort. Even if he is watching you make food, he will fuss for it.

11:15 - Arrive home and start lunch.

11:17 - Realize Bonesteele left the PowerBait in the special car-shaped shopping cart. Realize that Mr N is not going to be thrilled that I left his $5 jar of stinky fish bait at the store.

12:00 - Bonesteele goes down for his nap.

12:15 - Miss E dawdles her way through naptime routine.

Blissful, blissful coinciding naptimes.

2:00 - Bonesteele wakes up. Discover that Miss E pooped in her Pull-Up and therefore did not nap at all, but rather played so quietly I just thought she was asleep. (I've told her many times to just let me know when she poops, but I guess I shall tell her many times more.)

2:30 - Watch beaming as children play nicely together.

2:33 - Tell Miss E to stop choking Bonesteele with the tape measure.

2:37 - Tell Miss E to stop stealing Bonesteele's toys.

2:39 - Put Bonesteele in time-out for hitting.

2:45 - Put Miss E in time-out for hitting.

2:50 - Take advantage of kids temporarily playing nicely again by reading novel.

3:00 - Watch kid videos on laptop with kids draped on me.

3:20 - Try to fix keyboard settings which Bonesteele managed to change when I wasn't looking. How does he always randomly hit the shortcut keys??????????????????

4:00 - Start dinner prep.

5:00 - Eat dinner. Remain calm as Miss E tells me she doesn't like soup (it's chicken pot pie). Watch in wonder as Miss E actually eats dinner. Pretend I don't notice that Bonesteele is carefully scooping his dinner into the cup holder on his tray and not eating a bit.

5:10 - Daddy gets home. Greet him at door with kiss.

5:20 - Get Bonesteele ready for bed. Have I told you how much I love that my son goes to bed at 5:30?

5:31 - Inform Mr N that overpriced PowerBait was sacrificed to the grocery store gods. Inexplicably, Mr N does not find this amusing.

6:10 - Miss E has meltdown and I remember she missed her nap. Mr N and I put her to bed twenty minutes early.

It was a good day.

*God had to pretty much hit me over the head with the whole "scripture reading" thing. I really need it to make it through the day successfully. I have to wake up and read before my kids wake up, otherwise it just doesn't happen. I have been a much happier, calmer person since I started doing this. It's amazing.

Uncle Patroclus & Aunt C's Visit

2009-09-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Pics

2009-09-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

He looks like a little boy in this picture, instead of a baby. And yay for drool!

Miss E buried under clothes and blankets. For unknown reasons, she calls this "making a skeleton."

Miss E here makes me a skeleton.

Mr N scored this backpack at a garage sale for 25 cents! He is always finding great stuff at garage sales. Whenever I go, I find horrifying junk. What gives?

Update on the Kids (Photos Later)

2009-08-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Miss E is now an old hand at using the potty. She has graduated to the actual toilet, with a padded kids seat on top. #2 is a snap for her (often heard from Miss E: "That was a loud plop!"). I rented a Charlie & Lola dvd for her and now she is constantly telling me, "I am far too extremely busy," which sounds quite amusing coming from her little mouth. She doesn't tell me that when I want her to do anything, just randomly throughout the day, as an update to me on how she is doing.

The neighbors' cat ran in our house and made itself at home for hours today, to Miss E's delight. (Bonesteele just wanted to get into the bowl of tuna I set out for the cat.) She played with it, and pet it, and decided its name is Cutie Pie. It wouldn't answer to that name, though...

Bonesteele continues to walk around on his knees. If we hold his hand, he walks (sometimes). We keep catching him secretly walking around on his feet. Not sure what he's waiting for... He is quite effective at communicating his desires now, with the "grunt and point" system. It got him a stuffed animal from Mr N's coworkers yesterday! (A creepy blue goat with little yellow horns) Mr N has been rendered completely unable to eat candy in front of the children without Bonesteele starting up his emphatic grunts and pointing.

The big news is...the kids have discovered fighting! I knew it was only a matter of time before Bonesteele realized he is nearly as big as his sister. And he has. He grabs her clothes to try to make her move. He grabs her toys. Luckily hitting is not yet involved, though I know it will start up any day. Miss E & Bonesteele get in fights-to-the-death over coveted toys. There is something hypnotically funny about watching them both scream bloody murder as they wrestle for possession of the sparkley baton.

It's Potty Time

2009-07-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, we took the plunge here at Casa N. Miss E has been successfully using the potty for about 2 1/2 weeks now. I bought her some princess panties which were quite inspiring to her. From the very first day she has only had a few accidents. At first she wore a pull-up for naps and outings, and of course to bed, but now she just wears them at night! (For longer outings, we just bring the potty in the back of the car.) (And oh yes, emptying that sucker is a real joy!) I am delighted with her progress, and that she is going so well. She was really ready, *I* was the one who had to get ready, I guess. ha ha

She is having a bit of trouble going #2 in the potty. At first she would wait until naptime so she could just go in a pull-up, but now that she wears panties even at naptime, there has been some anxiety on her part. And some poop in the panties. But Mr N told her every time she goes poop in the potty he will give her some candy. I'm fine with that, because it seems to be working!

We are so proud of Miss E! She loves to decide which princess panties she will wear each day. (Each evening she protests when I tell her to put her panties in the dirty clothes. "But they're dry!" she says. I don't know quite how to articulate in 3-year-old terms the concept of daily underwear changes...)

"Mom! You Should Take a Picture of Me!"

2009-07-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

When your child announces that, you don't hesitate. Goofiness captured forever:

...while Bonesteele watches delightedly...

You Can't Expect a Girl to Ride a Pony Bareback

2009-07-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

What a Helper!

2009-07-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Miss E helped Bonesteele get some breakfast.

Which Bonesteele scooped up with a spatula. (He looooves that thing.)

Summer Fun

2009-07-05T22:06:00.000-07:00