December, Abridged

I've really been slacking on the blog.  I blame the start of the school year because, well, that's how it is when you're a teacher.  I've been neglecting it so much so that I don't remember enough to even write very much.  So here is December in a nutshell.  Looking back, it was a pretty amazing December.  I love getting to relive the magic of the Christmas season through the eyes of my boys.  This is such a fun age, and I hope I remember it fondly forever.  Because years from now I will miss the days when the bottom half of our Christmas tree was either empty or in complete disarray (due to Owen and Logan taking off the ornaments and playing with them like they are toys until they are broken; 24 ornaments on the one day I counted).

Random Christmas quotes from Owen:
-While listening to Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer: "I think this song is sad because I love my grandma."
-"When Santa watches us when it's not Christmas, does he watch us like on a TV?"

Christmas pictures with Santa- Logan was too scared to sit by himself

Cuddly reading time with Dad in matching pjs

We were looking at our Christmas DVDs and thinking about which one to watch later that evening, when Logan saw the Home Alone DVD and did this.

Christmas lights at Deacon Dave's

I love "our Iron Horse Trail" (as Owen calls it) in the winter- cold, crisp, and sunny

Just a normal, everyday walk for my goofy Owen.  He picked out the outfit himself and decided to bring along his new trumpet, a gift from Robin & Matt.

Giant mudslides on the bike path near our house, the result of rains so heavy that- gasp- they had to close our schools for a day.  You can see the mud wrapped around the tree and spilling into the gutter.  There is an enormous hillside above, outside the frame, and I think that one of these days the whole thing is going to slide right down.

I don't remember why Logan was wearing sunglasses in the house, but he looks like a cool dude.

Christmas card art by Owen: Santa with little snowballs and one giant snowball

Christmas card art by Owen: a snowman with snow falling down

Christmas card art by Owen: a deer in a forest with clouds.  "Not a reindeer, just a deer."

Christmas Morning

Last Christmas I tried this idea I read about, recording Christmas morning in a series of photos and putting them into a YouTube slideshow.  While I doubt this would be of any interest to anyone but myself and my immediate family, it is still fun to look back at last year's video, so I did it again this year.

P.S.  Owen picked the crappy, uh, I mean lovely music.

First Haircut

My dad recently told us the story of his first haircut: He was at the beach when a woman came up to my grandpa and told him what a fine looking little girl he had.  My dad's longish curly hair and lack of boyish swimsuit (just a diaper I think?) led the woman to the wrong conclusion.  First thing my grandpa did when they got home was grab the scissors and cut my dad's hair.

Well I wasn't concerned about anyone mistaking Logan for a girl or anything, but it was obvious that Logan's hair was getting pretty long.  At 20 months old, he had never had a haircut.  His hair was such a part of HIM, however, and I couldn't bring myself to cut it.  He had the cutest little ringlets that would form, especially right after his bath, and people would always comment that he looked so blonde compared to Jeremy and me.  Logan's hair was just a little wild and crazy, kind of like Logan.  And most of all, I was afraid that it would transform him into looking like a little boy, and not like my baby anymore.

I knew it was time for his first haircut when his hair started getting in his eyes and he would awkwardly try to blink it away.  Or when he said, "Hair! Messy!" and tried to sweep it off his face.  Yes, it was time. *sigh*

I took Logan to a kids' hair salon because I was so nervous about how it would turn out.  He loved getting to sit in the special chair that looked like a bike, and he was the perfect client.  And while I do miss his long, curly hair, I am in love with his short hair.  Now I can see his bright, smiley face because it's not hidden behind a mop of hair.  I know I'm partial, but damn, what a cutie-patootie!

BEFORE

AFTER

Ho ho ho!

Finally, something that was NOT a Pinterest fail- our Christmas card photo.

Rain Boots

Rain boots make all the difference.  They turn a stuck-inside, rainy day into a play-outside-in-the-puddles day.  Our trip to rainy Oregon prompted me to replace Owen's 2-year-old boots with some new ones.  (With the drought, there hasn't been much use for rain boots in California lately.)

Costumes Part 2

I read a lot of griping online about how people only post the perfect pictures of their perfect families and their perfect lives how it isn't really real.  When I posted a picture of Owen and Logan in their Halloween costumes, I laughed to myself, thinking of how the photo shoot really went.

This is the good one, the one where they are both content and cooperative.

And the rest show what it took to get there.

At the end, we finished with a hug.  Which, if I'm being honest, I told them to do.

Costumes Part 1

We get a lot of use out of Halloween costumes around here, so I don't feel bad about spending money on them anymore.  This is the boys playing outside before trick-or-treating.

Oregon

We finally made the trip to Hood River to visit Robin and Matt.  How long have they lived there? I don't even know for sure, but it's been several years, and we've always had excuses NOT to go.  This was a trip of many milestones- the boys' first plane ride, our first big trip as a family to a brand new place and our longest time away from home so far, and then there was my very pregnant sister, which is still an odd sight to see.  The consensus: we loved Oregon, and we can't wait to go back.  And Owen said over and over that he wanted to stay in Oregon and never go back to California.


DAY 1:
At the airport I looked wistfully at one of our many luggage items, a blue carry-on-sized suitcase, remembering that in 2009 (before kids) it was my one and only bag that I took to Europe for a trip that lasted almost three weeks.  Fast-forward to this day, and it was surrounded by five additional suitcases, three backpacks, two carry-on bags, two car seats, and a stroller.  Oh, the joys of traveling with children.  We experienced many pitying looks from fellow travelers, as well as some sympathetic ones with comments like, "Oh, I remember those days..."

The airport, flight, car rental, and drive to Hood River were all surprisingly uneventful- what a relief.  And then we were finally there!

First plane ride all done- a success!

Owen, standing, not walking, on a moving platform at the Portland airport: "I don't want to go fast.  I want to go slow."  Such a stubborn, stubborn fool.

Auntie- uh, I mean Uncle Matt and Logan

Dinner on our own outdoor patio, just a short drive over the bridge to Washington

DAY 2
Robin and Matt hooked us up when it came to our accommodations.  We stayed in our own house, a little condo owned by Matt's dad.  It was awesome to have a little place to call our own, and I didn't have to worry that the boys were making too much noise when they woke up so early in the morning.  Owen LOVED this place, and kept exclaiming about how much he just loved our little apartment.  This is Owen and Logan watching Superhero Squad right after they woke up on our first morning in Oregon.

Look how pleased Logan is, a) because he's proud that he climbed up on the chair by himself, and b) because no one is telling him to get down.

On the agenda for Day 2: the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler Sightseeing Cruise.  I thought the boys would be more excited about this boat, but it turns out they just wanted to go inside and eat snacks.

There is a sign that says you will have your picture taken for "security purposes." I think they take your picture just so you'll buy the commemorative photo.  Because my dad always does.

Snack time!  Now my boys are happy.

This playground was right next to the boat dock, so we had a picnic lunch and the boys played.

After the boat and the park, we visited the Bonneville Fish Hatchery.  WTF is a fish hatchery?  I still don't really know, but apparently it is a tourist attraction.  Like, tour buses go there.  I was pleasantly surprised at the pretty scenery (lots of trees, shade, flowers, and ponds) and the fun things to do.  You can even feed the baby rainbow trout and they practically jump out of the water trying to grab the food.

Rainbow trout babies

Herman the Sturgeon

Eating dinner at restaurants has lost its appeal when it means I have to drag my two impatient children along.  But Hood River apparently appeals to young parents, and when I walked in to this restaurant, Solstice, and saw that we were seated right next to a kids' play area I was immediately relieved.  The kids' area didn't exactly prevent meltdowns from both boys, but it helped postpone them long enough to enjoy my delicious pizza and beer.

Logan and Owen, all dressed up and ready to go out to dinner!

Logan, temporarily occupied by toys

Owen's first Etch-a-Sketch experience: when he would shake it to erase the picture, he'd practically whack me in the face with it. Every. Single. Time.

Auntie Robin and Logan

With the beach right across the street from the restaurant, how could we not go splash in the river after dinner?

My two beach boys

Java-Bean!

Before heading home, I HAD to try this little gelato stand right across from the beach.  The guy behind the counter seemed semi-amused at my ability (or non-ability?) to pronounce his Italian flavors.  A few years ago, when Jeremy and I went to Italy we had gelato every night, and it wasn't until the last night in Cinque Terre that the man scooping my Pistacchio gelato corrected me: "Pis-TOCK-yo, like 'Pinocchio!'"  On this night, I was pleased to order the nocciola (hazelnut) and pronounce it correctly.  In a related story, Logan is beginning to understand the concept of dessert.  We didn't order him any gelato, but he was right there saying, "Please!" to anyone who had a cup and a spoon.

What a little gelato thief

Next time we'll get Logan his own dessert

DAY 3:
Today Logan learned a new word: buh-payne (airplane).  And how could he NOT learn that word, with all the planes we saw at the WAAAM Air and Auto Museum?

This was Logan all day: "Buh-payne! Buh-payne!"

Owen: "If I could have any plane, I'd want THAT one." Out of all the planes, life-sized and all, he chose this little tiny red one.

This was the kids' area, where they had things the boys could actually touch and play on.  Logan played on EVERYTHING.  Owen was being Mr. Mopey McNeeds-a-nap, and wasn't that excited about it.

That may look like a halo over Logan's head, but don't be fooled-- this kid is no angel

We have a train set just like this at home, but this one had airplanes and an airport, too.

Once a month they bring out all the old planes and cars and run them around outside, and this was the day!  Owen got to ride in an old car with Jeremy and Grandpa.

DAY 4
The Oregon Zoo started out as the Zoo-with-No-Animals; maybe they were hiding from the heat, which reached over 100 degrees that day.  But as the day went on we got to check out a lot of animals we don't have at our own zoo-- cheetahs, rhinoceroses, hippos, and polar bears, to name a few.

We keep commenting on how much Owen has grown lately, but put him up next to a life-size black bear and grizzly bear, and he still just looks like a little pipsqueak.

 Owen got to feed nectar to the lorikeets.

All we hear all day [imagine the whiniest voice possible]: "I'm huuuuungry," and "I want a snaaaaaack."  Then it's finally lunchtime and they can eat all they want...and they just want to play on this.

Owen now claims to be a "golf professional."  Thanks Uncle Matt for taking him out golfing while we waited for our dinner at the restaurant overlooking the golf course.

DAY 5
With the past few days so full of activities, we wanted to just take it easy.  Plus, it reached 106 degrees.  There's not that much you want to do when it's that hot.

Oooohhhhh, this picture is sooooo creepy.   What is that little blonde boy doing in the corner?  Owen insisted on this outfit today.  It "matched."  I guess I can see his point- both the shirt and the shorts are blue and green plaid.  My fashion lecture that day on matching something patterned with something plain didn't exactly sink in, and I finally decided that if I were to pick my battles, this one didn't matter.  And the red and yellow socks are his Flash socks (like the superhero, The Flash), which he chose so he could run really really fast.

A puzzle!  There are few activities that are so satisfying when on a family vacation.

DAY 6, aka Don't-Mess-with-Diana Day:
I don't have any photos of the last day of the trip, because I absolutely HATE the last day of any trip.  It is pretty much a guarantee that I will be in a bad mood, and chances are there will probably be some tears.  Why?  So much packing and exhaustion, and I just want to go home.  This trip was no different.  So instead of dwelling on this, I leave you with this last image of Hood River, one of my favorite photos from the trip, and one captured simply on my iPhone...