Disovery Meadows Park

We took the boys to Discovery Meadows Park in McMinnville this morning.

We tried the same trip just after Sullivan was born and ended up, after driving 40 minutes to get there, leaving after less than ten minutes of play time. Why? Keaton threw the biggest fit he has ever thrown! Should have known, since I think Sully was three weeks old, that everything would be too much for Keats.

So....attempt #2 to play at the coolest park on the planet. Right after we stepped out of the car, Keaton started obsessing on wanting to change to swim trunks so he could play in the water fountain. No big deal it would seem but it was this incessant canIcanIcanIcanI that drove Mike & I nuts immediately. Mike looked at me and said they should rename the park "Devil's Playground"; he may be right.

I headed to the car to get the swim trunks and when I return Mike is desperately trying to put shoes on a determined-to-be-shoeless Sullivan. I learned that in the two minutes it took me to go to the car Sullivan A) was hit in the left eye by a very fast-spinning toy and B) Sullivan got a HUGE piece of wood stuck into the bottom of his foot since he was shoeless.

*sigh*

So Mike puts Sully in a swing and I tend to the bloody foot, amidst Sullivan screaming bloody murder. He didn't exactly allow me to fix his foot & put on his Crocs but I did manage to get 'er done. ;o) By the end, Sully was smiling and ran towards the water fountain.

We finally got both boys in their trunks and they decided to have a fun time. Yay!

The slides are amazing...they are covered like a water slide and they do one-to-three complete turnarounds each. Sullivan and I went down one of them about ten times in very quick succession, with both of us laughing all-the-while.

Keaton had fun playing with the sand-scoopers. There is a huge sand hill that is made of something like ground-up shoe soles and covered by sand...makes it very tricky to climb. Keaton was so frustrated climbing that mountain, yelling about how much he hates it, that we had to tell him that this particular mountain was off-limits. He did end up getting to the top, almost completely by himself, but he was still too frustrated by the slippery aspect.

Sully loved the slides most but he also made sure to closely inspect every other little piece of play equipment, of which this park has many. There are cups that spin, various things that twirl in one way or another, mini-teeter-totters, trains, great water feature...just anything you can imagine.

I'm glad the play time ended with everyone relatively happy. This way we get to say "Hey, let's go to that really cool park in McMinnville today" rather than "We HATE the Devil's Playgound!!!" Lol.

Barack My World

Politics and little kids just don't mix.

Last night Mike and I were desperately trying to listen to Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

The problem? It was aired during what is typically "Transformer Time" in the Moore household. After Sully goes to bed, Mike and Keats watch an episode of Transformers. So while Keats was ready to listen to the Decepticons' latest ploy to take over the World and how Optimus Prime and Bumblebee (Keaton's newest hero) would foil the evil plan, Mike and I were trying to listen to the musings of our newest hero.

Alas, it was not to be. ('bee? lol)

Keaton was crying out "My show!" and Mike and I were trying to explain that it was time for our own show....asking him to please be quiet and wait five minutes. Keaton just got louder, yelling "MY SHOW! MY SHOW!" which, of course, just made his parents mad. He was told that if he said one more word he would go up to his room for the rest of the night.

And then, you might ask since you're so very intrigued by where the heck this conversation is going, what happened?

Baby Brother happened, that's what. Sully decides to use this most inopportune time to start yelling "MY SHOW!" Which, naturally, made his parents proud (he'd never said it before) and we were giddy with how cute it sounded...."show" was closer to "sew" which made it that much cuter...

...until we realized that this was one of those moments where we were getting mad at Keats for saying something and then thinking the very same statement was cute when Sully said it. So we dimmed our enthusiasm and told Sully "No!" and "Quiet!" just like we'd said to Keats.

Why would anyone ever think that parenting is easy? Or that the rules are black & white and that your perfectly-behaved children would always be able to understand "Oh, I see, it's cute when he says it because he's learning to talk."

(---Insert sarcastic snort here---)

So...we finally get both boys quiet just in time to hear the things we didn't want to hear: quotes from scripture and the blessings to us as individuals and to our country in general. Blah. And, worse, it was followed by country music. Lol. I realize these things must all be covered so that every potential voter hears something that makes them connect with the Presidential Hopeful but I don't respect it just the same.

But I do respect Barack Obama and I just happen to LOVE Joe Biden so I will turn a deaf ear to the parts of their speeches, of their lives, that I don't agree with and will simply hope that these are the two men who will lead us far from where we are today.

Oh, and if they could explain to Keats that one day he will be proud to hear that when he was four he watched Barack Obama on TV, that would be swell.

Because unless the pundits dress up in Optimus Prime and Bumblebee costumes, Keaton simply wants nothing to do with politics.

Charlie, Part Deux

I delivered Charlie to his new home today. The place is, no exaggeration, in the middle of nowhere. Drive towards Silver Creek Falls, turn onto an unmarked, unnamed gravel road, drive past more unmarked roads, past logging trucks...and eventually you will turn onto, what else, an unmarked gravel road. And then all-the-sudden you turn into a driveway and there you are. Charlie's new home.

I'm very grateful that his new mommy agreed to meet me at a local market so I could follow her home!

I met all Charlie's new friends: two pygmie goats (very, very cute, by the way), a beautiful brown horse named Katie, two of the oldest dogs I have ever seen in my life, and chickens. Lots of chickens. Don't kid yourself: of course chasing chickens was the first thing Charlie did! His new mom said that's okay, he'll learn to be unimpressed by the local critters soon enough. ;o)

In the words of my sis, "true that, homechicken." Lol.

I still feel really guilty about bouncing Charlie around but mostly it is just strange to be home and not wonder what item Charlie might be eating out back right now...pool, truck, ball, hose, sprinkler (he ate two sprinklers this summer!), stepping stones...his standards were low.

So we'll remove evidence of Charlie (he shredded one of Sullivan's books on the deck yesterday) and we'll consider ourselves at least slightly wiser in our knowledge that we gained while Charlie lived with us. We know we should stick to cats, that stepping stones are NOT indestructible as you may believe, and that sometimes the best thing to do is admit that things need to change...and then move forward with that change, accept it, and try not to repeat the very same mistake later on.

Charlie

So I just found Charlie an excellent new home. His new pad is a 7-acre farm out in Silverton, above the Falls. His new mom has an organic grocery store in Lake Oswego and has many "babies" on her farm. Charlie will join another dog (and a neighbors dog who thinks he lives there) and other animals such as goats. He will be the happiest dog on the planet.

I am really happy for him...but it is sad to pack up his stuff. He went outside with me while I gathered his toys and he was like "hey lady, why you takin' my stuff inside? Let's play catch!" (or, more correctly, let's play you-throw-the-ball-and-I-don't-exactly-bring-it-back-to-you. Lol) So I'm packing up his stuff and I just wish it could have been different.

For Charlie, though, he's making out like a bandit here. He had five months of us and now he gets to spend his eternity on a farm with other critters! I will have to think about it that way, that this is the best thing for Charlie.

(But I will secretly hope his new mommy will send me pictures and updates!)

Cheers, Charlie. May the fields be vast and the four-legged-friends many in your new life.

Christmas in August??

At dinner tonight, Keaton was reminiscing about the gingerbread house that we built last year.

He remembered all the yummy candies, of course, but he couldn't remember how we furnished the gingerbread house for the Gingerbread Man who lived there.

"Did he have a bedroom? With bunkbeds?"

"Did we give him a bathroom?"

"Where did he keep his clothes?"

After deep consideration, Keaton decided to make a few changes to the gingerbread house we build this Christmas.

1) We will put a phone on the front porch so that the Gingerbread Man can call his friends.

2) We will put sunscreen in the bathroom so the Gingerbread Man can protect himself before going out to play in the sun.

(We can only assume that he'll be outside playing with all the friends he calls from his porch-phone. Lol.)

??

Mike just loaded up the boys, Sully in the backpack and Keaton in BOB, and they headed out for a walk to give Mama time alone.

So why, oh why, am I on the 'puter?? Don't I have a gazillion things I could be doing without the interruption of the guys around?

;o)

OMSI

Today I took Keaton to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) up in Portland. He has this idea that Portland is a whole new State and so he was thrilled to hear we were headed up north. Sully went to Melina's for the day and Mike stayed home working.

There's a new toddler/preschooler room at OMSI that is wonderful. I cannot wait to take Sully to play this fall.

Keaton played with a water feature, a wonderful sandbox that is not just sand, it had sparkly sand!

The museum has rotations of a "main event" of sorts. Right now the theme was dinosaurs. There were some mechanical dinos that looked completely real.

Keaton was actually convinced that they were absolutely real. He didn't believe me in the slightest that there were machines inside each of the dinosaurs. You will notice that there are no pics of him smiling in front of the dinos; this is because he was afraid to turn his back on them. Thought they'd attack him. Lol.

He was also fascinated with a visual of how the ear works. Here's a pic of him watching sound waves make the malleus, incus, and stapes (Oh my!) of the ear vibrate. Maybe he really will be a doctor when he grows up? ;o)

He also loved the silly mirror. He kept going back to it and would just stare in amazement and then go around to the back of the mirror to check to see if anything was there, then back to gaze at his funky reflection. Funny guy!

Enchanted Forest Trip

Last Saturday we took Keats to the Enchanted Forest. It's about twenty minutes from our home and is a blast for little kids. If you've never been, I highly recommend checking it out. Keaton was the perfect age for everything.

He loved the scary stuff. The witch's mouth (a slide) was a big hit. Even Mike was scared to go inside there!

This slide pic shows Keaton coming down the old shoe slide. Daddy went with him for that one.

He drove a boat in the water.

He rode the Frog Hopper ride. This one he definitely had to do alone because Mike and I both would have been sick. This is a ride that takes you way up in the air and then drops you down fast. Keaton loved it!

And here he is, smiling after hugging some sort of woodland creature. A squirrel? I don't know but it made Keaton giddy with excitement.

More Mush

My entire life lately seems to be centered around the indoor playpark.

I'm not really complaining, not really, but it would be nice to have a more varied existence. Lol.

I was begging Keats to let me take his picture (with my phone which is the excuse for the poor quality). Begging & pleading and he finally gave me this silly expression. I took the opportunity and caught this crazy pic.

And a picture of Sully going down a slide. There's not a chance this kid is going to stand still and say "cheese" for a photo. He will almost always say cheese, it's just that he's running off while saying it! I even had a difficult time getting his body in the frame before he ran off. Busy boy!

In "Mike News" he got a bonus from work and I encouraged him to go buy the new iPod Nano with the video capability. He finally relented and we bought it last night. I'm glad because he works really, really hard and since he doesn't need much, it is hard to know how to let him know that we all appreciate it.

Even Keaton today acknowledged that it was due to Daddy working that we were able to order him a Bumblebee Transformer Halloween costume today.

:o)

Oh yes, and while I'm rambling, today I took Keats & Sully to lunch after the indoor park. Keaton started throwing a bit of a fit because he didn't want to eat but would rather play with the toy that came with his meal. It could have been a really bad scene but I reminded him that he was in control of his attitude...and that very attitude could get his new costume taken away. He thought about it for two seconds and then just smiled at me and started eating. When we got home he said "Mom, I love changing my attitude!" and "I'm the only one that can change my attitude."

Such a little mimic but I love to hear him say that stuff!

No Wonder My Brain is Mush

First thing this morning Keaton is insisting that Sully apologize to him for things that happened in his (Keaton's) dream. Apparently, in dreamland, Sully took off with one of Keaton's frog babies and spit some bread on top of a movie. So Keats feels he has an apology coming. ;o)

Then he goes on to query Sully as to just how the heck he got into Keaton's dream, anyway, and then asked him to kindly stay in his own dreams from now on.

Then the following two statements from Keats:

"Mom, which side of my butt has a skeleton on it?"

"Mom! Guess what kind of ice cream elves like? VANILLA!!"

*sigh*

Plea

My friend, Michelle, has been battling breast cancer for nearly two years. Recently she found out that it has spread to her lungs, liver, and brain. She will have to be on chemo for the remainder of her life. If you click on this image you will find info on how to contribute to an account that Michelle's husband has set up in her name. They have a huge co-payment coming up just after Christmas. Michelle has had to go on permanent disability due to her diagnosis/treatment and so money is tight. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Daddy-O

One of the perks of having your daddy work from home is that, while he waits for his lunch to heat up in the microwave, he can play a game of Chutes & Ladders with you. :o)

Gah. Rain. Again.

Keaton is home from school this month so that we can go do things. Like outside things. The zoo, a neato park in McMinnville...just outdoor stuff. And it is raining...for three days now. We've gotten to know the indoor playpark really well this week, that's for sure!

A very funny thing about Keats is that he absolutely must be wearing the same kind of clothes as his daddy, though sometimes it's Sully or Grandpa that he copies. If Daddy wears long sleeves & shorts, Keaton wears long sleeves & shorts. Wearing socks? With sandals? Okay...so will Keats. ;o)

Today Keaton's pants were falling off his skinny little bottom while he was playing. I asked him if he'd wear a belt if I bought him one...to which he asked "A belt just like Daddy's?" So we look online for easy-for-kids-to-operate belts and find a great site (myselfbelts.com). There were belts with airplanes, trains, dinosaurs, construction equipment...something to please every little boy. Which did Keaton choose? Plain brown. Plain old brown, just like Daddy's belt. Lol.

Yesterday Keaton was wearing a polo shirt. He was excited that this was the kind of shirt his daddy and grandpa wear. He asked me to button up his shirt with the instructions "only button one button because that's how Grandpa wears it."

He's such a goofball. So independent and always telling us "I can do it myself!" yet he has this dependence on fitting-in or matching everyone. Silly boy.

Sullivan, on the other hand, spends much of his day removing his clothing. I put him in tiny little Elmo underwear this morning and pulled the little potty out into the living room. I pointed to it and said "Sully pee-pee" and he walked over and sat on the potty. He didn't pull down his underwear...but he didn't pee either. He just sat there for a few minutes. He wore his underwear for about an hour and a half without an accident; I only took them off so we could leave the house. I am going to start doing this every morning. I refuse to push the potty-training issue with Sully, since it backfired with Keats, but I am going to make it a part of our morning routine. Wish me luck...wish me diaper-free luck!!

It's a blustery day, Pooh

Thundering like mad, rain going drip-drop. No wonder I woke up at 5 and haven't gone back to sleep.

Instead, I balanced my checkbook. The only quiet activity I could think of doing while the rest of the house sleeps.

Actually, my sweet husband bought me Starbucks a while ago. He knows the way to my heart, huh? Coffee!!

I'm taking Charlie to meet up with some people tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain so they can see how pretty & soft his fur is.

Did I mention I'm trying to find a new home for Charlie? Yeah. I love him but he's just not living the life he deserves around here. I think he should go somewhere with property & other dogs to play with. He's a very social, active boy. So tomorrow the people we'll meet have an acre or something like that...and another dog that wants a friend. Cross your fingers for us!

Today I was going to take Keats to OMSI or the aviation museum but the rain makes it seem like a cozy-stay-at-home day. We haven't had one of those in a long while.

The boys are still asleep and it is 8 a.m. Gotta love these dark, cool mornings!!

Shaving Cream

My friend Sarah gave me the idea to let the boys play with shaving cream while they are in the bathtub. They had SO much fun!! Both of them kept asking me to spray it right onto their hands, then they'd rub it into their bellies and laugh. Sully tasted it. Twice. ;o)

I highly recommend this activity to anyone with little kids. They used it to wash their bodies & hair...and the bathtub got cleaned in the process!

The Unhike

This morning we set off for a hike. We left at about 9 am and headed to a river about 40 minutes away. Sully was grumpy during the ride but we all survived. The last 3 miles was on a washboard-bumpy gravel road. This really annoyed Sully & Keaton asked about every three minutes "are we at the hike yet?"


We finally arrive and start getting the boys out of the car...and we hear GUN SHOTS!! From very nearby. Like handguns...people were probably out target shooting...but we just got the heck out of there. The boys were really happy about that, as you can imagine.


We found a cute park in Falls City. Old equipment but in a really pretty area. We let the boys (and us) run around and play for a while.

The park was next to a river and had a footbridge. The view was a nice surprise after such an interesting start to our adventure!

Pool Fun

Some pics of Keats & Sully enjoying the new pool. Sully insisted on wearing the "builder guy" hat and sweeping the pool with a broom. He also refused to keep any clothes on at all...luckily there were no accidents!!

Keaton is showing his "guns" in this pic. He was flexing. Lol.

Thanks Jules!!

Hot Enough For Ya?

Holy smokes it is cookin' out there! I bribed Keats (with a promise of Baskin Robbins...) to let me cut his hair outside. I will be surprised if he doesn't end up with a bit of a sunburn just from that short time outside.

And let us not speak of the stress of getting him to hold still. Now I know why I always pay a professional to do his hair: it is a sucky job. Bleh. He squirmed, scrunched up his shoulders, told me it hurt...yet somehow we ended up with a fairly decent 'do. But I don't ever want to 'do that again. Lol.

My friend, Jules, gave us an inflatable pool today and it has already been thoroughly enjoyed by the Moore Family. The thing is...I cannot let Charlie outside while the pool is in use. He might just eat the pool. He's eaten less appetizing things than pools; yesterday he ate the end of the hose. Really.

Fun at the Beach

I am happy to report that the beach trip

was survived by all. Even the four-year-olds got along for most of the trip! :o)

We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, then to the condo, and then to the beach to play.

Tuesday's weather was typical coast-y weather: overcast, cool...but nothing really happening. It was perfect playing-in-the-sand weather.

Wednesday brought lots of sunshine so we got down to the sand early. The boys had a blast and were able to get sand into every single crevice, fold, orafice, and pocket they had on 'em. Lol.

Keaton had fun chasing the waves...and giving me heart failure! It proved difficult to keep an eye on both boys at the same time. Sully was ready to dive right into the ocean so he needed to be restrained (sat on my shoulders while we played in the water).

Tuesday night we made a S'mores pie that was super yummy! Great dessert for the beach. :o)

Beach

Tomorrow I get to go to the beach with a good friend of mine. I'm so excited! It's going to be me, Ginger, my two boys, and her two girls. This could be very good or very bad. I'm hoping that everyone will just be mellow and enjoy our time at the coast. We're leaving at about 7 am so we can get to the aquarium around opening time. And hopefully we'll be able to get an early check-in at the condo so the little squirts can nap. :o)

Yay beach!!!

Oh yeah...

I forgot to add that in addition to all the faucet-installing and painting, I put up a new towel bar and TP holder in the master bath on Saturday. Coolness. I love when I can do something like that myself.

I'm pretty much anti-pictures of myself but thought this one wasn't completely disgusting and so I'll share it with the world. Though at any moment I may change my mind and remove it...so enjoy it, stare at it, memorize the beauty of my face while you can. Lol. ;o)

Today I took the boys to the indoor park where they proceeded to run around like little wild children and have a very good time indeed. Then I dragged them to Goodwill where they, again, proceeded to act like wild children and have a very good time. :o)

Why, you may ask, do I keep going to Goodwill? I'm looking for picture frames. Cheap, inexpensive picture frames, that is. I have a new craft idea and need many frames & wooden alphabet letters. I plan on selling my creations at craft fairs starting in November. Or perhaps I'll just end up with a gazillion picture frames lying around my house?

Wish me luck that I actually complete these crafts & make gobs of money with my creations!!

Jackie of All Trades?

On Wednesday I installed a new faucet in the kitchen, added one of those soap dispensers that go in the sink, plus I fixed the garbage disposal that had been on the fritz for a few days. Yesterday I painted the little hall near the washer/dryer and started painting the master bathroom. Today I finished painting the master bathroom (same color as the hall) and scrubbed it clean from top to bottom.

I'm going to shower and then sit down for the remainder of the day! :o)

Survivor

I just survived seven hours with four little boys, ages 2, 4, 5, and 7. Seriously. I'm still standing.

Now, kindly point me in the direction of the nearest bar so I may go drink myself silly...

Confessions of a Starbucks Junkie

I love Starbucks. I mean I LOVE Starbucks. Love, love, love them. Good service, good coffee. I find myself defending them to people who are anti-Starbucks.

Soooo....I was at a grocery store the other day and needed coffee. I decided to try coffee by Sisters Roasting Co., located in Sisters, Oregon. I figured I'd "go local" and see how it compared to my 'bucks.

OMG. Good. Yummy. Yum-O. MmmmmmMMmm. Try it! I bought the "Black Butte Gold" and it is delightful. Go. Now. Get some.

GOOOOOooooooOOOOOO Sisters!

...but, please, don't tell 'bucks I'm cheating on them...

Funk n' Wagnalls?

In Keaton's world:

Jumpoline = Trampoline

Hooker = Clothes Hanger

:o)

GoodDeal?

I love Goodwill. Today I bought:

two pairs of sweat pants,
two very nice hooded sweatshirts,
two SUPER nice vests (one of which still had the tags on it),
two fireman hats with visors,
three books,
three picture frames,
a Diego sleeping bag with air mattress,
four stuffed animals,
one fancy box with a butterfly on top (which will be used to wrap a two-year-old girl's birthday present),
a mirror shaped like a round window of a ship (porthole?),
and a pair of Old Navy jeans for Sully...all for $65.

Gotta love that!

Got Milk?

I know that all he is doing is drinking milk but I think its the cutest thing ever. :o)

Maybe he just seems so grown up when he is slurping away at the milk? Or maybe I love that there is less mess to clean up off the table?

Either way, I love it!

Meet Charlie

Charles Barkley, Chewy, Chew-bakka....whatever you want to call him, he's our little (great big) Charlie. Sully calls him "dog-dog" or "No Bark!" ;o) Keaton is usually screaming "No Charlie!" because Keaton's toys are irresistible to this puppy.

Charlie is named after a character in the "Maisy" books & movies. In Maisy, Charlie is a goofball alligator that is always hungry and kind of talks like he's smoked too much wacky-tobacky. ;o)

True to his name-sake, Charlie is a big, loveable goof. He's happiest when he is chewing on something, being particularly partial to stuffed animals. He has a two-animals-a-day chewing habit at this point. Luckily I find these at garage sales & Goodwill for less than a buck apiece. Mommy needs a part-time job just to pay for chew toys. Lol.

I bought some rock stepping-stones from Costco the other day. There are small, smooth rocks stuck to something like a mesh backing. I intended to put them at the base of the deck stairs and fill in the gaps with barkdust. Yeah, Charlie ate them. Like there are seriously rocks missing. I am hoping they are just somewhere in the grass but it is highly possible that they are inside Charlie's belly right now. *sigh*

One day, Charlie is going to be an excellent addition to our family. Right now, we just have to survive puppyhood & all the chaos associated with that. But we do love our puppy boy!