The Great Outdoors

I got the guys outside for a while yesterday. It was beautiful and sunny...which means it was icy cold...but that still doesn't mean I can get Keats to wear a coat. ;o)

Lego Time

We inherited a big box of Legos from Mason and, since they are of the very tiny variety, they pretty much live in the box except for special occasions. Since Keaton's friend, Ty, was coming over today, we had already decided that the Legos would be brought out while Ty was visiting.

Hopefully we'll be able to leave the little Legos out one day soon. I'm not sure if Sullivan would eat any of the little pieces but I know for sure he'd try to stuff them into his ears. That's his new thing. Because he can, you know. ;o) So we're not ready to move beyond the Mega Blocks just yet...so bringing out The Box of Legos is a big deal.

Here are some shots of Keaton and the kittens playing with the spread of Legos. I think the kittens enjoy them as much as do the kids. =^..^=

The Lego Spread

Moose couldn't resist.

The lack of resistance must be genetic because Reuben couldn't resist either.

I only added this one to show off Moose's gorgeous coat.

Same here. Just showing off his shiny coat.

Mike left for Wisconsin on Monday morning. By 9 a.m. Monday, Keaton was already saying, "I miss Daddy too much." Sweet & sad all at the same time! Keaton used his body to explain exactly how far away Daddy is, and exactly how much he misses Daddy. He traced his finger all up and down and around his belly, to his legs, to his arms, and tried to reach to his back. He is beyond adorable sometimes.

I'm getting better at writing down little Keatonisms on Facebook and then I forget to write them down here. Some funny ones of late are that he said someone had already "hatched" the hard-boiled eggs he was given at breakfast one morning. The hotel peeled all the eggs...so Keats was shocked (and annoyed since he really likes to peel them) that the eggs were already hatched. The day we came home the boys were in a bath, trying to remove the remainders of the beach from their bodies. I reminded Keats to wash his whole body. He started telling me every single body part that he was washing and said, "And I can't forget my bottom armpits" as he was washing behind his knees. Lol. The other day, Keaton was full of questions regarding what happens to our bones when we die. He was wondering why he doesn't see dead bodies all over the place, I presume, so he's figured out that something must happen to them. We settled on the idea that our bodies slowly disappear after we die. So, first thing this morning, Keaton informed me that he plans to keep his own bones, in his own body, for a very, very long time. ;o)

I spent two solid hours with the boys at the indoor play park today. I should get a medal for that. The place isn't as fun for the adults...hard to imagine, but true. It is cold and noisy and I have to keep track of both the boys, who tend to run in opposite directions, of course. We were going stir crazy at home though. Tomorrow I have an appointment in the morning and then one of Keaton's good friends is coming over to play with him in the afternoon. So we'll all get at least a little bit of a break from each other. ;o)

I've been trying to compose this entry for over two days. I can't seem to think of anything of interest to say...and I don't have any new pictures that can do the talking for me. And now I'm off to hit the treadmill while Keats is in school and Sully is down for his nap...

...by the way, Sullivan insisted on taking one of the lunch boxes to bed with him for his nap. He always carries one into school when we drop off Keats and lately he's been taking the box to bed with him. Like under-the-covers and everything. How cute is he?

Cannon Beach Trip

We had a fun four days in Cannon Beach. Mike and I have both decided that the trip was definitely fun but was nowhere near relaxing. Mike also decided yesterday that now he can see us leaving the boys overnight. So we can go to the beach by ourselves and actually relax. Novel idea.

Our room was nice but didn't have a separate bedroom. This meant that naptime put a damper on the afternoon. I had to sit in bed with Sully while he napped, then Mike took my place after his walk. Next time we definitely need a separate bedroom. Or kids who are old enough to skip naptime!

Anyway, we were beachfront in a room that was just a basic room, queen bed, sofa bed, fridge/microwave...and it had an awesome jacuzzi tub! Fun stuff. Its amazing how many bubbles you can create with a little bit of baby shampoo and the jets on full-blast. ;o)

So, the bathroom made the lack-of-bedroom worth it.

The hotel itself is just really, really nice. Breakfast is available for a few hours each morning. They call it continental but it is so much more than that. There were scones/cakes/breads/bagels/english muffins, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit, sliced melon, cereal, granola, oatmeal....and on & on. All the coffee you wanted, too. In the afternoon they put a cake server out with something like poundcake or coffee cake or another goodie. And all day long they have cookies and hot coffee available. The boys were in heaven with the cookies, Mike and I put the 24/7 coffee to good use. Now that we're home, I kind of miss having coffee at-the-ready. Our pot turns off after two hours. ;o)

The hotel also has "turn down" service which, while it seemed unnecessary considering that the boys jumped on the bed all day long so it was messy anyway, came with two chocolates per bed so Keaton was waaaaaaay impressed by the turn-down service. The second night I caught the guy before he turned down our beds and told him he needn't bother with the turn-down as long as Keats still got his chocolates. :o)

We had dinner out all three nights and there were no plate-throwing incidents from either of the Moore boys. Whew.

I took the boys to play at the beach for a couple of hours each morning. We played in the little inlet-thingy. That was such a perfect spot since the water was just a couple of inches deep and had plenty of rocks for the boys to play with and throw. It was really nice to have that little area to play in. This way I could take them down to the beach but I could actually relax a little since Sully had a distraction from running directly into the ocean. I think this will be the hotel we stay in from now on, in large part because of that inlet area.

The hotel also had a nice play area for the boys. Lots of books, lincoln logs, tinker toys, mega-blocks, stacking alphabet blocks...all in a nice area that overlooked the lodge entrance and a nice big fire, complete with snapping logs. It was great to take a cup of coffee to the area and let the boys play. There was a funny sign above the play area that read, "All unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy." That sign cracked me up.

It was really nice to get home, though. We all missed the kittens. Thankfully, Aunt Debbie & Uncle Vince (assisted by Rona) visited the kittens while we were away. Reuben and Moose were a little annoyed with us just after we came home...mad that we left them, I suppose...but within a few hours each of them (separately) insisted that I lie down and let them purr and rub on my face. So I guess they missed us, too.

The laundry we created this week was incredible. Picture one of those extra-large green garbage bags full of clothes. Imagine how many clothes it could hold and how heavy the bag would be. Then double what you've imagined. That's what we created! I took four pairs of pants for each kid, plus what they wore on the way there, plus their swim trunks...and we had to put the pants in front of the fireplace every day because on each trip down to the beach (two or three a day) they soaked through another pair of pants. I cannot believe I underpacked. That is so not my nature! Lol.

I put more pictures on facebook since it is much easier to upload there. I'm not sure how to get a link to my page on FB but go to www.facebook.com and search Patti Moore, Salem Oregon and you should find me. :o)

Arty Pics

Sully At The Beach

Enjoying an ice cream cone at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

My little rockhound was in utopia all week.

Here he is running back to me after running away from me, directly towards the ocean, to which my reply was "get back here or I will give you time-out" so, after weighing his options, he decided to run back towards me. Good choice!

He is probably thinking, "I dare you to take my picture! I just dare you!"

We were so lucky that it was nice enough to let them run around in the water!

Here he is telling me "That's a huge rock!"

Keats At The Beach

Here he is looking at the cheese production line at Tillamook Cheese Factory

Throwing a frisbee

Views From Ecola State Park

We weren't able to drive to Indian Beach as part of the road had caved in. These pictures are from the cliff at Ecola, the upper lookout. The first picture looks towards Indian Beach, where Mike and I were married.

Haystack Rock is in the distance.

We think this was an eagle. It's wingspan was just incredibly long and the bird had a huge, curved beak. His talons were gigantic. His head was also a different color than his body, but I'm not sure that eagles come in this color...so maybe it was a ginormous hawk?
Hey, at least Keats is consistent with the silly faces...

Haystack Rock

These are my favorite pictures of The Rock from this week.

Ciao

We're heading off to Cannon Beach this morning. Mike found out last night that we've been upgraded to a fancy beachfront room. :o) Apparently some things weren't working in the cottage we'd reserved. So this might be a very cool mini-vacation! Back Thursday...

Don't Wait! Buy, Buy, Buy NOW! ;o)

I went out to GI Joes today to buy some sneakers. I walked in the store and was bombarded with signs reading "70% off" or "Buy one pair of clearance shoes, get one free!" What is happening? Everywhere you go (well, everywhere I go) all the things you could want (probably not need though) are priced such that a shopaholic cannot walk away. I'm very glad that I am not one of those people who buys lots of junk that I don't need. I might pick things up at the store, but as I walk around I usually change my mind. I try to think about things first. Plus, Mike HATES junk...if something is getting used, he's fine with it. If something just sits around, however, he gets really annoyed. Understandably. So, in that way he's really changed the way I look at spending. BUT he has also made me very price-insensitive in other areas. Shoes, for one thing. Until I met Mike I would never have thought to spend $100 on shoes. Now that seems reasonable if they are something you need and will wear a lot. My feet have become accustomed to the feel of Keens, Doc Martens, and Dansko.

Anyway, my whole point is to say that if you need new shoes or winter jackets or something, I'd head to the stores asap. I saw jackets today that retail for $140 that were on clearance for $40. I admit I almost bought one of those...but then I remembered I prefer to buy my clothes at Goodwill if I can. Cheap clothes, expensive shoes. That's how I ride. Or should I say that's how I walk? :o)

Just a video of the boys playing with their new stuff. Please forgive Sully's appearance. He isn't as dirty as he looks. Well, maybe he IS but he just had a bath last night. Here he is seen with chocolate Chex on his face. Or crackers. Or something...whatever Mike gave him as a snack. ;o)

Also, please don't judge me by how dirty Sullivan's finger is in the close-up of his smashed finger. I was too terrified to wash his hand...didn't want to hurt his finger even more! Okay, in all honesty his fingers are usually pretty grubby. But normally I would have washed them at least for the picture. Lol.

I went to Target today and discovered they were having a 75% off sale on their toys. I guess they had such poor holiday sales that they are trying to sell things however they can. Anyway, I found a Batman laptop that was nine bucks. I almost bought one for Keats on Christmas but the fifty-dollar price tag seemed too steep. I bought the laptop for Easter or Valentine's Day but Mike was too excited to wait. When I showed it to Mike he told me that Keaton has been soooo nice to Sully lately (not necessarily true) and that he's been soooo helpful around the house lately (this one is true) and so we should give the laptop to Keats today. Sometimes Mike can act like a kid as much, or more than, the kids do! He is excited to try out the laptop, too.

Making a Batman face, I guess...

A forced smile. Can you tell I told him to "smile like you're actually happy you got the laptop!"? Lol.

We can also use the excuse that the laptop is educational. It teaches math & spelling & stuff like that.

We gave Sully a little dog that barks and wiggles when you pet his back. The dog came with a teeny, tiny little bottle of milk, and this picture captures Sully being domestic.

Keaton In Real Life

* Mom, how do I look? (Great! was my reply...) No! You need to say that I look splendid.


*I have an important job and I work every single day. (What do you do at your job?) I work on the computer in Daddy's office and do secret things that Sully can't touch. (How much do you get paid at your job?) I get paid 25 pounds! (apparently he's English.)

* Mom, why do some people wear their headphones around their neck like this? I wear them this way because I'm a man.


* How do Tigger and Pooh find their families? Do they have families? Why do they all have their own homes when they're just little kids like me?


* Hey Mom! Know what? Sully is going to be UNCLE to my kids...and I'm going to be uncle to his kids...

The Bloodletting

I took Sullivan to the doctor last night for his finger. The swelling was increasing, as was the bruising, and it seemed like the pain medicine wasn't helping much. So, I called just to ask about pain meds and was told to bring him in because with an injury like his the doctor would most likely need to drain the blood from under Sully's nail.

And they did. Drain the blood, that is. It wasn't as horrible as it sounds. I was nauseated just thinking about what they were going to do to Sully, but it turns out that this was only in the top five of most traumatic-mommy-moments:

1) Cannon;

2) Mike and Keats were playing at the school and Mike came running into the house asking if Keats was here, absolute panic on his face. Turns out Keats was hiding from Mike at the school and had no idea that we were so panicked. He has been duly informed to never, ever, ever, ever, EVER do that again. Ever.;

3) Sully had a chest x-ray in the ER a year ago...so horrifying I cannot even think about it. Let me just tell you that they put Sullivan in the most horrible contraption ever created and made ME stand in front of him while he was strapped in there so that I could "comfort" him...which basically meant he could look at me in horror while I let the mean ER people torture him;

4) The removal of eye tubes with Keats. I was so unprepared for that one! Had no idea that Mike and I would be playing the part of "restraints" while they pulled the tubes out of a completely awake & alert eighteen-month-old Keats;

5) The Bloodletting. When the doc came into the exam room, Sully simply held out his finger and said "ouchie." It was immediately determined that there was a disproportionate blood-to-fingernail-bed ratio and that either the fingernail bed needed to expand about 200% or the blood needed to come out. So, the blood came out. I distracted Sully with the alphabet while the doc just put a needle under the nail and basically poked a bunch of holes; he also aspirated some of the blood. Most of the blood was just pushed out though. The quantity wasn't amazing unless you consider where it was residing. The doctor did say there was a significant amount of blood all things considered. And that was it. The blood came out, Sully pointed out every letter on the magazine I put in front of him (his recitation of the alphabet greatly impressed the doc, by the way!). He got some antibiotic ointment, a plain old brown brandage, and a Cars movie sticker.

After we came home, Sully definitely favored the finger a lot more than he did before the bloodletting. You wouldn't believe how much better the finger looks this morning! The fingernail is now just sorta gray, as opposed to black, and the swelling has decreased somewhat. The doc says without a doubt the entire fingernail will fall off, most likely before the new nail grows in. He suggested we keep the finger gooped up with ointment and covered with a bandage in an attempt to keep the holes open. Oh, and we're to give two warm baths daily...Sully loves baths so this will be a treat for him.

Yesterday afternoon, I took Sully for a walk down to the creek. He enjoyed throwing leaves into the water. He was insisting that he saw fish...but that was his imagination. Might be some crawdads in there but nothing more than a tadpole would be close to looking like a fish.

Keats at his preschool playground yesterday.