Connor, Deirdre and Moira Cam

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat at my college campus

Mommy sewed the costumes this week.

Trick or Treat in the Fairhaven District

Tigger Moira. Now all 3 babies have worn this costume!

All for One and One for All!!!

Moira's First Birthday

2011-09-18T02:40:00.000-07:00

Summer Gardening

2011-09-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

Visiting The Terry Family In California

2011-09-18T02:20:00.000-07:00

Bryan's parents graciously flew us all down to California for his paternal grandfather's funeral. These are some pictures from the trip. It was both a sad and fun occasion. The kids love their Grumps and Grandma.

Bryan's Master of Arts Degree

2011-09-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

Connor Asleep In His Cushion Cave

2011-09-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

Deirdre often puts herself to bed when she's tired. Connor wants to stay out with us as long as possible. We just wait him out and then move him to the bedroom when he's asleep.

Swimm Lessons Back in June

2011-09-18T01:27:00.000-07:00

Connor on the left.

Deirdre

Watching! I made Moira that shirt. I had fun making quite a few peasant shirts this summer.

Summer Fun

2011-07-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Empty bottles make silly noises.

The water park at Cornwall Park.

Some of our playgroup met up with us.

Otto loves the babies!

Larabee, a favorite place.

Cuddly Big Brother

2011-07-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

Deirdre fell asleep on Connor during a movie.

A Friend's Rainy Birthday Party

2011-07-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

(Birthday Girl Miranda is there in orange. She was one of the very first people we met when we moved here. She was at the Farmer's market at her mom's roasted coffee stand, and she said hello to us. We called her the Farmers Market Baby)

Riding Our Bikes To The Jungle Gym

2011-07-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

How Moira Spends 1/3 of Her Day

2011-07-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

Ski To Sea Parade

2011-07-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

(Deirdre held her teacher's hand)

Free comic book samples on the way home.

What Do You Mean, Get Out of The Blackberries?

2011-07-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

What's a blackberry?

First Words, First Signs and First Steps

2011-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Moira's first words are: Mem (Mom), Da-yah (Daddy) and Bah (Bath)

Moira's first sign is the ASL sign for "milk."

And Moira is walking everywhere as long as she has something to hold on to. She evens crawls up the stairs to our second floor apartment (with us right behind her, of course).

Here's a cutie patootie video of her eating mommy's yarn and making her patented growl (filmed last month at 8 months old).

Random Photos

2011-05-18T20:32:00.001-07:00

Moira's new Mommy-Made hat refuses to stand up but still looks adorable. Moira likes the organic juice packs from Costco.

Moiras bloom about this time of year.

Robin eggs we discovered in a dirt pile by the garden.

Connor is....HELLBOY!

No, Moira does not fit under there. I checked! She's giggling at her Connor.

Some of Our Home Schooling

2011-05-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Now that the baby is getting older and I'm feeling fully recovered from the surgery, we are slowly getting back into the swing of things as far as home school is concerned.

This is our alphabet wall in the play room. About once a week (or every two weeks, we're not that structured yet) we introduce a new letter to the kids. Mommy draws outlines of the letters and we use different forms of art to decorate them - sometimes glitter, sometimes tissue paper, sometimes colored rice, sometimes paint.

Next, Daddy draws them a character whose name begins with our letter. Anakin Skywalker for A, Dora for D, Indiana Jones for I. We spend the next week or so pointing out that letter in books, on signs, etc.

We have a small group we get together with for spring related activities. Here we are learning wet felting to make eggs.

We also took a bird walk with our group. We have a red tail hawk's nest in the trees near our community garden.

Here we are rolling out air-dry dough to make nests. That's Megashark VS Crocosaurus playing in the background. Our "school" rocks.

We used sticks and yarn with the clay to make nests.

Dalek math! The evil Dalek peg people want to use radioactive frog counters to destroy the world, but first the need to know how many they have! We used our Base Ten math manipulatives to practice counting by tens.

Here a friend helps us with the garden. We also have indoor plants and seed starting activities.

One of our new pets, Hawthorne. We also got him a buddy we named Eugene H Krabs.

Our tiny little caterpillars. They've already changed into butterflies. I'll have to get current pics.

And, of course, the kids' favorite way to learn. Here Deirdre has looked up pictures of Dora The Explorer by spelling and typing "Dora" by herself. Connor has already memorized how to spell over ten words this way, including Batman, Hellboy, Killer Croc and Shark. We write the words down on paper for them to type in, or call the letters from across the room, and they like to look up pictures and videos. They also have favorite game websites bookmarked (yep, they bookmarked them. I didn't even know you could drag a window up top your toolbar to save it until Connor did it one day). They had their own old laptop for a while until it died. We're working on getting them another one.

Pulling Ourselves Up to Stand

2011-04-03T01:33:00.000-07:00

Moira In Her New Carrier

2011-03-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

Just finished sewing this!

Seattle Trips, Part 1

2011-03-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

We tried to take a trip to the zoo back in January, but Connor became very sick with vomiting and fever at the motel. So, that Saturday, Daddy stayed in the motel room with a sick Connor, and Mommy took the girls to the Seattle Aquarium with some local friends.

Deedah did not like touching things in the touch pool. But, she did like looking.

Our friends, Eve and her mom, Jillynn.

That's Deedah on the left - not quite tall enough!

Moira in a carrier.

A felt board for the kids to play with.

These fish were in the ceiling.

I love how rays look like they are smiling!

It was pouring rain, so these pics outside didn't turn out as well. Here Deirdre is climbing on otter sculptures.

Connor's New Mommy-Made Earflap Hat

2011-02-26T02:24:00.001-08:00

Connor requested a hat similar to Ron Weasley's hat in the Harry Potter movies, but wanted red instead of black.

Tigger

2011-02-26T02:04:00.000-08:00

Gathering Cottonwood Buds To Make Lip Balm and Healing Salve

2011-02-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Our good friend showed us how to identify cottonwood trees. Deirdre is in purple, Connor is in blue.

We gathered them in a jar for later.

Deirdre on the floor at our friend's house.

Connor and Deirdre pulling buds off the twigs.

Moira Is Sitting Up By Herself!

2011-02-04T00:57:00.000-08:00

Moira Claims This Chair In The Name of The Queen!

2011-01-03T19:45:00.001-08:00

Deirdre Cut Her Hair (sigh)

2011-01-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

And it wasn't just her bangs this time - she cut the whole left side off. So, I evened it out.

FIRST - I had the scissors and clippers out to shave the bottom half of Connor's head. He looks pretty stylin'.

Then, I forgot to put the hair scissors away, and Deirdre came out and triumphantly announced that she was being very careful with them and cut her hair without cutting herself.

Gone are the curls, gone are the braids and ponytails (double sigh). And she likes it so I have to be a good mommy and tell her it looks great! Daddy says she has SASSY hair.

More Moira Silliness

2010-12-28T02:40:00.000-08:00

I should note that this is at 2:00 in the morning. She shows very few signs of slowing down!!

A Talky, Chewy Moira Video! Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2010-12-24T18:27:00.001-08:00

Catching Up - Family Laundry

2010-12-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

While I was recovering from the c-section, I couldn't bend over or lift much, so the kids helped me with laundry.

Greatest Moira Picture Ever

2010-11-16T15:03:00.001-08:00

Birthday Video!

2010-11-16T14:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

That's General Grievous from Star Wars and Clone Wars on the left, and a butterfly fairy princess on the right.

Bryan went as "Attachment Parenting Dad."

This baby carrier is yummy. Nom nom nom nom nom.

Trick or treating in downtown Bellingham.

The Railroad Museum was also passing out candy!

One of the children's art studios had a little painting table set up for Trick of Treaters, plus snacks and music.

We also got a coupon good for $5.00 off an art class. We'll have to look into that!

Our Jack O' Lanterns up on our windowsill, lighting the way for Jack and our ancestors.

Moira's New Gnome Hat (Mommy Made It!)

2010-10-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

A Back Post - Finally Uploaded Pics From Connor's Parade

2010-10-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, Connor's gym class walked in a parade. He didn't want to walk without me (Not Daddy, but the tired pregnant woman!), so I'm also in these pics.

(We're on the left in this picture)

Connor got more brave toward the end. There he is in the middle front with the brown sweatshirt on.

Connor's participation ribbon!

Wearing Daddy's Baby Outfit

2010-10-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

This was Bryan's when he was a baby. She REALLY hates hats or we would have put it on her.

We don't have a pic of Deirdre in it (DARN!) but this is one of Connor in it.

Wickedly Cute

2010-10-07T01:42:00.001-07:00

The 2010 Not-Going-Back-To-School Home School Party

2010-10-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

We do have Deirdre in a Music Together class every Wednesday, which you can find out more about at this link: http://www.musictogether.com/. We also have Connor in a gymnastics/preschool enrichment class. It's at the same place he took gym last spring, and includes gymnastics, music, group games, free play, Spanish, and some simple math/reading activities. It lasts three hours, so he is starting out only once a week.

The bulk of learning and activities are happening at home, though, which is another post entirely. Meanwhile, we were invited to and attended this party at Larabee Park/Beach. My mother and half sister, Jessica, were visiting at the time.

I'm on the right in jeans, wearing Moira in a brown wrap. We started with a picnic here above the beach, then moved down to the water.

There's Jessica with the green coat tied around her waist. Way in the back you can see Connor in a red and black shirt climbing the rocks.

Nana was the designated Moira cuddler.

Connor and Deirdre

Jessica

Nana and Moira, with Connor in the background.

More climbing.

As it got colder we put on coats and finished back up near the picnic tables and this playground. Connor is on the bottom right with a dark coat on. He actually isn't wearing a shirt underneath it because he was wading in the ocean and fell in, and I brought extra pants but forgot an extra shirt.

Deirdre on the lower left in the pink pants and purple coat, Connor next to her. This daddy had all the kids playing a game where first they were sharks and then they were zombies, and then they were sharks going after zombies.

Jessica on the left, Deirdre climbing in the middle.

Jessica

Couldn't resist sharing this picture. Shonna is in fact balancing on stilts while keeping up FOUR hula hoops.

Moira Loves Her Black, Red and White Wall Hanging

2010-10-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

This is a play mat we have on the wall next to the changing table. She loves staring at it, sometimes for ten to fifteen minutes at a time.

Moira Practices Her Smiles

2010-10-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

...she loves to hit us with a tiny fist and then attempt a smile when she has our attention.

Photo Taken At a Little Friend's Birthday Party

2010-10-07T00:39:00.000-07:00

Lake Padden

Om Nom Nom Nom Nom

2010-10-04T00:55:00.000-07:00

Moira chews on Daddy.

Deirdre chewing on Daddy, 2008

Connor chewing on Daddy, 2006

Moira's Favorite Nap Position: The Salvador Dali Pose

2010-09-20T17:21:00.001-07:00

Nana and Moira

2010-09-07T16:48:00.001-07:00

Cuddly Moments

2010-08-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Connor is always asking to hold Moira. He loves that he can comfort her when she cries. He tells us "I did it! Am I awesome?"

Daddy is comfortable, warm and accommodating.

This baby is delicious.

EVERYONE Wants To Sleep With The Baby

2010-08-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Moira Elizabeth Terry

2010-08-15T12:41:00.001-07:00

Born: 9:41 p.m., Saturday, August 14, 2010
8 pounds 11 ounces, 20½ inches long

Mother and baby are doing fine

Connor's TARDIS Shirt!

2010-08-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Bryan designed it and cut out the pieces, and I sewed it. (For those of you sadly out of the loop, the TARDIS is from Doctor Who).

Connor Headstands

2010-08-02T03:04:00.000-07:00

He's been doing these without the aid of a wall or parent for about a year now. He has FANTASTIC stomach muscles and great control.

More Gardening

2010-08-02T03:03:00.000-07:00

Deirdre is the best seed helper - her tiny fingers carefully pick up one seed at a time and place them gently in each hole. here we're planting broccoli where the lettuce harvest was.

Connor helping us hill up the potatoes.

The potato plants have such beautiful flowers!

Deirdre shows how tall the popcorn has grown. These stalks will only grow about 4 feet tall and produce small ears of popcorn.

Baby tomatoes finally showing up!

Connor being cute!

Lake Padden

2010-08-02T02:57:00.001-07:00

Belly Shots!

2010-08-02T02:56:00.000-07:00

Connor's Monster Drawing

2010-07-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

Connor has not shown a whole lot of interest in drawing in his short 4 year life, which actually bothered me as a mom. We tried lot of different art supplies and projects but he was always more interested in typing words than writing them and looking at pictures instead of making them. We recently set up the art easel in the living room, though, and suddenly the kids use it almost every day. one side is a chalk board, and one side is a dry-erase board.

This picture of Connor's is significant because it represents some of his first ventures into creating actual things, with eyes and limbs.

We learned from some creative parenting books that it's best not to ask a child "what is this?" because then we imply they did a bad job and we can't tell what they did, even if it is true. So instead we say, "tell me all about your drawing!" He answered that it is a giant monster. The little guy on his tummy is a person he captured.

Here he drew another person.

Sometimes when he looks at this picture he changes his mind about what it is. Sometimes it's a Cyberman from Doctor Who, which is a robot with a person inside.

Bryan showed several of his drawing portfolios to the kids and now they think drawing is cool. They frequently show us lines and figures that are apparently characters we just read about in a book or watched a movie about, like Robin Hood. Hopefully it's not a fad and they'll develop a liking for drawing!

Connor Next to Our Garlic

2010-06-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

garlic apparently takes 8-9 months to be ready. This particular variety next to Connor is good for long term storage and should last all winter. We also have a smaller, stronger tasting vafiety growing near here, and a huge purple variety that won't store as long and has a milder flavor.

As an FYI - yes, Connor has a small rash above his lip. He has a habit of licking his lips a lot. He would lick off any ointment we put on them, so we've started waiting until he falls asleep. That little red patch is gone now.

Great Minds Think Alike

2010-06-27T00:22:00.001-07:00

Friday Night is Pizza and a Movie Night

2010-06-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Water Playground Is Turned On For The Summer

2010-06-27T00:14:00.001-07:00

Swim Lessons

2010-06-27T00:07:00.001-07:00

Deirdre's swim lessons involve a parent.

And an apparently bored lifeguard.

Connor on his back.

Daddy and Deirdre picnic out front while Connor has his lesson.

Connor's Smoke Monster Painting

2010-06-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Connor loved watching "Lost," especially when the smoke monster was on. This is his artist interpretation of said monster.

Sorry the picture is so crappy. you'd think a $150 digital camera would take better pictures, but they only turn out when we use it outdoors.

Connor excema/allergy update

2010-05-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

Family and Friends -

We took Connor in for allergy testing. It was not a fun visit - Connor screamed out when they poked his back, and cried during the fifteen minutes he had to wait. They had a DVD player and showed Madagascar, but the distraction wasn't effective. I held him in my lap the whole time.

He had horrible reactions to every tree nut, including almonds, which surprised us because he drinks almond milk regularly. The almond reaction was not as bad as the others, but bad enough. He developed hives all over his body last year when he tried pecans for the first time, so we knew it would be bad. His reaction to walnuts during the test was even worse. We were given a prescription for an epi-pen and instructed to start carrying it around with us. The doctor said benadryl is fine for itchy throats/small hives reactions, but if a reaction ever causes trouble breathing or a change in consciousness, we stab him with the epi-pen and take him immediately to the ER.

He also had a bad reaction to dairy, which we have known about since he was an infant. We've mentioned that he's been able to have cheese and yogurt, but the doctor recommended cutting out all dairy from any source for a week to see if it clears up his excema. If it doesn't, then she said we could add cheese back into his diet.

He did not have a reaction to eggs or cinnamon, which surprised us because we were sure he would, and had a miniscule reaction to grass. He has to have blood drawn for gelatin. They don't test for wool.

The doctor does not think he has asthma.

She did say that excema and staph infections often go together and prescribed a cream that she wants us to apply to his excema every day for 5 days. He only gets the excema on his buttocks and the backs of his thighs/knees, and she said that's not uncommon.

He's sad about the cheese because string cheese is one of his favorite snacks. Is it wrong to hope the diet change doesn't clear up his excema so he can eat cheese again? Or should we hope that does the trick, which will clear his itchy skin but leave him cheeseless? Which, for our family, is like saying "no more happiness?"

After the visit, they let him pick out a toy. He chose a blue car.

Hopefully we never have to use the epi-pen.

Connor In His Monday Gym Class - Video and Pictures

2010-05-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

Planting Begonias For Papa and Earth Day

2010-05-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

My dad's birthday and earth day fall on the same day every year, so we plant flowers in papa's memory. For the last few years in Utah, it's been sunflower starts. This year, up on our shady balcony, we planted bright yellow Begonias. They each placed one begonia bulb in the planter.

As we planted them, I explained that Papa died, and now he is a spirit, and as a spirit, he can see the flowers we planted for him. I got teary eyed as I spoke, until Connor lightened the mood the only way a 4 year old can - he said, "Oh, like a Wiki Tiki Spirit!"

The Wiki Tiki Spirit is a villain from Scooby Doo.

Connor thought Papa might also like to see his Power Miner legos.

Connor's New Quilt

2010-04-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Nana made Connor a twin-sized quilt for when we move him to his own bed this summer. Connor picked out the fabric - wolves!

Larabee Beach With Jessica and Nana

2010-04-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

The Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon, Washington

2010-04-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Dying Eggs for Easter

2010-04-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Beach Fun

2010-04-04T00:48:00.000-07:00

General Cuteness

2010-04-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

4 Seconds of Moira Heart Beat!

2010-03-30T23:07:00.001-07:00

10 Second Video of Moira Elizabeth!

2010-03-30T22:35:00.001-07:00

First Ob/Gyn Visit

2010-03-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

We met our new baby doctor 2 weeks ago. I had received recommendations for her as a VBAC-friendly obstetrician (that stands for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). So I'll start off with the good news - I told her about my two births and then asked her if she supported my desire for one more shot at a vaginal birth. She said, and this is only slightly paraphrasing, "Of course. I've been doing VBACs for 25 years. I don't know why they're suddenly a big deal."

Why, indeed!!

So, here's the rest of the visit. First off, meeting midwives is so much more casual, because their offices are in their homes, you wait on a cushy chair or couch, there's lots of mother and baby art, it's very casual. A doctor's office is...a doctor's office. The art is generic and the chairs aren't cushy. There was a hugely pregnant mama there who slumped to the edge of her chair, spread her legs wide for stability, and draped her arms over the arm rests while she waited. That poor woman deserved a couch.

We had the whole family with us when we went into the office for an initial check with the nurse. She was very friendly but not entirely reassuring. She was non-committal when I asked questions and seemed doubtful when I said I did not want a pap-smear. Nevertheless, she must have passed on that information to the doctor for me, because when she came in, she didn't even bring it up. Phew!

The doctor was awesome. There was no rush, and she was attentive.

Now, I hadn't felt the baby move in 3 weeks, so I was actually prepared for traumatic news. My first 2 babies were active from 3 months on. I had felt ths one poke a few times, and then nothing. I couldn't prod any movement at all, and told Bryan that if there's no heartbeat, he was going to have to take off work so I could slump into a month long depessive dark hole.

There was a very faint heartbeat when the doctor applied her doppler. There was, however, lots of kicking and protest. Unborn Baby Terry did NOT like the doppler. The doctor would move around and find the heartbeat, and the baby would kick it (which means kick ME) and swim away. This happened 3 times and then the doctor delacred her "fine" and stopped.

The baby hasn't moved much since. He/she is just very mellow.

We discussed the main plan, which is that I will go into labor naturally and have a "walking epidural." This is a low dose mix between a regular epidural and a spinal. It is designed to just numb the midsection, and leave the legs free to move. The hope is that eliminating the excruciating pain of the last two labors will leave my body in less of a panic, allowing my body to open up and give birth the way it is supposed to.

And, of course, we'll be monitoring my blood pressure.

So......

In two days I meet with the doctor again to follow up on my blood test, and then that afternoon I will get an ultrasound to make sure everything is in the right place and growing right (my sister's babies all stop growing halfway through her pregnancies so I'm a little paranoid about that). Like last time, I check my own blood sugar at home with my glucometer - my blood sugar has been perfectly normal so far. The baby doesn't kick, but every once in a while she/he will float to the top of my uterus and then back down again, and when I look at my belly, I can see a bulge that then moves from one spot to another. She's also obviously on my left side, because that side sticks out more than the other.

The names are either Eian or Moira. We've had 2 girl names and 2 boy names picked out since our first year of marriage.

Baby is due August 16. Connor was 2 weeks "late" and weighed 7 lbs 12 oz. Deirdre was 2 days after her due date and weighed 7 lbs 14 oz. So, no asking "is there a baby yet?" until September.

Just Call Him Dr. Frankenstein...

2010-02-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

I want to emphasize that Connor did this completely on his own, without any help for either his mother or I. We were watching an episode of Bill Nye, the Science Guy about the Heart, and Connor noticed that his mother's yoga ball pump was just like a heart (complete with red and blue ends) and that the shower caddy ...that was going to be donated looked like a rib cage, esophagus and stomach, and it just snowballed from there. The end result is as follows in the pictures. I just have to say that unschooling rules!

The first picture is of the overall body with the various parts labelled, and the second is a close-up of the "inner workings" labelled with Connor's rationale for why each part was chosen. (Click on each picture for a bigger image)

Bedsharing Love!

2010-01-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

Checking on the Horses and Garden Plot

2010-01-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

Our apartment complex offers horse boarding. These fuzzy guys are right next to the garden.

Cover crops growing strong. Our garlic is already sprouting, too. Hurray for mild winters!

The garlic is up front in the photo. The kids are digging around the clover, grasses and legumes that act as "green manure" to restore nitgrogen to the soil and prevent erosion.

Impromptu Baby Carrier

2010-01-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

Deirdre uses a necklace to carry her mermaid around.

Picnic in the Playroom

2010-01-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

The kids gathered random things from the kitchen for their "picnic." PS - those aren't pills on the floor. We filled empty bottles with different things to make shakers.

More Naked Bathtub Painting

2010-01-04T19:07:00.000-08:00

A favorite passtime.

Christmasy Things

2009-12-29T01:08:00.000-08:00

This was Bryan's family advent calendar growing up. Each day the bear moves around the house, looking for presents. Connor would point to the number, and Deirdre would look on the house for the spot. For example, one day the bear looked under the stairs, do Deirdre found the stairs, and then Daddy pinned the bear on them.

Our Nativity Set was a combination of Veggie Tales and schleich animals.

Notice the Christmas triceratops.

Also, the Christmas lionness.

Daddy made one with Disney Cars.

Stockings hung over the fireplace. Those stockings were made by Bryan's mom and grandmother.

No presents were put under the tree until the kids were in bed Christmas Eve. Otherwise, they would have opened them.

Opening presents Christmas morning!

daddy Comes With Us To The Marine Center

2009-12-29T00:57:00.000-08:00

Bryan finally joined us on a visit to the Bellingham Marine Center. It's only $1.00 per adult and 50 cents per child so it's a nice distraction on a rainy day.

Daddy didn't realise you can get so close to the octopus.

When he moved, he was red and smooth.

When he settled, he changed right before our eyes, becoming more spiky and lighter colored, like the rocks.

Connor has been on an octopus kick lately, so he loves this place.

Deeda showing Daddy the fish and crabs.

This is the first time this viewing dome has been clear, so the kids loved it.

Silly fishes!

Old Halloween Pictures

2009-12-29T00:48:00.000-08:00

I just realised I never posted pictures from actual Halloween.

Daddy was a werewolf.

Connor rode a TRex. This was awesome. We had tried to make him a costume but it did not turn out, so on Halloween he was sad. Then he had some birthday money arrive in the mail, we took off for Target, and this was the last TRex costume, piled in a corner, in his size. PERFECT! And they both use it for dress up play now.

Deeda just wore her dragon costume.

The city community center put on a candy-free carnival for the kids.

Going fishing for a prize.

The kids did not like this monkey. Most of the kids there avoided it. Connor finally grew brave and played the game (bean bag toss) but then talked about the scary monkey for days.

Pumpkin bowling.

Stuffed toy toss.

Deeda getting her face painted.

The ghosts outside of the community center.

We played in the park with other kids until it got dark, then found a neighborhood nearby for a few blocks of trick-or-treating. It was a very fun night!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

Deirdre at a Healthcare Vigil

2009-12-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

It Snowed in Bellingham!

2009-12-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

2009 Birthday Party

2009-12-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Both children had pink eye and other unpleasantness for their birthdays, so we schedule a combined party while our friends, the Walkers, were visiting. We also had our nieghbors and their son, and a mama and her daughter from our Natural Mamas playgroup.

Mommy made felt birthday crowns.

We divided the birthday ring and put a 4 on one side and 2 on the other. Then the kids took turns picking what ornaments they wanted.

Connor blowing out candles on his cupcake.

Deirdre actually didn't like the candles!

Friends playing in the living room.

Daddy, Deirdre, Mommy, Connor, Hunter (our neighbor), Jillynn, Chris and Eve.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

Our dear friends, the Walkers, came to visit us from Utah.

We had a very traditional Thanksgiving meal of smoked salmon pesto pizza! The roasted chestnut soup was also scrumptious. That recipe was definitely a keeper.

Bath time!

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a ride on the Harvest Triceratops.

Sleepy cuddle time with Daddy.

Connor Ood

2009-12-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

I had just finished crocheting a head for a doll and left a long tail of yarn to sew it to the body when Connor picked it up and said "like an Ood!" So we grabbed his stuffed squid/octopus (still haven't decided what it is) and took this picture.

And for reference, here is what an "Ood" looks like. It's a creature from the moden Doctor Who series. Connor LOVES LOVES LOVES Doctor Who.

Deirdre Learns The Montessori Coat Trick

2009-11-20T18:48:00.000-08:00

Montessori has a neat trick for teaching kids to put on their own coat. They place it on the floor, stand at the top, put their arms in, and flip it over their heads. Connor's been doing this for a while.

And Deirdre has starting copying him.

If you haven't received a birthday present or card thank you yet....

2009-11-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

don't fret. We've been having them paint thank you notes, and after Deirdre's birthday, we'll send them all out together!

Evening Silliness

2009-10-26T01:21:00.000-07:00

The kids always get really silly about 2 hours before bed time.

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween Party

2009-10-26T01:18:00.000-07:00

The following Halloween party was held by our apartment complex. Both costumes are courtesy of Aunt Jennie. Deirdre wore the dragon costume that Connor wore last year, and Connor dressed up as a knight.

Here Connor is listening to a ghost story with his new friend, Hunter. Hunter lives in the apartment right across from ours.

Daddy made Connor a sword with cardboard and foil.

All the kids lined up for a costume contest. They also took this picture for the complex's website.

Connor won the contest and received new crayons and pens as a prize. When it was his turn to say what he was, he said "Iron Man" instead of "knight," which was Hunter's costume. The judge thought he was too adorable to pass up. All the kids were then given little bags of candy, playdough and fake vampire teeth.

PS - That's not our chair. That's in the apartment club house.

No, Don't EAT The Paint!

2009-10-23T23:29:00.002-07:00

Daddy Tossing Deirdre In The Air

2009-10-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

Bellingham Marine Life Center

2009-10-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Marine Life Center is just this one room, and it has a little donation box - $1.00 per adult, $.50 per child.

You are allowed to touch the animals, rocks and shells in this little touch pool.

There is also the larger pool with animals you shouldn't touch. My pictures of the fish did not turn out, but some of them were quite big, and came close to the surface.

Nice, big star fish climbing up the wall!

This octopus lives in what I think is a way-too-small tank. He was fascinating to see so up close, though.

Radishes

2009-10-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Radishes only take 5-6 weeks from planting to harvest. As you can see from the scattered bunches of them, I let the kids plant them.

Deirdre did not like testing them with her finger to see if they were big enough. She just pulled!

Checking for trolls under the bridge. I made those pants for Deirdre with one of my old maternity shirts.

Whatcom Falls Park

2009-10-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is our new favorite.

This playground is one of two in the park.

You can see the kids peeking out the grates. This bridge is only a few yards from the playground.

And this is what you see from the bridge. This doesn't do the waterfall justice because there is nothing you can see for scale. Bryan could stand up in that cave, with several feet to spare.

Speaking of Bryan, we brought him the next day because we knew he would love it.

That's the other side of the waterfall, looking from the end opposite the playground.

We hiked up a ways to a spot with slower flowing water.

I almost got Bryan to cross this fallen tree...

It was absolutely serene. We spent a long time there!

Updated Wish Lists

2009-10-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends:

I've updated the kids' wish lists on Amazon.

Connor: http://amzn.com/w/6EOJU5KWL9RK

Connor would love to add to his Schleich animals and Disney's Cars collections. If you want to skip the list, he loves animals, playing dress-up, Spongebob, Curious George, Disney's cars, playdough, and legos.

Deirdre: http://amzn.com/w/29JN0LMXFNA6T

Deirdre picks out Baby Signing Time videos almost every time we go to the library, and has most of the songs and signs memorized. She also loves building things and could use her own set of wood blocks. If you want to skip the list, she also loves animals, mermaids, cats, Spongebob, Disney's cars, and painting.

We had to sell the kids' play kitchen when we moved and they miss it. They played with it almost every day. If anyone would like to pitch in for a new one, that's what we're saving for.

Used, thrift store books and toys are fine.

FYI: Bryan usually makes battery-operated noisy toys disappear fairly quickly...

Catching Up on Old Pictures

2009-10-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Cuddling and reading with our friend, Eve

More Eve playtime during the move

A visit from Grandma King

Making pumpkin pie for Daddy's birthday

Choosing the ornaments for the birthday ring

Voila.

Zuanich Park

2009-10-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Park

2009-10-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

That's Deirdre coming off the slide

Cornwall Park

2009-10-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

If you look close - those are deer in the middle

Bellingham Library

2009-10-06T17:52:00.000-07:00