Otter Crest: Tillamook

This is a post about Otter Crest but is is actually about when we left to go to Tillamook.

A group of us (headed by Jeff) ventured off to the Tillamook Air Mueseum and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. The just both happen to be in Tillamook, they are not related.

Here is James and his son Xander in one of the practice cockpits. For Max this was one of the best parts as they had a lot of button and switches to play with.

 

 

Here is Max

 

At the Cheese Factory you basically get to taste cheese, buy ice-cream and get put off into a huge souvenir shop.

Jeff as a cow farmer and Max as a cow.

 

Quinten the farmer, James as a farmer holder and Xander the cow

There really were more of us but they did not want their picture as a cow or farmer, I cannot imagine why.

Three Stike and I am Out!

Apologies first: this is not a blog about the amazing Otter Crest trip we just returned from (as soon as I get the pictures off the camera there will be a few!)

This is a blog about my day and it seems to go along with the theme of many recent blogs (mabye it is the time of year?) the concept of a stay at home Mom/working Mom however you prefer. Many other people, Kendra http://600caloriecookie.blogspot.com/2010/08/few-thoughts-on-being-stay-at-home-mom.html, the Yarn Harlot www.yarnharlot.ca and Staci Avison http://yellowhousekids.blogspot.com/2010/08/rant-on-sister.html have all given wonderful essays about this subject. Since I totally agree, here was my day...

I had to sort Max and Gwen's clothes. Empty out every drawer, haul everything out of the closet and dig through the cabinets. Decide which things did not fit kiss them good bye and haul them to the attic. 
At the outlet stores near Otter Crest my mom, dad and grandmother bought a whole wardrobe of clothes for each Max and Gwen. Max now wears a 4T especially in pants which tend to sag when he is wearing small ones (crack kills). Gwen was wearing mostly 12 month things and when we went shopping she seems to fit a 2T (wow maybe I have been shoving a bit hard to get her in those jeans!)
I could not just throw all those lovely new fitting clothes in with everything else which really needs to be packed up.  Plus they share a room, a dresser and a closet; no space for extras which do not fit on their bodies.
On the way home from working out I hauled us in to Target and purchased 4 large rubbermaid bins; I was committed!

When I got back with my bins for clothes storage...
My brand new 4G iphone I have had for 3 days gave me the evil error 9, basically this means death and a 2 week trip to and from the apple repair shop. I called the local Apple store and they made me an appointment to have someone look at it; right in the middle of Gwen's nap time.
Max, Gwen and I go out to the Apple store in the mall. Gwen is pacified by banana bread and Max is sufficiently happy playing computer games while a tech guy plugs my iphone in. After 10 min he confirms that is it the error 9 of death. By this time I have run out of banana bread and Max want some too. After signing some paperwork (I really don't even know what it said) I got a new 4G iphone. This is really good 2 weeks with no phone had me really worried. Still 1.5 hours wasted, Gwen's nap in jeopardy, Max hungry  and empty clothes bins waiting at home.
Strike 1

We return home and Gwen goes off for a mach needed nap, back to the clothes.
I have a really hard time packing up clothes that the babies wore and I loved. Max's matching suit quality pants, vest and cap is beautiful and parts of it work for every occasion. Gwen's brown silky bubble dress which she wears with leggings and looks like a princess. I was ruthless and anything which did not say at least 18 month or 4T went in the boxes.
Along the way I also ran into other things we have been meaning to put in the attic for months; nursing pillows, crib mobiles and Christmas ribbon all got boxed and lugged up the stairs as well.
I am still slightly in process the clothes as some things to be purged are still in the laundry but overall I am freeking over the hump on the clothes.
Strike 2

As I am cooking dinner I notice there are a lot of fruit flies in the kitchen, more then 2 or 3 more like 10 or 15. Alright they came in on some fruit/veggies I bought yesterday, keep cooking. Wow there are a lot of flies in here! Jeff brings in his carnivorous plants which are actually catching some but do not seem to make a dent.
Nicole, Rachel, Kerby (3 1/2) and Franky (1) come over for a playdate dinner and we eat outside because there are so many freaking flies in the kitchen.
As I am tidying up the kitchen I bend down in the pantry to put away the risotto rice and I notice a lot of flies in the pantry. I pull box and see tons of flies! They are all over a small sack of potatoes which I am sure have been there since before we left for the beach (3 weeks at least). I jumped back, screamed a little and shook all over. YUCK!
I am the only one awake. Jeff works early the next morning and I did debate waking him up but it was not spiders so he is safe. I mopped up the potato juice which smelled horrible and dodged the flies. They were everywhere. Lots of them.
There is not much one can do about flies. Swatting at them just ruffles them around and I was not about to spray anything which might kill them in the house. I tried to ignore them. No luck. Walking through small cloud of flies in the kitchen is just to gross for my personal limits.
I got out the vacuum. I love my vacuum. Given the time I would vacuum every few days and walk around in barefooted bliss all the time. I had never really thought of it as a weapon before now.
Using the tube attachment (like you would use to clean under the couch) I pointed it at the flies. Eventually I got a technique down which involved waiting for them to land on smooth shiny surfaces (window, boxes, microwave) and sucking them off.  It works well as they are not afraid of the noise of the vacuum and don't fly off as they might if you swatted at them.
I honestly sucked up at least 100 flies.
Strike 3

OUT!

The Dress

My cousin Staci has been making adorable dresses for her daughter Zoe. When we were in Portland this week Staci, Gwen and I went to a lovely fabric store and I got to pick fabric for a Gwen dress.

Skirt



Apron





Sleeves and Edging


Bodice





Staci said she was going to go home and wash the fabric directly so it would be all preped to cut and sew when she got back from Disneyland.

The next day...

Done! (Apparently the Disneyland packing went well and she got a little obsessed)

Popi offer to hold her for the pictures as he believes they both look adorable.

2G in a 4G World

While running into the gym, while trying to wrangle the two babies, I did not notice the water dripping out of my backpack until it was running down my back. I open my bag and there was a lake, my iphone in the middle looking like an island in the Pacific!

The apple website forums said to place it in a bag of rice (to draw out the moisture) and leave it there for 3-4 days.

As a stand in I have revived Jeff's old 2G iphone (the original iphone) and am currently on hold with AT&T as they attempt to get this dinosaur activated :(

(The really intelligent people who deal with problems like this have all gone home for the night. They are going to call me back in the morning when they wake up)

Caps for Sale!

Anyone who knows me, in a knitting capacity, knows I enjoy knitting baby hats.
Here are a few pictures of Gwen modeling the hats I made for Montessori in Motions (Max's School) Auction this May.
 

 This last one is for one of your many friends who just had a baby this summer.

 The book "Caps for Sale" is Max and Gwen's favorite for us all to sit down and read together.

Max plays the peddler and Gwen is the monkeys.

Grumpy Max

Any one who claims girls and boys start out the same and are given their male and female characteristics by society has never (never say never, but I am betting) not raised a child of the opposite gender.
Max is such a boy! I have not realized how physical and tactile boys really are until this last 6 months. He want to throw, flop on to, kick, smack and squish everything he can. I love him dearly but it is driving me nuts.
This charming behavior has resulted in many time outs at the Tot-Lot as he cannot resist the urge to throw the wood chips from the ground. I can see the inner turmoil every time.
Here is the grumpy face I get every time I make him come and sit.

On the happier side of things the potty training is going really well. (Warning: People who have not drug a child through this messy and painful process may not understand) Today, Max actually said he needed to go to the bathroom! And then went without any kicking, flopping or moaning!

Naptime

Jeff has been working early mornings lately (be at work at 5am, yuck)

Although he never admits it some afternoons he could definitely

use a nap!

 

I think Gwen was worn out from our trip to the mall. She can now drink out of a straw thanks to Jamba Juice. 

Both Max and Gwen learned becuse they could not get enough of these tastey smoothies. I almost want to send them a thank you note as it has made my life so much easier.