Child Resumes

Name: Jada Belle

Age: 4 by birth, but 30 by maturity level

Favorite colors: purple & blue (so long, pink!).

Education level: 3-letter spelling

Favorite sayings: "If you don't let me eat candy I'm going to tickle you."

Favorite animals/insects: All of them, especially unicorns, butterflies and dogs

Pets: 2 cats & 2 fish

Life goals: to do a cartwheel (so close!)

Name: Parker James

Age: 2 1/4

Education level: M.A. in vocabulary, knows all his letter sounds, too.

Favorite sayings: "I sink I wanna eat. No, that's not it. I don't like it. It's not bedtime. I don't want to." Must repeat until mom or dad hears me.

Favorite animal/insect: anything you can look at, but not touch.

Favorite toys: cars, scary trucks (monster trucks), play dough

Life goals: Run and jump all day without having to walk in-between. Argue all statements made by mom, dad or Jada. Example - Jada: "I like bluebirds." Parker: "You don't like bluebirds."

Playground Politics

There are those who like uppers and those who like downers. As a family, we've chosen to allow the uppers. The thing is, I am not opposed to those who choose downers. I am fairly similar with my political views. I can see why others believe the way they do even if I don't agree. No need for an ugly debate when there is an understanding of both sides.

Kelven and I were face-to-face with the upper/downer debate this evening. Unfortunately, we were blind-sided by another passive-aggressive parent (with the first child I would have been a little insecure about my belief in uppers, but confidence kicks in with child number two).

This debate is about more then just the act of upping vs. downing. Those who allow the "ups" do have a valid viewpoint just as those who allow only the "downs" do, too. Heck, a dear friend of mine only allows the downs (you'll know who you are).

Parker recently experienced the joy of a slide. His eyes and grin get huge as he speeds down! He also impressively climbs the slide like a champ. Take the boy's shoes off and those big toes will bend to a perfect degree and he becomes a human koala.

Tonight we took the kids to a nearby park with five different slides. The park was empty until another dad and his two and five year-olds showed up. His two year-old son came over to Parker at the bottom of the slide and kept yelling, " NO!" at him. Finally the dad came over and told his son to stop yelling at Parker. Then the dad turned to his son and said, "Let his parents do their job. You are right, we only go down slides." Side note - this exact situation happened last week too!

And thus, the debate begins.

Uppers - Kelven and I allow our kids to climb up slides. It's a challenging climb that gives kids a sense of power and confidence. Do you remember how it felt to climb a slide? I do. Seems way quicker and way more fun than the stairs. Yes, it challenges the (unwritten) rules. I am pro rules. Big time. Allowing our kids to climb up slides comes with our own set of boundaries. To climb a slide it must be unoccupied and the tie always goes to the slider. No questions asked. The slide is there to be slid down just like the monkey bars are intended for arms. Yet, if there is no line at the monkey bars, is it not acceptable to swing those legs up and hang upside down? Life is about challenging the limits. Yet, challenging the limits requires a conscious responsibility for safety and others. I am all for teaching kids to be courteous and fair.

Kelven's input - The more you can put the decision in the hand of the kid, the better. If they are just following rules to follow rules, they don't even think about it. But if kids are allowed to use their own judgement they're using their own minds to think about what is right and wrong. Example, Jada is about to climb the slide and sees a kid at the top. She'll stop because she saw the danger of a collision and also knows how to be responsible in the playground. This is a critical thinking moment.

Back to Tami - Here's the kicker for me. If you don't want your kids to climb slides it is totally okay with me, but teach your kids that different families have different rules. That'll solve a lot of your "but he's doing it!" debates.

What a Moment

Lately I've been fixated on the idea that time is slipping by so quickly. I look at our kids and can envision them as high schoolers. Dramatic? Yep. Time never factored into my life before kids and until my dad passed away. Each day is meaningful and I try to remember to take it all in. I feel settled in, happy right where I am.

So...out of nowhere Jada was extra cuddly today. We were sitting on the couch and she took my cheeks into her two little hands and (out of nowhere) said, "We have lots of time, mommy." I asked her why she said that and she responded, "We just have lots of time."

It was one of the moments where I actually felt God giving me a sign. What a moment.

Happy Birthday, Jada

Best buds celebrating Jada's big day.

Poor Parker had been pretty sick in the days leading up to the big bash. He tried to perk it for his sis. He was glad to see Wyatt, who can understand what it is like to be the only other person not walking. And I'm not sure how he did it with all the noise, but Ford slept through most the party. Get well soon!

Nothing like catching butterflies from an elephant's trunk. The fun lasted about five minutes and then on to the next adventure.

Here's Wyatt being calm, cool, and collected as always.

Our precious girl is three!

Jada loved the silly string mainly because she got to scream and giggle. Reilly was a pro and competed with Shannon for the title. Evie hid out in the car so her beautiful curls wouldn't get damaged. I don't blame her. The whole ordeal was hilarious.


Thanks for helping us celebrate Heinz's, Johnson's, and McKinney's!

New House?!

Our offer has been accepted on a new house. Hope to be home owners by the end of the month:) More soon...

The Housing Market and the Big Bad Short Sale

Month One (July)

Made an offer close to asking price on a short sale (sellers owe more than can sell house for so the bank helps by creating a plan to sell the house without foreclosing on it). All paperwork in. Heard that short sales can take two to four months.

Month Two (August)

Wait.

Month Three (September)

Wait.

Month Four (October)

Man, I thought we'd be moving by now. Hear paperwork is sitting on management's desk.

Month Five (November)

Hear paperwork is still on management's desk. Answer probable in two weeks.

Month Six (December)

Should be hearing something any day (feel I have the right to insert - blah, blah, blah). Just need one more bit of information from sellers. We have to be out of our house by April 1st. Cutting it a little too close for comfort.

Month Seven (January)

Find different house (bank owned). Make an offer. Should hear something by tomorrow.

Looks promising. Large house on nice dead end street, at least two families with little kids, big yard with a playset, elementary school down the street, close to Kelven's work. Needs new carpet, paint, and other little repairs, but has everything else on our list.


I have this weird suspicion "short sales" don't really exist. Live and learn.

What a beautiful day. It's 9pm and the roto-rooter guy is here pumping our downstairs laundry room sink which is currently full of food from our garbage disposal? Don't ask. But it is times like these that I get to hang out exclusively with my daughter (Parker is sleeping) while Kelven gets to watch the rooter guy work (rooting him on). Jada's bedtime routine has been anything but graceful the last couple weeks (a kid who used to walk herself to bed is now running from us, refusing to get dressed in her pjs? What?!) We knew it would be a loud job downstairs so I didn't put her to sleep until right before he left. I spent a good hour reading books and just talking with her in her bed. THE BEST THING EVER. Holding a conversation with a toddler with your full attention for more than five minutes does not happen often enough in a daily/weekly schedule. These are the moments when I feel so blessed and happy. I didn't even come close to this type of teary-eyed contentment before I had kids. Life has much more meaning these days. Here are some pieces of our conversation:

(Jada's words in purple)


Nember (remember) my buns were hot on Nana's boat at her nother house. (Referring to the hot seat in Kelven's parents' boat in Chelan).


Nember I fell and the lamp fell on me.


Papa Boo lives in Heaven. Way up in the sky. You sad about that, Mommy. Because he lives so far away. Nember he says boo and I do dis (hides her face and laughs).


Nember daddy likes my poop. We only talk about poop in da potty. Nember I only pick my nose in da bafroom. Nember, Mommy?


I asked her what she likes about herself and she said that she "eats real food in the kitchen" and that she "has friends Evie and Cooper." Not sure she understands the whole self-esteem thing yet, but maybe she's just humble. We also talked about how mommy and daddy love her so much and how we'll always love her, even when she's big like us. And she said, "I grow big and go to high school, Mommy? And I be a teacher. And Parker will be big like me."


Then I asked her if mommy yelled today (I try to keep my cool, but Jada was putting my beloved pictures in her mouth and bent a few with her kicks. I really don't yell much, but at nine cents a picture plus shipping and handling, I take my scrapbooking pretty seriously). She said, "Yeah, and I got sad." Then I asked if mommy said sorry for yelling and she said, "Yeah." We're trying to help her understand the concept of sorry. And finally I asked what it feels like when she gets sad or mad and she said, "I just need you. I want you, Mommy. Cuz I got little tears in my eyes." Melt my heart. Reminds me that listening to our children is so important. There wasn't sadness in her request, just a simple statement. No book or advice hits you like hearing the words I just need you straight from the source.

Year of Change

Behold the year of change; altering the perspective from childhood to adulthood and back to childhood. A bit of history, of family and pure unadulterated love and fun, crosses my mind as I sit in our home marveling my favorite Christmas tree to date. My childhood Christmases were filled with laughter, soul warming food, glittering gifts, steep hill sledding, ice forts, and the safest set of people in the world to me, my parents and two brothers. I couldn't tell you one thing I didn't love at our house in December as a child.

Now, 28 years later, the change I find myself confronted with is beyond anything I could have construed in my mind. An obsessive worrier, I am oddly amused and thankful my childhood's natural immaturity didn't allow me to even fathom what was to become of Christmas. My emotional side screams tragedy, but my work-in-progress maturity calmly replies with faith and basic principles of life; we cannot plan for the good and bad, we can just be.

For the first time ever, I will not be celebrating Christmas with the family who raised and molded me into the person I am today. There isn't enough cyber space to explain why so I won't. I'd like to call it a too-complicated-unless-you've-been-through-it change and not particularly an it's-all-your-fault kind of thing. Hurt goes in so many directions. I am thankful for and have fond memories of my childhood. Unfortunately life doesn't always fall into the place you thought it would. It feels something like lingering in shallow water with what you should know as family swimming away and a new life calling you onto the sand with a warm towel. Awaiting with patience and understanding you always dreamt of having in a husband. This is a bewildering confusion; a family once so close knit doesn't even feel like family. I wonder how many families go through something like this? But for every hardship, there is a reason and with it comes many blessings.

This may ooze feelings you had when parents kissed in front of you, but I really like my husband. When I see a picture of him I honestly think to myself, "I really love him." And it makes me smile to think of us together in our thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, etc. With Christmas almost here, I get extra lovey because we fell in love in December six years ago. This is the first year since Jada was born that Christmas feels real for our family. A lot has happened in the last three years that made the holidays unholiday-like. Again, I'll withhold the gory details. This year we bundled up to get a tree at a local spot, but decided to go with a cheaper one at Fred Meyer. It was tied up, but we thought it would be fun to be surprised. We couldn't have picked a more perfect tree. It's not just the tree's lavishing May family decor and delicious smell, I think maybe my perspective as an adult, mommy, and wife has found some sense of peace and is affecting my outlook. Two thousand-nine has changed my perspective on life and death; on drawing the line when your health and well-being are at stake; on the hard work and dedication (main ingredients: insanity and laughter) it takes to raise kids and coexist with your spouse; on how important it is to be a good friend if you want good friends; on being aware of negativity and how it can effect all areas of your life; and on how I lucked out finding the most genuine husband, dad, and friend in the world. I've married someone who makes me want to be a better person and who will help me work on getting there each day.

This is a great Christmas season. Our little monster/dragon/princess/baby-loving daughter met Santa's reindeer, told us she wants to see Santa but "no sit on his lap," helped daddy make the famous May chex mix, has already made a dozen Xmas art projects, and squeals with delight with the mention of Santa, cartoons, or presents. And Parker James is little boy wonder! Who knew babies could be so easy? We sure didn't. His birth was the biggest joy of 2009 and I am sure he was given to us this year for a reason.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Yard Sale Shenanigans

First, I need to mention that having a yard sale in Seattle is nothing like it is in Wenatchee. The 100 pounds of plastic toys, piles of baby clothes, and bbq would have sold before the sale even started in Wenatchee. Early birds would have swooped in and drove off within 5 minutes, leaving only dust from the tires as they head for their next prey. Seattleites never show up early, not because they are lazy, but because they haven't had their morning bike ride, latte from their favorite family owned cafe, and a quick chat with their plants (we saw our neighbor talking to one of hers today). Wenatchee folk are in and out and can devour an entire sale in minutes. Sellers like the quick money (we made a hundred dollars in less than an hour in Wenatchee). On the other hand, I have a much deeper appreciation for Seattle yard sales after today. People crack me up.

An older man in a flannel and his dog left and came back three times. He needed a jacket for fishing and we had a perfect Northface one we picked up at a garage sale, but it was priced a little high for him. His third time back he laughed and bought the jacket for full price. He made me smile because he was a sweet guy. And he was a perfect example of my biggest Seattle hypothesis: Most dog owners have a very close resemblance to their pet. I love it. It makes me think that every connection on this planet happens for a reason.

At the end of the sale we had all our junk in bags ready to load up into the car when a bigger lady wearing a carpal tunnel brace on her wrist (she told us all about it) searched our bags and found at least $20 worth. After a good half hour of sitting there waiting for her we gave her some bags. Kelven walked over to add the prices up, but she continued to talk nonstop all the while throwing two bags full of stuff into her car without paying us a dime! I was fine because I figured she must have thought it was all free at this point, but we certainly didn't say this to her. Kelven is convinced she is a con artist and still hasn't let it go. Hmmmmm, wonder what she was thinking as she drove off...suckers!

Last Xmas my dad bought us a train to go around the tree. I have the one from our childhood so we decided to sell the one from my dad. Near the end of the day a nice guy in his fifties looked at it for a long time after asking if it worked (which it did). After another couple minutes he decided to get it. Nobody before him even looked at it. As he was walking off he looked back, smiled and said, "Good luck with your sale today." I find that many men fifty and up really enjoy trains and I was extremely happy that such a kind man will get to set a train up around his tree for his family. His smile and genuine kindness reminded me of my dad and the small transaction made my day.

*Absolute favorite part of the day.
A quirky man (about the same age and build of Judah Friedlander from Thirty Rock) went straight for our small pile of books. He pulled one from the pile and giggled to himself, looked up and asked us if one of us had really read it. I could tell instantly that he was probably one of the funniest guys anybody had ever met. You can just tell with people like that. I said yes and he laughed in pure disbelief. And I preceeded to tell him it was during college when I drank a lot. He handed me fifty cents with a big hilarious smile on his face and walked off shaking his head still laughing. The book was called Clay Aiken Learning to Sing Hearing the Music in Your Life. Either he had the perfect person to give the gag gift to or he was going to place it on his coffee table for everyone to see. We were humiliated and yet proud to be the seed of the flower.

Jada and daddy love their cartoons and Cougs! These two have become quite the pair - giggles, kisses, and cuddles consume most of their time.

Not Yet...

Nothing new for the pregnant girl, but am hopeful it will be soon. The weather has been fantastic over here. Jada and I spend so much time hanging out on the deck that I thought I should get some big sister pics before Parker gets here.

This is the only pic I got of the shower. Does anyone have more? I need to thank everyone for coming over to celebrate Parker! We are lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives. We now have everything we need and are ready for him. I have an appointment today so I'll update with any good news:)

This was me at almost 38 weeks and I am currently 39 weeks. He has definitely dropped since this picture. It was so cool to actually feel him drop last Saturday, though I was sure it meant he was coming real soon. I should have known better with Jada coming on the 8th when her due date was the 2nd.

Do we look alike? I think we are pretty close in age here.

Jada and I spent the day down by the space needle while Kelven was downtown for work.

Girls are so precious. Kelven and I love having a daughter and can't wait to see what a son will bring to our family dynamic. More to post soon...