In Praise of Pinterest...

As I mentioned in my previous post, we recently had a birthday party for the big one's 6th birthday. What you should know is that I really don't enjoy birthday parties - attending or throwing.  But my kiddos want parties. In order to help us all get what we want, we are on an every-other-year schedule. The big one gets parties during years when he turns an even age.  The little one gets them when he turns an odd age. This rotation means I throw one a year, and on the years when they don't have a big party, we get to enjoy quiet, simple family celebrations. It's just one of those little ways we are maintaining a balance that works for our family.

Summer birthdays are great for birthday parties - the ability to celebrate outside allows for some fun ideas.  The birthday boy wanted a "summer fun" party, and we were lucky enough to be able to hold it at my father-in-law's church (he's the pastor).  The parking lot was a perfect bike riding area, and the grassy areas were great for baseball, soccer, and football games.  Really, it was all very simple.

But the thing that made it even easier?  One of my favorite new addictions - Pinterest. For those of you who are unfamiliar, here's what it is.  Remember when you used to flip through magazines and tear out pages of recipes/decorating ideas/quotes/crafts that you wanted to remember? And when you first started to use the internet you used to print out the ideas that you found? And then you found that you had an overwhelming list of bookmarks for all of those great things, but could never quite remember which bookmark led you to which tutorial or photograph? This is the answer.  It's like online corkboards, where you can "pin" all those great ideas. You see a tutorial you like, "pin" it, and sort your pins into boards according to theme.  Then you can go to your board, see all of your ideas, and follow those ideas back to their original source on the web.

I used Pinterest to gather my ideas for the birthday party.  In fact, here's my board. And here's the same ideas at the actual party:

 We had a great time - the weather was perfect, we were joined by amazing friends and family, and the birthday boy loved it all.  Our "goody bags" of a monster and CD of favorite music were well received. The pulled pork sandwiches and picnic food were delicious, and a good friend's cupcake recipe (thanks, Mel!) was perfect.

But the best part? Because of the pre-planning/organizing using Pinterest, I was actually able to sit back and enjoy the party.  The preparations still took time, but we were able to do things the way we wanted (little expense or waste, lots of activity and creativity) without any last-minute stress.  I can't recommend it enough!  I've still got a few invites left, so if you are interested in signing up, just let me know in the comments. 

Recent crafties...

It's been a wonderful summer for crafting - with the boys being a little more independent, I can actually sit and play during the day.  While they are immersed in a "Search and Rescue Mission" (thanks, Papa!) with Legos and dollhouse firefighters, I can be cutting out a pattern or knitting away. I'm still able to be involved in their play, without getting in the way.

There have been a couple of crafting project that have filled more hours than the others.  Each was my favorite kind of crafting to do - crafting for gifts.  Now that they have been gifted to their respective recipients, I thought I'd share a little of what I've been up to:

Project 1.
This one was truly a group effort. Back in May, I asked some of the people nearest and dearest to my dad to send favorite stories/memories, and pictures to me.  I then got to put all of these memories together in a scrapbook.  I used a digital template set by Cathy Zielske and a digital paper pack, and we ended up with a 45 page album full of love for my dad on his 60th birthday.  I felt so lucky to get to put it together - to get to really spend  time with all of these wonderful thoughts and stories of my dad.  Each one triggered my own memories, and realize what an amazing  family and community my Dad created for us. Here's a shot of the cover:

And just a sample of the inside pages:

 

 Project 2:

Ok, this undertaking was a little silly/crazy.  A few months ago I saw an adorable "gift basket" on pinterest that I desperately wanted to recreate for my oldest's birthday party. Which then meant I needed to knit a monster for every child coming to the party.  And his party was the week after my Dad's - and thus the finish date for the scrapbook. So, I knew that I would officially have 9 days to knit 12-13 monsters. They'd have to be small and simple, and I'd need to knit my fingers off!  When I saw these, I knew they were the ones! Using only scrap yarn, I got them done (the night before!), and they were happily adopted out the next day. We did end up having a family unable to make it, so a few of the little guys came home with us, and they are well loved (and thrown around) our home!

While crafting with a timeline in mind isn't always my favorite, both of these projects were great fun.  I loved seeing the funny little personalities each monster took on as the ends were sewn and feet were attached. But I'm not sure much will top the reaction that my Dad's scrapbook got from him. That was the best.

I have completed a few other little projects along the way - hopefully I'll get around to sharing those before too long! But if not, it's because I'm renewing my friendship with my sewing machine...

Cousin Time...

A couple of weeks ago, we spent a week vacationing with my family (at my parents' home). The main purpose was to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. He's an amazing guy, and deserved to be celebrated in a big and fabulous way. For this big event, my sister and her family came in from Ottawa, and the boys and I were determined to spend as much time with them as possible.

It's tough having my sister live on the other side of the continent.  But she and I have no trouble talking for long extended hours each week - the phone makes the distance seem much smaller.  What the phone doesn't do is allow me the time to hug and cuddle and watch my niece and nephew grow up. So these moments together are HUGE. 

I grew up in a big family - there are 9 cousins on each side.  We spent a LOT of time with our cousins growing up - and have the awkward 80's pictures to prove it.  And I am so lucky that as an adult, I am still close with my cousins, and have the opportunity (thanks, facebook!) to keep up with their lives on a regular basis. In fact, here's a pic of just a few us and our children at my dad's party:

I want that same thing for my boys. But when your only cousins live so far away, it's tough. So we do our best to make the best of the situation, and the kids play together every second of our time together.

My oldest, by nature of his age, and, well, his bossy nature, is usually the ringleader.  He chooses the activity, and gets the "littles" going. My youngest is 5 months older than his cousin, my sister's oldest.  Up until this visit, they have had a very adversarial relationship. But for the first time, this visit they spent extended times playing together, off in their own imaginary world. And the baby?  Well, right now he's best at just being cute.  Both of my boys adore him and are very protective of him, and my youngest just can't wait until he's old enough to join in the games.  (Secretly, I think he's just hoping that the baby will be the one person he gets to be the "boss" of.)

Here are just a few pictures of their week together:

Group puzzle assembly

Chess with Aunt Erin

Puzzle time

Digging in the dirt

Watching for fish in the stream

Anyone who knows my kiddos knows just how much they adore their grandparents.  And when it came time to leave, and the oldest was upstairs wailing and gnashing his teeth about going home, I thought that was leaving them that was so hard. But it wasn't.  "But, mama, it will be months until I get to play with my cousins again! That is just too long.  I love them soooooo much!" While I hated to see him hurting, I was so glad to hear how much he enjoyed his time with them. We made promises of more-regular iChats, gave big hugs, and have already talked on the phone several times.  And still, on a daily basis,  my boys talk about the great time they had on vacation with their cousins.

Gotta love the cousin time!

A day at the lake...

My aunt and uncle have some property down on the lake where I grew up. It's a large reservoir, and they've worked hard to build a great place to spend the day in total relaxation. Recently, we were fortunate enough to be invited to come down and hang out with them for the day.  My cousin, who currently lives in North Dakota, was going to be there with her two children, and it was the perfect opportunity to get out on the lake and spend the day with people we adore.

While the boys have been taking swimming lessons, they are both still a little nervous around the water.  I figured that they would mostly hang out on the dock and in the shallow water's edge.  So when both agreed right away to hop into the canoe with my cousin's children, I was pleasantly surprised.  The water is one of my favorite places to be.  The kids had fun paddling around a little, and then it was time for Uncle Mike to bring out the big guns - the ski boat.

After watching their cousin (a strong and confident 7 year old) take a spin on the new ski trainer, my big one decided that maybe being pulled behind the boat looked like a pretty good time.  So, the two of them hopped into the dually - a double inner tube - and off we went.

(Confession time - He wanted out at the last minute.  Papa told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to try it, and I agreed.  At the same time, I was terrified that if it was a bad experience, we were in trouble.  The kid never forgets!)

Well, let me just say that the dually was amazing.  The peer pressure of having his cousin there with him, me in the boat watching out for him, and my uncle taking it easy, making sure the ride was great all worked together.  He had a blast.  We went slow, we went fast, we spun in circles giving them some great wake bumps.  The grin never left his face. And as soon as we got back?  My little one hops in with my cousin's little one. Oh my goodness - those two tiny little boys (3 and 4 years old) out there in the middle of the reservoir looked so far away.  And so very little.  And were having such a fantastic time! It was wonderful.

And through the afternoon, the fun continued.  They played in the shallows, the little one jumped into the lake all by himself (although it was far too cold for his taste), and the big one even gave the ski trainer a shot all by himself.

 
Then both boys got to watch their papa water ski.  It was his 60th birthday that day, and he wanted to prove to himself that he could still do it. And honestly, he was amazing.  He has always been one of the best skiers I know, and the years haven't changed that.  For a few moments, I was the little 7 year old in the boat, cheering on my daddy, watching him make it all look so easy. And my boys were thrilled at the cool new trick Papa had shown them.

It was a day that the boys and I won't soon forget.  My aunt, uncle, and cousin were such wonderful hosts, and the kids had so much fun playing together. I'm so glad we went down, and eagerly look forward to a time when we can do it all again.

Flying by...

Wow. I can't believe how quickly this summer is just flying by.  It probably isn't helped by the fact that we've only had a couple of weeks of summer weather.  But beyond that, the days and weeks are just disappearing before our eyes.   I've got lots to post about - we've had two birthday parties, a week with my sister and her amazing family, time at the lake, lots of playing outside, and a new roof. It's all been good.

This last week, the boys and I took a little break from all the party planning and connected crafting to head down to the river. It was a little cool when we got there, but we had the beach to ourselves.  We unloaded shovels and buckets and sifters and knitting, each set about our work. The oldest promptly began digging.  First it was the river's edge.  Later it was a deep tunnel under a log.  He was in heaven.  The little one made sand angels, threw rocks into the river, and searched for buried treasure.  There was constant narration for all the activity.

I got to sit and knit while the boys were playing.  We've entered a delightful stage this summer where both boys are better able to entertain themselves for extended periods of time.  They are both careful about safety, no one is eating the sand, and they will happily join together or with other children to create new worlds while I watch form a distance.  It is heavenly to be able to have a little "me time" without having to be away form them.

As the morning drifted towards lunch, we pulled out the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the boys made before we left home.  With a bag of carrots, peas, and cherries, we had some serious fine dining, and the little one even believes it all tastes better with a fine coating of sand. We saw crawdads and tadpoles, watched boats float past, and felt the warm sunshine on our bodies. It felt like summer.

We can't wait to go again!

Saturday morning bike ride...

I think it started way back in my childhood viewings of the Sound of Music - the scene where Maria and the children are riding down the road on their bicycles wearing their new playclothes made of draperies. No, I don't have a dream of my kids running around in curtain knickers (although I'm not afraid to recycle old fabric).  But leisurely weekend bike rides as a family?  It's just one of those things I have always pictured doing with my family.

Now, I have to admit this "goal" was a little funny.  Two months ago, Max had a 12 inch bike with no training wheels and Luke had a 10 inch with training wheels.  That was it.  Not the equipment of quality family rides.  And for those of you who don't live in the PNW, you may not realize just how crazy and sacrilegious this was. So we've worked to remedy this - we've geared up.  Dan and I each bought a bike, Max has moved up to a 16 inch, and we found a tag-along on craigslist for Luke. We even picked up a bike rack so we can haul our bikes around to some of the great paths in the area.

We took our inaugural ride a couple of weeks ago - 6 miles on the Springwater trail.  We only planned on going 4, but I missed our turn to our midpoint stop, so we went out an extra mile before heading back.  With a bagel stop to refuel at the city park, and lots of greetings from other riders and runners along the path, it was the perfect start to our rides.

Today we decided to take another ride - a little shorter this time, since Max was pretty worn out after the first one.  (After all - the goal is to get them to love riding so they want to do it more often.) But the weather?  Not exactly cooperative.  It was sprinkling as we headed out of the driveway, and both boys were pretty resistant to the whole idea.  And as we unloaded the bikes, it really started to rain. We decided to give it a shot, anyway.

Within 2 minutes, it was pouring.  The boys were quickly getting soaked, and I could sense we were close to mutiny.  Time to pump it up - I was going to take a lesson from my dear friend, Beth, and we were going to "fake it till we make it."  So I started laughing and shouting about how much fun it was to ride in the rain.  I drove us through a big puddle and acted my silliest.  Dan saw where I was headed with this, and played along.  And after 30 seconds?  Both boys were giggling and talking about how much fun riding in the rain was. We ended up doing a 5 mile ride, soaking wet, with the trail almost to ourselves, and plenty of slugs to dodge.  And back at the car, both boys piped up to thank us for a "great ride in the rain".

We weren't exactly singing Do-Re-Mi, and the sun wasn't beating down on our flowing golden hair.  But it was wonderful, just the same.

Rodeo Fun...

It's a little funny.  I grew up on 40 acres, with cows, horses, and pigs.  We moved irrigation pipe twice daily in the summers and cleaned stalls in the winter.  My dad does his fair share of hauling hay, and my childhood was filled with playing in ditches and attending 4-H meetings. And as soon as I could, I moved to the city.  My husband also has a small town background, yet we've chosen to live a urban/suburban life. But my boys?  They have a deep LOVE with all things country.

Besides riding the ATVs and feeding animals, one of their favorite things to do is go to the rodeo.  They get all "cowboy-ed up" in their western shirts, boots, and hats, and then prepare to hoot and holler their heads off for a good two hours. Neither really has a favorite event yet - but if pressed, they usually say that the clown is their favorite. But saddle broncs, barrel racing, team roping, it doesn't matter - they love the rodeo.

Last weekend we headed to the Molalla Buckeroo for the Sunday night show.  (We really need to take better advantage of the daytime shows - the 8:00 pm start time is already past when they usually head to bed.  But with a late nap and some kettle corn, they are good to go!) The weather was beautiful, the crowd was great, and there were some fun rides to watch. There were even daredevil riders - acrobats on horseback that ranged in age from 12-18. And afterwards?  Fireworks. 

I never expected my two city boys to be so country at heart, but I'm happy to help them cheer on those bull riders every time. Well, until one of them decides that he wants to take a shot at those magic 8 seconds, that is...