Beach Bound...

For the past two weeks we have had GORGEOUS weather here on the coast. I am sure for those of you who live in places where it is nice and warm for a good portion of the year, you might not grasp how truly thankful us hmb-ers are when we wake up to the sun shining, no wind, and a glistening ocean.
I actually love the fog too. Believe it or not. It gives me energy, keeps the trails, beaches and parks rather empty, and doesn't get me down at all.
But I think I finally have come to the conclusion that I LOVE a warm sunny day around 67 degrees with no wind better than the foggy days.
Maybe it is my constant quest for seaglass, or the fact that blissful hours can be spent walking the beaches or basking in sun while my littles play, or maybe it is the serenity and peacefulness that comes from being engulfed by the ocean and hills, or maybe it is how we all feel once we return sandy, tired, and ready to play quietly (more or less) inside....I can't quite pin it down, but whatever it is my kids and I are into it. Really into it. Everyday we pack up and head to one of our four favorite beach spots. By car, by bike, by foot...we have all the options.

Venice beach has been a new fav. I park at Freshman's Creek and we walk through Sweetwater forest. The kids love to listen to the birds and chase butterflies. After a 15 walk we end up by this creek flowing into the ocean. The kids spend hours playing so creatively. Today as I sat on my blanket I watched about 30 minutes of the most dramatic play I have ever seen. K and C were naked at this point and were playing with a big log in the water. "RUN! GET ON THE SHIP BEFORE THE PIRATES GET YOU", then they would race down a sand hill and leap onto the log. "GRAB YOUR GUNS" "OK CHARLIE" It was hysterical, and very theatrical as well.

Twice I was able to pull the kids away from their play to walk the beach with me. They are very aware of the ocean, and pay close attention to incoming waves, especially as I am sprinting in and out of the water to pick up gems...something that I am sure is not helping my belly. And they have become great little seaglass hunters themselves. Every few seconds I turn around to see a cute smile, hands behind their backs and "I have a present for you", after which they dump a piece in my hands. This pic doesn't do it justice, lots of the pieces are thick and very smooth, and there are a couple very cool pieces too.

Another favorite is out my Mavericks. We were there with our good friends twice this week. It is so nice that the kids can run and splash and play in the water without fear of being knocked over and sucked out into the ocean. Yesterday we saw a very big very dead octopus on the sand, it was fascinating.

Mavericks also has tidepools during low tides that are fun to explore. Kate had a very special time walking out there hand in hand with my friend Tanya and her son Michael.

Us moms have found a small trick that we bust out here and there. Towards the end of our beach trip lollipops are passed out. Instantly the kids are quiet and stationary while us moms make one last dash for glass.

I have also starting taking Henry (my mom's puppy) out this us here and there. He of course loves racing after Lily and the kids.

Like I have said a million times, the main reason we head out is because these two get along so well when we are out and about. This morning I woke up with a bad head cold, C was grumpy, K was needy, and my belly was acting up. I told myself I would lay low all day and just relax on the couch while the kids played. By 9 am I realized there was no way I would get through this day without crying if I stayed home. So instead we headed to Venice beach and stayed there for 3.5 hours. Every second was amazing.

I am almost sunned out. If that is possible. And daily I dream about playing in the snow in Tahoe...ADAM!

Dear Universe

I think I have done an excellent job staying rather calm the past 6 weeks. Through the holidays, my mom getting extremely sick, night after night of no sleep due to everyone in this house coughing, watching those close to me struggle, being pregnant and still feeling gross and sick at times even though I am a whopping 24 weeks. I have tried to stay positive in the midst of strange craigslist experiences, the stress of deciding to buy a house and then staying calm and collected day in and day out after hearing nothing from the private mortgage insurance people regarding the fact that my employment began 5 months ago instead of 6. I took deep breaths while reading the termite and property inspections despite the amount of money and work "our" house might need.
I have somehow managed to be a good mother despite having a painful umbilical hernia that keeps me from exercising (something very important to me) as well as lifting heavy objects (for example kate)
I have tried my best to keep Adam fed, loved, and somewhat rested during perhaps the most stressful month of his life.
I have tried to stay patient and calm as Charlie continues to get a fever, cough, and ear infection every freaking time I stop his inhalers of steroids.
So universe as you can see I am doing my job to hold the fort down. Can you do yours?
All I want is this:
1. For us to figure out what is going on inside my wonderful boy's body that is making him have a fever every two weeks. To end the ear infections and cough he has been struggling with.
2. Help me my mom come off steroids and improve her breathing.
3. Give me some news regarding our loan. One way or another. Just let us know before we loose our deposit.
Things are looking so much better than they did a month ago, and I am grateful for that. Now go and get the job done!

Crazy enough to have 3 club

When I told a friend of mine I was pregnant months and months ago, she gave me a great big hug and said: so you are part of the "crazy enough to have 3 club". She had just had her third son, so she completely understood the journey we were about to embark upon.

Last week I met a mom at swim class and when she heard I was pregnant she gasped. "Wow you are CRAZY!"

Sometime in the past week I ran into a mom I know who has one boy Charlie's age. She watched her son, his friend, and my kids dance around new leaf acting crazy and happy and she said: "Are you freaking out about having 3?"

A few nights ago I was at a birthday party for one of Charlie's friends and I was talking to a new mom. She has a five week old and was completely honest when I asked how it was going. She said: We have good moments, bad moments, good days, bad days. It's hard.
I totally remember how hard things seemed the first time around. But honestly the second time around nothing phased me. I packed everyone up everyday and headed outside. I nursed as much as I wanted, slept when they slept, and survived.
Towards the end of the night the same mom came up to me and in all honesty said: How are you going to handle 3, Sarah? The look in her face was so sincere.

I assume these types of comments will not end once I am out and about with two kids and a baby. While on the bluffs with the kids and Lily at least one person says everytime, "You got your hands full"
While I love afternoon walks on the beach alone (the few times they have happened), I love having my hands full.
When the mom of the newborn at the party honestly asked how I would handle three I wasn't sure how to answer. Of course there will be hard moments, hard days. But in that instant I had been at the party for over an hour. I had chatted with my friends, ate some snacks, drank some water, and sat back on a comfortable chair and watched my wonderful kids play with other kids. My hands were free from the second I got there all the way home, except for the parts where Charlie wanted me to hold him on his lap (way past his bedtime). But my lap is big enough for two, my patience has been tested and expanded and I know it can withstand the moments of stress that are bound to come with welcoming a newborn into our content family.
Am I crazy to have 3? I guess. Compared to everyone around me...as we are one of the few families I know that are going for 3. But two was crazy. Even one was crazy.
Yesterday our family rode bikes, played tennis, went to the park, and finished the day at a beautiful secluded beach. The kids helped me search for sea glass, ran and jumped of sandy cliffs and we all enjoyed every minute. As we were making the trek back to the car, Adam and the kids raced ahead. The sun was dropping providing the amazing light at sunset, the fields were covered in gorgeous yellow flowers, the mountains were just ahead of us, with a big blue ocean behind us. I had nothing but love in my heart for my little cute family, and nothing but excitement that one more little soul is going to join us soon.
Day after day my kids spend hours playing together. Right now they are in the playroom making superhero soup in the kitchen, and early they were playing their new favorite game: Mole Rat, where they hide under couch cushion and pop up and say mole rat.
My hands are free.

Last week I went over the hill to go to four different stores and there was not one problem. As soon as I got home I had to turn around and go right back to the doctor. It was naptime, kids had been in a car or stores all day, and they did great. They are helpful, silly, able to understand, and follow basic directions. They are potty trained, play independently, and are happy most of the time. So yes I can do it. I have no choice, it is happening.

Helping at Trader Joe's

Helping at Whole Foods

Happily waiting at the docs office...

Am I ready to also be carrying a baby that needs to be changed, nursed and rocked 24-7...no not yet....but I am sure come May I will be. And for the moments I am not feeling it...I will call upon one of these cuties to help.

Kate Rides A BIKE!

She has always blown us away with all of her milestones....talking super early, walking months before charlie, potty training at 22 months, singing complete songs starting at 2, and just yesterday she jumped on Charlie's new big boy bike. Adam got her going and held on running along side her, he let go to see what would happen and lo and behold the adorable girl in tights and rainboots kept pedaling all alone, on a huge bike. So I raced home and got Charlie's old red bike. She wasn't able to start herself, but was pedaling, turning, and braking and then putting her feet down to stop. Charlie was cheering her on, and we were all pretty proud. While it is true that both kids are incredibly athletic, and clearly get that from my side of the family, I really this Kate riding a two wheeler a few weeks before she turns 3 is a direct result of never using training wheels. Balance bikes all the way! I officially add balance bikes to my must have list: ergo, phil and teds, balance bike. That is all a parent needs.

Charlie speaks:

Charlie was showing me all his muscles, and Pa came up behind him and lifted him up.
Me: Wow, Pa is strong too.
Charlie: He is strong for an old guy, right?

The kids have been playing nonstop the past week. I love it. Just now Charlie was looking at Kate's face on the floor and said:
Charlie: Mommy, Kate has hair in her nose. I guess she is growing up.
Turns out it was a piece of Lily's hair stuck on the tomato soup left from lunch on her nose.

This morning Josh was visiting the kids.
Charlie: Josh do you eat candy a lot.
Josh: No, not really. Not anymore.
Charlie: That's redonkculous

Yesterday, being the super mom that I am, I took the kids to Morrison's school supply store for teaching materials, to REI to return my bike helmet, to Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. They were perfect at each store. A little loud and annoying in the car in between destinations, but still helpful, good listeners, and cute as ever. At Trader Joe's they decided they each needed their small shopping carts halfway through our trip, and so became a force to reckon with. Down and up each Aisle we had my cart, and each kid had a "shopper in training" cart. At one point a woman was unable to pass up and waiting patiently for us to figure out which groceries go in which cart and move on. She smiled at the kids and the kids smiled back. About a second after she passed us:
Charlie: She is really super old right Mommy?
Me: Well, she is older than you that's for sure....(she was probably pushing 80)

There are a few more funny quotes but I am totally spacing on them now that I am signed in. I will update if and when I remember.

HMB Christmas

We truly had a fun, relaxing, and peaceful Christmas in HMB. We continued our tradition of making cookies for Santa, getting crab off the boats, the kids opening two small presents from my parents and had a mellow family evening. The kids were asleep by 7:30 and Adam and I had a fun night sitting on the couch, stuffing stockings, putting final touches on toys, and talking about all sorts of things.
Most of you know that I value good toys. I am also into supporting local businesses. I was able to get almost all the presents for family in town, but there are no great toy stores in hmb, so I went with my usual company in Vermont, Nova Natural...a wonderful family owned online toy store. Those around me know that I agonized over which presents to get my kids for over a month. I am proud to say I stuck to our budget, went with the less is more motto, and got both kids just a few nicer toys. Now two weeks later it is obvious I went with the right choices on presents. They are playing nonstop with their new goods, and at times you can find me or Adam playing on our owns with the different awesome blocks.

All set up, just waiting for the kids...

Christmas night Charlie woke up a few times to see if Santa had come. Adam went in to sleep with him at some point and I overhead...GO BACK TO SLEEP CHARLIE, SANTA HASN'T COME YET. Then around 5:30 I heard little feet run out to the living room. Kate was still sound asleep with me, but I couldn't stand listening to Charlie tear through his stocking in his room...he said things like: WOW A WATER BOTTLE. YES TATOOS. PENCILS! GLOVES....I could only take 5 minutes before I woke Kate up and got to see their excitement...

Santa was good to our kids this year. Charlie got a new big boy bike that he absolutely loves and flies on, Kate got yet another doll stroller. Third times a charm, let's hope this was doesn't break.

Like I said, I feel like I get mad props for picking up the best toys. Christmas morning while the kids were still opening their presents I caught Adam already playing with one set of blocks...

Charlie's big present from us was his very own wooden shield and dagger. Both kids have been consumed by dress up play, and I knew this would be the perfect addition. Each kid also got the cutest lego headlight from my parents...which I have since used as a night light while reading.

Charlie loves to think up gift ideas to get people and he is very good at it. Last year for Adam's birthday he wanted to get Adam his very own tennis courts in our backyard. When I asked him what he wanted to get Kate, he whispered in my ear...a princess doll. I was very excited when I found this adorable cloth princess doll at a cute toy store in Davis. They have both enjoyed playing with this doll together.

Kate told me she wanted to get Charlie something having to do with superheroes, so I found the perfect book for him. He claims it is his favorite present of the year.

Aunt Kate treated Kate to some cute bags and nail polish....After painting all her fingers and toenails every color I thought we were done for the day, or at least for a while. Then I heard, "Don't worry Mommy I being really careful." My mom and I looked over at her and yes it is true her left hand was being very careful while holding the brush, but her right hand was holding the bottle, upside down....pouring the entire contents of the bottle onto my mom's rug. whoops.

Charlie's idea for my mom...knitting needles..

And for my dad...coffee mugs. I was impressed that Charlie thought of coffee mugs for my dad.

My favorite gift of the year. new rain boots.

Kate was curious about this big present from my parents...

Inside the box she scored a cute shopping cart and groceries to add to her kitchen.

Charlie got this wonderful gift from my parents....a air hockey table...we have all taken turns playing, and no it was no surprise to any of us when we saw how good Charlie is at the game.

There have been quite a few times since xmas where I didn't know where the kids were. Upon investigation I would find them in the playroom with the door closed playing air hockey with each other. LOVE to peek in and see this...

And the top toy this year goes to these amazing magna tiles my parents got for the kids. They are magnetic and provide hours of endless fun. We have made buildings, houses, spaceships, castles, entire towns. This picture was taken just a few minutes ago. As soon as breakfast was done this morning they both raced to the rug to start building. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Last year we went quantity over quality. We had access to free gifts through a promotion at Adam's work and went nuts. This year we stayed simple yet fun. Rainboots, blocks, a bike, a stroller, and dress up clothes. I will never go back to lots of toys that end up in the closet.
Hope you all had a great time with your families and happy New Year!

Gilroy Christmas

Christmas part 1 took place the weekend before Christmas in Gilroy. Perhaps the best present I received was my mother in law calling to see if she could come pick up the kids Friday late morning and take them home with her...which meant I had almost an entire day to myself. I believe this is the first time this happened for me. The other times the kids weren't with me, I was really sick with pneumonia or heading out of town. I had an amazing time. I did most of my xmas shopping on Main street, organized the kids' closet, caught up with old friends, read, rested, and had a wonderful dinner out with Adam. Crazy thing is I missed them so much the whole time. Saturday after teaching we drove to Gilroy to celebrate our first round of xmas. We packed a lot into a short amount of time, and everyone had a great time.

Friday night Pam and Mike braved the weather and took the kids to Gilroy Gardens for their nights of lights event. I think they were pretty much the only ones there...which was fine with Charlie...

They were able to drive the cars over and over and enjoy a nice train ride in the dark

How cute!

Saturday night we had our own little xmas, and the kids scored clothes, books, pajamas, a movie, and nice toy each. Kate was excited to get a jessie doll (don't tell Kate but Jessie must have escaped to Sunny Side....I honestly can't find her anywhere....I am sure she will turn up when/if we move this month.)

Charlie is all about Star Wars these days (despite the fact that he has never seen any of the movies), so he was stoked to get a new light sabor.

The kids helped me make Mike gingersnaps and Charlie was proud to give them to his Papa.

Dancing is a big part of our family life, we pretty much have dance parties every evening. Both kids have some amazing moves and lately Charlie has really focused on his break dancing moves. I was pleased when they both danced for Pam and Mike, I was afraid they would be too shy. This picture doesn't do the dancing justice, I have a video that I will post soon.
Kate scored some new tights, which I am just as happy about as she is...it is nice to have more than 2 pairs in her drawer....

Charlie is the best gift giver, he comes up with an idea all on his own, and they are thoughtful and sweet. He picked out a star wars book for Adam, and some yarn for me.

The kids had fun making snickerdoodles...

And Adam brought his collection of chanterelles and porcinis and made a delicious cream of mushroom soup

Everyone enjoyed the soup, even the kids....although they were tired and pretty much ready for bed.

Sunday morning we went to Monterey and visited Adam's grandparents. We took a fun hike in the wet forest, all of us searching for mushrooms throughout the whole hike. Sorry about the sideways pic, can't figure out how to turn them.

It makes me forever proud that my kids can frolick for hours in the cold and rainy forest without a single complaint.

We had fun visiting Nonnie Doreen and Grandma and Grandpa Underwood, the kids did their best to stay quiet and not too wild in the quiet areas....something they aren't great at, especially on rainy days...

December Outdoor Adventures

Despite the chilly and rainy December we have been determined to get out of the house everyday for hours on end. Something about no preschool, no swimming, no tennis class, and no breaks for me in the form of work....made 12 hours seem like very long days. Spending a good portion of each day outside made for happy kids and a more relaxed mommy.

One of our favorite holiday traditions is going to a tree farm and finding the perfect tree. This is something I always did with my family growing up, and it means a lot to be able to do it with Adam, Kate, and Charlie. As you all know the kids are in their element in forests, and they had a great time running around searching for this year's perfect tree....

Charlie, being the serious working boy that he is, jumped right in to help cut our small but wonderful tree down.

Kate monitored the whole thing. Our quest for the prettiest and smelliest tree was in no way met this year. Although he have still not managed to find a good looking tree that smells like the ugly trees we had growing up, we sure enjoyed our tree this year.

We continued to visit our most happiest place on Earth, the discovery museum in Sausalito. We spend hours and hours exploring, discovering, and playing. And after every trip I walk back to the car with the biggest smile on my face. K and C are thoughtful, great listeners, polite, energetic, sweet, creative, and just all around amazing the entire time we are there. This month we have made a few trips to the harbor to pick up some fresh crab for dinner. After over 2 years of going to the discovery museum at least once a month, they finally discovered this crab fishing thing. They played together for about 3o minutes pretending to be the fishermen/women.

Mr. Athletic started to really get the hang of hoola hooping....

And after watching him focus on this amazing Magna tiles for another 30 minutes, I rushed home and asked my mom to get the kids a set for xmas. They are pricey, but honestly one of the best toys ever. We have all enjoyed building with them ever since xmas.

We have continued to explore our nearby beaches despite rainy weather....this one afternoon no one was around and the kids and Lily sprinted down this beach from Popular to Kelly.

An hour later we surfaced quite far from our house and had to make the long trek home. We were wet, tired, hungry...and then it started to rain. Kate started to lag behind and when I turned around the check on her this is what she was doing....while walking

I asked her what she was doing and she replied: "I thirsty Mommy!"

We have also been enjoying long, muddy bike rides to the nearby forests. Not sure how much longer I will be able to bike along side them, especially on the long way home where you can see me biking, Kate in the front seat and me carrying her bike while trying to hold lily's leash. At least I used xmas gift cards to buy a helmet for when this scenario leads to a crash.

Kate has become quite the balance bike speedster. Her quads and butt are so muscular from all that pushing...

Adam and I have also been switching off taking the kids to the harbor with Lily. They love to dig holes and build castles by the waters edge because they sand is saturated with water and every hole dug fills in fast with water...

This month we have had our share of sibling bickering and battles. There have been times where I wonder why my kids are so wild and won't follow directions. Times were voices are raised and tears were flowing. But for the most part we have had moments like this picture or moments like what has been going on in our living room the past 1.5 hours. While I have been pressure cooking beans for our slow-cooked chili, doing dishes, and working on this blog the kids have played together nonstop. The living room has become an ocean, the cushions their boats, stuffed animals and dolls their friends....their imaginations soaring, laughter and conversation flowing between two siblings that are truly best friends. And in moments like these I know Adam and I have done something right.