Family Time

We really enjoy our weekends together. We try to make time for each of us to exercise, and then both days we try to do something fun as a family. Bike rides, tennis courts, hikes, beaches are usually the things we go for. And we aim to spend most of the day outside, where our kids seem happiest. The past two weekends I spent in bed and Adam was out having fun with the kids, so I was very excited to get to tag along this time.

Saturday evening we went up to the tennis courts for some good old tennis fun. Charlie was serious for about 10 minutes and ripped some cross court top spin winners (are you impressed that I know that Adam?)

But he quickly decided he would rather dance around the court and annoy Adam...

I thought it was quite entertaining....

After getting his sillies out he roped some balls over the net, making his dad proud, I am sure.

Future doubles team?

When Charlie woke up Saturday and heard Adam mention there was tennis on TV Charlie quickly shouted back : "I am better than Federer!"

One day Charlie, maybe...

Taking his "ready position" very seriously

The days of Kate carelessly chasing balls around the courts are over, it is all business for her now.

She actually hit her first few balls on her own...

Not exactly the natural that Charlie is, but she sure can get down low to get the ball..

Sunday morning we hiked in the redwoods in Higgins Canyon and had a great time exploring creeks, counting banana slugs, having races...

Not sure if there is anything sweeter or cuter than this girl eating a pear in the forest.

I spent all last week in bed. 8 full days in bed with a fever of 100-102. Pneumonia seriously sucks, especially when you have little kids.... I am very rarely sick, infact I think that was the first time I had a fever in 5 years, and I hope the last for another 5 years.

This week I was so relieved to be back to my normal self (minus the exhaustion and cough) and I was very happy to be spending each day and all day with my kids.

Usually waking up to a super cold, foggy, and drippy day in the middle of summer doesn't phase me, but this week I was less than thrilled. I was eager to be outside and soaking up the sun.

So we did what we usually do when we are in need of fun in the sun. We headed out of hmb just about every day.

We had such fabulous days that by the end of the week I was A. very exhausted, and B. slightly sad that in the next two years my time will be very limited and the days where we can just pack a lunch and sunscreen and head out for the day will be few and far between.

This was our week:

Tuesday and Thursday we headed to Stafford Park in RWC to enjoy the wonderful play structure, and water features. My kids are very fun to observe. Charlie made three different sets of friends. Here he is showing Kate and another little girl (whom I have never met) an airplane. Later he followed a pack of boys around with their remote control cars, he then spent 20 minutes playing frisbee with teenagers, and finally he made friends with a dad and his three sons and played a great game of three flies up.

When the water started to spray the kids went wild. They spent the entire hour doing laps around the circle, or racing through the sprays. They were giddy, I think it is a combination of the sun, the water, and having me back.

As always my pictures are taken with my iphone, and when I put them on the computer I realized that almost every pic I had of the kids in the water they were in mid-air.

And as always when we are outside and having fun these kids are inseparable. They are best friends, which is why I choose to spend my days out and about. Because when they are home the bickering, and fighting begins.

Wednesday we met up with some of my best mom friends in town and had a picnic in the enchanted forrest. Kate was the only girl, running around playing happily with 6 boys. They made little forest homes, and fought green goblins with their sticks....I am very lucky to have such great moms to spend my days with, and am equally lucky that Charlie plays so well with their sons.

Charlie was all smiles in the woods. We spent three hours and he had this big of a smile the entire time.

Charlie and Kate's good friend Ian...so sweet. When I snapped this pic with my phone Ian said, "she is not even my sister, but she loves me like she is" This is true, Kate adores Ian.

On Friday we spent the day in Sausalito, and as you can see in this picture there were clouds and it was slightly chilly, but there was sun poking through and doing a good job warming us up. The discovery museum is hands down the coolest place in the bay area to take young children. The playground is huge and all natural.

K and C both went up and down these stump stairs over and over again.

The pretend tidepools provide lots of great fun.

The train and boat room is amazing, the kids played with this train set for about 30 minutes.

Charlie worked so hard on this outfit, a space suit, a star shield, and a sword, because you never know when you might have a battle in space. He told Adam this morning that he is king of the star world....

The painting/sand room is also very fun, both kids take this painting/spraying/wiping job very seriously....

Thanks to Adam I got to sneak out of the house two mornings in a row at 6:30 and spend two hours walking different beaches searching for beach glass. A great way to start the day.

So while I am tired, and still can't exercise or take a deep breath, I am very grateful that my health has returned, and even more grateful that I am able to share my days with my kids.

change

One of the hardest struggles I have had since becoming a mother happened in the first few months of Charlie's life. While he was growing inside of me I talked to many moms and read many books, mostly about sleep, routine, schedules. I had it all figured out before I even saw him. Yet when he came everything seemed to change. He didn't fit the mold that all these sleep-expert authors claimed each baby would. He didn't like to sleep on his back, he despised his bassinet and crib, and we quickly realized that he hated to sleep alone. I struggled with this at first, because I was very certain that my kids would NEVER sleep in my bed. No, they needed their own space, and to learn to fall asleep and self-soothe early on. However, when I put two and two together and realized that this would involve crying, I quickly realized that it wasn't my style.

Charlie spent the first 12 or so weeks asleep tummy down on Adam's chest. Then he graduated to the side of my body, in my armpit nook, where he peacefully slept/nursed/slept. He smelled like my body odor every morning, but we all felt like that was small price to pay for a good nights sleep.

I quickly grew to love co-sleeping. I fielded many strange looks, questions, and unwelcome comments, but also found many families who don't judge, and some who slept just like we did, with the family bed.

I laughed when I woke up with a foot in my face, kid drool on my cheek, or in the bottom corner of our bed, while one of both kids took up the remainder of our queen.

Not only did our kids sleep with us, but they fall asleep with us. We read, tell stories, tickle backs, and wait patiently for each kid to drift off. I can honestly say that for our children going to sleep has never been something they fight, rather it is something they welcome.

Strange comments, interesting recaps of days, and very silly songs have sprung to life as the sun was setting. And many of my most tender moments with the kids came as we were putting them to sleep.

Sure there were plenty of evenings where C or K would fall asleep only to wake up at the slightest creak from the door, plenty of nights where I would storm out of Charlie's room and claim I could not lie there another minute (after the previous 60), but those nights were few and far between.

The reason I write all of this is because 2 weeks ago we made a change, and Charlie has embraced it completely, making us so proud of him.

He started to fall asleep alone. Three books, one story, and a minute of back tickling and I leave. He gives me a kiss, curls into his blankets and when I turn back to give him one last smile he already has his eyes closed. Out like trout, at 7:15 night after night.

Not once has he asked to stay up later, not once has he exited his room in defiance.

It took 3 full years, but I am very proud to say that my son has a very healthy relationship with sleep.

I am sure Kate is right behind him in falling asleep alone, and once we get that underway, my hope is they will stay asleep all night in their own beds. everything in good time.....

missing my chids

This is my sixth day in bed, sick. I am almost never sick. Infact, this was the first time I have had a fever in five years, and it last for four crappy days. I have not played, cooked, cleaned, gone to the park, playgroup, swimming, store, on a walk, bike ride, or to the beach for 6 days. Thanks to Adam, my parents, my neighbor, and my mother-in-law I have been able to piece together childcare since last Friday. I am very grateful. Today I know I am on the mend, my fever is gone, no more aches and chills, just a horrible headache and overall lack of any energy.

I miss my kids.

Last night adam came into the room and found me listening to old songs and things k and c have recorded of each other on my iphone. That is how much I miss my sidekicks.

And today being the first day I can do more than sleep, I started to look through old pics of the kids.

Here are some of Charlie when he first came into our lives. Charlie's first summer was filled with friends, family, laughter and so many smiles. It is possible that a new baby always bring this sense of excitement, unity, energy into an extended family....but since c was the first baby in my family, and first baby among my friends, it felt so incredible special. Not to mention he was adorable, easy, happy, and just downright cute.

It has been hard on the kids to see me in bed day after day. Charlie would come in every 10 minutes for a cuddle and to see if I was all better, or just a little bit better. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank my friends, neighbor, and family for jumping right in and helping with the kids, offering to pick things up at the store, dropping off flowers, calling, texting, and just loving.

It takes a village...and I love my village

compromise

Isn't that what parenting is all about

My newfound love of the ocean, and all it brings us.

As a kid I spent many afternoons and weekends at the beach with Jackie. We boggie boarded, skim-boarded, dug holes, went swimming while singing AC/DC, and spent many evenings there while in high school.

As an adult I spent years avoiding the ocean. Something about it being cold, foggy, windy, sandy seemed unappealing to me. And the one time I did take the kids to the ocean over a year ago, Kate sprinted for the water and ended up going in and under just as I raced up to her and grabbed her.

But in the past few months I have revisited the beach once again. And I am so in love with it. It doesn't matter if it is sunny and clear or foggy and cold. I feel refreshed, reenergized, and a little bit better prepared to face the chaotic lifestyle of two active kids.

And the seaglass. Two close coastside friends taught me the wonders of searching for seaglass. It is meditative and therapeutic.

The past two mornings at the crack of dawn I have walked up and down the coast during the minus tide finding little gems and loving the peacefulness of it all.

We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place where we can enjoy the natural world around year round.

We play at the beach with our friends.

This morning I woke Charlie up at 6:00 am and together we spent 2 hours collecting perfect little pieces during a minus tide, although at first Charlie was cold, tired, and hungry, he perked right up and gathered his own collection of rocks and seaglass.

It was peaceful and empty all morning.

Often times when Charlie is at nursery school Kate and I head to the beach.

I loved the beach as a kid and I am happy to pass that on to my kids.

When we are at home we

bake yummy lemon-cranberry scones while kate naps...

we spend hours reading everyday

We build castles together....

We paint faces, dress up and play crazy super hero games...

Or we act out mean pirate-boy stories

but even scary pirates love their pirate princess little sisters.

And after we have baked, build, dressed-up, read...we head outside....

so we can pretend to be caterpillars

and climb trees