Gilroy Gardens

A week ago Charlie, Kate and I made the trek to Gilroy to soak up some sun and to spend time with Charlie's Grandma, Aunt Brooke, and Cousin Blake. Charlie and Kate loved playing chase with Blake, and Charlie especially loved all the attention Blake gave him. Every time Charlie threw a rock into Nonnie's pond, Blake's hands would shoot up and he would scream, "YEHHHH" I think it made Charlie feel really cool.

Charlie also loved spending time with Nonnie. We are usually there during Holidays and there are so many of us that Nonnie is often working like a dog to keep us all fed and happy. Charlie loved getting one on one attention and at one point I saw him walk into the kitchen, say, "Exuse me Nonnie, can you play with me?" Nonnie dropped everything right then and there and sat down with charlie to play. He was so happy sitting on the floor playing blocks with his Nonnie.

Charlie also loved playing with his papa. He really enjoyed showing off his baseball skills, this kid can really rope the ball.

We went to Gilroy Gardens two days in a row, and I got to experience a field trip with help, which was nice. It was nice for all of us. I got to enjoy some rides with Charlie, I never had that pit in my stomach that I frequently get when going to the dm, zoo, or somewhere alone with the kids...where i hope that I get back into the car at the end of the day with both kids. I knew that there were 4 and sometimes 6 set of eyes on my kids, and I am thankful for that.Here are a few pics. Kate was so happy to be old enough to enjoy some of the rides too.

It isn't cheap to go there, but it was beautiful, sunny, and very fun.

Here Kate is riding with Nonnie, Charlie was the driver and therefore the ride was a little bumpy.

  

Charlie was so proud that he drove the fire truck while his "baby sister" rode in the back. I love watching him really blossom into a great big brother.

 Her favorite thing in the world, the merry-go-round.

 And she was so brave on her little goldfish.

Ode to Adam

I have made a lot of really great decisions in my life. The decision to go to UC Davis and double major in Native American Studies and Sociology was one of them. The choice to go into teaching and return to my hometown of HMB was another. The decision to be a vegetarian at 9 years old was perhaps the healthiest decision of my life. But among all of these great decisions without a doubt the best decision I have made to date is the decision to marry adam and start a family with him. As you all know he is dedicated, loving, playful, supportive, eager to learn and grow, and incredibly passionate about justice, the environment and the world. He has exceded all my expectations as a husband and father and  I feel blessed daily to have him in our lives. I want to really express what it is I love about adam and the kind of father he is for those of you who don't get to see him in action.

He has been a natural from day one. Natural at attachment parenting, gentle discipline, and playful parenting. Couldn't ask for more.

More and more I meet fathers who don't do things like take the children out and about alone, change diapers, fix meals, wake up at night to comfort the child. Adam changed diapers for both babies for days before I even started to. He helped at night when the babies woke up, he has helped get them down for naps, taking Charlie to the zoo alone for hours on end when he was 18 months old, and just done everyday things to help and support us. I am thankful for that.

 Although playing in the toilet is not my idea of fun, Adam and Charlie had over 25 minutes of fun exploring the clean water (or so he says). Charlie was around 18 months. I don't think it is ok to let a toddler play in the water, but I do think it is great that adam fosters charlie's curiousity in everyday things.

He is so much fun to roll around with.

 And he is so sweet when the kids are sick. This pic was taken during xmas and he walked around carrying Kate and a towel and caught her vomit all day long. What a dad, rather than running away from vomit, he acted fast to catch it.

 

He has welcome cosleeping and embraced it fully.

  

He has taken his own interests and turned them into things he can do with his children, like tennis, gardening, and as shown here hiking.

This pic says it all, he is often found on the floor playing with the kids. He is silly, playful, and always engaged with the kids.

 

More hiking together....

And washing lettuce from the garden together. 

He is always down to get wet or dirty with the kids.

He is great at taking something Charlie is interested in and teaching him about it. I often overhear the two of them talking about how birds hunt, or alligators hatch from eggs....I am not the best with these types of things and often have to turn to adam and ask something like, Adam what do jellyfish eat?

Yes, he does have a very cute butt. But the reason I posted this was to show you how amazing Adam is. Charlie tackled the baby and rather than adam "scolding" Charlie he jumped right in, turning a potential hazardous situation into a playful one where everyone was happy. He is the master of this thing called "playful parenting" and can instantly change the course of a meltdown, or moment of defiance by creating a game and lightening the mood. A true gift.

He is eager to teach Charlie about gardening, and brings him out there in the early morning or late evening for weeding, watering, planting, and inspecting. He is patient when Charlie steps on his plants (kind of) and my heart melts when I hear things like this: "daddy, can we go check on the worms?" or  "Charlie, do you want to help me feed the worms?"

Adam is so laid back and easy going. Before having kids we spent hundreds of hours together, traveling, hiking, backpacking. He is very easy to travel with, loves to have fun, is open to anything and very flexible. Not everyone is like this. It is even more important when having young kids. He goes with the flow and helps me stay balanced and calm.

I loved that he has passed on his love for tennis to Charlie and Kate. I love that a perfect weekend day for adam is bringing his whole family to the courts for some good ole tennis fun, and that he even humors me by playing with me once the kids are worn out. I look forward to some competitive doubles once the kids are older.

 

On each hike we take I often find myself in this position. Standing behind both kids and adam and smiling ear to ear. This is my little family.

 I love the way adam takes the kids in the backyard to garden or play giving me much needed breaks to cook, clean, or sip a glass of wine.

I am lucky that Adam wants to spend time with us whenever he can. Every Saturday and Sunday he wakes up and says, "what are we doing today" Parenting is teamwork, and Adam is an excellent team player. Adam you are a role model for our children and for all parents. Everyday I am thankful for what you do for our family.

 

Garden fresh

Most of you know that Adam has become quite the gardener around here, complete with crazy compost teas brewing daily in our garage, a compost bin, worm composting, and a beautiful garden. Infact it is Saturday morning at 8:36 and he has already been out in the garden for over an hour with Charlie planting more chard. Yes, that is right my husband woke up with us at 6:45 am and was out in the gardening working by 7:30. I pick em well, I tell ya!

 

so here is a shot of our garden, you can see beans, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce and adam's amazing pea patch

After nap we came out in backyard and when Charlie saw the garden he had a look of shock on his face. Where my tatoes go? is what he said. after getting over the disappointment that daddy picked the potatoes without him, he realized this dirt pit was so much fun. 

Kate took a header in the dirt patch after tripping over adam's booby trap, and then was not happy about getting the boot from the garden. Don't tell Adam but in the 5 minutes she was in the garden she managed to pick off a long flower stem from adam's succulent patch. ouch! 

This is one bowl of our harvested potatoes. We don't eat potatoes that much, other than the occasional stew or potpie so I wasn't sure what to do with them...

But then I remembered a delicious dish from veganomicon (best cookbook ever) and whipped them up while the kids napped. Lemony roasted potatoes. A big hit among my parents, adam, and the baby. Charlie stated, "I don't like tatoes"---maybe he is still holding a grudge since he didn't get to help daddy harvest.

 

 

And this is a picture of our nightly salad. We actually had gotten in the habit of eating this after the kids are asleep for dessert. All the lettuce is from our garden, as are the beets. Even the feta goat cheese is local

Eating fresh, local, organic, and seasonal food is the best for our earth, farmers, and families. At times it can be more expensive, but some things like health and harmony are worth the extra few dollars. 

Gardening and involving kids in cooking

This picture says it all. Adam and Charlie went out to the garden at 8 this morning. Charlie was naked, adam had just woken up, and they came back in with copious amounts of fresh lettuce for tonights dinner. Adam placed it on the island and right behind him Charlie grabbed a big piece, broke off a smaller piece for his sister and started eating it. 

The past few weeks he has asked for his own small salad, he doesn't care for dressing, and doesn't even eat that much, but the fact that he is so proud of the veggies he grows is so great.

I have also tried to involve the kids as much as possible in cooking. If I don't I have a hard time prepping and cooking because I feel like I need to be right there with both kids since both of them are going through hitting stages. 

Helping make egg salad for lunch today.

He loved using the new nifty egg slicer.

some projects

We have been having great fun working on some simple montessori projects lately. I cleared out a cupboard in the island and have set up Charlie's projects there. Several times a day he races over there opens both doors and says, "HMMMMM which project." Of course Kate gets in there and then the real trouble begins. When Charlie is done with a project he happily cleans it up and puts it back in its basket, in its spot with some prompting. Kate has been demanding some of her own and although it definitely takes more monitoring, I love doing it.

Basic transfer of beans:

Kate's little set up, she can't reach the table properly from her little seat. This is perfect. Love this kitchen helper.

This is as easy as it gets.

Might as well have them help with dishes, right? Takes way longer and everything gets wet, but hey they get done, Kate can't grab sharp knives out of the dish washer and as long as I keep a smile on my face and don't let the kids see me roll my eyes or gasp as glasses are dropped, we are all happy in the end.

Sorting picture cards by color, even kate loved to watch and would try to talk about each picture. I even  got some signing from her when holding up each picture card. Charlie was so proud of himself and would talk endlessly about each card, a good or bad thing depending on my current capacity to listen. The first week I brought these out he would run to his cupboard all the time and pull them out. Now he hasn't touched them in a few weeks....

So proud of her own project, and very good at transferring.

And after about 5 minutes of transferring, she decided eating the Oatios would be more fun. Look at how engaged she is, truly tasting the small delicacies.

weekend rhythm

I think we finally found a rhythm to our weekends that combine family time, personal projects, and individual exercise. It took us 3 years, but we got it down. We start by discussing what we want/need to get done...and work from there. Sometimes weekends come and go and when we look back the only thing we know we did was exercise and play in the backyard. Adam isn't into driving far on the weekends, so trips to places like the dm are nearly impossible.

I made my first loaf (well 2) of whole wheat bread from scratch, and now I want to incorporate it into my plan for every Sunday. It was delicious, and despite taking 5 hours start to finish, it was rather easy. I took a pic with my iphone but then my water bottle leaked in my bag and my iphone is totally dead along with some stellar shots of my beautiful loaves. We still have 1/3 of the last loaf left. I loved combining the ingredients, getting nervous about yeast and dough rising, kneeding, and pounding. The kids helped and I felt as if I truly accomplished something. I got this amazing book with great recipes and look forward to trying them out.

Adam continued to work on the garden with Charlie and has even started letting Kate explore the area as well. His worm composting bin is looking great, and he even made compost tea. His new found love of gardening and being a vegetarian are two HUGE things I wanted in a life partner, and I am thrilled he came into these things completely on his own. What healthy things to take up and pass on to our children.

We took a hike in Purissma Canyon. It was beautiful. Nothing better than hiking through huge redwoods with your family:

Charlie loved throwing rocks and sticks in the stream.

And quickly stripped down to nothing. Thanks mom for the cute undies.

Kate and Adam enjoying their favorite lunch together. The kids actually ate one half of the sandwich leaving me with a small handful of veggie booty, the things us mothers sacrifice for our families

Of course Charlie had to stop every once in a while to practice his tennis serve. Here he is bouncing the pretend ball. I took the kids to the courts last week to watch Adam play and ever since he has been playing imaginary tennis at home, complete with a serve, forehand, backhand and an "AHHH MAN" as if he lost the point.

 

This little dude ran to this stretch of sun, turned around and yelled, I FOUND SUN. Such an HMB boy already.

Kate is almost always in her daddy's arm. She adores Adam, and today while spending an hour and a half trying to get her to nap (yes you read that right) she laid there next to me singing her newest song: Daddy, Daddy Daddy....Daddy Daddy Daddy.

After getting his shoes wet in the creek and becoming cold, he asked to be carried back in the kelty. Kate insisted on walking, which made for a very long walk back.

This little girl means the world to me.

We took our time and played along the way. Kate is so silly and sweet and smart. I just can't get enough of her and her funny little games and songs.

But after Kate taking her sweet time and turning around every few minutes, Adam picked her up and hiked back like this. What a man!