Mid-Year Family Update
Since it seems like I'm not doing so hot at updating my blog lately, here is a quick rundown of what is going on with our little family!
Wyatt: Jabbering like crazy. Running all over. Loves his sister, water, dirt, and cheese (good boy!). Whenever we get home, I get him out of the car, and he immediately starts searching for two rocks that meet his criteria, one for each hand. I usually find them in reasonable locations later on, such as my sock drawer, or inside the pitcher that goes with the blender. He is copying words, but only says a few things that are recognizable, and really only to me. He does say Aya, for his sister, which just melts my heart. He also has started pulling his weight (about time!) by helping Ava empty the dishwasher. He pulls things out and hands them to her, and she says "thank you" and puts them away. He also has determined that my spice drawer is quite the place to play. I found the All-Spice in the diaper pail yesterday. Wyatt is at a very fun stage, still learning, still pliable, and very very sweet. He is a snuggler too. His comprehension and signing is growing by leaps and bounds lately, which has been so fun, and such a relief from this: "What do you want? What? No, don't screech, can you just show me?"
Ava: Well, you hear a lot about Ava on this blog. I'll be honest: the Twos were not good to us, but the Threes are much better. Still crazy, but full of so much personality and startling maturity. The wild, emotional breakdowns have mostly gone away, MOSTLY! Even so, Ava has enough attitude to maybe make up for it. Today, I reminded her that vegetables were waiting for her on her plate, and she responded, "Fine! Go bang yourself!" WHAT?? She did just spend four days with her cousins. . . . I asked, "What does that even mean?" Ava said, "Bang, like I'm always banging my foot and it hurts." Well, that's not quite as bad, I guess. So you see what I'm up against.
But she is delightful, chattering away about whatever pops into her head. She is fierce about what she loves and about injustices she sees or experiences. We had to have a little training session last week after she darted out into traffic in front of Costco to pick up some litter. She is independent. I tried to talk with her on the phone this week while Grant and I were away on a trip. She asked where I was, and I told her, and she said "oh," and ran off. She is beginning to read and count and add, which makes many things so much more fun. She wanted to make a stuffed cat recently, so we looked up a pattern and printed it out. As we were working with it, she reads, ""cut 2," so you need to cut out two of this one Mom. Don't cut just one, you need two!" Ava loves pink and frills, but doesn't hesitate to get dirty or tromp through the brush in her finery. She loves to dance, and does possess a certain grace, when she's not rounding a corner too quickly to properly clear the edge. She is loving and kind (but not usually to her brother), and reasons well beyond her few years.
Also, she was sick with a cold for a while and had fluid built up in her ears, which was the hearing loss I made mention of in a previous post. It was frustrating and disturbing, but ultimately an easy fix: just a nasal steroid to help get things moving. So she seems to be hearing normally again, that is, selectively!
Grant: He is busy. Grant continues on as the general manager at the local golf course and restaurant, but is also on our local Chamber board of directors, the Kiwanis Club board, and is finishing up a term as the club president, as well as other community activities too numerous to itemize here. He manages to train for triathlons and take his family out on fun outings. Sometimes he does the dishes too. Always, he comes home with a smile on his face and open arms for the kids. Then they plow him over and step on sensitive areas and I have to rescue him.
Me: I'm really tired. :) I loved teaching art part time again last year, and am looking forward with tons of new ideas for the 2010-2011 school year. I've been trading childcare with friends who also work part time, and that continues to work out well for everyone. I don't think I've picked up any new hobbies recently (thankfully!) but I'm plenty busy with everything that needs to be done and that I want to do. Currently I am in the gardening/canning/swimming/sunscreening/hiking/alldayoutside season, which goes nicely with the small-children-pulling-on-my-legs-every-waking-second/never-being-able-to-finish-a-thought stage of life in which I also reside. I sometimes get snippy, but my life is full of all the things that matter and God continues to meet my every need. I am content.
Us: Grant and I went away to the Edgefield McMenamins this past week for our anniversary. I love that place, I highly recommend it! Nice accomodations, beautiful campus, reasonable rates, and close to the Columbia Gorge for hiking, and Troutdale Outlet Malls for shopping, and Portland for whatever else you might want to do. The kids stayed with their auntie and uncle (thank you so much!), and got to help out with the cattle. So wonderful to have a break from everything and just enjoy being together. Yay for eight amazing, crazy, fantastic years!
Our room at Edgefield.
Eagle Creek Trail. This is a great hike. Lots to see, some variation in how far you can go, beautiful waterfalls, and swimming if you can brave the snow-melt.
Up a 70 degree short cut
On the Horsetail Falls trail, this one is Ponytail Falls. This is a hard hike (at least the first part) and we only did part of it.
Danielle! I loved catching up on your blog. Just last night Brandon was asking if I had talked to you recently and how you were doing. From the looks of your blog you are doing wonderfully. =) Miss you tons!
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