Tahoe

We recently returned from a vacation at Lake Tahoe. We stayed on the south shore with our friends, Mary Ann and John, and had a wonderful, relaxing trip. We hiked, took a steam train ride to Virginia City, did a lake cruise, and drank wine every night. Chris got in lots of mountain bike rides. I don't think we've taken that much time away since our honeymoon! A very nice treat.

Spooner Lake

Grammy Mary Ann and Marshall enjoying s'mores and wine

Marshall and his Mickey Mouse whipped cream pancake

Marshall and Poppy John on the lake

Our fun dinner out

August Adventures

A month without posting and now two posts in as many days! I am so inconsistent. Anyway, yet another month has flown by. August was fairly eventful. My dad came to visit for a weekend. Marshall got the flu and then I caught it. I don't think moms should be allowed to get sick. I really needed to call in sick to work!

We spent a weekend babysitting our friends' 11 month old twins. They are super sweet little boys but we were definitely EXHAUSTED. They crawled everywhere (in different directions, of course), were pulling up/falling, putting things in their mouths. Three naps to contend with, three bums needing diapers. A unique experience for us! In return for watching the boys, our friends took Marshall overnight so we could have a date night to celebrate Chris' b-day. Sadly, we could not remember our last date but we really enjoyed the relaxing night to ourselves.

Last weekend we went camping with some book club families. We went to Memorial Park outside of Pescadero and had a great time. It was chilly and we enjoyed the campfires and s'mores. My friend Julie is the hostess with the mostess and planned/oversaw a really fun trip. The only bummer was that Marshall got sick. The hacking cough and diarrhea (not fun while camping, let me tell you) were rather frightful but he was cheery and energetic the whole trip and never had a fever. I took him to the doctor when we got home to rule out whopping cough and ear infections and it was thankfully just a run of the mill cold.

Potty training has become even more of a problem. Marshall isn't being allowed to start his pre-school program b/c he's still in a diaper. I talked with the preschool director and they are completely inflexible. As irritated as I am with his continued reluctance, I am very mad at myself for not forcing the issue sooner. Very frustrating.

We had an interesting conversation yesterday. Marshall pooped, came to tell me and said, "mom, I telling you the truth." I thought it an odd statement, as I can't remember discussing "truth" with him. As if reading my mind he then asked, "mom, what is truth?" I fumbled through an explanation and then he said, "mom, God's word is true and the Bible is true." That had me speechless and he concluded with, "mom, I liked bible camp with Ainsley and learning songs." OBVIOUSLY.

S'mores...YUM!

Stream gazing
Marshall , Sean & Holden

New Toys

After pining for years (literally), Chris finally got a new TV. We have finally entered the age of the flat screen, HD television. I wasn't exactly in favor of the purchase but have to admit, it is very nice. Mary Ann and John kindly passed along some media furniture which works perfectly. Our living room looks entirely different!

I also got something fun. I am huge fan of the slow cooker and mine died in dramatic fashion last week (sparking, smoking, scorching the counter). I ordered a new one and love it. It has three inserts (2, 4 & 6 quart) that all fit in one base and nest to store. Three cheers for the lazy cook!

The Terrible Threes

Swimming at Grammy Mary Ann and Poppy John's

Cayucos beach
Playing cars with Gram Gram

Carolyn, Marshall and Haley in Tahoe

Marshall and Ainsley at VBS

I'm pretty sure I do not have convenient amnesia when I recall that Marshall at age 2 was nowhere near as rotten as he is now. His tantrums are more frequent, more physical, and his size makes him harder to handle. He is much more likely to try and hurt people when he is mad these days. He hits and kicks me and has taken to throwing items at people. He threw his milk cup at his grandma and a water bottle at a friend.

Since Marshall is still reluctant to potty train and I am reluctant to move him from his crib, I feel like we are making very little progress in the growing up department. I suppose this could be some sort of mental road block on my part (i.e. since he is likely going to be my one and only, I am having a hard time letting go of some baby stuff). The crib thing is easy enough to resolve but I don't know yet how to proceed with the potty training. I have gotten a ton of advice and have tried multiple strategies but have yet to find Marshall's motivator.

On the plus side of things, Marshall continues to be healthy and happy (more often than not). He eats well (for a toddler) and surprises everyone around him with his effective communication skills. He is attending vacation bible school this week with his friend Ainsley, which is a lot of fun for us both. Marshall seems to like the singing, crafts, and time with Ains and I sure appreciate the time apart!

Marshall occasionally has some word confusion, which has been so funny! He calls his park ranger car "hydrangea car," he calls oleander bushes "ravioli bushes," and he referred to a scenic drive as a "citrus drive."

July has zoomed by but it still doesn't seem like summer around here. We're having one of the colder seasons on record. Aside from a few super hot days scattered over the last couple months, it is has been unseasonably cool (in the 70's) and we've been getting the marine layer and sea breeze all the way inland most days. I'm sure hotter days will come in August and September and then we'll wish for July's chill.

Last weekend Marshall and I went down to Cayucos to see my mom and Bob while they were home briefly from Idaho. We didn't do much other than sit around and chat. A very nice visit. Chris stayed home to study for a work test and re-stain our deck. I don't think his weekend was as relaxing as ours! Weekend before last, we went to Tahoe with a couple other families. Three days in a row at the beach. Great weather. A fun and exhausting trip.

4th of July

We had a super trip down south for the 4th of July! My aunt, uncle, cousin, cousin's husband, and their 3 boys (ages 7, 5 and 18 mos) all were out from Tennessee and Steph and Wynn came too. It was so great to catch up and hang out together. We spent a lot of time with our grandparents and celebrated my grandma's b-day with a big dinner out. We spent a lot of time at the beach, did some wine tasting, watched the parade, enjoyed the fireworks, and ate way too much food.

Tyson and Marshall "oooh-ing and ahhh-ing" over the fireworks

Watching the parade
Chris, Uncle Mike, Aunt Nathy, Steph & Wynn wine tasting

The grandparents with their great-grand-boys

Summer!

Even though my blog format suggests I write for other people to read, I guess I always have thought I’m just recording our family events/my thoughts/memories to refer back to at some later date. I wasn’t really thinking anyone actually read my blog until I had a couple people ask me where the heck I’ve been. Sorry for the delay, readers out there. Thanks for reminding me to get my act together, NEL and MAM!

We have been busy since I last wrote! I am not entirely sure how the months of May and June disappeared so quickly. My Mother’s Day last month was not exactly traditional, as I did not spend it with my mom or my son. My sister and I went down south and spent the day with our grandma and grandpa, which was a lot of fun. It was good to have some one on one time with Steph on the road trip and we had a great visit with our grandparents.

May ended on a high note with a weekend in Carmel, visiting our friends Don and Michelle. Chris grew up with Don and Don’s mom, Michelle, is like a second mom to Chris. Don lives on the east coast and we don’t get to see him much so we were thrilled when he invited us to join him at his mom’s in Carmel. The weather was perfect, we spent a lot of time at the beach, Michelle hosted a fun neighborhood BBQ, and we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

We have been more social than normal in June, getting together with all of our local friends for various gatherings. A lot of play dates, a lot of late nights, a lot of wine drinking, a lot of fun. My dad came up one weekend and we had our family friends, Fred and Shawn, over for an evening of catching up.

There has been some unfortunate crime lately in our neighborhood. Last month my car was broken into, right in our drive way. A window was smashed and the diaper bag stolen. Nothing of value in the bag but the glass made an awful mess and it was a hassle to clean up and get fixed. The big drama was last week. An elderly, disabled lady down the street was murdered by her caregiver! Horrific. Small comfort that it was a personal/domestic crime and not random violence or we’d be in a panic that we could be in danger.

Marshall continues to entertain/frustrate us daily. Dinner time has turned into an ordeal on many nights. His whining, food throwing, and refusal to eat has lead to him going to bed early, without dinner, on occasion. Stubborn booger. He still strongly refuses potty training so I’m still not forcing the issue. I asked him recently when he was going to start using the potty and he replied, “on my next birthday, mama.” I told him he’d better consider starting well before that! One evening, I had him go diaper-free outside (with shorts on) and I told him to let me know if he had to go potty. Awhile later he came up to me with a wet front and announced, “mama, I peed.” We’ll get there…someday.

The prickly plant fascination is still in effect (roses, palm trees, cacti). I don’t think I need to plan elaborate/expensive outings for this boy…I just need to take him to garden centers! In addition to the flora interest, Marshall still loves to read, play with cars/trains/fake food, and sing. He plays so well on his own and is very clever with all his toys. Lately, he puts on his “tools” (belts, head lamp) and declares he is the AT&T man (getting our new cable service installed a few months ago made a big impression, I guess). He asks what needs to be fixed and he’ll go around the house hammering things. He does most of his singing at bedtime. Last night we were treated to Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi, Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me, and the Beatles’ Ticket to Ride. Quite the repertoire, leading me to think that I may have to start editing his music selections!

Between rotten toddler tantrums and time-outs, Marshall is extraordinarily helpful. He’ll clear his dishes from the table, help me make dinner, and help me clean the house (he’ll dust and scrub the shower). He also loves to garden, which typically just involves him whacking the plants with a stick. Occasionally though he’ll correctly pull out a weed or two.

Marshall saw his first movie in a theater (Toy Story 3) for his friend Donovan’s 4th b-day party. He did great…sat still through the whole thing, mostly whispered. Despite talking about it happily for days, he did tell me at one point, “mama, I did not like the movie. It was too loud.” It was, of course. He is STILL interested in watching the Sandy Lady video on YouTube every day. We’ve found other sand art videos for some variety. He also has been watching occasional episodes of Thomas and Friends and Blue’s Clues. Every time he sees a paw print (on a shirt, on packaging at the store) he yells enthusiastically, “a clue, a clue!”

Our July is shaping up to be a lot of fun. We’re going to Cayucos for the 4th and some of my Tennessee relatives will be out for a visit. We also have a trip to Tahoe planned with a couple other families. I’ll try my best to post on a more regular basis!

The boys shaving

Celebrating Haley's promotion from 5th grade
Wearing friend Lauren's hair bow

Yum...messy ice cream!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Cactus, tractor & Donovan...his favorites!

Morning beverages with kitty

So handsome!

Beautiful scenery in Carmel

April Update

Spring has sprung. In California, “April showers bring May flowers” is not quite on point. We had some flowers peeking out in February but now, everything is in bloom. We’ve had some super weather (along with the requisite spring rain) and have being spending lots of time outdoors, enjoying the colorful blooms (and suffering from allergies).

We enjoyed a fun, albeit way too chilly, Easter weekend. We participated in the community egg hunt that Saturday with a group of friends. Steph joined us and despite the cloudy, cold day, we had a fun time. We spent a rainy Easter Sunday at Mary Ann and John’s and had a wonderful visit and feast. The Easter bunny visited Marshall for an indoor egg hunt.

Marshall and I took a trip down south to see my mom one last time before she and Bob left for their annual 6 month stint in Idaho. The weather was perfect and we spent a lot of time on the beach. My friend Darcy brought her 4 year old son over for a play date and the little boys had a blast. We shared a couple meals with my grandparents too, always a treat.

Marshall got his first ear infection a couple weeks ago. He had a rottenly high fever for multiple days and ended up at the doctor for antibiotics. No fun for any of us. Thankfully, he is back to his healthy, cheery self. His latest obsession has been with cacti. Actually, all plants/flowers/trees are of interest, especially if they have the potential to be prickly (roses and palm trees are especially popular). Marshall can spot a cactus from a mile away. I now know of every cactus, rose bush and palm tree in our neighborhood.

In addition to his flora fascination, Marshall is hooked on yogurt. It is pretty much all he eats. He likes fruit flavors but prefers plain yogurt with honey and raisins. Thank goodness he enjoys brushing his teeth! A recent conversation:

Marshall: Mama, do we have yogurt?
Me: yes, we do.
Marshall: would you like to ask me if I want some?
Me: Marshall, would you like some yogurt?
Marshall: yes, yes I would.

As for his rapidly advancing speech, the constant “why” questions have started. It is rather exhausting. “Mama, why that man running?” Mama, why that palm tree NOT prickly?” “Mama, why are you going potty?” Some questions are easier to answers than others! If he isn’t starting a sentence with “mama” (I never imagined I’d get tired of hearing that name), he is starting a sentence with, “no but…” or, “no, because…” Marshall is rather contrary, though he isn’t ridiculously disobedient most of the time. It’s just that if I were to tell him the sky was blue, he’d respond, “no, because it is really light blue, mama.” If I tell him to take another sip of milk, he'll reply, "no, but I just had one."

Chris continues to be very busy at work. Not only does he have his normal duties, he is working on obtaining more industry licenses and designations so has been constantly studying and taking tests. He also teaches an industry related class once a week. Chris has been striving to eat better and exercise regularly and has done a great job of sticking with it. He’s lost quite a bit of weight and is even running in a 10k race this weekend.

Here are some recent photos:

Stickers always go on the face.

Wearing daddy's slippers and a bucket. ??

Grandma and cacti
Dying Easter eggs
At the community egg hunt

The Easter basket got worn on the head a lot!