bree in a boat

Bree took her first boat ride at an amusement park called the North Pole. We went on Sunday with Grandma and had a great time, except maybe for when she sat on Santa's lap and cried. The nice boy in the video's name is Jack - he helped out on the only ride she rode without mommy or daddy. She loved the rides!

desperately seeking snuggie

Bree has a "lovey." Very early on, she became attached to a pink puppy (bear?) blanket she received as a gift from Uncle Scott. It surprised me that she would care about any one thing so much - but she does. She gets excited when she hasn't seen it in awhile and we go to her room and it is there. She sleeps with it and drags it around the house and sometimes, when she's in her crib but not quite asleep, I'll see her holding it, stroking it, and staring at it with what must be love. She's hooked! We've named it Snuggie.
We've been pretty good so far at making sure Snuggie does not leave the house. When we leave, we put him in her crib and together we wave bye-bye. She seems to know he will be waiting for her when she returns. There are times, however, when it is necessary to take him with us. Our recent family vacation, for example. Snuggie got to come on the plane - anything to keep her somewhat calm. When we returned home late in the evening after our trip, I was exhausted and carrying Bree and walking down the ramp from the plane to the airport and someone behind me stopped me. We had dropped Snuggie. We were walking away from him. The horror! He would have been gone forever if that nice man hadn't rescued him for us. I had been checking at Target and such looking for another snuggie, but to no avail. Now, after this incident, I felt I needed to look harder.
So it was that I was on target.com and began searching the internet websites of stores who I thought might carry it. I was having no luck and beginning to feel desperate when I came across this website. There was an article here called, "How to Prevent Dealing with a Grieving Child Who Has Lost Their Lovie!" and it had some pretty good advice. It also said that Carter's (the makers of Snuggie) changes their toy variations every six months. No wonder my search wasn't getting anywhere - it is likely that Snuggie has been discontinued. The article suggested looking at places like ebay for back-ups. Of course - ebay!
Off to begin my search at ebay. I didn't quite know what to search for, what do you call a pink blanket with a head that is probably a puppy, but could be a bear? I finally settled on "carters pink bear blanket" and actually felt my heart skip a beat when SNUGGIE emerged on the screen! (And we haven't even lost him - how might I have felt if we had?!)
In fact, I found 8 snuggies. Eight pricey snuggies. It appears that buying cuddly toys that kids may potentially fall in love with, and then marketing them on websites such as ebay, is big business. The price for these 8 snuggies ranged from $20 for a used one to $45 to a new one. And of course, I was willing to pay! The author of the article/webiste I came across? Apparently, the idea for the site came to her after placing a blankie she'd found at a thrift store on eBay. A bidding war ensued, and the blankie sold for $125 to a desperate parent. She had purchased it for 79 cents. I felt a mixture of resentment at being taken for so much money and admiration at the people who are smart enough to turn this into a money-making opportunity. If nothing else - I am at least glad someone is doing it so that there is the option of finding a back-up Snuggie!
I ordered another Snuggie, and he arrived at our home in a matter of days. He is now taking his turn with Bree while Snuggie #1 is in the wash. I'm thinking I may want to get a few more, as #1's stitching is starting to come out. Keep your eyes open for me, please!

Poll Results - How many states have you been to?

With our trip to Oregon, I added another state to my list, making my total 21. Unlike my husband, I do not count airport layovers! I have to actually visit a state - walk around, see some sights, etc., to count it in my list.

The results were:

1-5 states: 2 votes or 28%
5-10 states: 0
10-15 states: 2 votes or 28%
15-20 states: 0
20-25 states: 2 votes or 28%
more than half of the nation: 1 vote or 14%

I was disappointed that there weren't many votes on this one. Maybe other people don't keep count? Oh wait - maybe there are only six people reading this blog! I wonder who the well-traveled person is who has been to more than half of the nation, and which states that person is missing? I have never been to the southeast part of our country, and would love to see Florida, Virginia, or Tennessee. Is there a state you haven't seen and would really like to visit?

a win? not so much?

There is a battle at our house. It is the vegetable battle. While Bree loves eating fruit, she has turned her back on our vegetable friends. So I was a happy mommy the other night when she ate her corn with dinner. Trouble is, the next morning the corn came out looking exactly the same way it did when it went in. Now I wonder - am I wasting time and effort with corn? Is she getting any nutritional value out of it, or is it just passing through? Anyone know?

welcome to the world

While we were away on vacation, two adorable babies made their way into the world:
Garner Richard, born on June 10 at 4:16 pm
Addison Mahala, born on June 17 at 3:12 pm

our vacation

We left the Sea Stacks Beach House and headed back down to Klamath, CA and the trees for our last full day of the vacation. Bree did a seriously cute happy dance when we walked back into our room at the Ravenwood - I so wish I had captured it on camera. She wound up getting carsick and throwing up three times on our trip - poor baby! Poor Grammie, she was sitting in the back with her all 3 times. The plane rides home were not as good as on the way there, Bree did not sleep. She was a wiggle worm and we were all exhausted by the time we landed home.

"No one needs a vacation so much as the person who has just returned from one."
-Elbert Hubbard
(Thanks to Marika for the great quote!)

Oregon

Monday, June 16, 2008

Here we are at the Sea Stacks beach cabin, with one more night left to stay. When we first arrived we were disappointed to see that the cabin had not been used for awhile. It was dusty and we found mouse droppings in the loft upstairs. The fireplace was drafty and blowing soot in. Normally this stuff wouldn’t bother me, but with a baby around who likes to put things in her mouth I get a little nervous. We spent some time cleaning and childproofing, and have managed to feel quite comfortable here. The view is incredible. We are right on the beach, and there are many windows which face outside to the sand and waves and sea stack rock formations. It is nice being inside and seeing the view – the wind here so far is relentless. I imagined us taking Bree to the beach everyday and maybe even splashing in the water some, but that is not happening. The wind is unbearable. Dan and I went down to the beach for a walk while Bree stayed with Grandma Lorraine, and the wind whipped the sand around and into our faces. We haven’t braved it with Bree yet. So, the view from behind the window is quite nice, especially at sunset.

We visited a tourist spot called the West Coast Game Park Safari. I expected to see animals in cages, and we did. It is always a little sad. But, I guess these places do some good because the animals are generally rescued. There were deer and goats and llamas roaming around which we could buy food for and feed. Peacocks wandered the place as well. I think they are so pretty! I love the little feathers that stick out the back of their heads like hair pins. We also had the opportunity to hold and pet two seven week-old black leopard cubs. Dan and I weren’t sure at first if it was a good idea to let Bree touch them, but the handler was very careful and capable and she did great! She was enthralled with these kitties, who right now are about the size of housecats. Her eyes were big and she just stared at them, and pet one a little. Luckily, she didn’t grab a handful of her fur to pull out like she does to our cats at home.

There are cranberry bogs here. I don’t know why, but I somehow had the mistaken idea that cranberries grow on trees. They don’t. I must get them confused with crabapples. The bogs are very pretty – they are recessed into the ground and the cranberry bushes even have red colored leaves. There are no berries this time of year. Lorraine helped out on a cranberry harvest back in Massachusetts once, and explained a little about how they do it. Apparently they fill the bog with water and use a big paddle like machine to knock the berries off of the bushes, and then a suction machine to pick them up. Interesting stuff!

There are no redwoods here. The forests are just not as pretty. The Oregon coast is amazing with all of the rocks and sea stacks – majestic and very photographic. So far, however, it has just been wind, wind, wind.

Yesterday was father’s day, and we ventured back onto Highway 101 to the north. We drove as far up as Florence, where we stopped at the Sea Lion Caves. This is, apparently, the world’s largest sea cave. You take an elevator down about 200 feet and emerge in an underground cave. From here you walk over to an opening where you can look out across water and see sea lions. Again, Dan and I had a moment where we had to decide whether or not we wanted to put Bree on that elevator and take her down into the cave. There are disclaimers posted, warning of the possibility of earthquakes, etc., stating that we enter at our own risk. In the end we decided to take her down. I will say I was nervous on the elevator. I don’t really like them that much anyway, even when I’m not taking them down 200 feet to a cave! The cave was fun – a HUGE male sea lion had his harem of sea lion girls on a rock in the middle of the cave and was making lots of noise. Luckily, the smell wasn’t at all bad. We visited a sea lion cave in Australia once which was almost unbearable, so I was prepared for the worst.

Afterwards, we drove up the rode just a bit to the Hecate Head Lighthouse. The stroller went to work again and we pushed Bree up the trail to the lighthouse, where once again we got blown away by the wind. Are lighthouses always windy? Back down at the bottom of the trail was a little enclosed beach, with very little wind here. Finally the shovel and bucket we bought for Bree was put to use! She LOVES sand, loves touching it and holding it and throwing it. I showed her how to use the shovel to scoop up the sand and plop it in the bucket, and again she laughed so hard. She finds the strangest things funny. We made some sand castle towers with the bucket, but every so often she would get up and run straight for the water. I’d chase her down and stop her from swimming away with the seals. She was never very happy with me then. Eventually she made a game of collecting the smooth, gray stones that dotted the sand and piling them up. Into the bucket, out of the bucket. I was glad to have found some beach time for her.

more redwoods

Friday, June 13, 2008

It is Friday and we will be leaving the Ravenwood today to drive up the Oregon coast to the Sea Stacks Beach House we rented online. The last few days have found us exploring the redwood forests. One of my favorite parts was called the Stout Grove, part of the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. This trail reminded me of an enchanted forest you might read about in childrens’ books. I thought I saw faces in the bark of the trees and imagined they might start talking to me. It was the perfect place to spot fairies or unicorns, I wouldn’t have been surprised!

Yesterday we hiked the stroller-friendly Prairie Creek Trail. This one was tranquil, we all enjoyed the creek and many bridge crossings. I got a good picture of a banana slug – these guys are huge! We are surprised that there aren’t many tourists around, being the time of the year the rhododendrons bloom. At times we feel as if we have the entire forest to ourselves. The day before we visited the Trees of Mystery and saw Paul Bunyan with Babe. We also rode the sky tram over the tops of the trees. Despite being a little cheesy - this was a fun place to visit!

Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
My husband and I love to watch The Amazing Race - so when I saw that this book was about a similar, fictional reality show I knew I wanted to read it. It started out slow - I was confused by the many characters and found my mind wandering a little, but it got better.

The book centers around contestants on the show, and I identified most with the mother/daughter team. Interestingly, at this point in my life it was the MOTHER I was relating to more so than the daughter.

I also found the reality show logistics intriguing. I never think about the behind the scenes stuff that must occur - which is exactly what the producers don't want you to do. It hadn't occurred to me that when they are scrambling for seats on a plane, they are also needing seats for the camera and sound person, for example.


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California and redwoods

Thursday, June 12, 2008
Our little family adventure got off to a good start on Sunday. Bree did great on the first leg of the plane ride, she fell asleep for more than half of it. We had a layover in Salt Lake City and boarded our next plane. After we got all snuggled into our seats and started taxiing down the runway, the pilot announced that there was a “small concern” and that mechanics were on the way to check it out. We later heard that one of the engines would not start, so they had us deplane and wait until a replacement plane could be found. Finally, we were once again on our way! For this part of the trip to Eureka, California, Bree was a wiggle worm! She would not settle down, just wanted to play and climb and wiggle. Her favorite activity was opening and closing the window shade. “Up!” “Down!” She spent some time playing peek-a-boo with the nice man behind us. Sure enough, once we landed and were taxiing back to the airport, she finally fell asleep. She was tired out, she slept while I carried her off of the plane and to the rental car agency.

Renting her carseat worked out fine. They made us install it ourselves due to liability issues. It isn’t the nicest seat but it does the job and she crawls into it when she’s tired. She has taken most of her naps in the carseat for this trip because we are always on the go. When we left Salt Lake City we were told it was cloudy and 48 degrees in Eureka. When we landed, the sun was shining and it was fairly warm. We’ve been lucky, and unlucky, with the weather so far. Nothing but sunshine. Lucky because it is warm and comfortable for us, but unlucky because Dan was looking forward to photographing in fog and cloudy conditions. Interestingly, we are finding ourselves wishing for some cloudy weather!

We left the airport and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway 101. Gorgeous! Ocean on our left, and huge pine tree forests on the right. We left Eureka and drove up to Klamath, California where we checked in to the lovely Ravenwood Motel. That night we drove into Crescent City for dinner at the Fisherman’s, and then made it an early night.

On Monday we woke up and set out to the Redwood Forest. I knew I would fall in love with this place. The trees are amazingly tall and everything feels so serene. There is a sense of timelessness here. These trees are so old and surrounded by huge ferns, it feels almost prehistoric. Our first hike was through fern canyon. I forgot my camera for this one, and was feeling quite frustrated that I couldn’t take pictures of this place! The walls of the canyon were covered with ferns, and there was a little stream that meandered along the trail. We managed to get Bree’s stroller halfway up the trail before abandoning it and carrying her. One thing I should have thought to buy and pack was a backpack for her. She squirms so much when I carry her and wants down. We met a couple with a 19 month old and a backpack called an “Ergo Baby.” It was soft, not framed, and would have been packable. We may have to find one of those! She laughed when she threw a pebble into the water and it made a ‘plop’ noise, and did it over and over again. As a mom, your baby laughing is the most beautiful sound in the world.

Afterwards, we hiked over to Gold Bluffs Beach. Here we had to wait awhile before we could cross the bridge to the beach. Five large male elk, all in velvet, had decided to eat their lunch around the bridge. It was interesting to see them near a beach and the ocean. Once we made our way down Bree ran straight for the water! She would have dove in if we didn’t stop her, she is such a water baby. The water here is cold, not like her experience in Hawaii, which I wonder if she even remembers.

That evening we did the hike through the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Trail. We timed our trip perfectly for the rhododendrons. These delicate pink flowers are in bloom, and provide a pleasant contrast to the dark forest. So far this has been Dan’s favorite trail, the best one for the rhododendrons and stroller friendly. We are certainly getting good use of that stroller! It has served as her high chair back at the hotel as well.

princess parties

We've been helping our friends celebrate birthdays. Last weekend Madison turned 1, and today was a party for Hailey who turned 4. Unfortunately I forgot my camera for Madson's party, but today I was thinking and brought it for Hailey's. The kids had a ton of fun. The invitation asked us to wear our princess dresses and crocs or sandals to bejewel. Adults were encouraged to dress up, too, and King Brian did not disappoint. Huzzah!

tumbling baby

Bree did a somersault today - all by herself! We were visiting her great-grandpa who has just moved into a retirement home. She was sitting on his bed and started doing her "down dog" move - and pretty soon had pushed her legs back into a somersault. It was very cute. She then tried to repeat it a few times on the floor but couldn't figure out how to do it again. I think I was a lot older when I started doing somersaults. Maybe I should consider signing her up for gymnastics?

lilac and lily of the valley

I love this time of year.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Interesting book with a twist on time travel. I found that I immediately liked both of the main characters; Henry the librarian and Clair, his wife. It is a love story. The story is told through both of their points of view, and weaves through the past, present and future. Imagine visiting yourself at age 5, 12, 23. I found parts of it captivating!


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to my daughter...

(I don't know who wrote this - it was forwarded to me in an e-mail. I liked it enough to want to share it. - E)

'TO MY DAUGHTER'

*Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

*Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

*Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

*Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

*Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

*Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

*Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

*Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

*Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

*Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

*Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

*Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.