Some sewing

Luckily, I have had a chance to do some sewing lately. I always feel better after I make something. And I have a loooooong list of things I really, really want to make.
First up, was a t-shirt for me. I found the fabric at Mill End and loved it. It is so buttery soft and pretty to boot. I figure that since I always wind up wearing jeans and t-shirts no matter what, I might as well have some pretty t-shirts to wear.
The second project was a pair of jeans for my nephew. His awesome momma let me know that his jeans I just made were suddenly rendered too small by a growth spurt. Yay, Joseph! And, of course, I couldn't stand that he was sad about that, so I had to make a new pair. This pair is better than the second in that they have a Tardis on one leg. I really, really hope they fit. They are on their way. Let me know, Lanna, if they don't fit. Send them pack, I'll Etsy them and we'll try again.
I also made a pair of pj's for G, but I can't get a picture of them. He won't model them for the camera, and he keeps peeing in the pants. Yeah, we're having a bit of a potty struggle. Errghh.
Next up is pj's for M, jeans for M, diaper covers for E, and pants and blouse for me. Oh, and I need to start on Christmas stuff. Ideas?

Trip to OMSI

My little dinosaurs. I knew there was something about dinos that seemed oddly familiar. I just had to see the link.

Inventors at work.

wing up in the air. There are actually signs up all over warning about the dangers of this room for children under three. Yeah, like I could really convince him to stay in the mei tai and watch.

And what's a trip to the science museum without some exploding soda. They actually have an "explosion of the day." That right there is enough to sell an apartment at OMSI!

Exhausting day. This is how they helped me make dinner. Thank you, Darlings!

We had a bit of a summer school "thing" here this summer, and as part of that, I told the kids we could spend the day at OMSI if they cooperated. They squeaked by and today was the day we had picked out to go. Had to catch that Dinosaur exhibit, y'know!
Of course, things don't always go smoothly. We actually were goy'know go on Tuesday, but E was still suffering from the crud from Hades, so we put it off. Today seemed like a go. M was motivated to get his morning chores done and we were just about ready to go by 8:30. Miraculous, no? There was just one thing amiss. G was still asleep. He did wake up just before 9 and manage to eat breakfast and get ready to go. BUT, just as I was getting stuff together and trying to find my missing 3 year old, I find him in his bed. "I'm hot and bizzy," he says. I feel him, and he smiles so on we go. I question if we should go, but the kids talk me into it.

We have to stop at Whole Foods to get food of course, because I have nothing that is very packable for lunch out. E fell asleep 5 minutes from the store. Then I look back and see that M is falling asleep too. WT??? That's new. But in we go, baby in the mei tai, G in the stroller because he "can't walk." Halfway through the mei tai I look at M, who has been complaining about being cold (he's always complaining, it's not as if I actually listen to the child anymore) and lo and behold, the child is turning blue! So I buy him some tea, we purchase our lunch, and out the door again.
The dinosaurs were fun, the turbine hall is a blast as usual. The boys got some time playing in the ball room where you invent ways to get the balls into baskets and tubes and whatnot. We finish up most of the fun stuff, and M runs out of steam. Oh, yay. He's got a fever, chills and a headache.
I manage to get everyone home, M into the bathtub for a hot bath, and E and G on the purple pillow. Then I made dinner.
My amazing husband, however went shopping at Costco, picked up our milk, AND picked up the Azure order! Wow. Then he helped with dinner and kids while I put M to bed.
I'm tired and want to go to bed too, now. What a day.

Oh no!

First oil. Then wheat (who cares around here?) Then rice. I can take it. We can adapt. We can get through.
But my CHOCOLATE??!?!?!??!! One shudders at the thought. Do they know how I get through a typical week?
Still, I guess it's cheaper than pharmaceuticals when all is said and done. But if I suddenly express a desire to move to a tropical climate with room for a cocoa plantation, know that it is not just for the weather.

Back to the gates

G has been developing his story-telling skills lately. He'll grab a toy and make up a nice complicated (and impossible to follow) story to go with it, while he acts it out. Loosely. It's pretty cute. He also requests things in riddles. For example, this morning he wanted something flat.
"I want something flat"
"Like what, Babe?"
"Something flat with honey on it."
"What do you want that is flat with honey on it."
"Something flat"
"Use your words to NAME what you are talking about please"
"Something flat."

Eventually it came out that he wanted a pancake. Which I kinda guessed. I just would really like him to get in the habit of making his request instead of spending 30 minutes playing a guessing game.

Anyway. Back to my point. He makes up cool stories and shares them. And lots of the details are in code. So one evening he was telling me about playing in the back yard with ES and GS, our neighbors. He went on and on about digging in the mud and playing on his bike and checking the garden. Then he I realized he was talking about the moon and it being dark and quiet and Mommy and Daddy were asleep. My mommy radar started going off.
"Did you play outside at night"
"Uh, huh."
"All alone?"
"Yes! All by myself!"
"You do know you have to stay in your bed, and especially in our house. You can't go outside unless Mommy or Daddy is awake and KNOWS you are outside."
"OK Mommy."

I may have belabored the point a bit as we were getting into bed. But I let it go. I think it was Friday morning that I got up and started seeing mud clods all over the floor. They made a trail to each door and through the living room and kitchen. I knew C had stayed up with his cough and just figured he'd gone for a walk or something. Weird, I know. But I vacuumed it all up and went about the morning. When C got up, I asked him about it. He looked at me like I was crazy. M insisted he didn't get up. That leaves G. Who has already told a convincing story about midnight adventures.
Granted, my neighborhood is quite safe. But let's just say I'm a little freaked out.
Suffice it to say the gate at the top of the stairs is closed when Mom and Dad head to bed from here on out. When he learns to open it, well, I'll think of something else.
Parenting is SUCH an adventure.

The sickies

I started it. I admit it. I picked up some awful virus in Idaho. I hacked, I coughed, my ears felt sooo tender and swollen, my tonsils got patriotic. I felt crummy. I managed to get home with the three kids without succumbing to the urge to just pull over and go to sleep for a week. Not that I could have, of course. 3 kids will keep you motivated--they should be personal trainers.
After about a week or so of suffering, I started to feel better and C started croaking around. He felt horrid for a week or so--actually he is still not 100%. Coughing up a lung would be his description of the illness.
So then, G's turn. He woke up one morning asking for a kleenex. I won't tell you what I saw through my bleary eyes. Only the mom's reading this could possibly (and I mean possibly) handle it.
He has done much better than us "growed-dups", and seems to be on the mend now.
Enter E. Poor kid. He was rubbing at his nose for a day or two, but he is seriously sensitive about any suggestion of anything in his poor nose. Probably due to this. So since he is cutting tooth #4 too, I didn't pay it much attention. Then there was the diaper. Won't describe that either. You're welcome. Then I noticed he was getting warm. Uh oh. By evening, he was throwing up and burning up.
Last night was entirely unpleasant. He wasn't throwing up anymore, but obviously very, very uncomfortable. And very, very hot. I didn't take his temp, but he had that scalding hot feeling. We didn't sleep much, and he couldn't stand it if I thought about putting him down or rolling away from him.
Fortunately, the fever seemed to break around 5 and I got a couple of hours of sleep. He is back to walking around the living room and growling at his brothers. But he doesn't seem as energetic as usual. That will probably come soon.
Hopefully this will skip M and we can stay healthy for awhile!

Family on wheels

Awhile back, G asked C to take off his training wheels. Turns out he wasn't entirely ready, but he wanted to try. We had fun with the trying.

"Don't let go, Mom!"
He just can't get going fast enough to keep himself balanced. At least not without the training wheels. See, he is a cautious child.

The surprise came when M tried out the bike. Guess who can ride a 2 wheeler after all? Seems all that scooter riding taught him some balance. He hasn't been back on, and that could be a simple comfort issue, I mean, just look:

So then Mom and Dad had to get in on the act. I rode the scooter and C rode the bike--and we switched part way through. But first we had to play "chicken." This was the end result of that daring game. Ewww!

I have so many more things I really should blog about. I just don't know where to start. What do you want to hear about, or see pictures of? We'll see what I can do. Keeping in mind that this post is dedicated to the auto save feature on blogger. E turned off the computer in the middle of my typing.

The New Me

Ta Da!

It feels so amazingly different. I actually have a little bit of headache because of the sudden change in weight load on my neck. Of course, having just come from a salon, it also feels a bit stiff. They do like their products you know. I really liked the stylist. She's the first one I've liked in many many years. So that feels good too.
Oh, and since it's likely to get to 103F today, I should especially like it.


M has fun with the camera. And I like it cuz it makes me look tall!

The leftovers. I had it cut into smaller sections. We'll see what kind of response I get. I think they are around 22" but I'll have to measure.

Hair for sale

I posted my listing on The Hair Trader today. It's had 49 views so far, so my fingers are crossed. You can see it here.
People have asked why I'm not donating it. The reason is, I did that last time (about 5 years ago) and I never heard back from them. Not horrible, but I wondered. Then I found out that the charity I sent it to, you know the one, I'm sure, only keeps about 10% of the hair they receive. The rest they sell. Most of the $ they make is used for "administrative costs". Just what I've heard. If someone knows more positive info and can verify it, please let me know.
But by selling my hair, I can make $ and apply it to, I dunno, gas or something. I'll also tithe on it, so some of the money goes to the church, and maybe I'll specify the money be used for humanitarian aide. Then I'll buy some chocolate to share with my honey.
My hair appt is on Friday. So, I will hopefully have pictures by the weekend.
So, thoughts? Is it weird to sell my hair? Any ideas for a cute, very short cut? What would you do with 21" of hair? Tell me.

A few more pictures

I was going to do this post right after the other one. I got sidetracked I guess. Anyway, here's the two old men. They look good, no?Mason and Ria. A much better picture of Ria. See, she has a great smile.

My little climber. He walks, he climbs, he wreaks havoc. All good talents to have when you are the youngest brother. He has also figured out how to crawl across the back of the couch. Seriously, he starts on the couch cushion, then steps up on the arm, then onto the back of the couch. He then crawls along the back of the couch. He has also learned that when mom comes at you, telling you to stop, she might make actually stop doing what you want to do. Therefore, crawling like you mean it is in order. That kid can move!

Where's I's Been and What I's Been Doin'

First, the honest truth. I apparently neglect my son until he keels over from exhaustion. More likely, he runs on fumes until he crashes. Those of you who have spent time with him can probably attest to this fact. I can't really remember exactly when I took this. Day? Evening? But it is cute. And, no I don't always send him off on his own with a bottle. Sometimes he grabs the bottle, squiggles off my lap and takes off on his own. He is going to be extremely independent!
So, our trip to Idaho. The first day there, Mom, Ria and I took my 2 youngest and headed to Boise. We shopped and shopped, ate and shopped some more. It was great. Mom bought more fabric and trims. Watch her shop for new items! They are gonna be great! For lunch, Mom insisted we eat at Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine or Roadside Cuisine (depending on where you look). Ria and I gave each other significant looks if you know what I mean. I mean, we're adventurous and all. Especially Ria. But might this be going a bit too far? Obviously, when in Rome, but not ALL of Idaho is a trailer park. Really. Go visit. But she talked us into it. It turned out to be a blast and really, really, good food. The only complaint I have is about the booth we were in. The booths are made of old bench seats. On wheels. They have locks, but not very good ones. With a 3 year old who likes to hop in and out of his seat, say 598,436 times per meal, that bench was mobile! His highlight was getting to sit next to the car up on pillars. And the very sweet 20-something women who sat in it and happily played his flirting game. After our meal, we climbed up in the car to have a look around.

Since PapaCoyote has taken up mushroom hunting, he has found some yummy morels. Our treat Friday night was Dutch oven chicken with morel mushrooms. Delish. The chore afterwards was to get all the chicken off the bones. Ria was good at this. Here is, from l-r, Ria, my momma, and H, my sweet sister-in-law. And baby Hattie Mabel who is due to introduce herself sometime in October. No, Hattie Mabel isn't her real name, it's just the nickname my mom has given her.
PapaCoyote enjoys some serious playtime with the little ones. That's E trying to climb the dollhouse, L, my niece and G is scootching under Papa. Who knows why.
Me and Ria. I first met Mason and Ria when they lived here for a year while Mason was on a Fullbright Teacher Exchange. He co-taught with my dad. They really hit it off and became great friends. When I graduated from high school, they invited to me come and stay with them. I spent about 2 months living with them. I have wonderful memories of Holland and the surrounding areas. We went on a camping trip through S. France and I spent a few days train riding with their 2 boys and a friend of theirs. They were fantastic hosts and spoiled me completely. I only wish that their main memories of me weren't of my selfish, 18 year old phase. Oh well. They seem to like me still in spite of it all. Since Ria has 2 boys and no girls, she joked that I was her temporary daughter. Works for me. She is a sweet woman and has a quick sense of humor. I hope that someday I can take my family to Holland to visit them! I just realized that Ria isn't smiling in this picture. If someone has another version of it, send it along! Ria has a great smile and I would hate for her to get mad at me.

We did it, mostly

The kids handled it fairly well. There was the bit at the library about no point in checking out videos. I get ahead of myself.
Sunday, we finished up any must-dos on the computer and then turned it off. G really didn't understand why, or that it being off meant you can't use it. Sunday night I realized that I was babysitting 2 other kids Monday and Tuesday and that I might regret the lack of movies. Bad sitter, I know.
So on Tuesday, when we all (me and 5 kids!) went to the library, I went ahead and caved on the movies. They got 2 DVDs and we watched them on the portable DVD player. Then there was the whole, "We watched the yesterday" bit. But I was strong.
On Tuesday, I was talking to my mom and she mentioned that our friends from Holland were coming for a visit. I hadn't seen them in about 5 years, so really wanted to visit them. What with my whole internet addiction withdrawl, I packed up stuff and kids and headed to Idaho by myself on Thursday. I brought some sanity into the mix by a)packing movies and said portable DVD player, b) putting all 3 kids in one seat so there was no odd man out and someone with hands by the baby at all times, and c)I caved on my no Gerber baby food rule and bought Gerber fruit leather, Gerber cereal-thingies and some other stuff he wouldn't touch. But he loves him some fruit leather!
We survived the trip to Papa and Grandma Coyote's in a mere 7.5 hours. Go RasJane!! C joined us on Friday, and just left to go home this morning. He's a sweetie! But we had lots of fun with our friends and I'll post pictures when I get home and get them all organized. That's right, I'm still here. It's really a nice break for me to be here. I dump most of the responsibility on my parents and do things like take a nap or go shopping with mom. It's great. And she's a great cook.
For more insanity--or clearer thinking, we'll see. I've made a firm decision to cut my hair all off. I have to find a salon in PDX I trust with my hair (any recommends??) and then off it goes. I'm tired of the baby always being in it, of cleaning it out of the drain, vacuuming it up, and on and on and on. Besides, hair grows back. I'll post before and after pics, 'k?
A final note (I hear my baby calling for me), PapaCoyote doesn't have Firefox. That means no real-time spell check. Apologies and deal with it. Hearts.