Newborns & 3 Year Olds.

A few weeks ago I headed to Paradise (literally) to get Blue's newborn pics. Our dear friend & mucho talented photographer Alan got some great shots despite that night being the crankiest night of #2's life. While I was trying to get little screamy/poopy/peebody to sleep Alan got some great shots of Mr P which worked out well since we needed some 3 year pics. I did not condone the use of the cat, however Mr P seems to love (sadly) the little critters. Might have to get used to it- moving to the country next to many a mouse-ridden hay field could warrant the need for a green eyed, sharp clawed demon pet. (No offense to any cat lovers out there. The dislike was ingrained in me from a very young age.) Dang, I have some cute boys.

Little Boy Blue.

August 5 came REALLY quickly for me this year. Amid the joyful insanity of building a house, chasing a busy toddler & all the other activities of summertime, we welcomed the second little boy to our family & I'm not gonna lie-- He's a keeper! The delivery was just dandy as far as abdominal surgery goes, & before I knew it he was here! He had some little issues with his lungs & his blood sugar so, sadly (heart-wrenchingly) it was quite a while before I was able to hold him & several more hours before he was able to come to my room & officially meet his big brother who was going crazy waiting. He was 6lbs 3oz & 19.5" with a head of hair to rival Mr P's. I'm in love. Again. We went with the middle name Blue, as chosen by my elder son months ago, & what he's been referred to as ever since then. I love that someday I'll be able to tell him he was named by his older brother. Who, by the way, happens to be filling the role superbly. (knock on wood.)

And Baby Makes 4.

Well, in less than 24 hours time I will officially be the mother of 2 boys. I'm still soaking it in, to be quite honest, & am both infinitely excited & also utterly terrified. There are days when it seems like I just got the hang of one of these rascals & in a matter of hours everything I know is liable to change & a whole new set of rules will apply. Every once in a while it hits me really hard & anxiety kicks in. Hard. How do you split your time/attention/love/energy etc. etc. with 2 when virtually every minute since my first son's birth has been devoted to him? Everyone keeps assuring me that it just 'works out.' That you just do what you have to do & that Mr P will adjust just fine. I sure hope you're all right, since there's no backing out now! So, wish me luck! Say a little prayer that my anesthesia goes a little more smoothly than last time & that I don't rip my innards open trying to keep track of a certain busy little boy.

Summer Catch-Up.

Between building a house, getting ready for a baby & chasing a 2 year old we've kept pretty busy this summer. Lucky for us, however, we've managed to squeeze in quite a bit of fun. Just a sampling:

Fish Farm

Misc.

Swim Lessons

Camping

Lagoon

Humble Abode.

After a whole lot of headache, paperwork, running around & living in my parents' basement for nearly a year, we have started our house!! Oh the joy that rings in my heart... Ty's dad is acting as our general & I cannot stress how grateful I am for him & for Ty & everything they are doing to get this thing done. Mr P & I go out every few nights to see how things are progressing & to let him drive any available machinery & I just can't believe how much work they do. Every visit we come home looking like true live hobos & my son is just as happy as a clam. Last night I went out for a while & sprayed down the gravel while they backfilled the foundation & compacted it & I thought I might die. It was a toasty 98 degrees & that was at 7 pm. I can't imagine how bad it was during the heat of the day. I wish (well sorta) that I had a picture of me with sweat pouring like little rivers through the dirt down my whole body. Sick. I'm super glad Ty was able to get some guys to help him today, since he'll be spending all day out there again. I feel a little lazy, but unfortunately they frown on 9 month pregnant women hauling gravel in this heat. Rats. So, cross your fingers for us that all proceeds smoothly & I'll keep you posted.

Getting ready for the foundation.

Footings

What's more fun that playing in a dirt pile??

The kid loves machinery.

Digging with grandpa. Life could not be better for this boy.

Oregon 2010

Last month my family (the whole, entire thing- yes, all 25 of us) took our trip to the Oregon Coast. My amazingly generous & awesome parents rented a beach house that fit us all & we had a marvelous time. Now, some people would say we're totally crazy to attempt this type of feat, & in part we are. It's a lot of work & coordination & LOTS of kids, but I really, truly have the best family ever & I'm already geared up for next time. It was some of the best weather we've ever seen on the coast which made for lots of beach time. As always, the week went by much too quickly. THANKS, mom & dad! (Sorry for the picture overload. There are about 200 more where these came from & I'm still waiting to get copies of everyone else's, so you may get a future update. Fair warning.)

**If your child is ever trotting around with his hands in his pockets as mine is here, I suggest you force him/her to take their hands out for safety purposes. This picture was taken just before Mr P took a spill on some metal stairs, hands in pockets, rendering him unable to break his fall, causing him to smash his mouth on said stairs, break his front tooth, chip 2 others & set them all crooked. Perhaps karma is telling me I was too prideful of his up-til-then dang near perfect smile, but I'm quite sure it was the most traumatic thing that has happened since his birth, & he's taken some quite nasty spills. I am grateful, however, that the teeth remain intact. Knock on wood.

Mr P is still talking about this crab that pinched his dad's finger & made him scream.

Apparently it cracked him up. Nik's not quite so sure...

We joined my parents a few days before everyone else & went to see Crater Lake. Amazing. We did not plan on there still being so much snow & therefore are planning a trip back to do some further exploration.