On Holiday

(Seal Rock, Oregon)

Who needs a beautiful sunset on the water, beautiful state parks, great (cheap & drinkable) wine, wonderful food (two words: oyster stew) and a big, happy family? Well, I do. And that's exactly what we got on our first big adventure of a family (of four) vacation. Complete with airplane rides and tide pools and fresh-caught seafood and, of course, long walks on the beach, which was right outside the door.

Papa & Mama Pope, along with Aunt Emma, where wonderful hosts as they put the whole trip together for us. All we had to do was show up. The showing up part, however, was the most stressful part of the trip....two babies on an airplane....but it was over quickly and actually went amazingly well. Parker slept the entire way home and Eliana hardly kicked the seat in front of her at all. Emphasis on hardly.

The beach was incredible and the Oregon Coast is just one of the most beautiful, relaxing, wonderful places in this great country. We loved the time with our "Washington Popes" and all the little mini adventures and memories we made along the way. (Like catching a crab with a rake.....)

A perfect first trip to kick off all off all the others to come.

Happy Anniversary

Anniversary, originally uploaded by roncadiamond.

Big Girl Bed!

Eliana graduated to a big girl bed this week!!
She's feeling very grown up with her new found freedom and handmade giraffe bedding.

Good job, Bug!! We are so proud of you!!

Be Accountable

How a person deals with stress & anger might be the quickest, clearest, cleanest insight into one's soul. I think so anyway. But because I think this I find it very hard to be a parent some days. Being a parent is stressful. No, actually, being a person is stressful, being a parent is about five grades above that.

Today was one of those days that I had the chance to sit and think about how I act when my kids drive me crazy. I can be calm. Super calm. Crazy calm. And then...I snap. (Ask mom, husband, and former room mates about this. It's true.)

But I hate to "snap" in front of my kids. It's not okay. I know it happens and it will happen again, but that doesn't make it okay. Last week I "accidentally" broke one of my favorite platters while trying to do the dishes amongst the screaming. Today, I flipped out and yelled at Ellie. Some people would think this is terrible, but mind you, a lot of people would say they do the same thing everyday. I don't want to be one of those people. I don't want my kids to see me as that kind of person. So I put myself in a timeout and I thought about it. And I decided that I have to be accountable....just like I teach Ellie and will one day teach Parker.

So...today I yelled. I'm not proud, but I did it. And I'm sorry. And tomorrow I'll try to be a better parent and a better person with a purer soul. But I'm sure it's not the last time I'm gonna yell. I've got too many years of parenthood ahead of me.

Parker Pie

Parker Pie, originally uploaded by roncadiamond.
Our little man is getting big.

He's a lover, not a fighter.

Oh, and he's also an eater....

My Mama "It" List

So....I like stuff as much as the next guy. But I don't like having too much stuff. I would rather have one really great "thing" as opposed to 10 mediocre ones. But that's pretty obvious, isn't it? It's really just a matter of knowing what the really great things are in advance so you don't have to keep trying, and through that, acquiring.

So here's my "It" list of the (baby) stuff I love.

1.) Britax Car Seats. Flat out best baby product, ever.

2.) Hotslings. I feel like I'm only at like 80% proficiency in using it, and I still like it. Easier/more practical than the Baby Bjorn. (And cuter. Is that so wrong?)

3.) Converse Toddler Shoes. Just so cute!!

4.) Carter's Footie-Jammies. You cannot wash them too much. They last forever and are great for our cold winter nights.

5.) Bumpkins Bibs. Just awesome. Easy to clean, easy to pack. Good for catching everything.