SAHM-ing and a Gray Weekend

Well, Spring Break is definitively over, and as we get closer and closer to thesis due date and finals (for me) and final AOC exercise (Seth), these blogs will likely be continually longer on brevity. Luckily, F+F are pretty cute and we take plenty of pictures, so I doubt that my commentary will be missed much anyway.

Ford got booted from daycare Wednesday for a teething fever (seriously- 99.7. I was beside myself.) Instead of losing my mind over the 8 hours of writing that was not happening with a not-at-all-sick kid at home, and the indignity of banishment for something so inocuous, I snagged Finley too and had a glorious "stay-at-home-Mom of the Hudson Valley" day.

We went to toddler yoga, which was obviously a hit (here, Finley is wrapped up in her yoga mat "like a hot dog!" Very zen.)

And spent hours at the Croton library, which has an awesome kids' section. I am grateful daily for my Mom, who instilled in each of us a love for books and libraries and the communities that support them, and my SAHM day would not have been complete without this tribute to the many happy hours we spent at the public library growing up.

(Incidentally, for the love of all that is holy, if nothing else inspires one to call one's Congressman these days- a premise that is itself hard to believe- this should.)

After naptime we made a trip to Michael's, the bane of my existence, for art supplies. Finley calls crafts "craps," and loudly, which always makes for a hilarious trip to the craft store.

The rest of the week was gray and cold and insanely busy. Finley managed to squeeze in a playdate with "my Tommy Ryan" (who is looking like a real charmer in this picture),

 and Ford perfected the art of stealing Finley's toys and laughing gleefully about it.

The weekend was a blur of trying to make up for lost study time, missed paper deadlines, and skipped workouts. Not to mention laundry.

We did laps around the block whenever it looked like a break in the rain, but it wasn't enough to beat the cabin fever.

Finally we gave up and took the little heathens to play indoor golf.

And to terrorize the bookstore.

And made our usual Sunday trip to the nature museum for the animal program and a roll in the ever-popular beanbag chairs.

 Also, we definitely put on our all of our finery to sit on the potty.

Which would have been the photo of the week if I hadn't caught this gem at our impromptu Sunday night "March Madness and Happy Hour with Kids." I adore this one of my two guys watching the game with their drinks.

And my epic parenting fail (or win?), applying a cold pint glass to Finley's lip when she busted it trying to climb over the seat. 

Who needs ice packs?

Spring Break in the PNW.

The rain fell softly but steadily, as it does in the Pacific Northwest in the spring. Out by the fire pit, obscured by the mist framed by tall, dark pines, and delighted by an enormous fire; the big kids roasted hot dogs with Lisa and Missy. Mom had both babies squealing with delight in the warm kitchen, and Seth was doing something at the grill on the wraparound porch that involved sausages and craft beer. Ben and I were at the table singing along to a bluegrass song loudly and tunelessly, and we laughed as Dad walked toward us folding up an empty Busch Light box. (His, not ours. Obviously.)

It was perfect. That moment, full of music and soft rain and peals of laughter from five happy kids, and the whole week. The older we get, and the fewer and farther between these moments of family togetherness become, the more precious they are.

A week in one of the most beautiful places in the world didn't hurt either.

We're home now, busy shoveling snow and missing cousins and fighting jet lag and catching up on schoolwork. But we're still glow-y from our week with (most of) the Walters Fam in the PNW. The (billions of) pictures, and a few hilarious videos, I took are here.

A couple other notes:

We missed the Bustamantes something fierce. The cousins playing together was magical and sweet and funny, and the absence of the adorable Lehua was strongly felt.

The family that hikes together stays together. And, more importantly, is willing to make trans-Pacific flights to be together. (Here's looking at you, Japan Walters, you rock stars.) Thanks, Mom & Dad, for instilling in us a love of the outdoors, uphill climbs, and beautiful views. We snuck in an epic hike one day, and it was like old times. It made us all think about how we're teaching the next generation to someday sign pledges- as we did- to "never go hiking for fun, ever" and then spend the rest of their lives doing just that.

Kids love hot tubs. And the rainy PNW should never be enjoyed without them. (Hot tubs, not kids. Although the latter is a lovely addition.)

Wikki Sticks are indispensable on airplanes when you are traveling with a toddler. So are dum dums, sticker books, and- oddly- a roll of painter's tape. Headphones, on the other hand, are totally worthless, and iPads are not nearly the Midas touch people would have you believe.

Long flights will still be terrible, no matter how well you pack.

It will always be worth it. Always.

Where did the weekend go?

Our weekend got away from us. It was our last weekend at home before the big Spring Break cross country trek, so we had a long list of things we wanted to get done. Knowing how nutty our weeks tend to get, I had even at one point entertained the idea of starting to pack. (Rigghhhtttt.)

But an end-of-week cold snap meant that it was freezing and gray and uninviting out, and I was averse to a weekend of cabin fever. So back to the Children's Museum we went, this time with the Ryans in tow. Finley was beside herself- she adores Tommy and Mikayla, and she asks to hang out with them constantly. 

Plus there's a fire truck.

Ford is crawling everywhere and pulling himself up on everything these days, and the world is basically his jungle gym. He especially loves stairs, and has little regard for his own safety. He has a blast anywhere we can set him down and let him go. 

Afterwards, we went out for German food and giant beers...

which devolved into at least one of us (guess who?) napping on the couch, and an impromptu dinner party, during which I made my first-ever meatloaf. Which was absurdly large, since I used a recipe from the Food Network that called for 5 lbs. of meat and since I'm a novice in the "loaf" realm, I thought maybe it cooked down...?

I also somehow found myself giving pedicures to small children in my living room.

and, after everyone else had gone home/ to bed, scrubbing red nail polish out of the carpet.

So Sunday wound up being recovery day. Not packing day. Or cooking day. Or cleaning day. (Luckily, I had had a late-night cleaning binge and we had tons of turkey meatloaf leftover. Literally. Tons.)

We took turns working out, failed twice to show up when the drycleaners were actually open, and decamped to the "Meet the Animals" program at the nature museum for the afternoon. Where Finley, out of nowhere, warned the naturalist that "snake bite you!!!" and responded to the question "what do snakes eat?" with a loud and gleeful "Finley!"

Luckily we both love science and nature museums as much as the kids- especially Seth, who does not like them getting their grubby fingers in his creations.

But is always happy to hoist them up for a view. (Here, he is trying valiantly to prevent Ford from climbing into the fish tank.)

And that was that. In the blink of an eye, and with the help of a little German beer, our weekend was over in a flash and we were on the downward slide to Spring Break! We've survived the Monday-Tuesday chaos, which scheduling-wise is currently our roughest stretch, so it's looking like we may actually make it.

Which is crazy. Even now, the Japan Walters are on a wild space-A adventure to Seattle to meet us, having split into two groups, one without luggage. I can't decide whether I'm insanely jealous or thrilled to have confirmed, nonstop tickets. (Knock. On. Wood.)

Until then, this was one of my favorites from the week. Finley's new favorite thing is "driving." It makes us late basically every time we go anywhere, but she loves to sit in the driver's seat and demands that the music be turned on so she can car dance. It's hilarious. (And I'm afraid her moves are better than mine!)

And I think this video, from weekend hangout time with the new travel bed, is priceless. Both kids loved it- and Finley informed me she was "crazy!" I couldn't stop laughing. 

And seriously, $35 at WalMart. I highly recommend this purchase.