next stop - beach house at arch cape

We've rented our fair share of houses off of vrbo.com.

We like it because it always has a lot of pictures and comments from previous vacationers.

This one was enticing because one of the comments read,

  "the beach path is close enough that 3 brothers-in-law in their mid-30's could run down to the beach for a sunset dip and back to the backyard hot tub to warm up without keeling over."

Awesome, right?

Well awesome until you get in there and your mind starts to wander and you begin thinking about the 3 brothers-in-law (grossly obese in my daydreams) lying on your bed (maybe even in the buff which you really try not to think about to avoid losing your lunch), still wet from the hot tub, picking at their chest hairs, and eating cheesy nachos and drinking ice cold beers...all on the very place I am about to lay my head for the night.

But once I got over that....

IT WAS AWESOME!

Felt just like home only with the ocean breezes and sounds of crashing waves.  

I'm ready to do it all again!

portland zoo - stop #1

I'll be honest.  I am not usually a fan of the zoo.

For one, I am not much of an animal lover.  don't hate.  I must have gotten burnt out from childhood.  We had all kinds of mangy creatures, usually under-cared for, and almost always could later be found on the family dinner table.  

Not only that, the zoo just doesn't hold much fascination for me.  All the times we've been to the San Diego zoo, I usually get all moody that we have to walk up and down so many hills just to see empty cages because the animals are sleeping or feeding.

But, kids can change a lot of things.  When my kids get excited, the energy is somehow transferred to me and any activity becomes a fun one (even when you drove 16 hours the night before and you really just want to snooze).

I must say, the Portland Zoo was a delight.  Charming (which is always a plus), shady, not too overwhelming, and we could enjoy the company of good friends.

One highlight for me was capturing everyone getting heckled by the goats.

home again, home again, jiggity jig

36 hours of driving time

2,068.84 miles round trip

2 restrained kids

16 bathroom stops

1 marathon distance driver (troy)

1 sprint distance driver (guess)

miles of scenic views

hundreds of iPod tunes

and

6 stops for greasy fast food

all for our pals in Oregon.  and well worth every minute!

and guess what you're going to see on this blog for the rest of the week?

You guessed it.

A TRAVELOGUE with every last picture and detail of our trip!  So giddy-up!

(thought a warning was only fair)

if, by chance, you are trying to get ahold of me...

you may be experiencing some trouble.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

It was the old classic

set-your-phone-on-top-of-the-car-while-you-buckle-your-kids-in

scenario.

Then we drove away and at the stoplight I heard....clink, kuplunk, clink.  Next thing I knew, a small silver flash was being tossed wildly across the asphalt from under a speeding Camry.

Oh well.  I needed a new phone.

 

(but I better keep it under 20 bucks.)

swim. bike. run.

....and then puke your brains out.

oh wait.  that would be the result if I did this race. (500 m ocean swim, 30k bike, 5k run)

but not if you are the man with extreme athletic endurance, enormous biceps, rock solid abs, an iron will, and incredible handsomeness!

this is a blog right?  I can brag.

This is not his race time, but if you look at the kids, you can see that at the end of 2+ hours, they were spent!

Great job, babe.  We are so happy that someone is representing fitness in our family.

...now back to Oprah and my bowl of Fritos.

ants in their pants.

because I know these two ladies are DYING for a sneak peek...

Go HERE!

home sweet home

We're back from our wonderful trip to Sacramento.

Real life will resume tomorrow. 

laundry.

housecleaning.

regular naps.

cooking.

no grandparents to entertain.

no fun cousins.

You know....just the usual.

But I do want to share pictures from one session in Sacramento. More to come soon.

hippity, hoppity.

A great way to spend an evening before bedtime....

The chase

The Catch

The Gross-out

If the pictures get cut off on your screen, you can click on them to see the full frame.

my brain is running on 30% power

occasionally...no  

some of the time...no

often...no

MOST OF THE TIME, I can be kinda flakey.  dingy.  airheady.

I can add this morning to my tally list.

We hung a big birthday BANNER for Troy's birthday.  Jack greeted him at the bottom of the stairs with a present and a boistrous "Happy Birthday, DAD!"

Problem is....

we're a day early.

Well dad....I guess you are lucky enough to get that same routine TWO days in a row.

Happy Birthday to the best dad and husband!

inquiring minds want to know...

This morning at the gym, Jack was happily greeted by his girlfriend Sierra.

She made him lunch one time.  Plastic lettuce.

She fixed herself an imaginary plastic burger complete with floppy bacon strips.

He set their love straight at that moment.

Burgers for ME.  Lettuce for you.

Got it, woman?

Today was interesting.

They met eyes, then exchanged a few awkward but giddy body movements.

Then Jack signaled me to hunch down for a secretive inquiry.

"Mommy.  Does she have a wittle penis?"

(should I be nervous about putting the "P" word in large print?)

NO, son.  She is a girl.  Girls don't have that part.

But you know, you can never be too safe.

It's always good to ask.

and then they played.

(an old picture taken after a potty stop on a road trip home from Tahoe.)

facade

I was acting so tough.  

Especially around Troy.

He tends to be the "softie" when it comes to kids, and I tend to be the "hardnose" let's-get-down-to-business mom.

But really, it's just an act.

Deep down, I am just a big marshmallowy softie too.

It became evident tonight as we bravely walked out to the tree to hang the bag of binkies (or just binky because we couldn't seem to find the other 13 that are usually laying around) and jack reached in the bag before hanging it up and whispered sweetly, "just one more suck".

I lost it.  so did troy. 

I am losing it right now.

It was really so sad.

And I can't stop crying.

Tomorrow will be better, right?

attachments

 In 5 days we will celebrate 3 years of Jack's life.

We will also be commemorating the 3rd anniversary of the the binky's presence in our home.

It will be a bitter sweet day, for sure.

Our little boy is growing up.

He is working through all this toddler kinks and becoming a responsible boy.

He is ready to embark on new adventures.

But there is one adventure in particular that I'm not sure any of us are ready for.

THE BANISHMENT OF THE BINKY

I'll be honest.  Troy and I are probably 28 times more scared about this than Jack.  Remember when we talked about this way back when?  

Actually, we've been talking about it for a long time. 

"Before the baby comes we'll take it away"

"When he turns 2 we'll for sure get rid of it"

"After Christmas travel"

"On his 3rd birthday.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it!"

Maybe you're the parent that sees older children with binkies and scoffs at the mere thought? Maybe you're the old lady from the store last week who gave me the rundown on all the dental problems binkies cause?  Maybe you're the awesome parent who managed to make it through years of crying without one.  Well, props to you all!  It really is commendable.

But let me tell you why WE'VE gotten so attached to this little binks:

Jack still naps for 3 hours in the day.

It is a wonderful silencer in a car when all hell is breaking loose.

When he gets hurt, the binky is there to soothe all sorrows.

Before bed, he lays on the couch with his dad and his binky and together they snuggle (all 3 of them).

Bedtime is a breeze.  He takes the binky, starts in with the rhythmic sucks, and he is out in no time....at 7 p.m.

and sometimes, dare I admit, it can even act as collateral in a bribery deal.

Can you blame me?

I don't have very much faith that life will be the same without it.

So please help.  

The binky fairy is scheduled to arrive late Sunday night.  and all binkies will be gone.  forever and ever.  Amen.

Any last minute advice is welcome.  I know you left some before, but I need more moral support now!

and PS...I think lucy's has to go too.  It's either all or nothing.

did I really just push "publish post"?

what?  

 you find it strange when pubescent teenage girls take professional pictures with little girls they babysit?

She is a close family friend, in my defense.

I've heard of that website for awkward family photos, but this photo reaches beyond all awkwardness.

It's bad in so many ways.

First off, why are we holding fresh cut sunflowers?

Second, gotta love the window pane backdrop.

Now for the labeled points of awkwardness:

a.  classic triangle hairdo with rounded curling iron edges

b.  maroon colored lipstick from mom's collection, I'm sure

c.  braces

d.  unruly eyebrows. 

 (no wonder the vietnamese lady said to me when I was getting my wedding nails done, "you eyebrows BUSHY....very, very bushy.")

e.  hand woven aztec-y belt

gag me with a spoon. 

 

speaking of gagging, I just showed my husband this photo from the forgotten archives, and I think he gagged a little too.  Then closed his eyes, and shook his head almost as though to shake it from his memory all together.  bless him.

The good thing is that the darling little girl saves the photo.

And even better than that, she just got more and more darling with time.

Here she is as a Senior.

She lives in Virginia, but I got to take pictures for her during a short visit to California.

And speaking of California.

I am coming up to the greatest place in California....

drumroll please

SACRAMENTO!!!

If you want pictures while I am there visiting my family, contact me at alidegraff@yahoo.com

And go HERE for more details!

beach. then and now....

This is what a day at the beach was like 

3 years ago:

child sitting in the exact middle of a humongous towel

towel dusted off every 2-3 minutes so as not to have one grain of sand near child

child's hands powdered off with baby powder frequently

sun hats, rash guards, umbrellas and SPF 300 out in full force

food fed to child directly into mouth by an adult with spotlessly clean hands

an occasional walk to the water's edge in the arms of a responsible parent

back to the middle of the towel

This is what a day at the beach looks like 

NOW:

need i say more?

we had a deal

My dear sweet kids,

We used to have a system.  We had the whole morning routine down to a science.  I would take a shower while you two enjoyed a 1/2 hour of water play together in the bath!  Just enough time for me to bathe, apply make-up and dry my hair.  

What happened?

Now you hide when I mention the word bath.  You fight tooth and nail when I try to remove your PJ's.  You cringe at the sound of running water.  And not even Curious George bubbles can entice you to climb in?!?!  

How do you expect me to keep up my high standard of hygiene?  Not to mention that you guys don't smell like roses after a couple days, either!  believe me!

Can't we just get back to the old days?  What will it take?  

I CAN be bought!  Fruit snacks in the water?  Cartoons within watching view?  Anything.  ANYTHING!

Start thinking because I am desperate!

Love,

your increasingly greasy-haired, dirty mother

Here's how bath time has gone down lately.

7:00 a.m.

lucy still in shock that I forced her in.  Jack smiling while devising a plan to sabatoge bathtime!

7:01 a.m.

some play has begun...even though I've told them a thousand times NOT to drink the bath water!

7:02 a.m.

a temporary smile.

7:02 and a half a.m.

it's over.  that's all I have...2.5 minutes!  did you count them?  She's done and ready to climb out!

what do you have to do to get a shower in?

tie your children up?

and the winner is....

let's get this done the old fashioned way.

Forget random.org or other fancy, cheatproof systems.  (i promise we didn't cheat)

You can trust your odds were safe in Jack's care.  He is meticulous when it comes to drawing names.  He takes this job seriously.

Just look at the vigor in his shake.

The speed, too.

There was definitely NO peeking!

And the lucky winner is....

Jen Giorgis

my people will be in touch with your people, jen.

Congratulations, Jen!

i sure hope you are jumping up and down screaming with excitement for those of us who NEVER win anything!

If you didn't win, don't cry too many tears.

Just get your hiney over to Heidi's banner shop and buy a special banner for yourself!