This I Know...

My last post was a bit of a downer, I am feeling a bit better after going to my first Kindergarten round up for Jakob. We will be going to 4 different Kinder round ups in our area, to see where we might like to have him attend, should we stay in Portland. It was great to be around other parents that are excited about education, nervous, anxious etc. I felt a bit of normalcy, like I'm not the only neurotic parent out there. I know Jakob is going to love Kindergarten and will be more than ready to go in September, this I know! The rest of where we will be, where he will go to school, is up to the universe!

My never ending dilemma

Why does life have to be so hard, obviously it's not that hard, I'm not living in a 3rd world country, and struggling to survive or provide for my children etc., I mean it's just hard to know if we are doing the right thing. On a daily basis I wonder if I've made the right parenting choice, discipline, preschool, food choices etc.
But on a grander scale, I am struggling with really wanting to move back to California for many reasons, the main one being with family and close friends - just having the available support and comfort of close friends. This feeling comes up about this time every year - Winter in Portland, sick kids, stuck in the house, cranky husband, work being busy - I just want to escape to an easier life. A life where I can call my Mom to come watch the kids so that we can escape for a date or for the weekend or just to spend time with the grandkids that are always asking "Where's Nana...Where's Papa, when are they coming back...why don't we live in California?" So, I am always convincing the kids and myself of all the reasons we live in Portland: the trees, the activities, the kid friendly environment, hiking, awesome summers, the coast, the mountainm the lower cost of living - although it doesn't seem that much lower - daycare being the same price, housing is quickly catching CA's lowering prices) etc. I explain constantly to Jakob that Portland is better but it doesn't always seem convincing to him nor to me. I know that Mark would love to be in California, for surfing, but his biggest concern is job security, understandable. But, I am fighting for quality of life, granted I would have to work full time, every day, but we would have family and close friends, that we've known most of our adult lives, that would just be so comforting. We moved here for some reason, either to be hear and raise our kids here or to learn from it, become stronger as parents, as a couple, who knows. I do believe things happen for a reason, I'm just not sure what the reason is right now!
So there it is out in the open for my kids to read somehow later in their lives, the never ending saga of "Did we make the right choice, are we raising our kids in the right place etc etc etc!!" I can't wait until they feel this same pain - hahahahaha!!

The Saga of Sarah's 2 year old bday!

As you may remember, Mark was gone in Omaha on Sarah's actual birthday, so we planned a party for this Saturday. Well, Ms. Sarah had a 102 temp and was coughing and sneezing, so that got cancelled. I think Jakob was more upset because he didn't get to go to "Build a Bear" and build the dog he wants, and he didn't get to have cake and ice cream - poor brother. Instead he got to go to his friend Ian's house and help build a slide for their backyard, and play a bunch, while I was home with the sickky!
Mark went out on Saturday to get a couple cupcakes for the kids to celebrate with. As, there was no way I was going to be able to make cupcakes with a cranky 2 year old on my hip, coughing and sneezing all over! Even though she was sick, she wasn't too sick to turn down "cupcapes and fosting!!"
We are going to have a Build a Bear adventure at the end of the week, with Sarah's buddies. This is the never ending birthday, Sarah doesn't know how good she's got it right now!

Presents

Sarah has received some wonderful presents but her favorites aren't what you might think:
Chap stick - yes, it's her own, so that is very special. Also, I would say the ice pack my Mom sent, really is the winner, she is obsessed with ice packs and having her own is very special (it's pink with a girl character on it). Tonight she went to bed with the ice pack and said "Mine own ice pack...Nana bought it." I don't have picture of her with it, of course!

A little bit of coaching on how to actually apply chap stick helped!
Sarah in her new dress from Amber, it's big but Sarah loves it, she had to wear it as soon as we got home from dinner, and slept in it, and wore it today! Here she is taking care of her babies in her new dress.
Went to the pool tonight, one of Sarah's favorite things to do! Gramma sent her the cutest robe, and she absolutely loved wearing it! Here she is striking a pose in it!
Cutie pie in the pool!

My baby is 2 - really?

Who would have ever guessed she was 2, not by the screaming, the multiple tantrums, her favorite word being "NO" or "NO FANK YOU", her whole world that revolves around her bowels, the ME TRY IT" or "MINE" that is constantly coming out of her mouth - seriously how would anyone ever know she was 2!!?
Well she is, and besides all the obvious signs, she is quite the funny girl, she has an infectious laugh and seriously laughs at anything or says "I happy...he's a funny guy...silly Papa, Mama, Brada, Daddy etc." She has a very slight way of making you do things for her, something about a head tilt and a sweet smile that puts you in a trance. She loves her babies, and now has them labeled as "Teeny Baby, Big Baby, and Make a Noise Baby (she cries)", they go everywhere with her, including the public pool(even down the waterslide - today a woman at the pool said to me, "She is going to be a very protective or adventurous mother, taking that babydoll down the slide!" - yep I'm sure of that). She loves her "Brada or Jeebub" (Brother or Jakob), he helps her with everything and or makes her life a living hell, somehow she still needs him around, asks for him constantly and does whatever he does (which is helpful when broccoli needs to be eaten, but not so helpful when there is say, screaming or throwing involved). She loves dresses and pretty much refuses to wear anything that isn't a dress, she especially loves fleece, so the fleece dresses Nana bought her are a very popular item right now (Tozy aka Cozy dresses), she wants to dress herself and would rather not wear shoes or socks, even in the pouring rain in Portland, in fact she went to preschool on Thursday wearing one sock, because she refused to put the other on, a battle I wasn't willing to fight. She hates her hair combed, so it's usually in her face, the right side in a matted clump (with snot or food or both). The girl LOVES her food, she eats until she explodes, literally she did vomit the other night at the table (I think she choked on pear). Oh and she is a water baby, loves to swim, but on her own terms, do not try to carry her in the water, she needs to walk everywhere by herself, even if it means walking into the deep end and going under, she might want you to rescue her, but only for a second.
She adores anything musical, or anything with a tutu, she calls some of her dresses "Baaaalareeena dress". She is obsessed with the Wiggles and loves "Samalam" or Sam from the Wiggles. She knows most of their moves and beams when she gets to "Watch Wikkles"!
She still needs to be wrapped in her "nuggie new" or her snuggie blanket at night, it's getting so small for her body, it just fits on her if she sleeps with her bum in the air, which is how she normally falls asleep! She is a cuddle bug and loves to be held "Mama hold you" is what I hear all the time. She is viscious though about sharing Mommy, look out kids, including her brother, because Sarah will fight you for her Mommy, "NOOOOO my Mommy!".
I think that's the basics of my sweet, and very determined baby girl! Happy Birthday Sarah or "Happy Bifday tooo you" as she sang to herself!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl, You are amazing!

Oh and just a side note for posterity and my memory:

Mark was in Omaha (for Emily's wedding)over the weekend, so no pic of her today on her bday (as Mark took the camera), but we will celebrate next weekend and will have plenty then! We did go to the pool today- her favorite place - and out to dinner with Amby and Josh (who so kindly, helped welcome her into this world)! Oh, and they gave her a super cute dress, which of course Sarah had to put on when we got home, and she is now sleeping in!

Kids and love...

I was putting a wedding picture in a Valentine's Day frame, and Jakob said

"That's from when you guys got married, you were kissing." Sarah chimed in with "Silly Daddy!"

I said "What do you mean silly Daddy? He's kissing Mommy." Sarah, "Why?"

A few weeks ago (when Nana and Papa were here), Jakob was playing outside with the neighbor kids, having a snow ball fight with them (brother and sister). During he dinner he said "Dimitri said I am going to be in the love," while rolling his eyes and grinning. We assume he meant with Dimitri's sister, Brianna - we all did our best not to laugh!

Today in the car I asked Jakob if he had fun at school today, "Yeah and Kaedyn was wearing a really pretty butterfly dress, it had lots of butterflies that were all different colors." Me,"Oh did you tell her how pretty she looked?"

Jakob, "I think so, I'm not sure, Oh yes I did (smile on his face)".

He is definetly "in the love" with Kaedyn! Kaedyn has professed to her parents that Jakob is her boyfriend and told their preschool teacher, Linda, that she loves him!!

So cute!!

Our first week of 2010

Nothing really to post here, just a day in the life of the Watson family. Well, Mark and I were given Blazer tickets, which was different, we don't normally go to NBA games, nor go out during the week, so that was exciting - it was a great game, they lost but it was action packed right up to the last second. We've been recovering since staying up so late on a Tuesday night, yes we are old!

Here is what Jakob and Sarah have been up to - they are just starting to play together, mostly they jump on the bed and cause mischief, or Sarah makes Jakob get her her things, like her babies (a woman already!) and Jakob is so good, he just helps her with everything - except when she might be doing something that isn't quite right - he either yells at her to stop, or it gets quiet.

For example....

She was sitting in the "baby tadle (cradle)" and yelling "In the tadle, in the tadle", quiet proud of herself, I guess.

Yet another picture of Jakob in a crazy sleeping position - he is amazing. I told Mark we need to make an album for him of all his pictures of him sleeping in weird spots/positions.

At the Blazer game, Mark squishing the players.
We were quite high, but still had a great view, this picture doesn't do it (or me) justice!!

Happy 2010, and a few pics I had to post!

Sarah's new swimsuit! What a bathing beauty!
My wacky daughter, this is where she usually is when I am cooking - on the counter, no socks in the FREEZING cold dining room that we have! Yes she is holding a yogurt container and an ice scraper - totally random, but apparently really fun!

Jakob and Papa building his first real project with his "real tools", a bird house. Jakob is serious about safety - notice the hat and goggles for the project that required a screw driver and maybe a bit of hammering!!

The finished product!
New Year's (Rock Band) Eve at Amber and Josh's place!
Amber and Josh - cutie pies!
And the happy parents, who were able to stay up past midnight, go out to dinner, and a couple bars downtown, and end the night with a bit of Rock Band ! Thanks to Nana and Papa and Amber and Josh for all of it!
Happy 2010!!

Here's to a life with great friends and family, wherever they might be, kids using the potty appropriately, less tantrums, organization, and to more PATIENCE from myself and my significant others in my life (one can dream). HOPE for maturity for the boys in my life (one of which will enter Kindergarten in 2010!), for an upswing in the economy - hopefully to include a house in Portland for us and maybe other family members - you know who you are. And to DETERMINATION for a Mom who will learn to cook tastier, quicker recipes, will read more, and complain less, and of course for LOTS of LAUGHTER!

Cheers!