The Story About My Teeth

I lost my two bottom middle teeth. I wiggled my teeth with my finger and tongue. I felt excited for my teeth to fall out. My first tooth got pulled out. And my second tooth got pushed out at lunch recess. And I told the recess teacher and she told me that I should go inside to the office in the school to get a tooth necklace for my tooth.

And when I got home I got ready for bed I put my tooth in my toothpillow and went to sleep. And when I woke up I had four quarters. (which was one dollar.) Thanks Tooth Fairy.

By: Talmage

(top photo: age 12 months; bottom photo: age 6 years)

In Perpetuity.

 We celebrated our 8th anniversary at the thematically correct Cape Perpetua.

 

The little Nubbin' came with us - so it wasn't too crazy.   The above short nature walk sported beautiful views and we took turns exploring the rocks.  Spent some time in the visitor's center - on pretense that we wanted to put together the puzzle, but mostly to avoid the rain (it hailed during one jaunt).  It wasn't busy so the Park Service people let me nurse Miles while we had our own private showing about the grey whale migration.  I learned that mama whale milk is 53% fat (heavy whipping cream is 36-40%) and baby whales drink 50 gallons a day.   This was disconcerting information to hear whilst nursing - especially post-seafood slumgullion (100% cream and cheese), halibut and chips, and crab-cream-garlic soup.

The hotel we stayed at was very fancy -- they even had flowers for us, in commemoration (they do that for all the guests ;).  There was a spa with free use of their pools/locker room.  We had to take turns soaking in the warmth -- they weren't keen on a baby "wailing" and breaking up the "peaceful, transcendent atmosphere."

Baby or no,  I would go back to this hotel because of the locker room.   One table was dedicated to sliced cucumbers on ice.  A little note explained the health benefits of cucumbers as well as their restorative properties.  You could also help yourself to some ice water and float a cucumber in it.  I took two slices, as directed, and placed them just so over my eyes while I lounged in the sauna, like this.  I tried my hard-edest to be zen about it but mostly felt silly.   Another table suggested different smelly lotions to use as you pleased.  I pleased all of them.  The showerhead was the size of a frisbee.  The flooring had raised, smooth pebbles so your feet were massaged while your head was massaged from the shower.   Oh!  And also, you know how hotels give complementary soaps and shampoos in your room and you're always scheming how you can steal more off of the maid cart?  Well!!! In this shower, there is a HUGE bottle of the Aveda shampoo and conditioner -- and it's all tingly and rosemary-minty.  I took three showers one day.  That spa was wonderful.  And I haven't even told you about the plentiful piles of fluffy, white towels yet.

And then, finally, it took eight years, but Briton beat me at Scrabble.  OK.  He SMOKED me at Scrabble.  Score = 440.   Lucky for me, there's eternity for a rematch.

But don't forget the reason we have a zoo membership ...

 ZOOOOOO-Lights 2012.

I look like my mom, Talmage has a long tongue, Sydney is not in a bjorn, Sonya is like, "How'd I get roped into this?"  Clara is all like, "Hey! This stroller is broken." (we threw the stroller in the trash on our way out of the zoo.  Didn't even TRY to recycle it.  Piece of $2 junk).

 The kids played around with the drums in Africa and climbed all over these animal sculptures.  I was impressed that we dissuaded them from the loooooooooooooooooong line for the Zoo Train without much protest.   I gave myself a thrifty pat on the back when I heard from co-workers, later, that the train ride was not worth the wait.

 What in the heck with this picture????  It kind of looks like something is blasting out of the stroller ("Miiiiiiles!!!!!!").

Merry Christmas. As Promised.

 Last year I made gingerbread from scratch, but because it was so labor-intensive, I made the kids share houses.  This year, I didn't have the wherewithal to make the gingerbread.  So when Sydney pleaded, "Mom?  Can I make my own house this year?"  I said, "You bet", because I had already planned these little graham cracker babies.

 Calvary Lutheran Preschool Christmas Program.

 Miss Maggie and Miss Michelle, two really great teachers.

THEN ....

 same trek as last year to The Grotto.  I think it's the same bunny, too.  Clara went crazy with glee in the petting zoo.

 

We don't have a photo, but the Grotto also has the same puppeteer.  She's been performing Christmas puppet shows for the past 26 years.  She is a genius.  The kids (the Littles and the Bigs) eat it up.

AND THEN ....

 Hilary and Jeff hosted the Family Christmas Dinner, modeled after the Wilson Family Christmas Party (Honey Jo's mom's side).  Complete with White Elephant Gift exchange and Nativity re-enactment.  Miles played Baby Jesus most reverently.

 Leila seems a tad bewildered that she delivered such a large baby and Isaac appears to be stoic and proud as Joseph.  Clara's looking for her cue.  And Sydney is wearing her GK's wedding veil.

 The best part of the play was when Leila took the pillow out from her belly and hucked it behind her to show she had, indeed, Brought Forth.

AND THEN ... CHRISTMAS EVE A LA BRUNO'S ...

 Sleigh Bells before we head back home....  to set up the party for the next day.

CHRISTMAS MORNING:

 There's a present on the wall!!!!

 They don't ask for much at this age.

 From Briton, proving the old adage is true, "Good things come in small packages."

First Time ...

In a Bumbo.

Fetching Our Tree

Except our tree was from the $10 section.

Christmas is Coming. Finally.

 Festival of the Trees.   And festival of the frosting cookies, face-painting, and teddy bear hospital-ing.  I have never heard of teddy bear hospitals and am not sure how it relates to Christmas.  But the Festival of Trees had a fancy one.  The kids were given their own bear - albeit a sickly one - and were instructed to run the gauntlet of health care providers and choose what sort of medical treatment they wanted their bear to receive.   They didn't even ask for insurance.

 Sydney is deciding, yes indeed, her bear has a broken arm.   Clara's bear is getting a face mask.   There were also band-aids, x-rays, and immunizations.  I should have sent Miles through the system to get him up to date.  You know, "Immunize by Two, It's Up To You."  

 It was detailed and efficient -- bears were moving through their hospital system like no doctor's office I've ever been in.  We stuffed our pockets with the free band-aids (free stocking stuffers) and then went to check out the face painting and Hillsboro Suzuki Violin performers.

A Bedtime Story

Play Group and other pics

 Once a week, Clara gets to "play with friends".  She is very sociable and has other friends, but "play with friends" said with just the right inflection is code for Playgroup.  Clara loves playgroup friends.  Here they are making banana bread muffins.

 Playgroup friends don't mess around.  These muffins were measured out precisely.

 Not playgroup.  Shots like this make me think these kids need taller trees to climb.

The Ghetto Soccer Team

Four Kids - It's a Walk in the Park

 Back when Miles fit in the lowest setting for the belt straps.

 Sydney:  Am I doing it right?  Like this, Mom?

Watching a mole (or gopher or something) burrow under the path.

 Tualtin Valley Nature Park

Lounging

This is a common sight -- Miles gnawing on his fingers and Clara tickling her face with her blankie.  She also likes to rub her eyeball with the blankie.

At one point last month, Clara strategized a way to stay up later.  Each night she added a new item to accompany her to bed:  Binkie, two blankies, milk, "shadows" (the nightlight on the mobile), "messages" (her toy phone), and ... "barf bowl".     For some kids it's teddy bears, for other kids it's blankies.  For Clara it's a barf bowl.