Pumpkin Farm

Last weekend we went up to Snohomish to a pumpkin farm. No arguing that the weather forecast was for bad storms, we had a Groupon to use and by George, we were going!!

We got on a list of about 4oo people willing to adopt one of these kittens. Think we will get called?

The rabbits were also a huge hit

Then it was time to pick out a pumpkin. We ended up walking to 4 different fields to find just the right ones.

Despite the rain, dad wanted to teach the girls mini-golf, so we golfed! They were hilarious.

Hay ride out to the corn maze. We listened to the drivers description, looked at the map, talked our friends the Coles who we had just run in to and decided to avoid the mud and just ride back to the start. Good choice.

The kids enjoyed the hay maze in the barn instead- look at that slide! Made Odessa go flying.

"COOOLLLLDDDD" sitting in a puddle just to enjoy the cow train.

We had a great time, even better that we ran into our friends. I guess the crowds were a lot smaller than on days when they have better weather. It was not much like a farm, more like a fair! But a good time was had by all.

Shout it all out

I am not a real "shout out" kind of person, but there are several things that are missing from my blog lately. This post is almost for catch-up purposes so I won't ever forget . . .

First, to elaborate on the this wonderful taxi driver - whose taxi number I should have written down so I could make one of those phone calls of praise to his company instead of complaints. We got off the bus about a 1/4 mile from our house, up some rolling hills, around some corners. Stephen had to use both arms to hold a sleeping Ada and I was pulling our one large suitcase and holding hands with a zombie-like Odessa. We did not get far from the stop when a taxi passed us, then turned around and pulled over. I waved him off thinking "no way am I paying a taxi after all the work we have done to take the bus". He rolled down his window and said in broken English "I take you where you need to go for free, no charge!" And I knew he meant it because we really were pathetic to behold. Turns out he has 4 kids- little boys and is from Somalia. So sweet and talked about when you offer to do something for free people still think you are trying to get something out of them (like the pessimist I am). I think the hardest part was when he pulled up to our house and said "nice, strong house, lucky kids to have a house like this" and I thought of the 6 of them probably crammed in some apartment on Delridge. That's why I wish we had gotten his number, to pay it forward somehow and pay him back. Whenever I see a taxi now I peer at the driver to see if I will recognize him.
Second, I wish I had mentioned that my mom was supposed to go on our Victoria trip with us. It was quite a shock the Saturday before the trip when she pinched a nerve in her back and ended up flat on her back. After seeing 2 Drs Monday, she decided Tuesday morning not to fly out to us that night. That was sad. She is much, much better now and we are so glad she didn't try and over do it and make her back worse. When Ada asked her on the phone if her back was better and my mom answered yes, Ada said "then you can come to our house now". They are looking forward to a "make up visit" from both my parents in December!


Third, people have been really nice to me since finding out I was having a hard time being sick with this pregnancy. Stephen has been an angel, you would not believe what he puts up with. I also have to tell you about my friend Hermes and how he made us dinner one night- my favorite Filipino dish, Tinola. Which is PERFECT for a pregnant woman because it's essentially the best chicken soup ever with lots of ginger in it and green papaya and leaves of some sort . . . hmmm I forget- anyway, it was to die for. You pour it over rice. My cousins got to partake of some of the leftovers and they also fell in love with Tinola. Seriously, one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me. He also fed our chicks while we were gone along with my friend Hillary and her family. Thanks guys!!

Last but not least, I never blogged that my sister Alyssa is also expecting- she is about 4 months ahead of me, due in January. This was a HUGE surprise to everyone- they told us in a tricky way at the family reunion this July. They led us on a treasure hunt that ended with a ultrasound photo! The roof of the condo I think jumped 2 feet as we all flipped out. I think the son-in-laws were blown back by the blast and realized their wives and sisters-in-law were all a bit more dramatic than they had even imagined. It was sheer joy. Alyssa is my oldest sister (far left in the photo) and this is their first baby. My two sisters in between each have 4 kids a piece. So you can imagine the fun of talking to her about maternity jeans and birth plans and how she is going to "survey monkey" us all to find out the most essential baby items. TOO MUCH FUN.
I didn't blog about her being pregnant when we got back because it was still a secret, but now it's too fun to not include somewhere in my writings. (btw during the reunion someone assumed I was the oldest- in fact I am pretty sure it was the photographer )
And THAT is me playing catch up . . .

Victoria, BC

Last Thursday we took off for Victoria BC on the Clipper ferry- and came home Saturday night. To keep my commentary on the trip brief, I will use the "dos and don'ts" list . . .

If you are crazy enough to agree with your transportation planner husband to take the bus to the ferry terminal and home again, DO make sure you have the correct bus fare for both going and coming. This will help you avoid stress and embarassment at 6am and keep you from finding a mini mart downtown at 9pm.

Do change your plans if you agreed to take the bus home- don't do it. If you don't have any West Seattle friends in your cell phone who can pick you up, take a taxi. Because eventually a taxi will take pity on you at 10:20pm trying to drag luggage and sleeping children home from the bus stop and drive you for free anyway and then you will feel terrible (and terribly grateful too).

Do remember your medicine, especially if your medicine prevents you from throwing up on your trip. Note: next trip to Canada, be 100% healthy- don't have the stomach flu, be post miscarriage or pregnant. Just don't.

Do book your vacation package through the Clipper- they always put you in sweetest hotels with excellent customer service! Like the Grand Pacific across from the Government Buildings.
Do go visit Miniature World- one of the more kid friendly things to do in Victoria.

Do "ohh and ahhh" at the Empress lit up at night while walking home late from Chinatown.

Do get up early enough to join the "duck man" at the hotel to help him feed the ducks. Your kids will talk of little else.

Do giggle to yourself when the bazillion Japanese students staying at your hotel act like the paparazzi around your kids and won't stop squealing "kawaii" (cute) at them.


Don't go to Butchart Gardens in October- they still charge $23 per person and your kids may not enjoy it $23 worth

Do go visit Hatley Castle. Your kids may think Princesses once lived there and the gardens there are very lovely and extensive- plus just $4.75 instead of $23!

Do keep an eye out for hummingbirds- they love the rose garden and have nests in the area . .

Do enjoy the lovely greenhouses- original glass and build, just so spectacular

Don't feed the ducks at the Japanese pond and garden
Do sit on the bench in the "Croquet lawn" and just soak in the tranquility and beauty of this place and enjoy the fact you have seen only 3 other people in the last hour


Do visit the Royal BC Museum, it's very much worth it

Don't eat at tea houses, they just don't have the best food . . .

But DO go to Willie's Bakery on Johnson and order a large orange juice. It's worth every penny. In fact, when your kid knocks her glass over you may be tempted to lick the juice off the table.

Don't miss one last chance to say goodbye to inner harbor, such a lovely city and such a lovely day!

Cousins and babies and chicks, oh my!

This weekend was so fun. My cousin Sara and her family came for a visit, they have 2 little boys . . . we took them downtown for a little sight seeing. They loved Pike Place . . .
Sunday we went to our friend's baby blessing up in Everrett and had a wonderful time at their house afterwards with their family and friends.
Last week we got the baby chicks in the mail- yep, that's how they do it! Even the feed stores get theirs in the mail, so you might as well go that route . .

Stephen just has to put the finishing chicken wire on the open part of the coop- that little side door is where the nesting boxes are and we can easily gather eggs (when there are some)

He modified it to make a good brooding area- it needs to be at least 95 degrees for the chicks!
The whole side of the coop comes off for easy cleaning
One of our 11 Rhode Island Reds, they look bigger than even 3 days before! Every day they get more real feathers and get bigger

This is the one rare breed they sent, they throw it in for free. We don't know what kind it is, but right here it's a little sick- and you can tell it won't be as big as the Rhode Islanders. I found out what was wrong and this chick is on the mend now

The girls are getting good at scooping up the chicks and the chicks are getting good at letting them hold them. Domesticated chicks! That's what we need. By the way, we will be selling some of the chicks, we can only have 8 and besides that I am not sure the coop is big enough for 8. We built it with 3 in mind . . . then they upped the limit to 8

Odessa takes her ballet practice very seriously, they are both still taking lessons at the Community Center

I picked up this knight costume at a thrift store thinking one of my friends with a boy would want it for Halloween, but I think we will keep it so the boys that come over have something to dress up in! Ada at once insisted he dance with her after he was done slaying some dragons

Once they got the twirling thing down, they were having a riot! It was SO ADORABLE

I haven't had salsa in 7 weeks and . . .

I keep the oven fan running all day long . . . .
I have to avoid looking at fast food signs when I drive and I change the channel when their commercials come on . . . .
I also haven't eaten chocolate in over 7 weeks!
Did you guess yet? Many of you know already (because I have a Varsity letter in whining)- I am pregnant. And about 10 times more sick than I ever was with Odessa and Ada- which really threw me for a loop. There were a couple weeks I just felt like curling into a ball most days. Good thing the girls are so independent and Stephen so nice . . . and patient . . . and long suffering . . . .
After trying lots of alternative remedies for morning sickness, my Dr finally prescribed me some Zofran. This was heaven in a bottle. In fact, I started taking a half dose right away because a whole dose made me feel too good to be pregnant. So a bit of the nausea remains, but it's manageable. I even cook a bit! If you want to have a debate about medicated vs non-medicated pregnancies, don't leave me a comment. Feel free to call : ). It took me a little while to be ok with this decision.

We are pretty excited! We have been trying to get pregnant for a LONG time (for us). With both Odessa and Ada it was like first or second try- for real. We have been trying since May of 2009 with an 8 week miscarriage in August 2009 (maybe another blog post, but I always knew that pregnancy wasn't "quite right"and wasn't shocked to miscarry although I was shocked by the hormonal aftermath it created.) So you can imagine our surprise each month when it still didn't happen.
But ok, now I am due in April (again) and all seems very well. In fact, too well. I am super sick and my tummy is SUPER big. Already. Not cool. In fact, before we even told the girls, Ada asked me why my tummy was so big: "do you have a baby in there?" she asked. Sheesh! They have been SO SWEET. They include me in every prayer "bless mommy to feel better" even in front of the entire primary at an activity after which several teachers turned to smile at me. Secret out? Not sure. The girls would also draw me special get well drawings, bring me blankets and cover me up . . . . they will make great mini-moms.
We officially told them last night . . . starting with a book about becoming a big sister we used when Ada was born.
Me: Ada, what you need to be a big sister?
Ada: . . . . . . . to be four?
Me: No, not really- Odessa was a big sister when she was 1 and a half years old! What do you have to have to be a big sister?
Ada: . . . . . grown up?
Stephen: No . . . . what does our family have to get, to have, for Ada to become a big sister (pointing now to the baby in the book).
Odessa: (lighting up like a Christmas tree) WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!!

And then the pandemonium broke loose. Ada spent much of the night being a dog and then a baby. Despite her months of wanting a baby so badly, I think she has realized she might have some competition once one actually arrives. Odessa was just thrilled- I couldn't get her to stop rubbing my belly. She even crawled into bed with me this morning and asked if I had grown bigger from last night. Great. I am excited to take them to my next appointment and have them hear the heartbeat. When I first heard it was the moment I think I let myself really believe I was pregnant.
As for our anniversary- it was de ja vousish for us. I also had morning sickness on our second anniversary and we ended up eating at a Greek restaurant that night. For this anniversary, I had a Groupon for (you guessed it) a nice Greek restaurant. I am not really TRYING to solidify never wanting to eat greek food again in my life, but if you have to pick a type of food . . . well you can't hate Italian food for the rest of your life!

School's in session

My kids are not in preschool. Since they are both tall and Odessa will be 5 in a month, they get asked the preschool question almost daily by someone. But we did like the idea of them having some kind of structured learning at home and we definitely liked the idea of them having little desks they could play with. Two Craigslist phone calls, one late night trip later and we had 2 little desks for them. I had a bunch of pre-K workbooks and they LOVE playing school. You can also tell from the mess that they love using them for art and have tons of paper everywhere. These also came in handy during our church conference since the desks are in the computer room and we have to watch General Conference on the internet. We got them all set up with food, then listening activities and coloring. It was pretty su-weet.

What else is sweet is the spider webs around my yard. I have not destroyed one of them since I want them to eat the noxious flies that reside in the carport and sneak into the house. I caught the most perfect one I have ever seen on camera. It gets us in the spooky mood- we'll be decorating for Halloween soon! Most of you know it's my second favorite holiday and I have almost as many Halloween decorations as Christmas. They have been itching to get out of the boxes as this is the first year we aren't apartment bound.