Snow Day

We had a surprised snow day. I'm sure it was all over the news, but without cable, we don't really watch the news. So I woke up on a Sunday, and discovered the roads were covered. We only had the first hour of church, and spent an hour after church playing around. Mason was loving it, and he got to use the snow boots that his Uncle gave him for Christmas. He loved walking around in it, and he got to meet the neighbor's dog. The dog just about ran him over, but he loved it.

I'm not sure if we'll get any more snow here, but I sure hope so!

Good night!

Kaolee

4 Questions

It's been a while! With the holidays, I've totally skipped out on the blog, but there's a lot of things going on in my head so I figure I could always turn here ;)

I was reading Oprah Magazine, and she had a column with these questions so I thought it would be a fun idea to do a little questionnaire myself.

1. I always feel transformed when I...get a new haircut. Nothing beats a fresh cut. You feel so revived. And I'm very much in need of a haircut!

2. When I need a dose of inspiration, I...read a good career book. And I just read a very, very good one that I will share with you soon.

3. I'd love to let go of...self doubt. I was reading an interview with Kat Cole, and she talked about just going for it, and not waiting until everything is perfect. I love her interviews since she doesn't just tell you what she did, but she also gives you lots of good tips and motivation. It would be so awesome to have a mentor like her.

4. One tiny change I made that had a big impact was...not drinking soda. I usually stick with water, unless it's a special occasion, then I'll have a Coke. I know, I know. So gluttonous :) But I actually enjoy water.

Have a great week! I hope you take this week by the horn!
Kaolee

Our Neighborhood

We finally got around to walking the neighborhood, and it was a perfect day for doing just that. Since we didn't have too much on the agenda, I wanted to learn the roads, and how they connect, and the houses and how they look like. I didn't really have a plan on where to go, but I did a pretty darn good job of hitting a lot of the crevices of our neighborhood. I even ended up walking into my friend's cul de sac, unintentionally.

It's interesting to see what people do to the outside of their houses. Some have pretty shutters, some have big American flags, some are bare. But they all have personalities. Some look sad, some are empty and waiting for new owners, some are immaculate and so neat.

While walking, I noticed how quiet the neighborhood is. I saw two people walking their dogs, but there weren't anyone else. I had assumed that there would be other stay at home moms so I was disappointed to not see any out walking. Not to say that there aren't any as I'm sure there has to be some, I mean, they could be busy inside with their kids. Nonetheless, I hope to meet some around here.

Mason fell asleep, and I was getting hungry so I ended his nap early, and had me some pad thai. Which was bomb. And I will share that this week sometime. Don't pay for it. Make your own. You won't regret it!

Kaolee

Beacon Rock State Park

Last Saturday, Brandon, Mason and I went to Beacon Rock State Park. We weren't planning on going since the weather did not look promising. I woke up at 8am on Saturday, and the sun was shining with some scattered clouds, so I woke Brandon up, and we packed a few things for Mason, and set out for Beacon Rock.

A daily pass was $10, and an annual pass was $30 so we opted for the annual pass.

This park gets super crowded so luckily, there were not a lot of people out there when we got out there. It's three quarter of a mile to the top, and it's a switchback trail. The trail is pretty narrow on the way up. The views are amazing and there are great picture opportunities throughout. I prefer the journey versus the destination - the top. At the top, the surrounding trees block the magnificent view although you definitely still have to take a picture up there.

On our way down, there was a large group coming up, and I'm glad that we came when we did. When we got home, it started raining so I think we timed it perfectly.

Kaolee

OMSI Fun

I have heard so much about the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and have been trying to find a reason to drive down to Portland just for it. Finally, we hooked up with our friends and made it a playdate. There's a lot more to the OMSI, but with our young kids, we just stayed in the Science Playground and they all had a lot of fun. Mason was especially attracted to the sand and water area, but it seemed like that was more appropriate for kids 3 and up. 

On the right side of the second picture above is an upside down cone that has been sliced apart. Coming up from the cone is air. Mason, along with a lot of the other kids, enjoyed watching as the ball floated due to the air coming up. It was pretty neat. 

Afterwards, we had lunch at Bunk Bar Water off of Water Ave. I ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich with the tomato soup, which reminded me of when I was pregnant with Mason, and had so many tomato soup from Jason's Deli. Yum!

Kaolee

this week's to-do

At the stores, I'm seeing pumpkins, and costumes, and decorations everywhere. I've got a couple of weeks, but around here, things take a little longer than usual nowadays. So here's the things that I must, must get done this week!

1. Figure out costumes for our family. Or maybe just Mason. Mason first and foremost, and if there is extra time, maybe us as well. All suggestions welcome!

2. Decide on a local attraction for a membership. There are so many fun things that we have enjoyed, and would continue to enjoy, but I'm going to limit us to one membership right now, and see how that goes. 

3. Plan out our October. I'm such a planner and yet, looking at my calendar, crickets. We are set to move towards the end of the month so that will keep us busy, but I usually like to have some things penciled in for us to do.

Happy Monday!

Kaolee

Ramen Afternoon

Every once in awhile, time is short, and there is nothing fancy to eat. That's when ramen comes in. I like to add a few little items to make it a little more special. What simple things do you do to make even the most simplest thing seem just a little bit more special?

Kaolee

Old to New

We went to a car show a couple of weeks ago in the Tri-Cities and saw some old beauties. What is it about mixing old and new? The appeal of the rustic in conjunction with the fresh paint equates into something that we can sit back and admire. Even with decorating, reclaimed is put back into use. At some point, we have forgotten that what we threw away still has life, and some receive that gift again for us to admire. Others get tossed aside, forgotten, and amassed into the landfill. 

Around these corners, we are trying to use less, use old. Before you toss things aside, consider if it can be recycled, reuse or given away to someone who could use it.

Happy Monday!

Kaolee

Sidewalk Chalk

These sidewalk chalks were left at our place, and on a particularly cooler day (we are up in the 100s these days), we went outside to practice a little artwork on the back patio. Our artwork and fun was simple. A few circles here, a few triangles there. Nothing fancy.

We have found ourselves a temporary home. A tiny place, but a place that will fit our needs. A place with quite a bit of light. A place that won't make me sad that I will have moved three times this year already. A place with a back patio that we can continue to do some artwork on. 

Kaolee

Fort Vancouver

While driving around trying to find where we were supposed to be going, we drove past these beautiful old homes that lined the old military housing. These homes have long since been turned into  businesses - psychiatrist office, dentist office, restaurant, and the likes. There was one home that was a private residence. Lucky! We walked around Fort Vancouver, and imagined what it was like when it was first built, and all those who lived in it. I imagined soldiers doing their morning work outs, sitting on the grass enjoying their lunch, dancing in the auditorium, buying cigarettes at the shop. It would be so cool to get a glimpse of what the ordinary day was like back then.

We hope you had a good July 4th weekend!

Kaolee

Early Morning

The days here start really, really early. The sun is up before 5am. Around that time, Mason is usually crying out for his habitual bottle. Sometimes I get that for him. Sometimes Brandon does. Sometimes I sleep through it all, and wake up when Mason does. Sometimes I get up instead. Our current living situation is so that we have taken up two rooms with a jack and jill bathroom. If I decide to get up instead, I tip toe over to the other room, and leave the doors ajar because sometimes we put him in our bed for his first bottle of the day. And nobody enjoys an early morning wakeup call of a carpeted floor.

I spend the early morning dinking on my computer, reading this and the other. And eventually, I will hear little sounds. Or little legs kicking around blankets.

I'll walk quietly over to the door so as not to alarm him. If he's not already in our bed, I'll put him in our bed. He'll want to snuggle a little, and I'll rub his back. Sometimes he grunts, and we take turns grunting for a little while. As much as I want to stay in my robe all day, and lay there with Mason, he'll eventually get tired of laying around, and I'm forced to get ready. I'll keep all the doors open so he can wonder between the two bedrooms, and the bathroom (although I leave the shower and toilet room closed as he's taken a liking to the toilet paper roll). By the time that I'm done getting ready and getting dressed, he'll be ready to go downstairs and start playing.

And so our day starts.