Houston We Have an Aquasaur!

After months of trying we finally have hatching! I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to see the speck of a thing swimming about it the Aquasaur bowl. The first batch I tried on Christmas produced zero prehistoric swimmers so I wrote to the manufacturer and they sent me a new batch of eggs to try. I decided to wait until the weather warmed up a bit to try again. So, Sunday I decided to give it a go once again. Yesterday I was slightly, but not surprisingly disappointed when there was still nothing to speak of swimming around. Today I decided to put the lamp over the bowl again to see if that would help...

Voila! Two hours later we have two swimmers. At this point they are about the size of Horton's Who's but who cares! As far as I'm concerned I have succeeded in breeding these three-eyed freaks of nature.

Stay tuned to see how they grow!

Springtime

One thing I do love about living in Oregon is the change of seasons. Although, I could do with a lot less of the rainy season. Well, change is in the air around here and it's so refreshing. Flowers are blooming, leaves are budding, and tress are beginning to blossom. It's also been raining a lot less and so the boys are able to once again enjoy the back yard and play outside.

This change of season also for some reason gets everyone in the mood to get busy and get stuff done. I always think of a Bonanza episode where Haas gets "Spring Fever" and kind of goes crazy... well that's how it feels. I've been cleaning the house and organizing thing's that have been neglected for a while... Mike has been busy in the yard clearing out the flower beds and getting rid of all of the damage winter has caused.


Hayden, now old enough to explore the back yard is in awe of all the cool stuff there is to do and see. He toddles around and picks up every rock and goes into every nook and cranny. His favorite game is "_____ the baby" which Michael and his friends love to play too... (just fill in the blank with what ever you choose and that's the game).

The birds and the squirrels are going crazy for the food we put out. Pretty soon I'm sure we'll see little baby squirrels . I saw a humming bird the other day right outside our kitchen window.

Anyway, I can't wait for it to warm up just a bit more so we can really enjoy spending more time out doors. But, right now the air is electric and the mood is in full swing. Portland is getting ready for spring and summer and I'm happy about that.

Hayden's First Haircut

Well, I finally couldn't deny it any more. Hayden needed a haircut. His hair is special to me because it's just like mine except it's a beautiful blonde. I have been so in love with his hair I was reluctant to get it cut. However, I didn't want to follow in Kate Hudson's footsteps and have my boy looking like a "girlie boy" so I caved.
We decided Michael would go first so Hayden would have a clue about what was about to happen to him. He sat in his stroller and watched his big brother get his hair cut like a champion. Michael has always been pretty cooperative when it has come to grooming. Hayden on the other hand proved to be rather squirley and would not let the lady cut his hair. I don't know how we didn't loose an ear that day because cutting his hair was like landing a 747 on an aircraft carrier. But, in the end his hair was trimmed perfectly and looks great! I'm so happy with the way it turned out. It's still a tumble of curls but now it's just under control.
It's funny, I HATED my hair growing up. It wasn't easy having a frizzy fro especially when the Charlies Angles "wings" were so popular... I didn't truly know how to work with my hair or the power of product until I was in my 20's. I always hoped my kids would not get cursed with my hair but now that I see Hayden's I am so protective over it and so proud of it. Everyone comments on it when we go out. I no longer see it as a "gene gone bad" but now see it for what it is... beautiful.

True Joys of Motherhood

Today as I was putting Hayden down for his nap I experienced one of the true joys of motherhood. Those of you who have kids will know what I'm talking about. Every now and then something happens and you connect with your child in such a way that it stands out. It becomes a memory that you will always carry with you; a connection that etches your heart.




So, as I was changing his diaper and he was on the changing table he puckered his lips to give me a kiss. It's a silly pucker. He sticks his bottom lip out and looks up at you as if to say "kiss me!". So, I welcome this because he seems to be rather giving with the kisses with everyone except me. So, if he's offering a kiss than I'm sure going to take it. So, we play kissie until he's all changed and dressed then I pick him up and he rests his curly head on my shoulder. I rubbed his back for a second and he looked up at me... gave me a kiss, then rested his forehead on my forehead and patted my cheek. All the time he wore an adorable smile on his face.

It was a brilliant moment I will never forget. It felt like he was saying "I love you, Mommy".

So, I gave him a hug and into the crib he went. When he wakes up he probably wont remember that moment. But it's ok. I'll carry it for the both of us forever and ever.

Bugs, Backyards, and a Boy

Well, springtime is almost here! The Daffodils have bloomed, the sun is shining, and the bugs are beginning to re-enter the world of the living.



Enter Michael. Yesterday I found him sitting at the patio table watching something. It turned out to be a slug. Well, to those of you who know Michael, he LOVES bugs. He will hunt in the back yard for hours and isn't afraid to pick them up and play with them. Usually, it ends in an unfortunate demise for the creature but it keeps him entertained and happy so it works for me.

I learned a fact about slugs from Michael. Slugs are not slimy as one may think. They are sticky. They can also withstand quite a bit of handling without squishing, and can carry many hundreds times their own weight. (I learned this after telling him to get the table off the slug.)



One day last fall Michael asked me for a baggy. I gave him one and he went to the backyard obviously on a mission. When he returned to the house a short time later he was very proud of his catch... he caught a number of spiders and put them in the zip-lock. "NO SPIDERS IN THE HOUSE!" I boomed. (for those of you who know me spiders are not my friends) "But, they can't get out!" He replied. In the end Mommy Power prevailed and the spiders were hastily evicted from this house.


Note: No slugs were hurt in this blog.

Michael's new Best Friend

Since Hayden turned a year old his nap schedule changed and so we spend a lot more time at home these days. When Hayden was younger he could nap just about anywhere in his carrier... we'll now he takes one long nap in the afternoon and needs the crib so our social life has changed dramatically.

So, in the afternoons we've been coming home after Michael gets out of school and he has been left to his own devices to find things to do to entertain himself. I could tell he was getting bored and was asking for friends to come and play. So, last weekend he caught up with the boy across the street. His name is Jayden. He is 7. A bit older than Michael but they seem to be on the same wavelength. They play great together! I have yet to see either one of them get angry at the other, which at this age is a common occurrence.

It's so great to see Michael having a good time with a friend. And being that Jayden lives across the street it's convenient to play with each other. They go back and forth between Jayden's house and our house... they love to ride their scooters in the back yard and since they both have play rooms, there are a lot of toys to choose from.

I remember being Michael's age and having friends in the neighborhood. Some of those friends are still friends of mine today. I remember waking up in the morning and begging to go outside... I think I woke up dressed and ready to go! Today Michael was begging from the get go to go see if Jayden could play. Ironically, Jayden's Grandpa (who he lives with) said Jayden was begging to come at 7 AM!

I know times are changing with Michael... I'm expecting the phone to ring anytime now with a girl on the line wanting to talk to my son... they grow so fast!