We're probably doing it wrong.
Before we had kids, Mr. A and I talked about celebrating our ten-year anniversary by returning to our wedding site with them (the Shakespeare Garden in Central Park). August 2020 was our ten-year anniversary, so we had planned to finally make the trip and bring the boys to the Big Apple! Whoops, a pandemic. We... Continue Reading →
Hyped-up kids on a rainy day or dark evening? Here's a few super-easy activities to get out lots of energy and have fun--which require NO EQUIPMENT. I started offering "physical challenges" for my boys when this happens. Sometimes I offer the choice of outdoor play or physical challenges. One boy actually really likes the physical... Continue Reading →
E and M got to do part-time hybrid school for the spring of their 2nd grade year. Third grade was fully back to in-person. Over the summer, they got VACCINES!!! The libraries finally opened back up again! They took tennis lessons and a soccer skills class. I got them roller skates, we went back to... Continue Reading →
Nerd Alert! I made a giant list of family/kid movies, sorted by date released: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR0ZqqG-sUXp8LFq_KarsRIIUeFj7odV7BIe9VSycdCG8vrn99aO9FoEG1RfUnuEijyehf7WgyDmOVS/pubhtml Our family started movie nights a couple years ago, but it was sporadic. Last year, we started doing it every Saturday night pretty regularly. Mr. A also makes homemade pizza and popcorn. Like all media decisions, we had a hard... Continue Reading →
These boys had quite a weird year between 7 and 8! They stayed home for more than half of it after the pandemic hit, when they were in 2nd grade. They spent a lot of time on ipads doing "school." Lots of reading, they did lots of skateboarding, and I took them on lots of... Continue Reading →
We have been so lucky. So, so lucky. My side gig as a substitute teacher obviously stopped abruptly, and my photography work did too, until mid-summer. However--Mr A still has his job because his company has always been remote. And with no child care costs, we are doing just fine financially. The boys are at... Continue Reading →
The boys turned SEVEN years old recently! Seven really seems like the official end of little kid and beginning of just kid years. Six was a good year. They finished kindergarten and did great. Their academic skills improved a lot, they made a lot of friends, they had a lot of fun. They were definitely... Continue Reading →
This week we signed the papers and got the keys! It's official--we own a house! For the past seven years, we've been in a three-bedroom, three-bath rental house in a beautiful neighborhood of Portland. It's got a small yard, an attached two-car garage and an unfinished basement (with one finished Secret Room that is now... Continue Reading →
Tuesday we put in our move-out notice at our rented house. The closing date for our new, first home is set for next week. I booked movers for Weds Oct 30. Oh my goodness, this is really happening! I have so many conflicting and simultaneous feelings. There are two "biggest" ones. The first is a... Continue Reading →
On the Fourth of July, we decided to go somewhere new: Trillium Lake. My jaw dropped as soon as the lake came into view. WOW. It was a beautiful day, and I couldn't stop taking pictures because this view was just so freaking perfect. That blue blue sky, the deep green trees, the mountain, and... Continue Reading →
We Have Twins?! 