Spring Break... and beyond!

As I write this, we are experiencing a very sunny afternoon, something we've haven't had in a very very long time. The camellia bushes and red bud tree are in full bloom in my backyard.

 Spring Break is over.
We are trending the right direction.

April 1 marked three years in this house that we've certainly made into a home. There's certainly been a lot of living and growing and memories.
Facebook always seems to "remind me" at just the right time just how far we've come.

Our most recent project on this house is the basement. John and I are celebrating 12 years of marriage on April 9.  I've learned that John needs to have a project brewing somewhere at all times.

The current project is our basement. John is building an entertainment area with a reclaimed wood wall and matching bar. (with taps, of course!) 
No doubt this will be a job well done if John has the vision for it.

Spring break was filled with a lot of hammering and a lot of sawing. ;)
We managed to keep ourselves busy though. I tried to think of unique and fun ideas to do with the kids, despite the over crowded "mom and kid places" we already frequent.

Spring Break: Everything cancelled; everything crowded. Let the fun begin!

Baking cookies turned more into eating cookie batter  and chocolate chips

Monday was probably our most interesting outing/activity; we baked cookies and delivered them to the Tualatin fire department and police station. (I know....you can take the mom out of teaching, but you can't take the teacher out of mom....)

It was pretty quiet around the station when we arrived, and the four firemen on site welcomed us in. They appreciated the cookies and gave us a full tour!

Such a neat experience for the kids (and me!) 

We climbed in engines. The firemen flashed the lights. They even gave us a fireman's hat and badge. They were truly the nicest, most genuine people.

Cards for the firemen and policemen

 

When we dropped the cookies off to the police,  Evie was very excited to jump into the patrol car. The policeman informed us that the back seat was for "time outs."

John and I actually braved the crowds the first Saturday of Spring Break and took the kids to the zoo! We parked a stop ahead and took the Max train in, an experience the kids enjoyed even more than the zoo!
John and I commented that this was the first zoo trip we did solo that we didn't hate. It was actually pretty fun.

And now we look ahead to spring!

And back to preschool, which adds a rhythm to our life and routine; it makes everyone happier.

It's hard for me to believe that this is the last little trimester before Evie is done with preschool and on to full time kindergarten next year.
She is so happy at preschool. She enthusiastically announced that it's her 100th day of school next week;  she just beams when she talks about the things she's learning. She adores her friends.


Even though she gets a little sad about leaving her preschool and her friends, she's so ready, and I know she is going to thrive at West Hills Christian school.
Recently, Evie has been teaching herself to read! In fact, to our amazement, she's piecing together sounds and letters, making sense of what things say around her. The girl just wants to be in "the know", so she's dedicated herself to figuring it all out.  (she's also picked up sign language... She knows the entire alphabet...)

Well, that was my proud mama paragraph..
Back to talking about Spring...

I frequently comment to the kids to look at the blossoming trees lining our street that have seemed to erupt over night.
The petals resemble snowflakes as they float gracefully to the ground. This is probably my favorite time in Oregon. Spring just keeps on going and going...I love every moment of it.
It also allows me to simply take the kids outside. On a lovely spring morning this week I took two of the boys walking in the woods behind our house.

Boys are so great. Give them mud and a stick and they are happy for hours. 

It put me in such a good mood...and really tired the boys out. In fact, we wandered so far, I had to text John to come pick us up! Luckily he had a break from work calls and was able to come out and rescue us. (Caleb simply collapsed and declared his knees hurt! 😮)
I find that walking in nature and exploring the surroundings is such great entertainment for kids (and adults!)
I get so absorbed into the busyness and routine of life that I forget about the slugs slowly creeping across the moss covered logs in the forest.
I forget about how beautiful the birds sound in the green canopy above; I forget about the simple things.
Kids have a way of bringing you back to what's important in life.

Charleston, South Carolina!!!!!!!

A Patton Family update is WAY over due. It's amazing how fast the weeks slip by. There are so many times when I sit down to write and then I just never finish because I get interrupted (or tired...or lazy...)
But March is nearly over(!!!!!) and it has been way too fabulous skip.

My long anticipated GIRLS trip took place this month! This was my very first time being gone (like across the country GONE) by myself, without kiddos, with just women; specifically,  my two aunts (Robin and Penny), my Mom and my grandmother.

How great is this?! All of us together!

My extraordinary mom turned 60 this year! And, to celebrate, we decided to take her dream trip: Charleston, South Carolina with all us women in the family.

Here's to YOU mom!

My mom loves history. Actually, we ALL love history; so Charleston was the perfect destination, as it is a city full of stories about the beginnings of our nation. (It was also Super charming....!)

Famous 'Rainbow Row'
Evie: " Mom, were the houses in the actual  proper order of the colors in a rainbow?"
Hmm, hadn't thought of that...

However,  in all honesty, it probably didn't really matter where we went; we just cherished every moment we were together.

The blue skies were a welcome sight for me after a grey and rainy Oregon winter.

Palm trees!

I left on a Tuesday, flew into Charleston, anticipating a sweet reunion with the rest of my family who live in Chicago. Their flights were scheduled to arrive a few hours before mine.
However, weather in Chicago was not ideal, and flights were delayed and canceled. I ended up getting there before they did, and spent that first night exploring the city alone, dining solo at a local tavern.

Pretty perfect evening; I could get used to this.

This suburban mama was on cloud nine navigating the city alone, exploring and getting around quite well!

Long story short...my family ended up not getting in to our rented condo until nearly 2 am that evening! Needless to say, our day the next morning started a little later...but it didn't ruin our time!

Our first breakfast on the week!!We are just a little happy.....😉

We spent our four precious days exploring what life was like in the 1800s.
I admit, my days at home are so full with my family and my home,  and I am so preoccupied by my life in 2017 that I don't give much thought to history. Exploring, thinking and learning about our country's history and the events and people that helped shape it was definitely fascinating and refreshing. It ignited a renewed appreciation and interest in something outside of my little Portland suburbia bubble.

Our four days were packed full of activity!:

We toured plantations 

Why hello!

A perfect moment

Strolled though gardens, 

Gator alert! I was so determined to find a real gator. 

The warning signs only piqued my interest...

The plantation owner is actually "buried" inside this  magnificent  tree

No plant is more fun than that overgrown Bamboo!!

toured various historical homes in the city,

These pictures really don't capture any of the charm...

Took a boat ride to Fort Sumter (the place where the civil war began..)

                                   Ate really good southern food (grits anyone?!) 

Convinced every to have at least one drink a day 😃

Browsed markets, 

        Talked, caught up on life....

Lazy afternoon swing....

And just relished every single moment. 

I really didn't take one hour, or even one minute for granted. Being with my mom, my aunts and my grandma was truly an experience I will never forget. I am so utterly blessed to have these incredible women in my life. Being so far away only makes these reunions even more treasured.

Grandma.

Aunt Robin, Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Penny: Family forever

We said our good byes late Saturday afternoon after spending the morning wandering the city and marveling at the beauty of everything one last time. 

The only thing that made us feel better about the trip ending was that we vowed to do this again in two years when my Aunt Penny turns 60. 

It was just too much fun to stop now! ..................................................>

In other news, life on the home front went on as usual. John took the days off work and focused on being a stay -at -home dad. 

He said the kids behaved well and he claimed to enjoy his intentional time with the kids. 

All smiles with dad in charge

As a pulled my suitcase into the house at midnight on Saturday, the kids apparently sensed my return as they all woke up at 3 am to properly welcome me home. 

Back to reality. Day one and already sleep deprived. 😆

Oh well. 

The kids all gave me the biggest hugs though, and James made my return sweet when he took my hand and declared, 

"Thanks for coming home mom." 💚

Ok James. Its good to be here too. 

Ready for Mom again

Three years old

My sons turned three.🎊

 I find myself celebrating and marveling that three years have indeed passed; but I also breath a sigh of relief. 😌

Birthday kings at preschool

Frozen Yogurt on a Frozen night to celebrate!

These have been tough years. There has been so much change, but sometimes it's hard to recognize unless I take moments to reflect and remember.

Sometimes I pace the house like a caged animal, watching the hands on the clock, desperately trying to pass the time. 

If it wasn’t for pictures, (and Facebook) and people who remind me that in fact a lot has happened and things have changed (and improved!) in these three years, I admit that perhaps I wouldn’t be able to recognize how far we’ve come. 

Not too long ago...no cabinet was safe

My family was here visiting most of January and every time they come, we always talk about those first days and weeks, with the bottles, and the swaddling and the crying. 

I tried to embrace and cherish those baby years. There were some sweet moments; but most of the time I was trying to get through. 

Knowing now that stages will pass and we survive,  I  feel as if I can more fully embrace and appreciate the stage I am in. 

For example….

I mentioned before that this Christmas the boys got “big boy beds” aka, toddler beds. We never transitioned Evie into the middle “toddler bed” stage. But with the boys, we have a longer term vision of some sort of bunking system and we thought that a year in toddler beds was a nice transition to that, considering their age. 

They have been doing fairly well in their beds. For their birthday they each received their own bedspreads from Grammie and Grandpa. 

They each sleep and keep their beds very differently; their sleeping habits actually reflect their personalities. 

Caleb can hardly fit into his own little bed because everything and everyone is invited. He has every and any stuffed animal, book, train toy,  blanket and puzzle piece nestled in bed with him. 

Levi’s bed is just as full, but he tends to discriminate a bit more. He wants only certain stuffed animals with him and if one of his regular companions is missing, he notices and there is no peace until he is reunited. 

James, on the other hand, really prefers one bear and one blanket. Any other pillow, toy or object he angrily tosses out and it is rudely uninvited. His bed is really desolate compared to the other two. And that's the way he likes it. 

Recently the boys have suddenly been wide awake at 3 am, charging their bedroom door, running down the hall together like a frantic herd of cattle, screaming into the dark, “Monsters!” 

Hearing the commotion I jump out of bed. It usually requires John to convince them it's not yet morning, and their monster hunt has to wait until daylight. 

They will usually scream and try to convince us that 3 am is a perfectly acceptable waking time. Eventually they climb back into bed and calm down. I however, have a hard time falling asleep again. John can easily pick up right where he left off in his sleep cycle. I toss and turn. Sometimes I never get back to sleep. 

But, as I mentioned at the beginning, if I learned anything from these three years, its that these stages become memories and honestly,  even though I’m tired from my 3 am wake up call, I can already chuckle at their monster hunts. 

My three year old men. 

 How I love them.

They drive me crazy.

 But, I couldn't imagine life without them.