Once Upon A Time...

...two wonderful under ONE year old baby friends with their two tired mama's, friends from a past world, met in the wonderful land of Treehouses. Those baby friends were cute, cuddly, smiley, mobile, notalwaysthebestsleeping, babies, but oh they had so much fun in this new treehouse land. They only had 48 magical hours in the treehouses which their mamas used wisely...eating, conferencing about ultra-important things like babies NOT sleeping, wonderful husbands, and the like...and of course more eating, and super duper playing babies...
This treehouse land was filled with swings, wonderful bridges between treehouses, ropes courses, horses, poles to slide down, ropes to climb up, and load of other fun things to explore...
the babies had high hopes of seeing it ALL...and they did indeed see it all, though  explore, despite their best efforts, might have to wait a year due to their mama's fears of falling babies...those mama's always worrying...
The weekend story follows...

The wonderful Treehouse baby suite....(even scented with the occasional poopy diaper just for comfort sake)

Adorable babies have to keep looking clean after all.....

Awesome swinging bridge morning walks amongst the treehouses

Lovely Mom friend Sheelagh and Baby David

Bonus trip to hike around Oregon Caves National Monument...no caves open this time of year but plenty of great trails!

Mid-day baby puff snack break in the parking lot....

Babies on the loose!

Next up was Taylor's sausage...the MOST DELECTABLE sausage you'd ever laid eyes on...the babies agreed it was the BEST...and the mama's were loving it too.....I wonder why????Something to do with the wonderful hubbies being missing? Hmmmmmm. Needless to say several packages of sausages made it home from Taylor's to the super duper husbands meat loving delight....that and bacon, can't forget the bacon after all....

More fun swinging under a bridge....

Just one example of a super duper treehouse...there were 17 of these things all over the place!!! Truly amazing.

Baby T and his Mama taking a morning bridge walk...nice view from 70 feet up!

Baby David means business when he crawls...

the two cute treehouse babies soaking up the last minutes of their wonderful treehouse vacation....

and the whole gang ending their mama gettaway in style with a picnic lunch with two happy playing babies...lovely!

Needless to say the time was filled with good walks, good talks, and wonderful food as the Wonderful Land of Treehouses delivered to whisk those mamas, even if briefly, from the daily strenuous though wonderful life of child-rearing...to a slower pace....

Blissful I'll say....

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I've got my three love monkeys here...very low key holiday for us.
Forrest did enjoy decorating his very first Valentines for his preschool/daycare buddies...was pretty cute to see!
Lots of love to spread in this household :-)

Forrest's very first 'tines.....

Just shy of the big THREE and 3/4 of the big ONE year old....these are busy boys!

 Look at these two Fulton boys...enjoying our mellow winter puddles, enjoying each other, turning their trusty Radio Flyer wagon into the Ranch Puddle boat, and growing up before our very eyes! As I write this, Forrest is just one short month away from the big THREE! We are very excited for this number, as moving away from our stereotypical Terrible Two's has been a vision of ours for a bit of time here as we travel through the trials and tribulations of Forrest. But in all reality, more people than not remind me the three can really be the Tortuous Threes....or, rather, the TERRIFIC Threes as I would like to think of them. Regardless, Forrest is a spirit to be reckoned with to say the least. I am writing this on a particularly challenging day with him....one where you would rather send him to live with the wolves, or to play on the freeway, or to hang by the ceiling fan by his toenails, (all memorable little tidbits from my own childhood!)

 At just shy of three, he LOVES to be outdoors, though doesn't necessarily remember that in the morning as he protests loudly to our efforts at getting him to his beloved outside place. Once there, though, he is usually a happy camper. We had a great walk today as he tromped in puddles, enjoyed playing with his boat, and tested out his new Bogs which we had splurged on, (much easier to splurge when you know two little boys will be using them eventually!) He is a overall good eater still, and porks down on steelhead, broccoli, cauliflower, any berry, apples, string cheese, yogurt, milk, and of course the beloved juice. Night time has been a struggle for the last several weeks as Forrest has been climbing out of his crib, (yes, he is still in it!) and we have met that challenge with some firm discipline that seems to be working. His new night schedule is to bed at 9, awake by 630-7, with a good 2 hour nap, sometimes 3. He really still needs his nap, or this kiddo is hard to deal with. So we try to make it happen. Still no serious potty training yet, though several peeing incidents in the potty make me hopeful! Looking forward to summer or at least warmer weather for that goal.

 Forrest overall is a happy, super cute, energentic kid who just wants to have attention and be played with. We've had some great days with him recently that make us see the light at the end of the tunnel...here's looking forward to the big THREE for him!

And Talin at 9 months! Wow has time been flying for this one. He is a mover all the sudden, scooting, starting to crawl, and finding his baby voice more so now than ever. He's a good eater, feasting on everything from steelhead/carrot/avocado to egg yolk/sweet peas/avocado/corn mixes mom makes as well as the jarred stuff. He is on a bit of a breast feeding strike currently, but still loves the pumped stuff and formula just fine.  Sleeping has been a bit of a struggle for little T man, as he seems to like to wake up at the 530 hour, no matter what day it is. Yesterday was 5 a.m. with no chance of renegotiation. This makes for parents who feel they have a newborn back. Today was a bit better with the 6am wake up call...6 we can do, but 5? really Baby T? Along with your usual 2am wake up feed? He also is a bit of a light napper, which in the same house as Forrest just doesn't jive. I'm a firm believer that whatever is true this week won't be next week, or at least next month, so lets just hope it all passes!

 Finger foods are also a new thing for this kiddo! He's a fan of putting everything into his mouth, especially those delicious puffs!

 I predict a 10-11 month walker here....though his balancing has gotten exponentially longer just in the last 2 days, so he could prove me wrong! But we are "helping" him out by putting him on his little baby butt as much as possible...;-)

These two brothers are such fun to watch. Tonight Forrest was decorating his brothers bald head with race car stickers as Talin scooted on the floor to chase him....cracking up the whole time. Pretty hilarious!!! They are a hoot, a hollar ( or a dozen....), and sure are cute along the way :-)

Feeling complete....

So what did you do for Super Bowl?

We ate lots of good junk food at our neighbors house and enjoyed Madonna, took in a bit of football, and a completed a LOT of kiddie herding....

Sunday Walk

Feeling Thankful...in a nutshell

Felling VERY thankful for...

1) Friday.....and I'm not on call this weekend...need I say more :-)

2) A recent wonderful email from my lovely Grandparents, 80 years young and going strong. My Grandma Sheila has gotten wonderful news from Stanford that the carcinoid, (a form of cancer) she has been fighting is under control! Still a daily battle for her, but such great news for the best Grandma you could ask for!
3)These two lovely boys. Forrest with his smiles, growing vocabulary which is primarily positive and loving, and crazy spirit, (takes some getting used to, but still wonderful!)  Having a conversation with Forrest is wonderful. Sure there are still aggression issues, obedience issues, etc, but he is becoming a person. A person full of ideas, mostly good, nice, and thoughtful ones. When he will converse with you, he is a small amazing human being. We read books together every night and he LOVES this. He snuggles in your lap and we read and read until bedtime sneaks past us. Very thankful for these moments!

And Talin, my wonderful blue-eyed baby. I NEED him to stay a baby just for a while longer! I love his little baby feet and toes, his joyous expressions at the simplest things, (a spoon sends him over the moon!) Life is wonderful when so simple. I have had several of my wiser patients tell me I should hug him extra hard, as their babies are all grown up and have babies and grand babies of their own and there is "truly nothing like a baby to make you smile". I agree. He is really amazing. To hear this from an 80 year old who has fought breast cancer, an invasive belly surgery, and a broken hip all in the same year....well....you tend to listen. Savoring these moments as much as I can as he is now a mobile baby, scooting around, and full of smiles, laughs, baby language, and "mamamamamamamamamamamamaaaaaaa"   :-) :-) :-) 



4) My hubby, hard working, fish catching, wonderful partner. He is also a happy camper as his steelehead have shown face and he has been catching dozens of the fishies down at our beach and up river, (as witnessed by the last post...) A break in the grueling firewood routine by a few hours of fishing can really lift the spirits!!! He has been amazing in picking up the loose ends, be it dishes, laundry, or kiddie detail, he is there!!! I love him SO much!

5) For my body. I'm working on it....trying to mold it back into decent shape after two babies and lots of physical inactivity have left it pretty weak. I truly believe if I had never been a rower in college, and therefore not known what good shape our human body could be in, I wouldn't be so motivated to try and make it STRONG again. Maybe not college rower strong, but strong enough for this mama to chase after her boys, for her to keep up with a good garden, to kayak the river, to run or ride a race if she felt so inclined, and, most importantly, for her to feel truly happy. I do now completely realize that my happiness and therefore my thankfulness, really does stem from a strong body...
So therefore, it's in the works, a few workouts at a time, (the goal is 4 a week), and a LOT of sore muscles, ( and I mean a lot....I kind of doubt my abs will ever get back to the way they were! Sculling crunches...what is that? I would be happy to do 10) I hope we will get there one day. I'm just happy for the opportunity at the moment. Opportunity means goals get achieved. It will happen....

"Worry less. Smile more. Accept criticism & failure. Appreciate. Listen. Don't hate. Love deeply. Embrace change. Take chances. Be thankful."

                                                                                    -unknown

Yet another Fulton Fish Adventure...

Days like these make me SO thankful for the beautiful and amazing home we have.

As you all know...we have two young ones under 3. I think everyone would agree that this scenario equals a HUGE ordeal to really go anywhere out of the house. Driving to that place....ginormous ordeal. Okay, so maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion, but we seriously hole up during the weekends. Fulton hemits, yes we are. I relish not having to be ANYWHERE by ANYTIME, with dozens of people counting on me to do what I do. It really is my sacred time.
So....just how sweet is it when the rain gives us a break, the river finally drops a bit and cleans up, and the Fulton Family comes out of the little ranch cave and wants to adventure! All just with a hike out our front door! Mind you, we still pack up the whole nine yards, with kiddies you have to. But no driving, no money spent, no worries over car sickness, getting somewhere in time, or who we might see when Talin poops up to his ears or Forrest tests his vocal cords and brute almost 3 year old strength, (oh except the occasional bald or golden eagle, bear, or steelhead...;-)
So....you get my drift. Pictures follow on our great little outing today. It wasn't without tears, or major dumps, or even a fall in the river, (first of many for Mr. F I'm sure...)
But it was with some great fishing for Forrest and Alex, some great hiking and outdoor time for little T and myself, and some outstanding beauty for all of us...

Forrest gets a keeper! Hatchery steelie...

Food and fishing all at the same time...bliss I tell ya...

Happy and always hungry river baby

Father and son, with many more to come like these....:-)

In awe of the steelie....

Little T, waiting for his turn with the rod!

The weekly grind...

"Heigh Ho, heigh ho, it's off to work we go...."

 I'll call it the weekly grind because for our schedule it's just that. Every Monday night I pack for much of the week. We spend the night in town closer to my work 2 nights a week so this means making sure the appropriate clothes, diapers, milk, toys, etc get put in the car. This also means timing it all right to be sure someone or TWO someones don't puke their little breakfasts up. This last week it was Mr. F who's stomach lurched...and let me tell you that starting the week with vomit in your backseat just isn't all that peaceful, serene, or even tolerable! But, we're slowly developing a routine...and just when I think I've figured out how to manage it all, something changes. The last two weeks it has been Forrest realizing he can climb out of his crib. I know, this really should have happened years ago, and physically he's been probably able to do it for at least 1 1/2 years. But, now he KNOWS he can and our somewhat peaceful bedtime routine has been shot down. 8:00 bedtime? No way. Now it's 9:30, if we're lucky. Couple this with sleeping in the same room as baby T and myself at my mother in law's house, a couple of night terror's on Mr. F's part, and Mr. T not sleeping through the night and WHAM!!!
you get a very grouchy mama feeling very overwhelmed.
So, change it up again..... I think it's better to just go home, do the hour drive each way, and be in our own space, with our own rooms, so at least some sleep is had. At least until something else changes, which could be in months, or days, who really knows.
Much worth the drive I think.
One of the biggest realizations about parenthood, especially parenting TWO, is that you really relinquish control. That feeling is not fun. You've got to roll with the punches, be able to see other options, even if they aren't ideal.

The second realization, equally important, is the beauty of a good partner. This is the primary reason for me deciding to just go HOME when Ive got both boys, he's my sidekick in this adventure of parenting and without him, and WITH a full time job I really don't like how I feel. Those that are single parents, major props to you!
Trying to keep it all sane over here in the woods...
and we get some moments like the one below, taken on a little "mama's trying to avoid the duo carsick kiddies" break on the top of one of the passes on my morning drive.
Pretty serene....for the moment ;-)

Talking about the weather....again...

It seems we talk about the weather...a LOT....around here. Maybe because we live in an area where we do tend to get a bit more crazy weather, (I know, for those on the East coast or in Alaska, it's down right boring here probably...) or maybe because we do have to be out in it more than most due to our rural area, (can't just go shopping or go to the gym to get the rainy day crazies out here!)
Regardless, both Alex and I are regular NOAA watchers and it is not at all unusual to have the radar map going to see when and how much rain we're getting, and if we might get a break in it all for a brief time to get the kiddies and our crazy selves out of the house to keep from going totally nuts...
Yes, totally nuts. Two little ones that LOVE to be outside under 3 years of age, and two snotty noses nonetheless that probably shouldn't be in the cold rainy weather too much make it a bit nuts in our teeny tiny house. We may have a lot of land, but, you know if you've been here, our house is a bit small.
So....we get outside when we can. We've been lucky enough to have sunny (but oh so frigid!) weather thus far this winter. Now the rains have come with a bit of a vengence and we are trying to acclimate to the change. It is much warmer now, but the wet stuff does keep falling....and falling....and falling....with some areas near us getting a whopping foot of rain with this series of storms.
So....any cool rainy indoor activities you all have? (Besides the usual play-doh, endless choo-choo trains, fort building, dishes doing (Mr. F's fav) and loooooonnnnngggg baths?
In the mean time, in order to try not to go tooo bonkers, we'll just keep walking over here when the skies give us a break and don't absolutely pour down....

Juvenile bald eagle, greeting us on our rainy walk

Little T baby was all smiles! (maybe....;-)

The boys surveying at River Bend

Loving the cold winter sun....

Winter wagon walks = one happy but tired Talin = one LONG afternoon nap, (I hope!!!!fingers and toes crossed!)

Talin baby, knocking on the door of 8 months old....

I really truly can't believe little Talin is already 8 months old! Forrest at this age was already practically walking....that fact stuns me and scares the willies out of me as the thought of two mobile boys is a bit hard to fathom!
Little Mr. T is still doing so well though. He, I am quite sure, will not be a 9 month walker as his brother was. He is trying to get more mobile, can pivot pretty well and rolls pretty well too. Still no actual crawling, and he does love to stand. We try to put him on his belly as much as possible though, as...again...the thought of two walkers is a bit scarey!
Talin has officially started daycare. 4 days a week he is now in another home, and lucky for me, a lady that lives just 1 block from the hospital I work at AND has extended hours when I need them. I often work very late Wednesday nights and she can watch him until 11pm if need be. An operating room nurse has her son there until this time, so that is always nice to have a comrad to do the late pick up with if need be. I absolutely hate leaving him there that late, but he is often asleep after 730 pm anyways and, I know he is in a safe spot, being well taken care of. I can also give my one late night a week and feel like I am contributing to my job as I should be. Still, it is not ideal in my mind, but it is working and on this late night Talin baby and I spend the night at my mother in law's house just a few short minutes from the hospital....so, no late long drive and a much better more relaxed morning as well for Thursday.
Talin  has definitely found his appetite. Although we are still breastfeeding, he seems to love food more than anything at this point. I'm doing my best to make our own babyfood as much as possible. We still have carrots, winter squash, and potatoes from our garden and some of his fav combos include all of the fore mentioned veggies with maybe a cooked apple, an avocado, or just a bit of olive oil, and all puree'd up to his liking of course. He is a big fan of the fruit and cereal as well, lapping the sweet stuff up with the best of them. And....yesterday was his first salmon dinner! I made a pureed salmon, avocado, and carrot batch that he loved....can't say this baby isn't getting his omega 3's! We do use a bit of jared food for daycare, simply because of the ease of it.
Talin does now have 2 teeth, popping his 2nd one out somewhere in between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. #3,4,5 and who knows how many are close behind though as he is a teething monster and we are keeping the chew toys, Motrin, and carrots close by.
Not sure of his weight, though he is comfortably in 9 month clothes and still has his beautiful blue eyes and big wonderful noggin.
Sleep and Talin are hit and miss. 2 nights ago he slept the entire night, 11 hours. It was....AMAZING. Every other night though, including last night, have been up and down....with us having to get up and soothe him several times, (thanks Honey for taking much of these little wakings,) and with me feeding him at 2 or 3 am. This age is hard, as I know he's teething like a little banchee, and I just can't let him cry and be in pain, much less wake up Forrest, so we are giving in, trying to soothe him, and hoping that we maybe get a few more of the entire nights full of sleep in the next...ehhh....year???;-)
We love our Mr. Talin baby....here's to the last 1/3 of your first year of life!!!