Kings River 2012

Our annual family reunion/camping trip was last weekend and the kiddies had a blast! Despite the fact our little guys live next to their own river, the fact that they got to camp on the Kings River surrounded by 30 + family members all celebrating birthdays, vacations, and the like was very cool. Add in boat rides, homemade ice cream, pinata's, the best slip 'n slide EVER and loving aunties, cousins, Granny's, and Grandpa's and you have a memorable trip! (minus the toddler and baby meltdowns, and mama meltdown's just to mix it up a bit ;-)
Pictures follow....

Cousin Chelsea giving the two little's a ride!

Best baby cousins...Talin and Troy

River Fun with Grandpa

Aunt Meg and Mike

My crazy boy ;-)

Yummo birthday cake!!!

Once the Kindergarten teacher, ALWAYS the kindergarten teacher!!!

Best birthday cake ever!!! Thanks Mom!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Grandma Sheila joins in on the birthday fun

Talin loving the sand fun

"Papa" and Forrest, enjoying the boat

Alex got a little wrapped up in our sea serpent!

Great boat ride with Uncle Jesse

Forrest and Alex get to drive!

I'm ready Mom!!!

Sea serpent fun

River boys

Loving Troy's Trike....this may be in our future!

Fun with Aunt Meg

Chelsea on the BEST slip n slide ever!!!

Little Cole having fun

Beautiful preggo Jen and Kyle carrying baby boy # how many? for family!

Jesse and Janet....newly retired and looking very nice!

Whew, if you're exhausted by the pictures you have a right to be! And this is minus float fun, ski ride craziness, flip cup action, pinata play, homemade ice cream deliciousness, and a ton of other great stuff. All of that crammed into 2.3 days. Fun times, great people, and the Kings River will always be there for us come next year :-)

"WWOOFER" to the rescue....!!!!

And, what is a WWOOFER you ask? One of the canine species? Or perhaps one that trains canines? NOOOOOO! Nothing do do with dogs at all, other than our WWOOFER happens to have a very cute puppy of his own.
W.W.O.O.F. stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.
The people who take part in this organization travel around to various farms, sometimes multiple in a year, sometimes only one a year, and work and learn....in exchange for housing, meals, and education on what it takes to create and grow an organic garden or farm.

So, insert Matt, our very own WWOOFER. He prefers to just explain it is a work/trade dealio...much easier. He works 5 hours a day, and we give him his own room, meals, and the experience of it all. Matt is great. From the midwest, used to work for apple, (you mean I have my own apple tech guy for all my crazy Igadget questions???!!!!) and is totally motivated to be on our beautiful property and land.
And....well.....we probably wouldn't have had a garden without Matt. Seriously.....with the two kiddies, myself working full time, and Alex doing the same, our beautiful organic greatly producing garden would have been kersplat! Not to mention the dire need of our fence keeping the bears out, the road getting rougher by the day, and all the other odds and ends that go into creating a somewhat smoothly running property such as this one.
Yes, sometimes I do lust for the simple surburbia that most of my fellow Americans coexist in, simply because running this household/farm/ranch is TWO (at least) full time jobs in itself!
But, Matt is coming to rescue us. He came from a good friend's farm, had been there for quite awhile, (they have quite a few WWOOFER's regularly) and was ready for a change. We snatched him up for our very own WWOOFER experience.

Other than cooking a bit more food each day, (something I need to get used to anyhow due to my two growing boys!) we really have not noticed any more burden. And the quantity of food Matt is helping us grow is going to be far and away more than what he eats. And great food for our family and kiddos!!!

artichokes abound, and new young melons, squash, corn, tomatoes and peppers...and our lovely bean teepee pole!

young summer garden, peppers and tomatoes

So, win win....you think!!!???
For more information on WWOOFER's go here....
http://www.wwoof.org/
(Even good for a family vacation....great story about a family with young kids who went to Costa Rica and worked on an organic farm....and, this story about one example of a person who decided to try WWOOFing out...   http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/25/local/la-me-wwoofing-20111125

Brotherly Love....

 

....really, seriously...LOVE. Or at least moments of love, because having a one and three year old in the house, plus or minus my eldest boys unique temperament, makes you thoroughly enjoy these moments of love.
And what does love mean, actually.....???????
It means..... (from a Mama's the glass is half full perspective....)
***They really can't wait to see each other, if they have been separated. It is SO cute to see Talin....or Forrest....when I pick up the other from daycare. They wave to each other, (yep, even Talin!) and give the hugest smiles.....the BEST!!!

***Games...yes games...!!! In the pool they were playing the most thrilling game of throw the cup. Before you stop reading due to boredom, please keep reading out of cuteness! One would yell in the cup in the kiddie pool and then throw it to the other to do the same. Talin was all about it. Forrest would even be kind enough to empty the water out of the cup to avoid a sputtering 1 year old on the T side of things...what a good big brother F can be!!!

***Sharing...yes, it can happen at this age! Especially when you have a super duper amazing pirate chart on your side!!!(See previous post :-)

But really now....even without the beloved pirate chart, both my little boys were swapping back and forth cell phones just 2 hours ago. Yes, cell phones, techy guys they are, on this backwoods Ranch they live on. Talin, (and F for the matter,) is obsessed with my iphone. We dug up my old blackberry flip phone as a second and between the two they are happy campers :-)

***Their pact to break up each others naps...especially if Forrest is napping and Talin is awake. He, rather firmly and stubbornly marches himself over to Forrest's door, (okay, crawls himself over.....;-) and insists he wake up....insert bang bang bang, "laaaaa....waaaaa....shreeeeechhhhhh.....bababababababababababaaaaaaaaaaaa"

***And my favorite....our walks. With Talin on my back, and Forrest in the BOB stroller, both of them hoot, (literally, owl's hoots...if we're lucky one calls back!!!) and holler, with the other echoing. It is SO cool. Mainly to hear little T baby respond to his big brothers verbal cues. 

I never had a brother. So to see these two connect and really enjoy each other is a joy. And also promise of good times to come :-)

Thank goodness for baby sisters....

Megan is amazing. At 24 she has more skill, intuition, and patience with Forrest than I think I will ever have as his Mom! We are so lucky to have her helping us with these crazy toddler years.

Mr. F, as many of you gather, is quite the challenging kid. His activity and energy levels are SO high and very overwhelming, which by itself isn't abnormal for a 3 year old. However, his aggression, continued lack of verbal language, and the bad juju that go along with all of this can be downright maddening at times. We're chasing it on all fronts, hearing check, speech therapy, gluten/wheat free diet trial, and enter Aunt Megan, the super duper Forrest Whisperer :-)
Using behavioral modification, ( that she otherwise uses on a daily basis as a behavioral analyst in Santa Barbara,) she has given Forrest his best day at daycare ever. I think I actually teared up when I heard he had gone the entire day without getting in timeout. This truly, has never happened, minus one day he was sick and feeling crummy.
We have started using timers for Forrest for everything, a picture board plan of his evening, (often his more challenging times), and the now beloved pirate chart.

 

This chart is Forrest's reward system. He moves one step closer to the pirate boat with his little pirate each 5 minute block, (or 10, or 15) he can play well with himself or his brother, or just when he completes a non-preferred task, (getting dressed, diaper changes, etc). He LOVES the timer...we're currently using our iphone/ipod barking dog timer which is great for him, but planning on buying him his own kiddie timer. A reward is earned when he makes it to the top, with the trick being for him to keep making it to the top often enough to keep him motivated, but not so often that it's too easy.
So far, our 'treats" (99 cent race cars, popcorn and a movie of his choice, and currently he is working towards a glow in the dark moon for his room :-) keep him plenty motivated on most days.
We're still having bad days, but not like they had been. This is SO nice, I can't even communicate how wonderful it is to actually see a change for the better in our little cute but very frustrating 3 year old.
So thank you sister, for what you have initiated in our home, (sorry those sea monkeys didn't make it!!!), but mainly for the awesome connection you and Forrest have, (despite him calling you Aunt Nat most times....:-)
He loves his Aunt Megan and asks to talk to you most days since you left. You have a gift and thank you so much for sharing....

Party Hardy....

 Which is what we did for Talin's big shindig this past weekend! We had a wonderful time, and were lucky enough to have about 20 big and little people attend the festivities.

We were lucky enough to have Little Cutie Zuri, the younger match for Forrest, attend!

Watch out!A big One year old on the loose....

We had a big salmon BBQ, complete with a wonderful visit from Aunt Megan, a very cool bear pinata, plenty of cold drinks, and a 90 degree day.

Go Zuri Go!

Of course all of this was for THIS little cutie, who just happened to nap through his pinata,

but of course took part in his very first cupcake.

 

Naked Pinata fighting, why not?

Due to the steamy weather, Forrest preferred the bare look, going along with the previous post :-)

Despite asking for NO presents...please!!!! we were blessed with some neat cool stuff, like an outdoor tent complete with a tunnel that both boys love....

new sandtoys, and blueberries! Now seriously what better present than blueberries!!!!
The day was capped off with the amazing eclipse that we were lucky enough to be able to view.

Megan and Mike, taking in the shrinking sun...

Happy Birthday little Talin baby!!!!

whew, what a bash Mom, I think I need another beer ;-)

 

There's a lot of little boy warm weather fun going on around here....

 We have only just begun the warm season and already clothes have taken a backseat in this household. Both Alex and I are settling in to being surrounded by cute little boy buns ALL SUMMER LOOONNNG ;-)

our little salmon fishers

"Mom? Dad? When can we go outside and take these clothes off again???"

In One Year's Time....

....this teeny 7+ lb. newborn, the little cutie, helpless, guy he is.....

....turned into THIS one year old! Mr. Blue eyed, fiesty, nearly walking, jabbering, super smiley, easy going, Mr. Talin....

Amazing ain't it!

Happy 1st Birthday little Talin Gerald!!!! We love you more than ever! Thank you SO much for adding to our family with your little perfect demeanor. My baby you will always be....

63 miles.....

 

It's not 100, not the infamous "century" but this mama found her biking legs today and pushed out 63 miles. It was a blast....literally in the last 20 miles a BLAAASSSTTT (of wind that is, right in the face, and often from all sides just to make it hurt that much more!!!)
But really I am so glad I did it. I've been on my bike, actually on the road, a grand total of two times for a total of 40 miles in the last year....yes, the last YEAR. I have ridden quite a bit on my trainer...while the kids take baths, naps, etc, but it just isn't the same as an actual ride on the road.

So, now you can see that this 63 mile ride probably FELT like 100 miles to these out of shape legs. 

Yes it did. A lot of self talk happened.

 A few curse words, primarily at the wind, and a LOT of sore muscles.

And, along with that, a great ride happened! Had great conversations, joined some great and FAST pace lines to remind me of my faster days, enjoyed some of the MOST beautiful scenery in our big state...redwoods, rivers....you name it. And, of course, got that great high that comes with finishing an event or goal like this. And yes, I might have even passed a few people too....;-)

This all couldn't have been done without my amazing partner in crime. Alex had his own hurdle to tackle....our two little rugrats, one sick, and Alex himself having the voice of a prepubescent boy and being under the weather. He succeeded in his goal as well, with only a few blowups and fireballs, (right honey???!!!) and let this mama have her day.

 

I love you SOOOO much :-)

Grandparent weekend Extravaganza!!!!

 In late April I had the pleasure of spending the weekend at a vascular conference in Sacramento, and my parents had the crazy will to spend some quality time with the grandkids! Fun was had by all....you name it we did it...flashlight craziness, Christmas in April, pool time, puke time ;-(, evening walks, train heaven, and even icecream at all hours....after all, it is Grandma's right!!!

Cutie Talin on his new tike tike bike Forrest was always trying to steal!

Speaking of the devil..."Where's Grandpa?"

Evening walk, trying to find Grandpa, (he had a way of disappearing on his bike...that silly Grandpa!)

Brothers in the bathtub!

Talin was actually a fan of the sunglasses!

Sacramento Railway Museum!!!! The Fulton boys loved it!

 

model...but I believe what railways would have looked like in our neck of the woods!

"Wow Mama!!! TWO more minutes...two more minutes..."

Two exhausted Fulton boys!

This fabulous weekend was capped off by not only great Grandparent experiences...but also by a spur of the last moment park soiree with old rowing friend Sarah Dreger and little cutie patootee Owen! My kids were a bit crazy and low on sleep, but this excellent N. Sac. park was the perfect place for them to burn off energy and prepare for a LOOOONNNG car nap, ( ooohhhh how mama did wish!). I haven't seen Sarah since her wedding and had never met handsome Owen, so this was a win win all around. We chatted about...welll...babies, as that is what has happened in our lives lately. It was a great, albeit short and sweet visit :-)

Kid craziness!

Great trip, but glad to be near home and out of the central valley

All in all I survived a solo parenting experience with two kids. A major feat and a bit of a fear for myself. Yes, I really couldn't have done it without my wonderful parents who I do believe needed a vacation from the grandkid Sacramento vacation! We didn't sleep much, but we sure did have a lot of fun!