Stewy School Bus Blog

Goodbye Ole 40 Footer?

2011-01-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well, its always funny to me the way things turn out in life. Every week around here lately brings some sort of unexpected change. A couple of weeks ago, I finally talked Travis into selling the Quantum wagon. As much as we love the 40mpg, the car is too small for three car seats and we need to upsize anyways. So, I finally convinced him that we shouldn't put any money into repairing it, but rather just try to get some money for it. These old diesel VW's are pretty desirable, so we knew the engine and tranny would bring enough money that we ought to be able to buy something else to get around in. So, I started looking around online to get an idea of what to list the car for, and came across an ad on the Olympia Washington craigslist from a guy who wanted a Quantum, dead or alive. So, I emailed him, thinking I probably wouldn't get a response since he probably wouldn't really want to tow the car all that way, but since these cars are so rare it was worth a shot. Well, lo and behold, the next morning I get an email from him saying he was on his way to our town anyways, he was driving a friend here, and would love to check out the car! What are the odds? He thought one of his friends was playing a practical joke on him. Well, he came and looked at the car, and said he was interested if we made him a good price. Trav and I talked about it, then emailed him a price the next day. I didn't hear from him for about a week, so I lowered the price and emailed him again. That same day, I found out that my cousin has a 95 minivan for sale, cheap, and the thought of buying a car from someone trustworthy excited me. Well, the Quantum guy called that afternoon, and got my hopes up, so I texted my cousin to see about the van. But, when I called the Quantum guy back, I discovered he wasn't calling with an offer to buy the car, but rather an offer to fix the car for a couple hundred bucks. So, no money for the minivan. We agreed that he could try and fix the car, that way at least we have it driveable, and we can always sell it later. But, I was really excited about that minivan. Well, yesterday, a couple of good friends came by and helped Travis work on his truck, and one of the guys expressed interest in the school bus. (I once sold him my 1969 Mercedes, many years ago.) Travis and I had tossed around the idea of selling the bus a few weeks ago, in our desperate times. Well, this morning we found out just how seriously he wants it, because he was willing to pay our price, even though he needs to make payments. So, it looks like its goodbye to the old yellow 40 footer, goodbye to our school bus conversion plans. But, it isn't goodbye to hopes of life on the road, it will just be a slightly less grand lifestyle. It will be a travel trailer for us. I'll miss seeing that giant yellow billboard advertising freedom out my kitchen window every day, but I've had a lot of experience accepting change in life, going with the flow of life is what I do best. So we'll just see where that flow takes us next. Hopefully I won't be stuck with a minivan forever! :)

2011-01-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

In the ski pulk

Cute cousins under the Christmas Tree

Stone From Montana, Blue Eggs, and other Myths

2011-01-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well, in the end, we did manage to suffer a few more blows during the month of December. I finally was able to get in to the lab for my three hour glucose tolerance test, and failed, so I have now joined the league of daily finger pokers and I get to think all day about what I can and cannot eat. But, on a positive note, my blood sugar seems to be fine for the most part, and who can blame my body anyways after all the stress it has endured this past month! A few days after my test, Travis headed back up to the Dalles to pick up his Dad who was helping the grandparents, and our trusty little Quantum, (which incidently, Trav just managed to fix by replacing the glow plugs and what-do-ya know? it starts right up) had a disaster four blocks from Grandma and Grandpa's house. The front axle pretty much self-destructed, possibly damaging the transaxle as well. So, once again we were facing the possibility of a broken car in another city. Grandpa Stewart saved us though, and let Travis and his Dad tow the poor Quantum home with his truck, and it now sits broken and sad in the garage. We've already had one person check it out and express interest though, and I haven't even advertised it yet, so with any luck, it will move on soon and my two and a half year love-hate relationship with the "grunge-mobile" will be over. Above all else, I will very much miss the 40mpg, especially with diesel up to $3.45! The weekend after the axle shredding, Travis headed back down to Malin with his Dad to fix the new truck. So, for our anniversary I stayed stuck at home surrounded by broken vehicles, and he spent the day in his Dad's driveway fixing a broken vehicle. When we got married on January 1st, I think we thought it would be an easy day to celebrate our anniversary, but so far, nearly every year has been messed up (in the past by the arrival of little munchkins). Oh well, at least he was successful in getting the truck back to Bend, so in the end it was worth it. And, thanks to my incredible Aunt and Uncle in Portland who allowed us to leave our broken van in front of their house for several weeks, we were able to broker a deal to sell said van without even returning to Portland. So, hurray! Happy New Year, all the vehicles that we've been scattering around the state are gathered up, back on our own half-acre, or sold and gone. And, we get to drive huge old diesel Fords around for a while, the new "Big Tan" which will hopefully become the next Veg-Mobile in town, and Grandpa's old Flatbed. I really feel like a hillbilly driving the flat bed around with my two kids, ha ha. Reminds me of a family I saw back east that pulled up to a convenience store in a little Toyota pickup, and huge mom and dad with mullets climbed out of the cab while four or five mulleted children piled out of the bed. Hopefully we can at least avoid the mullets, and the hugeness! At any rate, its awfully nice to have a vehicle sitting out front that will start when I want it to. And on a very happy note, Marmie finally made it out of her undignified position in the snow in the side yard and has happily returned to her hiding spot beside the travel trailer in the back. Since her tags are very expired, and come due in March, we've decided not to make use of her reliability unless necessary so as not to have to renew the tags twice in a year. And come March, she will only be an option for me for a few weeks, since there aren't enough seat belts for three car seats. So, the old gal is back to semi-retirement, and we are once again on the trail of a family vehicle. One that will fit all five of us plus dog and stuff, one that gets good mileage, one that starts reliably and always runs!
So, in spite of all odds, the end of our most difficult month ever, and the beginning of this new year brought us unexpected "prosperity." Amidst all the vehicle chaos, we have of course been suffering a lack of work as well, due to this mysterious truck load of stone that was supposed to have left Montana about six times over the past four weeks, but never seemed to arrive here. We had pretty much decided that the stone from Montana was just a big myth, and Travis was in fact scheduled for a more permanent unemployment. But, amazingly, last week, the stone arrived! And Travis went back to work full time. Of course, I haven't actually seen this stone yet, so I still wonder if its real. On Christmas day, another "myth" was proven true as well. Since getting into the world of chickens, I have wanted Americanas, the easter-egg chickens who lay blue eggs. Well, some friend of ours had has a similar desire and had purchased a couple Americana chicks one spring, only to have both escape their pen and get eaten by neighborhood critters. I decided to brave it anyways, and bought three Americana chicks last spring. Well, one managed to escape the chick pen while they were still small and I was out of town, and of course disappeared without a trace. Another grew up desperately attempting to hide his beautiful long tail feathers and roosterly strut as all the girls picked on him mercilessly. So, he had to go to a new home. Americana chick number three grew up as well, but the months passed, the other chicks began laying, but no blue eggs showed up in the nest boxes. I had pretty much decided that either blue eggs are completely a myth, or she was in fact some mixed breed chick that had ended up mixed in with the americanas at the feed store. Then, surprise! A green egg for Christmas! She was simply a late bloomer, and now I get that lovely green egg in with all the brown ones every other day or so.
And as for the happiest thing of all? The other day, I sent off the full payment for our mortgage! After all that, we made it through the month, we paid all the bills, we didn't starve, we somewhat resolved the vehicle situation, and we had a wonderful, happy Christmas. So, here's to a better New Year, filled with more happiness, more love, more prosperity.

2010-12-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well, the final blows (I hope) were delivered yesterday when Travis discovered that our little VW wouldn't start due to an abundance of air bubbles in the fuel line, likely the cause of a cracked fuel line, and, he didn't get to work yesterday either due to an abundance of snow. Here we are, for the first time in our lives, wishing it would stop snowing, and also, for the first time in our relationship, completely vehicleless. The Quantum was our remaining legal vehicle, and of course, Marmie still sits in her snow trench, with tags that expired in March of 2009, nearly flat tires, and probably not enough gas to even make it to the street. And she certainly isn't going to climb out of that snow without a huge amount of help anyways. So, yesterday morning started with such delightful discoveries, and I knew right then that we were either due for a turn in luck, or our house would likely burn down. Well, around noon, our very good friends whose dog we had been sitting for the past week came home and collected the little menace, which was good news in itself, but also, they offered us the use of their second car for a few days to buy us some time. This is the kind of friendship that I value so much. Because our families are all mostly so far away, having friends who are like family is invaluable. Anyhow, now we get to drive around in a Mercedes for a little while, which brings back fond memories of my good ole 1969 Mercedes I had many years ago. What a fun car to drive! The major differences are about 15 years in age, and of course, this Mercedes starts reliably, where as my old Olaf might consider starting every other day or so. With much gratitude, I can say that we are not entirely stranded now, and Travis has a way to get to work, should he ever get to work again!

2010-12-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

Ugh, having a tough time right now. My usual positive outlook on life has suffered some severe blows lately. I keep reminding myself I don't have it nearly as bad as so many people in this world, but it isn't helping too much. On top of the difficulties I described in my last post, things have continued to slide downhill. Travis didn't work for nearly two full weeks, and upon returning to work, he is only getting four hours a day, which will definitely not catch us up. I have been desperately trying to make money selling things on craigslist, my efforts yielding a few dollars, but nothing like what I was doing last month. Four days ago, after my glucose tolerance test, I got the dreaded phone call. My blood sugar was elevated. So, there goes my remaining hope of a healthy, normal pregnancy and birth. Of course, I have to go in and do a three-hour glucose tolerance test, and both yesterday morning and this morning I tried to go in to the lab. I can't go in during the week while Travis is working because a) no babysitter and b)we only have one car right now and he's driving it to Sisters. Anyways, our delightful car, being a particularly persnickity diesel, wouldn't start yesterday till around 1 in the afternoon, and of course, it wouldn't start again this morning. So, now, I won't be able to do the three hour test till a week from Tuesday, when my Mom is here visiting. That ought to make my doctor happy. I even tried to bust trusty ole Marmie out of the foot-deep snow in the back yard. While she obligingly started up after a few tries, and she put up a valiant fight against the slick, bumpy hill out of the back yard, she ended up ingloriously stuck sideways in the side driveway. Where she will undoubtedly stay until the snow melts, pouting in her embarassment. Yes, Volkswagens can pout! But for the record, in my eleven-year relationship with Marmie, she has only let me down just a couple of times, so I can't hold it against her. I'm impressed she even started.
Meanwhile, the van that is stuck in Portland has been for sale since being left there, and we've had a lot of interest, including a couple of cash offers. So, with any luck, it will sell by the end of the month, one big load off, and enough money to fill in the gap on the mortgage payment.
The month of December may well go down in history as the longest month of my life. Unless, of course, as is usually the case, the third trimester goes even slower than the rest of this longest pregnancy ever.

2010-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days when it feels like everything is in crises and you can do nothing right? That was today. We've had a series of difficulties around here lately, beginning with the truck we bought in Merrill (we had my father-in-law check it out for us so we actually bought it sight unseen). We went to collect it in Malin on Thanksgiving and discovered the radiator is full of oil, so it needs about $400 in repairs, and it still sits in Malin. Then, the new family van, the 1987 VW Vanagon we bought just three months ago, had a critical blow out in its engine on the freeway in Portland, so it still sits in Portland at my Aunt and Uncle's house. We can't afford to repair it, and the can't tow it home because the truck sits in Malin, also broken. Then, to top it all off, Travis hasn't worked for a week because the stone they need for their next job did not get ordered or delivered on time. And this comes after having the past two pay periods short on hours. So, now we are in near-dire financial circumstances, unsure how we will pay all the bills and our mortgage, and we have two broken vehicles on opposite sides of the state. Needless to say, I am feeling the pressure. And then, today, I felt like I couldn't even do a good job as a mom. I know all moms make mistakes, all moms have days and moments they regret, but I just hate having those. I hate letting my kids down, I hate that fear that I might be forever screwing up these two little boys with the mistakes I make. I will be glad tonight when I get to snuggle up with little Eli on the bunk beds and read to the boys until I hear that sweet sound of their sleep breathing. Glad to wake up tomorrow to a new day, another chance to do a better job, to learn and grow as a mom.

We're Still Here!

2010-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well, last month was national novel writing month and I succeeded in writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. So, now I am returning to my long neglected blog in hopes of a continuing creative outlet. I apologize to those who have checked back here only to find that I haven't posted in an eon. Life has swept me away into the world of busy small people as my two boys continue to grow and develop so fast. I am still in shock as we enter the month of December that Isaac will be four and Elias will be two this month. The years fly by so quickly.
Of course, the months do not for me right now. As most of you know, I am expecting our third and final child, and I can honestly say this is the longest pregnancy in history! March is still a long, long ways away.
This morning I awoke to sugar-coated trees and that beautiful, snowy light in the early sky. I love mornings like this, they are mornings that make me miss being one of the first to arrive at Sunrise Lodge to open up the mountain. How I miss that quiet, snowy air before the lifts begin to run, before all the skiers and boarders show up in splashes of noise and color. It is difficult for me to get out into the snow these days. Any attempt requires about an hour of dressing and bundling small bodies, and my own not-so-small body just doesn't operate like normal, making balance on slick surfaces challenging. I look forward to Decembers in the future, early sugar-coated mornings when I can take my three children up to the mountain for a day of powder.

2010-03-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Early attempts at self-dressing gone wrong...

Psst, your Mom isn't looking, so let me lick
that ice cream off your face!

Hurray, the world is Eli's, he can get down the patio steps!

Fun with blankets!

Modeling the super cute sweater overalls I made for him.

Spring Is a Terrible Time To Get Serious...

2010-03-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, three days away from Spring, and I have to get serious about getting some things done? Are you kidding me? The sun is out, the river is calling...why on earth are taxes due in the beginning of April? Why do baby chicks have to be started in March? Why does the garden need to be planted? And why can't my sewing machine be on wheels so I could just roll it out to the patio every day? It needs a solar panel!
But seriously (?), I do have to get some things done. The school bus blueprints are in the works, we've pretty much established the layout, now we just have to really draw it up. The trailer is all torn apart, most of the important pieces we need are ready to go into the bus. So, maybe this weekend we will tape a layout on the floor of the bus and really see what it's going to be like. (Tight!) I'll try and get some pictures on here!
With the sun of spring I have my usual overwhelming urges to raft, raft, raft, and am really looking forward to the possibility of getting some work days on the river this summer. Now that Elias is gaining some independence from me (and my milk!) I might actually get to earn some money doing what I really love! Yay! Of course, don't get me wrong, I love sewing too, I just don't make much money doing it, and it would be pretty hard to do on a river. But, speaking of sewing, I am preparing to launch my new business! Wild Iris Threads, wild threads for wild kids. :) I am hoping to do more clothing and quilts and less diapers. Also hoping to break into the alterations and repair market around here.
But anyhow, enough about me...Isaac is starting to talk so much better, and I can't believe how huge he is. I worry that by next week he will be up to my eyeballs! It can be hard for him because he loves to interact with everyone he encounters and people always think he is like five, and expect him to be able to talk like a five-year-old. Same goes with other kids on the playground. But of course, he is only three, and has a lot of pronunciation issues to work on still. :) Poor guy, its not for lack of brains, that's for sure. I fear Isaac will be the kid who can't stay out of trouble simply because of boredom, because his brain works much faster than most! Elias is emerging more and more as a little ham. He keeps me laughing with his antics, "dancing", walking around with things on his head, going around and around till he tips over with dizziness, and his "silly walks." Just in time for the sunny weather, he figured out how to get down steps, so he has been given some measure of freedom in the back yard. (I still have to watch out that he doesn't pick up a handful of dog poo or start eating dirt, etc.) But its so nice to open up the french doors and just let the boys go while I try to get a thing or two done. Of course, I tend to just inch my way out those doors too!
It will be time to start feeling like a farm wife again soon. We had to do away with two of our hens so we are down to four. That means chicks, and the boys and I will probably go pick up a few in a week or two. And we will be doing some planting this weekend! I'm sure that will bring in some storms, with plenty of giant hail balls. :)
Well, I'd better get some pictures on here before Eli wakes up in dire need of breakfast...

Okay Okay, I admit, I'm a Slacker!

2010-01-26T07:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry all for being such a slacker and not posting to this blog again for so long. You have to understand that December is the busiest time of the year for the Stewy family and it takes January to recover. :) Elias had his first birthday, Isaac had his third (!?) birthday, we had Christmas at home and the boys and I had another Christmas in the valley. Of course, this month started with our anniversary and brought our lovely new niece, Lila, and snow! Finally its winter again! Before the snow, I got to go on a bike ride, lovely muddy single track out in the desert, for the first time in years! I actually got a tear in my eye driving out to the trailhead because it wasn't Bojo in the car with me, but Rocky will be a good mountain biking compantion too, once he learns all the cues and commands anyways. I only almost ran him over about six times. My sewing machine has been pretty quiet these days, so my bank account is lacking. I've got big plans for the business, but am still trying to come up with a new name and get labels made up to comply with the whole CPSIA lead law stuff. So, things are kind of on hold these days. But, things are starting to move on the ole 40 footer! We've measured it up and are working on our floorplans. Hoping to start framing it up within the next month and get the wiring and plumbing going. I will soon have pictures of the project to post! And I promise to get some pics posted of the boys soon too!

Enough is Enough...

2009-11-10T11:32:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I'm a big fan of excitement and adventure, but enough is enough. I'm ready for a snowy vacation, a hot (cold?) date with my skis, more snow, my skis...
So everything started with the 6:00 oclock news about a month ago. The headlines mentioned a double homicide in town, which is kind of rare around here, so I thought I'd watch the story. Well, it turns out, an old housemate a good friend who had sort of gone off the deep end a couple of years ago was now in jail, under arrest for the murder of two transients he had been camping with. Apparently, he had been living as a transient here for nearly a year! I'm just sick that this has happened, and while I haven't heard anything new, I can't believe he did this. I genuinely believe that he was not in his right mind, that he hasn't been for some time. Very sad!
A few days after that, we got the call that Trav's mom was in the hospital, likely with only a few hours left to live. So, we loaded up quickly and headed to Klamath to be with her and the family. That was a tough day, hard to lose her, but also glad to see her pain and suffering ended. She had put up an amazing fight against ovarian cancer for seven years, I think she had over sixty chemo treatments! She was a strong, strong woman. I'm so glad that her family was able to be there with her, holding her hands, she got to put a hand on her unborn granddaughter, before she left. I was sad for her and the family, and also it renewed sadness for the loss of my father, who refused to have his family with him at the end.
The following weekend we returned to the basin for Mary's memorial service and to spend time with family. It was a pretty healing time, really, I enjoyed seeing Trav's family pull together like I've never seen before. I couldn't help but feel that Mary would be so happy to see that too.
Upon our return home, I got the word my big sis was in labor. Finally, happy news! My nephew, Mathew, was born healthy and strong and perfect. Me and the boys headed over to the valley to meet him, but also to see Grandpa Honey, who was on his deathbed. More sad news. It was awesome to see baby Mathew, what a cutie! It was hard to see Grandpa, but I'm so glad I was able to see him one last time. He passed away a few days after. We will be heading back for his memorial service on the 20th, then heading to the Dalles that weekend to see Grandma and Grandpa Stewart.
We did get to come home with a puppy, which is a happy thing. He is half malamute, half springer spaniel, which is a bizarre mix. So far, he has been an angel for a seven month old puppy. I feel like I'm cheating, its been so easy! We got him from a malamute rescue, and I was so happy to find a rescue puppy!
Unfortunately, we also came home with the flu, and my battle with it is almost over but Isaac's just started last night with a 102 degree fever and aches and pains. Poor guy! Hopefully he beats it quickly, and hopefully Eli avoids it altogether since he's still getting mama's goods (the all natural innoculation.)
So, its been a way too busy month! I'm ready for the snow to fall, feet and feet of it, so we can just stay home and stop running around the state for a while.

Surprise!!

2009-10-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Look what happened this morning! Guess we will not be heading to the valley today!

Life on the Farm...

2009-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

Well, its fall, and cold, cold, cold! Had some gropple-ish snow today even! Our garden is all done for the year, we pulled all the green tomatoes and threw them into a brown bag in hopes of getting a few ripe ones, made salsa verde out of the wild tomatillos that have overtaken the yard, put the pumpkins out to look cute on the front patio, and frozen the last strawberry. Last week, Henrietta and Agness started crowing, proving once and for all they were in fact Henry and Auggie, so Trav did the sad deed and we've already eaten one of them. Life with chickens, I suppose. I wish that we could have kept one, the crowing was actually kind of nice. Now, we are down to only three hens, so I'll be starting a new batch next year for sure. Eggs any day!
We did not get to adopt our new friend on the coast. After leaving him in the pound for four days, not responding to phone calls, his owner showed up. But, we might adopt an amazingly beautiful malamute from a malamute rescue program. We're getting pretty excited about him, but don't know yet when we'll get to meet him. If we love him, he will come home just in time for lots of skiing!
Well I'm off to the valley tomorrow for my sister's baby shower. Yay, finally going to be an aunt in a week or two!! And then again in January! I've been waiting a long time to spoil my sisters' kids.
Wood cutting season has officially begun so the ole forty-footer will soon be rolling again. And then, we knuckle down and start designing and building our new home. It'll be a busy winter.

Hurray! At the Beach!

2009-09-06T07:57:00.001-07:00

Eli's carefully watching and learning how to play in the
world's greatest sandbox.

And sampling the sand. Think he likes it as much as dirt.

Yay, we love the beach! Its
only Eli's second time!

Splashing through puddles, good
coastal fun.

Maybe our new friend?

Well, me and the boys are at the coast, living it up, playing in the sand, and waiting on the rain. Our first day here, we went to the beach early and played in the sand and loaded up on some good treasures. On our way back from the beach to Grammie's house, we cruised past the dog shelter and looked at all the puppies outside in their pens, and I spotted a super cute one. I told Isaac maybe we'd swing by later and meet all the dogs, just for fun. (I know, bad idea.) Anyways, we headed up the steep, steep hill to visit with Great Girma and Girpa. All to brief of a visit there as the boys were both getting tired and antsy. When we got back into town and turned to go back to Grammie's house, Isaac started whining about the "puppy house" so we drove there. As soon as we walked in the door, the lady working there said, "are you looking for a dog?" I told her we had just lost our dog a few weeks ago and were just kind of curious to see who might be in her pens. She said, "I have just the dog for you!" Then she ran outside and came back in with the very dog I'd been admiring from the car earlier. Either she is psychic, or it was meant to be. So, yesterday we took him for a walk down to the port to try and get to know him a little, and then put a hold on him till today. So today is decision day. We love him, but part of me feels bad picking out a dog without Travis around, even though I don't really think he is too worried about that. Also, he's a very big dog, and is only about 9 months old, so he's going to be GINORMOUS, and will quite possibly eat us out of house and home. Plus, we might have to attach a horse trailer to the school bus just for him. :) But, I think I'm already sold. And he is much more affordable than dogs at the shelter at home, about half the price. So, if we adopt him today, he has to stay at the pound till Wed or Thurs. when we go home since there's just no room for him here at Grammie's house. That will be tough, but I think we can take him out to play with us during the day. Well, I'll know for sure this afternoon after we go back to the shelter to see him again.
Hoping to enjoy as much beach time as we can while here, and some KidCastle time, and some river time, and plan on coming home with buckets and buckets of berries (and maybe a dog).

Goodbye My Forever Friend...

2009-08-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Bojo the snowrunner

Bojo my shadow

Bojo the mountain bike racer

Bojo the longsuffering

Bojo the beach bum

Bojo the backpacker

Bojo the nonswimmer

Bojo the traveller

Bojo the ever-so-patient

Bojo of the mountains

Bojo the mountain climber

Bojo the rafter

Bojo the babysitter

No, I Didn't Forget the Pictures!

2009-08-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Perfection!

The First S'more moment.

The smoke and clouds, and if you look real close,
you can see the bomber in the picture too.

Forest fires always make such pretty sunsets.
The blurry spot above the clouds is the bomber.

All the smoke.

Bojo trying hard to beat the heat.
What a beach bum!

Ya, you won't see him in thid seat
when he's sixteen!

My little water baby!

Now I know what this silly opening
on this tent is for!

Wild and crazy lightning storms at home.

Summer's Whirling By...

2009-08-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, sorry for the long time no write again, I can't believe that it's August already! This summer has completely gotten away from me! So, what have we been up to? Well, let's see...
We headed off to Trav's hometown for the big hundred year celebration. It was great to see family, and friends, and we had fun wearing the boys out in the city park. Plus, an airplane dropped ping pong balls out of the sky on everyone, and how often do you get to see that happen?
The next weekend we were supposed to head to the Dalles for Trav's grandparent's 60th anniversary celebration (yay!) but Isaac woke up Saturday morning covered in suspicious red bumps. So, Trav went without me and the boys out of fear that we were harboring chicken pox in our midst.
Monday morning the boys and I climbed into ole Marmalade and headed south to go camping with my Mom and sister for a week, chicken pox unconfirmed. We had a blast camping, swimming every day, sleeping in our tent, making smores, getting bug bit till we all looked like we had chicken pox, etc. And, we had a big forest fire directly across the lake from our camp so the big bombers were flying right over our heads and the helicopters were dipping from the lake and dumping on the flames, it was quite the show! We came home dirty, bitten, sunburned, and happy. And my hopes of Isaac having the chicken pox fizzled along with all his weird bumps, they just faded away instead of turning into blisters, etc. So, who knows? Maybe a mosquito spent the night in our bedroom, feasting only on Isaac!
Since coming home we've been trying to re-organize ourselves into daily life. I'm working on my one and only diaper order, and also trying hard to get ready to have a booth at an upcoming community bazaar. Money is agonizingly tight for us right now, making ends meet gets harder each month, but me and the boys splurged yesterday and paid for a trip to the pool. Wow, that place is amazing! They've built this awesome play area for kids, its all pretty much 3ft deep and less, perfect for the boys. And Elias is proving himself to be quite the water boy! He can dunk his head, and I feel like if I just let go of him, he'd swim! Its so amazing to watch him in the water. Isaac is still pretty nervous, but he gets more confidant every time. And tonight, our neighbors surprised us by giving us a big 10ft wide pool that is about 20 inches deep. Perfect for these guys to learn to swim in! Hopefully I'll have these boys swimming in no time! (Ready for some whitewater action in a few years?!)
Our gardens are finally starting to produce, we ate a giant zuccini the other night and we've been feasting on peas in the pods for a week or two now. Yum! The chickens are fat and happy, but ready to move into a bigger, permanent home so that's the next big project. No eggs for another month or two, and right now I'm just hoping none of them start crowing in the next week or so. Hope they are all ladies, but two shes look suspiciously like hes! Henrietta and Agness might actually be Henry and Auggie. Yikes!
Well, that's it for now, more busy life ahead!

Hope Everyone Had a Fun Fourth!

2009-07-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Bojo looking hungrily for the next plastic toy he can eat.

Yay, Eli's first ride in Marmalade!

The view of the fireworks from our back door

Nature put on a show too, with lightning and
beautiful clouds to match any fireworks.

Eli's giant smile after his big brother smeared
dirt onto his head.

Can't believe another fourth of July has come and gone! We hung out at home to watch the fireworks this year since we have a great view from our back door. I love July 4th, think its my favorite holiday, along with New Year's I guess. Mostly its the noise, I love the big booms of the fireworks. But, I guess really even more than that its the nation-wide "block party" feel of the whole thing. Most people in America celebrate the fourth, and its so fun to see everyone come out of hiding and celebrate together. I love that, and I have had soooo many fun fourths over the years, whether I was way out in the woods or riding a bicycle around town through shooting firecrackers. I admit my love for the fourth of July has little to do with patriotism, its all about the party and the noise. :)
We are still busily trying to decide what to do with ourselves right now. Trav is still working, largely I think because his boss really doesn't want to lose him and so is making up odd jobs for him to do while waiting for new building jobs to start. I'm scrambling trying to find anything that doesn't require childcare, and trying to increase sales of my diapers. I'm getting excited to try a new community bazaar that has started up this month here in town, I'm planning to reserve a booth and see if I can get some sales out of it. We just have to see what happens from one day to the next. Many who know me know that that's how I normally live anyways, but its a bit stressful when there is a house involved. Its a challenge when you feel like you've really worked hard to invest in something that might be your only chance at financial stability in the future, only to face so many challenges to hang on to it. I've always been financially poor more or less (but rich in happiness), but now I really have a much greater understanding of what people experienced during the Depression and how that shaped their thinking about finances. Anyhow, enough about all that and onto something that always makes me smile!
We decided that it made a lot more sense for Travis to drive our 40 mpg car to and from work instead of his 17mpg pickup, so I got to drive good ole Marmie around today on my errands. For those of you who don't know, that's my first true love, my old orange VW bus, and few things make me happier than a cruise in the old gal. Plus, it was Eli's first drive in her! Of course, true to form, (she always lets me know that she's been feeling a bit neglected) we got done shopping at the grocery store and the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. This has happened before, and we had to replace the whole ignition. So, I called Trav who was at work an hour away, and he said he'd pack up and head our direction. Then, thinking like the old school VW driver that I am, I decided to firmly press my foot on the steering column at the floor (I know what you all are thinking, and no, it wasn't a kick!) and lo and behold, the key turned smooth as silk. Ah Marmie, always keeping me on my toes. I just can't hear the sound of that rumbling (purring?) VW engine without grinning from ear to ear.

Yes, We Are Still Here...

2009-06-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

A breakfast table game of peek-a-boo.

The boys all dressed up for my birthday

Eli doing some modeling for me, unleashing his wild side.

The two cutest little guys ever!

Sorry for the long-time-no-write folks. Busy as usual. Feels like summer has finally arrived, and I'm loving the sun and the heat. I would rather be lovin it on the river though! But, we're getting some good play time in and the boys are growing as fast as the garden and the chickens. Elias got his first tooth today and he has been sitting up really good for a while. He is really trying hard to scoot along, probably won't be long before he's roaming the house in four-wheel drive. Isaac is talking sooo much, although nearly impossible to understand by all but me. He surprises me every day with a new word, sentence, or by recognizing a new letter or telling me a memory from when he was "much younger."
We are trying hard to gather up the bits and pieces we need to start on the big bus project and are hoping to at least get a jump on it this summer. For now, the ole 40 footer is doing greenhouse duty though in our pathetic attempt to extend the unpredictable growing season around here. Hopefully we can not freeze our tomatoes this year.
Speaking of unpredictability, Trav's job is on shaky ground so we have started tentatively "job hunting" to test the waters out there. Things are getting a bit scary! Options on the table mostly involve leaving the house, which would be fine in another year perhaps, but we just aren't set up for that yet. So, its entirely possible that our young fam will be doing time apart for a while. We'll just have to wait and see, as always.

The Ghetto Chickens...

2009-06-09T20:32:00.001-07:00

Isaac helping Mommy and Daddy build the chicken tractor.
For those of you who don't know, a chicken tractor is a
portable chicken coop so you can let them eat away at
various parts of your yard (jungle?) and fertilize it too.

Happy bird in their summer house.

Oh Hail!

2009-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

The yard covered in hail. Note the chicken house hiding
behind the tree in the center of the picture.

Well, we spent last weekend building a "chicken tractor" for our ladies to spend the summer in, and they've been enjoying their days out there this week, and I've been enjoying having them out of the garage at least most of the time. Today was almost disastrous however as a crazy hail storm came along and I had to run out to the coop getting pelted by nickel sized hail stones to rescue the dumb birds. They didn't know to get into their house so they were all piled up at the end of the "tractor" trying to get shelter from the hail. I was able to scoop them all up and get them into their house without any of them escaping, and without getting struck by lightning. When the crazy down pour ended I went back out to get them and they were just happy as clams poking around in their straw bedding, no worse for the wear. Its supposed to continue with thunder storms and showers all week, so I hope they learn to get themselves into their house because I don't really want to repeat today's misadventure. Thankfully I think the garden survived the beating, except for the two cucumber starts I just put out yesterday. They ended up buried under a layer of ice. You gotta love spring in Oregon.

Back To The Woods...

2009-06-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

The view at the end of the trail after an afternoon of hiking.

Oh so good to be back in the woods!

An amazing root wad. This is as tall as a person!

As a native Oregonian, I find it kind of sad how excited I get over
big trees. But this old guy is impressive!

Unfortunately, this is what you find more often.

It was so nice to spend an afternoon hiking in the woods and it reminded me how easy it is to get out there. Since my car really does get nearly 40 miles to the gallon I've got no excuses for getting the boys out in the woods more often! Thanks Phil for the great idea, and thanks to you and Aunt "Hammie" for playing in the woods with us!

Aaah, Spring...

2009-05-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been busy around here playing in the spring weather. The herb box is planted, the main garden is half planted, with the smaller two ready to go, and the new baby chickens are happily pooping away in a box in the living room. Oh, and the back "forty" is a bright green jungle, although it gets less wild every year. The grass is really only getting tall around the school bus, which reminds me of one of my favorite songs..."under my wheels baby, the grass is growing..." Anyways, as usual for this time of year I feel the need to hit the road or the river, and we had hoped to be on the John Day this weekend but didn't have the funds. However, after Travis agreed to loan our raft and gear to a friend without thinking, I made him go along on the trip to make sure our raft made it home in one piece so he is gone for the weekend. Grrr! I need river time! But, today I really enjoyed just playing with the boys, not trying to get any work done, just cherishing the time I have with them while they are small. At least I can take them to the river bank. :)

2009-05-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

The newest members of our "flock."

Whoa, grass!

Good Ole Bojo, as handsome as ever

Mothers Day in the park with my boys.

One worn out little guy after helping Daddy in the yard.

2009-05-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Brother Snuggles

Isaac's first ride on his own wheels. He's pretty
much ready to tear up the single track.

Eli thinks he is too.

At least he's always such a stylie dresser!

Isaac can't wait till Eli is big enough to be
pulled around in the red wagon!

Rocks, Dirt, Diapers, and Peeing In Strange Places...

2009-05-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know that its really cool to be able to pee standing up and its pretty neat to be able to somewhat discreetly pee while in strange places, and admittedly I have gone pee in my share of strange places, but I am really not okay with my two year old peeing all over my yard in full view of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Isaac has decided he must do repeatedly, multiple times a day. (Hanging around Bojo too much? Or might it be Daddy's influence, eh?) Let me tell you, its really hard to keep a straight face every time I catch him out there with his pants down, looking so impressed with his newfound ability. I have to holler at him, then quickly run inside where he can't see me and laugh, then run back out and yell at him so more. What I'm trying to figure out is how to explain to him that it is okay to pee outside when we are in the woods, camping, hiking, etc, but that it isn't okay in the yard. Talk about a mixed message!
Well, we've been busy as ever doing things other than chasing naked Isaac around the yard. Travis is building a patio in our back yard, so the rotting, spider infested porch is gone! Yay! He's been pounding on rocks for a couple of weeks now, and so far, the project is looking good.
I've done a little bit of playing in the dirt, getting ready to start planting the garden. We've expanded it this year, and hope to get lots of yummy goodies out of it. Diaper orders were quiet for a while, but have picked up again, so I'm busy with that, although the boys aren't giving me much time for sewing. With Eli, we've kind of reached that tiresome stage between ages four months and eight months when he doesn't take long naps and he can't really play by himself much yet since he isn't mobile, so really I only have a few minutes here and there until the boys are in bed. But, I'm glad business is steady. I'm hoping to work through as much of my materials as I can before August, when the lead-law labeling requirements kick in that might be the end of my young business.
The sun has been out and we are getting excited for bicycling again. Isaac had his first "ride" on his Christmas bike the other day, and he loves it of course. Eli is just about ready for sitting in the rear seat for short rides, so I'm drooling over my bikes, anticipating lots of good rides. Can't wait for the exercise!
Well, sorry for slacking on the posts lately, and I must warn of another dry spell to come since I'll be busy with the latest batch of orders, but I will do my best! And, hey there Cindi, glad to hear from ya!

The first and Last Ski Trip of the Year

2009-04-26T10:53:00.001-07:00

Isaac is a natural!

2009-04-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yay, the freedom of the backyard! Yay for spring!

All the boys movin' rocks. Yes, even Eli is in there.

Hours of fun in big boxes!

Eli's really getting into playing with toys, and grabs onto things really well.

Enjoyin' a nice evening.

2009-04-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

Eli's first stroller ride! He's thoroughly impressed.

Sportin' the old school dipes! And oh my, those stripes!

Drum session inspired by a cd sent to Isaac from a good friend.

Helpin' direct Daddy in with the travel trailer.

Aahhh, playin' together!

What We've Been Up To...

2009-03-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Good bye Dad

Home sweet sandy home...

One big giant sandbox!

but you gotta run to stay warm!

Or snuggle close, that works too!

Well, all kinds of happenin's around these parts. A couple of weeks ago the boys and I headed home to the coast for a visit. The trip had two main objectives, other than the obvious of visiting my Mom and Grandparents, taxes and laying my father to rest. All objectives were accomplished, yay! My Grandparents, mother, two sisters, Isaac, Eli and I all walked out to the river bank and sent my Dad on his way to the ocean, and said the goodbyes he wouldn't allow us to say before he died. It was one of those rare days where the weather was nicer in town, at the beach, and it rained and hailed on us, which was fitting since I don't think I've been to a funeral that wasn't rained on. I was glad we were all able to be there, together, missing only my aunts to round out the family of women who have all been so hurt by him, yet still loved him to the end. Dad had that effect.
While at the coast, it was great to see Mom and Girma and Girpa, and my sisters. Eli rolled over for the first real time at Girma's! We squeezed in a quick trip to the beach, but since it was Eli's first and he's pretty small for understanding that you take the Oregon coast any way you can get it, we decided to spare him the freezing winds after about ten minutes. Its always so nice to be home, and I cherish these times more and more as slowly my family tears up roots and leaves the small town where I grew up.
Me and the boys had a day and a half at home before hitting the road again for a visit to Trav's hometown. Again it was nice to visit family, and let everyone meet and cuddle Eli. It was just for a weekend though, which always feels like such a quick, rushed trip.
At home, I've been as busy as always with diaper orders and getting my tiny Etsy.com shop up and running. Of course, Isaac and Eli are keeping me busier than anything else, mostly because they are so much fun its hard to tear myself away! :)
We found our travel trailer, so we've got most of the things we need now for outfitting our "skoolie" and so now we've got to start designing the blueprints, so to speak. The yard is looking pretty full with the flatbed trailer, the travel trailer, the school bus, and Trav's coworker's truck that's been parked in our yard for years. But, he sold that truck, so down one! Hee hee.
Well, anyhow, sorry to bore with the long rambling post. Good night all!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

2009-03-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well, It Didn't Last...

2009-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Winter came to visit for a couple of days, then left again, then came back for a teaser a couple of nights ago. Now its just rainy and balmy. Yuck. And speaking of yuck, once again we've been invaded by illness, Isaac has had a fever the past few days, which is another way of saying that Isaac has been extremely clingy the past few days. Add to that, my baby swing broke, so Elias only sleeps I'm "wearing" him in the carrier or sleeping next to him in bed, and my own struggles with a cold, it has been an incredibly trying and exhausting few days. Oh ya, and Travis has been gone most of the time too. He's been skiing, sweat-lodging, and helping our friends paint the interior of their house. So, I have not gotten much done, I'm truly amazed at the extent of filth you learn to live with under these circumstances as it piles up in my house. Top all of that off with this crazy customer I just can't make happy with diapers (why doesn't she just buy from someone else?) and I'm wondering how much longer I have before the white van with padded walls shows up for me. I'm actually looking forward to the scattering of my Dad's ashes this weekend as a vacation (Thanks, Dad) rather than dreading it as a difficult, sad time. At least I get to see family, have some brain-rest while aunts entertain the monkeys, and sleep to the sound of the ocean! Speaking of sleep, if I can shut out the sound of poor stuffed-up Isaac's snoring, that's what I'm going to do now too!

Winter Has Come Back!!!

2009-02-17T17:39:00.001-08:00

Some back yard visitors return, along with the snow...

Just in time for WinterFest!

The Incredible Stewy Brothers...

2009-02-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

Box O' Cuties

Sesame Street still has the power!

Bet you can't see me! (Posted by Isaac)

Readin' to myself (posted by Isaac)

What a winning smile!

Here's a few pictures of the boys, more on the way...

Long Nights...

2009-02-09T18:50:00.001-08:00

Ok, sorry no pictures this time because I've been slacking on getting them uploaded to my computer, but I will get some pictures up soon! Elias has grown soooo much, he doesn't look like an almost two-month-old at all. A diaper customer came by and saw him the other day and was shocked, she said he's about as big as her eight-month girl! Ha.
Well, Isaac caught a cold again this past week, then Travis came home sick one day from work, and what do you know, Eli got sick too. Poor little guy, two times in two months of living. So, we had some pretty sleepless nights over the weekend with Eli screaming his displeasure at us. He gave us a reprieve last night though, and let us sleep most of the night, and no screaming. Whew! I'm hoping that the storm has passed and sleeping returns to normal because Eli is usually really awesome during the night.
We had exciting news last week, our good friends had their baby, a little boy, in a motel room! Pretty funny. They had planned on a home birth, and ended up staying in a motel room due to a fire in their garage, and of course, she went into labor and had a beautiful, healthy boy early in the morning, without too much difficulty. Yay!! Their middle daughter is Isaac's age, now their baby is Eli's age, so that's fun.
Anyhow, I'm just staying busy right now with diaper orders and two little monsters, and some meager attempts at house cleaning. (I've learned to live with disaster somewhat.) So, I've been slacking on the picture updates. One of these nights!
Oh ya, and thanks Phil, I did mean Feb of 2010 for the stupid lead law, but seriously, can you believe that next year is really 2010?!

A Temporary Stay of Execution!!

2009-02-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Yay, Rumpty Dumpty Diapers is safe for a year, at least!! The implementation of the lead testing and certification requirements of the new law has been postponed till Feb 09!! Hooray!

My Giants...

2009-01-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

All My Boys.

Storytime with Daddy

A cold walk by the river

Letting the animals out!

Wow, Eli is getting HUGE!! The day before yesterday he weighed in at 11lbs, 10oz's!! He is growing so unbelievably fast, not that I should be all that shocked, Isaac was no different. Isaac surprised us all by weighing in under 40lbs at 36lbs, 8oz's. Thought he was heavier than that! He is over 36" tall though, and still has a giant wrecking ball of a head. Eli is starting to attempt smiles, and it is really cute. Its like he hasn't quite got it yet, so he almost looks like he's grimacing. I'm loving it! He doesn't seem too interested in eye contact though, which is worrisome since they always tell you that's an early warning sign of autism. So, of course, I'm constantly trying to get him to look me in the eye. I'm sure its nothing, but its hard not to worry, guess that's just being a mom.
Well, no real new news on the dumb law, but there is some hope that children's items made from fabrics will be exempt from the law since hundreds of different types of fabrics have been tested and not a single one showed a trace of lead. So, that's good. I'm still trying to just get the word out to people about this law and what its going to do in hopes that they will write to our legislators. I sent a letter into one of the local papers and they published it as the letter of the week which was great because that puts it in a big gray box where hopefully everyone will read it! It seems as though I can at least safely continue to operate until August without any changes to the law, so at least maybe I can work through and sell all of my fabrics, anyways. Thats helpful.

Bedtime Adventures...

2009-01-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Giddyup Bojo!

Ok, no one told me this was part of the deal!
I thought we only tortured Bojo around here.
(posted by Eli)

Nights like last night make me wonder how I will ever get through the next two years. Isaac has determined that Daddy can't put him to bed, (basically because whenever Daddy tries, he falls asleep before Isaac, so then Isaac jumps out of bed and comes running back out of his room with delight, pleased with himself for having won.) So, Eli and I have been laying down with Isaac to read him to sleep, but the past two nights, Eli has fallen asleep in Isaac's bed, and then when I move him, he wakes up and refuses to go back to sleep in our bed. (Don't want to leave him in Isaac's bed just yet, he's still a little crushable!) So, last night, just as Eli and I were making our escape from Isaac's bed, Isaac woke up, and then began the adventures. I tried to get Isaac to just go to sleep after I tucked him in and said goodnight, but he wasn't having it so I laid Eli down with Travis and sat with Isaac, but Eli started screaming and I knew Isaac wasn't going to sleep with that noise. So, I tried trading Trav places so I could get Eli back to sleep, and Isaac launched one of his King Kong sized tantrums (haven't had one of those for a LONG time) and he screamed and sobbed for a good half hour. Eli drifted into a light sleep finally, so, I traded Trav places again and tried laying down with Isaac. He wasn't in a hurry to go to sleep after all that of course, and guess what? Eli started screaming again. AAAARRRGGGH! I'm about to melt into tears at this point! So, I drag Isaac out of his bed and toss him into the crib next to our bed, and of course, everyone is asleep within ten minutes. All I can do in moments like these is think of all the attachment parenting stuff I've read and heard, its hard in the first few years but all that extra work makes it easier in the long run when your kids grow older, secure, loved, trusting, and well-adjusted. And I remind myself that most of the time its not this hard, and Thank God it really does get easier pretty quickly!

Need an Entertaining Toy For Your Kids? Here's a Link!

2009-01-21T10:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a funny (but not really so funny) link for anyone interested. Expresses my frustrations pretty well. http://www.etsy. com/view_ listing.php? listing_id= 19984444

Well, I'm trying hard to learn how to accomplish all the things that need doing every day while running after these two kids. Every day is generally just more chaos, but things are slowly getting done. :) Diaper orders will undoubtedly take about three times longer than normal!

Hurray! No More Bush!!

2009-01-20T11:45:00.001-08:00

This morning I hugged my two boys and watched President Obama take the oath and cheered. I can't deny losing a lot of faith in our country over the years, not just our government but the people who have allowed so many things to happen without raising any concern. I admit that I'm not out on street corners protesting and am guilty instead of just sitting around complaining too. I want my boys to grow up in a world different from that which is currently surrounding us, and while I don't believe our new President can make everything all better, I genuinely feel that his election has brought new hope and energy to the people of this country, and maybe rooting out some apathy will make many things better. While I wouldn't want to fight the crowds, I do wish I could have stood there on the mall to see all those people's faces in person, to feel all that energy! Wow!
I really liked the line in Obama's speech about not exchanging ideals for fear! How many freedoms are we giving up constantly out of fear. Particularly right now I'm thinking about our new "lead law" taking away my freedoms not only to produce and sell diapers but also to buy products made by other small American businesses. Of course, that is heavy on my mind these days! Especially today as I look at our budget again and wonder how we will continue making ends meet without the added income. But, I'm trying to stay positive, knowing there have been some rays of hope for change on this law in the past week or two, and I have hope the new administration will listen to all the people crying out for a revision.
We are feeling pretty motivated right now to search out an old RV to tear apart for parts for our bus. Travis was fortunate enough to meet a guy on a job who is in the process of converting a school bus, and he went to their place to check it out this weekend. I was sad not to go, but my sisters and brother-in-law were here this weekend, for only a short time, so I stayed to visit while I had the chance. Hope to see the bus another time, to see how they are laying their's out. I sit at this computer every day looking out the back door at the bus, just sitting there waiting, my hope for the future. I know, most of you probably think that is really weird, but many of you know that I don't like sitting still for long, and I'm ready to get back on the road! And, I'm ready to stop feeling so strapped down that we don't have any time or money to play together as a family. That 40 foot yellow giant, to me, is our ticket to freedom!
That was a lot of rambling, sorry about that. I promise to get some new pictures posted of the boys soon! Hope you are all doing well, and thanks for all the comments, btw, I love hearing from y'all. Happy Inauguration Day!

Aaargh! This Law is Making Me Crazy!!!

2009-01-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

OK, I know I mentioned this already, but I've got to vent a little bit. This CPSIA law is making me want to pull my hair out. Here I've gotten four orders for diapers already after starting back to work after my "maternity leave", my business has so much potential to really go somewhere this year, and I'm facing the likely possibility of having to shut down because of this law. And what's so aggravating to me is that things like childrens' toothbrushes are exempt from the lead law even though they are made with plastic (where the problem all started) but cloth diapers made with known lead-free materials are not exempt. Also, I know I'm not alone in this frustration, so many work-at-home moms are facing the same problem. I feel like this should be like if the government takes your property they have to reimburse you fair value, well, they should have to reimburse me for all the fabrics I won't be able to make into diapers as well as pay my small business debt off too if this law shuts me down. I hate to think about all the people relying on the income from their crafts having to give it up. Who among us can afford that right now? AAAARRRGH!

My Son, the Pig...

2009-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Well, Eli had his first dr app't yesterday, and all went well. Everyone was very impressed with his growth. What can I say, I grow big boys, and they don't waste any time about it! The doctor said Eli is a pig, and he probably overeats, causing all his spitting up through his nose and his gas pains. I'm sure he is right about the pig part, the kid certainly can eat! Pretty sure both boys get the "eat until we can't possibly fit another drop in" style from their daddy. Funny how I'm the one packing the extra pounds! Anyhow, Eli weighed in at a whopping 10lbs, 6 oz (that's a huge gain for three weeks!), and his height was 21 and 5/8 inches, and his head was 15 and 1/4" around. (Isaac weighed 9lbs, 2 oz's, was 21 and 3/4" long, and his head was 15 and 1/2" around at birth!)
Its still feeling like summer out there! Geez!

"S'not" Summer?

2009-01-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

Can't get enough of those fabulous faces Eli makes in his sleep! Also, I love how he looks like Isaac when he's asleep but totally different when he's awake. :)

The Snot Brothers

Well, our home has been invaded by a molten-snot causing bug that has got us all! Poor Elias getting sick so soon! And oh the joy of two uncontrollably snotty noses! How I am enjoying wiping one, and snot-sucking the other with a bulb, its like a party around here. Thank goodness adult men know how to blow their own noses! And, woohoo, Isaac finally kind of learned how to blow his today!

Eli has his first doctor's appt tomorrow, and I'm glad because of his getting sick. Will be nice to have him checked up on. He had a rough night two nights ago, we almost took him in to the ER around 4:00 am, but then we discovered that we can call our pediatrician's office anytime and someone answers and has a triage nurse call you back! Wow, wish someone would have told us that two years ago! But hey, I guess you never know it all as a parent, right?

It was a gorgious day today, felt like summer, but its "s'not" and I can't get excited about the sun, because I haven't even skied yet this winter. And that, my friends, is a terrible tragedy! So, while I don't wish anymore flooding on anyone, please sunshine, just go away and let it snow, snow, snow!!

Kid Chaos...

2009-01-07T11:03:00.001-08:00

Can you believe my mom actually dressed me like this? (posted by Eli)

So, all you moms out there who did this more than twice, I admire you're courage! I can't really imagine how I will ever get any diapers made with these two boys keeping me busy! Isaac's got a few new tricks up his sleeve these days, including hitting and kicking Eli (super fabulous) and sneaking into our bed every single night around 2:00 am. Last night I got him back to sleep in his own bed twice, and he still came sneaking in! He's figured out that if he doesn't make any sound when he wakes up in his room he can sneak into ours without me getting up to intercept him. Thankfully, we have the crib in our room and I've gotten him to just crawl into there for the rest of the night. Squeezing four into our bed was tight! :) Thankfully, he is still doing excellent with the potty, no more accidents since the first day Eli came home.
Well, its still raining off and on here, yuck! I'm hoping for lots more snow so we can have a long spring ski season. Isaac needs to get on his skis more! (Yep, those are skis he's wearing a few pics back, its never too soon to start!) I'm so ready to get back on mine! Of course, we are too poor for tickets to any of the mountains right now, so it will all be cross country skiing or hiking, but that's okay with me! I just can't wait to do anything in the mountains! Of course, I have to actually get brave enough to leave the house with these two first! Haven't attempted that on my own yet. It just seems like too much! Don't know how you moms with 3+ kids ever go anywhere!
Just a quick note for all you parents out there, a new law has passed and takes effect in February that has to do with the safety of child products. Unfortunately, this law will result in the closing of most second-hand children's shops because it is retroactive, so these shops will either have to test every piece of inventory they have in their shops for lead and other substances, or throw the products away! So, most shops are just planning to close up in February. I don't know about y'all, but I can't afford to buy everything new for my kids, I need these shops! (This includes thrift stores too, btw) And, I don't want to see all that good stuff headed for the landfill! Also, this law might shut me down, as well as all the other work-at-home-moms out there who make diapers and other childrens' products. So, if you feel so inclined, please email your congressmen/senators to change the way this law is written! I can email a link for a form letter if you want. Thanks!

2009-01-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Hope that yours is a full of fun as I know ours will be. How could it not be with these two cuties? How many adventures can we squeeze into the next 362 days? I'm hoping for lots!

Eli would like to point out that he is rapidly approaching the grand old age of one month! He is finally starting to noticeably grow and put on weight, so maybe clothes will finally start fitting him! :)

Isaac would like to remind everyone that he is now officially a "terrible two-year-old" so he gets to cause lots of trouble. We had a great time celebrating his birthday, its handy when kids are young and you get to pick their friends! Isaac got a camera for his birthday, so I'm sure I'll have a few fabulous pics taken by him to post soon. That's pretty fun!

Its been raining off and on here, so all the pretty snow has been washed away and turned into mud. Hopefully we get a new pounding soon! Of course, I'm glad we aren't flooding, and I feel for those who are! (Hope you're still staying dry, Em!)

Well, that's it for now. Have fun!

Some Christmas Wishes...

2008-12-24T16:52:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all...

May yours be as white and joyful as ours...

full of peace and brotherly love...

and to all a good night!!!

Yay, Everyone Is Home!!!

2008-12-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Eli was finally discharged from the hospital this afternoon around 1:00, and we drove him home in the beginnings of another snow storm, maybe the one he was waiting for inside me! We are all pretty excited, but wiped out too. We're all enjoying holding him and loving on him, and resting up. Now we will have to start thinking about Christmas again, and Isaac's birthday, both of which I can't believe are pretty much already upon us! Yet another December lost in a whirlwind! Travis and I have such an amazing record going of messing up the holidays, so I think that next year we will give everyone a break and just take a family ski trip. :)
How happy I am to have my boys together finally! Isaac was pretty excited to be able to touch Eli, and only had a few moments of sibling rivalry, including his first potty accident in about a month!

Two years ago, this picture was us introducing Isaac to Bojo. How blessed we feel now to have two beautiful and healthy boys, home for Christmas. I think Bojo would say that its way too much of a blessing though, poor old guy. I'm sure he can give Isaac some advice, :)

Loading up to leave the hospital,

Here he is, tube free at last!

Eli's Got A Reason To Smile!

2008-12-19T17:46:00.001-08:00

This morning, Eli came off oxygen and had a great day of snuggling with me and breathing great. So, the doctor is having him moved to a regular room and Travis and I get to spend the night with him, monitor free (yay, no beep) and then, even more exciting, bring him home tomorrow!!! Poor guy, he doubled his brother's record in the NICU, tomorrow is day ten. I can't begin to describe how relieved I am to have this over with, feels like I'm emerging from a coma! Hopefully I'll have some better pics of Eli soon, home with his family!

2008-12-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

Here's the best face shot yet, still obscured by his oxygen tube and feeding tube.

With big brother Isaac, who has no idea what's really going on yet. Pretty hard to explain that this is our baby when he never comes home.

Wearing the "shades" for the phototherapy lights. He really looks like Isaac here. Its hard to see in the pics, but Eli has dark hair, pretty funny to see that after blond bald Isaac!

Here we are in the OR before all the troubles began. The only peaceful moment we got together.

Elias' Ongoing Saga...

2008-12-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Well, Elias Jackson Stewart was delivered (removed from me) at 12:37 pm December 10th, the surgery went well and he was out and screaming pretty quick. Travis and I got to hang with him for a little while in the OR while the doctors were sewing me up, and then Travis and Eli left for our room. I got back there not long after, only to discover that Eli was having trouble breathing. About 20 minutes later, my worst fear was realized when he was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (nicu). Today is the 17th, one week later, and he is still there. I was sent home on Sunday, the doctors kept me as long as they could in spite of my quick recovery, hoping Eli would be ready to come home too. But, right now we have no idea how long he will be in there. I don't think I will write much right now about all this, it is without a doubt the hardest most stressful thing I've ever experienced. When Isaac was in the nicu, that was almost as hard, but this is worse for two reasons, one, if I sit at the hospital all the time with Eli, I feel like I'm neglecting Isaac, two, when I leave the hospital, I don't have my baby in my arms. I'm leaving him behind with strangers night after night. And poor Isaac, what an introduction to big brotherhood. Anyhow, I'm sure y'all want to know why Eli is in the nicu. It took several days for the doctors to really agree on what was going on with him, but from the beginning it seemed apparent that his lungs had not matured properly. Within a short time of birth, he blew enough of a hole in his left lung to leak air into his chest, causing what's called a neumothorax. This became the immediate concern but was pretty quickly resolved by removing the air with a big needle so he didn't need a chest tube. However, with his lungs not quite developed, he still had to be on oxygen but since the neumothorax was a concern, that oxygen couldn't be forced into him with any pressure, so he ended up under this big bubble for his head. He was under that for at least two days and we couldn't hold him, or really even see his face much. Then he came out of that and we got to hold him for a day, then he had to go under the phototherapy lights to prevent jaundice for two days, so we didn't get to hold him much, or see his eyes much. He got to start nursing, only a couple of times a day, two days ago, and that is going to be a challenge, for both of us, after such a late start. But, I'm determined so I know once he's home it will get easy. Yesterday, he came off his IV, and today he is weaned down really close to being off oxygen. But, the doctor and all the nurses talk like he's going to be in there till next year it seems. That's how I feel anyways. We have no idea at this point when he will be home. All we can do is put everything on hold, live an insane schedule of home, work, hospital, and pray and hope we have our baby home soon.
I apologize, especially to Grandma and Great-Grandmas (that would be Isaac and Eli's) for not calling or updating more often! I've been at the hospital most of the time most days, and right now its tough to call people because I get so emotional trying to talk about all this. Please bear with my slacking!

Baby Tomorrow...

2008-12-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Well, looks like noon tomorrow I go on the table, unless labor starts tonight. So, one way or another, we will have the baby tomorrow. I will be in the hospital for a couple of days, I'm sure, so if you want to know all the details on the baby either call me or Travis, or wait till I post next! Until then...

Big news...

2008-12-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Well, my doctor called this evening and said my lab work shows preeclampsia so he offered a pitocin-induced VBAC or a c section. I'm pretty opposed to pitocin under any circumstances, but especially in a VBAC attempt (those extra strong contractions could easily tear a uterus) so c section it is, unless I go into labor before we're scheduled. We could have done it tomorrow am at 7:30, but that was a little too rushed for us so tomorrow I will find out in the morning when the big moment will be, and will let everyone know. Its looking like either sometime Wednesday afternoon, or Thursday. I'm pretty sad to give up the VBAC hope, but above all else I don't want baby ending up in the NICU like Isaac did, don't need a repeat of that trauma! With any luck, baby will just throw a monkey wrench in the plans and arrive naturally tomorrow!

Long day...

2008-12-07T18:28:00.001-08:00

Whew, its felt like a long day today, but not because I'm in labor. That's why its felt long, I guess. The last time I was in labor, 40 hours flew by. :) So, no baby yet folks. Its probably waiting for snow too.

Hurray for the Parade...

2008-12-06T15:48:00.001-08:00

We went downtown to the Christmas Parade today, that was fun, and I'm glad to say that it is still called a Christmas parade, not a holiday parade. I thought the walk would put me into labor, but so far no luck. Isaac was so cute, its so much fun to watch him get into things like the parade now that he can, he even got to run out into the street to hug a duck, but once he got there he wasnt' too sure about that. :) It was a good time, and what a beautiful day! I guess if we aren't going to get snow, might as well be soaking up the sunshine!

Waiting....

2008-12-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, the calls are starting to come in, reminding me that I'm not the only one waiting anxiously on this baby, so I'll try to update daily. Shouldn't be too hard since all I've been doing lately is sitting around, sleeping, napping, and puttering. Still no news to report today though, just turned in my two big jugs full of pee for the lab to test (I had to collect all my urine for 24 hours, that was pretty neat.) and get to have more blood sucked out of me tomorrow. My usual doctor is out of town for the weekend so a doctor I've not met is checking the results of all my fluids, and I imagine he kind of gets to make the call as to whether we keep waiting or everyone panics and I end up on the table. At this point, all I can do is think of the day when I'm home with baby in my arms, and I don't have to see another doctor for a while. Its ironic that I've seen the doctor more times for something so natural than I think I've ever done in my whole lifetime. I'm pretty over it! Well, enough of all that, y'all will know right away when I know. :)
Here's something funny, yesterday I had an early morning doctor's app't, and we've been struggling with starting the car anyways, but especially when its cold, so of course it was freezing early in the am so I fired up trusty ole Marmalade (the VW bus if you didn't know her name) and discovered that my belly is almost too big for me to fit behind the steering wheel! Its a good thing it's a pretty straight shot to the doctor's office since I could barely turn the steering wheel! Hee hee.

Quick Baby Update...

2008-12-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well, so far it looks like we are off the hook for a scheduled c section this weekend so we are still just waiting for labor to start naturally. Had an app't today and blood pressure was fine, all the bloodwork from two days ago looked fine, and baby seems to be doing just fine too. So, unless the doctors don't like the results of my various pee tests I've done this week, we get to just keep waiting.

2008-12-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

2008-12-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

December is finally upon us, and there is still no snow in the hills. As usual, if it snows early in October, we don't see much of the white stuff again till January. For me, this is kind of a good thing, as much as I feel like a kid on Christmas morning every time I hear big snow reports or wake up to find a layer outside. If the snow holds off for just a bit longer, it makes the travelling for my Mom much easier, and she is kind of the designated babysitter for Isaac while Trav and I are at our favorite place having a baby. So, I kind of need her to get here as quick as she can, and she's a coastie so snow driving is pretty unfamiliar to her.
My blood pressure was up at my app't yesterday and so we all kind of freaked out a bit thinking the doctor was going to order a c section this weekend. So far, he's saying its ok, so we are still just waiting for baby to decide to come on out. I'm holding out hope that baby will make his/her move this Friday!
Isaac has had the giant momentous occasion of going poo in his potty! That has been the most exciting thing of the week around here! Now I'm just trying to get him to repeat the performance because he has also had three or four accidents in his undies to go along with the one success. :) But, yesterday he went all day without wearing a diaper, that's a first, and I'm sooo happy! Couldn't help but brag, and yes, these are the things that moms get really excited about.
Well, here's to just a bit of snow, enough to get the mountain open and the skiers shopping!

The Woodpile and The Belly

2008-11-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of pics, Trav needed to show off the GIANT woodpile we have this year, at least twice the size of normal, all thanks to his hard work and the 40-foot yellow wood-hauling vehicle we now own. He worked hard cutting all this, plus four other cords that he sold! And, here is an attempt at a belly-profile shot for all of you who wanted to see how giant I am. I wasn't kidding. :)

2008-11-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

Countdown Agony

2008-11-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

Ugh, the last few weeks of pregnancy are the worst! Giant belly, everything hurts, no comfortable position to be found anywhere, waking up to contractions thinking, is this it finally?, and waiting, waiting, waiting. Funny how I just did all this two years ago and have already forgotten what the final weeks are really like. I think Baby is getting impatient too, he/she wants to get out and play with big brother Isaac. Who can blame him/her, he is awfully fun to play with! That is one nice thing about these final weeks, I'm more or less on "maternity leave" from diaper making and have had quite a bit of time to just hang out and play with Isaac. The weather has been unusually warm so we've been out and about a fair bit. Isaac's big news these days is learning to use the potty, which is going amazingly well (warning, sales pitch...cloth diapers are awesome! They make potty-training sooo easy!). He only wears a diaper to go poo and at bedtime now, and for long outings, and has had very few accidents. I hope his good pottying continues after the massive disruption of baby's arrival!
Well, I just had to whine a bit about being gigantic and brag a bit about Isaac, so that's it for now!

So Why the Blog?

2008-11-27T17:27:00.001-08:00

Well, here we are, days away from the long-awaited arrival of our newest member of the family, and waiting for our Thanksgiving dinner to finish up in the oven. I've decided to start a blog to keep everyone updated on the new baby (Iris or Elias?) and Isaac, who is fast approaching the grand old age of two. Lucky kid gets a sibling for his birthday and Christmas! Also, this will come in handy down the road when we've uprooted and become mobile once again to keep everyone posted on where we are. Right now, of course, the old Stewy school bus is still being used as a wood-hauler, but I'll be sure to keep y'all updated on its transformation into our future home once that fun process begins.
Hope everyone has had a fabulous Turkey day, wish we could have been with all of you, but we'll save the visitin' until we are a family of four.

2008-11-27T17:20:00.000-08:00