Two, much!

As June 6th, 2012 nears, it is apparent in more ways than one, that Lily is almost two years old. She's revealed that she is fairly adept at hoisting herself out of her crib. Yikes. It's too early for a toddler bed, I mean, we would have to strap her down in order to keep her in bed (and that's not allowed,is it?). Also, the tantrums have reared their ugly head. We're doing our best to try not to acquiesce her demands (i.e Dora, ice cream cones, etc) but are only human and sometimes we cave under the sheer force of her toddler will. I know, two steps forward, three steps back. We're all a work in progress over here. 


Don't get me wrong, we are enjoying all moments, great, small, joyful and difficult and this comes with the territory. It's just that at present it's all new territory that we're navigating. On the upside of TWO, we are all working together to get ready for her second birthday party which will be carousel themed this year. This idea was born simply of her love of carousels. 

Allow me to introduce Exhibit A

Lily's love affair with fiberglass horses began at the carousel at the Woodland Park Zoo. Chris and I had taken her for a ride and when the carousel came to a stop, Lily decided she'd prefer to stay on and ride 3 more times. Such a jockey. And when those four rides came to a conclusion, the screaming began (we're working on this, don't judge). It's just because she's (clearly) very passionate about riding horses. However, when visiting our friend Allie and her new horse, Luna, Lily politely declined to sit nicely on Luna's back, for a photo. Here's the proof. Apparently it's just the inanimate horses that do it for her.

"Nooo! I only ride horses with PINK manes, PINK!"

Regardless, we have decided that Lily will appreciate the carousel theme. It has become a sort of tradition that my mother and I plan Lily's parties and so far, my parents have hosted them at their house because it really lends itself to entertaining. We have vivid imaginations and ideas and this tends to manifest itself in the parties we plan for Lily. It is fun and definitely a labor of love, but also exhausting. This year as a splurge, we've decided to hire local photographer, Julie Harmsen to capture Lily in all her sugared up, two year old, glory so that years down the road, we'll still have the beautiful photos to remind us of the lovely way we celebrated Lily's milestones. Julie is one of those incredible photographers that exacts the perfect shot, the one that you yourself try to hold frozen in memory forever. She has an impeccable eye and we're so excited to see what beautiful moments she will catch from behind her lens. 

Lily, we've come a long way baby, and you're only two. We can't wait for all the adventures that lay ahead and we're blessed and thankful for all the joy you have already brought to our lives. The fact that you are now starting to talk up a storm is also exciting. You can actually say TWO, but it's still lost on you that TWO is the milestone we'll be celebrating in a few weeks. We can't wait, this party if going to be TWO MUCH FUN! (Yes-I did)

The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make 

a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not 

scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too

Little did Chris and I know that a afternoon lunch run would result in nearly a decade of rascally puppy love. Neither did my parents (who eventually took care of Oliver) 

 Oliver, utilizing his special talent as an alarm clock

Staring contest/post nap stretch

Yesterday, Tuesday, May 15th, 2012, it was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to our family dog, Oliver. Our story together began in October of 2004 in Moscow, Idaho. Chris and I had met at school and had been dating for nearly a year and had decided to head over Moscow for some lunch. As is customary for me, I asked pleaded with Chris to stop at my favorite place (purveyor of pets) to procrastinate, Pets Are People Too.

Whether you know me well, or barely at all, you know that my ADD leads me to all different types of distractions, the opportunity to ogle cute puppies, being one of these. So, Chris, knowing better than to deny me this simple pleasure, agreed. But let's be honest, clearly he is as much a softy as I am when it comes to buying pets unexpectedly (or cars for that matter, more on that later).

As we entered the pet store and made a beeline for the puppies, my heart started racing, as it always does. I spotted a liter of cute Jack Russell pups and immediately started waving my hands back and forth in front of the glass in the vain hopes of getting the puppies to play. (Note: this effort is futile when animals are sleeping) Eventually, one of the sleepy puppies woke up (Who was tapping on the glass? Definitely not me!) and I asked to hold him. Let's just say it was love at first nuzzle. Chris and I were smitten and decided that for $50, a little lover like Oliver was a steal. So, to make a long story short, we shared puppy duty for a few blissful sleep deprived months (definitely training camp for those without children, only 5 x easier) and then when my parents came for Moms Weekend, we revealed our little bundle. My mom, of who I am basically a little clone, was love struck instantly. And it's a good thing because shortly after, my roommates and I relocated to an apartment which wasn't canine friendly. 

So off to my parents he went, a new playmate for our older family dog, Luna. The rest is history, the two became fast friends and spent their days frolicking in the yard, getting into mischief and bringing an unimaginable amount of joy to the Roeter household. And that brings us to the present. Oliver became very ill the last month and lost 10lbs, nearly half his body weight. A trip to the veterinarian revealed his diabetic state as well as a liver disease that would ultimately prove to be degenerative. It was a hard decision to reach as a family, but a merciful one, sparing Oliver any pain and suffering. 

He will be missed every day. It was such a feeling of comfort to be standing in the kitchen and see a flash of brown and white fur bolt across the yard. He was spunky, at times, spoiled, but always loyal and happy to be with his family. He was my mother's little man. 

My own personal sorrow was tempered by the fact that I am now a parent and that puts everything into perspective. This is not to say that the loss of a pet is any less significant but when you have a child, the sun rises and sets with them. and a dog that was once your baby becomes your dog, separate from your actual baby. And I was relieved to get a free pass on the "Circle of life lesson" this time around. Lily is too young to really grasp the gravity that comes with the loss of a pet. Also, Oliver lived with Ama and Papa so he wasn't around Lily on a daily basis (but not far from it considering the amount of time we spend there). Someday perhaps we will have our own dog and Lily will get to learn the valuable life lessons that come with have a pet to take care of.

 I am so thankful for the time that we had with Oliver. He made our lives more fulfilled and enjoyed a pretty idyllic one himself. He was all snips and snails and a most lovable rascal. Goodbye, sweet boy. Thank you for bringing us so much joy and love.

Sheepish

At this rate, it's pretty embarrassing slinking back into the blogger's chair. The last time I wrote was pre-Hawaii and when we returned, I could barely muster the motivation to go outside because when our lovely vacation ended and we came crashing back to earth, I decided to shirk tradition and routine (to some degree). Though anyone who really does follow this blog knows that my tendency to write is anything but routine. Rather, I like to write when the mood strikes me. This usually occurs late at night while my lovelies are all snug and warm in their beds. 

To try and regain footing here, I will try to chronicle some of the bigger events that took place between way back when, (really, only September) and now. 

We had a very special visitor to make the transition back to reality more fun! An amazing woman by the name of Pachy who we (my mother and I) met five years ago when we visited her sheep ranch (Blue PInes Ranch, to be precise) in Ione, Oregon. One of Pachy's most notable characteristics is her ability to run and talk circles around you. Now, I consider myself a pretty good mother, which means that multi-tasking is a skill I have perfected. My ability to juggle, Lily, laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, socializing and teaching is no small feat. I will say this though, Pachy juggles thousands of sheep, a ranch that runs like a well oiled machine and her ranch hands from Peru who help her maintain the ranch. And unless you have visited and experience exactly how much work running a ranch entails, you may not understand the gravity of this particular task. In short, my point is that Pachy has the energy of a five year old and enthusiasm of  QVC salesperson. And I thought I was tired at the end of the day! She is pretty incredible. And she does this on her own. I thought I was the only one who could survive on five hours of sleep each night.

Anyhow, Pachy came to visit and stayed with my parents for a few days and FINALLY met Lily! I cannot wait to take Lily to visit Pachy's ranch! I can just see her frolicking with those precious lambs in the bucolic fields. Don't be jealous, you can come too. Really! The Blue Pines Ranch, in addition to being an operational, full-time ranch also serves as the setting for Pachy's educational program, "Jam to Lamb". She opens her ranch to the public every Spring when all the lambs are born. One pays a nominal fee to cover their room and board while they visit and, in essence, become a ranch hand and are thrust into the muddy and very fun ranching lifestyle. Ranch work is a lesson everyone should learn from. Work ethic is huge. So is the need for coffee.

After Pachy returned to her lambs in Oregon, we founds ourselves a few weeks away from Halloween. This year was especially fun as we visited the Woodland Park Zoo with some family friends, The Moore's! Lily and Ruthie each moonlighted as animals, Lily as a cow and Ruthie as an elephant! They were too adorable running around the zoo, "trick-or-treating". Jaci and I ate most of the candy though (because we're good parents and closely monitor our daughters' sugar intake). On the actually eve of Halloween, we went Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood with our neighbors and good friends The Weavers. A great time was had by all. And the candy tasted that much sweeter because my toddler dressed as a bovine, was made to ask for it. Is that bad?

Zoo shenanigans with the cow and the elephant!

Honestly, do children come any cuter than these two?

Ama, our little moo and the rest of the Olsens 

(Courtesy Caitlin Weaver, thank goodness!

I am not a camera mom, but wish I was!)

So, that was all Hallows Eve. Laundry, play dates, cooking, fast forward to Thanksgiving. 

We spent the Sunday prior to the actual day with the Chris's side of the family so none of the eight of us were made to leave, mid carb coma, to see other family, so a BIG thank you to my ingenious in-laws! It was luxurious to be able to stay and relax and simply enjoy each other's company.

On Thanksgiving my side of the family celebrated with friends and family and one very special guest, my friend Jeremy, who I've known since college. He is like the older brother I never had. He stayed with Chris, Lily and I for a few days and joined us for the feast! He lives in San Francisco so we don't see him nearly as often as we'd like, but we really enjoyed getting to hang around and eat crepes and catch up!

I would put of a picture up illustrating what a good time we had, but, alas, as aforementioned, I never seems to be holding a camera (and as much as I'd like to think, an iPhone doesn't count). It was so great to see my old friend, along with, my new (almost six months, new) niece, Stella! She is the perfect baby, she reminds me of Lily! My mother has decided that my sister and I will alternate between having children each year until we are the equivalent of the Duggar family. Sorry mother, that may not happen. In fact, it definitely won't happen.

It makes complete sense from her point of view, she adored being a mother so much, she sees being a grandmother as equally thrilling, even more so because she consistently gets enough sleep. Therefore, she would love for Chris and I to have a flock of 10 little ducklings following us around one day. Maybe I'll show up with a box of actual ducklings. That would distract her for a moment, anyway.

So, here we are at December 8th, 2011. I am slowly preparing for Christmas. This year Chris and I wanted to simplify things and really try to remove some of the stress and chaos from the holiday equation. The Olsen's decided to do a name draw and that entails only buying a gift for the person whose name you drew. I love this idea! It is simple and straightforward. We all exchanged wish lists with everyone and I am excited to be going to a total of two stores to shop for the Olsen side of the family! Hurray! This also means less waste, less gree..ahem, consumerism and less time spent chasing things instead of visiting with those we love. It's so easy to get caught up with what Target tells us we should be doing. You've seen the commercials starring that insane and creepy woman who is obsessed with accumulating as much junk as she can get at 3:00a.m.? That's not healthy. Or fun. (But it is funny and makes for a catchy ad campaign, I'll give them that) Don't get me wrong, I like Target as much as the next person. I don't however, enjoy crowd surfing/mosh pitting through aisles to get some pillowcases for $3.00 less than normal.).  Instead we'll spend the time with family that would have been spent shouting expletives at minivans in the mall parking lot. I mean...I don't do that. (I actually must stop doing this as my toddler is always listening now. And absorbing.

So, we hope everyone has a great time this holiday season with those you love. We hope to see many of you, since that is truly what this time of year is about. We are thankful for your presence in our lives, you are our favorite gifts!

Xoxo

Wing 

(And the other two)