Is it spring yet?

Well it seems like we have been pretty busy around here lately. Lily's baby brother does have a name (and has for awhile, I just forgot to post).....River Lorenzo! Last week we all went swimming at the Mt Scott indoor pool and had such a great time. I wish we took some pictures. Hopefully we can make it a regular thing. I am all ready to start classes at Portland State in the fall, just need to register for classes when it gets closer. Ben is beginning to update his resume and beginning the process of looking for teaching jobs for the fall. We just heard on the news last night that they are considering doing teacher lay-offs due to budget shortfalls. As always, we are extremely hopeful it will all work out. We are also checking out preschools for Finn for the fall. He will be too old to attend the school he goes to now and we are looking for something more regular. I've been sewing like crazy whenever I get a chance. I've been making stuff for the boys as well as compiling things to sell. We spent Saturday afternoon at Kelly Point Park which is just a few miles from our house. It is where the Willamette and Columbia Rivers meet. Here are just a few photos.

It's a boy!!!

We spent the afternoon visiting with the Ingala's and their new baby boy! He is beautiful with a full head of dark hair. He was born at home at 1:29 am this morning and mom and baby are doing great. He is 21 in and weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 6 0z. Oh yeah..he doesn't have a name yet. I'll post some pics later.


Nothing to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside like a new baby in the family :)

Finn did it !

Well, diapers are a thing of the past (at least for one kid anyway). I think it is safe to say Finn is officially potty-trained. This is exciting news when you've been changing diapers for 2 kids for 9 months! That should save us a few bucks too, since Otto wears cloth diapers. It only took about 3 days and a lot of potty treats (tootsie rolls). Now he keeps asking for candy every time he uses the bathroom :) We told him we would throw him a little party to celebrate that he is a big boy (and that he can use the potty without treats) We'll probably just have pizza and ice cream one night this weekend and wear our party hats.

Help save Handmade toys!

Please check out the Handmade Toy Alliance sight. In about a month a bill will be passed that requires ALL childrens products to undergo third party testing to ensure that they are lead-free. This sounds good but there is no exception for small businesses that can't afford the fees associated with third-party testing. This will put practically every small business that sells childrens items out of business as well as several of my close friends. Many European companies have already decided that they can no longer afford to sell in our country (which really makes no sense because the EU has much more stringent standards for childrens products) Isn't this what America is all about....small businesses. I mean really what is the World coming to? This is something that is really important to me and I have already written my senators and Congressmen.

http://sites.google.com/site/handmadetoyalliance/

2009 here we come

Well Christmas has already come and gone and I didn't even post anything. Mostly I don't really have anything to say. There is not much thinking going on in my head these days. After feeding, nursing, wiping, changing, refereeing, more feeding, nursing, changing, washing, cleaning, chasing, cuddling and reasoning all day, I find there is not much room left in my brain to think about much else. I'm usually exhausted by the end of the day and am ready to just veg out. That sounds sort of depressing.....it's not. It just is what it is.

On another note, I've been scrambling to figure out what my school plans are for the fall. I'm really hoping to transfer to Portland State. The major that I would finish up my degree in is called Child and Family Studies. I am hoping to meet with an adviser sometime in the next few days to see what credits will transfer. PSU is much more accommodating to families and different schedules and they have two childcare options on campus. There are about 15 different scholarships that I would like to apply for, but the deadline is February 2nd and for most I need to be already admitted to the school. This is why I am scrambling to get it all sorted out quickly. I am excited to see what happens. I'll keep you posted.