An Eventful September

September was a very exciting and eventful month for us. We started off the month with a visit from the boys' great grandparents, Nona and Papa Wells and a few days later, Nana and Papa Nakamoto joined us for the rest of the weekend. Despite the record breaking heat and smoky air, we manage to have an amazing weekend together. We spent most of our time trying to stay cool in the shade, watching the boys play in their pool. They spent most of the weekend completely naked!

 When they weren't cooling off in the pool, they were painting on their new easel from Nona and Papa; a very thoughtful birthday gift!

Just being cuties! The boys absolutely love cuddling with Miso, although I'm not sure the feeling is mutual!

At the end of a long and hot day, we managed to keep a very tired Graham still for a few moments to take some pictures of the whole family together. 

Four generations all together. We are so fortunate! 

I know that Brent and I were so fortunate to know our great grandparents for so long and it makes me so happy to see Patrick and Graham getting to spend such quality time with their Nona and Papa. 

One of Patrick's favorite things to do with his Nana is to cuddle up on the couch, drink some tea (or iced tea this particular weekend), and read books. Patrick is such a little lover and a cuddle bug!

Up next was Patrick's Fourth Birthday! Although it's hard to believe that I already have a four year old, he surprises me daily with how grown up, mature and intelligent he already is. He is a fascinating little boy and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in the future. 

The day started off, as requested by the birthday boy, with homemade "healthy" (aka gluten free) donuts with chocolate genache frosting and sprinkles. Can you think of a better way to start the day than donuts, bacon and eggs, and English Premier League soccer (thank goodness it was a Saturday!)?!?!?

Later that afternoon we had a small BBQ birthday party with some friends. And again, as requested, the birthday boy got to enjoy a "healthy" birthday cake all on his own, with more chocolate frosting and more rainbow sprinkles. Apparently this kid really missed some of the gluten free delicacies that he was able to enjoy in his younger years ;) And yes, I slaved in the kitchen baking away all evening the day before his birthday. Totally worth it though to see the joy on my little man's face. And to his credit, he listened to his body and only ate about a quarter of that cake!

Finally, at the end of the month, we had the opportunity to spend some time with Nana and Papa at the cabin in Arnold. It was our first trip up in far too long. Last time Graham was about 11 weeks inside my belly and Patrick was too young to remember. It was really special to take my boys to a place that means so much to me. 

We spent one of our days up at Lake Alpine filled with fishing and canoeing. 

 Graham was very curious about the "fishy". Not timid or shy at all, he got right up in there with Papa checking out the fish. 

Patrick actually caught his first fish (and second) on this trip at White Pines Lake. He was very proud of the cute little blue gill that he brought in. To be honest though, I think I was more excited. You'd agree if I could figure out how to attach the video (no pictures, sorry!).  

Our old gal enjoying some sunshine and the nice warm rocks.  

Back at the cabin, Nana and the boys made a "house" in the trees. It's hard to see, but they constructed a house out of trees, sticks and ribbons, and enjoyed crafts and snack time down there.  

Patrick carried one of his beloved Rescue Bots around with him wherever  he went. 

It  was a very special time to spend as a family at the cabin. I hope we can manage many more trips in the future. Maybe even some winter time trips to play in the snow!

We love our family and are so lucky to be able to spend so much quality time with them! If you feel like you're missing out, come up for a visit. We don't have any Bay Area trips planned for the future. 

-Sarah

Catching Up

Wow! I don't know how it's possible, but so much time has passed by again already! Another 6 months, even after I thought I would be more on top of things. Well, a lot has happened, so let's catch up!

Here are a few pictures from Easter. As usual, Delmar had to work the actual holiday, so we set out a small egg hunt for the boys on the Saturday before. They had a blast! 

They were so cute searching for eggs around the yard and sort of working together. Graham caught on quickly that there was chocolate inside the eggs and was more concerned with eating the chocolate than searching for more eggs!

Side note: I can't believe we let Graham's hair get so long!

Sometimes Delmar and I feel like, compared to our friends and peers, we may not be as ambitious with projects around the house or as ambitious or adventurous. We're okay with that though! We've come to realize that as parents, it's really easy to loose your own identity and to not prioritize yourself. So we've made a conscious decision to prioritize ourselves, our family and all of our health and well being.

Delmar and I have both finally lost all of the baby weight and we intend on keeping it off! One thing that really helps is just being active and having an active mindset. Fortunately, having two little boys, we don't always have a choice in the matter. We spend lots of time every day playing/exercising in the yard. I've built a climbing wall for the boys and a "playground" (actually PVC parallel bars for Delmar and I to exercise on).

In addition, the boys are now used to us spending time every day while Delmar and I do our workouts in the yard or the garage. It's just a way of life for all of us and the boys don't question it for a moment.

On one of our nice sunny days, I took my equipment outside to workout. Everyone was in a good mood that day!

Almost daily, Patrick will invent a new "exercise", some sort of movement for me to use to get stronger. I also try to make kids versions of equipment because the boys love to work along side us. 

And yes, that makes me a very proud Mama!!!

Goofing around on the "playground". We joke that Graham has giant "puppy paws" because his hands and feet are so big for his petite frame, but they come in handy when hanging from the bars!

Back in May, we made a trip down to the Bay Area for a kidney check up for Patrick. Good news is that his kidney is doing great! Also good news is that he was able to go on his first fishing trip with Grandpa while we were down there. Bad news, he didn't catch anything and the weather was pretty terrible. What amazed me is that he didn't get discouraged at all. When we decided to go home, he said that he wanted to go fishing again. He was very studious, watching and learning as Papa set up the line. He is such a patient, intelligent and methodical child, I am not surprised at all that he gets along so well with his Papa Nakamoto, and that they enjoy fishing together.

 This is our little friend Olivia! We've been fortunate enough to make some really good friends up here in Eureka. We babysit Olivia quite frequently and she has kind of become kind of a surrogate daughter for us, which is great because we will not be trying for a daughter of our own. These two boys are more than enough for us!

Balloons are the best! Here are just a few cute pictures of the boys enjoying some play time with balloons. I just loved all the colors of their shirts and the balloons. 

One big change we made this Spring is that we took Patrick out of preschool. It just wasn't a great fit for him. We decided instead to focus on some small lesson plans at home, and lots and lots of playgroups and play dates. We also visit parks frequently and have purchased a membership to our local zoo. The boys like the zoo because they have an aquatic exhibit with otters, and this water pump that they love that shows how water runs down to the Bay. 

We are pleased with the progress that Patrick has made since making this change. Patrick is so much more outgoing and social now. I think giving him more control of his environment has been a big factor. One of my proudest moments earlier this summer was when he just started playing with another about his age at the park, all on his own!

Our Graham man is a completely different story. Not shy, not cautious, and extremely vocal and outgoing, he has no issues socially. When we go to playgroup, I let him go play and I barely see him for the next two hours. He is so independent!

Graham talks so much! He rattles off full sentences all day long and we can actually understand most of what he says! He can express pretty much whatever he wants, except when he gets upset and can't talk through the crying. He says "I love you" in the sweetest voice (he says this because Patrick is constantly saying "I love you" to Delmar and I all day long. He's such a little lover). He loves to boss Sophie around by saying "Sophie, no barking" and "Sophie, no begging"! He is also a very proud little boy and loves to make announcements like, "I did it" and "I found it"!

These two little goobers run me ragged but I absolutely adore them. They are the quintessential brothers. They love each other so much even though they don't always show it. Patrick always looks out for his little brother (and steals his toys) and Graham wants so badly to be a big boy just like his brother. In the above pictures, the boys are showing off their underwear (over Graham's diaper). Graham has actually started potty training all on his own and wants to wear underwear just like Patrick. I found the old 2t-3t underwear in the closet so that they could match. I love Patrick's power stance on the left!

Well that's all for now. I make no promises this time around about when my next post will be. Your best bet for keeping up with the boys is to come up for a visit. We always have a spare room and the boys would love to wake up all our guests in the morning :)

Love,
Sarah