Flower Pots

I am by no means a green thumb, actually I am probably as far from a green thumb as you can be.  I have a hard time keeping any plant alive but I do like living plants.

So each spring I try to plant a couple of flower pots to put on our steps up to our front porch.  Typically by the time fall comes around they are just holding on for dear life.  Often times I forget to water them for weeks on end and also we don't really get enough sunlight on our steps.  So they never do very well.  Usually when I go to pick out the flowers I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what ones do ok in the shade and try to get varying heights and color cordinate it all.  It takes me forever and I don't particularly enjoy it.  Well today I tried a totally new approach.

On the way to get the flowers I told each kiddo they could pick out three.  Luna decided she wanted to get all pink and Rachel decided she wanted all purple.  When we got there they each pick out their three in about 2 minutes.  We purchased them and were back in the van in a matter of 10 minutes, it was awesome :)

After their naps, we went outside and planted them.  The kids had a fun although neither really wanted to get their hands dirty but they still enjoyed it. Here are the finished pots:

 Here is Luna with her "pink" flower pot.

 Rachel with her "purple" flower pot.

My favorite part was that it was FUN.  The pots are what they are and will last as long as they last.  Each time I walk past them I will think of each of my girls.  What is better than that?

We are enjoying summer in the Pacific Northwest!

Washington Tidbits

1.  It is shockingly quiet here.  I knew the city was loud, there is always some type of noise.  Here it is just a peaceful quiet, I love it.  I even slept with my window open, crazy!

2.  Our house feels huge.  Going from a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment to the house makes the house feel like a mansion.  It is all relative isn't it?

3. Last night we enjoyed dinner on our deck, in our sweatshirts :) It was perfect, just missing Daddy.

4. My Mom found these scrunchies and I love them.  I am a sucker for all things hair. Who would have thought? I barely pay attention to my own hair but I love doing the girl's hair.  Especially when it turns out as cute as this!

5. I love my neighbors!  Yesterday the kids played outside with them and had a blast.  When I was putting them to bed I asked what the favorite part of the day was and they said playing with the neighbors. :)

Letter to People Regarding Touching Chocolate Hair

This is a post from a blog I read regularly .  It so clearly says what often times I need to say but don't have the words for.

http://www.chocolatehairvanillacare.com/2011/07/open-letter-to-people-regarding.html

Everything has changed but the library story time

We are slowly adjusting to Washington.  This was our second day here and the kids are still getting up around 6am.  Typically they are more of a 7/8am waker uppers so they are getting up early with the time change.  Not a big deal I am waking up early as well.

Tuesday was an errand day for me.  Grandma watched the girls while I went to Target and Costco.  I love shopping without the kids, so much more relaxing and fun.  So I went to Target first.  When we first moved to Washington (4 years ago) we had about 3 months before we could get licensed to be foster parents so I got a job and worked at Target :)  I know that store well.  So when I went shopping on Tuesday I was shocked to see that it has been remodeled and everything had moved around.  I did not know where to find anything any more.  What should have been a quick 15 minute trip took me 45min, of course I had to see all the new stuff. Then I went over to Costco, which also had changed since we moved.  Not as big of a change as Target but still items had moved around.

Tuesday night we went to the pajama story time at the woodinville library.  If you live in the area and have never gone I would highly recommend it.  The librarian does an amazing job.  My kids love it.  They are doing a theme of around the world.  So last night they "went" to Asia.  All the stories have an Asian theme and then they made a fish kite.  This is one thing I really miss in New York.  The library by us does not have a story time like this for older kids, only for little little kids.  Any ways the girls loved singing all the familiar songs and making a craft.  It was nice to be back.

Back In Washington

Yesterday the girls and I arrived back in Washington to a cool rainy day and it was lovely.  The best part was the wonderful welcome from my family, they are amazing.

Sunday, I spent the day packing and getting ready for our trip.  I tend to be very anxious in general so the idea of traveling solo with my 3 & 2 put my anxiety high.  Mentally I know my kids are great and that I can make it through anything that the 6 hour flight throws at me, but just all the unknowns of how things are going to happen/work is what makes me anxious.

Monday morning we got up at 5am east coast time.  Brian drove us to the airport and unloaded our luggage (2 suitcases, 2 carseats, 3 carry-ons) at the curb.  Then he went and parked the car.  One of the men working at the airport put our luggage on a cart and brought it to the check in counter for me, which was great because I was pushing the girls in the stroller.

We checked in and Brian met us for a quick breakfast and said our goodbyes.  Then we headed through security.  After we got through security, I saw our plane was boarding.  So I quickly stopped to get Rachel some milk for the plane.  I asked Luna to hold it while I got out the sippy cup and then Luna proceeded to dropped it all over the floor.  No time to get more, instead we got on the plane.

The plane ride was uneventful, the girls did great.  Luna slept for about 20 minutes right at the end of the flight, Rachel not at all.  We read books, played some games, watched some shows and made a number of trips to the potty. When the wheels touched down in Seattle, I breathed a big sign of relieve.  We made it! Flying solo with both the girls was one of those things I sort of feared doing as a Mom and I did it, conquered my fear, it was a great feeling.

When we walked out of the security area of the airport my parents were there to greet us.  It was wonderful to see their smiling faces.  Then we headed down to baggage claim where my older sister and her son were there to greet us.  The girls and their cousin ran around and chased each other.  When I had asked Luna was she wanted to do when we got to Washington, the first thing she said was "visit Cooper" and here he was at the airport to greet her.

We got my luggage and headed toward the elevator.  As we were all in the elevator, I looked at my family, each person was carrying/pulling a piece of my luggage and I was pushing my nephew and my girls in the stroller, it was beautiful.  I just love them all, they are so caring and loving toward me and my girls.  I am truly blessed to be part of this family, they make my life so much richer and better.

After that we headed over to my sister's house for lunch.  The cousins got to play and the adults got to chat. My other sister met us there on her lunch break to say welcome home :)  Love her!  I just loved it.   By 1:30, my kids were exhausted so we drove "home."  Both kids fell sleep in the car, which was great.  I got to say hi to my dog all by myself, I missed that dog.

My sister had left a welcome home note for us and also a casserole for dinner, amazing and so thoughtful.   The girls slept while I unpacked.  When the woke up they checked out all their toys and bedroom.  Then we went outside to play.

Slowly all our neighbors came out to say hi.  It was great to see everyone.  It had only been 2 months but all the kids looked a little taller and older.  Time goes by so quickly.  The girls had a lot of fun but were definitively overwhelmed and exhausted.  They had been up since 2am west coast time.  So by 8pm they were in bed and asleep.

After catching up with my sister a little more I headed to bed early at 9:30pm, I was exhausted but felt absolutely loved by my family and neighbors.  It was wonderful to be back in Washington!

Elevator & Weather

Before I moved I had no idea how much a part of my life elevators were going to be.  Every day we are in at least one elevator but usually more.  With a stroller an elevator is critical for navigating the city.  It is rare I am the only one in a the elevator.   Especially in our building there are sometimes three strollers, 3 adults and at least 3 kiddos with a tricycle or scooter in an elevator, they can be very full.  

There is also a whole process to loading up the elevator.  The people that live up high get in first and the lower floors last, that way at each floor not everyone has to unload.   Yesterday there were a few of us with strollers queued up waiting for the elevator.  When it arrived the doorman, off the top of his head, rattle off the floors that each of us were going to so we could all load up easily.  I was shocked, it was impressive.  There are 26 floors in our building and 6 apartments on each floor. So for him to know each of us and what floor we lived on shocked me.  I love those doormen :)

One last comment, this one is about the weather.  It was crazy hot today.  Today when I was walking the girls to their doctor's appointment there was a significant breeze.  The best way for me to describe that breeze would be to say it felt like someone turning a hair dryer on and pointing it at you.  It was strong and not refreshing in the least bit.  The low tonight is 79degrees.  Crazy hot here!

How we are beating the heat

We are having a heat wave here in NYC.  Today was in the high 90s but with the humidity it felt more like 106 degrees.  Tomorrow it is suppose to hit 100 degrees and will likely feel more like 110.   Ideally, we would just stay home in our air conditioned little apartment but by the end of the day all of us get a little stir crazy.  So we have been creative about how we dealing with the heat.

One of the great things about the parks in our area is that they all have water/spray features.  My kiddos tend to be pretty timid around these, neither of them like to be splashed which with all the kids at the park they are constantly getting splashed so some times they don't like to play in the water.  But other times they have a blast in the water.

Rachel spent a long time staring at this doggie fountain before she was willing to take some water from the dog.  I think she thought it might be a real dog but after some encouragement she had a blast.

Another great thing about the parks in our area is that most of them are on the water.  That usually means a bit of a breeze which is wonderful in this heat.  Although some are built out on piers and then they don't have much shade which is not ideal on hot days.  We get there early, 9am and stay just until is gets crazy hot 11am.

When all else fails and we are super hot, we just fill the bath tub up and let the girls swim in their own little pool.  They can play like this for quite a while and it really helps them cool off.

Only 4 more days and we head to Washington and the cooler weather.  I know everyone in Washington is waiting for summer to arrive but I must admit I am ready for the summer heat to be done.

Google Family Picnic

Today was the Google Family Picnic.  We have been to a few of these over the last couple years but this was our first here in New York.  They are always fun, good food and lots of activities to try.

This picnic was held at the Chelsea Piers about 2 miles north of where we live.  Which is not far but also not the easiest to get to by any mode of transportation but walking.  I was not up for walking, have I mentioned it is hot hot hot and humid here.  So I really did not want to walk it pushing the girls.  I would have arrived hot and sweaty.  To take the subway we have to walk about 10 minutes east, ride it north and then walk another 10 minutes back to the west, not a bad option.  We ended up taking the bus, it picks us up right in front of our apartment building and dropped us off about 10 minutes from the Piers.  This was the best option with the least amount of walking in the hot hot weather.  We ended up walking home after the picnic and then I showered as soon as we got home :)

The picnic was great.  The girls enjoyed the bouncy square (it was actually a big twister board).  They had a performer that made the girls balloon animals and string bead animals.  Then we went over to the bowling alley and arcade.  The girls got to try bowling for the first time, they loved it.

The bouncy square, this was the girl's favorite! 

Ta-da a balloon heart 

 Bowling

Playing Deal or No Deal 

On the walk home, tired Rachel

Hair!

Once again I am doing hair.  I was not overly motivated to try something new this time, so I went simple and basic.  For some reason this time by back hurt the whole time.  It is a lot of bending over from taking out the braids in the tub, washing the hair in the tub and then to the braiding.  I am definitely feeling my age :)  Hard to imagine how my back is going to keep up for the next 16+ years of hair styling I have in front of me.  I think I am going to have to figure out a new arrangement instead of them sitting on a stool and me on the couch.

Any ways, Luna's only request was once again piggy tails.  So I did piggy tails one high on her ear and one low on her ear.  We got these "firecracker" scrunchies in the mail from Grandma and Luna wanted me to put them in as soon as I was done.  After I put them in and she looked in the mirror she said that they look like earrings.  I have to agree with her.  This was a relatively fast hair style only about an hour and half start to finish, which is great!

 I took this picture just before we were heading out to drop Luna off a preschool.  She loves Pink!

By the time I got to Rachel I had little motivation.  I had left her hair unbraided over night and boy was it a sight in the morning.  So my motivation came from not wanting to have to comb out all the tangles in a few days from now.  So I went really basic :)  It looks great and should last until the end of the week.

Coney Island

We got back from Vermont on Saturday evening but still had our rental car reserved all day Sunday.  We did not want to pass up the opportunity of using the car so we decided to head out to Coney Island on Sunday.

It was a lot of fun and hot hot hot.  We woke up and packed up for the beach.  Instead of hauling Luna's carseat, we decided to use this vest we have for her.  It is an alternative to a carseat, great for traveling with and using in a taxi.  She liked it although she could not really see out of the windows like she can when she is in her carseat.

We got to Coney Island and hit up the beach first.   The temperature was in the 90s.  Perfect for the beach.  The girls had fun playing in the surf and making sand castles.

After a couple hours at the beach we decided to head over to Nathan's Famous to grab some hot dogs for lunch.  The food was good and we were hungry.

After lunch we walked through a little flea market.  I love that kind of thing.  Then we headed over to the rides.  Luna loved them all, she was not scared.  Not sure what I was expecting with Rachel but she only went on one and clung to me the whole time.

This was Luna's favorite ride.  When we asked her why she said because it went "really fast," both forward and backwards.  Oh to be a kid again.

This is a photo of the boardwalk as we were heading back home.  It is a busy place!

Luna on the walk back to the car, what a character, I love that girl!

We are back from Vermont

We just spent 8 days up in Vermont and it was lovely.  Being from Washington, I think Washington is one of the most beautiful states but I have to admit, Vermont rivals it in my book.

The Hanlon family are dear friends to us and this week they head off for mission work in Africa.  So this was our last visit with them before they leave, it was bitter sweet.  We had a lot of fun enjoying Vermont together and loved making new memories with them.

Our kiddos had a great time together.  Luna loved Grace.  We were driving home and saw someone selling rugs on the side of the road.   Luna said she wanted to buy one to show Grace.  We told her she was not going to see Grace for a long long time, she then said "no, on the computer."  She wanted to show Grace on skype :)  They will be dearly missed by us. We just love that family. Can't wait to hear about all the things God does with them in Africa!  Talk about an adventure... 

Over and Out

We are off to Vermont for the next 8 days without internet access, so no blogging for me!  See you in 8+ days!

Hair Day Again...

Since both the girls have strep throat and we are apartment bound, I decided it would be great time to do some hair.  I wanted to keep it simple because neither are feeling great so I did not want to expect them to sit still for too long.  Here are the final photos:

This is the first time I did cornrows in Rachel's hair.  It went really well, she sat nice and still for me and her hair is long enough that it was pretty easy.

We head off to Vermont tomorrow with some friends.  They have a little girl, Grace, who is a year older than Luna.  Luna's only concern for her hair was that it would look like Grace's hair.  I was concerned when she said this because Grace has straight hair and I had no idea how I was going to do that but upon further inquiry I found out all it required was a pink headband (I guess Grace has a pink headband).  Here is a photo of her Grace hair:

Finally the Day is Over

Oh where to begin...today has been a day like none other.  Seriously like none other.  I guess I have to start with this past Sunday.

We were at church and talking with a girlfriend.  She was telling us how both her boys and herself had strep throat this last week.  They were on the mends and no longer contagious.  So fast forward to Tuesday.  Brian had the day off of work and we had planned an outing to Coney Island.  I was really looking forward to it, but Tuesday morning Luna woke up with a sore throat and a bit of a cough.  So we decided not to do such a big outing, instead we ran a bunch errands.  Fun times.  Wednesday she still was complaining about her throat and she was getting more of a cough.  So Thursday morning she wakes up and still has a sore throat and a cough, we decide to take her in to the doctor.

She sees the doctor and she does in fact have strep throat so we get a prescription and I head to the closest pharmacy.  The pharmacist takes the prescription and tells me it will be an hour.  An HOUR?  We are just getting amoxicillin, mind you nothing crazy here, but he said an hour.  So I have to decide what to do for an hour with my sick kid and Rachel.  We head over to the park and Rachel plays around while I push Luna on the swing.  We head back to the pharmacy after a hour and 10 minutes.  I wanted to make sure it was ready.   It is now 11:30 in the morning both kids are thirsty and hungry, I was ill prepared for how long it was all going to take.  Luna is not feeling good and just wants to be carried.

We get to the pharmacy and the pharmacist does not even acknowledge I am there, he is on the phone.  So we wait and wait, after 15 minutes the store manager comes over and I tell him how I dropped off a prescription and was told an hour, that it had been a hour and now I was back.  So he looks through all the prescriptions and can not find it so he goes to ask the pharmacist and the pharmacists ignores him!  The manager continues to try to get things figured out with the pharmacist but is not getting anywhere.  Finally I say "If you can't fill it just give it back so I can take it to another pharmacy."  The pharmacist does not even acknowledge that I've spoken.  I am getting mad.  I have a sick kiddo in my arms, I just want her medicine and the pharmacist is not doing anything but looking at a computer.  So I wait and wait, after another 15 minutes the pharmacist walks back over to me and hands me the prescription and says "sorry she is not in our computer."  I just about die, I want to scream "Well add her!  She is new!"  But instead I tell him how it is outrageous to tell a customer to wait an hour and then make them wait a hour and a half only to tell them you can not fill it.    I also tell the store manager the same thing on my way out.

Back to square one.  I don't know what to do, I have no idea where another pharmacy is.  So I head back to my building and ask one of the porters.  I just love the porters, have I mentioned that before?  He tells me where another one is and even pulls it up on his phone so I can see where it is on the map.  We head to the new pharmacy.  It goes much more smoothly but when I asked how long, she says and hour, that the pharmacist is on her lunch break.  Are you joking me? At this point I am missing my good old Safeway Pharmacy back in Washington, my wait was always 15 minutes.

I want to get the medicine as quickly as possible so I really want to wait.  I thought we could grab a bite to eat and then come back.  But both girls are melting down, they need food and naps ASAP. So I walk back to the apartment carrying a sick and crying Luna and pushing Rachel.  I am exhausted.  They get lunch and a nap.  I relax but am starting to not feel so good myself.   I touch base with Brian and we decide we should have Rachel checked for strep as well since we leave for vacation on Saturday.

After their naps we have to head back out to get the prescription.  In my mind, this was going to be a quick outing, there and back. So I brought nothing but the girls and my wallet.  No diaper, snacks, umbrella, or drinks.   It is hot hot hot out and by this point I am starting to feel worse and worse.  So as we are walking I get nauseous and vomit on the side of the road.  It was horrible.  I am feeling horrible.  Luna is feeling horrible and Rachel is just her delightful little self.  As we are walking Brian calls to say we got an appointment for Rachel, she needs to be there in 45 minutes, so much for my quick outing.  We get the prescription and then head to Jamba Juice for a snack before Rachel's appointment.

When we walk into Jamba Juice it was sunny out and when it is time to leave it is pouring buckets.  Literally it is as if the shower is turned on full blast. I have nothing to cover us with, again I am ill prepared.  We find an awning and wait.  It is now time for her appointment. I have to make a decision: brave it in the pouring rain and get there or miss the appointment but stay dry.  I had no idea how long the storm would last.  I decide to go for it (bad decision).  We get maybe a 1/2 block. We are soaking wet and both kids are screaming.   I am running pushing the stroller across the street trying to beat the light and lose my flip flop.  I have to leave it there.  I get the kids under another awning and wait for the light so I can go back and get my flip flop.  Water is running down my face.  Once I get my flip flop we take off again.  The kids are crying and I am laughing, I can not believe this is my day.  Boy am I missing my air conditioned car right about now.   As I am running down the street in the pouring rain I realize I am on the wrong street!  Remember I am not feeling well myself so I am not functioning well.  The kids and myself are drenched, water just running off of us.  We stop under another awning so I can decide what to do.

Just then the door of the awning we stopped under opens up and a man invites us into the store.  I gladly take him up on the offer and I push the girls in to a male barber shop with about 15 men in there either getting or giving hair cuts.  They all turn to stare and us, soaking wet and crying.  Oh man, it was a sight.  They take us to the back of the store and give us towels to dry off with.  I take the kids shirts off and ring them out in their sink.  While I am ringing their shirts out, Luna says "Look Mom, it's sunny now."  Lovely just lovely,  I only had to wait another 10 minutes and we would still have been dry and probably at the appointment.

Needless to say we headed directly home.  Rachel gets an appointment for later in the day, which Daddy takes her to and it turns out she does have strep as well.  So now both girls are home, in bed and have had their first doses of amoxicillin.  This Momma is ready for bed.  Tomorrow I am going to have to get myself to a doctor to see if I have it as well, my guess is that I do...

Today I am Tired

As with most things in life there are good days and bad days.  Some days I can't wait for the adventure of city living but other days I am just tired.  Living here takes a lot more energy and some days I just don't have it.  Today was one of those days for me.

Also it has finally got hot and muggy.  In June we had a few muggy hot days but overall it was warm in the 80s but not muggy. So it was quite pleasant, we also live by the water so there is a nice breeze, which I hear is wonderful in the warm months but frigid in the winter.  In June, it was just lovely.  June is a great month to visit the city.  July is getting too muggy for me, what can I say, I was born and raised in Washington.  Brian on the other hand grew up in Bakersfield California, the other day a friend posted the weather forecast and every day was above 100!  I was not meant to live in Bakersfield, I just do not handle the heat well.  Luna is in my boat, she does not do well with the heat and complains almost the whole time.  So going out with her is not a lot of fun.

Luckily for me we head up to Vermont on Friday with some dear friends.  FRIENDS!  I miss that living here in the city but love that we are relatively close to friends up in Massachusetts. So we will be up there for a week and then back in the city for a week.  Then we (me and the girls) fly back to Washington for 7 weeks!  I love the city but I can't wait to go "home."  Looking forward to seeing my dog Maggie, I have missed her so much!

So today will be spent inside with the AC on full blast and probably tomorrow and the next day :) Then Vermont!

Happy 4th of July

We had a nice 4th of July weekend here in the city.  Our neighborhood was very quiet, except for the fireworks show.  I think a lot of families left the city for the long weekend.  We started our holiday by walking to a new playground called Imagination Playground.  On our way there we stopped at a little street fair and had lunch.  Then we continued to the playground.  Here are some photos of the kids enjoying the water and sand.  It is not a playground in New York City without water and sand :)
 

 It was very hot so we all tired quickly, once the girls were thoroughly wet and sandy we headed home for some down time out of the sun.  The girls watched a movie and Brian and I got dinner ready.

Macy's puts on a fireworks show each year and from what I have heard it is either on the west side of Manhattan or the east side.  This year it was on the west side, which was perfect for us, we had an amazing view right from our apartment.

This is a picture, from our window, of all 6 barges heading up the Hudson River for the fireworks display.  We put the girls to bed (neither are a fan of fireworks) and then enjoyed the show just the two of us.  It was an amazing, 30 minutes long and all 6 barges were synchronized.  I was impressed!

Time Square - Toys R Us

For a while I have wanted to venture up to Toys R Us in Time Square with the girls.  I read that there is a Ferris wheel in the store and wanted to see it for myself.  So this past Sunday I decided to give Brian a little break from the kiddos and give it a try.  The girls were just excited to ride the subway again!

Luckily the subway stop at Time Square has an elevator so it made this outing quite "easy."   When we popped up from underground to the street I was shocked.  I am not quite sure what I was expecting but Time Square, a Sunday afternoon on a holiday weekend equals CRAZY!!!  CRAZY!!!  People everywhere, tourist buses everywhere and sidewalks full.  CRAZY!!  Before we moved, this is what I thought my life might be like daily here in New York.  But this is not even close to what my life is like.  We live in a relatively quiet area called Battery Park neighborhood.

Battery Park is at the southern tip of Manhattan and tourists really do not venture out that way.  Our neighborhood has as much of a suburban feel as you can get while still being in Manhattan.   There are lot of parks, lot of kids and when the elementary school lets out the sidewalks are flooded but otherwise it is not overly crowded.   It is starting to feel like home :)

Back to Time Square, crazy busy.  We made our way down a few blocks through the crowd and into Toys R Us.  The first thing you see when you walk in is the Ferris wheel.  The girls immediately wanted to go for a ride.  So we got our tickets and waited in line, a 40 minute line mind you.  The ferris wheel is pretty amazing, there are probably 8 passenger cars with all different themes (ie. my little ponies, little people, barbies, lego taxis, little tikes fire engine).  Of course the girls wanted to ride in the pink car but there are many signs that basically say you get what you get, you don't get to pick your car.  So I had 40 minutes to explain this to my kiddos.  During this time I got to assess the cars and decided there were probably only two that I really did not want to get.  One was the cabbage patch car, I did not think the kids could see out of it very well and the other had ET on it and I thought Rachel would be scared of him.

So we waited the 40 minutes and guess what car we got?

Luna was not phased by the car and did not mind that it was not pink.  But Rachel was scared.  She refused to look at ET and spent the majority of the ride asking who it was.   By the end she had warmed up some to ET and would say "ET phone home."

After the ride we walked around the store some, but it was hard to navigate with the stroller because of the crowd.  After almost losing Luna a couple times, my blood pressure was through the roof, I decided I had had enough.  So we headed home, back to the subway.  When we got to our neighborhood I breathed a sigh of relieve to be "home."  I love where we live.

When we got home, Luna told Daddy that she rode in the car with the worm (ET).  I love how their little minds work.