Neat and (dis)orderly

I am a neat person. I don't like knick knacks overwhelming shelves or shoes strewn across the floor. I tend not to accumulate things and don't have much of a problem letting go of items from the past (please see my husband for the opposite description).

However my vision for minimalism and the "feng shui" effect is pretty much a pipe dream at this point. I've realized that no matter how many times I try to arrange Collin's pretty wood stackers in order there will always be a piece missing. Books find their ways under the couch and cracker crumbs are inevitable. In my ideal home we'd have a spacious play room with child sized furniture, shelves with organized bins like you see in the Pottery Barn catalog and a whimsical mural on the wall.

For now I have to let go of my neuroses and let Collin run with his imagination (both figuratively and physically all over most of our house!) I can't imagine a living room with those creepy plastic covers on the couches and immaculate shelves that are never touched. Someday I hope Collin can have a play room and I can get the living room back but for now I'll enjoy the look of bliss on his face as he hoards our shoes, a broom (he likes to sweep so that's a good sign), scarves and of course Blue Dog into a pop up tent I debated putting away.

I'll take a bit of mess and disorder for the discovery of a fort by a toddler any day.

If at first you don't succeed

Five years later...

On August 3rd 2004, surrounded by a few friends and family, Mike and I stood in the Scottish countryside and exchanged vows. We were young and excited about a new story that was about to emerge.

Now five years later we have a house, careers, and of course a toddler named Collin.

It's easy to overlook each other when you have a baby. Life as we know it pretty much centers around our son. Days can become routines, comfortable and at times, exhausting.

Relationships change and evolve when you have a child, it takes strength, communication and lots of understanding to support each other as partners while you take on the new role of parent. To me, it's also critical that we see each other as individuals--as the people we fell in love with before we became parents. Sometimes it takes alone time to remember that!

We're fortunate that we have parents in the area who are willing to watch the little guy. For our anniversary weekend, Collin got to spend a weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Hanada while Mike and I went to a quiet B&B in Carson, WA in the Gorge. The first day of our weekend we spent a few hours touring some Hood River vineyards and passed the hills, mountains and lush forests that I almost forgot were just 45 minutes from our house. It was hot but not crazy inferno hot like the days before and we sipped on some crisp whites while we breathed in that fresh mountain air.

From Summer 09

We stayed in a cute cabin decked out in log furnishings (rustic luxe!) and slept in a very comfortable oversized king. Breakfast was home cooking done right and filling enough to get us to dinner. A bonus, we weren't forced to socialize with other couples as everyone had a private table.



We headed to Wind Mountain which I read had an awesome view of the Gorge and was a "moderate" jaunt of 1,500 vertical feet but just 2.5 miles round trip (not as much as the nearby Dog Mountain which was about double). Seeing as at 10 am it was already 85 degrees we didn't really want to be hiking at peak heat time so we opted for the smaller mountain. This was definitely not a toddler friendly hike. The trail was uneven and some of it was just rocks. And it was up, up, up. Not a lot of breaks. As the B&B owner said, it'll definitely get your heart moving. Still once we got to the top (with poor Mike dripping in sweat) we were rewarded with a panoramic view of the hills and the Columbia. It was also nice to be alone up there. We sat in silence, catching our breath and looking at out at one of the most beautiful parts of the world.











We then went on a recommended drive by our friendly B&B owner. After ending up in a circle and lost a few times we found our way to Panther Falls, a place we would have never known about. We wandered around the rushing falls which were small compared to nearby Multnomah but still gorgeous and not filled with people. After that we drove up a bumpy gravel road to seek out some ice caves and relief from the heat. Course we didn't have a flashlight or a fleece with us so when we found the caves, we stepped inside for a couple minutes, enjoyed the cold break and then promptly left so we didn't slip in on the ice in the blackness and end up broken ankles.
Finally we stopped at a small cafe next to a gas station (would have overlooked this place if the B&B owner hadn't told us about it) and had delicious huckleberry smoothies. Our day ended with a nice dinner in Hood River and a last night giddy and alone. Just for a minute we could pretend it was the old days. Mike also surprised me with a pretty diamond solitaire necklace and I gave him the gift of freedom...basically a plane ticket and a weekend away of his choice.





I missed my little guy and was happy to wrap him in my arms when we picked him up Monday. Spending time apart from Collin is so important once in a while to help give our relationship a refresher. It also makes me appreciate how much I love and value being a mother. Finally, our short nearby trip made me realize how I take for granted that we live in such a beautiful place--I'm determined to take more day trips to the Gorge for hikes, picnics and drives and share the amazement that this region has to offer with Collin.

Berry Picking and Water Baby

I can't believe it's almost August. Oregon Summers are undeniably the best. I'll take a perfect 80 degree (or even 90 degree) day with a glass of icy lemonade on our fabulous new deck that Mike built--all by himself!

Summer means plump juicy berries, fresh fruit from the farmer's market and tomatoes from our garden, sprinklers, backyard fun, hikes, bike rides, ice cream and that perfect robin egg blue sky.

Collin and I went berry picking for the first time at Krugar's Farm in Sauvie Island. The marionberries were the biggest hit, they were perfectly ripe and tasty. Collin's outfit and face were soon covered in purple juice. He was also in blueberry ecstasy but it took him a while to figure out the green ones weren't quite ready for picking. My plan of getting flats of berries didn't amount when I realized how much time it takes to actually pluck them. We bought some fruits and veggies from the market store at a total bargain--if it was a little closer I'd do more shopping there! 80 cents for a melon, 50 cents for a cucumber, $2.50 for a pint of blueberries!

From Summer 09

Later Collin cooled off in his wade pool. He loves the fountains at the park with the water blasting in every direction. His pool is a smaller version of fun. We've also been doing swim lessons to get him more comfortable with the water. Maybe next year he'll be ready to learn some actual swim moves. And of course he had to be naked. Who can resist the delicious little rolls of fat and that pale baby bum! (I'm sure he'll love that I published this when he's a teenager).

Tasty Baby!

Vacation! And an Ode to Cheerios

We haven't been on an official vacation since Hawaii last Thanksgiving, so we were definitely ready for some time away from home.

Our friends, Katie and Rob had their wedding on beautiful San Juan Island so it was the perfect excuse for us to plan a trip. We didn't exactly get off to a relaxing start, with the four and a half hour drive consisting of bursts of screams. But as long as Collin stuffed his chubby cheeks with cheerios he was sort of content. We missed the first ferry and had to wait another three hours in Anacortes, WA with no place to go. After buying an absurdly expensive peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the cafe, Collin threw pieces of it on the ground and acted like it was poison. He proceeded to fall headfirst off a bench onto the hard floor with bloody lips, sending me into a panic and wondering where the nearest hospital was. Luckily it sounded much worse than it was. He was happy five minutes later with not even a bruise.

We stayed on San Juan Island for a couple days, had a fab time at the wedding (beautiful bride and groom, amazing setting, delish food, full bar, dancing). Plus I had an excuse to dress Collin in an argyle sweater vest. Collin behaved himself, happily gobbled up the food, then passed out in his portable crib inside while mom and dad partied a little. Of course Collin's 6 am wake up call still applies so it's hard to get motivated to stay out past eleven...

From San Juan Island Vancouver BC June 09

We then headed to Vancouver, B.C. for four nights and I scored us a great deal at a luxury hotel, complete with full kitchen which is handy with a toddler who needs milk and isn't always the best at restaurants (of course they don't tell you parking is $30 every night and should you want to use the Internet that's another $15 a day). Plus because we went over the magical border, phone rates, data usage, etc. skyrocketed so no Internet for us. There was also poor service in the San Juan's-- without access to Internet for three or four days, we were beginning to get the shakes. We did find a few free wi-fi spots...Mike and I casually stood at the entrances to cafes with our iphones in sync, scrolling down to check emails while we satisfied Collin with a cup of cheerios.





The weather in Vancouver was beautiful, between 70 and 75 degrees and the air smelled crisp. The streets just seem cleaner in Canada, the people friendly (except for a certain part of town that was overrun with porn shops, peep shows, and Heroin zombies). We walked a lot. Probably an average of five to ten miles a day. Through neighborhoods that sometimes looked a lot like Portland, other times reminded me of New York, and also went through the biggest China Town I've seen. Hopefully trecking all over the city, made up somewhat for all the food indulgences. Ah yes I can't mention my vacation without describing the eating. We found a hole-in-the-wall falafel place that was authentically delicious, sampled Japa Dog--a Japanese style hot dog stand right outside our hotel with mile-long lines...concept sounds a bit weird but my bratwurst marinated in soy sauce with radishes and green onion was quite tasty and I suddenly understood the hype. We also had amazing Indian take-out. Mike and I tried "poutine" basically French fries, with cheese curds and gravy. Sounds a little gross but actually addictive (and yeah terrible for you). I'm surprised it hasn't caught on in the U.S. Granville Island had a huge market which was basically my version of heaven...food glorious food, everywhere. Fresh baked bread, pastries, meat pies, fruit pies, jams, honeys, chutneys, chocolate, all local, all fresh. They had a Kid's Market which was also pretty cool. Lots of unique wooden toys and cute Olympic logo clothes for kids--overpriced of course.

We explored Stanley Park and the Aquarium with an awesome display of tropical and ancient looking fish. Collin played on the swings at the playground and we left without seeing the children's train and petting zoo because we were entering Collin melt-down phase. We also went to a cool suspension bridge park where Mike got to meet his boyhood dream of climbing up a giant tree house. The park was in the middle of a Canadian rain forest and complete with gorgeous views of the greenery and water below. We also had some grown-up time--again cheerios were the saving grace and went wine tasting about an hour outside of Vancouver where we picked up some nice bottles, all under $15.











Although Collin had his thrashing, high-pitched shrieking moments, for the most part, he was a flexible traveler. He dozed in his stroller, napped and slept fine in his portable crib in the hotel. He didn't seem too thrown off by schedule changes though we've never been regimented about any of that. He managed to stay out of trouble in the hotel rooms after some quick furniture rearranging. He probably consumed a whole box of cheerios and also loved the packs of yogurt with muesli which sadly they don't sell here.



On our trip home, we spent 90 minutes in line to pass the border. Collin and I played on the grass while Mike inched along. And of course there were cheerios...



After a humorless custom's agent questioned us, we headed to see my childhood best friend, Jodi, her husband Brent and their adorable kiddos Tucker and Bella in Blaine, WA. The three of them played in the wade pool and Collin chased after their two friendly Labs. Jodi and I reminisced about how we used to play with dolls and here we are with families of our own...life is crazy like that. After dinner and a nice break, we headed back to Portland. The timing was perfect with Collin's bedtime so he slept nearly the whole way back. Thanks to some speedy driving, we shaved about an hour off our trip and made it home in four hours!









So no more cheerios for a while...Though Collin won't remember this vacation, we'd like to think his view is expanded--even if he found the pebbles on the ground more fascinating than any of the sights. We'll carry the memories for now.

Collin walking