On being a father...

Adam wonders how he has been manipulated by such a tiny, helpless human into swaddling, propping up with pillows, rocking, and singing sweet songs into the wee hours of the morning.

Arlin has him wrapped around his finger...

Birthday 2013 and 2014

Today is my 29th birthday! I went walking with my boys and planted seeds - giant sunflowers for Elliott, Cerinthe major 'purpurascens' for the bees, and a seed mix to improve soil and insect populations....should be good. Tonight, we planned to go to Yogurtland as a family, but a few hours before we went, I uncharacteristically mass messaged my local friends to see who might want to join us. I was very happy I did; it is great to celebrate with friends and this year I wasn't able to host my annual mushroom themed birthday party potluck due to tiny home/ongoing remodel/new baby.
A picture from tonight:

And some pictures from last year's mushroom party:
My dear Adam made something of his own volition for the potluck! (Pastrami and cheese on toast)

The famous mushroom log cakes. This year's flavor combos were hazelnut with orange marmalade filling and almond with cardamom filling.

An early shot of the mushroom potluck...

Thank you friends!

At 29, I am now older than my older sister ever was: Briana died almost 3 years ago, right before her 29th birthday.

California in October II - Irvine Park Railroad

While in California visiting my parents, Uncle Thom had a Cross Country race at Irvine Regional Park. We made a day of the event because there are many fun things to do, like a mini railroad, pumpkin patch, horse rides, and surrey bikes!

 I picked Adam up at the airport that morning and we got to ride a school bus!!!!! into the park because there was a ton of traffic from the race.

 (Adam is wearing his favorite shirt for airport travel...)

 Lion got a turn, too.

Mom and Thom:

Thom and Elliott:

The surrey bikes were my favorite family moment. Picture the six of us crammed in, swapping seats, taking turns pedaling, Adam sweating bullets to get us up the hills, me hanging on for dear life as we careen down them. It was exhilarating exercise and bonding. 

In October, Irvine Park has a pumpkin patch with funny "photo-op" backgrounds. Here are several:

 See my chubby cheeked cat?!?!?!

California in October - Zoomar's Mini Farm

I made the annual October trip down to my parents' house for my mom's birthday and my 10 year high school reunion! Haha, what a funny thing...Dana Hills Class of 2003.

It was Elliott's first flight as a 2 year old, when he has to have his own seat. I had started potty training him a few says prior and he was enchanted by the airplane bathroom. I was curious how it would go flying with a newly potty trained kid, but like usual, Elliott rose to the occasion and all went smoothly.

So far, we have enjoyed our time with Grandma Beth, Grandpa Brent, and Uncle Thom. We even went to a pumpkin patch and petting zoo (Zoomars in San Juan Capistrano) with Grandma's friend and her grand kids.

The mini farm had a hilarious guinea pig area where you could catch and feed guinea pigs.

Grandma loved them, but Elliott only wanted to watch from a distance.

 

Funky little guy

I loved the pygmy goats

 Elliott wanted to go in the mini house, but the goat jumped up on the porch to defend his home from intruders!

I looked in the window and there was a giant sheep sleeping on the floor. It was so large it must have barely fit through the door.

 
Lost in the straw maze with bed head

Then we rode the train

 And took a nap (in underwear) on grandma's leather couch.

We'll probably go to the beach tomorrow!

Elliott turns 2

Our Elliott has been with us for 2 years now. We love watching him grow and find him a true delight every day. He truly is a gift from God :)

We partied at Idylwood Park on Lake Sammamish in Redmond. There is a grassy area with tables and park equipment, plus the lake front beach that is perfect for kids.

 ....and here is the grand finale gift from my parents:

a skateboard!

(Elliott has been dying for a skateboard for months. In April, at my parents' house, he was most frequently found outside on the skateboard. He "rode" it on the grass because it was less slippery. He can do little tricks, like ollies, which he first called "skateboard up!" In fact, my parents wrote a little note with the gift that said, "An ollie a day keeps the doctor away. Happy Birthday, Ezzie! Skateboard Up!")

Elliott's first ski day

Elliott has been dying to ski but his crazy parents have had so many house projects going on combined with pregnancy and taking care of newborn Arlin, etc. Finally, the weather brought plentiful snow to our Cascade Mountains and we had a Saturday dedicated to skiing before Elliott's hydrocele surgery.

We rented gear for Elliott, loaded up the 4 Runner, and drove to Steven's Pass. I dropped Adam off at the lifts so he could get started while I parked in the boonies (it was a crowded Saturday), dressed the boys in snow gear, and hauled everything but the kitchen sink up to the lodge :)
After staking out an area in The People's Lodge, Elliott and I went snow tractor hunting. Adam met us for lunch but Elliott would not re-enter the lodge for fear he would never get to ski...
Poor little guy - he wanted to ski so bad!

And ski he did! He took to skiing like a pro 2.5 year old and wore us out with his unquenchable energy. All in all, he probably skied about 4 hours. Adam bribed him with hot chocolate to get him back in the lodge at 9 pm! He insisted on skiing to the car and fell asleep before we had packed up and left the parking lot :)

 (here is E trying to cut in front of others...)

 Adam convinced Elliott to come in for lunch and resting.

 Elliott's new ski friend Margot:

Here is a video of his ski jumps, inspired by the recent Sochi Olympics:

Hydrocele

Elliott had a surgery on February 26th, 2014 to correct a hydrocele (see below). We chose Dr. Burns from Seattle Children's Hospital Bellevue Clinic and were very happy with the care.
Here is Elliott in the waiting room before his surgery:

The recovery was fast. 4 hours after the surgery you would have never known he had been under general anesthesia that morning! He was jumping around, playing with his new train set, laughing, etc. The first hour coming out of anesthesia was rough, which is to be expected. Elliott kept flopping around moaning confusedly and saying he wanted to go home. He became unreasonably distressed when his Otter Pop kept getting smaller (as he ate it). He cried, "But I want a BIG one!" while motioning with his hands a 3-foot popsicle!
About the hydrocele - It is an accumulation of fluid in a tube around the testicle. I first noticed it when he was about 1 1/2 years old. I actually thought he had only one testicle, because you could only see one enlarged ball. That was actually the hydrocele and the normal testicle was the small one. It was most noticeable when Elliott was warm or in a bath, which is why it took so long to notice! (because he never bathes! and it is always cold here!). We made an appointment with Dr. Burns who explained what was going on. We ended up doing the surgery about 7 months later.

I have 2 boys

I'm up for a night time feeding for Arlin, my 1 month old baby boy, and I must say I am officially bonded to him for life :)
With Elliott, as well, (who is now 2 1/2 years old!) it was around 1 month when I realized how much I loved him and felt like he really was my own boy forever.
Now, I have two boys forever! Plus Adam :)

I crush at the sight of Arlin! His face is still full of mystery for me: what features are familiar? what features are from which family members? What will he look like later?  His cheeks look fatter than yesterday, again! I made him, but I'm learning to know him; an eternal, happy process.

My dad made a simple comment I find adorable and always makes me laugh. When family was in town, I was commenting on how cute Arlin's little newborn behaviors are. Things like arching his back to stretch, frantically rooting for milk, attempting to hang on to my breast or shirt, and grunting in a satisfied way. My dad said, "He's happy!" and it struck me how true it was and how grateful I was to know he was happy. What a confusing reality he just began. I'm glad he is happy.

It kills me when I see his tiny face poking out of his blanket laden car seat with his small hands resting under his chin like a bunny. He is so cute I can't take him seriously but he has this look on his face where you can tell he is trying to catch sight of something familiar and make sense of his world. Preciously heartbreaking.

These are all physical thoughts, but what is his personality? He already has differences than Elliott. He seems more calm - but it could be that Arlin uses a pacifier :)

Arlin's Blessing Day

Thank you, family, for visiting us for Arlin's baby blessing. 

The name Arlin Douglas Barlow was chosen to honor Adam's two uncles who died as teenagers while ice skating on the Snake River in Idaho. Uncle Arlin was named after an earlier family member, Arlin Henry Bates. If you have a few minutes, read the history in that link - Arlin lived a good life and raised a happy family.