Fashionably Late

Why haven't I posted in 2 months?

2011-01-29T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is why!
Mom can't get much done with wild things like this around her!

Happy Birthday Everett!

2010-12-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Everett had his first "friends" birthday party this weekend. I can't believe my little baby is 3. He makes our lives so much fun!

The next day we went on a "tree hunt" (at a U-cut tree farm) then had lunch with Santa! Awesome birthday weekend for Ev!

Gobble Gobble!

2010-11-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Now that I have recovered from the turkey coma, and the fudge coma, and the wine coma, I am ready to tell you all about our exciting Thanksgiving holiday! I know you are all on the edge of your seats, sweating with anticipation...

We started off our celebration with our first "preschool program". Everett performed to a packed house (which is more than I can say for many performers out there!). He beguiled us with his "I'm a little Indian", to the tune of "I'm a Little Tea Pot", and "5 Little Turkeys". He got a little bored during the old Welsh prayer and started coping an attitude with one of his classmates. We cannot wait for the next performance!

For Thanksgiving we braved the nasty weather and headed up to Portland to spend some time with the Huffman cousins. Every time we go up we feel so loved and taken care of. It really is an oasis being with all the aunts. They dote on the boys, (including Doug) and accept me like just another member of the family. This year we got to meet the newest member of the family little Miles... he is a darling, I can't wait to spend more time with them.

While in Portland we took the kids on the MAX to the Children's Museum. They exceeded the normal amount of "this is fun" time and for the first time of the trip napped soundly!

We headed back to Medford on Saturday to ensure our attendance at the second annual "winter birthday celebration!" With pizza and a bowling competition on the agenda it was not to be missed! It ended up being a great success and most of all we were able to celebrate Morgan, Caleb, Carson, Cami, and Everett's birthdays all together as a family!

Looking forward to the upcoming Christmas season with even more exciting events to write about sarcastically!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

October was a busy month! Pumpkin patches, bike races, and Halloween candy!

A Dirty Free For All

2010-11-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's Cyclocross season! For those that don't know Cyclocross is a type of bike racing that includes mountain biking, road biking and obstacles. Kind of like a "steeple chase" with bikes. It is an "off season" sport which means the riders are usually covered in mud and rain! It's a blast to watch and probably even more fun to do!

Golden Rule Days

2010-09-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Everett has started the long journey of education. He has started Pre-school!! My little baby is turning into a boy right before my eyes. Everyday he comes home with something funny to say. So far finger paints and Play Doh win over letters and numbers but he seems to be acclimating well. I love seeing his smiling face when I pick him up everyday and hearing about spider drawings or Curious George stories. He's pretty amazing.

I may have had a slight breakdown on the first day, crying like a colicky baby and then the morning of the second day... but by the third day I was back to normal :). The three hours go fast and I get to spend some alone time with Mr. Corbin who is turning into quite a silly guy!

Camping Olympics 2010

2010-09-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, we had our second annual Camping Olympics camp out last weekend. This event was created by our awesomely competitive friends, the Saunders'. The purpose of C.O. is to participate in exciting games such as, Cribbage, "Extreme" Bocce, Badminton, Horseshoes... along with "Top Chef" quickfire challenge, cocktail challenge, and a newcomer "Minute to Win It". We had an awesome time, laughed a TON and enjoyed the fantastic company of friends.

Balloons Vs. Dragons

2010-07-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Rogue Valley Balloon Rally! Woke up early and enjoyed watching the balloons take off, didn't get many pictures, just enjoyed the moment. :)

Annual Children's Festival! Everett had SOOO much fun this year! He ran through the gates and wanted to go to every booth... we did the handprints in plaster, face painting, panning for gold and treasure, sand art, and fed both dragons! Straws are a dragon's favorite :) Poor Corbin was just a little to young to enjoy anything, so we didn't get any pictures of him.... the perils of a second child.

Hot Time, Summer in the Country!

2010-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Finally it is feeling like Summer in the Rogue Valley! We've been spending our afternoons at the park or pool, soaking up the sun.

We did the usual for the 4th. Went to the Ashland parade, it was incredibly disappointing, no naked people, drag queens or war (peace?) activists. We ditched the dull parade a little early and made our way down to Lithia Park for some delicious street food and a picnic in the park. Afterwards we headed to Doug's dads house to spend the evening with the family followed by the Medford fireworks! The boys didn't get to bed until 10:30pm, but still woke up at 6am... that was awesome.

My goal this summer was to go on fun "day" adventures with the boys, experiences like visiting a farm, going to the beach, art projects etc... so far we've done nothing (except an ill fated, possible brain damaging pot painting adventure). I won't give up though! We have some fun things planned for this weekend so stay tuned! :)

Memorial Day Camping

2010-06-03T10:43:00.001-07:00

We headed up to Harris Beach campground in Brookings OR this year for a little camping action. It was the best weather I've ever seen at the coast! With the sun shining and the water so clear we couldn't have asked for a better time!

It's been one heck of a year Coco!

2010-06-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

My precious coco is one! We made it! Corbin is so much fun, he is quick with a smile and a laugh. He loves to sing and dance. He says "uh-oh" a lot and LOVES to wrestle with his brother. He is truly a joy and we are so happy to have him in our family, I can't imagine life without him! Happy birthday Bear, we love seeing you grow!

Lordy Lordy, Doug is 40!

2010-06-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

That's right on May 19th Doug had the pleasure of joining the 40 crowd! He's doing it with style too! Looking better than ever. We had a small family party on his actual birthday with just the kids then a huge blowout on the weekend. Thankfully the rain held off :)

Spring Thaw 2010

2010-06-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Doug competed again in the Spring Thaw mountain bike race in Ashland, OR. He did great and had some seriously tough competition!

Everett also competed in his first bike race! The Shimano Kids Race. He was the youngest participant and came in dead last... Haha! We were so excited he even did it, and he got a very cool medal :)

Good Bye April, Sorry For Not Posting During You...(almost)

2010-04-23T19:56:00.001-07:00

Seriously I cannot believe how bad of a poster I have been lately! Actually, I can, we have been a busy bunch around here! I am going to sum up our March and April in one GIGANTIC post so please don't get bored, fall asleep, drool on your computer, break it and then sue me for the price of a new one!

Here goes:

Lets see, um, Easter? Sure, I'll start there. Everett did the his first big Easter egg hunt up at the Britt Grounds in Jacksonville, there are no pictures to capture the moment because Darling decided to cry and not find any eggs. Easter Sunday we did an egg hunt at Grammi and Papa's after church and we were much more excited about that one (I'm pretty sure he was jacked on sugar).

Everett will talk up a storm now and repeat EVERYTHING (yes, everything). He has been attending gymnastics and so far doesn't seem to know how he feels about it... we are gonna give it a couple more try's and then see what else looks exciting. Maybe music?

I can't believe Corbin is just a week away from being 11 months old! Time flies! His voice is getting stronger every day (yipee! she says sarcastically) He now dances, claps, crawls, claps and says "yay" (no joke, its hilarious) has 4 teeth, stands up independently for a short amount of time, and can pretty much take down his brother. He is one tough cookie!

Doug has started bike race season. He has done fantastic in all his races, despite lots of mechanical issues. We are looking forward to another fun Spring and Summer filled with racing action! He also ran the Pear Blossom 10 mile again this year. His time was 1 hour 6 minutes and he ended up in the top 10 in his age group! Way to run, forrest!! We are very proud :)

As for me, well, the reason I have been such a slacker poster is I've gone back to school! I am attending a distance learning program through Chemeketa Community College in Salem to get certified as a Speech Language Pathology Assistant. The ultimate goal of this certification is to get a job working with students who need speech therapy (usually in a school setting). I am super excited about it. It is challenging attending school 3/4 time with 2 little ones but Doug has been a fantastic partner and is always willing to pick up the slack. I also have lots of great family that thankfully love my kids almost as much as I do.

I will try to be better about posting shorter more frequent posts so you all don't go into a coma reading these Bible length ones! Hope everyone is enjoying the Spring!!

Dirt Eaters and Pea Pod Makers

2010-03-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

I wish that the title reflected my motivation to work in the garden but it does not, because I am not. And, that is a blog for another time. Here is a rundown of the family stuff for the last month of so.

Doug and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary with a little trip to Portland without the boys (thanks to Gma!). It was actually for a couple "pre-season" bike races but we treated it is a getaway because, well, anytime that we don't have to wipe bums is a getaway.

Speaking of bums; Evy is doing great with the potty training thing, staying dry most nights and naps. He wears underwear when we are home and a pull up at night and when we are out and about. He does a great job at letting us know but not so great at the advance warning. If he say's he has to go it means NOW! That's okay though he's still learning and I am totally impressed at how awesome he does.

Big boy feeding the ducks

Corbin just had his 9 month well baby and we are thinking of submitting an audition tape for "The Biggest Loser" infant edition! Just kidding, he is perfectly healthy and right on track he's 22lbs (75 percentile)
23 inches (95th percentile)
and had a normal size head (I can't remember how big)

He has mastered the army crawl and gets around like lightning doing that! He tries to crawl on his hands and knees but eventually gives up because it's easier to do it the other way. He is pulling up to standing on everything and falls at least once a night in the bath because he won't sit still. He is just full of energy. He say's Dada quite well and Baba (which is brother I think) and occasionally a Mama will slip out. I know that those aren't real words right now but they seem so real! He's growing so fast.

Dirt Eater

I recently threw a Pea in the Pod baby shower for my friend Dana, it was pretty fun (If I do say so). My mom did Aunt Mary's ring test on her (they are keeping the gender a surprise) and it said BOY! We'll see if the test holds true!

Pee Pee in the Potty

2010-02-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

Evy has been running around in big boy underwear for a week now when we're at home just to get him excited about maybe potty training. We are not pushing it but tonight he said "Uh oh! Peeeee!" and we ran to the potty and he peed BIG TIME! Doug and I freaked out danced around and gave him 3 chocolate chips. Then about a half hour later at the dinner table he said "PEEEE" So Doug runs him to the potty and he goes AGAIN! Then again while in the bath tub he jumps up and says "Pee" and goes again! Now I'm not counting my chickens or anything but WOOO HOOO!! The prospect of not changing two kids diapers everyday is within my grasp! Go EVERETT!!!

Transition

2010-02-04T19:20:00.001-08:00

So, the Striley's kind of dropped off the face of the planet for some time recently. A few weeks ago we (I) decided it would be a great time to move the boys into the same room together. This was always our original plan but we (I) wanted to wait until Corbin was solidly sleeping through the night. So now that he is, and its a new year, I was feeling confident in the transition. Here is how it went down.

Night one: Everett removes pajamas and diaper and pee's on his bed. Climbs into the crib several times with Corbin and removes the tape from the light switch and turns it on. No one slept.

Night two: Everett again climbs into the crib several times with Corbin, we go in 45 times to remove him, turn off the light, shut the door, etc...

Several nights follow like night 2.

Night something or other (I haven't slept in a million hours at this point so it was difficult to keep track): Everett and Corbin are both oddly quiet, Doug goes to check on them and declares "a lotion incident" we'll call this "LOTIONGATE" it was more like a lotion flood. both children are covered although Everett is naked so we only have to rub it in. The crib is soaking in some hippie ass smelling lotion, I have no idea even where he found it. There were also spots of Orajel around... I don't even want to think about were that went.

The next few nights are like night 2.

Then comes the breaking point. After dinner at my parents, we arrive home late. Both boys are already in their jams ready to plop in bed. we again have to fight with Everett to get out of the crib, until the last time I go in and Everett is STANDING on his brother while Corbin is face down. I scream, everyone starts crying, Doug comes in, and we all get pissed. So there we are 9pm Doug is ripping the crib apart to set it up back in the other room (which has become a playroom). We've failed.

Oh yes, there is more. The next day Doug decides to fit a piece of plywood to the exposed side of the crib so Ev can no longer climb over. Brilliant. We also loosened the lightbulbs in the light, put in a nightlight and put the door knob thingy back on the door. Then, Corbin gets 2 teeth and a cold. So, crib in the boys room, and Co slept in the pack n play in the playroom for a week.

We just recently got back on track and so far, things seem to be going well, Everett can't climb into the crib and Corbin can't see Ev when he is going to sleep. So there ya go. we are finally getting there, it reminds me of when I had newborns and I thought they would never transition out of a particular thing but before I knew it we were on to the next challenge.

If I had a free moment these past few evenings you bet your ass I wasn't blogging. But you are now caught up on the Strileys! Lets hope all goes well for the next 16 years that they will be sharing a room :)

The Crafty Bug Bit Me In The A**

2010-01-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

It only comes but once a year, usually around baby shower time. Last time it was the diaper cake, which I now realize was childs play. This time, it's invitations! My BFF Dana got herself knocked up (on purpose, she even got herself a husband before she did it! A rare thing here in the rogue) and we once again are throwing a baby shower. They are keeping the gender a "surprise" because they like to torture people, so we must be "gender neutral". I found these adorable pea pod invites and figured I could make them better and for half the price, so once again the craft bug found me.

I found a local scrapbooking store that has a Cricut (this super cool cutting machine that if I ever actually cared that much about crafting I would have to get) and for a very reasonable price they cut 40 pea pods, pea pod shadows, and vines. So two days later I emerged from my crafting oblivion... my children have grime behind their ears, my husband is starving and my house a wreck. Just like when I read the Twilight books!

Here are some pics of my project all the way through. I was right, they are MUCH cuter than the ones I found online, and cost less than half the price!

to start

after punching a million little peas

The finished pea pod

gotta love the ole ink jet

Ta Da!

#17

2010-01-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Doug and I welcomed our SEVENTEENTH(!) niece (well, all together nieces and nephews we have 17) on Thursday, January 7th. Sweet baby Nyah Lynn Striley was born to parents Jayson and Jessica. She is a beautiful little 8lb 19inch girl and we are so excited! Lori was lucky and was their L&D nurse (I made sure they had the best!) and took excellent care of them. Jessica was a serious trooper and looked amazingly beautiful just moments after birth. What a blessing all these kiddo's are to us!

Bath Buddies

2010-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

First pic of the boys sharing a tub... this was right before Coco got a little slippery and had a face plant in the water, it might just be a little to soon to sit bare bummed in the big tub :)

Why, God?

2010-01-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

It has been almost 2 weeks, TWO WEEKS and Everett has only napped twice (once, while I wasn't even here, so that shouldn't count). Are we at the end of an era? I have tried everything, removing all his toys from his room, rocking, singing; threatening, screaming. Nada, he just stays in his room and plays with his toys until I give in and let him out. I just cannot believe he is done with naps already, he still poops his pants he should still take a nap!!

I actually wouldn't mind so much, he does play quietly in his room but when 5pm rolls around he turns into an evil little zombie whiner and frankly I'm scared he's going to try and eat my leg. And just in case there are any Everett sympathizers out there here is a video to prove what a little pill he is (This is not the worst either).

Yeah, makes you want to run screaming doesn't it? Seriously is this the end? Any words of wisdom out there? Or is Ev's new bed time 6pm?

Sianara '09!

2009-12-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

2009 certainly had it's ups and downs! And by ups I mean throw up and downs I mean toddler throw downs! Just another exciting year for the Striley's!

Everett is finishing the year at a whoppin 25 lbs and Corbin is not far behind at 17.5lbs

Baby's first Christmas

Coco the sneak... trying to get into his presents before Christmas!
If only he could read, he'd know that present is for Everett

Two year old birthday cake face (the boy is 2, not the cake)

First time playing in the snow
(last time mommy goes in the woods to cut a tree down with 2 little babies!)

Our house after Santa came

Christmas party at Grammi and Papa's house, he looks like the next Tony Soprano... he can really wield a bat!

This is the only half way decent picture of the boys on Christmas Eve...

Ev was not in the picture mood

TWO!

2009-12-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday sweet Evy!! Thanks for beginning our family! We are blessed every day to have you in our lives! We are so excited to see you grow and learn.

Love you!
Mommy and Dada

...And for My Next Trick

2009-11-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

We went with the Monkey and Banana theme this year. Ev really got into the trick or treating (although he couldn't get out the phrase "trick or treat", just held out his bucket for candy). When we finished with that he got into his skeleton jammies and helped mom and dad pass out candy! After a while he would yell "BYE!" and shut the door right in people's faces, it was great :)

Wiggin Out!

2009-10-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Patch Extravaganza

2009-10-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

We took the kiddo's to enjoy a beautiful sunny day picking pumpkins and enjoying the activities at the Pheasant Farms Pumpkin Patch. We fed the goats, sheep, bunnies, and chickens; went on hay rides and pony rides, and ate caramel apples with spiders on our faces.

Bright Lights of Tinseltown!

2009-10-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

We took Everett to go see "Where the Wild Things Are"! His first movie on the big screen. We had no expectation about how he would do but he was awesome... his eyes lit up when his little bum sat in that big ole seat with popcorn and licorice in hand (we knew that success would likely depend on how much junk food we ate). I wish I would have taken some pictures of him in the theater but here's one of him before we left.

I love that it gets dark before Everett's bed time!

2009-10-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

es, the days are shorter... the mornings have a chill, but kids sure do sleep better! Its too dark to see the toys in the toy box or rummage through the closet and pull out all the too small clothes that mommy is too lazy to box up... might as well go to sleep! Now if only Corbin would take Ev's lead (as he is screaming in the next room... cry it out little man!)

So here are the highlights of our October so far:

We braved the 4.5 hour car ride and headed up to Portland for a little Cyclocross racing action, and family time. We got to introduce Corbin to the Aunts and both boys got some much needed Gma time! On Sunday Doug raced his first Cross Crusade Race, he and about 1600 others! It was quite the experience since we are used to competing against a much smaller crowd. It was wild... my ears rang cowbell for about a week!

Everett fell in love with Uncle Rick!

Ev helping Gma wash the veggies picked from the garden

Elliot showing off his chunk!

I envy Anne Geddes... baby photography is not easy!

Now that the baby factory is closed down (Yeah!) I needed something to motivate me to get back into shape and find those ab muscles that once existed, so I started a bootcamp class. Now this is not your sweet, ease into your new fit life class... this stuff is hard core (this is my trainer)! After my first class I dry heaved into the garbage can outside. Its fabulous!

Corbin's 4 month stats are:
14 lbs (25th Percentile)
26 inches (90th Percentile)
He is smiling all the time, laughing every once in a while and loves to play in his excersaucer.

We took Ev to the train park in Medford for the first time, he's been really into Thomas and trains in general so it was a great way to explore. He rode the train twice and even had the guts to let go of mommy's hands the second time around!

Ev and his friend Annie, peeking out the window

Feeling the freedom of ridin the rails

Everett received an early birthday present from Mama and Daddy. We'll just say he definitely takes after his daddy!

Just so you know, these "scoot" bikes are the latest way to teach a kid how to ride a bike, you'll notice it doesn't have pedals, this so the child learns to balance first... pedaling is the easy part!

End of Summer Wrap Up

2009-09-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

You wouldn't know it by the 100 degree weather outside but today is officially the first day of Fall. Another Summer comes to a close... It's been an eventful one!

Summer Summarized:

MTB and Road bike race season come to a close with Doug winning another OBRA gold metal! Yeah!

We did a lot of hiking and camping with the boys this year, trying to get them excited about nature early on... Lets hope they don't turn into weird mountain people or anything.

Corbin is almost 4 months old! He is growing so fast and is developing quite a personality. I think we are going to have another character on our hands. He definitely will ham it up for the camera!

Everett is approaching 2 with a vengeance! He is loving throwing fits and screaming. We all love this stage, its fun. He is saying new words everyday which hopefully will lead to less screaming and more reasoning. He newest word is "pee pee". Yep that's right! The only body part my son knows how to say is his pee pee... I'm hoping this will lead to pee pee in the potty soon!

I'm looking forward to the routine the Fall seems to bring. I hope you all are too!

Trailer Trash Goes on The Road

2009-08-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the maiden voyage of "The Meteor" (for the Striley's anyway). We trekked up to Lake of the Woods and ate junk food, drank beer, and got incredibly dirty (at least Ev did) for 3 days. We had a great time and the trailer did great. It was a whoppin 38 degrees on Friday night which made me realize that the key word in tent trailer is "TENT" it was a bit chilly, but we got through it. Both boys did great, Ev had a blast roaming around all day exploring and Corbin loves the outdoors! He just would look and look and look... it was adorable :) Here are some pics of our adventure:

Not camping, but this kid loves corn on the cob!

Helpin mom make cookies for the trip

His very own smoothie on the way up the mountain

We've arrived!
Family portrait... with the top of Corbin's head

Mama and C
End of the trip amazingly dirty and now sticky

Corbin had is 2 month check-up last week, time is flying! He is doing great, his 2mo stats are:

10lbs 5oz
23 3/4 inches
Long and skinny just like his brother.

Trailer Trash

2009-08-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

We are bound for the great outdoors now that we have a proper recreational vehicle. Some might not call a 1988 Starcraft Meteor tent trailer a recreational vehicle but I would have to argue! Are we not using it for recreation? Does it not have wheels? Therefore it is a recreational vehicle! Doug and I have been looking for a while for something we could use for camping adventures. With two little ones sleeping in the back of the truck just doesn't cut it anymore. We are so excited to head out!

Everett has discovered a love for "wading" we took him to Lithia Park last weekend and he splashed and kicked... we had a great time. He also has discovered the camera. He found an old camera in a drawer somewhere and quickly discovered the "shoot" button. He really likes to take self portraits but unfortunatly his arms aren't long enough for any good shots.

I did a quick photo shoot with Corbin and Carson the other day... They are so adorable, it is fun to see how quickly they grow and change! Corbin has started smiling. You have to work for em but they are awfully sweet when you get em!

Slacker

2009-07-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

OK It has been one month since I posted our last blog, that officially makes me a slacker. (Although not as slackery as SOME bloggers I know) So I have been changing diapers, wiping faces, chasing rascals and jiggling newborns... I probably could have fit in a blog or two right? I can't believe it is the middle of July! This summer is flying by! This is going to be a long one since I feel like I haven't filled anyone in on the Life of Striley lately.

Doug has participated in 2 Duathlons this summer, the Evans Valley in Rogue River and the Granite Man in Jacksonville. He placed in both. What a show off!

Granite Man

Evans Valley

We have been doing some hiking as well, on Fathers day we headed up Table Rock for Corbin's first hike. Slow but sure we schlepped up the hill, Doug, Ev, and Kelty loaded on his back and me with Baby C on my front. We later did a quick morning hike on the trails behind the Ashland Watershed. We try to go every weekend but are not very creative about where to go so if anyone has suggestions we are open!

Table Rock

Toothpick Trail, Ashland Watershed

Corbin is doing amazing! He finally decided to "wake-up" around his due date. He is an alert little fellow and a bit demanding, he really likes being held and carried. He is an observer like his brother and does not want to miss out on the action! I try and oblige him as much as possible. He is around 8lbs now and growing quickly, he finally fits into 0-3 month clothes.

Everett is growing in every way every day! He loves his baby brother and we have officially deemed his first word "baby". He is trying to say new words all the time but they all seem to come out sounding like "DUH" Ha ha ... He is working on it though. He loves to run and climb and sing and dance. He is really good at entertaining himself and pretending, I'm pretty sure he is a genius... scary, you never want a child who can outsmart you at 19 months.

Big Boy!

Pouting

On July 5th we welcomed our new cousin Carson Duane Ray. Doug's sister Angie decided to brave the baby stage again and add a third little munchkin to the brood. He is precious and I am excited for Corbin to have a cousin so close in age! They are a month and 3 days apart.

Auntie Em and Carson

Cryin Cousins

Other Striley activities have included: Children's Festival, playing with Grammi and Papa, swimming up at Auntie's house, 4th of July parade and parties, and general summer shenanigans! I think that catches me up. If not well, there is always next year!

Tuckered out after the 4th of July Parade in Ashland

dads and their boys

Picnicking with Grammi and Papa

Children's Festival!

Oh! The garden... Well just like in this blog our poor garden has been a bit neglected. The Broccoli and Cauliflower bolted, though we did get several good heads. The Peas and Carrots did not produce the amount we thought and well the Squash never did survive. BUT, we have tons of Tomatoes ripening up, our Corn is as high as an elephant's eye with lot's of ears on it and we have several Jalapeno's growing! I am not posting photo's because it is embarrassing the amount of weeds we have allowed to grow, maybe after I am motivated to clean it up a bit!

Haircut!

2009-06-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

After Doug threatening to cut Everett's hair himself, and the mailman calling him a "she", and with little Corbin's arrival we finally decided to take Ev down for his very first haircut. He did really great, as long as the chocolate was flowing and Auntie Dana was in control of the scissors....

Bye bye soft ringlets, hello big boy!

I thought for sure...

2009-06-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

...I would have three more weeks to clean out the dresser, set up the crib, wash the laundry, post about all the exciting things that happened in May... but WE HAD A BABY INSTEAD!!!

Corbin Joseph Striley decided to join the world three weeks early on June 2nd, 2009 at 12:50pm. He is a perfectly healthy 6lb 12oz 19 3/4 inches. I can't believe that we now have two beautiful boys, I am so honored to be mommy to new little Corbin. He is such a little bundle of joy so far . I am a little nervous about the "two kid juggle" when all settles down. I just hope I can dedicate time to both my children and get a shower in every once in a while :)

Everett is doing well so far, he has had lots of attention and love from his all his grandparents and us... he is such a special boy you can't help but want to love on him as much as possible. He is interested in Corbin for about 5 seconds and then is off in the opposite direction! I think they are going to be great pals and Ev will be teaching his little bro a lot!

Here are a few pics from the last few days:

May Summarized

2009-06-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Spring Thaw: Doug got a flat, but still performed amazing! Here he is chatting it up with the "Golden Girls" I think the one on the left is named Rose (ha ha)...

Memorial Day Weekend: Day up at Lake of the Woods with friends

Swimming Lessons: Now Ev loves to kick, blow bubbles, and jump in the water!

Mom and Dad only Coast Getaway: Perfect timing for a little Doug and Em time before adding to the brood!

Another Year Better

2009-05-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

My friend,

Another year of life has passed and you have continued to get better. I hope that instead of dreading this day each year you celebrate not only that you are alive and well but you get a whole new year to enjoy this blessed life you have been given. This year you have an opportunity to stand up and conquer each new challenge. You have the benefit of new wisdom, and lessons learned to perceive the world differently than before.

Because you were born I get to see my sons grow up, I get to spend MY life with the person that I love and admire most in this world. Because you gain another year, I gain another year with my partner and best friend. Take advantage of each moment. Do not be selfish and run through this year without living. Enjoy our little boy's laugh, the things that are now growing in our yard, the experience of growing our family, cherish each moment.

I am looking forward to celebrating many, many more birthdays with you, I love you and am so glad you were born!

Garden Harvest

2009-05-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

So tonight after Everett went to bed at 6pm (because he didn't nap and was acting like a schitzo on crack) I went into the garden and dared to "harvest" some of our veggies! I can't believe it was only one month ago that we planted everything! Vegetables grow much faster than other things... oh, like babies? Although we would probably have a LOT more people in the world if it only took a month to grow a kid, so never mind.

Anyway, tonight I went for it. I ripped leaves off our butter lettuce (anyone need lettuce? We have a TON!) and "thinned" the radishes. This weekend we are finally going to plant the rest of our starts, yipee! Hopefully in another month we'll have tomatoes, peppers, and squash to look forward to!

Here are some pics of the progress of the Striley family garden and our harvest. If you want to compare you can go here and see when we started.

Cauliflower

Corn

Radishes and Walla Walla Sweet Onion

Lettuce

The Harvest

May is The Month For Growing

2009-05-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

May is getting started with a bang. We have been busy with bike races, swim lessons, endless doctor appointments, gardening and general chaos! Everett is truly growing into such a little boy, it seems like everyday he loses more and more babyness (yes its a word, even if its a word I just made up). My belly is also growing, accommodating little brother's 4+ pound body now. I cant believe in a short time he will be with us! I'm starting to get very excited. We are still having a hard time deciding on a name. We even tried to get Ev in on the action but "AAAAHHIEEE!" was not an option. Here are some fun pics from our month so far.

Mudslinger Race, Corvallis, OR

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Getting ready for our first swim lesson

Practicing jumping in the pool!

Wanting to be just like daddy

General goofiness

Foster Cat

2009-04-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor, Gary, came over today. He has an awesome garden (yard in general really... he clearly has a green thumb) and came by to give us some broccoli starts for ours... how nice right? He gave us high praises on the progress of our garden too which meant a lot since we are totally surprised that things are actually growing in it.

Anyway, Doug mentioned something about his cat that always spends time over at our house and he said "what cat? I don't own a cat." What? All this time the cat that we fondly call "foster cat" truly is our foster cat! He spends much of his time over here and has become more and more comfortable with all of us. Lately, he has been bringing us his "prizes" of birds and moles (ew).

So, it appears that the latest member of our family did not emerge from my loins, but over the fence to rest on the patio furniture. Now we have to think of a name for two new family members! Any suggestions?

Pears and Bunnies and Veggies, Oh My!

2009-04-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

We had a busy holiday weekend! Saturday morning we were up early and off to the annual Pear Blossom Run. This is Doug's second year participating in the race. It was a lot of fun and he did an amazing job! Uncle Tom and Dallas also ran; both making it look like a piece of cake! What awesome athletes we have in the family. Everett will be running it in no time I'm sure!

Surprisingly no one looks like they are going to have a heart attack

Running Fast

Running Faster

We decided to skip the parade and street fair to head home and work in the garden. We planted our corn, carrots, radishes, green onion, and Walla Walla sweets, our lettuce, peas, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli! It is so nice to have the garden in and done! We have to wait a few more weeks for the tomatoes and peppers. Ev and I also got some egg dying in that evening.

Veggies are in!

Close up
Dying eggs! What a mess!

Easter Sunday we headed to early service at church then home for a nice long nap (Ev and mom were tired and cranky!) before heading over to Grammi and Papa's house for Easter dinner and egg hunting. Ev was not really into the egg hunting, but was fascinated by the actual eggs, and the candy that they held. Candy is his new favorite food group. He had so much fun running around after his cousins outside. Outside seems to be the only place he wants to be now!

Looking dapper in his Easter best!

Excited about his Easter "wheelbarrow" from Grammi and Papa

We all looked pretty so we decided to take some family pics!

Toddlers and Tiaras

2009-04-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

I think we can bet that Everett will not have a pageant career. Saturday morning we trekked down to the Rogue Valley Mall to participate in the annual "Pear Blossom Baby Contest". I can't even think of something clever to write about our experience... I think I have PTS Syndrome. First we had to pick a category to enter him in. Since getting him to smile on demand is like herding cats "Quickest Smile" was out. Now, Everett has beautiful eyes, they look like little pieces of amber but they are not blue or brown so those were out too and he is lean and mean so chubbiest baby was a no go. Looks like prettiest hair wins out. This particular category happens to be the last to be judged. Thank God we had Grammi and Miss Dana with us to distract.

So after 4 hours and lots of waiting its was determined that Everett would not win anything. Ha ha! If only they had a category for biggest drooler! Oh well... I guess we won't be trying out for Toddlers and Tiara's anytime soon.

Grammi and Ev, Waiting...

Being Judged...at Nap Time

Now He Smiles!

Poser

How Does Your Garden Grow, Phase II...

2009-04-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend we finally got dirt in our boxes and gravel in the walkway. We just need to set up the watering system and we'll be ready to plant, yay! I had an event with Everett to go to (blog coming soon) on Saturday morning so I left Doug and little bro Corey to the gardening... I would have just been in the way anyway. Earlier in the week I asked Doug what I could do to help and he said "make lunch" boy, are we in 1950 or what?! Unfortunately it was probably true, considering I move slow and usually am distracted by a 1 year old. By the time Ev and I returned the boxes were full of beautiful rich soil and the truck was full of gravel ready to dump. I have never seen two people work so fast! I am so glad I found myself a handy guy :-)

Ev helping unload the gravel (AKA playing with rocks)

Ev helping me water, and discovering mud

Drinkin from the hose is fun!

A Visit from Baby Elliot (and his mom and dad)

2009-04-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

Our friends the Roa's came down from Portland and brought the most precious piece of cargo, 4 week old Elliot Graham. Some of you may remember Calie and I became friends when she was a Rotary exchange student living with my family 11 years ago. She came back to go to college where she met her wonderful husband Anthony. They are currently living in Portland as Calie attends the dental school at OHSU and are hoping to move back when she is done (yeah!). We miss them terribly especially since Elliot has arrived. Its hard to miss out on one of the biggest events in one of your best friends lives.

We had a great weekend spending time with Elliot. I couldn't stop rubbing his fuzzy little head and changing his diapers (for some reason he liked to poop when I was holding him). We can't wait to visit with them again!

Here are some pics of Elliot's visit.

Everett always needed to be in Mommy's lap when Elliot was

Papa Anthony and Baby E

Smilin

the boys (never did get a great shot of the two of 'em)

just like riding a bike...

They meet at last

How Does Your Garden Grow...

2009-03-26T21:10:00.001-07:00

Doug, Everett and I are embarking on a courageous adventure of growing our own vegetables this year! I grew up on home grown veggies and would love to be someone who knows how to produce her own produce! Each blog I do will contain some blurb about the progress of our garden.

Last weekend, in between hail storms and bike races, Doug managed to build 3 garden boxes that we intend to plant corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, radishes, carrots, squash and maybe an artichoke plant or two. We have a little bit of room for and additional small box if we feel really motivated to plant some watermelon or something. We are starting with a manageable plot of land and hopefully will not get overwhelmed. Here are some shots of our garden spot and the beautiful boxes!

The small patch on the side of the house, once filled with space age weeds

Prepping

Buildin

Box one down

Box two and three... almost there!

This is what can happen

2009-03-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

When your baby decides not to take a nap for a couple days...

It's Official

2009-03-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Doug has began race season. Today was the first in a series of three races, The Southern Oregon Time Trial. Doug not only exceeded his expectation for the individual race with a time of 35:19 (beating last years time by 5 minutes) but his team took second place in the first annual "Team TT". This is pretty exciting because Doug took the initiative to put together a team to compete, and I'd say he did an amazing job selecting team mates! It was rainy and freezing and windy and completely miserable but they still kicked butt!

About to take off. It's okay she has her hands there.

The team coming in for a finish (bad camera timing)

Shocking... another cold race day!
I think we have a thousand pictures like this.

Everett is now officially in a big boy bed. Saturday night we set up his twin bed and he went right to sleep in it with absolutely no problems. I slept horribly thinking he was going to fall off the bed but so far so good. He looks so tiny in it, it makes me realize how much of a baby he still is! He has started to use everything in the house as a jungle gym, climbing up precariously and then often tumbling down, one of his new tricks also is walking backwards... he thinks that feels pretty neat, and of course the dancing.

Pregnancy is beginning to take its toll. I'm just a little over 2 weeks away from being in the 3rd and final trimester. It's gone by so quickly this time! Little Brother is a busy boy, he moves so much more than Everett did. This scares me because if Everett is my calm child we are going to be in serious trouble. I'm starting to have trouble breathing, sleeping, and am moving much slower. The only thing that keeps me content is knowing how much harder it is when they come out.

So that's whats up with the Striley's this week. More race series pictures to come as I get better with the camera! Lets hope for nice weather next week!!

Life in Technicolor

2009-03-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't dance like a fool to Coldplay?

Big Boy Bed

2009-03-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

In preparation for Little Brother we have decided to transition Ev into a "big boy bed". Last night we semi-successfully put Ev to bed without the confinement of bars. Our strategy is to slowly transition to a twin bed by first having him sleep on his crib mattress on the floor. It only took about 30 minutes of crying/whining and 3 trips by us to lay him back down (his strategy was to roll off the mattress crawl to the bedroom door and knock, kick, and cry... it was kind of amusing for sadistic mommy) and he was fast asleep. I was completely impressed by this!

My anxiety level is still pretty high, it just seems odd to let him be so independent so young, but we want to get him used to a regular bed way before little brother arrives so we won't have two cryin kids in the middle of the night. I'm hoping the next few nights are even better and we can get him in his regular twin sized bed soon.

We are still open to ideas on transition strategies if anyone has a suggestion please leave a comment!

Hurry Up and Wait

2009-02-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the news right now anchored by a very pregnant anchor woman and it is reminding me of how incredibly frustrating those last few weeks of pregnancy are (her expressionless bloated face and listless voice says it all). I remember crying to my doctor just days before Everett was born that he needed to come out at that moment, I was literally going insane. I also had absolutely zero sense of humor and wanted to kill anyone that looked at me.

I was just in Portland these past few days hoping to witness the birth of my friend Calie's first baby. The little booger has decided to take his sweet time so I am gonna miss it. Ha... the amount of annoyance I have at this surprises me, only because I have such sympathy and know that as much as I wanted him to come Calie and Anthony want it 100x more! Oh well I guess they just have to suffer like the rest of us had to!

The Portland trip was not all a bust. I actually was able to spend some quality me with just Calie before she is ever changed by motherhood. Everett got to spend some quality time with his G-Ma and great aunts. Doug even came up for the weekend and got some racing in! We all got to spend most of our time indoors as the rain came pouring down. It was then I decided I could never live with that much rain.

Ev in his new tent from IKEA

Jumpin in the puddles at G-Mas

The Cotton Year

2009-02-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Happy anniversary my husband! We have managed to fill these two short years with so much joy. I often feel like I don't remember a time that I did not love you. Sometimes two years seems like two hundred, only because you have managed to make my love for you evolve and grow in ways I did not know it could. I feel safe in my own skin, and everyday my trust and faith in your love for me expands.

I could not have chosen anyone better to be the father of my sons. Your example of a man is exactly what I want them to emulate. Your strength, perseverance, industrious nature are all qualities our children will receive from you. Thank you for loving our babies as much as I do.

I cannot and refuse to imagine my life without you. I have never been happier being your wife. I promise to be your constant support and cheerleader. Where you go I will go. Where you die, there I will die also.

I love you buddy and am looking forward to 100 more anniversary celebrations with you.

Diaper Stewart to you!

2009-02-09T10:12:00.001-08:00

You can call me Martha... or Katie, or whoever your favorite crafty gal is. I think I should be added to the list. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not have a bend towards crafts. I usually have very high expectations and very low patience - which leaves a lot of things half finished and ugly.

But (Ha! You knew that was coming)... One of my forever friends, Liz, is having a baby and I am, along with two of my other forever friends, throwing her a shower. Now I wish with all my heart I could spend thousands of dollars on fun frilly girl items (they are expecting a girl) but my wallet is not a magic lamp. Instead I bought a few items and a practical pack of diapers. Diapers are very boring to wrap and I have had a lot of time on my hands lately so I decided to make a Diaper Cake! Have you seen these? They are kind of cheesy, but a creative and fun way to give a practical item such as diapers.

I scoured the internet looking for ideas and instruction. I found a LOT of stuff... I guess these things are all the rage. This was my favorite:
How To Make A Diaper Cake - A funny movie is a click away I'm just waiting for the punchline, it's so Saturday Night Live to me.

Anyway, just in case you need a creative, crafty way to wrap the diapers you are giving at your next shower here is my version of the Diaper Cake instruction manual.

****Spoiler Alert! Liz, if you do not want to see part of your present do NOT read on (yeah, right!)****

Materials:

Diapers, be sure to get buy ones that the mom will actually use, don't be cheap! The amount will vary depending on the size of diapers you buy and the size of cake you are constructing (I used 50 Luvs brand size 2's and 18 size 3's).

One 8oz baby bottle filled with candy.

A ton of small rubber bands, clear if you have them

6+ larger rubber bands

Colored ribbon (to match the baby colors). If you are using an opaque ribbon use white solid ribbon underneath to cover the rubber bands. Approx 20 feet.

Double stick tape

A cake plate, platter, or round cardboard at least 16 inches in diameter.

Step 1:

Roll folded diaper top to bottom, and wrap with one elastic. Try making your husband help while he makes "arty" suggestions about how to roll, get annoyed. While your baby steals half the diapers and runs away screaming. Continue to roll until all the diapers are done.

Rolled Diaper

Husband

Step 2:

Begin assembling the bottom tier. Take one diaper and wrap it with on of the larger rubber bands. Add diapers in a circular motion inside the large rubber band. Band the layer with another rubber band. Add diapers to that rubber band to make another layer. Make a total of three layers. Set aside.

Bottom Tier

Step 3:

Assemble the middle tier just like the bottom but do one less layer for a total of 2 circles around the one middle diaper.

Middle Tier (with ribbon done already)

Step 4:

To assemble the top tier take your candy filled bottle. If you ate the candy out of the bottle during steps 1-3 please replace it, or at least write a nice note. Place a large rubber band around the bottle and add diapers again in a circle completing only one layer.

Top Tier

Step 5:

Time to add the ribbon! Using your double stick tape wrap the ribbon around each tier securing it every so often with a small piece tape. Be sure you covered the rubber bands and don't use too much tape or it will ruin the diapers. What is the point if the mom can't use the diapers you spent 25 bucks on? You can add bows or flowers or whatever you want at this point. I chose to keep mine simple.

Step 6:

Once all the tiers are prettied up you can assemble your cake. Secure the bottom tier to the cake platter/cardboard with double stick tape. place double stick tape on the top of the bottom tier and carefully place the middle tier on top gently pressing to make sure it sticks. Add the top tier the same way.

At this point your cake should look like this:
If it doesn't you are not as good as me. Begin to eat the rest of the candy from the bottle.

Phew! you're done! If you want to be. To go above and beyond you can add additional ribbon, accessories like pacifiers, onsies, blankets, or little plush animal. There are thousands of ways to do these.

This craft is so easy but looks complicated which impresses people. This is the ONLY kind of craft I enjoy. I hope to do more of these for the 500,000,000 friends that are now pregnant that I have to attend showers for (I am of course exaggerating, I don't have that many friends).

I hope you get the opportunity to do one too! Just don't show up to a shower I'm attending with one!

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

2009-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

It's official! We make little boys in this baby factory! We had the ultrasound for #2 today. They even gave us a CD with the pictures on it (for $5 bucks...racket). Everything is perfect. He is growing normally, no signs of abnormalities or chromosomal disorders. Just a healthy little stinky boy!

We are happy about having another boy for many reasons. Our pocketbook being one. Also I am looking forward to bunk beds, and frog catching, and t-ball, all the fun things boys do. I think Everett will love having a little brother :-).

Here are the pics we received today!

Fraidy Cat Scratch Fever

2009-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

I thought I would be clever in my title since Wheel of Fortune is on. I have been a slacker poster lately, my inspiration has dwindled, I think it has something to do with the economy. I like to blame everything on the economy, and it mostly applies. Having a bad hair day? Blame it on the cheap shampoo you had to buy because of the economy! Stub your toe, that damn economy! You can't get rid of the table because you can't buy a new one! Anyway... back to what you all really care about.

Everett was scratched by Piper, my sisters cat, a couple weeks ago. It has healed nicely but he has since been acting funny, making goofy squinty eye faces and hitting a lot. I'm pretty sure it's from the cat scratch, not because he is turning into an emotional, willful toddler. Here's a pic of his scratch. Poor baby. At this point, when he goes to Auntie Lori's I just pray he comes home alive. (just kidding Lori!)

A friend of Dougs blessed us with a bike trailer for Everett. We had been looking around for one but just were not sure what to buy, so we were so excited that we did not have to be proactive and accepted it quickly! The first time we put him in it, I should say tried to put him in it because he threw a screaming back arching fit, he was not loving it. Well, we tried again today and he LOVED it! We just cruised around the neighborhood for a minute but we are so excited that he likes it and we can start having biking adventures as the weather warms up.

BEFORE

After (If you look close you can see the smile)

A little unsure about the heavy helmet

Just Because...

2009-01-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

...I haven't posted anything in a while I thought I might put some stuff down for the heck of it! Not much has been happening in the Striley household this month, we've been busy just living day to day life, getting back into the boring routine after the chaos of the holidays.

Doug is beginning his bike training regimen with vigor, and getting very excited about the days being longer, sometimes taking an after work ride. I think he's excited about getting back into the groove after having a break over the holidays. His first race is in March, and it'll be here before we know it!

We are planning a few small home improvement projects including doing a vegetable garden this year. We've begun preliminary prep, even though its a bit early we have absolutely no idea what we are doing so we want to be well prepared. I am so excited about being able to grow our own produce. I mean, have you been to the grocery store lately? Veggies are so expensive, and usually go bad sitting in our fridge because I buy a ton thinking I want to stalk up. How nice will it be to go to the backyard pull a few tomatoes and some green onion out of the garden throw em in a salad an voila! Yeah! I'm getting excited just typing about it! Hee hee!

#2 is growing nicely (and so is my belly). We get to find out if we are giving Ev a little brother or sister on February 4th, so stay tuned for further info on that! No, we don't really care what the baby is, both have advantages. All I care about is that when it comes out I don't ever have to be pregnant again!

Everett is growing more independent every day. His new favorite thing is going out to the car by himself when we are getting ready to go. Usually there is a detour down the driveway or spin the wheels on daddy's bike but he usually makes it. Its pretty cute. He also loves to go on the swings and slide at the park. I can't believe what a toddler he is turning into. His walking has turned into speed walking that I know will turn to running in no time. He does a lot of talking and I'm sure he understands exactly what he is saying but we have no idea, so far we haven't had any discernible words.

Here are a few pictures of Ev from this month's adventures:

Eating an entire banana, not an uncommon occurrence

SWINGS!

Ridin the horse...

Deciding to hate the horse

Christmas Wrap Up (Ha! Get it?)

2008-12-30T13:14:00.001-08:00

Let me start by saying I am so blessed to have such a beautiful, loving, fun, and HUGE family! I thought growing up that my family was big... and then I went and got hitched to a boy with an even bigger clan; well, that's when things tend to get out of hand! So here is the low down of our Christmas events...

Ugly Sweater party... yes, that is a kitty on my shirt, we should have won!

Christmas Adam (or Christmas Eve Eve) was spent shopping and baking my head off, I don't know why, because I just ate all my goodies. Then out for a girls night drink (Diet Coke for me thank you) with my sister, cousin, and friend... this was the extend of the holiday "fun just for Emily with no work involved". Oh, and onion rings.

Christmas Eve was spent pondering the whereabouts of my Mother in Law who made the snowy trek down from Portland (She should have had a sled dog, but the Subaru seemed to do the trick). Just before the Christmas Eve church service started we got a call that she just made it into town. Yeah!! That was great news! After church we headed to my parents house for corn chowder and the first annual Cousins Gift Exchange. It went OK, next year I will make sure its not last minute! Everett also received his first pair of Christmas pajamas, a tradition in my family that we want to keep going for him.

Uncle BJ, Aunt Lisa and Ev in his jammies

Yeah it's Christmas! Everett woke around 7am (I was up earlier but had to lay in bed because there was no way I was going to look more excited than my kid! But I was) He immediately spotted the big yellow dump truck that Santa left him... He thought it was pretty cool, and fell in love when daddy put him in the truck and gave him rides! After our small present exchange between Ev, Doug, G-Ma and I we got started on breakfast... oh yes, I decided it would be fun for everyone (22 people) to come over for breakfast. My Martha moment quickly faded as people piled in my tiny house and the eggs wouldn't bake!! I slowly turned into a shreaking Martha monster and poor Doug has not left yet. Kudos to him. It all turned out and I hope people enjoyed the food and company. After a short break we headed over to a quiet pre-dinner visit at my parents house then headed to Doug's sister's for dinner with the Striley clan. Thankfully we ate fairly early so Doug, Ev and I were home by 7:30 and I'm not kidding in bed asleep by 8:30.

Friday was the big Nanny's Kids Christmas party and my cousin Carla's 40th birthday! The party was awesome, the kids had fun the grown ups had fun. Carla wore a tiara and was 40 and fabulous (NOT over the hill, that phrase was banned from the party, you would have been stabbed probably).

The rest of the weekend was spent at home with a sick baby... I think all the excitement just wore him down poor kiddo. On the mend now though!

Looking forward to an exciting 2009! Lots to expect, and be thankful for in the coming months.

Everett meet Santa

2008-12-14T17:55:00.001-08:00

It's really strange that we are now in "seconds". Everett is celebrating his second Christmas this year, he had his second visit with Santa, he is ripping ornaments off his second Christmas tree, he received his second stocking (because the first one was a babies first Christmas stocking). This year is much more fun than last year, and I'm sure the fun will multiply until we have to start buying Wiis and cars and crap like that.

I thought I'd do a little "then and now" for you all to reflect upon, since I know my child is the most important thing in all your lives... haha... I suppose this is more for the grandmas and aunties.

If we don't see you, we wish you all a Christmas filled with the gifts of love, peace, family and laughter.

Love you!

Then...

...and now

Then, the failed Christmas card photo shoot...

...and now, the failed Christmas card photo shoot

Then, angelic Santa baby...

...and now, helpin dad chop down the tree

The Great Tree Adventure - or next global warming documentary

2008-12-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

This is Doug's latest creation. I thought we were being primitive that day so please, picture me with movie worthy hair and makeup on, thank you.

I'm One Today! Ev's B-day party

2008-12-07T21:29:00.001-08:00

I won't go on and on about Ev's birthday party this weekend... It was so much fun, and so much work! Next year, pizza parlor all the way! Here are some pics of the day:

Opening presents with wonder (or fear?)

NOT eating his cake... what a boring kid!

Cheese!

Evy and Papa, chillin before the guests arrive

We also went Christmas tree hunting this weekend and were able to get really high since there is no snow! We got a great tree, and mostly had a lot of fun on our adventure... Doug took some great video and I'll post it as soon as its ready :)

And then there were 4!

2008-12-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! We had a beautiful weekend up in Portland with Doug's mom and aunts and family... We ate way too much, laughed pretty hard, and laid around lazily for 4 days. It was perfect :)

We have a LOT to be thankful for this year. We just found out that we are expecting a new addition to our family! #2, as we affectionately call it, will be joining us on or around June 23rd. So that is our big news, sorry to those of you that feel this official announcement is a little impersonal, it is pretty difficult to spread the news on an individual basis.

Ev will be turning one tomorrow! I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone. He is now walking all the time, has going on 6 teeth, says mama and dada, and what I swear is "that". He is also developing quite a strong will, so that should make for an exciting year! AH!!

Here are some pictures to update everyone on our November adventures!

Out to dinner at Rockbottom Brewery with our P-Town friends and soon to be fellow parents

Doug makin the gravy
Grandma and all the aunts

Ev on T Day, He wore the hat for about 5 minutes and I think thats a cat toy he's chewing on.

Our lame attempt at a self family portrait

A couple of our professional family pics from this year

Its a Bird! It's a Plane!

2008-11-04T19:13:00.001-08:00

Halloween is definitely better with a kid! We had a great day, starting out at the Ashland parade... always a sight to be seen! After the parade we headed home to pass out candy and then do a little Trick or Treating of our own. I felt pretty silly lugging an 11 month old around to take candy he will clearly not be eating, but once that first Butterfinger was dropped I was hooked! We ended the night at the Pres. Church's Harvest Carnival; it was so down home I felt like I was in a movie. It could not have been more perfect.

Superman and Dad at the parade

CANDY!

Ev and his cousins, Indiana Jones and the Beauty Queen

The next day we headed up to Grants Pass for a Cyclocross race in the pouring rain. Here's a pic of Doug after the race! Needless to say, that afternoon we bought Everett his first big winter coat, poor baby was cold!

The Great Pumkin (or maybe just OK)

2008-10-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

We ventured to the pumpkin patch this weekend with Sean, Lacey and Payden... The boys had a GREAT time:
OK, so we didn't enjoy sitting on the tractor very much, but what a good time playing with pumpkins can be! I'm sending one of these shots into the Regis and Kelly cute baby contest! That is what all this stuff is for at Ev's age, it's all about the photo op!

Gimme Three Steps

2008-10-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about me but doctors always seem to want to tell me something will happen "early". My OB, God love her (thanks Joe Biden), said I was going to go into labor early. Well three days after my due date I wanted to kill her. Our pediatrician thinks Ev will be an early walker but I'm not counting on it! And what is up with all the people talking about how their kid started walking at 5 weeks old and crap like that!? Like it's a competition and my kid is behind if he's not running the Portland Marathon at 10 months! That is annoying and if I ever do that please someone slap me or at least tell me to shut the hell up.

Anyway Everett is standing independently for longer periods of time and will take the occasional step. To tell you the truth I know how much work it will be when he is walking so I'm not rushing it. He has so much energy I know he will be a little speeding bullet shooting up my sanity.

Doug did a race series in K-Falls, it was mostly cold, but also a lot of fun. Cyclocross is a real spectator sport so we can all participate in the excitement. Doug also totally rocks and won 1st and 2nd and 2nd overall. What a guy!

Here are a few pics of our mellow October so far, it mostly involves bikes or some kind of bike activity.

Dad and Ev, workin on the bike

Klamath Falls - cold weather, weird people (no offense)

Cyclocross, like mountian biking but different

I love standing up like a big kid
(I do not like falling over on the gravel like a baby)

Static Guard, Anyone?

2008-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the joys of separation anxiety! Everett is now in full blown "separation anxiety" phase. The kid is clingier than panty hose put in the dryer! Last weekend we had a playdate with our friend Annie and the poor kid cried for an hour because Annie was so excited to see him she kept screaming in his face ( it was pretty funny actually, I wish I would have had our camera). He won't leave me alone, even to hang with Dad for a little while! He's making me a little crazy, any suggestions on how to deal??

On another note, I can't believe Ev is going to be 10 months old next week! He's so stinkin cute, we have more and more fun everyday (besides the whole tripping over him everytime I turn around).

Here are a few pics from the last couple weeks of September:

Sunday Ticket Look

"I can do it myself!!"

Future drummer (or chef)

Mt. Ashland Hill Climb

Top of Mt. Ashland

Fall is in The Air!

2008-09-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

I love back to school time... Of course 9 months is probably to soon to start school, and Doug and I both are so busy with work and other "grown-up" business it almost passed us by. I just love the feeling in the air, the chilly mornings, the kids waiting for the school bus, everyone in their new fall school clothes (even though its 90 degrees outside!). It's alway been a special time of year for me. Many of my friends are returning to school to pursue grad degrees, one even returning to Oregon after being in Idaho and North Carolina the past couple years; Lacey, her husband Sean, and 1 year old son Payden are back. I especially am excited to have them back in the area, I've always imagined raising my children with my girlfriends and it is so fun to see Payden and Everett "play". They are either going to be great buds or hate each other, I guess we'll see!

September also brings a slowing in bike race season, although there are a few more races (thank you, whoever invented "cyclo-cross"). Doug had his best season yet winning first place in his first ever Duathalon (biking,running), first in an OBRA champ race, and placed in many others.

I am excited to have a little more time with my hubby and friends as fall slowly rolls in. I'm already making plans for various fall activities that we can now officially do because we have a kid! Everett continues to grow like a weed... he's still tall and skinny, he has so much energy we can barely contain him already, I don't know what will happen when he reaches 2! He's crawling at the speed of light and if he can pull up on something and walk around it he will. He also is getting much better at standing on his own.

Learning to drive already

With dad at Nana's new house in Portland

Payden and Everett (Ev's a little unsure about this weird kid!)

Ev and P in the hammock (holding hands, how cute?!)

2 Buck Chuck is Cristal of Medford

2008-08-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Those of you who attended Doug's brothers wedding this weekend will get the post title, if you are curious just ask me it's a pretty funny story. Moving on!

This weekend was the long awaited for wedding of Doug's brother Jayson and his Beautiful fiance Jessica. They have been together for 8 years and finally decided to take the plunge! It was a beautiful wedding and an insane party complete with Karaoke (who wouldn't wanna sing Wanna Be by the Spice Girls after 3 glasses of red wine?). Needless to say it was a LOT of fun. Evy was in heaven with all the people loving on him, I'm not sure if he touched the ground once!

Here are a few pics from this August, and from the wedding:

Hiking Grizzly Peak

so excited about standing up!

Still a little milk drunk from the night before...

Wedding pics:

Uncle Jay and Uncle Ty

Family Portrait
Beautiful Bride

Brothers
Papa Sarge and all the kiddos

Single Parenthood

2008-08-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thank God, Doug has not come to his senses and ran to Mexico, but he is off at Mountain Bike Oregon for the weekend. This is the first time he has been away from us for this long, so I just hope I survive these next few days! I have a feeling he left so I would appreciate all he does for us on a daily basis!

So, all in a week Everett has learned to crawl, to pull himself up on furniture (or legs or blankets or electrical cords), to cruise the furniture and at times stand completely independent. Whew! We've been busy!

Since mobility has been gained we have been using that two letter word (and some four letter words) a LOT! "No! Don't rip your book apart!" "No don't eat the paper you just ripped out of that book!" "No, don't pull that plant over on top of your head!" Then we get the "devil look" (pictured below) Its like he's 8 months going on 2!! We are gonna have trouble containing this one!

Eating Cereal

Standin up!

The face only a mother could love

Wrestling Dad (Ev won)

2/3rd's of a year already?

2008-08-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Is it really August already? I can't believe how quickly time is flying! What a busy summer it's been. Doug and I were just talking about how interesting it is when you become a parent, its like life before was just a dream. We just have no concept of who we were before Everett. Having him certainly has made me a more "live in the moment" person. I can't look back, because I don't remember! I can't look forward because its too overwhelming! I just have to be here, now, fully engaged in the present. It's a pretty awesome gift we parents get. It almost makes all the diaper changes worth it...almost.

We have a lot of excitement to look forward to this month! The most thrilling of course is watching Everett grow and change, almost daily it seems! He's cuter and cuter (I'm not being annoying either, everyone says so!) He's up on all fours rocking back and forth all the time I'm sure as soon as he gets his momentum up he'll be crawling all over the place! He makes "kissy" noises with his mouth and he loves to play the cough game (he coughs, we cough, he laughs and coughs, so on and so on...). Our new adventure is finger foods, we are still learning that though. I usually find 2 or 3 sweaty Cheerios stuck in his palm at some point during the day.

My best friend since I was tiny was married this past weekend... It was a beautiful wedding and so much fun for Doug and I to get dressed up and have a fancy date night! We also had Doug's 20 year reunion the next night, it was pretty interesting to walk into a room full of "oldies"! I have to say Doug, and my sister Tamara (who was in his class) were the best looking there! I got myself a keeper!

Those were only the first two days of August... We have so much coming up this month, the mayhem never stops. More posts to come!

The 7th Month

2008-07-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

July has been a busy month for us so far! I can't believe Ev is 7 months old! Everyday he is teaching us something new about who he is. He still is screaming... loudly... he has found his "privates" and is obsessed with grabbing at them any chance he gets. I guess it's an instinctual think that never goes away!

We spent 4th of July in Ashland milling around with some of our awesome friends from Portland and Ashland. Headed home in the evening just in time to put Ev to bed and climb on the roof with a couple of cold ones for the Medford fireworks display. It was a wonderful day.

The next day we decided to head to the Oregon Vortex for a little "Mystery"! I've never been and all I can say is wow what a racket....

Here are some pics of our summer adventures so far:

Swimmin in the pool

Return on the Jedi Bike Race, Doug took first!

4th of July

Rogue Valley Hot Air Balloon Rally!

Move over Ironman!

2008-06-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Doug has been going full throttle lately... races galore. June 7th he competed in the "Granite Man Duathalon". It was a 13 mile Mountian Bike race and 5 mile run around Applegate Lake. Taking FIRST PLACE he broke last years record by about 3 minutes! He ROCKS! I was so excited that I was screaming like a wild person... utterances I will not mention because even now I blush. Seriously, people around me just stared like I was doing the Macarena naked. At any rate, Doug kicked serious butt and we had a total blast watching him!!

Talkin to the Medford Mail Tribune reporter

He only has to win 200 more times and we can tile the kitchen counters!

You can read the article about the race in the Mail Tribune. Here is a link to it:
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080608/SPORTS/806080331

The "Un-Birthday"

2008-06-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Isn't that what the half birthday is called? Well at any rate, Everett met the "half way" mark on June 3rd! Yep, he's already 6 months!! Everett's 6 month milestones are:

Sitting without support: He love's sitting on his own and playing with his toys... he looks so grown up too! It's adorable.

Teeth: They are kind of hidden still but his two bottom teeth have broken through! He was a great teether too, just a couple nights of pain, nothing a little baby Ora-gel couldn't help.

Fruits and Veggies: Ev has moved on from boring rice cereal to a more exotic palette including, peas, squash, carrots, banana, peaches (ew! he's not a fan), etc... He would pretty much eat anything and tries to; even mommy's food!

Screaming: Oh yes, we get to be "those people" in public. Everett no longer lets out a cute little squeal with delight, he now SCREAMS! A high pitched, break a wine glass scream... I'm hoping this phase passes soon!

Here are a few pics of Ev on his half birthday, I will post more soon but have to get them off Doug's computer.

Squash = Messy face!

His Asia

Cool Do!

Mid Scream

The tooth fairy

2008-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yes!! The Tooth Fairy will have to add our house to her list! There has been a sighting, it hasn't broken the skin yet, but it's really close.... stay tuned!

Camping and other May adventures!

2008-05-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

We had our first camping adventure with Everett this Memorial Day. I use the term camping loosely since we actually stayed in a hotel near the campground. We did hang out mostly at the campgrounds and Ev got to see the ocean for the first time as well as redwoods and the Smith River. Here are pics of the weekend:

Here are some random pics from May...

Our little monkey LOVES to be upside down!

Special Delivery!

Mother's Day

What?? How cute is this kid?!

TOO MANY!

2008-05-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was just browsing through Craigslist's baby stuff to see if anything exciting caught my eye, and low and behold! This makes my stomach hurt (and other places too!)!

Note the 15 passenger van it is hitched too.... seriously?!

5 Months... How wonderful!

2008-05-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

I cannot begin to tell you what a treat Everett has been these past couple weeks! He is developing such a funny personality! It's weird, I suppose because I've never done this before, but its like he gets me now, or I get him.. we are beginning to actually communicate its pretty amazing.

Some fun milestones that Ev has mastered are:

Mobility! He can rollover tummy to back and back to tummy, which is fun for sleeping! I go in in the morning and he's usually on his stomach in some precarious position! He also does this funny "backwards crab walk" where he pushes with his feet and scoots backwards.

Claws! He reaches and grabs anything. faces, arms, glasses, earrings... but he loves to reach for his toys, he can actually get what he wants now instead of staring at it screaming because he can't reach it! Mommy loves this trick!

Sleep! He has pretty much mastered his sleep training. We had "Miracle Blanket" withdrawals for a long time (we almost sued) but after a few not so fun nights we discovered he actually sleeps better when he goes to sleep an hour earlier! Yipee!

As for the rest of the family... It was the official start of bike race season (for us anyway) and Doug started out the year right!! He won 4th place at the Spring Thaw Cross Country race in Ashland on May 3rd. We are super proud!

I started back at work part time last week. So far so good, still working on finding someone to hang out with Ev on Fridays, but other than that little hiccup we are loving the independence!

Who Knew Rice Cereal?

2008-04-28T21:49:00.001-07:00

Would be sooooo delicious!

Pear Blossom

2008-04-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

Doug, the overachiever, made it one of his goals to run the Annual Pear Blossom Run this year! He made it look like a piece of cake, averaging an 8 minute mile finishing the 10 mile race in 1hr and 22min! We are so proud of him!! Thankfully it was beautiful weather and we enjoyed the day watching the parade, the sirens made Ev cry and then he crashed out so we decided to call it a day.

Cousin Missy and her son 'D' stopped by on there way back to LA from Portland to meet Ev, we had a great time with them! Here are a couple pics from our evening together:

4 Months!

2008-04-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our boy is growing so quickly! A river of drool is constantly flowing from his mouth and he likes to chew on everything, could teeth be far behind?

Hoppin Down the Bunny Trail

2008-03-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend Doug and I took Everett on his first hike up Upper Table Rock! Doug took on the role of pack mule, hauling Prince Ev all the way up... yet I was the one huffing, puffing and gagging, dragging along the large sacks that are attached to the tops of my legs (my butt for those of you that are a little slow)! It was a gorgeous day and busy! The trail looked like an LA freeway with so many people out. Here are a couple pics of our stylin kiddo being all protected from the sun...

On Sunday we celebrated Easter in true family style. After church we headed to Grammi and Papa's for and afternoon of Easter Egg hunting, eating and playing with the cousins. Here is Ev in his cute easter outfit with Papa and Auntie Lori, this is before he peed all over it! Thank goodness Mom is always prepared with a back up :)

Lazy Spring Days

2008-03-10T18:15:00.001-07:00

We have been having incredible weather down in the valley these past few days! We are really getting excited for spring and summer. Doug has already began bike race season! He is competing in a series of 3 "time trial" races on his new road bike... He's doing awesome so far and we are looking forward to more races to come.

Everett was 3 months old on March 3rd... He's growing so quickly! He loves to stand up, his legs are freakishly strong. He's beginning to jump too its pretty cute, he gets really excited. He also loves hyper-speed Paddy (Patty?) Cake, it usually cracks him up, or makes him scream... We love to take walks and talk to dad in the evenings, I need to get a video and post it, its pretty funny.

Here are Daddy and Ev chillin in the hammock

Everett and his Dog

2008-03-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Don't get all excited, we did not decide to add to the nightmare that is our life right now by getting a pooch! Everett has this cute stuffed dog that my sister Lori stole from the church toy drive (It's a long story. I'm pretty sure she will be burning in a lake of fire, but it's worth it... anything for baby) he was acting particularly cute with it the other day so I decided to do a photo shoot, and here are the results! Be prepared to gush!!

Bathtime!

2008-02-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Of course the inevitable bath pics! Pardon the penis... but its a good one!

First Valentine's Day!

2008-02-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is probably one of my favorite days of the year, mostly because its a free day to eat chocolate all day and no one can give you crap... but it is also a day that forces everyone to stop for even a minute and love those around them. Of course we should be doing this everyday but the fact is we don't! So I am thrilled to give a little piece of my happiness during the day to my son.

Having a little baby makes every holiday that much more special! Its such a treat to wake up in the morning and see that smiling face, it makes the "day of love" really mean something!

We spent the day playing Cupid and delivering love to all the cousins, aunties, grammi and papa and daddy.... so fun! Everett bought mommy and daddy chocolate strawberries that he gave to us at an afternoon visit to daddy at work, we sure are lucky to have such a smart son that likes to impulse buy ;-).

Here is Ev in his V Day shirt. I feel this look is explained best by the saying on his shirt:

Get it?? He can't even talk and is already a sarcastic little S**T!!

Of course Valentine's evening for Doug and I was not as thrilling as in the past, it was spent trying to calm a screaming child (he'd had enough of the love) we did get away for a moment to pick up Thai food while Cousins Asia and Morgan watched the hellion. It was not quite the vacation of old.

Hope everyone else had a great V Day and was loved to the hilt!! You all deserve it!

2 Months

2008-02-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Everett's 2 Month Stats:

11lbs, 23 inches, average... according to the charts that is, we of course think he's spectacular!

He's smiling all the time, and laughing every once in a while. Still have not captured anything on film yet though... he seems to recognize the camera and immediately stops performing!

Here is a pic of him on his 2 month birthday (within a day or two anyway)

Smiley

2008-01-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Everett is now 6.5 weeks old and is smiling a LOT now! Of course mommy is not the photographer of the family and every time I try to snap a pic I end up with some blurry open mouth face shot but miss the smile! I'll have dad get on that project soon!

You can tell that all he wants to do is run and chase puppies and throw rocks and catch frogs... he doesn't stop wiggling and we are still working on the nap thing... it's like he just doesn't want to miss anything!

His eyes are still a dark gray blue. I'm surprised they are staying blue for so long I thought for sure they would turn brown like his daddy's or green like mine, but they may stay blue which would be beautiful!

Here are the lousy pics mama took:

Another big milestone for Everett (mostly because he gets to live now...just kidding!) he has begun to sleep through the night! For the past three nights he has been sleeping from 10:30 or 11 PM to 5:30 AM! This is HUGE! It means that mom and dad get to sleep in the same room all night, and that Everett gets a really good rest since he doesn't sleep much during the day.

We used a book titled "Becoming Baby Wise". We are a schedule oriented family so it worked well for us! We'll see in 20 years when he discovers abandonment issues in therapy!

Pants that Button and Zip

2008-01-09T19:13:00.001-08:00

I don't care if they are a size I will not even whisper. My new jeans have a zipper and button and even belt loops! I couldn't do it anymore, I could not go one more day in those damn maternity pants, I hope I will not have to wear them again for quite some time.

Future of ROCK!

2008-01-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

I think we have the next Mick Jagger on our hands!!

Look at him holding onto the swing like such a big boy! :-)

My Boys

2008-01-07T20:55:00.001-08:00

Just had to share this picture of the boys taking a nap. I'm one lucky lady!

No naps for big boy Everett!

2008-01-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Everett doesn't sleep... EVER!! His naps are maybe 45 minutes long if I'm lucky (aren't newborns supposed to sleep for 2 hours at a time?) He will have a couple good chunks of sleep at night sometimes but lately he's decided even that is not his cup of tea. Unless he is being cuddled... he will be awake sometimes happy mostly fussy. It is making his mommy and daddy CRAZY!! Any sage wisdom or advice from those that have been there?!

He will be one month old tomorrow and has already changed so much, he's aware of his surroundings and loves to stare and coo at his daddy. Pretty soon he will be smiling and sharing his joy with us! He's strong too, holds his head up and will look over your shoulder when he burps.

We are hoping to get up to Portland soon to visit everyone up north. Probably not until February though. For now we are just trying to survive!

We hope everyone had a happy new year! We are looking forward to an "uneventful" 2008! We are excited to just get to know our son and get back to our normal life + 1!

Silent Nights

2007-12-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! Everett's first Christmas was filled with family, and joy, and so much love oh and sleep!
Sleeping through major first time events seems to be the theme with our son.

Our Christmas started over at Auntie Angie's on Saturday for a Striley family dinner... The food was delicious and Everett never touched the ground, he was cuddled by every member of the family (while he slept). Christmas Eve was celebrated at a wonderful family service at church. The preacher was quite boring so Everett of course slept through the entire thing. Then off to Grammi's for dinner and some presents, and Everett slept. As the cousins ran screaming through the house back and forth Everett slept. Christmas morning was celebrated by mommy and daddy exchanging gifts while Everett, you guessed it, slept. Off to Auntie Lori's house for Christmas dinner, games, and presents... All in all I would say Christmas was a great success, and even though Everett won't remember a thing about it it was our best Christmas so far because we got to spend it with him!

Here are a couple pics of Everett seeing "Father Christmas" (do NOT call him Santa)and other seasonal photos. More pictures of Christmas day to come!

He was sleeping 15 seconds before this picture.

Everett in his Santa hat.

The Day the World Changed

2007-12-19T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well, wouldn't you know that the day that I write a blog about being overdue I go into labor! The evening of December 2nd was the beginning of the end, here is the story...

Sunday evening around 6 PM I started having contractions. I had been having contractions off and on for a couple weeks but they always went away when I changed activities so as I showered, walked, and ate I waited for them to go away and the didn't! They began to get stronger and closer together, and when I could no longer talk during them we decided to head to the hospital (about midnight). We arrived at the hospital with 5 bags, just in case. We were ready to stay and thankfully they admitted me! I was dilated to 4 cm with a "bulging bag" and my contractions were 2 minutes apart. From there everything went textbook! Dr. Keller broke my water at 7cm and the real fun began...

*WARNING* *GRAPHIC*
I went into transition labor immediately and began throwing up, a lot, which I
welcomed because it distracted from the nightmare contractions. This lasted for a couple
hours and then it was time to push! 14 total hours and Everett Raymond made his debut at 9:03 AM on December 3rd!

**Interesting facts about December 3rd:
Everett Huffman (Everett's namesake) died on December 3rd 32 years ago, we did not know this until after his birth and long after we chose his name, crazy!

This is grandpa Striley and our neice Cami's birthday!

I was lucky enough to not only have Doug who was my rock and such a support but my sister who is a Labor and Delivery nurse and our Doula. With these two people at my side I was able to have my unmedicated labor... that's right people, no drugs! Am I glad I did it? Hell yeah! I felt like a warrior, like Mother Earth, like I finally achieved what my body was created to do, what I was meant to do my entire life. It was incredibly powerful. Will I do it again? I can resoundingly say, HELL NO! Give me a fatty epidural next time! Here are some photos from Everett's birthday.

Weighing in at 8lbs 11oz!

Daddy cuts the cord

Our little smurf! The purple went away pretty quick!

Everett is now over 2 weeks old and each day is an experience. Sometimes I feel like I cannot get off the couch and am covered in milk... but I do believe it is the best thing in the entire world.

Fashionably Late

2007-12-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here we go! I was hoping to begin this new blog by announcing the birth of our newest family member. Of course he has decided that he needs to make some sort of dramatic entrance like his daddy, and is now "fashionably late"! Much to the chagrin of mama here! So for all the thousands of people who care... ha ha... Here is the latest (note: I will continue to share way too much information... I have a problem with social boundaries.):

Today I am 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant

My cervix is dilated to a "solid" 3 (sorry for those who are now picturing that)

Bambino is at -2 station (still a little high)

I am now the size of a blue whale and would make a great linebacker.... If you want to part a crowd get me in there. Please reference the picture below and note that it was actually taken about a week ago.

39 weeks, Get Out!!

My doctor will not let me go past 41 weeks so there is hope! Yes Bambino will eventually come into this world, hopefully not resembling a middle aged man. His cut off date is December 8th (a scheduled induction).

So! This is the latest Bambino news! Please, read on if you are even more boring than us and would find enjoyment from reading about our daily life.

********

In the hopes that Bambino will arrive this coming week Doug and I have been little elves working on our personal north pole. I have apparently become a freak about Christmas and want Bambino's first impressions to be exciting ones! So, we (and by we I mean Doug, with me supervising) hung the retro C9 multi colored lights with great care, picked the best tree the tree farm had to offer, and have almost finished the gift list! This is what boredom and anticipation do to a person... Its quite scary. Check out the pics of our winter wonderland. I really hope our kid doesn't develop some sort of neurosis or tick or something from the overwhelming cheer!