Life on Montana Street

i've moved on to a new blog

2008-06-18T12:30:00.001-07:00

hopefully marc will create a blog too, and we will find the time to update this one as a family, but i am going through my own midlife crisis over here.

no apologies, but i can cook!

2008-01-31T10:57:00.000-08:00

life is busy, work is crazy, but, i did bake this week.

the other night i made this cake and it was actually very good.

i have read reviews of naysayers out there, but even marc was impressed once he got past the ingredients.

Yes it's true.

2007-05-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

He is walking. I wanted to hold out a bit before making the announcement, but couldn't wait any longer. I will post pics and a video as soon as I can figure out how to download it from the camera.
Yay, but said at the same time.

the hike in the forest

2007-05-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

last week marc was lucky enough to go on a hike with finn's classroom.
here are some pics from that trip. hopefully he will get some time to add a narrative.

poor finn

2007-04-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

last night at about four i was awakened by finn asking to go to the er because his ear hurt. i of course, being sleepy, deferred the situation to marc, who, also being sleepy, defered the situation back to me. we quickly snapped awake and checked in on the little man. he complained of pain, which for finn is a huge deal. he never complains about anything when it hurts. i went through my mom medical rolodex of dangerous things that would need a trip to the er, but no flags went up so we soothed the boys back to sleep and tag teamed it for the rest of the night. at 6 finn woke me up again saying that he was still in pain, but quickly went back to sleep.

i woke up late for work, quickly called in to tell them i would be late, and then let the boys sleep a little longer savoring the brief quiet with a cup of coffee. as soon as 8:30 rolled around, i called into the doctors and scheduled an appointment. the results of the sleepless night: a perforated ear drum and a good ear infection. who knew? last night finn was playing with his brother like a champ before bedtime.

finn has not been up for anything today. i even tried to gage how well he felt by asking if he wanted to go for a ride on the tram after devouring a dinner of burgerville. i got only a faint response. that is how i know he really isn't up for it even if he tells me that his body is feeling better. poor guy. the day was filled with snuggles and hugs when declan wasn't trying to attack us with his newfound body power.

big boys

2007-04-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

the boys have been getting so big. i cried the other day on our way home from the beach because i realized that i no longer had a baby. declan is still smaller, but he is not a baby anymore. he is a man on the move. he wants to walk so bad, and is so determined to do whatever he wants. i like to call him my stinker, and it reminds me of a gas station chain in idaho, stinker stations. it surprises me they are still around, their logo used to be a little bit more old school, it has always confused me that people would think a skunk would sell gas. who knew?

about three weekends ago we went down to the coast to help the mundo crew open up their new place. it is beautiful and the love they put into it is inspiring.

marc worked his patutty off, and i watched the kids. sunday morning i got a chance to work, which i was itching to do, and marc got to take care of the kids. marc took them down to the beach because it was crazy beautiful. i guess i missed a sight. declan, no surprise here, really likes sand. when they came back, we had to literally hose him down because he had sand EVERYWHERE! the winking of the eyes is one of his new tricks.

as some of you may know, finn has been sporting a mohawk for awhile. he really likes it, but does not like it when people notice it and comment on it. he gets really confused and does not understand why it is such a big deal. i try to explain to him that not a lot of kids his age sport mohawks on a regular basis, and still, he gets blank. he doesn't like wearing it up much because people say even more then. i find it funny how he gets a little annoyed.

i want to thank all of you who contributed to finn's summer camp fund and his run for the arts fund. both were successful ventures. finn cannot wait to go to camp this summer. tomorrow was an open house at the camp, and after marc being away for almost a week helping take care of his grandma, we can't event think about getting in the car and going somewhere. and, on top of it, it will be raining hard. but, he is signed up, and he can't wait. and for run for the arts, he ran 2 miles in 30 minutes. yay! what a rock star.

oh, and speaking of rock stars. mark down june 2nd on your calendar. we will be hosting the minor thirds new record release party. hopefully it is sunny or else we will have to figure out a way to stick everyone outside in the rain, our house is not big enough for the band....

valentines day and beyond...

2007-03-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

We have had a fantastic couple of weeks, other than me being really sick, the kids have been a hoot. Last week I was out of it for a couple of days, Marc even had to stay home one day from work so he could take care of the kids.

But Valentine's day was a blast. The night before, Finn made all of his Valentine's for school, Declan even got in on the fun.
He is crawling like mad. We spent this weekend baby proofing the house. We did a major mop and clean and readjusting things. I have forgotten that the toys get everywhere! Finn is great helping pick up after his brother. Today Declan was pushing a chair around and walking with it. He is waving goodbye and tonight finally used the sign for all done (yeah!). He eats like a champion. We have had some issue with soy products and him. I am really sad because I think tofu is a fantastic baby food, and edamame is one of my favorite snacks to have around the house. But his poor belly does not like them at all. Maybe later he will grow out of it.

Finn recently figured out how to use the video aspect of our camera. As soon as I figure out how to download the videos from our new camera, I will post one of his new videos. They are not oscar material, but I find them funny as all hell. He likes to narrate his thoughts and actions.

Last night Marc and I finally had our Valentine's date. We had a fantastic dinner at Ruth Chris' courtesy of a gift certificate from Amy and Josh from Christmas. It was great fun. We never would be able to eat at a place like that nowadays without the use of gift certificates. We started with a few happy hour tidbits and some wonderful cosmos. I actually could not eat another bite by the end of our meal, and I ordered the petite fillet and Marc had something large and rare. I have enver had a piece of meat that literally tasted like butter. Marc really wanted to have dessert there and try their banana cream pie, he has a thing for banana cream pie, but there was no way I could even attempt it.

We met up with our friend Joey from Newport for a wild ride and some serious dirty boy hanging out, and ended the night with Alisha and a cover band. It is great hanging out with our friends and a night without the kids. I got our dessert (and Alisha's breakfast) on the way home via Voodoo Doughnuts. Marc enjoyed waiting in the car while I plowed through the line and because he got to hear Hells Belles at Dantes for a good ten minutes from outside the club. Worthy of a Valentine's day!

apology

2007-02-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

so sorry it has taken so long to get around to updating this. life has been busy and a little more stressful than usual so we are using as much time as possible sleeping.

declan is crawling, trying to walk, and getting two teeth at the same time. he is also giving kisses when he is in the mood and working on high fives. his brother is his favorite play thing. i am not sure, but i feel that he may be maxing out his gumpy alottment in one full swoosh. i am trying everything to make him happy right now, and i thinking of using the old fashioned alcohol on his gums. i don't blame him for being so grumpy, but we need some sleep.

finn is cool and helpful. he favorite subject at school is electives. right now he is in legos and storytime. he used to have super science and word games and puzzles. his reading is going through the roof. i am amazed at all of the stuff he can read. commercials are confusing, because why would you sell something to someone that was not helpful. long discussions ensue after we watch tv. he is the question man.

marc and i are doing well. we are both busy with work and thinking about the next venture on the house. if anyone is interested, the house next door will be up for sale next month. it is four bedrooms with one bath, and of course the biggest perk is living next to us! i mean, there is also some other cool stuff too, as well as another set of super cool neighbors across the street who throw really good grown up parties.

i wanted to post this picture of declan and his uncle from christmas, i know it is aged, but it is my favorite picture from the day.
i promise to do better to update this more often for those of you who actually check. i know we have really dropped the ball. (mom, this line was for you.)

well

2006-12-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

i think i killed the camera. i miss it so much. so for now, this blog may be on hold until i can either fix it, or see if we can afford a new one.
we loved that camera so much... it gave us great joy.
if anyone has a lead on a canon a70, or perhaps may know how to fix it, let us know. this camera was perfect for us and lived a useful wonderful life.
again, i miss it so much.

a charlotte thanksgiving

2006-11-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

not a lot of pictures from this fun holiday tradition charlotte has created, but these pictures are ones that matter.

first, we have finn and monkey cake, a wonderful charlotte traditional recipe...

finn looks nothing like his dad in this picture. of course you can hear the sarcasm dripping from this writing... and yes, finn did try to eat as much of it as he could.

next, we have a new tradition to celebrate- joanie and declan. don't they make a great couple!

we had a great time with a rousing and humorous game of apples to apples, a lot of pie (chris, your pie rocked!), and an incredible amount of yummy food! sorry i haven't been able to get these up sooner!

the stove is a comin'

2006-11-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

marc and i were just talking today about how excited we are to have our new stove. i feel like a bunch of hippies, but really, oh well.
as i type, i am awaiting a call from the installers. we may be bumped, which will be for a cold weekend, but getting here was a huge battle. but here we are, and again, excited.
finn did the design for our hearth, marc and he both did the install. this project really took over our lives, and we can't wait for it to be done and to move on, and of course to be warm.

here is our fireplace, pregrout and prestove. of course finn is dancing around like a madman in too short sweats. he is really excited about his design.

declan has started eating and loves it. he is not a messy eater, and rarely gets bored and does a good job concentrating on what he is eating! yesterday jan, the neighbor lady who watches him two days a week told me she predicts he will be crawling before he can sit up on his own. she thinks he may be crawling in the next few weeks. what a prediction! my floors are of course not ready.

i'm a lumberjack and i'm okay

2006-11-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

we are official oregonians. we own a chainsaw. i only have one word to describe this immense feeling. awesome.

power tools in general are sexy, but there is something about a chainsaw that surpasses all other power tools. they are sexy yes, powerful, and also bring memories of horror films from high school. when hearing that sound of the gas power whirl, i get slightly scared yet filled with a quiet endorphine rush. i am not the only one in the family to have a reaction to this great machine. max wants to eat it, and declan just stares. finn, of course, wants to help.

but in the great storm of last week, we had a tree fall over. marc was here for the blessed event, but sadly, i missed it. in his words he said it was just like a loud crack. i think his heart jumped with joy because he was able to go buy a chainsaw to cut that thing up.
(ed, note: We wish it to be known that while Mr. McCool does indeed appreciate the raw beauty and power of his new tool, we would be remiss if we did not state categorically that Mrs. Adams McCool seems to be practicing a little transference here.)

well, now our backyard will actually get some light, and perhaps next year will be the year of the garden, finally...

and in other news, our lovely and adorable octopus furnace is on the official fritz. with the price of oil going higher this year than any year in the past (thanks gw for effective energy policy!). we (translation- kim) obsessed about finding something different. the biggest issue was finding something that would be a renewable energy source, and really we don't have a lot of options. so now, in two short weeks, we will be the proud owners of a wood stove insert. it is pretty and i hope efficient enough for us. we contemplated a lot of different choices, but i think this was the best lifestyle and financial choice for us... so exciting. now we may be happy with our drafty windows in this house to cool it off, well that is the hope anyway.

the weekend was sort of lazy, at least homebound, a first one like this in awhile. i caught the boys spending some quality waking up time in bed, which allowed me time to work on the blog at a leisurely pace.

date night

2006-11-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

we left the kids with mom last night and went on our first date in a long while. marc had brought it to my attention that we had both eaten korean food, but never together. we once had friends over for dinner and they made an amazing kim chi stew... but he didn't think that counted. so we had planned on dinner and a movie, a very typical type date night thing.

so, we headed off to the wilds of beaverton to drop the kids off with the grandparents. mom told me about a sale at old navy, so poor marc had to start our date off there. and while we were at the mall, i forced him to head over to alisha's work for a pre-dinner cocktail. that was really difficult (Ed. note: trying to talk Mr. McCool into a pre-dinner cocktail is as difficult as talking George Bush into invading Middle Eastern countries). they happened to be showing the u of o game in the bar...luckly we were there only for a quick drink. had we stayed much longer, it might have turned into several as marc would have sought to drown his sorrrows. as it was, we were able to slip away before the full extent of the damage was know to us, and it was lovely to see my sister, however briefly. we then headed for dinner over to a little restaurant in the fred meyer mall-beaverton town square- called hae rim.

we did a bit of research beforehand. we knew of all places in the metro area, beaverton does have a lot of gem little ethnic restaurants. the idea of a family run place in a strip mall has always scared me, but no longer surprises me. as a matter of fact, i think these type places are so much better than any of the major chains prevelant in the suburbs. so we checked out citysearch for reviews of a few good korean places, and this place had some of the better reviews...

it took us forever to decide what to eat. but it was so yummy, and the sides were delicious. it took us almost an hour and a half to process our way through our meal. the kimchi stew was so good that i almost didn't let marc eat any of it, and i don't like kim chi as a general rule. marc was so kind to listen to my post election decompression, and he was happy that i ordered a side of spare ribs for him. the food was so good, and the prices were so reasonable. to top it all off the owners were so nice and cute. i really hope this place sticks around long enough for us to visit again. this got me to thinking that maybe i should start up a second blog just focused around what i am cooking or eating, or maybe reading...

we then went to this place-i won't name it as i refuse to give them any free press- that i had read a review about in the oregonian. the review had said that they were trying to conjure up a late night dessert networking crowd by bringing in music and that it had a great ambiance. somehow in my mind i had envisioned sleek suburbanites sitting around listening to a dj enjoying some fantastic drinks. of course, as always my imagination got ahead of myself. this place was actually kind of bizarre. we ordered an irish coffee and she put baileys in it with the whiskey, there were obviously grown men regulars who were hitting on the servers who were barely 21. we ordered a cherry cheesecake that sounded interesting, but was really awful. it didn't matter though, because marc and i were having a fantastic time together. yes, he did make fun of me taking the camera along for our date. i had a great time making the place a little nervous with the pictures.

it was a great date night. we never made it to a movie. we were having too much fun hanging out together.

halloween birthday fun and a nickname announcement

2006-11-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

so i had a birthday. i celebrated the 10th anniversary of my 21st. we had a rollicking good time. i gathered many friends and we trampsed (i know...trampsed isn't a word...yet. but we didn't exactly traipse and we didn't exactly tramp, ya know?) throughout downtown portland for an adventure which involved large quantities of alcohol, a few crazy taxi drivers, naked ladies and doughnuts. i had a blast. the next day my lovely parents took marc and me to a football game in eugene, and yes, we were both crazy hung over. but we were fine after a lovely hair of the dog provided by my thoughtful mother. she is a genius. as we all know. we had a great time nursing our hangover at a college football game. my mom knows so much about football i was a little frightened, but in a good way. i don't know if marc was as impressed as i was. maybe all women are like that and i am missing something? we walked away with some new tees and a full belly of hot dogs, kettle corn and some good heartburn. we saw the most fantastic shirt that said 'ted bundy was a husky.' we had so much fun spending the day with my parents.

if you have never seen it, this is what we look like hungover.

i almost posted a bum craigslist add after, in my head it went -- me wearing the green u of o sweatshirt, you wearing your nice green and gold cap. you kept yelling at the ref and eating popcorn. i was right behind you. next week same section? --- of course i didn't, but we thought about it.

since we hadn't really spent much time with kids all weekend due to birthday festivities, on sunday we trekked out to sauvie island to find the perfect pumpkin. grandma and grandad joined us and we had a fantastic time. the pumpkin patch is never the same without them. this year finn picked and carried (for some part) his pumpkin all by himself. marc and finn had some good bonding going on over the search.

grandma rox and declan had a good time together as well. the hayride was great as soon as the weather cooperated and quit raining. we had a few downpour moments, but then we ran into the barn and visited animals or we went and bought some fantastic produce to hold us over for the week. marc made the best brussel sprouts with bacon that night, one of my favorite dishes in the world.

and for those of you that are interested, i think we may have a nickname. meet boo. deckinator does not work now, and neither does just plain 'd'. we still like deuce, but not until he can beat up his brother. not sure how it has come about, but it completes our other son, bug. i almost want to post a picture of finn at this age, they really do look so much alike, yet their personalities are already different. declan has a bit of a temper, whereas finn and the word temper have never met. already they are the best of compadres. declan will not take a bath peacefully unless his brother is around. of course finn is happy to help. his brother is one of his favorite play things, and the same goes for declan. parenting is pretty awesome. i couldn't be happier. although, i did have a panic attack today thinking that finn will want to drive ten years from now. not so far away really.

no sleep till brooklyn! addendum

2006-10-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

this is the noise that was keeping us up... enjoy!

laughing declan

2006-10-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

declan may be keeping us up, but at least he can laugh about it now!

no sleep till brooklyn!

2006-10-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

We here at the McCool abode have not been getting a lot of sleep lately. Declan has been up, and we mean up, as in really, we promise, he didn't sleep. It was crazy and at about 3 in the morning Saturday we gave up getting him to sleep, at least I did, I think Marc took over, I don't remember. I finally fell asleep. But, do see below the noise he was making in his bed, having us consider perhaps moving him upstairs to sleep with his brother because Finn can sleep through everything.

It is cute, but to a point. then it isn't cute anymore, but now, it is cute again.

Finn and I had a photo shoot the other day. It was right after nap time. I love how he and his brother are getting along. I know that this will be the pleasant time, and it probaply wont last, but it is fun while it does!
Declan has been trying to sit up on his own. He also is losing alot of his hair right now and has a natural mohawk. We get a lot of comments from people who think that perhaps we shaved his head to look that way. Umm, for your information we did't, but Marc would like to think he did.

Finn is working on memorizing the wild rover. I am almost done with the song, but I don't know it by heart yet (half the time I do tune it out, I'll admit it. I am a bad parent.) He really likes the Dropkick Murphy's lately too. I can't blame him really, they are one of my favorite loud bands. So we listen to their version instead of The Pogues. On another cool note, Finn does recognize Shane McGowans voice when he is singing. Do you think we need to move on from The Pogues one of these days, I don't think so either.

oh, and for those of you who are interested - Finn's egg survived. The Lucy Deucy Special made it down safe and sound! He would like to thank Lucy the chicken and his dad for making it happen. We will post the pics as soon as we have some!

Holy Timelapse, Batman!!!

2006-10-09T00:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been over a month since our last posting, and please accept our collective apologies! Life on Montana Street has been somewhat hectic of late, what with the start of school for Finn, Kim starting a new job, and of couse the change that comes with the arrival of the wee man Declan (yes, I know that was in June, but really, it DOES take a while to hit your stride, especially with number 2).

Wait, what's that you say? Kim starting a new job? Why yes...Kim is the new executive assistant/office manager for the City Club of Portland. This is the organization that holds all the Friday Forums wherein citizens can become informed about pertinent issues of the day. Just this last Friday, for example, former Gov. Kitzhaber and ex-Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babitt met to discuss the removal of dams along the Snake River in Idaho to facilitate the return of salmon runs-and you know how much we Northwesterners love our salmon! I think we hug them almost as much as we do trees, or say, the spotted owl or the marbled murrelet. And speaking of hugs, Kim is proud to report a Babitt hugging occured on Friday. She has taken quite well to her new position, as it is convieniently located to shopping, cart lunches and happy hours.

Finn has begun his year as a first-grader, and he couldn't be happier. MLC gives its first graders WAY more autonomy than its kindergarteners. They get to walk to lunch all by themselves (this, for those of you who do not have grade school age kids, is HUGE)! Plus they get to choose electives- Finn is currently taking Super Science Club and Word Games and Puzzles.
( A side note about those electives...the signup process resembled a White Sale at Macy's taken straight from an old 50's flick, except that there were kids involved. Mothers trying to push their poor kids into line regardless of who or what might have been in their way!)

Declan continues to blossom all the time and capture the hearts of all that meet him. He has achieved the milestone of the back-to-front and front-to-back rollover, and we can tell he is just bursting at the seams to get this whole movement thing underway. Finn is forming an amazing relationship with his little brother! I think that he is one of Declan's favorite people, always getting some of the biggest smiles whenever he snuggles up with him.

My adorable little granddaughter came to visit us from Idaho. Her name is Aubrianna, and she is 18 months old. Finn is still trying to get his head around the concept of being an uncle...his usual response is, " I'm still a kid!". During the visit I learned that I am to be a grandfather for the second time, this time a boy is on the way! So everyone please wish health and happiness to my daughter Heather and her family as they prepare for their new arrival-I believe he will be an early spring baby.

Well, I am sure that there is SO much more that I could write, but I must be up early tomorrow. We will strive to be less lackadaisical in keeping current, but BABY, has it been a busy month!

averaging every two weeks

2006-09-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

well, it is better than nothing. here are some pics of our trip to the coast from last week. it was a great time.

look how greg has grown!

and see how the mundo has grown. it is going to be sooo beautiful!

Finn and Segis down at the beach.

the food, it is always about the food.

raina being photogenic as always.

us at the beach... finn is playing in the surf somewhere

I know, it's been awhile.

2006-08-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Phew. I apologize to those who check in to see what is going to notice that we don't update very often. We haven't posted for two weeks! That has been a long time for us, but we do have excuses to back up our lackadaisical attitude.
Kim went back to work so the scheduling now has been crazy. Marc has main duty during the day, Kim at night. Tonight we had our first dinner together in almost two weeks.
But, we do have some news, Finn LOST HIS FIRST TOOTH! Here he is at New Seasons realizing that he had a loose tooth. Notice the freak out look on his face.... (thanks uncle butch for the photo, how fortuitous)

Here he is post tooth fallout, umm, actually swallow. Poor guy swallowed his first tooth, and we aren't going searching for it...

And here are some great recent pics of the boys. Finn adores his brother, I wonder how long this will last?

Can anyone believe he is 16 pounds now?? I know I can't believe it.

I love our 'hood.

2006-08-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

Being home this summer has made me realize how much I love our neighborhood. Every year I feel that we use Peninsula Park more and more. Each year it has been for a different thing. Last couple of years Finn had some cool classes, but this year, it has been great for just getting out and playing. Right now the park is so beautiful. The roses are in full bloom, the fountain is on and kids and adults get in and just play. When we moved here, we didn't realize how much we would end up using this park, and low and behold, in the summer and fall and odd nice days I find us heading over. The school next door to our house is building a play structure. It will be neat and nice and hopefully help build some community within the neighborhood, but I hope we still make it over to Peninsula.

Marc had an afternoon off today, and we were all finally feeling well at the same time. We were hungry, wanted to get out of the house, and I did not want one more meal from New Seasons so after much debate we decided to go check out Pho Jasmine. We tried it years ago and we were disappointed. Then recently I read a favorable review in the Sentinel so we decided to give it another go. After Than Thao left we have been pho-less in our neighborhood and that has made us sad. I also think that we had alterior motives as well- I wanted Marc to peek into the Florida Room, and he wanted to see the changes going on at the Chapel of the Chimes. But really we were hungry and wanted to walk in our 'hood, as the weather today was perfect.

We took a nice route, Finn of course is always a half a block behind. Even if we slow down for him, he slows down even more. I know it is because he is always checking things out, I forget how amazing the world is half of the time. I am glad he is here to remind me how cool the trees and ants can be. We even ran into our friend Vickie of Mini-Mart a la Carte fame. So nice to meet up with our neighbors.

Lunch was fantastic. Marc and I both had the bun, and Finn had pho. The broth there is so good. We were both pleasantly surprised. It was about 7 bucks, I highly recommend the place. The lady who waited on us was so nice. I am happy we went back and gave the place another shot. We will definetly be going back (Also, we are suckers for anyone who oogles over our absolutely perfect baby)!

Before I finish this post I also want to recommend The Florida Room to anyone and everyone. I went in on Tuesday night after the kitchen closed so I can't say too much about the food, but I did get a chance to try their chips and salsa. I do believe that it was the best salsa I have ever had. The jukebox was awesome and the menu looks yummy. The atmosphere is great and I hear rumors that their patio is pretty cool. Best of all it is within walking distance of our house. It was opened by some ex Mcmenamins employees- crazy enough with a Mcmenamins going in right across the street. I would love it if this place sticks around so we have someplace our speed to visit, and also, how can you go wrong with deep fried avocados.

More Party Pics!

2006-08-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the peeps who were at the party.

The Minor Thirds in action.

The little man playing his drums. (See video below)

And no post is finished without a picture of the baby Declan. Here he is with his girl Joanie getting some love.

Finn's Rock Debut

2006-08-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hittin' the skins for his pals tm3 in his first public appearance.

Addendum to rehearsal...

2006-08-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get these pics up tonight because I loved them.

This one is from band practice yesterday. Finn and Casey traded drums for a brief moment.

'
The next is from today and shows how inventive a bored Finn can get. He had strung red yard all over in a pattern that made Charlotte's living room look like Mission Impossible (without Tom Cruise, thank goodness. because I don't think she would even let him in, and I doubt her couch could handle him).

This last picture is from yesterday when Declan was actually napping during the day. Yes, it does occur on occasion while the sun is shining. I thought he looked nice and peaceful.

Happy Birthday Chris!

2006-08-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

Today we went over to Charlotte's lovely abode for a fantastic meal to celebrate Chris getting a little older. I love it when Charlotte has shindigs because A. she is one of the best cooks I know (Marc, I said one of...) and B. Finn always has a fantastic time running around the house jumping on whomever will catch him.

First I will talk about the food... Charlotte had a spread of Middle Eastern fare which she made and thankfully for us meat eaters she threw in some steak. I LOVE steak! Thanks Charlotte for making my day! But the picture is a lovely and delicious potato dish she made. I thought it was properly fantastic and pretty to look at to boot! Charlotte also made her fantastic cous cous and some yummy baba ganoush.

After dinner Declan got to be oohed and ahhed by the pretty girls, I think he took quite the liking to Joanie and Casey, who also seemed to take quite the liking to him. I love having boys because the pretty girls always fall for them... Joanie already admitted abit of a crush on the young lad, I can't blame her myself.

For dessert we sang happy birthday to Chris and devoured a monkey cake. I wish I would have taken a picture of the remains of this thing, because I think that would have been better than the beginnings! I love monkey bread. I think it may have been the best thing to come out of the '70's, well, I am partial to disco, but monkey bread is high up there! Especially when Charlotte makes it.

Thanks Chris for having a birthday so we could celebrate! Can we celebrate your birthday every month instead of once a year??

Then, the most exciting part of the day for Finn, the time of day that he was yearning for since he woke up... band practice. The Minor Thirds are playing a house party this Saturday, and Finn is playing in one of their songs. Being a part of tm3 is turning out to be really important to Finn and it is also a lot of fun for him. If you want to come to the house party shoot us an email and we will give you directions. (See video below for what to expect.) So this pic is right after they set up his drums before practice. I wish I would have gotten a shot of practice, but I am sure we will have plenty from the party to share.

So, we all went to bed a little late, but happy and exhausted as can be. I just hope that both boys will sleep in a little so I can catch up myself.

Is summer almost over?

2006-07-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is August 1st. Wow, I almost think that this summer has been spent inside way too much... Finn spread his infectious pneumonia to me, Mom, so now summer has officially been an inside gig. But wait, I have two weeks left before going back to work, and we are all on the healthy upswing sooo, let the games begin! I hope to tire the family out in the next few weeks!

But we haven't spent the last few weeks just hanging around the house watching tv and getting well. We have taken in a party or two, Marc had a low key birthday, and we finally saw Pirates of the Caribbean. Finn was stoked to finally see this movie, and I hope Grandma Rox enjoyed watching our newest addition. The biggest revelation at the theater... free refills on the soda and popcorn. My thoughts on this: if one human being, or even two, drink all of that soda and then want more, they should really think things over.

Finn has been practicing skateboarding and impressed the boogle out of me yesterday. I had no idea he was getting so good. I had never seen him actually ride his skateboard but yet, there he was. Let's hear it for the boy, I say, I am a proud momma!
Finn also had a sleepover at his friend Kael's house last night and came home covered in sand from Sauvie Island. He had such a great time! He fell fast asleep before 9. Declan was still up and rocking!

Declan is such a happy go lucky baby. He is a cuddler. I am so blessed that the first few months together have had very few difficulties. Tomorrow is his 7 week birthday. Declan is smiling and cooing and holding his head up strong. He is starting to sleep through the night a bit, which I am happy about. Marc has been great making sure that I get enough sleep and taking Declan in the morning before he has to head to work. I appreciate that on my road to wellness. We started seeing Rae Anns' Chiropractor last week and I noticed a difference in him immediately. Thanks Rae Ann for the recommendation, the whole family appreciates the marked change!

Hmm, summer. The weather is supposed to be beautiful this week and I can't wait! I forsee berry picking on Sauvie Island, a house party, and hopefully another trip to the coast to see the Mundo crew!

Finn Rocks Out!

2006-07-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

much thanks to chris for making this happen, and to steve for thinking it would be a good idea to pick up the camera!

I Feel Good...I Feel Better Than James Brown!!

2006-07-11T02:39:00.000-07:00

Road Trip to Independence...

2006-07-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Or How We Spent Our 4th of July.

It has been a while since our last post...sorry 'bout that, still settling in to the new routine.

We hit the road Monday morning, July 3rd, headed for Newport. It seems to be a tradition of sorts for us to return to that cool coastal village when our new babies are about three weeks old-we did it with Finn at that age. It is also becoming a July 4th tradition, as we went last year and had a blast.

We hit town about 5:30 or so. Our friends Laurie and Greg, owners of the coolest restaurant on the coast-Cafe Mundo-and their family were hanging out at the cafe, which is undergoing an incredible remodel. Prior to the start of the project, the space was entirely outdoors (with covered areas and woodstoves). The new plan has a sweet two story structure with 900 sq. ft. of dining space upstairs, lots of windows, amazing redwood doors constructed from wood washed up on the beach, a stage...just way too much cool stuff to describe here...besides, this is about our trip.

The really cool thing about Greg and Laurie-and about Newport, as far as that goes-is that no matter how long has passed between our visits it seems as though we never miss a beat, as if we had never left (Ed. note: never try to blog during the World Cup final...too distracting!!!!). So we sat right down and let everybody oooh and aaaah over Declan as we got caught up with the gang. A big pizza feed ensued, and Kim got to experience freedom as many sets of hands were more than willing to hold the little man.
It is so amazing the way that sweet little babies can melt folks hearts!!!

Yes, indeed...the little man was a smash hit!

After a good nights rest we woke up ready to celebrate the Forth in style. Our friend laurie is an incredible chef, so she and I teamed up to have a BBQ feast for all the poor souls who are so in need of a Mundo fix.

We went all out, with four different kinds of kabobs, burgers, sausages, chicken, steaks...you name it, we grilled it...
As you can see, I think they liked it...

Once the feasting was done, we headed up to a prime spot overlooking the bay to take in the fireworks...Declan managed to sleep thru the booms and the ooohs and the aaahs. We made our way back to the cafe after the finale for a little homegrown pyrotechnic display...

We carried on into the wee small hours of the night, with all sorts of revelry...including tree climbing and a dance-off!!

We sadly left town the morning of the Fifth, but we were refreshed by the love of our friends and the renewal of the community that is Cafe Mundo...

July 1st

2006-07-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is what makes me happy on the 1st of every month.

David Byrne

Check it out. A reminder of the brilliancy of David Byrne monthly.

If you know how to record live stream on the mac, please fill me in.

My What a BUSY Week!

2006-06-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'll start with Wednesday. We took Declan in for his first well baby visit. Everything looked good and we weighed him and such. He weighed in at a whopping 11.6! My oh my! And, the midwife told us that she was sure that he weighed in at 10.12, not 10.11. Does an extra ounce really count??? It does if you consider that they-the "they" in this instance being the American Pediatric Association-expect that babies should RETURN to their birth weight at THREE weeks!!!!

Thursday Grandpa and Grandma got here. The first night we got to go and visit Marc at work and show off the new baby to all and get my burger craving taken care of. I ate so well during the pregnancy that a burger and fries was a guilty pleasure, and I never knew how well it would go down...

Friday morning Marc made a fantastic breakfast that I am still thinking about! He makes the best guacamole! We then went to a birthday party for one of Finn's mates that was a lot of fun! The weather was perfect for hanging out in the backyard and we got to see alot of our school buddies. Man, I miss those parents! I am happy that we will get to see some of them over the summer.

After the party, we headed almost straight to the theater to see Cars. Dad let me drive, (insert evil laugh) and I think I didn't scare him too bad except for my sing-a-long with Neil Diamond and Cracklin' Rosie. Does he not realize how much I love that song.... and can anyone answer for me what a store bought woman really is? Back to Cars, it is a good summer flick. One review I read stated that Pixar could make a movie about dust and it would be fantastic, I think that is true if the movies don't get too Disneyized now with the great Lasseter marriage.

Saturday was Finn's belated birthday party. Since he had been so sick during his actual birthday he was very excited. In the morning, he got to play a game of LIFE with his Grandpa. Then off to the park to mark our territory. It was supposed to be super hot, but at the park the temperature stayed nice and cool, thanks to some well placed shade and a kind breeze.

It was a great time. Uncle Steve and Amanda came as well as Aunt Pat and Cousin Angie with her new baby Alix. Our neighbors Kate and Will-Max the Wonder Dog's foster parents-made the scene, too. And that was just the parental friends. We had a pretty good turnout given the short notice and the birthday tea party of another of his school friends. It was a nice, low-key event, with the kids playing on the play structure and the big folk just hanging out and chatting. He scored some cool gifts, which I know helped his psyche...the sweet little guy LOVES his baby brother, don't get me wrong. But he has also expressed that he is just a "little nervous" about him, as well. He has been our one and only "bug" for six years, and it is only natural for him to feel slighted by the attention required by and paid to a new baby. But he has such a big heart and a strong sense of self that I know he will come through it all well.

We spent the rest of the weekend figuring out how to keep cool and sleeping most of the time.

Better to post late than never...

2006-06-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

So, after our lovely Declan was born, I left the house for the first time a little more than 24 hours later. Against the advice of our midwife, I went to Finn's Kindergarten graduation with our newborn. Man, wouldn't have missed it for the world. Any extra healing or time it might take for me to get up and at 'em again was completely worth seeing my boy and his peers show how much they have changed from the beginning of the year.

I love Finn's school. The staff there are fantastic, the kids are wonderful ,with great families who are involved and commited to insuring that all children at MLC receive a first-rate education . We feel so lucky to be involved in such a great community.

So, the kids walked down the aisle while the teacher sang Pomp and Circumstance, one of my all time favorites. The children each got their diplomas and spoke a few words about what made them special or what they would miss. My little boy went up and said what made him special was his little brother, who was born yesterday. I of course got the post pregnancy hormones going and shed a few tears... that alone was worth an extra two weeks of bedrest!

Man, I adore my little graduate.

Later that day, or perhaps the next-they have all blurred in together-Declan got his first bath. Which he hated, but we did get the lovely picture of my frog boys!

Presenting....the One...the Only....

2006-06-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

At long last, the day has arrived. Our sweet wee bairn has joined us and we couldn't be more excited. He has such a mellow disposition and sweet face that he melts our hearts constantly.

I will not attempt to tell the story of Declan's birth in any voice save that of an observer-albiet an actively involved one. My wife is a rockstar with an amazing capacity to handle the great effort that birthing requires. She will post her story in her own words later.

After many trials and tribulations, including one false start that involved filling the birthtub only to have labor stall, we finally awoke on the morning of the 12th with the feeling that this was it, this was THE DAY. Kim was contracting regularly and strongly so we called our midwife around 3 pm. It so happens that she is the principle of Sunnyside Environmental School, so our timing was a bit off and she asked us if we thought that we could hang on for an hour and a half or so. "Sure", we said,"No problem". We continued hanging out, doing our thing, when...yes, you guessed it...labor stalled once again!!! It did not completely stop, and when we called the midwife to tell her, she suggested some labor-starting tips and told us she'd see us later. She arrived at 7 pm and checked Kim...she was at 6-7 cm, so Sarah-our midwife-was not really as discouraged as we were. She recommended we continue with the program, and had Kim taking a regimen of herbs to help it all along. It happened to be one of Sarah's assistants birthday that day, so she took her crew out to dinner and said they would be back to check on us later.

When the midwives got back at 9:30 and checked kim, she was at 8 cm without contracting and almost 10 cm with one. She said to keep it up, she and the ladies would grab a cuppa tea from New Seasons and be back. She also said that tonight was the night and they weren't leaving until we had our baby.

We kept at it hard until about 12:30, when Kim was checked and was at 9 cm without a contraction, and we opted to have her water broken. We had to continue with the manual contracton starters for another hour and a half or so, but then Kim took over and they came on hard and strong all on their own. We worked in a variety of positions and placements until Sarah said that the only thing holding up the birth was a small crescent of cervical lip, and with some manual adjustment the lip slipped and with three good, strong pushes out came baby!!!!

I cannot say enough about the astounding reserves of strength my wife has and her ability to perform miracles. WOW!!!!

He's Here!!!!!!!

2006-06-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

The little man has finally made his appearence. He came to met us at 3:28 am today, June 13th, 2006. He tipped the scales at 10lbs. 11oz. (ouch!) and measured 21 1/2", with a 15" head.

His rockstar mom is holding up quite nicely, having delivered Declan after a quick but intense labor. Her amazing performance not only reaffirmed my deep love and devotion to her, but my admiration and respect for women all over the world.

We will be adding the birth story and photos of the wee bairn after we all catch up on some sleep.

Bits and Pieces from the Nether Regions

2006-06-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

O.K., so sitting around for long periods of time while waiting for your child to be born and nursing your other one back to health can lead you to places that probably shouldn't be visited. I refer of course to the gossip sections of various websites, feeding society's ravenous hunger for all things "celebrity".

On this particular journey, I was brought up to speed on the riveting topic of the fruit of the union of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. While their child is a most welcome addition to the world, the handle granted them by whatever hack writer was assigned to the story is NOT. In an embarrassing display of lack-of-creativity-itis, the story endowed the happy couple with the title "Brangelina", in the style of the more deserving "Bennifer" (more on that in a bit).

Firstly, Brangelina is not a cute couple nickname, it is a twisted mutation of a banjo, a mandolin, and a concertina. This brings to mind images of dwarf gypsies locked in a musical duel for the fate of the soul of some poor wayward traveler, not warm fuzzies for the over-priviledged.

Secondly, the blending of names might possibly work with a couple where one of the two is of slightly (or signifigantly) lesser stature than the other (Kittany, anyone?). In the not-so distant past where women were largely the quiet stay-at-home wife types, they were often referred to as Mrs. John Doe, etc., losing their own identity and being assimilatd into the couple's. But in the case of Brad and Angelina, where both seem to have a fairly equal amount of fame-or notoriety, if you prefer-it makes no sense to have one absorb the other. All this in addition to the fact that this archaic valuation of people is crap best relegated to the dungheap of history.

Which brings me right back to Bennifer. Just what the hell did Ben Affleck do, exactly? Oh yeah...he happened to help write a pretty decent movie that was directed by a talented director, and it happened to win one of those little gilded men. So, why wasn't he dubbed "Men"...or "Batt"? Rampent sexism, if you ask me. Bear in mind, this was in a pre-Brokeback Mountain era...

I was also brought current on the state of affairs in the marriage of Brittany and Kevin. It seems that K-Fed is feeding inside info to his peeps for them to sell to the tabloids-never forget where you come from, Kev. Keep it real! This has caused Britt to withhold vital info from her hubby. For example, it appears that he learned of her pregnancy with #2 at the same time as the rest of the late-night viewing audience of America when she announced it on Letterman. This desire to help his homies out with some quick tabloid cash, along with other questionable actions, has led one Spears confidant to impart that, "the trust is gone." Hmmm...let's think about that one for a minute...trust. I know, let's call his ex in as a character witness!!! You know, the one with whom he had a child and she was preggers with his second when he dumped her for Britteny?

Well, I suppose that there are worse ways to pass ones time than tracking the comings and goings of our pop icons, and Kim can't stay pregnant forever...as Finn pointed out to her the other night, "Mom, you can't have a grownup in your belly."

And Now for Something Completely Different...

2006-06-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well... DeclanWatch2006 still continues, and Finn is recovering...But wait, there's more!!!!

It was a fairly normal Tuesday-as normal as you can get after such an exciting holiday-with Finn seeming to be on a normal post-surgical recovery path (notice the recurrent use of the word "normal"? Filled with a sense of impending dread yet?).
After a pretty good day he conked out around 4:00 or so. Tried to wake him for dinner to no avail. Woke up around 6:30 in the morning, gave him his antibiotics which promptly came right back up. His temp read 103.8 so we called our Doc and brought him in. He took some blood and sent us right back to the ER at Emanuel. Poor guy was super dehydrated so they hooked him up to an IV-to which he responded," I've been poked too much already!"-and gave him some morphine to help with his discomfort. They took another CT scan to check if his nodes in his throat had abscessed. Fortunately, that came back with an "all clear", but in the course of all this poking and prodding it was discovered that our little man had MONO!!!!!!!

The upshot of all this is that Finn is FINALLY recovering well, though recovery from mono can be a fairly long process. It should be said that it was never our intention that this would evolve into Finn's Medical Blog...who knew? So I am confident that future postings will contain matters not so focused on the health of our fine young son. As a matter of fact, I have some ranting and raving to get off my chest concerning certain elements and personages of pop culture...but that's another time...

Memorial Day is for Memories, Right?

2006-05-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

What a day this has been!!!!!!

First, a little background. On Sat. the 20th our little man Finn was feeling a bit peaked, and Kim-with that sense of smell that only mothers can develop-took one wiff of his breath and announced that we would be calling on the family physician as he had a case of strep. So one trip to the M.D. and a bottle of antibiotics later, we find ourselves on Sat. last with no noticeble change for the better. We ring up the on-call Doc and he switches his scrip to a stronger version. Last night was a hard one on him...throat swollen to the point of not really being able to breathe comfortably...still taking liquids o.k., but not much of an appetite.

So this morning (after Kim being up all night with contractions and feeling a touch GRUMPY), we call up the Doc again, and wind up going to urgent-care, where they promptly refer us to the ER at Emmanuel. They take a look at the boy and next thing we know we are all set up for an emergency toncillectomy!!!
All goes extremely well, and we are now back at home. I must give props to the great staff at the Children's Hospital down there...they were to a person terrific, and made what was a stressful situation most bearable.

But wait, there's more! Finn's Gramma and Grandad were driving his cousins Gabriel and Matthew back up to Washington after a weekend visit when Kim called them with the news of our holiday adventure. They dropped off the boys and were on their way back, with plans to stop off and visit Finn at the hospital, when Gramma-leaving a restaurant where they had stopped for a bite to eat-trips and fractures her foot. This would be the second foot injury in the last six months and the fifth or sixth over all!!!

I don't know what it is, but this is not an isolated incident. Kim had her appendix burst on Easter a few years back. Her little sister walked thru a sliding glass door on the 4th of July when she was younger...

Does this family know how to PARTY on the holidays or WHAT?

Still Pregnant Some More!

2006-05-27T01:56:00.000-07:00

After lasts weeks hoo hah we have all been home. I am slowly going crazy but it has been a good time for Marc to help me with some things around the house, and for Finn to spend some extra time with us before the baby is born. He is even starting to crawl into some of the baby furniture to see if the fit is right!

Tonight, Marc and he had a jam session, and Finn sang his song titled Run for the Arts. My little rock star already learning how to jam!

Of course, no post is good without my evergrowing belly. The baby dropped another half an inch on Wednesdays check up. I am very done, although it is going to be a great weekend for parties, so maybe the baby will wait so I can be a little social.

Very Pregnant

2006-05-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

The pregnancy is coming to an end. I am feeling that I need to catch up with the techno age and have a way that family away can check in with us, so hence, this blog.
No worries, I am not going to post any birth pictures!