Shopping Cart Lady

This morning, the boys and I dropped our car off at the Mazda dealer to get an oil change. I had it all planned out. We'd go to Trader Joe's, eat samples and buy fun snacks, in case we get snowed in again in the next week (okay, that's just an excuse). And, that's just what we did. But, what I hadn't planned was how I would get the boys back across the street to the dealership with our bags of loot. It's on a busy street, so I prefer to carry Tyler.

At the checkout, I discussed with the checker what I should do. She said, "Just leave them in the cart and take the whole thing over there. One of our guys will pick it up later." Cool! But, as I was actually wheeling them in the cart, on said busy street and then crossing at the light, it felt like I was doing something very wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if someone posts an "I Saw U" in The Stranger: "I saw you, pushing your two small children in a Trader Joe's shopping cart across the street. Pretending like it's okay. You are the reason they now put those locking systems on the carts at Safeway. For shame."

In my defense, when I got back to the garage, one of the mechanics said, "Yeah, just push that thing right in here while you wait. We find those in our parking lot all the time!"

Gearing up for the big move

Just days before our move to the new house. My mom arrived a few hours ago. We're gonna let the kids get adjusted to having an extra body in the house, and then I'll start crazy packing this place up.

Yesterday, both kids were sick. Vincent had been complaining that his stomach hurt since Sunday night. After breakfast, he said it still hurt. I gave him a Tums. I read the bottle several times to make sure it would be okay. There was nothing said about age restrictions. Obviously, I wouldn't give one to Tyler, but Vincent seems old enough.

Picture this: I'm in the bathroom with both boys. I have Tyler pooping on the toilet, and Vincent getting ready to take the Tums. He chews it up, and immediately says, "But, Mommy, my tummy still hurts a little bit." I say, "Well, you need to give it some time to work. Now, please go back to the dining room and clear your food from the table." "No Mommy," says Vincent, "it still hurts." "Hmmm..." I say.

Then, it happened. Vomit. I yell to David for paper towels and help. More vomit. Tyler wants off the toilet. More vomit...You get the picture.

By mid-morning, Vincent was feeling great. In the afternoon, Tyler woke up with a 103 degree fever. Sweet. For a sick boy, though, he did really well at dinner. By 7pm, he was clearly ready for bed, but when told to go, he would just shake his head, and lay right down on the living room floor.

This morning, he woke still feeling a little warm, but before naptime, he seemed to be back to normal.

I guess it's better a few days before the move than on the actual moving days that the boys feel crummy.

Overwhelmed

This afternoon, I found myself cowering way downstairs in our tiny storage room with a full-sized Snickers bar, trying to figure out what the hell was my fricken problem. I had just had a full blown meltdown with the kids, and for what? I don't know! I think I even scared one of the other moms when picking up Vincent from preschool.

Seriously. It's the rain. I know, we live in Seattle. But, it's not that often that it pours. I don't care if we have nowhere to go when it's pouring. Today, we had stuff. I'm still not so good with luggin' two kids around, while holding an umbrella, in the rain. And, Tyler was all floppy in my arms.

I was freaking about all the stuff we seemed to have accumulated in our rental home in just a little over a year. I can't believe we have so much stuff. We've even purged. How can this be? I mean, how did we fit all this stuff in our old 910 sqft house? I refuse to believe we've added that much more STUFF. Whatever the case, it's here. And, I have to pack it all up. I know I'm just over thinking. I mean, we have 3 weeks before our planned move. We don't have to be completely out of our place until the end of the month. And, we'll have the keys to the new place next Monday. Plus, my mom will be here to help. So, WTF am I so overwhelmed with? It's just me. It's in my nature. I'm a D.Q. (Drama Queen). Control Freak. OCD.

But, so here's the other thing that overwhelmed me, in a completely different way. Vincent. My dear, dear, sweet Vincent. I had managed to get Tyler down for a nap, and went to get Vincent settled for the afternoon. He could see the stress on my face, and he looked at me in a way that said, "What's wrong, Mommy?" So, without thinking, I just started telling him about how the place is a mess, and I have so much to do, and I don't know how I'm going to get it all done. I sat on this little step stool with my face in my hands, and he came over and put his arms around me, and said, "It's okay, Mommy. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay..." He patted my back and kissed me on the face. I was floored. Vincent's ability to empathize just amazes me.

And, so I sat in that little room, thinking about all that just happened in the last hour. Overwhelmed by the task of moving, but also totally overwhelmed with my love for Vincent; both my boys, for that matter. And, that (along with the Snickers bar) was what calmed me down, and gave me the strength to pull it together, and just take things one step at a time.

I was able to pack up a few boxes, and still have a bit of time to do something I wanted to do.

And, really, when you think about it, wouldn't you be totally overwhelmed with love by these boys?

Enjoyig their Mickey Mouse lollipops from Aunt Diana and Uncle Ken... Showing off some new kicks...

Cruisin' in a motorcycle...

Dressed up as Sheriff Woody in a parade at Chinese school...

Quote of the Day

Vincent - "Coupons...Like pecans."

And, Tyler has started saying, "Sit *pause* Mama (or Daddy)." And, he calls Vincent "Phe Phe".

My Boys

They're growing so fast. Recently, I've noticed that Vincent's hands aren't as soft and baby-like anymore. They feel bigger, stronger, and rougher. He's still super thin, but pants that seemed long on him just weeks ago, are now the right length. His long sleeve shirts are getting short on the arms, too. And, I think he needs new shoes, AGAIN.

Tyler's growing like a weed, too. He's now wearing the 18 month and 2T clothes of Vincent's. I can't believe we're already seeing these clothes back in circulation. I seems like only yesterday when they were on Vincent.

Tyler's speech is also really taking off. He has started to string a couple of words together, in just the last couple of weeks. He says:

"Hi, Mommy" or "Hi, Mama"

"Bye, bye, choo choo"

"All aboard!"
"See you"

"See that?"

"No way"

And, just tonight, he said our babysitter's name, Audrey. It's so cute and sweet to hear him speak.

We Love Oxbow

This week, Vincent wrote his name on a piece of paper. Not bad, eh? This weekend, we went to the annual Oxbow Farm Fall Harvest Party. We've been waiting for this day all year long! Well, maybe not that long, but pretty long. Here are some highlights. But, you'll have to be my friend on Facebook if you want to see them all.

The "Living Playground"; Tyler heads into the tunnel. I followed and ended up on my hands and knees at the end.

Vincent and the pumpkin guys.

Looking for our pumpkin.

Tyler stomping in a mud puddle.

Vincent got dressed in last year's Halloween costume (a race car driver) for the pumpkin parade, but we didn't make it to that part of the party. David and I had a fun time, but were ready to get our muddy boys home.

Monchichi

Vincent's current hairstyle makes him look like a Monchichi.
You be the judge.

Back At School

Vincent started back at school this week. Here he is coming out of the gate with his buddies.

Date Night With Pavement

It has been a while since David and I have had a date. Last night, he took me to see Pavement at The Paramount. We had dinner at Cafe Presse, and I temporarily tossed my diet out the window. I even got tipsy, I think.

David loves Pavement. I pretty much know only one song, but up until last night, I didn't know that it is also the one that made them popular way back when. We saw them at Sasquatch, and they weren't great. Nonetheless, David loved the show. Last night, they were pretty awesome. I swayed my body and bobbed my head like many others in the crowd. Ahhh, the Pavement fans. It was interesting to people watch during this show. I counted 9 men within 2-5 feet of me that had on some sort of short-sleeved, collared shirt. Most of them were plaid. Aside from the shirt he wore last night, many of them looked like David. He, of course, was the best looking of the bunch. And, it was neat to see such a mixed crowd. Mostly 30-something, Caucasian men, but there was still a broad range of demographics. I think I even saw a little girl about 10-12 years of age. There were a couple of farmers there, too. Okay, okay, they weren't dressed like farmers. One is a friend of ours, there with his other farmer friend.

It was a really great date! I have now seen two Pavement shows with David. It's my turn to pick the next musical act. Let's see, Elton John? Prince? Madonna? Do those guys even tour anymore?

Ty Baby, This One's For You

Look at my big boy! Just a week from turning 18 months, Tyler is a bundle of fun and joy. He loves going down slides...Eating noodles (here he's even on a booster seat!)...Walking through bushes...Riding on swings of all kinds...And, pretending to drive.

And, a week ago, today, I made the decision that it was time to stop nursing (breastfeeding) him. It was just a sudden decision, but it kind of wasn't, at the same time. More than a week prior, I was on an antibiotic for an insect bite that grew larger than any I have seen on my body before. While on the meds, I thought it would be better if I didn't nurse Tyler. We were down to just once a day anyway. So, for 4 days, he seemed okay, though a little sad, and did ask for it several times in the mornings. After I finished my pills, I went back to nursing him. I started back on a Monday, and by Friday, I was feeling like maybe he was done, though not sure if I was.

Saturday morning, when he woke us up, I just knew that it was time.

David went to get him, and instead of bringing him into our room, he just changed his diaper and tried to play with him. Tyler was pretty upset about it, but then the next day, David brought him into our room, and I snuggled with him for a while. That seemed to comfort him enough. He did ask a few times to nurse, but by Monday or Tuesday, he stopped asking. Now, he joins us in bed after he wakes up, and we snuggle until he's ready to get up and start his day.

Our last nursing was very sweet and loving, and I'm so happy it has worked out so well for us. As with Vincent, it was a struggle...even more so, actually. I think I posted about it last year, but to recap, I had an over-active letdown (I think that's what it's called). Milk was coming down faster than he could suck. Poor little guy. On top of that, he wouldn't take a bottle. Not even from our doula, who was confident that she could get him to take one. Granted, we didnt' try that hard with the bottle. And, then there was those few days when he decided that he only wanted to nurse while I was lying down. Yeah right, kiddo! This whole mess lasted for almost the first 6 months of his life.

Thankfully, Mr. Precocious wanted to eat table foods earlier than we expected, which helped give me some relief. And, soon, things just worked itself out somehow. I don't know how. And, we went on to have a beautiful mommy-baby nursing relationship for so much longer than I expected. I'm so content with how it has all turned out, and I love being able to cuddle with my baby each morning. I keep thinking that I will feel sad, but I don't. And, I think that there's something wrong because I am not sad, but truthfully, it's not wrong. It is all right. It happened just as it should have.

Thank you, thank you, sweet, sweet Tyler Baby. I love you so.

Performance Art

This week, Vincent was invited to see a mini production of "Green Eggs and Ham" put on by his friend's preschool. It was at 3:30 in the afternoon, which is typically when the kids are still napping, or just waking up. So, I did my best and got them napping early, but still had to wake them up at about 10 til 3pm. I actually fell asleep, too, and just happened to wake up in time. I have no pictures of the play, but afterwards, the school had popsicles and, of course, green eggs and ham. Funny, I had promised Vincent an ice cream bar afterwards, and what do you know, I saved myself a couple of bucks! And, Tyler had to have one, too. The most impressive part of all this was that they both sat down and calmly ate their treats, while watching all the other children run around, and barely got any mess on themselves. I guess the Playground Gods were on my side that day. Oh yeah, and Vincent decided he wanted to wear this outfit; even asked if he could nap and sleep in it. I let him nap in the hat. But, soon after the calm, came the storm. No, not really, but Vincent did get really excited to play with his "favorite girl" as he calls her. We took the kids to the farmers' market afterwards, and they chased each other around pretending to be airplanes. So cute.

Today, our family outing was to see Sounds of Vietnam, a musical performance, at the Rainier Beach Library. That library is not close to our house, but the kids and I got to see this performance last year & I really wanted David to see it this year. Tyler was a little scared of the instruments, so he and I explored the library. Vincent and David both go up on stage and helped perform a little dance. Halfway through, Vincent walked off, and no longer wanted to participate. But, when they asked for volunteers a second time, he happily joined in and even gave a proud bow afterwards.

Speaking of perfomance art, after the preschool play, we were telling David about it during dinner, and Vincent said, "Next time I want to get on the stage." So, I asked if he would like to go to drama camp next summer so that he can learn to get up on stage. He said, "yes." Watch out World! You may be seeing lil' V on "Inside the Actors Guild" oneday.

After the library music show, Vincent said, "I'm getting hungry. I want to go to Old McDonald's for lunch." We tried to convince him to go to the taco bus, but he was set on his suggestion. We saw one on our drive towards home, and he recognized it, and wondered why we weren't going there. We needed to make u-turn, and as we came back around and were approaching it, he said, "Here we go, we're turning, we're turning...We're here! We're at Old McDonald's!!" I swear, we don't go there that often, but apparently, enough. AND, he said, "I'm going to have milk and apples, and get a toy." Sheesh!

But, wait, there's more to our morning outing! Another thing Vincent wanted to do today was go to a playground. He kept asking about it before the library, then before lunch, and then after lunch. So, we obliged and took them to the "fire truck playground," as he calls it. Many of you know it as the Starbucks playground.

Here's the part where I talk about Tyler...you know, our other child. Tyler's just shy of turning 18 months old. I get a lot of people asking me if he's 2 years old. Or, shall I say, if "she's" 2 years old. But, he sure is good lookin'. Look at him here, definitely a boy, even in a red shirt. Yeah, yeah, he has long hair, but totally a boy.

The boys had a really fun time playing here. They both got on this tall, windy, fast slide on the "big kids" side of the playground. The first time Ty went down, he flipped from belly to bottom and was a little in shock, but loved it.

My boys amaze me. I can't believe how big they're getting. I want to say more about little Ty Ty, but I'm going to dedicate a separate post to him for that...

Flyin' By

A couple of weeks ago, I tried to post some pictures of our July, but had some trouble with Blogger. Then weeks went by, and now here we are, the middle of August. So, let me catch you up on the past month, since my last post...there are many photos.

My mom came to visit for a week. It was great. During her visit, we took the boys the wading pool, as well as various other outings, including farmers' markets, and playdates with other Mandarin speaking friends. While A-ma was here, David and I took Vincent to a Mariner's game. My first one since having children, and Vincent's first taste of cotton candy.

I also celebrated another birthday.

Then, A-ma and I flew the kids down to L.A. for a week. Here are the highlights:

A train ride in Griffith Park.

First pony ride for both boys! I took the boys to the beach, and found this great spot for wading. Vincent got in so far!

After the beach, Tyler enjoyed his first In N Out milkshake. Both boys LOVED it...the food, too! In fact, the second time Vincent went a few days later, he was happy to eat a second dinner, and he said, "These are my favorite fries!"

We went to the nearby mall a couple of times to ride the coin operated rides. Vincent remembered them from our last trip to L.A. and kept asking to go.
This is an important picture...What do you see? Two major developments in the Hunt family: 1)Tyler finally let David carry him on his shoulders, and 2) Vincent upgraded to a Razor scooter.

We had a family pool party at my cousin's house to celebrate both his and my birthdays in July.

Vincent let us put a beetle in his hand. He gave it back, then decided he wanted it again, but then it flew away. It was a fun surprise.

And, back in Seattle...The boys are growing so fast. We're spending lots of time a playgrounds. Tyler is learning to climb a chain ladder
Vincent can do the zip-line by himself.
And, he spent two weeks at summer camp, which seems to have built his overall playground confidence, like going down this twirly thing.
We got to see our friends' amazing backyard garden with beautiful sunflowers.

There have been many more fun summer memories, and I'm sure there will be more before Labor Day. We'll keep you posted!

Then, along came Sunday...

With no plans for the day, we decided to take them to Country Village Bothell. What a fun time it turned out to be. Here are the highlights.

Vincent pushing the merry-go-round.

Tyler playing in the sandbox made out of an old boat.

Vincent going down the giant slide.

Vincent climbing up to the top of the pirate ship lookout and back down all by himself.

Afterwards, we went to Red Robin for my free birthday burger. Yeah, if you sign up for their "club" they send you a free burger coupon each year for your birthday. I didn't go for anything too fancy, just a bacon cheddar burger. When I gave our server the coupon, she asked me if I wanted a birthday sundae and for them to sing me a song in addition. Corny, but it did actually make me feel pretty special. Don't worry, though, you didn't miss my birthday. It's not 'til Wednesday. You still have time!

Vincent celebrated by having two drinks at one time.Tyler celebrated by devouring all his mac n cheese, and then some of Vincent's. When it was all gone, he did this to show he was done.
After naptime, we got ready for our dinner guests, Tom & his brother, Brian. We grilled brats, had a salad, and ate potato chips. After dinner, Vincent was passing out (ink) stamps on everyone's hands. When Tom asked if he could have a "tatoo" too, Vincent responded with, "This is not a tatoo. I have Lightning McQueen tatooes upstairs." I had no idea what he was talking about. Tom asked if he could see them, so Vincent went running upstairs. He returned with a box of Valentine's cards that included tatooes. I couldn't believe he remembered those things! All the guys got a tatoo, and posed for a picture.

Another Hunt Saturday

Summer's flyin' by...Since my last post, we have gone to Austin, TX, and back, and have been busy. Just today, we did a ton of stuff, even after a bad night of sleep, involving wet sheets & 3 year old that needed to be changed, and a 1 year old who stayed up for 2 hours in the middle of the night.

While getting on our plane for Seattle in Austin, a family returning to Austin from Seattle stopped and offered us their unused tickets in they City Pass booklets. They included tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo. That's where we went this morning. Free admission and we scored free street parking.

Back at home, once Tyler was down for a nap, David and I finished our sandbox project in the front yard. Ahhh, no more little stinky pond.

Everyone took a nap, but I was up first, so I went grocery shopping. Upon returning, David was getting the boys ready to test out the new sandbox. We gave them a snack of frozen yogurt pops, and then they were ready to play.

We had a delicious dinner of rock fish tacos, then headed up the street to the playground. Stella followed us all the way there, hung out with us, and followed us home.

After the playground, it was Tyler's bedtime. We promised Vincent we would have movie night, so he was able to stay up extra late. While getting Tyler ready for bed, I had to search for his pajamas, and returned to him standing in the bathroom, saying, "Poop. Poop." Yup, there was indeed poop on the floor.

Once Tyler was in bed, David and I sat down for a movie with Vincent.

Whew! Now that I'm recapping my day, it doesn't seem like that much, but it really did feel busy.