Happy, Merry Christmas

Attended the best Christmas Eve service I've ever been to yesterday at our church, Mosaic. The music, in particular, was just beautiful. Toward the end of the service, the worship team did a series of carols that blended seamlessly one into the next: O Come O Come Emanuel, O Holy Night, and Silent Night. The words and the melodies were the same, but the chords were slightly different -- deeper, minor, more haunting. Underneath it all was this pulsing -- reverb, I think, from an electric guitar -- that created an incredible sense of mystery and yearning and urgency and awe. I was so moved that I was literally weeping because here's the deal: I believe that all the words in those songs are true. They aren't just fun, festive tunes to sing every December. They are the Gospel in its most direct, concise form that have somehow been accepted without question by the general populace for one month and sung with great enthusiasm no less. Not really anything else I want to say about that other than I hope your spirit was moved somehow this season too.

A few favorite moments from the last few days:

The Three Kings lined up waiting their turn to see the Baby Jesus. I guess we know what Madelyn's preschool teachers are emphasizing lately...

T.R.O.U.B.L.E. This is the look we get (frequently) when Henry knows he's somewhere he shouldn't be!


Evidently enthusiasm for olives skips a generation.


Umm, Henry is busy.

Papa and Nana's house and Baba and Mimi's house both have ceiling fans, and all Henry does the whole time he is there is point at them. Good thing his birthday is right around the corner...a ceiling fan isn't necessarily a traditional "first birthday" gift, but they just bring him so much joy!

Henry sporting a new hat for Daddy.

Madelyn has had this baby doll for a year and has barely picked it up. She got the doll bed and the diaper bag for Christmas and has suddenly been obsessed with caring for her baby. Who knew?

Good Night, Sleep Tight...

...Don't let the bed bugs bite.

Innocent enough, right? Haven't we been saying this with smiles and tickles to our children for decades? I mean, who has ever really seen a bed bug anyway. Aren't they, like, cute with googly eyes and bobbly antennae?

Umm, yeah... They're not, and the Olmsted's will NEVER say this little rhyme to our children ever again.

Two weeks ago Thursday, we discovered a bed bug infestation in Madelyn's' room. She has woken up with small red spots on her body for over two months, which, in hind sight, means the bugs have been there, crawling on her and biting her for two months. I nearly vomited when that realization hit me. We spent the weekend at a beach house in mid-September, and about a week later, the spots started showing up, so I'm 99% sure that's where we picked them up. I knew something was going on with those spots, but when we asked our doctor (whom we love) about them, she said it was likely a reaction to the child pox vaccine she had gotten about ten days prior. She said the spots would go away within a week or so, but they didn't. I was so bothered by them, but I just couldn't figure out what was going on.

Then one night, Madelyn wet the bed, which is very rare for her. We were in her room in the middle of the night, pulling sheets and blankets, which we never are, and we found a little bug crawling on one of her blankets. We didn't think anything of it at the time until we found another identical bug on her pj's the next morning. Sure enough, upon further inspection, we found many more bugs crawling all over her bed frame, her pillow, and her blankets. In a flash, everything synchronized and made sense: bed bugs.

In the 11 days since that morning, total chaos has ensued in our house. Bed bugs, as I've learned, are among the hardest pests to kill because they are centuries old and have adapted and evolved over time. Only high, high heat and chemicals will kill them, and they can survive without any food for up to 18 months, so you can't even starve them out. They can lay their eggs between the ridges of a dime, and they like to burrow in the tiniest cracks and crevices, such as in a bed frame (where they have easy access to fine midnight dining) or underneath baseboards. It's not just a matter of having some pest guys come out, spray around the perimeter, and get back to life within a day or two. Even in a mild infestation (which we have been told ours is), it can take months to be sure that you've really obliterated the problem.

So. For a gal like me who tends toward anxiety and neat-nickery anyway, this whole ordeal has been extremely trying on every level -- physical, mental, and emotional. There is such a stigma associated with pests like bed bugs and lice, and I can't help but feel dirty even though our pest guy (Brandon, who has practically become part of the family in the last two weeks) assures me that he spends the vast majority of his time in clean, well-cared for homes like ours rather than cluttered, garbage filled homes that one might associate with these types of pests. Also, because you have to be so vigilant in order to truly get on top of a bed bug infestation, I now see potential bed bugs EVERYWHERE in my house. Every crumb on the floor or fuzz on a blanket or tiny red scratch on one of my kid's faces is assumed to be a bed bug until proven otherwise. Every morning before our feet even touch the floor, we get out a flashlight and inspect every inch of our beds, pillows, blankets, and bodies to see if they've survived the two treatments we've had thus far and are multiplying. We've had to wash and/or dry on high heat EVERY sheet, blanket, stuffed animal, and article of clothing in our entire house. Everything else that was in our two bedrooms has been bagged up in thick plastic bags with a special strip in there that will kill off any live bugs or eggs. I vacuum every other day just in case, despite our vigilance, one has hitched a ride on a blanket or stuffed animal and is in the living room slowly making his way back to a bedroom. This is an absolutely exhausting way to live, and the end is by no means in sight.

Furthermore, pest control is one of the most expensive things we've ever had to pay for. It's worth it, of course, because you do whatever you have to do and I certainly wouldn't do that job for any amount of money, but oh my goodness...it kind of takes your breath away.

Anyway, I am writing all of this for two reasons: 1) Oddly enough, I want to remember this time, not because of how awful it was but to remind me that we survived and encountered overwhelming generosity on the part of our family to help us get through it, and 2) to offer a few "Public Service Announcements" to all of you to help prevent you from ever having to deal with something like this. So, here is my unsolicited advice, gleaned from spending several hours with Brandon the Pest Guy in the last couple of weeks:

1. Bed bugs have become an epidemic in this country due to increased travel and increased population density. To avoid them, you must check every bed you sleep in at every hotel or house or wherever no matter how fancy or clean it is. Look for the actual bugs (which is hard because they only come out at night) or look for tiny black spots on the bed frame, mattress, bed-side tables, or baseboards which is their excrement.

2. Don't ever put your suitcase on the floor. Put it on a suitcase stand or a chair, and don't ever unpack your clothes from your suitcase or leave them lying around the room.

3. When you get back home, take your suitcase IMMEDIATELY to your washer and dryer and wash and/or dry EVERYTHING on high heat -- even the clothes on your back. Then vacuum out your suitcase thoroughly.

4. If you find small red spots on your body (or your kids' bodies), assume bed bugs first and look for them. They are very good at staying hidden, so you really have to hunt, but the sooner you can catch them, the better.

Anyway, that's about it, I guess. It's been kind of strange dealing with all of this around the Thanksgiving season, because I have to be honest that I didn't feel very thankful this season. This current bed bug infestation has really been just the latest crisis in a string of challenging things our family has been dealing with, really, for the last year. But it is true that life is all about perspective, and we are 100% in control of what we choose to focus on and what experiences we allow to occupy our hearts. By the grace of God, we fought for thankfulness in our hearts this season and very much felt grateful that bed bugs have been our worst problem and not cancer or foreclosure or starvation.

And, to prove the above point, let's end this post with some photos of our healthy, happy, currently bed-bug free children who bring immeasurable joy to our hearts on a minute by minute basis.




Madelyn and Henry playing in the biggest pile of leaves I've ever seen -- every leaf from the park behind our house! All the neighbor kids came out to jump in them one dry, sunny afternoon, and it was so much fun.

I love this shot of the trees in the park behind our house. We love being so close to a park.

Yeah, that about sums it up much of the time!

Is there anything cuter than a little boy in overalls?!

Henry smiles and laughs all the time, but it's really hard to catch them on film because he instantly becomes so fascinated with the camera. Here's a great one of him and Auntie Kelsie on Thanksgiving -- I think he just loves his Auntie Kelsie so much :)

Neighs and Nibbles

Henry, aka Salmon Sashimi, all dressed up for Halloween. He was a bit like a dog chasing his tail with the pillow on his back, but he was definitely interested in all the activity going on around him. And he was definitely interested in the shiny candy wrappers that big sister was so focused on. (No, we didn't let him try any...but we thought about it!)

Madelyn, aka Star Song of the My Little Ponies. I've decided that I will totally indulge this toy obsession of hers because it's fancy hair and pretty accessories attached to ponies as opposed to busty, long-limbed, tip-toeing humans. She'll want to play with Barbies eventually, I'm sure, but I'm going to keep these ponies around as long as I can.


Hope you all had a fun Halloween! We were super excited to get a steady bunch of trick-or-treaters this year after years of no kids. I think that's a great sign for our little neighborhood, and we had a blast trick-or-treating at our neighbors'. One older couple with no kids even had special treats just for Maddie and Henry which totally made me think of one of my neighbors growing up who did exactly the same thing for me and my siblings every year. I am feeling more and more invested in our little community here and am looking for ways to serve our neighbors and bring us together. Any ideas or things that work for you?

Presence

Ok, bear with me here for a moment, 'cause things are gonna get a wee bit cheesy...

Story #1: You remember that movie Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, right? Umm, of course you do. You won't admit it in public, but I know you've seen it and I know you found it witty and charming...I won't tell a soul. There' s a part in the movie where the boy who's in love with the girl (can't remember their names...I didn't say it was my favorite movie) pours his broken heart out to the female bartender (who's also a childhood friend) because the girl has chosen the handsome celebrity Tad Hamilton over him. The bartender listens but then confesses to the boy that she's been in love with him since they were kids and frames it like this: "You're my Tad Hamilton. Everybody is Tad Hamilton to someone."

Story #2: There's a blog I follow called Joy the Baker. You should absolutely follow it too. Joy is the most adorable gal who can make a mean cookie and take a gorgeous photo but is also vulnerable and sweet and makes you feel like you're her best friend. She just turned 30 and lives by herself in LA and seems to genuinely enjoy her life. Nevertheless, she writes with an air of longing for a life she hopes to have one day: husband, babies, etc. She included a photo in her most recent post of a friend cooking in her kitchen holding her baby with her toddler playing on the kitchen floor at her feet. She commented on how sweet it is that the little boy is playing so close to his mama and specifically said that she hopes to have kiddos to fill her kitchen one day.

It occurred to me that I am Joy's Tad Hamilton.

I look around my house most days and this is what I see: toys stacked and packed into every corner, piles of laundry waiting to be folded, dried spit-up in overlooked places that I keep forgetting to wipe clean. I wear yoga pants and no make-up most days, I am exhausted all the time, and my husband and I have been trying to get out to a certain restaurant for four years with no success. Tantrums, whining, crying, vomit...sleep, wake, repeat.

But. Amidst the chaos, there's a gorgeous baby in my arms and a beautiful girl playing at my feet. My house is filled with toothy smiles and rippling laughter. I get to witness the wonder of new discoveries and soothe the pain of hurt fingers or hurt hearts. I host regular living room dance parties, know all of the best parks in Portland, and breathe in baby sweetness as little Henry falls asleep in my arms at least twice a day. Snuggles, kisses, adventures, joy...sleep, wake, repeat.

Believe me, there are plenty of "Tad Hamiltons" in my life. The "green-eyed monster," as my friend Took calls it, rears his ugly head all too often when I hear stories about traveling or see women dressed super stylishly or learn about major career achievements. I am embarrassed that I often choose to focus on what is missing from my life rather than what is so abundantly present, but I can honestly say that not a day goes by that I don't feel overwhelmingly blessed to be Madelyn and Henry's mommy.

Today, this moment, I am my own Tad Hamilton.

Henry showing off his four teeth and his ultra-contagious grin. He turned 9 months old on October 7 which means we have now known him longer on this side of the womb than on the other. Yay for us!

Daddy's and Henry's new favorite game. Given how busy this boy is and how fearless he seems to be, we're starting his ER fund now...

One more good shot of Daddy and Madelyn around the fire. It's also a good shot of our backyard with all of the work that Kurt did last summer. He built the fence and salvaged all of the slate for the patio off the slopes of Mt. Hood. It's become a nice little oasis for us, and we're grateful to have it.

September

Boy am I feeling guilty. This is nothing new, actually, as "Guilt" is pretty much my default emotion, especially since becoming a mother. It's problematic. I'm working on it...but then I start feeling guilty about feeling guilty. It'll be a life-long process. But lately, the guilt-du-jour is not posting enough pictures and stories on this here blog. When Madelyn was a baby, I think I posted at least once a week, even if it was just one photo. Every little coo and expression was documented and shared. Poor Henry. We're taking lots of photos (albeit less than the first time around), but getting around to organizing them or posting them or commenting on them is so, so much harder this time around. Again, going from one to two is most certainly not a linear increase in work load: it's exponential. I try to remind myself that my kids would rather I live life with them than simply document it, so there you go. We have been living large, folks.

Certainly the biggest and most important event was my sister's wedding to our new brother-in-law, Ben. Wowza, what a soiree! If they ever tire of their current careers, my sister and mom can most definitely start a thriving wedding planning business. This wedding was absolutely gorgeous, and no detail went unaddressed. It was stylish and warm and intimate and FUN, and we pretty much celebrated and partied for four straight days. Kelsie was simply stunning...radiant. She and Ben were cool as cucumbers and looked so happy. We all had such a good time! Well, 3 of us did...poor Henry is 0-2 for weddings in his short life and, just like Auntie Kari's wedding, he was not feeling well that day. Thank God for Baba and Mimi who held him and walked (endlessly) with him and ultimately missed dinner so they could just take him home and put him to bed. They were saints that whole weekend, actually, and spent so much time caring for our kids so we could fully participate in all of the festivities (ahem, bachelor and bachelorette parties). I am so grateful to have two sets of grandparents who are so generous with their babysitting time -- what a blessing. The original plan was for Madelyn to go home with Baba and Mimi, too, but she was having so much fun and there were lots of other kids staying, so we decided last minute to let her stay. Oh my goodness, we are so glad we did. She literally danced from the first song to the last song. (With Aaron, the husband of one of Kelsie's bridesmaids, on whom she developed quite a crush. She later explained that it was because he copied all of her dance moves. True story.) The date of their wedding, 09/10/11, also happened to be Madelyn's 4th birthday. Kelsie and Ben were very sweet and thoughtful and had a Hello Kitty birthday cake for her and had everyone sing Happy Birthday to her. A few family members and friends brought her presents, there was bubblegum, and given that she was their Flower Girl, she wore a fancy dress. I suppose it only makes sense, then, that when we all finally collapsed -- exhausted -- into our car at 10:30 and started to drive home, Madelyn exclaimed with genuine wonder "Wow! I can't believe so many people came to my birthday party!"

So. Good, good times. There are photos. Amazing, gorgeous, perfectly lit photos, but so far, those are only on facebook. As soon as I can, I'll post a few.

Our girl is now 4 full years old. She cracks jokes and crosses her long legs when she sits and is currently eating my cupboards bare. Pink and blue have joined purple as her favorite colors, and she has developed an obsession with My Little Ponies worthy of the 1980's (why didn't I save all of mine?!!). She is fiercely independent, but every now and then if we're patient, her lanky body melts into us and we are reassured that she is still our little girl for a bit longer.

She learned how to ride a two-wheel pedal bike while we were in Sunriver this summer, so we got her her own big-girl bike for her birthday. For the most part, she's got it down, but we're still working on starting and stopping on her own (and I think we're learning that she and Kurt do much better in the teacher/student dynamic than she and I do).

Henry Finn is now 8 months old and has solidified himself as Monkey #2. He's an ATV crawler in that he'll just crawl over, under, or through whatever happens to be in his path. His daycare providers tell us that he crawls the same obstacle course every morning when he gets there that always involves taking the path of most resistance. He is especially fond of tunnels, and we find him tucked into the tiniest, most random places. He has recently learned how to pull himself up to a standing position, whether on us, on the coffee table, or in his crib. Consequently, he's had a hard time falling asleep these last few days because he's so fascinated with peering out over the crib and seeing what's going on. He's pretty proud of himself, and so are we! Henry gives the best kisses, too. Big, open-mouthed, drooly smooches that can last for several seconds. And he makes this little affectionate "ahhh" sound along with the kiss that just melts our hearts.

Goodness, what else? We went to the beach the weekend after Kelsie and Ben's wedding with my parents just to relax and wind down. It was Henry's first time to the ocean. It rained the entire time, so you know...we set some realistic standards for his time at the coast. But the Oregon coast is always beautiful and restorative, even in the rain, and we proved ourselves as natives:

Madelyn's first day of school. She has her same teacher and classroom as last year, so she's very excited.

I really failed in the garden department this year. The sun and heat were poky like they were last year, and I just didn't put forth enough effort to compensate. I was so looking forward to our big tomatoes, and they all got blossom end rot. Major bummer. But our Sungolds and our cucumbers did pretty well. Madelyn was really into picking them, and one night she suggested making a tomato and cucumber salad for dinner. So we did.


Backyard fire pitting is always a good idea. Now that the weather has cooled down, we are thoroughly enjoying ours. Madelyn roasts her marshmallow and then sits in her camp chair contemplating the fire like an old soul. We all go to bed (and wake up) smelling like a campfire which is just fine with me.

Packed This Month Full

What happened to August? Good grief, we've packed our calendar with all kinds of fun stuff this month (there has been a fair amount of puke as well, but I'll spare you those details). Lots of bike riding, lots of frozen yogurt, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, recently lots of grilling (new grill!), lots of army crawling and tooth cutting, lots of hula-hooping, and our annual trip to Sunriver with our friends. Good times. Good times. And we've got a lot more fun stuff coming up soon 'cause Kelsie and Ben are gettin' hitched in ten days! Which is why this is all I have time to write right now, so these few (adorable) photos are going to have to suffice.