Preschool in Seattle

This is by far, one of the coolest things I have ever heard about: A preschool in a nursing home. Seriously the best idea ever. I just love everything about it. It makes my heart happy and also makes me wish there was something like it in Medford.

I can't wait to see the film.

http://www.today.com/parents/new-film-shows-magic-seattle-preschool-nursing-home-t26911

Declan Boy's Surgery

On Monday, my boy had to have surgery. It was one of the most challenging experiences I've had as a mother. I was very emotional leaving Inara, especially because I was anticipating the surgery the next morning, and I was feeling anxious about leaving my son with complete strangers and trusting them to take care of him.
The surgery he had to have is a very common one for boys and at Dornbechers Children's Hospital, in Portland, they perform one of these surgeries almost every day of the year. I had also had surgery last June so had been through the whole process myself...however, when it is your small child...it changes everything.
We decided to leave Inara here in Medford, which turned out to be an excellent idea in the end. So after dropping her off with my mother-in-law, Sean, Declan and I headed up North. We stopped at one of our favorite places, Bridgport Village to have dinner and walk around, and even play for a bit! Then, we checked into our hotel room and settled in for the night, expecting an early morning and long day ahead.
Monday morning we packed up and headed to the hospital to check in for the surgery. I was still a bit emotional, but things got easier as the morning progressed and we talked with the nurses and doctors. Everyone was amazing and made us feel at peace. We even got to make bracelets and a necklace while in the waiting room. They also have a monitor with color coded bars so you know which phase of surgery your child is in.
Now that we have been home for a few days, I am thankful for the staff at Dorbechers and for the advancement in medical technology which enabled us to have such a smooth and easy experience.
Declan is healing beautifully and even though he has to rest and not play too vigorously for another week or so, he is carrying on as usual.

Waiting for surgery in the special pajama's from the hospital

In recovery having a yummy popsicle

Necklace and bracelet for Declan and bracelet for Inara

First Part of Spring

Spring in the Rogue Valley has been so beautiful this year, with the blossoms and buds on all of the trees in the valley in full bloom. We have had sunny, warm weather, where we can play outside for hours. But we've also had those much needed rainy days where you are thankful for the rain and stay inside curled up on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate.
We have had the opportunity to enjoy some fun activities and adventures which make me so appreciate the area we get to live in.


We took the kids to Science Works in Ashland for the first time. It was a lot of fun exploring everything they have available there.

We purchased a few outdoor chairs and a fire pit for our backyard. Here is Declan pretending he is a dragon.

The kids enjoyed playing in the water table in the back yard, and decided to add dirt to it...resulting in one of the best things ever: MUD!!

We dyed and then collected eggs for Easter.

We braved the cold & rainy weather in order to watch the Pear Blossom Parade in downtown Medford.

I think we are all looking forward to what the next part of this season has to offer!

When Declan Dressed Me For A Week

About a month ago I read a blog post about a woman who let her three year old son dress her for a week (The link to that story is here if you're interested). It was so fun to read about her experience and see the pictures of what outfits her son picked. She said it was therapeutic for her and her son to switch rolls. I thought how brave she was to give her son the permission to pick out clothes that she may not ordinarily have chosen for herself. Then I thought...I want to do this with Declan. So, I did. And it was awesome.

Day 1:

I had told Declan the day before what I wanted to do, and that we would start the next day. We didn't say another word about it, and I kind of forgot, until he comes bounding in my room the next morning saying, "Mama! I get to pick out your clothes today!!" and I responded with an equally jovial "Yes you do".

The first thing he picked was the dress, saying "This is nice. I hope it's nice to you." I told him that the dress needed something like a shirt underneath it since it is low cut and not appropriate to wear by itself. 

After I put the shirt and dress on I told him that my legs might get cold today since it wasn't going to be a warm day and he said "Let's do tights" and picked out my olive green pair.

I then asked him to look through my shoes and he chose my high heel black booties because, "They look cozy inside".

Day 2:

I noticed before he picked anything he was feeling several articles of clothing with his fingers. It was really cute. He then picked two shirts for me...not sure why, and my grey leggings because, "They were the one's on top, so I just grabbed them". 

The shoes he chose were my coral Toms wedges, "I thought you would like them Mama", he proclaimed. 

He also picked out emerald green post earrings for me saying "They are so pretty". 

As I observed my outfit, I thought that it was a good thing I was only going to the Dollar Store and Big Lots that day, and that I would have to wear a long sweater over the outfit to cover my bum (I never wear leggings without something long over them). This nice old lady at the Dollar Store complimented my shoes saying they looked like Carmen Miranda shoes and I told her that my son picked them out for me. She said that he did a really good job.

Day 3:

This was by far the most interesting outfit he put together. He very carefully chose my purple peasant shirt and black sweater at the same time and as he rubbed the material of the sweater on his cheek he said "It's so soft".

He wanted to pick earrings next and chose my ivory and turquoise ones that I actually happen to love and I thought, this is shaping up to be a pretty decent outfit.

After the earrings were put on, he started to leave the room and I said, "Wait a minute! Something is missing from my outfit". He stops, looks at me and says, "Oh! Pants!".

He proceeded to rifle through my pajama bottoms and comfy pants (even though I reminded him of my jeans hanging in the closet) and picked my leopard print pajama bottoms. 

He then chose my Columbia hiking shoes because apparently I've never seen them before... (Huh?).

Thankfully we had no plans to go anywhere that day because this would have been very tough for me to wear in public.

Day 4:

The first thing he chose this day was my tan and white stripped shirt "With flowers and rocks on it"... (???) and then he chose my blue yoga pants "Because they will be comfy and they match".

The earrings he picked were actually a perfect match with the shirt, they are circular with a hole in the middle and almost look like the inside of a sea shell.

The shoes he selected were a little too small for me, so I asked him to chose another pair and he decided on my leopard print flats.

The funny thing about this day was that he picked everything except pants again, like the day before. I reminded him that I needed pants, and even showed him the ones hanging in my closet but he was insistent that I wear the blue yoga pants. 

I added the hat to run errands because I didn't want to do my hair.

Day 5:

So this particular day happened to be a Saturday. Saturdays are awesome because Sean gets the kids up and lets me sleep in a bit. We usually don't plan anything for the mornings and just enjoy family time at home. I thought "Ok D, today would be a great day to pick something really comfy for me to wear". I mean, he had been on a roll with the comfy outfits so far...why would he change now? 

The olive green shirt he picked is actually really comfy so he got it right on that one, but the white pants...not so much. They are like a jean material and a little small for me around the waist. 

His choice of earrings were long dangly orange ones and for shoes, my black wedge sandals. Sean said I actually looked really good.

Maybe D's getting better at this.

Day 6:

On this morning I told Declan that it was pretty chilly outside so I may need to wear something that keeps me warm. He picked a grey with white stripped hooded sweater. I said "Ok, now what pants?"

He grabbed my blue tights, held them up triumphantly and said "These pants!!" I told him that those weren't pants, they were tights and tights were usually worn with dresses. So he ended up picking one of my favorite dresses and it actually matches blue tights.

Thankfully he decided to put the sweater back.

For earrings it was my square silver posts with the (very small) diamonds, and for shoes, my gold ballet flats.

Overall, a very decent outfit. Although the tights got really uncomfortable by the end of the day.

Day 7:

I think this is my favorite outfit Declan chose for me. It was comfy but also cute and I actually got a compliment on it at an event I went to later that evening.

The shirt is long sleeve (super soft) blue and turquoise chevron pattern, a black three quarter sleeve sweater, black nylon workout pants, black peep toe flats that actually have a tiny heel, and light pink with dark green beaded earrings.

If you were to ask me what I learned the most from this experience I would say that, people really don't care what you're wearing. We get so caught up sometimes in what we look like or how we dress or what shirt will match what pants that will match what shoes, etc, and that can become an unhealthy focus for our life.

Now don't get me wrong, I think it's great to look your best and take pride in how you present yourself. But overall, people aren't paying THAT much attention to our clothing. At least, not the people who matter. And that is such a freeing realization. 

Another thing that was really freeing about this experiment was not having to think about what I was wearing that day. I didn't have to pick an outfit out in the morning and I didn't have to give it a second (or third, or fourth) thought throughout the day. I just wore the clothes given to me and that was that. 

The night before we started, I had made a promise to myself that I would not react to Declan's choices in any way other than positive (even facial expressions), and that I would wear the outfit the entire day. Some days that was more challenging that others, but overall, it was so good. I think I agree with the the statement that is was therapeutic for both of us.

A Child's Perspective

For our trip to Disneyland, I thought it would be fun to bring along one of our old digital cameras for Declan to use. He had a great time taking his own pictures, and I think it made him feel important and special. It was really fun for Sean and I to look through the pictures he took...it's amazing to see the world through a child's perspective.

Here are a few of the pictures he took, most of which were taken while he was sitting in the stroller.

DISNEYLAND: Day 3

Our third and final day began with saying our goodbyes to my family since they were all departing for home that day. As the four of us made our way to the parks (thinking we would start the day in CA Adventure) Declan told me he wanted to see Minnie Mouse. We had seen Minnie Mouse the previous days, but always from afar, never up close, so I told Sean that I wanted to take the kids into Disneyland first thing so that we could see her there. Once inside the entrance, I made a beeline for the spot where we had seen her before, and got up to the end of the short line of people waiting to see her. The very nice Cast Member who was attending to Minnie told me that he was actually cutting off the line because Minnie needed to take a break but would be back in about 5 minutes. I almost started to cry. I so badly wanted to make Declan's wish come true for him. It was really his only request the whole time we had been there. As I gathered my composure I remembered I had seen Minnie the other day coming down the street with the marching band, so I wheeled the kids in the stroller over to that area to see if she'd come out that way again. As we were waiting, Bert, from Mary Poppins came out and right over to my kids, squatting down to talk to them at their level. I squatted down as well to try and get them engaged with him, when out of my left peripheral vision I saw Micky Mouse standing over the stroller looking down at my kids!! I said "Look! It's Mickey!" They were a little stunned I think and didn't really have much of a response. Right after that, Bert said goodbye and Mickey wandered off and Minnie came out of the exact spot I thought she would. I said "There's Minnie Mouse!" and told the kids to go see her. She walked right towards Declan as he was getting out of the stroller and she greeted him, then grabbed his hand and took him for a little walk down the street. I couldn't even believe it. It was such a special, magical moment for all of us.

We then headed to CA Adventure as was originally planned, where we met up with Sean's uncle Mike and aunt Loris, who live in the LA area. We spent a good portion of the day in that park where we rode Toy Story Midway Mania, saw Donald Duck, rode Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and Monsters, Inc.

At this point we were ready for a break, so we got some smoothies, went to A Bug's Land, and let the kids play in the Puddle Park. Then we sat in the shade and had lunch, changed the kids clothes (they were soaking wet) and Sean took them to take a nap while I got to be on my own for a bit. I decided to go back into Disneyland, get an iced coffee (and a treat for the kids for later) and sit on Main St. One of my favorite things about Disneyland is Main St. It is just so full of that classic Disney feel. I love the sights and sounds that surround that area and enjoyed having some time to just absorb it all. So I sat in the shade and watched the characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, Daisy, and Donald interact with each other and all the guests that came and went. It was pure magic. I then found a perfect spot along Main St. to watch the parade (again) and wait for the others to meet up with me. 

After watching the parade (which was just as exciting as the day before) we were pretty wiped out, so chose to do the Nemo Submarine again since the kids liked it so much, and then take the Monorail out of the park to Downtown Disney for dinner.

What an amazing time we had!! It was so exhausting, but so worth it. I am already planning our next trip...

whenever that may be.

DISNEYLAND: Day 2

We began our second day by going into Disneyland first, getting first time buttons for our kids (since we forgot the day before) getting pressed pennies inside The Mad Hatter, and spending some time with Chip and Dale (who were awesome and so patient with my kids). While saying goodbye to Chip and Dale, I heard the sound of a marching band, and turned to see one coming down the street, followed by The Mad Hatter and Minnie Mouse. So exciting and totally iconic Disney, in my opinion.

We then met up with my mom, Gary and Gramma (the Good's were in CA Adventure for the first part of the day) and proceeded to ride, It's A Small World, the Story Book Boats, Alice in Wonderland, and the Teacups (again). 

At this point we wanted to do some exploring in CA Adventure, so we headed into that park to have lunch in a nice shady area of Cars Land and take in the sights and sounds of that area since none of us had been before. This is where we rode one of our favorite rides, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and also where we saw Mater and Lightening McQueen, which was super exciting for both my kids, especially Declan.

After nap, we headed back into Disneyland to get a special treat and watch the amazing Mickey's Soundsational Parade. 

For the last portion of the day, we met up with the whole group to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain. Then headed to Fantasyland for dinner, and to ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Then we made our way to Tomorrowland where we did the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Finding Nemo Submarine, Star Tours, and the Astro Orbiter.