Time at Home and Big Changes

We had such a nice weekend! After a week of Seeley being sick with a stomach virus (seriously, Portland, what's up?) we decided to take it easy since Wes and I weren't feeling great ourselves. It turned out to be really nice to have some much needed down time. We really like spending time together at home. We both love our home and I especially take a lot of pride in how it's maintained and decorated. I'd like to think that our house is nice as well as inviting and comfortable and, most importantly, full of love!
We finally got the cherry tomato plant Wes has been wanting forever and Seeley helped him plant it by playing with the trowel and throwing dirt around. We also took little girl out for a ride on her balance bike but she was more interested in going for a walk with her helmet on. She also decided it was Seeley and papa time and let me know it multiple times ("no mama. I want papa to swing me!") I didn't mind carrying all the stuff and watching them run around. They're too cute to be mad at :)
One of the two big changes in our house is that Seeley is officially weaned from nursing! It just kind of worked out with Seeley being in Boise and then being too sick to tolerate any breastmilk without throwing up. We decided just to go for it entirely and say bye-bye to nursing. So she's done! I'm a mess though. Having that bonding time with her has been amazing and it's really sad to see her growing up (as well as exciting and fantastic, of course). I know that for us nursing Seeley for almost three years was the right decision. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Our other big change is also about growing and moving forward. Beginning in September I will be working part-time! Holy cow! I am excited and nervous and on the verge of a panic attack. I will be teaching a ten week course on public speaking at an educational resource center for homeschoolers! Basically my dream job in alternative education. And the best part is they have a childcare area so I can bring Seeley. It's amazing and I can't wait to get started. Onward and upward!

Getting Out

(note: before you start reading I wanted to say thanks for putting up with all the changes I've made to the blog. I'm trying to update and I promise it will be consistent soon.)


It's 97 degrees outside right now, and in our third floor apartment it feels like it's twice that. Welcome to July! If we didn't have any motivation to get out of the house before we sure do now! As a stay-at-home parent actually not staying at home is a big deal. Staying inside all day with a toddler will drive you crazy, but we all have days where we just want to stay in our pjs and watch movies. I'm quite a type-A, neurotic person and I put a lot of pressure on myself to be "productive" and live up to my unrealistic expectations. I've had times where I just didn't want to interact with anyone. I just wanted to stay home, read, listen to music and take it easy. I used to feel like that was selfish. But our children don't call the shots or make the decisions. We do. It's such a balancing act, isn't it? I've been thinking about this a lot the past couple days as our schedule gets more and more packed with playdates, park time, and more and more Seeley-centric activities. Today we went to the pool (our place has an amazing pool. We're spoiled) and played with her best buddy, then later they came over for some playtime. Seeley had so much fun and as hot as it is today I didn't think twice about it. But I do need to remind myself that when I want to rest, I should rest. Tommorow we have another playdate at a waterpark with a new friend, but the schedule for Thursday is nothing, nothing and nothing!
As a parent, whether stay-at-home or otherwise, it's also important to balance getting out as adults with what Seeley can handle. We took a walk downtown on Saturday and decided to try eating at a restuarant. Both risky moves! We can't stop doing the things we love but we also get tired of walking around the place with Seeley over and over. But this time we gave it a go and things worked out great! I guess that shows that sometimes you just have to throw yourself out there and see what happens :)

Around These Parts (A Girls Weekend)

Seeley and I are flying solo today and possibly part of Sunday because Wes is going to the Seahawks playoff game! The man lives for football, and I have to admit it's pretty awesome that he has a professional sports team so close that he can root for! So here Seeley and I are, having a girl day. I'm doing some Saturday morning blogging since S is currently distracted by the egg she is carrying around the house. Seeley is totally weird. She has this goofy fascination with eggs. Pictures of eggs, drawings of eggs, eggs in cartoons, and now she begs to take eggs out of the refrigerator and carry them around (and lick them as she also always pretends to be a dog.) So I'm switching between looking at the computer and looking at Seeley saying, "gentle. VERY gentle". Wish me luck. Lately it's been raining and not so cold and in a weird way it's getting us out of the house more than if it was nice everyday. The second it stops raining, off we go! I hope you have a great weekend and GO HAWKS!!!