Let's Play!

Grace LOVES her doll house and incessantly begs for me to play with her.  Most of the time I gladly take on the role of playmate, but one day after countless play sessions, I could not even handle the thought of playing dolls AGAIN so I did what any busy mom would do:  I paid someone else! 

 "Jared," I said, "Will you play doll house with Grace for an hour if I pay you?"   Well, after we settled on a price, the two of them went off to play.  I'm not sure how long the fun actually lasted as Grace did not appreciate the way her big brother played dolls.  She didn't like it when the daddy jumped off the roof or when the monkeys ransacked the house.  After all, playing house is serious business.    

Even though I sometimes grow weary of playing the same old games with Grace day in and day out.  I treasure our time together.  Her days as a sweet, silly, and imaginative 3-year old are but brief.  Her cherubic little cheeks will soon melt into the rosy and robust countenance of a school girl.  She will no longer have time to slip into the imaginary world and play away her day.  Instead she will have homework, music lessons, sports, and video games.  

So for now I will enjoy playing dolls, putting together puzzles, finger painting, and Play-dough.  As a mother I have many roles.  Sometimes I get caught up in being a CAREGIVER...cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry.... and I forget to be a NURTURER.   When I take the time to sit down and play with Grace I recall how good it feels to NURTURE.  Then at the end of the day when the house is a mess and I feel like I have accomplished nothing, I have to remind myself that nurturing a child accounts for something!  

Much of the early motor development of the child depends on learning and refining such procedures, through play, imitation, trial and error, and incessant rehearsal. —Oliver Sacks, New Yorker, 24 Sept. 2007

Hot Undies

HOT UNDIES:  we're talking roasted over the fire, NOT seductive or sultry.  My sweet little niece, Abigail,  only had one pair of undies for our Shi Shi Beach hike last August.    Well, she came into a little trouble while peeing in the woods and so my sister Kirsten, being the resourceful mom that she is, rinsed out the undies in the stream and then hung them over the fire on a stick.    

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a long time.  This summer hike has to be one of my favorite memories of 2010.   Shi Shi Beach is a spectacular undevoloped shore on the Northwest coast of Washington.   We backpacked in for 3 miles to reach the beach and then set up camp right in front of the rumbling surf.  

Sweet Abigail with dry undies :).  

Mike had been on this hike previsouly with our boys.  They raved and raved about the awesome driftwood fire they built the first time. This time Mike brought along me and the girls, my parents,  my brother (Jake), and my sister (Kirsten)  and her family.   The goal was to build an even bigger fire than before.  The boys did not disappoint.  

Soon the kids were enjoying the yummiest fire-roasted hot dogs ever.  At least it seemed that way since they were sitting on a giant log at the beach with their cousins.   

Another fond memory:  fighting over the final and  recently released  (August 2010)  Hunger Games   book  by Suzanne Collins.  We only had one copy on the hike and at least 4 eager readers.    One could not put down the book, not just because it was a page turner.  It might go missing in action or become  mysteriously BOOKnapped! 

Like I said before, SPECTACULAR! 

OK besides Abigail's hot undies and several BOOKnappings , this is the most memorable part of all:  it rained BUCKETS on us. I mean a torrential downpour! The rainstorm hit at night while we were sleeping and by the morning we were almost floating in the puddles of water inside the tent. We peeked out of our tent flap and saw dark and menacing clouds; there was no sign of the rain letting up anytime soon.  So we quickly broke camp and began the 3-mile trek back to our cars.   We felt like salmon swimming up the roaring stream that had once been a trail.  By the time we reached our cars, we had squishy hiking boots and soggy underwear.  We were extremely cold and wet.  I could have gone for a pair of roasted undies myself!   

Wardrobe Staple

I recently discovered this great little fashion secret that I just have to share. It's called Hollywood Fashion Tape.   I get so tired of wearing camisoles or a t-shirt under my clothing to raise the neck line on a low cut shirt.  Sometimes the shirt is just a little too low and that is where this super nifty double-sided tape comes in handy.  I simply tape the neckline (usually a "crisscross" v-neck) a little higher and ta dah--I can leave the house wearing only one layer!   Ahh.  Fashion bliss.  P.S.  I found this little miracle tape while standing in line at Old Navy (in the front by the checkout).

Feed the Birds

Wednesday school was closed due to icy road conditions.  That day Audrey made a sweet little snow girl; her chest was filled with bird seed for her woodland friends.  The next day temperatures rose to nearly 50 degrees.  Soon all that was left of the little snow princess was a pile of bird seed, a carrot, and a soggy hat and mittens.

Christmas Magic

Twas' the night before Christmas and the kids had lots of excited energy to burn.  So we took them to vist "Moses" the camel and two of Santa's reindeer at Clear Creek Nursery.  I had never actually seen a real live camel before.   I assumed camels were serious stately fellows, but not this guy.  Moses is just 2 years old andvery silly.  In fact, he kept jumping and frolicking in circles like an exicted mare!   






The reindeer were not nearly as exciting to watch.  I suppose they were resting up for their big trip with Santa later that night.  They have very cool antlers and unexpectedly short legs! 




Oh what fun it is to ride in a sleigh with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen!

 

Inside the nusery's gift shop, it was snowing!  Talk about Christmas magic!  



The kids loved the snow show, a fancy bubble machine set to Christmas music. 



After visiting the nursery, we went to the old Port Gamble general store.
Check out this cool old cash register.   




The girls loved the penny candy jars.

Port Gamble is such a charming little sawmill town. I'd like to explore it more.   



Log trucks and ferry boats are very Pacific Northwest and so intriguing to this Idaho potato girl!  One of these days I gotta see the log stackers empty their trucks at the mill.