As one might expect, househunting, buying one house, then packing up another with two little ones underfoot is quite an undertaking, so it's taken up a great deal of time this summer. But we've also been doing our best to squeeze in some fun stuff amongst all the labor.
The highlight thus far was a visit from Grandma and Grandpa O. right before we moved. After an extremely loud July 4 on Mt. Tabor, we hit the road. We rented a sweet little house in Manzanita for three days, and were even able to bring the dogs to the beach for the first time. We walked, Nico rode Ergo-style, Sofia Skuuted, the dogs ran their hearts out, we drank wine, ate chocolate, hit the farmer's market, experimented with zucchini blossoms (yum!), hung out at the Oswald West beach, and just *barely* managed to enjoy ourselves.
So, yada yada yada, we are now living in our fabulous new home out in Oregon City. I promise to post pictures when we get some of the empty boxes cleared out. But in the meantime, I will say that we LOVE living here. We have frogs, butterflies, a view, a playhouse, a princess tower and (my favorite) a glorious hammock. We all have our priorities...
Kiddo update time! Nico began taking steps on his own this week, and today he took three steps in a row by himself! Even though the advent of walking is pretty darn cool, I think what's even better is the instant transformation. With this little bit of gained independence, Nico's little personality shines through even more, and he's becoming even more of a BOY. He has started pointing at things he finds cool (pretty much anything that makes a loud noise), is waving/saying bye-bye and he kind of says "hiiiii." My absolute favorite current Nico behavior is his kiss, which I must get on video. When you kiss him on his lips, he makes a little "O" with his mouth, raises his eyebrows and leans in repeatedly for more kisses. To die for. He also loves to style his hair with food products.
Sofia, sweet Sofia. Sometimes I forget she's only four years old, the
things that come out of her mouth. Right now she loves telling us
"whispers," her version of secrets. Usually they entail asking for some
sort of treat or to do something fun, like have an otter pop or go
swimming. She adores getting together with her girly friends, and when
she's on her own, is always "talking" with her animals or taking care of
her dolls. She's a very good mommy. When I packed up a box of stuffed
animals, I had to give her a moment to softly and tenderly stroke all
their heads and tell them goodbye, and that everything was going to be
all right. We have moments like this every day! Of course the best ones
are when she strokes MY head and tells me in an almost pained voice how
much she loves me. She also loves bugs, frogs, princesses, gardening, magical
glittery unicorns, dinosaurs, Godzilla, Ultra Man, butterflies, moths,
bumblebees, anything pink, books, drawing, painting, dancing, maps,
lists, and so much more. She already finishes my sentences for me. Thank goodness, I need all the help I can get!
