For example, an expanse of days at both my parents’ house and Billie’s. Ah, travelling. So invirgorating and yet exhausting. We do hate to love you.

Anyway, the need for a blog is nagging at me. So much that I am avoiding other, probably more pressing, things. So, no lengthy post on the joys of Thanksgiving or the time spent with loved ones. Not even a post dedicated to all that I/we are thankful for (hint: it’s a LOT). I will give a shout out though to all of YOU. This has been a long and, at times, lonely year. Blogging has been an outlet like no other. But the best part is the interaction, the feedback. So, a special thanks to anyone who ever commented. There were days when your words may have made all the difference.

I don’t think I took but a handful of pictures in all the festivities, so I’ll have to go with what I’ve got.

Ali and Tony at the Tillamook Cheese Factory some two weeks ago.

I ordered these shoes from The Children’s Place for under $5. But I think they’re too small. Ali is growing SO FAST!

Billie came down the weekend before Thanksgiving and we had our own little dinner. Thank you Fred Meyers !

Aunt Alyssa, pretty much Ali’s new favorite person.

From the left; Trista, my mom, and Alyssa. Getting in the line outside Walmart about 5am on Black Friday. Yeah, we scored big…

Adorable Adriah who is getting so big! I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes with her the day after T-giving.

Out to dinner for Cass’s birthday. And, of course, there is no group shot.

Tony and Ali on Sunday when we went to get our Christmas tree.

We did good!

Check us out!!

Also, welcome to the new America

If you’re disappointed, at least give Obama a chance to prove you wrong….and MOST OF AMERICA right!!!

Ali being a "Monster" in one of Tony’s old sweatshirts.

And eating her first sucker today, after having to get a shot.

We’ve had a busy few days. My car has been in the shop for a week. Sunday I tried again (one year later) to learn to drive Tony’s stick. I’m just not good at it. Or sticking with it Monday morning I had to take my math midterm at TBCC (proctored, the class in through PCC and online). So Tony [and Ali] had to drive me in and drop me off while they ran errands. It was quicky, less than an hour, and went went grocery shopping at Fred Meyer afterward. Then I had my Speech class in the evening. Which I hadn’t been to in two weeks. So I had a midterm and my first speech. And no ride home. It was a little stressful.

But, all went well. I aced the midterm (despite only getting the study guide a few hours previous from a classmate when the teacher didn’t answer my emails for two weeks!) and apparently did well on my speech since Ms. Arvyn asked if I’ve taken the class before (no!). To be fair, the course is appallingly easy. And, I got a ride home from another student. All was well.

This morning, MOPS! Again, Tony drove Ali and I in. He worked and went to the YMCA. Ali had a rough time when she was taken from me (new procedure apparently) but I guess made a new friend with one of the helper ladies and wouldn’t leave her side. Last time (two weeks ago) she got so upset that she fell asleep on one of the volunteers. And it was nowhere near naptime!!! Lol, her reaction to the situation continues to crack me up but I’m so glad it’s a situation she is being put in.

After MOPS we came home and it was naptime. Then, across the street for shots. Which ended up being SHOT (singular) as there’s a national shortage on one she kind of needs (hib, I think) and we were talked out of a flu shot. Which was fine with me, it wasn’t our idea, we were told she needed it. Ali screamed bloody murder the moment the nurse called her name and didn’t stop until we left the exam room. Though she was fine for the thirty-plus minutes we spent in the waiting room. She’s really getting big that she has such strong associations.

Tomorrow we are back to Tillamook with Ali’s first dental apppintment. Besides it being recommended that all babies get a 12 month check (yeah, she’s late), she has a brown spot on one of her teeth that I’m worried is a cavity but Tony did some research and said it just a discolored area. So, we’ll see.

Also tomorrow, I get my car back! This evening we FINALLY got word of what was wrong with it….and also that it was ready! Just a missing fuse so we only have to pay for that and 1/2 hour of labor. But that only answers why is was stuck in park. Not necessarily why it died in the first place or why the engine light has been coming on for about a year. So I’m still nervous with it.

Yep, things are good. We are happy, happy, happy to be home and be able to stay for a bit for once. Last weekend was our first home in a MONTH and I figured out a coupledays ago that two to two and a half weeks is the longest we’ve been home, continuously, since…MAY?!?! Seriously, it’s been pretty crazy for a very long time.

Also looking forward to Halloween on Friday anda bonus community carnival/party on Saturday!

We have been getting into the holiday spirit. Starting with Halloween. Yesterday we carved the pumpkins we got at the Roloff Farm. Ali surprised us both by wanting nothing to do with the process, though we we’re prepared to let her get and gucky and gooky as she wanted. But no, she wouldn’t get near it and gave a "yech" noise whenever it was suggested she might like to.

That was about as close as she came. Though she is enjoying the pumpkin seeds we (well, Tony) roasted. And she’s not the only one. Below are mine and Ali’s pumpkin’s (not sure that’s grammatically corect). Mine is on the right, the wailing one. Her’s is Elmo….I think? 

This afternoon there was a Halloween carnival at the North County Recreation District in Nehalem. And Ali needed a costume. Now, we’ve been looking for a few weeks. Most fervently when we were in Seattle last weekend. But nothing. Early in the month I/we thought we’d find something better or cheaper or whatever at a later date. And then those costumes, the passed up ones, began looking pretty spectacular.

We thought we’d at least find something at Fred Meyers. They had one, yes ONE, costume that was Ali’s size. A witch. Not what we were going for. We really wanted either a barnyard animal, preferrably a lamb, a lion, or a dinosaur. My favorite thing about allthe little kids’ ones like these were that they were super warm. Buit, nothing. We went to a few places in Wheeler and three thrift stores (keep in mind, we have no Goodwill or Value Village. We have small thrift stores that are few and far between). Finally, we decided to just find something we had.

One something we had is a tiger costume that was my cousins. Super cute, super warm and….pretty big. Like, 3T and Ali wears mostly 12m but still some 6-12m and 9m! She’ll be 16 months in a few days. The girl is just tiny clothes-wise. Then, this morning it came to me.

At one of the thrift stores Ali latched onto this tiny doll that we ended up buying for her. She loves it and named it Ralphie (pronounced "Ra-fa"). Seriously, that’s what she named it. Anyway, we decided to dress her in PJs and slippers, put "curlers" in her hair and carry her baby and be a mommy. We tried to find her a robe but ended up buying a way too big nightshirt that look like a nightgown. And she was adorable.

If not a bit scared of all the noise at first. Tony dressed as an old timey reporter and I…..refused. Lol. It was a small little carnival, with a lot of kids and a LOT of noise. Ali had a real good time though and was going crazy from either sugar or excitement. I think we’re going to be going to another event on Halloween and one the next night as well. I guess the season is here.

The concert was fun, us getting out was even more fun. I guess Ali woke once when we were gone (we put her down and then drove to the Memorial Coliseum) and my mom went in to give her back her paci. And she didn’t freak out!

Sleep was in short supply for a few days though. Parlty because Thursday, my bday, Ali woke up at 4:45am and then I couldn’t go back to sleep and she woke up whne I tried to leave her in our bed and so her and I were up about 5am! Then she/we woke Tony up not long after six. so, after getting to my parents’ and before the concert we each napped separately (Ali has done all her napping for the day in the car). Then we got back from the concert about midnight.

Ali woke up just after 6am.

I was sleepy.

Friday we ran a lot of errands in the morning. Got out the door around 8:30am. Went to Walmart and then was at Toys’R'Us before they opened at ten. It was fun and exhausting to go in there with Ali .Then we went to Costco and after that we were all hungry and so tired. In the afternoon we went down to the high school to see the homecoming parade. We were about an hour early so we got to snatch Alyssa from school and walk down to the elementary school to play and then watch the parade. Something about having only one kid with you and being at the start  of the route, we had whole handfuls of candy flung our way. Nearly filled up Ali’s new Dora backpack. Of course most of it she can’t eat so guess who’s stuck with it!

After that we went to AT&T with Alyssa (who, seriously, made the whole experience bearable with her presence) and got new phones! Our contract was up with Verizon, as we’d signed a two-year one on my twenty-second birthday. It was a slow process but we finally got home just before Trista did! Jordan was there too so, once again, all four kids together!

Saturday I finally got to do all I’d really wanted for my bday, which was to go shopping. Alone. Well, I went with Trista and Alyssa which was the second best thing. I don’t have to carry/entertain them. We went to town at Old Navy and Nordstrom Rack and then wandered through the mall but didn’t find much.

Then Trista didn’t turn onto the freeway. Btw, my license expired on my bday (in Oregon they last 8 years. 16+8=24). And I knew something was up. But I had NO IDEA what. We went to this strip mall on Sunnyside and there was a place called Ceramicafe. And inside was….a party! Cass and Pete, Jordan and Backy, Tony and Ali, Trista and Alyssa, Cynthia and Shayla. And a CHEESECAKE :)

It was so nice and so fun. I had told Tony a day or so before that I was excited about getting together with my mom’s side of the family (our next stop) because I hadn’t had any sort of bday gathering in a long time- maybe since I turned 18. It was great.

After that we quickly went home to change and then went to West Linn to my aunt and uncle’s house for part II. Also a lot of fun. Ali has such a great time in those kind of settings, and that night was no different. Even though she was exhausted she got a second wind and just ate up all the attention. Though we meant to leave early (don’t we always?) and meant to be packed up neither happened. So we didn’t get out until past eight and didn’t leave my parents’ until 9pm and didn’t get home until 11pm. Ali went seamlessly from car to crib.

Sunday we never left the house.

Today we both got hair cuts. Well, I got my bangs trimmed. And my license renewed. We went grocery shopping. Then I prepared for the speech I was supposed to present tonight. But my car died when I was pulling out. In the middle of the street. Stuck in park. It took Tony about an hour and a half to be able to move it back into the driveway. And I didn’t make it to class. Because we’re going to be in Seattle until Tuesday next week I’m going to miss then too. Kind of a struggle. Anyway, that’s why I’m home and have found time for a rather extensive update.

Hopefully she will be good about her "hook" since she needs to keep bandaged and covered for the next week. Has to go back to get it checked on Thursday (my bday coincidentally!). Now I really need to catch up on school b/c I have class tonight and we didn’t get back from Seattle until about midnight last night. So much to do.

Of course, the fact that it is 25 minutes away will definitely limit our access. I’m hoping we’ll be able to make it a few times a week and hoping to sign up for a class- maybe Water Babbies with Ali since she basically is one.

Today though, the weather is perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and Iowa just beat Iowa State for the first time in years! Pics to come of aborable Ali enjoying the game.

What this also means: NO NURSING ALL NIGHT. Yesterday and the day before I’ve drastically cut down on her nursing. Tuesday she nursed in the morning as usual (I drift in and out of sleep and she bops around her room playing/wrecking havoc and comes back to snuggle with me and nurse multiple times), then again at 11am, then at noon before her nap. Then, not until bedtime. And she slept in her crib until 5:15am, at which point me and my aching boobs crawled into bed with her. Yesterday, she nursed only in the morning, before nap, and at bed.

I’ve been struggling with the weaning issue for awhile. Some days I’m really over breastfeeding a toddler (especially with her demanding milk via baby sign hourly of more) others I’m not ready to give up my baby. This feels like a very good compromise. I can’t wait for tomorrow night!

Also, starting in a few weeks I’ll be taking a classe a Tillamook Bay Community College Monday nights from 5:30-9:20. Add on driving and I’ll be gone about 5pm-10pm. This newest development makes me feel much better.

Lastly, while not running yet, this child is very cautiously walking around the entire house. She getting big so fast!

• The weather has been basically extraordinary. Probably a reason for my lack of blogging. There have been a couple grey and rainy days mixed in, which is okay because it allows appreciation for the days that aren’t.
• Ah yes, I remember. Early last week we were all sick. Well, had a cold.Ali seriously JUST got rid of her runny nose. It was her first really bad one and, geez! I can’t wait until she’s old enough to just blow the thing already.
• We’ve been going to the beach a lot. Once a day whenever it’s nice. Usually wading in the ocean and once even swimming. And boogie boarding. Which was so, so, so fun! I hadn’t really swam in the ocean in like eight or so years and it used to be all I wanted to do when we stayed out here. I love it.
• But, I tweaked my knee boogie boarding. I tore my ACL when I was 14 playing basketball and had reconstructive surgery placing a chunk of my hamstring in place of the shredded knee ligament. It’s really never been the same and gave me a lot of problems when I played sports in high school. It hasn’t bothered me since, but I’ve never been extremely active. So, that was Saturday and it seems to be getting more swollen by the day (weird). I can walk and function and everything, just have a limited range of motion and limp a little. Definitely something I’m a bit worried about.
• Trista is leaving for college tomorrow! She is just going about thirty minutes south to Newberg, OR to attend George Fox University. Last Saturday she came out to have a last hurrah with us until Monday morning. I know it’s the end of an era, and we will miss being able to see her so much.
• Friday night we attended a MOPS carnival in Tillamook. I registered for the upcoming year and am looking forward to meeting other moms and for Ali to be able to socialize with other kids. Also, while the moms meet childcare is provided so I hope it will be a good place to work on non-parental caretakers. Maybe the outcome of this will be….oh, I don’t know, a night or even a meal where it’s just the two of us?!?!
• Okay, I’m drawing a blank, so onto some pictures:

On one of the colder days…she looks so BIG!

I love crying pictures.

So sweet with baby buns.

On Saturday we found this extension to her Elmo house for $3. Complete with ballpit! Shall be great to whip out on the weeks when the rain doesn’t stop.

So cute in the sand.

Fun new game with daddy.

Pure, pure, pure joy!

Ali loves Trista.

• If you are so inclined, there are more pictures here and here.
• I can’t believe the kids are already heading back to school! The end of summer is so sad. Which is why I’m glad our summer will last as long as the weather does. And the light. Boo to it getting dark at 8pm.
• Oh yeah, Ali has been sleeping WONDERFULLY lately. Like, the last four or so days. She’s been crying when we put her in her crib (usually asleep from nursing but then she wakes) but falling asleep ON HER OWN. And, surprise surprise, she sleeps nearly twice as long this way. The night before last she slept from 8pm to 12:30am. Perhaps her longest ever. I am still sleeping in the bed in her room for part of the night though. We’ll get there I guess. Also, the last few days have been one-nap days. And it’s been a LONG nap (like 1-1.5 hrs) which she has never been into. For months she’s been doing two thirtyish minute naps. This is so, so much better. Especially when I can just set her down and if she cries, she cries. Today she went down just before noon (cried on and off for 30 minutes at least) and then slept until like 1:45pm. I had time to actually DO something. Ah, it’s amazing. I so hope this lasts, this is a routine I can deal with.

Last week it was actually warm enough to get in the water a bit.

Ali reading about the new season of Sesame Street on the pot.

She has now discovered simulated phone usage. Which involves the phoneheld in the vicinity of her ear, and screamed baby-babble. Here she was specifically "talking" to Shayla.

Riding her bike…today! (Which means we’re up to date)

And more phone chats.

Nighttime is just as painful. She continues to wake uo every hour to hour-and-a-half with usually one three hour stretch. Isn’t that worse thanmost newborns?!?! I might call the doctor soon just to….I don’t know. Just to do something??? But that’s a whole other issue considering we’ve seen a different doctor every time (three of them) we’ve gone since moving here and we hear [hope!] there’s a permenant one coming soon but it’s hard having no established relationship.

I am working on drastically cutting down my caffeine intake because that could definitely be having an effect. Went from having two cups in the morning to mid-morning and one about 3pm to having one and half before noon and today having one about 10am. So we’ll see. No real improvements yet, but UGH. What a hard time to cut down on the stimulants. I kind of feel like a walking zombie.

Tomorrow we’re going to the Tillamook County Fair which is exciting. Next weekend we’ll be in the Portland area for the Lewis family picnic and for a wedding. Next week we are spending a few days in Off Our Rocker again. And by we I now mean Tony, as we discovered it works best if he just goes over there with his laptop and does his own work. I am working on enrolling for some classes in the fall through PCC. it has been especially difficult since I’m going to begetting financial aid (which involves tons of hoop jumping) and I’m finally transferring credits from three different colleges. I have to go next week to take a math placement test at TBCC (Tillamook Bay Community College), which I’m trying to study a bit for but it’s kind of depressing to look at stuff you know you know (or knew) how to do and realize you no longer have more than a faint inkling.

So we’re busy. And tired. And we’re had nary a sunbreak here since last Sunday! Which is so frustrating for me.