We have been living The Boise Life for two years now. Yup, two years ago we took the biggest step in our families journey. A lot has changed in two years.
Ninja Baby joined us and is now 19 months old. His latest stats have him weighing in at 24lb 10oz (40th%), standing 32.5 inches tall (51st%) and with a 19.75 inch dome (89th%). So average height, trim and, yes, that boy has a huge dome. HUGE! I've got to find him some new hats. He can fit some of his sister's but they are all pink. I was shaking my head as I tugged a pink hat onto him the other day but then noticed how snug my hat was. So..........yeah. It's not like I don't know where he got it from. Bigger heads means bigger brains, right? We'll go with that.
Ninja Baby has also been, by far, the most challenging child I have ever watched for an extended period of time. I've watched a lot of kids. One or two have come close (both boys, surprise), but he constantly challenges me. He also constantly loves me. He loves his Mama something fierce. And he still has that smile and uses it to try to get out of trouble now. Oh my goodness, the challenges will be big with this one. But the love will be big too. I said a while ago that God made him such a smiley guy to make up for how challenging he is. I still stand by that. He will do the sly sideways look to see if you're watching him, and then flash that smile and proceed to do something he knows he shouldn't. He just wants to see how far that grin can get him.
He is talking more and more, new words every week. His current faves are "that" (accompanied by pointing and usually an expectant smile), "hug" which he is either requesting or giving, and "poop" - he uses that one to tell me when his diaper is dirty or when he wants more food. Yeah, he seems to pronounce "poop" and "food" the exact same way. Go figure. I am working on harnessing his excitment to tell me right when he has gone in his diaper to getting him set for potty training. He sits but has not had any successes yet. His sister had by his age, but she never told me if her diaper was dirty, ever. We'll see what comes of it. He has been doing gymnastics. He is a speed racer on the balance beam, loves to swing holding onto the bar and loves to roll. He hasn't figured out jumping yet - he'll bounce but doesn't get his feet off the ground. Not really a fan of the trampoline. We'll be stopping for the summer and we'll see what we do afterwards. He is really getting into books now, excitedly running to his shelf at bedtime and demanding reading sessions throughout the day. He even wants to go to bed with a book now. Keep in mind, it gets dark rather late here (probably close to 10pm in the summer) and the blackout curtains can only do so much, so he probably does actually get some time to look at his book before falling asleep.
Little Lady is 4 now. She is 36lbs (59th%) and 39in (34th%). She has gained a couple lbs and at least 2 inches since the beginning of the year. Her last visit had her weight in the 30's percentile wise and height in the 20's. Admittedly, her appointment was right after her birthday and Easter, so it is possible that affected it, but it is still pretty clear she has had a growth spurt. I'm still thinking she'll be more on the petite side, as opposed to my size (amazon), but you never know. She just started swim lessons this week and LOVES them. I was ridiculously nervous but it went well. Something about just letting someone else be in charge of your nonswimming child, in water, without me being in the water too, without a teacher within arms reach while she keeps hoping in and out, hanging onto the side........it provoked anxiety. After watching her class I feel confident and comfortable with the teacher. I think I'm going to have to take Ninja Baby into the baby pool during her next lesson because - surprise - he kept taking off to try to jump in the pool with her. She has been doing gymnastics but will also be stopping for the summer. Don't know that I'll start her up again though. Just not her thing - not to mention I am beyond underwhelmed with her teachers - yes there have been SEVERAL over the course of her lessons. Ninja Baby's teacher is great (happens to be the director) and she had one great one who, of course, got a better job. The others seem to not really be into teaching, or structure, and seem to think they just stand there and direct the kids from one activity to the next - who cares if they aren't waiting turns or shoving or getting on the trampoline while others are on it. No efforts in redirection when the kids get distracted either. I don't see the point in paying for that. Little Lady has always been obsessed with books but is now actually starting to read. She knows all the letter sounds and can read *at and *an words. She is very eager but I'm trying to take it slow. I make us take breaks when I can tell she has had enough (and when I have!!!!) but she always wants to keep working on it. I figure she will probably be reading on her own by the end of summer. We are working on writing as well. We have also decided to homeschool, at least for kindergarten. If you feel the need to tell us your opinions on that, please take a moment to research it and see if all of your concerns are founded. Please consider being supportive and helping to make it a success instead of a negative experience. It is also a pretty common thing out here.
In our time here, Papa has also started his masters program and will finish before we've been here three years. So, working full time, adding a new member to the family, and completing an advanced degree. The Boise Life has been busy for him.
******That is as far as I had gotten in April. Some things need some updating.....see below*******
Ninja Baby is now almost 23 months old!!!!! He is talking up a storm and using 5 word sentences now. He LOOOOOOOOOOVES race cars, "markel huckles" (motorcycles), trucks, "monter tucks" (monster trucks), "twinkle star" (his word for fireworks), helicopters, planes.........big fan of transportation. He has also made great progress on the potty training front. He is spending afternoons diaper free (and clothes free) lately and has usually only had one mistake a day. He very happily runs to the little potty when it is time to go, sits down, and then starts yelling "HERE IT COMES! HERE IT COMES!" so that we will all know that he is going in the potty. No performance anxiety for that one. I'm realizing #2 might be a bigger challenge for him though, we'll see. I did buy him some underwear yesterday and let him try it on (that was a big motivator for his sister) and he was so excited and gave me a big hug and said "Thank you Mommy" (heart melted) and then he sat down to read and peed on a pile of books. He isn't even two yet. We've got time.
He also looooooves to sing. Hokey Pokey, No More Monkeys Jumping On the Bed, Old McDonald - you name it. We will randomly break out with all the lyrics or demand that you "sing gen" (sing again). He is adorable and makes us smile all day long.
Little Lady has had a fun filled summer. Of course, a couple lessons into her swimming she had a near drowning experience. Sub teacher, wasn't watching, she got away from the wall, I had to yell from across the pool for someone to notice my baby was drowning. So from now on I sit RIGHT NEXT TO the side of the pool. I felt so horrible, like I let her down and was so stupid to trust someone else and what if I hadn't still been watching her while I was swimming with Ninja Baby......too many what ifs. Let's just say it took her a long time to get back to the confidence level she had. We took a break from swimming lessons in July and August because of camping and Vacation Bible School and other commitments but we start back up in September. Also, we measured her at the end of May and she has grown over 1.5 inches since then. So yeah, growth spurt.
I'll get into some of our specific activities in another post, but here are some general pictures. Of course, we also had some big computer issues (both of our laptops crapped out, the ones we need for school and work, and we had to wipe them and reinstall everything) so these are just ones I can easily find without having to search through our backed up files.
Ah yes, almost forgot. Papa went off to DC for a week in May for his final on campus testing for his program. He passed.
We enjoyed the free day at the Idaho Botanical Gardens while he was gone.
They've added lots of neat things there.
He is big enough now to want to explore it all himself.
I've got a picture of them in here from last year too...
Sadly, no Papa this time.
We explored in between intermittent showers. It's Boise, they never last too long.
She was able to reach the rope on her own while standing up there.
She needed some help last year....
And even more help the year before.
Nice times. Got us out of the house while Papa was away,
provided us with learning opportunities,
and allowed us to enjoy the beauty of Boise.
She even got to hop into a little presentation being given to kids on a field trip.
Learning about the different parts of flowers.
Yes - this made me nervous.
Papa happened to be away for Mother's Day so I arranged for a sitter so I could treat myself to a little time off.
I went to the gym, then treated myself to brunch at Locavore, which has kinda turned into one of my favorite simple places to eat. Good, local, real food. And almond milk lattes - of course.
I then headed to Elements for a massage and then headed home.
Of course, going through all these old pictures has reminded me of how much has really gone on since I last posted. That evening (night before Mother's Day) I realized I hadn't seen our cat that day. After I got the kids in bed I searched all over the house for her. I found her. Willow had passed away.
The next morning, I'll be honest, we skipped mass. I was kind of a mess and didn't feel up to wrangling two kids at mass, by myself, while mourning the loss of Willow.
I broke the news to the kids that morning and explained that we were going to bury her.
Little Lady wanted to draw a picture for her, and requested that I draw one with her.
We went by Trader Joe's to grab food for a picnic and some flowers and I grabbed a latte from Cafe Capri. The barista asked how my Mother's Day was gong - I told her my cat died and started crying. Good times.
We drove out to the Boise National Forest and picked a nice spot and dug a hole. We then had a picnic and I let Little Lady hold her one last time.
She had brought some dried flowers she wanted to bury her with.
We said our Good Byes and then headed home.
She was my first baby.
RIP Willow. You've got a great little resting spot.
We filled the rest of our spring with some hiking.
You've gotta do it before it gets too hot out here.
We've also gotten in plenty of river time. He just runs right in. No fear in this one.
He also has some impressive abilities. This was months ago, yet he was able to climb down this by himself. His sister still doesn't feel comfortable doing that.
She is a creative little Monkey. Here, she just picked out craft supplies to randomly make a duck in a pond with a nest with eggs.
This Mutt has had some issues since the cat passed away. Definite separation anxiety. She is leveling out a bit now, but still not fully okay yet. She has escaped the yard twice and THANK GOD we got calls each time by someone that found her.
She trucked along with her swimming lessons. They do boat safety too - learning how to fall out of the boat. It is a common cause of drownings out here.
I FINALLY got something to measure the kids with. It is a plank of wood so it can move with us wherever we go.
He has pretty much moved past most of my baby proofing stuff. Ninja Babies don't believe in baby proofing.
She very happily helped me prep the garden area this year. Getting to be a big helper.
As often as I explain this to her - she still asks me why there are signs of people sitting on a potty whenever she sees these.
The kids have been getting some good outside time in this spring. We've got a great backyard for it.
I've even managed to snag a date with this guy.
And we've managed to sneak in some family fun.
We've put our new vehicle to work. It's Idaho, of course I'm hauling straw bales.
This guy looooooves outside time.
He also likes to hide - making it a little harder to figure out what is going on when it gets really quiet.
Some family came out to visit my aunt for her birthday.
We got to hang out with them a bit, which was GREAT!
They got to see some of the scenery.
For Father's Day we went to the classic car show that they have Downtown.
It's an annual thing - every year on Father's Day. Smart move.
We got our garden set - which included creating some extra gardening space by using straw bales. It is a bit of an experiment, we'll see how it goes.
I think the car show set this guy off on his love of motors. When he goes missing in the yard I just check the shed - he is usually sitting on the lawn mower going "vroooomvroooom".
I took the kids strawberry picking. The last time we did that, Ninja Baby was in my belly.
We left with lots of strawberries to freeze and dehydrate, but not as many as I had planned on because Ninja Baby INHALED them.
They don't do the lessons in the vests - but the do have to learn how to float in the. Just really like this picture.
I'm gonna stop at this for now. My Mother also came out and visited for a couple weeks and it was great. I'll do a post and share pictures from that, which included camping in Northern Idaho.
Hope all is well with you!
