Happy Birthday Aunt Candace!!

A BIG Happy Birthday shout out to Candace today! Our favorite Halloween treat! Hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your family. We love you so much! Love, Brenda, Craig, Katya, and Reagan

Last day with Sterling!

It has been a really fun year of watching Sterling! Here is a picture of him when he first started coming over:

And this week: What a big boy!

We have a fun packed weekend ahead. Carving pumkins tonight and working on Halloween costumes (Katya no longer wants to be a witch). Tomorrow Angie, Moira, Katya and I are going to Disney on Ice. Then in the evening is the Tillman/Jackson annual Halloween bash! I will be flying solo, Craig is getting out of dressing up by staying home with the kids. Then Halloween! Katya is very excited of course. Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween weekend.

Oh, one more thing, I figured out that Katya was quoting a movie the other day when she said, "Castles, princesses and parties." Haha! I am sort of relieved:0) It was from Shreak 3.

Cute kids, bad dogs

No, our dogs are not bad.  They are great dogs, just a lot of extra work.  After over a year of  contemplating,  I have made the decision to put Bentley up for adoption at the Oregon Humane Society.  It is really hard for me to talk about.  I feel really horrible about it, but I need to do what is best for our family.  It is my decision though, because I am the one who deals with him day in and day out, and I am the one who can't handle it anymore.  The main issue is the food thing.  

Bentley has gotten increasingly sneaky about stealing food.  He literally waits for my attention to be diverted and then takes food off the counter/table/Levi's bowl, whatever, right in front of me.  It is SO hard to keep track of food all the time with little kids.  If Katya leaves a snack on the dinning room table and leaves it for a minute it is gone.  I try to put Bentley outside or in our room whenever there is food out but it is hard to always remember.  And if he is outside when we are eating he will bark incessantly to be let it.  He also barks a lot when we leave, I know the poor dog has separation anxiety, but it stresses Levi out, and more importantly, it stresses me out.  I hate when I loose my temper and yell at him and I really don't want the kids to hear that.  I am so hoping that Bentley finds a home that will work better for him; someone with more time to devote to him is what he deserves.  I feel that having just one dog will be better for Levi too, he will get more attention and he is so sensitive to Bentley's high energy and my low-Bentley tolerance.  I am sure he will miss his buddy but I think he will adjust.  So next Thursday is the day I take him in.  It is going to be horrible, I am crying already.

Okay, cute kids time.

Some cute things Katya said today at the park: "Mommy! The sun is peaking out! That makes me so happy!" Later I overheard her talking to herself and this is what she said, "Castle! Princesses! Party!" Wow. Do I have a little girl on my hands or what?! I really love that my girl likes to get dirty, adores camping, all things scary and Halloween.

A cute thing that Reagan does/says lately is: "Mommy! Look-it." Usually it is something she is doing that she wants to show me. Too cute. She is also saying, "I want" but has made it kind of a contraction, "I'ant." Examples, "I'ant more," "I'ant milk." She is such an amazing talker!

I am so annoyed with the poor quality of Blogger's photo uploads. They look so pixelated, terrible.  I wish readers did not have to click on the photo to see the proper quality.  Maybe some day I will figure it out...I am no blog expert but I am learning.  Love to all, Brenda

Little Miss Contrary

Now that Miss Reagan has gotten the walking thing down, her independence is taking off! She is really funny with her, "No"s which take up a good part of her vocabulary lately. Girlfriend knows what she wants, most of the time anyways. She says around 50 words and dozens of 2 word phrases. The latest; last night she saw a racquetball and said, "Sterling ball." Last week Sterling was bringing a racquetball over with him and Reagan loved to pick it up and bring it to him. She is also saying more and more 3 word sentences. And Miss manners has added 'your welcome' into her repertoire.


Reagan gave up her morning and night bottles as easily as Katya did. Like her sister, she asked for it once and that was that. I think it helped that she only got 2 a day, and that she readily drinks cold milk out of a sippy cup. Instead of snuggling with a warm bottle when she first gets up, we put her right in her highchair with breakfast and cold milk. Reagan is quite good with a spoon, much better than Katya was. She looks like such a big girl eating cereal with milk!


Reagan is becoming aware of her elimination, about the same time Katya did. Unlike Katya, Reagan has always been finicky about having a poopy diaper. Now a days she is saying "Poop!" and grabbing her diaper when she poops, farts, or pees. I got the little potty out just to introduce her to it even though she is too young to start potty training. It is nice to just let her sit on it and talk to her about how mom, dad and Katya go in a potty.

As far as schedule, she is still taking one 2-3hr nap in the afternoon. Occasionally she will take 2 naps when she is sick. Her bedtime is between 6:30-7pm, depending on when she woke up from her nap, and she sleeps till 7-7:30am. My poor sick baby came down with a flu-like illness on Friday night. Katya woke up with the same fever Saturday morning. It feels like they have been sick none stop! Reagan has been running a fever for the last 36hrs, last nights fever got pretty high. Craig said they only felt a little warm this morning; a dose of analgesic and they are without fevers and in pretty good spirits. We are going to have another quiet day, movies and making Halloween cupcakes. Their appetites have vastly improved since yesterday so hopefully they are on the mend.

My Halloween lover!

Katya had a great time at The Pumpkin Patch (yes, that is the name of the farm) this weekend despite the crowds. Craig and I where pretty miserable sitting in traffic for 45 mins to get onto Sauvie Island and park. It was a mad house. But fortunately the line for the hayride taking you out to the pumpkin field went fast and the kids had a blast.


Katya had so much fun wandering through the patch of pumpkins that she did not want to commit to any one. She said, "I want a beautiful, little tiny pumpkin!" But every nice, little pumpkin she picked up would not do. "That's not a very good one," she would say. I ended up talking her into a nice green one when we had to leave the fields for her to use the bathroom.

Here are some cute pictures that capture her excitement!







I am wishing that we were in Bend today with my parents! We considered taking a few days off so we could visit them in Bend yesterday and today but it didn't work out. It is a very short trip for them, they flew in yesterday and are leaving tonight. We got a Skype from them last night from their hotel room which was really fun. They are enjoying the clear, but cold fall weather and getting a feel for the town. They are considering moving there, but Craig and I are not getting our hopes up. This morning my mom called and said that they met the mother of the priest who married Craig and I at Mass this morning! Too funny. It is nice that they went to Mass and got a really warm reception, since that would probably be their parish if the moved to Bend.

Love to all, Brenda

Reagan 18 months, Katya 3 years

The girls had their well child checks on Wednesday. I am grateful to Dr. Oller who agreed to get us in at 10:30 am after I had completely forgot about their 9 am appointment. I am so glad that I asked if there was anyway I could stil come in because the receptionist was wanting to re-schedule for another day. And she informed me that Dr Oller is leaving their practice:0( I am so glad we got to see her once last time and say goodbye! Plus I don't have to worry about finding a new pediatrician right away....we won't stay with Oregon Pediatrics with Dr. Oller gone.

Katya weighed in at 34 lbs, a 4 lb gain in the last year. She is 37.5 inches tall, almost 2.5 inches taller than a year ago. Reagan was 21 lbs, same as her 15 month check up and 31 inches (just 0.3 inch gain). Dr Oller thought that was fine and was happy to see her head growth following a nice curve, not slowing at all. She was impressed, as always (her words, not mine:0)), with their development. Katya named colors in the room perfectly and showed Dr. how she could jump and sing. Reagan's language skills are off the charts and Dr. Oller was amazed, as I am too, with how many words she is saying. Katya was so brave for her shots and barely flinched at the flu vaccine mist through her nose. Reagan had it worse, 4 shots, but is recovering fine.

We will miss Dr Oller, who is moving to a practice in Hillsboro, closer to her home. She has been great but we know there are a lot of great doctors out there and I am hoping to find one closer to us. Love to all, Brenda

Happy Fall

Craig and I are always happy to welcome back Fall weather. Our little Halloween lover (Katya) is also excited that October is here. The girls and I went out to The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island last week for some photos. I just can't get enough of these kiddos!

The little witch.

And the big witch.

Creative Kids

I cannot resist entering Cotton Babies's (www.cottonbabies.com) fun contests! Especially with amazing prizes...this one a set of the new designer Artist Series 4.0 Bum Genius diapers! In this contest I need to answer the following question and post it publicly so that I can give them the link to my entry.

How do you encourage a creative, artistic spirit in your baby, toddler or young child?

Every day I make sure the kids do these three things: reading, outdoors/exercise and creative play! Play dough, dancing, drawing/painting/chalk, dress-up; we have so much fun! We are not afraid to let our kids get messy! The artwork almost never stays 'on the canvas' so to speak....that's okay. Thank goodness for washable products:0)

I am working on putting together a 'gallery' wall; picture frames of all size with their art (painting drawings) and mine (photography).

Here is an older shot of Katya with finger paints!

My little artist surrounded by her work.

Reagan enjoying some chalk time (in a BG 3.0).

And my little witch playing with chalk...green face and all!

Here is Katya having an 'art show,' using the magnetic chalkboard wall that I made for her birthday.

Today we went to our library story time to find an unexpected special event. 'Play After Play;' which was two performers who told and acted out a story. Katya LOVED it! She was laughing and smiling the whole time! Then they rolled out some mats and had play time rolling around with the kids. It was very cool, I am glad we happened upon it. Exposing kids to preforming arts is so fun. I have great memories of going to plays with my grandmother. Angie and I are going to look into Disney on Ice, which is coming to Portland soon. After Katya's reation to the 'play' today, I am SUPER excited to take her!

Love to all! Brenda

October 6th birthdays!

A big happy birthday to Carsten who is 4 years old today!!!! We love you little man!

Also, happy 5th birthday to Miss Moira! Can't wait for the party tonight!

Love, Brenda, Craig, Katya and Reagan

Parenting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Every parent out there knows what a rollercoaster parenthood can be. Tons of laughs, thrills and fun. Also frustration, doubts and exhaustion. I have only been a parent for three years now and I feel that I have already been taken for a ride; one I will happily jump on over and over again until my children are grown and on their own. (Not that the journey will end there, but it will continue in a different way when they are fully in charge of their own lives). All I have to say is thank the good Lord for the highs!

Watching our little girls grow and learn is such an incredible joy! Katya's sentences are being coming more and more grown up and she is using the funniest phrases! She is starting to learn the concept of past and future but has trouble with the time lines. She will often say, "I went there last week" (when it was really the day before) or, "We saw that yesterday," (when it was really a month ago). She is quite emphatic in her statements lately; "I would LOVE to go on that slide!" Though it's not always positive, "I don't want to go home EVER AGAIN!" "No Reagan! We are NOT going there!" Today while in a time out, "I do NOT like mommy!" Yeah, that one hurt. Even coming from a three year old.

Providentially, the good times make it worth it. Like the girls laughing and playing together. The unprompted 'please' and 'thank you's (mostly Reagan); the kisses and cuddles (again, mostly Reagan.....hum, a pattern maybe? I call it the terrible toddler years); the, "I love you so much too" (okay, that one is Katya:0)). Katya has been painting a ton lately and she loves showing me what she has made. Reagan, wanting to copy everything big sister does, holds her paper up too. I love seeing their creativity. Katya loves running from the TV to the ottoman at full speed and falling onto it, sending her legs flying into the air. Reagan leans onto the ottoman and lifts one leg behind her with a big smile (knowing we will gush at her, "Oh how cute! She's trying to be like her big sister!). The other day Reagan took it a step farther by starting at the TV and walking, oh so slowly, in her little toddle to the ottoman. It was pretty funny.

Katya is thrilled at new found independence, like pouring her own milk. But at times regresses, like insisting she needs help going to the bathroom, which she doesn't. Her naps have been really terrible since we got back from Lake Tahoe. I thought it would take a few weeks to get back to normal but she is still not napping more than napping. She goes down every day for 2 hours but she rarely sleeps. It seems to be really taking a toll, especially this week when she was sick (she did take a few naps this week). I could spend a whole post on her sleep issues but I won't do it here, but it is part of the 'Ugly,' so mentioned in the title. Because damn if kids don't get ugly when they are not well rested!

Reagan is saying all sorts of cute new 'sentences' like; "I sorry" (not sure where she picked that up, she usually has nothing to be sorry about); "Here go;" "Ni-night me," "Help please." The other day I swore she said, "Daddy working." Though Reagan can be pretty sensitive, she is over all an easy going kid. We are enjoying this time in her life immensely knowing that the toddler battles are soon to come. She doesn't throw tantrums yet and for that I am SUPER thankful.

Katya, on the other hand, is getting way to good at the bad attitude and tantrums. She had a few screaming crying fits in public lately, those that every parents dreads but inevitably goes through. One at the grocery store and one leaving Melanie and Rich's this afternoon. A time out at the Tillman's spilled over into another time out when she got home and after refusing to apologize she got another time out in her room. She earned 'straight to bed' with all that behavior. She started to kick and scream again and feeling that I had exhausted all other punishments (she still has not finished her time out because she has not said sorry and given hugs and kisses, that will pick up tomorrow morning) I told her she earned a spanking. I gave her a little swat on the butt and tucked her into bed. Sigh. That is were the uncertainty, guilt and exhaustion comes in. Here I am at midnight still wondering if I handled it the right way and feeling bad about it. We are not anti-spanking in this house but we feel that it should be very, very judicially used. I feel like it was appropriate, not out of anger, but I still feel doubt and sadness over the incident.

We all managed to get Katya's horrible cold this week. Craig came home sick from work on Friday. It was a really bad one, with some unexpected symptoms; light-headedness, tender tummy (me), low grade fever (Katya). But Katya, Reagan and Craig are on the mend and I am sure I will be soon to follow (I contracted the illness last). The exhaustion from being up with sick kids all night and then getting sick ourselves really took it's toll. All part of the bad. I am looking forward to some more of the good tomorrow. I know I can count on my girls to deliver!

Happy Birthday Baba Makalu!

A big happy birthday wish and hug out to Grandpa Dennis today! We love you!!!!! And miss you. Hope your day is happy and bright (but not too hot:0)).

Love, Brenda, Craig, Katya and Reagan