The Value of Money

Thank goodness days are getting longer and weather is getting nicer! It's sure great to get the kids outside in a time period that's not insane with snow and ice and rain. We took a family hike to Clayton Beach recently.

Lily did great, given her small teensy legs and she was a warrior princess on the steep rock incline down to the beach. Jamisen loved climbing on the rocks and had a great time really pushing his physical limits. 

Tonight, Chris made an offhand comment about how there wasn't anything he wanted to eat for dinner in the house. I said "Oh, do you want me to run to the store for you?" Jamisen, who listens very closely to everything repeated that to me just a few minutes later when I was looking for something in the fridge, "Oh Mamma, do you want me to run to the store for you?" When we explained that his car was not actually road-worthy and he would need to wait until he was 16 years old to drive, he got disappointed, quiet and thoughtful.

Then he said, "But when I'm 16, how will I buy a car? I don't have enough money to buy a car." Chris and I looked at eachother and silently freaked out at how amazingly forward-thinking our 5 year old is. And then calmly said, "Well, when you're 12 years old, you'll be mowing neighbor's laws and walking their dogs for money. Then when you're 14, you'll get a job somewhere for training wages. And when you're 16, you'll get a real job for minimum wage. You'll save half of your money and be able to spend half of your money. And that's how you'll afford a car."

He pondered that and then said, "I have a much better idea! I have soooo much of a better idea! I am going to weed plants, water gardens and become a gardener and that is how I will make money to buy a car." 

Then Chris and I melted in a puddle of happiness, love and cute overload. The end. 

 

Jamisen is quite aware of what money is since he just spent all of his tooth fairy/above-and-beyond-chore money to buy 2 skeins of knitting yarn. He likes the idea of knitting more than he likes the actual practice of knitting. But, he'll get there.

We recently went bowling with the kiddos and one of Jamisen's best friends (Chance). It was fun to see the kids have a good time, not be competitive and enjoy each other's company. It was also hilarious to see that their attention span doesn't quite work for an entire game. Whoops. 

Hawks, the Mayor, and Leprechauns

Our little ones are growing so fast! Jamisen and Lily have been happily prepping for March by getting inspired by their inner leprechaun. Jamisen is super proud of the ceramics he painted at CreativiTea, thanks to a present from Bob and Audra. He painted a big mug, a mini mug and an orca-bank. 

But while the original leprechaun was away (at school), his mini-me played. And play she did by mischievously putting on Jamisen's entire leprechaun outfit. Manny Jason is back and Lily is especially thrilled about it.   He caught this adorable photo and documented it for posterity.

 

But after school, Jamisen was in full control of his dress-up costume and turned into a full Narcissus in front of the mirror for a bit. Jamisen has been super proud of himself lately because his bladder has finally outgrown his body and he's staying dry at night. We didn't realize how much it bugged him until he made such a big deal about staying dry for multiple nights. In addition to staying totally dry for a bit in a row, he's starting to show some understanding about household chores, including doing his sister's so she doesn't get in trouble. That's been sweet to see but definitely not the point of teaching Lily had to be a great member of our family. =)

Lily and my bestie Jody have a very sweet, special relationship. Their artistic personalities mesh beautifully together and Jody is one of Lily's favorite non-family members. We were so happy when Jody invited us to her lovely home to watch the Seahawks Game and celebrate sports, friendship and our amazing football team. 

We put lots of toys in Lily's back-pack but she didn't need any toys to distract her. She had the best time climbing all over Jody and Jody was a good sport about it. One of the reasons that I adore Jody is that she is the most positive "glass half full" person I have ever met. Lily is such a naturally happy little human too so I think that's why they connect so well. Where Jamisen has been staying dry, Lily has continued to have her bladder-control mystery. We continue to work on it and hope she grows out of it. She doesn't like having accidents either =(

Bellingham's first female mayor is one of my besties and she recently did an early morning talk at a professional women's networking group. My half-marathon partner Patrice and I went to go hear her speak. Yes, we already know her story but whenever we can, our close-knit group of women support each other. It was a great way to start the day and very inspiring to be in the group of such high-energy go-getters. 

Christmas Magic

It is a testament to how busy we have been as a family that our Christmas update is being posted in February. This year, Christmas was a magical event because we were surrounded by family.

This year, we went all out to make Christmas a big 'wow' experience, complete with a train track running around a tree and a big pink Jeep for Lily. That was the gift she requested and we were happy to oblige. We can already picture the car races that are sure to happen this summer. Shhhhh, don't tell Lily but her pink Jeep has a speed limiter on it that is engaged at the moment. If that speed limiter is taken off? Watch out world! Shout-out to Grandpa Faiola who stayed up for **hours** putting together the train and helping to put the finishing touches on the magic morning plan.

Grandpa

Lily was quite a daredevil on the sled and really got into it, even laying down to go faster. She is such a little imp. The other day, she was trying to manipulate her way into sleeping in our bed (she got to do that once while Dad was away and basically has been trying every night since then). So, she climbed into bed and hid under the blankets. She built a fort out of pillows around herself. It was obvious there was a child in the bed.

So Chris comes in, preparing for bed, and I say to him, "It's just me in here all ready for bed. It's just me in here." And without even pause for him to reply, out comes a muffled little, "Yeah, it's just Mommy in here!" from the blankets as though that was the height of subterfuge.

Uncle Erik and Aunt Cheriss got the kids a super thoughtful gift: thermal long underwear and undershirts coupled with a sled. That way the kids could stay warm while sledding cool. With the snow, we enjoyed learning the new art of sledding. Snow is pretty rare in Bellingham! And Uncle Erik and Aunt Cheriss picked the best sled ever (!). It got some seriously good speed.

Jamisen asked for a large fire truck from Santa so he got a well built German fire truck. It did not work very well and then was promptly broken by Lily within a day. I'm not sure what the moral of that story was (buy cheap goods so it doesn't matter if it's broken or don't share toys with your little sister?).

New family portrait at Lake Samish; kids were cold but the photos turned out well.