Adventures of Bean and Sprout

geez, i almost failed. i was on my way to bed and realized i had completely forgotten to post today. well, that's not entirely true. i thought about it off and on but never made it to the laptop.

we had an almost completely useless day around here. i kept shuffling from room to room- trying to figure out where to start and what to unpack. ron and linda went sightseeing today and i felt lost without her direction. it didn't help that the urchins were a bit more needy (on and off) today. but in all honesty, it was me. not them.

speaking of the urchins, they're so strange. we have this big, beautiful house. they have a bedroom that's twice as big as the one in the portland house. they have a sun porch off the back of the basement that i've moved all their coloring books and crayons into. they have 2 acres of beautifully manicured grass to explore and they have a huuuuuge parking pad to ride their bikes around. do you think they've done anything more than pass through these spots?! no! instead, they've taken up residence in the basement. i left them to their play all day, but by the time tom was headed home, i was curious. while they were gathering their babies in their bedroom i took a snoop around their new 'play room.' they managed to shift a few boxes and tear a few open to create a little world of forts. i didn't see their creations at first glance, but after a minute i started to notice that things were subtly displaced. they also managed to sneak all of their friends (stuffed animals and babies) down the 2 flights of stairs as well as their pillows and blankies. they had created cozy little rooms for their play!

it's so amazing to have the space for them to feel creative and execute what they imagine. i love their independence and their sense of purpose. i'm trying to step back and let them do their thing (whatever that might be). after stumbling across their forts, i had to talk myself out of injecting myself into their world. my first thought was to run down the basement steps with markers, crayons, glue, stickers, etc... and tell them that we should decorate their forts and find things to enhance what they've already done. after a second, i realized that what they've done (and are doing) is fantastic and there's no reason for me to try to participate. sure, it might be fun for a while, but they're pretty darn happy to be left alone in their own little world.

plus, who knows. in their mind's eye, perhaps the forts are already coated in thick layers of pink frosting and surrounded by paper flowers.

too much said by rae ann @ 7:22 PM | 2 other thoughts  
filed under development, imagination, moving, NaBloPoMo

i wish my camera on my laptop wouldn't flip pics. imagine a mirrored image and that's how this shot should look. it's my dining area this morning. the place is still in chaos (to be expected), but it's coming along. linda has been AMAZING- she's practically done this whole kitchen by herself. i feel like i keep getting overwhelmed and have to take a break to refocus.

i'm super excited to get my sewing machines set up so i can replace those curtains- they're making me crazy.

too much said by rae ann @ 4:50 AM | 4 other thoughts  
filed under charm city, moving

it's that time again... nablopomo. wondering if I can handle the pressure this year. guess I'll give it a shot. good thing the Internet got hooked up today! I'll aim to do a semi-real update tomorrow. just know that we're all well.

too much said by rae ann @ 8:23 PM | 1 other thoughts  
filed under NaBloPoMo

i really don't feel like doing a whole post. i'm sorry. i just don't have it in me, but i realize i'm overdue. there's been a lot going on for the P's. i'm going to compromise and do a list. i know, i know... ya'll lovvvvvvve list posts. me too.

-tom started work on monday and it's going great! i think he's having to adjust to working full time again, but that was to be expected.

-our house is on a semi somewhere in the middle of the country. we still haven't figured out if we can track the truck or not. it should arrive next wednesday.

-one car is also on a truck somewhere in the middle of the country. it will also arrive sometime next week. the other car will be leaving soon to move east.

-stella is recovering from pneumonia and bronchitis. double whammy. i'm recovering from bronchitis. ivy has a runny nose. 2 out of the 3 of us are on antibiotics.

-we're living with my parents until we leave for b-more next friday. it's going quite well except that we're under strict instructions to keep our germs to ourselves. i think we've contaminated dad though. i have yet to be grounded and i'm suddenly allowed to watch all kinds of movies that i was never old enough to see before.

-my parents tend to keep me up way too late. i'm going to have to have a chat with them about this. what i don't get is that dad goes to bed after me and gets up before i do. i can't figure out how he remains functional.

-ivy needs a dog.

-stella wants to go back to the old house. when i tell her we can't, she says she wants to go to the new house. when i tell her we can't, she says that she wants everyone else to get sick too so she can see her friends. apparently she doesn't like being in limbo and she misses her peeps (i feel the same way).

-ron and linda are going with the girls and me when we leave next week. this is a HUGE relief! i was dreading the flight with the girlies and the thought of going through days of unpacking without someone to chat with and hang out with was depressing. because they're coming, this feels like an adventure now.

-stella has outgrown all of the clothes i packed for her. it's ridiculous, but i need to go to the resale shop today and see if i can find her some size 6 jeans and pants.

-auntie ME (grandma city to the girlies) is coming today! WHEEE!

too much said by rae ann @ 8:55 AM | 3 other thoughts  
filed under list, moving, sick, what up Ps?

too much said by rae ann @ 2:12 PM | 3 other thoughts  
filed under family, here they grow, music, stuff we love

too much said by rae ann @ 1:00 PM | 0 other thoughts  
filed under job, moving, sick

oh lordy have we been busy. when we found out that we were relocating, tom and i turned the girlies over to grandpa and linney and hit the airlines to the east coast. we spent a week wading through unknown neighborhoods and sketchy streets to find home. it was a depressing and challenging trip to say the least. i was super sick the whole time so that didn't help with the general moral, but baltimore is NOT like portland. and that's okay... we're headed there for an adventure and it'll be a great career boost for tom. as i start to feel healthier, i start to feel a little better about this whole relocation.

we were running around the city from dawn to to dusk. we decided to take a night off and hit up DC. i hadn't been there since i was in high school and tom had never been there. it was so fun to run around for a few hours and see what we could see.

we spent the week on our own. the relocation company was supposed to supply us with a realtor, but she never returned our calls. finally, on our last day, they put us in touch with a guy who found us a home on the second place he showed us. it was a HUGE relief. a couple of days later, our application was approved and we were told that the place was ours.

at this point, the moving truck is scheduled to arrive on thursday to pack our stuff and then it will head east on friday morning. tom's slated to start work on monday, the 19th. the girls and i will stay behind for a couple of weeks to say good bye to friends and wrap up loose ends around here.

part of me wants to go with tom- just go and start the settling process. then there's this other part of me that wants to stay as long as possible because as soon as i get to baltimore, i'm going to wish i was home. because of that, we'll stay. plus, we're having our annual grandma breck's birthday celebration and then there's dia de los muertos and halloween.

in the mean time, tom and i are trying to end our relationship with bronchitis and the flu that swept us off our feet during and upon the return of our trip. once we jump this hurdle, we can start thinking of the details of the coming week. until then, we're pretty much useless.

too much said by rae ann @ 2:22 PM | 4 other thoughts  
filed under autumn, charm city, moving, sick

too much said by rae ann @ 5:55 PM | 3 other thoughts  
filed under charm city, moving

the child has hand, foot, mouth disease (HFMD). awesome. it's a friend of the coxsackieviruses (which we've had wayyyy too much jr. high-like fun saying repeatedly).

fortunately, we've been able to be sick with friends. why keep the germs to yourself when you can share them with your bestest?!?! it makes the isolation much more tolerable. our canker sore ridden children have been able to play, craft and veg while sheelagh and i have been able to flap our jaws over coffee and share the misery. thank goodness for friends!

in case you're concerned, ivy won't be coming down with HFMD. she had it last year and kiddos don't get this one twice.

too much said by rae ann @ 4:16 PM | 1 other thoughts  
filed under friends, sick, stella

stella was eating significantly less on monday. she was also a bit melancholy, but i thought she'd be herself on tuesday. nope. tuesday was worse. she was clingy and by the end of the day had pretty much stopped eating and talking. i kept telling tom that i was really worried. had something happened at school? was she getting sick? she just kept telling me that she was having 'a quiet day.' of course that didn't satisfy my mom brain and i assumed the worst (because why stay calm and cool when you can freak out and worry?!).

over dinner, tom asked her to open her mouth. we were shocked to find that it was full of canker sores. the insides of her lips, cheeks and tongue were covered. she slowly admitted that it hurt. i felt awful.

my suspicion is that it's an adverse reaction to something she ate. canker sores are really common among people with allergies so this shouldn't have come as a surprise. we can't figure out what food is the culprit, but my guess is that it's something she ate at school. none of this matters though. it will all become clear when we visit our favorite doc, max, today. in the mean time, i'm blending protein drinks to keep her belly satisfied.

too much said by rae ann @ 8:21 AM | 4 other thoughts  
filed under allergies, mama drama, sick, stella

these shots are from late july. the girl's godmother was visiting from SoCal so we spent the better part of a week becoming prunes in her mom and dad's pool. we really love it when shelly goes on vacation- it always turns out so well for us! not only do we get to swim until we're waterlogged, but we get to see her parents! and eat fabulous food! and drink wine! mr. and mrs. Z are always so generous and never raise an eyebrow to our brood stomping all over their house and property. mrs. Z will even hit the pool with us and she giggles at all of the girlie stories. there's something incredible about knowing people your whole life. i suppose that's the one good thing that came out of my private school education- relationships that will be there forever. if that's what i get from the private school experience, then it certainly wasn't a loss. there's something strangely comforting about these low maintenance friendships (the kind where you just pick up and left off even if you left off 3 years ago) that are based purely on love and concern.

too much said by rae ann @ 3:31 PM | 0 other thoughts  
filed under family, godmama, sun, swim

i have a second family. some people know that, but not everyone. it's a long story, but i've been in love with the C's ever since i met them when i was 12 and in 6th grade. at the time, natalie was 6, ryan was 4 and allie and meme were 2. add 16 years and now they're all grown up and off on their own adventures (and you can read about ryan's world traveling adventures here. his blog hasn't been updated for a bit but as a whole it is an entertaining and captivating read). the twins are headed to seattle to escape to freedom and launch their college life, ryan's trying to adapt to west coast life after his year of world wide exploration and natalie is writing music and performing. she's going to be big. i'm sure of it. go listen- you won't be sorry.

too much said by rae ann @ 2:00 PM | 3 other thoughts  
filed under family, here they grow, music, stuff we love

i'm in love with a place- a geographical location... on a map. is that weird? i'm totally head over heals in love with portland. the affair (infatuation, crush) even caused me to tear up over this movie-tour of portland. i stole it from the other love of my life.

tom's been interviewing with a company in baltimore. i suppose that makes this even more impactful.



can you see why i love it here?

too much said by rae ann @ 11:07 AM | 2 other thoughts  
filed under city, keep portland weird, portland

i was trying to figure out how to get our morning's organized in anticipation of school starting. one of my biggest obstacles is the high fashion 4 year old in our house. she wants to wear what *she* wants to wear and doesn't want my input. she changes clothes a million times a day and she's never completely dressed until she's well accessorized. oy.

the result, these handy little separaters for the closet bar. the theory is that we'll pick out outfits over the weekend and get them organized by day (right down to the undies and belts). once they're sorted by day, we'll hang them on hangers and separate them by day in the closet. my next task is to sew up a bunch of little bags that will hang over the hanger to keep track of the various bangles, hair pretties, socks and scarves.

the project was fun! i cut out the ovals first and then put the girls to work with the paints. they got bored after a bit so i had to chip in at the end, but it worked out okay. after i cut the slits and the centers, i laminated them with contact paper (for durability). i don't actually expect them to hold up all school year, but we'll just repeat the project as needed.

too much said by rae ann @ 10:15 AM | 3 other thoughts  
filed under art, losing my mind

today was her first day of pre-k. it's in a *real* school... with big kids. there's a cafeteria, a gym and a nurse.

we rode our bikes to school this morning and ivy and i hung out and had breakfast with the bean in the big cafeteria. we sat at a table with strangers and stella hardly touched her breakfast since there was so much to take in and absorb.

she wasn't even the slightest bit nervous. she walked through the school with confidence and about 5 steps ahead of me. she's so ready.

i found myself plotting out autumn last night. i was making plans to visit all of the farms around p-town and figuring out various recipes for apples. i was thinking about pumpkin patch visits and gourd crafts.

and then i remembered that she wouldn't be here.

gone are the days that we romp around on a whim or stay gone for a whole day at a time. this is the beginning of the next 14 years of her life. in that moment of realization, i found myself wishing i could hit rewind. i'd smash it with a mallet if i knew it might work.

too much said by rae ann @ 10:49 PM | 2 other thoughts  
filed under here they grow, mama drama, school, stella