three

is a tough age so far. forget the terrible two's, it's the terrible three's in our house! my guess is it's probably not that bad, but we've had such an easygoing little guy that these temper tantrums and fits of anger that he expresses are a bit of a surprise. he's not afraid to tell us no if he doesn't want to do something. i must ask the question, "who makes the rules?" a couple of times a day...to which he answers, "mommy and daddy", but apparently he just doesn't follow them! while three has been a little tough...it's also filled with so much goodness. he's such a little man now - sometimes i can barely remember when he was a baby (cue the tears!).

a few things about my boy:


*one of his favorite things to say these days is "when i'm big like daddy i can..." as in, "when i'm big like daddy i can watch scary shows" or "when i'm big like daddy i can use sharp knives". it's super cute.


*he also will often ask me if i want to see how big he is and when i say yes, he stands up very tall, with a big, proud smile on his face.


*thomas the train is the lastest obsession. pretty much started when he turned three and is showing no sign of slowing down. one of his favorite activities is to read the catalog of thomas trains, sets, accessories that comes with the trains. he has many of them memorized...mostly thanks to grandma reading it with him over and over!

*every train/lightrail we see is a thomas and he has to know which one it is. the max is named...max and the wes is wes...other times we have to get a little more creative. we've had porty, keizer and a few others that aren't coming to me right now.

*i think he might be close to dropping his nap. he only naps about 65% of the time right now and on those days nightime is such a struggle...sometimes he isn't out until 9 or 10. days that he doesn't nap he, drifts right off to sleep. i don't know which is worse.

*he loves to help me cook. oatmeal, pancakes, banana bread and cookies are some of his favorites!

*his imagination has come alive and it's creating monsters in his head. he's been waking up at night quite a bit and we think he's having nightmares. he talks about a monster who bites his hair and lives in the forest a lot. his pillow actually has a hole in it and when i asked him how it happened he claimed the monster did it.


*potty training is not going so well. he can totally do it, but just isn't always super interested...even when m&m's, junior mints, stickers and handy manny tools are involved. most of the 2/3 crowd we run with are potty trained, so it's making me feel like a bad mama! (yes, he did pick out the pink potty...insisted and after i suggested different colors a couple of times i stopped...nothing wrong with a pink potty! someday he will probably not be too happy about this pic being posted...he clearly wasn't happy with it being taken!)

*he often calls me "mama gassner". not sure where he came up with it, but it is quite funny...he usually uses it when he really needs me or when he is just waking up.

*he can be so sweet and so menacing with his sister in the span of 15 seconds. he often asks her for sloppy kisses...nothing cuter than your baby girl giving your baby boy sloppy kisses and both of them laughing with delight. 15 seconds later he will be body slamming her and there will be lots of tears. ugh.

despite the challenges that the threes are bringing, i couldn't be happier to be home with him and to be able to soak up all the goodness...and the not so good (makes the good so much better!).

fiesty

as in maya is one fiesty girl! she has for sure crossed over into that "no longer a baby" stage and is one fiesty toddler. cute, but fiesty! one of her favorite words, "NO!", with a little snarkiness is heard out of her mouth throughout the day. she's a girl who knows what she wants and don't even think about changing her mind! seriously, where did my baby go? oh and did i mention that she is finally walking? yep...right on her 15 month birthday. she took off and hasn't looked back.

a few other random things about my girl:

*she loves chicken...it's about the only thing that i can almost guarantee that she'll eat every time.
*words she says: mama, dada, papa, duck, mil (milk), mo (more), change, no, wawa (water), book, dog, baby, bye-bye, night-night, ouch, cat, shoe, all done, brrrr (as in it's cold outside!), nana (banana), poo-poo, yuck, lion...there may be a few more, but we're still trying to figure out what she's saying! she definitely has a sound for kellen/brother...but i can't quite decipher it yet.
*signs she uses: milk, more, all done, change (when she poops and needs her diaper changed, she comes over and signs it!), eat, water, wash, book, thank you
*she loves music and dancing...even when she's not feeling well or just about asleep, if she hears music her body just can't help but move to the beat!
*she loves the water...bath or shower, either one she's a happy girl.

*she has a bit of a sweet tooth; well actually she's a junk food junkie - chocolate chip cookie (gluten-free, of course!) or pirate booty, she's good with either!

*she's not afraid to get into a little roughhousing with daddy and kellen

*her hair is long enough for a little pony in the back now...so cute, but of course i have to distract or trick her, cause if she knows anything is in her hair she promptly takes it out!

*she likes to brush her teeth, but only lets me brush her teeth if she's laying down on my lap with all three of us (kellen, aa and me) saying "AHHHHH" the whole time.
*she's an itty bitty and just moved up to a size 3 diaper at 15 months...by comparison, kellen wore a size 3 diaper at about 7 months (but didn't move up to a size 4 until just recently...now we are working on just switching to undies, but that is another post!).

*when she was born, most people said she looked like aaron, now we are getting more comments that she looks like me. what do you think???
*she may be fiesty, but we sure love her!

back to normal

we are finally back to a "normal" routine post-holiday and duck game here in the gassner household. the last week or so was a little rough as maya had a bug that caused her some problems on both ends if you know what i mean. let's just say that i've had more than my share of bodily fluids on me. ugh. we experienced our biggest blowout of all time within 30 minutes of landing in arizona...i just thank god that it didn't happen on the plane. in fact, she was such a trooper on our trip to arizona to watch the ducks in the national championship game. with all the puking and pooping that went on...none of it happened when it would have really, really sucked. she was good on both flights (including a layover for each) and for the tailgater and game (almost 10 hours where we had access to nothing but public restrooms at best!). just this weekend she started getting back to normal and i see her appetite increasing daily (thank god...i have such a tiny girl on my hands!).

arizona was a ton of fun - despite the bug and the loss. it felt wonderful to get some warm sun on my skin and to say i was excited about the game would be an understatement. thanks to rick (aaron's dad), a 30+ year season ticket holder, we had the privilege of using 2 of his 4 allotted tickets. i was really hoping that maya would be the lucky charm given the fact that attended all of the home games except portland state (we were in sunriver and seriously, it's portland state!) and they were undefeated. unfortunately that wasn't the case, but oh what an exciting game - when they scored the touchdown and 2 point conversion with a couple of minutes left in the game it was beyond thrilling. i thought i was going to cry! maya of course slept right through it all! she fell asleep with 12 minutes left in the second quarter and didn't wake up until we got to the car. poor kellen was left behind to play with grandma (which he loved and probably preferred...thanks, jan!)...he requires a ticket to get into the game and those were going for $1500+ and he wouldn't sleep sweetly in the ergo for the whole game!

we were able to meet up with one of our great college buddies and my roommate for a year for a pre-game beer or two...fun to relive those college days. why on earth did i ever think it was hard - those 2pm work outs and classes 3 days a week sure were rough! what i wouldn't give to know then what i know now. but i guess that is what life is all about. the joy of growing older and more experienced...the ability to appreciate what we've learned and the path to get there!


even though he wasn't in attendance...he was showing his duck spirit all week long leading up to the big game!


maya looking cute right before she boarded her first flight!


maya girl feeling a little anxious right before heading over to the stadium for some tailgating and then the big game. she was the cutest little duck fan there - i must have had at least 20 people take her picture!!!



our family at the tailgater...hosted by our arizona gassner family. such fun times and good margaritas and pulled pork!


mama and maya - such high hopes for a duck win.


daddy and maya - not so pleased to be wearing the headphones...but an absolute must. it was LOUD in there!


with the new year here, we are excited at really settling into our new normal again. these kids are so much fun and so much work. there are definitely moments where i wonder if i'd be a better mama to these kids with a little break...but i'm trying to cut myself some slack and just enjoy and be thankful for this time i have. so we'll be enjoying music classes (maya's favorite...she's a music and dancing girl!), art classes (cool place... my masterpiece art studio - check it out and if you want to go to a friday mini masters art class let us know!), playdates with friends, cooking together, lots of reading and playing together. the simple things in life. i'm so lucky.

bath time...a favorite pastime for when we are feeling bored or cooped up in the house during the winter!

GO DUCKS!

We've been chanting this all week long! Hope our efforts pay off for a big win on Monday!! GO DUCKS!!!

decade*

wow, it just dawned on me this morning that this decade is over. what a ten years it has been. so much to look back on. ten years ago i was a 24 year old, account manager, two+ years into my first real job - at maxim group/tek systems selling computer consulting services to companies in north, northeast and southeast portland and vancouver/camas/longview. i was making good money, living with my boyfriend of ~ 3 years and feeling on top of the world! we were dink's and didn't realize how easy life was! today i am a 34 year old, stay at home mom (a term that still makes my heart race...both because it scares the heck out of me and it makes me so happy), wife of 6.5 years, making NO money and tackling the most challenging yet fulfilling job of my life.

some highlights of the last 10 years (via my digital photographs, which i bought in 2003, so 2003 is when it starts!):

january 2003 - free trip to cancun with maxim group/tek systems! lobster, room service whenever we pleased, swimming with the dolphins, dance party, tequila shots...all free and so much fun! why did i quit that job?! oh...i hated it at the end!



may 2003 - aa and i spent 3 weeks in japan - - to visit adam and (his then girlfriend) sarah, our friend brad and my uncle/aunt/cousin. such an incredible cultural experience. i don't know that i fully realized it at the time, though! would love to go back...but there are so many other places in the world to see!


august 16, 2003 - we climbed mt st helens with jan, bryan, adam, stacy and a few others.


july 26, 2003 - aaron popped the big question at salishan on the beach on one knee. elated! finally! ;) sadly...no pics!

september 2003 - we made an offer on our first house - planned to live there for 3 years max...that was 7 years ago and yes, we are still here!



january 2004 - started new job at banfield the pet hospital as a college recruiter. traveled around to different colleges around the country recruiting doctors. fun seeing all college campuses, but the travel got old real fast!

may 1, 2004 - our wedding day! tied (with the birth of my babes) for my favorite day in life.






and 3 week honeymoon in Belize - pure bliss!!






april 12, 2005 - my first day at nike as a recruiter - LOVED working for this brand/company. great people, employee store discounts, challenging work, sample sales, cool events...yes, i was in the audience while phil interviewed mj in honor of his 25th anniversary with nike.


may 2005 (five weeks after i started my new job!) - traveled around peru for 3 weeks and hiked the inca trail to machu picchu w/ the gassner family. amazing!









sept/oct 2006 - 3 weeks in africa in celebration of our 30th birthdays and a big hoorah before we attempt to start a family.





october 22, 2006 - ran the nike women's marathon in honor of my 30th birthday - my mom and mother-in-law came along to celebrate!




march 2007 - december 5, 2007 - pregnant w/ kellen, due date was november 22 (thanksgiving of that year), but 13 days overdue!


august 2007 - babymoon #1, kauai, hi



december 5, 2007 @ 10:46am - our boy is born...first family photo



may 2008 - my first mother's day!


may 1, 2009 - 5 Years! our first night(s) away from kellen for a long weekend to san francisco.


august 2009 - babymoon #2 - maui, hi...a little different with a 1.5 year old!


october 14, 2009 - one week before giving birth...kellen comes down with croup - first ER visit, then ambulance ride to emanuel and overnight stay - 9 months pregnant! poor sick boy, poor pregnant mama.



october 21, 2009 - my 33rd birthday and maya's birthday @ 11:57 pm - our first photo with our girl!



july 2010 - our first family road trip to northern california - super fun and many good memories, but probably our last for at least five years!


september 3, 2010 - my last day at nike. such a bittersweet day. i view it as a sabbatical - extra long and hope to find myself back there when the time is right for us. for now, i'm loving this time and can't wait to see what the next decade brings.

cheers and happy new year/decade* to all.

* i realize acutally that we are probably a year into the official decade, but since this is my blog...i'm counting my last ten years!!! :)