Jonah's Birthday

I sat down to write a post about Lila's birthday and then realized I'd completely forgotten to recognize the birthday of my newly 6-year old, Jonah. I figured that might come back to haunt me one day when he reads this when he's 25 and then has concrete evidence that Lila was, indeed, our favorite.

But I kid. If there's a cuter, smarter, more creative 6 year old out there I'd like to meet him.

Jonah's birthday was, as usual, a long drawn-out affair, and again, as I do after every birthday, I wonder why we, as parents, subject ourselves to such self-inflicted misery. You know, the kind of torture that involves spending hours planning, preparing and paying for a spectacular birthday party of the kid's dreams, and then hearing how it didn't go quite as they expected. Except with more yelling.

Jonah's birthday started with the obligatory breakfast in bed, which he barely touched. We tried. You'll notice that this year, as per his request, he had strawberries, powdered donuts, and grape juice. Perhaps we should abandon this tradition until the kids get older? Or until Jonah wants to eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking up.

He had school that day and a baseball game later that night, so in order to avoid any birthday present meltdowns, we opened presents in the morning. His birthday presents included: zhu zhu pets (why oh why was this the one and only thing he wanted for his birthday??), a hot wheels track, books, a couple of wii games and these beautiful wooden blocks that he didn't ask for but which made me feel better about purchasing the zhu zhu pets in the same Amazon order. And for the record, the blocks get more use than the pets.

The tradition is the boys get to pick where we eat for dinner and, no surprise, we ended up at Noodles for a bowl of mac n' cheese.

Here is Josh's first "cake." Now that I think about it, I actually made these. I don't know what possessed him to choose these for his birthday, but I imagine it had something to do with a worm coming out of his cupcakes that intrigued him.

We were lucky to have family visiting the weekend after Jonah's birthday. So we booked a bowling lane for his randomly-chosen BOWLING theme party. This is where things got a little dicey. The boys had fun, and we loved having my mom, grandma, sister, aunt and cousin for the celebration. But then somewhere along the line, they started melting down. And the walk back to the car, I'm quite certain, consisted of a conversation involving lines such as: "Why are you such an ingrate!?!" and "Next time we won't have a birthday party!" and "Why is it never good enough for you?" or something like that. But, that being said, the cake was delicious and clever and the gifts were thoughtful and well-received (thanks family!).

Here are SIX fun and interesting facts about 6 year old Jonah:

1) He has serious rhythm. It's perplexing. Josh and I dance as two middle-aged, tall, self-conscious people would dance. . .which is to say not well. Then here comes this seemingly- reserved child/dancer in the making. Last night, he performed a t-rex inspired lyrical piece that would make Mia Michaels proud.

2) He's as smart as a whip. I know every parent thinks that, but this time it's really true. He reads. He writes (he spelled "ostrich" today, for heavens sake!). And the most annoying thing is he argues like a champ. And he has really good points. And it's hard not to give up when you see those cute little eyes behind those cute little glasses pounding your argument into the ground.

3) He's an insomniac. We put him to bed at 7:30. He wanders the house until 10. Admittedly, it's a little light when we put him to bed, but I think he really enjoys the time to explore and relax and do his own thing. After the 14th trip to the bathroom for a drink, we tend to lose our patience the teensiest-weensiest bit.

4) He's up for anything. He loves doing things. And he doesn't mind doing it on his own. He's done sports classes and art classes and is SO excited to be signed up for Zoo Camp in a couple of months. Right now, he's big into baseball, where he tends to be embarassed anytime Josh and I acknowledge him in any way:

and he's taking a martial arts class. How cute is this?

5) He builds cities. He loves to get out his blocks and legos and train tracks and create giant, intricate cities (which he then insists on keeping set up in his room, as I swat away his little sister and gingerly avoid crushing to put away laundry).

6) We adore him. He makes us proud every day. He has a big heart and is the most earnest child I've ever met. And I hope that even when the day comes that his earnestness may be perceived as a wee bit nerdy, he'll continue undaunted to become the success that he is sure to be.

We love you, Jonah!

Two types

I think there are two types of people in the world...the Sweets and the Savories. Maybe if you are not obsessed with food as I am, then you might divide people by their political beliefs, or their gender, or whether they plan on reading Tyra Banks' new novel, Modelland. But not me. It is all based on what you want to eat when you can eat whatever you want.

Savories are people who want to eat potato chips or french fries. Sweets are people who would rather eat carrot cake, or chocolate chip cookies, or cheesecake, or pie, or donuts, or eclairs, or pasty or lime pound cake with raspberry sauce, or fondue, or coffee cake, or truffles, or peanut butter bars, or lemon bars, or pecan bars, or  candy. Can you guess which one that I am?

Lately I have been trying to lose a little weight. And I have been realizing that I am a little jealous of the Savories. If you are a savory, and you want something savory to eat, there are literally one million options. Many that are unhealthy, fo' sho'. But plenty that are delicious and not bad for you. Roasted asparagus, edamame, whole wheat crackers with goat cheese and tomatoes, baked potatoes, etc. Amy is a Savory and she can always find some delicious and healthy snack to eat while watching Parenthood (are you watching this show? It is delightful.) But when I have a craving for something sweet, there is no healthy options. Sure there are Skinny Cows. But it JUST ISN'T THE SAME. Yes, fresh strawberries are delicious. But they are better when served with vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with brown sugar. You can have raisin bran, but wouldn't you rather have Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Nothing, sir, is as good as chocolate chip cookies. The non-healthy option wins out every time. I mean seriously, which of these would  you rather eat.

Option A:

or Option B:

Is there ANY option really? Where is the joy and the satisfaction in eating Red Velvet Cake flavored yogurt? There is none.

So here I sit, watching Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, wanting something to snack on, but lamenting the fact that there is nothing out there in the land of healthy options for us Sweets. If only I had a chocolate chip cookie flavored yogurt...and instead of yogurt, it is ice cream. And instead of fat free, it is fat full. Yeah, that is what I want.

Into the Woods

Did you click over to my blog today thinking, I hope they have posted a photo essay of the family walking in the woods! You did? You are in luck! Because that is exactly what you are getting!

We've had a cold spring in Oregon, with lots of rain and overcast days. I guess it is pretty typical for here. We've had a few nice days sprinkled in here or there and on a recent one we decided to take a walk in the woods.

There is a great park not far from our house called Noble Woods. Its basically some trails that wind through the woods with a nice little park at the bottom. The trails are mostly paved, though our kids insist on going down any trail they can find that is NOT paved, or involves climbing over logs or under branches. That's fine, but when you have a 1 year old in a stroller, it gets a little trickier. But we carried on and tried to keep track of the boys who ran ahead and wove through the trees, choosing the smallest paths possible. It was beautiful. So if you don't want to see a bunch of pictures of my family in the woods, we'll see you at our next blog. But if you do, I present: The Woods. Please do enjoy.

That pose was totally forced

Lila was in love with that flower

Weird bumpy tree

Jonah insisted on being some sort of stick wielding dinosaur

Drunk

Lila, the orphan child, after eating a Popsicle.

Ever since before it was probably safe, we have been feeding Lila solid foods. She will eat anything and everything and gets really mad if you are eating something and she is not. She'll eat spicy food and vegetables and free samples from Costco and things that our boys wouldn't dream of eating. Jonah, who has aspirations to be an adventurous eater often laments "How come Lila likes everything and I think lots of things are yucky?" I've blogged about her eating habits before, so today i want to focus on a new habit: her drinking.

We are a family of drinkers. We are Mormon, so our drinks take the form of a lovely Diet Coke with lime, or a Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic, or some Crystal Light Lemonade. There are always lots of beverages in our fridge (including lots of bottled water which we drink lots of, so don't go calling child protective services! Yet.) And we like to get drinks while out and about. Isn't there something so satisfying about having a big delicious drink on a hot (or cold) day?

With Lila, it started with the berry smoothie at Costco.

Noel loves these, and we frequently get him one to keep him quiet while shopping. Well, Lila couldn't abide that. So here she is with a berry smoothie that is literally bigger than her head.

Then she moved on to Capri Suns. Why do all kids think Capri Suns are the greatest beverage know to mankind? I even remember thinking that when I was a kid. Here she is with one of those while watching Jonah skate at the skate park:

And now it is slurpees. After Jonah's latest baseball game on Saturday we were headed to the Farmer's Market, so we stopped to get beverages. Again, Lila has a fit if people have drinks and not her, so we got her a banana slurpee.

I know it looks pretty bad that my 11 month old is drinking out of a Big Gulp cup, but I take some comfort in the fact that it is a slurpee and not soda, though I probably shouldn't take any comfort in that...I am sure it is still pretty bad. It was hot, OK?

So there you have it. One of our families deep dark secrets. We are drinkers.

A Smirch for a Little Known Product in Need of Some PR

We are really going to try and keep this whole Smirching thing a weekly feature. I don't want to be one of those blogs that over promises and under delivers (that say "You guys! I am sooo sorry I haven't written forever! I am going to post every day!" and then they don't post for another six months) but if you know me at all, you know I am a bit obsessive about the things that I love and talk about them ad nauseum. Really - have you been to El Pollo Loco yet? Wasn't it fantastic? Mmmm. I want to go right now...And I don't want you to think we are promoting consumerism and will always smirch something you have to buy. It might be a TV show (we can pick winners) or it might be a book. Or maybe even a favorite conference talk...OK, maybe not. But we COULD!

On to this weeks Smirch. I know I am probably breaking ground, and many of you will say "What is that of which he speaks?" but this week I would like to smirch:

The iPad. We got one last week. And let me tell you...it is a thing of beauty.


Ours is named Gloria. You know when you buy an electronic and you have to name it so that can find it on your network? I hate having things named "Josh's iPod." So I think long and hard about what to call them. Lately my trend has been to name them after women on TV shows I love. So my laptop is Felicity (my old laptop was Veronica,) my Kindle is Mia Michaels, etc. Gloria is named after the hilarious character on Modern Family and because I bought her on Cinco de Mayo and because she is glorious to behold.


I think the person who has used the iPad the most is Amy, which was totally unexpected. Here she is playing Sally's Spa (or Salon - not sure.) 

In fact, her Mother's Day wish was to get to take a nap today, and by "take a nap" I think she really meant lay in bed and play Sally's Spa (which is where she is right now.) Coincidentally, playing Sally's Salon on my iPod was what I did the entire day that Amy was in labor with Lila, right up until the actually delivery, where I almost passed out. Twice.

The kids are obsessed as well, and always want to play the "giant iPod." It's funny how easily they figure it out. I have never once sat down and explained how to use it to either one of them, but Noel especially just gets it intuitively. 

I think it is the perfect computer for someone who just used their computer to check email, check facebook, look up directions, etc. When were not using it, it is a lovely little digital photo frame or Pandora player on the kitchen counter. And it is great to carry out in the backyard while the kids are playing, or to lay in bed and read a book with.

iPad, you've been smirched!

It's that time again!!!

 When you read that title, did you think that because of the date (Cinco de Mayo!) it was time to drink mojitos and wear sombreros? Well, you would be wrong. It is time for Bingham Book Day!! Read and learn about past books days here or here.

Every year when we tell people about Bingham Book Day, they say "Oh, I wish we could celebrate that at my house!" Well, you can! Here is the secret: you only need a bookstore and a place to eat. So everyone can have their own Bingham Book Day! Everyone except my sister, Melissa, because she lives in Price, UT and they don't have a book store. (That's true.) But everyone else can! You should probably use your own last name, but you can call it Bingham Book Day if you want.

Two years ago we were awesome and we rode the train to downtown Portland and went to Powell's City of books, the country's largest independent bookstore. Last year we were less awesome and pregnant and went to the local Powell's and ate at 5 Guys. This year, we decided to combine the two traditions - the boys love riding the train so much, but Amy and I didn't have the strength to load everyone on the train for an hour ride into downtown and a walk of several blocks from the train stop in the threatening rain. (In previous book day pictures we are wearing shorts!! What is wrong with this cold and rainy year!) So we came up with a plan. Amy dropped me, Jonah and Noel off at the train station near our house. We rode it about 4 stops to the station nearest to the local bookstore and then got off and met Amy and Lila, who drove us the rest of the way. Perfect.

We almost missed the train. Foolishly, I couldn't figure out what kind of ticket to buy from the machine...and the train was arriving...and it was raining...and the boys were screaming at me to hurry...and I was screaming at the boys to NOT get on the train without me. But we did it.

Here we are on the train speeding through our neighborhood! We were on the train for about a total of 7 minutes, but the boys thought it was super awesome.

The bookstore was a joy as always. Not as quirky and old and cool as the original Powell's, but still great.

I think we made the boys take this same picture last year. I was pleased to get them both to look at the camera, and to get Noel to put his hands in his pockets, instead of down the front of his pants. It's the little things, really.

Lila was on a mission to pull every book in the store off the shelves while we tried to navigate through the very complicated path of young boys making decisions - first it was a dinosaur book, then it was an animal book, then it was a Halloween book (what?!).  And the destruction continued. Luckily we could distract her with this giant green dog thing.

And the decision making continued...

As the boys narrowed down their choices, Amy and I would sneak away to try and chose our books. Lila was getting restless, and the boys had limited their choice to about 79 books.

Finally, we settled on the genre of Pop-Up books. Jonah still wanted about 9, but we were able to figure it out with this lovely number that has pop up dioramas! Holla!

Here are the final selections:

Josh got

The City & The City

Can't wait! Mieville is the king of whackadoodle fantasy/sci-fi, and it was on a bunch of Best of the Year lists last year, AND the author's name is China. What?

Amy got

Sensational Salads

Seems like an odd choice, perhaps. But who doesn't want a sensational salad?! I do! And she still has a lot of books left from Christmas/Birthday that she is working though.

Jonah got

Dinosaurs in the Round

The aforementioned diorama pop up book.

Noel jumped on the pop-up bandwagon as well and combined that with his love of the animals of the southwest (What?!?) and chose this treasure:

Creatures of the Desert World

I believe it was also on several Best of the Year lists.

Lila "chose"

Planting a Rainbow

Cute - and it gave me some good ideas for the garden.

Lunch is always part of the deal too. We went to El Pollo Loco, but you already know that. And FYI, we have since gone again. I love that crazy chicken!

So. Happy Book Day. Go buy some books. Unless you live in Price. Seriously. Google it.