30 Days of Thanks: Day 6

Today we are thankful for music and all that it brings to our life. You dance, you sing, and you keep a pretty darn good beat! Every few weeks you'll join your daddy at his Tuesday band practice, and you LOVE to hear the tunes, even though they're quite loud.
You will be raised around all different types of music - we can't wait to see which instruments you pickup.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 5

We are so thankful for cool technology like FaceTime on our iPhones. It brightens all of our days when we need a fix.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 4

Today, we thank that sweet Mother Nature. She's blessed us with a beautiful warm fall day and the colors in the Northwest this time of year more than make up for the 9 months of rain. Today your daddy rakes our entire yard and climbed up on the roof and blew those darn leaves right off, officially making him our hero. As you repeated "Daddy on da roof of da house wake weaves", he worked his butt off cleaning our home out from under the mounds of beautiful leaves. Today we are thankful for nature, and also for scuba, who works so very hard to keep our playground clean. Thanks, papabear.

30 Days of Thanks: Days 1, 2, 3

We have so much to be thankful for this year, I loved the idea of recording our thanks every day of November.

Naturally already behind, but here's to getting caught up...

Day 1 - We are so very thankful for the Internet and technology that allows us to record all of these special tiny memories. Might seem insignificant, but without it, we wouldn't have our precious photos, videos and this blog. So, thanks Al Gore for the internet.

Day 2 - Thanks for special time for just mommy and daddy. Life gets busy and it's good to remind ourselves why we decided to spend this life together - because we have so much fun! On this day, we skipped work and went on a day date that involved wine tasting, a fab dinner at Nick's Italian Cafe, and fancy martinis at Voodoo. We were once again reminded how much we like each other, and how much we adore you and our sweet little family.

Day 3 - Go Ducks! Our awesome U of O Ducks are having such a great season, and boy do I love the Fall for college football, green and yellow, chili in the crockpot and cuddles around the fire as we root on our ducks. You are crazy cute in your new ducks get up, and you clear as day pronounce "GO DUCKS!". Everything you do is adorable, but hearing you root on my alma mater (maybe your future school) just fills me up with pride and joy.

So, here you are: GO DUCKS!

Curing what ails me

Today was an exceptionally trying day. I was feeling challenged, frustrated, I even got that rare glimpse at hopelessness. After the hour-long drive home, I was lost in my head and the distance that typically cures my ailments didn't make a dent.

As I pulled myself out of the car, I looked up to see your tiny frame standing in the door way. “HI MAMA!” – you shouted with an unbridled enthusiasm and a smile that could end all wars. From there, we sat on the front stoop and counted pumpkins…for an hour. Then it was dinner and bath time – “Bubbles!”.  You peed in the potty (yessss), jumped in the tub and started blowing bubbles and laughing your little buns off (Exhibit A below).  You asked for a cookie in the only way you now KNOW is fool proof: “Cookie Pweeeeease, I WIKE COOOKIE!”(exhibit B below). And yeah, you got a cookie in the bath…you were ecstatic mama's defenses were completely down.

From there we got your jammies on, collected all of the babies you could carry and proceeded to read as many books we could cram in before falling asleep.

“Read books, mama!”. You can’t get enough. Colors, Dora, Trains, Dr Seuss, Farm Animals are your favorites.  Adjusting your babies from here to there while reading, to make sure they’re comfortable and as close to you as possible.

Slowly, you sank from a fully alert position to resting comfortably on my chest as I read to you – quietly, you looked up at me and whispered “night night”, and closed your eyes while I kept reading. You clearly didn't want to interrupt my reading. After a few more pages, we decided it was time for real night night. After a juice refill, you ran to your daddy and gave him “big loves”, then walked over to your Grandpa Bill, said clear as day: “Night Night Grandpa!”, proceeded to wish every other inanimate object in the house goodnight (including goose and linc), grabbed your babies and ran to your crib. You gave me loves and kisses, wished me a goodnight, cuddled up to your 1,000 babies and drifted off. No fuss, no problem, happy as a clam...as usual.

As I sat next to you tonight while you were in the bath, I couldn't help but forget every little thing that had haunted me all day. You remind me what this life is all about. Pumpkins, cookies, books, milk, warm fireplaces, doggies, family, kisses and most importantly: unconditional, unbridled, pure and true love. I realized tonight that even my worst days haven’t been that awful, not since you were born. You are my “well, I always have” guy. You raised the bar, giving even the worst in life a new base for context + comparison.

Thanks for being my smiling little dude at the end of the tunnel. You make my world. 

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: 

20 Months!

1. It just sounds annoying to call you 20 months. I swore I wouldn't be one of those moms who counts their babies age once they're over 12 months. Alas, 20 months IS better than 18 months, is better than 17 months. I guess I'll stop counting months at 2 yrs. Because you, sir, are still my baby. Hear that?
2. It's been 3 months since I last blogged? Bad mommy! As you've come to understand, summers in Oregon must be treasured, coveted and enjoyed - and boy was this one! By far one of the best yet! We boated, camped, went hunting (well, daddy hunted, we hung out in camo by the fire), went to the zoo, the park a thousand times, learned to swim, wore swimming trunks (and at home, no trunks = your fav), and ate tons of ice cream, bbq and grilled veggies. Summers in Oregon are the best!

You are just growing like a weed. It feels like every day I watch you and gasp at how quickly you're growing and talking and moving! The last 3 months have seen you grow leaps and bounds in the vocabulary dept. You're still not making total sense, but you are certainly making sentences and you're pretty darn happy you can finally communicate and have an actual conversation.

A few of your favorite sayings right now:
Daddy drives the boat
Daddy drives the car
(insert anything) drive ; you're obsessed with driving anything
Mas (for "more"; yeah, you know Spanish, at 20 months)
read the book?
socks and shoes
soap in my eyes (oops)
ouch.
Oh Nooooo! (when you intentionally drop something or fall)
Jump Jump!
hot, cold, warm
You know everyones name: lincoln, lucy, papa (grandpa), brama (grandma)
Hey Dude
Hubba Hubba (thanks daddy)
goodnight
I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of, but we'll leave it at that.

We've also (sort of) started potty training you. Somehow you became super into the potty, so we brought one in, and you pee on it, sometimes. We're not crazy serious about it yet, but we're happy you're taking to it so nicely. Hopefully we'll have a smooth go of it!

You are way too much fun. You are courageous, (still!) fearless (as proven by the constant bumps and cuts on your forehead), sweet, head-strong, determined, busy, class clown, and a social little butterfly. You love to make new friends and share your toys with other kids. You know when people are watching you, and boy do you put on a show.

I was reading some old posts recently, from when you were an infant, to see if the assumptions we made then still held true. Surprisingly enough, most did - as a baby, we described you as "high-input"; you couldn't sit/lay still, you always had to have something to do/look at/entertain yourself with. The same is still definitely true - you are high-input, but thankfully very social, so as long as there's other kids around for you to play with, you are golden.

I really do love you more and more each day. It's almost overwhelming how much I love you; I can't wait to watch you grow up but I'm really trying to enjoy these moments as much as I can. You are such a gem, the light and energy in my life. A tough day has nothing on you, as you run into the kitchen shouting "HI MAMA!!!". You make this mamas heart melt every day. Thanks for making every single day special, bud. you da you da best.

Mama Bear Realized

Before I had you, I wondered what it would be like to be a mama bear. I had heard from friends that it is the most selfless feeling of dedication, loyalty and perseverance you'll ever experience. A few situations recently have brought out the mama bear in me - now, I always knew it was there. It's true what they say, once that baby is in your arms, your world changes and suddenly there is nothing more important than keeping that tiny human safe, protected, healthy and happy.
It's no secret we haven't been the biggest fans of the new school we switched you to in January. Our beloved Forbes Day School moved out too far from home/work and we had to switch schools. While on paper the new facility is fantastic (music, spanish, healthy menu) and you are very happy there, your daddy and I have fundamental issues with the way they talk about their jobs as caregivers and the kids in their care. After months of listening to these women refer to the kids with the most offensive and cruel 'nicknames', and complaining about their rough days with all of these kids to us upon pickup/dropoff, I had finally had enough. I don't want my child surrounded by negativity and tension, I don't want my baby boy to hear anyone calling him anything other than sweetie, cupcake, pumpkin (tsunami sawyer or tyrant sawyer were their favorite), and I certainly disapprove of him hearing them call other kids 'bratty'. Unacceptable in my book. And my book isn't everyone's book, but it's mine, and I'll enforce it without apology.
While I pride myself on my ability to resolve conflict in a mature and structured fashion (Steve can attest), this was one of the first situations where I was weary of confrontation - mostly because I am so emotionally invested. I realized quickly that I couldn't separate fact from emotion. Our issues were subjective and came from a place of our parenting philosophy - and every family has a different approach and hard lines.
Finally one morning (after being up since 5am with 4 shots of liquid courage...aka espresso...coursing through my veins) it was time. I dropped him off and these teachers didn't seem happy to see him, in fact they immediately started with the negativity and offensive nicknames. After a few passive aggressive comments (my specialty), I was out the door. Fuming mad with heart pounding on my way to work, I decided it was time. The call wasn't easy, but it was fair and I approached it the best way I knew how. The answer was no, they don't believe Sawyer has behavioral issues, or any other issues for that matter (no kidding, eh?), he's just a "busy toddler boy", and they have "cute little nicknames" for all of the kids at school. I was able to communicate our issues with the nicknames in the context of what, in our opinion, is for the betterment of Sawyer and his well being. And that was it, ever since this chat, they've held back on the nicknames and have generally been a bit more sweet and pleasant. Now, we're no fools, I'm sure the nicknames continue when we're not around - we know better than to think we're powerful enough to change them.  But we stood up for our little guy and let our parental presence be known.
Coming out of this seemingly mild but impactful experience, I had the opposite feeling I thought I would. I thought I would be fearful of offending them, making the situation awkward, or not feeling justified in my position. In fact it was the exact opposite. I felt strong, protective, 100% justified and proud as hell. I was standing up for my little boy who couldn't speak for himself. I was...a mama bear, in the flesh. Amazingly, I don't know that I've ever felt so secure, proud and comfortable in this skin. It felt right, it's what I was born to do, and I will continue protecting you and standing up for you until the end of time. I'll see that you have nothing but the best and I will always, always be here for you little guy. Thank you for showing me a new perspective, a new side of myself. You continue to teach me so many lessons, and for that I am grateful.

PS: We are in the process of looking for a new school. ;-)

Summertime!

It's the middle of July and summer is singing! Our world is filled with blue skies, bright sunshine, BBQ's and one happy little guy. You make summertime oh so fun. Our world is busy - we have a ton of friends, almost every weekend until September is booked already, but being a Sizemore, you're naturally all for fun in the sun with your friends.

You are such a social butterfly, comfortable in almost all situations. We have yet to see you turn shy in front of anyone, you charge any play structure head on (and I don't mean those weenie 0-2 yrs old ones, I mean the 5+ year old ones, with ladders you should not know how to climb, but you do), you make friends with any kid you meet (except for the mean germy kind, we steer clear of them), you share your toys and juice, you give hugs to strangers, you talk talk talk, you laugh, you dance, you love everyone.
People enjoy being around you, you are a fun, outgoing, courageous, adventurous, sweet, loving, tenacious, challenging, curious, headstrong, opinionated little fella, and you are mine. :-) We spend a lot of time at the water park in Wilsonville, at the Higgins farm and in our very own front yard.
You love the water, the sunshine, crowds, trains, trucks, 'driving', shoes, juice, crackers, blueberries, pancakes, and your friends.  At the waterpark, you hang on the bars and everyone comments about how you play like you're 5 years old. What 18 month old knows how to hang and swing from bar to bar? Not any I know.
Though I owe an official update on 4th of July (and a few other things), here are a few shots of our summer so far. This is shaping up to be the best summer of our lives, all thanks to you, little guy. Thanks for reminding us how fun it can be to kick back and throw your feet in that little blue kiddie pool. You light up our lives and it only keeps getting sweeter.

1.5 Years Old!

I can't keep track of you! Time is just flying by and you are turning more into a rough and tumble little boy every minute of every day.  You are such a courageous and adventurous soul. You can entertain yourself for a while but are clearly social by nature - you love to be around people and share toys and talk. You light up whenever you see Mommy or Daddy, and Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Cam. You're a good eater, not great as you're easily distracted, but we'll take it. Sweet as can be, you just shine in a crowd, not shy in the least.  You've slept amazingly well since 6 weeks old (we thank our lucky STARS each night, with our eyes closed). You've weathered any illnesses with ease, your molars are giving you a hard time but you just chew on through those suckers. You are insanely curious and want to see everything this world has to offer. 

Thanks for opening up our eyes and showing us the fun in the little things - who knew that a pot and spatula could bring hours of laughter? You're a fun dude.

Here are your 1.5 year old highlights:

You give "loves", hugs and kisses.

Whenever we come home, you run to the front door with the biggest smile and hardest floor stomps EVER.

You want to wear everyones shoes. 

You love playing fetch with the doggies and petting them, when you can catch them.

Every round object you see is a basketball.

You can sing Twinkle Twinkle - this is adorable.

You can successfully point out your nose, eyes, ears, mouth, head, belly, feet, and hands on command. We think you are an absolute genius for being able to do this at this age.

You ask for the guitar off the wall and you play it and sing doo doo doo.

Your favorite words lately:

"Hi Dada"

Feet.

Hat.

Socks.

Shoes.

Balloon.

Banana

Birdie

Guitar

Hello

Hi

Beach Ball

Basketball

Ball. Really, any variation of ball.

And our two favorites, that have gotten us in all kinds of trouble:

Sit. Which sounds like a bad word when you say it.

Boots. This also sounds like a bad word. 

You should see us in the grocery store. "sit". "boots". back and forth. Jeez, bud.

"Boots":

"Sit":

Your acoustic set with dads guitar:

You sing Twinkle Twinkle (sort of)

And other recent (non-moving-picture) highlights:

My Little Mechanic

There is no doubt you are all boy. Constantly covered in dirt, carrying around the biggest toy you can find, totally into balls, trucks, trains, and now tools. You helped your daddy change my breaks recently and we were both amazed at how focused and into it you were. You held the wrench and banged it on the wheel, you gave daddy the sockets he needed for the job, you were just the best little assistant a guy could ask for (and just the cutest sight your mama ever did see). 

I hope your daddy can teach you everything he knows about all things boy - cause he's a pretty great man and you are one lucky fella to have him as your daddy.

First Camping Trip of the Season!

Boy, you just LOVE the outdoors. It's one thing I love most about you. "Outside" was one of your first words, and it truly is all you want to do - go play outside! Pickup (and sometimes throw) rocks, explore our beautifully landscaped lawn, watch the birds, listen to the trees and in our yard, watch the choo choos go by. Well, camping is your Disneyland right now.

We packed the car up (and boy was it full) and headed for the hills Thurs before Memorial Day Weekend. Our destination was Lake Billy Chinook in Eastern Oregon, but this year it was a different kind of trip. When your mommy and daddy were younger, we would cruise around this lake in a houseboat with all of our closest friends. These close friends all now have a few kiddos and these friends serve as an extended family to you - aunts, uncles, and cousins. It's a beautiful thing - we are blessed with some awesome friends who love you to pieces (and the feeling is mutual). So, this year, we filled our kegs with grape juice (well, mostly grape juice) and traded in our houseboat for luxurious camping spots and roughed it - and boy was it fun! 7 Adults (with some special visitors) and 10 kiddos filled our campground, and boy was it fun to sit and listen to the things you babes say. Just so we never forget, here is the (extended family) that joined us this sweet weekend:

Lori/Jason + Jackson/Maverick + Ethan/Carter (Lori's sisters kiddos)

Jesse/Breanna + Haley/Caleb (+ baby #3 due in 2 months!)

Raegan + Emma/Liam/Lucas (Your other buddy Weston had a baseball game so his daddy Mike had to stay back with him. Boo!)

And special guests for a day: Nick/Rebekah and Camryn/Emery

We mostly hung around camp, ate smores for breakfast, read books, napped, played fun games, and put wood in the fire (lots and LOTS of wood - your favorite). On Sunday we had a pontoon boat adventure and darn, that was just FUN. You aren't yet the biggest fan of life jackets, but once we got cruising you forgot it was even on - we were SAILING!  You and Caleb were the best lil captains ever. We even brought your pack n play, and I'll be darned if you didn't just nap on that rowdy pontoon boat for 2 hours! Such a champ.

You are the most flexible and easy going babe ever. It's true, you don't like it when your schedule gets thrown off, but you were able to lay down and nap just about anywhere. You play so nicely with other kids, you love sharing but you're social enough to want to follow any of your cousins around camp. All of it was fun and I can confidently say that we will be camping a lot this summer. You just had too much fun not to. and So did we. :-)

Walking down to the lake at 6am - when NO ONE ELSE WAS AWAKE. :-)

Emma caught a trout!

Your buds (you're in there somewhere): Maverick, Emma (inside), Liam, Lucas, Maverick, Carter

Captain Sizemore

Showing Caleb how to steer

the famous cove - back here 10 years later with the same crew - but with babies. Even cooler

You were conked out on the pontoon boat. Bartender!

Beautiful Lake Billy Chinook

Sizemore tent mansion has two bedrooms - here was yours. Lucky ducks.