Family Day at the Hillsboro Fairgrounds

Can't remember the exact name of this event, and I am too lazy to go look it up lol. And this

is out of order cuz I forgot I had stuff to post from it! So double oh well, and here ya go anyway.

Kids enjoying the bouncy house:
Akasha was enchanted with this doll bed lol!

And several fun video clips....

Of Capes and Superheroes

Orion and Akasha had a fascinating interaction the other day I wanted to try to capture before I forget it. I thought it was significant because pretty much all of their "work it out" moments result in Orion being persistent and finally convincing Akasha to give him what he wants, and this was the first time I had seen it go the other way.

They were fighting over a cape from the costume bin. Now mind you, I think we have about 4 or 5 capes, but you know how it goes. There was a classic tug of war, so I came over and said I was going to hold it while we figured it out. And it went something like this:

Me: Oh it looks like you both want the same cape. Do you have any ideas about what to do?

A: I want it!

O: Cape! (He has a tendency to revert to single words when he is upset about something)

Me: I hear you both want the cape, Orion do you have any ideas?

O: Cape!

A: I want it!

So it actually went back and forth like this several times - no point in writing it out. I kept trying to validate both kids with various versions of , I hear you really want the cape. Then all of a sudden, Orion said, "Fine, she can have it." Another fail at doing any real problem solving with the kids, at least in terms of asking for ideas, but ah, the power of validation. I realized in that moment how often I want to just jump right to the problem solving, but there is usually no point in that if I child has not felt heard. And the good part is, when a child really feels heard, the original problem often goes away!

But the most amazing part was the resulting play, which I had also never seem before. They got really into a game of BOTH being superheroes. Orion will usually tell Akasha she is the bad guy, but he seemed to really want to create this story of being in collaboration with her. They even had names, something like Superbaby and Ultraboy lol. And they played like this with no friction for quite a long time, much longer than usual!

Ah, I love it when things fall in place and the results are what you would hope for!

Akasha Funnies

I have a feeling there may be alot more of these posts coming... I really want to make an effort to write these down as these little things are so easily forgotten.

We were in a parking lot where somebody was taking break and smoking. Akasha looked at him in horror and said, "That man is making smoke!"

She has been calling the Disney princesses fairies. Fine by me. :)

The other night the moon was partially behind some clouds, and she said, "The moon is stuck on the clouds!"

She calls sneezes "bless yous" and my favorite or all these - we bought some waffles and she has been calling them affles, so sounds like awfuls lol. She kept asking Ron for awfuls, and he had NO idea what she meant til he asked me! LOL

Orion Expanding

Sounds like a documentary about space lol, but no, my boy seems to be really making some developmental leaps lately. He came across our electric keyboard I had forgotten we even had, and wanted me to teach him a song. I picked out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and he has been practicing it over and over. This is my boy who usually gets so easily frustrated and also says he can't remember things. Now he is telling me what a good rememberer he is! :D

The other things that really seems to be leaping right now are sports skills. I am not a sporty person AT ALL, so haven't really played much of anything with him, and Ron doesn't have much time for it, but he has been working at it on his own. He has amazing accuracy at shooting hoops, and has been working on his dribbling. He has also been throwing a ball in the air to hit with a bat. Watching his persistence at all these things is so encouraging!

Woodworking!

We went to a family festival today, and some folks from Lowe's were there with wood projects. So many kids pounding was a bit too much noise for Orion, but they had a whole table full of projects, and they said we could take as many as we wanted! I picked up one of each, and Orion couldn't wait to make them when we got home.

First on the list was a UFO, complete with a light on top! He looks a bit appropriately possessed by aliens in this picture lol.
Looking a bit more normal...
Sister witnessing the exuberant happiness.
And some random Akasha cuteness.
Now Orion is just enthralled with the idea of making more wood projects. Looks like I have some online research to do or books to buy....

I think Akasha needs a big sister...

... for stuff like this:
Cuz I sure as heck am not a nail painter lol! Good thing we can borrow Ciara for the day! Akasha was very excited with her first toe polish!

Mt Hood Trip

Finally taking the time to finish this post and add some writing to the pics I loaded ages ago!

We heard about this great BOGO deal at The Resort at the Mountain, and decided to take the kids on a snow trip! The place was absolutely gorgeous! This was the view from our patio. The pool is just down the trail and off to the left.
I loved the bed linens! There was also a ton of closet space - great for a place near ski resorts!
For some reason, I decided to leave the good camera at home, and really paid for it with some crappy pictures. Oh well lol. Here is one little monkey, snuggling on the bed.
She is getting to that age where she loves putting her dolls and animals "to bed"
This was supposed to be her going to sleep, but it looks more like she is about to sneeze lol.
Here is the road on the way to Government Camp, with Mt. Hood in the distance.
Ron and Orion at Summit!
It's hard to climb stairs in all that gear lol!
Heading up the tubing hill...
This was how Akasha and Orion went down the hill. Kids sit in the middle and adults grab the handles and kindof lay behind them.
While both kids were having a blast in the snow, neither of them really wanted their photo taken. This was the best I could do for a sibling shot!
Orion made about 20 snow angels.
And here is the video version!

Just thought this phone booth was cool.
We played at the little putt putt course the second day, and Orion LOVED it. I really need to take this kid mini golfing more!
Doin' it his own way:

We also used their spa and were impressed. Overall it was a great trip, and we hope to come back!

First Caching Picture in Ages!

I haven't been taking my camera caching much as the weather has been crappy for so long, but we are hitting some beautiful February days, so thought I would snap one!
I feel like I really got lucky with this weather, because I decided to go after something called a Month of Mysteries, which means I have to find at least 28 puzzle caches this month because there are 28 days in the month. February is a popular month to go for it for that reason, but you never how the weather will be. Well, I am off to a great start thanks to the sunshine. I would tell you the name of this cache, but it is a SECRET because it is a puzzle lol! I refuse to talk! :)

Ice Candle for Imbolc!

Orion and I had alot of fun making this project. I told him about how ice candles are a good symbol for Imbolc as the holiday is halfway between Winter and Spring, and the candle is a symbol of both ice and fire. I didn't get pictures of all the steps, but here is what you do, with a few photos:

Things you need:

Container - cardboard pints work great if you don't have candle molds. Don't use tin cans as it is very hard to get the candle out because of the ridges.

Ice

Paraffin and/or crayons

Candle wicks or a small taper candle (so much easier than dealing with wicks!).

First you need to smash up some ice. You could just use crushed ice, but what fun would that be?
Then you need to melt some paraffin, or you can use old crayons if you have enough. This step needs to be done on a double boiler, or if you don't have one, sitting a can on top of a ring from a canning jar lid works great.
Several skipped steps in pictures here... When the paraffin is almost melted, you can put a crayon in for color. It is best to wait, as it is hard to see if all the paraffin is melted once you put the crayon in. Vanilla can also be added for scent at end. Put the crushed ice and taper or wick into your chosen container, then pour the melted wax over the whole business. (If you are using wicks, you will need something like a pencil to tie it to and lay across the top to keep it in the middle and up out of the wax.) The wax will melt the ice, but not before it dries enough to make a pretty pattern.
Let it dry, then rip the container off (do this over the sink as there will be melted water in there) and you will have yourself a lovely candle! Finished result:
I wasn't sure how much wax we had, so I left the taper candle tall lol. It was no big deal as it just burned down to where the big candle started.

Some NOTES:

The ice needs to be in fairly small pieces or the outside of the candle will be too fragile. We also had an issue with the plastic bag getting alot of holes in it. No big deal except then the ice can get dirty if on the ground. Might be better to lay something under it next time...

If you use a mixture of paraffin and crayons, it needs to be stirred right before pouring it. They seem to have a really different density and separated. It actually made for some need swirly patterns, but if you want a more solid result, stir.

The other thing I noticed is that the base is wobbly because it isn't flat. I am thinking to have a really nice finished result, you could pour a thin layer of wax in the bottom and let it dry a bit before putting the ice in and continuing with the rest of the project.

Another one of those picture catch ups!

I have been really bad about blogging or taking pictures lately. The kids are often not in a picture mood unless they are having me take a shot of something they made or using the camera themselves, and we have just been busy with other things. But I have taken a handful off and on, so here is a selection. :)

The "real" pattern blocks have been a hit. Orion has made some really neat stuff, but I think this is my favorite. Any guesses....
A genie coming out of a bottle! And here is a flower for ya.
Akasha even got into the action using the templates!
Here is a many faces of Orion series:



Oh and take note of the haircut he gave himself.... Said his hair was in his eyes lol.

And one silly Akasha face.
Then she got in the action of wanting me to take pics of things she made. I got these things at Winco for like 3 bucks and both kids have gotten so much use out of them!
Make sure you notice this one is different! :) She kept changing them around and asking me to take another picture.
Orion is getting to be quite the bubble blower!
And here is Kona being a clue lol. I can't believe how much we still use these things I made over THREE years ago!
And here is Akasha's first self portrait. An adorable toddler tummy - very appropriate.