Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Eight is Great!

I feel like I'm still drowning over here.  This post has been on my "list" for weeks and I'm just now getting to it.  I seriously don't know how people have more than two kids.  I can't seem to get anything done with two!  Poor Philippa, my mind is shot and I can't seem to remember the significant details of her eighth month of life.  I more fully understand now why my baby book is so empty.  I'm the youngest of six...there was no way my mom was going to get to that!



Pippa grew three more teeth this month.  I think?  At least they started coming in.  Three on the top, missing the right (Pippa's right) middle tooth.  She's gonna look mighty cute when they fully come in and there's a gap there!  Pippa enjoys open mouth kissing a lot of things.  Though, one would normally say she likes to put things in her mouth.  It just feels like open mouth kissing when she's sucking on your nose.  Eh, Nupur?





We've been into Photobooth over here.  Ro is usually the one that initiates but we're all happy to oblige.  I just want to point out to all those "Team Wyatt's" out there, that my son does actually look like me!  Just take a look at the above photos.  It especially surfaces when we make the same goofy faces.  


Pippa actually does look a lot like her dad.  More accurately, she looks a lot like the Wilson side.  And look at the strawberry blonde hair!!!  That's a Wilson trait - red hair.  Though, I believe she is the first descendant of Grandpa Goat (Beasley) that has any hint of red hair.  Well, and Wyatt with his red beard.  I really really hope it stays.  It is so pretty!


We decided to journey to Mercer Island to watch the Blue Angels practice for Sea Fair.   It was the perfect day for spectating!  Though, Ro and Pippa...and eventually Wyatt didn't share my enthusiasm and we left early.  I still get to see my commercial planes everyday.  They can't take that away from me...yet.  


What is going on here?!!!  The pictures I find on Wyatt's camera...






I ran a marathon.  It was the "Marathon For One."  Solely designed and raced by yours truly.  I was training all summer to run a race in Bend, Oregon.  But a few family changes came up and I decided that it would be best to stay closer to home.  Except there was no race closer to home on the weekend I'd planned to run.  So my sweet, sweet husband took on the responsibility to create a 26.2-mile route I could run by my lonesome.  I am not exaggerating about the "sweet" part.  I was seriously feeling overwhelmed by the task and was soooooo relieved when he did the job.  Without me asking, even!  

The route followed the Snoqualmie Valley Trail from Rattlesnake Lake to just south of Duvall.  And I had the best spectators along the way!  Wyatt, Ro, Pippa and my dear MIL, Katharine.  Spectating a marathon is not fun, so I really appreciate their willingness to endure the race with me.  And ensure that I was well hydrated and all my needs were met.  Wyatt rode his bike along side me a few times.  And once he even sprinted from behind to give me a full water bottle!  

My final time was 4:05:20.  Not too shabby.  I was hoping closer to an exact four-hours.  Though, I have a few disclaimers.  One, I actually ran a half-mile further than the 26.2-mile marathon distance.  Which I'm estimating added an extra five-minutes to my time.  And two, I had to make two pit stops in the beginning.  One of the pit stops was a significant deviation off the trail, deep into the woods.  I'm estimating that was at least another seven-minutes.  But alas, you can't stop the clock in a race.  So no matter my "excuses" my time is what it is.  Truly, I'm just proud that I ran the distance!  I ran my third marathon nine-months postpartum after Roosevelt was born.  I ran this race seven-months postpartum after Philippa's birth.  Not too shabby.  


Even though Pippa is more "Wilson" she still inherited my fat bottom lip.  Lucky for her she's got a beautiful big mouth!  So it's fitting on her face.  Compared to my fat bottom lip on my small mouth.  Pippa also inherited my double crown cowlick.  It's very cute with her current short locks since it gives her a bit of a mohawk.  If her hair is anything like mine, it'll create two bumps in the back of her head once her hair is longer.  But maybe not.



Wyatt's been having fun too...despite selling his FOURTH motorcycle a couple of months ago.  In spite of owning only three motorcycles, he still gets out for a ride fairly regularly.  Ro has followed suit and is a big fan of the sport too.  Though Ro's exposure is limited to repeat circles around our driveway.  As a passenger.  




I've been letting Ro dress himself lately.  He does a good job for the most part.  It cracks me up when he chooses to wear his rain boots with shorts.  One time he wanted to wear his Easter socks with the boots.  O-kay!


Pippa walks!  With the aid of her new walker.  She lava loves her walker!  And she's quite good at maneuvering it around our house.   I am seriously impressed at how fast she can walk in it and how well she can turn around and turn at corners.  I don't think I could do the same if I had a giant bubble around me.  And our little girl is an "In-de-pen-dent Wo-man!" (queue Destiny's Child).  She has zero reservations about exploring all by her lonesome.  Sometimes we'll all be in one room, i.e. the kitchen, and Pippa will just take-off for the family room by herself.  

Ro looooooves Pippa's walker too.  He likes to "run and slide" in it.  And sometimes he'll pick it up around his hips, like he's holding up a dress, and walk around the house.  It's a pretty ridiculous sight.  Big boy in a little walker.  He also loves playing with Pippa while she's in the walker.  He'll push and pull her around.  And Pippa almost always loves it when he does.




Pippa is our eater.   Sometimes I call her my hungry hungry caterpillar.  She eats everything I give her.  Only a few times has she protested by not opening her mouth for a second bite.  Most of the time I have to cut her off otherwise she would keep going and going and going.  She truly likes to eat.  This makes me sooooo happy!  Ro does not like to eat and is VERY picky.  Sometimes Pippa will stare down the food another is eating - sometimes with her mouth open hoping for a bite.  And if she's in close range, she'll reach for it with her hand - inside our mouths if needs be!  


Enjoying the kiddie pool at Green Lake.  Perfect for a little boy!








I posted the whole series of these pictures because they crack me up.  A nice little window into the world of Roosevelt Wilson.  Totally oblivious while exploring his imagination.  And then Pippa, just gnawing away at whatever.  


I had a birthday in August.  Remember when I used to announce it weeks before?  I guess kids make you humble.  Or rather, help you to focus outwardly.  We were going to ride our bikes around Green Lake but a certain nearly-three-year-old lasted two whole minutes before he declared he was spent.  So we spent some time at the swim part and more time at the kiddie pool.  It was still a good day.  I just like to be outside for the festivities.  That was on Saturday the day before my birthday.






On my actual birthday, I was greeted with balloons and banners and presents!  Cookie sheets from Wyatt...AND from my friend Jen.  I kept both since I desperately needed new ones!  Pippa fell asleep in my arms at church - which never happens!  And our neighbors brought over a cake.  (They didn't know that I had already made my own coconut lime cake.)  It was a good day.


Sitting-up in the tub without the help of a bath chair.


Keeping cool in the heat with water balloons.  Yeah, we're model parents letting our baby chew on a balloon.  Luckily she never popped it.  She just loved playing with it.  




Ro hanging with his best buds, Mickey and Selam.  I offered to snap a picture of them in their finery, since they were going to a wedding.  Ro popped in the picture too.  He was dressed for church.


Pippa usually greets us with a smile when she wakes.  Super cute!


Just wanted to share the picture of this very REAL spider!  I wish I had something next to it so you could see how GIANT it is.  I'd say half-dollar.  And the scary part is, this isn't the first big one we've seen.  And the even scarier part is, this one got away!!!!!  So it is somewhere inside our house.  Wyatt left for Oregon that night, so I was left alone with two kids in a house with a giant spider.  I was actually quite terrified.  Spiders normally don't bother me.  Normal spiders don't bother me.  This guy was not normal.  


I love watching Ro and Pippa play.  Pippa gets mauled quite a bit, so I think she'll grow up with a nice layer of thick skin.  She really doesn't seem to mind too much when Ro wrestles with her or pokes her or bumps her...or steals her toys (all the time).  Lots of times she laughs.  Good girl.  Now to work on teaching Ro how to share.  And how to be a little more gentle...for those times Pippa does mind.  


Our little family on our back deck with Mount Rainier peeking in the back.  These guys are my favorites!

1 comment:

Momma G said...

Dear Wilson Family,
Now I can understand what my mother meant when she said she was so hungry to see her grand people doing all the fun things they do as little children like in these photos. She always said she wished she could be privy to what was going on in their lives more than a sentence or two in a letter or an occasional phone call and infrequent visit. These blog posts you make are a wonderful way I can see what's going on--something my mom never had available. Lots was just in her interpretation of what I would share with her.

I really appreciate that you make an effort to come see us here in Colorado, Brittany. Perhaps when I retire we might make more contact. But for now I am so glad you do enjoy coming. I know it is hard on you to come visit and still have to be the parent and take care of all the everyday stuff when you would like a break from it.

You say you are drowning. Maybe instead of thinking of it as drowning, think of it as a different stage in your life which will never come again. You mentioned in one caption that was the fun part of being a parent--seeing all those different personalities come peeping out through your kids' activities. Go more by what you are inspired to do as a parent--you have been given that gift to discern how best to fill their everyday needs. Don't get so hung up on nap time and that sometimes things don't go the way the "experts" say. YOU are the expert here. YOU are the one who receives the day to day instruction, so lighten up on yourself. You are a wonderful parent. Not perfect, but what parent was her very best at the birth of her first child? It takes experience with thousands of different little details that will hone your skills. But most important is to do what you do best--ENJOY your children!

Oh, yes. We are the NICHOLS CAMP and we think your children look like you. Not spitting images--but so much so, people know they belong to you. And your puffy lower lip was cute in your little mouth. It was a good perch for that rooster my own mother used to talk about when someone pouted.

I was going to say more about individual pictures, but there were so many of them over the last three blogs and I've been at this computer for so long I am going to call it a night.

Just make sure you have copies of these blogs somewhere in case computers and all that storage blows up sometime. These are wonderful family records.

Love, Momma

PS There are some things STILL on my to-do list from decades ago. May or may not get to them in this life time. But I have ALL eternity.