Is it too late for me to 'grow into my feet?'

I've always had large feet - probably an American size 8 by the time I was 12. Does this seem odd for someone who is otherwise pretty petite? Yes. Despite my dad insisting they gave me a 'good foundation,' did I use to be embarrassed by these trotters? Yes. I am 5 foot 2 and have size 8.5/9 feet (UK 7). Flippers. Flat-footed flippers with no trace of an arch.

HOWEVER, as I've grown older, pretty much nothing embarrasses me (thanks kids) and I've come to love my feet. They've run a marathon, several halfs, and, with a little nail polish, they don't look half bad. Due to their sheer size, however, I cannot stop breaking my toes.

Yesterday afternoon was just the latest - I broke my pointer toe on my right foot tripping over the corner of the bed when I was tucking Freddie in. As I crumbled to the ground and tried not to swear, Freddie rushed over (he loves a good emergency) to see how I was. I got out the frozen peas, hobbled to the couch and iced my mangled toe on a few pillows.

Freddie pulled over the coffee table, put my water bottle on it, handed me a book about castles and put some rose petals he'd collected from the park in a train car on the table. He told me to call him if I needed anything, anything at all, and headed back down the hall to play with his truck.

You never know if they're grasping the concept of empathy but there it was. :)

Hello Elsie. 

Things Harry has thrown in the toilet...

...in the past week.

1. Elsie's undies.

2. The kids' shampoo.

3. His sock.

4. A small ambulance.

5. Two train tracks.

6. Wads and wads of toilet paper.

7. A sandwich.

Harry + the toilet = love. We've stocked up on toilet paper and hand soap so long may this love affair continue.

The day it rained puke

I've been puked on before. It's never fun but today was especially disgusting. The day started out OK; Elsie and Harry were feverish and very clingy but, as we've been saying for over a week now, at least no one is puking.

William took Freddie to preschool and the three of us snuggled/played a bit and then they took naps at 9:30am. I used nap time to take a nice shower, dry my hair and put on makeup (!). Nice to feel normal again after almost a week of being unwell myself.

Elsie woke up from her nap and was a bit happier, ate some plain yogurt, a couple blueberries and a small rice cake. Ten minutes later she was back to laying on the floor moaning. Harry woke up and joined her. They did that and competed for space on my lap for the next half hour. Cozy!

When it came time to go get Freddie, I asked Els if she wanted to ride on my back in the Ergo. She quickly said yes and immediately laid her head on my shoulders. I got her an apple juice box from the shop and she sipped it on the way. She didn't say much on the journey there or on the way home. Freddie told us about his day (two of the ten chicks hatched from their eggs and he planted a sunflower) and we saw a couple trains go by.

Once we got to our street, Elsie muttered something I didn't quite hear. 'What, honey?' 'Go home faster.'

That was my only warning before the puke shower began. It was like a volcano erupted out of her mouth. It poured over my shoulder and onto my foot (great idea to wear flip flops today!). I quickly got her down and then Freddie, Harry and I watched the spectacle of it all, unable to move. In seconds, the sidewalk was covered and it was only then I realized I should have held her over a drain or something. Oops.

Once it was over, we removed all our puked-on clothes that we could, considering we were in public (sorry neighbors!), and hightailed it home, a wad of disgusting clothes under one arm and a squishy foot squeaking the whole way.

A warm bath and nap seems to have helped. Fingers crossed that was all of it (but is it ever???).

Hope you weren't eating anything when you read this! And yes, we are back in Scotland. I need to change the header of this blog. If you enjoy reading about puke and how you're likely in a nicer, cleaner, comfier position than I am, check back here again soon. I plan on actually keeping up with it now that we're back.

P.S. Anthony, if you're reading this...the incident occurred just down from your door. Watch your feet on the way home tonight. William said he'd go down later with a bucket of water!

Happy 2nd Birthday Elsie!!

A month later and it's finished! Ha! My latest project - a video of Elsie's first two years. And yes, it's 15 minutes long. Watch if you have the time - she's pretty dang cute. We love you Elsie!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj3dGR22_rw

Welcome Baby Harry!

Harrison Lucas Kearns was born on April 14, 2016. After about 5 days of pretty consistent contractions, we were more than happy he finally decided to come out! I was 7cm dilated when I got to the doctor's office and was rushed to the labor ward immediately. Ultimately, it took several more hours and an emergency c-section to get him out but it was an amazing experience nonetheless. He immediately peed on the doctors and nurses before being snuggled by William and my mom, who were there with me. He weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 21 inches long. After I was patched up we went back to my original room and introduced him to Francie, who was waiting there on the edge of her seat. It was so fun to have them all there and so exciting we are now a family of five!

Rhea

Rhea was a constant companion of Freddie's when we lived in Edinburgh. I met her mom, my friend Lisa, when we were both pregnant and did the same yoga class. I was thrilled to meet her and instantly thought she could become a good friend. Plus, we lived close to each other and she offered me a ride home after every class. So nice not to walk back to my flat on those pitch black Scottish nights.

Our kiddos were born exactly a month apart - Rhea on April 5th and Freddie on May 5th. They were babies who stared at each other during our coffee shop meet-ups, 10-month olds who crawled around together at the museum, 1 year-olds who toddled after one another in the park, 2-year olds who jumped up and down in each other's cribs and 3-year-olds who chased after each other and played hide-and-seek.

Rhea was an amazing little girl who we loved so much. We are talking about her daily and trying to remember all the fun times we had together instead of being sad. It's helped to look at pictures of them together - Freddie finds thinking about them as babies especially funny. She will always be synonymous with our time in Edinburgh - she (and her mom) certainly helped shape me as a parent. Lots of love to her whole family now and for the future.

Liza

Two weeks ago I got some of the saddest news I've ever had. My 'little sister' Elizabeth unexpectedly passed away. I felt physically sick. My heart literally hurt. There's been a wave of emotions since then — extreme sadness, for the years we will miss her, but also laughter, remembering what a hysterical and fun-loving kid she was. Her death still seems surreal and also just so, so unfair. 

Lounging in the hammock

I remember exactly what I was doing the day Elizabeth was born. It was June 23, 1995 — my last day of sixth grade. I was 12. We'd heard the baby, Sarah's little sis, was going to be arriving soon and, finally, I got the news when I was walking up to my friend's house after swimming in Lake Washington. To say I was excited is an understatement. Another little girl for my mom to watch; another 'little sister' for me and my siblings. We already thought Sarah was amazing (and useful for fetching glasses of water and other items from around the house) and now there'd be two of them coming over every day. 

I gave Liz bottles, rocked her and watched her roll over on a blanket outside. She was the most adorable baby — always calm, cool and collected. She didn't even squirm when you were changing her, something I wish I could say of my own two children! She grew into the cuddliest toddler and we'd spend hours playing out in the backyard, laying on the hammock, or inside having dance parties and filming our own music videos. 

Often, my sisters or I would babysit Sarah and Liz if Matt and Sheila wanted to go out. It was a win-win situation. We got to hang out with the sweetest kids (it honestly did not feel like babysitting it was so easy — not something I can say of all the babysitting gigs I had as a teenager) and eat fruit snacks by the boxful out of their pantry. 

As most kids do, she radiated positivity. But what stands out about Elizabeth/Liz/Liza/Lizard (we are big fans of nicknames in my fam), is that she carried this positivity throughout her whole life. That is why now, I can only be thankful for the time I had knowing her. 

Genuine, kind, sweet and loving, Liza was a true treasure. 

An original 'hold-out,' pre-selfie stick

Seaside! Looks like Liz is bringing back lunch

Francie and I with Liza, about 1999

Seaside 2015: Jam-packed days and anxiety dreams

A couple weeks ago we got to spend a week in Seaside, Oregon - the place I have been vacationing since I was an infant. It's a fantastic town, complete with a huge beach, delicious caramel corn and some interesting locals.

We had a GREAT time. Freddie and Elsie lived it up with their American cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. They built sand castle after sand castle, jumped the chilly Pacific Ocean waves and had one-on-one 'dates' with their parents to get giant ice cream cones. They even enjoyed the long car journey. "That was a great road trip!" said Freddie, covered in granola bar crumbs and nectarine residue, as we arrived.

I don't know if I'd say 'great,' but it wasn't too painful. I was expecting the 5+ hour car ride to be the most difficult part of the vacation (William got car sick, Elsie learned how to THROW toys precisely at Freddie's head and we listened to 'I've been working on the railroad' on repeat) but instead it was something else.

Ever since that New York Times article came out, I can't get the 'big one' out of my head. For those not in the Pacific Northwest, the 'big one' is a huge 9.0 earthquake that is due to happen in this area. Actually, it's OVERdue. And the worst hit spot? Seaside, Oregon.

Yes, I spent the week in Seaside having a blast with my kids and rest of the family but I also spent it very low on sleep. Every night I had horrible anxiety dreams about the earthquake, tsunami and how to get everyone out alive. I memorized evacuation routes, parked the car at the beach (3 blocks from the house) so we'd have a quicker method out if the tsunami hit (and the roads were drivable - unlikely), and carried the Ergo (baby carrier) everywhere in case I had to throw one kid into it and make a run for it. By the end of the week, I was a blurry-eyed mess.

The article was a real eye-opener, so for that I am grateful, but I was also happy when we drove past the 'Leaving Tsunami Hazard Zone' signs on the way home. I feel like I'm at a real dilemma here. Are we not supposed to go to Seaside ever again because of the risk? Should I just live in denial? Oh, and where should I store our disaster preparedness kit (yet to be packed) in case I store it in the part of the house that collapses and we can't even end up getting it out?

Whew. Let me know if you have any answers to those questions and, in the meantime, here are some pics of our holiday! :)

Camping with toddlers

Corina, Freddie, Ollie & Keeley - the 4 'big kids'

Some of my best vacay memories as a kid are from going camping. Good old-fashioned pitching a tent and cooking meals over the fire (and by fire I mean camping stove). We've gone camping twice this summer so far and it's been awesome! Not a ton of sleep but LOTS of laughs.

We've gotten over bathroom fears (of the automatic toilet flush - NOT going in the woods), tent tears (picture a double air mattress with Freddie squeezed between William and I) and the youngest two straight up eating dirt.

Here are some pics from our trip last weekend to Lake Easton, just over an hour from Seattle.

Couldn't believe her good luck!

Washing dishes at the spigot!

Tent time!

Elsie learns to climb...everything!

Smiley GG.

Fire ban means roasting mallows on the stove!

Cookin' up some breakfast.

Booster seat = only thing making Elsie sit still. 

Happy 4th! (aka the best time to be back in the USA)

Following the age-old phrase 'when in Rome,' we jumped right back into the swing of things today. What say you Brits? It's just an average ol' Saturday? Not here. It's Independence Day! A day to celebrate being finally free from those durn Redcoats. Here are our highlights (so far) from the holiday weekend:

1. William got yesterday off work. Woohooo! Long weekend! We celebrated with banana pancakes on our new pancake griddle. (That's right - we may not have our own house but we did buy a brand spanking new pancake griddle. Only the essentials.)
2. Flag shirts. If you do not wear red, white and blue on the 4th of July here you are by FAR the minority. Not only that - you're weird. It's simply a must. William and I sported his and hers flag shirts while the kids wore white shirts they spray painted with red and blue paint (genius idea by my sister Anna.) 
3. The parade. Americans really like to kick up their heels whenever they can. Halloween, St. Paddy's day (?!), a solo trip to the grocery story (you MUST treat yourself to a frappuccino) - whatever it is, it's time to go all out. On the 4th of July, every city, town, village and suburb has their own parade. Continuing the tradition of my childhood, we made a float (wagon) and the kids partook in the Edmonds 4th of July parade. One word: chaos. (See the stunned faces below). A delightful barbecue followed, complete with aunts, uncles, cousins and two kiddie pools.
4. Fireworks. I'm just assuming this will be a highlight because, let's face it, it always is. I plan on watching the Kenmore fireworks display (what up Log Boom) from the comfort of my parents' living room. Although, when Freddie and Elsie are old enough to make it past 8pm, we'll almost certainly head to Edmonds for their evening do. Can't beat that pre-fireworks dance party on the dusty park grounds. Hip hip hooray!