Happy 4th of July!

Let me preface this post by saying I'm not a big fan of personal fireworks. I adore the big shows put on by the professionals but the everyday yahoo sending up boomers are lighting off a multitude of firecrackers at inappropriate times just plain old piss me off.

Now that I've said that...Danny loves fireworks! :D I married one of "those" yahoos!

Our 4th was a bit strange this year because Fin came down with croup a few nights before and she was feeling a bit punky and under the weather. But she felt a bit on the holiday proper so Danny took the girls to get a little package of fireworks.

So off we went to the street to put on our little show!








We lit some off at home and others off at the theatre after dark while we waited for the big ones to start up.

The girls...well, the jury is out on whether or not they take after their curmudgeony mother or their yahoo father! :D

A Place to Hang our Hats

We made a decision on a place to live today. Granted we've never stepped in the place but thanks to the McThor clan we have a new place to call home.

For the past 10 days Mel has been going out to look at properties for us and calling immediately to report her findings. Oftentimes she had Odin along as her trusty side-kick! He had a specific eye to what he thought Maya would like in a new home! We had a bit of a letdown a couple of weeks ago surrounding the budget allocation for the new rental and it crushed us for a few days and then we bounced back.

We had definitely been hoping to have a single family residence. Unfortunately the single residences were either in the heart of 18-22 year old rental-ville or were out of our price range. So we started looking at townhomes or private entrance apartments.

This week we ended up with some major contenders. We had a newer building for less money but only 2 bedrooms, a detached garage and downstairs neighbors vs. an older building for a bit more money 3 bedrooms, 500 more square feet, attached garage and no downstairs neighbors. Danny and I went back and forth, up and down and around and around until we were dizzy in the head.

We had decided a while back that we would probably put the girls in the same bedroom when we moved since they are getting to an age where that would be "fun" for them and lord knows we won't probably have to large of a window for that attitude.

In the end, we decided to go with the 3 bedroom, 2 bath tri-level townhome. We did this mostly because Danny and I imagined the stress of having downstairs neighbors and it freaked us out. We also know that the townhome next to us has 3 kids between 3 and 7 and will understand the random explosions of kid noise that are sure to erupt from our house. The bottom floor of the townhome can also be a playroom for the girls and the 3rd bedroom will be a shared office for Danny and I which we have been desperately wanting.

All in all I think we made the right decision. I copied a floorplan so you can see what the place looks like. It is 1750 square feet and we are having fun imagining how we will make it ours!

Here is the floorplan:


And here is the complex map:

The Pictures!

We got the disc with the pics of the girls in the mail yesterday! They are fabulous.

Here are a few of our favorites!

The various faces of Maya....





And the antics of Fin....




Sisters going for a walk!

Backyard Pool Time

I think one of the things we are going to miss most about our move is our backyard. The girls are just getting to the age where we can let them play in the backyard without constant supervision. They romp, throw the ball, chase birds, blow bubbles and scream. It is a fabulous break from terrorizing one another (and us) in the house.

Last week, summer finally arrived in Eugene. Up until this point we were wearing long sleeves and wraps because it was rainy and mid- to high 50s. So when summer showed up we filled up the pool and the girls have been having a great time ever since!

Eugene-Seattle

It seems like we are starting the long list of "lasts".

The weekend after graduation we headed to Seattle for a "Bon Voyage" party.

It was a wonderful trip to Seattle. The girls got to spend lots of quality time with Grandpa John and Grandma Elaine. They played at the park, fed Sheryl Crow, the Blue Jay, and the squirrel lots and lots of nuts. They also kept a watchful eye on the mama robin and her nest of eggs!








We also had a great party hosted Auntie Kate and Uncle Joe! It was wonderful, perfect and divine!

Some older Cobbers...Bruce, Sara, Kate and Kuch.


Some older childhood/Village Theatre friends (Shannon, Danny and I)


An Auntie Bob sandwich...the best kind of course!


An Auntie Kate totem pole!


It's hard to say goodbye, so instead we say...See Ya Later!

Last Day at Little French School

Thursday, June 17th was Maya's last day at LFS. It was an emotional day for everyone.



It was a wonderful place for her to be this year. She was challenged and excelled intellectually as well as emotionally and socially. It was a hell of a transition to go from the Co-op where she'd been for the past two years which focused more on child-led learning to a much more structured and school-like environment.

She learned a lot of French words, phrases, and songs. She can count to 15, say her abc's and ask to be excused from the table or use the restroom in French. She learned about personal space and about consequences. She grew up an awful lot!

Quena and Carmen adored her and were quite emotional about her departure and Maya, Danny and I felt much the same.

A chocolaty face...


...and hands...


And of course, how could we forget Don the maintenance man who was a frequent point of conversation during Maya's time at LFS.

Another Daddy Blog!

Out of the Mouths of Babes
June 16, 2010

by The Next Family

By: Danny Thomas

A couple weeks ago I went to Seattle to visit my parents with my girls. Their mother had just wrapped up her dissertation defense and all, so we left her at home to unwind in peace.

The visit was amazing. The girls are getting to the age where Gramma and Grampa can have fun with them at least as much as they have to take care of them; I think that is a critical balance in the Grandchild/Grandparent relationship.

It was a great time – the girls did well on the road, slept well, played well, and everyone had a lot of fun.
I also got to have some nice grown-up solo time – an afternoon playing music and chatting with close friends and an evening out “on the town;” meeting up and drinking a few beers with fun beautiful people to see and play live music.

However, the entire visit was tinged with a melancholy, knowing that, while the occasions that we actually make it up to Seattle are few and far between these days, the possibility of doing it with relative ease is going to be gone by the end of the summer.
This is hard for my wife and me, for sure, and a little for our kiddos too, I think. I know it’s hard for my folks! They’ve gotten used to seeing their grandkids on a regular basis, and it makes me sad to say goodbye to that.

Li’l Chaos, with the infinite wisdom of the four year-old, must have sensed the elephant that was in the room throughout the entire visit up north. On our last morning there, as Gramma was chopping up a pancake for her, she leaned forward, out of the blue, unprovoked, un-coached, and put her hand out to still Gramma’s chopping hands and said, “Don’t worry, you’re always part of our family, even when we’re in Minnesota.”

And that says it all; I have hope that we are doing an okay job with her because she knows that and knows enough to say it out loud!

So, that story is the rational part of my brain. The irrational part of my brain wrote a blog that looks more like this:

Holy shit
Holy f@&king shit
I am moving to Minnesota!
Not just me…
I am moving my family.
Um. Hello? That is huge
And guess what?
(my daughter says “guess what” at the beginning of every sentence these days
It must be rubbing off on me…)
Guess what? It’s not just me. I am moving an entire family.
We are moving together.
I am leaving the Northwest, my home, and moving with my family…
Halfway across the country.

We have had a tremendous blessing,
An achievement to be proud of, my wife has been hired as a Professor, right out of the gate, PhD in hand.

I am so proud.

SO much is changing.
It’s all good, it’s all big.
A lot of change.

I want to get out of here and start the next chapter!
I don’t want to leave…
It’s hard to face all the change, the worry, the decisions.
Impermanence.
The distance.
The things and people I love here – farther away.

At the other end of all this change
Is security and stability for our family…

But the growing pains…
The uprooting of our lives…
I guess I just have to remember the wise words of L’il Chaos and know that no matter where I am you will always be a part of my family. Thanks for that!