Cleaning up their neighborhood (and the creek)

The kiddos proud of their work cleaning up Bear Creek, CO. Instagram pic by Cat.

These kiddos inspire us! While on a walk yesterday with their Nonny (maternal grandmother) and auntie, Finn noticed an unusual amount of garbage along the creek near a busy road intersection (likely the stemming from the previous night's wind storm). So she hatched an idea, decided to recruit her brother, found a garbage bag, and cleaned up a section of the creek!

Today, on our morning walk to Creekside Elementary, these two were busy further hatching their idea...to organize a school-wide cleanup of the creek that runs by their school - Bear Creek!

It's little moments like this that help me realize the messages we send our children - whether by action or in conversation - can really stick in their minds.

If you want to know more about your local creek and watershed, head over to the EPA's excellent "Surf Your Watershed" website, poke around and consider Adopting Your Watershed!

The waitress

Finn the short order waitress. March 2015

The other morning Finn wanted to pretend she was a short order waitress. She has so much fun making up service-oriented games and she had me hoppin' in the kitchen - one of the few times we'll make an exception to preparing different meals for everyone. As each person placed an order, she recorded it their own ticket which she pasted above the stove. And she was so excited to wear, as an apron, a scarf she recently used for fish printing (gyotaku). We figure we'd better support our kids in play or they won't want to come to us with the serious stuff, now or later. Plus it's just fun to play as a child. A fun Spring Break morning, for sure.

Letter from a desperate daughter

Long car rides have gotten easier as the kids have gotten older - they can handle longer stretches without stopping. On the other hand, they seem to pester each other more, too. The usual sibling rivalry, I guess. On one recent (and particularly long) trip, our daughter, after getting fed up with her brother, penned us a letter and discretely 'delivered' it to us in the front seats. I simply HAD to share. Even the artwork was adorable (Finn's angry eyes)...

Jeremiah has turned into a poop, a meany and a grump. He is covering his ears and going 'la la la la la' so he cannot hear me. Make him stop.
Your desperate daughter,
Finn

Astronauts

Underwear helmets? Water immersion landing suits? Special water landing vehicles? Electronic transmissions between ground control and Astronaut Zero? The rough life of kid astronauts and their parents (via text messages)...

Moon Fishin'...and Jesus

From Dreamworks Animation

This morning my little guy comes to the door of my room at o'dark thirty and whispers, "Papa, I see Jesus fishin' outside." In a fog I say something to the effect of "huh?" He, hearing my confusion, asks to come in and snuggle and show me what he's talking about. I agree and he climbs up on my bed, standing at my head and looking out the window. He proceeds to whisper that I should join him in looking out the window at the quarter moon where Jesus has, apparently, been fishing all night...but I need to be very quiet so I don't scare him away. I rise to my knees, peer out the window at the waning crescent sliver of a moon and it looks beautiful in the clear night sky filled to overflowing with stars, the faintest of light starting to color the sky a deep, dark blue. Jeremiah says to me, "See Him, Papa?" I do not but that's OK. He does. And in his mind, that's really all that matters right now. I'm just glad I got to share this little moment with him.

The tradition continues: early morning snuggle time

The tradition continues: early morning snuggle time.

A typical morning at our house. Parents get up (and yes, you all now know I have a vice...my fuzzy zebra bathrobe...not sexy on me but oh so comfy), make my coffee...and while my coffee is percolating, two little fuzzy heads emerge from their room. I hear the door crack open and the shuffling of little feet. It's a dance we've perfected over time. They come in...say nothing...and I set my paper down while they quietly find their places on my lap. We lay there snuggling and not opening our eyes until we hear the coffee pot perk on the stove and then we open our eyes and let the day begin.

Emotions, feelings and the written word

I am both awed by her, and moved with emotion. It melted my heart.

Finn made this note for me yesterday in the car as they dropped me off for work. It says, in her own hand and understanding of the English language, "It is not the same without you." I was near tears. It's also the longest sentence she's yet written by herself, by a mile. And she pounded it out in a matter of a minute or so.

Awed, inspired, and moved all at the same time.

I love being a parent to my children.

Finn's dental appointment

We had Finn's first dental appointment this morning and she was an absolute champ. She hadn't been seen since she was a few months old and was anticipating the return...with just a hint of trepidation. We had explained pretty much everything they'd do in her mouth during her appointment and she requested bringing her favorite stuffed animal (of the week). We obliged and she was happy as a clam. As expected, she talked the ear off the dental hygienist, who was wonderful with Finn. Her teeth looked great, aside from a small cavity between her two back teeth. Guess we need to be more diligent on flossing EVERY night. After the appointment, while still sitting in the chair, Finn says "I think I want to be a dentist when I grow up" and "Can't we stay here a little bit longer?" Such a cutie.

Camping - the three amigos

Setting sun over our camp - site A19, Moonshine Park.

I tend to get some quiet time now and again. Or, at least, time away from the family and to myself (I often fill it with things, though). But Cat rarely gets some of her own time...and has been needing it. Time to spend without the chaotic distractions that are a part of normal daily life in Western cultures. So, after looking at our mad-crazy summer calendards, we planned it.

I decided to take the kiddos on a 2-day, 1-night camping trip figuring that'd give her a couple of days of much-needed respite. We headed over to one of our favorite local, coast range spots, Lincoln County's Moonshine Park. When it's hot in the valley, it's always 10-15 degrees cooler there along the Siletz River. And with plenty of beaches and river to play on and swim in, paved trails to hike and ride bikes and scooters and miles of prime summer steelhead fishing, what more could we ask for?!

So off we headed, with just a tent, blankets, some food, and lots of outdoor toys. We fished, panned for gold, swam in the river, built forts in the woods, hunted for mushrooms, rode our bikes and scooters, read books, cut firewood, sat around the glowing campfire, and watched the stars.

Papa, the water strider jumped out!

Nothin' yet, Papa...

Happily passed out on the way home.

And we just drank each other in until, at days end, the kiddos passed out happily in the car on our way back to mummy.

I so love my children. And my wonderful friend, spouse, and partner. And perhaps the best part - we came back to a rejuvenated mums!

Caught!

So little man gets sent to his room today for a timeout. And, as most kids are prone to do, he likes to push the barriers. For LJ (little Jeremiah) when he's sent to his room, this usually means coming out into the hallway as far as he can with his toes still hanging just over the edge of his doorway - which in and of itself is pretty funny (and cunning).

But today, he tried a whole new tactic.

Today, after depositing himself into his room, loudly and with much protest, he became silent for a few minutes. And for you non-parents out there, when your normally noisy child is quiet, it's a pretty safe bet that something is up and you should check on them. Granted, some of the time he's just busying himself with creativity, but most of the time - yes, most of the time - he's up to no good. And today was no different.

So I hear sister, sitting in the living room, whispering very quietly something about "you're supposed to be in your room, little man!" which is followed by the pitter-patter of little footsteps - running on his tiptoes, which sounds distinctly different - through the living room, down the hallway, skidding around the corner, and back into his room...followed by silence.

At this point, Cat and I exchange smiles and a knowing glance and I use a loud commanding voice and say, "Jeremiah, you are supposed to be in your room!" To which he pauses - you can almost hear his mental wheels grinding away - and says..."But you didn't SEE me, Papa!" Oh. My. Goodness. It has begun! A game of wits. Truly he has a dizzying intellect! I love it!

As Cat says, that child is going to give us a run for our money!

Little affirmations

I've said it before and I'll no doubt say it many times more. It's the little things that seem to have the biggest impacts. This afternoon at lunch, Cat and I were talking about a news article we'd each read in the newspaper (a social commentary from columnist John Rosemond about the importance of fathers and parenting) when my daughter says to us...


Finn: You know what guys? I just love hearing you have conversations.
Me (with a big smile): Why's that, Finn? 
Finn: Because you both just talk back and forth and it's cool. 


Cat and I exchange an emotional glance that says so much in a fraction of a second, things like "gosh we love that kid" and "guess we're doing something right."  For Cat and I, and I imagine many other parents, we often wonder if we're parenting correctly or if the lessons we're trying to teach our children really do sink in. Love those little affirmations that our parenting is having a positive impact on our kids.

A little afternoon canoeing fun

With all the recent rains here in the Willamette Valley, the rivers have really come up, flooding many low-lying areas. And then the rains stopped and the sun came out today! And according to the weather forcast, it's the last sun we'll probably see for the next several days. So we decided to take out canoe out for it's first voyage of 2012 - a little paddle in flooded Willamette Park. We all felt a little shaky at first, dusting off our canoeing smarts, but had a blast. It was so warm Finn wanted to just relax in her seat and take a nap, mums just soaked it all in, and little man was a worry wort the whole time. "I no like it. It's sinking!" he says. "Want to go home. No more boat. Want my boatiak" (that's what he calls our extra stable Zodiac). After the paddle and everything was packed up, he says "Tanks for da ride, Papa. Want to go back out der on da canoe again!" Silly, fickle boy.

Getting ready to offload the canoe at Willamette Park.

Getting ready to launch

On the flooded foot path, near the parking lot bike racks

Me and my girl, post-paddle

An Osborne-Gowey Christmas Newsletter: 2011

Jeremiah and Cat, 2011

We hope this newsletter finds you well.  We usually write a family newsletter each Christmas season detailing our past year and how much has changed. This year ended with a bittersweet note of the passing of a dear young friend. Through our grief we had decided not to do a newsletter this year. However, after getting various cards from people with notes about how much you all love our newsletter, we decided to put a quick one together. 

Finn and Little Jeremiah, 2011

Kids are growing like crazy. Our daughter Finn is in kindergarten this year...we know: crazy! We have all officially entered the world of elementary school...wow!  She loves it and her teacher is an amazing man with the patience of Job. Finn is already losing her baby teeth and has enjoyed waiting for the tooth fairy, though she informed us the tooth fairy doesn't bring money but a new toothbrush and toothpaste...which we thought was great. She still loves horses and rides at a friend’s farm every week. She can't get enough of singing and dancing to her "country music" as she calls it, and is the tallest kid in her class (as well as the youngest)...I fear she is going to be taller than her tall mummy. 

Our son Jeremiah is two and half and all boy. We used to say that there is no difference between boys and girls...then we had a son...wow there is a big difference between boy and girl hormones. We think he came out grunting like a cave man and throwing a ball around the house an pumping his fists in the air. We so have enjoyed watching him grow and develop his likes and dislikes. He loves nature, being outside as much as possible, trains, cars, and most of all, his sissy. He and his sister have developed a close relationship...which often involves a lot of fighting. J

We have had a lot of positive changes this past year. For the first half of the year, Jeremiah worked a large amount of hours and was asked to do more than any person should...he was working six to seven days a week 12 to 16 hours a day...too much. He was getting no time with the kids and his sweetie...which he treasures so much. Finally, one day we were sitting down to dinner and our daughter put a picture of Papa at the table and said "see it's almost like he's here"...he had to work late again and wasn't able to get home for supper. Cat took a picture of it and sent it to Jeremiah at work and said “I think we have a problem.” Shortly after that a blessing came to us...with the tight financial times the world is in, his company realized they needed to downsize and he was laid off. It sounds strange but it was such a relief for us...he took with him a few of the projects he was working and started working for himself. We've always lived simply so our finances are small and we don't have a lot to worry about. With his work and Cat’s working off and on for the tribe, we do okay...and Cat’s still able to work from home so the kids have mummy and not a daycare. The Lord provides...just not always how we think He will. 

Cat’s work for the tribe has really picked up. Perfect timing too...previously Jeremiah was working so much she never would have had the time to put into my work like she does now. The tribe has had some changes in the business committee and Cat’s finally getting a lot more support. Five years ago she wrote a grant to start a family violence prevention program...the grant was awarded but many in the business committee were not so happy. She wrote a second grant last year and it was awarded as well, and, coupled with the changes to the business committee, the doors are opening and amazing things are happening. Her program is seeing great progress and they've been able to help quite a few women and their children leave abusive situations. 

We have had our sadness this year at the passing of our dear friend Deanna Kingston (and here, here and here)...but we have had many blessings as well. Our lives are full and rich, we have two amazing children, jobs that we feel really contribute to bettering our world, and we have a safe and loving home...really what else could we ask for!?

We hope this next year finds you safe and well and filled with God’s blessings.

Love,

The Osborne-Goweys

Finn's first lost tooth

Actually her 2nd lost tooth, here...

Finn lost her first tooth last week. She mentioned to Cathleen that she had a loose tooth. Mummy checked the wrong tooth so didn't think anything she really did...until she showed us the tooth the next day, barely hanging on and flapping around with her tongue. And then, it was out.

Her adult teeth were already showing underneath and two additional teeth next to the first one are also loose. Wow is she excited. And in some moment of childhood clarity/fancy, she said that the tooth fairy was bringing her a new pink toothpaste and toothbrush, not money. We (ahem, the Tooth Fairy) found her some organic, pink toothpaste but held off on the new toothbrush until the next teeth fell out. Good thing, too, because a couple of days later, when trick or treating at a local dentist's office, she was given a new Crest toothbrush with Cowgirl Jesse (from the Toy Story) on it. She was elated.

All's well that ends well...

Fanning the flames

Both our kids love participating in everything we do. Having a fireplace presents it's own challenges for the kids but we've worked hard with them to teach them what they can and cannot do around it. Little man loves to help with the wood gathering and with getting last night's coals ignited. This morning was no different...except that he had only partially changed out of his pajamas. Too cute...

Little Jeremiah gathering firewood.

Little Jeremiah in the wood wheelbarrow.

Little Jeremiah and Papa blowing on last night's coals.

Our community garden plot

We've had so much fun over the last few years gardening in our community garden plot. This year, we had a bumper crop of peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, squash, broccoli, sunflowers, pumpkins, leeks, spinach, etc. Just before the first hard frost of the fall, we all headed out to the plot to get the last of our produce and Cat had the great idea of getting a classic fall harvest family shot. We took a few and had a great time. Happy Harvest!

Nurses that deliver mail?

Today after little man's two year appointment, Cat mentioned that she liked having a male nurse since it shows our children that it doesn't matter your sex, anyone can do anything. Finn was quiet for a moment then piped up - "You mean, a nurse that delivers mail?" Kids say some of the most wonderful things...

Biking to school

Finn just loves it - and, quite frankly, so do I - when we get to bike to her school together. I'm often already at the office when she heads to school with her brother and mummy - usually walking together - so when I get the opportunity to take her, we both usually pounce on it. It's the little things in life that seem to be the most rewarding to me. Is it the same for you?

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Finn's first horse

Finn drew her first horse this morning. She's loved horses for the better part of three years but whenever we've asked her to draw one, either from memory or from looking at a picture, she says she doesn't know how. We've showed her but she's generally decided she wanted to wait until another time. Guess that time was now! What a girl. Of her drawing she says "It's ok but I want the belly a little bigger." We think it's wonderful!

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Our little patriot

The other day at the dinner table, Finn was saying the blessing/prayer over dinner when, out of the blue, she says "and please bless Barack Obama". And today, when we let her open one of the new Christmas cards that came in the mail, she exclaimed "Is it a picture of Barack Obama?!" Ever since I listened to his book on CD "Dreams of my father" (she was 2yr old at the time), she's loved him and his voice. We saw a picture of him in the newspaper a few months back and she had us clip it out and hang it in her room. Here she's blowing his picture a kiss. She calls the US flag "Barack Obama's flag". We've been trying to explain to her that it's every US citizen's flag, not just Barack's. She's definitely our little patriot. Funny how kids take to things.

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