Team Wagner

Scott at 3.3333 years

2012-01-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

Scott says the greatest things lately.

While holding two plastic guns:
"My guns are FEARIOUS! My guns are ELECTRIC! My guns will GIVE YOU OWIES! If you are a bad guy."

Talking to his preschool teacher who was giving him special painting time:
"(Audible sigh.) I am just really loving you right now."

Talking to me after I carried him out of bed to go look at the moon one night:
S "That was so fun Mom."
M "Scott, you know I love you? Higher than the highest mountain!" (see, there's this book about a baby owl and his mom who say things like that)
S "I love you taller than the tallest tree!"
M "I love you louder than the loudest drum!"
S "Oh. I would play that drum."

Fleece

2012-01-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

Expecting

2012-01-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

I've been having a lot of fun lately: when someone asks me how I am, I get to say "I'm pregnant!"

We're expecting a little one at the end of August. Luke and I had a sneak peek last week and everything looks fine. We're getting pretty good at reading the ultrasound images and Luke pointed out all the structures before the the midwife had the chance.

Three little Wagner children. Whoa. I couldn't be happier!

Baby is about this size right now. The little doll is something I put in Luke's stocking.

Park part II

2012-01-03T16:05:00.001-08:00

Complaining was boring.

2012-01-03T16:04:00.001-08:00

Took the neighborhood to the park.

Even the easiest job is hard

2012-01-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have a perfectly flexible job. I get to spend 20 hours a week, any 20 hours, working remotely as a health physicist. But little ones who attend daycare get SICK, and daycare/preschools stay closed for a long time over the holidays, so my plan of having only 4-5 nighttime working hours each week (15-16 during childcare time) has been increased to 15 nighttime working hours each week. And nighttime working as a mother of little ones is not the same as nighttime working before little ones: there is a lot of laundry to do, and meals to fix, and house to clean after bedtimes. So even with the kindest neighbors and most helpful visiting parents, I'm tired of work.

Complaint posts are boring. No cute pictures. And, come on, there's really no time to complain here ... work needs to get done!

A friend of mine wrote a dissertation from 7 pm - midnight for months, after she put her 2 little boys to bed. While her husband was working at a start up.

I am in awe of the single parents out there holding it all together.

Yeah yeah, my life's pretty sweet, I know it.

2011 Wrapping Up ...

2011-12-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight we packed the boys in our ~~sleigh~~ double seater stroller, wrapped with blankets and fortified with cups of popcorn, and set out on a walk to see the Christmas lights. It was about 50 degrees, so after a day of playing in T-shirts we were able to wear hoodies and pretend it was cold. Luke and I had beers. We passed a house with a box full of persimmons and a "Free! Please take some!" sign. We strolled past Steve Jobs' childhood home and looked for the house with the model trains.

We live in Wonderland. And though I think we'll eventually move (primarily to be close to family again, once K and D are re-stationed), I'm living it up in Silicon Valley.

This year has been WONDERFUL. Mark's learned to sit, crawl, stand, feed himself, burp himself, say a few words, and bring us his shoes when he wants to go outside. Scott's begun telling wonderful, funny stories and continued being an athletic adventurer. (Funny story: tonight in the tub he said "I'm in the bathroom, so I'm going to say a BATHROOM word! Bottom." and broke into riotous laughter.) Luke has continued being a rock-steady husband and father. I went back to work 20 hr/week. We traveled to Indonesia, my 10-year high school reunion, to see Northern California on a hiking/camping trip, and to Mike and Tricia's wedding. Plus, our family came to visit us so much! And we get to see Karen and Daniel often! Even our "normal" days are pretty joyful, with park visits and good neighbors and just general goodness.

Scott's new bestie and partner in crime

Daily wonderful: shoe sculptures at park

Karen and Scott in the Gilroy Gardens artichoke ride

Sunflowers as big as my baby!

Redwood tree roots as big as our house!

2012 should be nervous; this is a hard year to follow.

But enough about the good stuff. How about worsts? Just to get it outta here and remind ourselves of what not to repeat. And it makes such good reading.

Don't fight the gear. Due to our ~~gypsy~~ long-lived student pasts, Luke and I were very light on gear, but 2011 has been a year of expanding. Nice double stroller! A fold down couch! Special baby carrier! A replacement car (or 2) for dear ol' reliable Bessy the Corola! Our first Christmas tree! While I still like the idea of traveling light, I enjoy having good tools for the jobs at hand.

I don't recommend stopping nursing cold turkey on a 40 hour string of airline flights (SF->DFW->SF->Hong Kong->Jakarta). Not comfortable or pleasant at all, for me or those sitting next to me as I "hid" the hand pump under a airline "blanket". (But if I had is all to do again, I would for the chance of a vacation of a lifetime with my husband on the equator.)

Gili Air

Oh, and while traipsing around paradise with your beloved and a backpack, be sure to bring GOOD sunscreen and shoes. We flew back with blistering backs and cut up feet. (This happened because we spent the previous day snorkeling after sea turtles and parrot fish. Do you feel so bad for us now?)

Good thing I packed Toy Story bandages.

I will not repeat the no-shampoo experiment. 2 weeks last January of no shampoo, just baking soda and lemon herb rinses in an effort to rid my scalp of chemicals and return to my natural state of hippie hair health? No. Yuck. Gross. (I am sparing you the photo.)

Weeeellll, I meant this to be a 5 worst list but I'm so cheerful after the beer and persimmons I can only think of 4. Sweet dreams my sweets.

Northern California Vacation

2011-11-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

We took a family of 4 vacation the first week of November and had so much fun! I want to share the entire itinerary with you because all Bay Area families should follow it. 2 nights of camping, then motels/hotels when the weather turned cold. We had wonderful 3-4 hour hikes, saw giant redwoods, explored beaches, got caught in a snow storm, and watched sulfur mud bubble up through volcanic vents. Ooo and tasted North Coast Brewery beer and world class Corning olives! More soon. Just wanted to share this cute photo for now.

What a fun way to start November.

xoxo,
Jenn

P.S. -- Luke's site is updated much more than mine lately. If you need more pictures of the boys, check it out.

Mothers in Nuclear

2011-10-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

A blog from some rockin' baby mamas in the nuclear industry. Cute logo, no? I know a few MINs in person and really like them. I'm glad to be in their company. (Returning to work half time has been great. More soon.)

Muddy Buddy

2011-10-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, my friend and I ran a mud race. We drove out to beautiful Grant Park at 6 am, ran/biked 6.2 miles, climbed 15' rope walls, slid 25' slides, and crawled through the muddy finish line. We're both sore today but it was so much fun! Luke and the boys were champs, giving me a whole half day to run off and act like a kid and even offering to come cheer me on. When the boys are big I wonder if they'll do one of these races with us.

Karen, this is you next year:

A perfect home for preschoolers

2011-10-10T16:16:00.001-07:00

Check us out elsewhere on the internet, talking about our play-tastic apartment. The Playborhood movement is growing!

Bike!

2011-10-02T13:33:00.001-07:00

EEEEK look at Scott, 3 years and 10 days old, ride a bike without training wheels! Luke called it; he was ready.

Perfect bits of not much

2011-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Lately, my life with the boys has been full of long walks to the library, slow afternoons at the park, and messy time with the neighbors. This morning we're aiming to go buy supplies for our science classes and make it to the children's museum, but we keep getting side-tracked by building tents, rounding up all the flashlights in the house, eating Pirates' Booty on the kitchen floor, and watching Richard Scarry cartoons ... and it's great. Really great. Sometimes not being able to complete any single task drives me wild, but I'm becoming pretty good at squishing my type A, goal-oriented side and instead rolling around with my kids.

At our favorite Mitchell Park on a lazy Saturday evening

We sold our bulky Burley and not-so-sturdy double umbrella strollers on Craigslist and purchased a 2nd-hand beauty: a dreamy orange-crush canvas Phil and Ted's 2-to-1 convertible thang. She's a winner.

On the weekends, our whole fam has been been hanging out with Karen and Daniel or other family and getting out to see this perfect land we live in. We are MINUTES from DOZENS of hiking spots. We follow rivers up the mountains. We stroll by the bay. We watch the angry gray pacific beat the rock cliffs. I. Adore. Living. Here. I have no idea of we will be Californians for a few years or a few decades -- Luke and I play the "where next?" game all the time and never solve it -- but I'm going to live it up while we're here.

Beach pictures from Ellen's visit to California (Santa Cruz)

There's lots of mess in the days, too. Kiddo tantrums and really dirty laundry and all that, but, so what. Tears dry, clothes wash, and I'm happy to be the one drying and washing.

Pouting captured by our 7 yr old neighbor

I'm treasuring these last days of slow, messy, tiring, and perfect because things are about to shift. This week I kick-off teaching preschool science classes to 8 little friends and neighbors (ScienceBaby.net coming soon!) and next week I return to work half time. The boys will be in jr. pre-school/pre-tot daycare 2 days a week and the rest of the days I'll be just Mama. I'm super happy for the chance to keep my science skills sharp with this job. I know it's going to throw more busy into our lives, but, you know, bring it. Time to stretch. I love new things in the fall.

Scott is 3!

2011-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Oh dear Scott, aka "Groceries" aka "Laundry" aka "Superman",

Happy Birthday son! We loved seeing your spirit develop this year. You are bold! You are smart! You are the life of the party. Sometimes you're just overwhelmed with love for your own baby brother. Most mornings when you get in the car seat, you first have to sing the Brothers Song to Mark. You made this song up. You sit on top of him in his seat, gently smack his cheeks with your open palms, and whisper "You and me, you and me, you and me" through gritted teeth. (He loves this, by the way, as he loves most things about you.) Do you know Mark's second word was "Scott"? Before he said my name or Daddy's, he said yours!

Right now, dear Scott, you love wearing costumes (see Dad's blog). You love singing Molly Malone, but you change the words to make her a fish who sells tacos. You love your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, and everyone who does or has lived in Apartment #8. You are starting to say prayers, and you pray for your friends. Because you are little, your emotions can really overtake you. I'm learning that when this happens you want your green alligator blanket or your grey blanket, you want to be held, and if it's really really bad you want to sit on my bed and be read to. Tantrums are tough on you and on me, dear, but the way you want to be soothed is pretty nice.

I love hearing you make up stories. You are always figuring out how things work. And I love seeing your bravery! You climb trees, you climb rocks. And I adore when a freshly slept Scott comes to cuddle with me in the morning or after your rare naps.

Can't wait to see what another year with you brings pumpkin!

Love,
Mommy

One year old!

2011-09-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated the boys' birthdays. My mom flew in for the party (she hasn't missed a grandson's birthday yet!), Karen and Daniel drove in, and we had friends over for cake, silly string, and a pinata. I'm excited to show you photos, but first, a little love letter to our one year old. (Scott isn't officially 3 until Tuesday, so he'll have his turn.)

Little Marky! Darling boy, you've been part of Team Wagner, alive and growing, for one whole turn around the sun! Though you still seem so sweet and babyish to me, you are robust and tough. You climb onto every tricycle you find and like to practice walking while holding our fingers or the neighborhood children's shirts and shoulders. You love making everyone laugh by shaking your whole body "NO!" or clapping "YAY!" during mass. You're starting to be a little bit naughty by pretending to give your toy to your brother and then snatching it away, but you do still share your bottles, sweetheart. You like to cuddle stuffed animals and your favorite yellow blanket from Aunt Bridget. You ALSO like when all of the neighborhood kids jump into your crib at once and wake you up from nap time by playing trampoline, but I don't like that very much. Little boy, you are a great new addition to our team and I'm so very happy you were sent to us.

We hope you love your cow toy (from Mommy and Daddy), new books and clothes (from Cap and Juju), snacks (from Aunt Karen and Uncle Daniel), sand toys (from Flash, Grandpa, and all the Wagner family and pets), and sweet google-eyed card and goodies (from Kelly). You are the best little present we and your brother could have asked for.

Last week we made a new friend at the park and she took 1st birthday photos for us. Check you out, little dude, with your parents:

2011-09-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

My mom did the majority -- the vast majority -- of the cooking in our house growing up. She worked and mothered and put healthy dinners on the table, with place mats! But my dad is a good cook too and made great meals on the weekend. He sent out his 3 most requested recipes in an email and said I could share here. Thanks Dad! Now we want a follow up with Weekend Pancakes and The Good Stuff.

Granny Koop’s Banana Bread

This recipe is from my dad's side of the family, but was always made by Mom. For Karen and Daniel's wedding guests, we baked 21 loaves!

3 bananas (mashed) 2 eggs

½ c margarine (soft) ½ c white sugar

4 T buttermilk 1 t baking soda

½ t baking power 1 ¾ c flour

Mix all ingredients together. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Pour batter into pan (so pretty in a bundt pan!) and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Granny's Chili

This is a very forgiving recipe. Less meat? No problem. More veggies? Sure! Diced tomatoes and tomato paste rather than the soup/ketchup? Go for it. But be warned: if you leave out the celery it is NO LONGER Granny's Chili. About that I feel strongly.

2 lb Ground Beef

2 cans Red Kidney Beans

1 Onion

½ Bell Pepper

2-4 stalks Celery

1 can Tomato Soup
1 cup Ketchup

Brown beef, seasoning with 1tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp chili powder, 2 cloves minced garlic. Add diced vegetables and saute. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 min. (Alternatively, brown beef and then add everything to a crock pot, cooking on low for 6-8 hrs.) Serve with rice, shredded cheddar, sour cream, or my favorite: a slice of buttered sandwich bread and with a leaf of lettuce.

Bob's Salsa
Dad makes this nearly every time we visit San Antonio. Why is it that heat outdoors is made better by spicy heat in your food?

3 cups Roma Tomatoes

5 cloves Fresh Garlic

2 cups Sweet Onion

2 ½ cups Cilantro Leaves

½ Jalepeno (seeds removed)

2 tbsp Lime Juice

½ tsp Salt

Chop garlic cloves first in food processor. Add up to 2 tsp of water as needed to process. Add other ingredients to food processor. Drain any excess liquid from salsa and refrigerate.

Mark, just before 1

2011-08-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a lot of things. The best? It was a parade of our lovely family through California. My mom and dad were here 2 weeks! And Daniel and Karen moved here and we visit each other a LOT! And Luke's mom and Lauren flew out! And Ellen! Ellen took plenty of pictures and today I received her favorite Mark shots:

Ellen captures the big guy in action!

Mark playing at Scott Creek Beach

Baby hat!

Baby hat in pipe cleaners by Ellen! Thank you so much photo aunt.

My oh MY I love every inch of his baby self. He is round, cheerful, and just as squishy as can be. Right now he's into making people laugh by shaking his entire body "NO" and smiling and giggling as he does it. He's saying "Hi" and "Uh oh" wonderfully and is working on "tree" and "Scott", but no Mama or Daddy. Our Marky is also the proud owner of 6 teeth, every one of them hard-won as they interrupt his typically happy attitude with bouts of super-drool, fevers, lack of appetite, and GI issues. Being little is hard work. But Marky makes it look easy.

Thos begins a series of posts by others. Tomorrow, my dad's favorite family recipes revealed!

My latest project

2011-07-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take a free grad course from MIT OpenCourseWare. From 9 - 10 each weekday evening (and hopefully a few more hours each week) I'll be cracking a textbook and reading lecture notes. Then I'll make myself do the homework assignments and take exams. It will be the best parts of grad school. And since I've told you all about it, I'll feel accountable. What am I hoping to get out of this? Three things: mental exercise, conversation fodder, and a sense for exactly what area I would like to work in when our children are all born and in school.

I've narrowed it down to 3 choices: Nuclear Imaging, Radiation Biology, and Human Reproductive Science. What would you choose to study?

Things to remember

2011-07-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

Lately, Mark:

started saying "uh-ohhhh" for nothing in particular
learned to shake his head "no" but does so by shaking his body the opposite way simultaneously and laughing like crazy because he knows this makes us laugh
heard my dad snoring, crawled up to the couch, pulled himself up, and blew a big raspberry at him

Lately, Scott:

has been pretending to be other people. Today he said "I'm Cap Koop, let's talk on the phone. Ring ring! Hello! I'm Cap Koop! I'm driving to San Antonio, it's a loooooong way, I'm marry to Juju."
holds bedtime conversations with Luke. Tonight they discussed the sun and the moon. Scott asked to hear more. Then he said "That was cool talking" and went to sleep.
still loves costumes. Pirate, cowboy, police man, Superman, "spinning clothes" (Mom or Dad's T-shirt), surfer dude, anything different

Lately, Luke:

has been running in Vibram toe shoes
wants Jambalaya at least once a week for dinner

It's a great time in life.

2 blocks from Karen and Daniel's new house!

Inertia

2011-07-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

When it's been a while since I've written, I tend not to. I feel like my next post needs to be important enough, funny enough, insightful enough to earn readers. (This is silly, I know, because I'll tell you what you want, what you really really want: pictures of the boys.) Anyway, to start blogging again I need to be acted upon by an external force and my chosen, self-imposed force is this: write SOMETHING every day for the rest of July.

I'd like to be telling you how the last couple weeks have been great, full of fun everyday adventures since Karen and Daniel moved to Monterey and my parents came to stay. I'd like to show you the new eyeglasses I picked out (while Mom and Dad babysat!) and my new haircut (same!) and tell you about the movies Luke and I saw (ditto!), but doing that requires pictures and editing and I'm just getting this posting ball rolling, so ...

We're starting simple.

This is what the boys' window looked like this morning. See the hummingbird! See the redwoods! And my neighbors' saving money and resources by line drying their clothes!

Love,
Jenn

Poppies

2011-06-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's Jenn, your once-a-month blogger. That doesn't really sound like much, does it? But listen, one post a month over an entire childhood and adolescence is a LOT. Well over 200 posts by the time each boy leaves home for college. And since they're male, that will be plenty of documenting of their young lives. Right? Right.

This spring was the first year with two babies and the first year we weren't in Texas for bluebonnet pictures. New tradition: pictures with the state wildflower every spring! Below, Scott and Mark with the last of the orange California poppies.

Scott in Fort Worth

2011-05-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Unable to tackle the task of recording all we've done since last I blogged, I've decided to just give you a photo. My dad snapped this one the day after Mothers' Day; can you spot all 3 mothers? I had flown in to pick up my boys and my parents drove up to drive charity laps on the racetrack and stayed to hang out with the grandboys.

Dr. Who fans ...

2011-04-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

... vote for Ellen's sugar glider Tardis!