Mothers in Nuclear

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

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

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

Bike!

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

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!

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!

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: