On nights

Moon starts residency with nights. Thankfully we have a good space so the boys and I can be in one side of the house and moon can get the sleep he needs. He's home around 8 in the morning and sleeps until 4ish, we eat an early dinner and he heads back to the hospital a bit after 6. So far so good. Here's how we keep busy...

Getting out! Our nearby park is wonderful. We go in the morning, there's shade, put hats on the boys, and let them run and climb! Henri loves the slide. Eli's a little monkey.

And at home we have a big playroom but also this guest room, perfect for setting up a huge train set. 

The nearby library has a great storytime we'll go to tomorrow. And our sandbox now has a good tarp/sun shade (thank you mom!) so the boys can be out there even when it's sunny. All the recent heat has us glad for AC. A luxury! 

We've been...

Wrestling in all our spare time.

Chilling in daddy's loft with his guitar.

Working on sticker books on our new desk that my aunt brought us.

Going to story time at the library weekly. 

Giving hugs.

Digging!

Enjoying the calm, light, and general tidiness in this part of the house. 

Playing on the bunk beds a lot!

Playing in the afternoon heat under the shade of this amazing tree.

Scoring an amazing stroller, proving that Albuquerque has it's own underground cheap culture (I'm in!).

And last but not least, posing with tractors! 

Grabbing mamas phone and taking pictures of Henri.

Keeping quiet during the day to give daddy needed sleep for his night shift.

AND... taking a walk down memory lane... 10 years ago today was THE day. It began. 2 kids, medical school, now residency, new city, and... well, this was the only picture I found on my phone of the two of us (I've transferred and deleted from my phone most of my pics!). Taken on my due date with Henri (who was born 3 days later). We were so happy, so tired, so unaware of what was coming! Much like today...

Happy 10 years to us!

a party

we had a little party for henri's first. 

just the grandparents. and us. 

he kept his entire hanbok on, including the hat! 

and unlike his big brother he went straight for the stethoscope… not the ball. 

it's fun to have pictures to compare to eli when he was turning 1. 

Henri is 1!

one year ago was such a happy, happy day for us.
our Henri was born--straight into his daddy's arms and given right to his mama.
he's always been a hearty boy. a good eater. gives great, big smiles. has had tons of teeth for a long time (we're up to something like 13 or 14 now, molars and all)... let's just say the baby can chew his meat just fine.

he's a gentle giant of a babe. and he stole my heart right away this one. he has a great belly laugh and loves to smile at strangers. in the two weeks we've been in albuquerque he's won over quite a few folks from the front of a grocery cart to a high chair in a cafe...

and while this move means a more low-key birthday for our boy (not to mention it's falling on memorial day!), he's still our star today. and even eli will join in to belt out happy birthday!

happy first birthday sweet Henri Beckett!

PORTLAND FOREVER!

packing it up in pdx...

Hello Albuquerque! 

(taken on our back patio... THAT BELLY!)

the house

one of the big excitements of knowing we were moving to albuquerque was a house.
and we found one we really love.
charming adobe style that dates back quite a while...
but with a new kitchen and bathrooms (yes, 2!).
we've never had a house before...
and these boys need one! (not to mention their parents).
it came complete with a huge sand pit that eli calls his beach.
"cool beach" he says when he arrives with his trucks to dig.
and the kitchen almost made me cry when i saw it for the first time... i went from a glorified closet at our last place in portland to this lovely, big one that allows me to cook with children playing underfoot! it kind of blows my mind.

so the house felt kind of easy to jump into, unpack, settle etc. (plus eli digging outside gives one good unpacking time).
here are a few pictures for those who want to see...
not pictured is a guest room! and moon has a dedicated study in the form of a little loft space... it's the only 2nd floor in the house and it's accessed by a spiral staircase. oh, and henri was napping when i took these so no pictures of their room.

cool beach, eli

dining room (two chairs found free in portland just before we moved and reupholstered here)

green chair found on curbside in se portland (and given a good wash at home). 

(but seriously, if you're in portland go check your curbs!)

play room! 

kitchen sink that i love (which helps when dishes need washing)(as does the dishwashing machine)

moon is thankful our first house is in the desert where lawn maintenance is nonexistent

(the house does have a lovely, great big tree in the front)

our room

the end. 

(now come visit!)

We're in ABQ!

Slowly getting oriented.

Emerging from boxes.

The boys have been awesome with all the transitioning.

We love our new home.

Eli loves his new backyard, sand pit for digging, and back porch.

It's exciting, exhausting, and so many things all at once! But we're here, together, in the beautiful, sunny desert and it's good. Very good.

Catching up on sleep. Sweet boy is almost one!

Life doesn't get much better than an excavator with rocks and sand and dirt to dig with! At least for this 3 year old.