so what do big boys do?

they ride bikes without training wheels, of course! nemo is officially a big boy in this category now, as yesterday was the big day. he had been talking about taking them off for awhile, and of course, pointing out the many bikes that didn't have trainers, but finally, both ian and i felt like he was ready. he had definitely backed off on the overuse of the brakes, and he was able to stand up while pedaling to get himself up a hill...also, going down a hill wasn't seeming very scary anymore.

so, we all agreed, and last night was a perfect night for it. 70 degrees, early evening, empty parking lot across the street...perfect. i was so impressed by how well he did. considering how cautious he was with the trainers initially, i expected this to take a lot longer. i worked with him at first, and he was very wobbly and nervous. he actually spent a lot of time talking while trying to ride, and i spent a lot of time reminding him to focus and keep his eyes in front of him...oh, and don't stop pedaling or you'll fall over!

but, we all know this is a dad's job to teach a kid to ride the two-wheeler, so ian gladly took over and nemo just kept improving! after about thirty minutes, ian was able to let go for longer and longer distances. we're still working on the starting, but today they went to the school playground (which has a very large asphalt surface) and practiced more...apparently he's excelling at the stopping part and catching his falls. i was so pleased with him mostly because of his attitude. he was truly delighted with the whole process and didn't get frustrated with the wobbliness and falling and having to have help...in fact, he'd smile and laugh when he fell, and then get right back up again. he may be on the cautious side, but he's willing to try. so proud.

the last couple weeks...

i haven't been saying much lately, but daily life continues...some days kind of exciting, most ordinary. trust me...i like the ordinary days the best. anyway, the photos and captions should suffice to recap our last couple of weeks...

we had a week at the beginning of the month with wonderfully warm weather...we went to jamison park in the pearl district to play in the fountain and wading pool...we brought a blanket and set it out on the grass, ate snacks, relaxed...like being at the beach in the city!

of course, june 9th was a big day for nemo...birthday number 5, and the theme in decorations and gifts (galore) was CARS....nemo was very pleased, even though the original party at the park got rained out and we had to bring it indoors at home...ian scrambled to the store for "pin the tail on the donkey" and goody bags for the four kids and we ordered a big american dream cheese pizza...topped off with a yummy chocolate cake from jaciva's...the rain did not ruin the day!

oh, and right around this time, mia was learning where her belly button was...we're also working on eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, etc....she's a smart girl, this one.

another big day for nemo was june 15th, preschool graduation! he talked about it all week, even to tell me that he was going to receive a "certificate"...then, immediately asked me what a certificate was. anyway, the ceremony was very nice...they sang songs like "america the beautiful" and "this land is your land", and then they each had their names called while receiving the special certificate. nemo was pleased, and we are even more so as we're graduating on to tuition-free school for the next 13 years!!

we went through another week and a half of cool, gray weather, and just in the last couple days have returned to sunny, summer-like times...we've been relaxing outside, and today mia is finally starting to return back to her usual, curious little self...high fever and crankiness since saturday, but today mostly smiles!

my projects...

In the last week, I created two layouts...just for me. I actually completed them both in one night, which is pretty amazing considering I'm painfully slow at times to finish. I enjoy the process and the thoughtfulness that goes into each layout, and I'm very proud of them once they're finished. I decided to go with one of Ali Edwards' ideas, which is to keep a scrapbook going just for me...and, to make it different by creating the layouts in this book in a different size. So, I'll be picking up a 3-ring binder from American Crafts that will hold my 8 1/2 x 11 layouts. The kid's books and the family book will all be 12 x 12. I also have a previous issue of Simple Scrapbooks to thank for releasing me from my inner "type A" obligation to chronologically scrapbook. Further, using 3-ring binders (which is what I'm switching to) will allow me to carry out my new method easily because I can conveniently throw the layouts in the book as I complete them...no more fussing with the post-bound shenanigans. What's better...if I decide to make an 8 1/2 x 11 layout for Mia's book, it will fit right in. If I don't want to use a page protector, no problem. Just punch holes. If I want to include a piece of the kid's artwork or memorabilia, that works, too. No more rules.



Today was fun for Ian. He received the new external hard drive that he ordered (250 GB...this is a lot of memory, I'm told) and a surge protector and a couple other little things. All for the business, and the eventual second computer.



Nemo and Mia just enjoyed playing with the box and packing material everything shipped in! Who needs toys, anyway?

The highlights of the earlier part of the week include: a date night on Wednesday...I asked Emily, my good friend from work, to watch the kids, and Ian and I met Julie and Jeremy and Ian's friend, Chi, at Ringler's (McMenamin's) before the concert. We played pool (I sank a few good, lucky shots!) and ate dinner, then went upstairs to the Crystal Ballroom for The Sea and Cake. The third time I've seen them play...superb every time. These guys are amazing musicians, and we all stood right up at the front of the stage. I love watching the interaction between the band members, and the expressions on their faces, and how they play their instruments. We bought a cool t-shirt, too. I spent Thursday assisting in Nemo's preschool classroom...I give his teacher a lot of credit, because it's hard work! Lot's of tattling, lot's of messes, lot's of reminders to follow directions, but lot's of impressive work from those kids, too. I really loved observing Nemo work on a new lesson (sink and float...testing which objects sink and which ones float). One day of assisting was plenty for me! Oh, the other highlight (besides the season finales of The Office and Scrubs...love those shows) was that i netflixed season 1 of Arrested Development. Hysterical. Great writing, great acting...how come all the good shows get cancelled?

nemia creative

our little baby of a company is coming along...certainly at the expense of tidiness in our small living space. oh well...we're happy and healthy and excited about our new venture.

ian is figuring out everything on his own. designing the website, designing the templates for our cards, teaching himself the various nuances of photoshop. he's itching for a faster computer, and maybe one with a bigger screen, as he frequently finds himself slouched over, neck bent at a funny angle, stiff and sore at the end of a few hours worth of work on the project.

speaking of projects, he is over at nemo's preschool today helping the class with the mother's day project. nemo loves it when he's there, but feels a bit possessive of him when he's trying to help everyone else. nemo loves doing art projects, and even has his own rubbermaid container of supplies...actually, a few containers is more like it. he often asks to "scrap" with me, and the other day we spent a few hours putting together a little accordian-folded book about our day at the everglades national park back in 2004. he had checked out a book from the library about alligators, and we had some great pictures of alligators up close from our bike ride. he took his scrapbook and library book to school on monday for sharing and got to talk about both.

anyway, you can follow the ian's progress on the website by going to www.nemiacreative.com.
it won't be completely ready for another couple months...we're shooting for a july/august start date. we'll be intially focusing on holiday cards and birth announcements and then go from there. we're pretty proud of it.

lately.

the collazo family is enjoying spring.

nemo is fast refining his technique on the cool bike he received for last year's birthday. he continuously points out every bike he sees without training wheels (which is most bikes, by the way) and asks when we will remove the training wheels on his bike. keep in mind that portland is quite hilly and nemo puts on his brakes 75% of the time even when not going down a hill...you can imagine how long it takes to go up the hills. he's quite cautious and vigilant about not falling. i have to say, though, that in the last month i've seen his confidence really blossom.

speaking of blossoms, i am loving the gorgeous lilac bushes right outside our apartment...so fragrant, so pretty. nemo is so sweet about pointing out all the "beautiful" flowers all over town right now. portland is gorgeous in the spring.

mia loves to be outside and is also very confident in the newly acquired walking skill. she doesn't quite understand the art of backing herself down stairs and will fearlessly begin to step right off the top, expecting us to be there to catch her, of course! we are also trying to teach her to hold our hand in less safe areas, for obvious reasons. she continues to become very excited when she spots a bird, ball, balloon, dog or cat, and yells out "bah!! bah!! bah!!", while pointing with her sweet little pointer finger. she also likes to imitate the sound of sirens, and as we live across the street from a hospital, she has ample opportunity to practice this.

work is work, and i'm still waiting to hear if i'll get a position on night shift. the extra $5.50/hr would help us out so much, so i'm praying for this opportunity. mia is much more manageable at night now, so i don't have that concern anymore. i'm not super excited about being up at night, but this is a rather temporary (for the next few years, anyway) solution for us and would help us get ahead. that, and if ian and i can get our new little business off the ground.

ian is dividing his time between watching the kiddos, finishing some more magnets for the next crafty wonderland (on mother's day), and learning all he can about photoshop 5.5...together, we're working on the website, coming up with our version of a simple business plan, and checking out what other little companies are doing in the area of photo invitations and announcements. our company will be called nemia creative (the website is not up and running yet, but the address will be nemiacreative.com). both of us are really excited about the potential of this project, but we plan to start simply. i would like to post on our progress from time to time, but eventually will have a professional blog just for the company (no links to this one).

another side project i hope to be starting soon is the sabbatical scrapbook. to my family, i will make up "questionnaires" to send out to each of you so that the final book will have some perspective from all of us...my goal is to have the book completed and distributed to each of you by christmas this year. so, start reminiscing...dig out any of your own photos and memorabilia, and prepare to give your side of the story. if anyone has the yellow t-shirt, i would really like a photo of it...i may still have mine, but not entirely sure.

happy spring.

boutique-y baby

Mia really doesn't have a care about what she wears from day to day...frankly, I don't care too much either. But, I have to admit, I really enjoyed dressing her in her only outfit from a baby boutique. We aquired this outfit last year at Nemo's school fundraising auction, and it fits her perfectly this year.
The cute little striped pants are "indoor-only" (my rule), delicate cold wash, and line dry...maybe that's why she has only one pair of these ultra-sweet pants!

God made robots, right Mom?

Ummmm.....I suppose so, Nemo. Yet another interesting thought swirling around in my little boy's brain. One of hundreds of "not sure how to answer" questions he poses every day. He just wants to know, and he doesn't stop asking until we actually acknowledge him. Ian and I could be in the middle of a fascinating discussion about our latest Netflix arrivals or the not-so-subtle presence of our noisy neighbors or Mia's most recent accomplishment, and Nemo will just start saying the same thing over and over and over, louder and louder and louder, until one of us sighs in irritation and mutters, "Never mind, I'm not going to try and talk over him". We then answer him quickly, but more importantly go on to attempt to convey to him yet another nuance of the art of conversation...namely, not respectful for little children to interrupt their parents. He usually makes eye contact briefly and then proceeds to ask another question or otherwise change the subject completely. Again, we sigh and shake our heads in a very slightly defeated sort of way. Oh, this child. Good thing we love him too much.

Speaking of Mia's most recent accomplishments....add walking and loving to look at books to the list. Every day I delight in sharing her enthusiasm and curiosity for all the bits and pieces she's learning about...the funny sounds she makes with her lips (not to mention how silly she looks!), the precise way she picks up a piece of food and puts in her mouth (and then proceeds to gag on it a minute later because she has put one too many pieces of food in her mouth), the smile and giggle as she's looking through her stack of board books, the excitement of propelling herself forward, arms outstretched for balance, toes curled into the floor for stability...sheer momentum getting her from point to point. Expert crawler, novice walker, but willing to practice at it every day. I could easily watch her for hours. The cheeks on this kid are just an added bonus. Very kissable.

Onto my more inner world. As far as work goes, when did birth become such a spectator sport? The woman with her 5 younger children and various aunts, uncles, and grandparents lined up on the couch...the woman who was absolutely fine with allowing both grandparents in the room while I catheterized her (grandpa hid behind a newspaper, revealing to the rest of us that he wasn't absolutely fine with this), the young woman who only allowed her three closest friends in the room (these grown women colored on black fuzzy posters all night while she labored), and most recently, the woman whose father sat in the "audience area" to view pushing and birth, while her mother and partner stayed in the more "modest zone" up by her head. Strange, huh? I admit, my mother and sister were present for Mia's birth (in addition to two midwives and Ian), but I asked them to be there for a specific purpose: to support me and take some nice photos of Mia and me just after she was born. I felt this was tasteful, I was grateful for their presence, and I know they were all equally touched by the experience. There are many births that I assist with that are special and meaningful like this...but often I feel uncomfortable for my patient because she might not realize how vulnerable and exposed she is. I feel protective of the birth, even though it is not my own. I know birth is a family event, but it is also intimate, raw, and private. Not unlike the process of conception which started the whole thing in the first place. Anyway, that's work.

Now, for my hobby. The scrapbooking convention was a hit with me, though I often shook my head and chuckled to myself at the crazed enthusiasm over stickers, ink pads, die cutting tools, and random products called "fabulous foil". Yikes. It was definitely worth going to, especially because I took two excellent classes led by two of the scrapbooking world's most popular "motivational speakers". These ladies are gracious and funny, excited about telling their stories through scrapbooking, and very down-to-earth and approachable. What a delightful job they must have! Their very healthy enthusiasm for scrapbooking is contagious and inspiring, and my list of potential projects grows longer every day. If only I could get paid to scrapbook full time!

In closing, God made not have directly been responsible for the creation of robots on any given day of the week of creation, but we certainly have him to thank for all these gorgeous spring flowers I've been feasting my eyes on. The daffodils are so perky and friendly...definitely my favorite spring flower...those and all the pink dogwood trees all over the city. Sunshine and warm temps made for a blissful weekend outdoors. Several neighborhood walks in the wagon, playing on the playground, riding bikes....ah, spring. Our transition out of hibernation. Refreshing, and well worth the wait.