I love this candid shot of Rona adjusting the belt of her dress.

it’s always hard trimming down which photos to post but I think these were some of my favorites.

xoxo,

Bobi

We all came in early on Saturday to get set up and prepare for treating patients that are unable to pay for dental care. In my chair I even had a patient that at the age of 20 had never been to the dentist. Unfortunately in these types of situations we are really only able to provide limited treatment as there are many people coming through the doors. So although he had a few teeth that needed fillings we were only able to provide him with his number one priority which was a dental cleaning and recommend that he try to get into a clinic for some extra work.

I had never worked so hard and done so much intense scaling in a 1 hour session as  I did that day. I felt very happy to be able to provide this service and I have to admit that at times in response to some of the specific patients I saw I found myself very preachy about oral health and home care instructions. I even had my patients promise that they would work a lot harder on a daily basis in maintaining their oral health. What gets me, is that gingivitis and periodontitis are totally preventable if we only get a little bit informed and spend a total of 4-6 minutes a day in our oral hygiene maintenance.

Oral Hygiene Instructions

All it takes to overcome the effects of the food we eat and the normal bacteria present in our mouths is taking the time to brush 1-2 x day for 2 minutes each time making sure we cover each tooth. Preferably this should be done in front of a mirror while paying close attention to make sure you cover all the sides of the teeth. I recommend that you use a circular pattern when brushing and make sure to cover the gums (be gentle here don’t scrub furiously as you’ll injure your gums).

Make sure that you floss before bed (I highly recommend flossing after each major meal) using waxed floss is the best but any will do. Preferred flossing technique: wrap floss around the middle finger of each hand  and leave about 1-2 inches between thumbs and forefingers, you want to gently glide the floss between teeth and in a C-shape form wrap the floss around the side of the teeth scrubbing from bellow the gum and upwards on the crown of the tooth.

If you make it a point to do this every night for 2-3 weeks you will see a remarkable difference. You will not only have developed a healthy habit but I bet that you will notice your gums no longer bleed when you floss and they will also not be as sensitive when you get your professional cleaning. I am also certain that  your hygienist will remark on your improved oral health. Just in case you didn’t know, studies have linked Periodontal disease to Diabetes and heart disease, just more reasons to make good oral hygiene a priority.

here is a collection of photos from our outreach day.

Brandy and Ryan setting up one of the rooms for dental treatment.

Suzy – hiding from my camera…

before the patients arrived we had a little time to chat

Vanessa – seating a patient

Doctor Howe and Suzy -hard at work

Debbie – making someone’s smile nice and clean

me – not an action shot but proof I was there. thanks Trish for the photo.

It was really a memorable event, I hope one we will repeat every year.

xoxo,

Bobi

it was wonderful not having to wait in line even though it’s already mid December, this may be because we got to Santa’s Land at opening and we went quite a ways away from home. This is our 2nd year doing so, we just happened upon it last year while doing some Christmas shopping at the Woodburn Company Stores and decided to get photos done as there was no one waiting and the boys were dressed nicely. I love the little house and the whole set up and decorations with the tree and presents and the sweetest (w/real beard) Santa.

Today happened to be a very eventful day for this little Santa Land in that their camera was not working and they were expecting a replacement by 12:30 but until then they allowed people to take their own photos with Santa. It could not have worked out better for us, I had planned on purchasing the least expensive package and asking to be allowed to take some of my own photos. Since we were amongst the only people there we really got a lot of time with Santa, he had one on one time with each of the boys and then some time with them together.

It was so sweet to see Luke just be in absolute awe of Santa, he could not stop gaping at him. I’m surprised I got even one photo of him looking straight forward. Then when it was Seth’s turn in Santa’s lap I was very impressed with how he has matured over last year,  to see him interact with Santa in a way he hasn’t so far was pretty cool. He was able to answer questions and ask some of his own. I especially liked how Santa asked Seth if he was going to be a good boy and help his mommy, and Seth was ready to answer him with a big nod of his head and the biggest grin on his face. That grin only got wider when Santa asked Seth if he could give him a little something… Both Seth and Luke shared the candy cane Santa gave them on our way around the shopping center.

I will always cherish these FIRSTS in my little ones lives.

Luke and Santa posing for the camera.

the tree at Santa Land had Luke all mesmerized, I guess this is what I should expect once our tree goes up…

being NICE… they sure want to show Santa that they’ve been good this year.

making promises he may or may not keep…
“I will help my mommy when she asks.”

enjoying the treat Santa gave him for being such a good boy.

grandma and her boys…. she sure loves these two little guys and they absolutely adore her.

all in all a wonderful time was had, only thing that would have made it even better was having Chris join us, but maybe next year.

Happy Holidays to all,

Bobi

last sunday afternoon we decided to head out in search for our Christmas Tree | 2012

although this is Luke’s 2nd Christmas it was his first trip out to the farm we get our tree from (last year when we went to get our tree he was only 1 week old)

Our Christmas Tree:

We have some specifications

type: grand noble (douglas fir) silvery green needles if possible

height: aprox. 12 feet

additional: medium width with some spacing between branches to allow for good ornament hanging and large width ribbon.

every year these specifications were no problem (with a little searching) and for the last 4-5 years Martin’s U-Cut Tree Farm in Boring OR off of Foster Rd has been our tree provider. We love them because of the supper sweet and friendly Santa (look a like) fellow at the entrance/exit who hands you a candy cane for each member of your party. We also like them because they provide a variety of warm drinks to enjoy as you are browsing.

I should mention we usually head out in search of our tree the day after Thanksgiving but as we were going to be leaving for Mexico on December 1st we decided to postpone getting our tree until after we got back from vacation. This may have been a mistake, as we have very specific requirements for our tree, there were slim pickings by the time we got to the farm, and unfortunately we walked away without a tree. But we did get a very sweet custom decorated wreath for our front door for a great price.

We decided to look around at all the little stands along our way home that had “already cut” trees but if Martin’s Tree Farm was disappointing these stands were even more so and they had a ridiculous mark up on the trees. However it was not all in vain as we did have ourselves quite an adventure with the boys, they did a great job napping in the car between stops and enjoying hot cocoa and little candy canes as well as a McDonald’s chicken nugget meal for all four of us. It was a sweet and memorable day with the family and I got a few wonderful photos to remember our adventure.

Now we are looking forward to finding our tree this coming weekend and I think we should since we have now lowered our expectations to just getting something cute and at a bargain.

looking through my vanity mirror, on the way to the tree farm, so much excitement I can’t stand it.

Luke and daddy on the tree hunt…

Seth found the tree he wants, it looks perfect if only the height would meet our requirements…

as we get our hot chocolates Seth decides to have a chat with the ceramic toad… wibbit!!!

showing off how wet and muddy it is…

Luke and Chris enjoying their cup of hot cocoa…
the wreath we took home with us.

on the way home I had Chris stop to capture this large flock of ducks that we’re taking a break on their way South for the winter.  I especially love the gloom of the heavy fog in the background.

well that’s all for this post more on our tree hunt later.

xoxo,

Bobi

Can’t hardly believe that my littlest is 3 weeks away from his 1st birthday. I look at him sometime and he seems so small, and while he is small it just feels like Seth felt bigger to me at 1, this might have something to do with the fact that I didn’t have anyone to compare Seth with while I compare Luke and Seth’s developmental stages all the time. Luke is not any smaller than he should be by no means he is perfectly perfect in every way and I am so absolutely happy that he is in my life but I can’t help but reflect that last year at this time I couldn’t wait for him to be born already.

I had experienced parts of 6 pregnancies by this point and my pregnancy with him was by far the most painful of them, as I’ve heard from many moms it was true for me that each one got more difficult even if I only made it to the end with 2 of them. So by this point last year I was doing all sorts of things to promote a delivery date that was either 1-2 weeks earlier or at least by the docs due date but definitely not late. Now looking back I wish I would have taken it just a bit easier because boy does it change once they are on the outside, haha…

I don’t know but it seems that I do everything in a hurry. I never have time to just relax. Even when I plan on going somewhere and it takes me a 30 minute drive, on the drive I reflect on how I wish I was already at my destination instead of having to endure the time it takes to get there.  In fact I seem to love life most when I am at my busiest. It may be because I then enjoy the moments of relaxation a bit more. Maybe some of it is because I feel like I’ve earned those moments of relaxation or something to that extent anyway. But going back to the fact that I’m always ready for the next thing I have to say that I hate the fact that I feel this way. I sometimes have moments of reflection when I realize that I really should slow it down a bit and just enjoy the fact that my boys need me constantly, 24/7, without ceasing… because in just a matter of a few short years they may be at that point where they don’t even want me to drop them off in front of school because it’s embarrassing to be seen with your mom (boy I hope that doesn’t happen to me). so with all this reflection here are some photos from our very busy past weekend.

After spending many hours of photographing and editing two families photos plus photos from a baby dedication event, I took some time with my family, we spent Sunday early evening at a bowling alley and a Skate Park. I documented our time with some photos as my camera had come along for the ride.

Seth played 3 games of bowling all by himself and he was amazing, he even had this hand gesture thing he was doing after throwing the ball (which he could barely lift and cary)

he would then wait to see what would happen with the pins and then he would cheer himself. it was absolutely adorable and hilarious to watch.

And all though Seth was the only one bowling it was definitely a whole family affair…

So as we were leaving the bowling alley the weather was so balmy and the sky this beautiful purple color, it was dusk. I asked Chris to stop at a park on our way home so that I could take some more photos of him and the boys. The evening was absolutely wonderful, simple and unplanned… I think those must be the best times because there are no expectations  and therefore little room for disappointments. you just fly by the seat of your pants and enjoy each moment.

when we got to the park we realized that there were different parts to it as well as it was under construction and we could only park at the end where the skateboarders were.  the boys loved watching them in fact I couldn’t get them to look straight at my camera no matter what.

After heading down the hill from the skate park area we decided to play a bit on the playground even if it was still a bit muddy on the ground. Luke got to go down the slide for the first time by himself, he was quite wobbly but his face had the biggest grin on it the whole time.

At one point Seth decided that he wanted to go down the slide at the same time with Luke, however little man Luke didn’t really like that plan and kept fidgeting so it made it impossible for Seth to hold on to him.

A tree in the park caught my eye and I wanted to capture it. It was quite challenging since it was dark outside, and in order to get the tree and surroundings it meant loosing the beautiful violet sky. However thanks to post processing I was able to edit the photo to resemble more of what it looked like to me with just a bit more oomph and less clutter.

overall it was an absolutely beautiful fall evening that felt more like the end of summer than an early November evening. I am so glad we got to enjoy it together in this way.

well thanks for taking the time to read my posts and hope you have a wonderful week ahead…

xoxo,

Bobi

rainy days in the NW

slight detour on our way home from grocery store found me discovering a really cute neighborhood, I wish I lived in only because of the views.

iPhone Panoramic capability -love it.

I love to edit.

xoxo

Bobi

the pumpkin patch was so much fun for the boys, there was so much to see and do and it was a first for Luke. they loved the pumpkins and Seth got to pick out two little ones (one for each of the boys). I got to take a few photos and even one that I absolutely love, the one with both boys actually looking up at the camera -these are very rare. The day also had us attending the Greek Festival and we all got to check out an old Greek Orthodox church (we had never done that before), we also got to experience some amazing doughnuts that were made at the festival (can’t remember what they were called) -they were drenched in honey, yummy. Next year this event will be something Chris and I will do without the kids -it’s just too chaotic for little ones.

photos from the pumpkin patch:

Our evening stroll on the waterfront this last Sunday was absolutely gorgeous and I loved getting a few shots of my loves and the sights around. hope you enjoy these photos.

xoxo,

Bobi

Once the boys came home first Seth than Luke we reduced their freedom even more, they used to have the whole downstairs and now we have relegated them to one tiny portion of our house “the nook.”  We have hardwood floors and the dogs are potty trained and have a doggie door to go out in the yard and do their business. Therefore this move has really improved how much time I spend in cleaning up after them. But ever since the separation, I realized that I very rarely pay attention to them, really only find myself telling them to quit barking when someone rings the door bell. I will occasionally take them for a walk, but before having the boys I used to go for a run with them every day/ 7 days a week. On top of the lack of attention they have grown older and with that comes a few extra needs as pertains to their health. Both of them are in desperate need for a good dental cleaning, but oh my goodness is that expensive. I did try cleaning their teeth and one of them lets me do a few the other one will have nothing to do with me. I also try to get them to the groomers every 3 months but it costs 80$ each time so even though they need it more often I just am not willing to do it.

Well lately my husband has been on my case to give the dogs away. I was shocked the first time this came up and said that there was no way I could do that… forward to today when I had to take Sunny in for his Rabies vaccine just so I could take him to the groomers. I got to the vet and when were finally seen, I was informed yet again of other vaccines he needs as well as a dental cleaning and I just about lost it. I so don’t want to do all of that stuff from a financial aspect and also I feel that they are animals and shouldn’t need to be vaccinated all the time. Weren’t they made to live off the land? Endowed with all sorts of enzymes to break down all the crap they eat? I mean my dogs are never around other dogs and our backyard is tiny and fully fenced so really how likely is it that they will be exposed to a rabid “anything”. After the appointment I really thought that I could possibly make the choice to give the dogs away. If not for the financial aspect but even more so for the fact that they really would benefit from someone who had more time to give them, because they are great dogs.

I was set to list them online but first I had to find photos… that is where the plan fell completely apart. I found a lot of photos but the 4 I’m going to post are the ones that just pretty much made me reminisce of all the times we had together and I realized that: yeah I do have 2 more living things to care for on top of my kids and my man but oh well… this was the responsibility I took on and I plan on seeing it through to the end -the end of their lives that is. Besides the boys do really love the dogs and when they are a little older I think that it will be worth all the chaos now.

Sunny looking in on Seth when we had just brought him home from the hospital

Yoda the night after being attacked by a Coyote. He was so reserved and quiet but such a trooper.

where they love to roam… as well as where the coyotes love to come hunting for their dinner. 

a bit of snow and sitting pretty for me -one of my first DSLR photos ever.

my jogging buddies, keeping me safe

This collection of photos was emailed to my husband with the subject line “I can’t do it”

in the reply he wrote back “they can stay for now”… agh, I am terrified of having to make this choice.

so now if any of you out there have ever had to give your dogs away, I’d love to hear from you. How did it got? Do you regret it? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

xoxo

Bobi