Dillon Turns 8!

As impossible as it is to believe, our Dillon is 8. This year brought him many monumental changes--a new home, a new school, a new sibling, new friends--yet throughout it all, he remained his hilarious, brilliant, mischievious, helpful self. We've been trying to impress upon him all of the responsibilities that come with getting older, but it sounds ridiculous when we stop and think about how much he already does so well, so maturely. He is an amazing student, at the top of his class in math and reading; he is one of the clear leaders of his soccer team, and it is the rare game when he doesn't make several goals. (Someone cruel also pointed out that he's now halfway to driving age, which reminded me to write to my state senator and representative about the importance of increasing the driving age to 18!)
Because his actual birthday fell during the October break from school, we ended up celebrating with Dillon twice: First, just as a family with mini-golf, go-carts, and Chinese food; second, with a huge Phineas & Ferb-themed party at our house for friends old and new.

Yes, Boo Berries are a perfectly acceptable birthday breakfast!

Making A Break for It

One of the trips the kids and I most look forward to is our yearly trek to the Oregon Coast. We usually head up mid-summer, and spend several weeks digging in the sand and basking in the sunshine. Okay, so we dig in the sand, waiting patiently for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds. Hey, it's Oregon after all. This year, however, Lawson's arrival (and the house remodel) took precedence, so we had to wait  until October break to make our trip northward.

Because of the logistics involved in cramming one station wagon with an infant, two big boys, and the luggage and gear needed to maintain said children for a week, I desperately needed the assistance of another adult. With a lot of trades and wrangling, Kirk was able to get two weeks off from work, so off we went. Our journey was surprisingly smooth both directions; there was very little crying from Lawson, and Kirk and I reminded the big boys frequently we endured that very same drive as children ourselves, without the benefit of DVD's and video games. (Jeez, we're turning into codgers.)

We spent 10 days up north, visiting family in Portland and Seaside, but spending most of our time in and around Rockaway Beach.  We took our usual trips to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, Funland Arcade in Seaside, and the Astoria Column; this year we also had the fun of watching my nephew Jordan play basketball, visiting with Kirk's brother Brett's family, visiting with my cousins & their spouses & kids, and doing a lot of (unsuccessful, yet enjoyable) fishing with my brother Kenn.

Once our vitamin D levels had dropped low enough due to lack of sunshine (Just kidding! It was just time to head home.), we headed south again, rounding out our 2-week trip with a quick visit to my dad and Kirk's mom, who each live in Arnold. It was wonderful to head home from a trip feeling as if we had truly fulfilled our goals: inaugurating little Lawson into the vagabond Steers way of life, visiting with extended family, spending time in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and showing our boys the big wide world.

Lawson meets Auntie Katie

Fishing on the banks of the Kilchis River

I feel a fish story coming on...

Hiking the "Bear Trail"

The shipwreck of the Peter Iredale, near Hammond, OR

Double rainbow at 12th Avenue Bridge, Seaside

Yet another giant hole at Rockaway Beach

Sunset at Rockaway Beach

On the banks of the Stanislaus River

See, I was on this trip!

The New Homestead

While the Brentwood house that we've been remodeling isn't quite complete (Most notably, I still have to share a bathroom with two small boys!), it is to the point that we'd like to share some photos with you.  This house is considerably smaller than the one in West Sacramento (thank goodness), but we think the common areas are much more usable. Someday when time allows, I'll detail some of Kirk's amazing work, but it suffices to say that he has given us a virtually brand-new home.

Front Room

Family Room

Breakfast Nook

Kitchen

Dining Room

Guest Room

(So come visit, will ya'?)

The New Guy

On Thursday, June 23rd, at 6:17 PM, Lawson Bradley Steers arrived via C-section at Kaiser Medical Center in Antioch. He was 20 inches long and weighed 8 lbs, 14 ozs. He had a ton of black hair, and while at first it was a mystery wether his eyes would be blue or brown, it turns out that brown again prevailed. 

His arrival was about two and 1/2 weeks early, and quite a surprise, as my water broke at my sister Grace's house in Cottonwood--3 and 1/2 hours away from our home and hospital! As soon as I was certain of what was going on, I left Dillon & Koen with Grace and headed south--driving myself--because, of course, Kirk was at work. I was having strong contractions the entire drive, but made it to Antioch relatively safely. I even stopped by our house to pick up my hospital bag, although in hindsight that was not very wise. 

I had originally hoped to make it to the Kaiser Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where the plan was to attempt a regular delivery (which would have been very unique after 2 previous C-sections), but after hours of driving, I definitely could not have made it to Walnut Creek on my own. I was no longer competent to be behind the wheel, so I headed straight for the small, wonderful Antioch Medical Center, which is only about 10 minutes from our home. Kirk made it to the hospital only about 25 minutes after I did, and we waited together  for about 2 hours for my c-section. I did labor mightily that entire time, and was ecstatic to finally reach the operating table and get my spinal anesthesia! The surgery and birth were both very safe & successful; most importantly (to me, anyway), Kirk, baby Lawson and I never left one another's side after his arrival. (This was quite a change from my previous deliveries where Kirk & the baby went to the nursery and I was left alone, heartbroken, in the recovery room.) 

Now four months old, Lawson is a gorgeous and sweet-tempered baby.  He has a truly unbelievable head of blackish-brown hair, huge brown eyes, and he is wreathed in delicious fat rolls. He smiles, coos, and blows bubbles just as he ought; we, in return, act like utter fools in order to get him to keep performing his adorable feats. The big boys are enamored of him: Dillon sings to him all of the time, and Koen even happily loans his beloved stuffed animals to "Little Lawley." 

I am also enjoying my time at home with him immensely. Next month marks the longest I have ever been a home-based mom (5 months with Koen), and so far I have only had twinges of wanting to go back to work. Perhaps this is because the little fellow doesn't yet sleep through the night, so I'm frankly too sleepy to even think of going to work in the big wide world. That sleepiness is a wonderful excuse to sit and cuddle my sweet guy, though, and to reflect on how glad we are that he came to join our family!

At 2 weeks old

At 1 month old

At 4 months old