Guns

I've heard many people say that boys will make anything into a gun, so there isn't much point in trying to avoid them. I've heard a few creative ones before, but a sock and chopsticks?

Dentist!

Caleb and Matthew went to see the dentist today. Caleb was good until they pulled out the drill. Then he lost it.

Matthew was excited to do what his brother was getting to do, until he saw Caleb's reaction to the drill. Then he lost it, too.

That is why I go to Children's Hospital Dental Clinic. They are used to kids. I'm sure we would have been kicked out everywhere else.

In order to salvage any positive from the event, I promised them McDonald's at Newcastle Beach Park.

Coulon Beach Park

The area we have is rich with fantastic parks, and among our favorite is Coulon Beach in Renton. It is on Lake Washington and has a rockin' play area, but my personal favorite feature is the fact it has Ivar's (Fish and Chip) and Kidd Valley (Burger) restaurants on site. Makes picnics way too easy for lazy ol' mom. So tonight, we ate our burgers and milkshakes, and let the boys splash around at the beach.

The Pirate Who Drank Too Much...

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day with not too much fanfare. A homecooked steak dinner. A John Deere card (which the boys quickly started fighting over). A night off for Dad.

Last year, I gave Mike a positive pregnancy test last year as his Father's Day gift. Surprise! And as good as a Father's Day gift that was, I promised him I wouldn't give him that again this year.

Angelina's Birthday

We celebrated the kids' cousin Angelina's birthday today.

The kids have never been to a real kid birthday party before...in the sense of party favors, pinatas, party hats. Now Mom has a new standard to live up to.

Factoria Kids' Museum

I finally got around to putting my compact camera in my purse so I could do a better job of documenting the real things we do, instead of the ones I happen to have my SLR around for. Our blog was beginning to look like we lived at home.

We have an excellent kids' museum just down the hill from us. A membership is a must have if you have kids in soggy Seattle.

Overheard...

In Costco at 7:12 pm...

A very frustrated Caleb, in response to an apparent accusation by his brother:

"Maf-ew!!! I'm not a baby! I go pee-pee in the TOI-let, and I don't wear diapers, I WEAR UNDERWEAR!"

Heard by everyone in the dairy section, and other parts of King County as well.

University of Washington

The boys at the fountain at the UW.

Our New Lawn

Mike and I have tackled several remodeling projects during our marriage, but this is our first outdoor project.

When we bought our house, it had a huge maple tree (read lots and lots of leaves) and a large fir tree. And then lots of mud.

So we had the maple tree removed almost immediately after we moved in...before fall could come and hold my husband's weekends hostage in a never-ending attempt to manage the leaves.

Last summer when we returned from Vietnam, we were shocked to find out we had become a nursery for 4-foot tall weeds. It was an eyesore, and my pregnant body barely could get out of bed let alone contemplate weeding.

But this year, we decided to makeover our backyard to green. Mike has spent probably the last 5 weekends preparing for the sod, and it has been a truly arduous task. The bonus was that it included some real life man toys like a stump grinder and tiller which made Caleb and Matthew go nuts watching Dad go.

Mike removed a retaining wall and the railroad ties that held it up. After some topsoil and soil prepping...we were ready for the sod.

The sod arrived this morning at 8 am. 1750 sq feet of it. All in 10 foot rolls. Mike took the day off, so he had to get it laid that day (plus, sod doesn't keep long in rolls). Then it rained. And rained. So, we say by the weather of January and the daylight of June, our lawn was completed.

Here are some photos of the before and after. (Mike didn't get done until 9 pm, so the after photos were taken a few days later).

Before:







During:






After:

Ph.D. in VeggieTales

I am probably like most preschool moms who wonder what is happening to her brain which is now filled with "Silly Songs with Larry", the "Elmo's World" theme song, and quotes from the "Incredibles". My gray matter, which at one point studied things like gray matter, philosophy, Islamic culture, and post-modern literature is now conceiving of better ways to cook mac and cheese or more efficient methods for putting laundry away.

But on Sunday, I realized that all this may not be a loss. Caleb was amongst strangers, and was, as he sometimes can get, a bit shy. He escaped the unfamiliar environment and wandered over to me and exclaimed "Get your hot roasted peanuts!"

I immediately recognized this as a line from a VeggieTale movie, and said "Are you 'Little Joe'?"

A smile crossed his face...as if relieved to know that someone understood him and knew him well enough to remember what Little Joe had said.

As I reflected on my own childhood, I realized that to love to a child is often just understanding them...even the little things that spark their humor. The people who knew my doll's name, who could sing "Worms, My Invisible Dog" with me, and knew why I idolized Sally Ride...those were the people I knew loved me...and I loved them.

So as I wonder why the words from Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack don't escape my mind thorough the day, I remember that this use of my gray matter is the best thing I could do with it...it tells my kids that I love them, and I can't think of a better use than that.