project g

Our weekend, the photo recap

2012-01-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Hello! Mom and dad, yes all is well-- just a little busy trying to keep my head above water during these crazy days-- but calmer water lies ahead (Thursday, to be more specific).

Despite my lack of time (and sleep, oh precious sleep) I find it amazing all that I am able to cram into a teeny tiny little weekend. Two days weekend are for the birds. THE BIRDS.

My Friday night. I spent the evening cozying up to my computer, cranking the work out in order to have some family time on Saturday.

And what says "quality time" better than a family trip to IKEA? G had his head buried in Angry Birds so I'm not sure he even knows we were there* but Lukie on the other hand, OMG, he literally was running though and commenting on each room design, it was like the Disneyland of furniture. Too cute.

The kiddo carts are a cute idea. But what kid doesn't want to run with wind w/these things?

Yoga is doing a 30 day challenge which of course I knew I couldn't complete primarily because a) I'm not sure I really WANT to do hot yoga 30 times in 31 days, b) Even if did, who has 2 free hours per day? and 3) It's session. SO I was realistic and aimed for 10 days. Today was my last day for the month (work is psychotic, see picture A) and I managed 14 classes in 29 days. Not bad, eh?
Hello there, sassy chair. We made a family trip to work so Chuck could so lovingly (and patiently) assemble my chair that so conveniently turns into a bed!

Pondering his future. Lawyer? Lawmaker or both?

Which version of the picture do you like better?

There is always time for cooking makin'. I am working on perfecting my chocolate chip cookie. I am close. It needs to be nice & chocolately, on the thicker side (but not too cakey) and slightly chewy.

And that concludes our weekend. No pictures of us cleaning the house because, unfortunately, that just didn't happpen. Such is life. BUT, I did go grocery shopping and did several loads of laundry, lest you think I'm slacking on the domestic side of things.

*Son 1 is in full on Angry Bird must-reach-the-top-level obsession. He's always been pretty good at not playing games for too long but all of a sudden it's become a s-i-t-ua-t-i-o-n and so the iTouch has been repo'd by the original owners (us).

Mom of the Year

2012-01-22T12:17:00.001-08:00

So, perhaps I agreed to buy fish to change their focus from begging for a dog, kitten or baby sister. Or perhaps I bought them fish because I hadn't seen them all week- and a new pet, what a fun adventure!

Whatever the motivation, fish were purchased. G asked lots of questions at the store regarding proper fish care. Last time I had a fish I was probably his age. G settled on 3 zebra danios & L was dead set on a gold fish, whom he named Baby Fish.

Speaking of dead....2 of 3 of G's fish kicked it within the first hour. They were known as floatie and swimmy. AWESOME. I had planned on giving the whole "fish die" talk at bedtime. No such luck and of course G was upset. There were tears.

But I'm glad to report G's remaining fish, Silver, and Baby Fish made it through the night.

I'm just looking for a drama- free week. Is that too much to ask?

Into the Wild Snow Event 2012, homeward bound!

2012-01-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

What.a.week.it.has.been.
In the future I know I need to pack jeans, bring my "real" camera and buying snow shoes has seriously bumped up on my list of things to buy. I didn't have much time to enjoy the snow (being at work and whatnot) but I manage to get some photos. I haven't seen the kiddos since Monday night! I'm trying to be productive as possible today so I can have weekend free of work. Likely not possible, but a girl needs goals, right?

This CA girl hits the Oly roads

Last night as we left work

This morning. Most streets on campus closed due to falling trees/branches. This is a view of the building I work in.

The ice on my car

Ready to go home!!!!

Snow, Yo v.1000

2012-01-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last time I saw the kids was Monday night. I had lots of work to do so this is Lukie sleeping on my yoga mat while I worked in the office.

Wednesday was the real "Snow Event". I am standing in the middle of the street!

This morning it's all icy.

The Dome today. So beautiful, wish I could play instead of work. And hopefully I can go home tonight, haven't seen the boys since Monday night and we're in the middle of our crazy busy time at work. Sad face.

AND the lights keep flickering. A colleague is currently stuck in the elevator. Trees, weighed down the snow, are falling and/or hitting power lines.

I shall deem this "Into the Wild Snow Event, 2012".

Beautiful MLK day

2012-01-16T22:27:00.001-08:00

Beautiful MLK day, originally uploaded by alikona.

So while you likely had a mellow HOLIDAY, curled up in front of a fireplace or played outside in the snow with young ones...I was working for the man and stressing about the snow.

Funny how something so beautiful can also be so anxiety-producing. Go mother nature. I love the snow, but I don't love when the snow freezes over into ice and impedes my ability to safety go to and from work. You dig?

But thankfully the roads were bare both ways but stormier weather lies ahead and I have packed accordingly. I can hunker down in the 360 for a few days if need be. Also? In survivalist mode I was thinking, hey! I could even sleep AT work, in my office. My food is in the fridge, there is a shower downstairs, and my office door locks. What more does a girl need?

And yay for my pal/co-worker for taking this gorgeous shot.

Solider on my peeps, solider on.

Back to bill drafting, amendment wordsmithing, and the best of all: bill report writing. WOOT WOOT!

Snow yo!

2012-01-15T17:04:00.001-08:00

The boys have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of winter's first snow. They were slightly distraught regarding the lack of snow on Christmas. I think today's snowfall may have compensated for that slight.

First snow, originally uploaded by alikona.

Hike to beach, originally uploaded by alikona.

Hike to the beach? Why the heck not. It was a fun, snowy walk down.

Snowy beach, originally uploaded by alikona.

The view from the beach was beautiful and it was wonderfully deserted.

Hike back, originally uploaded by alikona.

And then my toes were frozen so we hiked back. I was not wearing the proper shoes and G told me that I have now learned my lesson. Thanks, kid.

Moi, originally uploaded by alikona.

Snowball making, originally uploaded by alikona.

Despite my frozen toes, it took me & G some time to get back as he was rolling a snow ball up the hill-- by the end it was 3x larger than this and we had to abandon it because it was a very heavy ball of ice. And did I mention my freezing toes?

Luke's, originally uploaded by alikona.

And we were welcomed home with a snowball fight.

What a fun afternoon! Hopefully my commute to work won't be snow dramatic...and I was hoping to go early to get a jump start on a busy week. And wear a silk dress which may not be a good idea.

The last days of Christmas

2012-01-05T10:08:00.001-08:00

New year's treats, originally uploaded by alikona.

On the 10th day of Christmas, I brought my work peeps some treats back from SF: fortunate cookies (in red money envelopes) from SF's Chinatown.

Rainbow!, originally uploaded by alikona.

On the 11th day of Christmas, I was treated to 2 double rainbows on my drive to work.

The three amigos, originally uploaded by alikona.

On the 12th day of Christmas, I realized that since Lukie was sleeping when I got home (A MIRACLE), that tonight when I get home it'll have been 24 hours since I've seen him awake :(

Now I have to remember to get some treats for the boys so we can celebrate 3 Wise Men day tomorrow...

On the 9th day of Christmas

2012-01-02T22:06:00.001-08:00

Session shopping, originally uploaded by alikona.

...I did some annual pre-session shopping using my beloved gift cards.

Can you believe session is just around the corner? I think tomorrow is going to be rough on everyone- G's been out of school for 18 days, L hasn't been out of his routine for 2 weeks and I've been out of the office (what up furlough!) for 10 days. Good thing I have a week before session to ease on into things. I hope.

Of course I didn't actually buy these shoes but they were fun to try on-- I could barely walk to take the picture!

I guess the holidays are over :/

On the 8th* day of Christmas

2012-01-01T15:26:00.001-08:00

1.1.12, originally uploaded by alikona.

it was also New year's day and a sunny and warm day at that!

After brunch and finally changing out of our jammies past noon, G and I went for a walk along the beach and a short hike. What a wonderful way to start a new year!

Up next: Hot yoga and date night.

What an excellent start to 2012.

*OK, I'm not sure how to count the days between Christmas and Epiphany because there are 13 days, so do you not count Christmas or Epiphany? We're going to have to go for the latter since I already started this countdown and in the meanwhile I shall consult Google.

The 7th day of Christmas

2011-12-31T19:13:00.001-08:00

Last stroll along the beach in 2011, originally uploaded by alikona.

is also the last day of 2011.

And what are we doing to celebrate? Well, it's 7pm and G and Chuck are napping on the couch- we didn't even plan a special dinner or anything! But we did just get back from SF and are a bit tired from all the fun & excitement that the holidays bring.

On this non-rainy last day of 2011, I did manage to sneak in a walk down to the beach, my last beach visit for the year. It was brisk (30) and beautiful.

What does 2012 have in store for us? Hopefully a healthy and prosperous year.

Also, some goals (not resolutions!) for 2012:
1. Be sure to write thank you's
2. Exercise regularly
3. Have more date nights with Chuck
4. Smile more often
5. Play more games with the boys
6. Go on 1 hike a month
7. Eat more veggies
8. Run a 5k (really)
9. Read a book, any book!
10. Camp somewhere new
11. Cook more from scratch
12. Be more organized

Happy new year!

The 6th day of Christmas...

2011-12-30T21:57:00.001-08:00

The crew @ Glen Canyon, originally uploaded by alikona.

I saw my childhood BFF and her cute kidlings. Off we went for an urban hike, walkable from her house! I love urban hikes and this was no exception. The kids had a great time and I enjoyed walking along the eucalyptus trees which are so abundant around here.

Then we had to part ways from our pals. Sad face.

Tomorrow we head home. There is never enough time in San Francisco and I felt that way even when I was here for almost a month last summer! It's hard balancing quality time with family, friends and taking in all the sights (and food) the best city ever has to offer (and yes, I might be a bit biased).

I think this is probably my first trip home where I didn't go to the beach which is a quick 5 minute drive from my parent's house. But I did get to eat at my favorite Mexican place, see the Christmas Tree at Union Square and embarrass my sister by having them sing happy birthday to her at Chevy's tonight ;)

On the 5th day of Christmas

2011-12-29T22:25:00.001-08:00

Union Square, originally uploaded by alikona.

We attempted to have a mellow day, which involved:
1. Burritos at Gordos
(a) quickly stealing some Sbux wifi because my parent's don't know their network password (!!!)
2. A walk around Stow Lake to walk off said burrito
3. Strolling through Chinatown (mission: fortune cookies. Mission accomplished),
4. Seeing the Christmas tree at Union Square.

All was accomplished - and even more, like an epic meltdown at Union Square and then an entire 20 minute car drive for the meltdowner to tell me there were 50,000 problems and it would take 5 hours to tell me all the problems. Sweet love of baby Jesus.

But all is well. Lucas is not pictured because this was probably the 20th picture taken and he was d.o.n.e. with that nonsense!

Did I mention the burritos? And their yummy guac? I can't figure out their secret, is it sour cream? Oh the mysteries of the world.

Good night!

The 4th day of Christmas

2011-12-29T22:12:00.001-08:00

skatin' machines, originally uploaded by alikona.

We celebrated my sister's (6th 29th) birthday with some ice skating. G got the hang of it, L was not so keen. Of course there was more celebrating to be had, including the boys picking out a fascinator for their aunt, but alas I have now way of uploading my real camera's pictures at the moment....

And my sister gave me the best present ever which was a score off of Craigslist...

Another riveting post, right?

Catching up: The 3rd day of Christmas

2011-12-29T22:02:00.001-08:00

Grandpa!, originally uploaded by alikona.

Greetings! My intent was (is?) to post for the actual 12 days of Christmas which means I'm a little behind ;(

On the 1st day of Christmas (aka Christmas) we hosted the Ham's (17 peeps) in our little abode. The kids had a great Christmas and we enjoyed spending rest of the day with the family as well.

On the 2nd day of Christmas we took it easy and relaxed and I got a much needed haircut. (Riveting, right?)

On the 3rd day of Christmas we left our house at 4:40am to head to warmer pastures- aka San Francisco. Grandpa Greg greeted us at the airport in some rather festive attire for 8 in the morning- go dad!

And there's more- stay tuned!

Christmas: 1 day and counting!

2011-12-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

photo.JPG, originally uploaded by alikona.

Actually, it's more like 2 minutes and counting! We knew tonight would be a challenge since Lukie waits for me to sleep- so at 9:30 (after baking like 4 batches of cookies and pre-assembling our breakfast casserole for tomorrow morning- what has happened to me?!?), I finally laid down with L and set my alarm for 10:15pm because I had elf duties to attend to.

Then I had to turn off the alarm because homeboy was still awake. WTH? I was exhausted and woke up at 11:15pm- and have actually accomplished quite a bit in less than an hour.

We had a mellow (SUNNY!) day- mostly getting ready for tomorrow (we're hosting) although we did manage a quick trip to the park...perfect mellow day, really.

Now I just hope the boys sleep 'til 8 so mama can get some decent shut eye.

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas: TWO days and counting

2011-12-23T13:16:00.001-08:00

oly 2011, originally uploaded by alikona.

Today's fun thing: Bringing G with me to work! We went and checked out the beautiful & large Christmas tree in the Rotunda and walked around, including grabbing his favorite Oly lunch: Meconi's. I'd included a pic of G from when he was 1.5 vs today visiting me at work. HOLY MOLY where has time gone?

Happy holidays!

Christmas countdown: 3 days and counting

2011-12-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

Canning mama, originally uploaded by alikona.

My lastest kitchen adventure: Canning jam!

Life is just so busy when you're [pretending to be] a domestic diva.

Christmas: 4 days and counting

2011-12-21T23:57:00.000-08:00

Elf on the Shelf, originally uploaded by alikona.

Are you also sucked into this Elf on a Shelf thing? Ours is named Buddy. Despite the fact that I can barely keep up with being a tooth fairy (7x over), moving buddy each morning is equally challenging for one reason: Gabriel magically wakes up when I do.

So, I dash upstairs, one time shoving Buddy under my shirt and placing it in the bathroom. Other mornings I've told G to wait 5 minutes for coming upstairs to quickly move Buddy.

And the other morning I was so tired of G's questions (WHY did he have to wait 5 minutes? What was I doing?) So I LIED and said I was wrapping presents (at 6am? In 5 minutes?)...and then he proceeding to look for said mythically wrapped presents for another 20.

BUT yay, only 2 more nights of hiding because Christmas Eve he goes back to Santa.

Buddy totally works for G, not so much for L, which is not suprising. Earlier this week Chuck called Santa to report some naughty behavior which instantly had G in TEARS although he wasn't being naughty L was, and L didn't even flinch.

But it is fun to see them get up in the morning and hunt for Buddy and to watch them telling Buddy about the other's naughty acts- it's a bit of a confessional, really.

Now we just need a Bunny on the Shelf to get us to the next holiday...JUST KIDDING, I couldn't keep up and somehow they'd catch me and then the magical of the Easter Bunny and possibly Christmas would be lost- and I can't be responsible for that!

Peace out.

Christmas: 5 days and counting!

2011-12-20T22:39:00.001-08:00

downtown, originally uploaded by alikona.

We are in the full swing of the holidays up in our house. I took the day off to hang with the boys- and oh what we accomplished!

It was Lukie's last day of preschool, which meant party time! So me & G spent the morning there. The boys chilled a bit and then we embarked on our Great Holiday Adventure (GHA).

The GHA entailed: Hopping on our local bus downtown (an adventure unto itself), checking out the decorations at Pike's Place, riding the carousel, admiring Macy's star and the decorations of downtown, grabbing dinner, getting some last minute gifts, enjoying a choir & faux snow at the mall, and checking out Sheraton's Gingerbread Village. The village's theme is train stations around the world- so not sure how the Matterhorn fits in with that theme but the abominable snowman scared the C out of the boys at Disneyland, so I had to snap a photo.

Speaking of photos, GUESS who did not have her camera on her? Right. Tragic. And instead I have fuzzy camera pictures, but that's okay because I have the memories.

The boys were super troopers and all was fine (mini wrestle match in Forever 21 notwithstanding, but who could blame them?).

And then we caught the last local bus back and I realized it was not the weekend but merely Tuesday and there are three more work days left in the week. Yikes.

Goodnight!

Christmas: 6 days and counting

2011-12-19T12:19:00.001-08:00

Cookie exchange, originally uploaded by alikona.

Today's fun holiday activity = cookie exchange at work. YUM. Thanks work peeps for the tasty treats!

Christmas: 7 days and counting

2011-12-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

It's time for the boys' annual Santa videos:

Gabriel's and Lucas's.

Note: These links will only work for a bit, but enjoy!

Christmas: 8 days and counting

2011-12-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

Space Santa @ Space Needle, originally uploaded by alikona.

This is what I'm talking about-- we previously got Santa pictures that turned out...tragically. I debated a redo (first world problem!) since we do frame all of their Christmas photos. We decided against it.

Today was a *gorgeously* sunny 48 degree day (not being sarcastic)- so I took the boys to the Seattle Center. They love the holiday train display. I figured we could ride the monorail downtown but we decided on the Space Needle- where the view was heavenly. The boys got to visit Space Santa, decorate spaceship cookies & soak in the gorgeous views (more photos to follow).

This picture here is just from my camera phone. A) I should've used my "real" camera and B) The "real" picture we bought came out FANTASTICO.

Word up Space Santa!

Christmas Countdown: 9 days

2011-12-17T16:26:00.001-08:00

Gingerbread train, originally uploaded by alikona.

Yesterday, we was 9 days until Christmas , the boys made a Gingerbread train. As you see they even got fancy with icicles and making it look like the train is pushing through snow.

However, next year I'm totally buying the Costco pre-made house because decorating the house is really what it's all about right?

Cheers!

Christmas: 10 days and counting

2011-12-15T14:10:00.001-08:00

dress rehearsal, originally uploaded by alikona.

With Sine Die #3 of 2011 behind me...I looked at the calendar and sadly realized that today is literally the only day I can take off between now and the 2012 session- that would be just me. Home alone. I seized the opportunity. And the things I've accomplished! Trader Joe's, cleaned the car inside/out and am washing the car seats as we speak, surprised G by watching his school's dress rehearsal for tonight's advent program, and wrapped every.single.Christmas.present. If only I could take a nap.I think I might. Then I have a dentist appointment and a few more errands to run before picking up the boys. Also, no cleaning which is good/bad. Bad because I need to clean, good because then does feel like a bit of break ;)

I could finish addressing the Christmas cards but I don't want to be an over achiever.

I can't believe this is the last weekend before Christmas. I feel like there's so my Christmasy things I still want to do with the boys...I think a Santa picture redo and a trip downtown to all the sights are at the top off the list.

Until tomorrow my friends!

Christmas: 11 days and counting

2011-12-14T14:18:00.001-08:00

GEDC2799, originally uploaded by alikona.

Speaking of being technical, two posts in one day, why not? Now I'm accurate with my timing on my Christmas countdown. What up dog?

Here we are with our freshly fetched Christmas tree.

Fa la la la la, la la la la.
(I'm all about holiday music 24/7 these days, perhaps it about balancing the craziness of Special Session #2 DURING THE HOLIDAYS and still feeling like I'm celebrating the season. And, I'll probably never want to listen to holiday music again). Over and out.

Christmas: 12 days and counting

2011-12-14T14:13:00.001-08:00

GEDC2782, originally uploaded by alikona.

Ok, it's really 11 days BUT I've decided that given my recent blog absence, I'm going to post daily up to Christmas. Fun, right? I do have a 12-day rant but I'll save that until the end!

As we do every year, we went and fetched our own Christmas tree, although the farm we usually visit was rather bare with trees. Odd for a tree farm, no? BUT, we did have a Santa spotting. We cruised down the road to another tree farm with trees and PONIES. Does a child's day get any more exciting?

My "12 day" rant: Retailers are all doing this "12 days of Christmas" thing with daily deals. Yes, it's a catchy title but what's annoying is that the 12 days of Christmas START on Christmas and end on Epiphany, which is celebrated as the day the three wise men arrived and gave gifts to Baby Jesus, if you're inclined to believe in that sort of thing. WHOA, me getting all technical on religion? I'm more about being technical - it's my job, really. /End rant

And let's just continue being merry!

Via Flickr:
Gedsc digital camera

Christmas!

2011-12-09T10:07:00.001-08:00

Family Moments Holiday

To view our most popular holiday card designs, click here.

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

At Thanksgiving Mass collecting food donations with the Scouts

Weekend Round Up & The Rain: It has arriveth

2011-11-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was c-o-l-d but (!) it didn't rain which means it was a fantastic weekend. Saturday I joined the Tiger Cubs on a hike down at the beach. I was the only female in attendance. Kinda felt like I was a crashing a party but I love hikes and I've never explored all the trails at the beach near our house so I figured it was my duty to go!

Beautiful day for a hike

Sunday we met up with the Hamilton cousins at the nearby skate park. Breaking news: There were more scooters than skateboards. Who knew?

And that is all the happy news I have to share.

Part II: It is now rainy and grey and boo.

Five days at home later this week with the boys should be a BLAST especially with a 100% chance of rain. Maybe we should opt for a day of snow play lest mama go c-r-a-z-y. There are only so many indoor venues I can take consecutively. Sigh.

My little yogi

2011-11-17T23:51:00.000-08:00


Have I ever told you how flexible Lukie is?

Tonight, when all other children his age in the same time zone where sleeping, he wanted a treat. I wanted to see just how flexible he was & see if could do Toe Pose, a pose from Bikram yoga. Let's just say we both got what we wanted.

In the middle picture Lukie is trying to get in the final upright position (as shown in the photo on the right) and if you look closely Lukie's bottom isn't touching the floor.

On the other hand, this is what I look like in class:

I call this "Mama's version of the Toe Stand"

I'm thinking Lukie should take a kiddo yoga class- how cute would that be? You know surely such a class must exist, especially in this neck of the woods.

Namaste.

The great baking dilemma

2011-11-15T23:18:00.001-08:00

As it turns out, making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from scratch is rather simple. A quick Google search led me to a highly rated chewy chocolate chip recipe. So good in fact that I don't think I can make them again because I apparently lack the will power to avoid rewarding myself with the fruits of my labor. What's a girl to do?

Going back to school

2011-11-14T22:27:00.001-08:00

I've decided that I need to enroll in first-grade math, bringing it way back.

1+1? That's so kindergarten, or preschool, even.

TWICE while volunteering in G's class today I had to ask the teacher for math assistance.

The first question that had me stumped was "How many faces does a sphere have?". First, I was reminded of what a sphere was in the first place last year when G was in K. Second, faces?!?

So the teacher busts out a bin of spheres, cylinders, prisms, and God knows what else- my geometry vocabulary is pretty limited. As it turns out spheres have no faces, or sides for that matter. Then I had to explain the difference between plain & solid shapes. I don't freakin' know. I thought we flew in planes! From the picture (see below) I deciphered that plane = one dimensional/flat & solid = three dimensional.

I think I confused some kiddos today, sorry!

Turns out the math lesson today (4 hours later) was about plane v. solid, faces and whatnot meaning G was not at all impressed when I tried to bust out my newly acquired math skillz when he did his homework tonight.

Instead, my pretween was like, "Mom, I KNOW".

I'm sure the kids are eagerly anticipating my return you know, since I was so helpful.

Maybe I should sign up for something slightly less academic, like recess duty.

11/11/11

2011-11-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day!

A summary of our day, in pictures:

Great sales on some items I've had my eyes on for the holidays & with no one to watch the boys @ 7am...guess who was getting Lukie dressed at 6:45am? To be sneaky I had them check out the Transformers while I did my magic.

And since it's 11/11/11 and a full moon, I figured, the stars must be aligned, right?

Broken glasses + rainy day means we need to make a plan or we'll all be crazy by lunch!
Just look @ that rain, holy moly!

Time to renew our membership to the Aquarium! After a 2 year hiatus, I think we're ready to return + we scored a free annual pass through G's school

Do you think Lukie wants glasses?

And now that we're back into the Aquarium circuit, we'll be visiting Pike's Place more often...

G's favorite part of Pike's Place: The buskers

Nothing like balloon sword fighting on the streets of Seattle. Fine parenting moment, yes?

My favorite part of Pike's Place (other than the dried flowers): Mighty O Donuts!

My favorite sign

Formally known as the Viaduct.


Seriously, look at the rain!

So, that sums up our day, from 6am to 6pm. Hopefully, the boys will be tired and go to sleep at a *normal* time like normal children.

One can hope.

First grade woes

2011-11-10T22:16:00.001-08:00

Do you think first born children hold a special place in a mother's heart? I've been wondering about this for awhile. Is it that you simply have spent more time with them? Or that together you've begun to navigate this crazy thing called parenthood?
.
.
.
Today was a *gorgeous* Fall day, more gorgeous perhaps in light of the upcoming forecast of rain, rain and more rain. I wasn't going to let the short sunny day go by without a walk so... I multi tasked & walked to get G. I was excited to see him & thought maybe we could squeeze in some "mommy & G" time.

Turns out there was a little bit of 1st grade drama which made my heart heavy for my sweet sweet boy. A classmate, one who G considers a friend, is having a birthday party. G wasn't invited, although he insists the boy says he can come. This part of parenthood is no fun. In fact, it sucks a lot. I did my best to reiterate that kids have parties & can't invite everyone, just like he can't invite everyone.

G proceeds to tell me he spoke to the kid & mom today & they said G could come and G was begging me to call the mom, insisting the party was happening after school.

Even if I saw the mom, what am I supposed to say? Hi, G says he's invited to X's party? No.

I explain to my crying son that's just not ok, the mom knows how to find me & you never go to a party unless you're invited. There's no self inviting. And as I
hugged him and wiped away his tears, my heart was so heavy. I'm sad that G cares so much. He cares because he considers this kid a friend. And then I feel sad because I wonder, who are G's peeps? We don't really do play dates. Socialization with his classmates pretty much is limited to the party circuit & school events. I just assumed he'd have his peeps- he's such a social guy, he needs his peeps just like I need my peeps.

Until then, we have each other.

Monday!

2011-11-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Please, let me recount 30 minutes of my morning, the pivotal 30 minutes wherein I dress the kids and get them to school/daycare/whatnot appropriately dressed & on time. Mondays I have the added fun of also making breakfast since G doesn't go to before-care. Exciting, right?

G decides he wants the egg-in-the-middle-toast. LIKE DAD MAKES. Sure, how hard can it be, right? Although the only 2 types of eggs I've ever made are scrambled and hard boiled.

The back was burnt! And apparently the yolk, instead of runny (YUCK), was cooked...which warranted a do-over- mostly prompted by G saying, "I think we should call Dad. He knows how to make this. Don't they have a cook book for this? You could look under E for EGG". THANKS KID, but I shall master this freakin' egg-in-the-middle thing on my own!

Then he decided he should carefully watch over Round 2. Doesn't he look so dapper in his uniform?*

Lucas does not need to be fed breakfast but wanted leftover Baked Ziti anyhow. AND, today's picture day and guess what? He was NOT GOING TO WEAR THIS SHIRT. I did not have a Plan B. I mean, even his socks match the shirt. THIS WAS MY ONLY PLAN. And clearly, he sensed it. So I packed a t-shirt he could change into afterwards. STILL A NO GO.

So I decided to ~~bribe~~ provide an incentive-- donuts! In the morning, before school! Sorry, teachers. We went to a local shop I've never visited but heard of from other moms. So I snap this photo and they guy starts yelling at me that I'm not allowed to take any pictures in his store. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!

In summary: Show your state employees some love.

*So, you know the dapper uniform picture? Imagine my surprise when we drive up to school and OMG why are the kids in free dress?!?! Because it's the first Monday of the month, of course. Thankfully we were early enough that we could safely dart home so G could change. Happy Monday!

Miracles

2011-11-06T22:38:00.001-08:00

After I joke that Lukie is practicing his future homeless skills with his fort building, since he never goes to sleep before 10:30pm, GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?

The Little Piece of Work fell asleep by 8:40! Sure, today is Fall forward but still 9:40 would be good. Anyhow, I can still count on one hand the number of times he's gone to bed at a "normal" time but, but maybe there's hope yet?!?

Yo.

2011-11-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

From the 360.

I used my Crock Pot for the first time, twice in the last week in fact!

The fall foilage is stunning. More stunning than my poor quality camera phone can convey.

The occupiers of Olympia are still occupying

Today I went on a walk during lunch, soaking in the wonderful fall foilage, enjoying the crisp air and some M-E time.

Then I stepped in dog shit. Which is, obviously, bullshit. Why, universe, why?

Halloween: The school day edition

2011-10-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Halloween just so happened to coincide with my work-at-home day so I was fortunate enough to participate in both kids' class parties using the following approach: work/party/work/party/work (using leave where appropriate, of course). Sadly I forgot ~~my camera~~ the batteries for my camera for Lukie's party- so please feel my pain of having a 3GS. Maybe Santa will bring me a 4S?

Oh my. Post-mummy mess. Also, did I mention there are 11 boys/5 girls in the class? Yes, oh my.

This preschool LOVES arts & crafts. This is one of about 10 Halloween-themed art projects.

Whilst in costume, Lukie has informed us his name is "Firefighter Jack". Also, he has proclaimed that his name is LUKE. Um, huh?

I'm back in action with my camera! G's class. They wear uniforms & could (only) wear orange & black today. Go Giants ;)

Tonight G's got a Halloween party & thanks to the early darkness ;( we'll be able to trick-or-treat & still make it home early enough to pass out some candy. To the teenagers. Not in real costumes. But, the boys enjoy it.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween, T minus 2

2011-10-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Last Fall soccer game. This earth worm was the hit of the game.

Boo in Burien

Look @ what a little make up can do!

I think I'd be in trouble if I had a girl!

Checking in, the newly old fashioned way

2011-10-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Does anyone even have/use blogs now that there's Facebook? I'm trying to revive the blog thing because who really wants to post their life story on Facebook? Speaking of Facebook, I think it's time to do a "friends sweep", too many peeps that never comment or post.
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Right now Lukie is wearing his Halloween costume and we're watching a riveting steam train video.
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Mama's beautiful special needs pumpkin

You can just hear the song "Thriller" can't you? Lukie & G were learning the choreography at a Halloween festival.


Sporting last year's costume (the reveal of Costume'11 happen THIS FRIDAY, stay tuned!)

This week I was late in picking G up from after care. Fourteen minutes late which = $42 in late fees, all because I went to a meeting at the UW, a mere 15 miles away but the commute took ONE HOUR AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. What the what? Right?

So I was explaining how the viaduct is closed for 9 days causing lots of traffic and how the Mayor didn't want to replace the viaduct, talking about riding our bikes as an alternative, etc.

Gabriel's response: That's ridiculous. DOES PRESIDENT OBAMA KNOW ABOUT THIS?

And there you go my friends, just another day in the life.

The Simple Things, Part II

2011-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the simple things in life

2011-10-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

You can barely see it here but earlier in the day Lukie decorated his face with markers.

Crisis Averted

2011-10-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

G is out of school for the rest of week due to school conferences. So, today he's with brother at daycare. I thought finally, this will be an easy morning, a bump back to the "old days" where I dropped off both kids at one place, no lunches to pack, backpacks to stuff, or notes to return to school. One mission: Get the kids dressed & into the car. Easy peasy, right?
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.
.
6:30am.
I tell G yes he can watch a few minutes of TV if he first gets dressed. I had his clothes out for him. He is unhappy with my clothing selection. Fine, I tell him to go pick out something else.

NOTE: This is why uniforms are awesome. Zero dialogue about clothes for 5 glorious days a week.
.
.
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6:45am.
Still no G. Odd. He'll do anything for a few minutes of TV.
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6:47am.
I go downstairs. G is in his bed. NOTE: The bed he did not sleep in the night before.

Um, what's going on?

(Crying) "Why do all of my clothes say 5/6?"

Here we go, I think. He's finally realized he's 7 and his clothes don't say 7, which is fine if you're a boy and wear, say a size 9 when you're 7. Boys care about this stuff. We haven't had any conversations lately about his size lately, although he used to bring it up all.the.time. He & Lukie are practically wearing the same size.

So, just as I'm about to launch into my pre-caffeine, pre-dawn pep talk about size I realize...WAIT! He's looking in Lukie's dresser, which yes, is confusing as G pointed out but we're in the middle of switching rooms around and both dressers are in G's room.

Crisis averted.

For now.

I am surprised he didn't ask why Lukie's clothes say 5/6 (Lukie does in fact wear a size 4 but is starting to outgrow his tops...). But, the day is still young!

***

G's 1st grade picture

Chocolate face Lukie, this morning.

Apparently it was fire truck day at pre-school. A friend texted me this picture. Lukie is on the left.

The Great Fall Adventure!

2011-10-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a sunny Fall day?

This weekend we took to the road and went apple picking and then ventured along part of the North Cascades Highway Loop (Hwy 20) which is known for it's beautiful scenery but how would I know when I've never been to witness it myself?

Well I witnessed and it was FANTASTIC. We also saw tons of hunters and antlers poking out of tops of trucks and trunks. Yikes!

I would love to go back for a weekend to go camp and go on a good hike or two.

When I asked G how he liked our adventures he replied, "We were in the car a lot". Um, yes, that was the point of our scenic tour but how would he know? He had his nose buried in books the whole way and really who can argue with that? It truly was an all day adventure- we left at 9am, returned after 6pm and clocked 300 miles. And I wouldn't hesitate to do it all again!

Sun! Sun! Sun!

2011-10-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

What a perfect Fall day for a field trip! I went with Lukie's class to a pumpkin patch, the same farm I visited with G THREE YEARS AGO. I'm getting old like that.

Friday night: The parenting addition

2011-10-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight G had his first Tiger Cub Den meeting. I was so happy and proud for him...yet sad at the same time. More life without mama, it all happens so quickly!

So, Thing2 and I had the night to ourselves. Thing2 is a fan of active parenting, shall we say, so we spent the evening playing board games, scarring one another and fort building.

Then in the midst of bath time, there was a Cybil moment, where Thing2 started his own "Occupy Seattle" movement because I wouldn't give him a second bag of fruit snacks or let him stay in the bath for 1,000 minutes. Management is so cruel! Thank sweet heaven for the best intervention ever = television! Sometimes we all need break!

Peace out.

Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Every year, our first pumpkin patch visit coincides with our friend's birthday, how fun is that? Added bonus = no rain! Warm, even.

Pumpkin patch visits #2 and #3 coming up shortly...

40x40

2011-10-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

I like lists. I like goals. So I figured, why not make a list of things I'd like to accomplish by the time I'm 40? Of course the small hiccup is that I only have 7.5 months to go so it can't be anything like, sail around the world [which I have no desire to do] or become a foster parent to teenagers. That kind of thing. Small-ish yet things I've always wanted to do but just haven't gotten around to it.

So here is goes, in no particular order:

[NOTE: Some have been recently accomplished but I'm including them because they've been on my LifeList anyhow]

1.   Go to Hurricane Ridge with the family
2.   Camp along the Olympic Peninsula (or at least make the reservations!)
3. Go to the San Juan Islands with the boys
4.   FIND MY LOST DIAMOND EARRING (ie, take out bathroom cabinet to retrieve. It's been like 2+ years. Seriously, wth?)
5.   Go snowshoeing!
6.   Can jam
7.   Organize a holiday cookie exchange
8.   Run a 5K (ideally the Jingle Bell Run)
9.   Go to Mt. Davidson (San Francisco)
10. Ice skate during the holidays
11. Read a non-parenting book
12. Live my best life (Hi Oprah. Interpretation: The baby weight issue)
13. Go apple picking!
14. Take Gabriel to hear the gospel choir at Immaculate Conception
15. Take the boys with me to donate food to a shelter during the holidays
16. Hear the choir at St. Mark's Cathedral (Seattle)
17. Drive along the North Cascades Highway Loop & enjoy the Fall foliage!
18. Learn some HTML code
19. Learn how to use my camera properly
20. Update this blog at least 2x a week (I've been neglecting it lately!)
21. Volunteer in both of my boys' class
22. HOT YOGA.
23. Find lipstick I LOVE.
24. Exercise regularly.
25. Read the Sunday paper.
26. Institute a family game night.
27. Go sledding at Paradise (Mt. Rainier)
28. Decide, once and for all, on a tattoo
29. Get my engagement ring fixed. (Platinum cracked although I'm told it never cracks?)
30. Plant Spring flowers.
31. Give up soda once and for all
32. Start Gabriel's school years scrapbook.
33. Visit Weyerhauser's Botanical Garden
34. Take boys to an awesome indoor pool, or just swimming more regularly.
35. Make chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from scratch.
36. Use my crock pot
37. Make banana bread from scratch
38. Go to Christmas Eve Mass with my family
39. Take the boys to the Experience Music Project
40. Make a list of 40 things to accomplish by 40

Columbus Day, the West Coast edition

2011-10-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall, my friends. It's 9:40pm and you-know-who is lying (on the hardwood) next to me, asking me when I'm going to bed. He literally waits for me to go to sleep. I try, I try sitting outside his door (the only way to keep him in his room) but he just bellies up to the doorway to chat, asking how long until I go to bed, or if I'm in for a real treat, a toy may be hurled my way. It's seriously a losing f'n battle. The bright side: He can sleep in until 9:30am. He'll likely work for the CIA some day, he'll be a real catch with his "I don't need any sleep" approach to life. But honestly the real challenge is sheltering Thing2 from Thing1 as Thing1 has school and needs his 10 hours of sleep. Look at me, talking about sleep issues! What I would really like to do is read a certain book to Thing2.

Then he'll say the F-word at his (religious) preschool and I'll get the Parent of the Year Award.

Meanwhile.

It's Columbus Day. The only reason I know that is I got paid Friday instead of today, my usual payday as the banks are closed. I went to the bank and there was a sign about Columbus Day. Oh, right. THAT holiday. The one only celebrated by the original 13 colonies or those who work in banks or for the federal government.

Also, Fall = soccer.

It would be awesome if we just had sunny but chilly days. But we live in a place with a lot of precipitation. At some point I'll come to embrace this. The embracing has not yet occurred. I'll keep you posted.

All that wetness = mud gushing for Thing2, which is pretty cute to watch. And I have it down, the whole stripping-of-the-child at the car. Also? He needed to wear snow boots today. Is he predicting something? Hope not.

Have you met the S.A.S.S.Y. side of Thing2? Like if you tell him no more fruit snacks, no more watching garbage truck video, no more lollipops and then, meet Mr. Oppositionally Defiant. Glad I have those social work degrees, what up! It would be fine if it didn't become a battle of the wills (imagine that!). BUT, at least a majority time he's just full of love and sweetness. THANK YOU SWEET JESUS.

In summary:
-not much Columbus Day going on
-it rains here
-I love Lucas, I don't love the sass, although it can be cute at times (precisely 1% of the time)
-I am perpetually tired

Peace out.

Carnies

2011-09-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Quick, what's the best way to spend $20 in 30 minutes? Visit your local carnival!

No better way to express your patriotism than with an American flag themed inflatable rifle, no?

Portlandia, the family edition

2011-09-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

I love that, for the boys, a trip to Portland = a trip to Powell's books. G got all the Transformers books he could find and read through all of them. Lukie made himself at home as well.

Oh public transportation. I love it, particularly when it's convenient.

We're back in puddle jumping weather, as noted by my jeans & shoes.

Thanks for the good times Portland, we'll be back!

Fabulous Fridays: The Last Hurrah

2011-09-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Portlandia: Part I.

After going on a short walk and baking a cobbler, the boys & I hopped into the car and headed South for Portland.

Our first stop (ok, really our only stop) was exploring Washington Park- specifically, the Rose Garden as I haven't been before.

Beautiful, fragrant roses

Lots of them

The boys had a great time exploring...

Peak-a-boo view of downtown

...and they lost interest. But mama wasn't done.

They were really done.

Then we walked down the hill to the playground and guess what? They were all smiles again.

I love stumbling upon wedding parties! Great color for the bridesmaids but what's up with the shoes? They are all different colors in an uncoordinated kinda way.


And we stumbled upon this steam train that Lucas was too afraid of (despite his love of trains). So afraid he cried from afar and was screaming for Gabriel to not go any closer. Kinda cute, really.

I figured we'd have a mellow dinner, rest and then I'd surprise the boys with a bouncy house/pizza place that I found nearby. BUT. No dice. I'm wiped out. So we're watching a movie and relaxing instead. Apparently getting up early, driving 3 hours and then sightseeing took a little something out of me. Perhaps I'm not as spry as I once was ;(

Lucas's last first day of preschool

2011-09-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Just look at that smile! We had *many* conversations about how he'd need to smile for mom on the first day of school- and he came through ;) Lately he's been more than willing to smile for pictures, which I suppose makes up for the 3 years where he wouldn't smile for the camera?!? My sweet boy.

The biggest change is that he's starting off with a friend that he's known since he was 6-months-old. But it's a big year for us because it may be his last year of pre-school which would be awesome. BUT. Oh, the BUT. The Kindegarten Thing. You know, the when-do-you-start-your-child thing. Oy vay. I think you should just go by calendar date (for the most part). But do you do when the "unofficial" rule is summer birthday boys (in particular) wait a year AND that is now inching on up to May birthdays.

I know close to 10 boys with May birthdays- half waited, half went as the young ones. An added challenge, in my opinion, is the age range of the class. I already know of another May boy who's waiting so if Lukie goes next year he'll be the youngest child by a year. If I could change things, I'd totally say go for the Fall/Winter baby and you'd never have to spend one silly minute worried about such nonsense.

This year's teacher is awesome and really does a good job on K-readiness and recommending if a child should wait. SO...I'm just laying back at the moment. I certainly don't want my parenting approach to be enrolling BOTH of my children in kindergarten twice.

Speaking of twice, did you know? There's a practice in these parts where parents of younger kids enroll them in the local school's half-day K program and then send them to the full-day K at G's school the following year. The benefits: If you use FT daycare you change to the school-age rate (the drop could be be from $1,000-1,200/month to a mere $550/month PLUS since K is free you're also not paying $300/m for pre-school).

So, I'm just waiting for a sign and meanwhile, I'm embracing Lucas's (possible) last year of pre-school. They grow up so quickly!!!! Although I hate to admit this, part of me can't wait until they're both at the same place-- same school/daycare situation which will be so.much.easier to coordinate BUT I also don't want Lucas to grow up any quicker than he already is.

How's that for a rambling post?

Fabulous Fridays: An early end to the 2011 fun

2011-09-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

This week I had my last Fabulous Friday in that I'm changing around my work schedule to work 5 days a week (!) with a shorter workday in return...childcare issues, you know picking up your children by the time the daycare closes and whatnot.

Responsibilities, blah blah blah.

Friday was rather busy- let me recount the day:

6:00 am: Rise and shine! My general wake up time, regardless of the day because mamas have a lot to do. Short walk.
8:15 am: Drop G off at school, searched lost and found (ALREADY), purchased scrip
More errands: Grocery Outlet (behold the magic of amazing deals that can be found. I stop here 1-2x a month before doing my regular shopping to stock up on any finds- this week that included Zbars, Annie's Bunny fruit snacks, brie for $1.49, GoGurts, and other stuff for G's lunches),went to the bank, washed the car, got gas....
10:30 am: Pick up L's friend for a playdate at the Zoo (suprisingly empty for a sunny Friday)
3:00 pm: Pick up G
3:15-4:15pm: G has an after school appointment

How's that for busy? We were invited to the pool for an evening of fun but everyone was pretty much spent- also we've been on a warm streak (80's!), so we just had a relaxing evening at home.


The boys had a blast- they snacked, climbed, rested and occasionally stopped to check out an animal.

Rain or shine, ALL kiddos love going to the Zoomazium- an indoor play area which is super fantastic for the rainy season. Lukie was mad as you can see because...? Oh right, because I told them they could have ice cream AFTER.

Making good on my promise ;)

Hanging with the boys was a nice way to spend my last Fabulous Friday. I look forward to the 2012 season of Friday fun, which I hope begins sooner than later.

Labor Day Weekend, Part II: Climb Every Mountain

2011-09-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

..and cue the Sound of Music soundtrack (actually, I was singing it and I don't think Chuck was appreciating it).

Today we went to Hurricane Ridge at the Olympic National Park- I last visited/went for a hike here when I first moved to Seattle 16 years ago and I've been wanting to come back ever since.

Hurricane Ridge, the Olympics behind us (the snow capped mountain range in all of my Seattle pictures, like at the beach)

Enjoying the view North which includes O Canada in the background

Snow

Cue song: Father & Son

Remind me of this picture when I start to get fussy about the weather (RAIN)

Just as the boys were saying they didn't see any wild animals...

Labor Day Weekend Part I

2011-09-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

The theme of this weekend is: SUN.

Day 1: On the water, soaking up sun.

Day one.

2011-08-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Seven.

2011-08-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Ay yi yi. My sweet firstborn is seven today. I'm so incredibly sad about S-E-V-E-N yet excited for all of his older-boy adventures. Tonight, for old time's sake, I read him Goodnight Moon, one of his faves. And he was like, "Oh I loved this book when I was little" like he was 20, and was all cuddly...and then he asked if he could play with his transformers for a bit in bed. I'm such a SUCKER but that's okay because one day? He won't want me to hop in bed with him to read Goodnight Moon, and then I'll be really really sad.

To think there was once a time when I was like "OMG, he's never going to walk" . The picture on the left was taken on his 1st birthday when he wasn't yet walking. Now we can't really get him to stop moving (see picture on right), taken today. He's geared up in his Optimus Prime costume (from many moons ago off the clearance rack at Target- and it shows!) paired with his other passion; Army/nerf

This year my goal was to scale back the birthday party- I mean the kids expectations these days and of course as parents we're clearly guilty...and this was the year to reign it in. After much debate (imagine that!) we agreed: A trip to the movies with ~~two~~ three friends. A+ for mama scaling it back, but...we did not scale back the *number* of times we celebrated...which honestly, is that such a crime?

Celebration #1: My family flew up for a few days and we had a nice dinner at home on Saturday. And while it wasn't G's birthday party, he did get to open family gifts and there may have been a cake involved. (Side note: G INSISITED on a Tranformers cake from the grocery store, a specific grocery store. We went to said store, ordered the cake, which came with 2 fake Transformers...and then I was like, um, those cakes do not taste good, and for less than half the price I can make the cake and buy 2 Transformers that actually Transform. This move may been prompted by the mancession initally, but there's just something pleasureable in a homemade cake made with love, no?

The family enjoyed hanging out on the porch of the PLAY HOUSE.

Celebration #2: My mom casually mentioned she thought it would be fun to take the boys to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. She hadn't been- we got about twice a year, once for each of the boys' birthdays. That volcano lava dessert is magical.


And then I gave the boys permission to jump on grandma's bed in the hotel.

Celebration #3: This was the "real" party, the rest were merely pre-funks. He invited 2 classmates (who he had actually had a brief stint with in preschool back when he was 3) and his long-time pal from preschool.


	I ordered "VIP" Spy Kids passes as party favors. I mean other than making movie treat bags, what else does one give when the party is a few kids to the movies?

After the movie, we headed downstairs for lunch & of course there were cupcakes...


G + 3 morphed a bit

And, it's kind of hard to be stuck in party mode or "OMG my baby is all grown up" sadness because school starts tomorrow!

Happy 7th birthday to my dear sweet son. I love you more than you'll know, my little Snuggle Puppy.

Love, Mama

Island getaway....

2011-08-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sorta. My family's one request of things to do on their visit was to ride a ferry. So I thought after 16 years of planning outings to all corners of the state and Canada...let's keep it local- ride a ferry & stay in the same county, same area code even! So we took the 15-minute crossing to Vashon and made our way to Point Robinson park. They've never been to Vashon and I've never explored their beautiful beaches.The morning started off with some crazy unusual fog (SF weather!) which quickly burned off and things returned to the 80's- just as they should be! Oh summer, how I will miss you so!

Off to an unusual foggy start @ the ferry terminal

Fog clearing away!

my.kinda.beach

Mt. Rainier in the background


One of many forts

I spy with my little eye...my mom!

Just trying for a brother shot...the result: "Just stand there, don't touch and smile".

Fabulous Fridays: A special edition

2011-08-26T23:56:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that just as the temperature kicks it up into the appropriate 80's we are in the single-digit countdown to school starting. WHAT?

I tell you what: The days are noticeably shorter and we fight back the obvious signs of summer's end and solider on my friends, we solider on.

While today wasn't my normal day off, I sure did fall back into Friday-off mode with great ease. We did errands (so.many.errands), we played, I cleaned, and we played some more.

I love this picture, side-by-side it's reflective of their personalities.

Still enjoying random shots...

Let's read on over-sized book at the beach, shall we?

The obligatory post-beach ice cream shot

And there's more! Movie in the park, Despicable Me. Fantastic time watching the movie under the stars. G was so wiped out he feel asleep on the stairs!

Our last summer getaway...

2011-08-22T00:22:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of water in Washington, specficially in Western Washington. You sometimes find yourself limiting your travel based on this water factor and sometimes you just embrace it and drive. Of ferry it. Or drive and ferry. The options are nearly endless.

The point of which is to say we spent our weekend doing a lot of driving on the western part of Western Washington. Our last weekend of summer carelessness. Now it's back to OMG finding G a soccer team, getting registered , figuring out how to the heck we can juggle a practice schedule, especially if heaven forbid, the team practices twice a week, and other equally fun endeavors. Also we are looking at starting up a Tiger Cub Den.

Back to the weekend update!
Part I: First we had fun at family reunion of sorts on Bainbridge Island. In case you aren't already aware of this: I could really get used to island living even if meant relying on the ferries to get to work each day.

Part II : Quilcene
We had hoped to spend the weekend with Grandma Margot and Grandpa Dave but they had a previous commitment. We decided to spend some time communing with nature a la Quilcene despite their absence.

A. Quilcene is also the home of Uncle Jim and visiting him is always a highlight because he is the uncle of HEAVY MACHINERY and likes to do fun tricks with said equipment. Exhibit A:

Note: That cardboard box around G? He is currently obsessed with Transformers and he claims he's...Bumblebee?. Honestly I don't know what to tell you, the kid's got quite an imagination. I don't ask too many questions & just roll with it.

B: FINALLY, a h-i-k-e.
You know I love a good hike and this one was great. Things I look for in a good hike? Not too far, not too long with kids in tow but long enough that you don't feel like you just walked around the block, and scenery. All 3 criteria met. Fist bumps all around.

No summer trip to Quilcene is complete without a stop for ice cream at Peninsula foods, the market where you can buy diapers for $100 (or so it seems it's not like we've ever had that emergency on our hands...) and fantastic fresh ice cream cones.

And there was blackberry picking. And relaxing.

A fantastic weekend with the family unit.

The end.

An all American summer night...

2011-08-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

Baseball! Lucas's first game and G's first game in like 4+ years. And tonight I became aware of the impact of not exposing them to baseball much. We used to go to tons of Mariner's games...and then they got boring and G wasn't interesed. He was asking a kid why people were boo'ing (the home team struck out) and other questions as in HOW DOES THIS GAME WORK. Oopsie. However I would like to note the boys are well versed in the international sport of futbol. So there.

Despite fighting awful evening traffic to get to these games-totally worth it. And with it being the minor league, it's much more intimate and family-friendly. We'll definitely be back! (Chuck and the boys took the Sounder train for the first time- they said it was great. I didn't know it was a fancy commuter, double decker, wifi, bathrooms. Too bad it's doesn't really go anywhere for us to go exploring (it goes from Seattle to Tacoma).

Me, not eating a hot dog.

Why is the mascot's name Rhubarb?
View of Mt. Rainier= breathtaking.

Chuck & Keith

Fireworks after the show. This is me not knowing how to properly photograph fireworks despite the firework setting on my camera. Help?

Busy weekend ahead so I must get some shut-eye. Waking up early to hunt down some blackberries to make a cobbler for a gathering in the morning and then last summer camping trip...Summer, I heart you!

Holding onto summer

2011-08-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

How can summer be almost over when the summertime fun is just kicking into gear?

The blackberries are slowly started to bloom and I made my first cobbler!

I had today off so after dropping G off at drama/art camp Lukie and I went on a short neighborhood hike.

And then, we met up with some friends and spent over FOUR glorious hours at one of my favorite beaches. And why yes, G is wearing his Army hat and a police badge. He's one for props and likes to mix things up. Hence his enjoying drama camp this week.

And just to walk down memory lane for a bit, here are the same boys two summer ago at about the same time. As I recall it was a wonderfully warm day where we also spent the entire day at the beach. Sun + beach + friends are really just about the best things ever.

August 2009, Seahurst Beach.

Lukie (and Brooks) were only TWO!

Today's economy: Just tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents

2011-08-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings my friends! It's that time of year- I'm traumatized that summer's coming to an end, the days are getting darker earlier, signaling the start of another school year and in the back of my mind? OMG even though this will be a short session it's going to be the longest short session ever, but let's not talk about that now.

Back to the economy....

After two years, I think I have the uniform thing down. I stock up on what I can at the school's used uniform sale (see left) and make an annual trip to Portland's outlets where I hit up the Gap for the best uniform pants. I have more than G needs which is great because it really sucks eggs when your kid needs new uniform clothes mid-year because either you can't find them or it's like 2 days before school gets out and what's wrong with highwaters* anyhow? Anyhow, the uniform sale is all kinds of awesome because those uniform sweaters? They are required about once a month (seriously, like 12 times a year) and they came in pull over, button down, and vest and who know which one your child insists he will ONLY wear. That month. So you buy them all for a mere $7 vs. $28 a piece full retail. And then there's the informal sweatshirts, vest and jackets with the school logo that your child must have. And if you can find quality shirts and pants/shorts you are golden because they go for ONE DOLLAR A PIECE. I loves me a good bargain.

By the time Lukie starts school I suspect they'll be wearing the same size since Lukie's already too big for the clothes G wore in K v1.0- I had Lukie even try the clothes on but he wouldn't pose :/ I'll keep trying. The sight of him in a uniform made so sad, my little baby who does not like to be called a baby.

*Of course the highwater situation does not apply to Child 1 it's more likely that he has spaghetti or paint on his last stain-free WHITE shirt. The highwater situation will clearly happen to Lucas.

But wait, there's more! School supplies. Last year I went to 5 different stores to score the best deals and you know what? That's a bunch of BS so I went to one store where you can buy watercolors and paper towels all at once. It's magical however, I would like to lodge 2 complaints: 1) 48 count crayons. Why do these exist? They are hard to find and never on sale. 2) 1/2' binders (and binders in general), why are they so much? My one store strategy failed as they did not have the 1/2' white clear front pocket binders. I was sure it was a typo and bought the 1 1/2' instead...but it wasn't a typo but kept both since Lukie's preschool does require the 1 1/2'. So sitting in the study are 1/2', 1', and 1 1/2' white clear front pocket binders.

RIVETING, yes?

We recently held our inaugural Hamilton Household Yard Sale.

...and this is what I learned: People want tools. They do not want clothes (women's or kids) FOR ONE DOLLAR and no one wants to buy Starbursts for a nickel.

Lessons learned.

But, we did make some money and then all the clothes went straight to donation so that is a major accomplishment in itself.

Now that we've got surgeries and the flu/stomach bug/whatever behind us, we shall venture out for some fun this weekend before school starts, as I don't like doing anything major the weekend right before school starts, nope I need to organize, stock up on lunch food (the most dreaded task ever: packing daily snacks & lunches for Mr. Specific), and just take a break!

Soldiering on...

Wherein Nurse Alison q.u.i.t.s

2011-08-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

The entire household appears to have come down with the FLU in AUGUST. Did you know that was possible?!?

Last night Lukie had an impressive projectile moment and that's where the fun began, he wanted me to sleep with him and I did. What a sucker right? Turns out he's a very particular kid when sick and did not throw up on me but rather made it to the bathroom & the bucket. Such a fun topic right? And then someone else...not naming names, but his name rhymes with LUCK, joined in the summertime flu fun.

All day we rested- every bed, chair & nook has been used and copious amounts of TV have been watched.

The highlight was at dusk when I went outside to bask in the last sun of the day when Lukie came out & wanted to snuggle (seriously for the past 24 hours I've not been away for him for more than a minute lest he cry, poor thing). I was calling my mom for moral support and instead she was basically like "yeah, that sucks". Very uplifting, right? And I was just commenting how my kids really haven't been sick in ages- like at least a year, maybe two? Lesson learned: I will never speak of their lack of illness again.

Highlight #2 was sneaking out for some fresh air and scoring folders for ONE CENT and stocking up on Kombucha tea- I'm counting on the ancient wonders to spare me from becoming more sick because I would really like to go to work tomorrow!

Stay tuned for a RIVETING post on school supplies!

Nurse Alison, Part II

2011-08-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

First, I take time off to take care of Chuck when he had knee surgery, which evolved into caring for the wee ones so Chuck would rest. I haven't been to work in ages, it seems (leave + weekend + compressed day off)...I go back tomorrow and WHAT?

Kid 1 is sick. Threw up last night (2x) and not feeling well this morning. He was even NAPPING. See, I have evidence! This has resulted in one lazy day...

Lukie, on the other hand, is not sick & likes to show me the many ways he can balance or alternatively, does balance or yoga moves as "tricks" for snacks. Really. And it cracks me up which I suspect is the reason he does it in the first place- trying to break me down for a treat.

As I'm chilling on the couch the boys are resting, reading books and pretend playing all kinds of things and OMG, their conversations? Cracking me up. Something about their parents died & all the brothers & sisters they have. Where do they come up with this stuff?

So while this wouldn't be my first choice as to how to spend my day off (sick child, lounging in PJ's well into the afternoon...) overhearing their imaginary play is simply priceless.

Also Chuck just reminded me I'm volunteering at school this afternoon. Mondays off are so confusing! I alternative between forgetting it's a work day and panicking thinking I need to be at work...so I don't need to be work but I do need to be somewhere else...

Sno! Sno! Snoqualmie!

2011-08-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

(that would be the cheer for Camp Don Bosco)

G & his buddy Connor, they were in kindergarten v1.0 together

(the youngest/shortest and oldest/tallest classmates that year)

G & his counselor Colleen who also went to G's school- small world!

More counselors (G appeared to know them all, not surprisingly)

G & Jaime, the Camp Director

The after camp tradition-- Small Fryes - the best ever/least healthy fries known to mankind!

Chuck with Krissy & Shawn.

I worked with them in '96, the summer they got engaged. They also were campers of Chuck and their youngest was in G's lodge. Crazy all the old staff we saw bringing their kids to camp!

The happy couple- celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary in the town they met in 15 years ago...

Paging Nurse Alison

2011-08-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

I stayed home from work today as Chuck's having knee surgery. As we dropped him off he said, "Don't go do anything fun while I'm in surgery".

...And as you can see, we listened to him.

You know who you should listen to? Your children, like when they're saying, "Look a dinosaur bone". Generally they've got a twig or something. They love to pretend they are on the "hunt" for fossils at the beach. I looked up and Sweet Jesus Lucas was actually holding bones of some sort. Lesson: Sometimes your children are actually trying to tell you something!

Chuck, post surgery.

Fortunately, the nurse gave me a 30-minute heads up so we had ample time to pack up from our beach outing. Turns out the primary reason I'm home taking care of Chuck for the next two days is to ensure he REMAINS SEATED and to feed him. Apparently, I will be doing both things rather often. He's been home just a few hours and I've made him THREE rounds of food and already scolded him for being on his feet. It's like I need a baby video monitor in the TV room or something.

Proof that I can in fact do craft-like things with my preschooler! We collected rocks, painted them & they magically turned into pet rocks. I know, I should totally be selling them on Etsy, right?

Momentous Mondays (?)

2011-08-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

...Doesn't sound as good as Fabulous Fridays, but I'm at a loss. Also? Mondays off are a little confusing. I keep thinking, "What day is it? OMG I forgot to go to work"...and after you think that 5 times in a day, it gets a bit old!

Act I: We dropped G off at camp, OVERNIGHT CAMP. He was beyond excited. I was feeling sad. Also? A milestone I didn't foresee. When your kids start school, that's a definite milestone, they truly begin to have a life beyond you. Friends you don't know and secret spy training that you know nothing about. Overnight camp? Yet another milestone. They aren't just gone for 6.5 hours...they're gone for days and I *really* won't know who he befriended, how he behaved (crossing fingers) and he'll have developed a summer life beyond us. For a child, I think it's truly a wonderful and liberating thing BUT now as the mom? I'm sad. Despite my sadness, I still made it to the local post office & mailed G's care package which will arrive tomorrow. When I was a camper (or even on staff for that matter), OH how we looked forward to those care packages...my mom (hi! love you!) was not born with the talent of creating such things so I took matters into my own hands and would go with her to the store and pick out my own items & she'd mail them. Apparently, I've always been the pro-active type.

Oh, and the BEST thing I overheard while waiting to check G in, "My daughter is a vegetarian, well an occasional vegetarian, it's an environmental thing". Sweet love of Jesus, you know that 10-year-old is living high on the hog this week consuming copious amounts of hot dogs as we speak!

Act II: The beach. Surprising, right? Lukie is excited he made it..you know it's such a long & exhausting walk, DOWN HILL to the beach. He earlier claimed both his ankles were broken from all the walking.

Me & Son2 soaking up the rays

Lukie's favorite pose, he looks like a bit of a yogi, no?

Act III: Behold! The first tomatoes are f.i.n.a.l.l.y. ready & as of this writing they are happily sitting in my belly.

The end.

La Playa (Subtitle: Knucklebump for summer!)

2011-07-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

A day at the beach, what's not to love? While this may seem like a normal summer activity, I am sad to report that here in the Pacific Northwest, it is not. Generally it's warm now, but it hasn't been and last summer was disappointing as well. SO, you can imagine how much we covet the warmth here in these parts. Also sandy (vs. rocky) beaches are hard to come by as is water that's warm enough for a dip!

I think it's cute the boys like to layout.

Mama's viewpoint

G likes to take pictures too.

Lots of people at Madison Park Beach today. This is how summer should look, my friends.

Mama does not love when they lay in the sand whilst wet ;(

The doggy towels I bought they boys years ago are still put to good use!

He should totally go to UH, right?

Fun at the park afterward

And for the after party: Spiderman popsicles!

"Summer"

2011-07-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

I realize I can't complain. I've been on vacation for 25 days, most of those days under blue skies. And then there's this:

I am kinda tan at the moment. But that's because I'm a person of the sun and I need the sun. And apparently, yellow toes. They remind me of the sun.

Back to my weather rant: BUT...when you come home to SUMMER and OMG it's not summer, you immediately feel fussy. We got home Saturday. Sunday was GORGEOUS and HOT.

Prior to Sunday, Seattle had only 78 minutes of summer, meaning for only 78 minutes had the temperature been over 80 degrees. Then HOT Sunday happened. Now? We're at 351 minutes of summer, as of today, July 27th. People are keeping tabs. Honestly, it's hard to believe there's a nationwide heat wave.

I'm not the only person weather obsessed- it's practically a requirement to live here. I check at least 3 different weather sites regularly and feel comforted to know I'm not alone.

You know what's sad? When I looked at this 7-day forecast my first thought was "no rain!" and then "oh look some sun & 70's". What this doesn't say is it won't be 70 until about 5pm which is great if you're working or otherwise indoors/busy that day.

Well, the sun is peeking out which means it's a perfect time to run my delayed lunchtime errands and go for a quick walk that sadly doesn't include any cardio but does include Vitamin D.

Peace out.

Dispatch from the road: Pacifica! (Day # who knows what!)

2011-07-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

Did you know my part-time job is to monitor the weather? Given my special knack for checking at least 3 different weather sites regularly, I knew it'd be a nice day to hit Pacifica- a wonderful place close to the City to watch surfers, relax on the beach & get your toes wet without too much travel involved (door to door travel time- less than 15 minutes).

Not only was it not cold-foggy (there is warm fog and cold fog, did you know this?)...but it was GORGEOUS! And I didn't bring the boys' bathing suits although I did bring a change of clothes. [See? I am not always a genius plan-ahead mom.]

After driving home from Santa Cruz along Highway 1 the other day, I knew I wanted the boys to have a beach day. Yes, we live on the Sound but this is the actual Pacific Ocean AND California has sandy beaches. Also while the water is cold it is certainly warmer than the frigid Puget Sound.

The boys frolicked, I sunbathed and my mom hid from the sun & enjoyed a book. A good day was had by all.

Roadtrip 2011: Day 17, National Ice Cream Day

2011-07-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

Perhaps 17 days doesn't sound so long, but it is. And yet, with the realization that this in my last week of vacation, I feel like I'm running out of time. Time to see friends, sightsee and just relax. It appears you can't do all 3 simultaneously. Boo.

Yesterday's adventure took us to the East Bay (what up Oakland!). We celebrated National Ice Cream Day at Fenton's (an ice cream parlor that was featured in Up!- Pixar's studios are nearby) and spent many a hour at a nearby park basking in the sun, a bit of a theme for this vacation.

Sleeping under the Redwoods

2011-07-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

At one point in time, say 48 hours ago, I thought I was going to embark upon a "glamping" adventure with my dearest pal Eileen and our 4 wee ones. Yes, us mamas + 4 kids + the woods. But in a fancy way, you know, in a cabin...one that comes with linens and whatnot. It was a wonderful adventure, but there was nothing glamorous about it!

Redwoods! Now, they lived up to their expectations. Also, never underestimate the power of a child's imagination. For example, if a child or 4 children want to pretend $1.25 tent stakes are swords or a coveted toy of any sort, so be it!

Hiking! Even of the non-strenuous variety is a wonderful thing. Did I mention the magic of the Redwoods?

Let there be fire! After 3 loving attempts, we had a fire! And like all proper camping adventures, s'mores were enjoyed by all.

Day 2: Sun! Beach! Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Did I mention SUN?

We did it!*

*Other interesting moments/realizations/situations:

1. Camping on a hill. As in a downward slope. With lots of exposed roots.

2. Not knowing how to light a propane lantern.

3. Feeling mildly panicked at the realization that there is NO cell phone reception. At all. And you have to drive the ranger's station to call 911. On a pay phone, as in the old fashioned way.

4. Despite lack of reception, the idea that the phone could still provide endless entertainment with it's musical magic. And feeling slightly guilty that the kids are having a sing/dance off in the woods as opposed to communing with nature. But the people next door? They really are communing with nature and they don't seem to be much better off...

5. Realizing, at dusk, you have not replaced your headlamp's light. And another headlamp's light is on its way out.

6. A wood stove that is your primary source of heat does not in fact properly burn wood. Or, we don't know how to use the wood stove.

7. There are chipmunks who stealthily break into your cabin for a snack in wee hours of the morning.

8. Bluejays are really just crows in disguise.

Dispatch from the road: Roadtrip, Day 11

2011-07-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's only the 11th day of Roadtrip 2011. On the other hand I'm completely exhausted from all the driving & I'm looking forward to a couple of mellow days ahead.

Chuck returned to the Pacific Northwest today so now we're flying solo.

G refuses to let his very loose tooth fall out because he doesn't want the tooth fairy to visit him until we return home. He insists that I hide the tooth in my wallet meanwhile...

While Tia and Uncle Josh took the boys to the Discovery Museum, I drove to Pleasanton (very.far.away) to lunch with some of my college ladies. Oh, it was good to catch up.

As I sold the boys' stroller today, I discovered how attached I was to it. I was very sad to let it go although my plan all along was to keep until we did Disney and then recycle that puppy. We had some great times with that stroller in tow...

After we dropped off Tia (and the boys called her flat a haunted house) we quickly drove up to Twin Peaks. It was a beautiful evening...I didn't tell the boys where we were going and Lukie said, "I think you're going the wrong way. Are we going on a road trip?"...

And with that my friends, I leave you as I go to snuggle with my boys.

Disneyland!

2011-07-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Needless to say: Disneyland was AWESOME. The kids had a blast and Lucas even went on rides! I fully anticipated he would just watch from the sidelines...he was a bit reluctant and he definitely didn't like the darkness of the rides. He had a love/hate relationship with Slash Mountain, but he still went on it twice!

It was crazy hot & humid yet everyone was a complete champ. Also yay for Disney for not caring about bringing food & drinks in. Very helpful especially since kids (read: LUCAS) can be so particular.

We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel which is was a short walk to the entrance. It really couldn't have been any more convenient.

Gabriel is already saving his money for our next trip. I'm guessing DL trip #2 will include Legoland in which case...we also need to work in a stop at the beach!

If you're dying to see all 228 of our Disney pics, check them out here.

Dispatch from the road: 109 degrees!

2011-07-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

The adventures continue! We spent a fantastic day with the good friends & their kids boating on the Delta. And we saw a WATER SNAKE (note to self: Google water snakes). Another reason I love coming to SF- so many good friends, I love catching up with my people and wish I did it more often.

Dispatch from the road: day 1

2011-06-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

We made it! We're cozied up in a cabin @ Mt. Shasta for the night. We drove 11 hrs which is the farthest we've journeyed with the boys in one day. Goggle said it'd be 9.5 hours, so not so bad! Plus I woke up at 3:30 am, so it's been a *long* day. Tomorrow's journey should be about 5 hrs (4 hrs driving time)...Wish us continued luck!

Today's highlight: Gas for $3.48/gallon!

Sleepover!

2011-06-24T22:36:00.001-07:00

Me & Thing2 who just said, "Remember when I was little and said bad words?".

Summer Solstice, Part II

2011-06-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

The most fantastic thing about living in the Pacific Northwest is the long, warm evenings in the summer.

Exhibit A: I took the boys on a neighborhood hike this evening.

And the best news of all: Lucas was asleep in his own bed by 9:30pm. Of course both Chuck & I separately take credit for this MIRACLE.

Summer: It's on like Donkey Kong!

2011-06-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Despite a rocky start, I'm super excited about today- SUMMER SOLSTICE. And it's actually sunny & warm today!

Back to the rocky start: As I left my house at 6:30 am this morning, I noticed something was a miss- there were pencils scattered on the ground next to my car, the door wasn't latched...the glove compartment was open, WAIT, some a-hole was in my car. Someone rifled through the car and the only thing missing was a wicker basket where I keep my maps, Entertainment book and hand sanitizer. I never keep in anything in my car but the wicker situtation still made me sad- it's just so violating to have someone go through your business.

Not to be deterred, the day has improved, especially with my early afternoon walk, soaking up the Vitamin D.

And apparently the boys are having an even better time since Chuck got out the inflatable slide, something G has been begging Chuck to do since the snow melted!

happy summer.

Summer!

2011-06-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

G's last day of kindergarten was today. I'm so excited for him to move on and yet so sad he's done with K. Look how tiny he looks back in 2009! Retaining G was the best thing we could've done for him and having both teachers was great too as their teaching styles are very different. He definitely got the best of both worlds and I would say he's none worse for the wear, studies be damned.

Lucas finished preschool yesterday and so now, summer has official begun. On tap is some camping & vacation in ***15*** days, but who's counting?

Mellow

2011-06-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

After sleeping in, the boys had morning Justin Bieber karaoke party. They argue over who is JB.

After driving 15 minutes to run an errand to discover the store was closed...we hit up the fountains near the library. It didn't even hit 70 today but it's "Seattle muggy" & the boys hit up the fountain for the first time this season.

This week is the boys' last week of school, including class parties and next up: CAMPING! My goal is to not leave the campground to purchase anything (ie a latte) for the WHOLE weekend. Now *that* will be roughing it!

More weekend adventuring!

2011-06-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

Took the boys on a fun adventure that included a little bit of everything like BUNNIES! PONY RIDES! and S'MORES!

Portlandia

2011-06-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

This morning we ventured down to the Georgetown's Farmers Market, only about 10-15 minutes from our house but we've never been. It was as if we were transported 2.5 hrs down I-5 and arrived in Portland. In fact it was like an episode of Portlandia. When did Georgetown get so hip? I felt like a jerk hustling my SBUX but at least I had a reusable bag on hand for our goods. It was swap meet meets farmers market and the rest of the 'hood was setting up for a music fest later this afternoon.

Food trucks! There were tons! Who knew?

Squirrel Butter. Folksy. Check them out.

Fabulous Fridays: Mama is a busy bee!

2011-06-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am surrounded by my boys mesmerized by G-Force as I get some business done on the computer (including WORK! In the interim. On my free time. For free. Take note public employee foes!). Also, single parenting! Chuck is at his parents for a work party and really there's no place for the boys with all that going on...so Seattle bound we are.

Today's running around:
-Dropping G off (LATE ). He was busy drawing congrats cards for his 8th grade pals. I didn't follow my own rule of having him get dressed/ready first. It could have been the fact that I woke up with a migraine and was busy sucking down Tylenol and coffee.
-Post drop off I was busy getting scrip and digging through the lost and found & am thankful to have found nothing although I swear G is missing some uniform sweaters.
-Grocery shopping (Dollar Store for treasure chest rewards for G this summer, Grocery Outlet-- you never know what treasure they have in stock. I scored Cliff Mojo bars for .59 cents, I bought a million, and then hit up Safeway for my weekly grocery run).
-And then Lukie joined in on the fun...

Lukie insisted on wearing his helmet. I am not phased by such requests (demands?) as I have seen worse. One parent said "Good idea, those carts can be dangerous". I think she was serious?

Look at these adorable shoes that I admired from afar and did not purchase. I think we would be a good match. Also our local Target has joined the Fancy Target Club.

Across from Target...is a park. With trails perfect for bike riding, something Lukie has been doing a lot of lately. Hence the incessant helmet wearing.

...And then [I'm tired just recapping my day]...we stopped off at the library before getting G. Had to pick up some books on hold & of course Lukie, like G is mesmerized by the kids computers.

Took the boys to the gym so I could get my Zumba on. Later, I told G he could lay out the movie options. He's so his father's son. I told him to narrow it down to 2. He narrowed it down to 4.

The surprise of the day was getting a call around 4pm to remind me of my dentist appointment on Monday at 9:30. WHAT? For once, a helpful reminder! I checked my calendar and it's there...I just hadn't checked my calendar. G has a late afternoon appointment so there goes my Monday!

And now, I will sleep well tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow's adventures.

Celebrations

2011-06-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

So, in what seems like ages ago, Lukie & I celebrated our birthdays. Mine was spent partially at work.

...followed by a night out with my sister later. The night I discovered the tastiest drink ever: Margavezas. Margarita + Tecate. I'm thinking this would be the perfect camping beverage.

And then Lukie had his birthday party. I was also supposed to be at work (!) but managed to host the party as planned. Thanks to my friend for making Lukie's fantastic, by request, train cake for his construction party. Whatever, I'm over themes anyhow!

The kiddos all got to make birdhouses with Chuck. And I scored cute worker bibs for FREE from Lowes.

And that is how we celebrated.

Urban hiking: Arboretum Waterfront Trail

2011-05-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

While many Americans are out there living up, we are laying low. Six months of session (though only technically *only* 135 days, odd?) does that to a person. And, the kids are still in school. So we're in a let's just hang and clean (or not?) kind of mode.

Took the boys on a waterfront trail at the Arboretum today-- why have we not gone before? I have canoed and kayaked through this area, but never walked. The boys had a blast.

As dirty as this piglet gets, he's quite particular about his socks. Note to self: Do not wear them hiking! Which generally means DONATE THEM ALREADY but I love these socks. Maybe it's because I secretly covet them?

Probably one of the boys' highlight: chillin' with the ducks and sharing their bagels. And then I subsequently read a sign about not feeding water fowl. Oops.

Water over the trail!

Seriously, take a look @ that water...good thing they haven't seen Jaws ;)

Hey look, it's mama! Makeup less!

The geese & their babes! And Hec Ed Pavilion (isn't is called something else now?) in the background. GO HUSKIES!

And then on our drive home we passed a Franz outlet- they are a local brand of breads/bakery items. These outlets are all over and maybe I've been once like 15 years ago. Anyhow, this one was downtown and perhaps an actual factory hence an actual outlet? For $7 I purchased: 4 bags of bagels, 1 loaf of my "fancy" bread, 2 boxes of donuts and garlic bread. Is that crazy or what?!? \

And that concludes Day of 1 of our DoNothingCation...Stay tuned for the details of Day 2!

Tia's visit, Part I

2011-05-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Tia's here for less than 48 hours and oh the adventures we've already had! A morning walk in the "mist", Old Navy's $1 flip flop (slipper) sale and spending the day with me at work. On my birthday, did I mention that part?

We got a long lunch break so we embarked on a mini adventure to nearby Priest Point Park. A little nature walk, fun with slugs, and some QT @ a playground...next up: a neighbor's birthday party, my birthday dinner and out. I think I need a nap!

Stay tuned!

Lukes, Part II

2011-05-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Rainforest Cafe is a fav of the boys, so we took Lucas for the enormous volcano birthday dessert. Yum! (And then I hopped on the treadmill, seriously).

Sweet birthday card from Big Brother

Post-dessert dress up (while mama was on the treadmill)

Lukie's favorite present. He LOVES this series of books (we've had one on continuous check-out from the library so I figured we should probably actually buy our own copy!). And the stuffed animals are a thing with the boys these days so why not add to the collection ;)

Lucas Kawika

2011-05-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

My sweet, sassy, affectionate, oppositionally defiant night owl turns F.O.U.R. today. I just can't believe it!!!!!

He's growing like a weed and watching him take off with his language skills, developing an interest in writing his name, engage in complex imaginary play, and express his feelings with words, in great detail, is such an amazing gift that everyone should be so fortunate to experience. ALL those nights of not going to bed until 11pm (and following me around meanwhile) are worth it, honestly. I mean, that's what coffee is for, right? The kid who begs me to take him with me whenever I leave the house yet the instant we go anywhere he says, "Can we go home". He's a shy little homebody that keeps us on our toes.

As the saying goes, words can not adequately express my love for Lucas, the child who I feared I could never love as much as I love my first born (surprise, it's totally possible!) and another reason it's excellent to have 2 kids is they are so different so when one is driving me batty USUALLY there is a redeeming moment with other. Or not. I won't lie. Having kids in general is a situation (just trying to keep it real!).

And two boys? Wow, I could write a book on that one, they are such different creatures than girls, let me tell you. And you know what? I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world!

Love to my little llama.

(And may he soon go to bed on his own, say, at 9pm? Is that asking for too much?)

Fabulous Fridays: The 2011 Edition begins!

2011-05-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today was not a "real" Fabulous Friday in that we're still in special session & if there's a second special, there will likely not be any "real" Fabulous Fridays this fiscal year, crazy, right?

Mama needs a break!

And so, I took one. Today. Ran some errands with Lukie ("Mommy, can we go home now?"-- who's kid is this?) and had visions of a hike, then it turned into visions of an urban hike (ala Discovery Park)...which then turned into a stroll along Alki Beach. Beautiful sunny day (hence the day off- forecast is for rain the next 10 days) but windy as all get out. We soon sought refuge a few blocks inland at a park. We had a picnic, played, laid in the sun. Fantastic! I miss my Fridays with Lukie.

Can you believe this kid will be 4 in 4 days?!?

Who gave him a lolli & m &m's?!?

Mother's Day:The preschool pre-funk

2011-05-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Tea @ Lukie's preschool-things don't get any cuter!

Ok, so maybe I'm the only one who finds these videos just.so.adorable., Jesus content notwithstanding.

Clearly Lukie is not the public entertainer that G is, which is fine, his public shyness is adorable and when things are going super south with his stubborn willfull behavior, I just remember how sweet & angelic he can be. When he wants to.

There may still be hope for me yet!

2011-05-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

This week as I've been sorting through the boys' clothes in preparation for summer, I made a disturbing discovery: G has no jeans to hand down to Lukie. Why? Because he LIKES holes in his jeans (unlike Lukie) as he equates such "fashion" for being a teenager. Rolling my eyes.

But, I love jeans! So while I've been scoring on same sales (turns out most of the country is focused on buying shorts, not us hearty Northwest folk, nope, we buy and wear jeans year round!)...I also had a crafy moment. I tried this w/G a few years back to no avail- as he ripped off the patch (I think at 2 he wanted to look like a teenager?). I've got pairs of potential jeans for Lukie, which is a nice switch up from the 7 pairs of navy pants he wears, the ones G wore to kindergarten last year. AND today I hand stitched them, including red detail around the denim patch (shut up, right?) and viola, jeans for Lukie!

Knuckle bump!

While Mama's at work...

2011-05-04T11:42:00.001-07:00

...at least someone is enjoying the sun!

Easter, Part II: The day of

2011-04-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

And just like that, it was Easter! I stayed up late getting things ready and considering the forecast of rain, I asked Chuck about hiding the eggs inside. BUT NO. The Hamiltons must hide in things outdoors, never mind the weather- so obviously there was no pre-Easter egg hiding.

AND, the boys woke up before we did so I had to TEXT CHUCK, sleeping next to me, TO GET UP AND HIDE THE EGGS.

It worked and the magic of the Easter bunny lives on. We tried to tone it down with the baskets-- they don't really need anything (except maybe haircuts?) and Lukie is a sugar freak as it is. So pennies! Gum! They are fantastic egg fillers along with the minimal-but-obligatory jelly beans & chocolate.

And then they hunted for eggs all over again at Uncle John & Aunt Becky's house.

3 egg hunts in 2 days. Not bad.

Easter, Part I: The Prelude

2011-04-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Crazy that just a week ago it was Easter, right?

In preparation for The Holiday, took the boys to the Bunny Bounce at the zoo. They had a blast & it was a sunny warm day, also the crowd issue was good in terms of acclimating ourselves to The Happiest Place on Earth In July.

And later that night, there was some egg-dyeing.

D!

2011-04-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is our East Coast cat Diego. He's 10 this year & our only remaining animal (other than the kids!).

Diego is awesome except when bringing home birds & rodents (dead, alive & somewhere in between).

Lovin' on Lukie

2011-04-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

Life is good right now- I've been getting home early (aka not working late), the sun is out and the days are getting longer. One of the most wonderful things about Pacific Northwest living is the long days. Days like today. Days where I can get home from work at 6:30, grab some dinner and still have time to walk with Lukie to the park.

And Lucas, can I tell you what a character he is? His personality is just blooming, and it's such an amazing thing to witness. Tonight as I put Lukie to bed he told me, "I wish you were home all day". Heart breaker! Not to compare children but Lukie is such a homebody and his homebody self has been home with Chuck- which is great but vastly different than G's experience in full-time daycare since Day 1 and is now in school.

Also? Running around appears to have worn Lukie out as he was fast asleep by 9pm, SWEET BABY JESUS!

Lukie's Easter art work hot off the press!

Next up, Lovin' on G-love!

Weekend Round Up!

2011-04-19T11:31:00.001-07:00

Given the uncertain state of the legislative ongoings, I've been able to enjoy my April weekends, although I am sure I will be paying for this later.

So with my newly found freedom, we had some fun ~ low-key, low-enegy, no driving kinda fun because mama's tired!

Nope, we're not at a farm but the parking lot of the Y. It was Kids Day & apparently they brought the farm. The boys had a blast- especially when the pony went poop. Need I say more?

Gabriel the Lion.

A successful trip to Toys R Us, as I needed the boys to try out bikes to figure out what size bikes they need, so I can hit up Craigslist (I do love me a good bargain!). We had a prep talk in the car prior to entering TRU so they did not go crazy- they only momentarily strayed from the plan to hug each & every stuffed animal. It was rather cute. I may have used the Easter Bunny as leverage. Possibly. And why yes, Lucas is in desperate need of haircut in case you're wondering. And today is his picture day! We just call it the Justin Bieber look ;)

The boys got to work on their golf skillz.

And Lucas did some gardening and window cleaning. Unfortunately, the dirt is on the outside of the window.

Next weekend will be less restful in preparation of all things bunny. Egg dyeing, egg filling & hiding and whatnot.