Such a Cool Family!

Coldplay on a Cold Day

2011-10-19T19:47:00.001-07:00

What do you do when it’s the weekend, work is slow enough that your dear husband doesn’t have to spend a full day at the office, and the forecast is beautiful blue skies, nary a cloud to be seen? Well, for Saturday, you pack up everyone and go over to your parents’ house to watch the Huskies game and eat all afternoon. But that’s not what this blog is about—on Sunday, we packed up a lunch and all the bikes, cranked up Viva La Vida by Coldplay on the iPod, and headed off to Stanley Park, in downtown Vancouver.

Stanley Park is a large park (10% larger than Central Park in New York) that jets off the downtown core of Vancouver, BC. There’s an aquarium (with several beluga whales, an Amazon rainforest display, dolphins, etc.), a miniature train, a petting zoo, a putting green, a lawn bowling center, tennis courts, several restaurants, a rowing club, and more and more and more. But what we were going for was the ~5 mile jogging/walking/biking/rollerblading path all the way around it.

We’ve done it before—last summer, in July 2010, the boys and I went with our friends the Lyons. Owen had a tiny little bike, and any time the group would wait for him to catch up, they’d take off again as soon as he caught up. And, he didn’t have any water the whole trip (my bad. my very bad…little dehydration problem after five miles in ~70 degree weather). And, he skinned up his fingers when he rode too close to a barricade—he still has the scars to prove it. His first experience on his own bike around Stanley Park, to say the least, was not a pleasurable memory.

Check out the tiny little 16 inch wheel bike that Owen had. No gears like the big kids—just pure kid power kept that thing going.

(July 2010)

So THIS time, Dad could come with us…

…and we had a new bike for Owen, complete with shifting gears that he knew how to use, and two water bottles secured to Mom and Dad’s bikes. How could we go wrong.

Only thing we didn’t have—warmth. We had decided to go early in the morning, so we were riding bikes at around 10:30 or so. Most of the trail was in the shade, and it was SO COLD. So, so, so bitterly cold. Okay, it was probably in the forties, so we weren’t in danger of freezing to death, but it was our first experience this fall of REALLY wanting gloves. I was the only one who brought any (after I realized they weren’t working that great anyway, I let Guyan use them—I’m so giving that way).

Owen spent the first third (at least) trying to get us to turn around.

Guyan knew that wouldn’t work…

…and just looked for sun to stop and bask in (that kid is so TALL—all legs).

Owen wouldn’t even do jumping jacks with me to keep warm.

And even with all my jumping jacks, using gloves for most of the ride, and a positive attitude, my hands still did that little Raynaud’s disease-esque yellow waxy thing they do when they get cold. …must get that checked by the doctor… This picture doesn’t do it justice; they get quite freaky looking, and I can’t feel them at all (which is why I figured I could give up the gloves to Guyan—I couldn’t feel my hands anyway). Yay. Good times.

So—Stanley Park solo bike trip #2 for Owen was…better. But not great. We’ll have to try again. Next summer, say, on a 72 degree day with Dad, water, and shifting gears. That would be perfect.

The Grouse Grind (or, Why I Love My Backyard)

2011-10-05T17:28:00.001-07:00

I’ve told people often how great Vancouver is—it’s just over the border from where we live, and adds so much to living here in this little pocket of the world. I love living in a small town, with my library, bank, gym, grocery store, and not much else…’cept cows, good neighbors, and good schools. But I also love having a major metropolitan area within one hour from my house, complete with all of its culture and activity. Even better that there’s an international border that separates us, because that metropolis won’t grow and take over little ol’ Whatcom County (not including the dairy cave at Costco). It’s perfect.

Ferndale…home

Vancouver…backyard

A metropolitan area has a lot more to offer in activities. They have the people, they have the tax money, and if you paid any attention to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver definitely has the landscape. A few months ago, a Canadian friend of mine, Amy (she’s lived here for quite some time, and apparently soon will be my Canadian-American friend!), invited me to do the “Grouse Grind” with her. I’d never heard of it.

I looked it up online. Nature’s Stairmaster, they called it.

Trail Facts

Length: 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles)
Elevation Gain: 853 meters (2,800 feet)
Base: 274 meters above sea level (900 feet)
Summit: 1,127 meters (3,700 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830

Statistics: Annually, over 100,000 people hike the trail.
Average Time: On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, two hours is recommended.

Ohhhhh…sounded like fun! And because it’s in a big city like Vancouver, there’s no need to hike up and down. They have a fancy gondola that we could just take for the ride down.

Actually scheduling the day was a bit harder than selling the idea of doing it. Amy has three kids, I’ve got my two boys, and summer was just crazy with activity. But fall is upon us, and winter quickly approaching (Grouse Grind is closed as soon as snow falls), so we finally squeezed it in today. Living in a small town, it makes sense that Amy’s sister Lisa is my neighbor and watched my kids before school so we could do this (thanks Lisa!).

It was a little cold, a little drizzly, and a lot cloudy. But so COOL!

The Grinders

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The feeling of accomplishment at the end was fantastic (but the ride down in the gondola through the clouds was a *little* unnerving). It took us a little over an hour to do the Grind, so now we have a time to beat for next time. I loved it, and want to do it again (and again and again and…). If you’re ever looking for a workout and experience in Vancouver, let me know. I’m game.

Perfect Pickin'

2011-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of October, and if we had paid any attention to the forecast, we would have stayed in the house and waited out a cold, wet, and dreary day. Approaching midday though, the clouds were there, but the rains was still holding off. "Off to pick apples!" our fearless leader cried!

And his trusty soldiers obliged…after much whining at home (no whining once we got there, though, true to form).

Bellewood Acres is a local apple orchard in Whatcom County that we’ve gone to several times in the past few years. John and Dorie are fantastic hosts—just about all of the operations buildings are open to the public, and you can look around to see how the apples get picked, washed, sorted, packed, made into cider, baked goods…everything. They have a great gift shop with lots of items from local artisans, they’ve got taste testing, and they’ve broken ground on a restaurant, even. We rode a tractor train out to the new U-pick pumpkin patch, with the driver being one of the owners (John). It was fun to hear him talk about the operation, and where they’ve come from, and what their vision is for the future. Kinda wish we didn’t disembark at the pumpkin patch, but the patch was very nice too. It’s the most beautifully kept pumpkin patch I’ve seen in Whatcom County—not muddy at all, and a wide variety of pumpkins.

Without the tractor, we had to get back to the farm store using a little muscle.

But of course, before we checked out, we had to get apples! In the past, Bellewood has not allowed U-pick; everything was done for you and you bought it at the store. But after years of hearing their customers say they “wanted the full experience,” they opened up a few rows for U-pick. We decided to pick only Honeycrisp. They’re a spendy apple, but FANTASTIC. Very crisp, sweet, and juicy. With each bite you take, you have to swallow twice—once for the juice, and once again for the pulp. Yummers. And to think, if we hadn’t gotten to pick them ourselves, we wouldn’t have these photos in the orchard…

An apple orchard is a perfect place for a tree pose…

…or two…

It was a great day. Minimal whining and bickering. Heck, we even came home and played good old fashioned Monopoly for about three hours with the boys. It was the first time we’ve played with them (1) where it wasn’t “teams” (i.e. us helping them with all the little nuances); (2) we finished the game; and (3) we enjoyed it…mostly. Except when people were losing. Owen beat the pants off of all of us. Totally.

Yes, We Are Crazy.

2011-09-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Tomato Battle in Seattle, 2011. If it weren't for bad influences (my cousin Julie and GROUPON), we never would have done it. But heck, it was going to be on the day before Sean's birthday, and Julie had fun, so why not? I sent out an email to our friends and got a resounding, "ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDIN' ME???" So Sean and I did it alone. With about 500 strangers.

Before the festivities, we took part in the Beer Garden. The event was held at the Pyramid Brewery (actually in a parking lot in back of the brewery), right by Safeco Field in Seattle. The people watching was great, and the spelling was bad. Really bad. Tomatoe, tomatos. Who really cares, anyway?

There was some eye-candy. The gladiator was generous enough to wear just enough clothing to please the women-folk, but not so little clothing to turn them off (no pictures of the several Speedo-Men, you're welcome).

There was also lots of eye-candy for the men, specifically two "silver clad women" whose bikini bottoms were about as big as a hair band. No pictures of those ladies, but judging from the flurry of phones that were taking pictures, and strained neck muscles of many, many people, I'm SURE you could find some pictures or video online. Just look for "Tall Blond Silver Tomato Battle Seattle." You're bound to get a few hits (make sure the kids are out of the room).

Sean and I ran into his old college roommate, Dan, and his wife Leslie. Haven't seen them since their wedding 13 years ago, and lost touch with Christmas cards even. But heck, in a situation like this, when we saw them, it was like running into our best friends.

Soon it was time to go to the tomatoes. There were two dump trucks worth of "not for consumption" roma tomatoes. Some green, some discolored, all somewhat smelly, but not much mold. The two piles didn't look like much. But the website said 30,ooo pounds of tomatoes, and Sean guesses there were about 500-600 people there. So that'd be about 50 pounds of tomatoes per person, and I estimate about three tomatoes per pound. One hundred fifty tomatoes can keep a person busy for a while.

Melinda, Tomato Warrior.

I thought I was ready to go.

I thought I was ready to fling tomatoes with wild abandon (I was wrong). We got into position, and watched the staff organizers try, pathetically, to keep the crowd under control for the twenty more minutes that needed to pass before we were supposed to start. We saw people picking up a tomato, juggling it, planning their first few "hits." Maybe we did a little of that ourselves. But the staff was saying, no, no, no, not yet.

We put on our goggles (swim goggles gave just as much clarity and visibility as a phone camera in a Ziploc bag), we got into postion right up next to the tomatoes.

At a certain point, the crowd said "screw the staff," and let 'em fly.

There was a minute or so at the start that I had thoughts of how stupid it would be if I got trampled to death in a pile of tomatoes. Seriously. I was knocked down to my knees, it was slimy, and people were EXCITED. I fought my way back up to my feet and stood tall--this meant getting quite a few hits on my chest, neck, face. But I was gonna live! Sh*t. ....strong...quads...must...stand...up...must...move...out...of...crowd...

I got out of the middle after a minute or so, and found my happiness along the outskirts. Picking up the ramdom tomatoes that made it to the edges, and flinging tomatoes from there, with really bad aim. Much more fun than possible trampling in rotting tomatoes.

And all that slime felt kinda good. Sean got a few comments on his jersey--but he was making a statement; the Seahawks are rotten tomatoes this year...and thankfully, all the clothes washed up fine after two loads.

Who needs a spa day? All those anti-oxidants...

Fun time had by all...or at least us. Would I do it again? Maybe...with changes. It'd be more fun with friends, and I'd never get anywhere close to the front line. Maybe next time I'd do snow angels in the sauce.

ZIP-ah-dee-doo-dah!

2011-09-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

We went ziplining in Whistler yesterday! It was, sort of, a last minute decision. The weather had finally turned into summer weather, even though the boys had started back at school. Sean has been working six days a week for almost the entire summer, and not only has it been a strain on him, the kids and me as well. This was a way to spend the absolutely beautiful day together in a way that we wouldn't forget.

Before I start on the ziplining pictures, I've got to say something about the drive! It was about 3 hours, which we kind of were dreading...packed the laptop, games, books, knitting, etc. to keep us occupied. I do believe though, that it was the most beautiful drive I have ever taken. Whenever I go to Whistler again, if it's clear day, I'll make sure to go in the daytime. So incredibly worth it. There's lots of places for tree pose...

This is Squamish Chief Mountain, just south of Squamish, BC, the rock climbing capital of BC. We saw it in the morning and were so amazed we had to stop again in the afternoon.

Apparently, you can also hike to the top; it takes about an hour, although it looks like it would take DAYS. Return trip in the future.

And the river. The sound was so cool, and the water so cold!

So we got up to Whistler at about 10:15, and after taking a little while to find our bearings and the Ziptrek check-in, we wandered around for a while. In the summer, Whistler is a mecca for mountain bikers. They ride the ski lifts up the mountain, and ride down the mountain like crazy lunatics. It looked like suicidal tendencies to me, but lots of fun to Sean. Return trip idea FOR HIM in the future. I told him I'd park it and sip on a drink or find something else to do all day. Way too scary for me.

When it was time for the tour, we got harnessed up. There was another boy in our group, Lucas, who was the same size as Owen. They had lots of fun together, and I think it made the whole experience more fun and less frightening for O. He was nervous in the days coming up to it, but was a trooper during the whole tour.

After getting our harnesses on, we took a little hike up to the "tester zip" to get a feel for it. I raced to the front of the line to get pictures--that's Guyan there in the front. There was also a couple on the tour, plus Lucas, his dad, and his dad's friend.

When we got to the structure to climb up for the tester zip (looked strangely like a gallows to me), I quickly realized first in line was NOT where I wanted to be. So I offered up my firstborn son to go first. He did great.

Experienced zipliner, ready for the next offering.

Here's Sean getting locked in. My camera died soon after taking this picture...so Sean took most of the rest of the pictures and videos with his phone. With no wrist strap to tether it to his harness, that meant not getting too fancy with the twists, twirls, upside down moves, etc.

So I made sure to get in plenty of that.

Guyan was so calm--never a scream, or a nervous look.

Unlike his mother.

The scenery up there was bee-yooo-ti-ful.

One of the guides, Darraugh, was from Ireland. Awesome accent. He taught the boys how to be Bravo Force members with their harnesses. You could tell he really enjoyed his job.

OH!! Another highlight. We saw a bear! The guides told us that the bear population around Whistler is high enough that you are never further than a kilometer from a bear (usually a docile black bear, not an aggressive, huge Grizzly). We were pretty darned close to a black bear! Right after Guyan zipped across one of the long zips, the photographer on the course radioed that there was a bear below the lines. Guyan and I were watching it for a few minutes while the others (including Sean, with the only working camera for our family) were zipping across. By the time Sean got there, it was hard to see the bear from the platform (and thankfully no chance--that's what I like to tell myself--of the bear joining us on the platform, since there was a VERY steep incline between it and us). One of the Ziptrek employees took Sean's phone out further on the platform and took this photo, sans zoom.

Maybe if I digitally zoom, you can see it better...

Seriously...we did see a bear. Awesome. It happens periodically, but not an everyday thing, the guides said. I think the black blob to the right of the "digitally enhanced" bear is the real thing. Or maybe it's the blob above it. Or maybe that's all shadows and the bear was climbinb the incline.

And now for the videos! As we were getting ready to leave for Whistler, I was stressing to Sean that it was important that we wear bright clothes, so that we could identify each other as we're zipping around the forest. I think he thought I was being a little over-dramatic, but now as I look at the grainy still shots from the videos I've uploaded to this blog one at a time over the past few hours, I can only identify, for sure, mine--'cause I'm wearing hot pink. Sean should've worn fluorescent orange or something. I figure I'll post and then move them around if they're totally messed up.

This first video, I know, is of me.

The remaining five videos...I got them all messed up, except the last one (mine!). After posting and watching them all, now I've moved them around and they're right.

Sean's view of his own zip.

And this is Guyan...

This is Owen, in his first big solo zip.

On the real long zips, Owen had to go tandem with a guide, to make sure he made it all the way across. Umm, good idea. Goes a lot faster when you add ~150 pounds!

And finally, on the last short zip of the day, it was freestyle. Upside down? Tree pose? Twirl? Upside down tree pose with a twirl? I couldn't make up my mind. Before doing this zip, I had specifically asked one of the guides if we had to get upright before hitting the brake. It seemed like a good idea. "Yes. Get upright." I tried, I swear, but arrived at the brake in a horizontal flailing mess. Sorry 'bout that. Re-do?

First Day of School

2011-09-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday was the first day of school for the boys--second grade for Owen, fifth for Guyan. No excitement like a strike or anything (or the arrival of summer, *finally*) delayed the start of school.

Owen has Ms. Frizzell this year. She recently had a baby, so he'll have a long-term substitute, Mr. Clawson until around Christmas. I'm not too concerned--he'll be fine.

Guyan (in this horribly over exposed picture...new camera, put it on the list of wants) has Mr. Salisbury as his teacher. Neither of us knew anything much about the fifth grade teachers, so we'll see!

On Labor Day, a few days before the start of school, I played around with my parents' camera at their house...here's a couple of those pictures. Nice bright color...

Me and my boys...

It's Like Little House on the Prairie (or Sea?) Here

2011-09-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

On one of the last days of summer vacation, Sean and the boys joined our good friend Dan, his son Henry, and their friend Tad on the waves (or lack thereof) of Bellingham Bay in search of crab. Dungeness...mmmmm.

First, the manly men had to find the right spots, the right depths, and the right amount of rope. Guyan...he just had to be patient.

But when it was time to pull up the pots, Guyan was helping out.

Wouldn't it be nice if this video worked...?

Lots of keepers in this pot! Not that the kids cared too much...I don't think Guyan, Henry, or Owen care for the taste of crab at all.

They placed several pots--two smaller ones, like in the above picture, and two big ones which were a bit heavy to pull up.

Sean sent me this picture on his phone. I was shocked to see Guyan holding a live crab, especially after he wouldn't touch the salmon from the weekend before. Did the boy not notice those big ol' CLAWS???

The captain and his motley crew.

After a while, they caught a crab that Owen was comfortable holding and snapped a few pictures with it before tossing it back...apparently not a keeper. Or maybe my little animal lover took pity on it.

He's a very photogenic child if I say so myself...so cute!

Back in the Bergmans' driveway it was another photo op...

...and crab massacre. yech! It was totally gross. Watch the video, at the end of the blog, if you dare. If you don't, here's a still shot of Sean with a "before" picture of the crab...right before its shell was pried off and guts spilled out into the bucket. *retch*

And finally, the massacre. You've been warned. And if the video link doesn't work, consider it karma, the good kind.

Smokin' Mama

2011-09-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

So just because I don't fish doesn't mean I didn't have a job to do. When we got home, Sean had to return to the daily grind (he's been incredibly busy this summer at work), so I was the Super-Salmon-Smoker-Extraordinaire.

After Sean and our neighbor filleted the fish (~24 pounds of salmon down to ~14 pounds), I brined the fish overnight in five different brines. We had a recipe from Sean's brother, a friend's neighbor, and three from the internet. A well-stocked pantry is fantastic--didn't have to run to the store for anything.

Never mind the messy kitchen. The smoker rack is strategically placed there to hide the pile o' junk that I had to shove to the other side of the counter to make room.

We borrowed our neighbor's Little Chief, and used our own to cram all the salmon in. Note to self--about three to three and a half salmon per smoker. I know I'll need that information again someday.

I didn't take any pictures when the salmon came out of the smoker, but our entire dining room table was covered with smoked salmon pieces and FoodSaver tools and bags. AND--I kept all five recipes straight! Labelled and in the freezer--see you at the potluck! We'll bring an appetizer!

Deceiving the Humpies

2011-09-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we took our last camping trip of the summer to Deception Pass. Eight years ago, when I was pregnant with Owen, we went to Deception Pass with Sean's dad and Lynne, just before he was diagnosed, and a year before he passed away. It was a fantastic, memorable vacation. Sean and his Dad caught several pink salmon, called "Humpies"--I think three or so. It's an odd-numbered year, so it was time for some Humpy fishing again.

The boys each had a fishing license, and Sean did a fantastic job of getting the boys going, threading their poles, casting, reeling in. I know nothing, so I sat and knitted. I also didn't get a license, so LEGALLY I could offer no assistance. Works for me, law-abiding citizen that I am.

The first fish were caught while I was still up at the campground. A fish had just bit on Sean's line, so he was dealing with it while another one bit on Guyan's line. Sean was trying to help Guyan by telling him what to do, but Owen was the real help, I hear. He stood in front of Guyan's line, braced himself and helped to hold the rod up--very important so the line doesn't snap and the fish gets away. Both Sean and the boys landed their fish--the boys' first fish was the biggest of the weekend, about five pounds! Sean has told this story to many people, and the pride in his voice is just great, every time. It'll be a family fish tale forever.

Here's Owen and Dad with a fish that Owen caught all by himself--with a tad of help bringing it in.

Guyan caught the most fish--we recorded four on his catch card for the weekend. He refused, however, to hold, clean, touch, or eat any of them.

But he would fake hold a fish for the camera, no problem.

Just five of the seven fish they caught.

Guyan still has the same opinion of the fish, but Owen has actually tried it, and (if Guyan isn't around), actually likes it.

Facebook is not a Blog

2011-08-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

So I still like to read my friends' blogs, and I knew that I had been slacking on our blog. Facebook is just so quick and easy, you know? When I logged into our blog today, though, I was reminded that it has been NEARLY A YEAR since I last posted. Oopsie. Not sure if anyone is reading it anymore, but just in case...

So just the last week in review...We went on our first annual family camp with the Read/Young and Bergman families up to Silver Lake. FABULOUS time. The kids, ages 7 to 13, all had a blast. The adults did too! The kids' favorite parts were night bike rides with Mr. Cool/Dad, playing in their fort (I don't even know where it was, just that it kept them occupied), and shooting video clips for a zombie movie.

Henry, Riley, and Guyan in their fort...wherever it was.

My favorite part was a hike to Skyline Divide, the same hike Sean and I did on our second or third date, many moons ago (fourteen years...that'd be about 182 moons).

The drive up to the hike was a *tad* longer (like, 11 miles-on-a-dirt-road longer) than I remembered, so I was feeling quite guilty about the promise to everyone that we'd be back at the campsite by lunch. The only food we had in the car (besides Breakfast Cookies we'd planned on taking on the hike) was a watermelon and junk cereal. Given that Sean wanted a workout, he offered to carry the ~25 pound watermelon to the top of the hike in a backpack. A tradition has been born.

Guyan with a well-deserved rest at the Skyline Divide.

Can you find the happy hiking dog? Hint: she is on-leash.

And finally, our Cool Family Tradition...Tree Pose.

(I feel like I should offer a prize to the first person that reads this post...not counting those that get the automatic email and have it "force-fed" to them. Not that I will offer a prize, but just so you know...thanks for reading, and I *hope* to be more consistent in the future).

School Days, Happy Days

2010-09-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Sumer was a *tad* longer than anticipated this summer (teeny weeny four-day strike, long since forgotten, ready to move on, yada yada), and the first day of school finally arrived. Guyan was totally ready for fourth grade, and Owen all set for first.

Guyan's teacher this year is Mr. Hall. Guyan says that it's a perfect match, he thinks Mr. Hall is awesome already. I've been impressed with Mr. Hall over the past couple years--the man seems to have high standards and expectations. Guyan and I think he'll do just fine...he's going to rock fourth grade.

After Guyan was delivered to his classroom, it was time to get Owen into his. His teacher is Mrs. Pottle. I've known her for a few years through Jazzercise and the gym I go to now. I don't know her teaching style too much (all the first grade teachers are supposed to be great at Cascadia), but I do now that she's energetic and well-loved by the kids. That's gotta be good!

So Owen let me take just a couple of pictures of him, then wanted me to leave. Pronto. So I did. As I turned around, I swear he was needing me. I rushed back "you okay? want me to stay longer?" And what did my big first grader say? "I'm fine, Mom. Fine. Now bye."

I'm thinking next year he won't let me walk him in or take pictures. Oh well...at least Guyan will humor me.

Oh! And by the way...it was not my intention to dress my kids alike on the first day of school--it was theirs, promise. We had found these shirts at Old Navy ["Cooler Than Anybody Here"] and had to have them. Both boys insisted on wearing them for their first day of school outfit. Love it! Wish they'd had the shirt in my size, too!

Three Happy Campers, One Crabby One, and One Very Happy Dog at Fort Ebey

2010-09-02T07:46:00.001-07:00

Our first of two weekend camping trips this summer was at Fort Ebey, on Whidbey Island. This state campground is known for its old gun battery, and lots and lots of mountain biking trails. The boys will remember it for the gun battery, Sean for the trails, and me for the cold and damp weather. Guess who the crabby camper was?

Freckle was not the crabby camper. She loved being included on the family trip, and was a natural camper...that's all she ever did before she joined our family, I guess.

One crabby camper, and one happy camper, looking slightly manic.

When we first went out the the gun battery, some deer were out grazing. Guyan thought this was just great, and got as close as he could. The deer didn't even care, and even posed for the camera.

The gun battery had all sorts of historical information...used in WWII...yada yada yada. Maybe I'd remember more if I didn't wait a month to post about it.

All suited up for the bike ride! The boys and I quickly discovered that the trails were a bit beyond our comfort level. Sean did some solo riding, and got a few scrapes as souvenirs.

So the main reason I was a crabby camper was the weather. Ironically, this is probably one reason Sean was a happy camper. When it started drizzling, he put up his blue skies. So very proud of himself in this picture. I took it from the relative dryness and warmth of the tent.

Whenever we go to a nice place in nature, Tree Pose is a necessity.

This picture makes my feet cold just looking at it.

But this picture....ahhhh, peace.

Before we headed back home, we had to stop again at the bunker...

...with a few trips up and down the ladder, watched by nervous parents. It was a long way down!

Next was a trip into Coupeville. I wanted to get some Penn Cove mussels to take home as a souvenir and make for dinner. In the downtown historic part of Coupeville, I couldn't find them anywhere...except under the pier. They were ALL OVER. The boys didn't understand why we didn't just get them there. I finally did find some at a local grocery store. Mmmmmm....as long as you don't think about eating their digestive systems and all their contents, too.

This pier is so cool--so old! Coupeville is a really old town relative to other cities or towns in Washington state. Can't remember the specifics (it's been a month, folks)...Google it if you want more info :-)

On the way home, Sean had to shore up Deception Pass Bridge.

And with the sun coming out, and mussels on ice in the cooler, I was turning in to a happy camper (tree pose!).

On vacation with these guys, how could I not be a happy camper? ...I probably shouldn't answer that. My feet get cold just thinking about it, too.

Happy Campers at Diablo Lake

2010-09-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

The camping at Diablo lake was fabulous! Located right off Highway 20 in the North Cascades Recreation Complex, you only see it for a second as you're driving through. But spend a few days camping there, and you can see a lot more.

Like clouds...we were looking at clouds.

We also used my Grandpa Black's Dutch oven. True, we only did potatoes in it, but my, they were great baked potatoes. Each trip, we'll get a bit more adventurous. But we're not going to catch squirrel to roast, like a library book suggested. Ewww.

(especially since Sean is so happy with his hot dog and beer)

Lake explorations...

...and fishing (no catching).

The boys found these leaves and wanted to keep them forever and ever and ever...how about just on the blog?

Sean taught Guyan how to fish a bit...

...and Owen how to open a can of chili in case the fishing wasn't good (which it wasn't).

And I taught them to appreciate a beautiful place with a little bit of yoga. Tree pose has become quite the family tradition.

Oh! This camping trip was also on our anniversary--twelve years of bliss! Happy Us!!!

Foam Fingers

2010-08-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

We went to a Mariners game last week. It was on the boys' Summer Bucket List, right up there with camping ("check!"). Thanks to Grandma Rae for some Christmas money earmarked specifically for Mariners tickets, we were able to get to a game.

The boys insisted on foam fingers for a souvenir. Authentic from Safeco, and they do great double duty as machine guns and/or rabbit ears.
Guyan REALLY wanted to catch a foul ball. When it got to about the eighth inning, and still no ball, he started to get ticked off. He apparently didn't see the other 30,000 people there that were all clamoring and praying for their own foul ball. But here, in this picture taken in the third inning or so, he had that gleam in his eye, mitt at the ready, visions of grandeaur playing out in his mind...

What have I done all my life without a foam finger? The things I could use it for..."YOU! Guyan!! Go clean your room!"...

Despite all our foam fingers, fancy signs, and MLB paraphernalia touting the prowess of the Mariners, they lost, keeping with their game plan this year. Consistency is key.

Tired, tuckered out kiddo. With a foam finger.

Fish Don't Need to Know How to Dive (do they?)

2010-08-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

Owen and Guyan had swimming lessons the past two weeks. For both of them, the swimming came along great in the second week. Very impressive!

Owen had a hard (but humorous) time with diving, though.

Fortunately, he got a lot better at swimming. Sean and I figure if he was only able to learn one of them this go 'round, we prefer it to be the swimming.

And Guyan? I think we can officially call him a swimmer now. His goal for this summer was to be able to go in the deep end of the Newton Wave Pool and meet the Canadian lifeguards' standards. High standards, let me tell you! We need to make another trip up there soon to see if he passes the test.

Oh-No-Guy!

2010-08-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, my sister Liz, her husband Dustin, and their absolutely adorable little kiddo Nolan came to visit. I think I got a couple pictures of others besides Nolan.

'Da boyz.

Nolan spent a lot of time sucking his toes. I wondered if my boys could still do it. Apparently, yes, they can.

Nolan would like to be a veteranarian or a dentist. He's not sure. Freckle was really good with him. Really.

See the blue eyes? You can trace the path of inheritance in this photo pretty well.

And on a random note, this picture of my dad. It REALLY makes me want to open a Facebook account for him and use this as his profile. So tempting.

And one final picture of the cutie pie. Awwww....I remember giving Guyan a bath in this sink. Today, he could probably only wash his feet in it (but we won't, Grandma, don't worry).

I Swear I Thought I Blogged About This...

2010-07-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

I logged on this morning to blog about our most recent summer adventures, and realized I hadn't blogged about ANY. How can this be? How did I miss the field trip to Seattle? to Seaside? visitin with family? All of that? I know how. I post pictures to Facebook, make a caption, and then after a few days of percolating, I remember that as my blog post. Just not the same. So, in a nutshell, here's what we've been up to in the last month or so.

The day after school let out, the boys and I went on a field trip to Seattle. We visited the Pike Place Market and picked up some Father's Day gifts for Sean, and also saw the gum wall, also at Pike Place Market. It's just below where the Fish Market or Market Spice Shop, on Post Alley.

The boys rated it Disgusting and Cool at the same time. I concur.

Next stop on that field trip was the Seattle Public Library. An architectural marvel built during the boom times of the late '90's. I don't think Ferndale's new library will be anything like it (doesn't fit the "Pioneer Theme" that some vocal Ferndalians are pushing hard for).

Did I mention this field trip was also with Grandma Black? She drove, took us out to dinner, and went along with all our tourist destinations of choice...just as long as we went with her to the Pacific Fabric Outlet and picked up Baby Nolan from the airport (he stayed with Grandma while Liz had a conference in Seattle).

Love this picture--it's at the highest public access point of the library.

Our next adventure, for the boys and I, was to Seaside, Oregon, with Grandma and Grandpa Black, and Uncle Deke and Cousin Dory. Deke had secured a three bedroom apartment on the eight floor. Awesome!

The kids played on the beach (a little too chilly to play in the ocean, though)...

...and Deke, Dory, Guyan and I paddled boats. HARD WORK.

On the way back from Seaside, we stopped in Tacoma to meet up with Sean and visit with Aunt Traci, and Cousins Justine and Tanisha. This was about two weeks before Justine and Darryl's baby boy Zy'Rheel was born, July 10th. Congratulations to them! While we were at this park, the boys found a frisbee that has since become an important part of our summer vacation.

Now we're getting close to present day. This past weekend our whole family went to White Rock, BC to play on the beach. It has got to be the nicest beach and beach town around here. I love it. The boys played frisbee for a while out on a sandbar when the tide was out.

After the beach, we trudged up the hill (not sure of the grade, but think San Francisco-hill-type). We thought this would be a difficult climb for the boys, but they loved it. Owen stopped a couple times...but only to do some jumping jacks and push-ups. Love it.

At the top of the hill, we stopped for some silliness...

...before the races started. This was the Tour de White Rock Criterion. The Men's Professional race was 60 km--sixty times around a 1 km block. Very fast, and very cool.

Right in the center of the photo, you can see a guy in a light blue jersery with orange glasses. He was the eventual winner, and this was the point in the race that he was lapping the pack.

Success! His name is Svein Tuft, and he also won the 130 km Road Race the next day.

And finally, to yesterday. The boys and I went up to Stanley Park to meet up with some friends (Carla, Cavan, and Tommy Lyons) to bike around Stanley Park. Guyan and I had it easy on our fancy bikes with gears, but Owen really had to work! Small bike, small legs, 5+ miles. He did it without complaining (even in my Bad Mom moment of forgetting to have him drink water as we went--it wasn't hot, and I just forgot...) and was an incredible trooper.

And lastly, Guyan played a little golf after the bike ride, and the Lyons went home. Both boys said this was their favorite part at Stanley Park--Guyan, the putting, and Owen, the caddying for his brother. A great match.

Bittersweet...it's not just for chocolate anymore

2010-06-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

Graduation from Kindergarten! How sweet! That's his diploma there, sitting in the tupperware box with all his classmates' diplomas...

I'm including the pictures of the program just so that in thirty years, he can look his classmates up on Facebook.

In many and most ways, kindergarten was perfect for Owen--he has done very well in school, met lots of new friends, loved his teacher, and enjoyed nearly every minute of it. But that made it sad for him that it was coming to an end. He even said how it was fun to graduate, but sad for it to end. And hence, we learn that "bittersweet" can refer to more than just chocolate.

He was very proud when Ms. Bell gave him his diploma, his face lit up with a big smile.

And then came the pictures...first with Dad...

...and Ms. Bell...

...and then his friends. All of the boys had scattered, but the girls were posing for pictures left and right. At first Owen was in to it, and got a picture with Mary (one of the coolest 6-year-old girls ever).

...and then with Alexa and Mary. At this time I think he was aware that all the boys were gone, and what the heck was he doing getting his picture taken??? After this, he was released, and found the cookies. THAT's where the real celebration is, right?

Brag Alert

2010-06-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

We're so excited and proud! After a year of having it set as a personal goal, Guyan passed the Aiming High tests and will be participating in the program in the coming years. Yippeee! It's the Ferndale School District's Gifted/Talented type of program. They go to a different school for a day once a week with other Aiming High kids from other Ferndale elementaries. They delve into a few subjects in depth--next year two topics will be the Brain and Chemistry. Awesome!

Ski to Sea 2010 - The Road Bike Leg

2010-05-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Sean competed in Ski to Sea today. After the first leg of the relay course, things weren't looking so good...his cross-country skiing teammate was, reportedly, the last participant to finish that leg. But, by the time the rest of his teammates were finished, they finished at about the 50th percentile overall. Sean's own unofficial results for his portion were 1 hour, 39 minutes (a 38 mile course) and he passed 65 other cyclists. He was happy.

Here he is coming in the final turn--Owen, Guyan, Nathan and I were there to cheer him on. And that annoying little dot on my camera. Shows up unnanounced and randomly. Grrr...

And just about to cross the finish line...

And finally, Sean, giving us a short synopsis. He said he's so fidgety in this video, but I say it was the endorphins. Only three more legs to complete--cross-country skiing (hopefully he can do better than...), mountain biking, and the final leg, kayaking.

Crabs at Home, Crabs at Low Tide

2010-05-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Sean was feeling particularly stir-crazy and wanted to get out of the house. Me? I was content to tinker around the house and garden, but knew that would drive him crazy on this particularly gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. So Sean and I figured we'd go on a walk/hike with the boys to Raptor Ridge.

The boys? They'd have none of it. Our nine-year-old "teenager" made it pretty clear to us that a day out in the sunshine with family would be torture. Especially a day hiking. Why walk and get exercise when you can play Wii all day in your pajamas and never leave the couch? Why, Guyan? Because your mother says no way.

Then the wonders of facebook. A good friend of ours and a certified nature lover that the boys (especially Guyan) worship posted on facebook that there was a low tide just after lunch. Perfect. The boys like the beach (with or without low tide), and they were now game for a family outing. We left the crabbiness at home, and went to look for crabs at the beach.

I think Sean was amazed at how strongly the kelp adheres to the rocks. Whatever he was doing, he was happy.

This snail colony was cool. No Lewis Moon Snails, or whatever those gigantic one-foot snails are called, but small snails en masse were cool.

And then--crabs! See that camoflauged thing with seaweed on it? Pretty neat looking crab. Have no idea what kind exactly, but thankfully we are not anal-retentive tidepool detectives.

Sean picked one up out of the water so the boys could see it up close. The boys and I were in no way shape or form going to hold it though. You can just forget about that.

The boys didn't do much tidepool discovering, but they drew pictures in the sand, threw sand, and got dirty. They were perfectly happy...

...until we came home, and the crabby "teenager" came back. But that's a post for a totally different type of blog.

Let Them Eat Cake...or not

2010-04-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

The boys and I went with Aunt Cindy, Lindsey, and Grandma Black on a field trip down to Everett today. There was a cake decorating show and competition down there. Not some Wilton Cake Decorating for Amateurs, but a hard-core competition for professionals. The cakes were separated into different groups from Beginners to Masters, but I must say, the Beginners were amazing...and the Masters...incredible.

This was one of Guyan's favorites, and the one I voted for. It wasn't the *best* cake there, but for I thought it stood out the best within its division. The fungus "growing" off the tree trunk was very realistic. The picture doesn't do the cake justice, but Guyan's cute.

This was Owen's original vote until he changed it to the Space Needle, since there were aliens on it, and he "really likes aliens." Apparently a breeching whale that appears to be defying gravity just can't compete with fondant aliens.

Lindsey with a selection of cakes.

This cake in the front right was Guyan's vote. It was a dragon busting out of a bamboo cage. Pretty cool. And the woman was a judge, with a TLC (the television network) logo on her sleeve. Didn't see any cameras, but maybe the cake boss was nearby...

These cakes were cool. The one in the back was a mini cake competition (cute!) and the front one was a cheese board that looked a heck of a lot more like cheese than cake.

This was one of the incredible cakes from a Master. The "strings" of frosting were less than a millimeter wide, and perfectly parallel. How could someone form those by hand?!?! They must be taking high dose beta blockers.

This one was a Master Cake too. Balanced tea cups and beautiful details on the frosting. Super cool day, and I'm really glad the boys got a kick out of it. People can show their creativity in all sorts of ways.

I'd have only one suggestion for future shows... There were no refreshments! No CAKE TO EAT! It made it easier for three women trying to count Weight Watchers Points, but seriously...it'd be a good way to earn some money for the Washington State Sugar Artists. And we'd get to eat cake.

The End of an Era

2010-04-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Owen's Kindergarten class went on a field trip to the fire station today. I think it will probably be his last one, and that means probably mine too. With two boys, MOMS Club, preschool, kindergarten, and Cub Scouts, I think I've been there for about eight field trips.

Today Owen got to play around with the hose nozzles...no hoses attached. I don't remember that from previous field trips. I also don't remember getting a tour of the firefighters' dorms. They must be adding on to the tour.

Of course, the kids learned all about what to do if there's a fire at your house, or if your clothes catch on fire, and all that. But one "burning" question we forgot to get answered today....

...what do you do if your marshmallow catches on fire?

Creepy Crawlies Tour

2010-04-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

The boys have participated in classes and day camps at Tennant Lake for the past few years. Basically, Tennant Lake offered relatively low-cost "get your hands dirty" science classes that focused on ecosystems and nature. Guyan is in his element in that setting, and Owen seems to be following suit.

Unfortunately, the funds were cut for programs at Tennant Lake, and our favorite naturalist, Holly, no longer works there. I was beginning to wonder how we could fill the gap...we do family field trips and hikes, but having an environmental scientist to guide the explorations is SO MUCH MORE FUN!!!

So I've kept in contact with Holly through Facebook and email...thankfully! She posted something a couple weeks ago about a short hike/program that the Whatcom Land Trust was coordinating. It was a Creepy Crawlies Tour specifically for kids. Awesome!

We went today, and even though it was wet and cold, we had a blast. The boys loved it, we learned some new things (there are leeches in local ponds...yech!), and we're hoping that we can find more ways to fill the Tennant Lake gap during the summer.

(above--that's a leech)

(please, sir, won't you allocate funds for Nature Day Camp?)

Tulip time

2010-04-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the family humored me and piled into the car for a half-day road trip to the tulip fields. The blooms were spectacular, and the weather was perfect for it.

Owen in particular was a trooper. He knows that some of my favorite field trip photos come from a tulip outing he and I went on with some friends several years ago. Anytime I asked him to jump out of the car and smile for me, he was willing.

Sean even took a break from playing chaffeur and had his picture taken with me. He was so overcome with the beauty of the day, he had to close his eyes, apparently.

Guyan? He wasn't into it so much. Can't win them all, I guess.

I must thank him though--after taking this "awfully boring picture," he did sit very quietly in the car reading his books for the next hour or two. No complaining! Works for me.

Guyan's Geyser

2010-01-31T10:20:00.000-08:00

For Guyan's birthday, we had a small birthday party with Owen, and their/my cousins Lindsey and Nathan. We did the Harry Potter theme, with two classes...Herbology and Potions.

In Herbology, we transplanted Mandrakes (Venus Flytraps). Thank goodness they were mute (although the children, later in the sleepover, definitely were not).

In Potions, the students were given Levitation Pills (Mentos) that they needed to charm, and then use to levitate their pre-made potions. Hermione (Lindsey) tried first with her Sanguination Serum. Pretty impressive (and the photo timing wasn't so bad, either). You would expect nothing less from Hermione.

Next came Owen (Neville) with his Elixir de Fuego. Knowing that the photo timing would probably not be quite so good the next time, we switched to video. Good thing. Neville's performance was...what you'd expect from Neville.

Next up, Ron (Nathan), with his Essence of Illumination. Apparently his Levitation Pills were not charmed correctly.

And finally, Harry Potter (Guyan), with the Dark Arts Deflector Serum (of course). Hermione had lots of advice for him.

Apparently he's been studying the Half Blood Prince's textbook again.

Snowshoe Adventurers

2010-01-14T12:39:00.000-08:00

"Hey Owen! Come look at this....sit right here...."

I should have known. I totally should have known.

After fuming at Guyan for a few minutes, I finally let it slide and was ready for the snowshoe hike. We were gonna have FUN FAMILY TIME, darnit! Except that the boys were much happier sitting on the snow and making snowballs, eating snow, etc.

But as long as we sat still with the boys, we did get some good pictures.

Olde Fashioned Christmas

2009-12-05T22:52:00.000-08:00

After living in Ferndale for over five years, I figured it was high time we went to the Heritage Society's Olde Fashioned Christmas at Pioneer Park. Volunteer members of the Heritage Society dress in pioneer costumes, they decorate the historic log cabins and other buildings for the season, and have a TON of activities for the children (and adults!) to do. My cousin Lindsey also joined us, and I think everyone had a blast.

Sean and I liked the house with the dancing upstairs and the cookie making downstairs. Two of my favorite things in one house--maybe I could have been a pioneer.

The boys liked the school house best. That was where they could sit and write a letter to Santa. Guyan wrote quite a lot on his page, but wouldn't let us see it. He wanted it to be just between him and the big guy in red.

Owen wrote: "I HAv Bin GooD. Pleez cAn I HAv Bacoogons? frAm Owen"

The letters were then mailed off to Santa...I hope the big guy will let me know if there's anything I need to take care of off of Guyan's list.

Success!!!

2009-12-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

Alert! Alert! The boys both played in a chess tournament today, and both won their first matches. While they didn't win a trophy or take home first prize or whatever, they left the tournament with a nice taste of success. Unfortunately, I wasn't too good with taking pictures...but take my word for it, the grins on their faces were priceless. Hurrah!!!

And to test your own skills...In the picture below, it is White's turn to move. Can you find the checkmate in two moves (that is, White moves, then Black, then White takes his second move to make Checkmate)?

Not for the Faint of Heart

2009-12-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Owen lost tooth number three last night. After getting ready for bed and brushing his teeth, he came downstairs all perplexed because he had twisted his tooth around and could not pull it out nor put it right again. It was pretty gruesome.

(I told you it was gruesome...if the last picture grossed you out, don't say I didn't warn you)

But when it did come out a few minutes later, it wasn't at all gruesome...I promise. It was pretty funny, and now the boys are busy planning how they will spend the $10,000 they know they'll win from America's Funniest Videos. They don't think the other tens of thousands of videos have a chance.

Going to the Theee-ahhhhh-tahhhh

2009-12-05T21:56:00.001-08:00

Bellingham has a great place for live theatre--the Mount Baker Theatre. And even better, they have a fabulous series of performances for schools and education. A few months ago, I saw that "Charlotte's Web" would be playing. Great idea for Tuesday field trip day!

I got the last three tickets available for the show--one for Owen, one for me, and one for someone special with whom to share the event. We decided to invite our friend Amanda--Sean works with her father, I work out with her mother, and all the kids in both families get along swimmingly. It worked out perfect, and the three of us had a great time. Can't wait for more theee-ahhhh-tahhhh experiences!

New Nephew Nolan

2009-12-03T16:17:00.000-08:00

Liz posted some pictures of Nolan on Facebook last night, as promised, but with the new fandangled changes Facebook has made, they didn't show up for me--I had to do some digging. Then I thought there might be quite a few of you out there that 1) don't "do" facebook; 2) if you do "do" facebook, might not be "Friends" with Liz and able to see her picture; or 3) you do "do" Facebook, you are "Friends" with her, and you still can't find the pictures...like me.

So here they are! Baby Nolan, less than 24 hours old!

So Thankful

2009-11-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

There's much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Healthy and happy family is at the top of the list. Spending time with family we haven't seen for a while is also high up there. Anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new nephew in Idaho is a topper, too. And, if we're being all out truthful here, I'm also thankful that I collect and store food like a overachieving squirrel. The cupboards, improvised pantry shelves, freezers and refridgerators have been put to very good use the last couple weeks, all for today.

We had eight for our Thanksgiving, although I cooked for an imagined crowd of 20. Sean's sister Traci, her two girls Justine and Tanisha, and Tanisha's daughter X'zaijah came up from Tacoma to join us. X'zaijah is a doll, and refuses to eat anything other than apples, string cheese, popcorn...I think that's all I've seen in the past two days (except for candy, but what sane child would refuse Smarties?). While the rest of us sat down to a turkey dinner with all the fixin's, X'zijah dug into her bag of Orville Redenbacher. It was classic. But you know, I think I remember from elementary school that the pilgrims did eat popcorn at the first Thanksgiving...and I am pretty certain they didn't have green bean casserole. I don't blame them; I don't eat that stuff either. But Traci and Tanisha LOVE it (and they'll be taking home any leftovers, thank you very much).

In a house with two elementary aged boys, a toddler, and a teenage movie hound, there's no post-turkey football watching. They're watching Happy Feet.

But Sean, Mr. Go-with-the-Flow, doesn't mind. He's fully immersed in a Thanksgiving tradition in the making--brewing beer on the back porch in the freezing cold. Should be ready by Christmas!

"Mrs. Cool, would you please come pick up Guyan?"

2009-10-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Guyan went to school today feeling fine. About an hour in (at the end of his geology test), he complained to the teacher that he had a headache. He went down to the office, and his temperature was 99. Given that Cascadia has about 25% of their student body out, and many children have thrown up in their classrooms, they decided it was time to call me. Not a problem--I don't fault them for it.

I picked him up, and took his temperature when we got home. 97. Took it on another thermometer. 97.4. Apparently the boy runs cold. Two hours later--97.1. He's fine.

But he, and his brother, think this is a free day. "Can we play Wii? computer? Watch Flushed Away?" Continued nagging led to the posting of this sign.

Girls AND Boys have Cooties

2009-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

Fridays are our Alice Days. Both of them are in part-time Kindergarten, and have Fridays off. This makes for some great playdates (or several hours of staving off arguments, as was the case last weekend due to Owen's mood, but we'll focus on the positive today...).

Today they found the Cooties game, and for the past hour or two, have been making up all sorts of imagination stories with their Cootie creations. Owen doesn't often get the female perspective during his playtime, but he seems to be reacting to it well when it comes from Alice.

Home Grown Harvest

2009-10-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Like every other year, the boys wanted to plant pumpkins. Unlike every other year, they actually thought about it early enough in the season that we could do it!

But pumpkins take up a lot of space, so using our own backyard garden wasn't feasible. It was much more fun to plant about ten seeds in grandma's dahlia patch/vegetable garden. Grandma and Grandpa share this patch with their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt. There's been a bounty crop of Roma tomatoes (and since neither my mom nor Mrs. Hunt do any canning, I took my fair share and more off their hands...to do some canning), and there are three Hubbard Squash that look like "something out of invasion of the body snatchers," according to Sean. They'll be harvested in the next week or so, if they don't hatch first.

But back to the pumpkins. We planted some Giant Pumpkins, and some of the Jack-o'-Lantern variety. Today, we harvested three Giants, and nine Jack-o'-Lanterns. There are five more Jack-o'-Lanterns that need to "orange up" a bit more, but we'll be back for them. We were all ready to share with Mrs. Hunt and my mom, but Mrs. Hunt very effectively talked us into taking home two Giants and seven Jack-o'-Lanterns. Now to come up with a theme for the carving...

As for pictures...we forgot the camera. But I did have my phone, which takes incredibly bright, low quality pictures. I played around with the color since the pictures were pretty bad anyway...sorry if I hurt your eyes!

Sean tiene cuarenta años!!!

2009-09-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

We hosted Sean's 40th birthday party last night. What fun! While we would have liked to have invited everyone we know, I wanted to host a dinner party...and feeding 100+ people was totally out of my league. So we invited some good friends we've met through Sean's work, our neighborhood, my work (that would be MOMS Club from years back), and local family.

Lotsa kids! We worked through the ages, and we had all grades represented from preschool to seventh grade (technically, we were missing a first and a fourth grader, but we had some duplicates, plus a toddler, so it evens out in my mind). The kids all had a blast, running around the yard, chasing, playing games, and most importantly--getting along! No one got hurt, no one got mad...at least not enough to require serious adult intervention. Good enough for me!

I chose to do a Mexican food theme (how else to feed 25 people?). We had carnitas tacos, salsas, guacamole, crema, Mexican rice, lime-cilantro cucumbers, tortilla chips, and frijoles. Everything turned out really well, except one hiccup with the beans...I forgot to add the salt--I HATE recipes that you cook for 6 hours, then have to do one simple step before serving. I always forget the simple step! Curses! However, the rest of the dinner worked out well enough that I do believe my name should be pronounced with a Mexican accent for the rest of the weekend. "Meleeeenda." Say it with me..."Meleeeenda." Good (uh, I mean, "bueno").

By the way--the recipes (yes, I am a strict recipe woman) came from an awesome cookbook, Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. Highly recommended if you want to "cook Mexican food" and not have it always be tacos with seasoned ground beef.

The Hiiiiiills are Alive....

2009-09-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

...with the sound of really bad singing!

We took advantage of the great weather this weekend and headed for the hills. Or the mountains--Excelsior Ridge, to be exact. Go out past Glacier two miles, then turn left onto Canyon Creek Road. After 15 miles on a windy road (can you read Harry Potter the whole way and not puke? Guyan can!), you'll arrive at the trailhead. The pictures in the blog are all out of chronological order, but just play along.

Generally speaking, the skies were blue, but when we arrived at the ridge, the clouds just wouldn't leave Mt. Baker alone. Oh well. You understand the concept--family in front of beautiful, tall, snow-capped mountain.

And another picture, just in case the first one was too dark. Um, yeah...so was the second one.

The boys were good troopers. Especially the one that had to carry all the stuff.

About halfway up to the ridge, there are a couple ponds, called the Damfino Lakes. They got their names from a couple early settlers that found them. One settler asked the other, "Do you know what these lakes are called?" The other one answered, "Damned if I know" and the name stuck (albeit abbreviated). This story took a while to explain to the kids. Never heard so much swearing in our family...

And finally--the blueberries! WOW!!! Perfect timing. Almost all of them were perfectly ripe. We got about 5 cups, which the boys said we should make into a pie. That would be only one pie. No. Mom is going to make about two dozen muffins or so and freeze them. We're gonna make those babies last. If the bears can do it, so can we.

First Day of School

2009-09-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

The first day of school, and a blog post to go with it!!! Yay for me! ...Of course, my friend Michelle has three posts for her kids' first day of school--and she only has two kids.

We started the day with a reading of "A Place Called Kindergarten." It was a book we got for Guyan when he started, and it came in handy for the second child, too.

Guyan and Owen posed for the first day pictures. I think this was the fifth picture before they were both smiling with open eyes.

Owen was very excited to walk to school. He ran for part of the way, but that backpack was chock full, and his little legs couldn't go the distance (uphill, both ways, you know).

We first went to Guyan's classroom and met his teacher, Ms. Dralle. I shook her hand, made eye contact, and took this picture of her profile. That's all I know about her. Guyan liked her though--said she wasn't strict at all (not at all? really? couldn't she crack the whip just a little bit???).

During Owen's two hour orientation, his teacher, Ms. Bell had them do some graphing. I was sad to learn that they won't be doing science at all this year (due to the reduction to a part-time schedule for all students), but at least math was a first day activity. Good thing we got that membership to the Science Center!

And finally, this is Ms. Bell (and half of Owen's class--there's 24 students total). A pretty, young teacher that seems to read children well. She's nice, but not saccharin sweet. And hopefully, Owen will love her and follow directions well. Good luck and Godspeed, Ms. Bell. Let me know how it goes.

August Postscripts

2009-09-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Things I forgot...one of the activities for Grandma's birthday was the generation photo shoot. We had eight women, two outfits each, and about 60 combinations (Grandma with daughters, sisters together, daughters and granddaughters, etc., etc.). It's amazing we didn't leave there yelling at each other. Back row, L to R: Aunt Cindy, Cousin Julie, Aunt Suzy, me, my mom (Yvonne). Front Row: Cousin Lindsey, Grandma Hill (Dorothy), Sister Liz.

While at the Redwoods, Sean did a practice bike ride..."practice" being a very hilly, 25-mile, ride. In just eleven days--the Ride542, a very mountainous 25-mile ride. His idea of fun.

And at the wedding--I forgot to mention that Guyan caught the garter. I'm not sure he knows what that is supposed to mean.

And finally--how could I forget?!?--Owen learned to ride his bike. Yippee!!

August in a Nutshell (albeit a big one)

2009-08-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

Technically, it's the first day of school today. So there's a lot of pressure to get a blog post up on that big milestone. But, being the anal-retentive, chronological-order-oriented woman that I am, I'm going to cram one of the busiest months of our family lives into one post.

Ready? Set? GOOOO!!!

First, we must mention Guyan's spectacular bicycle crash. No broken bones or anything, but would you have a look at that lip! Holy Moses! That happened just before going to Portland to visit Deke, Debby and Dory...from which, alas, I do not have any pictures. Go figure.

After the trip to Portland, Sean came down on the train to pick up the boys and mosy on down to Medford. The boys all spent time with Uncle Jeff and their cousin Cale, while I flew down to Southern California to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. All of my grandma's daughters and grandaughters were there, and it was a BLAST! Here's me with my cousins (Julie, left, and Lindsey, right) and sister, Liz.

While down in Southern California, we had a shower for Liz, again...seriously, I think she'll have five or so before little Nolan is born (Nolan Jaxon, please excuse previous spelling errors).

After the California jaunt, I flew up to Medford to join up with the rest of the family. Soon after, we left for a few days of camping at the Redwoods. First, we stopped by the Oregon Caves and did the tour--the tour was so much fun, but the ride up and down the mountain, not so much. Lots of curves, lots of focusing on not throwing up. At least for me--Guyan read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the whole way. Apparently he does not get carsick, which is funny, considering that I had morning sickness for almost my entire pregnancy with him. Some things are just not fair.

I digress...this is the Paradise Lost room in the Caves. Difficult to tell from the pictures, but lots of cool formations in these caves!

Owen liked these caves much more than the lava tubes by Bend last year. There was lighting in these caves...

After the caves, we went to the California Redwoods. Owen joined me for a walk through the forest...literally. These logs covered the trail, but trailworkers just cut out "doors" in them so you could walk through. You can just barely see Owen at the far log.

There he is! (Guyan refused to go on this walk--he was reading again. Kind of funny to get mad at your child for reading..."Guyan, put down that d*mn book and look at nature!!! Geesh!")

Apparently an ocean (and maybe threats, I can't remember) will get Guyan out of the car, however.

Of course we spent some time at the Smith River by our campsite. Me and Momtos, laying on the banks, Sean in the river, and the boys throwing rocks into it. Typical.

Momtos had all the camping gear we could want. Including the tent from Sean's childhood (this woman takes care of her stuff well! I would hate to think of the condition of our tent in 30 years), and materials to build a chipmunk trap. Unfortunately, the chipmunks had seen this trick before (a month previous, when Uncle Jeff and Cale visited this campsite), and were wise to it.

When we finished camping, we came back to Momtos' house in Medford. Jeff had just bought a red 1978 Vespa Ciao, and I ended up buying its orange sister moped. I like to think that Jeff's will be the evil twin, and mine will be the nice one, for trips to the library and gym. I certainly don't plan on breaking my collarbone and three ribs (then again, I don't think Jeff planned on that either).

And our final August adventure--a trip to a family wedding near Salem, Oregon. It was at the Becken Ridge vineyards. I took more pictures of the grapes than the bride, I think...the grapes were gorgeous!

Of course, the bride was beautiful, too. She (Nicole) is Sean's cousin (on his dad's side) Rod's daughter. That's Rod in the picture (duh).

And that's it! Sorta...the next post has just a couple important things that I missed...

I-da-ho! We wanna go!

2009-07-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's catch-up time on the blog again...

At the end of July, we went to visit my sister and her husband in Post Falls, Idaho. It was an awesome trip, wtih one of the highlights being a trip to Silverwood Theme Park.

The ice cream was great...

And the roller coaster, The Tremor, was thrilling. All the boys--Sean, Guyan, Dustin, and Owen--went on it, and Owen gave it a definite thumbs up.

Lizzie's Shower

2009-07-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

My little sister Lizzie is going to be a mommy! Crazy! She's due in November with a baby boy...Nolan Jackson--we're very excited.

Her best friend from high school, Melissa, hosted the shower along with her wonderful assistant and daughter, Tamia (also a classmate of Owen's at preschool this past year). Tamia made sure that everyone tried the old fashioned mints--the pink ones are the best, she says.

As with any good baby shower, we had games. This was one of my favorites--the melted candy bar in the diaper one. Ewwww... Mom got a good chuckle out of it.

This is a "rainy day" quilt that Mom made for Liz. Very cute, with appliqued umbrellas and rainboot fabric. Take all the naps you can now, Liz...

And Freckle...she was taking her own nap in her kennel for a while, but really wanted to join in on the action. Good girl, Freckle.

"Cardboard is Awesome!"

2009-07-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

We just bought new patio furniture for the improved deck, but it's not near as interesting as the cardboard it came in. Sean helped them put together a fort/shantytown, and this evening we're having a lightning storm. The boys are loving it.
The old telescope/paper towel tube trick. You really can see better through them.

I think they've found a new home...

Life is a Parade

2009-07-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today was the Grand Parade for Ferndale's Old Settler's Picnic. It's an annual even held on the last full weekend of July (hmmm...same weekend as Portland Brewfest...a festival we have opted for in the past...ugh).

For the past two years, Guyan and Sean have been in the parade with the rest of the Cub Scout Pack 26. Guyan even wore his red patch vest for me in the 80 degree heat. I love that boy.

In Balance

2009-07-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been pretty busy around the Cool House. Daycamps or swimming lessons every weekday for the past month, deck improvements for the past couple weeks, and--as per usual--Sean's been very busy at work. After running ourselves ragged (personally, I've been painting the deck to the point of allergic reaction), it was time for a day off.

We took our bikes up to Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. It's a very large city park right the the heart of Vancouver, kind of Central Park-esque, with a Canadian twist. A very nice paved bike and pedestrian path goes all around it, about 8 km total (conversion please? about 5 miles). I borrowed a bike from the neighbors, Guyan used the bike Sean had refinished for him, and Owen rode on a bike ride-along trailer behind Sean.

A highlight of the bike ride was the balanced rocks. On the west side of Stanley Park, just after coming around a corner, there was a large field of balanced rocks. You could hear or see several cyclists coming around the corner and skidding to a stop with a "Wow!"

Initially, Sean was a skeptic and said there had to be glue or rods holding them together. After chatting with the artist (below) and watching him balance three rocks, even Sean was (mostly) convinced it was all real.

I, calm in mind and body (ha!), was a believer from the get-go. Tree pose in tennis shoes is not comfortable.

And finally, the reason why we really do it. Ice cream!!! Thank you, Sean, for standing in line with the boys for 20 minutes and struggling through the order (a busy day--they were out of the first three choices) while I watched the bikes (a.k.a. laid on the grass and took a short snooze). A perfect day!

We Know People--and It's Good

2009-07-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, the Bergmans, just bought a boat. It's a nice Bayliner, perfect for taking on Lake Whatcom, out in the Sound, over to the San Juan Islands... We were lucky enough to accompany them on the maiden voyage a week ago. It was such a perfect day for it!

The day was filled with water fights (just don't get Melinda or Michelle--moms usually don't go for that sort of thing), tube riding, and sunbathing. Couldn't have been better!

Sean's "job" was taking the kids on the tube. All of them were a little hesitant, but by the end of the day, all of them had tried it out. This picture is him with Guyan.

And a video of Owen's first time...

Even the moms did the tubes...the kids were mightily impressed (and so were we). I have a video of this, but blogger won't upload it. You'll just have to trust me.

Sean and I took a turn together, too. I had to show him I could handle real speed.

We can't wait to do it again (and boating in the Sound, and the trips to the San Juans, and, and...). We could get used to this!

And I can end the post without a proper picture of the proud new boat owners...except that I don't have one! But this picture tells its own story...Dan was Captain of the ship all day, and I have a sneaking suspicion that's exactly where he wanted to be.

The Toothless Wonder

2009-07-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Owen has lost his first tooth (and by now, his second...). While Guyan was being awarded badges at the Camp Out, Owen and I were ferociously working on his tooth, and Mrs. Bergman was taking enough pictures that we could probably splice them all together and make a crude video of the event.

Apparently blood and pulling teeth excites me...

For any worried grandparents out there, he was not quite this freaked out. Well, maybe. But freaked out in a good way.

To prove that I really did let him work on it on his own:

The moment...

Ta-daaa!

And now, for the tooth fairy! Does she visit kids at campgrounds? Of course she does...she just needs to find a friend with cash.

Our Wolf Cub

2009-06-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Father's Day weekend was spent at the annual Pack Family Camp Out with Guyan's Cub Scouts. For how stressful Cub Scouts can be during the year, it has always been a lot of fun. This year, Guyan was especially busy earning badges and belt loops in the weeks leading up to the Camp Out.

Here, he's being awarded his Geography Belt Loop, Fishing Belt Loop, Chess Pin, a gold arrow, and a silver arrow.

He also presented a poster to complete the requirements for his Leave No Trace Badge. Owen helped him out by holding the poster very nicely.

And finally, his Wolf Badge! Very proud of our scout.

(Thanks, Michelle, for use of your camera on the Camp Out! I can always count on you for photo documentation!)

And now for something completely different...

2009-06-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

Usually, these posts are about family trips, adventures, accomplishments. This one's not like that.

The Ferndale School District, like so many in Washington State and the country, is in financial distress. They need to cut $1.55 million from the budget for next year.

Washington State funds part-time (90 days) kindergarten, and full-time for a handful of schools in the state that are "Title 1" (low income). There is one of those schools in the district, but not the one the boys go to. For all the other schools in the district, Ferndale decided two years ago to foot the ~$280,000 extra annually to provide full-time kindergarten. Now the economy went to hell in a handbasket, and they don't have that money.

So their idea? Originally, it was to cut one or two elementary school counselors to provide full-day in two more schools (in addition to the Title 1 school). Before you think "What the heck are counselors doing in elementary school?," let me tell you that they do a very important job making sure that children that are in bad family/abuse/poverty conditions get the resources they need. I don't favor cutting them.

But then some parents approached them and said "No! We all want full-time kindergarten! Can't we have the option to pay for it?" So they decided to give that option: no cost for free-lunch children, $150/month for reduced price lunch children, and (wait for it) $325/month for children that do not qualify for the subsidies. Who qualifies? A family of four making $40,794 or more per year would not qualify. Apparently if you make that kind of money, you can afford it.

Except they didn't ask those families. Last night at the school board's budget meeting, there were probably about 15 parents, three kindergarten teachers, and one principal. All but one of the parents--friends and peers of our family--said they could not afford that. All said they wanted equal opportunities for the children, not discrimination to the middle class. None of these parents took this decision lightly--we all felt that by checking the box "my child will attend part-time," we were checking a box that also said, "I knowingly am choosing the option that will put my child at a disadvantage." Ironic that we felt that by making a choice to stay home with our children and be a single income family (which was the case with most of the commenting parents last night), we got into a situation where they would receive 50% of the education of most of their peers (the acting superintendent said that similar programs in other districts have about an 80% participation in full-time kindergarten, via subsidized and paying families).

So after the comments, the board really did seem to hear that the pay option was not welcome in Ferndale, and was viewed as inequality. They decided to (yet again) look at the budget and try to find a different way that was equitable to all--hopefully, but possibly not, full-time kindergarten. The next working meeting is Wednesday, June 24th from 4:30 to 6:30. The public can attend, I believe, but not make comments. A public comment session is scheduled for July 8 at 6:30. If that meeting does not happen, you can email the board with comments. There was some discussion on whether it was tentative or not, but I can't remember; it was about 10:00pm by then. And the new meeting for adopting the budget is July 13th (it was going to be June 24th).

So there you have it. While my child that will be in kindergarten next year is totally ready, my soon-to-be third grader is not so ready for school today (he needs to leave in 25 minutes). Gotta get moving!!!

The Oyster Dome and the Bat Caves

2009-06-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, our family went with some friends on a hike just south of Bellingham. We went to the Oyster Dome (a really high overlook with a REALLY steep cliff drop-off) and the Bat Caves (a boulder field just below the Oyster Dome).

(I put this picture, on top of Oyster Dome, first, since it will appear in your Google Reader if you have one...and it's such a good picture of the fam. By the way, Guyan has a hair appointment next Wednesday so that we can see his eyes again).

The hike took about 5 1/2 hours, and was about 5-6 miles. Not sure if it was the kids growing up, having friends along, or the perfect weather, but NONE OF THEM COMPLAINED AT ALL...except when Owen got poked in the eye with a stick, but who could blame him? Seriously, though, Sean told the boys later that night that it was the best day of the summer...even though summer doesn't start for almost another month.

Here we are at the outset...all smiles.

Still, no complaints from anyone...

And when we reached the top of Oyster Dome (after about 3 hours or so, and a few wrong turns), we had to take some pictures, of course--us and the other twenty to thirty hikers up there (none under the age of ten 'cept the four troopers in our party!).

The boys all wanted to look over the side of the cliff. Standing back about twenty feet from the edge, I was dealing with my anxiety. My children are not dare devils and would not knowingly do anything even remotely dangerous, and Sean was keep track of them, but OHMIGOD WE'RE ALL GOING TO PLUMMET TO OUR DEATHS kept racing through my mind. Obviously, we didn't.

This was the view over the cliff. The picture does NOT do it justice. In real life, those trees down there are not Christmas tree sized--they were gigantic, and the boulders were mini-mountains (I might be embellishing this just a little bit, but "objects in the picture are larger than they appear" truly applies here). The boulder field below is the Bat Caves.

Here's my friend Michelle and I at the top of Oyster Dome, way back from the edge.

After conquering the Oyster Dome, it was off to the Bat Caves. Cool little bridge here...

At the Bat Caves, Henry and Guyan were convinced (Henry especially) that they saw bats. I am convinced we saw a squirrel or other similar rodent. Fauna or not, the boulder field was pretty impressive.

...especially when you looked back up at Oyster Dome.

Two for the Canoe

2009-05-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sean was a late addition to a Ski to Sea team this year. He had tried to get a team together with his coworkers, but the team started dwindling about February (everyone is super-enthusiastic at the Christmas party, of course, heehee). Luckily, a past coworker, Dan, was on a team that started losing members in April, and Dan needed a canoe partner.

The Nooksack River was very high this year. Not as high as last year, when they canceled the canoe portion of the race, but high enough that there was no sand at the river's edge to watch the racers come in. There was a short strip coming up the slope to the mountain bikers that was fenced off with a green mesh. I would say only about 20 spectators could fit comfortably behind it and actually see racers come in...but about 40+ spectators crammed themselves in. When we heard Sean's team number called (meaning they had passed under the Main Street bridge), my friend Michelle stayed with her kids and Guyan playing in the woods at Hovander Park, and Owen and I ran down to see Sean come in.

And here they are! The guy with the helmet is the mountain bike racer, the next leg in the race. The guy on the right at the front of the canoe is Dan, and you can see Sean at the back of the canoe (at least his legs and his hat). Sean was disappointed that I didn't get a good picture of him. "Get in the front of the boat next time," I told him.

But you know, not even that would guarantee a good picture. In 2006, he also did the canoe leg, and was in the front of the boat. Here are the two pictures I have of them coming in (look at all that sand--but I think I'd trade it for the fabulous weather we had this year), and he's not facing the camera in either of them.

Back to current day...Dan and Sean did pretty well in their leg. They had only about a half an hour of training, but at least an hour of strategizing. Their team, overall, came in 186th out of 414 (always nice to be in the top half), and 18th out of 69 in the Recreational Mixed Division. Within the canoe leg only, they were 125th overall, and 10th in their division (whoo-hooo!!!). Both Sean and Dan finished better than they had when they raced in the canoe leg in previous years, with different partners. Just imagine if they had practiced more. What studs.

"That's the first time I graduated!"

2009-05-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday (YES!!! JUST DAYS AGO!!!), Owen graduated from Christ Lutheran Christian Preschool. It's official--he's ready for kindergarten.

Over the past couple years, Owen has shown that he does not like performing in front of an audience. He tapped (banged?) his foot during his first Christmas program, and refused to get up and sing at last year's Mothers' Tea. This year, he has done much better, but still gets the butterflies. This picture shows it clearly. While all the other graduates are giddy with excitement waiting to answer CLCP's traditional BIG question at graduation, "What do you want to be when you grow up?," Owen is nervously rehearsing his answer...

The loooooong walk across the stage...

And his answer: "An artist." Those lessons are going to pay off, Grandma and Grandpa!

Guyan took this picture of the new graduate with his proud parents. Just after Owen had received his diploma, he turned to me and said, "That's the first time I graduated!" Here's to many more!

Mothers' Tea

2009-05-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

Every year for Mother's Day, Christ Lutheran Christian Preschool holds a Mothers' Tea (Mothers/Mother's/I dunno). It's great--it's Owen's and my favorite activity of the year. The kids bake muffins and make cards for the moms, and make a special gift.

This year, the gift was a quilted wall hanging of the child's drawing. In March and April, I became very familiar with those wall hangings, as I volunteered and did them all (there are six preschool classes with I think 76 kids total--yes, that was a self-congratulatory pat on the back right there). They were so cute! The only one I didn't do was Owen's--his teacher, Mrs. Johnson, did that one for me. Owen's picture has a rainbow heart in the middle with the word "LOVE," plus pictures of all our family members (including Freckle, of course).

As a very special treat, Grandma Black also got to come to Mother's Tea. She donated all the fabrics and batting for the quilts, and wanted to see the mothers' reactions too.

Ahhh...the last Mother's Tea. Owen says he'll have tea parties with me, if I want...I'll probably take him up on that.

Before we move on...

2009-05-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

I lied. I thought this was going to be about the big May highlight--preschool graduation--but in looking through photos, I found three more big May highlights--the boys' Art Show, Mother's Tea, and Ski to Sea. I can't skip them! Forgive me... First, the Art Show.

Guyan's artwork that he chose to display in the BellinghamArt Show was his harbor scene. In this piece, the students studied shadows and reflections. Typical of Guyan's drawings, it has a lot of detail, which may not be too evident in this picture.

The art show is at the same time as the Bellingham Children's Art Walk, where artwork from students in Bellingham is displayed all through downtown. BellinghamArt (where the boys take classes) had a small display in a fancy furniture store with about ten pieces or so. Guyan's most recent piece, the Taj Mahal, was displayed there. Very cool!

Owen's Teddy Bear was his display piece. The art studio also chose his piece to be featured (along with six or so other students' pieces) on their postcard to advertise the art show. What an honor!

Grandma and Grandpa came to the Art Show also. As the financiers of art school tuition this year, we'd like to REALLY thank them. The boys have loved their classes, and have learned a lot. For both of them, art class was a highlight of their week, every week.

Some Catching Up To Do...

2009-05-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

So it's been over a month since my last post, and my last post talked about stuff that happened four months ago. Guess I've got some ground to cover. So in a nutshell...

In February, we adopted a dog, Freckle. She has been a great addition to the family. Lovable, stays close, doesn't bark too much, likes to play, etc. etc. Only complaint--shedding. We're hoping that's a seasonal thing (only once a year, PLEASE!!!).

In March, Owen and I celebrated our birthdays. Owen's party was a Star Wars theme, which was a big hit. At the party's end, the newly trained Jedis got to try their skills out on Darth Vader (poor Sean). My "theme" was breakfast in bed (no pictures from my birthday--the bed head is just too scary!).

Also in March, Grandpa Black came to one of Guyan's Wolf Scout den meetings to show them what scouting was like 50 years ago. All the boys were enthralled.

In April, Grandma Rae came to visit. We all had a great time, and went up to Vancouver Island for a few days to get away on Spring Break. Grandma Rae, my Aunt Cindy and I all had tea at the Empress. That was quite the girly treat!

I'm sure if I hadn't gotten so far behind on my blogging that these events would have gotten much more attention and description. But if I'm ever going to catch up, this has got to cover it! Next post....things that happened less than a week ago! Shocker!

How to Spend Your Birthday, Guyan-Style

2009-04-09T19:34:00.001-07:00

For Guyan's eight birthday on Friday, January 30th, we wanted to do something really special. We planned our whale watching and snorkeling cruise for that day, and it definitely delivered. Mom and Dad came along too, and Deke, Debby, and Dory decided to join us at the last minute.

So we started our three hour tour (don't worry, it ends well) with some pictures...

...and drinks...

...and more drinks...

...and, well, yeah, more drinks...

And then we were ready to speak whale. You know, to attract the whales and all.

And boy did we attract some! Some were very close...

...while some were not so close, but were very active. There were about three whales off in the distance jumping for a few minutes. Very impressive!

So after watching the whales for a while, we let loose (or would that be "let looser," given that we had lost count of the margaritas?) and boogied.

I don't even know the name of this man...

...but I do know the name of this one. Isn't he cute?

So after all the dancing (I think...I can't remember the chronology too well--I don't think you blame me at this point in the margarita count), we stopped at the snorkeling spot. Almost everyone donned the flippers and at least attempted. Sean and I were pretty impressed that the boys got in the water, given that we had seen about 15 whales in the past hour or so. Actually, Guyan was not going to do it at all...until he saw his four-year-old brother in snorkel gear. Aw, filial/peer pressure at it's best.

Mom and I...

...Owen taking the dive into Dad's waiting arms in the water...

...and Guyan making one last check for whales...

After a few minutes, the boys decided that snorkeling was not all it was cracked up to be. Or maybe the images of the whales won out.

Yeah, I think it was the images of the whales imprinted on their psyches.

But on the return trip, the monster whale images were forgotten when the entire boat sang Happy Birthday to Guyan.

As a final parting gift (along with one hell of a hangover for one of our lucky group members) a crew member fascinated Owen with the old dismembered thumb trick. Probably got a few of us slightly (ha!) tipsy adults with the trick, too.

Jesus provides transport to Lover's Beach

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Oh vey. How do I remember it when it's over two months ago? Debby is probably thankful...but some things I'll never forget. However, some things won't go into the blog (as promised).

We started out Friday morning in Mexico with a trip to Lover's Beach. We knew it was going to be a good day when a nice clean taxi van pulled over and offered us a ride for cheaper than the bus fare. At least, in my book, that meant it would be a good day. Our very nice taxi driver also set us up with a very cool water taxi guy. If you're ever in Cabo, say "hi" to Jesus for us--"Chooey" for short (did you ever know Jesus had a nickname?).

Chooey took us over to the arches to get a few pictures. I think I took about 30...in a five minute interval or so. It was such a sunny day that most the pictures on the water taxi have awful lighting....boohoo, I'm whining about the sunshine. Good thing you can't throw things at me over the internet.

Then Chooey dropped us off at Lover's Beach. A highlight for Guyan was Uncle Deke, Sean and I burying the kids in the sand--Guyan was a squid, Dory was a mermaid, and Owen was (very briefly, before he couldn't lay still anymore) a manta ray.

The kids, Sean and I also found thousands of tiny crabs (about your thumbtip in size) in the rocks. Awesome. Creepy.

After the Lover's Beach side, we had to go over to Divorce Beach. That was probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Blue blue ocean, beautiful churning surf, hills of sand...fabulous. Owen liked it too and posed for some cute pictures.

Later, he and Sean chased the waves. I tried to push away my nerves--the surf was CRAZY. Thankfully, they never went deeper than their ankles. I think Sean understands my anxieties well.

And next, the whale watching tour...

Where's the camera?

2009-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

Thursday in Mexico (it was almost a month ago, but it feels like last week, so just indulge me...) had quite the lack of photos for documentation. Oopsie. But I've learned my lesson before and don't take expensive electronic gadgets kayaking with me anymore.

Sean and I went in to Cabo San Lucas and rented some kayaks with Dustin, Liz, and Ryan. We paddled over from Medano Beach to Lover's Beach by the Cabo Arches at Land's End. It was so cool--the rocks, the beaches--that we decided that we'd need to get the boys over to Lover's Beach (and Divorce Beach) before the trip was over. Since we were leaving Saturday, we incorporated it into a fabulous Friday...more on that later. With pictures, even!

Thursday night, we went in to San José del Cabo to the weekly Art Walk. Very cool! So much more culture to San José del Cabo than Cabo San Lucas (or maybe it all depends on the type of culture you want). Sean and I talked Guyan into coming along to appreciate the Mexican art.

A very tired Guyan wasn't too interested in the outing, until an ice cream from Uncle Dustin at the plaza fountain came to the rescue.

Deke's Birthday Party

2009-02-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night was time to celebrate Deke's birthday. Mom stuffed the adults' piñata with gift cards to stores back home, paying careful attention not to get any cards to Circuit City, Linens & Things, or any others that may be out of business before our return. Dustin prepared a feast for us all with some of the fish we'd caught Tuesday--YUM!!--and some non-fish option for the non-fish lovers in the group--Dad, Guyan, Owen...party poopers.

When it came time for the piñata, we found the right place (a palm tree), the right holder (Guyan), and the right "blindfold" (a Mexican wrestling mask). Go figure.

Debby takes a whack at it...

Then Liz....

After the pinatas, Deke, Debby, Dustin, Liz and Ryan ventured down to Cabo San Lucas to take in the nightlife...I'd venture to say they had fun. Sean and I are an old married couple, and we were tired... The party animals did learn a couple lessons, though--like always ask how much the drinks are before you order them. It's about a $10 per drink difference...

I think Ryan may have had the most fun. He was chosen (or more likely, volunteered) to participate in some "competition" with this nice hot thang. A highlight of his trip. :-) I've heard there's video of this competition out there somewhere. I should really get to know how to navigate YouTube.

Then again, maybe Debby had the most fun. She was wearing the sombrero, after all.

Piñatas y cucarachas

2009-02-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning, Sean and I listened to a time share presentation. Lovely, but no thanks. Yes, it's beautiful, but no thank you. Yes, we love vacations, but really, no. Yes, we're cheap people with no timeshare in our financial plan right now, so can we please please please go and take our kids to Cabo San Lucas? Please??? Thank you. And yes I'll take my pesos and restaurant gift certificate. Muchas gracias.

So our family and my mom and dad all got on the bus for our adventure down into Cabo San Lucas. Sean had gone down on Monday for the wave runners (sorry, no pictures), but it was mine and the kids' first time. Owen fell asleep on the bus right before we got off. But I couldn't resist getting this picture of my Love Bug. A few weeks before we left for Mexico, he asked how you say Love Bug in Spanish...La Cucaracha was the best I could do.

Another tourist attraction...Lord Black's Showgirls. My maiden name is Black, and my dad is the President of the Street Deacons Car Club. They're a pretty devout group (to their cars and the other Higher Power), so I found the "Lord Black" juxtaposed with the "Showgirls" quite funny. The piñata in the picture adds a special touch, don't you think? And I don't even think I had had anything to drink yet that day.

The boys also bought one of their big souvenirs on this trip. These are wrestling masks, or something like that. Kinda creepy in my opinion, but the boys loved them. They wore them almost all the way back to the hotel on the bus.

And of course, one of our main purposes of this jaunt to Cabo San Lucas was to find piñatas for the birthday celebrations--Deke and Guyan--later in the week. Guyan got the big one, and Deke got the small one. We were set for celebrations!

Before I Forget....

2009-02-16T13:36:00.001-08:00

Life has been so busy here. So much is happening, but I refuse to blog about it until I get all my Mexico memories documented. So I should continue...

Tuesday night, after the fishing trip, we went to the Fiesta at the hotel. Buffet, entertainment, the whole deal.

They also invited up guest couples to compete for prizes--Liz & Dustin, Deke & Debby, and Sean & I were all up there. It was a blast--one of the competitions was "show us the most passionate, meaningful kiss." Liz & Dustin, being private folk, pecked each other on the cheek. Deke & Debby, being improv comedy veterans, gave a very "dramatic," very funny rendition. Sean & I couldn't compete...we just went with a re-enactment of our first kiss. Sweet, but didn't require advanced dramatic training :-)

Unfortunately, those pictures are on the camera of a silbling who hasn't yet sent me a CD (those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, as I haven't sent out my 400+ pictures yet, either).

One Check on the Bucket List

2009-02-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness. How am I going to do this in one post??? Honestly--this will be a loooong post.

On Tuesday, my dad took my brother Deke, sister Liz, her husband Dustin, and Sean and I deep sea fishing. Some of the best sportfishing in the world is off the coast of Baja California Sur (like I would know...but I know now). We had the choice of going for marlin on the Pacific side, or dorado (mahi-mahi) and yellowfin tuna on the Sea of Cortez side. Since it was my brother Deke's birthday a couple days later, his vote won--we went for the dorado and tuna.

We left early in the morning from the marina in San José del Cabo. Our boat was called the Cabolero, and our crew was Victor (he helped us with the fish) and another guy who captained the boat....can't remember his name. I could not understand Victor when he was telling us his name--it sounded like Beeeta--so he told us his nickname was Pollo. Wonder if he earned it like Owen did...
As we left the harbor, Sean had visions of BIG FISH in his head. He even wore his dad's "Here Fishy Fishy Fishy" shirt for the occasion. Wayne would have been proud...and a little jealous.

When a fish caught on the line, the reel went crazy. It was obvious something was happening. The first time it happened, I was standing right next to the pole. Sean snapped this picture as I squealed "Ack! whaddoIdo? whaddoIdo?" Unfortunately, the fish got away pretty quickly, right after I had plunked myself down in the chair and Victor was handing me the pole. Probably a good thing, 'cause I don't think I was mentally ready. Later, I was ready.

Liz caught the first fish. It was a dorado, and I think she probably pulled it in faster than any of the rest of us did with our fish. See the blood dripping off the fish? That was only the beginning...

By the time Victor had it photo ready for us, it looked like a massacre. Liz and I had blood spatters all over our pants and shorts, and there was even some on my face. Debby (my brother Deke's partner who used to be a strict vegetarian, and still doesn't like the brutality of carnivorous habits) had opted out of the trip because she gets seasick easily. It's a good thing.

This picture's a little fuzzy, but the excitement of the moment shines through!

Then Dustin caught his fish--it was a Bonito, which is smaller than the dorado or tuna, but good for ceviche. He ended up catching two--the only one of us to catch two keepers.

Deke was next--pretty fish, eh? His (or any of the other fish for that matter) didn't bleed near so much as Liz's.

This next picture is, I'll admit it, one of my favorites from the vacation. Check out those biceps! Thank you, Jazzercise. It was pretty hard work reeling the fish in--sure the fish was strong, but I think 90% of the difficulty came from me not knowing what the h*ll I was doing. I am not a natural.

But I got the fish!

Next was Dad's and Sean's turn. Originally Sean was going to be up next, but we decided he was bad luck, and Dad should go next. You see, Sean caught a bunch of big salmon while fishing with his dad in the year or so before his dad died. Despite numerous attempts since, he hasn't caught anything worth eating or keeping. Even in the Sea of Cortez, I had doubts on whether he'd catch anything. So that's why my dad was moved up in the rotation.

Just after my dad started reeling in his fish, a second fish caught, and so Sean was also reeling in a fish. Since the chair was taken by the Old Guy (hey, it said so on his shirt!), Sean had to stand to reel in his fish. He loved that part.

So Dad's fish? Turned out to be a small fish that we had to throw back. Dad still says Sean took his fish.

When Sean's dorado came out of the water, it was VERY feisty. Feisty doesn't do it justice. It was more like combative. Victor threw it in the hold, and told Sean that he'd come back for it in about ten minutes to get a picture. Unfortunately, Victor forgot, and Sean was too nice to remind him. So Sean didn't get a picture with his dorado (I do think it was the largest of the catch), but we did get this great photo.

And we got this video. Near the end, you can see the fish struggling, but alas, I didn't keep rolling until it came in.

Dad soon got another chance though--and he redeemed himself by catching our only yellowfin tuna of the day. That thing was heavy, and STRONG! Solid. Cool fish. I could go on, but instead just watch the video (please excuse the turn of the camera--I was excited).

And into the hold with the other fish.

After Dad's tuna, we were all satiated. Time to have a beer and Cheetos. I am my father's daughter, after all.

This is a great picture of my dad...amazing how pictures always turn out well when you're carefree on vacation in the Sea of Cortez.

...and Deke...

...and Dustin and Liz...won't they make cute blond, blue-eyed babies?

Chillin'. I swear I only drank two beers. I think I was holding this one for someone...maybe.

Sean just couldn't stop taking photos, apparently.

Don't we look like great fishermen? Awesome. But how did Dustin end up holding Sean's dorado?

As we were leaving our fishing trip, Dustin very graciously said to my dad, "Well, Dad, you've given me something I've always wanted to do..." To which my dad replied, "What, my daughter?" Dustin laughed and thanked him for that, too.

Our first Mexican adventure

2009-02-05T20:23:00.001-08:00

Sunday afternoon, our family--just the Cools--decided to take the bus to a nearby beach. The rest of the clan all headed down to Cabo San Lucas to do some shopping. The beach we chose was family friendly, safe for swimming and had snorkeling. Fabulous! Note: In Los Cabos, "family friendly" means a whole lot more than "no riptides." It means no strip teases going on at the nearby outdoor bar, and no (or few) drunken party animals. I learned that useful fact after a trip to Mendano Beach (which is not advertised as family friendly) later in the week.

So we went to Chileno Bay. The bus dropped us off, and we headed down. I took a couple pictures along the way...

Sean gave me a hard time for taking a picture of the cactus alongside the road, but it was really cool! All spirally and stuff. But I didn't take any more cactus pictures the entire trip.

Once at the beach, we just lounged around. Guyan and I lazed in the small waves...

...Owen was drinking plenty of water (gotta keep up the Chicken Man)....

...and Guyan started a coral collection (thank goodness we convinced him to only bring home a handful, and not the full grocery bag he collected).

About a half an hour before we headed back to the hotel, a musician that plays in local bars started practicing right beside us. He was singing Jimmy Buffet type songs, and did a couple songs from Grease ("Oh, Saaaaaaandeee..."). It was great. Felt like we should tip him or something.

El hombre pollo, or "dónde están los baños, por favor?"

2009-02-05T19:47:00.000-08:00

Day one...don the swimsuits, jump in the pool, and swim up to the bar. Happy hour was from 2 to 4, and it was the most happenin' time of the day at the pool. Mmmmm....margarita, por favor. (You know what immediately follows happy hour? Grumpy hour, according to the Mexican bartender.)

Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, we lazed by the pool. Owen must have been drinking the water or something--he had to pee every 30 minutes, at least. He would never admit that he had to go...and I don't think he did it in the pool. Why do I think that? 'Cause he'd do some interesting dancing, with his elbows pulled back, and high step jumping around. He looked like a chicken and earned the name "Chicken Man." Honestly--the first Spanish words out of my mouth during the trip were "dónde están los baños, por favor?" Not sure if the woman understood my Spanish, or the urgency of the chicken dance, but we found los baños quickly.

We also made a trip to the local supermarket, Mega, and bought some rations for the week ahead. Sunglasses (we forgot sunglasses!!!), pastries from the bakery (I bought the ones I didn't recognize), salsa from the salsa bar, liquor (no Triple Sec! Thank goodness my bartender brother Ryan--good to have a personal bartender on vacation--knew what would make a good substitute)... I also bought papaya, since it was so cheap! I love mangoes, but haven't bought papaya in the US before because I'm too cheap. Now I know that I'm not missing anything. Gross.

Another interesting thing we found at Mega...timeshare recruiters. Or better said--they found us. If you are a married couple in a Mexican tourist destination, they will find you and promise you the world...for just 90 minutes of your time, to hear about the fabulous resort, Blah Blah Blah. We signed up for one that Juan Alberto Medina Molina was offering (turned out to be a nice one, but no, we didn't buy). He promised us $2500 pesos (about $180 dollars). Sweet! When he picked us up Monday morning, he showed us our "agreement"--$1500 pesos. No way José (I mean Juan). After much back and forth, we agreed to $1500 pesos, a gift certificate to a "really nice restaurant" in Cabo San Lucas, and another $500 pesos that he would pay us that afternoon. He even gave me his work ID to show he was sincere in promising the $500 pesos. Ummm....sincere Mexican timeshare recruiter? I think not. He was nowhere to be found that afternoon...but I do have his ID. Souvenir and lesson learned. All in one.

Off We Go to Mexico!

2009-02-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in getting to the blogging about Mexico, but "real life" hit us quickly upon our return. But I should be able to pound out a few posts...I figure about six ought to cover it.

The week before our flight, the Bellingham to Seattle 5:40 a.m. leg had been canceled every day. The fog was terrible! Not wanting to chance a cancellation, we rented a minivan with my parents to drive down to Seattle at 3:00 a.m. My mom was worried the boys (Guyan especially) would be difficult to rouse, and it might be hard getting everyone in the van on time.

But this early rise was for vacation, not school or work! All it took was "wake up guys, off we go to Mexico!" and they were up and at 'em. The early wakening also helped with naps on the plane.

This was taken as we were flying into the airport. From close comparisons with Google Earth, I figured out that this picture is of the area between San Jose del Cabo (where we stayed) and Cabo San Lucas. Just a little more to the east, and I could pinpoint our hotel!

And here we are getting off the plane...don't Sean and Guyan look like moles, squinting at the sun? We are from Northwest Washington, after all! Nothing a week in Mexico can't take care of...

I'm ready for the sombrero

2009-01-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

We're going to Mexico in a little over a week, and we're all excited. Also a bit nervous....Guyan and Owen are worried that they only have a week to learn Spanish, Sean is not looking forward to flying, and I am worried about.....um.....well....I can't think of anything. I just can't wait.

Guyan has been reading a lot of Calvin and Hobbes to us lately, and he pointed this one out to us. We thought it fit the situation.

Maybe I should be worried about wearing sombreros.

It's Like the Weather Channel

2009-01-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

So the weather around here has been entertaining us again. The snow has been melting in 40 and 50 degree weather, and the rains have been here for a few days or more (not sure how long--I must be a true Northwesterner if I don't notice how long it's been raining). The flooding in Whatcom County has forced the closing of the Bellingham schools yesterday and today, and the Ferndale schools today. Luckily, we live up on the hill part of Ferndale, so we can watch the floods without worrying too much about our personal safety or belongings. It must be an incredibly stressful time for people living in the lowlands.

Today, the boys, their friend Henry, and I all stopped to look at the Nooksack River (remember how it froze a few weeks ago? what would we do without the River?). The traffic was crazy, and there were all sorts of people out taking pictures and watching the river with awe.

To start, I've included a comparison picture of non-flooding, non-freezing times for reference--you can't even SEE the river in this picture!

And today...it looks like this:

There were actually people climbing up on the railroad trestle to take pictures (I'm sure it would've been a great view). I shudder to think what Henry's mom would have done if this picture had the boys on the trestle (don't worry Michelle--no pictures like that, and I made sure they understood the trestle was OUT OF THE QUESTION).

It's somewhat hard to see in this picture, but just behind the yellow sign, there's a sand burm keeping water out of the local businesses. The water is covering the small road that goes under the trestle.Of course a picture of our boys by the river is necessary...And finally, the crowds accumulating on the bridge. There were even more on the trestle, and on the other side of the bridge at the Riverwalk Park. Hopefully it won't need to be renamed Riverswim Park!

The Boys' Opinions on Moms

2009-01-06T20:56:00.001-08:00

There's an email that's been circulating around about moms. It's called "Why God Made Moms," and lists second graders' answers to a series of questions about moms. It's quite cute, and a friend of mine asked her own second grader the same questions. Again, cute answers. I figured I'd try with our kids. Of course you know the outcome...

Why did God make mothers?
Owen: Because He makes people.
Guyan: He needed someone to boss the kids around, so they wouldn't go crazy.

How did God make mothers?
Owen: By doing it.
Guyan: By using Mother Nature...huhuh. Get it, "Mother"?

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
Owen: Skin, nails, fingers...
Guyan: Sugar. No actually, pepper and hot sauce.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
Owen: He forgot the others.
Guyan: He likes us with her.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
Owen: Brownish-blond hair.
Guyan: Nice, good girl.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
Owen: Thinkin' if she actually did want to marry him.
Guyan: That he would have less hair eventually, and he would be strong and big...but not fat big.

Why did your mom marry your dad?
Owen: Because she liked him.
Guyan: She thought he was cute and handsome.

Who's the boss at your house?
Owen: Dad and Mom (together).
Guyan: Mom then Dad; Mom always wins on the fights.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
Owen: One's a girl and one's a boy.
Guyan: Dads have less hair than moms, and dads aren't afraid of heights.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
Owen: Plays
Guyan: Cleans the house and yells at us sometimes, and cooks dinner and works at the college.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
Owen: If she was always happy.
Guyan: Give us $1,000 a day.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
Owen: Make her be nice always.
Guyan: I would make her rich (so she has money and gives some to us).

What would Mom change about you:
Owen: (silence)
Guyan: Make us listen to her always.

And that's the end of the questions. I think they're catching on pretty well....

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

Today, we had even more snow. It's sure to be a white Christmas, and very likely one with actual snow falling. It's been great.

The snow was finally wet enough to build a snowman.

I made dinner for our family, parents, and my aunt's family. I really should've gotten out of the house...

And finally, the boys put out the cookies for Santa...we're ready for you Santa.

But you'd better hurry. The natives are getting restless.

Icebergs in the Nooksack

2008-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Guyan said he wanted to see the Nooksack River with icebergs floating in it. I chalked it up to childhood innocence, and told him that the Nooksack doesn't get that cold.

It's not the first time I've been wrong.

A few days ago, our friends the McCains posted on their blog pictures of the icy Nooksack http://acmccains.blogspot.com/2008/12/brrr-its-cold-outside.html This morning, Sean called to tell me that there was snow--non-moving snow!--on the river. Of course, we had to get photos of that. If you're not familiar with the Nooksack, just look for the borders of vegetation--there's supposed to be WATER, not ice, between those borders!

And because this is a blog for family and friends that are far away, I had to include the kids in the picture. Contrary to the story that the photo tells, it was actually Guyan who didn't want to stop, look at the river, and take the picture. Funny, just a couple of weeks ago, he was excited at the thought of icebergs in the Nooksack.

She's Crafty!

2008-12-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

Every year, I like to make at least one gift by hand...this year, I made a lot more than one, and I am really excited by the results. So much so, I couldn't wait to post pictures. But given that many of the gifts are for some of you readers out there, I can't post most of them. But I can post the ones I made for Owen's preschool teachers (they were Guyan's teachers when he was in preschool too), since I already delivered them, and the teachers all opened them. I think they were a hit!

This is Ms. Patty, the assistant teacher. She doesn't run any individual classes; she just runs the whole program, it seems. She also works at the Ferndale Library and goes to Jazzercise--our lives are forever entwined with Ms. Patty's.

This is Mrs. Eggink. She was the boys' Purple Class teacher (the classes are referred to by colors of the rainbow, hence all the rainbow theme in the wall hangings).

And this is Mrs. Johnson, the boys' Blue Class teacher, and Owen's current teacher.

The boys and I delivered them all yesterday, since preschool and the Christmas program were cancelled due to snow. Oh! I should definitely thank mom for the fabric, buttons, brooches, use of the sewing machine, etc., etc. It wouldn't have happened without her stuff and tutelage. Thanks, Mom. :-)

Let It Snow!

2008-12-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, it was COLD, but the roads were fine. Barely any snow or ice. The school district started school an hour late.

Today, there was a light dusting of snow when we woke up, and I totally was expecting school to be cancelled. But no, they decided one hour late would be the way to go.

It started snowing heavily at about 10:15--about 10 minutes before Guyan left for school. Now look at it.

Gingerbread Construction

2008-12-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

The Christ Lutheran Preschool kids annually go to a local elementary class and decorate gingerbread houses (graham cracker covered milk cartons, but who's counting?) with a first or second grade buddy. That's about fifty small children in one carpeted room with LOTS of icing and candy. Can you blame me that I just showed up for the last ten minutes of it? Can you blame me that I didn't take pictures (but luckily my friends did!)? I feel for the teacher, and I feel for the custodial staff. You people are other-worldly.

Notice how the girls got all dressed up fancy for the festivities, while Owen just had the sugar-crazed look from the get-go. Sigh.

Owen's buddy was Brett ("like bread," Owen told me). He helped Owen create a masterpiece, and also helped him polish off some of the candy too. I think they were made for each other.

Christmas Music from the Andersons

2008-12-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

So I mentioned the Carpenters Christmas album in a previous post--it's my favorite Christmas album. But there's another source of Christmas music that's just as enjoyable--live music from the Anderson kids!

Nathan and Lindsey, my cousins that live in Everson, played in a recital at the Everson library this past weekend. Nathan played Carol of the Bells (if you've ever seen a Christmas commercial, 99% certain you've heard it), and Lindsey played Pat-a-Pat-Pan. They also did a duet, and didn't even fight during it (although that may have provided even more entertainment). All joking aside, they did a great job, and we were all proud of them!

Owen also had some cuddle time with Grandma, and stories from Grandpa. Couldn't resist adding these pictures.

Tree trimming at the Cools

2008-12-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

Since I'm on a roll (and I have pictures), we got the tree up in the house and decorated. Sean's always in charge of the lights, with just a bit of input from me ("you missed a spot"). I spent the time making fudge and listening to the Carpenters Christmas album...and the fudge s*cked! I thought fudge was a recipe that couldn't go wrong. Apparently, I can make it go wrong.
Since we didn't have time that first night to get the ornaments on the tree, Guyan and Owen busied themselves with making Zoomorph creatures to hang on the tree. (Zoomorphs are "build and animal" toys that the boys love--but they never make a normal animal. Donkey's body, fins for arms, elephant trunks for legs, and an insect head. Voila! Zoomorph creature.)

And Owen, overcome with either the excitement of a ladder or a Christmas tree in the house, gave final inspection of the lights. It passed inspection, and he didn't fall (phew!).

A-hunting we will go

2008-12-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

This year, we decided to venture out to the mountains again in search of our Christmas tree. We did it the first two years we lived in Ferndale, but on the second year our vehicle almost slid off a cliff (with only Sean in it). The thought of raising two boys by myself kept me to tree farms for 2006 and 2007.

But this year, the snow hasn't really started falling in the mountains yet, so we figured we could get up into the mountains pretty high and get that a perfect tree that's tall, au naturel (read: sparse, just how I like 'em) and only $10 (not counting the gas money and full day's work).

The views were great--we could see Mt. Baker and its glaciers between the clouds. This, of course, led to an impromptu lesson from our resident geologist to his budding prodigy. Good thing the boy likes science.

We stopped for a couple posed pictures...

...before the snowfights started. See that snowball in Guyan's hand? And see me telling him he'd "better not"? For the record, he didn't get me...but I pegged him later.

And of course, as mountain tree hunting goes, we *finally* found the tree with only about 20 minutes of daylight left. STRESS. It was about 15 feet tall, and (we think) a Silver Fir. Really nice. And the guy that loads them on your car? Very sweet--his personality makes up for his lack of knot-tying talents.

Giving thanks better late than never

2008-12-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I've been a little remiss in my blogging. I've been busy though! Knitting, quilting, cooking, Thansgiving-ing, and reading other people's blogs. So now I must catch up.

So--the beer turned out FABULOUS. Very good color, very good flavor. We're actually getting low, and I've been bugging Sean to start another batch.

We brought it to our Thanksgiving celebration with my side of the family, and had a great time (not all due to the beer, mind you). We had eighteen of the Hill-descendants, from Great Grandma and Grandpa Hill to Dory and her parents. My sister, Elizabeth, and her husband Dustin were there, and brought their fancy camera. They took so many pictures, I figured I didn't need to....but I haven't gotten any copies from them (HINT HINT), so I can't post any here. I also slacked off and didn't take any video of the music that Great Grandpa Hill treated us to on Friday night. He and some of mom's friends played guitar and sang a bunch of country music. That's something Grandpa Hill loves to do, and does very well.

Sooo...without any pictures, I guess that's it for Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll be able to update it later (HINT HINT).

Ferm-ent-a-tion, keep the rhythm goin'

2008-10-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

So the bubbling started, and it progressed into a nice fermentation. it might look like mud, but it smells great! This past weekend, it was time to move the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary fermenter... This required a siphon. What fun.

Sean got the siphon going first, and about half the beer moved into the secondary fermenter with no problem. But then an air bubble started, and we had to do it again...Let's just say it took a while to get it right, and the picture below ("Mastering the art of Siphoning") tells the story better than I could...

Tiny bubbles...

2008-10-21T20:22:00.001-07:00

Seriously, I don't know what Sean and I would do without our hobbies. He's got another one brewing...

Last Sunday, Sean started making beer! I think he's always had an interest in it--most men do, I think--and this summer, started looking into it seriously. His birthday presents all focused on brew-making, and with a neighbor who's been doing it for almost 20 years, he could borrow anything he didn't receive as gifts. Good neighbor, he is!

As you probably kow, beer making requires yeast. Happy, healthy, yeast. To Sean, that meant they should start respiring with gusto ASAP--he may have been expecting instant carbonation. "Biology takes time," his wife says. You'd think a geologist would understand that.

Sean has been checking his water lock on the car boy for bubbles every couple of hours for the past two days. He hasn't had a bubble yet, and was getting disheartened. But the neighbor brewmeister said that it might take days before something happened...

And tonight, something's happening. No bubble yet, but the bubble in the water lock is growing, and will soon be escaping. Probably at around 2:00 a.m. or so--I wouldn't be surprised if Sean is awake and there to see its emergence.

So what has Melinda been doing?

2008-10-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

So, you ask, what have I been doing all summer? (Not a lot of blogging apparently...)

It was Sean and my (mine's?) tenth anniversary on August 29th. For the past year, I'd been working on a quilt for our bed. At the end of September, I finished it! Machine pieced, hand-quilted Kaleidoscope quilt with a pillowtuck allowance (I always mention that because it seemed to make it so much bigger, and that much more work!).

Unfortunately, it wasn't finished in time for the Fair (look for it next year!), or the Moonlight Quilters' Quilt Show (don't get me started--I'm still sore). But it is proudly displayed on our bed, and I must say, it's the perfect weight and warmth. I'm so good. Now I'm thinking about the next project--a wall hanging, I think...

Aftter looong delay--Owen's First Day

2008-09-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Guyan had his first day of school on Wednesday, September 3rd, and Owen's first day was the following Tuesday. Oh, the pain and agony of waiting! Owen was very disappointed that he had to wait.

Owen's best buddy, Sophia, is in Kindergarten this year. While he does miss her, it hasn't been the devestation that I was expecting. He's showing that he too can adapt and make the best of a situation. Kodi is a buddy from last year--most of the time, they get along fine, but both of them are willing to, umm, let their voice be heard if they aren't happy with the situation (and whining is heard, and yelling, but thankfully not hitting, usually).

Owen also has Alice in his class. He and Alice play a little together, but she is a girly-girl, and he's the testosterone super-hero boy. The big deal about them being classmates is that Alice's mom, Michelle, is one of my best buddies. In fact, I could probably find a buddy picture of Michelle and I looking kinda like the one of Kodi and Owen, above...

Guyan's First Day of School

2008-09-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

So, um, yeah, Guyan started second grade at his brand new school...two weeks ago. When I saw that my friend Candace, mother of five (the youngest being 4 months old), had posted her children's first day pictures, I figured I'd better get on task.

Ferndale School District built a brand new school, Cascadia Elementary, practically in our front yard, just across Church Road. You can see it just over the burgundy colored bush in this picture taken right before Guyan headed off for his first day.

All of the Grouse Circle contingent can now walk to school. Fabulous! All I have to do is give a nice, good shove after the kiss goodbye, and he's halfway there!

Guyan was quite a sport and let me take pictures ad nauseum. Great kid!Cascadia is still figuring out the rules on what to do before school with the kids. The current idea is to have them like up in their class groups...this works fine on brilliant weather days (like we've had for the past two weeks), but not sure what the plan will be when we get regular Ferndale weather.

And in another couple weeks I'll post the photos of Owen's first day, which was last week...no honestly, I'll try to get to those soon!

Melinda

Cool Weddings

2008-08-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

I am so behind...but if I'm going to catch up so that the back-to-school posts are on time, I have a bit of work to do!

A few weeks ago we went to a wedding in Mattawa, Washington. It was Sean's dad's cousin's daughter (or Rochelle's daughter Katie, if you just want to follow names). It was important for us to go to this wedding, so that we don't lose touch of this side of the family. Just about all the Cool descendants were represented. There was Sean's Aunt Reta & Uncle Bob and their children (Rochelle & Steve, Regina & Gary, Rod & Kathy, Royce & Eva) and grandchildren (so many to name...but the boys especially had a blast with Zane, Royce & Eva's son). Also, his Aunt Sharon and Uncle Kay were there, and their son-in-law Gabe officiated.

The beautiful bride Katie and her dad Steve...

The mother of the bride, Rochelle, and her son Nate...Here's Sean and the boys with Reta (the boys look like they had a hard night partying, huh?)...

And Sean and Sharon...The wedding was held at the groom's parent's property, and kinda reminded me of our wedding, ten years ago (double digits now!). It was outdoors in 100+ degree heat (ours was ~90), with about 200 people or so (ours was ~150), with BBQ (they had beef and real plates, we had pork and paper plates). I wouldn't have done ours any differently, and I'm sure Katie and Chip feel that they wouldn't change anything either. One of the neatest touches at their wedding was the use of antique quilts--they lined the "gift table" with quilts, and put quilts on the hay bales for close family to sit on. So cool.

For the boys, the highlights were the water guns (no pictures--self & camera preservation, thank you very much!), their Zoobs building toys, the creek, and the tractors...

Beautiful day, great wedding, and a fantastic family weekend!

The Fair (Good) and the Ferris Wheel (Bad)

2008-08-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

We went to the Northwest Washington Fair a couple weeks ago and had a blast. The ice cream, the sunny skies, the animals ('cept the pigs--we could do without the pigs), the rides...

We just *had* to get the ice cream. Gotta love the Dairy Women of Whatcom County.

Guyan milked a cow...well, sorta...

I won a blue ribbon with my quilted wall hanging of Guyan's first grade teacher, Mrs. Hawes. It was a Christmas gift for her last year, and she let me borrow it to enter in the fair.

Sean and the boys each got the carnival wristband to ride unlimited rides. I think Sean had visions of going on all the roller coasters with Guyan, but alas, Guyan is a late bloomer in that department. Guyan and Sean did ride the Tornado together, and Owen and Sean rode the Octopus. Owen was very excited to ride the Octopus, but Sean said it wasn't until the ride was almost over that he actually decided to enjoy it.

And at the end of the day, the boys wanted to ride the ferris wheel again. After standing in line for a while, they needed another body to even out the weight...I somehow, in the moment, forgot that I'm afraid of heights. In the first picture, I'm coping (with some comforting help from Guyan).
In this picture--yes, I'd call that a panic attack. Get me DOWN!!!

If You're Going to Steal a Tractor...

2008-08-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

...don't drive it into a bog.

We visited Burns Bog in Vancouver, British Columbia (http://www.burnsbog.org/) and saw the famous tractor that got stuck in the bog in the early 70's. Two teenage boys stole a couple tractors from a nearby peat plant (no longer in operation), and drove the tractors into the bog. They got stuck, and while one tractor was removed with a helicopter crane, the other one remains there, almost completely sunk. Our boys sat and mourned for the tractor...and hopefully learned never to steal one (or at least don't drive it into a bog if you do!).

Budding Artists

2008-08-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Guyan and Owen both had art camps last week, and loved them! Owen's theme was "Jungle Boogie," while Guyan's was "The Land of Enchantment." A big thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Black for subsidizing the camps!

Guyan's camp was five days long, and on the last day, family was invited to come to an "Art Show" to view his creations. We had to make sure that Owen also got his due (his mini-camp did not host an art show), so on Thursday night, we opened the Cool Gallery to invited guests--Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Lizzie, Cindy, Dave, Nathan and Lindsey. We served refreshments as well--root beer floats, of course. Thanks to all of you for coming--Owen definitely felt special, and enjoyed showing off his new-found talent.

Owen's art was impressive! He drew a parrot (he answered questions about it at the art show, see below, and it's now on display at Grandma's house), a monkey (his favorite), and a tiger (ummm...not his favorite, but I love it!).

Guyan did very nice work as well. He's pretty talented, and you can always find little details that he adds in as his own touch...there's wood nymphs hiding in the fairy drawing, for example...you might not be able to see them since they're really small. All of these drawings are treasures--when you come to visit, you can admire both boys' art class projects on our permanent "art show wall"--I'm sure they'll bask in the attention, and answer any questions you might have about their art and inspiration!

Riiiiiide, Sean-ry, Ride!

2008-08-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

This hasn't gotten into the posts yet, but have I told you what Sean's been up to this summer? He has taken to riding his bicycle. Perhaps the cost of fuel, the death of our Isuzu Rodeo in May, and only one modern car until mid-June had something to do with it. Bike riding isn't an entirely new development--he commuted by bike in college, and has completed a couple bike rides, including the Seattle to Portland ("STP") in 2002. Usually, each spring/summer, he chooses a race or two (running or biking) to train for, and gets his exercise in that way.

His first race this summer wasn't *just* a bike ride--he did his first triathlon! It was a "sprint length" triathlon (is that what they call it?) at Clear Lake Washington. A sprint (yeah, right!) includes a 1/3-mile swim, a 14.8-mile bike ride and finishes off with a 4-mile run. The photo below is pre-race, at the transition area.

After that, he needed another event to keep him going. Enter the Tour de Whatcom. With 25, 50 and 100-mile options, Sean and his friend Kevin (a neighbor of ours) chose the 100-mile option. UGH. Crazy man. But they had tons of fun.

The boys and I met Sean and Kevin at a couple of the pit stops along the Tour. An absolutely beautiful day for a bike ride (although I would have opted for a 5-10 mile cruise, I think).

This is Sean (and Kevin, just ahead of him) leaving Birch Bay....oh! and look--that's our new Prius, off to the left. Isn't it purdy?

I was trying to get a picture of Kevin, but Sean must have thought the photo needed "something more."

And up next? I think it's going to be the Ride 542 Mt. Baker Hill Climb. Did you notice the "Mt." and the "Hill" in the title? A 25-mile ride with 4300 ft elevation gain. You make the call--mountain or hill? Good luck, Sean!