Simply Woodwards

11th Birthday Extravaganza!

2010-06-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's all about the camo!

The motley crew that came to party with Colin.

Tween boys! Gotta love 'em!

I still wonder if the neighbors felt safe and protected with the 229th Street gang around, or if they locked their doors and feared for their lives.

Nerf war at night in the rain...

Let them eat cake...

Colin's actual birthday was on Mother's Day this year. So we thought it fitting to go to a Mariners game where they were saluting all moms.

It was a fabulously sunny and warm day for a ballgame, probably the only one of this miserably grey and wet spring.

We saluted Colin with a much appreciated scoreboard message.

Later that night we had some family over for cake. Yes, it's a baseball cake!

At Home Mythbusting

2010-05-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

The infamous mentos and diet coke experiment...

Sailin' The Lady Washington

2010-05-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Matt & Colin set sail aboard The Lady Washington on the last day of spring break. This is the ship that doubles as the Black Pearl in the movie, The Pirates of the Carribean. It was about a 3 hour tour, but thankfully they were no where near Gilligan's Island. They just cruised around Grays Harbor a bit. The crew were dressed in period costumes and showed the passengers how to help hoist the sails. They also fired the cannons a couple of times. At what I'm not sure. A wayward seal, an angry seagull, an out of control fishing boat, or was it Caption Jack Sparrow?

Spring Break '10

2010-05-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Lori and the kids came out to the beach for a couple days during break. Colin was so excited to have his buddy there for a while. Hannah brought her friend Maddy along so she would have someone to play with and so that the moms could drink wine and scrapbook in peace. Well, in relative peace, anyway.

Looks like the battle didn't go Colin's way.

Lani was in doggy heaven having two girls who paid her lots of attention!

Throw it again! I'll go get it! That's what I do!

The weather was quite stormy for most of the week. One night Colin & I swore we were in a hurricane. But, wouldn't you know it that on the last day and a half, it was nice. Just in time to have to go home.

Easter at the Beach

2010-05-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

The three of us went to Easter service at Twin Harbors Lutheran Church in Grayland. Afterward, we had a delicious brunch at the Tokeland Hotel. When paying for our meal, we were treated to the story of when Robert Plant had come to stay at the hotel.

The Easter bunny brought Lani a stuffed bunny to keep her company during her afternoon naps.

Egg dying... an essential activity. Plus, who doesn't like egg salad sandwiches.

3,2,1... Lift Off!

2010-05-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Once the school science project was completed and turned in, it was time to have some fun with the paper rocket launcher.

An army dude strapped onto the rocket. Why? Cause that's what boys do!

I hope no one gave them the real launch codes!

Increasing the air pressure with the bicycle pump.

Proper positioning of the paper projectile.

Nerf Gun Wars - Preparing for Battle

2010-05-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

If we ever go to war and all that's necessary is nerf guns, I'm confident we'll be well defended. Colin now has two big plastic containers full of all types of nerf weaponry and ammunition. All the neighborhood boys are apart of his battalion and every night after a battle or two, the cul-de-sac is littered with little orange projectiles. I'm pretty sure the neighbors that don't have tween boys living with them think that we're involved with training the next terrorist cell. It's hard to convince them otherwise when some of the kids' guns have clips full of bullets that will fire numerous rounds at one time. Then there is the big nerf bullet rocket launcher for when you need a little more fire power!

This particular event is one where Colin and one of his mates are preparing for a nighttime attack. They have securely fastened flashlights onto their guns in order to see the approaching enemy.

Once they are fully armed and ready, I give them my love, tell them God speed and hope that they come back to me in one piece. I expect to get letters from them while they are on the front lines.

Happy Birthday, Lani!

2010-05-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Pretty flower cupcakes for the pretty little doggie!

Lani turned 5 this year! She's middle-aged... I can relate.

Her party theme was "Hello Kitty". To her dismay, there wasn't an actual kitty in her birthday gift.

Our pretty princess... Funny, she didn't want to wear it.

Latest Cutie Patootie Nephew Hudson

2010-05-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hudson came 9 weeks early and we missed him by mere days. Looks like another trip to the South is in order!

Cutie Patootie Nephew Maddox

2010-05-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at what a car ride can accomplish.

Wow! There's another one of me!

A boy and his binky...

Colin made that same face when he was but a babe. Perhaps he is unknowingly auditioning for the movie Zoolander.

It doesn't take much to make him smile. I believe this time it was two silly aunties making goo goo eyes at him.

Quick Stop in Atlanta

2010-05-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Since our flight home didn't leave until 5pm, we had the chance to visit the CNN Center in Atlanta.

We didn't realize that Cartoon Network, which airs one of Colin's favorite shows Clone Wars, was a part of the Turner Broadcasting Corp. Sadly they run that channel from another location.

Nothing like a picture with a cardboard cutout of Wolf Blitzer.

We were able to take a tour of the CNN studios, which was a total blast for Colin since he's been working on the RCNN team at school. This was big time stuff and even cooler than seeing the Microsoft studios. We learned all sorts of cool facts about what it takes to run a 24 hour news channel. Toward the end of the tour, you get to watch the live telecast in progress from an upstairs glass enclosed viewing platform. We got to watch Ali Velshi in the studio.

After visiting CNN, we walked through Olympic Centennial Park. It's hard to believe the summer Olympics were there over 14 years ago and it was before that since I had been to Atlanta. The water fountain where Colin is sitting above is in the shape of the Olympic rings. It's too bad we couldn't stay longer and visit the Coca Cola museum, but we were also excited to get back home.

Morgan's Baby Shower

2010-05-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Jan made some yummy food for all! The grape salad was the talk of the town!

Sighs of complaint and misery had befallen the guests when Shauna & Christine said it was time for games. But our games were awesome, as were the prizes. We didn't expect so many ties, however!

Jan and Shauna looking on as our guests feverishly try to remember what "momma to be" was wearing, as she hid in the back room.

A lot of oohs and ahhs for all the adorable baby things Morgan recieved.

Colin picked out this cute puppy for his new cousin.

Christine got baby Ewald a super cool feeding chair that he can use for a long time. Although she can't take credit for the idea, since it was on Morgan's list. It sure was fun shopping in the baby aisle again and seeing all the new things they've come out with in the last ten years.

Tennessee Visit ~ Mid-Winter Break

2010-04-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here is Colin, with his cousin Maddox, at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.

Colin got to finally meet Hayden, now officially his cousin too! Since they both love video games, they hit it off straight away!

Uncles Randy, Colby and Justin, plus Leon got Colin interested in disc golf. They all played a few rounds and Colin even got started on his own set of discs. The first thing he wanted to do when we got home was to go play at the course in Auburn with Matt.

Here's Christine with her sister, Shuana (Auntie NaNa), giving our nephew Maddox yet another bottle. The kid eats like a horse!

Morgan and Randy both awaiting their turns to bowl on Wii Sports.

Pass the baby being played by Aunt Ramie and Uncle Javi.

All the cousins thus far...

Maddox with his papa, Christine's brother Justin.

RCNN Field Trip to Microsoft Studios

2010-04-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

The kids who work on Rock Creek Network News (RCNN) from Colin's school went to Microsoft Studios to tour the facility and film part of their March newscast.

We had a green room all to ourselves while we waited.

This is the sound stage. The background is painted different colors depending on what they are filming. Our tour guide said that there were more than 3,000 layers of paint on the screen.

Each student had a different responsibility, such as anchor, camera operator, director or producer. Colin was a producer and his job was to run the teleprompter for the anchors to read from. His buddy Nathan was one of the news anchors. The kids did a fantastic job creating the show that they would later broadcast at school. Perhaps a future journalist in our midst!

Morgan and Randy Tie the Knot!

2010-04-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

Tahoma Basketball

2010-04-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Colin played on the green team called The Stealth this year for basketball. The kids all played their hearts out during the season and made huge progress, although not many games were won. While his team worked hard on learning and practicing good offense plays and defensive skills, other teams were more interested in stealing the ball, making quick layups and running up the score. The kids fortunately kept their cool under these circumstances, leaving the parents set and ready to send e-mails to the league. Colin did have fun since he had his buddies Nick and Luke on his team. He scored at least one basket every game, plus discovered he could use his size to his advantage.

Cub Scout Bridging Ceremony

2010-04-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of Colin, who worked really hard to earn the Cub Scout Arrow of Light award. He too was really excited about his achievement. Colin also decided to join Boy Scout Troop 711 and some scouts from this troop were on hand to "recieve" the new boys. They were presented with new handbooks and neckerchiefs.

Colin is really stoked about being in boy scouts, where he'll get to do a lot of cool stuff like hiking, overnight camps, awesome service projects and earning merit badges. He'll learn lots of leadership skills as the troop is mostly boy led. They even have camps and trips out of state. This new level of independence is both exciting and scary, especially for mom. However, he has a few buddies that also joined the troop and it is sponsored by our church, so there's at least a little bit of familiarity. Plus, they love parent involvement!

Valentine's Day Brunch Etta's

2010-04-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

We continued the Woodward family tradition of having brunch for Valentine's Day at our favorite Tom Douglas restaurant, Etta's. They have the yummiest breakfast! Fortuantely we thought ahead and made reservations, enabling us to skip the 2 hour wait. Afterward we walked through the market, along with hoards of people who came to Seattle for the 3 day holiday weekend. After standing in line to buy tulips for what seemed like forever, we decided we'd come back to Pike Place another day that would be less crowded. When did Seattle get so popular in February?!

Images of a Woodward Holiday

2010-03-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

Our cub scout den went on a field trip to Safeco Field to ride the light rail and to take a tour. Not only was it fun, it fulfilled the requirements for earning the Travelers badge.

A few days before the kids got out for Christmas break, the 5th graders went on a field trip to the Seattle Center. Colin thought the best thing was the animation exhibit. Christine thought it was not having to ride the bus there and back!

At the last minute we decided to go to the WSU vs. LSU basketball game at the Key Arena. What a game! It was close the whole way and miraculously went into overtime after it wasn't looking good for the Cougs at the end. (Thanks, in part, to the refs) The crowd was wild, although extremely tired of singing the fight song for the millionth time. Amazingly we pulled off the win by a mere 2 points.
Finally it felt good to be a Coug again. I had forgotten what that felt like.

Merry Christmas!

Colin was up earlier than ever this year! He never got up super early before. Hmm... Hope this isn't a new trend!

Love the Santa hat!

This year's gift theme... Legos & XBox!

Colin and Christine went to Wenatchee just after Christmas to visit Opa and Grandma Bob. On our way home, we decided to stop in Leavenworth to see it in its holiday glory.

The three of us went to the Seattle Center for New Year's Eve. We got there early before the huge crowd and the rain arrived. Since we had an amazing parking spot, we watched the fireworks from the truck. Nice & dry. Good show!

Happy New Year, Seattle! 2010!

Veteran's Day Assembly at Rock Creek Elementary School

2009-12-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

Colin's cub scout den was in charge of the color guard for the annual Veteran's Day assembly at his school this year. They did a fantastic job! In between their flag duties, they also sang in the 5th grade choir. They performed all sorts of patriotic songs and even handed out roses to all the vets in the audience.

Colin is in the middle of the back row. If you squint hard enough, you can just barely see him in his uniform. Although my zoom lens is good, it isn't that good. Next time I'll be the annoying parent standing in front in everyone's way just to get a good close-up of their child.

3-2-1...Fire in the Hole!

2009-12-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

Colin's cub scout den was invited to the boy scout troop's annual pumpkin launch. Each patrol builds a catapult or trebuchet and sees whose contraption will hurl a pumpkin the farthest. They had a bit of trouble getting them to work at first, but soon a couple got enough steam to get the gourds both big and small to fly about 200+ yards. One patrol kept having trouble the whole day and we would cheer loudly when their pumpkins got even a few feet. Somehow one pumpkin got launched backwards - not really sure what happened there. The cub scouts didn't participate in the actual construction, but they got to pull the rope that released the swing.
Correy, Austin, Kyle, Nathan, Colin & KCee

Both kids and adults alike were thankful for the hot beverages that were provided, cause it was a chilly day.

Mr. Jack O'Lantern, he lived a short, but fruitful life.

All Hallow's Eve

2009-12-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

It was another Star Wars - The Clone Wars year for Halloween. Colin originally had the ingenious and creative idea to dress up as a cardboard box. I found this quite funny, since we almost ended up living in a cardboard box this year. Sadly we watched the weather forecast a couple days before the big day and Jeff said it was going to be wet & windy, not favorable conditions for a box. With great reluctance we hit all the stores that had costumes left and finally after four stops we found one that Colin was at least remotely interested in donning for trick or treats. And, wouldn't you know, it was 50 times the price of a cardboard box, which made me

think that we still might end up living in one after all.

"Hey, Joseph! That's a Super Cool Coat!"

2009-10-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

On a whim we decided to go see "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the 5th Avenue Theater. What a fun show! Even sitting way back in the upper balcony was no problem at all. Lively music, eleborate costumes and bright lights filled the entire auditorium. Even Colin liked it alot and laughed during all the funny parts.

Before the show, we went to Benihana for dinner. Matt & I hadn't been there for over 10 years, and Colin really enjoyed the cooking show at the table. The food was so good! Even the sake, served warm, was delicious, as was the sushi appetizer.

BrickCon 2009

2009-10-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Matt & Colin took Link light rail up to the Seattle Center to hang out at BrickCon, a lego convention held every year. Even though I didn't go along, I'm pretty sure they both were on cloud 9.

All things Lego!

One of Colin's major objectives was to check out the BrickArms booth. Yes, I too had to ask what BrickArms was. I learned that they sell a million types of little lego accessories, such as knives, guns, swords, bazookas and pretty much every other type of weaponry, that go on the miniture lego guys, and probably gals for that matter. Absolutely vital information!

What could be better than Legos? Star Wars Legos, of course!

Looks like we might be needing to take another trip to Legoland sometime soon.

We Call it Maize!

2009-10-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

Despite the chilly breeze, it was a fabulously sunny Saturday afternoon to hang out at the corn maze & pumpkin patch at Carpinito Brothers with the cub scout pack. Matt & Colin hooked up with Eric & Luke and finished the first corn maze, while Christine checked everybody in and collected money. The maze they completed was titled "Werewolf". Why? Because the maze itself was cut into the shape of a werewolf.

After completing her scout duties, Christine joined the boys in hiking through the second maze titled "RIP". Making the mistake of not getting herself a map, she completely relied on the others for navigation. At times, this seemed not the wisest choice, but it turned out alright in the end when finally the path through the corn stalks made way to the pumpkin patch. Colin was able to stop at every numbered station to get his map punched, then later turned it in for a prize drawing. The day wouldn't be complete without a hay ride and a couple of pumpkins to take home.

It's All Greek To Me!

2009-10-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

On a whim, we all decided to go hang out at the Greek Festival at Saint Demetrios. What fun! We didn't quite have the courage to get up on stage and learn how to do Greek dancing, but trying a lot of the food was no problem at all. Greek salad, an eggplant pasta dish, lots of puff pastry concoctions, both savory and sweet and appetizers rolled in grape leaves! Even Colin enjoyed his meal which was like a spaghetti with meatballs in rice. We didn't have any gyros, only because you can get them more places. For dessert we sampled a couple different things, but voted best was the mini donuts drizzled in honey glaze. Those tasted like heaven, pun intended. Somehow we missed out on sampling the grappa - OPA!

They were giving tours of the actual church and we really wanted to see the inside, since we guessed it was really pretty. However, the next tour wasn't happening until after we planned on leaving. I guess we'll just have to go back next year!

First Day of 5th Grade

2009-09-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that I'm in denial about my only child being in the 5th grade. I'm convinced that he just started Kindergarten last year. Could this really be his last year of elementary school? Quite possibly a more bitter pill to swallow than turning 40 next year. (Although talk to me again in April. I might change my mind!)

This year was the first year that he took interest in what he wore on the first day of school. While back to school clothes shopping at Old Navy, he was very fixed on putting together the same look that he saw on display in the store. He wanted my help with getting his sleeves to look just right and, blow me away, he even made his hair look nice.

Furthermore, the new back pack he pleaded for @ Fred Meyer says "I'm cool!" He insisted that he wanted one with a slingback strap and that it have a cell phone holder, despite the fact he's not allowed to bring his new cell phone to school.

Regardless of Colin growing up too fast, we are very proud of him. He is really a good kid. On the whole he makes good choices, does his best in school and respects other people. My hope is that he carries these characteristics with him as he moves on to middle school next year.

Keep Portland Weird

2009-09-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

No problem there! Portland is very weird. But, I love it! It seems like a town where you can be you, no matter who you are. One problem with downtown Portland, however, is that it smells like pee everywhere. Sometimes it smelled like poo too, but I didn't want to dwell on why that was. Colin was on to it when he said, "Boy, there's lots of hobos here." Yep, there are a lot of hobos here.

Indeed, the best tasting donut in the most quirky and eclectic place. When we actually went there for our treat, it was nighttime. It's the optimal time to go because the dark showcases their creepy decor, funky mood lighting and music, not to mention it's bohemian employees. But seriously, it's about the donuts. I got the "Portland Creme", Matt got the maple bar with actual bacon on top and Colin enjoyed a chocolate-iced donut covered in M&Ms. I'm amazed we didn't succumb and get a dozen!

On our way to the Thirsty Lion Pub & Grill for beer & bar food - yes, with Colin because in Portland kids can be in bars during mealtimes (ingenious!)- we stumbled across the 2009 3-on-3 Street Soccer Tournament. I never even knew there was such a thing. The players were actually from all over the world. The pitch is quite small, set up right on the street and the goals were just cut outs in the wood-panel fencing. During the match we saw, the guys were getting pretty scrappy and would often smash into the sides pretty hard. Colin said, "Cool, I'll play that kind of soccer. You don't have to run a lot!"

Here's the real reason we went to Portland for the weekend... we came to see the Tacoma Rainiers play the Portland Beavers at PGE Park. It's a really nice stadium, maybe not as a cool as the Safe, but way better than Cheney Stadium I'm sorry to say. However, Tacoma is the better team.

Not sure what the rubber band face sculpture is trying to say art wise, but it makes a silly picture!

Their mascot, Lucky, the beaver. I'm pretty sure that Rhubarb would kick his a**!

Even though Colin was cheering for Tacoma, he did buy a Portland hat. And, it was free cheep, plastic "made in china & probably poisoned with lead paint" bat and ball night!

Love taking Max to get around town. We took the Cascade Train to Portland and with not having a car, the light rail made it super easy. There is a station right across from PGE Park and one not far from Union Station. You can almost pretend you're in Europe, except when aboard Amtrak, of course. Riding the rails in the U.S. is nothing like riding in Europe or Asia! Did you know that Amtrak actually will often oversell their routes by 10%? But, unlike the airlines, they do not bump passengers and give them free tickets when everyone shows up. Instead they just pack everyone on the train. We learned this piece of trivia on the way down. We had to luck out on finding a dining car table instead of getting our reserved seats that we paid for.

Hmmm... Pizza Schmizza! A must-have when in the Rose City.

Stumptown Coffee - our new must do while in Portland. (Although there's one in Seattle too.) Excellent coffee, both prepared and beans. Wonderful artsy coffee shop atmosphere. And, tre' cool people watching. I can totally understand why Mike Doughty likes to hang out here when in Portland.

Matt and Colin had gone to Ground Control, a classic video arcade, and I instead hung out at Stumptown being the non-gamer noob that I am. It was great to sip my Americano, write in my journal and play a new game I made up called, "Homeless or Just Dressed Like One?" In some cases, it was quite difficult.

Camping Fun?

2009-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

We were pretty excited about our 2nd and probably final camping trip of the summer. We hadn't been to Eastern Washington in a while and with our recent addition of A/C installed before our big California trip last year, we felt prepared for a hot and dry climate. (Ironically, the tempurature wouldn't get out of the eighties once there.) We'd gone to Sun Lakes before back in college and remembered it being fun. What we forgot about, and I'm not sure how, was the high winds that would blow toward evening after the sun went down in the coulee.

When we finally got to the campground Friday night, we were met by those winds which made setting up camp and getting to sleep a bit difficult. The tent walls of the trailer would shake like crazy and it sounded like a freight train coming. Fortunately, by morning the winds had died down. Unfortunately, Colin woke up with a nasty cold and sore throat. This was a Woodward trip, so, of course, we should expect glitches.

With Colin hopped up on cold medicine, we had thought the drama was over. Not so fast! It didn't take long to realize that there was a massive amount of wasps in the campground. You couldn't stand outside for a minute without getting swarmed, forget about eating outside. We even noticed some neighbors packing up and leaving early because it was so bad. Despite the perfect weather, we ended up spending a lot of time in the camper. Swimming wasn't an option either. While Colin and I were wading in the swimming area at the lake, I got stung pretty bad. Now, it was personal!

After regrouping and administering first aid, we decided to drive down to the marina by the resort and rent paddleboats. That should take our minds off our misery. On the way, Matt absent-mindedly enters the marina at the exit and is going the wrong way. Not a big problem unless you get pulled over by a power hungry state park ranger. He tells Matt that he could issue him a $250 ticket because he was technically going the wrong way on a state highway. I'm thinking, dude the speed limit is 5 mph, I think that's a bit overkill, don't you? Matt more appropriately kissed his butt and came away with just a warning. Now I just want to go home!

What strikes me funny about these pictures I'm posting is that if you just looked at them, it seems like it was a good time. And, while I admit there were a few fun spots, the weekend completely tried my patience! And, it lost...

Lani thinks it's funny that she sleeps in her doggie crate within the "human crate".

One evening we went to see the dam show @ Grand Coulee Dam. Yes, the dam jokes were flowing freely, especially when parking in the dam parking lot and having to use the dam bathroom. Unfortuately we didn't get to ask the dam man about getting some dam water, which would have been helpful while waiting in the dam traffic line.

We visited Dry Falls just up the road from the campground. Simply amazing views from up there!

Were the smiles because they were having fun or becuase they knew we were leaving the next day?

Ginkgo Petrified Forest

2009-09-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Even though I've driven by the Ginkgo Petrified Forest located in Vantage on the Columbia River a zillion times, I had never been there. While going back and forth from WSU as a college student, I'm sure I would have thought it boring. I'm not sure why I never wanted to check it out later on our way to doing something in Eastern Washington. This summer that would change.

I would love to say that we purposefully wanted to stop there, but in truth some of us just needed to pee. I guess that's how many a tourist traps get started. We were relieved, literally, that they did have a bathroom despite the fact that the museum was closed.

We started looking around to check it out a bit, and we realized how cool it was. I would have never guessed that the terrain in the area would support a forest of Ginkgo trees much less in a way that produced petrified wood.

Probably the most stunning sight is the view from the front of the museum. Obviously you can see up and down the Columbia including the Vantage Bridge. Through the binoculars, you can see the Wild Horse statues that are displayed on the hill just east of the river. Impressive was the cliff down to the water. You might not want to get too close.

One surprise was the display of petroglyphs that were discovered in the hills not far from there. I had no idea anything like that exsisted here. It was slightly creepy to think how long those drawings had been there. I couldn't quite understand what the natives were trying to say, although KC+JL was pretty clear.

A Week at the Beach

2009-09-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Considering we've had one of the hottest and dryest summers ever, I figured we were good to go as far as weather was concerned for our beach trip to Westport during the second week of August. Boy, was I fooled. It was more like spring, maybe even winter on a couple of the days. Fortunately I was prepared with indoor activities such as painting sun catchers, you know to catch the sun that wasn't shining here at the beach.

Cloudy or not, skim boarding is cool!

Here's a day where we got some nice weather. Colin and I decided to head down to the shore, set up camp and play scrabble, then throw the frisbee.

Colin had fun making his swim shirt puff up in the hot tub.

Thankfully they keep the pool here extremely warm, so as long as you stay mostly in the water and out of the wind, you're good.

Our friends, the Lambs, rented a unit for the weekend while we were there. Colin was in seventh heaven having friends to play and swim with. PJ even spent the night with us.

Not too hard to force a smile while on vacation.

If that's not relaxing, Lillan, than I don't know what is!

Nothing like a good summer cerveza to set the party mood!

And, a bonfire on the beach as well, complete with s'mores.

Our last weekend in Westport was during the Art Festival. We walked around a bit. It's not really big, but it's the most people I've ever seen downtown.

Bible Surf 2009

2009-08-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

I admit that I hadn't been all that excited about signing up to help at VBS this summer. Truthfully, I was still burnt out from teaching and helping with VBS over the past ten years. Knowing that Colin would say he wanted to go, then change his mind making it difficult to drag him with me, made me a bit reluctant. However, the pull of being at a new church and it being Colin's last year to attend VBS, I decided to go ahead with it against my better judgement. God was to have the last laugh and show me that not everything turns out as expected...
First of all, there were around 12o kids enrolled which made the opening extremely fun and dynamic, not to mention loud. Pastor Bill led with fantastic music which Colin loved and continued singing in the car long after VBS was over. Bill also came up with some great competitions between the "lifeguards", including a soda drinking contest and having to eat saltines then whistle. All the kids loved it! And, volunteers? Between the youth and adults, there was plenty of help to go around. I was in awe!

I helped with crafts, which was a really good place for me to be. All the kids loved the projects we did each day, including the 4th and 5th grade class, which are usually the first to moan and groan. And, speaking of the 4th and 5th class, it was the largest! They had over 40 kids in the group. Not only were they excited about being there every day, they were looking forward to next year when they could sign up to be lifeguards.

This was the day we made whales with Jonah's inside. The theme of Bible Surf 2009 was, of course, water. This being the case, the kids were invited to wear their swimsuits and bring towels because during the game station, they'd be getting wet. This was an absolute blast for Colin. And, everyday one of the lifeguards got doused after the kids were dismissed. I believe the picture below is of Kayla getting the big splash.

Colin was excited that he'd be hanging out with his good buddy Nathan at VBS. A surprise came when he saw Joshua, a neighbor friend. Unfortunately, Joshua's brother Gabriel couldn't make it for the week, as he was home sick. But, the three boys had a hoot together. And, there were other kids attending that the boys knew either through church, school or sports.

Probably the biggest highlight of the week came during opening on the last day of camp. Pastor Bill had a whipped cream eating contest for the lifeguards and did not forsee his impending doom. Some of the lifeguards had extra hidden cans of whipped cream which when done with the contest proceeded to coat the pastor with lots of white fluffy cream. You hope the kids would remember the lessons they learned at VBS, but I'm pretty sure its this memory that will stick with them the longest.

To this day I'm amazed at how much fun Colin had attending VBS and how much I enjoyed volunteering. Although I was tired every day, the work was gratifying because all the kids were well behaved and really enjoyed being there. It truly was what I'd hoped VBS would be each year, but unfortunately would fall short. SVLC's program and leadership was outstanding and I'm astonished to say that I will totally sign up to help again next year.

Summer Baseball League

2009-08-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

Colin enjoyed baseball this year so much that he decided to play during the summer. He ended up playing with Stod's, a league out of Newcastle, run by ex-Mariner pitcher Bob Stoddard. The season was a lot of fun and it didn't take too much out of our schedule.

Colin ended up playing with the 11-12 year olds. There were 3 teams within this age bracket and his team was the Spartans. Since every Sunday was a double header, the teams played each other every week. Although the kids, of course, cared what the final score was, the games were really low on the competitive scale. They did provide an umpire, but no official score was kept.

The pitching in this league was very good. The boys could throw fast and accurate. One boy even had a wicked curve ball. Pretty fun to watch, but I know it sometimes was frustrating for Colin. Although when the kids did connect, they could hit the ball pretty far.

The defense was fantastic. Fly balls were caught, lots of kids were thrown out at first base and the Spartans even had a double play during one game. The games were a lot of fun to watch and the weather, being summer, was always cooperative.

Colin at Kids Appreciation Day with the Mariners

2009-08-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Colin had entered a drawing at the Mariners Team Shop early in the season to be a part of kids' appreciation day. We found out a mere 5 days before it took place that Colin had won a spot. Colin was exctatic! I was thoroughly bummed because I'd be in Tennessee and couldn't be there to see it. They didn't tell him what his job was until that day. His job... playing tug-a-war with the Moose on the field during the middle of the 5th inning. We were hoping it would be on TV, but no such luck!

The kids had to be at the ballpark at 9am to rehearse their jobs. Although I'm not sure how much rehearsal one needs for tug-a-war.

Colin was thrilled to be able to hang out "backstage" pre-game. He was hoping to get some autographs, but he didn't get to see anybody. Well, Jakubauskas was there, but he already has his signature.

You're going down Moose and Captain Plastic!

Even though they didn't show the contest on TV, they did put it up on the scoreboard.

Looks like the victory goes to the kids! Nice job! Didn't see that coming.

Justin and Nicole's Wedding - Chattanooga, Tennessee

2009-08-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my younger brother's wedding I went to in Tennessee on July 25. I personally didn't get a whole lot of good pictures, but will post the "official" pictures as soon as I get copies. Ahem, ahem... :)

I'm so glad I got to go. I'm bummed that we couldn't get Matt & Colin down there with me. (I wasn't the only one...) But, I'm happy that I got to see my family. It had been a long time and I was missing them.

Leon's Lagoon

2009-08-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

How do you survive the warm, humid summer nights in Tenneesee? Chillin' in a lounge chair by Leon's Lagoon with a margarita in hand and either a good book or good company. That's how!

I love seeing Jan's garden in full bloom. It's one benefit to being there during the summer heat.

One morning while enjoying a cup of joe lagoon side, I patiently waited for a lilly pad flower to open. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the two frogs that inhabit them.

I did see one of the turtles! I had to slowly come up to him, otherwise he'd hide further under the water. They will come to the surface when the koi get fed.

I had never seen a bee like this before. I asked the locals what it was, but sadly they didn't know. They were all over the flowers in the garden. My favorite bugs of the south were out in force at twilight - fireflies! Or as I stood corrected - lightening bugs. Yes, it's "coke", not "pop"! I know...

Leon's Lagoon has a gorgeous cascading waterfall that feeds into the pond. Not only does it look beautiful, but sounds lovely too. The night after Justin and Nicole's wedding, Jan and I sat out by the water watching the dry lightening storm in the distance and finishing an unused bottle of champaigne. Definately good times!

2009 Tacoma Rainiers Baseball Camp

2009-08-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Rainiers skipper Daren Brown ran a tight ship during camp this year. He came around to all the different stations and gave the campers lots of instruction and advice. Coach was even nice enough to pose for pictures. Too bad he was seated right in front of the restrooms.

Here Colin is with player Calix Crabbe, who was so popular he had a sandwich named after him at Cheney Stadium - the Crabbe Sandwich. Although popular no more, as he was recently sent down to the Mariners AA farm team the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. Bummer! What's even more funny is that Colin skipped getting a picture with pitcher Doug Fister, who this very night I blog is debuting as a Mariner starting pitcher. Doh! I did, however, get a picture of Fister goofing off with some of his teammates. Yes, that's him with the glove on his head.

At camp, the actual coaches and players run the activity stations. The pitching station, led by pitching coach Dwight Bernard, was one of his favorites. But, I do vaguely remember Colin telling me the batting stations were his favorite too.

Last Day Camp Hoorah

2009-08-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

Colin attended his last Cub Scout day camp as a second year Webelo this summer. It's always fun to be big man on campus. His buddies PJ, Luke & Kyle were there too. Christine signed up to volunteer for two days this time, but was assigned to being a walking leader. This was much easier than being a station leader. The first few days were cool & cloudy, which was much appreciated. Friday was a bit too warm to be out on a dusty, grassy field with a bunch of 9 & 10 year olds. "Stop playing in the dirt, please!" she repeated about 1,000 times.

The boys made some cool things at camp. At the wood working station, they made a candy dispenser and a marble maze contraption. They also made pillows, tie-dye backpacks, firestarters and mini camp stoves, checking off quite a bit for the craftsman requirement.

Outdoor cooking was a favorite among the scouts. One day they made popcorn using only tinfoil and oil. Some of it turned out. However, most of the boys burnt the kernals. More successful were the mini crescent roll hot dogs.

Archery and BB Guns were definiately the most popular. They only got one turn at each station, but luckily they got to do them each day. Friday was different and fun. The overall theme for camp was circus, so the last day we got to do a bunch of carnival activities such as juggling, balloon making, bouncy toys, snow cones and cotton candy. Good times!

Staying Cool in the Pool

2009-07-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

For some crazy reason we didn't get enough crowds over the holiday weekend, so we came up with the brilliant idea to go to the extremely popular Henry Moses pool in Renton on a hot Sunday afternoon. The line to get in was so long, I wasn't sure we were going to get in. But we did and even managed to find a few chairs to camp in. Colin brought Nick along and they were set for a few hours of fun, mostly in the wave pool or on the water slides.

It felt good to get wet under the spray fountain, but I wanted in the lap pool to really cool off. I was hoping it was just open to adults and that is why there were no kids in it. Oh no, it was closed to everyone because someone had pooped in it during the previous session. Nice! It was later re-opened and not an hour later, it was closed again because some kid threw up. Seriously? Could we not keep our bodily fluids and waste matter to ourselves? This happened right as we had sat down to take a break and eat our picnic dinner. Such a treat to eat your sandwich while watching the teenaged lifeguard bring out the big nylon scoop to fish out chunks.

After all that hub-bub was over, it was decided that the four of us would stick to the Lazy River, slides and wave pool. It was fun watching the boys in the wave pool. They found the spot where the waves were the highest and it would push them high up against the pool wall. I was a little nervous about it, but thankful for the successful swim lessons. Matt hung out with them on the slide, and I chose instead to lounge in my fat girl skirt swimsuit and attempt work on eradicating my farmer tan.

With the session time winding down and the cooler air coming in on shore, it was time to think about getting ready to leave. Final straw? "Everybody out of the wave pool!" cried the skinny well-tanned lifeguard. Then out came the large "fish net" again. Wonderful! It's at this point I'm seriously considering saving for an above ground pool for the backyard. The boys were, on the contrary, humored by the gross-out factor. I was not! We'd be better of dealing with the leeches in Lake Wilderness.

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

We were invited out to some friends' house out on Lake Sawyer for a Fourth of July party. It was absolutely gorgeous weather that day, and a bit too warm actually. Certainly not like most years in Seattle for the holiday. Colin took his swim suit so that he could swim in the lake. Apparently swim lessons are finally paying off because he spent a good hour and a half swimming and jumping off the dock. Truly amazing!

They had a boat parade to start the festivities. All sorts of boats were adorned with patriotic decorations and even had music blaring to mark the occasion. One boat towed a barge that was sporting Hawaiian style decor with people dressed in costume performing a mini Broadway version of South Pacific. Especially fun was the dude wearing a grass skirt and a coconut shell bra.

Colin and Matt decided to take a spin out in the paddle boat. It looked like they were having a good time tooling around. The trouble started when they convinced Christine to join them. First she tried sinking the boat while getting in. Then all of us got tangled in a field of lilly pads which made it almost impossible to steer or to paddle. With relief we eventually made it back to the dock and decided to remain on land for the rest of the evening.

Surprisingly enough, Colin wanted to light some do-it-yourself fireworks at home, despite the debacle of two years ago. We also wanted to watch the show they do over Lake Wilderness. We arrived home just as the mayhem started. Every year, it seems, people need to blow up more and more stuff. Maple Valley sounded more like Beruit than a nice rural suburb in Western Washington. Luckily everyone quickly got their fill of pretty lights and noise and by midnight the neighborhood had almost returned to its normal quiet state.

Pony Races @ Emerald Downs

2009-07-16T14:26:00.001-07:00

It was sort of a last minute decision to head out to Auburn for family day and fireworks at Emerald Downs on July 3rd. The first race started at 5pm, but we didn't show up until 6:30. We were a bit nervous thinking we might get screwed on parking with the amount of people that like to attend and the warm, sunny weather. The parking gods were ever present because we got a space very close to the track from someone who had obviously left early. Even more amazing was the guy who gave us 2 tickets for free admission. And, oh yea, Colin being 17 and under, was free too. Good thing, since the margaritas were $7.

Inside it was hot and crowded, but we dealt with it best we could. The lines at the betting windows were super long, but Matt somehow managed to get a couple bets in, one win and one loss. I love watching the horses run. They are so majestic and beautiful! During one race a horse got spooked getting into the gate and ultimately had to be scratched.

After the ponies finished racing, we headed out to the car to wait for the fireworks show. Since we parked so close, it was as good as being inside the gate. The show was really good, the finale spectacular. Every year they get better and better. And, once the performance was over, we got out in record time. I'm not sure whose good side we had got on, but it was all working for us that night.

Learning to Swim

2009-07-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

We signed up Colin for some swim lessons again this year at Fairwood Golf and Country Club. Fortunately you are not required to be a member to do lessons. At first we weren't sure which level he should be in. Age-wise it looked like he belonged in Level 5. Swimming is not Colin's strong suit, so by the end of the day, he found himself hanging out with the Level 3 group.

Colin was rather conscious about being older than the rest of his class, but soon was pleased with the fact that he was doing exceptionally well in this level. Not only did he gain confidence, he quickly improved his swimming ability. By the end of the session, his teacher said it was her goal to wear him out. Colin was pretty pumped about that.

The biggest disappointment came on the last Friday where the kids usually get to play, have fun, and jump off the big, green floating toy affectionately known as "the rock". That was not to be. Instead the instructors taught water safety. Invaluable to the parents, but a total drag for the kids. They had to sacrifice time on "the rock" because the session started late since the Renton school district got out of school a couple days later than everybody else. However, they did get some time to jump off the starting platforms in the deep end of the pool. That's always a good time.

Maple Valley Days

2009-06-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Maple Valley Days, so we hiked down to Lake Wilderness to check it all out. Colin even invited his friend Luke to come along with us. I tell you, every year we go down there, we expect to find a new & improved celebration and every year we come away thinking, "That's it?" As much as the town has grown in the past few years, you would think that Maple Valley Days would get better too.

The carnival section has a total of 12 rides for the kids, 2 being for crazy teenagers, 6 being for little kids and not a whole lot of in between. Colin and Luke managed to find a couple rides to do, including the ferris wheel, bumper cars and the giant slide. I suppose it's a good thing that there aren't too many rides, because it was 5 whole dollars for one person to ride the bumper cars! Did they not get the memo re: the recession?! Not to mention the fact that both the rides and the operators looked a little worse for wear. I prayed every time the boys got on a ride! Please, Lord, deliver them from evil...

The food booths weren't much better, in fact, they were the same as last year. And, unless you enjoy corn dogs, hot dogs or scary looking Asian food, you weren't in for a treat. I managed by getting a gyro, but I certainly have had better. Dessert wasn't that tasty either. Colin did fine with his Hawaiian shaved ice, I mean you really can't screw up ice & sugar syrup. The rest of us wanted elephant ears. Bad choice. It was like eating heavily greased paper with a hint of sugar.

Probably the worst part of Maple Valley Days was the arts & crafts booths. Unfortunately there weren't many arts & crafts, rather people trying to sell you stuff like windows, DirecTV, decking materials, insurance, and Mary Kay. "You need to sign up for our raffle to win $1,000 worth of crap you don't really need!" Yea, and then when I don't win, you'll call me obsessively or send me a bunch of junk mail. No thanks!

One bright spot was watching the remote control hydroplane races being run on the lake. Before one of the races, there was a momma duck and her 4 teenaged duckies that were making their way onto the course. One racer cleverly chased them out of the way with his little boat, although to the ducks it was probably like being chased by the real-sized Oh Boy Oberto! They got out of the way pretty fast.

On our way home, we noticed some news vans in the parking lot. We thought, "It must be a slow news day, if the media is out here covering Maple Valley Days." Later on we found out that we were the news. Apparently the night before, a teenager had drown after trying to swim across the lake at 9pm. How sad! I think next year we'll just save our money for the Puyallup Fair or better yet, just go to Disneyland!

Cub Scout Bridging Ceremony

2009-06-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday, June 12th we had our last pack meeting of the year, thus all the boys bridged to the next level. Colin's den is now top dog of the pack - 2nd year Webelos. All the remaining boys of the den also earned their Webelos badges.

We had a lot of work to do this year, and had a lot of catch-up since we missed a few meetings at the beginning of the year. Ultimately we got it done and Colin earned the following activity badges in addition to his Webelos badge: Craftsman, Fitness, Citizen, & Outdoorsman. We are very proud of him and what he accomplished.

Den 4 may not be the youngest anymore, but they sure are the most goofy! Luke, PJ, Torin, Nathan, Colin, Mason and Kyle did not hesitate for one minute to pose for a picture. Of course, by this time the meeting had been going for awhile, as they often do, and the troops were getting restless.

Colin was pretty stoked this year when Dens 3 & 4 joined. Now Nathan and Luke would be part of his den. I think for that reason, it kept Colin interested in scouts.

The boys have lots more work for the upcoming year. They can bridge to boy scouts next March after they earn their arrow of light badges. I'm not sure if Colin will move on or not. But for now, at least, cub scouts has been a good experience.

Even more baseball... Go Sluggers!

2009-06-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Colin was drafted onto the Sluggers team for Maple Valley Pony Baseball this year. He advanced from Pinto league to Mustang. Mustang, we quickly learned, is quite a bit more serious and competitive. We certainly had twice the amount of games and practices as last year. This level, being completely kid pitch along with the ability to lead off and steal, provided for sometimes very long, but usually exciting games. It's also the first time we had real umpires! During the first part of the season, we had lots of rain outs. Summer weather showed up for the second half with a few games being played in 80-90 degree weather.

Our season, unfortunately, was a hard one. As they often say about a sports team... it was a learning and growing season, and we look forward to next year. We also had a few extra challenges to deal with including only having 10 boys on the team due to one boy advancing a level up after the draft, another switching to Little League and Conner breaking his wrist during the second week. It was a bit frustrating for the coaches and parents because the boys had lots of talent, but they just never caught the lucky breaks or completely gelled as a team. The end-of-the-year tournament was especially hard, with lots of hard to take call-outs by the ump which got the boys down. The last game was the most suspenseful. The Sluggers were down 6-0 after the first inning. They came back to get ahead and tried to hold to the lead as the sun went down. They couldn't quite make it happen and ended up losing by one run, thus ending the season. It was extremely emotional for everyone!

Colin's favorite position was pitcher and he did pretty well. He got at least a couple strikeouts in each game he got to be on the mound. Towards the end of the season, Coach Brett worked with Colin a bit and he really started throwing well. A new position Colin fell in love with was catcher. He made some great plays at home base and earned his team nickname, Catch 'em Out Colin. When he wasn't pitching or catching, you could find him at either shortstop or left field.

We're very proud of Colin with how he progressed on his baseball skills and how he stuck it out with a good attitude even though it was a tough season. Mom & Dad were looking forward to some down time before we started with fall baseball this coming August instead of playing soccer. However, we were instantly requisitioned with, "Can I play summer ball, too?" So, here we go again!

More Baseball! WSU Style...

2009-06-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend, we hitched up the trailer and drove to Pullman to camp and watch some WSU baseball. We camped at the RV park right next to the city ball fields and across from campus, specifically the Stephenson dorms, where it all began.

The weather was absolutely perfect! Sunny and upper 70's during the day and not too cold at night. Certainly, it was nothing the chill chaser couldn't remedy. It was easy camping too since we ate out a lot of the time, including the Cougar Country Drive-in and my favorite, take-out Sella's at the campsite's picnic table. Yum! Don't forget breakfast at The Old European.

For the first game we saw on Saturday, we sat in left field on the grassy hill. We spread out our crimson WSU blanket, slathered on the sunscreen and enjoyed a great victory. It was the apple cup of baseball, so the win over the Huskies was sweet. The Cougs had won the game on Friday night as well.

Butch was in true form at the game, high-fiving everyone he saw. Colin's mission during both games was to catch a foul ball. He came close a couple of times, but unfortunately got beat out by older and faster kids.

We got to the game on Sunday after it started and we were a bit disappointed that we were down 5-1. However, as you can see from the scoreboard, the Cougs got a second wind during the 6th and 7th innings. The Huskies got a couple more runs but not enough to win. More importantly, we swept them on the last series of the season. WSU also qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990. Oh, say, back when we were there!

And, just like the football players, the baseball players led a round of the Washington State fight song with the adoring fans.

Taking the Train to the Game

2009-06-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

We were off to see the Mariners take on the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field. (No, we weren't rooting for the Red Sox!) We decided that instead of paying the enormous prices to park near the ball field, we would rather take the Sounder train. We boarded the train at Kent Station. Unfortunately a lot of people had the same idea, so we had to stand. It wasn't too bad, however, since it didn't take long to get to the King Street station. After a short walk past Qwest field, we were in the gates about 45 minutes before the start of the game. Perfect timing!

It was gorgeous weather that Sunday. Sunny & warm, but not too hot. We sat very high up behind home plate. Colin & I both brought our DS's so we could message each other and watch the real time pitch count and view. The game itself was a good one. Everyone on the bandwagon had their Red Sox gear on, cheering for the opposing team. Very annoying! It was tied 2-2 for most of the game, up until the bottom of the 9th when the Mariners hit an RBI after two outs to win the game. It was awesome! The best part was to see all the people wearing red looking totally dejected. Serves them right! You cannot tell me all those people were from Boston. I bet 75% of them will put on their Seattle shirts starting tomorrow. No, I'm not bitter... I'm just from Seattle!

After savoring the exciting victory, we headed back to King Street to board the train home. This time we were lucky enough to get seats, even with a table. It was a nice relaxing trip home with no traffic. It reminded us of our travels in Europe and Japan where you could take a train to almost anywhere. Too bad the Seattle area doesn't have more light rail - I would use it all the time!

Look at me... I'm 10!

2009-06-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday May 9, 2009, Colin Christopher turned 10 years old. I can't believe how fast the last ten years have gone. Just like that, it seems. We've gone from Little Gym parties and Teletubbies cakes to video game sleepovers in a blink of an eye! This year Colin had 4 of his good buddies over to play video games, have a nerf gun war, eat and sleep. (I'm pretty sure it was in that order!)

The party had a rock star/guitar hero theme, hence the cool shades the boys are sporting and the black guitar painted on Colin's cake. Colin got the guitar hero drum set for his birthday, so that was a big hit with everyone. The only bummer about the event... mom was sick. I started the day feeling OK, and by dinnertime was down for the count, in bed feeling miserable and convinced I had the swine flu. Fortunately, dad took one for the team and hosted the rest of the party, including cooking pancakes the next morning. It only took 2 weeks to not only clean-up after the festivities, but to also get over what later become terrible bronchitis. (Fortunately, not swine flu...) Despite the illness factor, it was successful. To quote the now 10 year old, "Mom, that was the best party ever!" Here's to the next 10 years! Oh boy!

Go Rainiers!

2009-06-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

For my birthday this year, the boys took me to a Tacoma Rainiers game and we had an excellent time. I ordered some nice baseball weather for our adventure, and Mother Nature aptly filled my request. It was a gorgeous night to be outdoors, although it got a bit chilly towards the end. I felt like I had come home. Growing up in Tacoma, this is how I knew baseball, except that they were the Tacoma Tugs and then later the Tacoma Tigers. Matt was always amazed that I had never been to a Mariners game as a kid. After this night, I think he finally understood why. As my brand new t-shirt explained, it's a Tacoma thing! But really, Cheney Stadium vs. the Kingdome? No competition in my mind! With Safeco, however, it's a tougher choice. But, you can't get this close for just $10! And, they have Rhubard, the Reindeer.

Here's another reason to love the Rainiers... apparently I play for them. #5 Chris Woodward. I had actually heard of him before. I think he had played for the Toronto Blue Jays at one point. I had no idea he had come to Tacoma last year. How awesome is that?! I'm now on a quest to get one of his jerseys!

The game itself was awesome! The Rainiers kicked the butts of the Salt Lake Bees, yes... Bees. A nice manly name. Tacoma actually shut them out 14-0. It almost got old everytime we hit a homerun. OK, not really. After the game, the team hosted a fireworks show in honor of my 39th birthday. Wasn't that nice of them? Once again that reminded me of when I was a kid, because either I would be at the stadium enjoying the post-game fireworks or watching them from my house. Ah, a simpler time...

Guitar Hero Rock God

2009-05-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am ever so amazed when Colin plays Guitar Hero on the XBox. He can consistently complete songs on Hard and even Expert. A lot of the time Matt can't even keep up with him and he plays the real guitar. Guitar Hero is the only video game, aside from Brain Age on the DS, that I can hope to play without failing miserably. And, that's on the Easy setting. Colin not long ago introduced me to playing as a band on XBox live. Man, did I think I was cool! Except our online buddies immediately dropped out when I chose an R.E.M. song to play. Perhaps I'm not as hip as I think. Now we've added a new piece of hardware to the mix - drums. What a blast! They are a lot harder to do than I thought. After a couple of practice songs, I started to get the hang of it, but I still have a hard time with the bass drum pedal. Rock on, dude!

Overnight @ Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

2009-05-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

Back in February, Colin & Matt went on an overnight adventure at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. They went with a couple dens from our Cub Scout pack. His good buddies Nathan and Luke were also there. The program had quite a few activities including a really neat art project and a nighttime tour of the zoo. Everybody then got to sleep on the top floor of the aquarium in absolute quiet and comfort, I'm sure.

I think their favorite part was the next morning when the kids got to go into the elephant exhibit (sans elephants, of course) and put out food for the elephants' breakfast. The feast included eucalyptus, potatoes, carrots, apples and oranges. Yum!

A Day at the Market

2009-05-11T21:39:00.001-07:00

Colin, Lani and I ventured down to the Pike Place Market one nice Sunday while Matt was in Westport. Colin wanted to be the one to walk the dog. I was a little hesitent because Lani is so "friendly" with people in public places. But, Colin did a good job and Lani was fairly obedient.

I was quite amazed when I had my camera at the ready when someone purchased some fish at the fish counter. I took the picture just before the fish was flung into the air. The funniest part of the day was when we walked up to the metal pig statue and Lani tried to sniff it's butt. Some lady next to us who saw her said, "just like a dog..." I think Lani was very confused.

Both the flower and produce stands were gorgeous with color. I really wanted to do my grocery shopping while there. Inspiration to make some savory homemade recipe came over me, but it probably made more sense just to buy some flowers.

After we were done at the market, we had dinner at our favorite pub that welcomes minors... McMenamins. It did make us a little sad, because we used to go there before Sonics games. On the other hand, their food and drinks were their usual yummy.

Let's go to the beach!

2009-04-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

For Spring break we went out to the beach @ Westport and enjoyed some beautiful summer-like weather. We were a bit unprepared for the warm sunshine because we had packed for the cool, spring weather we had been having. The three of us hung out by the water, walked the dog, relaxed in the hot tub and sat out on the deck absorbing all that Vitamin D. Saturday night we enjoyed dinner at the Islander and Sunday we dined on salmon while watching the sun set.

Matt had to go back home on Sunday night, but on Monday our friends Lori, Alec & Hannah joined us in the fun. While the moms either jawed or caught up on reading, the kids played in the waves and at the playground.

When the sun and salty air was too much for the kiddos, they took to video game playing and giant fort building. This was fine with the womenfolk, as it gave them a chance to drink wine and scrapbook.

Plans are already in the works to do this again next year. And, thanks, Lori, for the use of your brilliant photography!

I am a scientist!

2009-04-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

This year Colin entered the Rock Creek Elementary School Science Fair. His project involved testing different methods of eliminating tears when chopping an onion. He tried different myths like lighting a candle, chewing gum or bread and even wearing a mask. The only ways he found successful were putting the onion in the freezer first, which worked a little, and wearing swim goggles. The goggles worked the best, thus concluding it is the gas emitted from the onion when cut that causes a person to cry. Even though his display wasn't the most elaborate, he attracted a lot of attention from passers by, admittingly the parents. Colin was also awarded a ribbon for his achievement. Fortunately Dad was there to help him run his booth, as Mom was stuck in the school kitchen volunteering to help serve pizza to all the attendees.

One Snowy Winter

2009-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

This winter was the sixth snowiest winter on record at Sea-Tac. We probably faired even worse out here in Maple Valley. It snowed two weeks before Christmas and didn't melt off until New Year's. Just to toy with us vacation weary parents, it snowed the day before the kids were going back to school after the holiday break. It then snowed repeatedly in January, February and March! Not only did we have a white Christmas, we had a white St. Patrick's Day as well. Most of us were indeed ready for the start to spring. All that snow did provide for some great winter fun, however!

Christmas was especially fun this year, mostly because of all the snow. We didn't do too much in honor of keeping it low key. Colin and I built a handsome looking gingerbread house, failing to resist the temptation of eating some of the sidewalk and roofing materials. We missed the actual lighting of the tree at Westlake, but visited the following week when Santa Butch was at the WSU store posing for holiday pictures. On Christmas Day we spent alot of time playing in the snow. There was sledding, snowman making and even an igloo building.