S'mores, Please! 4.28.07

S'mores in the backyard is favorite "special treat" ~ especially when we have our friends over! In the above pic, Sandi L., a girlfriend of mine from law school, and Naomi, a neighbor friend, were roasting with us. Check out what happened to Collin's marshmellow:

Opening Day of Fishing Season 4.28.07

Collin had a blast learning to cast and reel in the field at Lake Padden, which is stocked each year with Trout for the kiddies. Look closely at the end of Collin's line, and you'll see he caught a "goldfish"! Later in the week (when the water's edge was less crowded), he practiced in the water ~ I'm sure he'll have a fantastic "fish tale" next time you chat with him!

Owen also joined in the fun ~ his favorite part: throwing rocks in the water at Collin's line! Must be a younger brother ... : )

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

I love you when you're muddy and making me mud pies and when you're softly sleeping, with blissful laughter and sighs.

Collin's Hands 4.14.07

Owen's Toes 5.6.07

*Owen often laughs in his sleep!

Look Out Preschool ~ Here Comes Collin!

We learned this morning that Collin will begin preschool this Monday, and tears began streaming down my face. I am so excited for him to take this next step ~ each class graduation has made me realize how much he's grown already ~ but this feels like a biggie to me. It puts a title to the fact that he's very much a little boy now. And growing so quickly.

A preschooler -- something so evident to those who speak with him and watch him discovering the world. I took him to Seattle last Friday, and it was inspiring to see it through his innocent almost 3-year-old eyes. He saw horse-drawn carriages, the Westlake water fountain, pigeons galore, and buildings and buildings full of "excavators!" (escalators). What an amazing invention! He rode up and down many times, and thought they were wonderful! When he figured out the handrails, he held on tightly and instructed each time I'd turn to check on him behind me: "Turn around, Mommy! Look where you're going! You have to be careful!" He was a champ at lunch and dinner, using good manners and table etiquette and trying many new foods. At P.F. Changs for lunch, he ate his entire meal with the "learning" chop-sticks ... even at times having just one piece of rice at a time! But he is so patient and driven to accomplish that the meal - with chopsticks only - was a complete success, and we had a fabulous time! I love taking him out to eat at nice restaurants!

But the most fun of all was taking Collin shopping Friday. He loves to shop! And he has such an eye for great fashion. We picked up a couple pairs of shorts and tees for him and O, then hit Nine West for Mom. As soon as we walked in, Collin was all business - taking shoes from the shelves, handing them to me to try on; taking shoes away from me and saying things like, "No, Mom. Those aren't for you. Those are for Jacqui. These are better for you." And of course, he'd try them on as well ... showing Great Grandma and I a pair of red pumps, he turned so we could see the front view and then the side, and I had to hold my breath! Ultimately, we didn't buy any shoes for me ... not one was "just right for Mommy." It was Perfect.

We did, however, buy a pair of shoes. We walked into a children's store, and Collin beelined for a pair of red, sequined, girls sandels ~ just Taylor's size. He picked them up and exclaimed that they were for Taylor. "We have to buy these for her. They are for Taylor. They're exactly right." And he carried them around the store, and then all around town, from that moment on - completely satisfied with his purchase! (Note: They were even on sale!! Ultimately marked down to 99 cents! Good job, Collin!)

At Blossom, we can choose to park in the rock parking spaces on the left or the paved spaces on the right. Collin prefers to park in the rocks and asks Kevin every morning if they can park there. Yesterday, Kevin beat him to the punch and, as they were driving to Blossom, said, "We're going to park in the rocks today if there's a spot, ok, Collin?" And Collin said, "Thank you, Daddy. I appreciate that." !!!

Collin is also growing literally. He is now in 3T pants (with elastic waist inserts to cinch his tiny waist!), 3T shirts, and size 7.5 shoes! Want Collin's perspective on it all? "My feet are growing bigger! So I get to go to Preschool Monday!"

Following closely behind, Owen, who isn't even 18 months yet, is wearing 24 month everything and size 5 shoes. He's looking at moving from Toddler 1 to Toddler 2 in the next two months. Ahhh....

A preschooler and a full-blown toddler ... we want a family of six (four kids) eventually ... is it time for another baby?? Exciting thoughts!

Imagination 6.5.07

Collin's imagination skills are blossoming, and I am in delight! I've been having so much fun these past three years that I hadn't even really realized that there's a completely additional world still untouched to discover and explore: the world of imagination! Collin's recently been lining up his little chairs and taking train rides, bus rides, etc. or telling stories of alligators eating his food, monsters hiding his clothes, and monkeys ransacking the playroom. : ) "Imagine" the thrill we got Tuesday night when Collin unlaced his red shoelace from his boot, laid his blue blankie on the floor below, and stood on the couch "fishing!" He caught really big fish, tiny little fish (which he let go!), and then made a fish dinner for each of us! At one point he held the lace in the middle so both ends were in the "water" and caught two fish at one time! It was wonderful!

New Car, Mail, Sand and Toothbrushing

We traded in our 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee for a 2006 Jeep Commander (seats 7). The boys loved playing in the back the afternoon we brought it home! 4.15.07

One of the boys' favorite activities is to create art/letters, seal them in an envelope, and mail them off to their numberous grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, godparents, friends, etc. In the pics below, they are creating Easter cards for Marley and Taylor:

When Collin was O's age and younger, he put everything in his mouth. But he didn't really eat any of it ... just "tasted" it. Owen, on the other hand, is often caught eating rocks, dirt, chalk and crayons ~ but for the most part, only those items! 4.15.07

The sandbox is a fantastic invention:
I have a confession. I am a stickler for handwashing, for routine baths, for daily music and storytime, etc ... but I have yet to incorporate teeth brushing into our daily routine. So, at random moments, we pass out the brushes:

Kickin' It ~ Father and Son

Cheers! (That's chocolate milk in Collin's glass ... !)

But I do have a story: Kevin and I were having a beer after work last Thursday (5.24.07), and Collin came and sat in my lap.

Collin: "I'm bigger now, Mommy. I can have a beer
now."

Me: "When you're bigger than your Daddy, we'll talk."

Kevin: "What, like, when he's in sixth grade?!"

Learning to Grill

Good Times

Owen at 15 Months

4.15.07 - 15 Months

Owen's learning new words and names everyday. His first name for someone other than family was "Na-Na" for Natalie, our neighbor, which he first said in the picture below. The boys love to converse with Natalie through the windows and across the cul-de-sac!

Lake Padden Park 3.20.07

Owen has his brother's same need to climb! Just last week the levels of supervision were kicked up a notch (again) when he learned to climp up the ladder of the bunk bed ~ the same week Collin quit using the ladder! (See "Spiderman" Entry below)

4.2.07

It fits! 4.8.07

I think I hear my bed calling me ... 4.15.07

First Corn on the Cob (He finally has teeth!) 4.17.07

*As of today, 5.29.07, he still has only 4 teeth ~ 2 on top, 2 on bottom.

Lake Padden Park 4.17.07

Eating a Rock ~ Spit that Out!!
Owen is a total clown! He will walk into a room, look around to see if anyone is looking, and start a jig or do a stunt or put on some other show just to get you laughing! I can totally see him winning "Class Clown" one day! Goof-ball! It is a rare treat!! 4.15.07

Point Defiance Zoo 3.17.07

Puke and Rally (LOL)

As most of you know, when Collin is ill, his sentitive stomach almost always rebels against him. Last month, Collin was ill, had just literally drank a cup of milk, and was requesting more. Kevin must have said something to the effect of, "Buddy, do you really have anymore room?" trying to stall Collin and avoid a pukefest. Well, the pukefest occurred notwithstanding, and when it was over, Collin looked up from his then liquid-filled bowl and said, "I have more room now. Milk, please." : )

Spiderman

This "Tomato House" is a recent addition to Blossom's covered playyard. In early April, Collin told me he wanted to show me a "trick" when I picked him up. So, we went outside, and he proceeded to shimmy up the side of this smooth tomato! It took quite a bit of effort (and grunting), and he was so proud, sitting on top of the stalk! "Look at me!! I climbed on the Tomato House!" I asked his teacher later if it was ok for the kids to be climbing on the outside of the tomato, and she said that Collin is the only one who can even come close so they hadn't even contemplated a safety rule!

The next day or so, Collin wanted to show me another trick (which I have on video but no photo) ~ he is the first and only transition preschool student to ever slide down the playground firepole! Apparently he was watching the big kids one day and called to his teacher. She turned and said, "One minute, and I'll help you down." Confident he had her attention, he reached out from the platform as far as he could (the pole is almost as far away from the platform as his body ~ totally further than his reach!) and practically jumped onto the pole, properly wrapping his self around it. Of course, he had no idea that he should grip tightly to slow his descent, and he "fell" down the pole rather than "slid" down it. But he was beaming from ear to ear, even after he landed and fell flat on his back!! He repeated the routine several times, showing Kevin and I his feat at pick-up and drop-off for the next several days. Now, he is very good at it and trying valiently to climb up the pole!

Collin's teachers and classmates are starting to call him "Spiderman" ~ he climbs on anything and everything! Walking along the street, he will randomly stop to climb on top of a firehydrant or someone's rockery. He has bunk beds in his room and almost refuses to climb conventionly up the ladder but chooses instead to pull himself up and jam his foot/knee into the top bunk rail like a rock-climber would a mountain side/crevice to scale to the top. It is hilarious (and sometimes scary!).

A side consequence of all this is that he's become a very able jumper, jumping a long jump over three feet, jumping from heights almost four feet, jumping down the stairs, two and a time. Did I mention "sometimes scary"?!