First Day of School!

Ian gets jipped. After a 1 day Summer Break, Ian was back to school today for his first day of Preschool! I love that this daycare operates on a curriculum based system that moves kids as a class (if they're ready). Essentially, the idea is that the transition is easier when they have their familiar classmates with them. They can begin to learn about bonding with other kids, establishing friendships, and developing common interests. It is also very helpful that one of his teachers from his Early Preschool class is now his teacher in his new Preschool class. She is his favorite of the 2 prior teachers and very sweet and gentle with the kids.

We are gearing up for our trip to Maui and leave on Sunday morning. I am packed and ready to go now! I hope to post again before then, but if not, I will be posting pics every few days while there. Aloha!

Hard to see, but the top of the counter is WAY above his head in the 2nd picture. I can't believe how tall he has gotten!

Getting dressed

My serious little student

Railroad Days, Etc.

Ian has had a fairly routine August with school, swimming, and Grandma Trish Fridays. Weekends are usually split with me and Shawn. I am always off on a hike one day and Shawn on a dive the other. This past weekend, I did not schedule a hike, but Shawn had a dive, then we laid low Sunday with a much needed at home day.

Saturday, he and I walked down to Snoqualmie Railroad Days, which is our town's big festival to celebrate it's rail history. There is a nice Railroad Museum that runs year round and dozens of retired trains line the roadway into town. This is one of the few times, aside from Christmas or the "Day out with Thomas" that they actually run one of the "people cars", as Ian calls it, but he was definitely not interested in that feature of the festival. He announced that he "likes them better when they're still". More than anything, the whistle is too loud, and the train seems unpredictable. I'm not sure he trusts that it's going to stay on the track (after all, his little ones don't, so why should the huge one).

The highlight of the day was the model train exhibit. He could have spent the entire day watching and studying that thing. I think I know what to collect for him. Now just to figure out what "class", as that is a very pivotal part of train collecting. Time to go talk to the people at the hobby shop, I guess! While other kids would watch for a few seconds and move on, he was riveted. He was concentrating on the fine details. He is so much more detail oriented than your average 3 year old.

We stopped at the gift shop, where I was fully prepared to cave in to a selection from the wall of Thomas gear, but he picked 2 very small manual operating trains that were $2.75 each. Added a book about trains and we were out of there for under $12. We walked back and, because it was warmer than I had dressed him for, I carried him most of the 1/2 mile or so to the car. Thank goodness all my hiking has me conditioned for this kind of thing. He is 36 pounds now and much too awkward to carry for long distances.

We also made a trip to the dog park, and since those pictures all tend to look the same, I'll spare most. He did discover blackberries (blueberries, he calls them) and we ate our fill along one of the many park trails. Great way to spend an afternoon.

This week is his last week in his Early Preschool class. He moves with the rest of his classmates on Sept. 1st to the Preschool class. I am so glad I fought a good fight and encouraged his teachers to let him come in underpants. He had one accident all week last week. ONE!

He has had zero accidents at home for several weeks now, which brings me a little closer to admitting that I might just have a pottytrained little boy. Six months ago, this seemed such a distant hope, but it really did happen. Saturday was our last sticker chart day. I give it most of the credit. Now, M&M's are reserved for when he pulls his pants up after potty. Once that is mastered, we'll have to include pulling his pants down...then snaps & zippers. Wow. The challenges of being 3!

Tomorrow, he is going on a hike with me! I bought him his very own hydration pack and as long as the weather holds, we'll be going to Twin Falls State Park in North Bend for a short 1.5 mile hike (round trip) to two waterfalls. I've coached him that he can only come if he walks like a big boy. He agreed, but we'll see. Regardless, it should be a fun afternoon. I'm sure there will be great pics!

We are less than 2 weeks away from our trip to Maui. Only a few posts away from saying Aloha!

Polli likes the dog park any day, but LOVES to go with Ian.

Karate Kid or Tip Toe-ing thru the Tulips?

Too tired to go on!

He's getting pretty good at walking Polli... and she is really good about not pulling. I think she knows she's stronger than he is.

Trying out his new swimming goggles

He looks just like daddy!

Walking the tracks to Snoqualmie Railroad Days

He looks so small next to this train

His favorite engine. He had a hard time with the fact that the engine was "connected" in the front to a box car. That seemed ridiculous to him.

Another cool car

Trains are serious business

Explaining locomotives

Still a long way to the station

Watching the model train exhibit. He was glued to the glass.

He noticed some small details I missed, including one train that had small lights inside and another carrying animals. He said "Mommy, that's a stock car!"

Reinacting Railroad Days

It's Been a Long Time!

I can't believe how much time I let pass. I find it hard to believe I've neglected for almost 3 weeks! Truthfully, it's because things are going along just fine and we're counting the days until we leave for Maui on Sept. 6th. For a while, it was so hot I just couldn't sit long enough to write something. We then had record cold temps right after that and our trees started turning. Now, we're back to hot (80's & 90's) for the next week or so.

I have been spending most of my free time hiking and hitting the gym. On the days Shawn is out and about, Ian and I have been going to the pool after school. Monday becomes Friday and is Monday again before we know it... one week after another. I'm glad for life to be routine after such a long time of milestone after milestone. It's quite relaxing to have the routine we have down to a science... and it makes for such an easy little guy.

After months of feeling like it was never going to happen, Ian is finally *mostly* accident free at home. He still has his occasional moment and still wears a pull up to bed, but he is in underpants full time now. Unfortuntately, his school is a pull up school and he was required to be pull up free by the time his class moved up from Early Pre to Preschool...on Sept. 8th! He has consistently been horrible at school with pretty much no potty success whatsoever. Every day, it was a progress report of frowns in the potty section. I was so frustrated. I felt like it was the pull ups sabatoging things. He knows they're glorified diapers and he doesn't *have* to stop playing if he doesn't want to, because there will be no mess and only a small amount of disappointment.

I told his teacher last week that we're going to try it my way for a while and she reluctantly agreed to let me bring him in underwear. Well, we're 2 days into MY WAY and he has had exactly ZERO accidents. Today, she said to me "wow, he really is ready". Umm, yeah. Great observation! I love his teachers and his school, but she was being lazy and just didn't have a good system for pottytraining. I am so glad I put my foot down!

It's lame, but below are a handful of recent pictures. Not much, but I haven't been behind the camera as much as I should. That will change soon with the upcoming Maui trip, followed closely by Halloween and Ian's 2nd Family day. I'm already thinking ahead halfway to Christmas! My, how time flies!

Ian with my brother Rex over an 18 month period... Jan 08 thru July 2009.

Ian sleeping on his first day with us and now. He has grown so much. I wish his first pic showed just how short his legs were compared to now.

Polli trying to wake up Ian. I could not get him to wake up. When he finally did, he sat up and said "The yellow train forgot to pick up the kids!" and then laid back down and closed his eyes again. It was SO hilarious!

Once he was finally awake...

Still attached to his blanket. He sometimes says "I need my blanket. It calms me down". Sniff away, kid!

Arriving to Tom & Trish's from a long hike, I reached the porch and in unison, all 3 raised their glasses and said "We're having Happy Hour!". He's definitely a Mrzena!

His favorite thing to do after swimming is to watch the tennis players at our gym's restaurant.

Oh crap, he's already interested in video games. This is in the Red Robin lobby.

Welcome to the Jungle

The lameness continues.

It's so stinkin hot here, I can't even begin to think about sitting down long enough to write a thought out blog post. At least I can get some pics up, since I just loaded over 200 that had been sitting on my calendar for almost 2 weeks. Someone call social services, because I should be written up for this kind of neglect.

For those who have been living on another planet or are out of state with no national news... We're breaking all kinds of heat records for the Seattle area. Wah!, I hear you fam & friends in the South, Midwest, and Southwest.... Yes, wah. We have no idea what it's like to have extremes on both ends of the spectrum. However, keep in mind that AC is practically against the law up here. People with AC probably showed a doctor's note at the Home Depot checkout. Beyond that, stores stock approximately 1 fan per 1,000 households, so once a heat wave strikes the riots ensue...A little bit of deja vu from December when people stood in lines for hours waiting for generators and candles. We may be drama queens, but the retailers here perpetuate it a little.

I've actually decided that Obama, in all his awesome wit and crafty wisdom, must have had the most recent space station visitors launch some sort of cataclysmic flare that set off our heat wave, thus creating a surge in spending. Between fans and AC units...the packed malls and movie theaters of people trying to escape the heat...the filled restaurants of families refusing to cook... people are spending money here hand over fist just to escape the heat. I don't know about you, but the recession appears to be over in the Northwest! Yay for us! :)

Yesterday was the hottest day ever in Seattle. Not just record breaking for the day, but EVER. 106 in Seattle, which is right on the water and always cooler... and 115 at our house in Snoqualmie, about 30 miles away from Seattle and in the foothills of the Cascades. Hot. Africa Hot. No AC. Over 70's at night. 1 fan. 90's in the house. Got it? It's hot. If it were just outside, I would love it, but I need the house to escape too...and sleep in, so that's what makes me cranky.

Enough of that. Now on to the pics. These cover the visits from the bros. Shawn's bro Matt, after their trip to Honduras... and a visit from my bro Rex, which is a very rare treat. There are some others in here, but I have no idea what yet. Just look at them and be glad I even had the energy to put them up. Seriously, I'm doing it while sitting in a virtual sauna... or steam room... prison cell in Death Valley... Rick's bar in Casablanca... Broke down bus on the side of the road in Morocco. I'd better wrap up before this laptop starts to look like a delicious chicken leg.

Uncle Matt and Ian looking at a marine life book

Hanging out with daddy and Uncle Matt.

Think we have enough laptops at the table?

Enjoying corn on the cob for the first time.

Having fun with Uncle Rex

Checking out Uncle Rex's motorcycle

He only sees my brother a few times a year at most, so it was nice to have a visit and dinner with him... and we'll see him again in Maui less than 5 weeks from now.

Getting into cruising mode

I'll do a "before and after" of this shot with his other visits at some point. I have to stop sweating first.

Don't you just hate it when people intentionally stereotype their kids?! LOL.

Trying out Shawn's diving gear.

Ian asked Shawn if they could wash his truck. No idea where he got the thought... but he loved it.

Playing in the suds. What better way to beat the heat?

You missed a spot, Ian!

Ian thought this up on his own... Coloring with his toes. Apparently, he's left footed, too!

Missing In Action

I have absolutely not a moment of free time to blog lately. Between a hectic work schedule, Shawn's trip to Honduras, hiking maina, and trying to get through summer to the Maui trip, I just don't have a lot of down time. Heck, I don't even have time for silly things like laundry and dishes. My house (and spouse) can attest to that.

To fend off the wolves, here are a couple of pictures in no particular order. I have lots more, which I'll try to put up soon.

Sorry to the faithful few who have had nothing to look at for the last week or so... Life happens!

With Uncle Matt & Daddy the day they returned from Honduras

At "Lily's Restaurant" with daddy

Getting ready to enjoy the first strawberries from Ian's plant

Just happy. We like these moments (his shirt apparently did not).

Hanging out with cousin Ashleigh while Grandma and I went for margaritas down the block

What Sick Looks Like...

As everyone knows by now, Shawn left last Friday for Honduras... Roatan, specifically. We've been asked by about half the world's population if Roatan is safe and YES it is. It's an island on the eastern most edge of the country, more Southern Caribbean and less Central America. I did get a text message from him stating that he arrived OK and then another about swimming with sharks. Oh my!

I asked him not to call me, as it would just be a distraction to his trip as well as my "mojo" with Ian. I would much rather just know that he's there OK and discuss the details when he gets home.

As for our week, Ian had a rough day at school on Tuesday and I had to pick him up early. Because they took his temp (a measly 100.6) at 3:30pm, he couldn't come to school the next day. He has to be fever free for at least 24 hours, which cancelled out the entire next day. Great. It meant there was no option but to take a sick day...something Shawn and I draw straws for, typically. Fortunately, since Ian is rarely ever sick and has had only 2 or 3 fevers in the past year, we almost never have to think about it. Just my luck that it happens while I'm a solo parent!

So, yesterday was a sick day. I've included a few pics of what sick looks like on Ian. We went for a walk yesterday morning to get some fresh air and ended up at the library before it opened. There were tons of mommies and their kids outside and we learned that there is a toddler storytime on Wednesdays at 9:30. Awesome! Finally, a "stay at home mom" event! I could pretend to be "one of them". It was boring. Ian was the oldest in the group by far and there were lots of snuggling and tickling activities that caught me by surprise. Gladly, it was only 30 minutes and we continued into the library to check out some books. I was interested in what the librarian mentioned as the "summer reading program" for preschoolers... but when I picked up the flyer, found that the sessions are all during work hours. Of course. Not only can we not participate in ANY mom/me activities in our neighborhood (there are at least 5 playgroups a day and lots of adventure activities), now we can't even participate in something as simple as the library.

I almost typed a really bad word just then.

After the library, we got drinks at Starbucks and then headed home for lunch, books, and naptime. Not once did I hear a whine or whimper. He was so much fun. After lunch, we headed out to find a new park in our neighborhood and located a really nice one about 1 mile away. Too far to walk, but definitely worth the drive.

So, it was a sick day, but a great sick day. We didn't go on a hike or on a grand adventure, but it was one really great ordinary day at home with my favorite person in the whole world.

I won't go into today's details too much. In a nutshell, I let him sleep in and I'm glad I did. He was tired, but feeling much better. I decided to send him to school since it was "movie and popcorn" day, but got a call shortly after 2 letting me know he had been crying for 2 hours that he needed his mommy. Uggh! Just hours before, he was excited about a movie and going to Red Robin for my birthday dinner.

We dried the tears and went home. We watched more Backyardigans than is healthy for a 3 year old, and in the midst of all the joy, Ian jumped in a certain spot on the couch that catapulted him forward into the window sill. I heard the thud of his forehead before I saw it, and the silence that followed told me everything. It was probably really bad. The silence was quickly followed by a scream like I've never heard. I had flashes of my own head cracking incidents as a child and I practically had my coat and shoes on ready for the ER. I grabbed him calmly and hugged him tight, then went for the bathroom before really looking at it. Luckily, it was a dent, but not bleeding too badly. I think his glasses slowed him down so it wasn't so bad. I was able to get a bandaid on it despite his crying, and within 30 minutes, he was trying to "surf" a dump truck across the yard. I'm doomed.

I think the moral of this very long story is that although I would like to think I can do it all alone and MY WAY, I really do need and appreciate Shawn's help. I especially appreciate his help when I'm trying to control Polli and Ian at the same time or juggle a "I have to go potty!" moment with the melting ice cream left in the car in order to get the the bathroom in time.

What has really stuck with me the most is that I wish I had just one day to do all those things we did yesterday. Maybe some day I can make that work; it was so priceless, even just this one time. For those who get that kind of opportunity every day, please don't take it for granted. I really didn't want that day to end, even if it was accompanied by a continuous request to "cover your mouth, please".

Pics from our sick day:

Good medicine: Cocoa and cookies!

Playing with the scrapbook store owner's GIANT black lab. He is the biggest sweetie...maybe even more friendly than Polli (and he weighs 140 pounds!)!

Scrapbooking followed by the most expensive smoothie I've every purchased. Ian's "kiddie" smoothie and a small for me was $11. SHUT UP!
The crabby pouty boy I picked up from school today.

Not long after. It's amazing what a snack and some TV time can do!

...and then the fun came to a screeching halt! A nice black goose egg formed, but doesn't appear to be growing and the bleeding stopped fast.

The Kitchen Sink Blog Post

This covers just about everything from Fourth of July to mom hiking adventures, to boo-boos...and everything in between.

Without going into a ton of detail on anything in particular, I'll hit some of the important points. We've had great weather, meaning I've been out hiking as much as possible. I don't post many of those pics here, but I'm too lazy to keep 2 blogs running, so I haven't been updating my hiking blog. I did finish June with 52 miles hiked and somewhere over 20,000 feet of elevation (I haven't worked it out yet). I want to see what that looks like on a graph in terms of grade, but I'm no math wiz, so I have to put some effort into it. I started July strong with a short but killer hike with great views at the end. I can't help but post a few pics of that great afternoon.

A big part of the week was spent getting Shawn ready for his trip to Roatan, Honduras for a long awaited diving trip with his brother, Matt. For those wondering, Roatan is far away from the tension in mainland Honduras and there is absolutely no danger there. Cruise ships are still porting there, and that wouldn't be happening if there was even a hint of trouble.

So anyway, I was getting ready to be a single mom for a week and Shawn was preparing about 200 pounds of photography and dive gear for a trip around the world. He left Friday night. My heart goes to single and military moms. It's only a week for me and I can't imagine what weeks (plural), months, years...and lifetimes of solo parenting must feel like. For all the times I think to myself that it would be nice to just have my way and do it all on my own, I really don't mean it. I know that now for sure.

Another big event was Ian's move to a big boy bed yesterday. It's just his crib converting to a toddler bed, so it feels much the same without the front bars. He picked out special pillows and a sleeping bag, and even wanted Polli to play on the bed with him. As it turns out, he doesn't need a step stool to get in and out and I can easily lay with him (eventhough it's a crib mattress) to sing songs before saying goodnight. It was GREAT. He took to it immediately and has yet to really figure out that he has the ability to get up and move around the house. I fear the day he figures that out!

The Fourth was a huge day. We watched the parade in our neighborhood and then spent a couple of hours at the big carnival party put on my the ROA and nearby businesses. They had bouncy houses and slides for all ages and Ian, who was petrified of them last year (and just a few months ago) couldn't be kept away from the bouncy houses. Try telling a 3 year old that he has to wait in line each time, but never the less, it was fun to watch. He also got to meet a "real live" firefighter and sat in a fire truck. There were things we had to skip due to long lines, but we shared a piece of pizza (Ian ended up just eating the toppings and I got the crust...gross). For this, I was sad that Shawn was gone. After a couple of hours, and already getting hot out, we left and headed home for a nap.

After nap, we got our stuff together and made our way toward Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house for a Fourth get together and fireworks. It was great to see everyone, including Shannon's brother Ricky and their mom Nancy. Both haven't seen Ian for a year or more. He was going strong well toward dark, so we decided to stay for fireworks. It took one to go off and he was scrambling to get in the house. He went into a panic over the sudden noise and didn't like it one bit. He seems to be fine with noise that he can prepare for (like a motorcycle coming from down the road) but loud bangs are mood killers. We watched from inside and he did fine after that... In the end, he wasn't home and in bed until after midnight. A new record for him! He did great until about 10 miles from home when he started screaming that he didn't want to be in the car anymore. He was just delirious with fatigue. Poor little guy.

Today, we hit the mall and Target, then later went grocery shopping. He did great. Not one accident and not a single meltdown. It was all errands, but he was as close to the perfect little buddy as possible. I loved today.

Thank goodness for a cool breeze coming in to give us a break from very humid 80's. Ian and I both woke up this morning congested and tired, so a change in the weather will be welcome for a day or two before I'll be complaining about the cold again.

Enjoy some pics from the weekend! Hope everyone had a great 4th and did the right thing by letting the pro's light the fuses...and giving a designated driver the keys!

Oh man, I left out a whole story about our trip to the zoo on Friday. Sigh. I'm too tired to go back and add it in...There are a few pics below.

One of the things I love most about Ian's new school is that, when the weather is nice enough, I can walk him to school. It's only a few minutes even at Ian's pace...and he loves it. It's a nice refreshing walk back for me, which is always welcome first thing in the AM.

I say goodbye to him at the window every morning. Some days are easier than others. This was a good day.

From about 1.5 miles up on the Chirico Trail in Issaquah. The summit is where paragliders launch and slowly sail down to the field below. As you can see, there is also an unobstructed view of the North side of Mt. Rainier. Always taunting me.

Watching paragliders launch. I absolutely want to do this... although I would also absolutely pee my pants in the process. There's no describing what it's like to watch them step off the side, so I'm sure the feeling of doing it is incomparable.

At the zoo with cousins Cade (12) and Taylor (14) from Fairbanks.

Getting up close and personal with a monkey. As it turned out, it was one of the busiest days of the year for the zoo and also one of the hottest, meaning we fought crowds at every exhibit and most of the animals were sleeping far away from where we could see them. It was still a great day...and Ian held up better than anyone. Cade threw a tantrum before Ian did!

You can see the fatigue setting in.

Random, but I loved this shot. Emerald Python..or Boa. Ian knows. I'll ask him tomorrow.

One last burst of energy in the tropical rainforest (it was SOOO humid in here!)

Fist bump to the diamond back Gorilla. One day I hope he can see one of these in the wild.

Helping me convert his crib to a big boy bed. Cribs are for babies!

Loving his new sleeping bag and truck & bus pillows. His music player stays. I think he might have that thing when he's in high school. It is by far one of the reasons why I can count on ONE HAND the number of nights he's woken up needing us.

Fine tuning his music... while Polli makes herself at home.

Showing off some of our Lego creations. He actually asked me to take a picture for daddy. He was so proud.

Having fun in a bouncy house. Just a month or two ago, he was petrified to go in these things.

Sitting in a real live fire truck. He was a little overwhelmed by it, but liked all the dials and buttons.

Checking out the first fire truck in Snoqualmie. It still runs (although it had a cup holder with Starbucks cups in it, which killed the effect a bit). We saw this fireman today at Trader Joes and I could see Ian's mind ticking... like, why is a fireman wearing a tee shirt and sweats?

As you can see, Ian and I completely forgot to wear red white and blue on the 4th. Oops! At least I could find him in a crowd!

Getting a dart lesson from Ricky.

Hey, wait a second....

Nice Taylor... really attractive! :)

Sitting by a waterfall and Chihouly sculpture in Bellevue Square (Lincoln Tower) today. We had just come from Tully's, which he thought was Tollie's...the Koala in Ni Hao Kai Lan. He was a little disappointed when there were no Tollie items to be had.

When he woke from his nap, he had gouged a scratch on his nose and it was bleeding pretty badly. I put a band-aid on it, and while it looks like he's crying, he's actually laughing about having a band-aid on his nose. He was trying to look at it, which made his eyes cross... and that made him laugh. Thought I needed to clarify that I was not ignoring my child's distress to get a Kodak moment!

Just a silly pic with his band aid and glasses. He actually wore the band aid all day. If anything, it might have helped his congestion some.

Casually playing in his big boy bed after nap with his new passion: GeoTrax trains. He has already examined the back of the package and noticed the pieces he doesn't have. I'm OK with it since these are half the cost of Thomas trains, which he likes but isn't married to. Thank goodness he isn't a brand junkie just yet.

Let Summer Begin!

What a gorgeous week ahead of us! We'll be in the high 70's to mid 80's through the holiday weekend, which is gorgeous for us. We're gearing up this week for Shawn's departure for Honduras on Friday. For those concerned about his safety there, he is not going to the main part of the country which is in political unrest. He is going to the outlying island of Roatan, which is safe. I'm not exactly sure how he'll get from the airport, but the State Department has assured him that travel to Roatan is safe.

While Shawn and I scramble to get everything done before he leaves, Ian has a fairly normal week ahead. Shawn hopes to take him out of school early tomorrow to take him to REI for a sleeping bag. We've promised he can have one for his big boy bed, which will be assembled on Saturday. He is most excited about pillows in the shapes of a truck and bus, which he picked out at Pottery Barn last week. He asks daily when he gets his pillows and sleeping bag. I can't wait to report how he does in his first nights.

We're hoping he'll have a chance to see his cousins Cade and Taylor again, from Fairbanks, before they head home next week. We're thinking of meeting for a picnic at a local park on Friday morning. If not, I plan to take him to the zoo, which would be fun. It's been a year since his last zoo trip!

I've been doing a lot of hiking this month, finishing June with 52 miles hiked! I joined a Women's 30's & 40's hiking group a month ago and was asked to be an organizer within days. I've organized 6 hikes so far and have several scheduled for July and August. The organizing is as much or more work than the actual hike. I always have a ton of fun once we get hiking, but the job of corralling a dozen or more women is pretty tiring. I am undecided whether I'll continue organizing long term or will just develop a group of friends from it and pair up from that smaller group. We'll see.

Shawn has been doing as much diving as possible in prep for his week in Roatan with his brother, Matt. I hope they have a great time. It will be Shawn's first tropical dive eventhough he has become fanatical about diving and underwater photography here in the Northwest. He is convinced that learning in our cold waters will prepare him to be a better warm water diver. All I care about is that he comes home safe and gets a lot of great pictures!

Below are some pics from the past weekend, mostly from Ian's stayover at Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house. He had a blast with Cade and Taylor. There are also a couple of "around the house" pics. Shawn saw a Cat In The Hat hat and had to buy it. Ian was not a fan, but allowed us a few pictures before flinging it across the room. I also put him back in the bathroom sink so I could get a "then/now" picture. Amazing how much he's grown! I don't even remember him being that small.

Hopefully we'll get some good sunshine pictures this week. Ian's strawberry plant has fruit and we're just waiting for them to turn red.

Hanging out with cousins Cade and Taylor

Is it just me or does Ian look a lot like the alien? Nice socks, Taylor!

So when Ian is playing and says "Let's drink wine Glug Glug Glug"... I know where that comes from! Good going Grandma!

Ian & Cade

Not really what I was hoping for when I dropped him off! No wonder Grandma asked for a medical card.

Learning to ride a scooter. This one has training wheels. Cool.

I think I know now why he was so over stimulated when I picked him up on Saturday! Whee!

Reading bedtime stories

Wearing his new Cat In The Hat

Sitting in Shawn's bathroom sink in December 07 (20 months) and now (3 years+) It's hard to believe how much he's changed!

My Little Tree Hugger

Again with the radio silence! It has become apparent to me that time just goes... and the longer Ian is home, the harder it is to find time to post frequently about things that are not just our day to day living. How much of that I want the general public to read, I haven't decided. As many of my bloggy friends have done recently, I am considering moving our blog to a private status and opening it up to family, friends, and acquaintances...both virtual and IRL (in real life). I haven't completely made up my mind, as I still average about 300 hits a week, but since 200 of those might be from my mother, I can't really tell if Ian and Polli still have a genuine following.

Once I make up my mind, I will give ample warning and opportunity to send my info to stay "on the list".

As for Ian and Polli adventures, we had another plain ol vanilla week...which I consider successful. Not a ton of fanfare, but not much drama either, which I am happy about. I am super busy with a growing workload, becoming more and more involved in hiking groups, and preparing for Shawn's departure to Roatan, Honduras to scuba dive with his brother, Matt. They leave on the 4th and come home on the 12th. That prep is more mental than anything. I will essentially be a single mom for that week and wonder how we'll handle it. I am considering a "soup/salad/breadsticks" type menu for the entire week to make life easier. A couple of big salads and a crockpot of soup and I should be left with only a couple of days that will require cooking. Lord knows Ian would eat soup, noodles, and rice 3 meals a day indefinitely, so this should only be a test for me.

I will also be without workout or hiking capabilities, which might be the hardest adjustment for me. I am strategically planning to take a day off work to give myself a reprieve, but work schedules requiring training might foil that plan. We shall see. I've also secretly eyed my sick time stockpile in case I decide to have a "sick attitude" day, but I would like that to be my last resort...as in, if I need to talk myself off a cliff, or something.

This week, Polli went on her first hike, a relatively flat and easy 3 miles, with only 900 feet of elevation gain. She did great but was visibly tired by the end. She had a fellow 4 legged hiker, a Chihuahua named Muscles, which helped keep her moving at a good pace the entire time. She was less than enthusiastic to jump on and off the bed the next day, so I think she was sore. I need to search to see if dogs can have ibuprofen in case that's helpful in her recovery next time. I don't have any of her pics on this post; they're on a different computer. I'll post those another day.

Yesterday, I decided to take Ian on his first hike! We did the "Tradition Lake Loop" at Tiger Mountain, which is technically 1.5 miles, but we stopped halfway. We still hiked almost a mile total, and he only asked to be carried once. He pretended that he was scared of stumps suddenly, but I know he was just zeroing in on what would make me pick him up. Genuine fears or pain are the two biggies. Just being tired isn't high up on my list. I told him that I would carry him this time, but if he wants to go on hikes with mommy, he must walk all the way. He reiterated that "babies don't go hiking, only big kids", to which I asked "which are you, a baby or a big kid?" and he very seriously answered "I'm NOT a baby, I'm only a big kid. Big kids walk, huh?". "Yep". "OK. I'll walk now".

As we reached the parking lot (and refusing to hold my hand) he darted out into the driveway without looking, barely missed by a car entering from the other side. I reached out and grabbed him by the top of his arm and yanked him back. It scared him more than anything, but he lost it. Owie Owie Owie! We got to the car and I got down to his level and very sternly (if not a little too loudly) told him that he almost got hit by a car and must always look both ways first. Never do that again!". All business, I placed him in his car seat, not realizing the crotch buckle was bent upward. Another round of Owies. He said, "Mommy, you smashed my junk in the seat. You need to settle down right now!". So, I did need to settle down. I also heard in his voice what I must sound like sometimes. Uggh. I didn't like it. My emotions were obviously running high, too. We had good cuddles and kisses... I was sorry/he was sorry... We agreed to go to Panera for soup to make us happy again.

He reminded me over and over that he was "sad at hiking", but I reminded him about all the fun we had before the parking lot, and within a few hours (and a big bowl of broccoli cheddar) he had forgotten about the parking lot and was again remembering the bugs, moss, and overall hiking good times. When I asked if he wanted to go again, he was very excited about "hiking another place, too!".

Probably more than anything, he liked drinking from my Camelbak. They make them for toddlers and small children now, so I might just break down and buy him one.

I actually have a handful of things to scan and post, plus some before/after stuff to do, so I'm not completely bored with blogging. There might just be a little left in me.

Checking out the trail signs. 1.5 miles? No way!

Taking it all in. There was a lot of looking up on the trail.

Trying out my backpack and water reservoir. He loved drinking from it... and I have no idea how much 3 year old backwash I ended up drinking. Yuck!

Pretty proud of himself after he got to pee in the bushes. No outhouse needed out here!

Enjoying the scenery

Posing with a big mature fir. He proclaimed that "trees are our friends!"

My little Tree Hugger!

Long Time No See!

Im back...well sort of. As you can see, I have some built in grammatical issues stemming from my laptop drama. I reinstalled the OS twice, updated drivers, waited for parts from Dell, and still I have issues with my keyboard. My apostrophe/quote key sticks (i.e. doesnt work except to spontaneously type apostrophes any time it wants). I am waiting for a replacement keyboard to fix that issue, but I can at least function now and finally get an update posted!

Ironically, there isnt a ton to say. We had a fairly normal work/school week last week with Friday being the highlight. Grandma Trish was in Minnesota visiting family, so Shawn and I split the day with Ian. Shawn took him in the AM, then dropped him off at my office and we made the rounds, then enjoyed my companys first of several employee Summer BBQs. We were able to visit some of my coworkers who havent seen him for a year or more and had a few snacks to boot. It was a lot of fun.

On Saturday, I took Ian and Polli to the dog park, ran a ton of errands, and hung around the neighborhood parks. We have had no measurable rain in the Seattle area for 26 days. If it stays dry through tomorrow, we will break an all time record for dry May/June weather.

Sunday, I was leading a hike in the morning while Shawn and Ian slept in and did lazy things in the yard. Overall, the weekend went fast but was the perfect mix of busy and lazy. Just like I like it.

Yesterday (Monday), I led another hike and missed Ians bedtime. When I came home, I found a big box in the living room decorated like a boat. As it turns out, this was the one and only toy Shawn and Ian played with all evening. If only my Ian shifts were so easy!

Were about 2 weeks until Shawn leaves for his dive trip to Rotan, Honduras. During that time, I should also have some of my busiest work schedule all year. Great timing! Hopefully, we all come out unscathed...especially since this is also the week I plan to move Ian to a big boy bed. We have promised him a sleeping bag in his bed when we switch and he is very excited about camping in his bed.

Below are just some of the many pictures that have been backing up since my last picture post. Enjoy!

Enjoying diner food one day last week. How nutritious...Fries and Mac/Cheese!

I love these sleeping in the car pics. They never get old.

Playing with a new puzzle game. He has to take the different shapes and match them to the cards. I love these kinds of toys.

This kid is so limber. I cant waint to get him into a gymnastics class.

Chatting with daddy

Big thumbs up from Ian. He actually left his hat on for 30 minutes. Shocking. I told him he had to wear a hat outside in Maui. I think he can do it.

Playing with a boy at the park. He only spoke Chinese and it only took Ian a few minutes before he was babbling Chinese gibberish to the kid. I was shocked. I dont think he was saying anything, but he was making the right tones. Amazing.

Ian getting in a good workout in the garage.

Moving on to the weights

Getting unauthorized candy from my friend Oscar. He picked the Nerds.

Hanging out with my friend Brandon. They both look so trendy.

Posing with my manager, Jeff. Amazing to see how much he has grown since their last photo op together.

Getting to work in a managers office.

On the walkpath outside my office. We walked to the park and back (OK, I carried him most of the way).

Hard to see, but our groundcover was full of bumblebees.

So glad we got great blooms this year. It looks pretty cool against all the green.

At the dog park

Watering the bamboo

Splashing in a puddle. Whee!

Row row row your boat! Way to be creative, daddy!

Ians Boat
...That dad made at Dads Shipyard
He ate and played in this thing for hours.