Saturday, September 27, 2008
Welcome Home!
D: Yesterday morning we took the boys over to their grandparents house... and we didn't even have to get on an airplane! That's right, their Nana and Grandpa are now living close enough to easily enjoy a Saturday morning with their grandkids any time they'd like.
My mother first mentioned the idea of moving out here from MN the very first time she held the Deuce, just a few days after they were born. Since then the two of them have been busily planning their west coast migration and last week they finally arrived.
We could not be more excited to have family in town and closer to the children. Both W and I feel it is incredibly important that the boys have close relationships with all of our parents. It certainly is a special kind of relationship that forms between a grandchild and their grandparent. I so look forward to the boys being able to spend time with family close by... and of course continue to look forward to planning visits with our family living far away!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Favorite time of year
D: In my opinion, Fall is the most enjoyable time of year in Seattle. The weather is just perfect; not too hot and not too cool. There hasn’t been a drop of rain in weeks and the skies remain bright blue all day long. We wake up to a distant view through our front window of the sun rising on Mt Rainier and we enjoy the most amazing sunsets over the Puget Sound behind the Olympic Mountains. (Unfortunately soon these views will all but vanish and are replaced by thick grey clouds for several months.)
We have been enjoying every moment of these blissful days with many firsts for the Deuce. Several weeks ago W and I took them to the Washington State Fair. Until now, I didn’t even know that Washington had a state fair. But now, as a mom, I am finding myself searching for places to see live cows for my children to “mooo” at. And boy did they 'mooo'! And ‘oink’ and ‘neigh’ and ‘squeak’ and ‘quack’. They were also big fans of the fair food.
We have done an overhaul on our yard this past summer making it both Deuce proof and fun for the boys to enjoy hours of playtime. 140 Feet of cedar fence, several yards of sod, one sandbox later, and a few donated plastic play things later, we are quite happy with our extended living/play space. It is so wonderful having the freedom to just open the door and let the boys run out into the yard knowing there are relatively few things that they could destroy or hurt themselves with. Lately we’ve been playing in the water, hunting for spiders, making obstacle courses, pointing out every single plane that flies over head and ‘camping’ in our tent.
Last night we met some friends for a picturesque beachside bbq, to celebrate a friend’s birthday. They boys chased balloons along the sand, kicked dirt in their hair, tossed Frisbees, dug in the dirt, blew bubbles, ate water melon, roasted marshmallows and wowed at the big boats coming into the harbor.
We've also been riding the ferry, visiting friend's pools, enjoying Gas Works park, frequently visiting the Woodland Park Zoo, and splashing in what ever mud puddles we can find. Enjoy the rest of your sunshine days!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Toddler Delight
D: Our kids are expressing their joy in the world around them more and more every day. I love sharing in their delight, through their eyes. I can actually FEEL their excitement as we marvel at the wonders of it all.
What they (and I) now love the most:
Planes flying overhead.
Spiders (the ones up in their webs, not the ones crawling across the floor).
Cows (Mooo!)
Washable crayons.
Sitting in big boy chairs and watching mama cook dinner.
Splashing each other in the bath tub (and their parents).
Pointing to each others body parts and ‘naming’ them (all words are still spoken in twin-talk).
Running around naked.
Dancing while naked.
Pretending to be a naked monster and growling at everything (this was a new one tonight).
Splashing in puddles.
One, two, three… JUMP! (Onto or off of the couch or bed)
Jumping and dancing on the bed.
Balls. Balls. Balls. Anything that looks like a ball. (This word is spoken in English and is heard 100 times a day.)
Climbing up everything. Climbing down everything.
Being lifted up onto the monkey bars at least 8 feet into the air and hanging from them for a good 20 seconds while giggling.
Waving hello. Waving good-bye.
Playing with Chili Bean. (Our pug)
Giving each other hugs.