Another 2009 post

As you can see, we haven't updated the blog in a while. We are using Facebook primarily as our means of communicating news/info/pictures to family and friends. Here's a couple of recent pictures, just to keep things current. Big news recently is that Keith and Natalie are having another baby. We are thrilled for them and can't wait to be an auntie/uncle again next April!

Cheers,
Lindsay (my first blog post ever!)

Boy

Alec is a boy now. Our baby is a distant memory. He talks to us in full sentences that make sense. He reasons and negotiates. He asks questions about the world. We answer the "why?" question many times a day. We've been making efforts to always give him an answer that does not equate to "because I said so". That is not always easy though. He is constantly in motion. If he is awake he is in motion and at this point outdoor activities are ideal. He loves his backyard and will play out there for hours. We recently finished some landscaping and many of the previous fun dirt play areas are now off limits. I'll have to create an area for him to dig and search for worms.

We recently returned from a trip to San Diego. Alec got to spend close to a week with his cousins, Jack & Grant. They all got along really well and it was fun to see them get to know each other. We also got to visit Legoland! I loved Legos as a child so I was happy to visit under the guise of visiting for Alec. He's still a bit young to be really interested in Legos so I don't think he got as much out of it as I did. He did get ride some rides though and that he did appreciate.

Summer Memories

After finishing some major house projects I finally have time to go through some of the photos and videos from this summer. I put together this short video tonight of Alec and his cousins Jack and Grant. We spent a great week in Bend, OR at Lindsay's Dad and stepmother's home. This video is of the boys playing on a Slip 'n Slide.

Carving Party

We held our Fifth Annual Pumpkin Carving Party last Saturday. We had nearly fourty guests! Luckily the weather was great and everyone seemed to have a good time. Leigh took the photo on this post.

Scared?

"Red" the bird is scary to toddlers, or at least our toddler. We took Alec to the Woodinville Red Robin last week. There was a larger than life Red Robin mascot, "Red" standing outside as we walked toward the entrance. Being the parents that we have now evolved to Lindsay and I both thought "Wow! How exciting!". Alec did not share our sentiments. That thing is big, unnatural and scary! Lindsay asked him if he was scared, not really expecting a response. Alec replied "Scaured!" with saucer eyes and shaking his head side to side. He did it with so much emotion and understanding that he caught us off guard. The freaky bird was wandering through the restaurant during our dinner and every time Alec saw him he did the same thing. Now he tells us he's scared whenever he's uncomfortable. He's even started telling us when he thinks the cats are scared - which is often in our house.

Where is the moon?

Last night our little boy expressed great concern for the whereabouts of the moon. We've been talking about the moon lately and pointing it out when it's been visible. Before going to bed last night he said "Where is the moon?" I'll admit that the beginning of the sentence could only be deciphered by a parent but it was a clear question. Then he clearly said "Up in the sky?". He was curious enough that we thought we should take him outside and see if we could find it. We searched in the early evening sky for an elusive moon but it was not to be found. "Where did it go?", he said, "Oh no!", "Moon, in the sky?". We assured him that it would be back. We took him back to his room and got him ready for bed. Maybe tonight the moon will visit him again.

Fun

All I can say is that having a toddler is FUN!

Catch Me!

This photo my brother took of Alec really captures our happy little boy's spirit.
I wish I were with him today but unfortunetly I'm at work. The weekend is near though!

Bend

We just finished a really great vacation in Bend, Oregon. We spent a week at Lindsay's dad and step mom's home on the Deschutes River. Lindsay's sister, Daniele, and her family were there visiting from San Diego too so Alec was able to spend some time with his California cousins. The drive to Bend from Seattle is scenic but long. Add an impatient toddler and it's doubly long. Lindsay wisely planned an overnight stop at her mom's near Portland on the trip there and back. I'm certain that saved us loads of frustration, plus we were able to fit in a couple of nice visits with Lindsay's mom.

While in Bend we visited the High Desert Museum. A really interesting museum despite it's name. Who would have thought that the high desert had so much to offer? They had many art and history exhibits, most of which we skipped to keep up the entertainment value for Alec. The animals were the big hit with us. Alec recently has been interested in turtles and the museum delivered. The had two swimming turtles in a toddler eye level tank. They also had some beautiful birds. There was a recently added golden eagle (gegle) in addition to two bald eagles as well as owls and osprey. We also sat in a real tipi and Alec played in the museum's unique play areas.

We took Alec on his first river float too. The three of us crammed ourselves into a raft and pushed off from Lindsay's dad's river bank. This was not the highlight of the trip. Alec found the life jacket way too constraining and Lindsay and I found the "four man" raft way too constraining. We were all happy to see Lindsay's dad patiently waiting for us after 20 minutes of floating. I think next year will be better.

We went on a really great short hike at Fall River Campground. We first went there 4 years ago when I joined Lindsay as a "friend" on a trip to visit her father and step mother with the Dowdens. Fall River is crystal clear and ice cold. This time we had a picnic near the river and then set out for a nice little hike. Alec rode along on my back in his hiking backpack and took in the scenery. The boy loves to be outside!

In between the outings we enjoyed time with our family. Daniele and her family had a house in Sun River which is just minutes from her dad's place. We met them for a bike ride and picnic one day. Alec rode along in a trailer behind me. Thursday was Daniele's birthday. We had a little birthday party for her. Lindsay's dad spent half the day making barbecued ribs and her step mom made a phenomenal chocolate cake. Alec had one last evening to play with his cousins.

We headed towards Portland on Friday. We spend one final night from home with Lindsay's mom and a family friend, Phil. Lindsay's mom made us a great dinner and then we were up early the next day to head home.

After a week of strange beds and surroundings it was great to be home!

Photos

Camping

Last weekend we went on our first 2008 camping trip. We went to Grayland State Park on the Washington coast. Alec loves being outside so camping fit in well with his prefered lifestyle. The park is on a huge sandy beach and he could have played for hours. We took lots of photos which are on our photo site.

Evan's Birthday

Evan had his first birthday today. We celebrated yesterday at the Kristoferson Farm on Camino Island. It was a great first birthday. There was a huge tractor, cupcakes and a hay ride. What could be better? Happy Birthday Evan! Photos are on our July photo page.

Sun!

We had our first really great summer weekend of the year. Being the planners that we are Lindsay and I have had plans in place for weeks that depended on nice weather for the weekend (that really just means no rain when you live in Seattle). It was some the best June weather I can remember and we enjoyed every minute of it!
On Saturday had some friends over for a mid-day BBQ. They have a little boy who is just about the same age as Alec so they were happy running around the back yard keeping their parents on their toes.
Lindsay's birthday was yesterday so we celebrated with our friends on Saturday evening. We left Alec with is first non-family, non-friend babysitter for 7 hours! We met everyone at Kells and then went on a funPike Place Market ghost tour . After that we had sangria at The Tasting Room and then walked down to Cafe Campagna for dinner. It was a great evening with great friends!
Yesterday we went to my parents to celebrate my mom and Lindsay's birthdays. Alec and his cousin, Roman, played for hours in my parent's yard while their paparazzi parents followed them around with cameras.
Photos from this weekend can be found on our "June 2008" photo web page. There are more Sunday Birthday party photos on Alec's Uncle Keith's site.

Stacking

Alec figured out how to stack his wooden stackable rings today. He's spent the whole afternoon stacking and un-stacking. He is quite proud of his new skills.

Mexico

Alec just took his first big vacation. We went to a city named Los Barriles, Mexico which is North of Cabo San Lucas and South of La Paz. Lindsay's family has been going to a hotel there for years to vacation and fish in the Sea of Cortez. Alec skipped the fishing in favor of the pool which was a huge hit. He took to the local cuisine with gusto and fell into a nice vacation routine. Here is a link to a bunch of photos!

My Car

He loves keys or "dees" and he tells us "Hi" numerous times an hour. His favorite book is "My Car" which he has retitled "Beep Beep". He seems to love being outside. I let him play in the backyard yesterday and he got grass stains on his pants. That seems like some sort of milestone. His vocabulary is growing by the day. Some of the words we understand are: Hi!, more, Dad, Bottle, down, car, keys, mom, Tikka, Frisky, banana, apple, cheese and outside. Most cats are Tikka, down and Dad are easily confused (by us), anything with a wheel is a car. most fruit is a banana and keys without a remote are not acceptable.

March Video

Walking Video

Cousins

Climbing the stairs

We spent a really nice weekend with Dotty and Phil and Alec got to open his first Christmas presents. He has some really fun new toys and great books thanks to his Grandma Dotty.
This evening he decided to climb up our stairs. It caught us a bit off guard since we really didn't expect that until he was walking.

Happy Holidays

This is Alec's first Christmas and I know he won't remember anything. That won't prevent us from exposing him to all the Christmas traditions we hope to establish over the coming years. Christmas Eve after we return home from our Walbrun family party I'll have him help me lay out cookies and milk for Santa and maybe a carrot for Rudolph. We'll check the fireplace to make certain Santa can get in. We don't want a pesky closed flue to serve as an excuse for no presents. If he is good he will get a small gift to open before goes to bed. Christmas morning we will give him some warm formula and check out the status of the cookies and carrot. Bite marks will be a clear indication of Santa's presence. We'll sit down in front of a cozy fire and our Christmas tree and give him the gifts that miraculously appeared overnight. He'll be facinated by the bows and shiny paper and attempt to eat the corners of the boxes. He'll pull off the bows and wave them in the air and rip the paper into tiny chunks that will find his mouth much faster than we can take them from him. When we finally get beyond the paper to the gifts he'll be more interested in the boxes than any of the contents. All of this we will do because having a child reminds us of the excitement and magic of Christmas and we know that in coming years Alec will come to love this time of year but this year we will love it for him.

Happy Holidays to all of our family and friends!