Halloween and a trip to Seattle

While we were in Seattle for Sammy's 4th birthday party, my friend Jennifer came up and spent Saturday morning with me and the boys.  We walked around Greenlake and Einar rode around the whole thing on his bike!  Here she is with the horse and elephant.

Minus a really cool turban for Prince Ali Ababwa, this is us all dressed up as the Bellingham royal family.  Soren is Abu the elephant and I'm Cinderella with Einar as my pet horse.  I'm having fun with my sewing machine and was excited to get some use out of my old Marine Corps Ball dress that I bedazzled with some sleeves, peplums and silver trimming. 

Einar asked me last week what a troll was so I had to take him by the Fremont Troll while we were in town.  There was no way Einar was going to get out of the car to take a picture with the troll and I don't think it was because it was raining outside. 

Jared spearheaded the pumpkin carving this year with great success.  The one on the right-hand side was "radioactive" and had a red bike light inside to light it up.  Einar was his enthusiastic carving sidekick.  However there were kids playing outside while they were carving at the kitchen table and Einar kept taking "play breaks" and running outside without a sweatshirt.

I appointed myself in charge of window decorations and painted these pumpkins.  Through the front door you can see our Delta Clay colored wall that looks oddly seasonal.  Now that the pumpkins are down, I need to seriously consider proper window treatments.  Einar helped me paint the little one on the far left.  Perhaps we'll do a little turkey finger painting for November...

On Halloween night I dressed as a magic carpet (Cinderella wouldn't be dressed warm enough for trick-or-treating) and took the boys out for a traipse through our new neighborhood.  Einar's appraisal of the evening was "That was so much fun!  Halloween is much more fun than time-out!"  He also made out like a bandit as you can see in the following photo:

Now that the excitement of Halloween is over and the costumes are at least out of site (I haven't found a proper place yet for all of them) we have things like H1N1 to deal with on the home front.

The boys  got sick on Monday night with fevers and sore throats and we're still in isolation.  All three of us did get the vaccination last Wednesday, but didn't have time to build up the antibodies fully.  At least they seem to have mild cases and  are mostly on the mend.  We've been watching a bit more tv than usual.  Lots of Dinosaur train and Sesame Street.  Tomorrow I am going to have to get them out of the house for a car or stroller ride just for a change of pace.  Tensions were running a bit high while I was making dinner tonight and I had to shake things up  a bit and take Einar on a laundry folding mission and teach him how to sort the clean clothes and fold socks in order to avoid more trouble.

August and September Wrap-up

Soren says "Boo!"

Here is an up-to-date (tonight at dinner folks!) video of Soren playing his favorite game.

We're Finally Surfacing in Bellingham...

I guess that when you don't do anything on the computer for a month that you can expect some changes, but I apologize that I'm not adapting to the new blogger photo uploading and posting in a smoother way.  We've got lots and lots of photos to share from our coastal road trip, our move, and our new home in Bellingham, but this posting is just a little teaser for you and a chance for me to get in the swing of things again.  These pictures are mostly of us when the place was empty and we did all of our painting.  We have painted our bedroom (evening glow yellow), the boys' room (Thar She Blows Blue), the hallway, living room, dining area and kitchen (Apple Crunch beige), our living and dining accent wall (Delta Clay orange) and our kitchen cabinets (Delta Blue).  Thank goodness we planned to do all of this before our stuff came or we still might have white walls only.  We really like the colors that we chose and it makes the place feel much more homey.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for all of the painting help! 

Einar also had his first day of preschool on the day that the movers showed up with our belongings.  He now goes to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  The school is a short drive away and we see not only a Rhino (statue) but also three horses on the way there.  At the moment, Einar is the only one with any type of a schedule to keep.  Jared doesn't start his classes or even register at Western until next week.  Until we figure out classes and schedules, part time jobs are a little hard to look for so I'm enjoying my "vacation" still.

On Tuesday the new washer and dryer arrived so we can do laundry at home now.  Soren really likes watching the clothes spin around in the front loading machines.  Thankfully they come with kid locks so he can't do his own laundry.  He's now back to wearing his cloth diapers again too so he no longer has the slim look.

Yesterday TV, computer and telephone was installed.  The reviews are still out on the new DVR, but the internet is sure quick.  Well, I'm off to make myself a turkey sandwich so that we can rid our bikes downtown to the train museum and scout out one of the potential dr. offices.  It's supposed to start raining again tomorrow so we've gotta get out and enjoy the sun while we can.  I'm sure my sun bank account is already on the decline.

Still Having Lots of Adventures in California...

...and some of them are wearing Soren out! Here he is passed out in the jogging stroller after a great morning at Sunset Park where we had one last big park day with our San Clemente friends before our move at the end of next week.

I strapped his "get-away" car onto the stroller so that he could zoom around the park this morning. He zipped and zoomed for about 5 minutes and then gave the car up to his buddy Zach. I think he realized that he could ride his car at home and there were slides and sand to be had at the park. About 40 minutes before we left he decided he was through and climbed back up into the stroller with a water and a juice and pretty much hung out there until we were ready to leave.


Soren, me, and Kathleen at Sunset Park this morning for our going away party with our MOMS club friends.

Kathleen snapping a photo of the fun morning a the park this morning. I will definitely miss her and my other San Clemente friends once we move. I'm trying not to think about that right now.


Snacking under the play structure with Nathan. The kids were smart and found some good shade for their plum and muffin break.

An action shot with Nathan. The big stick was taken away shortly thereafter.

At Sunset Park this morning, Einar is on the look-out for his friends. He is his own fashion consultant and rocks the snap shirt, orange t-shirt knit baggy shorts and brown socks look.

Tired out again. "Can't my mom make it home in time for me to take a nap in my own bed?"

Einar in his dress-up duds. The cowboy boots are fancy, but the tie makes the outfit.

Despite his reputation for being the dirtiest little kid most have ever seen, Soren is thrilled when he is occasionally cleaned up.

This is a boy who was finally let in on the family secret that we have a hot tub on our back patio. We've kept it from him for the past 4 years because it's pretty dangerous having a hot tub around the kids especially since it doesn't have a locking cover. It's pretty old school and we've only used it periodically. Since we are leaving and Einar started asking a few more questions about the big thing in the back yard, we finally let him in on both the secret and into the hot tub.

Enjoying a soak with Jared in the hot tub. Notice his little pony tail on the top of Einar's head. We call it a whale spout and he loves to sport a whale spout these days.

Looking down on the guys from the upstairs patio.

Soren loves popcorn just like the rest of us. Here he is watching CARS with Einar and Reeder while eating popcorn and drinking milk. His buddy Hayes had already been asleep for at least an hour and a half. Soren is always up for a party.

Einar doesn't like to miss out on anything either, but sometimes when he is trying so hard to stay awake at night, he falls asleep on the hallway floor. Jared took advantage of the situation and took a couple of good shots of him asleep. Thanks Jared!


While my folks were down visiting we went to SeaWorld one day and really had a great time. Here they are with Jared on one of the first boat rides of the day. We all got really wet riding, but it was so refreshing on such a hot day. Soren was the only one who wasn't able to ride, but he had fun watching us float on by.

Riding the SeaWorld rapids.

Einar and Soren looking for Jared, Grandpa, and Grandma on the river rafting ride.

Jared and I finally made it to see Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach a couple of weeks ago. They put on a huge show using hundreds of volunteers as props and recreate masterpieces from the ages. It was fantastic and definitely a fun date night.

From the parking lot to the venue you get to ride trolley cars. I snapped this shot for Einar so that he could see the neat trolley car that we rode.

Soren still likes to eat, particularly if there is a fork to practice his skills. Even oatmeal can be eaten with a fork.

Einar and Reeder walking back to the cars after seeing Sparkles the Clown at one of the base community centers. She put on a super show with magic tricks, balloon animals and bubbles. The kids of all ages were enthralled. After this we went to the library and then had lunch at the brand-new Johnny Rockets on base down where Jared works.

These California ground squirrels are some of the fattest that you ever will see. Every time that Grandpa Lee comes down for a visit I try to get him down to the view point on I-5 to feed them peanuts. Grandpa Lee and squirrels have a special affinity that can't be denied. This particular one is storing peanuts in his cheeks until he had room for no more and scampered away.

They approach without much caution, as do the seagulls. Einar was the only one who chose to wear cowboy boots and I think that he made a wise decision.

They've got the peanuts and are ready to go. I wore sandals that day so I was in charge of the photos. The last thing that I wanted was to have my toes mistaken for peanuts.

Einar really likes Cotton Candy-flavored ice cream from Wholesome Choice Market in Santa Ana (how that is an wholesome choice, I haven't a clue). I really like the Sangak there as well as the Byblos yogurt, and the deli, and the fruits and vegetable selection, and the fresh meats, and the cheeses, and the--well you get the picture.

Till next time.....

A visit to the Fire Fighters at Camp Pendleton

This is as close as we got to a group picture from our great morning on base. Hailey and Nathan Cobb are playing with us today and on Monday since their mom, Kathleen is in San Francisco this weekend walking the AVON walk for breast cancer. I wanted to plan something fun for the day so we made cookies after breakfast, met Marianne and the kids at the base library for story time, and then took the cookies to the fire station in area 52. The guys there were super appreciative as they whisked all those cookies into their kitchen and then they pulled one of the engines out of the garage so that we could get a better look. The ambulance was opened up and became a mini classroom for the kids and no one wanted to leave. We ended up eating our picnic lunch behind the station on their picnic table. It was a great day!

Here is Soren in the back of the ambulance looking more like a patient perhaps with foot trouble than anything else. I think he was missing his morning nap.

Get Ready Camp Pendleton, there is a newly trained and highly enthusiastic group of paramedics that is ready for their first shift at Firehouse #7. (Their moms are enthusiastic too when we heard that shifts are 72 hours long--"We'll pick you up on Tuesday morning!") They all were figuring out what all of the equipment in the back of the ambulance is for and they got to hear their own hearts beating as well.

Where is the next emergency? Firefighter Einar is ready for duty!

Here Reeder, Nathan, and Hailey are checking out the ambulance cab.

Looking more awake here, Soren looks around for someone to reach the pedals for him while he drives the engine to the fire. A dalmation would come in handy for this job and would also appreciate the crumbs that can always be found under Soren.


Nathan and Einar in the fire engine.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Fireworks are hard to take pictures of, but Einar never tires of taking pictures of his rock collection. He keeps it by the front door and deposits the cool rocks that he brings home from his walks there upon his return. He even brought the neighbor over on Saturday to see his collection. I'm sure she recognized some of the specimens from her own front yard.

Here are the boys all dressed up to see the fireworks. Jared and I got the pajamas on them and then Einar added the neckties and cowboy boots. Adding a necktie spiffies up any outfit. I think it's kind of like when little girls add those frilly petticoats to any outfit.

We are fortunate to have the best place ever to see fireworks from just by going to the top of the neighborhood. Once you are there you have a panoramic view of San Clemente and Dana Point so you can see not only those municipal firework shows, but you can also see the ones that the Ritz shoots off from their resort at the north end of Dana Point. It's not crowded, the people who live up there blast patriotic music during the show, and it takes only 30 seconds to drive back home afterwards. Since the sun sets early here in Southern California, the fireworks start at 9pm.
To get to the top of the hill, the Cobb Family picks us up in their Ola Truck a.k.a. big gray Suburban that could fit a family of 15. Einar loves riding in the Ola Truck with Nathan and Hailey!

Jared and Soren going back home after a great fireworks show. Soren was really into the whole thing this year. Last year he was asleep in his sling the whole night. This time he sat on our laps and ooohed and aaahed just like the rest of us.