It was just too quiet

All of the sudden, it just seemed too quiet in the kitchen while Jared and I were hanging out in the living room. I got up to check on the whereabouts of Einar and just had to get the camera. He sort of got himself stuck on that shelf and needed some assistance getting down. A couple cupboards in our house just have things that Einar can play with and unfortunately that is one where the flour and sugar have to live. I don't know what else Einar found in there, but he didn't have much headroom.

Tonight we had some pasta primevara for dinner. I figured that Jared needed some pasta after a 19 mile full battalion hike today. I also thought that if I diced up all of the veggies that Einar would appreciate the meal as well--he loves the frozen mixed vegetables that we make for him. However, most of tonight's dinner was picked up piece by piece at least 3 times per penne and in and out of his bowl. The rest of us enjoyed the meal.

Now I'm watching "The Family Stone" on DVD. Jared and Einar are in bed. I watched a bit of it on the plane to Germany, but missed a few parts and the ending because Einar demanded more attention than the cool entertainment system that I could control from my seat. As I'm watching this, I'm not sure I missed much.

Today we met up with our friends at the park this morning for snacks and playing. Einar was quite intent on filling the sand buckets with his shovels. Usually the other kids provide a bit of distraction for him, but today he was pretty serious about the sand and bucket thing. After the park we came home for a nap for both of us.

Little Mother in Training

Happy Mothers' Day to all of you Moms out there! Here is a picture of Einar pushing his doll, "Woogie," and one of his burp cloths in his stroller. He pushes it all over the living room and then he grabs Woogie and throws him out onto the floor--ride over for Woogie.

We've had a nice relaxing Mothers' Day here at home. Jared made breakfast and then we all went to church. Last night we went out to dinner at Olamendis, a great Mexican restaurant down on the beach in town. Today the plan was to stay away from the crowds out celebrating. After chuch, we invited our friend Helen over for lunch. We had some Greek Feta Lamb burgers and Luscious Beet Salad. It was yummy.

Both Einar and I took nice naps this afternoon. Now he's watching the Laurie Berkner Band DVD and we're waiting for Jared to come back from his run so we can figure out dinner.

Hope you all had a nice day as well!

Words of Advice if Einar Comes to Visit

1.) Make sure that your telephones are out of his reach--this afternoon he called 911 while I was downstairs getting his shoes for our walk!

2.) Have at least 2 spoons or forks available for him because they all seem to end of either on the ground or stuck upside down in his gooiest bowl.

3.) Even if you don't store your Tupperware in the living room, offering him cooking and food storage devices will make his day, especially if you toss in a ball or two the size of a tennis ball or smaller.

4.) Find Jakers on PBS. It is his favorite show on TV--something about those farm animals with the Irish accents glue his attention to the screen.

5.) Feed him regularly.

6.) Have a blast with him exchanging clicking noises made with your tongues.

7.) Take him outside for a walk or to the park. He LOVES sand and rocks.

Do you recognize this big kid?

Einar just isn't a baby anymore. Last Wednesday he had his first haircut and he looks like such a big boy! Jared's parents visited us last week and were there for the haircut experience. Since Einar has been going with Jared every Saturday morning when he gets his weekly haircut, we took him to the same barber shop. It's called Stud Cuts and it is in downtown San Clemente. Einar neither wiggled nor made a peep during his haircut--it was amazing! I guess that it really helped having him used to the barber shop experience by watching Jared each week. Melissa, the barber, was a pro with him as well. Not only was she quick, but she made sure that he could see what she was doing and let him touch the clippers to get used to them. He now looks so much older.

When Poppa and Farmor were here we went to the San Diego Zoo on Tuesday and enjoyed seeing all of the animals. Einar got excited watching the fish and the ducks--the animals that were at his level. I got a membership for the next year so we can go venture down there more often to get to know all of the animals.

There have also been more park visits these past few weeks. Lots of playground sand has been coming home in Einar's shoes. He's been working on mastering the slide (but there is a lot more practice needed). That big shovel in the picture was part of today's adventures. The boy behind him wanted his shovel back.

I've also been trying to get out on more walks with Einar. Today we met up with a couple of other moms later in the afternoon and hiked out on the trails in the hills here. Big hills, but the way back to the car was downhill all of the way. We let the boys out of their strollers on the last stretch of the downhill and Einar figured out running down the dirt road so quickly! There were a couple of falls, but only one real head plant with a bit of road rash on the cheek. He was also collecting rocks on the way down.

Well, it's bedtime now for me. Einar has been in bed for a couple hours now. Jared is in Miramar (another base towards San Diego) till late on Wednesday for training. We miss him. Einar looks toward the door with a questioning look and says "Da?"

Tomorrow is Tuesday and I'm not sure what kind of adventure is in store for us.