Let Him Out of the Cupboard!

I heard you all loud and clear and have finally let the little guy out of the cupboard. In fact we even let him out of the house and he just returned from a week and a half long visit to Seattle to watch the launching of Uncle Tor's boat, Yare. For those of you that don't know what Tor has been up to, he's been building a 34 ft, steel-hulled sailboat and we just couldn't miss the launching party that coincided with his 30th birthday. It was a terribly exciting event and Yare floats beautifully--Congratulations Tor and Jess!!

Einar got to eat dim sum at the House of Hong with his cousin Sammy and Aunt Jennifer. Einar particularly enjoyed the sticky rice and the barbeque pork. He met his other cousins, Cyrus and Annie at the Greenlake playground where Cyrus helped him out on the big kid's climbing structure and slide. He learned how to mow the lawn and chase rabbits at Grandma and Grandpa Bjorklund's house and got to play in Farmor's great garden fountain till Dad said that it was time for dinner. We even met up with our Seattle PEPS friends to see all of the other "babies" that are all walking about and climbing on things.

Jared and I went to all of the restaurants that were on Jared's to-do list and even went to a couple of movies while we were in town. Despite the colds that Einar and I fought and his crazy sleeping at night due to teething and being sick, we had a great time in Seattle.

Now we are back at home for a few days. Jared leaves for his Okinawan deployment in the morning (3am) and Einar and I head off to Minnesota on Tuesday for my 10-year college reunion. I guess the house won't seem so empty without Jared if we aren't here to notice.

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.

Lunch outside and Sea World Pictures

I'm back! We went to Sea World as a family last Tuesday and Einar and I have been to several parks to play in the mornings. Sea World was lots of fun for all of us. Einar loved watching the Shamu show and seeing all of the Orcas race around the pool and make waves. I couldn't figure out how all five of the whales were named Shamu and they kept calling them killer whales. So much for education of the masses.

The other pictures are of Einar eating his lunch outside on the patio one afternoon. He usually has a fairly late lunch since he falls asleep on the way home from the park or our morning outings and then wakes up hungry hours later from his nap.

Today Einar figured out the slide at Sunset park. He climbed up the stairs where I joined him and then I helped him slide down to another mom at the bottom. He kept coming up for about 15-20 minutes! He was all smiles at the activity and boy did he look like a big boy this morning.

Egg Hunts and Aebelskiver

Lots of pictures for everyone this week! On Thursday Einar went to his first Easter Egg Hunt at the park. Who knew that 14-month-olds could figure out how to hunt eggs and handle a basket? He was such a pro that I figure he's been practicing while I've been sleeping or something.

Then on Friday we drove up to Ventura after Jared came home from work where we could head out early on Saturday to visit Solvang. Solvang is about 45 miles north of Santa Barbara and the final destination of our aebelskiver pan quest (aebelskivers are traditional Danish round pancakes that Jared really loves). I had given Jared a choice for obtaining the aebelskiver pan from his birthday wish list; I could either order it online or we could make a little trip of it and drive up there for the weekend for a birthday trip.

We started out with breakfast at a Danish bakery and then continued to eat our way through town. Einar likes aebelskiver because they are shaped like balls and fit in his hands. We found the pan that Jared wanted and when we got home he made us aebelskiver breakfast for Easter morning. Yum. Einar joined a game of soccer that a family was playing in a Solvang park and made off with the ball a few times. The boys were very kind to let him play "keeper" for awhile. Once it looked like it might rain again, we headed back to the car to head home. Einar conked out for a couple of hours after all of the excitement. Traffic was pretty rough through LA so we got off of I-405 and took a much needed break at a great park in Santa Monica. I had packed the sand toys in the car with us and so we headed for the sand. The park was jammed full with families and we had fun just being outside. On the road again we stopped for dinner at California Pizza kitchen, where all of our appetites were satisfied, and then got back to San Clemente by 8 for Einar's bedtime.

For Easter we had a friend of ours from Gardnerville who now lives down here come over for dinner. Lisa brought along a friend, whose husband is in Iraq with Lisa's husband Mike. Mary Ann also brought her daughter Paige who is 2. We had an Easter Egg hunt out on our lawn and a yummy leg of lamb dinner.

Well, I'm off to change a smelly diaper and get us ready for a park outing. Enjoy the pictures.

Like Mother Like Son

It seems that Einar wants to do a happy food dance when he eats chocolate just like his mom and dad. Now I'm not the only one on this blog that is shown going crazy with chocolate. This afternoon I made some mini brownies for Jared to take to work to celebrate his birthday on Wednesday. We enjoyed a few of them for dessert and Einar had one of his own. Surprise, surprise, that went over better than the Arugula-Beet Green Pesto Rotini that I had made for dinner.

Now that the dishes are done and the boys are both in bed I can upload a couple of pictures. I tend to be a bit more of a night-owl than Jared and usually when I hit the pillow by 9, I get a second wind and am wide awake. Oh well, maybe that's why I don't have to be at work at 4:45am any longer. Einar and I tend to wake up anywhere between 7:30 and 9am.

When we wake up we start our day most mornings with oatmeal made with craisins and some fruit. Einar's favorites these days are melons and bananas. I also get a cup of coffee or tea. Breakfast, like most meals, is a very messy affair and usually takes us at least 40 minutes. Then we rush to get out of the house so that we can meet some friends at the park by 10 or go for a walk. Today was a park day and we went to Liberty Park in the Talega development. It has really nice, soft sand to play with.

Einar was a bit of a meltdown man again today and we had to leave the park around 11:30 since he was starting to push some kids around because they were playing with a particular green bucket that he was eyeing. It was time for a bottle, a burp cloth and a nap.

Later this afternoon after Einar's nap and the completion of my Monday chores, we walked down to Ralph's for a few things off of the grocery list that we haven't been able to find at the commissary. Then we stopped at Starbucks and got coffee for me and a chai for my friend Kathleen and we walked back to her house for a little afternoon snack and playtime. Sorry I don't have any pictures of playtime, I forgot my camera again.

Meltdown Man

I think that Einar is working on a few new teeth. We haven't seen them pop through yet, but if the feverish little body and tendency to become Meltdown Man frequently are any indicators, then new teeth will be appearing shortly. He's doing pretty well considering, but if things don't happen to go his way, he loses it.

On the other hand, several times over the last few days he has spent 15-20 minutes walking around the living room just giggling. He seems to be really happy most of the time and has quite a sense of humor.

Last night after he went to bed, Jared and I played a couple of games of Labrynth. It is a game that my friend Karin gave us and it is a lot of fun. I got whooped twice last night before I threw in the towel--Jared was on a roll. We were also enjoying a bit of coffee and chocolate while playing the game. I guess I got carried away with the chocolate.

Today after church we drove to Laguna Beach and found the Yellow Crystal Cove Shake Shack. It was featured on Rachel Rae's $40 a Day show and I enjoyed a Date shake and Jared had an Orange Vanilla shake. Then we headed back home to try to give Einar a nap, but instead it was me who got some shut-eye. Einar didn't get anymore sleep until the three of us went on a very long walk along the Forester Ranch Ridgeline trail. There were fantastic views of San Clemente on the trail and Einar was lulled to sleep by the off-roading in his jogging stroller.

Now the boys are in bed and I just finished watching Grey's Anatomy, which I try to catch every Sunday night if I remember. Tomorrow I'm going to sign him up for Parent and Baby swimming lessons at the local pool.

Little Guy isn't looking so little!

Ok, so maybe he looks little sitting on that chair, but he sure is growing up fast!

Einar and I had a good day today even though he still hasn't adjusted fully to the time change. I guess an hour makes a pretty big difference to a little guy's internal clock.

After breakfast we went to the park and he played in the sand and on the swings. Then it was home for some lunch and then several attempts at an Einar nap. It took him forever to fall asleep this afternoon! When he woke up I gave him a bath and then it was off to the mall to get his picture taken.

Jared came home early tonight so he came with us to pick out the best shot of Einar and then we enjoyed dinner out. Einar ate lots of walnut chicken. Bedtime was late again since the kid was pretty happy and smiley tonight.

Time Change

Einar has not adjusted easily to the time change today. He was a sleepy sleepy boy this morning during church and tonight was not an easy-to-bed night. It's almost ten and his head just hit the pillow AGAIN!--he's finally out of words for the evening. Those smiley pictures of him in his green pajamas were taken just 15 minutes ago. I am thankful that he's not fussy with the transisition, just happy with a few more words to share tonight.

Jared and Einar came down to the beach with me this afternoon to do a clean-up of my stretch of sand. It was low tide so we got to walk along the water instead of just up by the train tracks. I filled a big yellow bag with stuff, but it seemed cleaner than the last time I was down there. Jared and Einar were there for moral support and the view. It was nice to have Jared carry the little guy in the backpack. I had been worried about the 100 stairs down to the shore, but once we got there I saw other challenges like going down by the creek and under the train tracks to get to the water. Jared was the perfect kid transporter for the job!

Earlier this week Jared and I felt like horrible parents when we took him to have his feet measured and we found out that we've been stuffing 5 1/2 to 6 sized feet into size 3 and 4 shoes. We realize that foot-binding went out of style years ago and Einar would have trouble passing for a Chinese woman anyway. It's time to make the trip to the shoe store for foot measurements on a regular business. He walks better with bigger shoes.