Oh Autumn, you sly seductress, you.
With your clear crisp mornings,
And subdued sunlight.
You're new; you're clean; you're cool.
You've got my attention.
One walk, and
I've fallen.
So Long, Summer
Oh summer, how I miss you already. Here is what we were enjoying the weekend before last.
And now this past weekend...
This is Sam on Saturday after an hour at a party in the pouring rain. After getting soaked through (and having a glorious time in the process), we were trying to warm him on the ride home.
And now this past weekend...
This is Sam on Saturday after an hour at a party in the pouring rain. After getting soaked through (and having a glorious time in the process), we were trying to warm him on the ride home.
And in more typical Seattle weather on Sunday (cool, overcast and anywhere from drizzling to misty) and in more appropriate dress, here we are checking out the dahlias at Volunteer park after a visit to the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Good-bye Seattle summer sun. Hello wet Seattle winter weather.
The Peanut Song
This week Sam sang us a new song that he learned at school.
Now, once more with feeling!
When Sam first sang this, I laughed. He asked why I thought it was a funny song. I explained that I thought it was pretty funny that the peanut got smushed and turned into peanut butter. He was shocked--shocked, I tell you. He explained the song to me: "The peanut is sitting in the middle of the track. The people on the train smell him when they're coming and think it is peanut butter. They drive over the peanut who does not get smushed because he's so little and then the people are sad because they have no peanut butter." "Oh," I say, "I guess I misunderstood the song."
Now, once more with feeling!
When Sam first sang this, I laughed. He asked why I thought it was a funny song. I explained that I thought it was pretty funny that the peanut got smushed and turned into peanut butter. He was shocked--shocked, I tell you. He explained the song to me: "The peanut is sitting in the middle of the track. The people on the train smell him when they're coming and think it is peanut butter. They drive over the peanut who does not get smushed because he's so little and then the people are sad because they have no peanut butter." "Oh," I say, "I guess I misunderstood the song."
Straight-Away Pull-Down Shorts
This posting is about straight-away pull-down shorts and other fashion tips from a four year old.
When Sam turned four years old, I felt as if a switch was flipped: Sam was newly confident and independent. He was one of the last kids in his pre-school class to turn 4, so he had been anticipating the mile-stone for some time before it happened. On the morning of his birthday he announced that he was bigger, and "I can do that now because I'm four" was heard frequently throughout the day and next month. One of the ways he has been asserting his independence is in his clothing preferences.
A week or so ago, we went on one of our obligatory semiannual suburban shopping trips. This is where we trek to the mall to pick up some staple items that are not available or are just too expensive to buy in the city. About every 6 months or so, we forget how much we hate shopping at a big box retail stores and fighting the crowds at a disorienting mega mall. We accomplish a necessary wardrobe supplement, but end up feeling a bit like we were suckered into wasting our time and money, and violating our ideals.
Anywho, as I took a bathroom break at the mall, Ari and Sam waited for me in the boys' section of the aforementioned big box retail store. Ari later reported to me that while looking longingly at the t-shirts, Sam asked, "when I get bigger, can I wear shirts like that to school?" This desire was not really a surprise to us, as we've been fighting with him for weeks if not months to wear shirts with buttons. But for some reason, this comment caused us to pause, examine the war, and consider surrendering. As Ari declared, "I don't think he's the preppy kid we've been dressing him as."
Once I accepted (and then even had a surge of pride) that my boy would have his own preferences and opinions on fashion, I began to let him choose his own clothes. I've been querying him to try to understand what he likes and why. Here is what I've gathered.Straight-away pull down shorts. This is truly a comfort and convenience issue. These are shorts with no buttons or snaps or zippers or other closures--just elastic waistband. A few months ago, we went through a short phase of bathroom accidents with Sam. We attributed them to some regression due to the stress of moving, but maybe more relevantly, we discovered that Sam was having so much fun in his daily activities that he just didn't want to take time out for a bathroom break. Once he realized that the time it took to change was even longer than the break and that he "didn't want to hear you talk about it all the time, talking and talking about it every day" we were on the way to some progress. Straight-away pull-down shorts or pants are key to a quick trip to the bathroom. Shorts are preferred even more because "they are easier to jump so high in," referring to his jumpy thing.
No-button shirts. This started out as a comfort and convenience issue as well, but has morphed into an aesthetic. At first buttons proved a pain because they'd sometimes need to be undone while undressing. Or they "didn't feel good." Now, Sam has noticed that his friends all wear t-shirts and they even take pride in the particularly cool ones like those that sport skulls, or characters, or such. I do recall one incident when Sam and I were waiting in a bathroom line at the Children's Museum and some older kids were there (from a camp) and showing off their t-shirts to us and each other. In the way that he does, Sam silently processed this exchange, and I suspect it may have further influenced his opinion on t-shirts. After a mishap this weekend that involved a quick trip into the Army Navy Surplus store for a replacement t-shirt, I quizzed Sam on his preferences. His first choices, in order of preference, are t-shirts with words, with some picture, or with some stripes or color. He begged for permission to wear his cool new shirt to school and today he did so. Sigh.
Well, the wardrobe does make it easier to have impromptu romps in the Seattle Center fountain.
Blackberry Bonanza
You may have noticed that I twice mentioned picking blackberries in the past week. I'm not talking the cell phone-PDA kind of blackberry, either. We're talking good old-fashioned, pick-by-the-side-of-the-road beauties like the ones my grandmother made into countless pies and jams every summer of my childhood. The Pacific Northwest has a love-hate relationship with these delicious but invasive berries, as I read about on the New York Times dining pages. 
We found some on Bainbridge Island at Fay Bainbridge State Park; in fact we went looking for them there because Emily read about them online. 
We picked over the bunch that were accessible on the beach, but we saw that the road we drove back on was lined with them. It was hard not to pull over and join the fellow-pickers we saw, but we had enough for a cobbler and had a ferry to catch.
We saw more berries on our walk down to the Arboretum and Japanese Garden along Lake Washington Boulevard, but we didn't have an appropriate bag to transport them home in. Sigh. But the next day, we chanced upon the mother load at Seward Park, and did have an extra grocery bag with us. 
Though we were exhausted, hungry and scratched, we picked and picked until the bag was starting to rip under it's weight. 
And even then, we were not truly deterred until we saw this warning sign posted: Poison Oak.
For those of you willing to brave the poisonous plants and potentially poisonous pesticides, I found a Pacific Northwest wild berry primer. Go forth and forage; you don't even need to leave the city. 
Do Nothing Day
Yesterday, we had what we call a "Do Nothing Day." It's not to be confused with a "Stay Home Day" and it's really more accurately called a "Plan Nothing Day." In fact, on Sunday we did quite a bit. When we woke up, we had no plans and decided to go downtown for breakfast and perhaps some antique shopping. We've been in the market for a dining table since our move in June. After breakfast we spent some time watching Sam's favorite fire boat.
We walked down to Pioneer Square, but most of the antique stores we saw were either closed or not our kind of store (read: way too expensive). We stopped in to Elliot Bay Book Company, an awesome independent book store in Seattle. I got Native Seattle, Ari got some sci-fi or fantasy book, and Sam got 2 classics, Peter Pan and Treasure Island. We've started reading Peter Pan to Sam at night and he seems to be enjoying it, though there are a lot of interruptions for questions.
After more walking and mostly window shopping, Sam requested we "go in a building." We were very near the Smith Tower and decided to play townie tourists and check it out. Sam liked the view but was most intrigued by the old elevators.
As we were continuing through Pioneer Square, we happened to pass by the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park and stopped in to learn about how the Gold Rush profoundly shaped Seattle.
We paused for a rest in the Waterfall Garden Park, but we were all having so much fun that we didn't want to go home.
Sam suggested that we go to the SAM and who are we to deny the boy a bit of art? When we finally got home, Sam said, "but I wanted to go to Cal Anderson Park today too." Me, I'm hoping for a little more nothing on our next "Do Nothing Day."
We walked down to Pioneer Square, but most of the antique stores we saw were either closed or not our kind of store (read: way too expensive). We stopped in to Elliot Bay Book Company, an awesome independent book store in Seattle. I got Native Seattle, Ari got some sci-fi or fantasy book, and Sam got 2 classics, Peter Pan and Treasure Island. We've started reading Peter Pan to Sam at night and he seems to be enjoying it, though there are a lot of interruptions for questions.After more walking and mostly window shopping, Sam requested we "go in a building." We were very near the Smith Tower and decided to play townie tourists and check it out. Sam liked the view but was most intrigued by the old elevators.
As we were continuing through Pioneer Square, we happened to pass by the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park and stopped in to learn about how the Gold Rush profoundly shaped Seattle.
We paused for a rest in the Waterfall Garden Park, but we were all having so much fun that we didn't want to go home.
Sam suggested that we go to the SAM and who are we to deny the boy a bit of art? When we finally got home, Sam said, "but I wanted to go to Cal Anderson Park today too." Me, I'm hoping for a little more nothing on our next "Do Nothing Day."
What I Did on My Summer Staycation
Well we didn't get a summer vacation per se this year, but Sam and I took a long weekend trip to Maryland and then we had the last week in August mostly off from work and school. I had to go in one day for a presentation and Sam (and his parents) went to school one evening for Back to School Meet the Teacher night. My presentation went well, but Sam was sad to find out that 3 of his 4 best friends were assigned to the other pre-K classroom. He gets to see them during outside playtime and in the late afternoons, but he's still confused and stressed by the situation. On the other hand, we had a great time during our free time together. Emma came to visit for part of the week and we all played the part of Seattle tourists. Here's a recap of the week.
We also went to the Seattle Aquarium, where Sam and Emily were fascinated by the sea otters, and we all got to see an octopus have his lunch. Sam was tickled by the machines that simulated waves in the tanks. And running around on the pier with a friend from school that we ran into.
On Thursday we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We started off the morning in downtown Winslow for breakfast then headed up to Fay Bainbridge State Park to walk on the beach and pick blackberries. 
After a few clams "attacked us" Emily was determined to dig one up, which she accomplished after much effort. 
We returned to Winslow for a bit of shopping and lunch. Best of all was dessert at Mora's. And my lovely yarn purchase from Churchmouse yarns. My first yummy Malabrigo.
On Friday we made it to the Ballard Locks. Sam and I are regulars, but it was Emily's first visit and she was rewarded with jumping salmon and the most enormous barge we've ever seen.
On Saturday, Ari was finally able to join our sightseeing and we made it the Arboretum and the Japanese Garden as I mentioned before. Sunday we took our last summer outing to Seward Park. We picked more blackberries and exhausted ourselves. 
It was the best summer staycation ever.
I've already written about our trip to Mount Rainier.
On Monday, Sam and I took the bus down to the Seattle Center to visit the Children's Museum. Unfortunately the museum was unbearably crowded, so Sam negotiated a stop at the carnival rides instead. He frequented the airplane ride and the 2 bouncy slides.
We also went to the Seattle Aquarium, where Sam and Emily were fascinated by the sea otters, and we all got to see an octopus have his lunch. Sam was tickled by the machines that simulated waves in the tanks. And running around on the pier with a friend from school that we ran into.
On Thursday we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. We started off the morning in downtown Winslow for breakfast then headed up to Fay Bainbridge State Park to walk on the beach and pick blackberries. 
After a few clams "attacked us" Emily was determined to dig one up, which she accomplished after much effort. 
We returned to Winslow for a bit of shopping and lunch. Best of all was dessert at Mora's. And my lovely yarn purchase from Churchmouse yarns. My first yummy Malabrigo.
On Saturday, Ari was finally able to join our sightseeing and we made it the Arboretum and the Japanese Garden as I mentioned before. Sunday we took our last summer outing to Seward Park. We picked more blackberries and exhausted ourselves. 
It was the best summer staycation ever.
First Day of School
Sharpen your pencils and pick out your lunchbox; today is the first back to school. Okay, I don't know if they actually use pencils in Pre-K since I've only seen crayons and markers. And of course, this mom does not subscribe to the disposable lunch box philosophy, so Sam is using the same "No animals in here" peta bag from last year. But, the lazy days of summer camp are over and the barely-more-than-a-week summer vacation has passed. Time for a new classroom, new teachers, and new friends.
Serious face
Goofy Smile
Besides his lunchbox and snack, Ari and Sam were packed up with classroom supplies (tissues and baggies and such), our "homework" describing our family, family photos, the rest-time (not nap-time) blanket and stuffed animal (guess who?), and emergency kit. Did you know that kids now need to take an emergency kit with them to school? At least they do in the potential big-one area of Seattle. The kit consists of water and blanket provided by the school, and an oversized sweatsuit, underwear, mittens, knit hat, a day's worth of food, a comforting note and family picture provided by the parents. Knit hat? I'm all over that! So, I packed up this hand-knit hat, a warm brown number I knit last winter. It won't have any more cold seasons left (at least fitting Sam) by the time the kit is retired at the end of next summer. Here's hoping Sam never wears this hand-knit hat again. Sigh.
Serious face
Goofy Smile
Besides his lunchbox and snack, Ari and Sam were packed up with classroom supplies (tissues and baggies and such), our "homework" describing our family, family photos, the rest-time (not nap-time) blanket and stuffed animal (guess who?), and emergency kit. Did you know that kids now need to take an emergency kit with them to school? At least they do in the potential big-one area of Seattle. The kit consists of water and blanket provided by the school, and an oversized sweatsuit, underwear, mittens, knit hat, a day's worth of food, a comforting note and family picture provided by the parents. Knit hat? I'm all over that! So, I packed up this hand-knit hat, a warm brown number I knit last winter. It won't have any more cold seasons left (at least fitting Sam) by the time the kit is retired at the end of next summer. Here's hoping Sam never wears this hand-knit hat again. Sigh.
So Long, Emma
Today we said good-bye to Emma who has been visiting us this past week. We all had a lot of fun exploring Seattle together, eating a lot of yummy foods, and hanging out.
Even though Emma pestered me constantly to begin working on her requested/demanded convertible mittens, instead I was inspired to design a scarf in honor of her Pinkberry frozen yogurt obsession. To be fair, Emma cannot partake of the traditional ice cream treats, like this amazing strawberry that Sam got at Mora's on Bainbridge Island. (Totally worth the ferry ride, people!)
I'll post the details of the scarf once it's finished, but you will note that I said "design" as in 'I designed this scarf myself and did not follow any pattern.' Okay, it's a very simple pattern, but mine all the same.
Also, I have conceptually designed Emma's mitts, but have not yet knit a stitch. Oh, I'll get to them...eventually!
Even though Emma pestered me constantly to begin working on her requested/demanded convertible mittens, instead I was inspired to design a scarf in honor of her Pinkberry frozen yogurt obsession. To be fair, Emma cannot partake of the traditional ice cream treats, like this amazing strawberry that Sam got at Mora's on Bainbridge Island. (Totally worth the ferry ride, people!)
I'll post the details of the scarf once it's finished, but you will note that I said "design" as in 'I designed this scarf myself and did not follow any pattern.' Okay, it's a very simple pattern, but mine all the same.
Also, I have conceptually designed Emma's mitts, but have not yet knit a stitch. Oh, I'll get to them...eventually!
High Jump
Sam asked me to take a picture of him jumping on his mini trampoline, so Auntie Debbie could see how high he jumps. We're thinking maybe we should start training him for the Olympics?
Sam says, "I love you Auntie Debbie. I jump so high and then I hit the ground."
Sam says, "I love you Auntie Debbie. I jump so high and then I hit the ground."
Walk Around Town
Yesterday we walked down to the arboretum and visited the Japanese Garden. Part of the Arboretum was closed and we ended up taking a longer scenic trip around. Sam was fascinated by the huge fish, especially the dead one being eaten by a turtle. Ah, the circle of life.
Sam made a wish in the Kobe lantern.
We ended up back in Capitol Hill later in the afternoon for some frozen yogurt. Sam checked out Jimmy Hendrix and we all checked out a cool new-to-us toy store, Izilla Toys, where Sam got some magnetic letters and reading workbooks.
While we relaxed in Cal Anderson Park, I managed to get a few rows in on my new scarf.
Sam made a wish in the Kobe lantern.
We ended up back in Capitol Hill later in the afternoon for some frozen yogurt. Sam checked out Jimmy Hendrix and we all checked out a cool new-to-us toy store, Izilla Toys, where Sam got some magnetic letters and reading workbooks. 
While we relaxed in Cal Anderson Park, I managed to get a few rows in on my new scarf.
Hiking in Paradise
On Saturday, we finally made our way down to Mount Rainier, the mountain in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, there are many mountains in this area, but this one really dominates the vistas. We weren't really planning this trip, but when we woke up and Ari realized his afternoon plans were canceled, we quickly packed up and headed out the door. We weren't prepared for the 3 hour drive to get there (it looks so big from and close to Seattle) or the difficulty adjusting to the altitude, but did end up enjoying ourselves eventually. We spent our time in the area called Paradise--just about rightly so, I'd say. Here are some pictures for you to judge for yourself.
We were about 5500 feet up, though no where near the top at over 14,000 feet. The snow line was at about 7000 feet, though there were a good handful of pockets of snow at our level on a warm, sunny August day. One of the guides told us that the snow had only just mostly melted a few weeks ago. We read in Sam's book about Washington state, that Mount Rainier is the snowiest place in the world, out of places that measure snow! Sam threw a few snowballs, saw a few waterfalls, saw a glacier, stopped to smell the wild mountain flowers, and made a friend. While it admittedly took us a bit to warm up, Sam's opinion went from "this is NOT the greatest trip ever" to "this was a really good idea you had, Daddy." All told, we were on the mountain about 6 hours which included a much needed lunch break at the Paradise Inn.
You can see many more pictures from our day at Mount Rainier on my flickr site here.
We were about 5500 feet up, though no where near the top at over 14,000 feet. The snow line was at about 7000 feet, though there were a good handful of pockets of snow at our level on a warm, sunny August day. One of the guides told us that the snow had only just mostly melted a few weeks ago. We read in Sam's book about Washington state, that Mount Rainier is the snowiest place in the world, out of places that measure snow! Sam threw a few snowballs, saw a few waterfalls, saw a glacier, stopped to smell the wild mountain flowers, and made a friend. While it admittedly took us a bit to warm up, Sam's opinion went from "this is NOT the greatest trip ever" to "this was a really good idea you had, Daddy." All told, we were on the mountain about 6 hours which included a much needed lunch break at the Paradise Inn.
You can see many more pictures from our day at Mount Rainier on my flickr site here.
Back to the Blog with a Birthday
Well, I'm sorry I've been incommunicado for the past week. We had a fun trip to Maryland to visit many of Sam's cousins...
...including the newest one of the bunch, Baby Will.
We spent most of our time swimming (and, ahem, eating). Sam was excited to practice his Olympic "dives" into the shallow end with (and even sometimes WITHOUT) swimmies. Not bad for a kiddo that hasn't been in a proper pool in the past year. Seattle fountains, wading pools, and lakes just aren't cutting it, so we're hoping to get him into a swimming class this year. He's certainly game, and as he says, "brave enough to go under the water."
I will continue to post some pictures and details of our trip to Maryland, but for now, I just wanted to make sure today to say:
By the way, in case this picture is confusing to some: that is not Guggie pictured above; it's me (at age 5 apparently). (Thanks, Dad, for scanning this for me.)
...including the newest one of the bunch, Baby Will.
We spent most of our time swimming (and, ahem, eating). Sam was excited to practice his Olympic "dives" into the shallow end with (and even sometimes WITHOUT) swimmies. Not bad for a kiddo that hasn't been in a proper pool in the past year. Seattle fountains, wading pools, and lakes just aren't cutting it, so we're hoping to get him into a swimming class this year. He's certainly game, and as he says, "brave enough to go under the water."
I will continue to post some pictures and details of our trip to Maryland, but for now, I just wanted to make sure today to say:
Happy Birthday, Guggie!
By the way, in case this picture is confusing to some: that is not Guggie pictured above; it's me (at age 5 apparently). (Thanks, Dad, for scanning this for me.)
Onboard Blogging with Baby Blanket
We're on our way to Maryland! On the plane I've been working on finishing up this baby blanket. Hopefully Sam won't drop too many stitches as I let him admire it. And hopefully the intended baby will not be reading this blog before I finish and gift it. If you are, please don't tell him. ;)
By the way, I sent this post from the plane using my iPhone. How cool is that?
This Land is Our Land
Yesterday evening we were frustrated that Sam would not share the details of what he does and what he learns at school each day. Today he came home and told us he learned a new song. Hallelujah!
And now here's the remix version. Enjoy!
And now here's the remix version. Enjoy!
Seattle Adventure with Sam and SAM
As promised, here are a few shots from our downtown Seattle adventures yesterday. "Adventures," of course, being subject to perspective. One thing about exploring the city with a 4 year old: most everything is an adventure...to him, to me, or, on occasion, to others. It's either new to him or newly complicated for me. We rode the bus down to check out the current exhibit on impressionism at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). It reminded me of my most favorite museum in the world, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris to which I long to return. Admiring the art with Sam, we didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked, but actually, we did devote a surprisingly satisfying amount of attention on the exhibit. As we have learned to appreciate: Some is better than none. And, who knew that Sam could get so interested in impressionistic paintings of ships, windmills, or boys reading--to name his top favorites? Of course, in the interest of full disclosure, he was most amused, as always, by the toilet in the permanent collection.
We took a quick trip through Pike's Place Market (which per usual on a summer Sunday was insanely crowded) to pick up some spices and watch some cheese making.
As we wound down, we grabbed a quick early dinner, hiked to the closest #12 bus stop, waited and waited for the bus, detoured to the bathroom, then waited for the bus again. Ahh, the boy slept well last night!
Then we walked down the waterfront to the SAM Olympic Sculpture Park.
As we wound down, we grabbed a quick early dinner, hiked to the closest #12 bus stop, waited and waited for the bus, detoured to the bathroom, then waited for the bus again. Ahh, the boy slept well last night!
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