At the Pittsburg Airport

We're going home.

Happy Hanukkah!

Sam plays basketball at school nearly everyday at recess. The kindergärtners have "a team" and the usually play against the first and second graders. Now Sam can practice with a full size ball after school as well.

Fall Baking

It seems to be that time of year when the baking cravings start. Sam and I made a couple different batches of caramel dipping sauce--including some to share at his "Fall Social" last week.

And yesterday, we stayed home from school and made pumpkin cookies.

We thought Sam might be getting the flu, but it turned out he's cutting his 6 year old molars! So, there has been lots of whining and moaning in between the baking.

Happy fall, everyone!

Play Ball!

It was a beautiful day for a ballgame, and the Mariners beat the Yankees 7 to 1. We got to see Ken Griffey Jr. hit a homerun! Yay, Mariners!

First Week of K was a-okay!

Sammy's first week of kindergarten was better than any of us could have imagined or hoped for. Sam loves his new school, likes his teachers, and has made many new friends already. He is asking to stay later each day at kids club to play with the other kids and do the fun activities that they plan. It's a great experience to just walk his a few blocks to school instead of driving across town and he's already made some new neighborhood friends. Yay for a great first week of school!

Yay: The First Day of K

Dear Diary

Dear Online Diary That No One Ever Reads,

I'm sorry; I've neglected you. I admit it: I've been wasting time on Facebook, Twitter, Newser.com, and even Ravelry. The pictures I take of Sammy languish on the camera and eventually get downloaded and ignored in My Pictures. But, I was recently reminded of your existence by one of the 7 hitters of this site (and some may be duplicates) who actually care and want to see cute pictures of the kiddo. I will try to do better. Starting tomorrow. I promise. Right after I check Facebook.

The keeper of the pictures of Sammy that several people actually want to see,
Holly

Little Drummer Boy

This video footage is maybe a month or two old. I can tell that it was shot before I painted the living room anyway. But it is too hilarious not to share.

Sam starts out singing one of his favorites, the Planet Song, using his best performance behavior. Then he progresses down the silly road until he ends up at his normal baseline. Don't miss the last two clips to see the true Sammy!

Two Fun

On our last trip to the Children's Museum, I finally broke down and got a membership. Since it's usually a Mommy and Sammy activity unless the grandparents are visiting, we selected the Two Fun level. Sam's assessment: Two Fun is too fun!

After reading a half dozen books in the reading area, Sam finally got active and made a rug. He did this for half an hour!

"Let's fly to Paris. This is my luggage. Where's yours?"
"See, I'm not a baby anymore and I can climb to the top." And then bossy Sammy informed another boy, "You shouldn't be in here. This area is just for kids that are under 5. That's what the sign says. If you're 5 then you're too old!"
"Okay, we'll stop when it's as tall as me. I can't live in a house that is shorter than me, of course."
"Yes, it's finally tall enough. It's really tall, actually."
"Can we build it again?"

Happy Holidays

Well, Thanksgiving has past and Sam is so excited to see all the Christmas lights going up in nearby houses and shops. At school, his friends are all talking about Christmas and Hanukkah plans. And at home, we are waiting impatiently for Hanukkah while planning a Christmas Day trip to Ohio. This weekend, Sam decorated our house with a "Christmas tree" that he made out of animals.

Happy holidays to everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for my sweet Sam.

It's Squishy!

On a drive across the city the other day, Sam requested the chapstick I keep in the car. This is not an uncommon occurrence, though I usually just give him the chapstick and keep the lid for a quick return. Sam wanted the top this time and claimed he would return the chapstick with the lid already on for me. Some time later, here is what we heard:

Sam: Daddy!

Ari: What, Sam?

...

Sam: It's too squishy!

And then, this is what we saw:

Football Season

We had took advantage of some nice weather on Saturday to play in our local park. Volunteer Park is a beautiful park several blocks from our house, with lots of ginormous, old trees... ...perfect for climbing monkeys.And the park is 48 acres which include a lot of open space for football tag... ...and a nice playground for happy swinging and such.

Happy Birthday to Me

Sunday was my birthday and we had a relaxing, but fun day just hanging around Ballard, visiting the farmer's market, the library, the park, and a yummy pub for lunch.

Here are a couple of shots of Sam at the park...

...and with the cake we had for dinner.

Some Shots of Sam

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately. We've had some things going on that have taken my attention away, but I thought I'd give you all a little dose of Sam to tide you over until I get back on track.

Here are some pictures of a recent trip to the Pacific Science Center. We went to see the Lucy exhibit, but played around in the kids' area too.

That day we also spent some time down on the waterfront and Sam got to visit one of his favorite sculptures.

Well there's some sweet Sam...until next time.

Scarfalicious

Since this blog purports to be somewhat knitting related, I thought I'd post a bit of knitting. How innovative, I know. I've been going scarf crazy pretty much since I learned to knit just over a year ago now, but particularly so since the end of summer, when I could see the cooler weather approaching. I love colorful accessories (to go with my drab clothes) and so far I have shied away from knitting garments, so scarves suit me just fine. Here is the latest one I finished.

You can see it works well with my beloved Seattle rain jacket.

The pattern I used was the Noro Scarf by brooklyntweed. I knit it in Noro Silk Garden yarn, colorway 226. I probably used about 3 skeins, though I can't be sure because I frogged a round poncho that I was unhappy with to get the yarn. It ended up a bit longer than 5 feet and is nice and squishy warm.
Good-bye, ugly round poncho.