A Bathmat Candy Smelter

What’s Going On?

2010-11-07T08:16:00.001-08:00

My, my, my………..goodness. Busy school year has taken all my time the last few months. Here’s a quick recap of July, August, September and October.

Most of you know about my trip to China. Here are a few of the highlights – walking on the Great Wall was probably the best moment of the trip. Beside the sheer amazement of walking on such a remarkable piece of history was the relief of being in a mountain breeze and out of the sweltering smog and humidity of Beijing. Jessica, one of my co travelers, and I opted to hike up the “road less traveled” and hoofed it up the steep portion to lookout #2 to the upper right in the picture below.

Highlight #2 was riding a bicycle around the ancient city wall in Xi’an. Again, I think the breeze created helped in the oppressive heat too. It is safe to say that I would not have thought to do this adventure on my own – rent a rickety bike and then ride 8+ miles around the city on top of its wall – pretty fantastic.

In Taiwan we had the experience of a Buddhist tea ceremony – tea is a BIG deal in Taiwan. It was one of the more interesting parts of the trip and a valuable insight into the culture, even if it doesn’t mesh much with my religious beliefs.

As far as unique experiences go, teaching a lesson at a girl’s school in Taipei was way up there. I found that students are students, regardless of location – the same uncertainties and quirks surface as soon as you begin to interact with them. The school system in China has a different focus that in the west – instead of a “well rounded” focus they focus on academics, specifically, test scores. Students must score well on government tests to get into good colleges. Otherwise, they are left with few options after high school – low paying factory jobs, primarily. I suspect if a few of my students had the reality of working in a factory if they didn’t study, more would get serious about their future.

Before the school year got up and running, we made a trip to the Seattle Aquarium with Grandma and Grandpa. Lucky for us all, Grandma and Grandpa now live close enough to go on field trips like this more often.

As the school year started, Camden learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. We celebrated with some cupcakes and frosted shirt sleeves and elbows.

First day of kindergarten. School is just a short walk from our house….or a shorter drive when it is raining.

Puyallup Fair – kind of crazy and busy, but we had fun. In response to the question “what did you do at the fair”, Shelby replied “we walked”. Yes, we certainly did.

Shelby still loves everything princess and especially anything Cinderella. She is currently sitting here on my lap and insisted I add this picture to the blog. Okay, your highness.

October’s annual trip to Remlinger Farms was very fun. It appeared that everyone else thought that was a good day to go also…our trick: stay until closing because the last hour or so is not very crowded and we can hop right onto the rides one last time.

Grandpa found some big pumpkins at Spooner Farms.

Camden designed his own pumpkin this year. We still aren’t brave enough to hand him a knife, however. We call it “doing our part in managing the health care crisis”.

Their Halloween costumes. Shelby has worn hers every day for the last two weeks.

Stickers from Grandma Lee. Camden is still fascinated with volcanoes and turned his stickers into a volcano erupting. As he says, “we need to add some details to this paper”. Cute.

On a final, too much information note, Shelby is day time potty trained now. It. Is. Awesome.

Day 18 (last day)

2010-08-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Visit XingTianGong followed by a foot massage. GuangHua Computer market, Jian Guo Flower and Jade Market......fly home.

Day 17

2010-08-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Subway Tour which includes Eslite Bookstore, President Hall, Dr. Y.S. Memorial Hall, ZhongZheng Memorial Hall, Dan Shui, and the Taipei Story Museum.

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Good morning/evening!
Headed out to breakfast on our last day! Will be taken shopping today (I think....who knows...) then dinner then the airport. Can't wait to get on that plane. It is rainy here today and am excited to see everyone.

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Day 16

2010-08-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Day trip to the National Taiwan History Museum and the YiLan Traditional Arts center.

Day 15

2010-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

A trip to the Taipei Special Education Resource Center (Fang He Middle School) ending the day with the Hua Xi Night Market.

Day 14

2010-08-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Trip to the Southgate Market followed by the PingLin Tea Museum. The day ends at the JioXi hot spring.

**Seems pointless now to post the itinerary as it seems to have deviated from the original. I'll post anyway to let you know what she was SUPPOSED to be doing.

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Updating you from a university in Taipei. Got to teach my lesson this morning - I think it was a little difficult for them to follow...but went okay. Was fun to be with students for a bit and some of them are very funny. I'm not sure what else we are doing today but we are taken care of so that is good. This morning did not go well - Jessica went to take a shower and encountered a little gecko running around. It was FAST!! hard to catch it but we got it finally and it jumped out the window from the paper I had it on. Then, the shower drain got backed up and would have flooded the floor...so neither of us got showers this morning on the day we were supposed to teach. Anyway, I was a bit grumpy but things are a little better now and I'm glad to have the teaching done with so I can just toodle around again.

If Hong Kong is like Seattle then Taipei kind of reminds me of Yakima. A bit run down everywhere and I'm a little afraid of the food I'm going to get. My credit card and debit card won't work (don't take MasterCard here and the ATM didn't let me withdraw any money) so I'm feeling a little stranded. But, I'll manage, I think, with a little help from the others in the group who have some Taiwan money.

Didn't sleep too well last night. The hotel was loud and at one point someone was trying to do their card key in our door so that jolted me wide awake. After succumbing to the ear plugs I did finally sleep. Anyway....it's interesting and I'm very much looking forward to being HOME and hugging my family. Miss you all so much and am really looking forward to see you all, just being mama, and having some COOLER weather.

Can't say I know much about our itinerary - it seems to have changed from the original one of which you have a copy. Apparently Saturday is a "free" day which I know will be more like "why bother staying this extra day?" kind of day, but whatever. Can you tell I'm ready to come home :)??

Day 13

2010-08-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

After breakfast you will tour the Chinese Public Market and visit the University of Hong Kong. A flight to Taipei ends your day.....along with a foot massage if time permits.

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Hope all is well at home. Miss you guys. I'm at the Hong Kong airport getting ready to fly to Taipei. Our original flight was cancelled so now we're on the 3:00 one instead. Hope our bags make it....

Ready to be home - this trip is just a tad too long for all of us. Meghan is now sick with a cold, my tummy is not always handling the food okay (but managing) and I'm ready for some plain old cereal and toast!! Can't wait to see you three and be mama again. We went to an open air market today and saw some interesting things that made me want to become vegetarian :) Hong Kong is very beautiful, similar to Seattle in many ways. Made us all miss home a little bit more.

Hang in there and I hope your week is going well. I love you so much. Tara

Day 12

2010-08-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

After breakfast, tour the Central Business District then take a ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui. Dim Sun lunch then off to visit the Space auditorium, Art Museum and night scene sight seeing at Tsim Sha Tsui.

Day 11

2010-08-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Fly to Hong Kong. Sightseeing at the Victoria Peak.

Day 10

2010-07-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

Visit the World Expo all day!

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Yay, free internet at the Shanghai airport!!!!! SO very nice to talk to everyone today :) :) :) Still laughing at Camden's "did you see any Chinese people" question. Love you all so much and we're all definitely feeling homesick by this point in the trip.

Glad to have made it to the airport and checked in with no problems. Only two more flights on this trip (whew...seven total - crazy). Shanghai has been a bit crazy, especially with last night's hospital drama [not Tara's]. Poor guy can't bend his leg so they put us in a row with more leg room for this flight, which is awesome. The last flight was so cramped and warm we were all feeling like we didn't want to get on another airplane any time soon. Hong Kong is only two nights so we'll fly out of there to Taipei on the 3rd. I'm going to try and get C and S some little stuffed pandas to bring home, which I think they'd like. We'll see. It's a bit hard to pack and lug things around so I haven't bought much that takes up room. Anyway.....other than the crazy heat and humidity, we've seen a lot of amazing things and been able to do some fun things. Riding a bicycle on the city wall in Xi'an is one of the highlights of my trip so far - that and hiking around on the Great Wall (sooooo amazing - what a privilege). Have so many stories to tell when I get home :)

Love you all so very much. I can't open the picture attachments :( but I"m sure Chuck E Cheese was really fun! C has been wanting to go there for so long. Glad you have kept busy and the kids have been behaving well. I'm just so thankful for the grandparents and have been praying for everyone.

Tell C & S how much I love them and miss them. Tell them I get to have noodles for dinner and fly on an airplane today. Only one week and there will be big hugs from mama.

Hopefully I'll have internet in Hong Kong. If so, I'll be sure to write. Keep sending me updates, just in case, please!! I love reading them.

Day 9

2010-07-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Visit YK Pao School then end the day with a Shanghai city tour and visit with a local family.

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Miss you so much too. Think about you and the kids all the time. I'm not sure if I'll have internet until Taipei, but if I do I'll certainly get online. I'm going to try and call on Sunday morning here which means Saturday evening for you.

We've reached the point in the trip where we are all missing home a lot and the trip is feeling long. Today we visit a school and tomorrow the Expo (I think). Yesterday was pretty fun, tell Camden I got to ride a ferry down the Bund river. And, tell Shelby I got to see lots of pretty orange fish.

I'm doing well and just missing everyone. Can't wait to see you all in about a week. Hang in there and give the kids big, big hugs from mama. I love you so much and miss you. I hope you are able to get some good rest this weekend.

Day 8

2010-07-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Shanghai

Visit the Shanghai Museum and the beautiful Yuyuan Garden. Afterwards, you will have some free time to stroll along the Bund to experience the thrills of old Shanghai. After dinner, you will be transferred back to your hotel. Upon returning to the hotel, our tour guide will say bon voyage.

Day 7

2010-07-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Xian - Shanghai

Before departing for Shanghai, visit the Hanyangling Museum, the Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi on the way to the airport. The flight arrives in Shanghai and our guide will pick you up at the airport with transferring you to the hotel for a 2-night stay. This evening, dinner is reserved for you at your hotel.

Day 6

2010-07-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Xian

After breakfast, you will be scheduled to visit the City Wall. After an a la carte lunch valued at CNY60.00 net per person (inclusive) served at a famous restaurant, meet a local family, which will introduce you to the life of the local people. Later you will see the Great Mosque and have some free time there to shop for souvenirs or antiques in the bazaar near the Mosque.

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Yesterday I had a fun bike ride on the city wall and got a little sun burnt myself. Today we're going to a museum and then flying to Shanghai - probably a 737. I got a nice, long 10 hours of sleep last night that I needed and feel much more rested this morning :)

I love you all and miss you - be home in a week and a half. It's going quickly and yet not, know what I mean? Love you so much. Give Shelby and Camden hugs from mama.

Day 5

2010-07-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Xian

The visit to the majestic Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum will start your day's tour. In the afternoon, you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. A splendid evening is in store when you will be entertained by the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show while partaking the famous Dumpling Banquet Dinner.

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Another quick email. Got some good pictures of the Terracotta Warriors. They were pretty amazing.

I saw some cool kites that I'm going to try and get for the kids. And, there's always chopsticks. Anyway, we get to shop in an open market today so I'll see what kind of cheap things I can find for little gifts.

I love you all so much and am thankful for the internet updates on how things are going. Hang in there. I can't wait to see you all again in less than two weeks :)

Tell the kids I get to ride a bicycle today on the city wall!

Day 4

2010-07-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Beijing - Xian

After visiting the Summer Palace and the lovely giant pandas in Beijing Zoo, you will take a flight to Xian. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel for a 3-night stay.

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Have to make this pretty quick. Got to Xi'an with no problems. It is a tad bit cooler here, though not much :) The pandas were all asleep when I saw them but I did take some pictures. I only spent $15 yesterday too hehehe.

So glad kids are doing so well. I miss them. I miss you. Tell them that today I get to see some very very old carvings and eat dumplings for dinner. Another busy day. Internet is more expensive here so I might not get online again for another few days.

Day 3

2010-07-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

Beijing
This morning you will be taken to Badaling where you will experience at first hand the wonder of the Great Wall. For lunch, we have arranged for a special meal to be served at a local popular Sichuan restaurant. Later the journey will take you to the Sacred Way and the Ming Tomb in the peaceful shadow of Longevity Mountain. Conclude the full day tour after taking a glance of the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) en route to downtown. This evening, we will arrange a delicious meal at a delicate restaurant.

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Edited email from Tara sent at 8:53PM in China-

Not sure if I'll be able to do email tomorrow, but will try. This is the last night at the hotel in Beijing. First, the good news - I had a great day!! The Great Wall was amazing and the food was very good again. I"m hot, sweaty and tired, but had a very fun day and took lots of pictures.

The bad news....I spent too much money today.

Anyway, people are being pretty impatient outside to use the internet so I'll log off. Tell Camden and Shelby that tomorrow I get to see some panda bears!

Day 2

2010-07-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Beijing
Before the tour starts, a pre-tour introductory talk will be delivered in the hotel. You will meet the other members of your group at that time. Your first stop today is the impressive Tian'anmen Square. From there you will enter the "Imperial Palace" known as the Forbidden City to explore its many fascinating halls and pavilions. You will then go to the Temple of Heaven, the place where the Emperors worshipped the heaven for good harvests. To round off a memorable start to your tour, we will arrange the Beijing speciality Duck Dinner at a famous restaurant followed by a lively Red Theater Chinese Kung Fu Show.

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-9:30pm after the above activities-

Slept well last night although that bed is dang hard. Today was so hot. Instead of Hot Yoga, it was Hot Strolling along. I was sweating and drenched everywhere. Tomorrow should be the same as far as the heat and the amount of time we're spending outside. BUT, it was really fascinating to see these buildings from so long ago and I did get a lot of pictures. Tell my mom that the food so far here has been AWESOME. SO good. We had Peking Duck tonight and then went to see a "History of Kung Foo" show at a theater - it was very good but I found myself drifting off to sleep now and then because I'm just pretty tired after today. It has been interesting and I'm enjoying myself, despite he heat and the embarassing amount of sweating involved.

Tell Camden and Shelby I got to eat in a restaurant with a duck standing outside the door. I'll try to get on here again tomorrow to let you know how things go. For now, I'm headed to bed and we're headed out to see the Great Wall tomorrow!!

Tara

Tara Updates- China Trip Day 1

2010-07-22T10:56:00.001-07:00

For anyone interested in keeping track of what Tara is doing on her trip, check back here frequently. I'll try to keep it updated as she sends reports back home. -Tara's Husband

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Tara left on the airport shuttle just after 11pm on Tuesday night July 20. I got a text message from her at about 1:30am saying that they were about to board the plane. She landed in Taipei, found a free internet kiosk and emailed to let us know she had landed safely (message received July 21 @ 3:55pm [6:55am July 22 in China]). She had a 2 hour layover in Taipei before taking another flight to Beijing. She was able to sleep a little on the plane but not very well. She says her travel companions are fun and interesting and is looking forward to spending time with them. Hoping to see something other than the inside of an airport soon!

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Edited message from Tara 3:55am July 22 (6:55pm July 23 in China)

I can do internet at the hotel for a small fee so I can probably get an email out to you most days, at least while we're in Beijing. It is now 6:30 - for you it is 3:30 in the morning (I hope you are asleep right now!) and we are all very tired and ready to go to bed! But, I'll stay up a bit longer and then hit the hay.

Beijing is very smoggy and hot and humid. You would not do too well in the heat, I'm afraid. Tomorrow we'll be outside a lot and it is supposed to be 92 degrees and humid. I've got four bottles of water to take with me to help with that.

Tell Camden I got to fly in a 747 and a 737. Tell Shelby I saw lots of people with umbrellas today on the sidewalks.

Dirty Laundry

2010-06-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

School is out for the summer. We found some cheap fun this morning. Laundry basket + jump rope =…..

Last week we had some fun at Dash Point Park with some other Decatur teachers and their kids. All the kids had a very good time and Camden discovered two jelly fish, one teeter totter made out of a fallen tree (scary), a pointy stick to drag around, and various shells and a sand dollar. Shelby discovered how to dump rocks and sand in the water over and over again.

On Saturday, Matt took Camden to the helicopter air show at the Museum of Flight. Camden’s favorite helicopter was the Chinook. He says, “we go to the museum and we found a Chinook! Chinook…Chinook….Chinook….daddy, I LOVE your pictures from the Museum of Flight”. On Sunday, Matt got to open his very special Father’s Day gift – a car window cleaner.

Overseas Telegram

2010-06-09T13:17:00.001-07:00

Here’s an update on my big summer adventures. Childcare is arranged (for the most part), clothing is purchased (for the most part), and Chinese Visa is in hand (well, on top of the entertainment center if you want to get technical about it). My teacher profile is up at www.culturalexploration.org if you want to check it out.

From what I’ve received so far about my itinerary, here’s the first part of my trip:

depart Seattle July 21st – 12 hour flight into Taipei, Taiwan. Then, hop on another three hour flight from Taipei to Beijing.
In Beijing, we’ll get to visit Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, part of the Great Wall, the Sacred Way, the Ming Tomb, and the Olympic National Stadium (Bird’s Nest). Additionally we’ll enjoy an Acrobatic show and a specialty Duck Dinner. Before leaving for Xian, we’ll visit the Summer Palace and see the giant pandas in the Beijing Zoo.
After arriving in Xian, we’ll visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, the Big Wild Good Pagoda, the ancient City Wall, the Great Mosque, and the Hanyangling Museum and Mausoleum of Western Han Emperor Liu Qi. In the evenings we’ll see the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show, have a Dumpling Banquet Dinner, and shop the Muslim Bazaar.
Then it’s off to Shanghai. We’ll see the Shanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden and the Bund and visit parts of the World Expo.
After Shanghai it’s off to Hong Kong and then Taipei – but I don’t have details for that part of the trip just yet.

No doubt, if you are like me when looking at this itinerary you think, A. I’m already tired just thinking about it and B. exciting!

So, what do I have left to do for this trip? There’s an orientation meeting on June 28th where I get to see the entire itinerary and talk with teachers who went on the trip last year. I still need some travel items, but am feeling pretty well set overall. Before July 21st I have a few things to do – four days AP training in Bellevue, six days AVID training in Sacramento, three days at Pacific Beach with my family……I’m going to go take some Tylenol now.

Hurry Up and Wait

2010-06-09T12:54:00.001-07:00

Oh dear. Didn’t post anything about Camden’s 5th birthday. So, here’s a little catch up post and then onto more recent things with a new one.

So, at the beginning of the month was Easter. We didn’t plan to all wear blue – just worked out, I guess. The kids got balloons at Sunday School and we had a fun day, just the four of us.

Then came Camden’s 5th birthday. First, the obligatory cupcakes for preschool. Matt and the kids decorated them.

For Camden’s birthday, he chose to go to the Museum of Flight together. We really lucked out because both Grandma and Grandpa Cochran AND Uncle Mark, cousin Maggie, and cousin Courtney came along. They had fun running amok, but mostly enjoyed going up and down the glass elevator.

At one point, three of them were sprawled out on the floor and a nice lady walked by and said, “oh look, they’re all tired out”. Um…yeah, right.

After the Museum we came home to enjoy Camden’s race track cake and open presents. This is an easy cake to make and was extra easy because he wanted the same one last year so I had done it before.

Later in the month, Matt had a day off work and took the kids to Point Defiance Zoo. They spent the majority of their time in the kids play area and had a very good day while I slaved away at an all day teacher in-service (gah).

Thank You Mom

2010-05-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

There's a poem I think about every year when Mother's Day rolls around. I am thankful for my mom and my mother-in-law for raising me and my husband to become the people we are today. They raised imperfect and goofy people, but good people who love God and who are now trying to pass along that love to our two children. It is true that "you can never repay your mother" and while the gifts and flowers are nice, I think mothers just want to know their children understand the sacrifices they make and appreciate all the hard work that goes into raising them. Now that I'm a mother I certainly do understand and hope that both of my mothers know how much we love and appreciate them.

The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Gotta Travel On

2010-04-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

A few people have been curious about this China trip I've been talking about. There's an organization called the Cultural Expoloration of Greater China (culturalexploration.org) that raises money each year to send Seattle area teachers to China during the summer. The teachers can then use their experience in China and integrate it into their classrooms. By seeking teacher who are able to best able to integrate the information in this way (I happen to teach a curriculum for 10th grade that focuses on world cultures and definitely can include more about China) they hope to provide a current world view of China in today's classrooms. The trip expenses are covered by the organization - travel, lodging, tour fees, etc. and the entire trip itinerary is organized by this group. I don't know too many specifics about where exactly we're going yet but the general itinerary states that we'll have ten days in mainland China, two days in Hong Kong, and four days in Taipei. In previous years they have explored the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tianamen Square, as well as the Terra Cotta Warriros. In Taipei, they've visited Chinese schools and met with current Chinese teachers and students to compare educational systems.

They have an application and interview process. I applied in February, was interviewed in March and heard at the end of March from my references that they had been contacted to provide a reference for me. Then, this week I received an email offering me a spot on this year's trip, to which I obviously said a big, fat "YES!". They are only sending four teachers from the greater Seattle area so to be chosen is a huge honor and I am THANKFUL. To anyone who is skeptical of the organization in any way, another Federal Way teacher went last year and made it back alive with lots of good stories to tell.

The next steps involve writing an article about myself to be published on the culturalexploration website and meeting with the team in May to go over important trip information such as the nitty gritty of overseas travel (getting a visa, flu shot information). Thankfully, my passport is still going to be valid so that's one thing out of the way already. The trip itself will be 16 days, beginning in July and ending in early August. I'm going to be on the hunt for affordable, comfortable, and easily hand washable travel clothing as well as a new water bottle that doesn't leak and...well, let's face it, probably a lot of other things that I'll think up along the way. Send your travel tips my way, please......

Time is Passing

2010-02-13T20:28:00.001-08:00

We’ve been a little bit busy the last few months. Well, busy enough to completely forget to update the blog anyway. Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights. We visited Zoolights Christmas week and the kids had a very good time riding in the wagon. Even with snow gear on, they wished for a blanket to keep them warm….next year we’ll bring one. We finished the evening with the obligatory ride on the carousel.

Christmas day was a fun day to spend quietly at home. Grandma and Grandpa Cochran came for a few days and we all had fun watching the kids (especially Camden) excitedly open their presents.

January 14th we celebrated Shelby’s 2nd birthday by taking the day off of work and heading to the Seattle Aquarium (compliments of Uncle Neil). We had a very fun day together and a video is attached here somewhere to watch. I made Shelby the cake of her choosing and she was more excited about the MnMs on the cake than the cake itself…oh well.

The following Saturday we visited the Marine Research Center at Redondo where scuba divers were out conducting an octopus census.

Here’s Camden with a “garage” he made out of the big blocks.

Camden got to go to the Tacoma Children’s Museum on a field trip for school. Here he is fishing from his canoe.

The Elefun game is actually more for the costumes and props than actually playing….Shelby is so gangster here that is makes me laugh every time I look at this picture.

Matt took the kids one morning to Chuck E Cheese. It’s so fun the way the kids have fun together.

We’ve had some visitors the past few months. Our good friends Chris and Amy came for a rare visit before their big move to Ohio. While I’m definitely happy for their opportunity, I will miss them a lot.

We also had a photo opportunity with Elena and Kim.

And, here’s Camden with a Lego model he created of Grandma and Grandpa Lee’s motor home. Those legs he definitely didn’t inherit from his mother….

We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things

2009-12-22T21:00:00.001-08:00

It’s my blog so I can do what I want. This blog title isn’t actually a song title this time…but an album title. But I like it and it fits so there you go.

A few weeks ago Bella and her parents came over to play and eat teriyaki. Bella and Camden had a lot of fun playing together; Shelby had a lot of fun chewing on the Christmas tree ornaments.

Camden has spent the last few days decorating the kitchen. It has never looked so festive or safe for driving – can you spot the traffic light?

The other night Shelby started a game of peek a boo. She was done with dinner and I look over and she’s just standing by her chair peering over the table. It was funny enough that Camden had to get in on it too, of course.

Grandma and Grandpa Cochran came for a visit about a week ago. Grandpa helped Camden make some snowflakes and Shelby enjoyed some cuddle time with Grandma. They’ll be back tomorrow to spend Christmas with us.

When there are no other kids around, Shelby gets brave enough to play on the tugboat at the mall. She had fun sliding down the stairs and Camden shouted “canon ball!” and jumped from as high up as possible.

Last Friday we enjoyed a raucous party at Pat’s house. Lots of kids, lots of desserts, and lots of wrapping paper to pick up when all was said and done.

and, since there hasn’t been a video posted in awhile, here are two. One of the kids singing on the couch and the other of the kids dancing at the mall (it has a surprise ending…that actually isn’t all that big of a surprise).

“C” is for Cookie

2009-12-10T20:46:00.001-08:00

Last week we played with the clay for a bit in the afternoon. Camden was goofing around with the clay container on his head. We’ve had below freezing high temperatures for the past week so much time has been spent indoors.

Since it is near impossible to get a good picture of the four of us together, we sort of did some in installments. Camden took the one with Matt in it, Matt took the one with Camden in it.

On Tuesday Matt had the day off from work and him and the kids made reindeer cookies. This is how they should look….

and here’s how they turned out. A few of them ended up with some extra appendages or unfortunately placed antlers, but they still taste good.

Tumble in the Rough

2009-11-14T20:11:00.001-08:00

Camden and Matt have recently started a new hobby….Rock Tumbling. We started last week with some very rough rocks and let them tumble for one week. Here we are about to open the container and see what the rocks look like after stage on (there are four stages total)

Here is what the water and course grit turned into after tumbling 24 hours a day for seven full days. It all turned into a very gray liquidy sludge. Camden didn’t think it looked very good.

I didn’t get a picture of the rocks before we started the first stage so this picture won’t really mean anything, but this is what some of the rocks looked like after the end of the first stage.

This is what the next round of rocks looks like before starting stage one. After this we will do stage two which smoothes the rocks a bit more before we do two stages of polishing.

As you can see above, there are lots of sharp rough edges that will be rounded off in stage one. Next week we’ll post pictures of this batch after stage one and start stage two. Below is a picture of how it all fits together inside the tumbler with water, rocks, and the very course grit.

Carving the Mysteries

2009-10-29T20:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I got to go along with Camden on his preschool field trip to a pumpkin patch. We had a very good time tromping through the mud with his fellow little people. All the kids got to pick out their own sugar pumpkin to take home. The nice lady in the blue jacket is his teacher, Mrs. Eskew.

After a long day at school, I got to come home to enjoy pumpkin carving with the family. It was very nice to spend the evening, all four of us together doing something everyone enjoyed. Shelby helped me pick out some pumpkin seeds to roast in the oven.

daddy helped Camden carve his pumpkin. Camden designed the face all by himself. So did Shelby…her’s was a bit more, well….abstract.

The finished products

Pumpkin Pie

2009-10-25T06:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we made our annual trip to Remlinger Farms. We sure had fun now that both kids could enjoy all the rides. Here we are on the steam train, posing for a rare decent family photo.

This may have been the favorite part of the whole thing for both kids. A large area full of loose hay that acted as a spongy, messy trampoline. Next to it was a kid’s size hay maze that left us asking, “where IS Shelby??”

The obligatory face in the holes shot. They are so cute.

It is hard to imagine our little guy will very well be over 6 foot tall someday…

Riding the pig with their cute friend, Bella.

The spinning pumpkins was Shelby’s favorite ride. As it would slow down to end, she’d kick her feet and shout, “again! again!” Camden’s favorite was the roller coaster. Since we stayed until they closed, by the end of the day most of the people had left so we could just get back onto the rides without waiting in line.

Here he is “driving” an antique car. We barely made it alive.

Footprints on My Stomach

2009-10-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm too lazy at the moment to upload this one again after rotating it. You get the idea - here's how well Camden can construct train tracks nowadays....with very little help.

Here's true sibling love. First it began as this....

and then turned into this...on separate couches

Matt took the kids on a Friday to the Children's Museum in Seattle. That brave man took them on the light rail train and the monorail to the Seattle Center. They all had a really good time and learned a lot about poop at the Sesame Street exhibit.

Early in the month we helped celebrate Bella's birthday. Camden broke the Elmo pinata and Shelby ate all the chips.

The moments I love the most are ones where the kids are playing nicely with each other. Here Camden is showing Shelby a book. She loves books even more than chips so this was quite a treat for her.

Matt took Camden to a Mariner's game. They lost. However, the concession stand made a lot of money off our hungry little hippo that evening.

and here's a funny video of Camden dancing around in a pair of Matt's sweat pants. I like to call it, "My Name is Gumby...and I Can't See Where I'm Going"

We're Going to Be Friends

2009-09-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today was Camden's first day of preschool. He's in a new classroom with a new teacher this year and she had the kids draw their families.
There are some sweet toys in there to play with.

Earlier in the day, the kids got to visit with Great Grandma Lee, who is visiting from California. She used to be a school teacher so she can understand when I complain (I mean, talk about) the trials and tribulations of my job. All kidding aside, I think it will be a good year.

Jet Song

2009-09-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time today at the Museum of Flight. Originally we planned a day at Northwest Trek but due to the sporadic pouring rain the last few days, we decided an indoor venue might be more fun overall. The kids played in the play area for quite some time and Shelby really enjoyed the little control tower "house" for peek a boo.
Shelby piloted the F-18 Hornet and was extremely upset when she had to land and let another kid try.

Camden crashed his F-18 Hornet. In fact, he crashed every airplane he flew today.

Believe it or not, neither of these funny faces were prompted. I said, "look through the window and say cheese!" and this is what I got. I LOVE THEM!

Camden piloted (and then crashed) the helicopter.

Shelby took a moment outside of Airforce One to prepare for her future stints in jail.

This is how a happy pilot looks....before crashing.

Playing the flight simulator...before crashing.

Shelby did her stomp dance in the hot air balloon.

Circle in the Sand

2009-08-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend at Pacific Beach, WA. It was an eventful trip and aside from a very cranky toddler and Matt battling a kidney stone, we did have a few fun moments.
Everyone traveled really well to the beach and I looked back at one point to see Shelby reading a book, her little feet crossed in her seat. Camden was making a map on the Etch a Sketch.

Shelby enjoyed the sand until she got cold...or wet....or dirty....or, well, who really knows why 19 month olds get irritated? Camden finally got to fly his airplane kite (a birthday present from Mark, Arin & Maggie). It has a clever little propeller that spins too. Grandpa Lee flew his kites also and even let Camden fly one of them. Too bad the wind blew it out of Camden's hand....watching Grandpa chase after that string all down the beach is a priceless memory, however. He did get it back.....thanks to the guy in camping spot #8.

Grandpa brought a styrofoam airplane that Camden LOVED. The wings broke off each and every time it landed...and it flew a lot over the weekend.

Grandma showed Shelby the water and maybe Shelby was able to see it over the grass that was taller than her right in front of her face.

This year Camden really enjoyed running into the ocean waves. So much so that it made me nervous as I imagined a riptide taking my little guy out to Japan. He barely stopped running long enough to help me build a very small sand castle.

At the campground where Grandma and Grandpa Lee stayed, there was a playground where the kids (and Grandpa) played.

Camden also got to roast some marshmallows...he didn't want to eat any, but he enjoyed roasting them (and lighting them on fire....and shoving the flaming lump into your face to blow it out...)

We all enjoyed meals in Grandma and Grandpa Lee's motorhome. What a treat to have meals right there by the beach, prepared by Grandma! Thanks for a great time!

And, two videos - one of Camden flying his kite and the other of the kids having a grand time on the swings.

Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

2009-08-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture overview of some of the miscellaneous things we've done over the summer. As typical, I've uploaded way out of order but maybe that doesn't matter to anyone but me anyway. First (or last, however you look at it), we've rototilled the back yard to plant new grass and install an underground sprinkler system. Camden was a big help, especially when it came time to throw rocks over the fence.

I've been working a lot in my new and improved classroom. My roommate (seen below) painted the entire room and updated the chairs, the lights...it's amazing what she's done. The kids "helped" a few days and she was kind enough to show interest in Camden's cars.

We visited the Ballard Locks one day with some friends. The kids got to watch a very big boat with a crane on top go through.

During our heat wave in early August, I couldn't take it anymore so I packed up the kids and we headed to the Yakmia Valley for some time with the grandparents. Everyone had air conditioning and the kids enjoyed time with both sets of grandparents. The Lee basement was a fun hideout as we played with grandpa's precious PT Cruiser toy. Camden spent a lot of time washing it with toilet paper.

And they also got to play with grandpa's water toy....

but the highlight was playing pretend horse racing in the buckets full of water.

We visited with Cliff and Gwen for a few of the hot days.

Time in the pool prior to backyard rototilling.

There is a construction site up the street where new houses are being put in. Camden and Matt visited (trespassing, I'm sure....) to see the big diggers. Camden calls it an "instruction" site.

Matt took the kids for a day to visit the Lee family at a campground. It had tree hugging, fun with cousin Maggie, and a playground. Apparently Shelby's favorite part was putting cups in the cupholders on the chairs.

Shelby rocked the light saber in her cherry swimsuit.

The Superman cape was passed down from generation to generation. Shortly after this picture Camden jumped off the couch and hurt himself.

We visited the Kidsquest Museum to keep cool and Shelby kept talking to the bronze raccoon. I caught her giving it a hug and kiss.

They have little houses just Shelby's size.

and water, water, everywhere.

Some crafts have been done on the deck. No good crafting can be done, however, without your tutu.

We visited the Museum of Flight and it is interesting to view from upside down.

And, finally, some random videos. One of Shelby's stomp dance (don't try to figure out her outfit, please). Another of Camden filming her singing EIEIO (with a very nice hair-do), and a third of the kids just having fun together.

Homeward Bound

2009-07-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

We did play a bit in Sheridan at a park I visited a lot as a child. It is much improved now and the kids really had a good time playing.

To get home, we headed northwest to Great Falls, MT to visit my mom's family there. After the long and really not at all exciting drive (sorry Montana...it is a beautiful state but there are only so many cows and hay bales to point out on that stretch of road...), the kids enjoys some running around time in the yard of my aunt and uncle.

Finally, our last night was in Kellogg, Id. From our motel window we could watch the gondola pass by and down the road we took a tour of a gold mine that was mined in 1818 and is now owned and operated by a retired Butte, MT miner. It was fun...but a little claustrophobic for my liking.

Cabin Essence

2009-07-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

After Yellowstone, we traveled to Powell WY for the night. It was a good place to stay because this little town has a very neat museum with a caboose and some tractors for kids to explore. It also had many artifacts my mom remembers having or remembers her mom and grandmother using. The curator's son, Josh, showed Camden around and I began to question his expertise when he grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and held it out to me saying, "look....this is sand from the olden times..." It was fun.

We spent the next few days in the Big Horn Mountains in North Eastern Wyoming. It was a chance to stay in one place a few days, enjoy the mountains, and see my Grandpa Thrush for a few days. Here is the cabin where we stayed.

Camden, Grandma, Shelby, and Great Grandpa Thrush.

The lodge had a small pond that was open for fishing. It was peaceful to sit there and watch Camden try fishing with Grandpa Cochran.
The lodge also had a pool that Camden enjoyed. Shelby was too small to go swimming (potty trained kids only...) so she helped me do laundry and watch the mounted animal heads on the wall.

We saw a couple of moose, but didn't get a good picture of either one. We did, however, see lots of black tailed deer.Finally, Steamboat Rock stands out as you drive down the mountain toward Sheridan.

Yellowhead to Yellowstone

2009-07-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

We spent 3 days traveling around Yellowstone Park. What a beautiful and fun place to visit. We started out at Mammoth Hot Springs from our motel in Gardiner.

Shelby enjoyed talking to the animals in the display cases at the Mammoth visitor's center.

At some point early in the trip, the lenses fell out of Camden's sunglasses. He still enjoyed wearing them saying, "look! I'm Batman!"

We briefly visited Norris Geyser Basin. Here Camden saw his first geyser erupt - Steamboat Geyser.

Then we headed to Old Faithful. We met up with Uncle Neil and watched Old Faithful erupt after enjoying some ice cream from the lodge.

We visited Yellowstone Falls and I gripped Camden's hand tightly as we peered over the edge of Yellowstone Canyon. The dropoff there is a doozy and made me nervous!! But, it is so beautiful.

Shelby enjoyed most of Yellowstone in the backpack. She seemed to like it and we just had to make sure we watched for her shoe to fall off, which it inevitably did, every time

One of the most fun parts of touring Yellowstone is watching for wildlife. Grandma and Grandpa got to see a Grizzly bear up close - we got to see some Black bears as well as buffalo and bighorn sheet...

Walk the Dinosaur

2009-07-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

On July 5, we visited the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT. Here we are with Grandpa Cochran posing by a TRex skeleton replica.

It was full of fun things to see - they had a treasure hunting exhibit where the kids could search for treasure using a metal detector.

Camden had fun in his "new house" - a puppet theater.

They also had some artifacts specific to the region - some old covered wagons and cars, a replica of an old homestead building (something my great grandparents built to occupy in Gillette, WY), and this water pump that Camden enjoyed.

Then, of course, there were the dinosaurs. Here's what the website says about the museum: "The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman is home to a world famous collection of dinosaur fossils and paleontology program. Dinosaur fossils are found in Montana rocks from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Dinosaur dig crew led by paleontologist and curator Jack Horner, science advisor to the Jurassic Park films, excavate fossils which are prepared and studied at the Museum in Bozeman. Some of the most famous dinosaurs in the world such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Deinonychus (very similar to Velociraptor) can be seen on display."

Shelby wasn't too impressed and by the time we got to the dinosaur exhibit, she was hungry and ready to go....but as all good parents do, we forced her to stay while she whimpered and clumsily tripped over he own feet through the exhibit.
This picture says it all - I asked Camden what he thought about the dinosaur exhibit and he said "those bones are TOO BIG!" What really impressed him was when he realized that a T Rex is bigger than an elephant.

Here's a real T Rex skeleton that was discovered in a river bed.

And here's Grandma Cochran helping show Camden some Triceratops bones.

4th of July

2009-07-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Did you know that lots of artists have songs titled "4th of July"? U2, Evanescence, Soundgarden...

ANYWAY, on July 3, we headed out on our big summer road trip. The car was packed with enough room to still see out the back window (an amazing feat) and everyone was excited to head out.

I packed things for the kids to do to keep busy in the car. I found this little pack of markers kept on a carabiner that I thought Camden would like and might actually help keep them all together. What I didn't know was that he'd use the markers to trace his hand on a paper and then get purple marker all across his face. Not too hard to get off, fortunately. Not the best picture, but you can sort of see the marker on one side of his face here.

Due to a few previous smaller road trip experiences, I worried Shelby would not make this trip much fun for anyone. She surprised us by being a very good traveler (most of the days anyway) and occupied her time with Bear, her water, some Color Wonder Markers, and a few beefy literary classics such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

On the evening of July 3, we stayed at a motel in Coeur D'Alene, annoyed some elderly patrons with our squirrely and tired children at the IHOP, and played at a local park. The next day was a long trip to Bozeman, MT and after not accounting for the time change, we were VERY behind schedule. Luckily, our hosts for the evening were very flexible and we enjoyed an evening with a friend from Matt's high school years in Bozeman. Camden got to experience his first trampoline (and first bloody nose), as well as his first sparkler and fireworks show. The neighborhood put on quite a show and we had a hard time leaving to head back to the motel for bed! We made it back to the motel just in time to see the last 10 minutes of the Bozeman fireworks show - and it was actually quite something to see.

Jesus Loves Me

2009-06-25T22:31:00.001-07:00

A video we will never get tired of watching and hearing...

Born in the U.S.A.

2009-06-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and I spent it with two of my most favorite people in the world (Camden and Shelby, of course). I also spent it with some of my best teacher friends at Point Defiance Zoo. I didn't get pictures of everyone but here are a few of the things we did together today: Camden took this picture of one of the roaming peacocks...

Here are Elena with her daughter Sasha, posing by the elephant barn. I shared a classroom with Elena for the past two years - a great roommate!

For whatever reason, they had camels you could pay to ride. None of the kids were quite big enough, but a few of us adults were contemplating it...

Shelby and Camden both enjoyed the new bird exhibit "Budgies". Nobody got pooped on so it was fun and uneventful.

Shelby liked the underwater part - the walruses were not out so we watched the seals and otters.

This is as close as we could get to a picture with these three together. Oh well. Camden sure seemed like the big kid among the group...I guess because he was.

Camden got up close to the Meerkats with Sasha. These little buggers are very fun to watch.
and we ended with a carousel ride - Camden's favorite part. Shelby sat next to me in the carousel bench and almost fell asleep during the ride.

Summer Breeze

2009-06-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

When the end of the school year rolls around, things get pretty busy in my life. This year was no different - with the addition of packing up and moving all my things to a new classroom. All that to say, this will be a broad blog because I'm a little behind. So, here we go with a random smattering of all the things we've been busy doing the month of June so far...

The weather has been very nice so we've done a lot of playing on the deck. The kids enjoy the water table...

Shelby likes to blow bubbles - rather unproductively, but she thinks she's quite the pro.

We took a trip to Yakima and spent an afternoon at the arboretum taking some pictures. Thanks to amateur photographers Grandpa Lee and Uncle Mark, we have some really nice shots of the kids...

And one sort of good one of everyone together (boy is it difficult to get everyone to look good at the same time!). As you can see, we got to meet baby Courtney for the first time too.

About two weeks ago Camden tripped at the arcade at the mall and hit his face on a sharp corner at the bottom of a driving game. After much screaming, bleeding and swelling, we got him to the dr. and luckily he did not need stitches. Unluckily, however, he has a bad gash in his cheek that will likely leave a scar. Poor little guy.

Hanging out on the couch together. For once both kids shared my lap without any hitting, pushing, or other loving sibling behaviors.

Father's Day weekend we took a trip to ride the train at Snoqualmie. The kids had fun playing on some of the train cars.

As you can see, Camden enjoyed the train ride so much he had to create a new facial expression to show the extreme happiness involved. Maybe this will be next year's school picture face.
Shelby told everyone about the "wah wah" as we looked down over Snoqualmie Falls.
To finish off Father's Day weekend, Matt, Camden, Mark and Maggie got to go to a Mariners game. It was hat day for the kids.
Later on, it was a good time playing "nap time" on the floor. Shelby got right in there and made sure she was part of the fun.

Cripple Creek Ferry

2009-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping busy with various projects this month. One of these projects is some yardwork. Shelby happily tried to get rid of some of the extra dirt for us.

Camden had a big month with a very important potty training step finally accomplished. As one of his many rewards, I took him to Chuck E. Cheese one afternoon and he had a lot of fun on the hamster cage for kids. Those of you who know him, know he would NEVER have done this a year ago. We both had a great time - him playing and me watching from a normal distance.

It is hard to get a good picture of both kids together. Aren't they super cute?!

Camden finished his first year of preschool and "graduated". He even did some of the motions to one of the songs and we were very, very proud of him.

Memorial Day weekend we had a fun time riding a ferry with Grandma & Grandpa Cochran and Uncle Neil. Here are a few of the pictures.

We've been getting out to ride bikes a lot lately and our preschooler powered by endless energy certainly keeps us going. This is an outing with Matt, Shelby, and Camden on the Interurban trail. There's Camden way up ahead in the orange jacket!

Shelby rides behind Matt's seat in her own seat.

I got to hear all about the bridge that went over the water. It is, apparently, very impressive to a 4 year old.

Curious George

2009-05-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we had a great time with some friends at the Children's Museum in Seattle. It was really hard to keep all kids holding still long enough for a picture of them all, but at least in this one you can see them all. Here are Camden, Grant, Shelby and Levi enjoying a motorbike in Japan.
They have a grocery store for kids to go shopping. The only bad part is you have to put it all back when you are done shopping.

They had a Curious George exhibit and Shelby enjoyed talking to Gnocchi, the chef's cat on the wall.

they have a water area set up with a little waterfall and water toys to play with. and a neat place with big foam blocks to put up a conveyor belt.

This week we babysat a friend's little girl for a few hours. Shelby is 3 months older than Caitlin. Camden grew a caterpillar at school.

And, here are the peas in progress. The carrots are now up and growing too. Soon it will be time to thin them out.

What little boy doesn't like to play in the dirt?

On Saturday, Matt took Camden to the Museum of Flight to see a B17. This was taken in the kids' play area.

and, finally, here's Shelby walking on her own! We've had a busy week...

Bicycle, Bicycle, You are My Bicycle

2009-04-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

We've had some very nice days this past week so the kids have enjoyed some time at the park. Camden posed on his favorite slide at the South County Ballfields and Shelby wanted to be everywhere her brother was...she can almost get her leg up high enough to climb to the slide herself!

Here's a game of Peekaboo at Jornada Park.

Camden enjoyed some salsa with his chicken this week...can you tell he poured it out himself?

We finally got some hair bands to get Shelby's bangs out of her face. Pretty cute...and she actually leaves her little ponytail alone. She got lots of compliments today at church (it didn't hurt that she waved and smiled at every man who passed by).

But, the big thing this weekend was Camden's new bicycle. We finally got out and bought one for him - he picked it out all by himself and was so excited to ride it that we had to stop at a park on the way home (hence the plastic sticking out of the front of his helmet that we couldn't take off without scissors). With all the practice he's had riding his tricycle the last few years, he had no trouble at all maneuvering his new bike. I also gave Shelby a ride down the slide, which she loves.

Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?

2009-04-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Video of Shelby walking taken Sat. April 4, 2009.

Trying to Never Catch Up

2009-04-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we headed to Grandview to celebrate Camden's birthday. On the way, we stopped at the Darigold Cheese Factory in Sunnyside and enjoyed some ice cream. Some of us enjoyed the ice cream more than others...
Here's Camden "race track cake". He picked it out from a book of cakes and still calls the cars on it is "race track cake cars". He kept telling me he wanted a ramp on it so I added one on. When he saw it he said "no no no...not there..." *sigh* Then, he wouldn't EAT the cake with everyone else. After the party he decided he'd have a piece, but only from the green part. Whatever...it's his cake, after all.

He picked out party hats. You can tell he really loved wearing his. Shelby's hat transformed her into a very serious little girl.

The kids played a game called Elefun. Maggie had different ideas for what to do with the butterfly nets.

Here's the evidence that he actually ate a piece of his own cake.

On Sunday, Shelby wore the Easter dress Grandma Cochran sewed for her. Super cute.

Aren't Grandpa Cochran's daffodils beautiful?
On Camden's actual birthday, we visited the zoo and took along my good, good friend Amy. We had SO MUCH FUN!!!

Today, Matt took the kids to play at the Supermall. They had a great time and he even got some video of Shelby walking. We have another walking video, but I need Matt's help to figure out where it is... anyway, for now you can see her high step her way and then scooch through a tunnel.

Big Puffy Girl Handwriting

2009-03-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

Let's start off with a cute picture of Camden and his helicopter toy.
And now for some fun writing by the kids. Shelby already likes to color, which is interesting for me because Camden was not at all interested in coloring or reading at this age. He just wanted to be on the move. However, Shelby is constantly bringing books over to us to read to her and will happily sit and scribble if given the chance. The difference between my children is so amazing - the same parents, same household, same way of doing things but totally opposite kids.

I asked Camden if he could write the alphabet and he sat down and just did it! I was pretty impressed, not realizing he could write them all. Too bad he added some extra scribbles while I was grabbing the camera - but you get the idea.

I'm Gonna Crawl With Those Pancakes On

2009-03-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here's just a few recent pictures. Not a whole lot of excitement around here lately, but here you go:

Shelby was helping do the dishes...

We got enough snow a few weeks back to make a freaky looking snowman. I would have gone with pebbles for a mouth, but I was at work so....

It was quickly destroyed anyway...

We visited Matt at work one afternoon for lunch. Shelby enjoyed the mobility of scooching on the beautiful hardwood floors.

This is the face Camden was practicing for his picture day at school. I'm pretty sure the actual picture day photo wasn't much better - if you know Camden you know that he's got his own idea of how to do things.

And, finally, a very fun video of the kids playing together and actual footage of Shelby CRAWLING. Yes, you heard it here first...she finally figured it out.

Thomas the Tank Engine

2009-03-01T19:16:00.001-08:00

On Friday, Camden and I took some friends to see the Live Thomas show at the Key Arena. We had tickets that were a gift from Uncle Neil and Camden was excited to go with his friend Grant (they even wore their matching shirts...). The day before I told him how it was a fun evening for him and me to go together without Shelby. He said, "no....but I LIKE Shelby!". Once Grant got loaded up in the car it was all jibber jabber from the back seat the WHOLE way to Seattle.
We got there and the kids enjoyed their 6th row seats while eating some popcorn. They could hardly wait to see Thomas!!

It was a fun show although I'm sure we all lost a little bit of hearing because it was pretty loud. Camden and Grant were glued to the action up front and at the end of the night we had two tired but happy little boys.

Flip Flop, Fly

2009-02-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

Cute, funny video I took this afternoon.

Stand

2009-02-22T14:36:00.001-08:00

Here are some highlights from our relatively uneventful weekend. It has been nice to rest, relax and hang out with the four of us all together. ALso, everyone is finally WELL! So, to begin, remember the phrase..."you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose..."? Well, Shelby has found her nose (and I'm sure Gma Cochran is thrilled to see this posted here!)

A nice shot of the kids playing with daddy. Shelby enjoyed being driven over with a toy car.

Saturday evening we picked up some Teriyaki and sometimes Camden garners a lollipop from the cashier. Gee, what color was it?

and here's a few videos - one of Shelby attempting to stand unassisted and another of Camden running and leaping off his ramp.

Rock Star

2009-02-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

Mark, Arin & Maggie came for the weekend and brought their Rock Band game...needless to say, everyone enjoyed it. Camden has a blister on his index finger from playing the drums.

Camden took this self portrait...

here's a cute pic of the two of them where Camden is actually posing for a picture and smiling.

and, finally here are two videos from the weekend - one of Shelby who finally figured out how to walk using her new stroller walker and the other of Maggie and Camden rocking out to the Rock Band game.

Snow (Hey Oh)

2009-02-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

Does someone look excited about the snow? Or maybe just proud of herself for her newly mastered skill of pulling up to standing? I'd post a picture of Camden, too, but he's not nearly as happy as Shelby to have his picture taken lately.

I haven't posted anything in quite some time - we've all been pretty sick around here. But, today we had another pretty snowfall outside and I got a little video of the kids. So, here you go.

Birthday Cake Song

2009-01-22T15:50:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we celebrated Shelby's 1st birthday at Grandma and Grandpa Cochran's house. It is nearly impossible, I've decided, to get a good picture of this many children...and their parents. Anyway, this one is pretty good (and Camden isn't even making the fart face here...)

This was the best one of the four of us...

Camden helped Shelby open her presents and then proceeded to hog them all.

the birthday girl greatly enjoyed her cake. She ate every last bite, even licking the crumbs off her fingers. Not a bit was left on her, the tray or the floor!

If you want to see some more of the pictures from the weekend, here's a few....

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Camden Pictures

2009-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this goes against Blogging etiquette, but this is Matt writing on Tara's Blog and I wanted to let everyone know about a new set of pictures I have posted on Flickr.com.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamapajama97/sets/72157612745278281/

These are all pictures Camden has recently taken with Tara's camera. Thought it might be fun to share them with you. Enjoy!

Munchhausen (just Chaos)

2009-01-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

So, Shelby has taken a liking to Wendys chili - Camden liked it a lot too at this age. She picks out every bean and even chews them up, which is funny to watch considering the fact she has no molars.

Last Friday Pat held her annual Christmas gift exchange. Due to the poor weather last month, it was delayed until everyone was back in school. Basically, picture 17 children ages 12 and below turned loose on cupcakes, cookies, and presents. It was just chaos. It did not seem to bother Shelby much as she hung out with Dillon and just took it all in.

Camden agreed to get his hair spiked up for the occasion...

Here they are playing in the play room while everyone else partied in the next room. He was understandably overwhelmed by everything going on. We joined the party later as presents were opened.

Here's Shelby, right in the middle, still content to hang out with Dillon.

Camden got a really cool digger that he has enjoyed playing with and sleeping with too.

Last weekend Matt took the kids to the mall while I got some grading done. They had some fun and we met up later for lunch...at Wendys :)

Alberta Let Your Hair Hang Low

2009-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Notice anything new with Shelby? Besides the packets of oatmeal she discovered in the kitchen cupboard and enjoys taking out and tossing all over the kitchen...

Milk Jug Stomp

2009-01-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

We rang in the New Year as most parents of small children do - by going to bed before midnight and cursing the neighbors when awokened by their fireworks as they celebrated up the street. I got to the Supermall this morning when it opened and enjoyed having the place to myself as I shopped (the salespeople were not too thrilled to be working, however). Anyway, here are a few videos - the first is Shelby's latest talent with the milk car from Camden's train set and the second was this morning as the kids played in the kitchen.

Cabin Fever

2008-12-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

We've all had a bit of cabin fever around here for the past two weeks. Here is a picture of the snow accumulating on the back deck - we estimate about 8 inches was the grand total. That wouldn't be so bad except for the freezing weather made the roads something fierce and we didn't get out much.

So, what do you do when you can't leave the house. Well, you can sit around the uncomfortable family room floor (near the couch, no less) and watch a Thomas the Train video....

Or you can amuse yourself by putting hats on the baby and take pictures of the funny faces she makes...

Or you can color on the fireplace hearth...

Or try to choose between daddy's new Rainbox 6 video game or a more appropriate kid's video to watch...

When provisions run low, you can either turn to the canned goods or your digger shirt...

We made it to Christmas day!! It was actually snowing outside again as we unwrapped presents. After a yummy breakfast of homemade doughnuts, Camden finally got to unwrap his gifts and play with some new toys. He got some cool new train cars from Uncle Neil - these make cow and chicken noises so Camden got up close to hear them.

Here, Shelby is playing with the canon from Camden's Hot Wheels Pirate track (if she knew any better, she'd hide it so he wouldn't shoot the thing in her face all the time).

Shelby enjoyed a pop up toy from Grandma and Grandpa Lee.

This neat toy came with its very own screwdriver to undo the parts to the airplane and helicopter. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Lee!

Matt got some new sweatpants from Tara's parents. As you can see, he can easily wear them and gorge himself on holiday pie (and no longer flash the company with the holes in his other sweatpants!)

Some comfy new clothes and a new book from Grandma and Grandpa Cochran. This book goes with the Leapfrog pen they also got him - what a cool gadget that is, seriously - it's amazing.

Shelby inspected the toy from Uncle Neil - it is labeled to help babies get motivated to crawl. She thought about it and then continued to just scooch around on her bottom instead.

Yay! New shoes and clothes from Grandma and Grandpa Cochran. Shelby doesn't have to wear Camden's old froggy shoes anymore!

The Hot Wheels Pirate Land.....Grandma Cochran would like this toy - it neatly folds itself back up into a carrying case. You'll be seeing it on our next visit, for sure.

Thanks to everyone for the gifts and while we certainly enjoyed our Christmas Day spent as just our little family, we missed you all too. Can't have it both ways, I guess.

Snowbird

2008-12-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

This has been an interesting week. School was delayed 2 hours on Monday and Tuesday due to icy roads from weekend snow and then school was canceled on Wednesday because the forecasters were predicting WINTER BLAST STORM CALAMITY ICE SURGE 2008. The snow hit elsewhere, but the roads cleared and even melted around our house....then overnight we got 2ish inches and we have another snow day. Today Camden and daddy got to shovel the driveway and then get creative with the snow shovel.

Big House

2008-12-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today we took a trip up to Seattle to the Seattle Sheraton's gingerbread house display. I've never been before and didn't know what to expect, but I certainly hoped it would be the coolest thing ever! It was neat but not really worth the effort involved in getting there, finding parking, maneuvering the streets with a stroller, etc. However, we met Camden's friend Grant and it was fun to see it with them. Here are some pictures. These are done by architectural firms and the theme was superheroes.

Afterwards we all headed back to our house (after missing the freeway onramp and getting a little lost in Seattle - Grandma Cochran knows how that feels!). Grant and Camden had a lot of fun playing together and we all worked on a gingerbread house of our own. It was demolished and devoured shortly after this picture.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2008-12-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

You'd think the pictures would appear in the order in which you chose them. Argh. So, here in another backwards blog....*end vent*

Today, after the Christmas program at preschool, Camden saw a pair of Shelby's pants and decided to try them on. They will be good shorts for him this summer.
After the program, we posed for a picture.

Camden and the boy on the other end both stood quite well serving as immobile bookends to the group in the middle who danced and sang their way through the program. Very cute bookends, that's for sure. We are very proud of Camden who went up and stood in front of everyone, without an adult nearby to cling to. That's a big step for our little guy!

Shelby enjoyed the music and dancing too. She even said "bye" to the teachers as we were leaving.

Here's a little taste of the entertainment....

Life in Slow Motion

2008-11-30T21:37:00.001-08:00

After our fun weekend with family for Thanksgiving, we spent the afternoon today putting up the Christmas tree. It was a good day to do so; the fog did not lift all day and doing some fun decorating lessened the gloom outside. Camden hung most of the ornaments (can you see them in the pictures? They are all clumped together at about Camden height?) and Shelby got a kick out of herself rolling around on the floor and grabbing the bottom branches.

Here's a quick look at our afternoon....you may get a kick out of watching the two blurs known as Camden and Shelby. This video has no sound and spans about two hours.

Pilgrim

2008-11-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

Here are a few recent pictures of the kids. Shelby is getting her top front teeth so has been a little cranky and not sleeping as well. They are close to breaking though and that should give her some relief. Here she is in her cute hand me down jeans. We just love those cheeks!
Camden has been verbally asking how to spell words but hasn't been writing any letters yet. However, last night he turned to a piece of paper and I heard him saying "M A M A...mama". When I saw what he wrote, I was so surprised!! I haven't seen him write letters before and here he is writing a word! He then wrote "Cam" on another paper....yay!!

Here is what he got to wear at preschool today - it also had a white shirt/bib that they made, but he wouldn't put it on for a picture. He likes the hat because "it's like a pirate hat!" so he got his sword out (pipe insulation) and whacked me a few times with it. The things I endure in order to get a good picture....

And, that is Camden's way of helping me stir up some ingredients. Needless to say, those spoons didn't end up in the batter after all.

Playing Tag

2008-11-11T19:45:00.001-08:00

Tagged! By Maggie
Shelby and Camden were tagged by Maggie and I (Tara) sure hope I'm doing this right...

Name/Meaning: Shelby - her first name was just one we picked that we thought would not be very common. Her middle name sounded good with it...then we found out later that it is a family name on my mother's side. So, it wasn't purposeful but we'll take credit for it.

Age: 10 months

Nicknames: Shellbue (Matt's nickname for her), Shelby Roo, sweet girl, muffin, poops (my nicknames for her)

Activities: sitting and scooting around on her bum, saying "uh oh", taking toys out of bins, clapping

Favorite Foods: cheerios, pasta, yogurt

Favorite Music: The Wiggles

Favorite toys: her bear

What Makes Her Happy: her brother!

What Makes Her Sad: when everyone leaves her alone in a room

Name/Meaning: Camden - Camden is from when we vacationed in England and visited Chipping Camden. We just thought it would be a nice, unique name.

Age: 3-1/2

Nicknames: Camden Roo, sweetie, pumpkin

Activities: running, playing with Shelby, pretending, singing and dancing

Favorite Foods: yogurt raisins, fruit snacks, lollipops

Favorite Music: Laurie Berkner, the Wiggles

Favorite toys: train, cars,

What Makes Him Happy: Baby Oliver (formerly Buddy), putting on a show for his family, going swimming, making Shelby laugh

What Makes Him Sad: being put in time out, going to bed, being left with a babysitter

Shelby and Camden tag Trevor!!

Monster Mash

2008-11-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

Someday I'll learn to upload pictures in the correct order. Oh well. Here are some photos from Halloween. The kids played Hi Ho Cheerio (or something like that) with Grandma Lee after trick or treating.
Here are Buzz Lightyear and Dorothy, ready to go trick or treating.

Shelby participated, mostly by being cute in her lion outfit.

Grandpa Lee and Camden decorated Halloween cookies together.

Then, this week we did a craft project. Camden made a snack box by painting it and decorating it with stickers. I helped with the words and some with the paint, but he did everything else.

He's all smocked up and ready to go.

Shelby's still not crawling, but it definitely itching to walk. She likes to stand at her table and make her smooshy face.

The Pumpkin Song

2008-10-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we visited Remlinger Farms with Mark, Arin and Maggie. They have a park with lots of fun things for little people to do, kettle corn, a steam train, and a fresh produce market with wonderful pies to take home. Here are a few highlights from our trip. Camden LOVED this slide...we were amazed he went by himself and headfirst.
Uncle Mark took Camden and Maggie on the spinning log ride.

I got to ride on the antique car with Camden this year. He was very focused, turning the steering wheel just as if he were driving the car. He'll be an excellent driver twelve years from now.

Camden and Shelby posed in a tractor.

Maggie enjoyed the steam train ride.

Shelby watched from her stroller most of the day, careful to keep an eye on Camden and Maggie.

Next year Shelby will be standing here on her own!

Camden is getting pretty tall. Too bad the shadows were in the way...

Camden loved the tractors.

A very decent family photo. Might be on the Christmas cards!

Camden and daddy picked out a pumpkin to carve so we did that this evening. He instructed me on what shapes he wanted the eyes and nose, and we had to carve in a tongue to get rid of a rotton spot on the bottom. He had fun and stuck with the process for the whole carving time.

The Devil's Crayon

2008-10-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was a bad day. It started off with Shelby at the doctor's office - she had developed an owie on her leg that got infected. Long story short, they took a culture and are now testing it to see if it is a MRSA infection. As a precaution, the doctor prescribed an anitbiotic......

This led to phase two.....Walgreens. We've never been incredibly impressed with their Pharmacy. However, it is close to our house and had a convenient drive through. So, on the way home from picking up Camden from Preschool, I swung through the drive through and picked up Shelby's prescription. I get home with the kids, unload the bags of medicine and out rattles a bottle of 1/2 inch pills. I think to myself, "eh?" and then get really irritated that they gave us pills instead of a liquid. Long story short...there is another Shelby Lee who also had a prescription to pick up and we got her's too. So, the lessons here are A) be sure to double check your prescriptions (even if the bottle has the correct name!) and 2) Walgreens on Military and 288th is lousy.

Then, after kids were in bed and I thought I had a nice evening of folding laundry came phase three. I unloaded the dryer and immediately realized that I had managed to wash and dry a red and an orange crayon. I found it rather amazing just how badly it managed to cover EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CLOTHING. Luckily for Matt, this load was comprised of everybody else's clothing, including some nice work pants and jacket of mine. Grrrrrrrrrr.

SO, then it was off to figure out a way to try to salvage a full load of clothing. I found a home remedy on the internet that I figured would either blow up the garage or get the crayon out. I'm not convinced that all of these ingredients are necessary. In fact, I'm sure that there's one in there that is the magic one....but I didn't really feel up to a science experiment and just dumped them in, figuring that the clothing couldn't really be any MORE ruined so what could it hurt? Anyway, here's what it is, for all the moms out there who will experience the devil's crayon as well:
2 max amounts laundry detergent
1 cup Oxiclean
1/2 cup 20 mule team Borax
1 cup shout liquid
1 cup white vinegar
HOT water in washing machine, let soak for about an hour with clothes, run a full cycle, then rinse. It was pretty amazing...it worked. The clothes still smell pretty chemically, though, so I think I'll rinse them a few more times (and we'll probably all get cancer...except Matt).

So, thus ends this day. Shelby's leg is already looking a lot better and she really likes the antibiotic. Anyone recommend a good pharmacy?

Pumpkin Soup

2008-10-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on the last week or so. It is hard to find time to post very often now that school is back in session. Anyway, Matt got this wonderful picture last week of the kids - look at those eyes! Can you tell they are related?

Last week we visited the YMCA for a story night. Camden got to wear his Buzz Lightyear costume and we made a pumpkin (he even cut it out all by himself). He got to rummage through some straw for candy - all the other kids came out with armloads. Camden returned with one red lollipop, that was enough for him.
Shelby sort of showed off her two bottom teeth.
Today Camden's preschool visited a pumpkin patch. Matt got to go with them and enjoyed taking a few pictures of the fun.

When they got back to school they decorated their pumpkins. Camden somehow missed putting on any eyebrows and kept bringing up the subject until we penciled some in with a sharpie. The hair is an especially nice touch, don't you think?

This last weekend we enjoyed a pasta dinner from Pizza Hut with Grandma Cochran and Grandma and Grandpa Lee. Shelby enjoyed it too, as evidenced by her face, clothes, bib, high chair, floor....

And, finally, here are the kids playing. Shelby really loves playing with Camden and especially loves grabbing his hair and clothes. Camden is making up games to play with her and loves making her laugh.

YMCA

2008-10-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

We've decided to join the YMCA - for the past three Saturdays we've spent time in their pool and had a lot of fun. Today Camden was a lot more comfortable in the water, even dunking his head under a few times. Shelby enjoys splashing and kicking too.

Not much else is going on around here recently. Here are a few recent pictures and videos.

Last Sunday we visited Carpinito's Fruit Stand in Kent - it was a fun place and Camden helped shuck the corn on the cob we later took home and ate with dinner. The Fuji apples we picked out were so juicy and sweet too - much better than the ones we've been getting at Safeway.

Here's our pretty little girl in her warm jammies, hanging out on the couch with dad.

I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of Shelby with messy food face. Here she is with some peas everywhere. I should add that Shelby finally has a tooth! It broke through last week and thus ended a few days of endless crankiness.
Camden and his friend Buddy (who is now named Baby Oliver Buddy) wearing hs favorite "baseball jammies" (which have footballs on them, by the way, but there's no telling him differently...)

And, some videos - Camden singing and playing his "guitar" and a discussion about making sour faces.

Lock Keeper

2008-09-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today Camden, Shelby and I met up with some friends at the Ballard Locks. What a wonderful place to explore with little kids! The weather even cooperated and the sun came out right as we began our lunch overlooking the boats pass through the one of the locks. We will definitely be going again.

Here are two tugboats about to go through...

Camden watches a barge carrying construction equipment go by
Shelby wasn't sure what all the hubub was about Here's all I could get of the construction equipment barge - I didn't whip out the camera fast enough. Shelby and Levi held hands for a little bit. It was so cute. They are one month apart in age (she's older).Camden and Grant watched Salmon through the fish ladder viewing windows. Those salmon are big! Grant is only four months younger than Camden. We are blessed to have found some friends with kids so close in age to ours (and especially because Camden and Grant have become such good friends).
Here is a little clip of Camden and Grant playing together.

I didn't know who Stan Rogers was, but I found a song for this blog and took a listen. He sounds a little bit like Roger Whitaker (just a bit...) and there's a beautiful chorus...

"Each day you tend this lock, you're one day older, While your blood runs colder."But that anchor chain's a fetter And with it you are tethered to the foam, And I wouldn't trade your life for one hour of home.

Transportation

2008-09-14T18:09:00.001-07:00

While Halloween is still pretty far away, how could we NOT buy this costume for Camden? He's been pretending to be Buzz Lightyear daily for the past few months and now he can really play the part. Since he didn't want to take the costume off...it was fun to watch him ride his tricycle around the driveway in it.

I was doing a little cleaning today and got out the quilt my mom made for Camden's bed. He was very excited to see it and exclaimed "hey, that looks the same as those on the wall!" He had forgotten seeing it before when she gave it to him for his 2nd birthday. It's the right time of the year for something a little warmer on his bed and he's excited about it.

And, finally, for preschool he has a memory verse each month. Here's the one for September:

Rockin' Robin

2008-09-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

This week didn't have anything terribly exciting to report. Camden had a good few days in preschool learning the letter A, the number 1, circles, and the color red. Each day the preschool personnel reported that he had a very good time on the playground! And those are number twos that he drew as well.
Both Camden and Shelby came down with colds this week so I guess it is officially time for me to get a cold too. As the weather is starting to cool down, the kids need some fall clothes so off to Target we went today. Since we were busy spending lots of money, we decided to go out to Red Robin for lunch. We don't go out as a family to eat very often (the weekly Wendy's drive through doesn't count) so this was a real treat and everyone had a good time.

Drive My Car

2008-09-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Supermall for a bit of shopping. Upon arrival we realized that the stroller was in the other car so we got one of the mall's car carts for the kids. They had a lot of fun and we got a kick out of watching Shelby use the steering wheel too. Sometimes you think these kinds of things are not worth the money....but it was worth every penny today to see them enjoy themselves and save ourselves some energy by not having to carry Shelby around the whole time.

The Diffendoofer School Song

2008-09-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

School started today, both for me and for Camden. I had a good day and think my students will be pretty nice kids. Also, Camden had his first day of preschool. Matt took him and it was a day to get to know the teacher and parents so it was only an hour. On Thursday it will also be an hour but Camden will be on his own with his class as Matt sits in on an orientation. Before leaving, Camden didn't really want his picture taken, but then gave in.

At school they made fruit loop necklaces. Camden's was devoured shortly after getting home, but it seems from the pictures that he enjoyed making it.

Buddy will get to visit on the day they are going over the letter "B" as the kids get to bring in items that start with the letter of the week. He had a good day and is very proud of himself that he can say his teacher's name - Mrs. Kumasawa. Way to go Camden!

Pink Houses

2008-09-01T13:35:00.001-07:00

So, we had a few minutes today and the kids were in a good mood...so we took some pictures. I think we're fortunate that we both like this hobby and Matt is so good at lighting and Photoshop.
Anyway, I figured we'd better get some shots of Shelby in this little hat and jacket before she outgrew them. They were knitted by my Grandma Cochran for me when I was a baby.

This is the smile that will be handy. Think she might flash this little smile and get her way from time to time?
It's hard to get good pictures of both kids together. However, these turned out pretty good!

Stand

2008-08-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend Shelby ate her first real cereal - Kix - and enjoyed the ones that actually got into her mouth. She's also mastered holding a sippy cup, as evidenced below. Maybe she'll master drinking out of the correct end next.

We got to watch cousin Maggie Friday night while Mark and Arin went to a Mariners..I mean, Seahawks game. Maggie was a fantastic guest and everyone ate a good dinner!
Shelby is itching to keep up with her older brother. Here she is standing with only a little support from the couch. She does make a very cute little standing person. This evening she was scooting and making some serious attempts at crawling. We're in trouble.

O I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside

2008-08-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today we made a trip to Matt's work and then the Seattle Aquarium which is just a walk down the steps and across the street (back up the steps, however, with 18 lbs. in a Baby Bjorn is not as easy as I had hoped). It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the visit with Matt's coworkers. At the aquarium, Shelby was entertained by all the fish and Camden enjoyed getting to touch a starfish and watch the wave tank. Overall, I think I prefer the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium but this was a nice day outing with the kids.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Here's Camden watching the wave tank. And, yes, he likes to say "poo poo". Hopefully he will grow out of that soon.

and this was by the touch tank....

The Camping Song

2008-08-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm trying a free scrapbook type program that you can then post on your blog. We'll see how this works and if I even like it....

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Everyone had a good time camping and we're looking forward to another trip with Mark, Arin and Maggie next year when Shelby and I can join in the fun too.

Camping Next to Water

2008-08-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

This morning Matt packed the car for him and Camden to go camping. The kids played together a bit and it is fun that Camden wants to play with his sister. The sideways Elvis mouth is something Shelby may have inherited from her Great Grandma Cochran. Anyway...here they are in the laundry basket.

Here they are in the wagon. Shelby's not sure where to put her feet and Camden was happy to have someone to talk to in the wagon as I pulled them around the driveway.

Finally, the car was packed and the boys were ready to go. Camden enjoyed the "kitty song" as they drove away for Camden's first camping trip. I'm enjoying the afternoon with Shelby. Since she's not crawling yet, the laundry basket makes for adequate containment as I write this blog.

And, here's just a fun little video from this morning...

The Swimming Song

2008-08-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

Shelby nicely posed with Camden's sunglasses. She was so excited, she even drooled a little.

Last week we spent some time in the Yakima Valley visiting the Cochran grandparents and Aunt Arin and Cousin Maggie. We were lucky enough to be invited to swim at someone's really nice pool one of the afternoons.

We came back early because Camden wasn't feeling well most of the week. At home he decided to take out his headphones and music player for a bit.
And....it isn't quite a first word, but she's working on it.

Angel Blue

2008-08-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Today Camden and I enjoyed a day at the Museum of Flight. Shelby stayed home with Aunt Arin so we got some time to have fun together without worrying about meeting Shelby's needs. We started off in the control tower...

Later we had lunch and Camden showed off his new airplane...
Then, it was time to watch the Blue Angels take off. We found a spot all to ourselves and managed to get a fairly good show. Not perfect, but good enough to see them go.
They are kind of loud....
I didn't manage to take video at just the right time. Here the front four had taken off and left a big cloud of smoke while the other two took off after them....

And, finally, Fat Albert came back in for a landing. A fun day that I'm sure we will repeat next year (and figure out how to get to the balcony lookout where all the members only got to go).

Good Friend

2008-07-23T15:56:00.001-07:00

Today we visited the zoo with some friends from church. Here is Camden, all geared up for the trip....he really was more excited to go than he looks in this picture.

Here Camden and his friend, Grant, assessed the water in the Asian Sanctuary. Camden deemed it "eeeew, gross...that's dirty"
Shelby alternated between content and royally irritated during our outing. Here was a good moment. She really doesn't enjoy being confined to the stroller for long and much prefers it when I carry her while simultaneously maintaining social order and solving the national housing crisis.Here the two kids putting their binoculars to good use. How cute are they?
Look up there! A bird nest with baby birds in the Oomingmak area. Apparently the regular stream of people doesn't seem to bother the parents of these birds much.

And, finally, we never have a trip to the zoo without a ride on the carousel.

Baby Got Back

2008-07-21T15:21:00.001-07:00

My friend Amy is going into business making cloth diapers. We ordered a couple to try out and were very happy with how they performed as well as how cute they looked. We'll be ordering more soon and are happy to recommend them, if you wish to try them out too -www.hyenacart.com/domesticmiracles

Here she is enjoying her exersaucer and telling me ALL about it!

Our Driver Gestures

2008-07-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's Shelby trying out her bigger car seat. She's thinking, "wait...isn't this supposed to be in the car?"

We have two of them, one for each car. Or, in this case, one for Shelby and one for Buddy.

Here's Camden and Matt having a bit of fun. It appears to be safe enough...

I'm So Tired

2008-07-16T12:45:00.001-07:00

Shelby had her 6 month doctor appointment this morning. She's doing very well - weighs 15 lb. 11.4 oz (which means that since she's more than doubled her birthweight that she should be sleeping through the night now....right??...could someone PLEASE tell her...). Lengthwise, she is 26 inches and that means she has maxed out her carseat. So, it is time to switch her over to the next size up. It's a good thing we have a few up in storage. Since she had some immunizations, she's having a nice, long rest today. I think it's funny how the binky is in backwards.

She is growing and changing so fast. Hopefully sometime this week I can get a video posted of some of her first attempts at eating rice cereal.

Video Killed the Radio Star

2008-07-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a few videos. The first one was taken on the 4th of July....

Here are two from our beach vacation...