Our Next Big Adventure

Snow!!!

2012-01-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

Yay for snow! I was definitely in the mood for some of the white stuff. Ollie and Esther are also great lovers of snow. Frank, I'm pretty sure had never seen snow before in her life, being she is a Los Angeles girl. But she was quick to join the "Hooray for Snow Club". She does this cute little bunny hop and butt wiggle. Snow makes Ollie a little nuts, he gets frisky and when he sees ice, he has to plop down on his back and wriggle around. He loves to try to catch snowballs. And Esther, she is just as excited to play in the fresh snow and the ice. Frozen puddles are one of the best things. And after playing in the cold, there is nothing better than some hot cocoa.

"This is interesting stuff and tastes quite yummy."

Pre-craziness

King of the Hill! We found a teeny little hill and Esther thought it was the best thing ever. If only she could experience Alaska snow drifts, it would blow her mind.

Queen of the Hill

smile!

Offering Frank some snow, she says no thanks, I have plenty.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing new to report, so here are some pictures.

My niece, Halie and her boyfriend, Matt.

The most wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

Can you believe we have been a family for 5 years now? Crazy to think it has been that long, but strange to think about life without our little girl. This year again we celebrated our Family Day at the Space Needle restaurant. We had great weather so the city and mountains were gorgeous.

Christmas was a huge hit with Esther this year. She really got into it, counting down the days, and questioning how Santa would get down our chimney. At one point, after I put some presents under the tree, she told me that was enough because Santa needed to have room to add his present for her. I assured her that Santa was very resourceful and could find room if need be. I also had her watch the "Santa Clause" which I think explains how Santa does things very well.

This is my first attempt at a R2D2 hat for Gene. It was kind of a disaster so I started over. Then Frankie decided that yarn was yummy and kept getting into my knitting. After starting over several more time, I finally finished the hat. No picture yet.

Drawing a robot as we waited for our food at the Space Needle.

My beautiful girl in front of the beautiful city.

Love, love, love these guys!!

Waiting for our car with her new toy.

Checking out the Needle from a more comfortable position.

Silly Daddy! She has gotten pretty good at ignoring his silliness.

Presents! Looks like she is about to karate chop the package.

Much coveted pteranodon wings. Her friend had some at her house and E wouldn't stop talking about them. She was so excited when she saw them!

New Legos!!!

Her newest creation. (With my new camera! Gene got me a Canon Rebel and I love it. I have lots of learning to do.)

Esther wanted this when we were at the Space Needle, but we didn't buy it for her. Her Grandpa Neil and Grandma Suzi know her so well and got this for her, without us ever mentioning it. Awesome!

Playing with my camera. Esther grew very sick of me snapping her picture. I told her she better get used to it.

No blog post is complete without photos of the dogs. Frankie enjoying her new toy and making a huge mess in the process.

Look at that face!

'Tis the Season.

2011-12-10T19:26:00.001-08:00

'Tis the season for trekking to a tree farm forest and hunting for the perfect Christmas tree. Esther and I love to do this, Gene not so much. Bah humbug!

You can't tell but this is from the little train at the farm.

Esther supervised Daddy while he did the chopping. She was also in charge of the map so we wouldn't get lost.

I love this photo! Esther was trying to hide from but I caught her.

Warm car + tree excursion= nap time

Standard equipment for the dog park, right? A chuckit, an ornament and reindeer antlers.

Love these guys!

Look at that face!

Look what Nana and Esther made last night. Today, it has already been munched on.

Family. (Including Esther's Star Wars family)

2011-11-12T18:51:00.001-08:00

This post will start out a bit sad. On October 30, my mom's husband, Bob, passed away after a long illness. He was a wonderful man who adored my mother. Rest in peace, Bob.
His passing has been bittersweet because although there has been sadness and grief, we also got to enjoy a special reunion of sorts. My sister flew in from Alaska. I haven't seen her in a few years so it was so good to catch up. She is one of those people who when I see again, it seems like we have never been apart.
My mother is doing amazingly well. Like I said Bob's illness was long, and he was worn out. He was ready to go and my mom was at peace with this. Things like this always remind me of how strong my mother truly is.
Esther and I headed to Sequim to visit with my mom and sister for the weekend. And we had a great time. We did all our favorite Sequim things: ate breakfast at the Oak Table Cafe, drove through the Olympic Game Farm, went thrift store shopping and talked, talked, talked. We even did some new stuff, who knows, maybe they will become traditions, too. I had my first ever manicure and pedicure, which was a bit traumatic for me because I had hairy legs and I had to roll my pant legs up. Since high school, I've had this reoccurring dream that I'm wearing shorts and my legs are unshaven for all to see, so it was kinda my nightmare coming true. I hate shaving my legs, and pretty much stop during winter, which Gene just loves! I do have to admit pretty much the second I got home I shaved.
Occupy Sequim happened to be going on that same weekend. My dad and Suzi went to it and had made up a special sign for Esther. Driving to Daddy's work a couple of weeks before, we passed the Occupy Seattle protest and E asked what all the people were doing. I told her that sometimes if people don't like something that is going on in our country they protest and have signs that say things like "America for America." Esther stated that if she was there she would have a sign that says "Robot." So that's the sign that my dad and Suzi made for Esther. We drove by them and they were sure to bring out the "Robot" sign. I'm sure some people read something really deep into it's meaning. Where were we headed when this protest was going on? To get our nails done....
This weekend, Esther got to meet some Storm Troopers and guess who was there? Boba Fett!! Third Place Books was having a Star Wars event and the kids were able to dress up. My little Boba Fett was so excited, but when it was her turn to get a picture, she got nervous. Her excitement won out and she finally got her picture with the "real" Boba Fett. Later she was her social self, showing off the light saber someone had given her to Darth Vader, some Storm Troopers and Boba Fett.

My sister and mother at the Oak Table.

E showing Nana her mad climbing skills.

Kind of random, but at the park was two clowns making balloon animals. Esther asked for a robot of course.

Up close and personal with a zebra at the Olympic Game Farm,

Gotta love that crazy buffalo tongue and snotty slime left on the car windows.

Who knows maybe E is embracing her girlie side.

At first she wanted her nails painted black but then she chose red. The manicurist added the sweet little flowers on each thumb.

The girls at Nana's house. The only girl we were missing was Halie.

Some of my favorite family memebers.

Esther was the only kid that was dressed as Boba (my little individual). After taking this picture, Boba Fett asked is we would email him the picture. Who knew Boba Fett had an email address?

Boba and Darth

And of course, no post would be complete without a picture of our dogs.

Introducing Boba Fett.

2011-10-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

Esther finally got to wear her new costume. And boy was she excited. On Friday, we went to PopCap for a trick-or-treat party for employees and their kiddos. Then tonight we headed to Bothell Country Village for their festivities. Most males recognized who she was supposed to be, most females didn't. So if you don't know, he is the bounty hunter in Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. She really wanted her daddy to be Jango Fett, who is Boba's dad, but adult costumes are pricey. Now that Halloween is over, she is allowed to wear her costume anytime she wants, except to school. So guess who is sleeping as Boba tonight? Sweet dreams, my little bounty hunter.

Look who we met at PopCap: Yoda and Princess Leia, Boba Fett fit right in.

PopCap had the candy route mapped out with arrows on the floor. So our little bounty hunter hunted down that candy with precision.

Time to partake of the bounty.

All ready for round two.

"Did we get it all?

Testing Frankie's new dog bed...this time she as the red Power Ranger.

New Costumes and they're not for Halloween.

2011-10-10T13:26:00.001-07:00

Goodwill had some Transformer costumes that I knew Esther would just love. She has almost worn out her other one. And the shark costume is in tatters. She is thrilled to have some new ones to wear out.

This year for Halloween she is going to be Boba Fett from Star Wars. She was allowed to try the costume on but can't wear it until the big day. It's killing her.

No pic of Boba Fett (you'll have to wait for Halloween) but here's two of the other ones.

Not much new to report.

2011-09-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Apparently I've been neglecting my mom paparazzi duties and haven't been taking enough pictures of my daughter. There are only two pictures of her, the rest of them are of the dogs. And even the ones with her have Frank in them.

School is going better for Esther. She seems to have gotten the hang of it, though last Friday was rough. She shut a door in a girl's face and wouldn't open it when asked and nagged and whined at the computer users so she could have a turn. So she spent some time in the thinking chair again. Joys of parenthood.

Enjoy the pictures of my dogs.

Frankie

Ollie

in the car

pretty sure E wasn't trying to flip me off

Car ride in the sunshine

Esther has been really into freezing her toys to see what happens. Here is a poor little lego guy stuck in the ice.

Our blog is really bright! I'll wait while you go get some shades. (Updated: never mind, I changed it)

2011-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

I got a new laptop because my old one was sooooo slow, and when I saw the background I had picked for the blog, man is it fluorescent! Apparently my old computer was not only slow but color blind. I may have to change it so I don't inflict everyone with a glaring headache! But not right now.

This week at kindergarten was much better for Esther. I think she just needed to figure out that her teacher and her parents are all on the same page as far as rules. It helps that I hear any news almost instantly with texts from the teacher.

We had our first parent/teacher conference and Esther is getting almost straight D's! But D's are for "developing" so she's right where she's supposed to be. There were 3 C's which is for "concern" and they all have to do with cooperation. Not much of a surprise but she needs work interacting positively with others, respecting others' rights, feelings, and ideas, and resolving problems with peers appropriately. Basically her report card should read: "Does not play well with others." When I was Esther's age, mine said something like: "Very quiet, shy, doesn't interact with others." Gene's would have said: "Class clown, plays well with others, needs to focus on classwork."

Sharing has never been Esther's strong suit, she wants something and thinks she should have it, and have it NOW! Getting her to empathize with others is hard. Some of it might be due to the fact that she is an only child but a lot of it is her personality. Gotta love my spirited girl! She'll get it, it just might take awhile.

E did get an S for "strength" in developing large motor skills meaning she has great coordination, which we have seen. The teacher did say that some of the boys in class are a little confused by Esther; she looks like a girl, but plays like a boy, and has boy shoes.

And now for the photos:

Getting some Frankie love!

OK, that's enough.

Esther and her new tiny sandbox, complete with a volcano, dinos and fossils.

Resting.

Doing homework.

She might be getting the hang of it!

2011-09-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

No "thinking chair" yet this week. No texts from the teacher.
Monday Esther had a dental appointment. She is not particularly fond of the dentist. They have never hurt her but she assumes the worst. But good news to this former dental assistant, her hygiene is good and she's cavity free!

Here's some photos at the dentist, walking to the bus, and waiting for the bus. Frank fits nicely under Ollie.

Got to say I'm loving school.

2011-09-10T13:05:00.001-07:00

Having 3 & 1/2 hours a day to myself is awesome. I get Esther on the bus at noon with the dogs then we go for a 45 minute walk. After that I do what ever I want, which usually means cleaning, but do you now how easy cleaning is with out a 5 year old trying to help? I have to say it again...AWESOME!
Esther did great this week, though Friday she did spend some time in the "thinking chair", after which she was a little angel!

Today was a good day at school.

2011-09-06T20:22:00.001-07:00

Last week (yes the first week of school), I got two texts from E's teacher. Esther snatched a toy from a kid and ignored all attempts to work it out. Then she squeezed a girl's hand and wouldn't let go until the teacher intervened. Of course we had a discussion about sharing and listening. I told E this morning that if she wasn't kind and respectful today, I would drive her to and from school tomorrow. No fun bus ride.
I am happy to report that she did great today! I made sure to praise her good behavior a ton!
Her are some pics, one the teacher sent of Esther holding her classwork, & one of said classwork.

Testing to see if I can post from my new phone.

2011-09-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

We all survived the first day of kindergarten! (Oh, and we also got another dog.)

2011-08-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Once again I'm kicking myself for not updating the blog more often. So many pictures, so much going on.

Esther is in her second swim class, which is actually the beginner class again, because she refuses to put her head in the water. And I'm pretty sure she won't pass this one either. I asked the instructor what the record is for retaking this one over and over. He said we have a ways to go...the most he's had to "fail" a kid is five times. We may beat that record! Actually, Gene and I decided we're going to wait until E feels comfortable enough with putting her face in the water before we put her in another swim class.

Esther was so excited for school to start. We got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Menon, at the ice cream social on Monday. She seems very nice...but I would hope anyone who wants to teach kindergartners would be. With barely a goodbye, E hopped on the bus and was off. It was a bus just for the K class. I thought it was pretty cool that her principle was on it, too. We actually did drive to the school, where we planned to spy on her and make sure she got off intact, but since we made it there way before the bus, we decided to drop off Mrs. Menon's present and scram. She made it there and back safe and sound. She had a great time, which I knew she would.

Mrs. Menon uses "uh oh" notes if the kids have done something to warrant a note home, and I have a feeling we maybe getting a lot of these! Esther is very social and loves being the class clown which may get her into trouble. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

So we will start with photos of the new dog, because that's how they uploaded and I'm too lazy to rearrange them. Her name is Frank(or Frankie as I call her). Frank and Ollie are named after two old Disney animators, can you tell who named them?

Lots of dog rough-housing going on at our condo now.

Looks like Ollie is flying.

Sweet Frankie.

She has a soft, wrinkly face. The spot on her head Gene likes to refer to as her poo stain.

Love little E's hand on Frankie.

Finally a dog that gives kisses. Maybe a little too many kisses! Ha!

They look so innocent and mellow.

Ollie makes a good pillow for Esther while she's playing her DS.

Esther and her newest pup.

Uh oh, playtime has arrived.

Now it's time to rest.

She is ugly-cute!

Our "vicious" dogs. Look at those teeth.

Most of the time, they are pretty gentle with each other. Every once in a while you'll hear a yip and Frankie gets pretty vocal which can sound scary, but they always have a good time.

Little Miss E loves her legos.

And her new robot parts from Grandpa Neil and Grandma Suzi. She had her dad and I make her a robot family.

We scored on E's new Spiderman pjs.

OK, finally to the first day of school! I found this robot backpack on line.

Esther picked out this shirt. Love this pose!

Waiting for the bus.

First school bus ride all by herself! She was so excited!

Mom and Dad waiting for the bus at the end of the school day.

Guiping Sisters Reunited!

2011-07-26T22:54:00.000-07:00

When you share a life-changing event with a group of strangers, you bond instantly. The group of people we traveled with to China to pick up our kids were amazing people and we gelled so well. Would we still connect the same way and enjoy each other's company after four and a half years? I can happily report that the answer is a resounding "Yes"! These wonderful people will always be a part of our lives and that makes me feel extremely blessed. The only downside is that not all the families were able to make the reunion so we had to "make do" with five families. Hopefully next time we can all go on a Disney cruise together (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).

The girls got along famously. Our exuberant girl was running from the first second, and barely took time to rest. The Kansas heat didn't stop the girls from enjoying some great indoor fun. The P's were amazing hosts and let our girls make a "dam" mess in their basement. Literally they build a dam of toys down there. While the kids were occupied creating havoc and mayhem, the adults enjoyed some wonderful conversation and commiserating. Neila fed us like royalty each and every day and planned great excursions for all of us. I would go back to Kansas in a heartbeat, though unlike Esther I don't think I want to move there. I loves me some rain. Esther had it all planned out that we could pick up Ollie and move to Kansas because according to E, "Kansas is the perfect place."

Of course our girl loved watching all the airport activity.

Esther loved her "first" plane ride (at lease that she has memory of). We brought some new toys for the flight and she was busy the whole time.

Taking a much needed break, chilling in front of the TV. (Allie and E)

Daddy joining in on the break.

Allie, Lydia, and Esther playing tug-of-war with Gene's arm.

Losing seemed to be more fun than winning.

The W's: Jeremy, Stephanie, Meilyn and Noah (and Christy D. in the background)

Noah and Meilyn cooking up a feast.

Lydia and Yazi were best buds.

Dinnertime for the girls and Noah. Noah was a hit and hammed it up. Esther thought he was hilarious.

Lydia and Yazi held hands most of the time. So sweet.

Spencer was a fan favorite. Poor guy!

We had great fun at a kids craft exhibit called "Kaleidoscope". Esther could care less about the craft activities but loved the submarine that had lots of buttons which made fun noises. Isaac was captivated by her excitement.

E loved Allie from the get-go.

Meilyn (orange shirt, refusing to smile, Lydia (lite green shirt), Yazi (striped pink dress), Allie (in pink), and of course E

"Look at all that candy!"

Esther loved doing whatever Allie did.

Going over the sky bridge, Lydia would yell down to Esther and Allie to stay close.

L-R: Michelle, Yazi, Isaac (stroller) and Jeff G., Stephanie W.

Adorable Yazi

Sisters Lydia and Sydney

Esther became the photographer for a while. (Allie)

Spencer G. up close and personal. Esther loved tormenting him.

"Look what Mrs. D. gave me: a shark cookie!" How did she know? hee hee

Allie got the tiara cookie

I don't know what cookie Lydia got, but it must have been good!

Not a "red couch" photo but we made do. I love, love Yazi's funny face. (L-R: Meilyn, Lydia, Allie, Yazi and Esther)

All the kiddos. Front L-R: Sydney, Noah, Isaac and Spencer. Back L-R: Meilyn, Lydia, Allie, Yazi and E.

Spencer is a real gentleman and was great with all the girls.

Sweet Allie.

Neila P. taking a moment to say goodbye to Yazi.

Siblings Noah and Meilyn.

Fun at Science City. They had lots of cool hands-on exhibits that were right up Esther's alley.

Esther, Allie and Dan P.

Esther was a little disappointed that she couldn't get this helicopter off the ground, her Daddy, however, was not.

This illusion contraption really freaked Esther out. She wanted to figure out how it worked but wouldn't go near it.

Wind tunnell + scarves = brilliant. Here you can see E's signature excited jump.

It "cooled" off a bit (ha!) one night, so the kids got to play outside in the P's backyard.

More of our group: Sydney & Dean D., and Grandpa Charly

I was very impressed with Lydia's talents. She was a daredevil acrobat, a fearless swimmer, and a budding piano player.

Sweet Meilyn. Meilyn and Esther are very similar in their likes(tom boys) and once they warmed up to each other , they had a great time playing cars and teasing Noah.

Neila saying goodbye to Esther. I think Esther was telling her that she didn't want to go back to Washington.

Swimming with Meilyn and Noah.

Noah

Jeremy got away with tossing Esther up out of the water. Her face would get splashed and she would look a little panicked but always seemed to be willing for more. Now if her daddy or I had tried this, she would have thrown a fit!

Lydia, the little fish.

Noah looks a little unsure up there on his daddy's shoulders.

Meilyn made if very clear that she did not want her dad to throw her in the water.

Summer activities.

2011-06-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

I was ready for school to be over for the summer but now I'm trying to come up with stuff that keeps Esther busy. If I let her, she would spend all day playing on the computer, but since that isn't very healthy, I have to come up with alternatives. I have been really working with E on doing chores. She has a daily chore list consisting of 5 things: brush teeth, put away silverware, clean room, put away clothes, and take dirty clothes the washing machine. At first, putting stickers on her checklist was exciting for her, but that quickly wore off. Cleaning her room is her least favorite chore, and who would blame her. Boy, can that girl procrastinate. She will spend hours in her room supposedly cleaning up and when I check on her, she has managed to make an even bigger mess. She is not allowed to watch TV or play on the computer until she is done in hopes of motivating her, but like I said she is a great procrastinator. She has enough energy to play for hours but when it's time to pick up, she is "exhausted". However, I use this to my advantage...when I need some quiet time I tell her to clean her room and I don't see her for quite a while. I have been working with her on focusing on one area at a time, like putting way Legos. She still struggles with this. I'm hoping by the end of summer she will be more able to focus on tasks.

Some of our other activities for the summer are park dates with Esther's preschool friends. We usually meet once a week. Esther will also be starting swimming lessons tomorrow. This will be her first swim class. She loves being in the water but hates to get her face wet. We'll see how it goes.

After last year's tragic snail vs. cd player incident, I have been a little reticent about bringing anymore in the house. However, I decided to give Esther another chance to be a responsible "snail owner". We found three and she had great fun with them...until I found them in the bathroom sink in a small pool of soapy water. Apparently she was trying to clean them. They were all still alive and are now freely roaming outdoors again.

Fun at the zoo with the penguins.

Right now, Woodland Park Zoo has a cool exhibit with animatronic dinosaurs. Of course anything that combines dinosaurs and robots is right up E's alley.

Of course E had to climb on every statue. I love the look on these two boys faces.

We are now parents of a kindergartener!

2011-05-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

A month like this one makes me realize I should have blogged more, but I guess it will have to be one big post.

Esther is officially done with preschool and is so excited for kindergarten! Registering Esther for kindergarten, I put that E's first language was Cantonese (at least for the her first 10 1/2 months of life), but this created a red flag for ESL. ESL contacted me and wanted to evaluate her English. Ha ha! So I went back to the school and changed it to English as her first language. Live and learn!

Co-op preschool has been a wonderful experience for both of us, but I am glad summer is here. Esther will start swimming lessons soon, and possibly a gymnastics or sports class, too. At the end of July we will be headed to Kansas for a reunion with our fellow China travelers/adoptive families. We haven't seen each other in 4 1/2 years and it will be so great to see everybody again.

When we get home from that trip, we ~~will~~ might be getting a second dog. Huddle is excited for this, Gene not so much! Pretty funny since Gene is the one who wanted a dog in the first place. Who knew I would turn out to be a dog person.

Enjoying one of the few sun breaks we've had, at the dog park.

Our silly girl.

Tired, hot, happy dog.

My peeps!

Wow, her hair was long! Esther decided she was ready for short hair again, and wanted a boy haircut like her friend, Theo. We agreed on a bob.

Our two kids.

Up until recently, E didn't show much interest in writing her letters, but apparently she knew them all along. Typical Esther...doing things on her own time.

"Animating" like Daddy.

"A robot bus, with people on it."

E's preschool friend's little brother invited Esther to his party. The fire department delivered the cake and let the kids check out their truck! Esther was excited, to say the least.

Last field trip of the year was to the beach. It was a really low tide that day so we got to see lots of cool things. Esther's favorites were the dead crabs she found, which she carried around in the dog's Chuckit.

Showing off her find!

As preparation for kindergarten, the kids got to go on a real, live school bus. They had a safety class first, then a little ride around the block. On the bus Esther's reaction was, "This is SO cool!"

One classmate kept asking about why there were no seat belts. It obviously concerned him very much. He will make a conscientious law-abiding citizen one day.

Although most of her short life E has played almost exclusively with boys, just recently she has begun to join in with the girls. Here she is sitting by her favorite girlfriend, Maren. She had me help her write a letter to her, telling her that she loved her and wanted to have a play date at Maren's house sometime. She made sure I wrote that she would be very respectful of her toys, and maybe they could have a snack.

Teacher Kathy sitting in front of the quilt that our class created for her. I sewed it but each child contributed a drawn square and a special piece of fabric.

Last story time as a preschooler. Tear.

Each kid got a book about themselves, and a mini stuffed guinea pig (like the one they all got to take home during the year.) Esther was so pleased!

Although class is over, we will be having play dates all summer at different parks. Unfortunately,
E won't have any of her buddies attending kindergarten with her.

Interesting week....

2011-04-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

Gene's been gone all week in California for his job, so it was just me, Esther and Ollie. On Monday, I had to put our 15 year old cat down...by myself. He suddenly got sick (kidney disease) and within 3 days we knew it was time to say goodbye. He had been in our lives for 14 years and we miss him. He was a character who used up many of his 9 lives: once I had to give him the Heimlich when he was choking on some kibble, once he got caught upside down behind the water heater (thanks to his tail and my dad's strong arm we got him out), once he was attacked in his own home by a feral cat who got in through a screened window (picture cat fur and kitty poo everywhere), and just recently he got a huge abscess on his bum. Although he woke me up nightly by pawing at my hair, had awful breath, and would scratch incessantly at closed doors, he was still a great pet. He was cuddly and loving to everyone. RIP Sydney.
Esther doesn't quite understand the permanence of death yet and seems to be dealing with it ok. She'll probably miss most trying to stick him in the toilet and helping Ollie torment him.

Proudly showing off her robot creation.

Some of her best friends: Theo and Zachary, during a field trip to Seattle Tilth Garden.

Checking out some ladybugs.

Being her silly self.

Running around at the playground

Dying eggs for Easter

Tada, complete with cheesy grin.

I have a couple videos to post, but I'm having issues...stay tuned.

Here are the photos!

2011-04-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Poor Sydney, he had a big abscess on his bum, and it had to be lanced. This is the first time in 15 years that he's had to wear a cone. As you can see, Gene was very sympathetic to poor Sydney's plight.

Our little destroyer. Watch out world, if anything has a screw holding it together, it is fair game for Esther. We've had to put her tool box away when we are not supervising. I really do love that she needs to figure out how things work. She has a very scientific brain. We just have to try to reign her in sometimes.

The Prince lounging on his throne.

Ever since I made a little shark costume for the preschool's stuffed guinea pig, Esther has been begging for one of her own. She has this belief that I am magic with my sewing machine. I had to try to make her one. So with her Daddy's shark costume sketch in hand, I got to work. And "Sharky" was born. I used leftover fabric, thus the floral print, but overall I am pleased with my efforts, and best of all, so is Esther. She wears it daily and I even allowed her to wear it to school twice. (I was playing around with the fotoflexer because the background was bothering me, so I added the swirls. Hey, it looks a little like waves.)

"Retro"- Girl and her dog.

Esther's preschool has an auction every year. And this year our class had to come up with a project for the auction. I suggested a quilt that each kid could draw a block for. Ha, ha...guess who volunteered herself to make it. Yep, me. I figured I had to be an expert after tackling one quilt in my life, right? Actually it turned out really well and sold for $475!! Crazy!

Esther's square is on the lower right. It is the solar system. (I wrote the planet names for her.)

So I wanted to post some pictures before the end of the month,

2011-03-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

but I couldn't get my laptop to read the camera memory card. After struggling to make it work for a few minutes , I finally was able to figure out that Esther had stuck something into the computer slot. So I struggled for a few more minutes and was finally able to remove the offending object. It was a googly eye! I thought I solved the problem but alas I cannot upload any pictures. Must wait for my computer savvy husband to get home.
So you will have to use your imagination and picture some really cute photos of my mischievous girl.
Since you so kindly stopped by my blog, I will leave you with a funny Esther antidote: At 11:30 last night, Esther came out of her room and her daddy asked her what she was doing out of it. Esther said, "I am soooo hungry, I have nothing to eat..all I have to eat is my tears!" Ha!

Esther's first "real" birthday party.

2011-02-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Esther got to have her 5th birthday party at Creation Station with 14 of her friends. She was super excited to have her very own birthday party. She's been to quite a few this past year for her friends, but now it was her turn!

Esther and I made some simple cupcakes, and added robot toppers.

Getting ready to create!

Another special part of her day was having her Nana Carolyn, Nana Marilyn and Papa Jerry attend her party.

Yay! She blew out her candles! She was very excited to be sung to and to blow out her candles, although she was a little worried that the lit candles might explode.

Let them eat (cup)cake!

Of course the present opening was a highlight for E.

Grandpa Neil and Grandma Suzi came for a quick visit and brought Esther some tools and things she can take apart.

Right up her alley.

Guess Who's Five!?!

2011-02-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little girl is five already. Crazy! She had a great day yesterday at preschool. She got a birthday crown and stood up by Teacher Kathy while the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Man, I wouldn't have been able to do that. She is definitely not shy! I was snack person yesterday, so I brought some of Esther's favorite foods: mac 'n cheese, sausage, bananas, sweet potatoes, and graham crackers. Of course E was to busy to eat any of it. I finally had to go grab her from the "Post Office" to get her to sit down and eat. And then she got the cherished "Bed Head", preschool's resident stuffed guinea pig. She was so shocked when her name was called, she had to double check with me to make sure Teacher Kathy had really called her name. Very cute.

Esther's birthday party isn't until Friday. We are going to Creation Station where the kids get to create for an hour then they get cupcakes and ice cream. Esther is very excited about getting presents.

Snuggle time.

This is Nikola, we babysit her on Thursdays for a few hours. She loves Esther!

Sharing the chair.

My little scientist has to take things apart to see how they work. We even have a bin of stuff she can take apart in hopes of channeling her curiosity to things we allow her to destroy.

Happy New Year and oh, yeah, Merry Christmas!

2011-01-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

I realized I never posted any Christmas photos...oops. So here ya go:

Esther loves laying in Ollie's "egg" which is what she calls his bed. Ollie doesn't mind as long as he can sleep on her.

This year I made some melted snowman cookies, which turned out cute but pretty time consuming. I have to admit I didn't finish all of them.

Santa got an unfinished snowman cookie and a shot of milk.

This year Santa brought E "Stinky" the garbage truck. She added the googly eyes. She's been adding googly eyes to a lot of things these days: the TV, the fire place, the couch.

"What's back here?"

Cousin Chrissy and Nana Marilyn came for a visit and Esther was enthralled with Chrissy's makeup. E wasn't to keen on having it put on her face, but she was more than happy to put it on Chrissy.

Four years together as a family!

2010-12-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's already been four years and yet it feels like we've always been together. To celebrate, we finally got to go up the Space Needle. Every time Esther sees it, she wants to go to the top so we finally obliged. We had brunch at the restaurant while it slowly rotated. Esther kept trying to lean against the wall only to have it move on her.

Checking out the windy city. Esther said it looked just like a map.

I love this picture of Gene.

We headed back inside out of the wind when, what to our wondering eyes should appear, but Space Santa and his rocket ship. After getting a photo snapped with the Big Guy, we headed down to the gift shop. They had tons of robot stuff...and Esther got some of it. We had a good day.

'Tis the Season

2010-12-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

I thought this year might be the year we could actually stop worrying about our Christmas tree being knocked over and ornaments being shattered. Now that our cat is too old to care, and Esther is old enough to know better, I thought finally our tree would be able to have ornaments at the bottom and not look naked from the waist down. But alas...not with our one-year old pup around. Luckily, I realized my folly before we purchased a tree and before any ornaments were mauled. We opted for a little 3-foot tree that could sit on a table... & Esther was fine with finding an "Ollie-sized tree". Gene was overjoyed when "tying down the tree" this year meant opening up the trunk and throwing the little bugger in. I'm happy to report that no ornaments have been harmed as of this post...and the tree looks almost as pretty as a big tree would have.

This way, Esther can enjoy the tree and eat cereal at the same time. Win-win.

Here's the pup in question, enjoying the snow.

This month, Esther's preschool got to go to "Creation Station", which is an art/play/recycled materials studio. They have lots of crazy stuff the kids get to use to make whatever they can dream up (from tubing, foam pieces, medical supplies (non hazardous), old computer stuff, Cd's, wine labels, you-name-it).

Can you guess where we are planning to have E's fifth birthday party?

A random and cute picture.

Snow day!

2010-11-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

The snow has arrived! Today was my workday at preschool, so after dropping off our dog at doggie daycare, E and I headed to the store to purchase some snack food for the kiddos (my duty this week). Wouldn't ya know, right as I'm attempting to unlock the door with groceries in hand, they call to say that school's been canceled. Well, at least Esther and I have something to snack on. And five dog-free hours. Of course we had to go explore the great big "snow-globe", as Esther called it.

See, it really did snow.

Love the expression.

Just in case you weren't convinced yet...more proof.

Something about this picture I just love.

Yarn + dog + kid = bad idea. (And no that's not Ollie's backside.)

Mean Mom soon put a stop to the fun.

Esther had her first play date ever at our place. I know, I know, but since we live in a condo it has usually been easier to meet friends at parks and such. E did very well sharing her toys with Dahlia. And Dahlia even brought her real guinea pig over (dog in crate). E got a little too exuberant with trying to put it in small spaces (her Halloween candy bucket) so we had to put it up for a while. But all in all, it was a great experience for everyone involved (except maybe Ollie, who whined the whole time he was crated).

Enjoying a Dilly bar from Dairy Queen.

E wanted me to make black play dough and somehow I pulled it off.
Notice Esther's tattoos? She wanted to be just like her Daddy.

The Terrible Twosome actually holding still!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! Two posts in a month, what is this world coming to?

(Alert: I'm using Google Chrome instead of Explorer to do this post and it is being really wonky. I'm frustrated but ~~swearing~~ mumbling at the computer doesn't seem to be helping, so enjoy.)

This is Esther version of carving a pumpkin. Kind of punk rock, don't ya think?

And now for the surgery. She wanted her Daddy to make a doctor's mask.

One of only a few quiet moments with cousin Chrissy and Nana's dog Honey.

This was more like it. Ollie so wanted to sniff and play with Honey, but she didn't want anything to do with him.

My little helper, assisting with the blueberry muffins.

Preschool is doing a fun thing by letting each kid take home the stuffed guinea pig, Bedhead, for a night. The next day, the child gets to share what they did together. Esther was so excited to get her turn and she did a great job of keeping him away from the dog. The only problem was having to give him back the next day...poor little thing cried and cried. Ah, the joys of learning to share.

Not being a fan of anything other than t-shirts and jeans, Esther had to be convinced(read bribed) to wear this super cute shirt from Aunt Heidi. I wanted to her to wear it before it got too small. To mark the momentous occasion, I snapped this pic. Nice face she's giving me. She did however wear the shirt to preschool, so yay for me.

And now for the Halloween Costume! Esther has been asking "how many the days 'til Halloween" for two months now. We had to count on the calender pretty much every other day. So you can imagine how happy I was when the stinking holiday finally arrived. First was the costume parade at school. I did send a change of clothes for her to wear outside but apparently she thought this was a crazy idea.

So Thomas the Tank Engine dug and moved dirt to his(her) heart's content. Surprisingly, the costume remained pristine.

Again this year we ventured to the Country Village in Bothell for trick-or-treating. Most of the shops handed out candy.

Decisions, decisions.

We ran into one of E's preschool buddies & her sister and they set off together.

And of course the kids had to compare their haul.

This is the best shot of her costume...Thomas' face is a little "plewy" (as E would say).

On the car ride home she dove into her loot. Hopefully, she'll sleep well after the sugar rush has worn off.

September happenings

2010-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

My little clown wanted me to take a picture of her hiding behind my purse.

For Halloween Esther is going to be Thomas the Tank Engine...but we found this Transformer costume at the thrift shop. She has been wearing it everyday for a week, that includes nighttime.

Pre school had an ice cream social and Esther worked very hard on decorating her little bucket.

Having fun on the merry-go-round.

With one of her best friends, Theo. It was all fun and games until she had a complete meltdown about a "stolen" toy. Yes, E still needs her nap.

On Thursdays, I'm watching a little 7 month old baby. Esther kept bringing her toys for Nikola to play with. But soon lost interest as the baby wasn't as entertaining as she had hoped. I asked her later if she had fun with Nikola, she said "No, she was boring."

Hanging with Ollie.

Esther attended a cat themed birthday party this weekend.

She didn't opt for the face painting but did go for the ears.

Lounging with the gang.

I know, I know...

2010-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I posted anything. I'll try to do better. Really I will.

So summer is over and preschool started again. Esther is now in pre-k (wow, one more year 'til kindergarten). This year her class doesn't start until 12 noon (yay!), so she and I are much more awake and less grumpy.

This summer we spent time at the dog park everyday. Pretty sure it will continue this fall and winter. Really it's selfish on my part, Ollie and Esther get tired out, and Mommy gets serenity at home. Ollie loves the dog park. He loves all dogs...though he doesn't always know how to play with the little ones. E has two new girlfriends(3 1/2 and 5 1/2 yrs old) who come along with their mom and dog, Lola. Lola and Ollie are best friends. They are very cute to watch. I really get along with the mom, too, so it's a win-win-win situation.

Here's E's Lego interpretation of Ollie.

Ollie really puts up with a lot. Good thing we don't have a tiny dog.

What a good boy!

Fun at the Clallam County Fair. Don't we look so excited?

Looking older than her years. (Wearing her snake as a scarf.)

Wow, she grew!

After all the noise and craziness of the carnival rides, it was very nice to take a little break. E loves pony rides. Reminds me of Cousin Halie.

We found out that E doesn't like up and down rides. She doesn't like the feeling in her stomach, but she sure likes the cars.

No, it's not panic. Just pure joy.

Esther won a goldfish at the fair, but it died on the ride home. It may have got a little man-handled by someone. So we bought her a Betta, that she named Fishy.

Sydney liked him, too. On a sad note, Fishy got sick...not sure why and he died. And no it wasn't due to the cat or Esther. We will probably get another one sometime.

First day of preschool. E was very excited to see Teacher Kathy again, though it's hard to tell from her stoic expression.

Esther was so happy to be back she bounced around from activity to activity. She had to do everything and super fast.

Summer fun.

2010-08-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Esther is in love with the Space Needle, ever since her daddy showed her a picture of it. She thinks it's a giant robot. Gene's new job is just blocks away, so we decided to pretend we were tourists for a few hours.

The Space Needle took a back seat as soon as E saw the carnival rides.

The two cuties waiting for Daddy to get home.

"Is that him?"

We had some great visits with family this weekend. First was Nana and cousins Sierra and Nikkie. They watched E while Gene and I went out on the town for our anniversary. Then was cousin Bela for a night. The weather cooperated so the kids were able to swim.

Bathing beauties.

Esther learned that if she splashes her cousin, he will most likely splash her back.

Which sometimes she liked...and sometimes she didn't.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

We've been enjoying our liquid summer, but if and when the sun breaks through, we try to take advantage of it. Going to the beach, to the dog park, to preschool play dates, and swimming (well, at least we will do more swimming now that the heater in the pool has been fixed).
I love the Pacific Northwest for all it's great lakes and beaches. Esther loves the ocean beach because she can find crab shells.

Ollie likes the beach, too. He'd like it better if he could go off-leash.

Trying to hide from Dad and the camera, but not succeeding very well.

We attended a family reunion a couple weekends ago, and E had a blast. All her cousins are 12 and over and really seemed to love having her tag along. I think she thought she was as old as they were. Ollie is very protective of Esther, and would check in with her periodically.

The cousins, minus Chrissy. (L-R: Mandy, John, Sierra, Nikkie, Robby, Johnny, E, and Tommy.)

Our cheap version of a robot.

Esther's newest favorite "toy"...a snail.

2010-06-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

At the dollar store we found a little bug box for E to "save" any creatures she finds. The first resident was a snail. She loved to take him out and let him roam around. Yuck, snail slime.

His name was Snaily. I say "was" because he met with an unfortunate cd player accident. Think putting in a disk and shutting the lid.

Ollie had to check him out, before his demise. (In the back-ground, notice our patio door. It makes an awesome chalkboard.)

OK, time to wash your hands.

I am in the process of painting our living room/dining room, which with a four year old and a puppy is taking a long time. Esther had a field day with the painter's tape. Here's her robot creation.

E is like Mommy, not a morning person. Here she's taking her time to embrace the morning and Ollie's enjoying the calm.

Snaily got to ride Esther's firetruck. He even climbed the ladder.

E has really been cranking out the artwork. The artiste, with marker moustache.

Preschool is over for the summer, but one of the last day of school the kids got to go to the beach. Esther enjoyed finding lots of dead or dying crabs.

She was having to work on sharing some of her finds. She did pretty well, but it wasn't easy for her. Still working on the sharing concept.

Every time a train passed by the beach, the kids would run to watch it. I think E is shouting "train".

Esther helped set the table and was so proud of herself that she wanted Mommy to take a picture. OK, so I may have created a monster with capturing every single event on film.

Last day send off with Teacher Kathy.

Ollie also finished puppy class. He wasn't too keen on wearing the graduation hat, though.

But Esther was!

Our budding artist

2010-05-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Esther hasn't really been into drawing lately. I think it's because she is such a perfection-ist that when what she sees in her mind doesn't make it to the page, it frustrates her. But this morning was different. It was neat to see her creations.

This is Daddy...with his standard smirk (hee hee).

This is Mommy. I think I'm looking a little tired and have a bad case of bed hair.

The letter E.

A car.

This is Esther's first attempt at writing her name. She got the E, P (for R), H, and t.

Chilling with the dog.

May flowers from Esther to me.

My little helper. She loves mopping the floor.

Our mantle. Apparent-ly E thought it needed something more.

Fun by the lake. So much for trying to keep her feet dry; boots don't help much when you wade out deeper than the boots are high.

Jumping for joy.

A girl and her dog.

Fireman Esther to the rescue!

2010-04-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite people! E is wearing her daddy's scooter gloves.

Esther finally got a big girl bed. Her crib converted to a toddler bed but after four years it was time to retire it. E picked out her new bed. One of Esther's biggest requirements was that she could jump on it. There was a bed that she liked with a canopy but she soon figured out that jumping in it wasn't an option. Another one was a small bunk bed but alas it had the same problem. So she picked out this light blue daybed. And boy is it fun to jump on.

Wednesday, the preschool went on a field trip to a fire station (specifically for kids). Of course it was a big hit.

Esther's technique for going down the pole was to keep one foot on the ledge.

The perspective in this photo makes Esther look teeny tiny. But she was sitting in the passenger seat because the driver's seat was out for reupholstering. Apparently I picked out the perfect shirt for this outing, a fire breathing dinosaur. (Who knew dinosaurs breathed fire?)

A fire breathing dragon at the firehouse? Is that really a good idea? "Roar!"

Fireman Esther keeping you safe. I think her polka dot boots add a little flair to the outfit.

Happy Easter, One and All!

2010-04-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hope your Easter Sunday was a ball. (Can you tell we've been reading lots of Dr. Seuss lately?)

At Esther's preschool, I'm part of the Dramatic Play Committee, which means I help set up a room for the kids to play in. So far I've helped with the Grocery Store and the Construction Site. Outside of our condo, someone was getting a new dryer so Gene managed to procure a huge box which we turned into a building. Esther played in it until we had to take it to school.

Yep, she loves dinosaurs. Luckily, thrift shops have lots of them.

Ollie was less than thrilled with St. Patrick's Day. He didn't wear this hat for very long. Esther loves to torment the puppy with stuff like this. But don't worry, the cat gets it to. The other day she informed me she had put Sydney in the toilet and sure enough his foot was soaking wet. Somehow she managed to escape getting any scratches.

Esther picked out this nail polish for Mommy and Esther to wear.

Trying to fit into her R2D2 robot trash bin.

Aww! Can you feel the love.

Our little daredevil on the deck.

She picked this daffodil from the flower bed in front of the condo office. Oops. Oh well.

Fun with another box. Sometimes I wonder as a parent why we bother with any other toys. Boxes are the best.

Ollie had to make sure Esther was decorating the eggs the right way.

The video below is of E painting eggs. Enjoy.

Esther's at preschool...

2010-03-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

...so I decided to use my time to update the blog. Probably should be doing something more productive, like cleaning the house, but that'll keep, right?

I "knew" having a puppy would be challenging, but until we got one I didn't really know just how much. Actually Ollie by himself is easy, it's when Esther, Ollie and our cat, Sydney, all start up at once that I want to pull my hair out. Sometimes I have to put one or all of them in a time out, just so I can think. And sometimes Mommy needs a time out to calm down. Since getting Ollie, Esther has become more mischievous. She locked me out of the condo yesterday morning when I took Ollie to go potty, and wouldn't unlock it. Gene was asleep and didn't hear me banging on the door. While I was locked out, Esther put about 6 pieces of Trident bubble gum in her mouth. A few afternoons ago, she cracked about 7 eggs onto her throw rug in her bedroom and while I was trying to clean it up, she decided it would be fun to hit the dog.

Also since getting Ollie, Esther has become unafraid of the cat. She will now pick up Sydney and show him to the dog. Sydney will hiss and bat frantically at the dog who thinks it's a fun game. I'm finding I'm pretty content with only one child at this point.
Some quiet play with Daddy. Ahh!

Getting some energy out.

"Ollie, would you like to eat this stick?"

The dog trying to sleep in the cat bed.

Ollie makes a nice pillow.

Helping Mom with the dishes. I'm taking advantage while she still wants to help.

Auntie Heidi came for a short but nice visit. She is living in Alaska and hasn't seen Esther in two years. E sure has changed since then.

Resting after driving Mommy crazy.

"Is it OK if I eat your shoe?"

"Gee your hair smells terrific!" Did you notice the collar around E's neck? She loves wearing it and kept taking it off Ollie. Ollie needed a bigger collar and we decided we would get E her own tag with her name on it. Is that weird? The nice couple at the store thought it was pretty amusing.

Cheeseball.

Look who's...

2010-02-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

FOUR!! Happy Birthday, sweet Esther! She got to pick out a new toy at Snap-doodle Toys so she picked a "dactyl".

And now to introduce our newest family member: Ollie! He is a 3 month old boxer/ dober-man/ terrier/ hound? mix. He is a big boy, and so sweet. Gene has waited 15 years to get a dog (patient isn't he?).

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Look at that face.

Our cat, Sydney, isn't very sure about Ollie yet. He usually hisses at him and sometimes charges towards him. Ollie so wants to play with Sydney.

Using Ollie's crate as a hideout.

Getting Ollie used to taking walks.

Playing with Ollie using the cat's toy. I don't think Sydney was pleased.

Teacher Kathy had a teddy bear picnic at her house for class one day last week. The kids had a blast. There was lots to do with the doll house being a favorite.

Eating her birthday cake from Nana Marilyn.

A new dinosaur from Nana and Papa Blakefield.

Chillin' in the dog bed. Notice E's toys strewn around... she likes to bring Ollie her toys to "play" with. She doesn't quite understand that he will chew them to pieces.

Wow, the puppy looks huge in this picture!

Here's hoping the rest of the year gets much better.

2010-01-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that this year hasn't started out as well as I would have hoped. Gene's still in-between games at work. For months now, we've waited ever so patiently for good news on this front. Then we had to make the decision to put our cat, Audrey, to sleep, after a couple months illness. And to top it all off, Esther has been sick all week, coughing tons and waking herself up at night.
So like I said, here's hoping the rest of the year improves.
Little Audrey was almost 13 years old and although her person-ality was pretty meek and mild, she was a sweet cat. Poor darling was throwing up several times daily, losing weight and not eating. The vet found she was hyperthyroid, had a high white cell count, and roundworms. She prescribed two pills, one for the thyroid and a steroid to make her eat. Two pills twice a day...yeah, cats LOVE pills. She started eating a lot but wouldn't keep it down for long. She wasn't getting any better. She seemed to be in agony and we couldn't watch her suffer anymore. Did we do the right thing, should we have waited longer? These are questions I'm struggling with. But I know this is the price we must pay for having pets in our lives. I was there with her to the end and am glad about that. So, adieu sweet Audrey.

How do you explain to an almost 4 year old why our cat didn't come back from the vet? Well, with honesty and brevity. We told her Audrey died, plain and simple. She was old and her body was giving out. We didn't want to say we put her to sleep, because we didn't want Esther to be afraid of sleeping. We didn't want to say she was sick and it was her time, because Esther is sick right now and might think her time was next. So far Esther doesn't seem to fazed by it, so that's good. In fact she enjoyed playing in the cat carrier for a few days.

On a positive note, our family is happy and mostly healthy. Our girl is silly and funny and such a joy.

"Helping" mom clean out the fridge.

Avoiding eating.

I haven't taken this many pictures in forever!

2009-12-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

Our "quiet" holiday break has been very busy. Lots of family visits. Lots of presents for Esther.

Patiently waiting for the Christmas cookies to bake.

E helped me decorate by generously shaking the sprinkles on. More of the sprinkles ended up in her mouth than on the cookies, I think.

Daddy and Esther waiting for our friend, Karin, to show up to her surprise birthday party. Esther did great even though it was past her bedtime.

Karin's "Stumpy" characters were part of the theme. These cute masks concealed our identities for the surprise.

Having fun with Daddy.

Sharing is something E is still trying to learn. Here she's deciding which of her game systems her 2nd cousin, Dewey, can play with. It was a hard decision and one she kept changing her mind about. Dewey is very patient.

Nana Marilyn made Esther a cute coat for Christmas. She added robot patches on each arm to make it extra special. Our little angel promptly exclaimed that she didn't like it. Nice...and embarrassing! Sorry Nana, if it's any consolation, I think it's pretty darn cute.

She has since warmed up to the coat, and really likes the robots.

We got to see our nephew, Bela, for the first time since he moved to Alaska 2 years ago, while he was visiting his dad in Bellingham. So we went bowling...and Esther loved it. Of course the bumpers helped (all of us).

The two cousins.

On the way home from B'ham, Nana Carolyn and Esther had a good time, laughing and carrying on.

A few days later we got to see our niece, Halie, who has been up in Alaska with her mom, too.

Esther trying her hand at driving. Uh oh, looks like she's driving through the forest.

Joy! Bring on the presents!

She got a lot of robots this year. First robot Plex (from Mommy and Daddy).

Next, Wall-e (from Nana C).

Hanging out under the tree.

Hey, there's a robot dump truck, that talks and dances (from Santa).

She also scored big on the dinosaur front (not pictured) as well. She got two robotic dinosaurs from her aunt and uncle. And some little dinosaur figurines. All in all, Esther made out like a bandit.

The Blakefield's Annual Christmas Quiz

2009-12-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's time again to test your knowledge of our family.

1. Huddle decided to do this quiz on the blog because:
a) she's feeling lazy.
b) she's wants to do her part to help the environment by not using paper (although she did send out Christmas cards...hmmm).
c) she hopes to get more traffic on our blog.
d) all of the above.

2. Gene worked on a video game that is now out in stores. It is called:
a) Pretty Kitty and Her Fancy Outfits.
b) Zephyr: Rise of the Elementals.
c) Tornado Outbreak.
d) Tornado Alley.

3. Esther's favorite things are:
a) baby dolls, dresses, and unicorns.
b) dinosaurs, robots, and trains.
c) spiders, bees, and snakes.
d) vegetables, loud noises, and brushing her teeth.

4. This year, we:
a) sold all our possessions and traveled like gypsies.
b) bought a house.
c) got a puppy.
d) refinanced our condo.

5. Esther loves preschool.
True or False

6. Huddle is reading a book called:
a) "Raising Your Spirited Child"
b) "Raising Your Shy, Quiet Child"
c) "Plumbing for Dummies"
d) "Way to Go! You're Financially Secure!"
e) none of the above

7. Gene still longs for:
a) a puppy.
b) a VW GTI (he still mourns his previous one).
c) any new hi-tech gadget he can get.
d) none of the above, he is completely content.
e) a, b, & c

8. Huddle longs for:
a) seven more children.
b) financial security.
c) a house.
d) a Twitter account.
e) b & c.

9. This Dec. 18th will mark:
a) our 20th anniversary.
b) four years since Huddle stopped chewing gum.
c) three years with Esther.

10. We hope our family and friends have a wonderful holiday season and a fantastic new year.
True or False

Now for some pictures:
We went searching for a Christmas tree on a beautiful, crisp, sunny day, where Esther and I got to take a little train ride.

Ah, the perfect tree.

Yummy, candy canes!

Esther, the egg.

Another birthday for a preschool buddy, this time the kids got to go on pony rides.

I didn't think Esther would be very keen on riding, but apparently we have a cowgirl on our hands. She rode three separate times, and would have gone more if she had the chance.

Yes, the pony is wearing a princess outfit.

This picture makes it look like she's holding a dagger, but with an innocent expression.

answers:

1. d)

2. c) but it's kinda a trick questions since the game was called b) & c) at one time

3. b)

4. d)

5. True

6. a)

7. e)

8. e)

9. c)

10. True

More Witness Protection Photos

2009-12-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

My desire to blog has diminished...but don't worry, faithful readers, I'm still committed to keeping it up (every few weeks or so).
Over the last couple of weeks, we went on a preschool outing to the Zoomazium at Woodland Park Zoo, attended a birthday party, and enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving.
The Zoomazium is pretty cool. They have a great play structure for the kids to get out some energy, lots of cool things to look at and a great program with live animals. When we were there, they brought out an armadillo and the kids were allowed to pet it.

I think this was the first time I've ever seen a real armadillo. They have hair under their shells that looks like an old man's beard.

Esther decided bouncy house birthdays are fun!

Of course, our little darling loved the birthday cake with the truck on top. So much so she managed to remove it from said cake at one point. (Sigh.)

Blue frosting sticks around for a while. Not to gross anyone out, but we had a nice bathroom surprise a few days later. (OK probably too much info.)

Above all the action.

Modeling her pea coat and umbrella. The only way she would let me put this coat on her was if she could bring her umbrella with her. To say she is picky about what she'll wear is an understatement. Anything with robots adorning it is acceptable to E. Pretty much anything else is iffy.

She loves her trains. If anyone needed to be told, our daughter is a tom boy. Dinosaurs, robots and trains all the way!

Relaxing in her usual way after helping Daddy start a fire.

Two videos for Nana

2009-11-17T21:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know Halloween is over, but here Esther's version of "carving" a pumpkin.

And the finished project... with a little help from mom. Her dad hates carving pumpkins(something to do with the slimy guts. )

Esther new favorite pastime: playing games on the computer.

Trick-or-treating. In a crowd, the safest place to be is on her Daddy's shoulders (& I wish I could join her.)

Checking out the ducks.

Waiting for the "train" and eating her candy cache.

Loving the puddles.

Making a "waterfall."

October happenings...

2009-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. Sorry, Nana Marilyn, no video this time. Maybe next time?
Preschool has been a huge learning experience for Esther and I. I've always known E was very spirited but it has been confirmed through her interactions in preschool. It's not a bad thing, just challenging. During circle time, E just can not sit still, which is fine as long as she's not disrupting the class. We have found that if Esther has a quiet toy to look at she can be fairly calm. Because she notices everything, she can play with the toy and listen to the teacher at the same time. I guess she'll make a great multi-tasker. Teacher Kathy and the other parents are very supportive and are open to figuring out what works with her. I have come to realize that Esther needs her space and can feel overwhelmed with too much noise and activity. Sometimes the best way to help her is take her out of the crowd and let her regroup. (Sounds a lot like me.) My goal this coming year is to learn the most effective way to parent Esther, sometimes this feels like a daunting task but well worth it.
Gene's been home from work this month, so he's got to come along when I drop her off and pick her up from school, and joined us on the Pumpkin Patch outing. Esther loves having her Daddy around.

Digging for worms.

Petting a hen.

Sharing the tire with a friend.

She was trying to figure out where the eggs were, luckily they were hidden.

Searching for the perfect pumpkin. Each kid got to take one home. Although they were all pretty small, Esther managed to find the smallest one, and that's the one she wanted.

The pumpkin patch had lots of perfect puddles for jumpin' in.

The aftermath.

Rubber boots don't help much in times of exuberant jumping. E's boots were full of muddy water.

The Halloween costume parade. Checking out all the cool outfits.

Esther's turn to show off her costume and of course she moved so fast, she was a blur. I think out of 21 kids, 1 knew who she was supposed to be. Apparently not many parents let there kids watch Yo Gabba Gabba.

Here's a great example of Esther during circle time.

Wow, it's 8 o'clock...

2009-10-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

and Esther's already asleep. This usually means she will wake up at 12ish and want to play. Hopefully she will sleep all night.
Preview of E's Halloween costume. Plex, the robot from Yo Gabba Gabba.

She wants to wear it everyday, hopefully it will hold up until Halloween.

"Look, Mom, the robots are talking to each other."

Colorful bath art.

My sweet darling plunked my cellphone into my glass of water which meant I had to go buy a new one. This was the sign awaiting us. I got insurance on my phone this time just in case Esther decides the new one needs a bath.

Two weeks of school under our belts...

2009-09-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

and Esther seems to love it. I wasn't sure if she would want me to leave the first day of the regular schedule, but when I checked with her about me leaving, she kissed me and got right into playing. I walked to my car feeling a little sad...hoping that she would have wanted me to stay just a tiny bit. But I've quickly gotten used to my free two and a half hours twice a week. Wow, I can actually go thrift shopping again!! It's much easier without my sidekick and I don't have to spend any time in the toy section. I have to admit I'm enjoying myself. And she takes long naps after preschool because she so worn out (hooray!).
On Thursdays, I am there at the school with 6 other parents. I've really been enjoying this time as well. The kids are hilarious and it's been nice getting to know the other parents. Teacher Kathy is awesome and so great with all the kids. Come to find out she has two adopted daughters from China that are just starting college.
After school treat from McDonald's. Happy Meal box as hat.

E decided she wanted to wear her Yoda costume from a few years back. I wanted to get a picture of her holding her drawing she did at school and for some reason she put on a sad face. (Maybe she's fed up with me taking pictures?)

She wanted to check out her ears in the mirror and gave the sad face again.

I asked her to do a happy face.

...then a mad face.

Last weekend the preschool had an ice cream social. And they had "smarshsmellows" for on top! (I know the picture doesn't go with what I just typed but I like the picture...so there.)

Esther's favorite thing was getting to use the apple slicer/corer/peeler again...and again...and again. Teacher Kathy was very patient with her and let her have lots of turns. All the apples E (and the other kids) cut were put in the apple cider press. Yum!

So glad the preschool has lots of extra clothes, cuz Esther got drenched with water at one point. Ask Gene.

Again with the Yoda hat. This is a new favorite item (along with the train tracks I found on one of my thrift shop expeditions).

First day of preschool!!

2009-09-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Esther fell asleep last night at 9:15 pm (which is huge!) mainly due to the fact that E is transitioning out of naps (weep). But I had to wake her up this morning at 8 am to get ready for preschool and she wasn't happy with me. Luckily Daddy was there to save the day and used his expert distraction techniques to get her up and dressed. The rest of the morning went very smoothly and Mommy's adjusting just fine. Here's her first day of preschool outfit. She picked her shirt...I wanted her to wear a pink one but she would have none of it.
For snack today, Esther got to use an apple peeler that cut the apple into a spiral. She thought that was pretty cool, and got to turn the crank all by herself.

How cool is getting to haul around dirt in a wheel barrow? E thought it was very exciting.

I love the fact that the preschool has an old merry-go-round (that can send kids flying off the edges). I loved those when I was a kid. Of course, it never got going very fast.

Making mud on top of the "mountain".

The other night, before bed, Esther wanted to wear her pink pajamas. But she doesn't have any pink ones, so we didn't know what she was talking about. She was very insistent and finally she showed us this outfit in her closet. These Chinese PJ's were given to E by a friend of her Nana M's when we first got back from China and now they fit! I love that she wanted to wear them. On a side note, I have been showing Esther some of the things we bought in China and now when Esther plays she'll hands us things and says, "Here you go, I got this for you in China."

I asked her to smile for the camera and this is what I got.

Photo by E.

Summer is winding down.

2009-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics just came to an end and we've had some good visits with family. Now we are preparing for preschool, well maybe not "we" but me. School starts for Esther on the 10th of Sept. Since it's a co-op I'll be there on Thursdays, but that leaves me two mornings a week free. What am I going to do with myself?
E is still in love with robots.

Flying nun?

E enjoyed mixing the salad at Nana's with the help of Aunt Tammy.

Still mixing with super-vision from Cousin Chrissy. The salad was very well mixed by the time Esther was done.

All that mixing was tiring. E fell asleep as soon as we left Nana and Papa's.

Today was the last day of gym class. We would love to continue it for fall but now our money has to go toward preschool tuition. Hopefully we'll be able to swing it for winter.

Esther was pretending to be a dinosaur and "roaring" at her classmate from underneath the bars. I guess it was to motivate the little girl to stay up on top.

Somersault on the balance beam. E was pretty scared but she was very brave.

Tada!!

Back by popular demand...

2009-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

...OK, "popular" demand may be a little strong. (Here's a new post for you, Grandma Suzi. By the way, Gene accidentally took your little screwdriver home with us.)
Esther and her train on it's train tracks.

Cheesy pose.

Hiding in Grandpa and Grandma Morris' linen closet.

We had a good visit with my former teacher Doug and his partner Nancy. It was really good to see them and have them meet Esther.

Yep, that's her hand.

"Framed" E and her silly daddy putting together a new lamp. She loves to help build things.

103 degrees...in Seattle?!?

2009-07-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

Ugh...we're trying to stay cool but we haven't been too successful. Esther loves to be naked so this weather gives her a good excuse. I'll try to refrain from making this whole post about how much I do not like heat. But before I do...today, I decided I had better tackle the growing mountain of dishes that I have avoided doing as long as I could, hoping it would cool down. But having no dishes in the cupboards warranted my sacrifice. So I pointed the most powerful fan we have directly on myself and got to work. Feeling satisfied and extremely sweaty, I was excited at the prospect of lounging in front of said fan and cooling off. That's when the power went out. No fan or any breeze to be had. I felt like shouting, "Serenity now!" but Esther wouldn't have gotten my reference. I figure Kenmore must have blown a transformer trying to stay cool with all its fans and air conditioners. After two hours the power came back on and it is cooling off.
OK, I'm done complaining (but you can probably hear the grumbling going on inside my head!). I am thankful that our condo is a ground floor unit that doesn't get much direct sunlight. I am also grateful to be out of the convection oven of an apartment we used to live in, that had skylights and lots of direct sun. I am beyond thrilled that our complex has a pool (see photos below).

On a not so small side note, yesterday Gene and I celebrated our 15 year anniver-sary! Go us! It's so fun to be married to my best friend. God has definitely blessed me with a wonderful husband, and Esther with a crazy-good father.

Not sure if this swimsuit actually helps E but it's cute with the added air.

"Swim-ming" with Dad

As you can probably tell, the top of her head is not wet. She is not very fond of water covering her face. She did seem to want to try dunking her head, but after I tried it on her once, she was over it.

She loved the safety of the pool steps.

I love lavender!

2009-07-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

You'll have to trust me that Esther and I were in Sequim this past weekend for the Lavender Festival. Apparently I've forgotten how to take pictures. No pictures of lavender in all it's purply splendor, no photos of grandparents lavishly spoiling their granddaughter. I got a few of E enjoying the morning sunshine in Nana C's back yard, but alas, that's it.
Here's Esther snoozing on her Wall-E blanket (at home).
We got to spend the afternoon with one of my dearest friends, Kristina. E of course had to be the center of attention.

Catching a clothespin "butterfly"

Yep, running around the backyard in her underwear.

I love our condo, but I wish we had some outdoor space for E to run around in.

I was tired of looking at the two-week old post...

2009-07-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

...so I'm finally getting around to updating our blog.
Hey, it's Johnny Appleseed.

Future tattoo artist? This is Esther's first "real" drawing! All others so far have been squiggles, lines or dots. It's hard to see but it is a little person with a smiley face.

And look at this guy from her bath the other night. Pretty cute if you ask me. I love the feet and the slightly confused expression.

Giving him really long arms.

Poor Sydney. Still being used as a pillow.

Making her "robot" with Cookie Monster and Grover parts.

Kids and Animals

2009-06-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Esther's sleep pattern has returned to normal (which this mom greatly appreciates) and the flea problem has abated (for now). I've never vacuumed so much in my life, which I guess isn't a bad thing.
Last Tuesday was the end of E's spring quarter in gymnastics and they put on a little show. At the very end of this post is a video. I tried to keep it as short as I could (but if any die hard recital enthusiast would like to watch the whole hour, all you have to do is ask). I didn't know how Esther would handle all the people watching her, but it didn't faze her at all, unless to make her more precocious.

She was very excited to get a medal after the show.

Gene's work load has finally eased off and he had this Tuesday off, so we headed to the zoo. By far our favorite exhibit was the penguins! Well worth the visit.

(E is in the purple hat.)

You'll have to watch the second video to see Esther and a gorilla inter-acting. This little one is a little more tame.

Soaking up some sun.

And of course we had to ride the carousel.

ABC's and 123's

2009-06-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

This past week has been a tough one. Apparently Esther is trying to make me a morning person by waking up at 5:30am the last 4 of 5 days (actually one morning it was 4:30). Some of those mornings I was able to convince her it was way too early and she would go back to sleep. But it didn't work on the other days...and mommy was not a happy camper. I love sleep...understatement. I don't do well without it, so you can imagine the fun E and I have had the last few days. My patience is pretty worn, but I'm hanging in there. The one day E slept in until 9am, I woke up at 7:30 and couldn't go back to sleep...ugh!! To top it off, Gene has been super busy with work because they're finishing up their game. So I'm on my own. I admire all the single parents out there. I've only had a taste of it, and only have to handle it for about one more week, but I'm feeling the pain.
And then to add insult to injury, our cats have fleas!! Which would be annoying all by itself, but they love, love, love Esther's tasty skin. Poor darling has bites all over her that itch like crazy. I've been doing everything I can think of: vacuuming frequently, flea-combing the cats, washing bedding, using Frontline on the kitties, putting flea powder under the couch. It feels like a never-ending battle. I've heard that fleas don't like lavender, so next time I'm in Sequim I think I'll buy a bushel and spread it around the house. I've also heard that if you steep lemons overnight, it works good as a body wash to keep fleas away. I haven't tried this yet, but will give a go soon. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to any and all at this point.
Esther was being all cute with Sydney, covering him with her blankie. I thought "How sweet", until I realized she was sitting on him and he couldn't escape!

Pretending to be a sleepy cat.

She doesn't look too happy about the ponytails.

However, I think she was just concentrating on making a mess in the bathroom while I played with her hair.

She said Plex was going to outer space, thus the helmet.

Supervised egg cracking

2009-05-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

On a walk along the Burke-Gilman trail recently, Esther and I were accompanied by a 4-year boy and his mother. Along the entire walk to the playground, this little guy made sure that I knew that Esther needed a tricycle. He even asked me when I was planning to buy it. Well, if that little boy reads this blog (ha!), he'll be happy to know that Gene and I took his suggestion. What a little salesman!!
Modeling her new helmet, elbow and knee pads. (It's a very "broken down" couture pose as they would say on "America's Next Top Model". Ahem, not that I watch that or anything.)

The new trike complete with parent steering.

After the "Great Egg Debacle of 2009," I let Esther crack a few eggs and she helped cook them. At night now, we hook up a bungee cord to the fridge door. I guess that should work until Esther figures out how to dismantle the entire refrigerator.

And here's our expert somer-saulter.

Mid "sault".

I need some coffee.

2009-05-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Esther loves eggs. But not to eat...just to play with. Sometimes I will let her help me crack them in to a bowl. This morning, at a very early 5:30 am, Gene and I were awakened to a sweet little voice outside our door saying, "Let me in." I opened up our bedroom door and realized the lights were in the kitchen. Esther was standing there all excited and said, "Look Mommy, I cook eggs." I glanced down at me feet and there was a sauce pan full of de-shelled eggs, about 9 or 10 of them. The carton lay on the floor along with a big eggy mess. I did not have the wherewithal so early in the morning to document this catastrophic event with pictures. I think the only thing I could mumble to E was, "uhh, that's a big mess." Oh, what fun it is to clean runny egg off the floor especially half awake. (Note to self: must buy refrigerator child-proofing.) On a positive note, Esther was kind enough to put all the shells in the sink with the garbage disposal. Luckily, we were able to convince E that it was much too early to be awake yet, and she did go back to bed. Now on to my second cup of coffee.
Self portrait.

Of course, robots!

Loungin' in bed.

Lots of puddle jumping pictures

2009-05-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

We've put Miss E's new rain boots and raincoat to good use. And I'm glad I bought some boots for myself, because Esther "made" me jump in some puddles, too. Although we had lots of fun, I'm glad to see the sun now. Hopefully it will stick around for a little while.
Esther really enjoys being read to lately. For a while, she would only let you read her the same 5 books over and over and over again, but now we can pretty much read her anything as long as she gets a choice now and then. I read to her before her nap and her dad gets to read to her at bedtime. Her favorite books right now are "The Little Engine that Could", "Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", and of course the classics like "Everyone Poops", "Holes in Your Nose", and "Pass that Gas".

And now for those puddle pictures:

Throwing rocks

There IS a video this time!

2009-05-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our daughter is a superstar about going to the potty now (no, that's not what the video is about), but I've been reluctant to risk going out in public without Esther in pull-ups. E has a little fear of public restrooms, but I realized it was really my issue, not wanting to deal with searching for bathrooms or wet pants. A lot of the time, Esther is more ready for things than her mommy. So I bucked up and decided today was the day. Esther made it through her gym class without a diaper or an accident. I had told her beforehand that if she needed to use the potty she needed to tell her teachers and then come get me. And she listened! So I guess this means her mommy's growing up a little bit.
It was time for new rain boots for our little puddle jumper as her others were getting a tad small and smelled a little funky after getting wet. So I ordered some from Zappos along with a brand spanking new raincoat.
She loves polka-dots so I immediately knew she would love her new boots.

The new outfit was fun, but the box was pretty exciting, too.

Esther enjoys instructing her daddy on what things he needs to draw for her. Mainly robots. And in this picture she's telling him to draw "snippies", which are robot hands apparently. (See video for more drawing fun.)

We watched a video of our travel buddies' "Gottcha Day" today, and Esther noticed us in the background. She immediately wanted to know where her yellow jacket was, so I pulled it out for her. She ended up wearing it most of the day. As you can see it's a little small, but it still fits. Can you believe my little 10 1/2 month old arrived in this?

Showing off her dimples with a cheesy grin.