What A Spring Break!

For the end of Spring Break we decided to get away for a couple days.  We found a great deal on a "cabin" in Leavenworth and decided to go on a mini vacation from Thursday through Saturday.  Neither Jess or I had ever been to Leavenworth so we thought it would make for a great spring trip.  Being April, we thought we would have a nice trip, blue skies, maybe a little rain, after all, this IS Washington.  Instead, our short jaunt over the mountains took us nearly 4 hours to go from good ol Maple Valley to Leavenworth.  After begin stopped on Snoqualmie Pass for 30-45 minutes, we finally got to continue our trip.  The speed limit had been reduced to 45 because of slushy conditions.  Once on the east side of the summit, things were much better.  

We got to Blewitt Pass and oh my gosh!  It was snowing like crazy, the roads were slushy and continuing to get worse.  We past two cars being pulled out of ditches, but figured, what the heck, we'll keep going.  It really wasn't that bad, just people thinking they can drive like they do on dry roads.  Dumb-dumbs!  This is what most of Blewitt looked like.

Once we got to Leavenworth, it was still snowing, but it wasn't sticking to anything.  There was blue skies and it was in the upper 40s.  It was actually a pretty nice day.  We made it through Leavenworth to Plain where our cabin was.  Talk about a gorgeous place!  I would like to trade our house in for the cabin we stayed in the past two nights.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  The weather was great too.  We played out on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine.

I took this picture of Jess and had to include it.  I think it's one of the best pictures I've taken of him.  Isn't he just a cutie?!

Friday morning came along and my how things had changed!  We woke up to over an inch of snow (although nothing stuck to the roads or most of the ground, it was all on the deck, trees, and bushes).  We put on jackets and headed out to play.  Eli really enjoyed throwing snowballs at both me and Daddy. Can't blame him, we held our own and got him a few times as well.  

The cabin had a hot tub too, so we were sure to make adequate use of this.  Eli LOVED it.  On Friday after we sat in the hot tub for a while (clearly AFTER playing in the snow) we were heading in to Leavenworth to meet some friends for the afternoon.  Eli was not keen on the idea of getting out of the hot tub, he could have stayed there all day.

Our trip ended early this morning as we loaded the cars to make it to Eli and Eric's t-ball game at noon.  The drive home was smooth sailing (LOL  we were listening to the Priates of the Caribbean soundtrack, so it's a fitting remark) and we made it home in plenty of time.  Eli was not too fond of the tball idea at first this morning, then we realized he still hadn't gone potty today!  I drug him to the bathrooms, and all was better!  He had fun batting, running bases, and fielding.  It was hilarious watching the 3 and 4 year olds field.  Their attention span is not quite at a baseball game level yet, so it wasn't long into it that they were digging in the dirt with their gloves, spinning in circles, and kicking at the dirt/rocks.  Our team was pretty lucky, there is only one dirt field (the actual baseball diamond) and WE got it for our game as opposed to playing in the grass.  

This is prior to Eli's trip to the restroom.  He was not thrilled to be playing yet.  I think he must have been in a little pain at this point - hence the crying.  He just couldn't articulate what was going on. 

After our potty intermission.  Much happier - actually watching the batter.

Checking out the glove.  You never know - it might have changed since he put it on.  :)

A much happier boy.  He was watching the other kids and daddy out on the field.

Woo Hoo!  Go Eli, Go!  He just hit the ball and is running to first.

He was excited, threw off the helmet, and kept on going.

Running the bases with Daddy.

I was helping the kiddos get into the batting helmet when it was their turn to bat.  Melissa was awesome enough take a picture of me and Eli while I was out there helping.

There must have been something interesting happening out in the field.  He was playing 3rd base here.

The game is over and all the kids are "Good Gaming" here.  They were so stinking cute!

It's been over a month....yikes!

I have been absolutely horrible at updating our blog.  I was going to say there hasn't been anything to report, but there's a slew to bring up to date on.  In time.  For now, I am in the middle of finishing report cards, they go home on Thursday, I have 9 more to write comments for.  Grades, fine.  I can handle those, but I always feel inadequate when I go to type comments.  It's me.  It's my nemesis.  Thankfully I'm nearly done!

As for tonight's post, I had to share pictures of our little man and the solution to our problem.



BATH TIME.

Bath time has been a nightmare at our house for quite some time now.  For whatever reason, Eli has to toss everything out of the tub onto the floor because he's afraid it will go down the drain.  As far as I know, we have lost nothing down the drain, but he thinks anything and everything will go down the drain.  Yes, this include the juice pitcher we keep in the bathroom for rinsing his hair with.  Out it came today.  I guess that really hasn't been our problem that's just the latest challenge with taking a bath.  You can't have a toy in the bathtub if it doesn't float.

Our true bath time problem has to do with washing his hair.  He hates, Hates, HATES getting water on his face.  Yes, we wash his face - but that has to be with a washcloth.  Yes, he puts his face in the bath water when he plays.  Yes, he puts it in the water at the pool.  No, water can not, let me reiterate that really quick, it CAN NOT go in his face washing his hair.  It's not the most enjoyable time washing your child's hair when he is literally screaming and crying because he doesn't want to get his face wet.  We found the answer.  The other day we were wandering around the store, when Jess spotted a pair of swim goggles.  Not the kind you or I would wear at the pool, the kind that just cover your eyes, these are more like snorkeling goggles.  The kind that cover your eyes AND nose - where you can't breath at all through your nose.  With a little cutting so he can breath through his nose, we had him squish them to his face (no, no no - there can be no straps around his head either.  How traumatic!  YIKES)  and lo and behold, we've had two weeks of scream-less bath times!  The best part you may be asking?  He gets the funniest expressions when we're ready to get his hair wet.  They crack me up.  I finally ran to get the camera tonight so I could capture the moment.

Looking at the pictures now, I still laugh.  He is the funniest little guy around, even when he's not trying to be funny.  HA HA HA

Are they on tight enough?  

There can be no water leakage!

Squish, Squish.  

Yep, they're on and I'm ready!

That's it?  I'm all done!

Blue Skies and Puddles

There really isn't a lot to report this time around, other than over the last two days we've moved on again in the potty training. (If you don't want to know about potty training, don't finish this paragraph) Peeing has been great for our little man. 99% of the time he'll tell us that he needs to go and start heading for the bathroom. The other end has been more of a challenge. Frequently, he'll go 4, 5, 6 days without going. The last week has really shown some progress. Not only has he actually been going more often, we're down to two or three days in between, but he even had his first BM at the babysitter's house! The same day, somehow the little blue "pee pee cover" fell off and didn't make it to her house, which meant Eli had to do his business standing up. Since then that's all he does to pee! It's just a funny picture. He's barely tall enough to reach, but he hasn't missed a drop yet. I wonder how long THAT will last....

We had a very pretty Pacific Northwest afternoon today, the sun was shining, it was warm (especially for being Feb. 5), and Eli wanted to play outside. Out we ventured. I decided I would take the camera and see what kind of pictures we would end up with. The two from today are Eli's back, but both Jess and I like the pictures.

We both love the splash in this shot. The droplets of water surrounding his ankles. What a truly boy moment. At one point walking down the sidewalk, he turned around and went back to the smallest puddle ever, I'm not sure you could even CALL it a puddle, and he stated, "I missed one!" then he proceeded to jump "in" it.

Mr. Speedy was having a great time running outside today. He wanted nothing to do with actually walking with us. He had to be 50-100 feet ahead at all times.

This picture is actually from earlier in the week (last week maybe?), but I love it. This is his wonderful car. He likes to take it for a spin around the block, driving both Mom and Dad off the sidewalk or running over our ankles. If we walk to slow, he'll inform us that we need to follow him and to move out of the way.

He sure is a cute and humorous kid. We are very lucky.

YAY

I got my new camera lens today, let's just say I am now in CAMERA HEAVEN!

I. LOVE. IT.


It is taking amazing pictures and the zoom. Wow. Once I get something worth posting, I will. So far, I've just been playing around the house. You know, zoom through the trees to see how close we can zoom in on the houses down below. Zoom way in on ears, eyes, noses. Zoom way in on tree branches to see the individual pine needles. Yes, I'm playing. Like a kid in a candy store. HAHA

On a side note, my students and I started a classroom blog. We're stretching out into the 21st century and using technology to share our learning with our families. This is our primary goal: to share our learning with families promoting more beneficial talk at home. We all know how the conversation goes, we were all part of it not too long ago, and soon to be - in a few years, "How was your day?" "Fine." "What did you learn today?" "I don't know." or better yet, "Nothing." Let's just say, now that parents know what we did, and even student voice on the matter, there are no more excuses - unless of course someone was absent. Anyway, today we posted twice about our learning. The first time was pretty, shall I say, lame. They really didn't get the idea, but I still went with it because it was THEIR words and that is what I want to share. The second post was more thought out and more clearly written, but still needs some work. I know as we continue down this path, it will continue. It was a tough day for everyone. I think tomorrow will be better and we'll get to try our blogging again. :) YAY! If you are so inclined to take a peek, you can find my wonderful class here.

PUNKED! By a Three Year Old

Today we spent the day out and about, wandering Seattle. It was wonderful.

This morning we decided to head to Seattle to go to the Bodies exhibit. What an amazing exhibit. Eli was interested in many parts of it too, wanting to know more. Still, fascinating! Afterward, we wandered around Westlake, then had lunch at Fox Sports Grill. Yummm!

After lunch, we decided to head home because we could tell Eli was getting tired - and we were tired of carrying him around. The only other thing we had thought about was walking down to Pike Place Market and seeing what they had. Didn't quite make it there. We were only a block from the car and had to drop leftovers there anyway, so we decided to jump in and head home.

I started keeping a small camera in my purse for those spur of the moment pictures. Here we are having lunch together at Fox Sports Grill.

On our way home, we went across Lake Washington. Eli loves the "tunnel game" where you have to raise your arms high while you're in them (at least it's not the hold your breath game!). Every tunnel or overpass we came to, he would yell at me "Raise your arms Momma! Raise your arms." Being the good mom that I am, I would raise my arms. He'd have a huge smile on his face and laugh. So, we were driving across Mercer Island when he said "Raise your arms!" So I did. (There was no tunnel or overpass mind you, but I did it anyway) He started laughing really hard and said "I WAS JUST KIDDING!" Ohhhhhh. Ouch. We were all laughing pretty good by then though.

Hilarious Boy Story

Eli has been potty trained for a month now, no pull-ups, no diapers, just big boy underwear. Well, today, being the funny boy that he is, he kept pulling his pants a little farther down on his hiney. You could see those cute little Incredible character designed underwear hanging out the back - gangsta' style. I started chuckling to myself but thought, whatever.

Anyway, pretty soon I look over and they're just low enough for his 'boy goods' to be hanging out. I laughed and said, "What in the world are you doing?"

His reply? With the most serious of faces, "I just like it out."

Oh my gosh. The things kids say.....

And yes, he put the goods away before we left for the babysitter's house this morning.

MLK Day and the week that followed

On MLK Day, Eli and I got to spend the day at home. I love these special days that we don't often get together. Ok, they're much more frequent than other people can have with their kids, I know, but still. I really would like to have more of them! Anyway, on this day, we decided to go for a walk with our friends. It was kind of chilly when we left so I told Eli he could choose any coat he wanted for our walk. Miraculously enough, he chose this one! His puppy dog raincoat. I think he's worn it a small handful of times (is that really a handful then?) but loved it this day. Isn't he adorable in that little puppy coat?! I of course had to take pictures because anyone knowing of this coat would know he doesn't choose it often and probably wouldn't believe me if I hadn't gotten proof.

Later that day while I was cleaning up from lunch, he wanted to play in the sink with the bubbles. He loves the bubbles and didn't want to play in the big bubbles, aka the bathtub, so here he was playing away.

Wednesday brought another opportunity for Mommy and Me time. However, he really wasn't so keen on part of the reasoning in why we got to stay home. He had his 3 year well child check-up. Of course he's doing well, but didn't exactly have a very enjoyable afternoon. He ended up getting 3 shots, his last chicken pox immunization, flu shot and H1N1 shot as well. For the first time, our little boy went on a sympathy quest. After waking up from his nap, his leg was sore, totally expected! But he would stand there whining, "Mommy, pick me up. Caaaan't walk. My leg hurts!" Over and over. And Over. Oh...and over...

Anyway, after Grandma and Papa came over for dinner, all was well and he was a happy, chipper little boy again. Anyway, our little guy is 34.5 lbs (74th percentile) and 38.5 inches (68th percentile). He even learned his right from his left while we were at his appointment! :)

Yesterday Eli and I were just goofing around and took a couple pictures of ourselves. Here we are, saying hi to you and your family! Hope all is well!