Adventures of Jack and Kate

pixie

2010-12-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

after about 6 months of working up the nerve, i did it this morning....

pixie crop.

found a new hairdresser and she had me at hello. it can't hurt that she lived in chicago for 4 years and did hair + styled models before coming back to seattle.

i officially feel like the change has been made complete.

little teeth

2010-12-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Scene: Target - girl's section looking at the Nick & Nora jammies (shhh he doesn't know he's in the girl's section)

Me: Jack - will you wear these jammies with the candy canes and sock monkeys?
Jack: Um, I don't know, they seem kind of silly to me.
Me: Well, what about these purple ones with owls on them?
Jack: Mom, owls are creepy. Did you what two animals I find creepy? Owls & dolphins Mom
Me: Why dolphins?
Jack: Mom, they creep me out cause they have those tiny little teeth. Little teeth creep me out.
Me: So is that a no on the owl jammies - because we could have matching ones, they come in my size.
Jack: That's a no.

I guess another Christmas is passing and my dream of dressing the family in matching flannel pajamas is slowly dying. Unless I want to give up and wear LEGO Star Wars printed ones.

1 year down

2010-10-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

Who can believe it has been a year? I started my program a little over a year ago, today is actually the 1 year anniversary of my first workout with my trainer. I tried to go back and count how many sessions we have had together, but I got up over 100 decided that was too hard to keep track of. I celebrated by getting up - OK dragging myself out of bed for my 7am circuit training class.

Thanks to everyone of you lovelies that I have leaned on in the last year, I have counted on your love and supported and it was a big part of getting to where I am.

crossroads

2010-09-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

i sit here at a crossroads. i realized last night that i have achieved what i set out to do with my weight loss. even the little tiny things in the back of my head that i thought would be nice, but didn't think i would get there.

as of yesterday morning i am no longer in the obese category on the bmi index. i am happily and proudly overweight. in 16 months i have lost 115lbs (that i am aware of) and shaved 20.3 pts of my bmi. looking back i can't believe the way i allowed myself to live for all those years. i still haven't totally figured out how i got there outside of several years of eating too much and not exercising and not putting myself first. what can i say, i am a mom and a wife and sometimes it's difficult to put yourself ahead of your loved ones and take the time you need for yourself.

here are the scary details:
starting weight: 282
current weight: 167
starting bmi: 49.9 (dudes that is almost half my previous body)
current bmi: 29.6

here is what i hope to accomplish in the next 6 months:
shave 8 minutes off of my current 5k time, getting me under 30 minutes.
run kirkland 12k's of christmas
run half marathon in march for my birthday
take the photography class i have been putting off
teach myself to quilt

day trip

2010-06-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

we finally managed to get out of the house and go explore somewhere. i had been wanting to take the boys up to snoqualmie falls to go hiking. when i heard the weather report for this weekend i knew this was our chance. however we were a little disappointed to find out the hike down to see the falls was closed for reconstruction until the spring of 2013 - they must be paving it in gold is all we can figure. after some looking around we checked out old downtown snoqualmie and were pleasantly surprised to find a railroad museum. i guess jack is not yet too cool to climb around on all the old trains.

just average

2010-03-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

and very happy to be there. i realized this morning while chatting with randy, i've reached the average american woman's size. i am officially in size 14 jeans as i'm typing this and part of me thinks i might have been able to pull off a 12, i mean who needs to breathe right? lets remember i grew up in the early 90's and if you didn't have to lay down on your bed to put on your still damp guess jeans, your jeans were too big. (my parents never let us wear anything that tight - but i had friends in jr high that sure did)

a year ago

and this wednesday on my way out the door - literally running to the gym

in hindsight i am kind of regretting my "just the face" policy on picture taking these last few years. it was really hard finding a picture of me in the last year that actually illustrated how far i have come.

birthday

2010-03-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

happy birthday sarah, i'm so glad we share this day.

i'm starting out my birthday weekend today with a day to myself. it's still pretty early here but we had to get up early to get the boys packed for their skiing trip today. we surprised jack with being able to go with randy and when i told him yesterday that we had to pick up some new ski pants for him he so totally screamed on the inside - even though he was playing it cool on the outside. since i am up so early i am gonna straighten up the house then get in my workout and see where the day takes me. hopefully it will include a mani/pedi + a movie but we will see what comes my way.

dissapointments and discoveries

2010-03-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

last week was the first week during this program where i didn't loose weight, i'm talking nada, not even an ounce. i weigh the exact same as i did the previous week. this was a shock to the system, i was pretty disappointed, i had built it up in my head that this, the week of my birthday, would be the week that i got there. the week i met my goal and that i would finally after all these years be under 200lbs. nope not this week. i was devastated, i had put in the work - extra work even and nope still didn't make it.

this is what i discovered though, i came home, i cried - i mean sobbing crying. then there was this little voice on the inside of my head that kept telling me that i could do this, i am doing this and this is the time to re-focus and push harder. previously if something this devastating would have happened i would have given up, i would have wanted to quit, i would have eaten whatever i wanted to and maybe i would have even convinced myself that this is all the weight my body wants to loose. but not this time. i decided that the weight non-loss was not going to get me down. i ate just like it was any other normal day * i did not feed the feelings!! i got my steps in for the day and sure i was a little sad but i learned that i am stronger then i have ever been and realized that someday in the not so distant future i am going to get to where i want to be. for now i will take being able to do 15 push ups as an accomplishment for the week - even if they are girly style on my knees.

ask jack

2010-03-02T11:30:00.001-08:00

snippet from our walk to the bus stop this morning:

jack: hey mom, you should go to college
me: oh yeah, what do you think i should do
jack: well, what are your interests
me: i really liked my last job, you know when i worked on phone systems with carlyn
jack: get a degree in that then
me: well it's not that easy buddy, there isn't really a degree for that
jack: what does dad do again
me: he writes software for computers
jack: oh, maybe science
me: i didn't really like science in school
jack: not animal science, some other kind of science then. i don't know mom, but you should go to college.

after telling this to randy i found out this conversation of theirs from saturday afternoon

jack: dad, it seems like your work has been hard lately for you
randy: yeah buddy, it's been hard
jack: do you feel like you are getting enough sleep
randy: no, i've been working really long hours
jack: well, what time have you been going to bed
randy explained the hours he had been keeping and jack's mouth hung agape for a minute
jack: dad, you are older then me so you should stay up later, but you should try to go to bed at 9, i think that would work better for you

sometimes i wonder if life would be easier for us if we would just consult jack on all decisions, he's generally the most level headed of the three of us.

reset

2010-01-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

i had my weekly meeting with my dietitian this morning. there is something refreshing knowing that i am going to meet with her every tuesday at 8:30 and see my progress for the week. this week was another 3lb loss (yay me!!) a few more weekly sessions and i should be very close to my mid-way goal. i look back on these last few months and i can't believe:

1. that i am actually doing this and
2. that it is actually working

since starting i have stuck with what my trainer and dietitian have asked me to do and you know what, the weight is coming off. i always thought i was one of those people that was going to be overweight the rest of her life. but i now see that this is not going to be something that drags me down the rest of my life.

today my dietitian extended an offer from the dr who directs the program; he wants to extend my program by an additional 2 weeks because, well basically because they like me best. :) ha, no it is because i have followed the program and have had success. however to get the 2 weeks i have to follow the meal plan from week 2 - which is basically lean protein, veggies and their protein shakes. no biggie right? i am so willing to try, it will be a fun experiment don't you think? so goodbye fruit, goodbye greek yogurt, goodbye grilled artichoke dip and goodbye hummus. see you in a week from now.

i'm cool again

2010-01-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

i no longer have a cuddly little boy, i am suddenly very unsure of what to do with my own son on most days. i will be the first to admit it, we are too much alike. i feel the inevitable is starting and he is starting to forge his Independence from us and while i know this has to happen, i miss my little guy. the little guy who was so excited about new things, the little guy who thought i was the coolest. this week, i managed to get back into the cool place, even if it is for just a few weeks.

wednesday is jack's early release day from school and it actually was kind of warm and NOT RAINING. i decided that i would walk him home from school and throw his new basketball in the car and we would go shoot some hoops together. after the initial resistance period that now sets in, he realized that this could end up being fun and certainly better then cleaning his room. we played for about half an hour, i got a few shots in and re-cemented my former cool status. i discovered something while we were playing together - this is how i have to communicate with my son now. i can't cuddle with him on the couch, i can't try to coddle him... i have to let him be 7 going on 10 and i have to remember how to be a kid again and let go of some of the mom hangups.

this weekend i tested the theory out again. both days were gorgeous, no rain, almost 50 and mother and son - got along well for the first time in months.

goodbye 2009 hello 2010

2010-01-01T20:02:00.001-08:00

a little year in review:

i think we all accomplished a lot this year. my sister surprised me with a visit in feb for our birthdays (best surprise ever) jack grew leaps and bounds, in looking back at some of his pictures from last winter, i can't believe he is the same kid. i don't think i could have got a better kid, seriously. i took some time for me, learned a lot, remembered how strong i am and did something i had been wanting to do for years. so i am starting 2010 61 lbs lighter and 31 inches slimmer which just so happens to be what jack weighs right now. i am excited for the coming year, i can't wait to see what will happen and i hope all of your lives will be filled with blessings and joy.

first week

2009-10-23T13:17:00.001-07:00

i made it through week one and survived my trainer and the new eating regime. now i am even starting to feel pretty confident in my workouts, still just taking each day as it comes and dealing with whatever i need to deal with. long story short, pretty proud of my first week, i lost 5.6lbs. ever imagined what that 5.6 lbs might look like?

crash

2009-10-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

today i hit sugar rock bottom. after 2 days on the protein shake meal replacement plan i have to do for a week i hit the wall and experienced the same emotional roller coaster that b spears must have rode when she shaved her head. for a second i considered it. thankfully my awesome husband walked in the door at that moment and whisked me out of the house to, "get me away from anything sharp or with shearing abilities." on the plus side of things found a super cute new dress at macys and it was like 3 sizes smaller then what i had to try on earlier in the spring. there is a concerning stain on the front, but i am pretty certain i can get that out.

this weekend, a quick trip to vancouver to help find a homecoming dress for a dear friends' daughter.

mama bear

2009-10-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

Why is it that your first instinct as a parent is to eat the face off of someone that harms your child? Gah! I never thought I could feel as protective of someone in my life. And well lets face it, I am a pretty protective friend and sister. This must be how bears in the wild feel.

For some reason Jack got skipped by the sub when she was handing out her bribery at the end of the day. He ended up getting teased by the other kids because he didn't receive said bribery and is now completely broken hearted. Because he has a lot more of me in him then Randy (Randy never skips a meal or is every shy about making sure he gets treats) Jack didn't say anything. I am certain she just didn't know she missed him but tomorrow he has her again and I am forcing myself to not be the lady coming to school and forcing an altercation with said teacher.

midnight jack advice

2009-09-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Randy shared this little story from last night with Jack this morning. I guess it all happened while I was asleep on the couch.

11:30 Jack walks down the stairs
Jack: (whispering) Hey Dad are you down there?
Randy: Yeah buddy, what's going on?
Jack: Um Dad would please get me a glass of water?
Randy: Sure buddy
Jack: Dad, what time is it?
Randy: It's late, it's 11:30
Jack: Dad, maybe you should think about getting to bed.
Randy: Thanks buddy, I'll go soon. Can I help you to bed?
Jack: Sure Dad, thanks for the water.

I really wish I would have overhead that sweet little conversation. Randy howev did not go to bed until 2:40 when I woke up on the couch and wondered what time it is. Silly software developing husbands.

new direction

2009-09-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've focused most of this blog on Jack, as that has been the direction my life has taken me over the last years. It's honestly been easier putting my son and husband first, so I wouldn't have to work on myself. There were a lot of well intended excuses but no more excuses, I have started making changes. I'm not sure when it happened but through the summer I found myself pushing to do things I never would have done before, there would have been an excuse in it's place. I've been much happier, much more at ease with myself. I think I needed the time to redefine myself - once again and to figure a few things out. I took a large leap this week and put myself out there.

I decided to work on the weight thing, it has really bothered me for years. I would have small successes and then gain everything back and then some, but this time I am doing it right. I have joined a weight management program offered through our health insurance and gym. The program is medically supervised and has had great success, needless to say I am excited that I have made the steps to start. Now that the appointments are all scheduled I just need to show up and do the work. And we all know that I am never late and hate cancelling appointments.

This weekend I started something new, I started a food journal to track what I eat throughout the day. So far so good, who wants to really write down that Friday they had a bad day and ate 20 chocolate almond clusters without even knowing it? I've noticed now that I am on day four and I have stuck to my meal plans that I really am not craving stuff at night any longer.

I will still post little anecdotes about Jack and our days with him, but to keep myself on track I will also be sharing about my progress and inevitable roadblocks and how I get around them.

Two of our meals from this weekend. Mini breakfast frittatas with 1/2 a whole wheat english muffin, 1/4 of a peach with greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey. Sunday night we had these cold sesame noodles with sugar snap peas.

Soccer

2009-09-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Jack starts soccer tomorrow. This weekend we had to pick up all the stuff he needed to play; shin guards, soccer socks, soccer cleats & well athletic clothes (see this post). I really thought we were past all of the super cute parts of raising a little boy until I saw him running around the park in his shin guards and cleats practicing with Randy.

He is so excited for Randy to come to a game. We were walking out to the car yesterday and we had this little conversation:
Jack: Mom, when is my first game?
Me: Well, you have a practice this Tuesday then you have a game every Tuesday after that.
Jack: (Turns around pulling his arms towards him making a yes! sound) Sweet Mom, Dad HAS to come to that one, it's my first game, he's gonna come right?
Me: I'm pretty sure he's planning on it.

Lunch Account Debable

2009-09-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

When your 6 year old offers to pay for the mistake he made with his lunch account, is that when you know you are doing a good job or maybe sometimes take things a little far? It went down like this:

2 days ago:
Note comes home in the folder from school saying Jack's lunch account balance is running low. I also received an email from the online payment system informing me of the low balance. I think to myself, that's odd, he started out the school year with enough money for a month of lunches and he has been taking home lunch 2 times a week.

Yesterday, at the bus stop:
Eash: I think there must be a mistake with Aravind's lunch account, I got the notice home from school saying his account was low and I checked and he has been being charged for breakfast.
Me: Really, that's weird I got the notice too and I know I sent enough money for a month of lunches and Jack has been taking home lunch a few times a week.
Eash: Well Aravind did say he had breakfast a few times with Jack at school in the morning.
Me: Oh Really... (light bulbs and flashes going off in my head - OMG my son is the breakfast buying ring leader)

At this point we reach the part of the walk home where we separate & Jack went with Aravind to play at his house. I get home and log into the online payment system and OMG there are charges for 12 breakfasts on his account. Instantly I think there must be a mistake and almost pick up the phone to call the school, instead I hastily draft an email to his teacher to ask if she keeps records of who is taking lunch on what days and if she has a way of knowing if he really ate breakfast. Then I take a breath, re-read the email and discard it. That would have been one
crazy-mom-in-a-tail-spin sounding email if I would have sent it. Decide the best course of action is to ask Jack about it when I pick him up.

An hour later, walking through the park on the way home:
Me: Jack I have something to talk to you about and I want you to be honest with me.
Jack: (very sullen sounding) OK
Me: Jack, do you have something to tell me about your lunch account? And keep in mind I can log in and look at what you are buying.
Jack: I have been getting breakfast at school.
Me: (OMG! he was just honest with me - OMG!) Jack, you do know how your father and I feel about that right?
Jack: (even more sullen if possible - well this is Seattle, but it was a very sunny day) Big sigh, Yes.
Me: Why are you getting breakfast at school?
Jack: Because they have bagels with ham and melty cheese and they are really good Mom.
Me: Is this why you haven't been finishing your breakfast at home before the bus?
Jack: Yeah, and I'm just not hungry that early, but I get hungry when I get to school.
Me: What do you think we should do about this?
Jack: I think I should pay you back for the breakfasts.
Me: (Not sure what to say & a little confused as this whole conversation took place without any screaming or eye rolling & OMG! he just offered to pay for his lunch, my heart swells with joy and I just want to hug him, but keep up the bad cop act) Well for now you are just going to have to tell your dad about it when he gets home tonight.
Jack: (barely an audible whisper, head hanging down) OK

I guess I am a little concerned that he kept this from us for 12 days (OMG 12 days!) and was smart enough to just omit that from his daily conversations with us, I ask him what he eats for lunch everyday. Also he knew that we didn't want him eating breakfast at school and was doing it everyday for 12 days (OMG! 12 days!). Ahh! I know it's just breakfast, but it could also *just* be something else. The issue is that we have a very smart 6 year old on our hands that may possibly have learned something he shouldn't have learned for awhile. On the other hand, here is a 6 year old little boy that when confronted thought he should pay for the mistake with his own money. Are we too hard on him? I don't know, I do know it is a fine line between being just right and being too hard.

man dude date

2009-09-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it has been forever since my last post. I feel like summer completely blew by us, but it was a blast. Jack and I had lots of fun visiting our family and exploring ND together. Jack is getting settled into the new school year and is loving his new teacher.

Yesterday Jack and Randy had a mini man dude date day. I spent the afternoon and evening hanging out in Seattle with some old friends from high school. Randy really seized the opportunity to get some good time in with Jack and even planned a little surprise in the middle of all of their events for the day. Lunch at Wendy's, swimming at the apartment complex pool (Randy got a leg cramp in the deep end - Jack nearly smoked him in a race), cooking dinner - just for men stir fry, games at chuckee cheese (that was the surprise), a trip to DQ and an impromptu stop at the park to watch a soccer match. I asked Jack if they missed me yesterday and he said, "Mom, we were too busy to even think about you."

it's happening

2009-07-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

All too soon our little guy has gone from a fun little kid who needed us to this independent miniature man person. I don't know if other mothers of 6 year olds have experienced this before (sometimes I feel like the only one), but man, I have been doing a lot of smiling lately because the things that come out of his mouth just surprise the bejesus out of me.

Here is a snippet of a conversation with Randy yesterday:
Scene: Swimming lessons, Randy and I were engaged in a light conversation with another mother. Her son is in Jack's class and we were talking about the normal what school do you go to, what do you do business when she mentioned she was sending her son into the locker room to change on his own for the first time. As she seemed pretty worried, I told her Jack has been doing it all summer and has been fine. Granted the first time I was a little worried - but all has been well. Other mom seemed a little more relaxed about the fact that Jack would be in there too, but she was still pretty worried.

Randy (on the sly): Hey Jack will you help Ethan out in there and keep an eye on him, it's his first time, he needs to know where to go to change.
Jack: Sure Dad

5 minutes later Jack exits the bathroom sans Ethan and other mom looks SUPER worried.

Randy: Hey Jack where's Ethan?
Jack: Uhh, in there changing, I guess
Randy: You weren't with him
Jack: No Dad (accompanied with a huge look that conveyed um what the hell Dad - duh dudes don't talk in the locker room and it's every man for himself in there)
Other mom is practically doing paces thinking it is about time to call 911
Me: Hey Jack can you go in and tell Ethan his Mom is waiting for him?
Jack: I suppose (one eyebrow raised, still thinking what the hell is going on)
Other Mom: Hey little buddy I would really appreciate it (in her I'm talking to a little kid now voice)
Jack: OK

...this is nearly an everyday occurrence now. Jack is definitely growing up. I can't say that sometimes I wish he needed me for a few more things, but honestly him being so independent is probably a good thing.

1st anniversary

2009-06-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well we made it. Tomorrow is our year anniversary. I can't believe this year has gone by so fast. Now that summer has come, I am remembering a few things that first touched my heart here. The farmer's markets, the parks, all the green. The ease of the "hot" weather here. If it is hot, you are still guaranteed to be able to open the windows and cool off the house by 7pm. Seattle, sometimes we fight and disagree and I know I have said and thought some mean things. But for now, this is where my family is and we have made a lovely little life here.

This weekend was our last weekend as a little family before the crazy of the summer kicks in. Next weekend we head to Portland for the 4th to see Randy's family (&hopefully a few old friends). My parents come the following weekend for a few weeks and then we will have a few weekends to ourselves before Jack and I head to ND for about 3 weeks. We spent the weekend looking for a new apartment and discovered the grass isn't always greener somewhere else. Did a little swimming in the complex pool. I got my first odd sunburn of the season and Randy discovered cell phones don't do well in the water, doh! Jack showed off everything he is learning at swimming lessons and we were quite impressed. Every time we have a weekend like this weekend I think to myself, 40,000 (student loans *ahh*) is a small price to pay for this kind of joy.

Jack playing a little game of frisbee in the park last weekend. Randy wouldn't let me spend $80 on RayBan Wayfarer Jr's for him - so the $2 gap kids ones will have to do.

I made some little peach mango turnovers to have for desert last night.

Jack went a little crazy for them :)

Fish Taco Face

2009-06-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you try to feed your 6 yr old fish tacos.

For the first 2 years of his life Jack only ate ham or turkey deli meat - anything else he just wouldn't eat. I tried in vain to get him to eat hamburger, chicken, turkey anything. Then one day it dawned on me, pink is his favorite color, salmon is pink, tell him it is pink meat. Needless to say I spent most of the night at dinner sitting there with my mouth open staring at him putting piece after piece of salmon in his mouth and loving it. "Mama, can I hab sob more pink meat peas?"

always and nevers: update

2009-05-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Sarah is making me do a list of always-es and nevers for me, she loved Jack's but wants mine, so because I always listen to my sister, here are mine:

Always:
1. MAC studio fix - I swear by it, it covers you skin great, has an amaizing range of shades to cover the range of skin tones out there. And hey - if it is good enough to cover a drag queen's 5 o'clock shadow, it's gotta be good enough to cover my little imperfections. Anytime I have ever swayed or strayed I have ended up regretting it.

2. Big bag - as a mom and a wife I am always carrying around other people's stuff. I need a bag that is cute and can also survive whatever they want me to carry in it. I am pretty picky about them too. I used to have a thing for designer bags - and believe me I still covet them - but for now I just need something that is gonna stand the test of time, make it through a few seasons and get me hordes of complements. These are the 2 I will be rocking through the summer along with the cute beach bag I got for the pool this summer:

and I have been searching for a good grey bag, i just think it will go with so much and work with browns and blacks.

3. Shoes - I wish I could narrow it down to one favorite - but all of my shoes are my favorites. I am sure parents of more then one child can relate - you can't possibly love one more then the other - well each pair is special to me and I picked them for very specific reasons. Yes, on more then one occasion I have been referred to as Imelda... Here are the ones I wear the most right now:

4. Navy & White stripes - I am sure my hubs is getting tired of seeing me in different variations of this. But I don't care, I love it, it makes me feel French, with my little striped shirt and ballet flats... or sandals... or red stacked heel pumps. It's just so versatile. Seriously if you haven't tried it, do it, you will love it.

5. Pedicures - OK ladies, if you bare your tootsies, AT ALL, ever, have them painted. It's my number 1 pet peeve. It grosses me out to see unpainted toes in public. And clear doesn't count, make it a color, have some fun. I just found the perfect shade of bright pink that I will be wearing through the summer - last year it was bright coral, this year bright pink.

Nevers
1. Skinny ankle length jeans or skinny jeans at all. Once again - I'm a little chubby and pear shaped. I really don't think these look good on anyone - even the super slim girls that wear them. They remind me of 5th grade and my acid washed girl jeans with the yoke waist and zippers with bows on the top. I was in Lane Bryant last week and seriously there they were on an end cap. Clothing designers of the world, us bigger girls just should not have certain choices. Some of us are going to buy them.

2. Sweatpants - in public. I will admit I went through a depressing period this fall when the rain came - but I have re-committed myself to not wearing sweats in public. This includes and is not limited to: fancy sweatpants (yes you with the words on your but) yoga pants as well as sweats you paid way too much for and now have to wear in public to get your monies worth. Remember a time when our mothers made us dress up to go somewhere so people would think the best of you and reminded you that first impressions count? I think we need to get back to that.

3. Long necklaces - not because I don't like them, I do love them and my sister is a jewelry designer, but I have a large chest - they just look funny on me and inevitably if I wear one, at some point it is gonna end up looped around one of the sisters and that is just not pretty.

4. White pants - OK I can see why people would want to wear them, they look so crisp and if you are rail thin, they probably will work, anyone over a certain size just looks bigger. But you have to find the perfect pair. And lets face it - about 90% of the people wearing white pants are not wearing the right pair and you can always see their unmentionables underneath. Dear white pant wearing ladies, we can see your thong and the print on your light colored underwear.

5. Maxi dresses - Again this is a mostly for me. I am 5'3"-ish. Most of the maxi dresses out there are longer then I am tall. I tried one on the other day and it was funny, I looked like a little kid in her mom's dress.

So there you go Sarah, there are my always-es and nevers - for me.

always & never

2009-05-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

My sister tagged me.

The rules: make a list of five "always-es" and five "nevers." These must be fashion-related, I have to tag three people, and I can post any pictures I would like to post.

Since I am a mom and I blog about Jack and I, I figured I would put a spin on it and make it boy related. I find it difficult and depressing to shop for Jack because the choices are so limited. Sometimes I find myself longingly staring at the girls section just lusting after all the square footage devoted to their clothes. Granted a lot of it is crap and if I had a little girl she wouldn't be allowed to wear most of it.

Always
1. plaid - Jack wears a lot of plaid, most recently we have been stocking up on cool madras plaid knee length shorts for summer.

2. converse - Jack just got his first pair of high top chucks, he has been rocking the low tops for years. Right now he has a pair of graphic ones that are really neat.

3. jeans - always bootcut or skinny straight legged.

4. hair - we don't gel it or part it or comb it to a particular side, we wash it, muss it up and he is on the way. when i see kids with perfectly combed/gelled hair i secretly want to muss it up.

5. teeth - we brush them at least 2 times a day here.

Nevers
1. Character clothing - Since Jack was a baby I can count on one hand the amount of items that have cartoon characters on them, go ahead ask me if he ever wore them. He has one vintage super friends tee that he can wear on the weekends and jammies, I don't mind the character stuff on jammies. I distinctly remember a shopping experience where he asked for something festooned in sponge bob or the like. It went something like this:
Jack - Mom doesn't this t-shirt look cool? Can we get it?
Me - No.
Jack - But Mom Tommy and Kenny have it
Me - No Jack, you know I don't buy that stuff.
Jack - Mom, why don't you buy it?
Me - Jack, because I love you.
Also I just feel that it is generally not very well made and way over priced - if I am going to advertise something, I better be getting paid to do it.

2. heelys (those shoes with the wheels in the heel), character shoes & hiking/teva sandals. I read once where those heely shoes were causing a spike in emergency room visits and kids were developing Achilles heel problems. Also no velcro, he is 6 and has been able to tie shoes since he was 4.

3. no pleats, no carpenter pants, nothing baggy, nothing tapered. Jack is awesome, he wears mostly bootcut jeans and has one pair of skinny grey colored jeans that are pretty cool.

4. no sports jerseys or athletic stuff, which means no sweatsuits as casual wear - unless he is sick and is lounging around.

5. no message shirts, your kid shouldn't be walking around with some smart mouthed phrase on their shirt. enough said.

That's it, my always-es and nevers for Jack. I am going to tag my dear friend erika who does some really cool paintings and my friend kim who has the coolest little backyard garden in all of the world and that's it because I don't have any other friends who blog.

Mothers Day

2009-05-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day morning I woke up to my guys bringing me breakfast in bed. I guess Jack had got up pretty early so he and Randy could finish their little project they had been working on. Somehow they managed to make the "Biggest Card Ever" with leftover butcher paper for the move. It was really cute, they both wrote some really nice things to me and the front of the card was decorated with flowers and bunnies and pudgy little bumble bees. I teared up a bit, the card was all I needed to know special our little family is.
For breakfast they brought me a cappuccino, my favorite tulips, a chocolate croissant and according to Randy the most expensive orange juice he has ever purchased.

mother's day letter

2009-05-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

As I was cleaning out Jack's folder for school this morning, I found a letter that I am sure was supposed to wait for Sunday... here is an excerpt from my favorite part:

"Thank you for makeing me a suday with stroberry souse it was very good. Thank you for the choclot strobery too!"

I am sure more is to come, but this morning as we were quickly trying to get out the door. It stopped me in my tracks and made me remember what an awesome little guy I have and motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Spring Break Part 1

2009-04-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Jack's spring break from school is upon us and it couldn't be nicer weather. We spent the weekend out enjoying ourselves in the sun and visiting some of our favorite parks. Jack is a lucky duck and gets 2 whole weeks off this year. See... I messed up the dates of his actual break from school and made travel plans for the week he was supposed to start back. Whoops! Good thing his teacher happened to ask what we were up to for break, otherwise Randy and Jack would have had an interesting start to the morning today. Can you picture the teasing I would have taken if they would have actually went to the bus stop this morning? Ha!

Saturday we spent the morning doing a few things around the house and then headed over to the Grass Lawn Park in Redmond. Man it was crazy. Jack brought along his bike. We caught a little bit of a soccer match, did some biking and he practiced playing well with others.

Jack rock climbing

Sunday we had a later lunch and headed over to Peter Kirk Park in Kirkland. Jack and I spent many days at the park this summer as our temporary housing was right across the street. With the sun and all the families out playing it was almost like we were transported back in time. I sure do love that area - I think we would actually consider buying over there, maybe when the time comes. We also had time to grab coffee at our fave little place, St. James Coffee, still as good as ever.

Randy and I at Peter Kirk Park

Jack and I after a little biking

Jack & Randy

Jack - doing his thing

Today Jack and I officially kicked off our spring break together. This morning we had a few errands to run for our trip on Wednesday, after that we headed back over to the Grass Lawn and wondered around and played for awhile before heading back to our place. I decided to pack a picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and mangoes and we headed out to the park behind the house for lunch and we did some puzzles in the sunshine (I even think I got a sunburn). All this sun has made me anxious for summer and I just can't wait for it now.

Weeknight Date

2009-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Jack and I had a Friday night date this week. Randy met some work buddies at a bar for a friend's going away party after work on Friday so Jack and I were on our own for dinner. I decided to turn it into a fun night instead of focusing on Randy not being home. While Jack was at school I picked up a painting project, some cupcakes and a copy of Free Willy to watch.

Jack and I started the afternoon with the painting project, we are working on a gift for someone's birthday that just so happens to be coming up next week. Jack planned out the whole thing (I'll post pictures later as I don't want to spoil any surprises) from the colors to what we should use to decorate it with. Then we sat down to breafast for dinner. Which just so happens to be one of our faves that Randy can't stand, so we took the opportunity and made Banana Peanut Butter Pancakes and coffee for dinner or brinner if you will. I made Jack a cup of coffee too, just like my dear sweet grammy used to make for me when I was little-- with lots of milk and sugar and just enough coffee to turn the milk color a little bit. Jack, was not a fan but he enjoyed the story and thought it was pretty funny that grammy would give me coffee when I was just a kid.

After eating we started Free Willy, it has been years since I have watched it. It was funny seeing all the Portland scenery and I found it fascinating that someone could ride their bike through downtown Portland and end up at the coast. Jack jumped when I did the first time when Willy came up out of the water at Jesse the first time they met. It was a pretty fun night and a good start to the weekend.

Hyenas and Cantinas

2009-03-19T17:33:00.001-07:00

Today Jack's class learned a new rhyme:

"Silly Sally went to town backwards and upside down.
On the way she met a _____, a silly _____ and, they ___________."

The lesson was to pick an animal and a place that rhymed, on Jack's turn he picked hyena and cantina and came up with:

"Silly Sally went to town backwards and upside down.
On the way she met a hyena, a silly hyena, and they ate at a cantina."

His teacher and I are still wondering how he knows the word cantina. She asked him if he knew what it was and he told her, "Yeah you go there to eat food and drink stuff." I guess it is better then the little girl who rhymed caterpillar and killer... yeah serious, it happened.

Leprechauns

2009-03-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

This week Jack had a little creative writing assignment in class. I thought I would share it because I started laughing out loud when I read it. I happened to be in the classroom helping out when I read it and his teacher looked at me and said, "Yeah I know, it was pretty funny right."

"How to Catch a Leprechaun"
By: Jack C Tidd (he uses his middle initial when he is the "author")
I will climb a tree then I will jump on the leprechaun! Then I will run very fast and hide in a bush. Then I will take his coat off. Then I will eat 100 bowls of Luck Charms cereal. I will eat 10 blue moons to make me invisible. Then I will say, "Gotcha".

This makes me wonder- does he think Leprechauns live in trees and how does he know about Lucky Charms cereal and the magic of the blue moon shaped marshmallows inside?

Suprise!!

2009-03-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

Jack and I had the best surprise arrive at our door last Wednesday. My sister flew in from Chicago for an early birthday celebration. For those of you who don't know, my sister and I have shared the same birthday, even though we are 2 years apart. I've always thought it was the most wonderful thing, well maybe after the age of 12 I decided it was pretty cool to have that special day together.

We did so much while she was here and it was so much fun, Jack even had a snow day last Thursday so we got to stay home, play in the snow and hang out with Sarah all day to ourselves. Last weekend we went exploring in Seattle, Monday Sarah and I attacked Ikea and then attacked my apartment, I would not have done it without her pushing me to make better use of the space. Tuesday we bummed around in the Fremont and Ballard areas and decided Fremont is way better in our opinions as far as little shops to explore and bum around in.

Sarah and I had the best time, I really just enjoyed having her here-- I feel like the house is so quiet without her now.

How lucky am I to have a sister who I am so close to? Sometimes I feel like we should have been twins because that would describe our bond better, I feel like she is my other half and I wish there were words that were bigger then love and sister and friend to describe my Sarah... I love you and can't wait for tomorrow. Thank you so much for coming to see me and I can't wait to see you again.

Valentine-ing

2009-02-16T15:29:00.001-08:00

We started out the week by making these lovely Valentine cards for the special ladies in Jack's life-- the idea came via the ladies at Sugar City Journal. It was a fun project that only took Sunday morning and part of the afternoon. Basically Jack drew a Valentine inspired picture and I made copies of it onto card stock and I exacto'd out some of the picture and we mounted them on glittery scrapbook paper. It was pretty fun. Then Jack wrote out little greetings on the backs and we sent them off on their merry way.

Wednesday we made some cutout cookies and decorated them. Made ourselves sick with frosting and candy toppings, but it was worth it. They turned out pretty good-- Jack made a special one for his Kindergarten teacher and took it in on Friday with her little gift.

Friday night Jack and Randy planned to do my Valentine shopping-- apparently Jack devised a plan to get me something really good. Here is a little snippet of the conversation according to Randy (picture this in a jewelry store)
Jack: Dad-- I want to get mom earrings
Randy: Jack, I think we should surprise her and get her a new camera
Jack: Dad, I think she wants more jewelry
Randy: Jack, she has lots of jewelry and she has been wanting a new camera, I think we should try to surprise her with one.
Jack: Dad, giving presents isn't about you, it is about the person you are giving it to.
Randy: Which one's did she say she wanted?

I guess Jack could not find the earrings I had been eyeing in the case and looked at every single pair and settled a pair of aquamarine studs. They aren't typically something I would pick out for myself-- but I love them because Jack picked them out and I have worn them everyday.

Saturday morning I woke up to a quiet house, the boys woke up early and snuck off. They returned with daffodils and stuff for breakfast.

Saturday afternoon Jack had Sheldon's birthday party to go to and had a great time. I had already confirmed with his mother that we could just drop him off and have a few hours to ourselves. Randy took me to this little hamburger place he has been wanting to go back to, I know, but holy cow that was a really good burger. Afterward we decided to wonder over to Circuit City and see what was on sale- we ended up stumbling upon a 22" flat panel monitor we have been watching and got it for a really good price. After all that excitement we picked up Jack from the party and headed home.

We had a great weekend and now I have this to look at all week.

Salvaged Saturday

2009-02-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Jack had some major plans today-- his friend Sheldon's 6th birthday party. Jack has been extremely excited ever since he received the invite in the mail last weekend. Everyday he has been counting off the days, he had planned out the perfect gift for Sheldon. This morning Jack played a little Lego Star Wars with his Dad on the Wii and after a last minute personal hygiene situation, Jack was showered and ready to go. I picked up my cell phone to check the time and the unthinkable happened, there was a missed call and a voicemail-- from Sheldon's mom. OH NO! I checked my voicemail and learned she awoke to one very sick little boy and was having to cancel & reschedule the party. As soon as I hung up the phone I looked at Jack and could instantly tell we were entering the pre-stages of a very broody afternoon (Jack has the tendency to mope around like a mini tortured poet when things go awry--I seriously wonder if I have a 16 year old trapped in a 6 year old body).

Randy must have been on the same wave length as me as I see him walk towards the office and get on the computer. Through a little quick parent mini conference we conclude in 5 seconds to take Jack to Coraline and McD's for lunch. I know it is bad, but sometimes you have to play that card-- besides we never eat there anymore, so once in awhile it is OK, especially with the aforementioned broodiness.

We decide it will be more fun to surprise Jack with all of this and just tell him he is coming along with us for our errands and lunch we were going to during the party. I don't know if this is normal or not, but Jack tends not to get excited about anything-at all, so we try to surprise him to elicit some type of excited emotional response to something, it very rarely works. Needless to Jack is not excited at the thought of going to sushi and a tax appointment.

Stop #1- McD's, we get out of the car and he looks at McD's and says, "They don't have Sushi here" in a completely dead pan tone. So we take the trickery a little further and tell him we are just parking here and walking to the other side to the sushi restaurant. Once inside McD's he asks if he can get something there and we can just get sushi (Jack is also a great problem solver-- always figuring out a way to settle both sides of an issue) we then decided it would be good to let him know we were really going to have lunch at McD's and there was a little knowing glimmer of a smile. He told me he would just have his, "usual"-- which he says as his "uj".

Stop #2- Joann's, I really did need to pick up some scrap booking items for tomorrow afternoon's project, we are making Valentines for all the special ladies in Jack's life. It should be fun and I will post some pics. We also had about 30 minutes to kill before heading over to the movie theater and going to Joann's put us in the same complex as the theater.

Stop #3-- Coraline We popped the Joann's purchases in the trunk of the car and walked over to the theater and got the tickets. Once we were inside I turned to him and asked if he knew where we were going and he shrugged and said, "Um, Coraline?" The movie was AWESOME-- seriously good and very cute and wonderful, one of the best kids movies I have seen in awhile. Very, very, very good.

So I think I managed to salvage Saturday afternoon and now he has something to look forward to next Saturday, but I just really really really wish that maybe one time, he would get excited about something... just one time. He sure can play it cool though.

Pet Talk

2009-01-30T08:04:00.000-08:00

Last night Jack and Randy had a funny little talk about the possibility of getting a pet. I overheard this from the other room and I about chewed my lip off so he would hear me giggle.

Jack: Dad, I think I would like to have a pet.
Randy: What kind of pet do you think you would like to have.
Jack: Not a puppy or a cat, cause Dad you are allergic. What are the things called that we saw at the pet store that run on the wheel?
Randy: A hamster?
Jack: Yeah dad a hamster, can I get one? What do you do with a hamster?
Randy: Well you hug it and squeeze it and call it George (hee hee)
Jack: Gross dad, I'm not holding it ever, I am keeping it in it's cage all the time. I would get lots of stuff to make it a cool maze that it could run around in and a wheel. So can I get one?
Randy: Before you get a pet you have show me you are responsible enough to care for a pet and then maybe when you are 7 you can get a pet.
Jack: How do I do that?
Randy: Well you can start by keeping your room clean, taking your dishes from the table into the kitchen and asking your mom what you can do to help her; without being asked to do so.
Jack: Oh, OK, and then I can get a hamster?
Randy: If you do all those things for another year, then you can come ask me again. Can you guess what I will say?
Jack: (Sigh) You will say No.
Randy: Right, and what should you say to me?
Jack: (voice lilting up with hope) That I deserve one?
Randy: No, come to me and say, but daddy I did all this stuff for a whole year and you said we could talk about it after I was 7.
Jack: (really excited voice) And then you will say yes?
Randy: No, I will probably say they are too expensive. What do you think you should say then.
Jack: (super convincing I really want this or I will not survive voice) Pppppplllllleeeeeeaaaaaaasssssee Daddy, they aren't that expensive.
Randy: No, you say, but daddy I have the money.
Jack: Why would I say that, then I would'nt have any money.
Randy: To show me how much you want the hamster.
Jack: Hmm, that's a lot of money dad.

The Mastermind

2009-01-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I had a rather interesting conversation with Jack's best friend's mom while waiting at the bus stop about her son also not wanting her to fetch him directly from the bus. Apparently her son has been telling her that she doesn't need to come all the way to the bus stop, that he can meet her at the leasing office of our apartment complex or in the maybe mid-walk from the bus stop to their apartment. This all sounded remotely familiar to me and rather odd for her son's personality... but spot on for Jack. I had a sneaking suspicion that Jack may have planted a little seed in his friend's mind. Remember, he does talk about minions- a lot.

So on the way to run a few errands I decided to bring this up to Jack, it went a little something like this (keep in mind this whole conversation happens while I am driving):

Me: So Jack, Aravind's mom told me that he asked her not to pick him up directly from the bus stop.
Jack: Hmm, really.
Me: She said that he asked her to meet him on the hill or the leasing office and not at the bus stop anymore.
Jack: Does that mean I can meet you at the leasing office or on the hill?
Me: No. Have you and Aravind been talking about this?
Jack: Just once--why don't you trust me (the dreaded words, this means I will have to explain it just right)
Me: Jack it is not that I don't trust you, I don't trust other people and there are bad people out there in the world and need to be there to keep an eye on you. (seriously I looked up the sex-offender (big mistake, don't do it) database and man there are a lot in our area) You aren't growing up in the world your mom and dad did, maybe when you are older we can talk about it again
Jack: Mom when will I be old enough? I really want to walk on my own.
Me: I don't know Jack, maybe next year.
Jack: Next year (large sigh)

Sick Day

2009-01-27T07:55:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I kept Jack home because he had what looked to be like the slightest little rash forming on his chin and he was developing a little cold. OK-- I probably overreacted, but I just had visions of the school calling me and asking me why I sent him off in this condition. This is probably do to the hypersensitivity his preschool showed to any form of redness on a child's skin. But that is neither here nor there. What I realized is that when you have to negotiate bus rides with a 6 year old to get them to stay home, you are in over your head.

Here's how it played out, I noticed a very small spot on Jack's chin after he got out of the shower. I call Randy over in that voice that means something like, "oh sh__ the arm just fell off our kid" and he rushes on over like he should saying, "what, what?" In an attempt to not alert our son that anything is "wrong" I try to convey to Randy to look at Jack's chin without saying anything. Of course this is crazy and does not work and it only looks like I have something in my eye. So I end up telling him to look at Jack's chin and he kind of looks at it and says, "huh". After the chin looking, we huddle in the bathroom and decide it is best for Jack to stay home because of the previously mentioned red spot. But now that Jack has started bus riding in the morning, missing school is a form of torture the army field handbook would not even allow.

Randy decides that he will break the news to Jack and instantly I hear Jack say, "but dadddddddddyyyyyyyyyy I want to see my fffffrrrrriiiieeennndssss!" I decide to rescue my waffling husband and march out of the bathroom with a stern but concerned look on my face (never let the child see you sweat or he will sense your internal fear) and tell Jack that he needs to stay home today. Jack launches into his counter-argument, I will briefly summarize:

Jack-- Mom I want to go to school, I haven't seen my friends all weekend and I don't want to miss anything new.
Me--Jack, but you might have a rash on your chin. (Jack hates rashes I think this might work)
Jack-- Mom if it gets worse my teacher will send me to the nurse and they will call you to get me.
Me--Jack I want you home where I can keep an eye on you
Jack-- Mom, I will check it when I get in from both recesses and not touch my face all day long (serious folks he said it)
Me-- Jack you are staying home.
Jack-- But that means I will only get 2 ride the bus home days this week if I miss today.
Me-- (I see my in and I take it aka I fell into his well woven web) Jack you can ride the bus home tomorrow. I will just leave from school a few minutes earlier then you and meet you at the bus stop.
Jack-- Really? OK then, Dad can I turn on the TV?

Oh and about an hour later I realized it was a scratch on his face and it probably just got agitated with the soap in the shower.

A fun weekend

2009-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

This weekend we headed to Randy's Aunt and Uncle's house in Portland. Every year the Reedville Cafe in Hillsboro has a crab fest and we haven't gone in years, pretty much because traveling outside of Klamath Falls in the winter is no easy undertaking--it is not for the faint of heart. We took off after dinner and had an easy drive down, in fact we actually saw the I-5 drawbridge up for the first time, in all my years in Portland I had never seen it raised. Jack was totally excited to see it, but it was dark out so he didn't get the best look.
Saturday I got a chance to spend a few hours with one of my old friends. We had a fun time just hanging out at the mall and doing a little shopping. I never really realize until I am away from Jack and Randy, how little time we actually do spend apart. Which is pretty cool, but I do need my time on my own. Randy and Jack spent some time hanging out playing the Wii and mastering a few Lego Star Wars levels. We had a great time at dinner and I stuffed myself with crab. MMMM

The Crab!!

Sunday morning we woke up to a light dusting of snow that turned everything beautiful and white-- I tried to convince Randy that we were snowed in, but he didn't go for it. After a quick lunch with Bethany and Emily we headed home to start the week.

All Grown Up

2009-01-21T14:31:00.000-08:00

So, this morning it happened. We got off to a late start this morning and by the time we were ready we had missed the bus and I had to drive Jack to school. This morning I decided I would try letting Jack out at the drop off area and letting him walk to the playground on his own. When he realized what I was doing, he got right out of the car asked which way he should cross and that was it, walked right off-- no hugs, no I love you's... nada. I was so stunned I wasn't quite sure what happened. But I felt better this afternoon when I got him from the bus stop and I could see him jumping up in down in his seat when he saw me.

Turkey Day!

2009-01-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Well we know it has been awhile... we just haven't been in the blogging zone as of late in the household. Today we finally had our turkey day. We did a lot of traveling for the holidays this year and the one thing we love the most (well Randy and I) about the holidays is all the leftovers and all the soup from the leftovers. But when you travel, you just don't get the leftovers you do as when you do all the cooking. I fully intended on cooking a turkey or turkey breast between Thanksgiving and Christmas but for some reason they were all sold out--then when the turkeys did come in they were all over 17 lbs in my supermarket. So Friday I ran into another supermarket to grab some on sale chicken (seriously what has happened-- I nearly gasped in delight when I saw chicken breast for 1.99 a pound) and noticed some frozen turkey breast were still in stock. So I grabbed us one and we are having our Turkey day tonight.

This morning Jack wanted to do something with me, so I thought he could help with the corn bread. As I had a Jiffy mix on hand I figured it should be simple enough for him to do mostly on his own and what a great way to practice our reading. I started baking with these mixes when I was around his age with Grammy, she would always let me experiment in the kitchen with her and I loved every minute of it. We started with Jack reading the ingredient list and making sure we had everything. He read the whole recipe and then we set the oven (he is still too young for that), we measured out our milk and I played the role of assistant. I told him a little bit about how I started baking with Grammy with these mixes and I used to make breakfast for my parents with the muffin mix. I think he was pretty impressed with himself.

After hitting the supermarket this afternoon we will get the rest of the items made up. I am keeping it simple; turkey, mashed tatoes, gravy, stuffing, green beans and something easy for desert...maybe denver chocolate pudding.

Well I scrapped the desert, but as you can see it turned out pretty well.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trap

2008-10-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I volunteered to go with Jack's class on their first field trip of the year. It was Jack's class and the other two kindergarten classes that went on the trip. We visited the pumpkin patch at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA; about a 20 minute drive outside the city from Jack's school. I have to say, having seen nothing but city and urban sprawl for the last 3 months of my life, it was great to get out and see a little nature.

I had 4 kids in my group to keep track of, which seems like it should be completely do-able, but in a gaggle of 60 kindergartens keeping track of your 4 kids can be a little easier said then done. We got to go on the train ride, learned about bees and pollination, watched a man perform silly songs, looked in a "old-time" farm house (seemed pretty spacious compared to what Grammy grew up in, must have been "well -off" farmers), and go through a hay maze. All of the kids had a great time and it was so fun watching them get so excited over all the new things. At the end of the trip each child got to pick out their own pumpkin. Jack was especially discerning when picking out his, he had to have just the right one and didn't want any dirt on it.

I really wish I would have gotten some pictures of the trip, but I forgot to put new batteries in my camera before I left for school.

This weekend

2008-10-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend we headed back to Portland for the second weekend in a row. Needless to say I was overjoyed. There is something magical to me about Portland in the fall, it might be because I moved there in the fall when I was 19. Fall in Portland always seems to make my heart burst with love, I love everthing about that city--absolutely everything, the bridges, downtown, I am loving getting to know the Pearl District area--when I moved there, the only time you went into certain parts of the Pearl was to go to art galleries during First Thursdays, now it is thriving. Its great.

Jack had a great time seeing his family, he was so excited to share his reading and show off his loose tooth. On Saturday afternoon he got to go to the family fun center with his dad, uncle jeff and papa. They played mini-golf, Jack says he won. They rode the bumper boats and he got to drive. They also drove the go-karts, Jack says that was his favorite because is made his hair fly away from his head. Randy said Jack was laughing the hole time and yelling at him to keep going faster.

It was a great weekend and one I am sure we will not live down for awhile. Next weekend we will be staying home in our jammies for awhile I am sure.

Its been awhile I know

2008-10-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it has been awhile since I have posted anything new. It seems like once school started for Jack we have been going going going. Jack is doing just awesome at school. He has made some good little friends and is busy learning as much as he can. He can already read! There has been nothing more amaizing to me in this journey in motherhood then watching my little boy read a book, it is the most magical and special thing. I have been volunteering in Jack's class every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. It has been a really rewarding experience, I love getting to see the little kids every time I go in, they all call me Ms. Kristin and are so excited to see me, it is the best self-esteem builder ever.

Jack's favorite things about school so far:
1. Getting to take lunch from home
2. Going to the library and getting to check out books
3. Getting to ride the buss home

Here are a few of my fall favorites so far:

First Days of School

2008-09-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well Jack's first days of school have come and gone so fast he seems like an old pro at school now. In fact this afternoon when I picked him up and asked him what he did he said, "Mom you know, the same things as yesterday." So I asked what he had for lunch and he followed up with, "You know--a a burrito."

Here are a few of the highlights from the last few days:
1. His teacher's name is Miss Gaines, she has been a teacher for 7 years. She seems to be very nice and some of the other parents of older students have told us that she is a great teacher.

2. Jack was able to carry his lunch tray just fine, I worried for nothing. He does have a lunch code that he has to enter to pay for lunch everyday. He is pretty jazzed about the hot lunch in general-- I think it is because he can choose between regular and chocolate milk everyday.

3. He has discovered the school library. He said in the car on the way home, "Mom, did you know that you can check out a book and bring it back?"

All in all I think this year is going to go great, we are discussing the option of him riding the bus home from school. He really wants to and is kind of upset that he is not getting to. I guess Randy and I will be talking about that and discuss whether or not he is ready. I am sure he will be just fine.

Here is Jack on his first day:

Here are 3 of Jacks favorite things from the past few days (sounds like he is enjoying the independence of being in elementary school)
1. going to the bathroom all by himself when he needs to
2. picking his own lunch (this one is really true he has picked the bean burrito the last few days and it comes with a green salad with tomatoes on it--he said he has been eating the tomatoes)
3. afternoon recess is really long and you get to play where you want to

Extended Summer

2008-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Jack and I have been enjoying the last few weeks of his extended summer together. We have started meeting Randy for lunch at work for a picnic outside everyday. After our little mini-picnic we have been going either to the grass lawn park or to the park behind our house. Every night after dinner we have been going for a bike ride, we think he is almost ready to take off the training wheels...almost. He has been coming right along with his reading, we try to work on it everyday. It is shocking to me that Jack can read. I am so surprised every time he reads a new word, I don't think I have been this excited since he started walking and talking.

We've had a great weekend so far. Friday night we had chicken and noodles for dinner--Randy and Jack both really loved it. Jack wanted to bring it to school for lunch one day he liked it so much. We played a few board games Friday night and yesterday we all went mini-golfing and finished up the night with some Wii Sports.

Sounds like the teachers union and the district are pretty close to settling the contract, hopefully Jack will be in school on Monday. He's getting pretty anxious.

Tidds out on the town

2008-09-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a rather social one for us Tidds. Friday evening we had dinner at CPK with a few of Randy's old friends. It was nice being out and the weather couldn't have been better. Jack had a good time, he is always excited whenever he can order his own Hawaiian pizza.
Saturday evening we met my aunt & uncle for an early dinner in downtown seattle. They were coming through town to go on an Alaskan cruise and had Saturday evening free to spend with us. We ate at a great seafood place on the waterfront a great evening was had by all.
After dinner we made the drive from seattle to vancouver to visit with Bethany and Mason. We love going to see them. Jack always has fun playing with their daughter Mason. They got to play with Bethany's lego castle set and Jack ran through the sprinkler in the afternoon. It is always great to spend the weekend with them as they are such good friends, especially now that we are pretty much alone up here. Its just perfection to sit on their porch in the late summer evenings talking and laughing and enjoying such good friends.

On a side note, the strike is still on so I need to come up with some ideas to do with Jack this week. Otherwise I think his mind is going to rot with all the cartoons we have been watching.

Not quite the end of summer

2008-09-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well the Teacher's Union where we live went out on strike. While I don't specifically agree with the idea of teacher's striking. I do fully understand and support the decision to stand up for what is right. It is not solely based on an increase in pay--which is deserved--also the thing that has me concerned is the mandated district wide curriculum. Having grown up in a household with a teacher I know that not one lesson plan can fit each class. Every child is different and every child is special and learns in different ways... making each class different so how can one lesson plan fit for each class across the district? It does not make sense with me and I do not agree with it.

So Jack and I have been enjoying these last few stolen days of summer. He will start school soon enough. For now we have been hanging out and going to the park and watching movies together. Not to mention reading and working on our homework book.

The end of summer

2008-09-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

With the eve of the last day of summer upon us. I am so glad that I had this time with Jack. I know he is happy we had the time together too. So much has happened in the last few months that it feels odd he is starting school tomorrow.

Jack is nothing but excited. I am full of worry... most likely normal worries like does he know enough, did I teach him the right things. Will he be able to carry his lunch tray, will kids like him?

Family Night

2008-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

A long standing Tidd family tradition returned to our house tonight. A few years ago we started having family night on friday nights at our house. It usually involved pasta or pizza and a movie or playing games. Tonight it was deep dish pizza and Wii games. Because it had been so long since we have had a real family night, Jack and I felt we had to do something to spice it up. We made a trip to Party City and got some funny decorations and sunglasses to wear.

Kindergarten Orientation

2008-08-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today was it. I took Jack to Orientation for Kindergarten this afternoon at his new school. I think we were both a little nervous. Jack not knowing what to expect at all, me expecting that I would have more snotty mommies to deal with and try to be nice to. I think we were both pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find another mommy + daughter duo that were very friendly to talk to while we were waiting. Dominique was the little girls name and I did not get the mom's name.

The school is laid out in pod/cluster style rooms, his room has two rooms in it-- there are two kindergarten classes this year and they will add a 3rd if more students enroll. We met lots of the other kids all of them seemed pretty nice and I think Jack will get along fine. We got our list of school supplies to bring on the first day. This year the kids will be sharing all the supplies to build a sense of community in the classroom. Hmm, I guess somethings have changed since I was in kindergarten.

The teachers seemed very nice, both around my age.
Monday we take Jack to school at 8am. I wonder if will survive the day without staying all day long. I did sign up to volunteer in the class and for field trips and I am considering the PTA... I need something to keep me busy.

Jack Wisdom

2008-08-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last week in Klamath one morning I was talking to Jack about him starting school. Basically I was lamenting that I would be lonely without him around to keep my company all day. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Jack I don't want school to start yet, I'm going to be lonely without my little buddy.
Jack: Mom, I'm only going to be gone half a day, I'll be there in the afternoon.
Me: Oh I know, but I will still be lonely.
Jack: Mom, you could get a job you know with Dad at Microsoft, then you won't be lonely.
Me: But if I get a job, who will pick you up from school.
Jack: Mom, I am gonna ride the bus, I can just unlock the door and go inside.
Me: You can't be home alone, what if something happens.
Jack: Mom, what could happen? I will go inside, lock the door behind me and watch TV till you get home.
Me: flabergasted with look of shock on my face-- I just hugged him, what else could you do with that line of reasoning.

8.25.08

2008-08-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as the day my guy got signed up for Kindergarten.

Yesterday we took Jack to his school, Ardmore Elementary, to sign up for Kindergarten. I had really thought we were going to do half day, then I looked at the lesson plans... the half day kids get basically introduction to reading and learning numbers and letters-tied in with art once a week and PE & music class. The full day kids get exposed to science and math and more art, music and PE. So we decided to do full day. The half day instructional period was only 2 hrs and 40 minutes as well--so it didn't really seem worth it. It looks like they also mix in some of the advanced Kindergartners with the first grade class. Since Jack can basically read and add and subtract, I am hoping he is one of those kids.

Jack has been nervous all summer, saying he doesn't like school and doesn't want to go, well after seeing the school yesterday he is excited. We took him to see the play equipment and he was happy with what they had. He is really looking forward to riding the bus to and from school. Which I do not know if I am ready for, at all. It seems so grown up of him to be doing.

My little guy is growing up. Thursday was have an orientation from 1-3 to meet the teacher and see the room. That should be fun.

Ohh last night we found a really great neighborhood pizza place, its NY style pizza and they have some arcade games from the 60's and 70's in the restaurant. It was awesome food too.

The unpacking continues

2008-08-11T20:28:00.001-07:00

Jack and I have been working everyday getting unpacked. This afternoon we worked on cleaning his room up. This weekend he unpacked the remaining boxes in his room and scattered the contents about his room. This afternoon I suddenly understood the crazy my mom must have felt when Sarah and I were little and we would not keep a clean room. I sat in Jack's room and directed/guided him in cleaning-- we also did a good bit of clean out at the same time.

Lately Randy and I have been to work with Jack on his frustration level and how he seems to be overly afraid to do certain things. Especially anything involving heights or hanging on/off anything. There is a park that I have been taking Jack to in our new neighborhood that has been helping a lot with that, the Grass Lawn Park Tonight we went again and he is doing really well, climbing up lots of stuff and going across the rope walk. We were pretty proud. Here are some pictures:

Jack climbed up into this basket, it took some doing, but he got in there on his own.

Jack going across the rope walk

Jack climbing up to the big slide

Jack and I at the park :)

Jack's favorite things for today:
1. going down the big slide at the park
2. going across the rope bridge at the park
3. playing original mario brothers on dad's old nintendo

Getting Settled in, still

2008-08-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

We are still sifting through the boxes but are mostly unpacked. I need to get some pictures of Jack's room, it is looking pretty cool. I have the living room and kitchen mostly together, we are working on our bedroom and bathroom. The problem is that there is really no place to put anything, so I am kind of figuring things out.

Jack started his second session of swimming lessons on Monday and is doing really well. I am trying to take advantage of the nice sunny weather by taking him to the pool in the apartment to reinforce what he is learning. He likes his new teacher, it helps her name is Sarah.

Here are some shots of today's lesson:

A moving we will go

2008-07-28T08:01:00.001-07:00

I don't have any pictures yet, but we have been moving into our new apartment this weekend. I have been madly trying to get the kitchen all unpacked and am almost there. I have found there is a big difference between an in-town move vs moving to another state... you have to unpack all your stuff at once. There is no leaving certain rooms to the end and getting that stuff later when you are ready for it. Right now I have 100 boxes in our house + our furniture which is making it pretty icky to get around. I think I have about 10-15 boxes done. Hopefully today I will get the rest of the kitchen done and moved onto the bedroom.

We picked up Jack a new bed @ Ikea yesterday. Randy has it almost all the way together. He and Will worked on it last night and it seems as though the Tidd family is evolving. They worked together quite nicely, no yelling @ each other, no swearing & they used their words instead of just pointing or sticking out their hand expecting something.

Here is the bed, I will post a picture when Jack's room is all together.

Vancouver Visit

2008-07-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jack and I headed to Vancouver to visit Bethany & Mason. We had a great time and hope they did too. Jack was completely entertained and I sat there and relaxed. I love their front porch and it is my hope to someday have one, it really is an extension of their house. In fact I think I have spent more time hanging out on their porch then in their house.

Jack's favorite things about the trip:
Seeing the girl (Jack met their neighbor, Jenna a very adorable four year old.)
Hopscotching with Mason

Driving his batmobile around last night (this has become a nightly pastime for him)

This week seems like it has gone by pretty quick. Jack started swimming lessons on Monday and they are going very well. He likes his teacher and is doing better in the water. Tonight Jack & I went over to the pool and did a little practice in the water. Tomorrow is the big move day... wish us luck!

Jack hopscotching it up.

Jack running through the sprinkler

Our tootsies enjoying the fantastic morning light in Bethany's spare bedroom.

Portland Weekend

2008-07-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

We headed to Portland for the weekend for Wendy's birthday. All in all we had a good time. It was good getting out of town and seeing our family. I was grateful to be around people other then Jack and Randy. I know that might sound bad, but outside of Will I have talked to pretty much a five year old these last few weeks. I really need to find some friends here. Unfortunately for me, it sounds like most of Randy's work colleagues are single, sigh. So single friends... there are some well off nerds on the market here.

Randy filled gas for the 4th & 5th time this trip, he is getting better. At least he is not thinking they need to replace the nozzle after each fill. We had a bbq on Saturday night for dinner to celebrate Wendy's birthday. Sunday on our way back to Seattle we stopped and saw Bethany & Mason for lunch. It was so good seeing them. It is nice to at least be closer to them being up here.

It is also Randy & I's 6 year wedding anniversary today.

I caught Bev & Jack watching TV together on Saturday morning:

Sunday after we got home we headed down to the coffee shop and had a coffee. Here is mine. I felt like I was right out of an episode of Friends with my big coffee cup hangin out playing board games in a coffee house.

Jack's favorite things from our trip:
Seeing my family(Papa, Wendy, Jeff & Grandma)
Outdoor bbq with cake
Spiderman 3 Sorry game @ St. James coffee place with mom & dad

This section brought to you by Jack:
once i loved my mom and wendy
once i loved my dad

The last few days (7-15-08 - 7-17-08)

2008-07-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been pretty good ones for Jack and I. Tuesday we went to storytime where we learned about bees and got to make a bee craft. Wednesday was storytime in the park, we packed a lunch and ate in the park. We also found a bakery and got some cookies to go with our lunch. Today we ventured to Puyallup wa to visit my old friend Annie. She is living up here and it was great to see her. I don't think Jack knew what to think of her two kids, but they are a lot younger...

Jack's favorite things:
Seeing Uncle Will on Wed night
Playing @ goldsmith park
Going to storytime in the park & @ the library

Seeing Annie today was great. I got caught up on all the gossip from the old crowd and being around another girl was nice for a change.

Tomorrow we head to Portland for the weekend and I am pretty excited to see people other then Jack and Randy. I might runaway to Vancouver for awhile and catch up with Bethany & Mason.

714-08

2008-07-14T21:40:00.001-07:00

Not much went on today. Jack and I hit Target in the afternoon for a few necessaties. He picked up a batmobile, which he has been wanting since he saw it a few weeks ago and we got some new puzzles to work on.

This evening we made our usual treck to the park. It has become a nightly ritual, after dinner we walk to the park. Tonight I had Randy stop by the coffee shop I had been wanting to try out, and I was so happy that I did. It was seriously one awesome latte. I don't think I will be going to that seattle based franchise across the street again as long as we are in this neighborhood. This place was great. The baristas were all artsy with their foam and there were tons of books and games, like they actually wanted you to hang out there. They have a little library in there were you can borrow books and bring them back. It was great. It is what I remembered coffee houses being like when I first fell in love with them.

Jack's favorite things from today:
Getting to go to the park with his Daddy
Learning to play checkers @ the coffee shop
Getting to play

Walk to the park

2008-07-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

These are some of the flowers and plants we see on the way to the park everyday:

This bush is covered in these pretty pink flowers. It smells really good too.

This is my new favorite lilly color combo. The evening I snapped this was the last day these lillies looked nice. The next day was a hot one and all the blooms wilted.

I am not even sure what this is, but when I have a yard, I want this little tree, it is sooo cute.

Jack looks up @ these leaves and always says, "Look mom, tree stars"

Jack spotted this lady bug on the walk home from the park the other morning. He was so excited about seeing a lady bug, that is was very old and that it crawled all over his finger. It was the perfect lady bug moment. After a few minutes he relocated the lady bug to a nearby flower patch so it would be safer.

Day 7 (7-13-08)

2008-07-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to the Seattle Aquarium. We had a little hickup with the directions, one of the hwys we were supposed to use was closed so we had to figure out an alternate route. But we got there.

The aquarium was really nice, we saw lots of fish, a giant octopus, otters, sea lions, puffins & lots of other things. Jack played in the tidal pools and got touch starfish, sand dollars, sea annonome & sea cucumbers. It was pretty cool.

Jack's favorite things about the aquarium:
The sea otters
Going to the aquarium
Seeing a baby shark

It was a really good day. Randy nearly killed us getting back onto I5 from downtown, but we were all ok. I do think it shaved a year off my life though. Will came over in the afternoon and stayed for tacos.

Day 6 (7-12-08)

2008-07-12T22:24:00.001-07:00

Today was a fun day, we went to the park that will be behind our new apartment. It is really nice and kind of tucked away in the neighborhood so it is not as busy as the one we go to everyday. Jack had fun checking out the new equipment. There is a trail that goes from the door of our new apartment to the park-- its about 100 yards from the front door to the yard-- which will be so nice.

Jack and Randy convinced me to look through the windows of the new apartment, it looks pretty cozy... not sure where that hutch is going to go.

Randy located a meat market close to the new place too. It is AWESOME!! We picked up a "John T Fox" sirloin and some ground beef. The service was so good, the guy behind the counter recognized we had not been in there before and asked if we were knew to the area and we mentioned we had just moved from out of town. Apparently all new customers get a few sample of their fresh made peperoni sticks-- which are awesome. We will definitely be regulars there. It also did not hurt that they had a huge cardboard cut-out of Barack Obama in the shop-- their cars were all decked out with bumper stickers too. So we felt @ home.

Tonight we walked down to the waterfront and grabbed a cone from Ben & Jerry's then walked over to the park. After Jack playing for a bit, we watched a baseball game for awhile and headed home.

Jack wisdom for today:
We were driving back this afternoon from some grocery shopping and I made a comment to Randy that I wanted a new car. Jack piped up with a, "Mom, just as long as it's not a clown car. Cause Mom then you would have to dress like a clown and get a clown nose." He was referring to my desire for a mini cooper-- which I have pointed out several times to Randys since moving here that it would be convenient for parking in tiny spots. It was so hilarious the way he said it. That kid is funny sometimes. So now I will probably never get one, because I will always here in the back of my head in Jack's 5 year old voice, "Mom- don't buy clown cars."

Days 4 & 5 (7-19 - 7-11-08)

2008-07-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jack and I layed pretty low the last few days. Thursday we had to return the rental car. We picked Randy up for work and I left the rental contract on the counter back @ the apartment. So we just had lunch instead. I mentioned that I had to get gas in the Honda... & Randy told me something really funny. He had to get gas for the first time a few days ago. Keep in mind he has maybe filled gas 4 times in his life. In Oregon they have to pump it for you. He noticed a sign that said, "Please replace nozzle after filling." So he finished up, got his receipt and walked over to tell the attendant he was done and could he help him replace the nozzle... He understood the sign to mean they replace the nozzle between each fill-up. Thank fully he figured out the sign before getting to the attendant. That really was the funniest Randy momement in a long time.

Friday Jack and I hung out around the house. We made lunches and took them to the park to eat (ham rollups, peaches, raisins & a brownie). We ate while a baseball game was on. Then Jack played in the park.

Day 3 (7-9-09)

2008-07-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Jack's favorite things from yesterday:
making dragonflies after story time
the teacher reading me a story
going to the library

Jack's favorite things for today:
going on the hill for story time in the park
looking at the pictures of the big book
playing at the park with mom & dad after dinner

I can't post any pictures from today. There seems to be a problem with the photo editing software I have been using... boo.

Jack and I took it easy today, we hung around the house in the moring. He watched some cartoons while I got our sandwiches ready for stories in the park. Around 1130 we headed over to the park and started munching on our lunch. Unfortunately the PA system the librarian was using stopped working, so we didn't hear very well-- but we are looking forward to next week. The cars came today and Jack and I had fun getting them parked and situated. After dinner we headed off to the park with Randy to do a little before bed time playing.

Day 2 (7-8-08)

2008-07-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty good day for Jack and I. We started out the day by straightening up our house a little. I unpacked the last remaining boxes of temp housing items while Jack caught up on some cartoons.

We had breakfast in the park, grabbed some bagels from the bagel store (jack had chocolate chip & i had everything + plain cream cheese) & shared an o.j. After we ate Jack got some playing in at his park. Where he snubbed a little boy who asked him to play with him. I secretly giggled, the boy came up to him and asked Jack how old he was, Jack looked him up one side and down the other and kind of cocked his eyebrow and said, "I'm five" in a very serious I am not impressed with you tone to his voice. He also held up his hand and showed him how many fingers 5 was--in a way I could tell Jack expected this child to not understand just how many five is. The boy replied with a, "I'm five to, wana race?" which really sounded like, "I fife too wana waaaace?" Jack just looked at him, turned around and walked off. That other little boy found someone else to play with after going through the same scenario a few times. After whitnessing this I remembered what it was like when I was little-- at least I always had my sister, otherwise I never probably would have had anyone to play with. I could tell Jack thought it was going to take too much effort to interact with this "lesser being."

After the park we headed to the library for reading time. The librarian for story time was really awesome. I discovered just how painfully shy Jack was-- he picked a spot up front off to the side not realizing that during part of story time the group would turn to the other side of the room and he would be front and center. It took some coaxing but I finally got him to participate a little bit. I remembered just how I was as a little kid. Knowing what I thought was a lot and not wanting to make and mistakes, I could see the look on his face that I must have had so many times... hopefully a few more times and he will get the swing of it. We got to make a craft and he was excited about that.

We then headed home and made lunch, played his maze game we picked up at the coast. After nap time he had a little conversation with gma Beverly and worked on some homework. I can tell he is really smart because he gets frustrated with simple tasks-- but seems to sail through more uper-level cognative skills. We'll see how some math goes tomorrow....

We got home from the grocery store late today-- so no top favorites from Jack tonight, but I am sure he will have some tomorrow.

Day 1 (7-7-08)

2008-07-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Randy's first day of work & Jack & I's first day together. I had planned on taking him to the library in the morning and going to the park afterword. The library was great, Kirkland's public library is very nice and they have a good children's section. We read a few books together and Jack practiced sounding out and reading new words. After the library we headed over to the park and Jack played for awhile. I attempted to make eye contact with some of the other moms and they just looked away.

After lunch Jack worked on some homework and took a nap. I rememered just how tiring being a stay @ home mom can be. But rewarding, I feel like I achieved something-- Jack sounded out some pretty big words @ the library today, and I think part of that is me working with him.

Sorry no new pics today. I forgot the camera on our travels. But tomorrow we will get a pic or two up.

Jack's favorite things about today:
Going to the park x2-- Randy took him in the evening
Running down the ramp
Having fun with my family

Below is brought to you through the magic of Jack's little fingers:
the park love mom dad love jack

My favorite things about today:
Jack waking up after his nap & being excited to see me
Watching him play @ the park and have a good time
Reading books at the library together and Jack reading the words he knows

Kate 7-6-08

2008-07-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have discovered something about men... & why they do not have very many shoes. Men are picky. I used to think it was just Justin. Today Randy needed to get new shoes for work-- we went to 4 different places, all with rather similar shoes, and he finally settled on one pair after about an hour and half of looking and lamenting and trying and testing. Something was just a little wrong with each pair until he found just the right ones. After about the 15th pair, it dawned on me-- it must be because they are so discerning in their choices, that is why they only have a few pair of shoes. That must be it.

Me, I walk into any shoe store and I can find if not many at least one pair of shoes that strike my fancy. Like the ones I found today.

My favorite things about today:
Watching Jack sound out 5 simple words for a word search-- he pretty much did it on his own.
After 3 years of searching for the perfect color blue/slate/turquoise bed spread finding it @ Target.
The new coconut 7 layer bar flavor @ Ben & Jerry's-- it is yummy.

Jack 7-6-08

2008-07-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Jack's favorite things about today:
Going to Ben & Jerry's for a cone-- (he got chocolate brownie fudge chunk)
Going to the comic book store and getting a Transformer comic book with Dad
Buying new flip flops at Payless

Jack's witty advice for today-- during dinner I was lamenting that I should have gotten the very cute yellow flip flops @ Payless. Jack said, "You know Mom, we can go back tomorrow and buy them for you."

This section brought to you by Jack:
Jack says, "I love Momma & Daddy."

love batteries

Jack's new flip flops... I can't believe I did it-- but apparently we were a little late in purchasing sandals this year.
I promise I did not pose his hands on his hips like that - it is a natural talent
my pedicure from last week with Lynlee

Jack 7-5-08

2008-07-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

Jack typed the following, "jack kristin randy i love mom & love dad."

Jack's favorite things:
Riding the carousel
Playing air hockey
Chocolate milk from starbucks

Jack's quote of the day, "You know dad, when you get lost you see things you never would have seen before."

Kate's favorite things:
Watching Jack on the carousel
Watching Jack nearly beat his dad in air hockey--seriously Tidd's don't play down to little kids either.
Getting us lost so I was able to hear Jack impart his wisdom for the day

Jack says, I love you everyone.

Pics from day in seattle

2008-07-05T18:03:00.001-07:00

I missed the "done" button on the last screen. What can I say, first post and all.

Day in Seattle

2008-07-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Jack and I headed to Seattle for the day with Randy. We went down to Pikes Market and saw the fish tossing. We walked down to the waterfront and had lunch at a place on the water. Then Jack and Randy rode the carousel. It was a pretty fun afternoon and it was good to get out of the house.