November 2015

November had some fun times. We were all off together for Veteran's day, so we decided to go for an outing. We were not alone thinking it was a great day to go to the zoo. I waited in line while Fox and Nathan circled and explored a little. While in line, the family behind me asked if we were zoo members. We were not, so they offered to get us in for free as their guests with membership. It was so nice of them.

 We saw arctic foxes, mirror cats, and some reptiles. Fox really liked watching the jelly fish.  We went to the aquarium and saw the sharks. Before we got to see any of the animals, Fox wanted to play at the mini park for a while. We spent more time there than seeing animals.

Nathan and I went on a genuine date in November. His boss generously gave him a pair of tickets to a Seahawks home game against the Arizona Cardinals. So we got a friend to watch Fox for us and made a day of it. We parked at the airport and took the LightRail into down town.

Our seats were in the season ticket holder section on the club level. Some season ticket holders were regular fans like us. Some started drinking too early in the day and were not fun to be around. Some people couldn't go more than fifteen minutes without going in and out of their seats, unapologetic. Each time we had to stand up because we were on the end.

Even though the Seahawks lost, we still had a really good time. If we ever get to go in the future, I'm taking a blanket and extra hand warmers.

We also hosted Thanksgiving in our new home. Family attended and we shared the big news about our new addition to the family. Grandpa Blaine, Bryan's family, Grandma Julie and Grandpa Bob were all there.

October 2015

In October we took some of grandpa Dennis' kayaks to store in our garage. He came to help Nathan mount them in the garage. Fox wanted to help, but it turns out he's a better project manager.

After the kayaks were taken care of, we still had enough daylight to visit the pumpkin patch. What a fun time.

Halloween was a fail. I tracked down a fireman's costume because Fox had shown interest. But when it came time to put it on for the Halloween parties, he was NOT interested. Of course later, when it was just us, he had no problem being Fireman Fox.

Fox also got to meet his cousin Ella. He was curious, but I think it was more curious to see if she would do anything.

 

Finally, I just wanted to share some of the cuteness. The lesson is that it's so important to watch what is said around little ones because they pick it up and repeat. Oh my goodness.

September 2015

As the seasons change so does life. September brought many changes to our family. I started a full time teaching job at Decatur HS in Federal Way. That meant that Fox started full time daycare. We found a lovely place just a few minutes from home. The transition was a little rocky, but he's adaptable and adjusted well.

We soaked up every bit of sunshine we could. We spent time outdoors whenever possible. Including Fox getting his hair cut from our friend Chelsea. He might have a crush on her :)

With me going back to school and Fox going into daycare, our household caught just about every version of the cold virus known to man. And we weren't shy about sharing either. It seems like we were sick for just about the entire month. Fox got an ear infection. Which meant spending time at the doctor's office, no fun. But he did like the toys in the waiting room.

He also spent quality time with Nathan learning the important life skills associated with chess.

The last exciting thing in September was the change to the front facing car seat. He loved it.

Fox is TWO

It was so much fun to have family and friends over to celebrate Fox's birthday. He thought the cake was pretty great and really liked the Thomas and Friends decorations. His dreams came true when he opened several gifts with different sizes and varieties of Thomas trains.

We'd heard rumors of terrible two's, but Fox is a great boy. It was a blessed day, and we are blessed to have him.

August Good Times

1. Fox got a sandbox. He loves to "play dirty." I bought him a small table-top sandbox because I didn't want to hassle with a huge box that could become the neighborhood litter box for cats. Someday he will outgrow the small box, but until then, this is working great.

2. Fox likes to line-up all things: trains, cars, trucks, and even earplugs. They're unused, so it's not gross, but it's still a little strange. He gets hyper focused when getting them into rows.

3. Fox likes sandwiches, especially Nathan's sandwiches. Usually he just picks at the bread.

4. Dancing outside.

 

Here is Nathan practicing for his 2nd job, as superhero Robin Hood. 

Setting his sights and hitting the target. 

 

Backyard Boys

Our back yard got started in June. We watered through one of the hotter summers in years. After a lot of hard work, it's looking pretty good. We love spending time back there.

 

Bouncy Bouncy

Shirts are for suckers

Nature Nature

Summer has been super fun. We've seen lots of nature. 

Here is a caterillar in our back yard; it's Fox's favorite color.

 

Nathan and I were working on the lawn. I found...our first

SNAKE

 Fox was very curious. He had a great smile on his face. 

"What is it?"

July Parks 2015

Lovely weather gave us the opportunity to visit many parks this summer.

This is the neighborhood park near us, at Saddle Creek. Fox made friends with some big kids and practiced passing the basket ball back and forth. 

This is Dacca Park 

 

Fox wanted to climb so badly. I told him he needed to wait until he got bigger. He accepted that and moved on to something he could do. 

 

Wearing his Thomas and Friends pjs, he loved looking at this big train.

Spokane July 2015

It has become an annual tradition to visit grandma Teri in Coeure d'Alene for the Muddy Miles run. This year we were on the Support Staff for grandma's team: Pink Zombie Squad. She made Fox a little shirt. Nathan and I decided that Fox was still a little young to participate in the run this year. Fox disagreed. He wanted to  play in the "dirty dirt." Next year we'll be ready for him to get filthy.

Grandma's Team

Myshelle, John, Joel, and Brian

 

Support Staff 

Although he did not get "dirty dirt," Fox still took advantage of the hose station. He loves to splash in bubbles. After lunch and a quick car nap, we played at McEuen Park in Coeur d'Alene.

 

 At the end of the day

He had so much fun that we went back a second time. 

Worst Mom Ever

This week, Fox took a pretty big spill off his big wheel. He was going pretty fast and trying to impress the ladies. He took a sharp turn and the driveway got the best of him. He instantly let out the worst "in case of emergency" scream he could. That was followed by the deep silent cry, as I scooped him up. I was crushed. Worst. Mom. Ever.

The back of his left wrist took the brunt of the hit and looked raw. Luckily, Fox loves to play in the water so we were able to get it cleaned up pretty easily. We got it dried off and I was already to do my first major band aid job. He refused. No band aids for this tough guy #sissystickers. In fact, just to show me he didn't need one, he slapped his wound a couple of times. YIKES! Stop. My mom guilt is already off the charts.

Rewarded for his bravery with some milk and a "cookie" - which is really a snack bar. Maybe I'm not so bad. 

I also made stuffed peppers for dinner this week. Just because Fox didn't like them doesn't mean they weren't yummy. Normally don't post pictures of my food, but I'm pretty pleased with these.

The 4th of July

Another new park in the area. This time Nathan was able to join in the fun.

Kwianis Kids Spray Park at Pioneer Park

 Fox was having a good time dashing in and out of the water. He's not a big fan of the super cold water, so he likes to stay mostly dry. Once the shirt was wet, he wanted it off. He wasn't quite sure why this boy was sticking his face right on the sprayer.  It was a hot day...anything to stay cool.

These are two of my favorite pictures of the day.

Keeping it cool

Another way we found to beat the heat was to have a smoothy.

 

He also likes splashing around in the kitchen sink. I sense a water table in our near future.

 

Beat the Heat

Finding new ways to beat the heat. We visited a new splash park with our friend Nicole (Coley).

Les Gove Splash Park

 

Shirts are for suckers. Fox doesn't like when the wet shirt sticks to him.

 

Worst Mom Ever

This is a new little segment of the blog. 

Take it in good fun, the spirit in which it is written. 

This week I was the worst mom ever!!!

On Tuesday, Fox wanted pizza for lunch. We didn't have any pizza. Trying to explain this wasn't going well. He just kept repeating "pizza?" over and over again until he finally started crying. Worst. Mom. Ever....There was no pizza, so I couldn't give him pizza for lunch. The worst.

Then he wanted to pick his own lunch. So we went to the fridge. He spotted the mustard and selected that. I poured him a little mustard and got him some bread to dip in it. NO. That's not what he wanted. He wanted to drink mustard from the bottle. I didn't let him. Worst. Mom. Ever. Another meltdown ensued.

And then...there were these two little moments which changed the way I think. 

We were at a friend's house for a bbq. After dinner, they offered ice cream and/or root beer floats. He doesn't normally get treats like this, but I got a small dish of ice cream for Fox. After all, I'm not the worst mom ever. I sat him in the chair next to me and offered it to him. He refused. Ok, I thought, perhaps he wanted to feed himself. I offered him the spoon. He refused. I guess I'm doing something right.

At the park on Thursday, one of the mothers had brought Otter Pops to share with all the kids. Not wanting to appear like the worst mom ever, I let Fox have one. He chose, orange, of course. I snipped the top off and help him get his first bite. Then his second. The third bite, he took out of his mouth and started playing with and quickly dropped. I offered to help him get another bite. He refused. I offered a second time. He refused and asked for his water. Not so bad after all. 

5 Acre Park

Where's the shade?

This park had a couple of toys for kids to climb on: one for 2-5 year old kids and one for 5+. Of course age doesn't mean much to Fox, and we were the only ones there, so he tried his hand at the big kid stuff. 

And right before my very eyes, he got bigger. He's such a good little climber. I have a feeling the mischief around here is about to increase. 

Yes, the onsie is on backwards and undone...it was that kind of day

 

Five Acre has a lot of trails, so it will be great for bike riding, when we get to that point. It has bathrooms and a water fountain, both important features.With only street parking and NO SHADE, except under the covered picnic area, this isn't a park we will spend a lot of time at until it cools off a little around here. We did some bubbles at the tables, but I was melting and getting hungry (scary combination).  Every once in a while there was a breeze from the trees along the trail, and we said a little prayer: Dear God, thank you for the trees and thank you for the breeze.