Herzlich Willkommen

Our first snow fall this year..

2008-12-14T15:22:00.000-08:00

Santa at Daddy's work

2008-12-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

We saw Santa today at daddy's work. When we got there Santa was on his 'break' so we were sent to the back room for cookies, juice and holiday cartoons while we waited. We caught Santa by surprise- who was also in the back room- minus his beard, jacket, and gloves. Thankfully he still had his pants on. Liam was quite forgiving of the half dressed Santa who quickly excused himself and ho'ho'ho'ed out of the room..

Ultrasound pictures

2008-12-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

Our first appointment August 29th - at about 6 weeks - there's something there..

Our second ultrasound September 26th 11 weeks - and it looks like a baby.. thankfully just one!

Our last ultrasound 21 weeks- look at that little cutie.. Half way done!

On the first day of December..

2008-12-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

We took our annual trip to Swanson's Nursery today to visit the reindeer and the big guy. Liam had a great encounter with Santa this year- after we finally found him. Video is below..

The big guy

2008-12-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T17:21:00.000-08:00

Liam's self portrait- he's very skilled with our digital camera
Liam taking a photo of mom and dad in the kitchen working on turkey - it was our first Thanksgiving at our own house
Cousin Zichory Zachory - guest of honor!
My beautiful set table, too bad you can't see the napkins I ironed..

Liam watching Alvin and the Chipmunks and progressing in to hysterics..
His foamy beverage is apple cider not beer...
His outfit is Tim's Thanksgiving attire from about 25 years ago..

Pumpkin Patch Halloween 08

2008-10-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ivan chaperoned the toddler field trip to the patch
Liam's 'classmates' in order from small to small: Naomi, Adam, Mena, Liam, Ian and Sydney

Our second trip to the patch this time with mommy at Xavier's birthday
Pumpkin receiving growth hormone..
Jumping in to the hay stack
Weeeeeeeeee

Oktoberfest 08 Boppa turns 60

2008-10-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Liam dancing with the guest of honor

Liam and Aiden had a great time playing together that night and trading stories from Disneyland
Keith and Riley- he's getting so big!
Mom, Carolyn and Natalie dressed as German maidens
1948 was a good year to be born, peace, love and larry david
Oktoberfest preparation

Disneyland vacation

2008-10-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Pool time
Liam loved his h20 wings And his Donut

Enjoying Mickey mouse ice cream bar at the park

Splash Mountain after the first mini chute

Our 'early day' waiting for the disney shuttle at 6:30 am

The always cool cheshire cat

Mickey and Mama mouse

The real Mickey!

Teacups

The lair at Pirates Island

The Trip highlight meeting the real Buzz Lightyear

Hanging at Minney's house in Toon town

Dumbo by far our favorite ride

Manzanita

2008-09-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day we went to the Oregon coast with nonnie and boppa and stayed at their hotel the Inn at Manzanita for the first time. The weather was beautiful blue skies, and Liam had a blast at the beach

Liam and the Otter

2008-08-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Aquarium is one of our favorite places to visit year round. Liam was just taking a break to hang with the otters...

Twin cousins

2008-07-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Liam picked out matching jungle jams for Aiden's 4th bday so they could be animal rescuers together

Leemy's trailor

2008-07-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

Liam's private chariot off to pre-school in the morning!

Flip book

2008-07-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Liam at Gasworks park, daddy having fun with his camera

The Dread Pirate Aiden turns 4

2008-07-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Fireman Leemy

2008-07-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Liam's joy in life is pretending he's a fireman. He has fire truck legos w/ 3 firehouses and multiple emergency vehicles (which he plays with for HOURS on end til all hours of the night), fire hats, the hose of course.. his favorite show on PBS is the Aussie hit 'Fireman Sam', where in beautiful accents the 911 operators declare 'what services do you require' at every call. So you can only imagine his joy on 'fire safety day' at Museum of Flight. There were firetrucks parked ALL OVER, and the kids could jump aboard and drive. His carrer choices have evolved from being a 'cement mixer guy' to an 'animal rescuer' and of course now he's a fireman guy.

4th of July at Nonnie and Boppa's

2008-07-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Happy go Silly

2008-07-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

summa time and the living is easy

2008-07-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Greenlake

2008-06-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

Look at those big feet..
Look at those 2 heads..

Peekaboo still fun at any age
The behind the scenes look at this laughter- as Liam swings out I run away.. as he retreats back to Vanessa.. I run towards him and he thinks he's going to eventually knock me over.

Babies

2008-06-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Liam loves babies. Luckily my friends have them. Here is baby Hudson (Heidi's little boy) as sweet as they come!

Liam knows babies are more than just stylish accessories. He likes to parade around with his on wheels. Here he gives Baby Miles a ride on the trike. Doesn't he look just like a cabbage patch?

Fathers Day part 2 Boppas

2008-06-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Riley, Aiden and Liam celebrated the evening with their dads and Boppa. With all the blue skies and ice cream you'd think we were having a summer in Seattle.. but you'd be mistaken

Fathers Day Museum of Flight

2008-06-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

For Ivan's first Father's day when Liam was 4 months old I asked him what he'd like to do on his special day and he chose the Museum of Flight. 3 years later I ask Liam what he'd like to do w/ his dad for Fathers Day and the answer was the same...

Liam and Lilly

2008-06-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Butterflies at the Science Center

Baking Banana Bread with Mama

2008-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

One of Liam's favorite things to do is to cook with me. He is quite the sprayer [of Pam]. He is an expert with sugar and sprinkles of all varieties. And most recently he has discovered flour -evident above. We make banana bread a couple times a week. Funny thing is he won't even eat bananas so we just buy them so they'll turn rotten and we can make the bread. He asked me last week if he can start cracking the eggs- good thing I buy the egg beaters.

Yosemite

2008-05-31T23:13:00.000-07:00

El Capitan in her full spring glory
The Awahnee lodge where we stayed On our first afternoon we took a walk and I swore that everything I saw was a bear. Including that branch (I have pictures of at least 10 others)
We got really excited to see the Nature
And the rocks

We rode beach cruisers around the Park and to Mirror Lake
Ivan showing off
It was really peaceful everywhere in the park

The weather was supposed to be 58 degrees and raining when we were there, it ended up being absolutely beautiful every day. We couldn't help but beam

We signed up for a hike in lower Yosemite Falls. We ended up in a group that was deemed 'super fits' and taken on a level 4 (you should have cables or fear for your life) ascent to a spot in the park called 'Devils Bathtub'. It was a bit intense getting up there but well worth the views when we arrived.
The water just tricked down the sides of these rocks it was truly spectacular
This time we're beaming b/c we made it up there alive

Unfortunately the trek down was even more difficult than the way up, but once we got down the rest of the hike was easy..

Our hike lasted about 4 hours and I couldn't decide what sense was the most heightened. The smells were lovely, the scenery breathtaking, but I think what really struck me were the sounds- the water falls, and rivers, and trees rustling. It was really very majestic
Finally to the Falls
Getting closer and getting wetter
Now we're almost underneath the Falls and soaked
Ah finally some nature we don't have in our backyard

View from Glacier Point

Our last full day we went horseback riding. Actually mule-back. I thought it would be a more 'relaxing' way to see the park after our hiking adventure the day before.. Not only did it end up being physically rough (my legs and knees were shaking) it was a lesson in trust. The mules know the trails well but choose to walk on the far side of the paths right next to the sheer cliffs. Their heads would go one way (looking off the cliff side) and legs would go the other.
The views from the mule back were stunning

Ivan rode Guiness and my gal was Girdie. They returned us safely to the valley floor and we thanked them for our lives and tipped them with our left over apples..

Riley turns 1

2008-05-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

Trike riding

2008-05-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Focus Focus

1pedal 2pedal 3pedal 4...

Getting the hang of it... hooray

Book Reccommendation

2008-05-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

Jen told me about a great book she's been reading:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. A Best Seller. One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.

So I'm at the library the other day w/ Liam (he thinks we go there to rent movies not borrow books) and he's sitting at the little mini computer playing a teletubbies game- and to my surprise using a mouse pretty well. Anyway I decide to finally track down this book and see if I can take it home for free for a couple weeks. I logon to the book look system and find the title. Excitedly I press 'reserve' only to find out that I'm number 469 in queue and the ballard library has 2 copies in circulation. The best part they had my 'estimated arrival date' in 2011.

My bedtime story tonight

2008-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

Tribute to Sauly

2008-05-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

We were so sad to have to say goodbye to our sweet little kitty Saul- Sauly as Liam calls him.

We found out he had feline diabetes a few months back, and had been giving him 2 shots of insulin a day every 12 hours. At first he responded positively, and he was so good during his shots, he was just roll over and purr. But sadly he had already suffered kidney failure before we found the diabetes and eventually stopped eating and drinking. We had seen this happen with our beloved K2, and were so saddened to have only had Saul in our lives for just over a year. He was a very special cat, so docile and gentle with Liam. Loved to sit on our laps and drool, and he had the softest fur I have ever pet. We miss him very much, but know he is happy at the 'kitty playground' with his kitty mommy and daddy.

Tulip Festival

2008-05-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Liam loves tulips. Whenever we take walks around the neighborhood he points out all the different colored tulips in every yard. We don't leave the grocery store without fresh cut flowers, and he even finger painted tulips that were so life like we framed it as our first true toddler art. The day we went to the Tulip Festival it was about 40 degrees and raining so hard we were covered in mud when we left. We walked thru all the rows and jumped in the puddles. We had a picnic in the 'bus' when we were finished, put the table down for the first time and that was almost as much for him as the tulips!

Three years in the making

2008-05-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

Liam had his 3 year check up and made himself quite comfortable at the old doc's office. When Dr. T. came in the room (who is by the way one of my best friend from high school's father) Liam looked at him and said 'Hi Poop' his favorite greeting now a days.

They actually take 3 year olds blood pressure and everything! Liam continues to be a bit of a pip squeak, tipping the scales at 29 lbs fully clothed= about 10% of kids his age. But the good news was he is 37 inches, 1 inch taller than the Disneyland requirement to ride the cool rides. And now that he 'poops on the potty' we have promised him a trip to Mickey's house!

He was so cool, calm and collected. Until he had to get his 3 year vaccines. Now because he was used to seeing our diabetic cat get his shots every day he knew to be brave. And he was!! The needle went it, the needle came out, the tears came out (for about 10 seconds) but it wasn't until he saw the band aid that he got desperate. For whatever reason he totally fears band aids, so as soon as the nurse told him he didn't have to wear one, he was fine. Collected his lolly pop and was on his way.

bad mom

2008-05-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

From the time Liam was little really little I used to tell him when he was naughty that if he didn't stop doing x then he would have to 'go live with the snakes'. Harmless enough threat I always thought.. possible phobia in the making- but it was probably good to have reservations about snakes anyway.

Which all leads me to a couple weekends ago. Kimberly and I were going to walk around greenlake with the kids, but unfortunately that was one of the April snow days, so we decided to take them to the zoo. They have an indoor climbing area that is pretty fun and as you can see Liam was having a good time.

That is until the puppet show began. Friendly little crocodile and friendly little snake come out. I could sense his anxiety, but it was after all just a snake puppet. So fast forward 8 minutes the puppet show ends (he was on my lap at this point) and the woman says in a scary voice 'and now kids we're going to bring out the REAL LIVE SNAKES'. It was at that moment I knew that I was a bad mom. A very bad mom. My child takes off screaming running for the hills, wouldn't look back until he was out of the zoomaforium or whatever it is called... needless to say the snake threat is no longer in our parenting arsenal..

Day in the life

2008-05-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do together is go to Larsen's bakery after a tough day at the playground and have donuts and milk. Liam loves sugary donuts the most. Mmmmmmm....

Our favorite park is 'Boppa's park' with the really big slide. He calls himself the flying zuchinni when he goes down

Just hanging out in his room.. Aiden and Riley got Liam that hat for Easter. He told me today he will wear it to the safari at the zoo and look for animals
Grandma JJ outfitted him up in 'bug wear' for the summer. He's modeling his new baseball cap covered in spiders

Bedtime story

2008-03-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm getting Liam ready for bed tonight, and he was over tired, squirming and not at all interested in getting PJ's on. I finally raised my voice and said 'ENOUGH!' and my yelling startled him a little bit. Parental guilt sets in and I say to him 'Sorry honey I just lost my patience'. He looks at me quizically and then opens up his clinched hand and says 'Mommy look I found your patience!'

Heidi and Hudson

2008-03-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Easter at Nonnie and Boppas

2008-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Easter morning

2008-03-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

the mighty hunter

2008-03-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hide and Seek

2008-03-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Liam's first dentist appt

2008-03-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

Liam went to the Dentist today. It seems there is something universally unsettling about the experience of being strapped in a chair while a stranger in masks and gloves examines you w/ sharp foreign objects. He SCREAMED for the duration of his visit in a sad and very disturbing way. Only in the last moments did he gain his composure, become brave and unclinch his teeth that had chomped down on the dentists unsuspecting mirror..

When I was younger, just a bad little kid,My mama noticed funny things I did,Like shootin' puppies with a B B gun I'd poison guppies, and when I was done I'd find a pussycat and bash in its head That's when my mama said

She said, "My boy, I think somedayYou'll find a way To make your natural tendencies pay You'll be a dentist You have a talent for causin' things pain Son, be a dentist People will pay you to be inhumane Your temperament's wrong for the priesthood And teaching would suit you still less Son, be a dentist You'll be a success

Cat nap

2008-03-05T22:22:00.000-08:00

Before

Saul: 'purr purr' Purr glorious purr After

Pilot Leemy

2008-03-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

Birthday wrap up

2008-02-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

Finally he got 'Wendy's hat' and a new tool belt!!
Letting Aiden take a turn opening one of the presents
Thank you for my Diesel 10!!
'OH MY WORD'
Rescue Pack from Daddy!!!

Liam had about 8 days of bday celebration... no less than 3 rounds of Happy Birthday and 3 sets of candles to blow out, that makes for a whole lotta wishes!

Zoo day

2008-02-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo on Saturday- blue skies and 50 degrees puts seattlites in a mad dash to enjoy the summer weather..! The animals were out enjoying the warmth too- and Liam dressed as Diego got to see both the 'Emperor Penguin and the Baby Jaguire'
Starting to look a lot more like daddy all of a sudden!
The famed Emperor Penguin
Baby Jaguire was hungry and pacing back and forth, not so docile as Diego's little buddy

Leemy the animal rescuer!

The cabin

2008-02-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

For the big 0-3 we spent the weekend at Snoqualmie pass with the Oliver's. Liam and Isaac are one day apart, and Liam and Adam have the same birthday! So we spent it all together at a nice cabin and had beautiful blue skies and a whole lot of snow to play in!

Go Daddy Go

2008-02-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

Liam and Ivan sledding at Snoqualmie pass

Gone sledding

2008-02-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

Our own little Ratatouille

2008-02-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

bowl cut anyone?

2008-02-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

G'Obama!

2008-02-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

children transfixed..

2008-02-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

Look at these little faces..
Max the birthday boy
Isaac seriously contemplative
Liam looking mischievious
Can we pet it??

For Max's birthday, his dad entertained the 3+ crowd by racing his motorcycle around the culdesac and poppin wheelies over the greenery

Penguin Jams for show and tell

2008-02-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

Imaginary play

2008-01-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

We spend most days now playing make believe
Today he was a 'fireman guy' Notice how he adheres his passenger

whistler trip jan '08

2008-01-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

A few days leading up to our trip Liam wore his ski gear around the house faithfully
Very faithfully

Road tripping on the way to Whistler, Liam has no problem logging in the 5 hour car ride
Neither does Nonnie

Dinner out is always full of laughs
He still can't believe his hair is short, and kept flipping it around
And around
Dinner the second night was at 'Ratatouillie's restaurant' where he saw the chef cook at our table

Story time with Nonnie, reading Ratatouillie of course

All dressed up and ready to hit the ground skiing

Toddler night out

2008-01-21T00:32:00.000-08:00

Haircut part 2

2008-01-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

The before photos.. Our shaggy little rock star

We were having a hard time recognizing him the first day!

What finally led us to the big haircut..

These were converstations often heard in our household..

Liam: 'Mom you're laying on my hair again'

Mom and Dad: 'you really need to put your hair in a pony tail if you're going to eat syrup'

Mom: 'Let me spray in the tangles spray first then it won't hurt'

Dad: 'Let's put on your pilot hat so you don't get food in your hair'

Christmas card messages to us every year from people who have forgotten we have a son, and think the name Liam is gender neutral..:

'your daughter is so pretty' 'she really is getting so big' 'she looks just like you Emily'

Strangers on the street, at the store, at the park:

Them: 'how old's your daughter'

Me: He's going to be 3 next month

Them: 'oh she seems very x..y..z..'

Me: Yes HE IS x..y..z.. He's a boy. He's dressed in brown courdory. He has hiking boots on, he's wearing a bomber jacket, HIS name is LIAM.

Them: 'well she certainly is sweet', 'bye little sweetie'

a couple more shots christmas morning

2008-01-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

Liam's very own 'Smart car' from uncle Peter! We thought it would live outside but Liam has convinced us of the necessity of driving it from room to room!
The big guy is smaller than I thought he'd be..
Nonnie and Boppa Clause
Liam made us our very own present this year!
For the love of cranky..

belated blogging.. christmas

2008-01-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

Mama and Liam Christmas Eve at Nonnie and Boppa's

Saul sitting on santas lap of course
Christmas morning, and santa brought cranky!!!

Liam took the spirit of Christmas very seriously this year. In fact he dressed up like jolly old saint nick for just about 30 days straight. In his red fleecy robe he looked more like Hugh Heff than Kris Kringle- but he dutifully adorned jacket, hat and 'santa paws' every day at home, at daycare, at Fred Meyer-- he shouted ho ho ho and would spontaneously burst in to jingle bells down the aisles. He also insisted all people big and small sit on his lap and tell them what they wanted for Christmas. We went down the naughty and nice list daily (a game we had played since he learned to talk) and then he'd fill his sack with toys, tupperware, estranged food items and put them under the tree to wrap unwrap and then we'd start again. It was by far the best Christmas I've ever had. Santa agreed Liam was on the nice list this year and he got his 'Big Jake, Tracy, and Cranky'.

Santa's copter

2007-12-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

To swing or not to swing

2007-12-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

35 degrees will not deter a determined 2 y/o from an outing to the park. It was so cold snot froze and I'm pretty sure his tongue would have stuck to the handles on the swing.

Clause and Paws

2007-12-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

We visited Santa and his reindeers this weekend. Liam, Grandma JJ and I rode the bus downtown and stood in line all of 10 minutes before seeing the big man. Liam hopped on his lap, spoke right up and told him he'd like 'Big Jake' for Christmas - (for those not in the know- that's an airplane that lives at Tarrytown airport on PBS). Thankfully Santa's helper confirmed Liam was not a Leah so we didn't have that embarrassing Santa speak 'have you been a good little girl this year'. When it came time to take the picture Liam chuckled ho ho ho and he and Santa both laughed

After our Downtown event we went to see hometown Santa at Swanson's and got to see the REAL reindeer, and holiday trains- Liam quickly identified that train as the Polar Express..

To tree or not to tree

2007-12-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

I didn't write this, but sure found it amusing as I was googling my way through the great tree debates.

Trees Belong In The Woods
It seems that a California woman was bitten by a Christmas Bat. She ordered a real tree from some farm, and it arrived with a little something extra. At no charge. The tree farm uses bats for pest control, and her tree was delivered occupied. As she was decorating the thing she thought that some pine needle or something stuck her. The next day she noticed a bat hanging in the tree. She called the farm and they said that several bats were removed from the tree before it was cut. But not all the bats it seems.First off, POOR BAT! Here is this bat, minding its own business, hanging out at home. Then some jackass with a chainsaw comes along, cuts down the bat house, and delivers it to some human house. As for the other bats "removed" from the tree? Well I say that the proper word to use is EVICTED. The tree was the bat's home. They were evicted. Without proper notice. If someone cut down MY HOUSE I would bite the crap out of them too. I am on the bat's side here.Really people - trees do not belong in your house. For starters, they are a major FIRE HAZARD. Do not believe me? Try this little test. After everyone throws out their tree in a few weeks, pull one off the curb. Using a match or a lighter, set just the very tip of one branch on fire. In 60 seconds or less, there will be a raging fireball. You will be amazed. If you want a better simulation of what COULD happen in your house, put the dead tree in one of those metal tree stands and set the tip of a lower branch on fire. A 6 foot tree will make a fire at least 12 feet high. It will burn hot and it will burn fast. The whole event will be over in 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. The only thing left will be a smoking tree trunk. Once you see a real tree go up, you will seriously think twice before ever taking one into your home again. Next reason to not have a tree in your house. Do you know where the idea of decorating evergreen trees in the winter comes from? Here is a link to Wikipedia, covering the general history without getting all long winded and full of every single detail. In short, ancient people thought that since all the trees EXCEPT pines lost all their leaves in the winter, some kind of powerful spirits must live in the pines. Some cultures made human and animal sacrifices to the tree spirits, some just decorated them and/or left food offerings for them. Whatever. When Christianity replaced the pagan religions, outright tree worship had to go, but in some places the evergreen tree just became associated with Christianity. For those who would refute this, find a single passage in the Bible about killing a tree, dragging it into your home, and decorating it.And lastly - all those needles fall out and make a mess! And if you have pets - they are a pain in the ass. Cats like to attack the ornaments, and have been known to attempt climbing trees. And pets seem to LOVE to eat that tinsel stuff, making for some great festive holiday decorated poop.But the decorated trees are deeply ingrained as Christmas symbols. They make your house feel all Christmas-ee and stuff. They are a good place to stash all those gifts under. They add a festive feeling. Kids really like them. These are all reasons to put up a tree. So, I can understand why so many people do have a Christmas tree.But really - a fake one does the same thing a real one does. Only a fake tree is fire resistant. Cats do not try to climb them as much. The needles do not fall off. Critters are not made homeless. And there is a zero percent chance you will get attacked by an angry bat.

Der Weihnachtsbaum

2007-12-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

This is the kind of tree that makes you want to burst out in song. Check out the snow!

When I told Liam we were going to decorate the tree, he ran upstairs and told me 'I will get the decorations'. He came back with a boxful of Xmas gift tags w/ strings so that he could hang them all over the tree! One smart christmas cookie!
The blown glass candy cane he's reaching for has since broken. He kept trying to eat it. Makes me understand the popcorn and cranberry traditions.
That's Mickey Mouse circa 1970's. Just like the Velveteen Rabbit Mickey was loved so hard that his eyes wore off. Liam de-tree'd him since he was clearly so special.

Little Angel

2007-12-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

Don't think we've ever mentioned our cat. We got him last January around our birthdays, his name is Saul Rosenberg. He's a really good cat, soft fur, hardly ever strikes out at Liam, and besides a brief stint in a cast last summer he has been in good health. Best thing is he pees in his box! He is one smart and respectful cat. He's Jewish, so just humoring us with the Christmas costumes here but he's in the holiday spirit too.

Skis please

2007-12-02T21:41:00.001-08:00

Liam got his first pair of skis this weekend. Complete with edgy wedgies and a Marker ski suit that would make any 2 year old pee with envy..

Tree Hugger

2007-12-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

We got a tree this weekend from Harry in North Bend. There was no caroling, sleigh rides or hot cocoa, just a hand written sign on a paper plate that said 'give us a chance' and instructed us to honk when we got to the house. Harry had Parkinsons so was not able to help us much- but he gave us a saw and a rubber car mat to protect our knees while we cut it down from his backyard. Lambs and ducks witnessed the big event, and Liam was gleeful. It's the best tree we've ever had, beautiful and fragrant; it also came with bugs they live on our ceiling now.

We've had a 'living tree' the last 2 years, it was great except it didn't actually live if you brought it indoors for more than 24 hours. So we planted it at our old house, and lit it up in the old yard, and then put up a fake tree in the living room.

I've been trying to decide on our Christmas card theme this year and when I saw these little tree hugger shots- thought of course.. a nice environmental message- maybe say something like 'May your Christmas be Merry and Green' featuring our tree hugging boy- very Washingtonian of us.. but then I was plagued with holiday hypocrisy. We went to an old mans house who was sick mind you, and chopped down a 7 foot tall living tree from his backyard- - our Christmas lights are not solar powered, and we drove 80 some miles round trip instead of to the boyscout lot across the street. Talk about the inconvenient truth...

cookies!

2007-11-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

Liam was a quick study with the rolling pin Must be all that practice with the play dough..
He took his decorating skills very seriously
Insert knife in mouth
Spread!!

gobble gobble

2007-11-22T23:44:00.000-08:00

Connie out does herself as usual, and there are at least as many courses as there are people at the table!
Boppa in the beret acting as the wine steward

Liam likes his leaf place card
Nonnie and Boppa restored a little Christmas bi-plane as a special surprise
It was well received..

Tim and Corrine- on their way to Manzanita for the Thankgiving weekend..
Ivan and Peter
Cheri and Vanessa
Me and Greg (now in recovery together)
Mom and Drew

Liam wants to blow out the candles after dinner it's a little tricky
Perhaps uncle Larry can show me how it's done
Can he do it? Yes he can!!!
CAREFUL DON'T CATCH YOUR HAIR ON FIRE!

Yes- blew it out! Great practice for birthday number 3 right around the corner!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo bugs and kisses

Our visit to Portland

2007-11-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Ahh, Portland the weekend before Thanksgiving.. this was supposed to be our first stab at Christmas shopping (tax free) and a testing ground for Greg to prepare a tasty bird a week before we'd be sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner --in a week he'd be doing his famous pressure cooked bird for the masses of extended family at my parents.

Liam had been sick with the stomach flu (aka 'tummy caw-caw's) for a few days prior to our visit. Friday morning he was deemed stable, and we headed out. We sailed through Friday without problems. We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal that night, watched a B movie, went to bed happy and full.

Saturday had a good day! As you can see in the pictures, we got out on the town, saw Vanessa and Greg's new office space, grabbed some beers, and even did a little shopping. Liam got some binoculars at Eddie Bauer.

That night we put Liam to bed early so we could drink some wine and look at pictures of their trip to France, and so I asked if they minded if Liam just sleep in their bed until we took him upstairs with us later in the night. Note: V&G have no children. V&G have a bed fit for a king could actually be in a renaissance castle. About an hour after Liam falls asleep, of course he implodes. I won't share anything further but it wasn't pretty. Ivan and I are on fast clean up patrol, we'd had 4 days experience already with this detail work, and besides their dogs trying to 'get in' on the action we got it cleaned up without too much fuss. At that point we call it a night I take Liam to bed, and he's fine all night. Phew!

We make it to Sunday morning- Ivan gets a haircut and a beer (miller lite $13 for both at 11am) and my sis and I get to shopping. Our Portland gift to ourselves was a refurbished big daddy instant espresso maker. Press of a button perfect coffee. I recommend this to anyone trapped in a Starbucks world. I am buying Ivan paper to-go cups for Xmas so he can always feel like he just paid $4.10 (+tip) for this incredible beverage.

Ok so we head back to Seattle that afternoon. Liam is delightful company. Seems like it's all over, and just a fluke he got sick again that night.. finally peace!

Until Monday morning. It was 3 a.m. I had work looming and couldn't sleep since I was feeling sick. So I got up at 4a when the NY system goes live, logged on to the computer and being the dedicated employee I am, I finished my Lowes buys, (did a really bad job on them) and then camped in the bathroom for the next 3 hours. I had about the worst 48 hours of my adult life besides giving birth. It was an extremely unpleasant virus. And sadly we left it in Portland as well.. Greg went down for the count Tuesday. There was no Thanksgiving pressure cooked bird this year. Vanessa is still in waiting...

Delirious before bedtime

2007-11-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

Sunday night in with Lila, Isaac and Max

2007-11-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

Lovies for Lila

Isaac, Max and Liam the three blonde musketeers

Little peacocks big world

2007-11-03T14:58:00.001-07:00

Lila

Zachasaurus

Toothless pumpkins

Gloria and Anabelle
Gloria (in the red) dressed up as Liam's twin sister

Hoppy Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

Pum pum patch, Spooktacular night at zoo

2007-10-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday night at the Zoo with the Kirk's
Pum Pum fountain actually spit water! Lights were cast all over the zoo making pumpkins, spiders, and bat shadows. There was a haunted tree that gave out a menacing laugh before sending candy down a chute.
Yes we found Johnny Cash carved in to a pumpkin!
We went to Remlinger Farms on the Saturday before Halloween w/ the Oliver's. Liam had such a great time we forgot to come home with a pumpkin!

Liam rides his FIRST train!

The 30 foot inflatable slide left Liam looking like a speck of dust on the way down!

Mama and Liam riding the cowLiam and Isaac loved riding the school bus together.

Pony rides were a part of our special day. Isaac loved riding his pony!
Liam and mama followed the pony around on foot but never actually took our ride.
Little buddies

Liam and daddy
You hear that train a 'comin' comin round the bend... I ain't seen that smile since I don't know when.. Leemy and Mama

Buon Compleanno

2007-10-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Almost Live! Saturday night at Aiden and Riley's

2007-10-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday night live (1 hour ago)
Silly boys on stairs
I knew I could get a smiley Riley

Aiden has the best trains!

Soon he'll be old enough to play trains too!
Auntie Em going in for more loveys

Boppa the Builder tribute

2007-10-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Bob the Builder Can we fix it? Bob the Builder Yes, we can!

Scoop, Muck and Dizzy and Roley too Lofty and Wendy join the crew
Pilchard and Bird, Travis and Spud
Playing together like good friends should
Bob the Builder

Top 10 things we miss about N&B

2007-10-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

10) playing in the masebent

9) making boo-berry pies

8) ONDEMAND

7) Be softly's

6) Pokey's

5) drinking good wine

4) the chicks, garfunkel and george

3) having meals made from someone other than Dick's

2) drunk dials

1) sharing rat duty

My little pum-pum

2007-10-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

On our way out to shop for our Halloween costume!

Time warp

2007-10-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

2007-10-07T13:33:00.001-07:00

The blog thing is getting more fun. It's like a giant scrapbook w/ far less mess.

Nonnie and Boppa are in gay paris so I told them I'd download munchkin of the day for a while so that they can stay connected. Liam and I played airplane this morning round and round the couches, until his wings broke and cranky had to come rescue him.

Day in the Life of a 2 y/o

2007-10-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Pond-side at Nonnie and Boppa's this summer.

Guitar Museum

2007-10-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite pics of me and Leemy taken at the EMP last Mothers Day.

California this summer

2007-10-02T22:23:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary in San Francisco this summer. We were greeted with a 5.8 earthquake overnight, and a tsunami warning the next day at Stimson beach! July 21st was Ivan's dad's 60th bday (commonly referred to as 'grandfather') and we were able to celebrate with the whole family and good friends in Sacramento. Somehow both grandfather and grandma JJ avoided my photography efforts, but Max was not camera shy.

Bye Nonnie and Boppa

2007-10-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

Visit with Auntie Nessy

2007-10-01T16:03:00.001-07:00

Hold me like a little BABY

Boydenhaus Septembrefest

2007-09-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Tim turned 30 on September 3rd. To celebrate this three decade achievement we doned our best german kleidung, rounded up some maidens, dusted out our steins and celebrated with meat and beer. And of course a pinata for the kids.. Aiden is a german pirate

Liam's first haircut

2007-09-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Liam was as bald as a cue ball for the first year of his life. Because of this he missed the first haircut that most babies have around that 1 year milestone. He missed it at year 2 as well. Our boy had finally grown the most beautiful hair. Most unlike his mother and fathers straight dark hair- Liam sprouted blonde hair w/ spiral ringlets in the back. He was mistaken for a girl more often than not. When unknowing strangers commented on my girls pretty long blonde curly hair I stopped correcting them, and Liam would yell, 'GIRL- JOKE!'. I knew that as soon as he got a haircut the ringlets could disappear forever and I wasn't willing to take that risk. Liams' hair defined him. We were sure his 'rockstar' personality and love of guitars was directly linked to his cool hairdo. But then came the day when my 2 y/o boy cried and cried when I brushed out his hair w/ my 'no more tangles' spray and we thought, it might be time for a 'trim.' So here's the before and after of our boys first haircut.

Coming in for a landing

2007-09-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

My first blaaahhg

2007-09-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

It's the year 2007, I often have to stop and remind myself of that. I scan the years when I write out a check, always somehow defaulting to the year 2002. I like to think it's b/c that was an important year- afterall it was the year my name changed from Boyd to Agerton.. somehow time stopped mattering after that. I have forgotten how old I am, how long I've been married, and I often tell people Liam was born in 2002 as well. I believe that would mean I have a kindergartner and not a 2 y/o... anyway time is passing, and I realized i better start documenting some of it. So I can't guarantee this will always be funny and clever (noel) but I will strive for mildly humorous and probably self-depracating as that is the life stage we've entered. Thanks for wanting to be a part of this tell-all, enjoy your time on the Agerton Express. All aboard!