Eighty-Five!

We are celebrating Grammie Great's 85th birthday this week. She was a good sport and posed for the camera on several occasions. We didn't expect the boys to cooperate, so 3 of us just kept taking pictures and hoping no one would get shoved off the sofa. We had a big meal, ate some funny cake (traditional family dessert) and Grammie opened a few gifts.

Another Museum Adventure

When we first moved to western Washington, I thought I would see my college friends all the time. Funny thing about kids, they have a knack for rearranging your plans. One of my former roommates and I managed to meet at the children's museum in Everett last Friday. I thought we would sit and chat, leisurely catching up on the last year of our lives. Ha! Our children went in three different directions. We left a lot of stories half-finished, mostly because I was chasing after Andy. He eventually discovered the golf balls and sat down for a few minutes.

Luke was captivated by their model train display and the giant train table. He spent at least an hour playing with all of the different train sets. We managed to lure him away eventually, but only because he got to be the "pilot". We didn't visit very many exhibits, as the plane and the train were located right next to each other. Hopefully we can go back when there are more adults available to chase Andy around.

I Ain't No Mack, I'm a Peterbilt, for dang sake!"

We went to Kidquest today, a fun little "museum" for the 4 and under crowd. I was feeling quite proud of myself, loading the boys and all our paraphenalia in the Silver Bullet and (almost) meeting my desired departure time. Two of our friends from play group were there with their little girls. But girls were the last thing on Luke's mind once he saw this beauty. The lovely people at Kidquest planted a Peterbilt truck right smack in the middle of the museum! Occasionally, I could pry him out of the driver's seat to go and examine the trains, but he always managed to race back to the truck as soon as there was a vacancy. If you haven't watched the Cars movie, then the novelty of all of this is lost on you, but for those who have seen it 312 times, you may recall that the Mack truck plays a key role. Hence, Luke's fascination with actually sitting behind the wheel and pressing all the buttons. Oh, my. It was almost more fun than one 3 year old could take.

We Have Lift Off!

Well, life has moved in a new direction around here. Andy started walking independently at the end of September, after weeks of struggling and fussing, sometimes screaming in frustration. He has it all figured out now and might I say, he is quite proud of himself. He walks around with this cute little smile, often pausing to make sure someone is watching. He is enamored by the most surprising objects: the vertical blinds by the sliding glass door, my toes inside my socks, big brothers cars (of course). I'm thankful that the crying has stopped, but a little anxious about all the stuff I haven't baby-proofed. Luke wasn't nearly as curious about what was behind closed doors.

TWO Grandma-Greats!

Luke is careful about keeping all the details of his busy little life in order. This includes knowing everyone's name and where they live. In an effort to keep his extended family carefully labeled, we call my grandmothers "Grandma great". I grew up with both of these wonderful women spending a portion of their summers at our house. But in recent years, their paths have not crossed very often. So, this was another enjoyable moment for our family...TWO Grandma-greats together again.

Andy meets my dad's mother, great-Grammie McCahan. Although he was rather oblivious and more interested in wandering around the house than posing for a photo, this was a treat for me. I don't think I had the opportunity to meet my great grandparents. This is definitely one for the scrapbook.

Reunion

We were blessed to enjoy a visit from a portion of our "Colorado family". My dad's mom, two brothers and sister-in-law came to see us last week. They were kind enough to come to our house for dinner. Heather and her family came, as well, and we all enjoyed delicious BBQ from a local restaurant.

Car Talk

Several weeks ago, Luke stuffed 3 paper clips and a pair of earrings into the CD player of the Silver Bullet (aka: our van). Surprisingly enough, this damaged the amplifier and it no longer produces sound. Now, I am generally an optimistic person. I tried to think positively about this new turn of events. These thoughts went something like, "oh, good, now I'll have time to think in the car. I won't have the distraction of the radio, I might even consider a little prayer time".
Ha! Luke has taken this opportunity to torture his captive audience. He talks every single second that he is in that car.
So, being the blogger that I am, perhaps I will document some of these conversations...
Luke threw I gigantic tantrum today because he wasn't allowed to take his friend's toy back to our house. Did I mention this is a gynormous Lightnin' McQueen car that talks when you push the buttons? Luke adores the little red car and simply must have every one that he encounters. He would not leave that house without the car. After I pried it from his grip and forced him out the door, the negotiating began.
"Can I have that Lightnin' McQueen car, mama? That's Luke's car, that's not Reilly's car, that's my car, that car's going to my house, it's not staying at Reilly's house, can I have that car? Can I stay here? I WANNA STAY AT REILLY'S HOUSE!!"
"We don't take our friend's toys." (said forcefully, with teeth gritted, while manipulating his resistant body into his car seat)
"I WANT LIGHTNIN' MCQUEEN! THAT'S MY CAR!"
"Listen, if you give away all of your binkies (pacifiers) then I will buy that car for you."
"What did you say, mama?"
" If you say goodbye to all of your binkies and never use them again, you may have that car."
"Never use my binkies again? Throw them away?"
"Yes, throw them away, never again, no more binkies."
"Oh, mama, you are such a funny girl." (boyish, 3 year old laughter)

Yes. Yes, I am.