Summer stuff

This summer has just flown by. We have done all sorts of things like this:
Park time on the sunny days....
Dragon Festival in Chinatown in Seattle. (I had always wanted to see a Dragon Dance and this one was great especially with the applause-hungry dragon dance teacher kept making the kids dance because the audience loved it. Did I mention it was really hot and they looked miserable, but hey anything for applause, right?)

Went to the Bite of Seattle and got out of our comfort zone for sure this year. The best thing was fried alligator and the homemade strawberry shortcake.

We have also been learning about parenting, of course. First rule of summer, always bring every member of the family their own water bottle because some of them drink open mouthed after eating strawberry shortcake. Yummy!
The other thing is to childproof everything. Even if they don't want to be. (don't worry, he has become a pro at removing these little buggers from the sockets. He thinks it is a game. I wish I could get my money back because it hasn't really child proofed anything.)
What have you been doing with your summer?

Ickyness of the Northwest.

On Monday I went to work. When I came home this 'little' guy was there to greet me. Icky icky banana slug... and you can see that they are HUGE!!!!!!

Exploring the city I love

Last week, we had some very dear friends come and visit. Like I have said on a few other posts, it was a busy weekend. We saw almost EVERY touristy thing to see... Top Pots Donuts, The Space Needle, The bathrooms at Experience music projects (very clean), Kerry Park (one of the best views of Seattle by far!), Ballard Locks, Fat Burger, The movie: Thor (surprisingly very good... and Thor is HOT!), Starbucks, Pike's Market, the Gum Wall (strangely hypnotic, but makes you crave hand sanitizer just lookin' at it), the Aquarium, The Waterfront, Gasworks park (scene of some bum fight that made it seem a little ghetto), Alki Beach (and Cactus Restaurant, YUM!), The troll under the bridge in Fremont, The outside of the Asian art museum (great place to try to have a picnic of cold cut sandwiches (did I mention my new nickname is FT for Frozen Turkey, a name I proudly earned after I attempted to chisel frozen turkey apart using the handle of a baby spoon. They can't call me resourceful!), and then when the picnic doesn't work out, close enough to a Dick's Drive in to save the day), Bruce Lee and Jason Lee's graves, Chinatown, Uwajimaya, and of course a Mariners Game (which only proved that Seattle's baseball team is at least better than the MN Twins.). After that weekend, I can safely say that we have a great grasp of what makes up Seattle. It was such a great time that I hope they can come back and visit with their cute little one (Baby Beckham, perhaps??). Thanks again Mellors for pepping up the sometimes gloomy Seattle. Seriously, it was a hilarious time!

Happy Anniversary

OK, I know have been missing in action for the last week. I promise it wasn't on purpose, I have just been so busy. We had some wonderful house guests, a few birthdays, an anniversary and trying to catch up on work. So lets start at the beginning. It was Soder and my anniversary last Monday. We have been married a crazy 7 years! I can't believe it. It has gone by very quickly. (Sometimes during the 7 years it has seemed like it was so slow, but looking back it doesn't seem like it has been that long.)
This is the point where most people would get all lovey dovey, but as Soder knows, I very rarely get that way (if I was all gushy about him, he would know I would either be hormonal or lying.) Instead I will just say that it has been real! (I know too mushy, right?) And seriously thanks for letting me yell when I need to and making me laugh when I need it. You get me, Dummy!

Happy Birthday, Soder!

Top Pots

My Soder turned the big 30 this Friday the 13th! We had a great time sightseeing with Traci and Matt, who are visiting from NE. The best part of the day, (not taking away from any of the beautiful sights or the great weather) was the party hat that I made Soder wear for the day. Space Needle

He was a good sport until we noticed that it was dying his head red from the sparkly stuff around the bottom. (I guess you don't get as good of quality as you used to from a $4 hat!) I loved that complete strangers were telling him happy birthday! It was way more entertaining for me than I think it was for him. Even with red dye around his head, I think it was a great day for everyone. Happy Birthday, Soder! Kerry Park

Welcome Back!

I made it. I went a whole week (plus some) without blogging. I survived. And now I can't think of anything to blog about. GREAT! I hope this means that I have made the creative part of my brain lazy. Now it has no inspiration.
Let's see what happened last week...
Soder's computer hard drive died. (spending money is always fun, right?)

I got paid in Starbucks to make cookies for one of Soder's co-workers. (Making 'money' is always fun, right?)

We bought Baby a new 'toy' for his birthday. It is a baby hiking backpack for him to ride in. While I don't know how much hiking we will be doing, it is great for when I want to take both dogs on a walk at the same time. (Taking a baby in a stroller with two dogs in tow is a tricky feat, one, that I will not partake in.) So this is actually a 'toy' for me. (also a great workout accessory, carrying around an extra 30 wiggly pounds has to be great weight training, right?)

My mom had her first chemo treatment and so far not a ton of horrible side effects. (she has had some, but not every one imaginable.) But a positive note, if you are looking for beanies (for when she loses her hair) if you buy them in the springtime, you can get some really great deals.

I guess it is good to be back blogging. I am sure this next few weeks will be easy to blog about, we have my first Mother's day, Soder's Bday, some very dear friends visiting, Baby's First Birthday and our Seventh anniversary. Busy, busy, busy, but in a good way.

Weekend of Freaks

Last weekend, while I was at home with Thing one and two, and the Baby, Soder went off to explore the anime convention, Aki Con, that was taking place in nearby Bellevue. While I opted out again, (like I did at the comic convention in April) I was more than happy to look at the photos of all the weirdos that dressed up. I am more of a make-funner than a participant of such events. (I am not proud of that, but I am at least honest.) While Comic con was made up more of middle aged virgins dressed up in spandex, this was not the case for the Anime convention. Apparently, this is where all the 20 something girls come to show off their poorly put together costumes. (which my husband did not know about until he got there. Trust me when I say this, there is no jealousy on my part, especially after you see the pictures.) There were a few guys there as well, that just seemed a little out of place. I find it funny that it seems that there was no real cohesion about anything that happened at Aki Con. There were characters from video game, anime, tv and comic books. And while, Soder could name some of the characters, there were quite a few that were humorously, unrecognizable. So let me know if you know or recognize any of these costumes?Of course the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are there.
This is a GUY in drag in the white, with his poor monkey child on the leash.... there are entirely too many things wrong with this picture.
Um, Spidey, I think you are at the wrong convention.
I don't know if she is one of the cleaning ladies or what. Soder couldn't identify her either.
No, the Furry convention was at the other Hilton in Bellevue.
They are, we think, from the video game Kingdom Hearts.
We have no idea how this horse got a bow and arrow, but I think it is dangerous for him to have because he can't have much control of the arrow with a hooved foot.
Naruto and his Gang

A disclaimer: While my husband enjoys Anime, even this event was a bit weird for him. I am glad he can find the humor of the situation and laugh with me. He even encouraged me to blog about it. I do support the fact that he enjoys Anime and respect his hobbies, mostly because it is more entertaining for me if I do.

Goal accomplished

Soder's 'evil' number
Baby even participated
At the starting line
After the race... we survived.

On Sunday, Soder and I did our first 5k. While it wasn't the one I was hoping to do when I posted about this, we decided to do this one instead at the local city street festival, Salmon Days. It was a great time and we really enjoyed it because my sister and her family were participating in it as well. I was worried that the race started off as a bad omen when we saw Soder's number, which was 1666. I think he might use that as a reason not to do any others, that and he apparently has a weak right ankle that bothered him for the last mile of the race. I beat Soder because I am a faster walker. Baby was a great participant that slept the whole time and added a better workout to my walk because I was pushing 16 pounds plus the weight of the stroller. I was just proud that we all finished. I had a great time and can't wait to do another one.

Soder's big adventure.

Catch of the day

My husband isn't the most sporty of men. He would prefer a day of video gaming to hunting. I have never known him to join any actual sporting event, such as a basketball game or softball game. I fear that he isn't very inclined to play or participate in most active things. But on Sunday, he had the option to go and enjoy a day of fishing with my brother-in-law and Dad. They had a great time, even though they only brought home one fish. (my dad was the lucky fisherman.) It looked like a great time. Definitely a lot of testosterone was on that boat.

Aquarium Time

Last Sunday, we took Baby to the aquarium for the first time. I know that some may think that he is too young (at a mere 3 1/2 months) to understand what was going on, but I was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. He loved to look in the aquariums at the moving fish and all the lights. Of course, half way through he decided it was nap time, so Soder and myself got to enjoy the outdoor creatures (i.e. the otters, seals and birds) with the little guy asleep. I love the otters and seals and can't wait until Baby is old enough to appreciate them too. Soder had a great time as well because it was his first 'real' aquarium. (the only one he had ever been to is the one in SLC and that one is built in an old converted grocery store. Much different from the Seattle Aquarium) I am looking forward to many more visits there.

Past Week

I am the most unexciting person this week. I worked the first half then I can't remember one single important thing I did the rest of the week. Apparently, I have done nothing substantial but take pictures of the others in the house doing thing. I am suffering from bored-itis. I HAVE to find something fun to do this weekend.
Thing One's Hiding Place... not so hidden exactly.
This look I have been getting a lot. I don't think he is very amused.
Thing 2 has been putting in at least 2 hours a day watching 'squirrel tv'. At least he is amused.
Soder holding the baby while he naps in the afternoon.

Working out

This week, I got it into my head that I want to do my first 5k (walking, not running. I do believe that running is only good when someone is chasing you) ever this summer. I would like Travis to do one with me, but I am not sure if he is up for it. He seems to doubt his ability. Last night, we didn't go for a walk, but we did do Pilates. I often wondered why it was only women on excercise dvds... I think I know why. Travis had a hard time keeping time and I am no excercise expert, but I am pretty sure last night Travis created his own hybrid version of pilates. He claims that he needs to have hand-eye coordination to play his video games, but I think it must only extend from his brain to his thumbs because every other body part was doing it's own thing. He was a trooper and made it through the entire show. I think I got a better ab workout from all the laughing. Way to go, honey!

Why do they do those nice things?

I am not going to lie, I have not been the nicest to my husband since the baby came. I have had my moments where I am sweet to him, but I have the feeling if you asked him about my personality he might have to think about when I was nice last. (I get some sort of points for at least being honest about my attitude, right?!)So how do you think I felt when he was nice enough to get a free $100 dollar gift certificate from his work and he chose to get if to a cooking store for me instead of someplace he could use it? His work cashed in all their reward points for the company credit cards the sales reps use and they decided to get a bunch of $100 gift cards to various places and give them to the employees. (seriously, this company really cares about their employees... and we are happy with that.)
With it, I got to go to Williams-Sonoma (which in no way supports this blog, but I would definitely not object if they wanted to!) I got a bundt pan, a cookie sheet liner, a silicon spoon and some muffin liners. If you are a baker, these things are very exciting. I never would have thought that I would be so happy to buy a bundt pan, but it made my day!My husband is so kind and thoughtful, I definitely need to not bite his head off whenever he screws up. (which with all my hormones raging, seems to be quite often lately.) So sorry honey, for all the snarky remarks, and I appreciate the card. You are the best and I will remember that every time I bake a bundt!

A very merry un-birthday

Yesterday, we celebrated Travis' birthday. We weren't sure if we would get to 'celebrate' with a special day for Travis if the baby was late, so we planned ahead and decided to celebrate it a month early. We started off with a quick donut at Top Pots Donut, which gave us the sugar rush to start the day! There is a park on the north side of Seattle called Gas Works Park. They have some old natural gas machines in the park, but the view is what you go for. It is absolutely beautiful!While we were enjoying the view, we noticed a huge cathedral across Lake Union. After we were finished at Gas Works, aka it started to downpour, we decided to go and find that cathedral,which was an adventure in itself (turns out it is an Episcopalian Cathedral named St. Marks) because it was near Capital Hill in a residential area. While we were exploring we came across the Seattle Asian Art Museum. I was excited to see the gardens, but when Travis saw that there was a Wood Block Display he was anxious to go and see it. (we also found the sculptures in front which included a "donut" looking sculpture that we could get the Space Needle in the center, and another sculpture of a Camel, which in my current condition is my new "spirit" animal) Travis has always had a deep love for the Japanese culture, which is ironic since I am the Japanese one. He was so excited to explain how the process worked. When I left him for a few minutes, I came back and he had two cute little old ladies completely enthralled with the explanation of how wood block prints were created. I think they would have loved a handsome man to give them a personal tour of the museum, but we were headed to another room to look at other prints. After walking around and sitting on many benches throughout the museum, we decided it was lunch time. Dick's Drive-in was just the hamburger joint that we were both craving. With their freshly made hamburgers, fries that actually came from a potato and a chocolate shake that would bring tears to any sweet-tooth, this is definitely a place I would drive 30 minutes to eat at. (also the fact that they are an old-fashioned cash only operation and there were a TON of people willing to wait in the rain for it was a great indication of how delish the meal was going to be.) We ended the day with heading to Bellevue Square so that Travis could window shop for an Ipad at the Apple Store. He happily went in and played with one for about 15 minutes or so and then just as happily met me outside the store on a bench. (yes, towards the end of the day I was moving from bench to bench.) After one more quick shop, which I admit I stayed in the car and took a short nap, we were ready to head home. I hope Travis had a great Un-birthday and that his real birthday includes one more person at the party!