PIE!

No utensils needed. Mmmmmmmmmmm. This was the first pie of the berry season, a collaboration between the 3 of us and the 3 berries that were ripe in the yard - blueberries, raspberries, currants. The pie looked like a performance art piece, but ooooohhhhhh, did it ever taste great!

95 degrees in the shade.

Wphew! This qualifies as a major heat wave. So what's a guy to do? FIND WATER! These are photos from Oliver's second foray into lake swimming in a week. Last week found him jumping off the dock with his buddy Rowan at Crescent Lake (Lake Crescent?) on the Olympic peninsula. Today, Lake Padden, tonight we were free climbing the sandstone boulders and cooling off in the cool water on the submerged sandstone islands at Larrabee State Park - living in the northwest has its sweet rewards. We're navigating the yard for the coolest places to picnic (for breakfast too!).

Polly Spenner

This artwork was created for Oliver's 2nd birthday by Emma's wonderful sister Polly Spenner. Here is her bio: Born in Sydney, Australia. Her art work is inspired by the organic shapes and structures found in nature and the repetition of those forms that create man made objects are often balanced within her work.

 She strives to portray the dynamic between airplanes, skyscrapers, and scaffolding with their counterparts; gnarled tree trunks, wild animals, open sky, waters and the forest undergrowth. Formally trained at Interlochen Arts Academy and Rhode Island School of Design, Polly makes Rhode Island her home. Original prints and cards made to order. 401 440 7133

Cack-o-whacky

So when Oliver gets upset, he says things such as 'stop that now, it is making me all cack-o-whacky!' No idea where this came from - perhaps his own language. And he'll let anyone know when/if 'that's jamming me out!' (making him VERY angry), just now it was my doing yoga. It was making him very cack-o-whacky. So no yoga this afternoon I guess. 

Skipping the nap today, he had a great playdate at Zuanich Park (Riley was there!) and met some new friends, shared some snacks (we're into organic, they brought chocolate covered things and oreos, here we go...), met some new friends at the touch ponds in the Marine Life Center, and he LOVED (much 'WHEE!!!') biking (despite his initial Extreme Protest). It was a continuous stream of 'hey look, we're right by Georgia Pacific', 'hey look, there's a moving train next to us!', 'your backpack is hitting my head and it's making me very cack-o-whacky! Mom!, it's jamming me out!' while he's macking me on the back. Ah, yes.

And we've had The Deep segment of the Blue Planet Seas of Life on more or less continuous play since dad left for Oregon. It is absolutely wonderful and amazing. Right now he's watching it with his hand over one eye. 

Tool Talk

The Cheese Grater

In most kitchens, this is a cheese grater. In our kitchen it is an amazing shape-shifting mystery machine, an auger, a conveyor belt, a digger, an excavator, a tower crane, a feller buncher, a tub grinder... 

Creative cropping and cupcakes.

Lots of them. We initially took the high road and tried a recipe which we later rejected. 'Too funky.' Then we did an organic box mix heavily enhanced with real vanilla I scraped from this totally luscious bean. 'Not bad, not bad at all,' says the little taster. So we forge ahead. An adult dozen with a lemon mascarpone cream, a last-minute edit to a recipe for lemon cream I had tried earlier in the week (I know, I know, it's not easy being a mom : ) topped with a couple of organic raspberries. Dad made whipped cream (he insisted) to which were added colored sprinkles (Oliver insisted) for the kiddo cupcakes.

It should be noted: about a week prior to his 3rd Birthday, he began calling me Momzilla.

Birthdayfest '09

Krikey! Can't believe only 2 weeks have passed since my last post. Per usual, things get kicked into uber-high-gear when the mercury moves ever upward in the Northwest and we squeeze every warm sunny moment out of every day to the point of exhaustion. 

We've had our first 'Getting to Know You' playdate with Oliver's really fun future Bayside Montessori buddies. Great group of kids and parents. I am buoyed.

He somewhat reluctantly started 'soccer' last week. There were a lot of kids, a new venue, I think he was overwhelmed. Definitely the smallest guy out there. Didn't really get into it until the second evening when dad was there. We'll see...

He seriously seems to have a thing for blondes...Araya, Gabbi, Elora, Riley...I'm blaming his sitter Laura.

We kicked off  Oliver's Third Birthday Fest on Father's Day, took (surprise!) Amtrak to Vancouver followed by a water taxi ride ride to Granville Island for lunch (I'll post video when I've completed my Videophobics Anonymous meetings). Oliver loved it. The pace is soooo nice. Customs was a bit of a drag, as we were the last car to be allowed (yes) to leave the train and get through to the station. It was just a short walk to Science World, where we waited for a water taxi. Unbeknownst to us, we ventured right into the middle of the Dragon Boat races on False Creek, very, very, cool. Rowing to drumbeats and we were right alongside. He ate sushi, naan bread, tempura shrimp, mango lassi. No King crab in the tank, only boring lobster. No chocolate fountain (that was so Easter). But we discovered a great kinetic sculpture at the Ocean Cement factory. Learned that 'cement is the flour, concrete is the bread'. Noted. 

On the return trip, he opened a present from grandma and grandpa that had mysteriously made its' way into my backpack - a couple of great books that helped make the waiting time before departure pass unnoticed. And he went to the lounge car. Twice.  

He opened a remote-controlled submarine with/from his Aunt Jessica and Uncle Alex live on a 3-way video chat between Kona and Waimea and Bellingham.

We walked the Taylor Dock on Monday, his Birthday proper, a wonderful sunset stroll. He insisted that I carry him, and that he be wrapped in the 'aunt wicki' blanket, as we had last year. Guess he's not ready to relinquish all of those little guy moments.

And his birthday we celebrated with his buddies the following Saturday in the front yard. Picture sunshine, rosemary-lemonade, grilled halibut tacos, balloons (he hand-picked), beach balls (I inflated seven). Picture a slip-and-slide going downhill (strictly against the manufacturers warning) with 5 shivering, shrieking, almost-three-ish (and one 30-something) kids + one very can-do little Sawyer. Picture cupcakes. Picture Oliver beaming. Nude. The entire party. It's his birthday...  

3 words we love...

No, other than 'I love you.' Every summer we eagerly await the invasion of sandwich boards and makeshift signs out and about Bellingham that read 'LIVE SPOT PRAWNS.' errrrrrrrrcccccccchhhhhhh goes the car as we drop anything we're doing and go traipsing down to the marina to procure what are arguably some of the best spot prawns we've ever tasted. Oliver obviously is totally into them. And yes, Grandma Patty, that's a LIVE prawn in his mouth!