Do the Thomas Dance

I've been trying to keep Alden shielded from things like Barney, The Wiggles (terrifyingly odd men with Australian accents dancing to long and complex songs), and Thomas the Tank Engine. I was trying to keep him interested in simple things like rocks and sticks and books. Selfishly, I didn't want to have a house filled with gadgets and commercialized toys that I would inevitably step on in the night and that would possibly become boring in too short of time.
Well, then enter in the era of working from home. I make over 150 phone calls each day and need to have a relatively quiet back ground so I can a) maintain professionalism, b) hear, c) not be distracted, and d) hear. Alden likes to play and talk and sing just two feet from me or often sitting right on my lap. I turned to our local Seattle library to borrow some educational videos and books on tape. We tried The Wiggles (which Dustin banned for Alden and Alden's future children), we tried Lamb Chop (a personal favorite of mine), and Pat the Bunny which is a somber look into the 3-D world of the classic touch-and-feel book. Lastly, we found Thomas. And life hasn't been the same since.



See? What do I know about the joy of children? How can you deny that? I stand corrected.

Vintage Alden

This is a decades old white poly tee with fine point red and blue stripes. Which are enhanced by the blue cloth diaper and the model's red hair.
1972 called and wants their baby back.

Second Year of Swimming Lessons

Alden loves "SHIMMING" so much that he gets all worked up the night before a lesson and practices in the bath tub. We have to spell "SHIMMING" so he can't gather what we are talking about.




This summer, we were lucky to get into the very popular Saturday morning class. It's popular for many reasons but, I think for moms everywhere, it is coveted because it gets the dudes out of the house for a precious hour on a weekend. Love it!

Copper Locks that, when wet, drizzle down to his upper scapula. Tough guy.

Too Tight

Easter Weekend

Alden may not have entirely understood what was going on during the Easter holiday but he now thinks that all eggs have candy in them.

Sequim-ming Weekend

Being the youngest in my family, a Pieces, and sort-of (read: completely) obsessive-compulsive makes it a bit difficult for me to do things out of order. That includes blogging. So, I have to back track and tell you about life that happened clear back in February. Don't worry, we'll get caught up soon because of all of the aforementioned tics I have...

About six months ago, Seattle had one of the windiest weekends on record. The wind was so strong that folks were having the inside-out umbrella moments and no jacket was strong enough to keep the biting cold away. We tried to have a nice family walk to a local breakfast spot and nearly lost Alden to the gales. Our faces were chapped in minutes. So we decided to ditch Seattle and take the ferry to Port Townsend. Which was not windy and so very quaint (think Jacksonville, OR in July but a little more updated and an ice cream shop). That turned into a "why don't we drive to Sequim since we have come all this way?" which turned into "well, now it's 6pm. Why don't we stay out in Sequim and try to see the lavender farms tomorrow" which turned into the best spontaneous weekend. Spontaneity is also something that I don't do. But this time I was able to loosen up and just go with it. I'm so glad that these two boys in my life help me do that.




This place had funk factor times 1,000. I loved it. The smelly little hosts' cabin had a video check with such gems as Zorro and E.T. Which we watched back-to-back while eating dinner out of boxes amidst the indoor "a.b. bugs" (that's Alden's term for ladybugs). If you look closely at this toilet decoration, you would find that it is one end of a pair of bookends. I'm sure that the other side was tragically broken from the back of the toilet when the tomb Atlas Shrugged finally pushed them apart.






Alright, so the pictures are a little out of order but, I am trying to challenge myself and let that be ok. I want to update you so we can get to the juicy stuff like Alden's 2nd Easter, moving, being home in our home, and Alden's 2nd birthday!