First Steps

Pretty big news around our house today… Haley took her official first steps! She has been walking around a lot lately, holding one or two hands with someone, and just this week she started confidently standing up from the floor in the middle of the room. Today Jim and I were in the kitchen with her, and she took one step toward me. We were so excited and she was sooooo proud. Then I put her back and she took two or three steps the next time. We gave her a big cheer!
After her nap, she did some more standing and stepping. I managed to get one step on video. It reminds me of a sumo wrestler stomp. I am laughing so hard at the end because of her reaction.
She crawled over to me and we celebrated with the “Haley and Mommy” chant, which we’ve been doing since she was a newborn. Usually we’re bouncing and looking in the mirror… silly, I know, but she smiles every single time!
Not to be outdone, JT started practicing his slides and did one for the camera.



Soccer

Saturday was beautiful, and it was a great day to watch our goddaughter play soccer. We had a great time watching three- and four-year-olds run around without much purpose, and one or two kids (our goddaughter included) actually do something that looked like soccer. We were pretty proud of her for playing hard against a tough opponent.

Haley gets some snuggle time with Sue, a seasoned Nana 🙂

Enjoying the game and some family time

JT kept Cole company while he was in between turns on the field

Pacific Science Center

We met our friends Carrie, Emi, and Kenzi at the Pacific Science Center last week for a morning out. It was a Monday and wasn’t crowded at all, which was great!

On our way in

The first thing we saw was the dinosaurs, but JT was very nervous (and a little upset) by the dinosaurs. Remember when he freaked out at the zoo? Same thing. I made him stay with me and just look at a couple, but then we left that area for something a little more fun. The first thing I saw was this huge model Rubik’s cube hanging from the ceiling. Considering our infatuation with Rubik’s cubes this summer, I took this picture for Jim and Preston.

Haley and JT both loved the kids’ zone. Haley could crawl up the ladder and slide down the kids’ slide all by herself, and she was pretty happy with that. JT loved pretending to blast off in his spaceship.

We saw some naked mole rats. I thought they looked gross!

We ended with the butterfly exhibit, which I looooooovvvvve. I get so excited if one lands on me. This time, one landed on Haley! Carrie doesn’t like the butterfly house, so I took the kids in without her. Funny, Emi was a little anxious about them flying all around her too. 🙂

Building a 3D insect puzzle before we went in

Sometimes butterflies are camoflauged… can you see it?

Emi finally cracks a smile!

My fav picture of the butterflies – no editing needed!

JT kept putting his arm around Emi’s waist and saying, “It’s okay!” Sweetheart.

 On our way out, we tested the Archimedes water screw and took a couple group pictures. What a fun morning!

“Look, I’m as tall as the Space Needle!”

A little bright looking into the sun

October in the Park

I had such a wonderful time at the park today with two of my favorite people. After spending the morning doing errands, we ate a quick lunch and rode bikes to the park to enjoy the slide. Haley loves the slide. She started kicking her legs and pointing as soon as we got there.



 The funny thing about Haley on the slide is that she has NO FEAR. I can barely get her up there before she’s sliding down again. She crawls over, pushes off, and careens down at fast speeds. She went so fast a few times she flung herself right off the end.
 

Then things got a little crazy. JT, who was fully two and a half before he would go down a small slide on his own without large amounts of coaxing and promises, had to one-up his sister somehow. So he went down with his eyes closed, and then no hands.


 Here is a shot I got right before Haley went over the edge. In the midst of tears, she was actually signing “more” and pointing to the slide. I love that she doesn’t let a little face plant in bark get in the way of some fun. This is polar opposite from our firstborn and so fun to watch.

Finally, Haley waits for JT so I can get a double picture.

We tried the yellow slide too – much faster! Haley had to go on her tummy. Once she went down too fast and flew off the end, back arched and head curled backwards, and landed flat on her tummy. It was like a cartoon. I was pretty concerned she was really hurt until she screamed and pushed her way out of my arms back onto the slide. The very next one down, I caught her in midair as she flew off the end again. I’m not making this up!

JT took a break from the slide to do the fireman pole and the curly pole.



A rare moment of stillness, getting ready for the last slide of the day.

 

Love this one!

 Then we rode bikes home. JT is gainly confidence on his two-wheel bike and is beginning to laugh at falling. This is good.

Such a boy. Love this picture: he found a stick, called it a sword, and tucked it in his pocket to bring home. It’s currently in his room, waiting for battles tomorrow. 



Homeschool. Sorta.

We didn’t put JT in preschool this year because we don’t want to send him for three years of preschool and he won’t start kindergarten until he’s six because of his summer birthday. I’ve been leary of starting anything formal at home because I felt like I couldn’t get into a routine with all our other commitments. So I’ve been inspired by my sister-in-law, Gena, who encouraged me to fit in school whenever I can. We usually get one session done on Saturdays, and I try for two more somewhere in the week. It might be after breakfast, after nap, or while Haley eats a snack… but it’s going really well.

He does writing, reading, and math every time and then we add spelling, art, or science as I feel like it. He is doing a great job reading and has finished the first three Bob Books completely on his own now. He is beginning to write letters on his own, and he can recognize all his numbers 0-10. Today he said to me, “I ate all four pancakes. Now I have zero.” Voila, subtraction!

Spelling with letter tiles

I did it!
JT wrote “Grandpa” on Grandpa Cole’s birthday card envelope.

We took a nice walk yesterday afternoon and I decided to do some fall art when we got home. We gathered some leaves, glued them on a strip of paper in layers, and wrote “FALL” on squares to glue on. JT did almost all the gluing himself. “I’ll be the gluer and you be the leafer,” he said. 🙂 Actually, he did most of the leaves himself as well. Then he wrote his letters after we talked about how to spell and and how to make the letters. It’s hanging up now in my kitchen and it looks great.

Chef JT

JT is really starting to get in to cooking. He helps at least one meal a day, sometimes all three. Today we made pancakes for breakfast and blueberry muffins for dinner. We need two cups of flour for the pancakes and I handed him the one-cup measuring cup and said, “We need two cups of flour.” He said, “Why don’t you get a two-cup one?” And I explained that they don’t come that big. He shrugged and said, “I guess I’ll just use this one two times.” Awesome.

Here he is making homemade donuts with Grandma Cole. They were so good!

An aside – here Slider is trying to get to the apples on my parents’ apple tree. She was actually jumping on her hind feet trying to get them. It was funny to watch!
 When we get ready to cook, JT grabs his apron and his ladder. His new thing is to get a cookbook or my recipe card container and say, “We need the recipe.” Then he starts reading things off. “Let’s see… waffles, pancakes, muffins… no, we need a recipe for sauce.” It’s too cute!


Haley Lately

It has been so fun watching Haley change this past month or so from a baby to a toddler. Okay, so she isn’t walking yet, but I think she’s ready for this new category. Here’s why…

She started playing with her doll house and the people that go with it (a birthday present from Jim and me). Sooo cute.

She is starting to push her stroller.

She is starting to “ride a bike”. How cute is this picture of my two?

She loves the rocking horse at my parents’ house. She climbs on and off all by herself – and rocks like gangbusters. We’re actually concerned she’s going to tip it over backwards, she goes so hard.
Here she is on her “indoor” bike. She is really getting into it!

Sometimes she falls off. And cries.
But she gets right back on. How about that karate kick?

She loves to crawl out to the front room and “read” all by herself. I love that the book is upside down in this picture!

She does a pretty nice job playing the piano, actually. No banging, just tinkling!

She makes this face – HILARIOUS – when she thinks something is supposed to be a surprise. She’ll hold a crackers and then “OH!” show you it. Jim and I love this expression!



Riding her indoor bike some more…



Her brother can make her laugh like no one else – it’s always been that way!

She is starting to mimic others and it’s pretty cute.

She peels sandwiches apart and eats them one side at a time. Funny.

She has started to stick out her tongue while she’s thinking hard – just like her brother and dad.

Swimming

My friend Lisa tipped me off that Kinderswimmer was having a screamin’ deal: half off for the whole month of October. We’ve been meaning to get back into swimming for awhile but we were so busy over the summer it just didn’t make sense. Fall is a perfect time for swim lessons, especially in a pool that’s 92 degrees! JT gets to swim without a parent and he was pretty brave his first time out: jumped off the side, off the diving board, and went down the slide!

This is Haley’s second swim lesson. Her first swim lesson was full of screaming, and there was no one there to take a picture anyway. She actually swims first, with Jim, and then JT goes next. JT waits patiently and watches Haley swim until it’s time for his lesson. I have yet to see any of this because I’m at work when they go. Kudos to Jim for getting both kids fed and to swimming that starts at 9 AM!

Salmon Days

It’s that time of year again! The coho and chinook salmon are slowly making their way upstream to spawn. JT, Haley, and I went to the Issaquah hatchery to see them swim in. We grabbed at McDonald’s lunch and ate together while we watched. (Haley didn’t get any McDonalds. She is eating a whole pear in the picture.)

Group photo

Watching through the glass

Look! A fish!

Lunch break