Sea Room

After our Science Center adventure and IMAX movie Tyler was inspired to turn his room into an ocean. We hung seaweed streamers....

Both kids made sting rays

Tyler made starfish, coral, sea stars, fish, even a treasure chest.

And we can't forget the whale
And the cuttle fish

All the creatures were taped to the wall or floor and his room really did feel quite sea creaturish.

Science Center

Dave mentioned the Science Center in his last post. This was actually our second visit. We had our first visit (and membership purchase :)) on memorial day. I wasn't sure the kids would be quite ready for the Science Center yet but they had a great time. We also watched the "living sea" Imax which both kids loved.

Ty loved the skeletons

The water sprayers were a hit

So was the 2000 lb ball

There were dinosaurs and it appears both the kids can fit in one footprint

Dad's Days Off

The photos below are horribly out of order but the fact that they are posted is a success unto itself. There may even be a photo or two from the previous week but what's the difference, right? Sadly, my normal 4 or so days off was shortened by Val's favorite, an unpaid day of contract negotiations at work on my first day off. Hurry, cram 4 days into 3 and give Val the break she deserves. Let me sum up;

Yesterday was spent at Lake Tye in Monroe. We got to see mini-hydro boat races, take each kid for a bike trip around the lake (Hailey's first solo bike ride with Dad!). On the ride home we were so hot the kids 'allowed' the windows to be open for basically the first time ever. There are a couple of shots of Hailey's 'birds nest' hair blowing in the wind!

Friday night Val went out with her friend Kelli and I got to party with the Quigglekids. After dinner we went for a 1 hr play fest at a nearby school playground. Here are some action shots that show what monkeys they are becoming and what a ladies man Tyler is bound to be when he grows up.

These couple of photos are from Mom and Val time at Highlands park while Ty and I were at the driving range hitting golf balls.

Last week we had a trip to the Science Center which included Laser Michael Jackson. This was a lot of fun and Ty got to air drum to the laser show.

Of course, it all culminates with ice cream. The kids insisted on drive thru ice cream and even managed to eat some scoops while riding on their chosen 'bikes' on the back deck last night.

Slippers

Hailey found a pair of Tyler's old slippers in my too small pack away clothes the other day. The poor girl has never really had a real pair of slippers and she just loves them. She wears them all around the house and even sleeps in them.

What brother's are for

Tyler is imparting all the important things on Hailey's life. She's mastered being bad guys, superheros, lego figures, imaginative play of all sorts, and now sword fighting. Straight from princess bride, sword fighting is the new "it" game. She's at a bit of a disadvantage since Tyler gets the toy sword and she's left with a floppy foam thing but they make it work. They've both mastered the "ching, ching" sound effects to go along as well (hard to hear in the video). And since Tyler is "never" defeated Hailey's even mastered the death fall..........fabulous, I'm so proud.

And check out their new Adidas sweats from Costco....looking good.

Hello, My Name is Inigo Montoya.....

Tyler and I have been reading one of my all time favorite books lately, "The Princess Bride." It has everything a boy could want; swords, giants, poisons, Rodents of Unusual Size (ROUS), a fire swamp, the cliffs of insanity and.....an introduction to BREASTS?!

As we were reading last night we came to the part when Westley finds Buttercup in the castle as she is contemplating suicide rather than marry Prince Humperdinck. Westley comments that it would be a shame to waste two perfect breasts which of course prompted the Q & A.

Ty - Dad, what are breasts?

Me - Well, on girls it's this part of their bodies (gesture to my chest)

Ty - You mean mom's bra?

Me - Well, what's under the bra on her chest.

Ty - Looks at me as if to say 'huh?'

Me - Fear, silence, I look at him as if to say 'uh oh'

Me - Boys, we have chests, girls have breasts. We're just different.

Ty - the next day while playing sword fight with mom (for pretends) - 'I stab you in your bressssss!'

Val - when I come home from work tonight - Have you been talking to Ty about breasts?

Me -Ooops, I forgot, see above! It was Westley, The Man in Black, The Dread Pirate Roberts!

Tyler's Graduation

Tyler's school had a graduation for those kids moving on to Kindergarten. It was last weekend (a week before the actual last day of school, which was yesterday). We were lucky enough to get another random sunny/warm day while all days before and after have been cold and cloudy/rainy. Tyler was excited to get up to his classroom and get ready for the ceremony. Dave was able to take a few hours off work so he could be there as well.


While we waited for the ceremonies to begin there were pictures of all the kids throughout the year on the big screens up by the stage. Those were fun to see. Tyler's sweet teacher also sent home a cd of all the pictures they had taken over the year. I am so thankful for those. It fun to see some of the super fun things they get to do while away at school. The kids all walked into the the traditional graduation march (whatever that song is called). It was very cute. They were decked out in graduation hats and everything. Each class sang a song.

Then they were given a "roll of paper"/diploma from their teacher to make it official. Tyler school is also kind enough to save the first few rows of every event for the parent paparazzi as well as giving parents of the classes time to get up front and back to their seats.

Tyler & Mrs. Eberli

Graduation certificate

After the graduation we discovered Tyler's new school (Totem Falls Elementary) was having a carnival. So we had some lunch, changed in to shorts and walked up to the carnival.

At the carnival we got necklaces,

Ray Guns,

Face paints,

and sno-cones. They also jumped on bounce houses, played on the play ground, were able to go inside a fire truck and ambulance, and generally had a good time. It was a good day.

Hailey's Graduation

Hailey had her last day of toddler group a couple of weeks ago and an end of the year picnic at Cottage Lake Beach park a few days later. On the last day of school each of the kids was able to climb up to the "stage" and receive a certificate. Hailey thought this was the greatest thing ever. She is very excited to start preschool in the fall. I'm not sure if she is excited about school itself or being able to go to "the big school" that Tyler has been going to. Perhaps she's excited about both.

Some school friends and fabulous Teacher TinaSnack time

Receiving her certificate

Admiring her certificate

We lucked out with a sunny day for both Hailey and Tyler's graduation/party days. All other days have been filled with rain (see note to sun post).

A ride on the train at the toddler group picnic

Checking out the frogs in the water below

Good times throwing rocks/sticks in the water with Luke and Jake Doman

Swimming update

We've just completed our second month of swimming lessons. We have a week off before we start our daily and fun outdoor swimming lessons. Urgent - we need sun and warm weather soon!. The kids' swimming has improved a lot over the last couple of months.

Tyler is now swimming the length of the pool and back doing backstroke, crawlstroke, breaststroke, and a side stroke I don't know the name of. He's mastering the dolphin kick (which is quite fun to watch) and working on treading water as well. They've started working on dives.

Hailey loves bobs and has no fear of bobbing down and letting go with no teacher around. I stand at the ready to pull her back up out of the water when she doesn't come up. Near drowning experiences seem to have no impact on her. She wipes her eyes and goes on her merry way. In addition to bobbing she's getting pretty good and the front and back float. She's learning to kick and torpedo (arms in front) or torquido as she so cutely says. She pushes off the wall and kicks like mad (going farther and farther under) until her teachers hands find her. She's also working on pushing off to front and back floats. Today she was even able to try crawl stroke arms. Coordinating arms and legs is not easy when you first learning how to put all these steps together. Hailey loves her swimming.

Dear Sun

Dear Sun-

We live here in Washington where we manage to get through the dreary rainy winters knowing we will have at least 3 months of sun and warm weather to lift our spirits and let us spend all day outdoors. At this point, we are starting to feel cheated. Our precious summer days are drifting by and it is still raining like an October day. School is out and we want to play outside.

Of equal importance, Tyler has one pair of pants left with no holes (and he's not a big fan of wearing the ones with holes). Shorts would be an excellent solution to this problem. Unlike his sister, Tyler is currently unwilling to wear shorts unless the sun is out.

We would greatly appreciate your immediate and lasting presence.

Quiggle Family

This boy

When I envisioned doing hair for my children I always sort of pictured ponytails and clips. That is not at all the case. Hailey is far from any type of hair "doing". My 5 year boy on the other hand is already requesting that I spike his hair before school (only on school days mind you....the rest of the time he could care less).

And today, he asked if he was old enough for a cell phone. Wow, all this is happening much too fast.

On the other hand, he melted my heart the other day. Hailey gets great pleasure out of wiping off kisses that anyone gives to her. Dave and I can't even get a little kiss on her without her dramatically wiping it off (with a big smile). Tyler and Hailey were playing very nicely the other day and she was running into his arms for big hugs. At one point he gave her a kiss right on the head.....and she wiped it right off. His response, "That's ok Hailey, my kisses go straight to your heart". Why didn't I think of saying that?

And a small glimpse into the busy mind of a 5 year old......Tyler and his many questions. While at the bookstore the other day Tyler saw a model skeleton kit and one that also had various organs you could take in and out (all part of an educational kit). I think the skeleton and something he must have heard when he and Dave were reading left him with a series of questions for me. The types of questions that are so hard to answer and the ones that make me think "he really "gets" it. He really thinks about this stuff".

Ty: "What does it feel like to be dead?"

Me: "I don't know, I've only been alive"

Ty: "What's it like in heaven?"

Me: "I think, in heaven, we will be surrounded by all of the things and people we love"

Ty: "I think it will be like sleeping and dreaming that all of your favorite things are all around you."

Ty: "Why do people die?"

Me: " After lots of years are bodies get tired and they don't work as well"

Ty: "What about doctors, can't they help us"

Me: "Yes, doctors are able to do so much to help us when we are sick and hurting but when we are older, our bodies are just too tired".

Ty: " What about a long time ago when the doctors didn't know as much"

Me: " Yes, a long time ago, there weren't big hospitals and technology and a lot more people died just from getting sick."

Ty: "Did kids die?"

Me: "Yeah, some did"

Ty: "I think just one"

Ty: "How did the very first doctor ever learn what to do to help people?"

Me: Holy Smokes, how do you think of this stuff?? "Well, that person really liked helping people feel better, so he/she tried lots of different things to see what worked and they more they tried the better they got at helping people feel better". (???????) Where's your dad when we need him.

How to battle

While I was exercising the other day, Tyler took it upon himself to teach Hailey the ins and outs of proper battle form. I believe this is somewhat inspired by The Princess Bride which Dave and Tyler are now reading. But I could be wrong....Ty does just have a love for the battling, good guy/bad guy stuff. I suppose he is a boy.

Hailey, do what I do

Demonstration

Hailey sharing some of her own techniques

Car Art

Should I sign him up for art school now?? :) I really think he has such talent, biased parent that I am.

And Hailey's right there coloring with him. She's really starting to branch out and use multiple colors in one picture.