the Charette's

New Years Eve

2012-01-01T17:48:00.001-08:00

John, Alivia and Ryan came over New Year's Eve morning to pick up Ersa (Alivia's Guinea Pig). We gave her one last rub and a few carrots.

Connor had to take Ryan for a quick ride in his truck before they left.

Ryan doesn't seem real sure about Connor's driving skills... who taught you drivers ed?

New Year's Eve!

The Trantum's came over to celebrate New Year's Eve with us. I made a treasure hunt for the boys before they arrived. I learned that Treasure Hunts are fun for all ages! Zach (with Connor's 3D goggles on), Jakob and Connor reading the first clue.

Tina trying to figure out one of the boys clues

more clues...

Everything is more fun with a super hero costume on

snack time... and also one of the only pictures I've ever managed to get of Aric smiling!

The boys treasure was a ticket to redeem for a banana split or root beer float. Zack went with the float, Jakob a banana split with chocolate syrup and sprinkles and Connor just wanted chocolate ice cream.

Tina snuggling with Connor

The boys had so much fun with the treasure hunt that they decided to make a treasure hunt for the adults.

Tina found a clue!

Aric found another

We played a few rounds of treasure hunt... the boys hid clues for the adults, then the adults hid clues for the kids.

Tina about ready to fall asleep cuddling with Connor

Midnight! Happy New Year!!!

Zach, Connor and Jakob

me and Tina

Happy New Year Honey!

My New Year's kiss

Connor said we had to kiss too... and he took our picture.

Aric and Tina

Zack enjoying a glass of sparkling cider

Thanks for celebrating New Years with us Trantums! We had a blast.

Everyone stayed awake too! The Trantums left right before 1am and we went to bed shortly after.

Treasure Hunt and Ersa

2011-12-30T16:35:00.000-08:00

After Christmas with my family, Connor was bummed that I didn't make a treasure hunt for him. I didn't think he was old enough to really enjoy a treasure hunt, but obviously I was wrong. So, I made a special treasure hunt for him and dad the next day. Connor loved it!

I hid a treat with each clue. Connor enjoying his treat, deep in thought as Jason reads the next clue.

We had so much fun with the treasure hunt that after the boys found the treasure I had hid... we played it several more times. Connor and I would make a treasure hunt for Jason, then Jason and Connor would make one for me, then me and Jason would make one for Connor. We all had fun!

We watched Alivia's Guinea pig, Ersa while they traveled over to see family for the holidays. Connor loved watching Ersa. She was a little bit nervous after the car ride over to our house... so, we welcomed her with a carrot stick snack.

That evening we got the chance to pet Ersa. She's a very friendly Guinea pig.

Connor decided his 3 piggy banks were bursting at the seams... and he was bursting to spend some of the money he's collected (mainly by playing finders keepers with mom and dad's change). We took all but the penny's out, which came to just over $14. Then we went shopping for a new book. Nana bought him the Leapfrog Tag pen for Christmas and he wanted to get another book for it. He chose the Tinker Bell puzzle book.

We made a quick stop by my school, EWU to buy a book for next quarter.

Then it was home to play with Ersa and feed her some more carrots right out of Connor's hand.

The day before New Years Eve Jason and I went on a date. I can't even remember the last date we had. We decided to check out Northern Quest Casino, considering it's about 10 minutes from our house and in the 5 years we've lived here... we have never even set foot in the casino. Come to find out they have 14 restaurants in the casino! Friday nights they have an all-you-can-eat sea food buffet. Jason and I love sea food, so we gave it a try. The food was incredible. We'll definitely be going back! Connor stayed home with Lauren and enjoyed some chocolate ice cream and a Peter Pan movie.

We stocked Lauren for New Years... 3 bottles of wine and 6 Payday candy bars.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T22:15:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Christmas on Monday this year. It was a perfect Christmas surrounded by loving family and delicious food. The house was filled with laughter and my heart was filled with joy. I'm so gratefully to have such amazing people in my life... and blessed to call them family!

Maddie made a chocolate coffee cake... I can't remember the exact name of the cake, but oh my goodness was it delicious! I think we may have to make Maddie the official dessert queen of all holidays.

Ryan and Connor sitting at their kiddie table ready to eat some Christmas dinner

Laura made the most addictive sweet potatoes and my mom tried a new cranberry salad recipe that was incredible. Christmas dinner is always good, but this year the food was just amazing!

Alivia and Maddie reading the first clue on their treasure hunt. I typed out the clues and hid everything the night before. The girls had fun searching for their treasure.

another clue...

Connor and Ryan playing

John tried Papa's wood puzzle too. Nobody was able to put the puzzle back together, except Papa.

Ryan and Laura working on some easier puzzles

the boys had so much fun playing together

Everyone had fun trying to figure out the treasure hunt clues. A few of the clues had everyone stumped and took a while to figure out.

our little drummer boy, Ryan

The girls solved the last clue and found their treasure (presents).

Papa with the ABC fish puzzle he made for Connor.

Papa made Connor and Ryan each 10 wood puzzles! That's a lot of work! Plus he painted them fun, bright colors for the boys.

The beautiful Kortus family. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful brother and amazing sister-in-law... with two incredibly beautiful and sweet nieces and the most handsome, fun little nephew ever! I love you guys!

Papa with his grandson's

Nana with her granddaughters

Alivia stomping on the air pump sending a rocket shooting across the house

Jason was on the other side of the house trying to catch the rockets in mid flight... which he did several times (including this one).

All the kiddo's taking a turn stomping on the pump sending the rockets shooting through the air. Everyone had fun playing with this rocket launcher.

Connor had to show Ryan his new Spider-Man ornament from Aunt Staci.

our family photo... with Connor's shirt riding up. Oops

Papa and Nana

Connor was bummed that Papa and Nana had to go home. He really wanted them to spend another night.

After everyone left, Connor spent the evening putting all his new puzzles together. Then dad downloaded his new Leap Frog Tag pen and he enjoyed reading his new Tag books.

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

Nana and Papa came over Christmas Day. Papa brought a wood puzzle he made. Jason attempted to put the puzzle together...

he came close, but failed

Papa also brought the fire pit cover he made for us. We can't wait to roast some s'mores over that this summer!

Papa had to show us how to put the puzzle together. Nobody was able to do this puzzle except Papa.

Staci and Tony came over for Christmas dinner pizza. Our traditional Christmas dinner is on Monday this year. Tony took a turn at the puzzle and failed too.

The boys visiting

Tony testing out the 3D goggles

Connor opening his gifts from Aunt Staci and Uncle Tony

Uncle Tony reading Connor one of his new books

Aunt Staci, Uncle Tony and Connor

Connor's cool new Christmas ornament from Aunt Staci. Spider-Man!

Papa and Connor putting a puzzle Papa made together

While everyone else played.... I worked on creating a treasure hunt for Madison and Alivia. I made 5 clues, each a different style. Each clue also had a treat (Snickers and Kit Kat, their favorites) hidden within a foot of the clue. And of course the last clue led them to the secret spot their presents were hid. I had so much fun creating this hunt... I couldn't wait for the girls to start their search.

Connor showing Papa his iphone

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T20:17:00.000-08:00

Yeah, Santa brought us presents

Look! Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk we left out for him!!!

Santa brought Connor the giant rocket he asked for. This stomp rocket was a huge hit.

the rockets can reach up to 400 feet! Good thing they are plastic so my ceiling won't have dents!

Santa also brought the air plane he asked for too!

His own microwave with a basket of food. He had fun making us all kinds of meals.

Santa left presents in his stocking too!!! How exciting!

checking out all his loot. Spiderman PJ's and slippers, tons of books....

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

Connor got to open one gift Christmas Eve. His presents were even wrapped in purple paper with purple ribbon.. just as he requested. Spoiled kiddo!

3D and night vision goggles!

unfortunately they were not designed for a 3 year old head size so, they're a little on the big side, but fun just the same!

We all got a turn trying them out and Connor quickly took over my camera for some pictures

Before going to bed we set out some cookies and milk for Santa

I made felt stockings for our silverware with glass beads spelling the first letter of each person's name. Connor's of course was purple.

Originally the mini presents were going to have each person's name for a place setting, but since the stockings already have the first letter of each person's name... the presents just became extra decoration for my table scape.

The kiddie table for Ryan and Connor

Sugar Cookies

2011-12-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

After our last busy day of Christmas shopping (we did our Costco shopping for Christmas dinner... wow, was that ever a crazy mess!) we came home for some star shaped peanut butter sandwiches by the fire. Connor loves having tea parties at his little table now. In fact one night we ate dinner at his little table next to the fire place... just for fun.

Lauren flew to Longview to spend a week with her parents and friends. She gave Connor his gift before she left.

Lightning McQueen and Mater for the tub!

Cookie baking time!

We attempted to roll out sugar cookie dough and stamp out shapes, but the dough was too sticky and we couldn't get the right consistency for it to work. I guess that's what happens when you cheat and buy the box mix. Oops!

So, while Connor took his nap I cooked the dough into round cookies. He was excited to decorate the cookies when he woke up.

each cookie got just the right amount of sprinkles

Connor's cookie creations

our Christmas goodies this year... I made reindeer sugar cookies, Connor's sprinkle sugar cookies, hey stacks, and Jason's favorite (his mom's specialty) Yummy Gooey Bars.

Mmmmm!

Santa Cruise

2011-12-19T23:16:00.000-08:00

We went on the Coeur d'Alene cruise to see Santa in his work shop. The boat cruises the Coeur d'Alene lake for 45 minutes looking at all the decorative lights and stops at Santa's work shop, where Santa greets the kids and reads the names on his good list. We loaded the boat and found our seats... and then to our surprise my friend Jeni asked if she could sit at our table. What a small world! Jeni had her 3 girls with her (Mariah and Shyla) pictured is Jeni and her youngest, Alycia.

Her sister Julie was also there with her youngest son, Vincent.

Jason got us some hot cocoa and Connor watched the Grinch movie while we cruised

Santa's work shop. Connor's name was on the good list!

After the cruise we checked out a house in the area with 60,000 lights set to music. We thought it was neat, but Connor was wore out. He decided to skip his nap earlier in the day and was ready for sleep.

Misc December

2011-12-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

My crazy cute little guy

Connor and I went to the mall for some last minute shopping and stopped at the fun center for some play time.

of course he met a little girl to play with... Laura. My little flirt!

I made Connor an Advent calendar. A little bit late, but he loves it. I hung the calendar at the bottom of the stairs. He gets excited to see what kind of treat is hidden in the calendar each morning. The green buttons at the top are from my Grandma. She gave me her sewing machine along with some buttons and ribbon before she passed away. I try to incorporate a piece whenever I can. I sure miss my Grandma!

I had extra material left, so I made a wreath too.

Jason's friend Kevin came over to watch Sea Hawk football on Sunday. Connor had so much fun playing with Kevin!

Connor dressed up as Peter Pan and got Kevin to dress up as Captain Hook. Arrrr!

Our local fire department drives around every Christmas pulling Santa in his sleigh. Santa waves to the kids as Christmas music plays and the firemen run door to door handing out candy canes.

Wednesday's fun

2011-12-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

We got some snow last night... less than an inch, but still enough to get outside and have some fun.

Yeehaw!

We thought the doggies might like to go for a walk and enjoy the new snow as well.

Connor trying on the Santa mustache during craft time

we made tons of magnetic Christmas photo frames

Then we ended the day with Connor's favorite movie... Peter Pan

Cheese and Tea for two

2011-12-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

Connor and I decided today was a great day to play at Chuck E Cheese... so we did.

this snow mobile ride blows air in your face like your really riding

I love his serious expression.. he's in it to win it!

my rock star

After a fun day at Chuck E Cheese and a little shopping, we went home... to have a tea party for two! We even used real china too. Connor decided to trade in his tea for some chocolate milk instead.

Okay so I don't look great in this photo, probably because I had to set the timer on the camera and then run to get in the shot, but it shows Connor's excitement. He loved the tea party. We had so much fun. Oh and yes I'm wearing my flannel lounge pants.

After I took the above shot Connor informed me that the blue chair is dad's chair (he's in South Carolina for the week), the purple chair is Connor's (of course! Everything purple is his) and the orange chair is mine. He also told me I had to sit next to him instead of across from him.

We had 3 cookies... 1 for each of us and 1 in honor of dad, who couldn't be here. We split his cookie.

Then it was time to clean house. My once helpful little assistant has decided the vacuum is more of an entertainment device than a cleaning tool. He was laughing so hard that I couldn't help but laugh myself.

Since Connor doesn't like to sleep in the dark... we used some of our Christmas lights to decorate his room, which double as a fun night light.

For craft time we decorated paper with glue and sprinkled salt on top

then we dripped food coloring on the salt. It was actually suppose to absorb and make more lines than it did. But we had fun anyway. What a wonderful fun filled day!

Davenport Christmas Tree's

2011-12-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Every year the Davenport hotel raffles off 12+ Christmas tree packages. We met the Trantum's downtown to check out the tree's. First stop of course was for some coffee though... and hot cocoa for the kids.

We bought 10 raffle tickets... wish us luck. I'd like to win the tree package with the $4000 cash and gift cards for a spa retreat!

Connor wants the pet package with the coolest dog house ever... and the giant stuffed dog.

I think Jason's hoping for the ski package with condo

The entire second level is filled with the tree packages.

Dashing through the ~~snow~~ streets on a ~~one~~ two horse open sleigh... Next we took a horse carriage ride through downtown Spokane

We've seen the horse carriage a few times before and Connor always asks if we can go for a ride. He was thrilled to finally get his turn. Jason, Connor, Zach and Jakob

Aric and Tina

me, Jason and Connor

Last stop... the Apple store. My gadget guy got his new iphone for Christmas. He finally talked me into getting an iphone about a year ago... and now he has to get a newer phone than I have. LOL

Connor had fun playing Diego while they updated Jason's new phone... which crashed right after he got home. I did some more Christmas shopping, while the boys went home for nap time. Jason had to take the phone back the following day to replace it.

Connor got Jason's old iphone. He is one spoiled 3 year old! He now has his own iphone and ipod!

Sunday Tina and I finally got to see the new Twilight movie in the theater.

Girl time

2011-12-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Fall quarter is over and I needed some girl time to unwind after finals... I met Staci for lunch at the Olive Garden, which apparently over the last 36 years I've maxed out my allowed pictures of her. I guess I'll just have to dig out one of the million pictures I have of Staci from middle school, with her big crazy curly hair and braces and post that instead... just kidding Staci. After lunch I spent the rest of the day Christmas shopping.

I spent Sunday all nice and cozy in Tina and Aric's bed. Tina and I camped out in her bedroom watching the Twilight series. We've seen every Twilight movie (except the first) in the theater together.

Popcorn, pizza, candy, tea... Edward and Jacob... what a perfect day! Jason and Connor watched the Polar Express movie at the Imax.

Vacuuming gone wrong!

My tuckered out little guy after a long day at preschool.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Everywhere you go...

We put up our fake tree. Connor helped strategically place all the ornaments.

For a while anyway, then he joined Jason and Lauren, who sat at the table and watched me decorate. Jason put our outside lights up too. He's decided this is the last year we're using the icicle lights. Connor told him next year we need purple lights on the house (his favorite color).

our Christmas tree

So, lately we've been playing musical beds. Connor's always been great about sleeping in his own bed, until recently. He's been waking up scared and climbing in bed with me... in whatever bed I'm sleeping in that night. Jason and I sleep in separate bedrooms. I know that sounds strange to some, but Jason has restless leg syndrome and thrashes around in his sleep. And I don't mean he just kicks his feet either... he THRASHES! Besides that we have completely different sleep habits... I need complete quiet (notice the ear plugs) and dark with soft flannel sheets. Jason on the other hand sleeps better with the TV or music playing in the background, hardly any blankets and a fan blowing in his face. Different stroke for different folks. We came to the conclusion 11 years ago (after trying to compromise) that we both just sleep better in separate rooms. That's not to say we don't still snuggle... we just part ways right before we drift off into slumber. Connor's sleep habits are a combination of ours... he's a very light sleeper like me, so he sleeps best with soft music playing in the background. He also thrashes in his sleep like his dad. It's not uncommon to find him upside down in his bed, with his feet on the pillow. Although he is getting better and tossing less. Anyway, we think we figured out what's scaring Connor. His new Spiderman decals that we put on the walls glow. I think the glowing eyes are creeping him out. So, we took all the stickers down and I've been leaving a dim light on at night. That seems to have fixed the problem since he's back to sleeping in his own room now.

We planned on surprising Connor and watching the Polar Express at the River Front Park IMAX, but when we got there we found out the movie reel was bad. Bummer! He loves that movie. So, instead we went to visit Santa Claus. Our timing was perfect! We didn't even have to wait long.

Yeah, Santa Claus!

Connor's Christmas list this year: "Giant rocket, Giant airplane, Giant Spiderman" Apparently he wants all his gifts super-sized. I'm not sure where the rocket idea came from. Last year Jason bought him a small remote control airplane that they fly around the house. Connor saw a commercial for a bigger remote control airplane with a digital camera that you fly around and download the video footage. Probably a little advanced for a 3 year old, but that's what he wants.
He told us he asked Santa to bring him a Giant rocket. Immediately after he got concerned because he forgot to tell Santa to bring him the Giant airplane too. We told him we could write Santa a letter with the Giant airplane. His memory is incredible... as soon as we got home he got out his notebook and drew a picture of a Giant rocket and Giant airplane for Santa. He's also asking Santa for some Peter Pan books.

Since our IMAX movie was a bust... we stopped at Mobius for some fun. Connor loves going there.

He always has to spend time in the Hut making Jason and I dinner.

After Mobius we went to Red Robin for some lunch. Connor's beverage of choice: chocolate milk, while I enjoy a freckled (strawberry) lemonade.

Christmas cards

2011-11-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

Growing up I always loved getting the photo Christmas cards. They always seemed more practical to me. So, when I turned 18 and moved out on my own... I started my own tradition of sending out a yearly photo Christmas card. Jason and I started dating in 2000. Here are all the Christmas cards from years past from Jason and I.

2000

the year I met my honey. We decided to move in together right before the holidays. Photo: watching fireworks at the Longview park with Jason's sister, Sue and her family.

2001

2002

photo: Jason was a groomsman in his friend, Joel and Tara's wedding

2003

photo: engagement picture taken at the Finch Arboretum

2004

photo: our honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean

2005

photo: at my parents house

2006

photo: playing in the snow at Mount Spokane

2007

photo: Long beach, on the Pacific Ocean

2008

the best year of our lives... Connor was born!

2009

2010

2011

Driving Lessons

2011-11-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Connor driving his truck with his cool shades

Some times it comes in handy being short and petite. Like when Connor asks if he can cruise the streets with his mom. His new truck is geared to hold exactly both of our weight combined. But I don't think it was ever intended to hold an adult... it's a tight fit with no leg room!

Jason giving Connor his first drivers ed lesson. He used duct tape to make an arrow on the steering wheel. Wherever the arrow points, the car drives.

After driving around for quiet a while, Connor was beat... too tired to drive back to the garage. He opted to ride in the back while mom drove instead. Although I am short, my legs are not quiet short enough to fit under the steering wheel. I had to dangle my left leg out of the truck and use my right hand to push on the gas peddle.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

We had Thanksgiving at Nana and Papa's house with my brother and his family.

Connor giving his cousin Ryan a hug

snuggle time with my boy on the couch watching a movie. Nana always has cartoons or movies playing. Connor loves it.

Papa and Connor sharing the best seat in the house for the movie

Alivia and Madison playing cards

Jason wrestling with the boys

Connor and Ryan had fun playing with the kitty cat balls that we made. Of course they both wanted the blue kitty though.

"I got your nose" Jason taught Connor a new trick

Jason trying to teach Ryan how to give knuckles

Ryan being a bridge and driving one of Connor's trucks through his legs

Connor's favorite kitty- Spaz. Poor Spaz is getting old and not feeling very good.

the beautiful teenie boppers- Alivia and Madison

Connor and Ryan playing Hungry Hippo

Connor sharing his toys with Ryan

Connor holding Ryan on his lap

Two of John's high school friends came over to visit, Matt and Pat. This is also the only picture I managed to get of John and Laura.

Pre-Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Let the holiday baking begin! Every holiday I make at least one new recipe to try. This year I made stuffed jalapenos, which were a huge hit.

home made power bars, which I forgot to bring with us to Thanksgiving. But they were amazing! I'm not a big power bar fan, but I'm hooked on these! High energy, high protein, low fat and incredibly yummy. Perfect snack to take to school.

For a side dish I made spinach salad, which had a tangy dressing. Also delicious!

Connor decided Papa needed 4 cats. So, we spent a family night making cats out of Connor's balls (from his old ball pit) and pipe filter.

Here's our kitties... Connor's is the blue, mine is the green and Jason's is the yellow. Lauren had a red ball, but didn't finish decorating hers.

I joined Connor at preschool for a Thanksgiving lunch at school. I got there a little bit early and got a chance to sit in on their circle time. They were singing Connor's favorite song "Slippery Fish."

Early Christmas!

2011-11-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

If you know us, then you won't be surprised that we let Connor have a Christmas gift early. Only this year we're not a week or even two weeks early... in fact we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet. And we didn't just let him open a small gift. Jason and I were too excited to wait. I guess we're either the best parents ever or the worst... it depends on who your asking. But I'm sure Connor won't mind getting an extra month to play with his gift. It's a good thing Santa doesn't visit until Christmas morning or he might not have any gifts still under the tree by Christmas. Christmas shouldn't be about the gifts anyway, we need to put the focus back on Jesus. Here's Connor opening his first Christmas gift of the season...

Connor's own truck! It has 2 speeds forward and reverse. Plus a working radio, stud tires and a truck bed.

Jason put a cinder block in the truck bed for extra weight for more traction in the snow.

Merry Christmas Connor! We love you!!

family pictures

2011-11-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

picture time again... We usually only get professional pictures done once a year. But this year I really like the color teal. I envisioned our family picture with us all wearing white and teal. Jason wasn't thrilled with wearing teal blue. So, Connor and I did our own photo shoot with the teal. And instead we did our family photo shoot in gray and light blue, which would have been great except we didn't get any good pictures of the three of us. Three's a charm right? This time around I envisioned a black background with black shirts and bright colored scarves. Connor wanted a Spiderman scarf, which I had to make since I couldn't find one. And Jason wanted a darker more masculine scarf, which he borrowed from Lauren for the picture. Lauren was actually suppose to be a part of this picture as well, but she had a lot of studying to do instead. The photo studio over booked and got really behind. Our appointment ended up being two hours late! So, we grabbed some lunch at Azteca while we waited. Good thing we finally got some good pictures of the three of us... I don't know if I could have talked Jason into a fourth photo shoot.

This photo was completely candid. We had not idea she was going to snap a photo. The lady had asked Connor to say something to get him to smile. He said whatever it was and threw his arms in the air, knocking the scarf back. Jason and I both reached at the same time to fix his scarf and she snapped the picture.

Misc November

2011-11-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

We all played a game of Candy Land before the Sea Hawks game (Connor's wearing his new Sea Hawks gear). Connor won the game fair and square!

You know winter is here when you begin to see Connor and I bundled up in blankets

a little afternoon bowling

Connor is following in my foot steps. He has a fascination with rocks. He likes to collect rocks when we go places, just like I did when I was little. When I picked him up from school he was so excited to show me the rock he found on the playground and put in his cubby to bring home. When we got home he colored the rock brown and we glued on some purple hair and eyes... and named him Rockie.

We had a bunch of banana's that turned ripe before we had a chance to eat them so, Jason asked me to make some banana bread with them. I ran to the store to get some ingredients and when I got home I found the boys having fun in Connor's room. They were decorating the walls with Spiderman decals.

Dad hung up some of the bigger decals. Connor got to pick spots for the smaller decals... which means all the spiders got clumped together in one spot...

... and all the round spiderman decals got clumped in another spot.

Not exactly how I would have decorated, but Connor loves it! And it's his room, so as long as he's happy that's all that matters.

Connor's been asking for a Spiderman scarf... and since I can't find one.. I made one! I was hoping for fleece material, but settled for more of a flannel type material instead. I did line the inside with fleece though so it would be thicker and warmer.

Here he is with his new scarf. He really was excited about the scarf.. he just wasn't thrilled I asked him to stop and pose for a picture with the scarf on. He's also wearing his Peter Pan outfit, which he's worn pretty much every day since Halloween!

Our first snow fall of the season, November 12.

Mobius

2011-11-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

Every 6 months or so, Mobius changes their theme. The new theme is Magic.

getting a check up by a mini Doctor

after Mobius we got some lunch at the Olive Garden. Jason and I love their soups!

dropping some coins into the mall wishing well

Halloween night

2011-10-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat

At 5:45pm we got our first trick or treater... and shortly after we decided to go trick or treating ourselves before it got to dark and cold. We ran into our neighbor Corey (dressed up as a woman) with his daughter Peyton (Bat girl), her friend and their two dogs: Bailey as a princess and Bella as a hot dog. Connor loves Peyton so we walked around the neighborhood with them for a while.

Connor and I after trick or treating

Jason with our scare crow

Connor's loot. We took out the gum and jaw breakers (choke hazards), but he got to keep the rest.

He got to pick anything he wanted.. his choice: a sucker

Our neighbor Jon and Vicki stopped by with their grandson, Max.

Max and Connor played together for a while, but every time the door bell rang Connor would tell Max "I'll be right back" and he would race to the front door to hand out candy.

Max, Vicki and Jon

me, Connor and Jason

Connor had more fun handing out candy than he did trick or treating. What a sweet boy. It's more fun to give than to receive. He greeted each kid with a "Happy Halloween. Here you go (as he put candy into their bag". He told a few of the kids he liked their costumes too and always said "your welcome" when they said thank you for the candy.

My Peter Pan with his crazy hair after his hat came off

Halloween Parade at Preschool

2011-10-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

The parade was indoors since it's chilly outside. Jason took the day off from work and I skipped a class to watch their parade. Starting at the left: Hosni, Andrew, Mya, ?, Connor and Michael

EWU child center has 2 preschool classes, each with 14 kids. Miss Amanda and her class (mainly girls) is on the left and Mrs. Maryanna and her class (mainly boys) are on the right.

Connor (Peter Pan) in the front row. His girl friend Mya is the blonde witch in the front row and his other best girl buddy is Amira, the grey mouse behind him.

Connor and Mya

Trantum Halloween Party

2011-10-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Trantum's had a Halloween party at their house this year.

My little Peter Pan ready to party

Tinker Bell, Peter Pan and Captain Hook

Peter Pan and the Trantum boys, who were resident evil characters

Elise and Kalem

Shelly and Addam

Captain Hook and Tinker Bell (my skirt and wand both had lights)

Un and Ray (vampires)

Aric (resident evil character too) and Tina (Black Swan)

Un, Tina, Krista and Shelly

Tina on her ballerina tippy top toes, which she said the shoes were painful so they didn't stay on long.

the kiddo's playing games

Connor and Elise

Mini Captain Hook

capturing Shelly as his prisoner

around midnight the kiddo's laid down to watch a cartoon and everyone except Connor (the youngest) and Zach (the oldest) fell fast asleep.

What a fun Halloween party! Thanks Trantum's!

Pumpkin carving

2011-10-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

We carved our pumpkins later than usual this year since Jason was in Texas for a week...

Connor cutting the top off his pumpkin

pulling out the pumpkin guts

Jason picked a skull and cross bones for his pumpkin (to go with our Peter Pan theme)

Connor picked a spider on a web for mine. Mine always ends up being the most detailed and time consuming.

Connor poking holes in his pumpkin, which Jason called freckles

everyone carving away

finished pumpkins: Lauren's sword, Jason's skull and cross bones, Connor's Great White Shark (which is from his favorite song "Slippery Fish") and my spider on a web

Peter Pan

2011-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Jason and I tried to talk Connor into being Spiderman for Halloween, since he was obsessed with everything Spiderman. Then Jason could be Superman and I could be Wonder woman. But Connor has moved on from Spiderman. His new obsession is Peter Pan. ~~So, the boss~~ Connor decided he was going to be Peter Pan, mom Tinker Bell and dad Captain Hook. I searched for a Peter Pan costume, but came up empty handed. So, I made one instead. I bought some dark green fabric and made his costume. The only problem was the hat. I made this sample hat out of construction paper with the intent of buying some green felt to make the real hat with... We also spent a family night cutting swords out of cardboard and covering them with black duct tape. Lauren and Jason made fancy swords, but mine was the only durable sword that held up (I cut out 3 swords the same size and duct taped all 3 together so it was extra strong). Mine was Connor's favorite.

We also spent another family night building our traditional scare crow for the front porch. Connor trying the scare crow's boots on for size.

Connor helping to stuff the scare crow

Jason working on the finishing touches. He attaches fishing line to the scare crows arms and uses a pulley through the window to raise the arms up. He also hides a walkie talkie in the scare crows jacket, which he uses to talk to the younger kids and scare the older kids with. All the neighborhood kids love our scare crow.

Connor still loves Preschool at EWU. There are 12 boys in his class and 2 girls. And who does Connor play with everyday? The girls! Mya, a cute little blond girl is his girl friend. She greets him with a hug every morning. His second best friend is Amira, followed by Andrew.

Here's Connor and Amira on the play ground

Okay, so I made the dark green Peter Pan costume, but I decided I wanted to use some thicker fleece material instead. When I was out shopping I found this cute pea pod costume for $1... cheaper than I could buy the material for

So, I cut off the pea pod balls going down the front and cut the jagged sleeves and bottom... and walla! Another Peter Pan costume!

Autumn at the Finch

2011-10-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

We met the Trantum's at the Finch park for some Autumn pictures.

Zach, Connor and Jakob

monkey see, monkey do... Connor wanted to do everything his buddy Jakob did.

Connor was glued to Jakob. The 3 boys were running around having fun and any time Connor couldn't see Jakob he would stop and yell "JAKOB" in a panic. Connor says his best friends are "Mya, Jakob and Zach"

Tina with her boys

Me with my boy

The Trantum's: Jakob, Zach, Tina and Aric

The Charette's: Krista, Connor and Jason

Surgery

2011-10-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Jason had surgery to remove his tonsils last year... so I guess that means it's my turn for surgery this year?!? I had my first ever colonoscopy, which is not nearly as bad as I envisioned it would be. The worst part is drinking the huge jug of horrible tasting liquid to clean out your system. The day prior your only allowed to have clear liquids. Here's me and Connor getting ready for school... him drinking some juice with breakfast and me sucking down my beef broth for breakfast.

minor surgery went well. I had 1 polyp removed.

My True Love

2011-10-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Mommy and son pictures

It occurred to me that I don't have any pictures of just Connor and I together... at least none since he was a new born. So, we had a photo shoot together.

Green Bluff Pumpkin farm

2011-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to Green Bluff Farms to pick out our pumpkins with the Trantum's. In 2009 we went to the Knapp's farm and 2010 we went to Siemer's and Knapp's farms. For 2011 we decided to just go to Knapp's farm. Siemer's farm had a lot of fun activities last year, but it was a bit pricey. Knapp's farm offers lots of free fun and the only thing we have to pay for is our pumpkins.

First stop, the straw maze. Jason and the top of Connor's head as they ran through the maze

Jason, Connor, Zach and Jakob

Jakob, Zach, Jason and Connor

Zach, Jakob and Connor

family shot in the maze

Zach and Connor getting ready to watch the Punkin' Chunkin'

I missed the pumpkin being shot out of the cannon, but I caught the straw coming out.

Zach being goofy

Goat Mountain

The Trantum crew: Aric, Tina, Zach and Jakob

Jason pushing Connor in the wheel barrel

the boys

Zach pushing Connor and Jakob

Jakob's turn

in search of the perfect pumpkins

Connor and Jakob. Connor loves the Trantum boys. He wouldn't let Jakob out of his sight!

Connor found his pumpkin. Unfortunately it was a little too heavy.

Connor picked out his own pumpkin and dad let him cut the stem (with some help).

Our little family in the pumpkin field

Another fun trip to the Green Bluff farms. Afterwards we met the Trantum's at Panda Express for some lunch. Connor's fortune cookie said "If you want something, you must earn it", which is very fitting! Connor has been doing chores to earn money to put in his piggy bank. When his piggy bank is full he says he wants to buy a Big Spiderman.

Misc. September

2011-10-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

Connor recently watched the movie Peter Pan. He loves to pretend he's Peter Pan now with his sword (screw driver). He insists that I'm Tinkerbell and dad is either Captain Hook or a pirate.

He loves preschool and comes home with all sorts of art projects. He's also learned a couple songs with hand gestures that he's been singing around the house. His favorite is Five Little Ducks and Slippery Fish.

Aunt Staci left American Family to become an independent Insurance agent! Connor and I stopped by to see her new office, which Tony and Staci were painting. I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of Staci in her paint clothes, but she was there working too. Her new office is called Kerner Insurance. Congratulations Aunt Staci!!!

Connor and I went shopping to get him some new shoes (which he's wearing in this picture). New Sketchers. We stopped by the mall to show Lauren, who was working at Rue 21.

We spent an evening playing at our Neighbor's Jon and Vicki's house with their grandkids.

Sawyer and Connor playing air hockey. WeiWei (Max's mom) is due with their second boy in January.

Sawyer, Max and Connor relaxing on the couch with some books

Jason spent the last 2 weeks straight in South Carolina. Lucky for him, his friend Max was there to keep him company. Aside from working, they got a chance to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, which he said was 80+ degrees and extremely salty. Connor and I adjusted to our new schedule of getting up early in the morning (5:45 for me, 6:30 for Connor), getting acquainted with our new EWU college campus and preschool and going to bed earlier (8:30 for Connor, 10:00 for me). We both love our new schools.

Preschool

2011-09-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Connor's first day of preschool at EWU. He was so excited. He's been asking me for the last couple days when he was going to school. The first thing he says when he wakes up is "I'm awake! Can I go to school now?" He got really excited when we drove onto campus and then once we were inside his preschool he ran to his classroom. I talked to his teacher for a few minutes, snapped a few pictures, gave him a hug and kiss and then watched as he excitedly ran off to meet the other kids and play. I expected the first day to be hard... but apparently it was only hard for me. He was totally ecstatic about preschool! New friends, new toys, new teachers.

Miss Amanda, one of his new teachers

Connor did great and fit in perfect. His teachers all love him and say how wonderful he listens, follows directions and plays well with others. When I was buckling him into his car seat I noticed he looked a little sad. When I asked why he was sad his response was "I want to play more." He apparently thought going to preschool was just for the one day. When I explained that he was going to come back to preschool and play tomorrow his face instantly lit up with a big smile and he said "I do!"
The next picture is from day 2. Connor is still just as excited about preschool as the first day. He's full of energy. I'm exhausted! I'm not used to my new schedule, getting up at 5:30am and lugging a huge backpack of books clear across campus. Plus I decided to take a cycling class for the first time. The instructor is intense! And Jason is in South Carolina for 2 weeks straight.

Dentist

2011-09-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Connor had his first dental cleaning (second Dentist visit) today! He did great! He was the perfect patient and did everything they asked, while watching the Incredibles movie on the ceiling.

this picture cracks me up... he looks so tiny in the big chair

our handy-man. Helping dad take the pool down for the winter

storing stuff away in the shed

tightening bolts around the house

Watch me Grow

2011-09-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Connor through the years...

2 weeks

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

11 months

1 year

2 years

3 years

Discovery Park

2011-09-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

Trying to squeeze in as much fun in the sun and park time as we can before the cold weather rolls in.

jump

spin

"watch me mommy. I'm Spiderman!"

(shooting laser beams)

Spiderman crawl

Shooting his Spidey web

C: "Hi! I'm Spiderman. I'm super fast"

drums

Running laps. C ran at least half a dozen laps on this paved sidewalk

pit stop to replenish the fluids before running another lap

Family pictures

2011-09-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

New Charette pictures for 2011

My favorite... I just wish C wasn't biting his lip. He never bites his lip, but he did for the entire photo shoot.

Mobius with Peyton

2011-09-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

We met Peyton and Matt at Mobius for a play date.

Princess Peyton

Bumble Bee C

Dr. C and nurse Peyton

After 60 minutes of non-stop playing at Mobius we took a break to walk across the street and grab some lunch at Red Robin

Then we took a stroll through River Front park. First stop, two rides on the carousel

several trips down the Red Wagon slide

followed by some fun at the play ground

my handsome little guy with flowers behind his ears. Peyton had flowers too, but trying to get both kiddo's in the same picture just wasn't happening.

C and Peyton holding hands

C: "Peyton, I love you."

After River Front Park we went back to Mobius for a little more play time. C and Peyton played house in the hut for quiet a while. The happy couple was hosting a dinner party for Matt and I. C was responsible for serving the beverages and preparing the main course, fish. Peyton created a delicious soup with side of mixed veggies. It was adorable to watch the two of them play house.

C serving beverages while Peyton sweeps the floor

Peyton working on her soup

We had a fun filled day! Thanks Matt and Peyton

New front porch

2011-09-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Project #1:
I've been bugging J to re-stain our covered front porch for the last several years with no luck. We built our house in 2006, so the deck isn't that old, but the builder doesn't use the highest quality stain and we were definitely due for a new stain. Since J had no intentions of re-staining the deck, I took it on as my project. J did power wash the deck for me though.

Day 1- C and I put on masks and went to work. I used the small orbital sander and sanded down almost the entire top railing... until the sander broke. I didn't break it. J said the sander was 15+ years old and just wore out.

C took a picture of me replacing the sand paper before the sander broke

another picture courtesy of C... I'm tired and dirty!

before and after sanding

Day 2- J bought me a new orbital sander. I finished the top rail and the front of the rail. I started on the floor boards with J's big sander. He forgot to show me how to adjust the belt and the sand paper kept sliding off, so I didn't make it very far before I called it quits for the day.

Day 3- J made adjustments to the sander so the sand paper stays on! Another picture courtesy of C. Geez, he's getting really good at taking pictures!

Almost half way done. This is way more work than I expected it to be! I was hoping to get more done today, but I decided to stop when my fingers started tingling from the vibration and my arms were hurting from applying pressure to the sander.

Day 4- while J visited with the neighbors and watched a Disney movie with C... I spent several more hours sanding the deck late into the night.

Day 5- I finished sanding the deck and started on the steps. I mainly used the small orbital sander today. I like it better. It's easier to control, doesn't hurt my arms and I can get into smaller spaces with it.

Day 6- finished the steps, sanded the spindles and front of rail, and did some touch up sanding on the deck. I probably would have spent another whole day sanding if I hadn't run out of sand paper. Darn my dad for teaching me "if your going to do something, do it right". Why couldn't he teach me "fast and furious wins the race" instead? It looks good, but being a perfectionist I still see area's that could be improved. But I'm really tired of sanding!!

Day 7- I used J's compressor to blow the dust out of the crevices and then washed the deck off.

Day 8- I used a deck brightener, which really brought out the beauty of our redwood deck.

dry picture after deck brightener

Day 9- staining! After researching, I went with Sikken's Cetol SRD in transparent Natural color.

view of half the spindles stained

staining all 4 sides of each spindle

the spindles, rail... and everything but the floor boards done. I ran out of stain after 5+ hours of work

Day 10- I bought a second gallon of stain and finished the deck! 1 1/2 weeks worth of work and our deck looks new again! Well, other than the 4 risers that I need to buy an outdoor paint to match the house. And I did the entire thing MYSELF!

projects

2011-09-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

the projects continue...
Project #4: repaint the bathroom on the main floor. When we built our house in 2006 I thought I would try sponging on some color. I love the sponge technique, I just hate the color's I chose. I decided to pull some of the colors out of the counter and floor, which are natural stone. I painted the walls a light brown and sponged a dark brown over the top. I have hated this room every since! J likes it, probably because it looks like a boys bathroom. The dark brown reminds me of pine cones.

I bought paint and primer mixed and had to put 2 coats on to cover the browns. I had a hard time deciding on a color for this room. There is no window so I wanted to go with a very light paint. I chose Cottage White. It's very close to white, with just a ting of a creamy beige.

Other happenings: C had his 3 year check up. We stopped at the park to play before his appointment and he met a new friend.

C with dad at his check up

We went out to lunch with J's friend, Kevin. (Picture courtesy of C)

A few pictures of my new school campus that I will be attending next week.

Martin Hall, where I'll be spending most of Fall quarter

EWU, go Eagles!

Eagles's Roos Field with their famous red turf

Projects

2011-09-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

Project #2. Summer is quickly coming to an end and I'm frantically trying to finish up all my projects. I haven't posted project #1 as it's not complete yet. But second on my list of projects: Paint the master bathroom. I don't like white walls. The room just seems unfinished until it's painted. Originally I was going to paint the master bathroom lavender to compliment the sage green color of the master bedroom. Although J said he didn't care what color I painted the room (he's perfectly happy leaving every room white), I knew he would appreciate a blue bathroom over a lavender. So, I went with Spring Bluebell.

Project #3. Although this project is not complete either, I thought I would post this portion. I'm redecorating C's room. Since he's in a toddler bed now it's only fitting that his room reflect his maturity. I let him pick anything he wanted for his room. His choice: Spiderman. I ordered his bedding on-line and he was so excited when it finally arrived.

After he gave his approval and rolled around in his new bedding... I washed everything and put his bed together. He was so excited when he walked into his bedroom and saw his Spiderman bed that night.

Hiawatha Trail

2011-09-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Trantum's joined us for a bike ride on the Hiawatha trail. It's been called one of the most scenic stretches of railroad in the country. Winding through ten tunnels and over seven high steel trestles, the 15 mile route crosses the rugged Bitterroot Mountains between Idaho and Montana. The route of the Hiawatha is best known for the long, dark St. Paul Pass or "Taft" tunnel which burrows for 1.7 miles under the state line.

the Trantum-Charette crew about to go through a tunnel

Charette's: J, K and C

Trantums: Tina, Jakob, Zach, Aric

Trantum-Charette crew

You have to bring a flash light and jacket for the tunnels, especially the Taft tunnel, which is pitch black, freezing cold and wet! This is all I could see... Tina's tail light on her bike. To the left of her tail light and up just a bit is the tunnel opening. Light!

between the mountains you can see one of the trestles

crossing a trestle

Tina looking over the edge. J is probably laughing at me because I'm about to hurl at the sight of Tina leaning on the rail. The highest trestle is 850 feet long and 230 feet high.

I'm not a fan of heights so unfortunately this is as close as I was getting to the edge. Too bad because I'm sure it would have made a great picture looking down.

the boys resting at the end... waiting for the shuttle bus to take us back up to the top. Zach is giving the piece sign... C is giving his age (3).

C was excited he got to ride a school bus for the first time!

Yeah! We made it. The shuttle takes you from the bottom of the trail up to the Taft tunnel. Then you get to ride through the Taft tunnel (1.7 miles) a second time to get to the parking lot. J and I have done the Hiawatha trail 3 times now, but this was the first time with C. This was also the first time we started at the top and only rode it down. The other two times we started at the bottom, rode up 15 miles then down 15 miles.

Toddler bed

2011-09-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come to say good bye to C's crib and hello new toddler bed! I love his bedroom furniture. The bed converts from a crib to a toddler bed to a full size bed. C is actually happy being in his crib and J would leave him in the crib until he's 12 if he had his way. I've been wanting to convert his bed all summer. The only thing that stopped me was J dragging his feet. J assumed it would be a horrible nightmare when we converted his bed. He figured C would try to crawl into our bed and we'd all be up all night long for weeks on end. Or that he'd wonder around in the middle of the night, fall down the stairs and end up hurt. Sometimes I think J lets his imagination get the best of him!
I on the other hand think 3 is too old to be sleeping in a crib. I like to encourage his independence. Plus he's been potty trained for several months now, except at night. He's never had the opportunity to get out of bed at night to go potty. For that reason and because I'm the one who typically reads him books at night and then has to lift his 30 pounds over the crib rail into bed... is why I've decided it's time for the toddler bed! So, J left bright and early Monday morning for North Dakota and will be gone all week long... which means the minute C and I woke up on Monday I got to work converting his bed. I'm happy to say that J's imagination is way wrong. C was excited about his new bed. He loves crawling into bed on his own. Today is Thursday and he's now taken 4 naps and gone to bed 3 times in his new bed and never got up, never wondered around, never even tried to get into my bed. Yeah, for dad being paranoid for no reason! I actually have plans to convert C's room from the Ocean theme he's had since a baby to a more grown up toddler theme... coming soon.
Oh and not that I'm paranoid (okay, maybe a little bit) but I lock the gate at the top of the stairs at night just in case and I sleep with the baby monitor on my nightstand. I might have also checked on him half a billion times the first few nights... just in case because you know his room is a whole 6 feet away from mine.

C laying in his new toddler bed reading a book

Boating

2011-08-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

The 3 of us took our little boat out on Silver lake for C's first time out boating. C is wearing his one piece swimsuit with flotation device built in.

Right after the above picture was taken we discovered that the battery to our little motor was dead. J had charged the battery the night before, but apparently we need to buy a new battery. But that didn't stop us from having a nice little boat ride... and giving J a little workout. As C pointed out, it's a good thing dad has BIG muscles!

C and I enjoying the ride

Since the motor wasn't working and we had to depend on J's rowing (with larger boats creating waves)... we didn't go real far. We crossed the lake and stopped at a beach area for lunch. Then J rowed us back to the dock.

Flying Irish

2011-08-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

J joined the Flying Irish Running Club 3 weeks ago. There's 500 members who meet every Thursday at O'Doherty's Irish Pub for a 3 mile run. After the run everyone socializes with a beer at O'Doherty's. J and his racquetball partner from work, Greg ran while Greg's wife, Joanna walked with C and I. This was J and Greg's 3rd run, but our 1st.

Joanna and Greg

K, J, C, Joanna and Greg after the race.

The guys were sweaty from running, but the benefit to walking is the girls never broke a sweat. The guys beat us to O'Doherty's and grabbed a beer. When we got there the 5 of us went out to dinner. Greg and Joanna took us to the best Gyro restaurant in Spokane!

This is group shot of all the runners taken last week. Not that you can see him, but J is just to the left of the center.

Finch Arboretum

2011-08-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of my absolute favorite parks! C and I decided to bring the tripod and have a photo shoot. Unfortunately we picked a bad day for a photo shoot... it was super sunny and way too hot, 92 degree's. So, we only stayed long enough to walk the creek and snap a few pictures along the way. The pictures are not the best quality because of the glaring sun, but we had fun taking them.

C has a toy box full of hand size toys (spiderman, superman, Buzz Lightyear, etc). He always has at least 1 toy with him at all times, including during nap and bedtime. Today he brought his favorite hand size toy, Nemo. You can see his orange Nemo in his hand or lap in the pictures.

C's thinking pose

my little monkey demonstrating his climbing skills

After the Finch park we decided to drive around to check out the houses near the Finch. I knew the area, but had never driven around before. We stumbled upon a new park! Whittier park

I told C to make his funniest face ever and this is what I got...

Chevelle concert

2011-08-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Tina asked if I wanted to go to the Chevelle concert with her on Wednesday... since I had no plans I said of course! I love spontaneous! I had never even heard of the band Chevelle until Sunday. As it turns out I really like them.
The concert was at the Knitting Factory. We barely got there early enough to grab a seat in the bar.

The opening band was Oceans Divide. The two guitarists looked like the guys from Nelson. Tina and I were curious if they were twins or brothers. I love my iphone and looked them up to find out. Turns out they are twins. But what really caught my eye was the drummers name, Silas McQuain. I went to high school with a guy one grade below me with the same name. I pondered if it was possible that he's the same Silas and almost as if the band read my mind they announced they are a local band originating from Spokane.

Here's Silas on drums. As soon as I got home I grabbed my year book and sure enough it's the same Silas! Just to be sure I did some searching on the Internet too and he posts his home town as Chewelah.

1992 year book picture. Silas is the first one in the second row

The second band was Seven Cycles. I wasn't very impressed with their ~~screaming~~ music

And finally it was Chevelle! All 3 band members are brothers.

What a great concert! Thanks Tina! I had fun and got introduced to some great new music.

Trantum BBQ

2011-08-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

After breakfast C and J went outside to play. I came outside shortly after and found that they had decided to take their shirts off and jump in the pool in their shorts. I wasn't outside more than a couple minutes and a water fight broke out! C and I on the lawn with our super soakers against J in the pool with his super soaker. After we were all thoroughly drenched I got the garden hose out.. which C quickly took over. Here I am with my super soaker against C with the garden hose.

J taking cover behind the pool solar panel as C attempts to drench him with the hose.

the Trantum's invited us over for a BBQ that evening. J and Jakob playing basketball

they have a clown bike that was so much fun! We all took turns riding it. The boys used a stop watch to see who could ride it the longest without putting their foot down. Lauren taking a spin on the clown bike.

C gave the bike a quick try, but I didn't get any pictures. He was having more fun playing with their snorkeling mask... he's really into scuba diving stuff right now. He's never tried it of course and doesn't like to stick his face under water, but he loves the scuba mask. He has a few books that have scuba divers that he's fascinated with. He puts the mask on and says he's looking for treasure.

Jakob on the clown bike, who had the best score until I tried it.

Here I am riding the bike. Their dog, Olive actually tipped me over the first time, but the second time I zipped around their patio with no trouble and managed to ride the clown bike the longest! The advantage of having short legs! J took the pictures of me riding, which is why the second picture is blurry. Guess I need a new camera that is hubby proof. =)

Jason riding the clown bike

Tina riding the bike

Zach on stilts. Geez, the Trantum's have their own circus show!

Zach on the clown bike, C on stilts (assisted by J) and Jakob being an acrobat climbing the basketball pole.

Amazing food, delicious wine, charming company and hilarious circus entertainment! Thanks Trantum's!!

Dirty Dash

2011-08-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Spokane's first ever Dirty Dash!

A 10K (6.21 mile) mud run at Riverside State park. The course included obstacles, a huge slide, a mud pit and of course lots of mud. Nicole and Lauren ready to run.

Jason brought his Fire Ball (Cinnamon whiskey) which was a huge hit. Everyone seems to love Fire Ball. And the left over Toy Story cup from C's birthday that Jason served the shot in. Lauren taking her shot, or two before the race.

Nicole's shot

Jason having a shot with Bill, a friend from work

Jason's friend Max taking a shot... and not loving the whiskey.

Max and Jason ready to get muddy

family shot before the race

And their off! They started the race at 11am. It took them 1 hour 45 minutes to complete. Mainly because there were huge lines for the slide and a few of the obstacles. Plus they had a keg pit stop half way through the race too.

C and I hung out waiting for Lauren and Jason to get done. My brother ran the race with Madison and Alivia too, but we couldn't find them in the maze of people.

Here comes Lauren and Nicole! They started the race 40 minutes before Jason and Max and finished 10 minutes ahead of them. Right before the finish line is a huge mud pit and the only way to cross is to wade through.

A lot of the racers were doing belly flops off the banks into the muddy water... just for good measure in case they didn't get muddy enough during the race. I told the girls to go do a belly flop since they were hardly even dirty.

Directly below the F in Finish you can see Lauren sitting in the mud pit trying to pull Nicole down.

Much better! Nicole and Lauren... dirty this time

C didn't want to get anywhere near the mud.

Max and Jason at the finish

I told them to do a belly flop too. I guess I should have been more specific and said "in the water" because Max instantly did a belly flop... on flat land. Jason of course just started laughing and kept walking.

Jason still walking.. Max to the left rubbing his head

my muddy hubby

Lauren, Jason and Nicole

Lauren, Jason and C. C was not thrilled to be standing that close to the mud monsters. LOL

family shot after the race

fun shots of Jason and Lauren goofing off

Then the gang hit the showers

after the race you can donate your used shoes. They clean them up and give them to homeless. We saw a ton of people walking bare foot down the rocky hill side to the parking lot.

clean boys. They kept their shoes, but they did toss their shirts in the trash.

Spokane Indian's

2011-08-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out with the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack
I don't care if I never get back
Let me root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win it's a shame
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out
At the old ball game

Spokane Indians vs Boise Hawks

Indians won 3-2

We always have to visit the kids section during the game... C drew a few chalk pictures

jumped in the bounce castle

and took a turn batting. This bat was Heavy! He did great considering the bat weighed half as much as he did.

C and I enjoyed our hot dog dinner at the baseball field. J refuses to eat a hot dog and since they were out of the polish dogs... he got popcorn for dinner. We all enjoyed ice cream sandwiches for desert though.

The Indians added a new mascot... Doris the Spokaneasaurus

Our original mascot, Otto the Spokaneasaurus

and C's favorite, Recycle Man. He roams through the crowd collecting recyclable items. We found out during a mascot skit that Recycle Man is quiet the gymnast! He did multiple back flips, cart wheels and landed in the splits... all while wearing a padded costume!
C was excited to hand Recycle Man J's plastic beer cup... until he got close and then C decided to toss the cup and grab dad for security.

family shot (C and I both wore our Mariner shirts)

Earlier in the day C and I visited the Cheney park across from Eastern Washington University.

Chuck E Cheese

2011-08-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

We met J for a lunch date at Chuck E Cheese. I'm sure it was a nice break in his work day and he didn't miss his typical lunch date with the guys playing racquetball at the gym. J's just a big kid... I think he enjoys playing the games more than C does.

Chuck E Cheese fun photo's. I couldn't get C to just smile, instead he kept saying "cheese".

C is looking at the wrong camera and saying "cheeeeeeeeese".

Nana and Papa's

2011-08-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

C and I took a drive to visit Nana and Papa. Then Nana, C and I went to Matt and Peyton's house for a play date. C and Peyton greeted each other with a big hug.

What better place than the Chewelah park for a play date!

Nana, Peyton, C and Matt

My little guy who used to hate having his hands dirty... yeah, he doesn't mind the dirt so much anymore.

after the play date it was back to Nana and Papa's for dinner and some snuggle time with Papa

cuddles with Spaz

and some love from Nana

camping (part 2)

2011-08-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday we woke up early.. being that the door to our tent was facing east, so the bright sun woke us up. We took the opportunity to adventure out early and explore some new lakes. We discovered a new bike trail by Amber lake. This 23-mile scenic corridor passes through the heart of the wildlife-rich Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. The trail spans the distance from Portland, Oregon, as established by the Spokane–Portland–Seattle Railroad in the early 1900s. Since this was an old railroad the trail is gravel and bumpier than we like for C's trailer. So, we didn't venture very far on the trail before we turned around.

Then we biked to Klink's resort on William's lake.

C played in the sand and water

All day C kept telling us that he was going to sleep in the small tent with Chloe that night. We didn't think he would really do it, but after our bonfire that night he asked us again if he could sleep with Chloe in the small tent. So he did. C and Nala snuggled in the sleeping bag and Chloe slept on top of the sleeping bag close to the door. We left both tent doors open so we could check on him during the night, but he did great! At 3am Chloe woke up and left the tent, which woke C up. Without his big guard dog by his side, C was too scared to sleep in the small tent and climbed into the big tent with J and I. Shortly after he joined us in the big tent I got kicked out of bed by a wiggly 3 year old. So, Nala and I retreated to the house for the rest of the night. C and J fought over mattress space and covers... and Chloe took over the small tent again.

camping (part 1)

2011-08-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

My garden is finally starting to look as good as my dad's. Not nearly as big and several weeks behind his, but we can finally enjoy some fresh veggies!

Friday evening we decided to take C camping for the first time! This was our "tester" weekend, so we set up 2 tents in the backyard, made a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. J and I enjoyed a s'more, C still prefers his marshmallow raw with graham cracker on the side and no chocolate.

roasting marshmallows for dad's s'more. C loves to roast the marshmallows, just not eating them.

my attempt at a group shot

All 3 of us slept in the big tent on the air mattress. C loved it! Although J and I didn't get much sleep with a wiggly little 3 year old tossing and turning between us all night.

Chloe claimed the smaller tent. Nala checked it out, but opted to sleep in the house with Lauren.

Reunion BBQ

2011-08-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday we woke up to find C with a black eye. When J and I were at his reunion dinner, Sue and Jon were baby sitting C. Jon, Andrew and C were wrestling around in the basement and C hit his eye on the bottom step. This is his 2nd black eye, but I'm sure it won't be his last.

After breakfast we drove to Kalama for J's reunion BBQ at the park. I spent most of the time playing with C on the park equipment, so J could visit one last time with his high school buddies. We were one of the first to arrive so J joined us on the playground for these pictures.

Lee, Debra and Faith

BBQ with lake behind the park

games

I only took a few pictures when we arrived and then handed the camera over to J... thinking he knows everyone and could get pictures of friends. This is the only picture he got... and he had someone else take it.

Joe, Ryan, Van, Noah, J and Jeremy

That evening J's parents came over for dinner to visit with C one last time. C really bonded with his Grandpa this week. When we got home I asked him what his favorite part of the vacation was and his answer was Grandpa!

C had corn on the cob (I think) for the first time.. I can't remember him trying it before anyway and he loved it.

That night Sue, Jon, J and I played domino's for hours... I won.

We left to drive home early Monday morning. It took us 7 hours to get home. This picture was taken on the way... snow in August?

We had a great 11 day vacation and stayed very busy the entire time. As much fun as we had, it sure feels good to be home again!

Squirrel Fest

2011-08-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Longview had their first ever Squirrel Fest. The Longview park has had the Nutty Narrows, a squirrel bridge crossing a main road from the park every since I've known J. And yes, the squirrels do use the bridge! Today the city held a festival in honor of the squirrels and dedicated 2 new bridges for the squirrels. A big wood carved squirrel and squirrel made from balloons greeted Sue, C and I. J spent the day golfing with his classmates.

C and Aunt Sue listening to the squirrel bridge dedication

A giant squirrel giving his approval of the new bridge

The Criterion bike race was also taking place at the park

2 men were doing some wood carving with chainsaws. I thought this wood carved boot was pretty interesting.

After Squirrel fest we checked out their yearly Terry Taylor yard sale. That is a festival on it's own. We didn't get there until after 2pm, but the streets were still packed with cars and shoppers. We only walked a few blocks and decided to leave the mob of people and grab some lunch instead. One guy was handing out Million dollar bills to all the kids. Wow, C's a millionaire at 3!

After lunch we burned some energy at another new park

Then we picked up Kayla and Andrew, Sue's boyfriend Jon's kids and headed back to Sue's house. C loved cuddling and playing with Kayla's phone.

That evening J and I went to his class reunion dinner. Sue and Jon watched C that night for us.

The desert cake was J's High School

A group photo of all the graduates that came. J graduated with 200 students, but obviously not all of them came to the reunion. We had fun. I got a chance to meet some of his old friends and J got to reconnect with schoolmates. One of the classmates created a video with each of the students graduation pictures (then) and current pictures (now) with their spouse and kids. Dinner was followed with a live band and dancing (J didn't drink enough to dance this time).

Bowling

2011-08-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Thursday we met J's friend, Jake for lunch.

and played at the park

That evening was the start of J's 20 year class reunion. We met at his friend, Lee's house. Lee's wife Debra and daughter, Faith (who happens to be C's favorite age... 7), C and I dropped the guys off at the bar for some socializing with their classmates while we went bowling.

Before we left Lee's house though Faith had to show C her pet hamster

This was C's first time bowling! He did great... in fact he beat my score and even got a strike!

C and Faith

C tried to roll the ball down the lane once, but it didn't have enough force to get the ball to the end of the lane. After that we used this great bowling rack. You line the rack up, put the ball on the top rest and then it only takes a nudge to get the ball rolling. The bowling ball picks up a lot of speed going down the ramp.

Faith is a really good bowler. Being that she's older and stronger, she didn't need to use the rack. She did so good that she even bowled a few times without the side bumpers!

Debra and I bowled too, but I don't have any pictures of that. C had fun bowling and hanging out with Faith.

The bowling alley has a small arcade section, so after bowling we played some games.

Sue, her boyfriend Jon and C. Jon was showing C a basketball game on his phone. C watched Jon play the game and then asked "Can C have a turn now?"

Seaside

2011-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Thursday we drove to Seaside, Oregon. First stop, Funland!

bumper cars

peddle boat

mini train ride

carousel

go carts

We had a fun day playing. 7 seems to be the magic number... both girlfriends, Paige and Ivy were 7 years old. We also tried to go horseback riding and play miniature golf, but the minimum age was 7 for those.

Newport aquarium

2011-08-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning we went to the Newport Aquarium after breakfast. But not before his new girlfriend, Ivy found him. We met Ivy, who is from Seattle and on vacation with her grandparents at the hotel pool last night. C introduced himself to Ivy by saying "Hi, I'm Buzz Lightyear." Ivy is the 3rd girlfriend C has had on this trip. Geez what a lady's man! He first fell for a young mom at the splash pad, then he fell for Paige (our friends 7 year old) and now his newest love is Ivy, another 7 year old. Ivy was also headed for the aquarium.

C and I in a walk through tunnel inside the fish tank

Sea horses

Japanese Spider crab, the worlds largest crab with a leg span of 13 feet. They live for 100 years.

jelly fish

1 of the 3 huge tunnels

It was shark week at the aquarium.

Ivy and C playing on the playground.

this was a fun shopping center outside the aquarium

Nessie sea monster

more fun on the beach

After a sea food dinner (and hot dog for C) on the beach it was back to the hotel for desert... chocolate pudding cups.

Followed by more swimming. C kept an eye out for Ivy, but they left Newport after the aquarium.

We ended the day with popcorn and a cartoon in bed

Newport beach

2011-08-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we hit the road for the Newport, Oregon beach.

the boys building a sandcastle on the beach

C burying my legs in the sand. J is in the background washing the sand off his legs with the freezing cold ocean water.

J found a crab on the beach

After the beach we checked out the dock

a fishing boat that was unloading at the dock kept throwing fish to this sea lion to keep him around so we could check him out. C named him Bob.

We enjoyed a sea food dinner at Moe's, with a view of the docks. Well, J and I enjoyed sea food anyway. Our non-sea food loving son enjoyed mac-n-cheese instead.

Then it was back to the hotel to enjoy an ice cream desert and go swimming