Old Man Fred

Best Idea Jordan's Had in A Long Time

Cedrik plays with his train track nearly every day.  The only days he doesn't "get" to play with it are the days it is taken away because he threw something or was over upset with Freddie for being up the track. Freddie thinks he is helping, most of the time. Other times he wants to do something else and that is his signal. Jordan decided to build Cedrik a train track and screwed out down so it can't be torn apart by Freddie AND we aren't spending half the day string it up over and over. It turned out great and is in his room.  Right now, Jordan is working on the next project, planter boxes. (Just in case you're wondering, he comes up with these projects on his own. I don't have a "honey-do" list, something I'm quite proud of.)

Anacortes

We arrived at dinner time and Missy had a great dinner for us. You will notice there aren't any pictures of her, she doesn't like them and I forgot to get one with her and the boys. The boys went to bed relatively easy. Cedrik didn't ever figure out the time change so I was up early every morning. We went to the beach and threw a lot of rocks. Then a seal came in with a boat and we walked to the dock just in time to see it. It was only two feet away and the man in the boat said everyone feeds the seal and he comes in close every day. They call him "Old Blood Eye." One of his eyes was obviously missing and the skin that formed in its places was bulging and pink. We all felt bad for him but he seemed very content to stare at us. We drove around the little park, and went to see the boats at the marina, and that afternoon took the boys to the park. We had another great dinner and the boys passed out.

Monday we hung around the house for the morning, went for a walk again to the marina, and had lunch in town at a very cute deli. We walked to a candy store (my request) and bought some chocolate and taffy (on top of the piece of cake we bought to take home from the deli-oh, and the Fidalgo cookie). That afternoon the boys played outside for a little bit and we went to the tulip farm/garden at RoozenGaarde. They produce the most tulips in the world and it was gorgeous. Cedrik pushed Freddie in the stroller the whole time and managed to not run into/over any flowers.

Burritos for dinner and bed at last. The drive home was long. VERY long but the boys again did great.

Today, we are all tired and it shows but it was a fun trip!

Salem-Oregon

My dad had to take a surveying test in Oregon to get his license there. Then he and Donna decided to go visit my grandparents in Washington. They asked if the boys and I wanted to go with them; all we needed to cover was our food. We accepted the generous invitation, I was worried they didn't understand what traveling was going to mean with two boys but it all turned out great. On Friday we drove to Salem. We made pretty good time, the boys didn't fuss at all. Once at the hotel we took the boys swimming. Cedrik LOVES the water. Freddie likes the water. Cedrik had a round float tube that he hung on to. Grandpa taught him how to kick his feet and that was it! He went from one end to the other, over and over and over. He wasn't too excited about floating on his back, but he tried.

The next day my dad took his 4 hour test (which took the whole four hours) and Donna and I were with the boys. I took Cedrik swimming again after breakfast and he did even better than the day before. I couldn't get fully in the Jacuzzi (being pregnant) but I sat on the top step and it felt fantastic.

We got ready and headed out to A.C. Gilbert Children's Museum. He invented the erector set and they have a cool museum that is made in four old Victorian houses that back up to each other, dedicated to him. The "back yard" is huge and has a probably three story metal and plexi glass climbing thing. It has a huge deck with stairs and slides, many xylophones, and a huge dirt pit with a dinosaur skeleton for the kids to play in and around. Inside the houses were a grocery store, small submarine room (with tons of buttons-Freddie's favorite room, Cedrik's second favorite), a safari room, a Chinese (?) room-complete with a panda bear, plastic serving plates, cups and slate rocks to paint with water on. There was a toddler house, which seemed Montessori-esqe with shelves of puzzles and different toys for toddlers. This house also had a cow you could milk (water) and you had to milk it the correct way-good thing I remembered how because of the one time I milked a goat. It also had an ocean area that had creatures nailed down so the kids could feel different textures. Other rooms: vet room, shadow room (you stand against glow in the dark plexiglass, press a button that flashes a light and it keeps your shadow on the wall for a few seconds), a movement room (again, don't know the name but it was a dark room with a projector and red light coming from the floor and a white plastic wall behind you. Your image was projected in colors on the wall and in a kaleidoscope fashion. There were hula hoops to use as props), and a reading room.

Cedrik's favorite house was the train house. They had mechanical trains that had buttons you needed to push to keep them going. He sat here for about 30 or 40 minutes. The adjacent room was for dinosaurs and you could uncover skeletons in this sand/tiny foam balls (I have no idea what it was made of) and a dinosaur slide as well as other things that were for older kids, so I didn't take notice.
Once we got there, the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees so we only played outside for 10 minutes-it was still fun.

After, we drove, picked up dad and drove to Washington. I had forgotten how huge Portland is and it made me glad I don't live there anymore. It rained off and on, Cedrik peed in his car seat, but we made it. Long, eventful day.

Sad Day

My phone lost all the pictures I have taken in the last year and a half. The boys life has been documented on my phone. So, not only does Freddie have way less pictures than Cedrik because he is baby number two- his everyday life is also gone. First steps? Gone. Food pictures? Gone. This is about the last picture I have on my phone now of him. :(

Scary Scarecrow

I need to do better with following random promptings...like cutting holes in a paper bag. Cedrik loved being a "scary scarecrow" which he came up with all on his own. Then he chased Freddie and me around and when he touched me I would drop to the ground, yelling "Oh no! Scary scarecrow!" One time I "fought back" and yelled "rrrraaaawwwrrr" and he got too scared. So maybe it should have been "scaredy scarecrow." ;)