The Soren Gazette

Three on Thursday, Week 4: Random photos

2012-01-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

I promise, we actually do feed this child:

Macho man:

I like to think that the real astronauts hold hands on the controls too.

And, just because I'm feeling generous again this week, a fourth image. My new hairstyle (actually this is when I was playing with electricity in the physics room at OMSI.)

Three on Thursday, Week 3: Meet Dave.

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Grandpa's are the best. Soren has been begging...pleading...for a pet. Our previous Beta stories (here, for example) didn't end particularly well. And since then, Soren has asked for a new pet. He's tried finding them in the yard (snakes and baby birds) but those eventually need to be freed. And he ends up, once again, petless.

This year, Grandpa U., in his extraordinarily generous and just the tiniest bit conniving way, came up with a plan to rescue our boy from his petless existence. Money! For Christmas, Soren got a check. To buy a dog. Oy.

It certainly brought about some interesting conversations in our house - Peter and I privately (and with every other adult that we know!) discussed this one before telling Soren of the bounty. But the end result is that we just aren't ready for that kind of pet commitment. There are so many awesome things about dogs, but well, there are also many not awesome things.

But, Grandpa did spark the idea that maybe we could graduate from fish. So, meet Dave (can you guess what Soren's Grandpa's first name is?)

She's a teddy bear hamster.And as cute as can be.

Soren adores her.

And I have to admit, I think she's pretty darn cute myself. So much so, that even though it is Three on Thursday, I'll add a fourth image.

Welcome to the family, Dave. And thanks, Grandpa!

Three on Thursday, Week 2: Vikings, Spas and a Good Night's Rest

2012-01-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

The library's discovery room, where they feature hands-on learning experiences for kids, is currently titled "Nordic Experience." Thanks to his Nordic ancesters (including Magnus the Blind) Soren had no difficulty jumping right in.

We had our own little "spa night" last weekend. Santa brought me some facial masks in my stocking this year, and Soren has been asking about them since then. One of them was the simple peel-off mask, so I thought it would be perfect for him. It was.

Peter and I have a cozy new electric blanket, so Soren and I have been doing our bedtime reading there which often results in someone getting to fall asleep there too. This picture makes me smile not only because of the sweetness of a sleeping child, but also because it shows the continual state of my nightstand - especially now that it is piled with my and his books.

Fun With Light Sabers

2012-01-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

(As I'd hoped, getting re-started with blogging has inspired me to try to catch up with what I missed last Fall. So, I'll post these stories as if they are current and then every week or so, re-order them to their proper chronological position - my OCD tendencies can't handle having them with the wrong dates for too long!)

My kid loves light sabers. In fact, he loves everything Star Wars-related.

So when he insisted on busting his best Jedi moves in complete darkness, I couldn't help but try to capture the moment.

Most of the pictures came out a blurry mess, but his one is my favorite...kind of like a ghost is wielding a light saber!

Would You Like to Buy Some Popcorn?

2012-01-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Soren's scouting troop sold popcorn as a fundraiser.

Peter gave Soren all the secrets to successfully accosting people in front of Fred Meyer.

You just have to wait really patiently...

And give 'em a big smile!

Three on Thursday, Week 1: The Awesomeness of Cousins

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ah, dear blog, languishing away. Sigh. I think of blogging, intend to blog something...and then life gets in the way. I'm grateful for the history I've compiled here, and yet, somehow, the current news, the news that will someday add to this history is unaccounted for...

But, with a little help from my friends I'm hoping to remedy that for 2012. Today starts the "Three on Thursday" project. Others attempt 365-projects where they post a picture every day but I know that is too daunting. But three photos, once a week? Yes, I can manage that. Who knows, maybe it will even inspire me to post on any of the other 6 days each week.

So, here goes.

This week is about The Awesomeness of Cousins:

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was so much fun. Soren was over-the-top excited by his super scary Unknown Phantom costume and wore it nearly every day for the month before Halloween.

Since there really isn't any trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, we headed into town to one of the nice neighborhoods where we could park the car and walk around. It was a blast. And also a fun experiment in taking photos in tricky lighting.

The photos of the night turned into a study of beautiful doorways. There were so many pretty homes.

Soren inadvertanly discovered the secret of getting extra candy. The people would come to the door, give him candy, he'd say thanks. Then he'd just kind of stand there, I knew he just felt weird about taking the candy and running off. But since the people couldn't see his face, they didn't really know what was going on. Why isn't this kid leaving? There'd be a few awkward moments and then they'd just start dumping more candy into his bag! Genius.

And, much to Soren's delight, many people told him he looked really scary!

Movies, Part II

2011-10-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

To follow up our previous conversation, Soren started again.

Soren: Mom, Ice Age is not real.
Me: That's right. How do you know?
Soren: Because we don't actually know what color dinosaurs were, so those colors on the dinosaurs in Ice Age have to be made up.
Me: (Not sure if the clues that the mammoth talks to the saber-tooth tiger would have been a more obvious clue, but whatever...) And what about Puss in Boots, is that real?
Soren: Made up. (and just as I was starting to think he was learning about animated vs. "real' movies, he finished...) But it must have been really hard to find cats that could do those moves and walk!

Movie Reviews

2011-10-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Soren: Mom, can cats use swords?
Me: Um. Well, I suppose cats that have hands can use swords.
Soren: Well then how did Puss in Boots (the recent animated movie) use a sword?
Me: Do you think those cats are real?
Soren: Yes, they are real. I saw a behind the scenes show and they showed the cats learning to swordfight.

Later, while we were driving in the car.

Soren: Mom, can I see the movie Puss in Boots?
Me: Well, I don't know yet. First I want to hear from people who have seen it to know if it is ok for you to watch. I want to see if there is too much fighting or being rude.
Soren: Oh
Me: I also want to know if there are bad words.
Soren: There was one in Rio!
Me: (thinking...I saw Rio. I liked Rio. I don't remember any bad words...) What was it?
Soren: Nigel!

I almost burst out laughting. He thinks I check out movie reviews to find out if there are bad birds in movie, not bad words!

Disobey

2011-09-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today at breakfast...

Me: Soren, please finish your breakfast.
Soren: No. I'm going to disobey.
Me: Um, what?
Soren: Yesterday at school we were supposed to write something about "disobey" but I didn't have anything to write about. If I don't eat my breakfast, then I'll have something to write about.

Breakfast Time

2011-09-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

My boys made me breakfast today.

It makes me smile to hear Peter in there coaching Soren on the best way to do scrambled eggs.

Darth + Barbie

2011-09-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

This totally makes me smile. Yesterday, Soren's school assigment was to write something about toys.

(translation: Darth Vader fell in love with Barbie.)

Singalong Night at School

2011-09-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Soren's at a new school this year. There are a few kids from his Montessori school there, but it is mostly a new group of people to meet. They hosted a family singalong night last week so we could get to meet the other parents and Soren's classmates.

Glen, one of the teachers, and his son Nathan lead us all on some fun singalong songs...

But they first entertained us with a bit of a "talent" show that they pulled of with some of the unsuspecting parents.

Peter is always quick to say yes when someone asks him to help out. I think he might be a little slower at that in the future!

It was hilarious and a lot of fun.

Ironing, or lack thereof

2011-09-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were walking through Wal-Mart and came across a rack of ironing boards. Soren looked at them and asked, "Mom, are those surf boards?"

Yeah, because ironing boards and surfboards are actually equally likely to make an appearance in my house.

Blackberry Weekend

2011-09-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

For a few weeks I've been watching the blackberries ripening, not quite getting up the gumption to get out there and pick them. This weekend, we worked up the gumption.

Well, I did. My assistant came along mostly just to entertain me and tell me stories.

And of course steal my hard-earned bounty when my back was turned.

We made two batches of jam, a pie, and a modified a zucchini-blueberry bread recipe with blackberries instead.

Yum. Berry good.

Tootsie Pops

2011-09-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, while both enjoying a Tootsie Pop, I told Soren about a classic commercial from my childhood. Remember this one?

Yestersday, when I got home from my run he came dashing to meet me. "Mom, Mom, I saw that commerical...ah-one, ah-two, ah-three!" And who said nothing good comes from parking your kid on front of the TV. Now we have this nostalgic moment to share!

The Centipede

2011-09-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today Soren told me that he needs to choose a poem to take to school for a project. Of course, I used this opportunity to share with him one of my very favorite poems:

A centipede was happy quite,

Until a frog in fun

Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which?"

This raised her mind to such a pitch,

She lay distracted in the ditch

Considering how to run.

-- Mrs. Edmund Craster, 1871

Me: Do you understand what it is about?
Soren: Hm, I'm not sure...

So I launched into a detailed explanation and then asked again...

Me: So now do you understand what it is all about?
Soren: Mom, why didn't the toad just eat the centipede?

First Day of First Grade

2011-09-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today was Soren's first day of first grade. On the way to school he asked: "Mom, can I have a special song since it is the first day of 1st grade? Can you please find some AC/DC?"

Moms were snapping photos of their little ones all over the place. Of course in the chaos of getting us to school on time, I forgot my good camera. No problem, camera phone will do in a pinch.

Mostly it wouldn't have mattered which camera I would use because it seems he's going through a phase (please, please, please tell me this is just a phase) of being physically unable to make a normal face in a posed shot. For example:

Or this:

Or this one, lovely:

I did finally catch him when he was too distracted to do something corny. Happy first day of school!

Oregon State Fair

2011-09-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

We look forward to the Oregon State Fair every year. Soren especially. But I like it too. Once I get over the fact that I've spent a small fortune on horrendously overpriced rides, and we get back into all the other fair attractions I really enjoy it. Soren gets so excited that he finds things that he likes and makes me take a picture of him there.

It is actually pretty amazing what people can accomplish with a chain saw.

But without a doubt, for us this year the #1 attraction was the Walk on Water set up.

It was the reason we came not once, but twice, to the fair.

I even tried it once and found it every bit as hilarious from the inside as it is from the outside.

So hard to get your balance, and impossible to maintain it for long.

And your own laughter echoes back on you. Awesome.

I actually got the business card of the people who were running the attraction. They do parties. Now I'm trying to think of a way to convince Peter that this is one party we just must have.

Pets

2011-09-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

My poor kid wants a pet. He really, really wants a pet. His first choice would be a cat. Second choice, a Chihuahua (those are practically cats, aren't they?) Third choice: any living creature that he can keep in the house.

Last week Peter found a lost baby bird in the yard. After Peter and Soren did some intense searching for the nest, the bird came in the house...to the elaborate fantasies of all the adventures they'd have together. We did modify those fantasies to let him know that we would only be keeping the bird safe until he could fend for himself.

Getting the bird (named Little Tweet) to eat was a major undertaking. Harnessing all our Google skills we came up with a variety of options, items, and techniques for getting him to eat. Most weren't great. But we managed to cram, er, I mean gently feed enough to keep him alive overnight.

Peter found a local lady who does wildlife rehabilitation so they brought the bird (a Tohee, as it turns out) to her so she could feed him and care for him properly. They'll be giving Soren a "Hero" certificate, plus they let him pet a baby squirrel, so he was ok with surrendering his little pet.

Pet #2 was a snake. Oy. Much to my horror Soren and Peter found a baby garter snake in the yard and decided that it was reasonable to let him live with us for awhile. Soren was delighted to find just how far away I wanted to stay from that snake and made it his mission to try to get me to hold it (for the record, he failed.)

Cinnamini, so named because he came to the house right when they were making cinnamon rolls, stayed with us for 4 days. But eating was his problem too. Despite the worms and grubs they put in his cage or dangled in front of him he didn't eat while he was with us. So back outside he went.

Soren is still begging for a dog. I actually bought a book about raising dogs this week (my first step with everything: buy the book first.) But I must say that has only increased my reluctance to take on the enormous task of dog ownership. I think we'll continue down the rescued yard animal route for awhile yet.

Hood to Coast Relay

2011-08-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Heidi invited me to be on her Hood to Coast team this year. It took me about 1 second to say yes.

Our start time was 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning. A perfect time to start a run, wouldn't you say? This is us at Mt. Hood just before I left on leg one which was a 6 mile run down the mountain, from Timberline Lodge to Government Camp.

The race was 200.1 miles, broken into 36 legs. Each team has two vans with 6 runner each and the runners/vans alternate for the course. So there's a lot of running involved...

And a lot of time riding/waiting in the van while the other runners are on their leg.

As we leap-frogged our runner we'd often stop to wait on the side of the road so we could cheer for them as they came by. (I like being cheered for, by the way.)

And then it is back to the van to beat the runner to the next stop.

One of my favorite things about the race was cheering for other runners. At the hardest leg on the course (done by Heidi on my team), my team mates stretched toilet paper across the route at the top of a particularly brutal and long hill climb. It was great to watch people feel revived (at least a little) by a roll of toilet paper.

This is just before my second leg (leg 13 of the course). Don't you love the sunglasses + headlamp combo? It was about 8 pm, sunny when I started but full on dusk by the time I finished.

There were lots of Honeybuckets on the course.

So it did feel like luxury when Safeway kindly let us use their inside toilets!

This had to be about 1 a.m. We managed about an hour and a half of sleep (in a field!) around 3 a.m.

Driving into the night...

My third leg (leg 25 on the course) started about 5 a.m. and was absolutely glorious. I took it slowly and just enjoyed the views. Don't I look relieved to be finished?

Did I mention the Honeybuckets? Seems they were on everyone's mind first thing in the morning!

After our van finished we made our way to Seaside to meet up with family who was waiting there for us.

Our team took 30.5 hours to complete the course.

The Welcome sign in Seaside was great to see!

Montana, Around the Condo

2011-08-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Staying all together in a condo is such a great way to do a big family vacation. We can do things together during the day, or go our separate ways. But we can come back together for meals and relaxing at the condo. And while there were so many great things to do, I don't think the boys would have minded if we never left the condo:

And the adults, it was great to spend time together. All checking our Facebook status while sitting next to each other. ;-)

On the way out (because the Mini Cooper wasn't quite full enough) we stopped off at a Dollar Store and bought all sorts of cheap garbage to let the kids ~~break~~ enjoy. Here's Dad and Peter assembling the glow hats.

The do look pretty cool, don't they.

And they made the cereal experience all the better.

Some days Grandpa and Grandma would take their motorcycles into the park...and come back and show the boys pictures of where they'd been.

And of course, as with every visit with Grandpa, this one came with a haircut.

The Alpine Slide

2011-08-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last year in Breckenridge, we all did the alpine slide so we were happy to discover that our Montana condo was next to another alpine slide.

Soren uses absolutely no brakes if you let him drive. This picture was taken right before he crashed them both into the barrier at the end of the course. (No injuries.)

Soren will however stop occasionally if it means he gets to sit on Grandma's lap.

Here's Amanda and her littlest speed demon.

Ziplining Whitefish Mountain

2011-08-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Do you think it is possible to tell just how much fun you're going to have based solely on how much cool gear they make you wear?

The Plasman (et al) clan geared up for some serious fun!

There was actually quite a lot of instruction about proper form and safe landing techniques. Ah yes, the landing. I suppose if you are catapulting down a mountainside dangling from a cable, the stopping technique would be useful.

Here I am cool as a cucumber. This before I heard the maintenance guy come over the walkie talkie (no kidding) and say "We'd better replace cable two, that one isn't going to last much longer." Aack!

Our guide (who's walkie talkie had just broadcast to the entire group) backpedalled a lot saying that they were just very careful and replace the cables at the first sign of wear! Here's Amanda all ready to go:

And Dad ready to race down the mountain...

Does this harness make my butt look big?

Just waiting for the command to go!

And we're off! This was one of the earlier lines where we weren't extremely high, the later ones were much higher and much longer.

And this is me, in pencil form. I'm not usually such a sucker for overpriced professional photos at events like this, but this one made me laugh so hard I guess it was worth $18!

I have to say that I found ziplining way more fun than I expected. An opportunity not to be missed. And yes, I did scream, er laugh, the entire way down each and every cable.

More Glacier National Park

2011-08-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

We love Glacier National Park. It was too big, and too awesome to fit into just one post.

We did do some hiking, but would you believe that we got this shot of the mountain goats from the car? They were hanging out right next to the road.

One of the rare shots where he's not trying to pull a silly face!

It was hard to stop taking photos, even when we were just driving through.

Though for views like this we did get out of the car.

What a great family vacation.

The Junior Rangers

2011-08-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

The National Parks' Junior Ranger program is always a highlight for us when we visit a national park.

Having a team of three work on the program together made it all the more fun. So many fun things to learn:

Including the required book work...

...for which Riley may have gotten just the teensiest bit of help.

And then there is the practical knowledge like "Yes, if you jump off that ledge you will die."

Or "Yes, ground squirrels poop too."

We even attended a Ranger talk.

In the end, the boys brought their workbooks for the inspection of the Ranger.

And they took the solemn oath of a Junior Ranger.

Then of course it was back to pure silliness again:

Glacier National Park

2011-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

The main goal, other than family togetherness, of the trip to Montana was Glacier National Park. Another first this summer for my family.

Our condo was about 20 minutes outside the West Glacier entrance.

Traveling with a pack of small boys, stops in the park were frequent. And fantastic.
A picnic by the river...

...was a great place for small boys to throw rocks and sticks (they could have done this for hours!)

While we were at the river, would you believe these deer came over to check out the boys? We couldn't believe how close they came!

While we didn't do any long backpacking hikes, we did enjoy several small jaunts that were perfect for legs of all lengths!

My favorite area of the park was the Many Glacier area. Wow. Wow. Wow. It is jaw-droppingly beautiful wherever you turn:

Heading to Montana

2011-08-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Again this year my Dad rallied the troups for a famiy vacation. This time in Montana. So we loaded up the Mini Cooper, no small feat packing a family and our acoutrements for a week vacation, and we headed out. Sometimes I worry that we'll stunt Soren's development by never allowing him to experience that childhood rite of passage: the long car ride with NOTHING to do.

We spent the night in Spokane on the way out. Spokane always surprises me when it is charming and interesting. We stopped at one of Peter's old haunts, The White Elephant.

Funny, because he remembers it as a huge store with every imaginable diversion. But it turned out to be about 1/2 toy store, 1/2 sporting good store. I guess when you are relying on his memory from when he was 8 years old that might explain things.In the countless times we've driven through Spokane, I'd never stopped to see its most famous site: the giant Radio Flyer wagon. We fixed that oversight on this trip. It is indeed pretty cool.

Actually, the whole waterfront park downtown is worth a few hours.

I think this wins for me as one of the best public sculptures ever.

Camping at Beverly Beach

2011-07-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

4 ladies + 5 kids = a great camping trip!

Soren perfected his Rolla Roaster technique for the most perfectly browned marshmallows ever.

Which of course lead to perfectly delectable s'mores.

Camping with a group of moms means someone is likely going to remember fun diversions for the kids.

And even a kite to take advantage of the always-windy Oregon coast.

And in spite of the sand, I did let him back in the car.

On the way home we were both feeling a bit sleepy. So we pulled over in a nice city park...

...pulled out the camping gear and snuggled up for a nap!A perfect ending to a perfect camping trip.

Waffles of Insane Greatness

2011-07-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

We've been on a bit of a waffle kick this summer.

A friend of mine shared her terrific waffle recipe and I've modified it just a bit to make it perfect for our tastes.

Waffles of Insane Greatness
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk(you can always just add 2T lemon juice to a scant cup of milk and let it sit for ~5 minutes for curdled goodness)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter and syrup, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.Adding fresh berries from the garden only serves to increase the insane greatness.

Work of Art

2011-07-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

We took home a masterpiece from the Salem Art Fair this year.

Montessori Camping Trip

2011-07-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

You gotta love the Montessori set. Even camping they come up with creative ways to entertain children.

The Oregon Country Fair

2011-07-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

No pictures of the Oregon Country Fair this year. Only the aftermath:

Yeah, it really is that much fun.

Captions...

2011-06-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

There must be a perfect caption for this photo...

Unfortunately, I don't know what it is. Ideas?

British Columbia Trip, Part 2

2011-06-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

We camped on the way to Nakusp this year. Enjoyed yummy camp food of course.

Has it become clear yet on this blog that we are a s'more loving family?

On this trip we packed our food and ate in rest areas, parks, and scenic spots instead of restaurants. It was awesome.

Once we made it to Nakusp, Grandpa's Fun Park was a blast.

I can't believe I didn't get a shot of Grandpa's awesome Chihuahua, Buddy. Soren is in love with her.Three generations of Urban men:

Peter ran to town one day to continue his conditioning for his next attempt at Mt. Rainier. We picked him up. And bought him some peach juice.

And of course there was fishing.

To complete the trip we stopped off to see our friends in Washington on the way home.

North Cascades National Park

2011-06-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

On our way to British Columbia this year we decided to take a new route. See some new things.

Until a few days before we left, I'd never even heard of North Cascades National Park. Which was almost reason enough to go.

No stranger to National Parks, Soren headed right in to figure out how to get himself a Junior Ranger badge.

And then he searched...

...explored...

...and marked his way to another badge.

(I missed getting a shot of the swearing in ceremony, so cute!, because I was making lunch in the parking lot!)

It was a beautiful park.

Can you believe we'd never even heard of it?

We all gave it a thumbs up!

The extreme snowfall this winter meant the paths weren't open yet. All the more fun for explorers.

Explorers, like us.

The Graduate

2011-06-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Can you believe we have our very own graduate?

After 3 fabulous years at Montessori, Soren is ready to move on.

Looking ahead to that opportunity and challenge that is first grade.

Thinking of all he's learned and all he has ahead.

Saying goodbye to his beloved teacher.

So grateful for the gentle care he found there.

Honeyman State Park

2011-06-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

As a planner, I usually have our major summer weekends lined up in advance. Getting spots in some of the more popular parks can be tricky sometimes.

So when we noticed last minute that the weekend forecast was warm and sunny and they had spots available at Honeyman State Park we jumped on a great camping weekend! After a small diversion to be sure we had at least one muddy family member at all times...

...and a quick glamour shot...

...we set up camp and headed out to explore Honeyman's fabulous dunes.

And the small inland lake below.

I'm amazed to report that none of the lightening fast sprints down the dunes ended in anyone with a mouthful of sand. That is mostly what I remember about running down dunes as a child, someone always gets a mouthful of sand!

But for us it was just smiles all around.

And a short bike ride back to the campsite.

The Lemonade Stand

2011-05-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

Soren, running into the house: Mom, can I have some cups? The girls and I are making a lemonade stand.

Me: Sure, here you go.

A few minutes later, Soren again running into the house: Mom, can I have some lemonade?

The Chess Set

2011-05-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

When we travel, we rarely buy "things." We're not collectors, or shoppers, or souvenir hunters. It used to be because we spent all our money on the trip itself or because we didn't really have a place to fit or a way to carry a pile of purchases.

But every once in awhile we come across that one perfect thing. That item that was unique in such a way that we'd contemplate maybe, just possibly, we could figure out a way to get it home.

This chess set was one of those things. Way too big to consider carrying with us. Way too fragile.
Way too expensive.

And in the end way too worth it.

It wasn't without its difficulties, which included me literally getting caught in a Ecuadorian turnstyle (on a bus!) because my package was too huge to board properly.

When I bought it I had no idea that the joy it would bring me would not be only from the beauty of the pieces but also from watching these two play.

The Awesome 3000

2011-05-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

The Awesome 3000 is a race put on by our local school district every year. It is huge, and indeed Awesome. Purple shirted kids everywhere!

For Soren's age the distance was 1500 meters.

And while that is a nice distance for a 6 year old, I did convince him that he probably wouldn't require a Powerbar while on the course.

He had a small wardrobe malfunction in the muddy area when he lost a shoe. But a kind adult sorted him out and sent him on his muddy-socked way.

It was a fabulous day.

Soren's 6th Birthday Party

2011-05-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

For Soren's sixth birthday I succeeded in creating the world's ugliest birthday cake.

Fortunately, the recipient thought it was the world's BEST birthday cake. I guess knowing your audience does count for something!We had the party at the Kroc rec center. Complete with a little Simon Says...

Star Wars presents...

Friends to help open presents...

Darth Vader pinata...

Which apparently required some serious strength!

The requisite song and candle-blowing...

And a climbing wall!

...a really high climbing wall...

A climbing wall so awesome...

..that even spider-dad couldn't resist!

I Missing Getting to Lick the Beaters

2011-04-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Soren is six!

2011-04-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

Soren was pretty excited about his birthday this year. So much so that we created a birthday countdown calendar.

The Montessori birthday party was everything he hoped it would be.

My 6 year old boy:

The Best Part...

2011-04-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

The best part of every Easter Bunny is always the ears...

The Annual Montessori Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Spring Walk

2011-04-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

While I was out running last weekend near our house, I came across a couple of photographers who told me that there were newborn owls down the train tracks.

On one of our loveliest spring evenings of the year so far, I convinced the fam to head out to try to find them.

We brought dinner.

And may or may not have been begged by this mama to pose for a picture or two.

But they are pros at that by now anyway now, no?

We found all sorts of fabulous big, metal, dirty stuff that kept the boys well occupied on the trek to find the owls.

And that always includes rocks, of course.

We got near to the owl nest but then the mom was flying around in such noisy distress at our presence that we turned back. We never did see the babies. But we had a lovely evening walk nonetheless.

Grandpa's Visit

2011-04-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

The Family-friendly Side of Las Vegas

2011-04-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

The final destination for our road trip was Las Vegas since I had a work event there. It was great that we arranged to meet our good friends there for a few days of fun. Circus Circus has lots of fun stuff for kids, of course.

And you can pretend you actually took your spring break vacation in Paris.

Always my favorite site in Las Vegas, the ceiling in the reception area at the Bellagio.

Tired after a long day...

The kids give Las Vegas a big thumbs up!

Death Valley National Park

2011-04-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

A rare site: a Joshua tree covered in snow. It was snowy as we descended into Death Valley, but was dry and warmer by the time we got to the bottom.

We always love Ranger talks.

Way, way, way below sea level.

Spring Break Road Trip 2011: Manzanar, Japanese Internment Camp

2011-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Again, another place I'd never heard of. This one we learned about by stopping at one of those random information shops along the highway.

Soren was pretty excited because they offered Junior Ranger badges if you did the assignments. He took it very seriously.

He had to answer questions about what 10 things he'd bring if he was told his family had to pack up and leave (his list included sunscreen & hat, that's my boy!)

He had to draw a picture of something interesting he saw in the museum. He drew a steamer trunk.

It was a fascinating and very well done museum. It is so interesting to talk to Soren about these types of things at this age. He was quick to see that this wasn't a nice thing to do to people. I asked them what he would do if our country was fighting a country and yet had people here from that place. His solution was that he'd ask them about the war and if they seemed sad about it then he'd let them go because they were the good guys.

In the end he earned his Junior Ranger badge.

I'm not sure which of us was prouder.

Spring Break Road Trip 2011: The Most Beautiful Place You've Never Heard Of

2011-04-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

But the time did come to leave Grandma and Auntie Christine and head out on the highway ourselves. With our good luck fairies of course. We had places to go!

I'm a guidebook junkie. Love 'em. The minute I start considering a new destination I head to the library to grab some guidebooks on the area.

But sometimes guidebooks fail you. Mono Lake, California, for example. The guidebooks say that it is "worth a quick stop to see the strange formations if you are in the area." Whoa. Understatement there!

While it doesn't take long to explore, the site itself is well worth a detour to check out these otherworldly shapes.

Even the walk down to the lake was breath-taking.

Big Sky country indeed!

We poked around awhile and mostly had the place to ourselves. Just one photographer there.

It was very cold and windy.

But spectacular every direction you looked.

When I write my own guidebook, I'm going to tell people not to miss Mono Lake.

Spring Break Road Trip 2011: Lake Tahoe

2011-04-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

After we left Reno, we rounded up the troops (us, plus my mom and sister) and headed over to Lake Tahoe.

We stopped off for a lovely lunch overlooking the Lake where Peter and Soren worked on their spitwad technique. Oy.

It was cold and windy and a huge storm was rolling in. So we didn't dally outside but headed right for the pool and hot tub!

Embassy Suites host a daily Manager's Reception (read: free booze) and while my family isn't much of a drinking family, we are pretty excited by the word "free"!

Especially free popcorn!

But mostly we had a really fun time just lollygagging.

Spring Break Road Trip 2011

2011-04-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

Well, I claim it as a road trip...though I was only on the middle "road" part. Peter and Soren were the true road warriors on this one. Complicated work/travel schedule made for a complicated itinerary.

We sat down at the table one evening and said "how can we get Soren to some of the biggest shrines of debauchery this spring break?" Because afterall, you just can't accomplish anything if you don't set goals, right? Actually, I needed to do a work thing in Vegas...and it all flowed from that...

It all started in Reno (I flew there, they drove.)

My sister moved there and my mom was visiting...and they both offered to babysit! How's that starting a family vacation by dumping the kid off with my family?! I was so looking forward to a day or two spent with Peter. We had big plans for two days of skiing at two of the big Lake Tahoe resorts. Then raquetball happened. And poor Peter's skiing season came to a screeching halt. Poor guy. A week or so of ice and rest healed him up. But not well enough to ski.

But good enough to hike!

So hike we did!

It was awesome to be in the sunshine and beautiful views.

Of course we didn't ditch Soren for the entire time. We spent plenty of time in the hot tub. And in the casinos!

Well, only enough time in the casinos to get to the buffets!

OMSI $2 Days

2011-04-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Did you know that every first Sunday of the month is a $2 day at OMSI? We sure didn't.

We were members of the Salem Children's museum for years which gave us access to OMSI too. But we finally let that membership lapse.

I made Soren a deal that if we got all our chores done on Saturday (there were a lot of them!) that we could go to OMSI on Sunday.

We did all our chores...and then I found out about $2 day. I have to admit that I was wondering if I made a mistake. OMSI can be pretty crowded on the regular days and I was sure it would be packed on $2 day. But we had a deal, so we just went super early to be among the first in line.

The main reason I'd wanted to go was to check out the Egypt exhibit. Soren has been studying Egypt in school and really was into it. They only let you take pictures in the Egypt exhibit at the camel. So I forced him to sit there and strugged to get a decent shot. He he he. Because if I don't have a picture of it, it never happened!

We love OMSI.

One of These Days...

2011-03-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

One of these days I'm going to buy some plain Bandaids again.

These Pictures Make Me Smile

2011-03-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Oh how blessed we are to have each other.

Sick Little Buddy

2011-02-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

Poor Soren is sick. He woke up saying his legs hurt. At first we thought it was from the skiing, but then I realized he had a fever. Poor guy. He laid on the couch and missed two days of school. I asked him if there was anything I could do to make him feel better. His response? "Mom, I really wish someone would make me a card." Aw, how could anyone say no to that?

SAHD vs SAHM

2011-02-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

There are subtle differences in a house run by a stay-at-home dad versus one run by a stay-at-home mom.

Case in point, SAHD thinks the dishwasher is the perfect place to rinse off dirty shoes.

I must admit that they came out looking pretty great!

Skiing at Hoo Doo

2011-02-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

We had a blast skiing at Hoo Doo last weekend. The area finally received some much needed snow and we were all excited to get out in it. We signed Soren up for full day lessons, which he loved. And Peter and I skiied together while he took his lessons. Peter has new AT (all terrain) skiis which are really fancy and can do all sorts of stuff (that I just don't understand.) But this weekend he worked on his telemarking sills. It was awesome because it meant that Peter doing his first day of telemarking and me just doing my regular skiing were the same level! This can't last long, but it is fun while it lasts! When I went to see Soren half way through the lesson he was bursting with pride shouting "I skiied by myself, mama!" Adorable. At the end of the day Peter and I went to ski a few runs with him on the small hill. The small hill has a double chair lift, so Soren and rode together while Peter rode with the next mom in line. On the way up we could hear Peter and the lady chatting. Soren turned and looked at them, and then looked at me very tenderly and announced: "Mom, I think Dad just fell in love with someone else."

The Philippines: The End of the Trip

2011-02-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

After the boat trip it was more diving, more relaxing, more beach frolicking, and more mango shakes in town. One one of our last trips to town, Soren asked me to take this photo so he could remember that this small bangka was his favorite.

Jeepneys are ubiquitous whereever you go in the Philippines.

Since most of our transportation was by boat or airplane, we never got the chance to ride in one.

But that didn't stop us from marvelling at the elaborate paint jobs!

We liked wandering around town looking for ways for Soren to spend his peso coins...

And even in town, we never seemed to be far from someone's prize winning rooster.

The trip did finally come to an end though. This is the Coron airport. Not just our gate, but the entire Coron airport.

And here is our plane arriving for the first of many legs in our long journey home.

Good bye beautiful Philippine islands! We'll miss you!

We stopped in South Korea again on the return journey. We actually spent an entire day running around Seoul. But would you believe the only photos I took were of the lunch?

It was an incredible lunch though (notice that from the first picture to the second all the quail eggs have disappeared - that is all Soren's doing!)

Here's Soren in the San Francisco airport as we wait for our final flight home. Thank heaven for video games!

And there ya have it! Our trip to the Philippines. What a great, great vacation.

The Philippines: Just Hanging Out

2011-02-18T17:43:00.000-08:00

In addition to the beautiful sites, we loved this boat trip because we could just hang out and relax. Relax watching a beautiful sunset.

Relax and play tossing sticks and logs into a fire...

Sit in the warm water and look for shells...

And enjoy yummy fresh fruits...

...knowing that no matter how messy things got, we'd just jump in the water to rinse off!

The Philippines: Coron, Which Must Be One of the Most Beautiful Islands in the World

2011-02-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

Coron Island was one of the absolute highlights for us on the boat trip.

Everywhere you turned it seemed to just be more beautiful.

We cruised along the island and stopped at several of the interesting spots.

Isn't that water color just amazing?!

There were a few spots that made for interesting snorkeling. Some spots you could go swim through rock tunnels. Other spots had unusually warm water.

Many of the islands in the area are managed by the local tribespeople. They collect a small entrance fee when you land on the island. But in exchange they build stairs, picnic shelters and other things to make the stop more comfortable. Win-win.

They'd built stone steps over this small pass in the mountains...

...so we could admire the view...

...and get to the land-locked lake inside the island. Funny that I didn't get any shots of Soren snorkeling because he really got pretty good at it on this trip!

Here we're with our Captain Betan, all ready to dive in.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day. Meh. Kind of an over-rated holiday in my book. Feels silly to get over-priced flowers to let me know I'm loved. Peter and Soren do a great job of that 365 days of the year. No need to go crazy on one day. Soren, however, didn't agree. He went all out. He blew up balloons and when he and Peter went to the store he bought me cookies, flowers and the most awesome card ever. Be sure you read the text...

To My Partner in Everything. Who helps out with the errands?

Who gently rubs my back? And when I'm watching TV, who brings a little snack?

Who cares for me, is there for me? And always makes me laugh?

The one I couldn't do without...it's YOU, my better half! Perfect. Love that kid!

The Philippines: The One Where I Post Some of the Less Awesome Realities of Boat life

2011-02-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

So, we've established that we loved that boat trip, right? For us it was one of the big highlights of the trip. But one of the things we often do while on vacation is consider which of our friends and family would also love whatever activity we are doing at the moment? Who would we recommend this trip to?

And, for this boat trip, despite all its incredible beauty...the list actually was pretty short. Why, you may ask?

Well, I think most of my friends would probably approach the live chickens onboard with the same humor we did. (Although I do have quite a few compassionate friends who would have likely enquired about tofu options.)

I think the things that would likely limit the appeal of this adventure were a lack of some creature comforts. For starters, the sleeping accomodations. Remember our little tent (in blue, in the background here)?

We came to think of this as our own personal sauna. Saunas are lovely and all...but not really for an 8 hour stint overnight. It wasn't so hot while we were there, but three bodies locked in nylon shelter can get pretty toasty. There weren't a lot of mosquitos around, but even a small number is too many when you are trying to sleep. So we kept the tent pretty well zipped up during the night.

We slept there for two nights (Soren slept just fine, thankyouverymuch!) and then bailed on the tent idea to move to the boat. Now, that was lovely. Watching the stars at night. Far fewer mosquitos because we were on the water.

And waking up surrounded by lapping water and loveliness all around.

Nothing better than snuggling up together.

And then, there was the lack of shower. Not that big a deal, really. We were swimming during much of the day and could take care of rudimentary bathing that way. But salt water plus hair...well, not a great combo.

What makes me laugh is that my hair actually felt gorgeous during the whole trip. That saltiness makes it feel thick, luxurious and wild - in a good way. I actually snapped a photo of myself while we were out there just to check to see how I looked with my thick, luxurious, wild hair.

Yeah, I'm guessing that thick or luxurious aren't the words that come to mind first for you? Wild, maybe, But more like savage probably.

We did actually have one great opportunity for a fresh water shower: a brief torrential downpour in the middle of day three. The crew, recognizing opportunity when it was knocking, immediately grabbed their shampoo and lathered up on deck. Me, well, the rain was freezing...and I was still under the illusion that I had a cool wild look going.

So, there you have it. The small details that would likely dissuade many of our friends from this particular adventure. But I do have to point out that there are ways to avoid the particular challenges presented above. So when you do decide to book your trip to the Philippines (because on the whole it is a destination that we can whole-heartedly recommend) let me know and I'll help you plan to avoid those shortcomings!

p.s. Would believe I'm still not finished posting about this trip? Sheesh. Will I ever be able to get through all these photos?!

The Philippines: Christmas Day

2011-02-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Day on our boat trip. Soren was quite concerned when I told him that we'd be in the Philippines for Christmas: "How will Santa find us?!"

I assured him that Santa would know where we are. And, I was right.

This was no small undertaking. It meant packing stockings and stocking stuffers for Soren, Peter, me, and our crew (Soren knows Santa wouldn't leave anyone out!) We traipsed half-way around the world with one of our backpacks filled with Christmas gear. The verdict: totally worth it.

For the most part, we didn't visit towns while we are the boat trip. But our crew did need to stop to refresh supplies that day and so we walked around the tiny town to see what was happening.

We were all eager to see the life in a tiny remote island town.

Since it was Christmas Day, there was no school and no one seemed to be working. Everyone was just out hanging out with their neighbors.

We happened across a huge outside bingo game in the town square. I didn't snap a picture of that because having three white people show up in the middle of the game was enough of a disturbance as it was!

As usual, kids are the best ambassadors.

They tagged along behind us as we walked around the village, shouting "Merry Christmas" everywhere we went.

This sign caught my attention.

We'd heard that cock-fighting was a popular event in the Philippines, so we shouldn't have been surprised to find it happening around the corner.

This is as close as we got though.

Cock fighting, not really our thing. Cock-fighting on Christmas Day? Nah, we'll pass.

Austria Ski Trip

2011-02-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

I really do work for the best company in the world. The best. The most super company ever. This year the company ski trip was to Bad Gastein, Austria. The weather was gorgeous. The company was fun(ny). And the views were spectacular. This year's team building event was the biathlon. And except for the cross country skiing and shooting, my team was awesome! This is me AFTER my turn. No, that isn't some illusion, that really is steam rising from my exhausted body! Cheers! We're already looking forward to next year!

The Philippines: Sappy Pictures of Beautiful Views

2011-02-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

I don't tend to be one to take photos of sunsets or beautiful views.

Sure, sunsets are awesome.

But really, do you want to stare at it in a photo?

Well, once again the Philippines changed that for me. The skies were so often stunning that I found myself running for my camera.

So, forgive me if this is kind of boring.

Do you think you could have resisted though?

Philippines Boat Trip: Our First Stop

2011-02-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned how much we loved this boat trip? It really was pure heaven. Every day we'd ride around in the boat exploring the islands or the coral reefs. Fishing, snorkeling, playing and relaxing. Amazingly, I never once picked up my book the whole time we were out there. I was just so content to just sit and look at the view. No need to transport myself somewhere else in a story, I was so happy to be here.

When we pulled up to the island where we'd be camping the first day, I thought I was going to pass out. Seriously, I had never seen such a beautiful site.

The waters were so crystal clear, turquoise blue...

And the white sand beaches were surrounded by specatular, jagged rocks.

It was truly magical. We arrived in the early evening and our crew set about cooking our dinner and setting up our tent on the beach. During the day tourists come out to visit this spot, so they have small shelters set up for picnics.

But we had the place to ourselves all night. Can you see our little tent in the background here?

We had so much fun just playing around our tiny beach.

And enjoying the incredible sunset.

In the evening, Peter and Soren took a flashlight and watched as the fish swarmed the lightstream.

And just when we thought it could not possibly get any more amazing, the fireflies came out. Can you believe it? If I read it in a book, I'd think the author got a little carried away with over-the-top details. But I saw them for myself. Even sort of managed to snap a picture of one...

Learning to Ski

2011-01-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

In preparation for my upcoming ski trip to Austria, we took the whole fam to Mt Bachelor for the weekend.

Like we've done before, Peter and I took turns skiing. One of us would play with Soren in the snow while the other skiied.

It is a pretty good arrangement actually. Everyone has a good day.

We'd been wondering when to start Soren skiing. We decided to wait until he was begging for it. It can be kind of an expensive event, and we didn't want him jumping on for a few minutes and deciding he'd rather go play on the sledding hill.

Well, this was the weekend he started begging. So we rented him some gear on the second day and Peter spent a few hours with him on the bunny hill (with me skiing happily elsewhere and occasionally bringing them refreshments!)

Soren did great! He loved it. And Peter was a great teacher. It was a fun family day.

The Philippines: the Awesome Boat Adventure

2011-01-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

While planning this trip, we really looked for that "one thing" that would kind of anchor our plans. The Philippines has so much to offer, so much diversity, so many islands, that it was tough to narrow our choices. One of the things we love to do when we are abroad is to do some sort of thing that kind of gets us "in" to the country. We like to spend time with the people there somehow in way that is other than just interacting with the hotel and restaurant staff. It isn't always easy to find. Sure, you can easily meet people along the way. But actually spending time with them over a period of time, isn't always easy to arrange.

When we read about the possiblity of chartering a local-style boat with a local crew for a few days of island hopping, we knew this was exactly what we were looking for. So we pretty much built our trip around this one excursion.

And we weren't disappointed.

I'd had email dialogue with our captain, Betan, for a few months before we arrived, so we sorted out the major details: the dates and the price. And I knew he'd had many other very happy passengers in the past. But other than that, we didn't really know specifically what we were in for.

He came out to our hotel a few days before the trip so that we could talk about the details. That is when we got the first glimpse (other than pictures) of what would be our home for 5 days:

He asked about the kinds of things we wanted to see, what time we wanted to leave in the morning, the kinds of foods we liked to eat, oh...and whether or not it was ok if they brought live chickens aboard! It seems that on past trips, he'd gotten stuck bringing chickens planning on eating them in the later days of the voyage but then the guests would get attached to the chickens and insist that their life be spared leaving Betan with few options of things to feed his guests! He wanted to gauge whether we were likely to grant a stay of execution to our feathered friends. You can guess how we answered:

In addition to Betan, our crew consisted of Ronald, and also Liza, Betan's wife. Soren absolutely adored her.

And with good reason. She was very sweet, and a lot of fun.

She was awesome at fishing. In fact, everytime we stopped the boat, Soren would say to Liza "this looks like a perfect spot for fishing."

And she was generally just a lot of fun to play with.

We headed out on the first day, just in awe of the incredible beauty all around us.

This is Coron Island. I never did get an explanation of why it is shaped like that. But in the end it didn't matter. We were just mesmerized looking at it.

I have countless photos of incredible views, gorgeous water, and stunning sunsets. It was such an idyllic experience. More details coming tomorrow...

The Philippines: Videos

2011-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

My camera has a video mode that I just never think to use. I did think of it a few times on this trip though. Here are a few scenes of the market that we walked through whenever we went into town. Always a lot of action there!

Here's Soren's attempt to get his own travel show...

Philippines: The Diving

2011-01-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

SCUBA diving is one of those things that is awesome pretty much no matter what you see. It is just such a magical experience. For the most part on this trip, Peter and I alternated diving days. Occasionally though Peter and Soren came out and snorkeled while I was diving.

I don't have any pictures of the dives. I'm not an underwater photographer (nor do I currently have any interest in becoming one.) But it just seems a shame to not include it here since the diving was such a central part of our trip. So, with credit to the others on Flickr who have taken photos, here are a few of the favorite sites we saw underwater.

Pufferfish are always adorable with their big cow eyes. They were ubiquitous in the Philippines. We saw them on almost every dive and every time we snorkeled.

(Credit: Pstarfill)

I had never even heard of basket coral before, and if my dive instructor hadn't pointed it out to me I would have written it off as just another lovely feathery coral. We saw this on a night dive. If you touched it, it actually kind of gripped your hand. And when you were up close you could see that the long spine parts were actually crawling along. Fascinating.

(credit: Mauritz Preller)

Trevally aren't a terribly interesting fish. They are shiny, but otherwise fairly plain looking. But seeing them schooling is fabulous. All of them swimming in the huge group and the light reflecting off them. We saw these often on the wrecks.

(credit: p@ragon)

And how is this for an amazing camouflage job? There was a crocodile fish that had taken up residence on the top of one of the ships. You could be almost next to it before you spotted it.

(Credit: maliavale/Mary Hartney)

As I mentioned, wreck diving was the big thing here. I hadn't done too much before, and what I had done wasn't all that exciting. In Honduras it was kind of cool to swim through these big metal sunken ships, but for the most part I have always love the tropical fish and the bright corals when I'm diving. THAT is the kind of stuff that I love to see. All the little (and big) creatures that are so beautiful and on display.

The Philippines changed that for me. Sure, I still love the tropical fish, but wreck diving - on the right wrecks - is just beyond awesome. It helps that these ships have been down for 60 years now. So many creatures have moved in and made it their home. But even the structures themselves, and diving through the kitchen or stairwell or boilerroom was breathtaking. Even looking ooking out the windows was surreal.

My favorite dive with the Irako. It was a very deep dive, yet we were able to spend nearly 20 minutes just exploring inside. With credit to Discovery Divers, here is a glimpse of what it was like:

I actually got my advanced SCUBA certification on this trip. It isn't an important certification, you are either certified (and can dive) or you aren't. You don't get a special crown to wear with your wetsuit when you have advanced certification, so I never bothered with it. But this time I decided to do it. It was a lot of fun working closely with an instructor on some advanced skills. Particularly since this was challenging diving, in tight quarters and at great depth. And considering that it has been 18 years since I was first certified, it was kind of fun to do.

Our Time at Divelink

2011-01-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

The resort we'd chosen was low key and relaxed. A nice mix of Philippino tourists and foreign tourists. The girls in the restaurant spoiled Soren silly. Here he is with the hot chocolate they made him each morning for breakfast.

This shot is of him with Irene, one of his favorites.

The area is world famous for the wreck diving. A fleet of Japanese ships were sunk there in WWII and now you can dive most of the sites. While we were there, Peter and I alternated our dive days. He'd dive one day and Soren and I would have our own adventures and then we'd alternate the next day.

One of our favorite activities was heading out to the dock...

...and having the boatment take us into town...

...and having a mango (or watermelon...) shake at the mermaid restaurant.

Actually, I think we had a fresh fruit shake at most of the restaurants in town. You know, just to be sure we found the best ones.

Sometimes the boatmen even let Soren drive!

We also explored our hotel beach for shells, and tiny starfish!

And not-so-tiny starfish!

Our hotel had some kayaks that we could use whenever we wanted.

It was great to get out and explore around our island and the neighboring islands.

In the afternoons and evenings when we were all together again, we'd often head back into town for dinner or to poke around the market.

One day we sent our laundry out to be cleaned. I must say that we were slightly surprised when this is how it came back!

Our original intinerary had us at Divelink for 4 days, then 5 days on a boat and then traveling to a different area of the Philippines. But we loved this area so much and felt that a few days had only allowed us to scratch the surface of the diving, so we changed our plans and came back here after our boat trip. We love this place! The other areas of the Philippines will have to wait until our next trip...

We Made It!

2011-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

After nearly four days of travel, we made it to our intended destination in the Philippines! Four days! Can you believe it? That kind of distance puts some serious pressure on a destination, wouldn't you say? I mean what kind of place could live up to the trials of 4 days of travel?!

Coron town, Palawan: we loved it!

Considering that a major highlight of our trip was going to be a few days of island hopping, these sights out the window of our small airplane had me beside myself with glee.See those tiny islands...

Those turquoise waters...

Those white sand beaches! That is what we came to see!

This time I redeemed myself by the choice of hotel I'd booked. Just across the bay from the main town, there's an island with a small "resort." They picked us up at the pier with a small boat...

And brought us to our hotel.

...where they had fresh coconuts waiting for us.

Soren's first sip of the deliciousness.

Unfortunately, I missed the next shot: Soren shuddering in horror at the taste of coconut juice! But he was ready to dig in to the yummy fresh cocunut inside...

And I missed the shot of that shudder too! I think he'll be sticking with the sweetened, packaged coconut we get at home, and leave all the fresh coconuts to Peter and me.

Once we'd enjoyed (or shuddered through) our welcome coconuts, the showed us to our charming little cabin...

With the breathtaking view of the water...

Philippines Trip

2011-01-09T15:04:00.000-08:00

Wow oh wow. We love the Philippines. Oh how we love the Philippines.

It is kind of funny how we ended up there. We had a pile of frequent flyer miles and a few weeks. Beyond that we didn't have many restrictions other than our whims. Our first choice was New Zealand. But would you believe, even booking in June, we couldn't find any December availability into New Zealand? Or Australia. So I just sat with a patient United Airlines rep on the phone and figured out where we could go. Thailand? No. The Philippines? YES! So there we had it: our Christmas plans.

Travel days sure can start early. We had an early flight from Portland to Vancouver (which by the way now gets my vote for world's best airport. It is awesome!) We spent a few hours in the Red Carpet Room (love it! One of the perks I get from United when we fly internationally. It really helps!)

Our routing had us overnighting in Seoul in both directions. It actually helped break up the trip. On the way out we landed at night and just grabbed a hotel near the airport for some sleep and then headed back to the airport for our morning flight...and some practice with chopsticks in the Seuol Red Carpet Room.

Turns out they really don't use chopsticks in the Philippines, so he only got this practice while we were in Korea.

I'd laid out a basic intinerary for our time in the Philippines. I love that part, the pre-trip research. I struggle though in choosing a place to stay sometimes. Historically, Peter and I have always stayed in the cheapest backpacker places and have been perfectly satisfied. We can afford a bit more now, but old habits died hard. And I chose a crappy place to stay in Manila.

But at least it wasn't a sex-tourist hotel, eh?

This was Soren's bed. That is about the best view of the entire $20 room. Blech.

Our room overlooked an alley filled with homeless people. Can't blame our hotel entirely, since it seemed like almost any place in Manila would overlook an alley of homeless people. It is heartbreaking.

This was the first time Soren had ever seen such extreme poverty. It isn't easy to see, or explain. Why are don't those people have houses? Why don't they have enough to eat? What are we going to do about it? When he'd get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he'd pull the chair up to the window to check on them.

Those questions are hard to answer as an adult. His first response was that we should just go to the ATM to get them some money. We tried to explain that the best way to help these people was to give money to churches or other groups that know how to help them. That seemed to satisfy him. Then a few hours later, obviously frustrated by our lack of action, he'd ask "Mom, when are we going to hire that church?!"

Manila didn't win us over. I tried to reserve judgement. Large Asian cities can sometimes just require a little experience to figure out where the charming parts are. We didn't give Manila that chance. So I hestitated to paint it too unflatteringly. Soren, though, wasn't so reluctant. "Mama," he said, "Manila isn't very cool."

Santa Visit 2010

2010-12-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Soren was pretty concerned about our being out of town for Christmas. He wanted to be sure Santa would know where to find him for the big day. Fortunately for us, the mall Santas spend the entire month of December listening to kid's wish lists so we managed to sneak in a quick visit before our trip. He asked for the movie "How to Tame Your Dragon."

Tangled

2010-12-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

We saw Tangled in 3-D. Loved it!

The 2010 Gingerbread House, er, Train

2010-11-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

Another thing we wanted to be sure to do before our Christmas trip was our annual gingerbread house. This year we built a train. I can't say it is our best creation ever. But it didn't help that Soren was going for "scary" while I was aiming for "cute and charming."

Vacation Countdown

2010-11-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

Understanding just how many days left to wait before our vacation is a bit of an abstract and confusing subject for Soren. To help him we created a countdown calendar. Here he is marking off the days that have passed. Yeah, he was in the Christmas spirit!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

We went up to Wenatchee for Thanksgiving. Apparently I was on a partial photo-taking strike because I only took photos of a few things. Like exactly how much whipped cream is enough when we let Soren control the dosing. And the fun of playing out in the snow! And the not so fun parts of driving in the snow. But that's it. No photos of the yummy food (which was of course delicious and bountiful) or the lovely time we had with Peter's mom. Oh well. I guess I'll need to do better next year.

Water Babies

2010-11-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

We're planning a trip to the Philippines for Christmas. Water plays kind of a central role in our plans.

We weren't sure how that was going to go for Soren. He loves playing in the water but has always HATED getting his face wet.

So Peter has been taking him to twice a week swimming lessons for the past few months.

And then a little at home practice. Hurrah! Success!

This Tooth

2010-11-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

This tooth... This one right here... Was pretty wiggly. Very wiggly in fact. Soren has been so excited to lose a tooth that he's been claiming wiggliness for his top tooth for almost 6 months. But then real, genuine wiggliness set in and we saw the difference. He was a little nervous about whether it would hurt when it came out. So he actually pulled it out himself! And the toothfairy rewarded him. Wow. I'm soon going to have a son with an adult tooth. Somehow that feels monumental.

Halloween Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving must be one of the best kid events.

A perfect excuse to get your hands all slimey and gross...

And to let your imagination run wild with all the scary detail you want your mom to carve into the pumpkin...

And the end result is a big scary face that will soon get moldy and rotten. Awesome!

Blog? What blog?

2010-11-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hm. Blogging. What do I think about blogging?

I'm so grateful for all the blogging I've done. That I've snatched up those little moments. Captured them in words and images to remember the tiny moments with my beloved family.

I so love to read the blogs of my friends. To see what is happening in their lives. To hear about the day to day details that fill a life.

I love blogs.

And yet.

Yet.

My blog has been sitting unwritten lately. Not for lack of content. Not for lack of photos. But just for lack of time. Sometimes blogging just feels like yet another thing that needs to happen in my overly busy life.

At first I wrote it off as the marathon training. That did take time and that time had to come from somewhere. Did it come from my blogging time?

But the marathon was three weeks ago...and well, I haven't exactly been Miss Prolific since then, eh?

So, not sure what is happening. My sweetest boy and sweetest husband are still my sweetest loves. And they still fill my heart with joy and make me want to tell the world how they are so filled with The Awesome. And yet...yet. I may just need to tell you about it when I next see you. As I wait for my blogging inspiration to return.

Quick Michigan Trip

2010-10-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

Soren and I went to Michigan for a quick trip. And I actually forgot to bring my camera! Shocking and unforgiveable. But at least I had my camera phone available for cute photo moment emergencies. I was actually there for my 25th high school class reunion! It was a blast. I guess I'll need to go to the 30th year reunion if I want to get any pictures.

The Victoria Marathon 2010

2010-10-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post comes with more pictures of me than have ever appeared on this site!

See, it appears that running marathons makes me happy.

Freakishly, can't-stop-smiling kind of happy.

Wow, you can really see the excitement on my face. In every last shot.

Months and months of training...

...all culminating on this one huge day.

Surrounded by thousands of like-minded people who have been equally devoted to the cause all summer.

Seriously, don't I look like I'm about to burst with giddiness?

Those shots? Ever last one taken before the race started.

Then the gun went off.

I endured 26.2 miles of agony (though, truth be told, not all of them were actually agony.) Whoa, I'd even done this before and still was surprised just how f.a.r. a marathon is. (For those of you who haven't done one: it is far. Very far.) It hurt. I hurt. A lot.

And yet...in the end...I was still moving.

Barely, perhaps. But I was indeed moving forward.

And I crossed that finish line!

And was back to smiling again.

This last picture really makes me laugh. Peter took one look at my face in the hotel room about 2 hours into my recovery. He said "do not move, don't try to put on a smile. Just keep your expression just like it is." And here is post-marathon Amy in the privacy of my hotel room:

Totally cracks me up. Stunned. Bewildered. Beaten up. And in my lovely compression hose (I do love those things though!) There you have it: from smiles to stunned in a mere 26.2 miles.

(Oh, and to answer the question that so many people seem to ask: yes, you bet I'll do another.)

The Boy in the Bubble, Soren Style

2010-10-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

VooDoo Put the Spell on Us

2010-09-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Voo Doo Donut is a Portland institution. When my friend Courtney came to town, we had to take her. It was the first visit for us too. Can you believe that this is the line at 4 pm on a Sunday afternoon? They said it is ALWAYS at least this long. But after about 45 minutes we too had our own pink box. And we let the sugar coma begin! Courtney is pretty awesome. She's a paper engineer! Have you ever heard of such a thing? Did you ever consider just how those awesome pop-up books get created? She rates as high as a rock star in Soren's mind.

Sailing on the Columbia River

2010-09-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a perfect fall day. Warm and sunny. Perfect for sailing on the Columbia river with some of my work colleagues.

Soren even managed to find his dream boat right in the marina!

It is Either Rocks in the Washing Machine, or...

2010-09-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

While Soren doesn't often nap any more, we do sometimes put him down for a bit of "quiet time." Looks like Peter put him down for some quiet time after a bit of fun in a gravel pile somewhere!

Breakfast with a Bandit

2010-09-12T17:48:00.001-07:00

Soren's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today was Soren's first day of Kindergarten. It wasn't quite the big transition for him that it is for most kids sincee is class is for 3-6 year olds and ends with the Kindergarten year. But he was so happy to be back to see his awesome teacher and playing with his friends.

2010 Oregon State Fair

2010-09-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

We still love the Oregon State Fair.

And the canoe ride is still Soren's favorite ride.

Although he's quite willing to give the other rides a chance too.

The Colorado Trip, Quandry Peak

2010-09-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

We woke up one morning in Colorado all feeling ready to take on a 14,000 ft mountain.

Five years old seems like about the right age to bag your first serious peak, right?

Especially when that peak doesn't require any technical expertise.

I will say though, that there was a bit of bribery involved in getting Soren to keep walking! The promise of a stop at the toy store was a good motivator.

And these stunning beauties were some good inspiration too.

When we lived in Colorado, I could probably count on two hands the number of times we even saw mountain goats.

But to have them so curious to check us out was awesome! (And, slightly unverving!)

But they came in peace.

And we carried on in our quest for the summit. Soren learned another great benefit of big hikes: lots of high sugar treats!

Even if you have to huddle down to stay out of the wind.

My boots, however, were not movitvated by the promise of a trip to the toy store. And they chose this moment to completely disintegrate.

Yeah, they were old. They looked fine before the hike. But the glue had apparently destabilized over the years and the soles just plum fell off both boots!

Soren started crying when we told him we'd have to turn back just 1,000 feet from the summit. But they we told him that because he didn't cause us to turn around that he'd still get the prize at the toy store.

The Colorado Trip, Part III

2010-09-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Amanda and I loaded up the boys for a bike ride. We rode from Breckenridge to Frisco, which is *mostly* downhill. Amanda had Luke on a tag-along. I had Riley and Soren in a trailer.

Believe me, I knew every single moment we venture away from the *mostly* downhill parts. Holy burning thighs!

Of course we stopped of along the ride to investigate the interesting sites, which included a really cool teepee.

You know, 'cause it is important to take time to smell the flowers.

The Colorado Trip, Part II

2010-08-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

Trips involving Grandpa always mean one thing (other than loads of fun): haircuts.

This time was no exception.

Peter even got in on the action. There was no stool in the garage, so they improvised.

The Colorado Trip, Part I

2010-08-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

Colorado, oh how we love thee! Spectacular beauty, lots to do, PLUS getting to do it with my family. Could it possibly get any better?

Grandpa and Grandma booked a big condo and said that anyone who could make it would be welcome. That doesn't take much thought, does it? So we ALL made it!

The boys didn't really need anything other than this "swimming pool" right in the middle of the condo.

And maybe a few Scooby-Do videos.

And Grandpa.

And just a little bit of ice cream.

(Soren actually wanted to go say good-bye to the very nice ice cream man before we left town..does that mean we ate too much ice cream?)

Android

2010-08-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

I got a new phone this summer. I've been a smart phone user for a number of years, but I finally bailed on Windows Mobile and moved to Android. Never a lover of adopting new technology, I wasn't feeling very at home yet...until I downloaded a bunch of kid apps and kept Soren which kept Soren entertained on our entire flight to Colorado!

More Evidence of Why I Always Have my Camera Nearby

2010-08-27T13:55:00.000-07:00