Our Move Left

Momentus Day in Boise

2012-02-14T13:26:00.001-07:00

We now have chick-fil-a! This one is on campus at BSU. The even better news is that they are building a free standing one 2 miles from the house across the street from our new Wholefoods.

Monkey Gym

2012-02-12T21:29:00.003-07:00

Simon's new favorite place is called Monkey Business. It's a large indoor play area with a great climbing platform and the most awesome bouncy slide. Simon calls this place 'Monkey Gym' and says its more fun than Mommy and Daddy's gym.

1st Big Snow of the year

2012-01-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

We had our first big snow of the year today. Simon was estatic to go outside and play. We shoveled the driveway, played trucks and built a snowman. Other than putting his mittens back on every 10 minutes it was great fun.

FINALLY!

2012-01-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

Too cute not to share

2011-12-27T16:31:00.004-07:00

I wasn't there for this at Downtown Disney, but I thought it was awesome. (EDIT: Actually, this was in the game room at our timeshare)

Thanks to Nana for shooting this one.

Things are different here in Florida

2011-12-20T19:06:00.001-07:00

I've just come out of a store in a fairly large shopping area, close to a highway, and yet this is what I find on the windshield of my Fathers truck.

In case you can't tell from the photo, it's a frog. About an inch and a half big. Looking rather serene on the window. Or perhaps he's terrified? Either way, he ain't coming home with me.

Wistful

2011-12-13T19:20:00.001-07:00

This shot has better light but Simon's not looking at the camera... I had only minutes to post before we took off on the second leg of our flight, literally. We were holding up the oncoming passengers at the pilot's request for me to take his photo. I guess he thought it was cute.

Look Mom, No Hands!

2011-12-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

We're on our way to Tampa and Simon is flying the plane!

A visit to the fire station

2011-11-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Simon and I are visiting back east this week and we've had several wonderful adventures so far. But today's adventure was pretty special -- we got an exclusive tour of the fire station!

The firefighters were impressed that he wasn't afraid of the trucks or their lights and sirens. They showed him how the ladders worked and even let him ride in the ladder truck as they came back into the station. Simon said that was his favorite part.

The Pumpkin Liner

2011-10-31T21:45:00.006-06:00

A few weekends back, we ventured up to Horseshoe Bend for a special ride on the Pumpkin Liner.

The train trip was lots of fun and we ran into friends who have a daughter, Fiona, that's just a bit older than Simon. As you can tell from this photo, neither Simon nor Fiona were in the mood to have their photo taken that day. Simon did manage to find a pumpkin with dirt on it to play with, so it's all good...

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:16:00.004-06:00

If you ask Simon what he's dressing up as, for Halloween, he'll tell you he's a ghost. But in reality he's been an adorable lion, complete with a roar, at least for mom and dad.

Festivities started on Saturday with a trip to the Boise Zoo for a special Halloween event. They had volunteers in costume roaming around to hand out candy and special booths all over the place, all mobbed with kids and parents in costume. Thankfully, Simon was only interested in seeing the animals.

Today, Simon and I carved a pumpkin and later went on the prowl around the neighborhood.

All in all, it was a great Halloween.

I'm not tired.

2011-10-27T15:53:00.001-06:00

Someone refused to take a nap in his crib and insisted he wasn't tired. It's a different story in the car.

Tailgating at the Broncos game

2011-10-22T12:17:00.001-06:00

We rode our bikes to Simon's first tailgate party this morning. Lots of food and broncos fans! It was all very exciting.

IBG Harvest Festival

2011-10-11T11:09:00.001-06:00

On Sunday we went to the harvest festival at the Idaho Botanical Garden. There was music, scarecrows, and snacks. The highlight for Simon was picking out his own pumpkin. He carried it around for the rest of the day including when he went into the corn maze.

Helicopter & Horses

2011-10-01T13:49:00.001-06:00

Simon and I went to Bogus Basin this morning. They were flying the towers for the new ski lift. We got to see the helicopter up close as it flew over us with the parts.

While we were there a couple came by on horseback. It was busy morning up there today.

Driving to Boise

2011-09-04T19:20:00.001-06:00

We made the drive from Seattle to Boise over the last two days. Simon was a trooper throughout. He got to sit on a Harley-Davidson at Hamlet and Co in Pendelton, OR. We also got to see a number of antique colt pistols and some beautiful saddles. I tried on hats but no pictures.

Today we stopped in Baker City and Simon insisted he get to ride in the wagon. We are now in Boise and camped out at the hotel.

Moving Day

2011-08-30T12:54:00.001-06:00

Yep, that's right, we're moving again! And get this? We're moving back to Boise! Didn't see that coming, did you. Me neither.

Simon is being such a good helper. He's equally worried and excited about everything. He keeps asking, "Where's my trains?"

Hanging out with Rudi

2011-08-20T17:53:00.001-06:00

Rudi came over to play today. We had cupcakes and went to the park. Simon is trying to do everything she does including the rings and the big kid swings. That didn't work out for us we went on the little kid ones.

Boating

2011-08-03T15:19:00.004-06:00

A few weekends ago we were invited to go out my friend Brent's boat on Lake Washington. It was a truly spectacular Seattle Day.

Simon got the drive the boat. Right hand turns only so this probably rules out a NASCAR career.

He also enjoyed sitting in the bow and being silly with Brent.

Cicely or Roslyn?

2011-07-17T15:22:00.001-06:00

While Sol, Meera and Zora are visiting, we came to Roslyn, WA to see the town that served as the backdrop for Northern Exposure. The cafe is here, Dr. Fleishman's office is a gift shop and the radio station KBHR is set up in the middle of town.

Driving the bus

2011-07-16T17:22:00.001-06:00

We were out for a walk today and stopped to talk to the bus driver. He let Simon sit in the drivers seat, open and close the door and use the microphone. It was pretty awesome.

From the mouths of babes

2011-07-13T17:28:00.001-06:00

Simon's response to the book 'If you give a moose a muffin'. "I got two muffin man's!"

Curses!

2011-07-13T17:17:00.001-06:00

I KNEW I shouldn't have blogged about the sunshine... The very next day it wad foggy all day with drizzles.

But we had fun wandering around Pike Place anyway, and then did some downtown shopping the next day before Ken and Juanita left the following day for Alaska.

All in all it was a great trip.

1. 2. 3. Swing!

2011-07-06T22:44:00.001-06:00

I forgot to add that summer has finally arrived and the sun was out for our adventures with Ken and Juanita. It's actually been out for a few days in a row! We're all excited.

Visiting with family

2011-07-06T12:20:00.000-06:00

Uncle Ken and Aunt Juanita are visiting from the Keys, so of course we needed to show them the local marine life by visiting the Seattle Aquarium.

The sun finally came out in Seattle

2011-06-26T18:02:00.001-06:00

Of course it got a little cloudy by the time we hit the beach. But I promise you, the sun actually made an appearance this weekend.

You talkin ta me!?!

2011-06-13T23:01:00.005-06:00

Much like his decision to walk, where we knew Simon could walk but he wouldn't do it until he was ready, Simon has finally decided to talk.

We spent months counting words and the tally of known words was impressive, but rarely would he string any together. Until recently. And now he's talking in three to six word sentences and making his preferences KNOWN.

His favorite phrases right now are, "I don't like xxxxxx" and "I want some xxxxxx too." Here's a typical conversation from earlier today:

Mama: Simon, it's time for lunch.
Simon: I don't like lunch.
Mama: OK, would you like to have a snack??
Simon: I don't like snack.
Mama: Would you like some ham and cheese?
Simon: I don't like ham cheese.
Mama: How about some pretzels and humus?
Simon: I don't like pretzels. No humus. Ummmmm, no lunch.
Mama: Would you like some milk?
Simon: I don't like milk.
Mama: OK, well I'm going to have some lunch anyway.
Simon: (yelling) I WANT SOME LUNCH TOO.

And that's the abbreviated version. GAH! I love that he's talking but man he's driving me crazy!

PS. For the Grandparents out there.... he HAS had a haircut. We'll post new photos soon.

Big Horn Sheep

2011-06-11T08:36:00.001-06:00

On Friday we drove from Fairmont Hot Springs to Kelowna. Along the way we saw beaver lodges, bald eagles, glaciers and sheep. These are pictures from my phone we have better ones on the camera.

Sandpoint, ID

2011-06-04T12:30:00.001-06:00

We are driving north to Canada on vacation. We spent the night in Sandpoint since its about half way. This morning we had breakfast, went to the farmers market where Simon made a friend. Then we went to the beach and played at the playground. They have a fabulous park on the water.

We are in the car headed north again now.

Playing at the park

2011-05-28T17:11:00.002-06:00

Another beautiful day in Seattle. The sun came out and the temps are in the low 60s. This is our 2nd trip to the park today. This morning we played with diggers and now he wants the see saw and slides.

Last day on the snow?

2011-05-23T15:30:00.003-06:00

While Simon and Joanie are enjoying the sun in Florida the weather in Seattle is about the same as it has been since October. Mid 50s and overcast. We've had so much snow in the mountains (which of course means rain in the Puget Sound) that Crystal Mountain's ski area is still getting snow and still open.

I went up with friends yesterday. It was still pretty cold at the summit, there were flurries up there and freezing rain at the base. The snow itself was a bit lumpy, I took more falls in one day than I did most of the season. The actual highlight for me was using the 'My Tracks' app on my phone to plot my runs and upload it to Google Maps.

View Crystal Mountain 5/22/2011 in a larger map
The straight lines are lifts. It's pretty cool to see where you went and how fast. My max speed for the day was 31.3 mph. The conditions were really tough so I am interested to see how fast I can bomb down a run on a nice groomed day next year.

This was probably my last day on the snow this season, though we may sneak up again in June just to say we did it. I made it out 10 days this season which isn't too bad all things considered.

Kickin' Back in FLA

2011-05-21T19:25:00.005-06:00

We've been having a grand time visiting Nana and Gramps at their new home in Florida. To date, we've seen the second-to-last-ever space shuttle launch (the Endeavour), battled love bugs at Cocoa Beach, visited cousin Jacob (and of course his parents Dan and Meg), went to another beach on Tampa Bay, had dinner in the historic Columbia restaurant, visited the Florida Aquarium AND spent time in the pool. Whew. No wonder I need to kick back and relax at dinner...

Soccer in Seattle

2011-05-14T22:49:00.002-06:00

Taking advantage of my lack of family responsibilites I am at a major league soccer game with my friend Brian. However there is a serious amount of rain falling on this balmy 45 degree night. I am in gore-tex head to toe. Other people at the game didn't plan ahead. They look really wet and really cold.

I'm off to Florida!

2011-05-10T19:46:00.001-06:00

Can't you tell?

Sunny Day in Seattle

2011-05-04T21:55:00.005-06:00

The sun finally came out in Seattle. We had a gorgeous sunny morning out. We went to breakfast then hit the Ballard Locks to watch the boats go up and down.

In addition to the boats the trains cross over this ancient railroad bridge. Very exciting indeed.

After leaving the locks we went to Golden Gardens park to admire the view of the Olympic Mountains. Simon insisted on getting out of car and walking along the beach. There were holes along the path and he couldn't help jumping in.

Of course it rained the next day . . .

One of the things I miss

2011-04-18T23:29:00.005-06:00

So what do you see here, a shark? A plane? Maybe it's a shark plane!

If you live in the world of Richard Scarry books, as Simon does, shark plane is the correct answer. And thank goodness he likes it, because I'm still learning how to draw just a shark, or just a plane.

Anyway, today is the one year anniversary of my brother's passing. Sounds strange doesn't it? I can't even easily type death, let alone say it aloud. And yet it happened.

As I was drawing this sad shark plane today, it hit me that one of the things I miss most about John was his God-given talent for sketching. He could use the golf pencil and giving envelopes found in the pew of our church, and sketch a perfect likeness of someone in the row ahead of us.

I can create graphics and computer illustrations with the best of them, but actual illustration (without hours of effort), that was always John's thing. And he's no longer here to share that with me, or to teach Simon. And that hurts more than anything.

Rest In Peace John. We miss you.

PS. I'm not posting this for sympathy OR to make my parents cry. Please Mom and Dad, don't cry. I just didn't want the day to pass without acknowledging what I'm thinking.

Helping Sweep

2011-04-12T21:22:00.003-06:00

Simon helped Dad sweep the back deck. At first we did it together but then he insisted on doing it himself... imagine that.

Simon Scofield Crosby is TWO YEAR'S OLD

2011-03-29T21:38:00.010-06:00

It's official, we've survived two years of parenthood. Although this next year may prove to be the biggest challenge, if recent attitudes are any indication of what's to come during the 'terrible two's'. Seriously, I now know that children are put on earth to teach patience...

Anyway, we had a lovely birthday weekend with Grandma and Uncle Nick visiting. There were special trips to the playground followed by a stop at the coffee shop for cupcakes, a visit to the Seattle Aquarium and a ride on the carousel (I don't want to get off!),

plus dinner at Elliott's Oyster House on the pier,

and finally a trip to The Museum of Flight to see Simon's beloved JETS!

We topped it all off with a wonderful meal, and of course, CAKE!

Oh, and let's not forget the presents. Boy did he score! In addition to numerous wonderful presents, Simon got a train table complete with a two level train, AND a fabulous art easel with a magnetic white board, a chalk board and space for paper to draw and paint. He's mesmerized with all of his new things.

Happy Birthday sweet boy.

Wings in Boise

2011-02-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

We stopped at our favorite children's store on our way out of town. Simon was drawn to wings at first he wanted the pink ones until he saw the green pair. It was too cute to not share.

Driving to Boise

2011-02-18T16:12:00.001-07:00

We are going to Boise for the weekend. North of Yakima we turned onto I-82 EAST from there the GPS showed 385 miles to our next turn which is the Boise exit for our hotel. There is a lot of sagebrush between here and there.

Conveyor belt sushi

2011-02-11T09:31:00.001-07:00

Simon and dad were on their own for dinner so they went to Blue C. Simon likes to watch the conveyor go round and round.

Snowmobile

2011-01-30T16:36:00.002-07:00

I don't think this snowmobile thing is for me. I didn't have it 10
minutes before I crashed into some trees because I couldn't make it
turn. I liken the experience to horseback riding, you make think you
are in charge but actually you are going wherever the horse/sled wants
to go. Phil had to go back the rental place to have them come rescue
me and dig it out. Once the great guys at Club Rec
(http://www.clubrec.com/) got me going again I stayed on the roads and meadows it was a lot more fun.

Moose or meese?

2011-01-30T16:16:00.002-07:00

I am in Utah with Philip for the weekend snowboarding. Unfortunately I tweaked my knee yesterday so we took the day off and went snowmobiling instead. On the way there Philip spotted a moose on the side of the road so we backed up and took photos.

Torta Day

2011-01-26T16:21:00.002-07:00

Most Wednesdays I visit the Marination Food Truck
(http://marinationmobile.com/) for lunch. That's the only day it is in
Fremont. While they make fabulous Kalbi beef tacos and kimchi
quesadilla the big winner to me is the Spicy Pork Torta with pickled
veggies and guacamole. It's a special and not there every week but
well worth it when it is.

Yum!!

My cow

2011-01-15T09:32:00.001-07:00

Simon got an inflatable cow for Christmas. He sits on top and bounces. This morning he is dragging it around the house yelling 'My Cow!'

Sledding in New Hampshire

2010-12-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely Christmas in Maryland. We saw lots of people and had a packed schedule. Tuesday we came north for a few days.

We took Simon out sledding twice today. He liked it a lot more this year. Here he is with Mom and Grandma.

Simon's Tonka

2010-12-02T15:09:00.002-07:00

Not only are trucks fun to play with but you can also ride on them!

1st Day on the snow

2010-11-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Eileen and I took advantage of the early snow and went snowboarding at
Crystal Mountain over the weekend, which is down by Mt. Rainier. They
had almost all of the trails open though there were some rocks so the
new snowboard is off to get fixed this week. I'd like to get one more
day in before we head East for Christmas.

It's snowing!

2010-11-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

They SAID it doesn't snow in Seattle, yet here it is, days BEFORE Thanksgiving, and it's snowing.

Simon likes the snow much better than he did last year... here we are on our morning walk with Bridget, who's visiting with Eileen for the holiday.

Chilly day in the northwest

2010-11-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

It's a chilly day but the sun is out so we hit the playground anyway. Not many other kids made it out which suits Simon just fine.

Out with Dad (part 3)

2010-10-25T11:43:00.002-06:00

Before riding the bus home we stopped for a latte for Dad and a steamed milk for Simon though the toy truck was better than a snack.

Out with Dad (part 2)

2010-10-25T11:17:00.001-06:00

We rode the bus to Pike Place and walked around the market. There are lots of people to watch!

Big day out with Dad (part 1)

2010-10-25T11:06:00.001-06:00

Simon and Dad went out on Saturday by ourselves. Simon got his first bus ride which was super cool.

Taco Night

2010-10-19T21:20:00.005-06:00

Tacos are yummy, even if you only eat the refried beans and avocado. These are still two of Simon's favorite things and he still makes a giant mess.

Talking up a storm

2010-10-19T21:07:00.002-06:00

Now if only we could understand him...

We have a new neighbor

2010-10-09T14:12:00.005-06:00

So to speak.

There's a kitty who regularly visits us on the back deck, eating bugs around the hot tub, chasing birds in the trees, crying at the back door and in general, willing the smallest human in the house to open the door and, "LET ME IN."

Simon LOVES him, or her, I'm not sure which it is. I'm not even sure if it's a stray. This cat seems too well groomed to be a stray, but he/she could have been abandoned, or is lost. The cat started showing up about a month ago, generally out back, hunting for bugs and birds (or tuna, if the female human in the house caves in). Once, I found him crying at the front porch windows, from the settee.

He certainly knows how to work it. Here he is being aloof, pretending to hunt for birds, where Simon can see him...

Farms are fun

2010-10-02T14:42:00.001-06:00

Simon got an 80's era Fisher Price farm the other day and he's completely in love with it. He feeds the cow and horse, and puts the rooster into the top of the barn, along with whatever else he can get to fit... it's quite amusing.

My Boys

2010-09-12T13:03:00.002-06:00

What can I say, aren't they cute?
Oh, and GO BROWNS!

Little lion man

2010-09-05T18:11:00.001-06:00

We went to the 21st annual blackberry festival in Bremerton today. The pie was pretty good and Simon got this way cool little face painting. Overall, it was a nice way to spend the day.

Worn out

2010-08-20T19:14:00.001-06:00

Simon had a long day and hopped into the swing before dinner. It didn't take long until he fell asleep. He didn't even notice the buses driving by.

Loose at Home Depot

2010-07-30T08:41:00.002-06:00

On one of our many trips to the hardware store, Simon insisted on getting out the cart. It turns out he just wanted to pull things off the shelves and climb on the boxes.

Uncle John would be proud

2010-07-26T19:18:00.001-06:00

I'm sure Simon's not supposed to be watching tv yet but he really enjoys Top Gear. And the new Porsche 911.

Pool time

2010-07-24T19:05:00.002-06:00

Mommy got me the best baby pool. It has a sunshade that rains water down. It's hot today in Seattle so this is great.

More berries

2010-07-23T20:22:00.002-06:00

Simon's been gourging himself on blueberries for weeks but today he decided raspberries are all the rage. This is what happens at the farmers market while mom is buying corn...

Mmm, yummy

2010-07-17T12:09:00.001-06:00

Three summers ago we spent a glorious vacation in Oregon with our friends Finn and Joanne, picking blackberries on the side of the road and enjoying farm to table dinners. From those blackberries Finn made the most amazing scones, and we've been dreaming about them since.

So, with fresh berries finally at the farmer's market (wild berries are just weeks away) we paid homage to Finn's scones with a batch of our own.

Yum.

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad

2010-07-10T21:22:00.007-06:00

Nana & Gramps (Scofield) are in town this week. We have been having a great visit so far. Today we went on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. The engine is a 1921 steam locomotive that was used to haul timber down to the mills.

The railroad line has great vistas of Mt. Rainier.

Simon had a good time on the train with Dad and Gramps & Nana.

Though he did pass out by the end.

I need a haircut!

2010-06-28T19:50:00.001-06:00

Two people have called me a girl today. I guess it is time to meet the barber.

Updates!

2010-06-07T12:59:00.005-06:00

For the record, the day after Simon first said Momma (with meaning,) he spent the entire day saying Dada. Screaming it actually, from time to time :-) And now he's not really saying it to either of us anymore. Ah well.

Aside from that setback, he's taken a huge leap forward and is officially walking!

It happened this past Friday just before his morning nap. We were playing upstairs and he just let go of me and walked to the other side of the room, turned around and then walked back! He was so impressed with himself... and it is SO cute! He's officially a toddler!

Josh and I are completely shocked at how well he's taken to it. He just walks all over the place now, without any real problems. Sure, he falls down a little and he's still learning how to handle uneven surfaces, but he sure is determined. He just keeps at it until he masters something, like transitioning from the wood floor to carpet.

This first video was taken on his fourth or fifth stroll around the room because I didn't have a camera nearby.

On Saturday, the sun finally came out (although only for the day) so we walked down to the "beach" near our house (it's on Lake Washington) and let Simon roam around. He had a little trouble on the uneven surface but loved every minute of it.

Almost Walking

2010-05-30T22:46:00.002-06:00

Simon is almost walking. He wants to walk all the time but holds on to your finger. It turns out he can actually stand on his own without much of a problem and even take a few steps when provoked.

Sorry for the bad lighting, it is 58 and rainy here. I'm not sure if the sun will ever come out for more than an hour.

It's Official!

2010-05-28T14:55:00.002-06:00

Simon says Momma, with meaning! Well, he's said it at least once anyway.

He's been saying Momma for a few days now, but not in a good way. I do think he knows what it means, but he's only been saying it when he's whining at me, as in, "momma, momma, momma" with arms outstretched for whatever I've just taken away from him, which he shouldn't have had in the first place. He's even learned to add a little emphasis by throwing down his arms or banging his head on the floor, if he's really mad.

But today, at the end of his nap, he awoke cheerfully and I heard a small stir on the monitor followed by, "momma?" Just one. With the lilt of a question. Just makes the heart melt, I tell ya.

Silly Simon

2010-04-22T07:47:00.002-06:00

He has taken to climbing into his exasaucer to get his other toys.

Easter Outfit

2010-04-04T16:16:00.002-06:00

Here is Simon in the outfit Aunt Jody knit him for his birthday. He had Avocado Risotto for lunch which is a combo of two of his favorite things.

Lunch in Annapolis

2010-04-03T13:20:00.001-06:00

Its a warm day so we went to Annapolis for lunch. We had crab cakes and watched the boats.

Simon's Birthday

2010-04-01T13:58:00.003-06:00

We continue to be bad bloggers. We've had lots going on the last month or so and have lots of pictures that hopefully make it up here soon. In the meantime, last Saturday was Simon's 1st Birthday. We had a little party for him. While he liked the presents the cake was a big hit!

This photo was taken by Aunt Jody, we haven't downloaded our photos yet so I borrowed one of hers.

Paralympics

2010-03-17T18:43:00.000-06:00

We came to the Paralympics in Vancouver/Whistler as an observer for work. Simon and Joanie tagged along.

Its been very interesting so far. I got to see the technical operations center, the polyclinic at Whistler, and Olympic Park that hosted ski jumping, nordic and biathlon.

Simon just likes watching all the people.

Theater at Delphi

2010-02-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the theater at Delphi. It sat 5000 people for music and dramas. Its still in good shape compared to a lot of the other buildings.

Temple of Apollo

2010-02-17T04:50:00.001-07:00

I am over in Greece. The servers we sent over are stuck in customs so we took the opportunity to go to Delphi and see the oracle.

This was an amazing site. There were lots of treasuries where the cities kept their offerings to Apollo.

Big snow

2010-02-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

We are getting dumped on in Maryland today. Here is what we woke up to. I will have to take Simon sledding later.

Lake Tahoe

2010-01-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Chris and I snuck off to get some skiing in. The weather has been good
no new snow but fun just the same.

Mmmmm. Avocado.

2010-01-21T19:05:00.003-07:00

Did you ever notice that in your minds voice, the sound Mmmmm, followed by any single, other word, has the voice of Homer Simpson? Funny.

Anyway, Simon has been doing really well with new foods lately, eating lots of carbs, carbs and more carbs :-) He loves apples, squash, pasta, sweet potatoes, bananas, cheese (although not always) bread of any kind, crackers, prunes, pears, mangos, blueberries (in pancakes, of course) and oh, did I mention AVOCADO! He loves him some avocado.

He may look suspect but that's only because I've run out of avocado in this photo and he knows I'm about to pawn some other food onto him...

Sledding in New Hampshire

2009-12-29T10:08:00.004-07:00

Simon was lucky enough to get a fancy sled for Christmas to live at the lake house. Grandma and Grandpa took him out yesterday for a walk and some sledding. He seems less than impressed but tolerant of the things we do to him. He was wearing his new snowsuit Mom found on ebay and the mittens Aunt Jody made him. And a video!

Nerds are everywhere

2009-12-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am over in Greece and the hotel I am staying in was very full. Turns out they were hosting a Warhammer 40,000 tournament. The floor with the conference rooms smelled like bo and cigarettes. They had at least 30 tables going with lots of people watching each game.

For those of you who don't know, warhammer is a minature game where you move your painted figurines around and fight each other. I haven't seen anyone playing it since high school.

One Quick Photo

2009-11-30T06:57:00.003-07:00

Simon is getting so big. On Thanksgiving he had his first crawling experience. He went backwards about 8 feet and then put his head down on the floor and had a meltdown. No photos of this event, I didn't want to disturb him.

On Saturday he had his first bagel which was a big hit! There were tons of people to stare at as well so he had a great day.

Don't tell Mom

2009-11-03T14:13:00.002-07:00

I went to the park and got to go swinging. I spent the whole time staring at the girls next to me. They were very cute!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T08:24:00.012-06:00

No, Simon won't be trick or treating tonight but he did attend his first ever parade of costumes at Grandma's elementary school on Friday. Simon was an adorable bear (big thanks to Aunt Jody for knitting him such a special costume) and Grandma was a park ranger. The two of them were so cute, looking at all of the children in the parade.

I also took some photos of Simon in his costume at home, hoping to catch that elusive smile. No smile, but this was just too sweet not to share.

We also took Simon to the pumpkin patch last weekend for the obligatory fall photo and I have to admit, he's sooo cute sitting amidst the pumpkins I can see why parents do this every year.

Next year, we might have to take someone with us to get a family photo of the three of us. Of course it took about 50 shots of each pair to ensure all eyes were open at the same time, let alone smiling/grinning. So be forewarned... a family photo could take a while.

But don't worry, Simon will enjoy playing in the dirt and trying to eat the pumpkins no matter how long it takes.

Learning to Eat

2009-10-14T18:49:00.006-06:00

Simon is doing really well with solid food. His current favorite is squash which he likes better than bananas, rice cereal, apples and peaches. When he tries a new food he makes the best faces! Watch to the end of this clip, this happens several times before he will eat anything new.

Eating is also fairly messy at this point. He gets it all over his legs and feet most days, in addition to everywhere else.

Laid Back...

2009-09-24T18:56:00.003-06:00

... Got my mind on my money and my money on my mind.

This pose just cracks me up. Nuf said.

Baltimore Farmers Market

2009-09-20T09:22:00.002-06:00

We came to the farmers market today. Simon showed slightly more interest in the market this time, unlike the last time we took him to the farmer's market in Boise. Aside from playing with green beans he really liked watching the people.

Very Cool Space Photos

2009-08-19T06:40:00.004-06:00

I wanted to share these two cool articles I read lately about space photography.

The photo above was taken by a group of high school students in Spain who got a camera 100,000 ft in to the atmosphere on a balloon and were able to take photos. Full article is here.

The second article I wanted to share are photos of the shuttle Atlantis approaching the Hubble Space Telescope silhouetted against the sun.

There are more pictures and information available on the photographer's website here: including pictures of the shuttle Endeavour docked to the ISS.

New Hampshire Vacation

2009-08-17T19:23:00.010-06:00

We are on vacation in New Hampshire at my parent's lake house. It's been a fun filled week so far. Sol and Meera stopped by and we everyone including Simon went in the lake.

He also tried rice cereal for the first time. He didn't really enjoy it as you can see.

Today we went over to Vermont for bacon. It's a long story but the best bacon in the world is available at Singleton's Store in Proctorsville, VT.

We followed that up with maple cremee's at the Green Mountain Sugar House. A maple cremee is a frozen maple dessert. Very yummy.

We stopped at the covered bridge.

We wrapped up the day by going to the King Arthur's Flour Baker's store.

Tomorrow we are going to stay home and play on the lake.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

2009-08-11T08:34:00.006-06:00

As everyone knows, I've worked at Special Olympics since 2002. I try to keep my work life out of the blog as much as possible but today I am making an exception.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed early this morning, she was the Founder of Special Olympics and the person who did more for people with Intellectual Disabilites than anyone thought possible. Her work has touched millions around the world and I just wanted to ask everyone to take a minute and remember her today for all the work she did and everything that still needs to be done.

Our little reader

2009-08-10T09:09:00.004-06:00

One of Simon's favorite toys to play with at the moment is a plush, 'Pat the Bunny' book, given to us by Bruce, Josh's former boss at the Games. Simon has started to teeth and just loves to chew on anything and everything, so this plush, pliable book with multiple textures is a real winner. He regularly falls asleep for his morning nap with the book. Too cute.

Temple of Poseidon

2009-07-18T10:09:00.005-06:00

I am actually in Athens this week meeting with the IT team for the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Since it is the weekend I took a bus trip out to Cape Sounio to see the Temple of Poseidon. It is about 90 minutes by bus as you follow the coastal road through the Greek beach towns. The views were spectacular.

Here I am at the temple.

From here I'm going to cheat in the interest of time. I've created a slide show with the pictures from the temple.

I am off to the Acropolis on Sunday.

In the pool with Simon

2009-07-18T01:54:00.008-06:00

We have taken Simon to the pool twice so far. He is not really into it, he doesn't fuss but I think he would rather be on dry land.

Here he is all ready to go in

Sitting on the steps with Grandpa C

I'm not so sure about this. . .

Where is Mom?

I still don't like it.

Corn

2009-07-10T16:55:00.000-06:00

I am bringing corn home in my suitcase. I don't think this kid has a work permit.

Racoons & Corn Fritters

2009-07-10T09:16:00.009-06:00

I'm still in Nebraska, home of the corn silo. Lincoln has several of these large structures located on the train tracks. I haven't seen a corn train yet but I have been looking.

Last night Jesus conned Josie to take us to Omaha which is about 50 miles from Lincoln. We went to Dixie Quicks for dinner and it was very good but I would like to return for breakfast which sounded great. I found this restaurant on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and figured I would go if I was ever in Nebraska.

After dinner Josie took us to the Surfside ~~Inn~~ Club on the Missouri River for corn fritters.They only serve two other things, fried catfish or fried chicken.

When you are done with the bones and fried bits you throw them over the fence for the racoons who come right up and grab them. We loved their people-like hands, these little guys have way more dexterity than Simon.

Looking out across the river you can see Iowa, we actually made a wrong turn and drove over the bridge to Iowa at one point. I'm not sure if it counts as a state I visited if it was by accident.

Lincoln, Nebraska

2009-07-08T08:44:00.001-06:00

I am in Lincoln today to talk IT with the 2010 Special Olympics US National Games. I had to fly out of national instead of bwi due to a travel agent mixup. This also forced me to get up at 3:15am to make the flight.

All is good now that I am here. The lincoln airport appears to have 4 gates and you are allowed to park curbside with a 10 minute limit!

Hanging the TV

2009-07-05T17:44:00.006-06:00

The goal was fairly simple. I wanted to hang the TV over the fireplace. I consulted with Dad, Nick, other Dad and we all decided that this wasn't going to be much fun.

After staring at for a while I decided to call Chris. This needed an engineer's fearlessness.

Chris and Nick came over on Saturday and the decision was made to reinforce the studs by adding some additional framing. That meant that a 55 x24 inch hole had to be cut in the drywall.

This hole was later enlarged so that the framing gun could fit. (I cut the crooked top)

We took the opportunity to run some speaker wires and hdmi cables for the tv.

The wall was reinforced and a new piece of drywall hung. Joanie is sanding and repainting. We hope to actually hang the tv next weekend and get our living room back.

Reduction in Force

2009-07-01T18:31:00.005-06:00

This came to me via my father-in-law. I'm not sure if it accurately reflects where you work but I have several friends whose companies are following this logic.

In this current economic crisis,
we see no alternative but to reduce our staff.

We have to lay off André.

Meeting new people

2009-06-30T09:00:00.007-06:00

On Sunday night we had a lovely dinner at Chris & Pam's house. It was Simon's first time meeting them, their kids Evan & Sam as well as Joanne & Mr. Yuck and Jake & Mandy. We forgot our camera so all photos come curiosity of Joanne.

Chris was his usual over the top self and made a huge paella. As Pam commented Simon's dubious look probably has something to do with the fact that he would fit in the pan.

Here is a shot of Evan, hamming it up.

Here is Sam. Do we have this mess to look forward to while feeding Simon in 7 months? She looks so pleased with herself!

Here is a shot of just the boy. He has started playing with his tongue and makes all sorts of funny faces now.