Chris and Sonja - The Sweet Seattle Life

The French lunch: Day II

2012-02-28T12:27:00.001-08:00

We had another 'french lunch' today but only made it through the second course. Plus I cheated by combining a few things.

We started out pretty well with our old standby of hummus and pita.

Then we moved on to avocado slices. But the babe didn't much care for the avocado today so we sandwiched it in-between the lox and cream cheese course (with a pita bottom) and that seemed somewhat successful.

Until he started lobbing his mini sandwiches at Bailey. So we called it a day.

Here are a few other random tidbits from around the web:

I can't even pretend to be knowledgable when it comes to end-of-life care, but death has been on our minds a lot in our family, due to maternal grandparents that are experiencing a long, slow mental decline. Here is one doctor's wish for his final exit. Interestingly enough, his scenarios deal with a physically failing body. What happens when the part that is failing is the mind?

Secondly, how awesome is this floor lamp?!

Groupon is having a sale on Shutterfly photo books today. Ten bucks (plus shipping) for an 8x8 book. Not bad, as they're normally $30. The only downside is that you need to make your book by May 14.

And last but not least, I think my dad needs a bookshelf for his rocks.

Ok, one more thing: I called my mom up last night to apologize for the fact that I've been asking her practically everyday for assistance with watching Ben: for hair appointments, dinner dates, preschool visits and various other stuff. She's crazy busy right now (full time jobs will do that!) and I told her I felt bad that I was taking her for granted. I loved her response. "Well of course you take me for granted. It's my job as a mother that you should do so and I love being available for you. It's the same way for you: You want Ben to take you for granted. That's part of being a mother. " Those weren't her exact words and I'm not describing it with her usual mixture of sweet sincerity and straight-forwardness. But it's true. I want Ben to know that I'll be here for him: his job is to be a kid and know, without a doubt, that his parents will be here for him. I hope that I can live up to such high standards.

This morning the Seattle PI published pictures of children in Washington State that have disappeared. Some of them were presumably snatched; most of them had probably run away from home. I kept wondering what their stories were, where they are now, what their families were like, but most importantly: how hard it must be to be a child out in the world without anybody trustworthy to rely upon. It must be such a scary and lonely place.

Thanks Mom, for being there.

Speaking of which, what is your availability for Friday night?

(kidding)

xxoo,

Sonja

A little door follow-up

2012-02-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

There was a bit if stain left over from our door job a few weeks ago so this morning I grabbed a rag and did a little touch up work on the trim. A previous pup or kitty had put a number of scratches in the door and frame. It wasn't a big deal as they weren't deep but replacing the trim entirely would be a costly option, as it would have to be specially milled. Plus it's mahogany so that drives up the price.

I forgot to take a "before" picture.

The scratches are still visible but perhaps aren't quite so obvious. Honestly, stuff like that is part of a house's character. One of the challenges we face as owners of an old house is updating the living spaces without destroying everything that makes the house unique. We don't always get it right but we're doing our best.

I just hope it looks good when we are finished!

Bringing Up Bebe

2012-02-27T12:08:00.001-08:00

My Dears,

You would have laughed at us today.

I'm reading a book called Bringing Up Bebe, by Pamela Druckerman, which my parents got for my birthday. Randomly, I posted an excerpt by her last week on this blog so I was thrilled to receive the entire book. A happy coincidence.

Anyway, the author was describing the sit down, four course lunches that are served everyday to France's public preschoolers. The thought of bambinos Benjamin's age sitting 'round a table waiting patiently for the cheese course to be served seemed wildly implausible. But that is essentially the point of the book: that teaching children limits biased on a framework (and then allowing great liberties within those set confines) is a great way for children to learn patience and adult rules but also foster independence in playing and learning. Evidently parents in France are devoted to this method of parenting. I was intrigued. And envious of parents that have their child placidly await the cheese course at restaurants! (full disclaimer: I can't really remember the last time I ate a meal with a cheese course. I will settle for a patient child during any moment of restaurant dining.)

I haven't yet finished the book but today we decided to have a "French preschool lunch". I don't speak a word of french and our menu was decidedly non-french (a crazy mix of what was available in the fridge) but it was a fun time nonetheless.

Here was our menu:

First course: avocado slices with a cheerio garnish

Second course: pita with hummus (this also became the fifth course as baby was still hungry and we were out of everything else)

Third course: wilted spinach with soy sauce

Fourth course: cheese! We are going to pretend we're French and that it was some lovely stinky cheese (and not the cheddar it really was)

Dessert course: strawberries (interestingly enough, those were not very popular. Perhaps this one isn't my child?)

And then back to the hummus and pita.

And that, my dears, was our "French lunch"!

So does that mean we can do something easy for dinner? I'm thinking cereal!

xxoo,

Sonja

Baby Book Update

2012-02-27T10:44:00.001-08:00

Update on the Book of Benjamin:

I believe I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was bummed out about a few things in Ben's baby book, specifically:

One of my favorite pictures had a blue line running through it,

and,

I wish I'd moved the text over a bit so it didn't get caught in the middle of the book crease, rendering it illegible.

I wrote MyPublisher a note, saying that overall I was exceptionally happy with the finished product, but that I was a bit disappointed about these two items. A short, friendly note, not snippy, and not demanding anything in return. Just a bit of customer feedback.

They apologized profusely and sent me a coupon for an entirely new version of the book.

Wow. I am beyond impressed. I made a few corrections and uploaded a new version last night. I am just thrilled with their commitment to their customers.

On another note: Why it's a good idea to wait for sales at MyPublisher:

Our book, in the jumbo size, with 100 color pages, a linen book case, a custom front, no logo, and shipping was about $110.

Which is a lot.

But considering that without the coupon it would have been $253...well, I'm pretty darn thrilled with the final product.

Fortunately for us, they have these sales pretty frequently. Hooray!

Ben in Bath

2012-02-24T10:59:00.001-08:00

This kid loves bath time.

Most of the time he refuses to get out, even when all the water has disappeared down the drain.

'I'm still playin' mumsy, I'm not ready to leave"

On a side note: please don't judge the color of my bathtub too harshly. It's a 90 year-old tub and he's a bit yellow 'round the edges. I'll probably be the same way if I ever make it to nine decades.

And, as usual, we're leaving my favorite picture for last.

xxoo,

Sonja

The Power of Awesome Women

2012-02-24T09:13:00.002-08:00

My Dears,

This week has been a reminder of how great the women in my life are. Truly.

Last Saturday I went walking in the Arboretum with a dear friend who I hadn't seen in far too long. We'd been trying to get together for several months and lousy weather and various colds/sicknesses/food poisonings had conspired to keep us apart. But ours is an easy friendship that starts right up again, no matter the length of time, and we happily discussed her upcoming marriage, her (amazing) healthcare work with pregnant women in Mexico and Africa, and our various upcoming travel plans.

Yesterday I got to catch up with my two mom buddies from Ben's preschool. We see each other weekly at school but yesterday afternoon was a relaxed opportunity to check in, compare notes, and marvel at the year gone by. Preschool is a fantastic, chaotic, loud experience: I love it, but there aren't many opportunities for quiet conversation.

And then last night I got together with some high school gal pals. Fifteen years, can you believe it? This is a fabulous group of talented women and I so enjoy hearing about their lives: new houses, babies, jobs... good and sad, but overall so great to spend time with such gals. Plus, the stories of one of them, a cop working undercover as a 'lady of the night' kept us in stitches the entire time.

In other news, last weekend I took a photography class. I'm probably not a better photographer because of it but now I have a better handle on the mechanics. Which hopefully, in the long run, will make me a bit handier with 'clickin' the camera'.

Yes, these are fuzzy. But I like the colors. So bear with me on the clarity issues. :)

We have a jam-packed weekend, including a visit with my mom's hair stylist. I haven't had my hair colored in almost six years but hey, I'm turning 31 today so I suppose I'm due a mini-mid-life crisis, right?!

What color, you ask?

Well, blue IS MY FAVORITE COLOR.

xxoo,

Sonja

(ha. kidding. No Katy Perry-copying for me. )

I'm ready for some good news. The wars are awful.

2012-02-22T18:28:00.001-08:00

Oh My Dears. I've been reading about the two journalists killed in Syria today and the whole situation, for everyone - the country, its people, the professionals covering the news - it just terrifyingly heartbreaking and unjust.

In reading the obit for Marie Colvin though, this quote stood out and has continued to haunt me all afternoon:

In her final dispatches she sought to alert the world to the tragedy unfolding in Homs telling the BBC yesterday: 'I watched a little baby die today - absolutely horrific, just a two-year-old been hit, they stripped it and found the shrapnel had gone into the left chest.

'The doctor just said "I can’t do anything". His little tummy just kept heaving until he died. That is happening over and over and over.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104711/Marie-Colvin-dead-Chilling-warning-days-killed-Homs.html#ixzz1nASQxztr

Ever since Ben was born, I find that I am especially affected by stories of children. Perhaps because I can picture the horror if something similar happened to my own wee babe?

Regardless of the reasoning, it makes me want to hold on to my loved ones and never let go.

He is clearly part fish

2012-02-21T14:46:00.001-08:00

The baby goes through food phases. First he was partial to yams, then cheese, smoothies, and hummus. Now the favorite food of the moment appears to be nori seaweed. He eats it by the sheet (dry) and its fun to consume as it makes a nice crinkly sound and requires some fancy finger skills to get it in the mouth.

If you miss, it'll end up stuck to your nose.

The Jam Labelizer

2012-02-21T10:35:00.004-08:00

Home Canning Peeps,

Have you stumbled across the funky, free Jam Labelizer yet?

Type in your jam details and then save the pdf or print them out directly. Presto! Personalized jam/jelly/condiment labels!

Homemade jam not your thing? Then be sure to check out the Beer Labelizer.

Baby Book Details [With journal, statistics, and interview questions]

2012-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

My Dears,

I've fielded a few questions about Ben's Baby Book, specifically about the details. I had so much fun putting it together and am happy to share the information we included in the final version.

Below is the general layout with links to specific questions that we used in the journal and interview sections. Let me know if you have trouble viewing/downloading the journal pages.

First a few details:

I made (and ordered) the book using MyPublisher. It requires a free software download but I found it exceptionally easy to use. Once you've completed your book, you upload it to their site and pay for it. It'll arrive at your door a week or two later.

We waited until they had a special going: 100 pages plus a free cover for $70. You can also get a standard-sized book for $40. Not a bad deal.

We added on a few extras: a book case ($15) and I decided to have them remove the MyPublisher logo from the back ($10). And of course you have to pay shipping ($10-ish). This was not a cheap book. BUT, you only have one baby book and I thought the quality was excellent - hopefully it'll be around for a long time.

Additionally, a friend loaned me this book: Your Birthday Book, A Keepsake Journal.

And another friend told me about these 20 interview questions.

We incorporated questions from both sources into our final book.

xxoo,

Sonja

The Book of Benjamin

Layout:

Cover: The Book of Benjamin

Inside leaf: This Book belongs to Benjamin Dorrance Jernstrom

Section 1: The Year in Photos

This section is divided into two subjections:

Monthly Photos (One photo from every month of Ben’s first year)
Weekly Photos (One photo from every week of Ben’s first year). Also included are some of holidays and some of his ‘firsts’: valentine’s day, first vacation picture, first food, 4th of july, first sick day, halloween costume, christmas, etc

Section 2: Baby Journal

A few sections are in here are:

Birth Journal (including heigh, weight, name, parents, coming home, world events/leaders, popular authors, movies, the Price of... etc) [You can find our list HERE]
Baby keepsakes pages (blank pages with room to paste in hospital bracelet, lock of hair, birth certificate, etc
Growth Chart (height, weights, head circumference, etc)
Stats (first smile, first bath, first cold, rolling, crawling, eating, walking, speaking, etc). Leave room for new ones, too: riding bike, doing a summersault, etc. [You can find our list HERE]
Baby Journal (optional): The first year I kept a journal of little tidbits that I thought were interesting: it’s mainly commentary on events (when he rolled off the bed, went in a pool for the first time), Ben’s personality (his first smile, how he’s not sleeping at night), and any other little thing that I didn’t think I’d remember if I didn’t write it down

Section3: Family Snapshots

This section is not the formalized photo montage that is found in Section 1. These are the family pictures of everyday life with Ben’s parents, grandparents, pets, etc. It's very casual. Pictures of his birth (appropriate ones), his first bath, celebrations of holidays and other events, first airplane ride. etc. It’s organized by season actually: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Section 4: The Birthday Book

This starts with his first birthday and ends with his 18th birthday. Each year has at least two pages and is organized in the following manner:

Birthday / Year in Review Page (includes a description of his party, who came, what kind of cake, etc) (Also includes a place to write in a description of his year, what he’s doing right now, who his buddies are, funny things he’s said etc). There is also a place for a few pictures [You can find our list HERE]
Interview Page (The questions change depending on the year but we always end with: “What do you want to be when you grow up” and then he signs it. [You can find our list of interview questions, starting at Year 3, HERE]
Keepsake Page (pictures from the year, his handprint, cards, artwork etc can be pasted in here)

Back cover: Another picture and a short message from his parents.

The Big Map Project

2012-02-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

Peeps, The Big Map Project (BMP) is up on the wall. Remember last time that it looked like this. Pictures to come shortly. In the meantime, we are in pinning mode:

Blue = Chris

Red = Sonja

Yellow = Chris + Sonja

Green = Chris, Sonja & Ben

Things were humming right along until we depleted my stash of sewing pins.

The point of this project isn't just to pin where we've been - that's just a small piece. In fact, from a distance of just a few feet, it's pretty much impossible to see the pins, as they blend in with the colors of the map.

No, the point, is to use it as a learning tool and a place for inspiration. A few nights ago when Chris and I put it up, we spent about 20 minutes looking it over. "Gee, I can't believe Kazakhstan is so damn big" and "MONGOLIA!!". And "Oh, so that's where the Straight of Hormuz is".

Definitely a learning tool.

But I won't lie: It's kinda cool to see where we've been - we have many fond memories associated with past trips.

And so many places left to explore...

Zoo

2012-02-17T16:04:00.001-08:00

Peeps,

We did a little zoo-ing today. It's wet and cold here in Sea-Town so we spent our time in the Amazon Jungle house. Hot and humid was just what the doctor ordered.

Speaking of big cats and little babies. Have you seen this video? It's hilarious. [Thanks Bob!].

Ben's Baby Book

2012-02-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

Blog Peeps!

[Warning: This is a super, duper long post]

I am so excited to show you Benjamin's baby book. Actually, it's not just a baby book. It's a baby book, journal, and birthday book. Let me explain. But first I'll show you the cover:

The title comes from a book that my friend Rebecca gave me on my 18th birthday. It's called The Book of Sonja. Here it is:

It actually started out as a gardening journal:

But then it became apparent that I was lousy at keeping a gardening journal and so for the last few years it has been home to the ever-expanding life list:

So that's where we got the Book of Benjamin title.

Frankly, it's a bit of a weighty title, but hey, it is his life's book so a hefty title is perhaps a good thing, yes?

Anyway, back to the book. [Perhaps it should be capitalized: The Book]:

First up: I splurged a bit in some areas and cut corners in others. I ordered it through MyPublisher. While I really like the Shutterfly photo albums for their pricing and sizes, I wanted something that was going to have lasting power. And that meant heavy duty paper, excellent printing quality, and a thick cover. We used MyPublisher for our wedding album back in 2006 and were pleased with the quality of the product.

Again, I am generally pleased with the finished product, with a few exceptions, which I'll explain later.

And here was one of my splurges: a linen book case. If Benjamin is anything like Chris and his siblings, this book is going to be put through the wringer [both my husband and Megan have told me that they spent a lot of time looking through their childhood albums]. Thus, a little extra protection was deemed to be useful.

A second splurge: The size of the book: 11x15. This thing is a beast. Here is a pencil for a size comparison:

We did save money by waiting until they were running an online special. We got 100 pages and a free printed cover.

Here is the inside cover:

This book has a few distinct 'chapters':

Pictures (with both his Monthly Pictures and Weekly Pictures)
Baby Journal (including descriptions of Ben's birth, who was born on his same birthday, current world events, growth statistics, a list of 'firsts', and most importantly, a running journal that I kept of the first year. An example: Today you pulled Bailey's ears. The Beast is currently hiding from you under the bed). There are also a few pages for baby keepsakes: first lock of hair, cards, hospital bracelet etc
More Pictures. The first picture section was devoted to his weekly pictures. This section is mostly candid shots: birth, first smile, first vacation, sailing on Lake Washington, spending time with family, etc
The Birthday Book (more about this later)

Here are a few pages from Chapter 1: The Year in Pictures (these are his monthly photos)

And a few of his weekly photos:

I tried to vary the formats. Some pages have only a single photo, others have significantly more. Fortunately, with a book measuring 15 inches long, even lots of photos on a page won't look too terribly cramped. But I'll admit, the photos with just one or two pictures tend to be my favorite.

I have a few regrets: I included a couple pictures that had been taken with the camera on my phone. Bad idea. The quality sucks. Live and learn.

Here is Chapter 2: The Baby Journal

About his birth:

Some of the information that we included:

Thanks to Alex for helping us fill these out! One of my favorite sections was "The Price of - a gallon milk, a loaf of bread, a postage stamp, our first house, etc"

World events:

We also included some pictures to go along with the text: first car ride, first walk, first bath, a picture of the nursery, etc

And these pages are where I'll past some of the baby keepsakes: hair, hospital bracelet, cards, etc.

Here is my second beef: Some of the text on the inside page is hard to read because it's too far to the left. That should say "Stats At A Glance", not "tats At A Glance". No good, peeps.

The Journal is something that kind of evolved organically. It's a google docs spreadsheet that I occasionally updated with little snippets and occurrences. It's varied: the time you rolled off the bed (bad), the time you gave us your first sloppy kisses (very sweet), to the mildly hilarious (the time we had to cut your onsie off because it was so soiled).

Surprisingly, a year's worth of little notes turned into several pages worth of information.

We also left room to fill in other happenings:

Chapter 3 is the real picture section. These aren't the posed photos that we saw earlier in the book. These include family, pets, vacations, etc. I kept the captions short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking.

Here is another beef: On the whole, the print quality is great. Except for this blue line running through this single (favorite) picture:

And here is the final section: The Book of Birthdays.

Many, many thanks to my friends Lindsay and Amy for providing the ideas and resources to compile this section.

The book doesn't stop with Ben turning one. This section is devoted to the next 17 years, specifically around the time of each birthday.

There is room to paste cards and pictures:

A description of the birthday, and the year in general:

And my most favorite part of the entire book: the interview section. I called it "Life According to Benjamin". Basically, we're going to sit down every year and conduct an interview. The subjects vary greatly in both complexity and content.

I think this is from his 4-year interview:

And a few more:

Obviously the questions change over time:

The last two parts are always the same though: What do you want to be when you grow up and then Ben will sign it (signature). Obviously the purpose of this isn't to hold him to a specific career path. Duh. I think he might get a kick out of seeing what his 5-year-old self wanted to be, though. You know: Professional Cheerio Eater, or something.

Amy lent me this fabulous book, which is the basis for this part of Ben's journal. [Thanks Amy!]

Here is the last page. It reads: "18 - You are officially an adult [Although your mama still thinks of you as her sweet little babe]

And the questions are a bit heavier:

This is the back cover. One of my very favorite pictures.

And that, my Dears, is the Book of Benjamin.

xxoo,

Sonja

I a-door you

2012-02-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

Oh god, that was awful. I'm sorry.

But in all seriousness, I do adore our new door. It was installed yesterday and it has already made such a huge difference. Take a peek:

Here was the problem: Our wee little house is old. Built in the 1920s. Our living room has a fair number of windows but no overhead lights. During the winter, it's pretty darn dark. The corner where the front door is was especially dim and guests coming into the house were met by hosts that they couldn't really see. I'm exaggerating a bit here but you get the point.

Here is how it looked originally (but picture it at night with no lights in the vicinity). That's the coat closet on the left and the front door on the right:

Also, the door opened to the right (as most doors do), which meant that folks coming through the door then had to walk around the open door to get into the living room. People tended to get bunched up in the corner, up against the coat closet. Not ideal.

Here is the original door from the outside:

The one massively cool thing about the old door was it had this little peek-a-boo hole for when you wanted to see who was outside without opening up the entire door:

Mostly we used it to scare the bejezus out of our guests. We're nice like that.

Ok, so we've established that it was time for a new door.

And here it is:

And a nifty in-progress photo:

Randomly, when the stoop was removed, we could see straight down into the basement. Freaky.

Here is the lovely outside. We decided to stain it with a clear stain as we really liked the natural color. But picture the trim around the outside to be dark. Obviously that part isn't done yet. And probably won't be until we get around to painting the house, in the summer.

But the best part about the new door is that it lets in additional light. Light = a very, very good thing. AND, it now opens directly into the living room!! No more awkward trundle-around-the-door maneuvers.

I am so thrilled with the new developments that I spent 20 minutes of Ben's precious nap time (aka my free time) staring that the beauty. It is that cool.

Bailey, on the other hand, was not amused that the central heat was turned off during the door installation. He tried to make friends with the space heater:

Oh you pansy SoCal pooch. Good thing we love you so much.

Recent Parenting Articles

2012-02-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

First, a big shout-out to my home state: Washington has signed a gay marriage bill into law. Well done, little WA, well done. I'm proud to be a member of this fine corner of the country. Let's hope that we continue forward down this path to equality.

[ok, stepping off my soapbox now]

Secondly, Chris sent me this article last week. It's called:

Why French Parents Are Superior

While Americans fret over modern parenthood, the French are raising happy, well-behaved children without all the anxiety. Pamela Druckerman on the Gallic secrets for avoiding tantrums, teaching patience and saying 'non' with authority.

It's an interesting read. Check it out here.

And one more parenting article, this one a compilation of research on moms that work and moms that are at home. I was pretty pleased with their findings, as I've long been a proponent of mothers finding a happy work/child-care balance that fits their lifestyle. A most excellent read.

The M.D.: What science says about working moms, and what the heart says

Studies show little difference among children of working or stay-at-home moms. And that holds true when the well-being of the moms themselves is studied.

Happy Monday, y'all!

[oh my god, I can't believe I just said y'all. Did I even spell it correctly?]

Mt. Rainier Trip 2012

2012-02-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

My Dears,

How was your weekend?! I hope it was great.

We took a quick mini-trip down to Mt. Rainier for the weekend. It started last Tuesday when I got an email from Chris.

"Let's go somewhere this weekend!"

I am married to a very meticulous, methodical man and when randomly he pops in with these crazy, spontaneous ideas...well, who am I to say no?!

Since Mt. St. Helens is closed for the winter, we settled upon Mt. Rainier. It's been ages since I've been there.

So we cast around on the web for a bit and found a tiny cabin for rent. It is located at the Copper Creek Inn, which also boasts a lovely restaurant. Score.

On a side note, I've found that I enjoy vacations much, much more if I'm not on cooking/cleaning/feeding-the-hordes duty. It's not an awful...I just would like a vacation from it, if possible. And isn't that why you go on holiday, to take a break from your day-to-day duties? :)

Anyway, back to the trip.

After Chris' class on Saturday morning we packed up the car and headed off to the mountain.

But first we stopped in Tacoma at the Museum of Glass as Chris has acquired a few tickets. By far our favorite part was the "Hot Shop", which gave live glass-blowing demonstrations. That place was hopping (and toasty warm).

Here is the Bambino casting a critical eye upon an outdoor exhibit:

Clearly it's not to his liking. Not enough color, perhaps?

After the museum, we moseyed east to our little cabin.

"Little" is the operative word here: A queen bed, a twin bunk, a small seat, a microwave, and a fridge. And enough room to set up Ben's little crib.

It was very cozy and just about perfect. The boys took a [very] quick tour of the facilities:

And then we strolled down to the restaurant for some dinner. The blackberry pie was delicious, as was the rest of the meal.

The next morning we got up at the crack of dawn, decided that was too early, and promptly went back to sleep for a while. We're on holiday, remember!

Later we did a bit of strolling through the woods around the cabin.

Baby likes the forest.

And then we packed up and headed uphill: To The Mountain!

Some dear friends loaned us some snowshoes and we took a nice little trek.

It took a bit to get used to having giant feet.

Chris was also carrying a 20+ pound weight in the form of one Benjamin Jernstrom.

I've said this before but I'll say it again: I love our national parks. Our $15 entrance fee granted us access for the week, miles and miles of trails that were itching to be explored, a free, ranger-staffed sledding area, a fabulous lodge, and the help of wonderful rangers. And we didn't even take advantage of the ranger-led snowshoe walks, or the informative lectures.

Mt. Rainier has had a rough year, Peeps, they could use your patronage.

Success! We made it!

And what a view. The headwaters of the Nisqually River. Technically I think there is a giant mountain hiding behind that fog. So not a perfect view. But hey, we're not picky.

We'll take our mountain views whenever they're available:

Afterwards, Ben had his first sledding experience:

It was popular.

Until I got into the sled with him and he remembered he was hungry.

Squirming baby + moving sled = not the best idea

What am I to you? A walking milk truck?!

Clearly.

Time to go back to the car and tank up on a late lunch.

Ben had his usual and Chris and I chowed down on what we call our "European lunch". Which basically consists of a baguette, split down the middle and piled high with cheese and salami. Add in a few apples and chocolate bars, and it's just about a perfect post-hike lunch.

The name comes from 2003 when we were freshly minted (and poor) college graduates. We took a backpacking trip around Europe for a few months, eating our "European picnic lunches" just about everyday. It was a long time before I could look a piece of salami in the face again.

Right. Back to Mt. Rainier:

Our little bambino is a trooper. I think he got a bit cold there at the end but managed to hold it together until we were back in the car. And then he took a marathon two hour nap. Which nicely coincided with our trip back home.

And that, My Dears, was our weekend. I think we're going to lay low this week as we've all seem to come down with something that involves lots of runny noses and coughs.

Now that we've got our snow play in, we're ready for some warm weather!

xxoo,

Sonja

PS: We rented our cabin through this site. Next up? I'd love to rent their train caboose located on a private beach on Puget Sound. Wouldn't that be fun, especially if you had a train-obsessed tyke?

Weekend at the Mountain

2012-02-12T16:49:00.001-08:00

Peeps,

We just back from a great weekend at Mount Rainier. We did a bit of sledding, some snowshoeing, and hung out in our tiny little log cabin. It was a blast.

Pictures to come shortly.

xxoo,

Sonja

A Creative Moose

2012-02-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

Peeps,

You have no doubt heard that this is a rough year to be a moose in Alaska. No? Well, let me fill you in.

Vast amounts of snow have fallen this year, making it difficult for moose to forage for food. You've probably tried walking through snow that is several feet high. It's exhausting. Moose are built just for this purpose: their long legs usually afford them the ability to step over drifts that would normally be too high for an animals with 'normally-sized gams'.

Except for this year. The snow fall has been relentless. My father-in-law can attest to this as he has been the one that gets to plow their long, long driveway.

When the snow is this high, the moose are confined to smaller areas. I read an article this week that said that moose normally consume small branches because nutrients in the bark are life-sustaining. When they've consumed the small stuff, they are forced to eat the larger branches, which have a higher wood to bark ratio. The wood doesn't do anything for them, nutritionally, and thus the animals can starve to death, with stomaches full of inedible/unhelpful wood.

Probably more information about moose than you wanted to know, yes?

Anyway, this particular animal discovered a way to reach those high, nutrient rich twigs.

Pay special attention to the object he's using as a step stool:

You know these guys are tall when they start using cars for a leg-up. Think it dented the vehicle much?

Photo: ADN

Wordless Wednesday - Baby in a Box

2012-02-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

Weekend Recap

2012-02-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

My Dears -

I can't believe this is Seattle. We have had weather that has been nothing short of spectacular. In February! On Saturday morning we took a very lazy stroll down to the park with my parents. We got in some good bird watching and swing time at the playground.

Frankly, Ben swung and the adults basked in the sun.

After a few projects around the house, Chris and I met up with Megan in UVillage for dinner and a UW basketball game. Ben snoozed at home with my parents.

It was a great day.

On Sunday we sprung out of bed and zipped up to Cafe Javasti, in Wedgewood. We've been trying to get out a bit more on the weekends. Last week we had breakfast at Top Pot Doughnuts and before that scones at Starbucks.

Did I ever show you the picture from Top Pot? It was Ben's birthday so he got to try out a doughnut. He was not impressed.

Anyway, back to Cafe Javasti.

They just did a nice remodel, doubling the size of the establishement. We got in before the church crowds and grabbed a nice corner location. And then we ate crepes.

Have you had their crepes? They're divine.

I recommend the strawberries and creme version. Very, very tasty.

After breakfast we headed downtown. We parked at Chris' building and moseyed west to the waterfront. A few months ago Groupon was running a Seattle Aquarium deal and we snapped up a few tickets. We needed to go make our acquaintance with the new baby sea otter.

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

They have an amazing touch-pool:

The Seattle aquarium isn't very gigantic - it's small enough that I was surprised by the $20 entrance fee - but the half-off groupon and the fact that Ben has a pretty short attention span made it a very worthwhile outing for our family.

Chris and the Bambino chilling outside.

A [slightly fuzzy] hermit crab:

The baby likes salmon. Both alive and on his dinner plate. It must be because he's half Alaskan. ;)

I joke.

The Seattle Aquarium does exactly what we used to do at the Alaska Zoo: freeze [dead] fish in big blocks of ice and then throw them into the seal exhibit. It's a tasty fish popsicle and provides the animals with a bit of entertainment.

Welcome baby sea otter!! You are one giant ball of fluff. I couldn't tell which end was up.

And that, my dears, was our visit to the aquarium.

After that we headed over to Megan's for a little superbowl watching. And eating. I wasn't too terribly impressed by the Madonna halftime show although I seem to be in the minority on that one. Too many themes, too many songs mashed together. Plus I'm not a huge Ce-lo/MIA fan. Oh well. Maybe next year will be better.

Ben has his one year doctor appointment on Monday and so we're laying low this week. The immunizations looked like they hurt and he's still sore today. He clocked in at a bit over 21 pounds and has 8+ teeth. Given that he's been practicing his nips on any object that he can get his chompers around (including fingers, noses, and other body parts that nursing mothers have), I was aware that he was well situated in the teeth department.

Hope you guys had a great weekend.

xxoo,

Sonja

The Ben Cam

2012-02-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

My Dears,

Sorry for not blogging much lately. The last few days I've been trying to get Ben's baby book finished. There is currently a great deal going on at MyPublisher and I want to get the book submitted before it ends. $35 for 100 pages, plus a free photo cover. Not too shabby.

It's not quite done yet as I have some captions and some photo fiddling left to do but the bulk of the work is completed.

I'm still waffling over the cover photo. Here is what we have currently:

Also, is this a photo you would put in a baby book? [The un-annotated version?]

I think it's hilarious. Think of what a kick his wife and kids will get out of it some day. But...I'm not sure.

Yes?

No?

In other news, our friends bought a live-feed camera that they set up in their son's room to see how his naps were going. We were over there a few months ago and were completely captivated. The nice thing about this particular version is that it's technically a security camera (not a baby monitor) so we don't have the drag around the bulky monitor. Instead we can get the feed on any phone or computer device. Chris could get it on his work computer if he wanted to.

We bought one a while back and I have found myself glued to the screen. I swear, this thing is addicting.

We've dubbed it The Ben Cam.

It's been enlightening, too. Just when I think my child is snoozing away, I peek on the camera to find that he is:

Practicing gymnastics (toe grabbing):

Catching up on a bit o' reading:

Chewing his cud (or, in this case, chewing on a toy):

And frankly, I'm not sure what is going on here:

Clearly, he's doing everything except sleeping.

What a hoot.

The Goal

2012-01-31T15:15:00.001-08:00

Bailey Doll

2012-01-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

My Dears -

I am so excited to show you this birthday present that Ben got from my friend Colleen.

It's a Bailey Doll!!!

Our sweet pup has been immortalized forever! It's totally custom: she does them based off of pictures of your pet.

She even got Bailey's grey chin hairs! He's perfect - from the tip of his nose all the way down to his otter tail. His legs are wired so he's 'pose-able'. He has sweet button eyes and a blue collar with a fancy bell.

And a surprise ear lining. Which is perfect, especially as our dog is all black. It adds a necessary bit of pep, don't you think?

Grey whiskers!

Benjamin has a new favorite toy.

He especially loves fiddling with Bailey's collar (in real life and on the doll version)

But I've left the best part for last.

Our Bailey doll came with accessories! [really, those are half the fun!]

My Dears, you know that we love to dress the Beast up for Halloween, for Christmas, and for New Year's.

Thus, longtime readers will instantly recognize the following photos (along with Bailey doll's coordinating accessories):

This was Halloween a few years ago:

This was his birthday photo from two years ago:

And you know about our obsession with Santa Hats!!!

I just about died from hysterical laughter when I opened up the box and spied the hats and collar collection. Colleen, we are in such awe of your creatively and talent.

Thank you.

These would be such amazing gifts for pet owners. Especially those that have recently lost a beloved friend. Or for people like me that are nuts for their dogs.

I can think of so many people that need a custom pet softie.

And what about cats? Or people? Colleen, you are totally onto something here.

So Peeps! Get your own [insert pet's name HERE] doll!

Colleen's website on etsy shop FreakedOut'nSmall, can be found here. Check out Bailey's listing for prices and specifics.

And Colleen also has a blog where she posts lots o' crafty things. It can be found here.

Thank you Colleen, you are amazing.

xxoo,

Sonja

Adventures with Cloth Diapers

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Blog Peeps -

You probably know that we gave up cloth diapers when Benjamin was six months old but my friend Megan has stuck with it and just wrote a nice little summary of her experiences and recommendations.

It can be found here.

Definitely a great resource if you're considering the cloth diaper route.

And another resource is my pal Amanda down in Oklahoma and her site Fluffy Bums for Dum Dums. She found a few brands that she loved - and that worked well for both her kiddos.

Dorrance Family Scrolls - Now Online and Available for Download

2012-01-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,

You might remember a while back that I wrote several blog posts (here and here) about scrolls that detail the history of my father's family back to 1719 - the time when the first Dorrance arrived in (what is now) the United States.

The hard copies that we own are old and in poor condition and I'd been searching for a while for versions of the scrolls that were in a digital format.

By happy coincidence I came in contact with a Dorrance family member here in Seattle that was interested in digitizing his copies of the scrolls - no mean feat, considering that all together they're probably 50 feet in length.

My job was to set up the website and make the digital versions available to Dorrance researchers (and anyone else).

And at long last, the scrolls are online:

Here is the site link:

http://dorrancescrolls.blogspot.com/

I have so enjoyed this project: the collaboration, the research, and the sense of accomplishment that accompanies seeing a project like this come to fruition. Already several far flung Dorrance family members have downloaded the files for use in tracing their family history and we've been in contact with Dorrances in the United States, Canada, and Scotland. Versions have also been sent to ancestry databases.

What a trip.

Best,

Sonja