Penny's Bark

Oliver's first fish

2015-08-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend Nick took the boys on their first male-only camping trip (plus Penny!). He has taken each boy individually for a night, but this is the first time the all went together. On Saturday afternoon they went fishing and Oliver finally caught his first fish! He had been waiting all summer for this moment. They cleaned it up and ate it for dinner that night. Here are Nick's photos from the trip:

Happy Easter 2015

2015-04-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

The kids had a fun Easter weekend! They dyed eggs Friday night (a dozen each)! Saturday morning we went to the annual egg hunt at the community center which lasts about 10 seconds with all the kids. Elliott only got one egg and Oliver, three, but they still had fun regardless. Afterwards they went to Home Depot for the monthly kids' workshop only to find that they also had eggs hidden around the store. By the time they arrived all of the eggs had been found except for the big golden one. They happened to be near a lady who found it and gave it to the boys. They turned it in for a huge prize of tools and got their picture taken. On Easter they hopped out of bed early and raced downstairs to look in their baskets. Jim and Cynthia came over to visit and watch the boys hunt for eggs later in the morning. We finished off the day with a trip to the beach, which everyone enjoyed!

Egg dying:

Sweet cards from Binny & Grampy:

Note left by Oliver to the Easter Bunny, along with a carrot that he tried to turn into a bunny:

Easter baskets!

Community center egg hunt:

Our egg hunt this morning:

Beach!

Video clips from this morning:

boys on a slide

2015-03-29T23:59:00.001-07:00

Spring is here! The boys are loving the sunshine and playing outside. For some reason they thought sliding in their underwear was a good idea :)

construction site

2015-02-28T23:17:00.003-08:00

I'm back :) I have so many things to post, but not nearly enough time!

I don't know what it is about dirt and little boys, but the two are nearly inseparable in our household. We had a little spot in our grass that hadn't quite filled in yet, and now I know that it probably never will. As soon as it started to feel like spring (in February!), the boys were out with their diggers, shovels, and other tools. The little grass-less mound was soon flattened and every trace of grass growing on it was gone. These boys sat out here for two days straight, working on their site. I'm not exactly sure what they were doing for two days, but they enjoyed themselves! Nick even rigged up a spotlight for them at night so they could continue to work after dinner.

It was also a great time to snap some photos of them since they were occupied in one spot with some decent lighting.

Elliott's first real violin

2014-12-31T23:42:00.002-08:00

Elliott received a real violin for his birthday from Great Binny and Grampy. Here he is playing it for the first time (he has actually gotten much better since):

Soundbridge

2014-12-31T23:40:00.001-08:00

Here are some clips of the boys playing violins at Elliott's 3rd birthday party at Soundbridge. I'm glad none of the other guests were that interested in the violins because my boys pretty much hogged them the whole time. I think they put them down just once to eat.

synchronized snorkeling

2014-12-31T23:31:00.000-08:00

One of Oliver's favorite thing to do in swim lessons is snorkel, and he's gotten pretty good at convincing the instructors to let him try it quite often. The boys have moved on to semi-private lessons together, which have been going great since they love being in the water together. Here they are snorkeling together!

Elliott's first violin

2014-12-31T23:15:00.001-08:00

On the morning of his birthday, Elliott received the first of three, yes three, violins that he received as presents. This kid seriously loves violins. This first one was just a stuffed violin and I wasn't sure how much he would be into it, but he loved it!

don't bump the gump

2014-12-31T23:05:00.001-08:00

Playing catch up again. Here's a cute video from November of Elliott singing "don't bump the gump", taken from a poem by Shel Silverstein.

Christmas 2014

2014-12-28T16:58:00.001-08:00

We had a lot of fun this Christmas! Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Nick took the boys to Costco after dropping Uncle Evan and Kelsey off at the airport. Oliver picked out these flowers as a Christmas present for me :)

We made and decorated gingerbread cookies. Elliott decorated two, one that he put his entire bowl of frosting on, and the other that he dumped his bowl of sprinkles on :)

We also made reindeer food of oats and glitter to sprinkle on the front lawn for the reindeer to eat when they arrive with Santa.

We walked up to Olympic Manor to look at all the Christmas lights. This was the candy cane house.

We ended the night watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the original 60's version) and drinking hot chocolate in Santa mugs.

And leaving a snack of fruit and gingerbread cookies for Santa.

The kids were up early (6ish) on Christmas morning and we let them open their stockings as soon as we made it downstairs. Oliver was eager to try his candy cane.

And they both loved their stocking toppers, the Abominable Snow Monster for Elliott and Olaf from Frozen for Oliver. Penny also enjoyed a few presents!

Jim and Cynthia came over later for brunch and more presents. Oliver received a 1/8 size violin from Santa and he and Elliott gave a concert for everyone.

After (early) naps, we headed down to the beach at Golden Gardens to get some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful day.

And we took a few selfies :)

family photo including Penny!

For dinner we went over to our friend's house and took this picture by their tree. It was a wonderful day!

2014 ornaments

2014-12-28T15:24:00.001-08:00

Last year we started a tradition of letting the boys pick out a new ornament each year. I plan to give them the ornaments when they are adults and have their own trees. Here are this year's selections:

Elliott chose another train ornament, three engines from Chuggington.

Oliver chose a little glass Santa.

Santa 2014

2014-12-27T19:04:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we made our annual Santa visit to see Santa Lance at University Village with Gramma. The boys both sat on Santa's lap together for the first time (without me) this year and we got this wonderful photo.

Merry Christmas!

2014-12-25T13:00:00.001-08:00

Hope your day is Merry & Bright!

Elliott's 2014 maple tree picture

2014-12-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here's what this three year old looks like next to his maple tree! I love that he is wearing his birthday shirt from Gramma in all of the photos (except the first).

Thanksgiving weekend, 2014

2014-12-12T23:22:00.001-08:00

I've been having a bit of trouble keeping up with this blog lately! Here are some fun happenings from our Thanksgiving weekend this year:

For the entire month of November, Oliver spent a lot of time making turkeys.

The night before Thanksgiving I unexpectedly got my first bar muscle-up! I was pretty excited since it took me months to get my ring muscle-ups.

The most exciting thing that happened this weekend is that on Thanksgiving morning, this little guy learned how to ride a pedal bike, all by himself! He's just a few weeks shy of turning three here.

At that same time, big brother Oliver discovered bike jumps.

Here we are, all dressed up and ready for dinner at Jim and Cynthia's house. Oliver is dressed "so fancy" according to him. This kid can pick out the best outfits. We got off pretty easy, cooking-wise, bringing Brussels sprouts and chocolate chip cookies.

The next day I took the boys to Whole Foods to pick up a Christmas tree on sale for black Friday. Besides, with Oliver in this house, we can't wait a second after Thanksgiving ends to start getting ready for Christmas. This kid lives for Christmas. Not a bad looking tree!

And the next day it was decorated. The boys did a lovely job of hanging them all in the front and lower 2/3 of the tree.

Of course we had to rush to get it decorated so the trains, the most important part of Christmas, could be set up. Who doesn't want three train tracks around their tree?

The outside lights are always one of my favorite things this time of year. It makes my evening walks with Penny so much more enjoyable!

And to make the weekend even better, just a few hours after we picked up our Christmas tree, it snowed! And it was cold enough in Seattle to keep the snow on the ground for nearly a week.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elliott!

2014-12-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

This amazing and clever little man is three today! He had the perfect day for him, encompassing his three greatest loves: violins, trains, and the color green! He started the day by opening his first present, a stuffed violin. He played with it non-stop until we left for his birthday party at Soundbridge, which is basically a part of the Seattle Symphony that has a room full of real musical instruments for kids to play. Because of Elliott's violin obsession, we thought this would be the perfect place. We were joined by grandparents and a a few close friends. For the nearly two hours we were there, Elliott put the tiny 1/16th size violin down for maybe five minutes total (once to try out a cello very briefly, and then again later to eat a few sweet potato chips and a cupcake). I was amazed at how well he handled the tiny instrument. He has had very little practice with a real instrument and he played it like a pro (for a 3-year old)! He and Oliver played together the entire time, giving concerts and marching around the place. It was adorable! The boys were also decked out in their matching violin shirts made by Gramma.

After the party, Bapa took the boys to the train store, one of their favorite places, where he picked out a red caboose. After food and a nap, he opened the rest of his presents, mostly involving trains or violins in some form. More singing and sweet treats followed, and the result was a very happy and very tired little boy.

Happy birthday sweet Elliott! We love you more than you'll ever know.

So happy to be 3!

opening the first present

playing "his" 1/16th size violin

brothers

apparently he tried out the cello, but I never saw it happen.

Nick liked the drums

he holds his instrument like a pro!

big brother

about to play a piece from memory, hence the eyes being shut

giving the concert in front of all their friends

cupcake time!

Add caption

I made these musical treats to go along with the cupcakes (mint patties and chocolate dipped shortbread)

a second cupcake this evening!

Happy Halloween 2014

2014-11-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights from our Halloween this year. The kids had the best Rudolph costumes ever, made of course by my mom. I found a deer cloak for me and a Rudolph hat with blinking nose for Nick so the whole family participated in the Christmas theme once again (last year Olive was Santa and the rest of us, elves). We even managed to borrow a red wagon for the boys to use as their sleigh while trick or treating. Oliver ended up pulling Elliott and a neighbor boy around in it.

The boys enjoyed wearing their costumes to school and as usual I made an assortment of healthy Halloween treats for us to enjoy. After the kids go to bed on Halloween night, the Switch Witch comes and turns their candy into a little toy for each of them. Win-win for everyone!

Here are the costumes:

On their way to school:

Trick-or-treating:

the Rudolph family!

And a few treats:

mummy apple and a chocolate dipped apricot spider for lunch

Peppermint patty dentures! I found this very simple and very delicious recipe for peppermint patties and they worked really well in these teeth molds. I also made pumpkin shaped ones.

Thinking of you, Grampy :)

pumpkin carving, 2014

2014-10-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of pumpkin carving last Sunday. The boys had a blast, as usual, and Penny participated more than I thought she would. She was busy licking pumpkins and eating stray seeds. In addition to our carved pumpkins, I spray painted one teal in honor of food allergy awareness. They are starting a new campaign to get people to display teal pumpkin if they have non food treats to hand out, which we always do!

The holidays are going to be so much fun for Elliott this year. He doesn't remember much, if anything, from these activities last year, so everything seems new to him, probably for the last year.

she's definitely in charge

video interview with a five year old - Oliver

2014-10-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

Here is Oliver's annual video interview. He was in a bit of a silly mood on the morning of his birthday! You can view last year's video here and his 3-year old video here.

Here are the questions:
What is your name

What is your last name

What color are your eyes

Tell me the best thing about you

What did you dream about last night

Who is your best friend

What is your favorite toy

What does Daddy always say

What does Mommy always say

What do you love to eat

What is in the sky

Can you tell me a secret

Can you sing a song

Where do you live

Can you dance

How old is Mommy

How old is Daddy

Where does Daddy work

Where does Mommy work

What is something that makes you happy

Can you show me a sad face

What kind of car do you want to drive when you are older

Who is your favorite superhero

What do you want to be when you grow up

Oliver's trip around the sun

2014-10-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

At Oliver's preschool each child gets to have a special day once a year, which usually falls near their birthday. For their special day they get to walk around a sun, while holding an earth, passing the twelve months until they land on their birthday month each round. Each round represents a year that the child turns, starting at 0, going until their current age. At each age, the teacher holds up a photo of the child and reads a brief description. Oliver was so excited for his special day this week, and this year Oliver picked out the photos himself. I found it interesting to see his choices.

At the end of class, they child gets to select a book to be read to the class and also gets to bring something special for show and tell. Oliver chose a scrapbook that he and my mom recently put together of all of his sewing projects. It was adorable to watch him flip through the pages, pausing in front of each group of kids sitting in the circle. He is so proud of his book!

walking around the sun

sharing his sewing book

Here's a short clip of his walk around the sun! (I wish I had recorded the whole thing)

Finally, in order, here are the pictures Oliver picked out to share with his class:

pumpkin patch, 2014

2014-10-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

We took our annual trip to Bob's Corn Farm and Pumpkin Patch last Sunday to finish off Oliver's birthday weekend. This was our fourth year! The weather was warm and the boys had a blast. Elliott was so excited that he was running for any pumpkin in sight. They rode the cow train by themselves for the first time and Oliver surprised us by being able to push the full size wheelbarrow by himself. They are now waiting anxiously for next weekend to come so they can carve the pumpkins we picked out.

Oliver's maple tree 2014

2014-10-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the annual maple tree photo! The collage in in order counter clockwise, starting with Oliver at about 10 days old. The center picture was taken today. What a good looking tree and young man!

climbing party

2014-10-13T15:21:00.001-07:00

For Oliver's birthday party (with friends) this year he decided that he wanted to go rock climbing with his best friend and neighbor, Charley, and Elliott. I couldn't say no to this low key party idea :) He selected the snacks and the kids fueled up before heading down to the ropes. They climbed for a bit together, hit the bouldering wall and then finished up with brownies and presents. It was the perfect party for Oliver and you can see how happy he is in the pictures (and how much he adores Charley). This was the last of three days of celebrating his 5th birthday. He was one partied out boy by the end of the weekend.

my favorite picture from the party!

Oliver is 5!

2014-10-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

I still cannot believe that my oldest son turned five this past Thursday. He has officially hit big kid status, which is crazy! He has grown into such a lovely and amazing, handsome young man. This birthday was especially fun because it was there first one where he called all the shots. Every part of the day, and his party, was planned by him! His birthday started off with a lazy morning at home (Gramma is also here for his birthday week). He then went to preschool sporting a bright red party hat, which he wore for two days straight (you've got to love 5-year olds!). After school he had a fun-filled evening that included rock climbing, dinner at his favorite restaurant, Uneeda Burger, and birthday pumpkin pie and presents at our house. Jim and Cynthia joined us for the evening. The next afternoon my dad arrived for another birthday celebration! And finally, today was his birthday party with his best friend Charley and brother Elliott. The three of them went rock climbed and ate brownies together. Here are pictures from his birthday, party pictures and videos to come.

birthday morning, first present

and the red party hat is on!

this is how he went dressed to school, looking pretty happy!

new rock climbing shoes from Great Binny and Grampy!

so very excited

Elliott decides his hat makes a better beak :)

rock climbing in the evening to celebrate

notice the red party hat and new birthday harness and shoes

first time climbing to the top of the wall, 5-year olds are amazing!

pretty proud

high fives all around

opening presents at night

celebrating with some of his favorite people

bike jerseys for everyone!

birthday pumpkin pie

building a shed

2014-10-04T10:35:00.003-07:00

Nick and the boys started building our shed two weeks ago. This is something that Nick has been wanting to do for a long time and now that the new fence and retaining wall are completed, he has begun. Oliver loves building it so much that he has been asking to build another as soon as this one is finished.

This is what it looked like when they started.

Here it is a week later:

At the start of this weekend it looks like this:

The boys use it more like a playhouse. For them it's a secret secret fort where they can't be easily supervised because of the tarp and lack of windows. Here is is their train (Oliver has gotten really good at using a hammer):
And here they are painting the walls: