This is the longest we’ve gone between blog postings. Too long. Everyone is doing fine. But time has been hard to find!
We’ve been in this tiny old NE Portland home since 2001. We’ve remodeled every corner, put three coats of paint on some walls, and accepted the fact that we, our kids, and our pets have all made our mark in terms of wear and tear on the building. After ten years, we’re itching to change things a bit. We’ve starting fixing and boxing and storing with the intent to sell this place soon. We just finished putting down new hardwood floors (thanks to help from Dad and my brothers!). We’ve added new paint here and there. It’s coming together, just never as quickly as we wish it would. Just as I wrote this, Zaeda took a heavy wooden toy and chucked it at the new floor, leaving a dent in the finish. Such is life. But we need to get out of here before we destroy the place. We don’t know where we’ll settle yet – but certainly someplace in the Portland Metro area. With our bit of spare time on the weekends, we try to get out and get to know some neighborhoods and school districts.
Underpants + socks + head = dog costume (O's idea)Oliver is quite the clown these days. He’s very into discussing bodily functions and slapping his rear end. We’ve had to institute rules about the words “toot” and “fart” at the dinner table. He forgets a lot.
He’s been attending soccer classes at Portland Indoor soccer. If you were to ask what they do from someone who can only sits watching from the sideline, you’d think they just ran back and forth across the field booting the ball as hard and as often as they could. But Oliver tells me they are following rules and learning soccer skills. He seems to really enjoy it.
Oliver quotes (kinda Family Circus, I know)
(looking at the sky) “Hey look! A school of geese! But I can’t figure out which one is the teacher.”
On the question of what boobies are (as a follow-up to the difference between buoys and boobies – because he is the expert on both.) “Boobies are dots. Boys have dots. Daddy and I have dots. Mommy has bumps and dots.”
“Can I please watch [Wonder Pets, Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, etc.]” (We never wanted to be the kind of family that watches too much TV. Can I blame the lousy weather?)
The magical day a mustache kit and other goodies arrived from Mimi and Grandpa
Zaeda Quotes
“Tae-too (thank you), Mommy!” -- she’s in a phase where she issues a very clear and polite thank you to anyone who gives her something. It’s terribly sweet and cute, but it won’t last.
“Funny” as in “Ducky funny” when saw a duck on a cartoon.
“All-ver” (her brother)
And many many others. She is stringing multiple words together. She’s even singing the ABC song.
It snowed lightly for about two days. Portland crippled.
Daddy wrestle time, our family sport
Superheroes (obviously!)
Random posing in hats
A birthday party for one of Oliver's classmates
He’s been attending soccer classes at Portland Indoor soccer. If you were to ask what they do from someone who can only sits watching from the sideline, you’d think they just ran back and forth across the field booting the ball as hard and as often as they could. But Oliver tells me they are following rules and learning soccer skills. He seems to really enjoy it.
Oliver quotes (kinda Family Circus, I know)
(looking at the sky) “Hey look! A school of geese! But I can’t figure out which one is the teacher.”
On the question of what boobies are (as a follow-up to the difference between buoys and boobies – because he is the expert on both.) “Boobies are dots. Boys have dots. Daddy and I have dots. Mommy has bumps and dots.”
“Can I please watch [Wonder Pets, Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, etc.]” (We never wanted to be the kind of family that watches too much TV. Can I blame the lousy weather?)
The magical day a mustache kit and other goodies arrived from Mimi and Grandpa
Zaeda Quotes
“Tae-too (thank you), Mommy!” -- she’s in a phase where she issues a very clear and polite thank you to anyone who gives her something. It’s terribly sweet and cute, but it won’t last.
“Funny” as in “Ducky funny” when saw a duck on a cartoon.
“All-ver” (her brother)
And many many others. She is stringing multiple words together. She’s even singing the ABC song.
It snowed lightly for about two days. Portland crippled.
Daddy wrestle time, our family sport
Superheroes (obviously!)
Random posing in hats
A birthday party for one of Oliver's classmatesLast week was a multiple disaster in Japan, first an earthquake, then a tsunami, and finally problems at damaged nuclear reactors. The hardest hit area was about 100 miles north of where Jenny and I lived from 1996 – 1998. Even where we were, people are dealing with severe problems now. Some friends have contacted us to let know they’re ok. There are many people we knew near the tsunami-ravaged coast with whom we just haven’t stayed in touch. Seeing the news there is heartbreaking.
