One question answered

Often while I am out driving I will see one shoe laying on the road. This leads me to the question of how does someone lose just one shoe? I have wondered this for years as I am driving and see yet another shoe on the road.

Today my lovely husband answered the question for me without saying a word. We packed the boys (he loaded B, I loaded C) into the truck to head to Costco to pick up the things we need in large quantities (wipes, dog food, cat litter and Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches). We drove the 15 minutes to get there, getting on the interstate, crossing the river and back off the interstate finally arriving at Costco. While unloading the boys, my lovely husband asks where are B's shoes? My lovely husband had them coming out of the house so I guessed he knew where the were. We both looked at the back of the truck (yes, outside the truck) and saw just one shoe. Apparently my lovely husband forgot that shoes are not meant to ride on the back of the truck where they can so easily fall off while diving at high rates of speed and making many turns.

If you are driving anywhere between my house and Costco and see a size 8 toddler boys green sandal on the road, do me a favor and pick it up. Yes, we did return the same route we went but were unable to find the poor lost shoe. Did I mention I loved those shoes because B had not yet figured how to get them off in the car? And did I mention my lovely husband.....?

So next time you see a single shoe on the road you will know a possible way how it got there.

Off and running

I knew this day would come, but I was hoping it would be later rather than sooner. Colby is full on walking now. He is so proud of himself to get up and go. He only resorts back to crawling when he needs to get somewhere really quick, like away from his brother. He has also learned how to climb up onto the couch and chairs - great.

Now fear is setting in on both of these boys keeping me running and trying to catch them when they fall.

Happy 1st Birthday!

It is so hard to believe that Colby is already 1. He turned 1 on the 1st of September, boy has time gone so fast this last year. I remember last year so clearly when he was born, it seems like yesterday.

We celebrated by visiting the zoo early in the day and then a quiet family party after Dad got home from work. Of course B had to help open all of the presents and break them in for C. Isn't that what big brothers are for? Colby also enjoyed his first cake, I am not sure who got more - Colby or Dexter. It made some great pictures though.

Happy Birthday little man.

Toilets and dog dishes

Someone tell me what is so interesting and fun about toilets and dog water dishes?

Colby can now reach into the toilet and loves to every chance he can. If someone leaves the bathroom door open he has found his entertainment until busted by me.

And the dog water dish, why is it so fun to try and drink out of it? That is a favorite of both boys.

Just if I could get them to love a bath - it's just water right?

Funeral or wedding?

We should not have to choose between one or the other.

The Funeral - On Tuesday my step grandpa passed away. Not to sound mean, but it was a good thing. He had been in a lot of pain for quite some time and finally he lost his battle with the cancer that had consumed his body. He will be missed, but as we all know he is in a better place.

The Wedding - My cousin is renewing her vows (they were married earlier this summer in South Carolina) and having a reception over Labor Day weekend. The relationship I have with her means a lot to me and I would love to support her on her big day.

So the choice for me, do I attend the funeral or the upcoming wedding of my cousin? You may wonder why not both? Well they are both in North Dakota - not an easy trip from anywhere except maybe South Dakota. Flying from here to Fargo is an adventure.

My decision - I decided on the wedding. There were multiple reasons, cost being a huge factor, try getting a plane ticket to Fargo at the last minute - a small car is cheaper. Also, I figure I will have plenty of time to spend with my Grandma while I am at the wedding. I hope she will enjoy that.

Why should we have to choose between the two? I guess we do the best we can.

Family Hike

Two weekends ago the four of us went to a place called Skamania (resort type destination) for an overnight stay. It was really a work function (golf) for Jamie. I was invited to dinner though, yippie! The boys had a babysitter in the room (daughter and son of Jamie's coworker). I was a bit nervous about this since they do not have many babysitters, but we were 2 minutes away, so I felt a bit calmer - and the window did not open so I knew they could not fall out! Anyway that has nothing to do with the hike.

So the hike, Jamie thought it would be a GREAT idea to stop on the drive home at a place called Beacon Rock for a little hike to the top. I should have known better when we pulled in and it looked straight up and there were rock climbers (the kind with ropes and stuff) coming down the trail. But I felt a bit better when we passed some 50-60 year olds and they said it takes about an hour round trip, not too bad. We were off. I had Colby strapped on my back and Jamie was holding Brady's hand. Not fair right, well we both knew B would only make it a while and want to be carried, Jamie's job. So we followed the path, climbed, climbed and climbed some more. The path itself was okay until we got to the suspended bridges over nothing, straight down. I used to be great with heights, but I have turned into my mother and freeze when it comes to any sort of heights. I crossed the bridges, not looking down but feeling as though I was about to tip over. Under my breath, I was swearing Jamie's name most of the way for thinking this was such a great idea. And for those who don't know Jamie, everything is a competition. So no way was anyone going to pass us going up the trail, he was cruising up, no leisurely hikes for us. Finally we made it to the top, it took us about 35 minutes.

Now I know I am not in great shape, but this hike kicked my butt. I was not sure I was going to recover, let alone ever breath normally again. We are at the top for a total of 5 minutes and Jamie says "let's go". Are you serious??????? Back down we went. The hike was a total of 2.5 miles, an 800 foot elevation gain and we did it in just over an hour, the 50-60 year olds beat us. But we were hiking with a toddler too. Oh yes, and Colby he slept on my back the whole way. Some day I hope to get paid back for all of this!

It is HOT!

I am not sure who is still checking my blog, but we will give it another shot at posting. Sorry!

As the title says, it is HOT, HOT, HOT here. We live in the Pacific Northwest, we are suppose to have nice mild summers. Well someone forgot that this year. We have been at or above 100 degrees since Sunday. Today we are suppose to be at an all time high of 107 - yes I said 107 - we are not in Arizona! We do not even cool down that much at night, last night the cool temp was 76.

Right now I am thankful for air conditioning and our pool. We have been in the pool daily for the last 2 weeks and I am sure that will not change at least through the weekend. Finally we are getting some use out of it. Well I guess I mean I am getting some use out of it because it is warm. Jamie seems to think everyone likes 65 degree pool water. Me, I like more around 85.

Stay cool.