Onward...

Ok. So I guess I couldn't keep that glowing review of me up there INDEFINITELY for all the interwebs to see. But it was nice while it lasted.

Time now for some catching up though:

What an amazing camping trip we had with Noah! Amazing that our tent didn't leak more than it did, and amazing that Noah seemed oblivious to the fact that you aren't supposed to have fun when you're camping in the rain. Pictorial proof from our short trip to South Whidbey State Park bears conclusive witness:


There he is, cheerfully eating carrots while his Mom and Dad made glib observations like "Wow, look at the size of that SLUG!!"

Thankfully, the rain did stop for a bit...and we got a chance to look around. It really is a nice campground, and we all found ourselves enjoying the overall experience. And the sun DID come out finally --I kid you not--as we were loading our final bags into the Subaru for the trip home. Noah was looking forward to the ride on the ferry but this happened:


He slept through the ride, woke up as we were driving through Edmonds and demanded, sleepily, when we were going to get on the ferry. When we explained what happened, he didn't believe us at first, and then burst into tears that were, thankfully, short-lived.

Jon and Krista's must-have list for camping with a 3-year old in rainy weather:
1. Mostly waterproof tent
2. Marshmallows

We call them "the two essentials."

Top Ten Reasons I Love Jon (or Happy Birthday to Jon!)

Well, it's Jon's birthday. I wanted to mark the occasion of his 35th year with something special, but I can't really think of anything except this. So here goes--

Top Ten Reasons I Love Jon!

10. Reading is second nature to him . . . and he likes to discuss what he reads

9. He can pull a pretty good latte . . . or an aeropress . . . or even drip

8. He has my sense of humor (so we get to watch Wipeout, MST3K, Psych, and other stuff together)

7. He makes pancakes on Saturday mornings so I can sleep in

6. He likes to play outside

5. He can fix just about anything

4. He has a great singing voice and can play the guitar pretty well

3. The man can cook!

2. He's a pretty fun dad for Noah

1. Because he's my best friend!

The Quotable Noah

Several members of our rapidly growing fan base commented that they particularly like Noah's observations on life in general.

So without much further ado: More Noah randomness...

Noah (at bedtime): Daddy, next week will be Father's Day?
Dad: Yes.
Noah: When is Boy's Day?
Dad: (Channeling generations of parents) EVERY day is Boy's Day...Good night!

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Noah: "Jesus doesn't like coffee" (As I'm brewing up some freshly roasted Nicaraguan organic fair trade beans)

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Noah (praying at supper): "Dear Jesus, thank you for this food. Thank you for me. [unintelligible]. Amen!"

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Mom: Noah -- no whining! Where did you learn to whine like that?
Noah: Miss Nieman. [Miss Nieman is our wonderful children's church teacher...extremely sweet and talented...so Krista and I are highly skeptical.]

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Setup: [Noah runs into our room making fierce sounds...face scrunched up in a little 3-year old scowl. He is completely naked. He dashes in, circles the room, and scampers away.]

Me [puzzled]: Noah, what are you doing?

Noah [patiently]: GROWLING.

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Would You Rather . . . .

I was testing out one of the games for our teen activity tomorrow night. Noah was a willing participant, so here are his answers.

"Noah, would you rather . . .

• be rich or famous? "Famous."


• go to Hawaii or Europe? "Hawaii."


• bridge jump or skydive? "Bridge jump."


• wear red and green plaid pants or yellow pants with white loafers? "Yellow pants with white loafers."


• eat a muskrat or a rattlesnake? "Muskrat . . . no, rattlesnake . . . no, muskrat."


• wrestle an alligator or run with the bulls? "Wrestle an alligator."


• travel to outer space for three months or live on a submarine for three months? "Live on a submarine for three months."


• hike or clean your room? "Hike!"


• eat a live goldfish or a baked earthworm? "Live goldfish."


• coffee or tea? "Hot chocolate."

A few of Noah's favorite things:

Just to bring everyone up to speed on things that we tend to take for granted, I figured that here, as a "blog of record," I should record some of Noah's current favorite things, along with some of my observations. In no particular order:


1. Soccer. For the uninitiated, 3-year old soccer is like no other sport you've had the pleasure of witnessing. While the young players are not up to speed on the technicalities of "the beautiful game," they play it with an exuberance that is entertaining and sometimes tragic. Like the time Noah decided to sit down IN the goal because it was his "tent." Or like the time he chugged up and down the white line on the field in true Thomas the train fashion. Never mind the coach wanted him to stand against the wall. And then there's the time he decided to lounge on his back in the middle of the field, rolling lazily as in an alpine meadow. Often the parents get more exercise than the children.

2. (Old) McDonalds You would think the clown would weird him out, or maybe that's just me hoping. But Noah loves the chicken nuggets as much as I did when I was a kid. I remember the highlight of a field trip to the Arch in St. Louis: not the history, nor the ride up to the top of the Gateway to the West, but the McDonalds on the way home. There was something magical about the way those nuggets all had the same irregular shape, coated with a greasy, crispy coating that yielded to the vaguely sponge-like interior. And the sauce! You just couldn't get stuff like that at home. Now I know why. At Noah's age though, the actual highlight of the visit is the brightly colored plastic hot zone known as the "playground."

More to follow...

Blueberries

Even though they're probably from California and they were just a little tart, we couldn't get enough of these blueberries. All three of us love them, but Jon and Noah can clear a bowl in less than two minutes. If I don't hurry, I don't eat.

They tasted especially good since they were cold, and we're on a mini heat wave here. I'm loving it, though the rest of Seattle seems miserable. It's been something like twelve days with no rain and temperatures near ninety in some places-like our bedrooms at night-the last two days. We took Noah to St. Ed's Park today, and there were a total of two (yes, 2) other children there. A cloudless sky and balmy breeze but where were all the children? With their parents seeking out air conditioning at the mall. Wimps.