Today we climbed....(mostly)

I think Michael woke up with climbing on his brain because....

He climbed bleachers,
big toys,
rocks,

barriers,

benches,

buildings,

and horses....

He also did some of this

and a little of this

but mostly this:)

Cheese Burger in Paradise Party

We were invited to a Cheese Burger in Paradise Party that was hosted by my dad's business partner and his wife and got the green light to bring Michael along. Michael LOVED it. He was going strong until about 9:30 when we put him in the car. He fell asleep and didn't wake up until 8:00 today! Don't worry, we didn't leave him in the car all night;)

Michael walking down to my parents before heading to the party. Notice his "crutch" that he made? He wants to be just like his grandma:)
Ready to party.

Of course they served "french fried potatoes" so Michael was in heaven.

He loved the one man band who sang a lot of Jimmy Buffet (wish I had a picture of the singer).

Michael was content listening to the music on Mike's shoulders most of the night.

He didn't eat a cheeseburger, but he did eat a cupcake that looked like one!

By the time we hit the freeway, Michael was fast asleep. Oh how he loves a good party!

The Chronicles of Potty Training- Day 2

Admittedly day 2 didn't go as well as day 1. Why you ask... Well I broke the cardinal rule #1 of potty training- leaving the house. We started off the morning waiting for Michael to go to the bathroom, but after an hour without any results I threw on a Pull Up and we hit the road. Initially we were just going to go get my blood taken, but that turned into getting gas, stopping by my parents, getting my blood taken, going to Starbucks, stopping by Target, swinging by the Aloha shop and visiting Mike at work. I told you I hated being house bound! I did ask Michael numerous times if he had to go to the bathroom and put him on the toilet (still without sufficient results). By the time we got home he yelled, "Pee!" I got so excited he finally had to go, just to find out that he peed all over the car seat (those Pull-Ups don't hold a lot in)! Did I mention that we are going to a party tonight? Probably not the best day to try potty training.
Hopefully we do better on day 3!

The Chronicles of Potty Training- Day 1

I have been dreading this day for some time now. I really have not wanted to start potty training because of the pure convenience of diapers. I also hate being house bound and really dislike messes. I told myself that I would start potty training Michael right when I got done teaching for the summer. Well that month has come and gone. Michael is starting preschool in September, so it is time to get my you know what in gear. He doesn't HAVE to be potty trained to attend school, but I don't know how I feel about preschool teachers changing his diaper...its kinda weird.

I started off by making sure I had all the necessary tools and equipment, for Michael and myself...don't worry I'm not planning on cracking that bottle open until after 3:59.

I was planning on doing the "naked" potty training thing, but Michael freaked out when he didn't have anything on so I let him wear big boy underwear all morning.
He only had 1 1/2 accidents (he caught himself in the middle of one) so he got a big sucker in the afternoon.

He is very proud of himself as you can see! I am giving Michael and myself a "break" this afternoon by having him wear pull-ups. He is still taking potty breaks, but its not a intense as the real underwear if you know what I mean.

Fun Filled Morning

My mom's friend Chris invited us to hang out with her and her nephew Trenton this morning. We started off at the park, then rode bikes on the water, and finished with lunch on the dock! What a great way to spend the day!!!

Michael always loves riding the car.
He played some music,

and climbed some posts.

We then moved to the field for a "friendly" game of kick. Word of warning- 1 ball + 2 toddlers= disaster.

At first they took turns taking the ball.

Then Michael would run across the field kicking it.

Chris tried to show them how to kick it together.

They saw a few airplanes too.

What a beautiful place to "ride" bikes.

Michael was starving for lunch.

After lunch we borrowed a life jacket to take a walk on the dock.

Here are the two new buddies posing in their life jackets.

I am still recovering from the tension headache I got on the dock when Michael kept on trying the jump in the water:)

Outdoor Fun

The other day Mike and I decided that we were going to have a full day of fun in the backyard. We headed to Harbor Greens and picked up some hotdogs and then went to Target to find some sort of outdoor entertainment. We ended up getting a pool for Michael and Ladder Ball for us.

Michael was more into the Ladder Ball than his pool at first.
He caught on pretty quick!

The game encompasses everything that this kid loves; balls, throwing and ladders.Michael become our ball boy when we played- Oh did you see the fence is finished? We obviously love it:)

Michael took a break from Ladder Ball and drove to his pool.

He splashed around and cooled off.

Time for more Ladder Ball!

Olen and Justine stopped by to partake in the fun.

By dinner time Michael was exhausted.

Glad I served this meal outside!

What a great fun filled day! Got to love summer and new fences that will keep your child in!

Chelan '09

My Parents were nice enough to treat us to another vacation in Lake Chelan! We had a blast as usual. Thanks Mom and Dad!

On to way to Lake Chelan!
Michael "had" to get in to pool as soon as we got there.
Luckily "Pa" was willing to take him in.
Michael made a friend the next day who let him play with his toy.

My mom had to enjoy her vacation from her room's balcony.

Here is another view of her vacation spot.

Michael thought it was pretty funny to use earplugs.

Our little friend by the pool.

Don't worry, he remembered his cars. He also discovered that the Variety Store sells Cars too...lucky us:)

Mike was supposed to come Tuesday morning, but showed up early on Monday afternoon to surprise us!Michael showed us his rolling skills,

over and over.

We got pretty tired of sandcastles, so we moved on to the much more dangerous stick castles.

Michael getting ready for a night on the town.

We went to a beautiful winery for dinner called Tsillan Cellars. The views were amazing and the food was delicious!

They had a great coy pond there. Michael was able to feed the fish, which he loved.

For the last night in Chelan we went to another winery called Wapato Point Cellars. Michael was a bit of a pill, but we did manage to eat our meal and drink a few classes of wine, which is always a plus! By the way did you notice I dyed my hair? It was pretty dark at first, but thankfully it is lightening up a bit in the sun...it was a HUGE change for me.