Merry Christmas

The holidays got a jump start with Swedish Christmas Eve at Aunt Sunny's new house. Hayden gobbled up as many meatballs as we let him, and Bayley ate a roll and some cookies. After stuffing ourslves we took a walk in Sunny's new neighborhood. These peopel are SERIOUS about their holiday decorations. There were polar bears, a dozen santas, a train, a chipmunk family and to top that - a Charlie Brown Christmas pageant display complete with audio. People were constantly driving by in their cars. After enjoying the light displays the boys got to open some great gifts. Like this globe for B and bus for H.

Christmas morning was stockings, and Hungry Hungry Hippos. After naps we headed up to Grandma & Grandpa's for Christmas dinner. The boys again made out in the toy parade with H getting his own LeapPad, and B receiving new LeapPad books. Again...we gorged ourselves on food. And H got to do his favorite thing, feed Amigo. (One of the horses Grandpa is boarding.)

Keeping Them Busy

I've really started using preschool as a crutch. I don't do nearly as much dual child art projects as I used to. Things are so much easier one on one. Ah well, I guess I need the challenge.

To keep the boys from OD-ing on TV and driving me insane, I opted to keep them very busy during this break from school. We went to the science museum, where they got really wet playing with the different exhibits. But then...after we got home they were both terribly bratty and refused to nap.

Then I tried the Sesame Street exhibit at the Children's Museum. I loved it - but since it is vacation time there were a lot of kids, and Bayley doesn't do well when things get loud. But he did love the digging pit. And of course the water table.

The rest of the time we braved the zoo that was the holiday shopping season and did tons of craft projects. Lots of coloring, paint and glue.

RALPH!

Hayden should come with a warning...don't feed after dinner. I swear, everytime that kid gets so much as a cookie after eating dinner he ends up puking before the night is out. I get that he wants to keep up with his big brother, but your stomach is only so big little dude!

Santa

Santa was invented by parents to get children to behave for a few days each year. Mention Hungry Hungry Hippos (don't buy it for them, I did) or Santa's naughty list and Bay is a gem. The kids at school really got him into Santa, odd because last year he had the real story on Santa and now he's into the fable. But whatever if it keeps him from screaming.

So I bucked up and took the kids to see Santa. There's a Christmas exhibit at the local dairy and they have model trains and a storybook lane...and a room where the kids play with toys while they wait their turn. Much better than the line at the mall. Hayden squirmed, but loved the candy cane. Bay was more excited that he got to go, than by the actual event.

Ho Ho Ho

Uncle Chris took the boys to the playground today. They had the best time.

That smile is lethal.

He's just getting too old. Look at him. (And notice he's wearing a hat and gloves. Such a good boy.)

Potty Prize

He did it! Hayden is steadily starting to use the potty. Once on Tuesday, twice on Wednesday, thrice on Thursday...at this rate he just might figure it out. Though...I have a sneaking suspicion he does most of it for the accolades. Every time he pees he says "Clap! Clap!" and high-fives. Then demands a story why he tries to doodee. Hasn't figured that out yet. Afterwards he reaches into the bag of potty prizes. A big green bag stuffed with the dollar store's finest.

In Memory

Vernon E. “Vern” Rush

Vernon E. Rush, age 84, passed from this life at home on Thursday December 8, 2005, after a valiant battle with cancer. Vernon E. Rush was born in Brownsville, Oregon November 23, 1921 to Virgil E. Rush and Mabel Atkin Rush, the fourth of five children. He attended school in Ashland from Lincoln Elementary through Ashland High, where he met his wife in 1939.

Vern married Thomasina Pritchard Rush, December 3, 1941, in Astoria, Oregon, 4 days before Pearl Harbor, while he was stationed at Ft. Stevens in the Coast Artillery. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary December 3,2005 with family at their home in Phoenix, Oregon. Vern enjoyed his athletic years in school and loved hunting, fishing and family reunions. He was an honest, hard working Christian man who loved his family and made many loyal lifelong friends.

He served 6 years and 4 months in National Guard and the US Army in WWII. His career covered many jobs including, truck and bus driver, wholesale grocery warehouse, market manager, motel and restaurant manager with his wife in the 60's as well as partner-operators of the Medford Dairy Queen with Loretta and Vern Lehman in the 70's. When he retired, Vern and Tommie established Rush Relief Motel Management and traveled the west coast as emergency replacement for owners who needed time out. They lived in Brookings for 20 years, returning to the Rogue Valley in 2001.

In addition to his wife, Vern is survived by his two sons, Michael and Charles Rush, Chuck’s wife Margaret and five grandsons; Martin, Keldon, Joseph, Charles Vernon Jr., Jefferey and their wives; one grand daughter, Rebecca Hohman, husband David; five great grandsons, Jordan Hohman, Ian Voje, Wesley Rush, Nathaniel Rush, Ryan Rush and eight great grand daughters; Myan & Kieran Rush, Taylor Voje, Alexandra, Mackenzie, Hannah, Grace and Rebecca Rush. Vern is also survived by his sister, Loretta Rush and husband, Vern Lehman; two sisters-in-law, Carole Carter Rush of Brookings, LeLaine Graham Rush of White City and numerous nieces and nephews. Vern was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Opal Rush Carter and his brothers, Gale and Glen Rush. A memorial gathering will be announced after cremation. He was loved and he will be missed by many.

Be sure to brush your teeth!

Bayley dresses himself now. One Saturday morning he came down in this dress-up outfit and said, "Aren't I handsome?"

Did we tell y'all that the boys broke the glass on our patio table? They are fun, aren't they?

In his NOSE!!

I have no idea what it was Hayden thought to shove up his nose yesterday. Chewed up napkin or toilet paper is my guess. Jeff's money is on a crayon wrapper. But either way, it was a lot of junk.

He stands there, a finger knuckle deep in his nostril and says "Mommy, hurt"

"I bet, baby. Get your finger out of there. Do you need to blow it?" Now, he can't blow, it's more of a pinchy wipe thing I do. So when I get my fingers on the bridge of his nose I realize...it's full. "Did you stick something in your nose?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let me see it." So I pull a wad of gooey paper from his nose and say a thankful prayer that Bayley never thought to do this. And then his finger is back in his nose. "Is there more?" I ask tipping his head back. Sure enough.

I get the tweezers and go in. Another huge wad and he says, "All done."

Except you see, I'm not sure. This is Hayden. And while most people would stop after jamming one nostril, if they thought to try it at all, he does nothing by halves. So I catch him and peek in the other side. Wouldn't you know.

I get the obvios peices, but he's still digging so I know there is more. With the help of a pillow and a MagLight I find still more jammed in each side. I swear, he would have had less packing for a nose job.

What is with this kid!?!

Zoo Lights

I love to drive around looking at holiday lights. The boys do too, I think. I tell myself they do as I make extra loops here and there. Anyway...I got my fill at the zoo. They put up all kinds of light exhibits -- gingerbread house, carousel, river, swinging monkeys -- and we just walk around, making the zoo loop. We got there right at dusk, and kept the boys warm in the wagon under a quilt. They loved it. And Hayden is always asking "Go Zoo Lights?" now. Almost as much as "Go Grandma's House?"

Bayley feeding Amigo a carrot. My mission for this weekend will be to get Sos to smile for a picture. Can;t have him the only one un-blogged :)

Nookie, Hayden & Jamer

Bayley & Lilli

And me without my camera

Of all people, I left my camera at home. So of course the boys were extra cute. Bayley has been wanting to play ina pi;le of leaves for weeks now, but it; sbeen so rainy up this way that hasn't been possible. But what do Gram-Mo and Pop-Pop have in their back yard? You guessed it. They jumped in the pile, swam in the leaves, had leaf showers. All with no pictures. Well, Gram-mo took a picture. But we all know that will be on her camera for the next year.

The boys visited twice with Grandma Evie, but again, no pictures. Imagine it, Hayden had her wrapped around his little finger in one giggle. At lunch today he led her by the hand to the ice cream machine.

There was even a visit with Grandma Ellie, who watched Hayden run about the room wide eyed. "He's fast!" That's the understatement of the decade.

ThAt DiD iT!

Hayden is officially grounded. In addition to the normal Hayden wildness tonight he

• dumped out an entire box of croutons
• rubbed Nutella into the floor
• broke a huge decorator mirror (5 ft by 4 ft)

So no privilidges for him. No phone. No trips to the mall. No going anywhere except school.

I know. But time outs don't work for this kid.

Before Pictures

Better Homes & Gardens is sending a photographer to get a shot of me for the magazine. Since a main ingredient for my recipe is seasonal - blackberries - the photographer suggested a picture with me and the ruggies. Great, except I gained 50 pounds this year and they refuse to let me cut their hair. I guess this will be our 'BEFORE' picture.

In Memory

Robert Emmet McCauley

Trying to get a multi-generational pix at Easter. Not easy to do.

All little boys love to play cars.

First Field Trip

Bayley rode the bus today for the very first time! His play school class took a field trip to the pumpkin patch. Hayden and I followed the group in our own car. It was a good dry run for him when he starts school.

We went to the pumpkin patch we've always taken the boys too. There's a train, boat ride, animals, and tons of pumpkins. Hayden, who usually demands to walk everywhere wanted to be carried. Very difficult carrying a kid and three pumpkins. I don't reccomend it.

Bayley & Hayden ride the train to the pumpkin patch

The Burke Brother's love to help cook. Today they are making macaroni and cheese in their crock pot. All the ingredients are ready

They love to dump things in the crockpot.

Salt & Pepper

Macaroni and cheese casserole for dinner.

Bayley made this owl mask at the zoo.

HE CAN WRITE HIS NAME!!!

BAYLEY CAN WRITE HIS NAME!!

Until now he could only trace the letters, but something clicked in his brain and he can write now. Anything. He even sounded out and wrote the word hat today.

He's a genius!

Kids are Mean

Every day the refrain is the same. What did you do at school today, Bayley?
"I just can't remember." I know a few tricks to pull it out of him. What was the snack? Who dressed the weather bear? What story did your teacher read? Occasionally I'll get a glimpse at his day.

Yesterday he wasn't budging. And after class when the boys had their 10-minutes at the playground with the other kids who just got out of preschoool, Bayley opted to play alone or with Hayden not the kids his age. Fine.

But once we were home he started acting up. Every move Hayden made was "Hayden, you act like such a baby." After the 4th or 5th refrain I realized what happened and snuggled with Bayley. Someone was mean to my pumpkin. Can't I wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe from insensitive preschoolers?

Anyway, we had a nice chat. He knows about namecalling and to tell the teachers. I think he is almost the youngest kid in that class. Out of 30 kids 8 of them are 5 already. Okay, enough. But now I remember why I hated school. Kids are mean.

**Bay gets upset when he talks about it, so don't mention it, K?**

Knock Knock

The boys love to joke! Here's Bayley's

Knock, Knock!
Who's There?
Cow.
Cow Who?
Cows don't who, they moo!!

Knock, Knock!
Who's There?
Little Old Lady
Little Old Lady Who?
Little Old Lady Who lives in a shoe

Knock, Knock!
Who's There?
Boo Hoo
Boo Hoo Who
Don't Cry!

And then Haydens:
Knock, Knock!
Who's There?
Cow
Cow Who?
Moo Cow.

Hey. He's 2.

First Day!

How beautifully uneventful. No whining, no crying, just bliss. Bayley dressed himself, donned his backpack and we walked to preschool. He marched right into the classroom and started checking things out. A few minutes of being completely ignored and Jeff decided to bail. That was the one and only glimpse of nervousness, abated the second he realized I was staying a bit longer. One more picture colored and even I hit the door without protest. He is amazing.

For the record, he loved the snack - graham crackers and marshmallows. But he passed on the juice and had water instead. On the way home he said that some of the kids "knew how to listen to the teacher better" and got prizes. I pointed out those kids were probably in preschool last year (they have a class for 3-yr-olds too) and I think he felt better about it.

Hayden had a hard time. He wanted to go to school too. Even at home he was looking for Bayley and a little mopey. I guess one-on-one time with me pales in comparison to the whilwind of excitement that is Bayley.

Lions, Frogs and Fish

Pre-school starts next week. I didn't prepare for it, no school clothes or supply list. But I did figure Bayley would need a backpack. Partly because there are pegs by the door. But mainly because he is such a picky eater.

They have snack time at school, and no peanut products are allowed. Peanut butter is Bayley's major food group. He's even picky about his junk food. No cookies without chocolate chips, that sort of thing. I think I'll sneak a snack into his backpack so he can grab it if he doesn't like the treat of the day.

The parents rotate who brings the snack. I'm torn about what to bring in. Should I go healthy and go with popcorn or fruit, or should I try and make Bayley the cool kid and bring Hostess, or should I have Bayley make something each time it's our turn? He's no help. He wants to bring croutons. Maybe the teachers will have insight.

So on Monday I'll send him into the world, with a backpack full of croutons. Finding a backpack was a hassle. Bayley wanted one with a lion on it. Couldn't find one, so a neighbor suggested iron on patches. Brilliant. Bayley picked out a lion and a fish. We went to Target today for a plain backpack, but he didn't like any of those. Great.

I spied some kids backpacks on a clearance endcap and knew the frog one would be perfect. Blue, he loves frogs and dragonflies which are apliqued on. Right next to it is one with flowers and ladybugs. Bayley loves bugs so wants that one. I want to stay married, so I talked him into the frogs. Was that wrong?

No matter. The lion and fish iron ons match the color scheme of the frog pack. All is good in the hood.

Jokester

"Knock, knock," Hayden says, his fist hitting the air to let you know "nah-nah" means knock knock right now.
"Who's there?"
"Cow." His grin lets you know there is more to come.
"Cow who?"
Laughter bubbles up, making his eyes sparkle. This is where you're supposed to laugh, you see. And when you don't, he yells, "Poop!"

So he doesn't have the rhythm and timing of a true commedian. But he's learning the pattern of a joke. He's trying. And he gets to say poop.

Not to be outdone, here is Bayley's new joke:

What did all the monsters ride at the amusement park?
The scary-go-round!

I'll Give You A Clue

Everything is a game to Bayley. Good, since that's what we were going for with the Playful Parenting approach. Still, I wish the kid would nap on weekends. Here was Saturday's exchange.

Jeff: Bayley, back upstairs. It's nap time.
Bayley: Daddy, I can't.
Jeff: Why not?
Bayley: I can't tell you.
Jeff: If you can't tell me, then you'd better get to sleep.
Bayley: I'll give you a clue.
Jeff: Okay, what's my clue.
Bayley: You have to flush it.

Bayley's first poem

There once was a banana
who loved to ride coaches
One day he met a tuba
and his twenty pet roaches

Mr Clean Magic Eraser

A Mr Clean Magic Eraser saved Hayden's childhood today. If not for this cleaning breakthough, I surely would have done damage to the boy that I'd be paying for in therapy later. He's really on quite a tear. Today he ate a purple crayon, broke Bayley's elephant bank, and decorated my bedroom with a Sharpie.

It's not as if I left him alone. He ate the crayon while I was trying to help Bayley peel off some stickers. This was a bit and gulp, people. Chomp and swallow. He threw the bank, but in his defense he throws everything. There are probably four breakable things in our house. Well, three now. And my back was turned making Bayley's bed.

He decided to play "While You Were Out" in the at most sixty seconds it took for me to lug the vacuum cleaner upstairs. He found the marker (in a child safety locked drawer, such a good use of money) and colored my nightstand, door, carpet and Rogue's dog pillow. Lovely.

I yelled, boy did I yell. I attacke dthe marker on the carpet first, hoping if I was quick enough I could get rid of it. I did. By that time he thought it was a game, climbing on me as I rubbed the carpet. Little jerk. I almost cried, thinking of my door - I could paint over it I guess - and nightstand. But then a lightbulb went off, just like in the comic strips. If Mr. Clean can remove crayon from walls (again, Hayden) then maybe...

I'd kiss Mr. Clean if I could. The only victim of Hayden's artistry is Rogue's pillow. I flipped it over. He'll never know.

We're Famous!

Not really. But Bayley is the star of a blurb I have in a magazine. Parents September 2005 issue, page 275, It Worked For Me!, All Set. His baby book is going to be stuffed!

At the Summer Bike Rodeo Bayley got a new helmet. He had a great time on the agility course - a figure eight, S curves, and a speed challenge. I think his favorite part was running through the sprinklers afterwards.

Hair cuts!

Sweat was streaming down their faces, and Bayley was less combative than usual - so we cut their hair. They both like it - Bayley says he can see the blood in his ears. Whatever that means. I just know it means less sweaty heads!

Rood Bridge Park

We did our third hike in our REI Hiking quest - this time at Rood Bridge Park. We found squirrels, robins, ducks, dragonflies, and fish! Yes fish! The weather was perfect, not too hot. After the hike, and picnic lunch, we played on the playground. Hayden got scared in the tunnel slide and Grandma Bobbie had to go in after him. Next, the boys waded in the pond - and got themselves, and my shoes compketely soaked. A change of clothes later an they were ready to head home.

Lucky for Uncle Tim, this was after the diaper change.

Who's a monkey now? Uncle Dan & Aunt Christina put Bayley in his place for his birthday party.

Birthday Boy

I think Bayley had his best birthday EVER!!

At the zoo we rode the zoo train around Washington Park. Bayley liked going through the 'forest'. It gives a great view of the elephants, much better than the regular exhibit. The tiger was out, the leopard walked right past the viewing window, and the Sponge Bob ride was blowing bubbles all over the waiting area for the train. To top it all off we hit the penguin exhibit at feeding time!

For lunch we went to Bayley's all-time favorite place, Sweet Tomatoes. He gorged himself on croutons and ice cream. After a nap we went to his second favorite restaurant, Red Robin, for dinner with Gram-mo and Pop-Pop. After a uber-nutritious meal of chicken strips and french fries both boys got a song and ice cream sundae!

At home it was time to strip down to his skivvies and play the new Jay Jay the Jet Plane games Gram-mo and Pop-Pop brought.

It's good to be 4!

What's mama up to?

In March I participated in NaNoEdMo - National Novel Editors Month. We took our novels and loged 50 hours tinkering with them. Afterwards, www.writersresourcesandhelp.com held a contest for the best 1000 word excerpt of our novel. Here's a blip of His Secrets, which I am toying with retitling Stripped.
http://writersresourcesandhelp.com/winner2.html
And while you are there...check out my flash fiction Spin Cycle.
http://writersresourcesandhelp.com/fiction.html

M&B Temptation requested the full manuscript of my other novel - False Alarm.
And then there is my erotic romance novella, Night of Inspiration, a *Sparkler*, from www.phaze.com comes out July 8th.

These are the Father's Day cards Bayley made that I never sent out... 

KISS KISS

Hayden is very cultured, not sure from where... When you ask for a kiss he's right there. With one for BOTH cheeks. Could this kid get any cuter? I'll keep you posted!

Stop and Smell the Roses

Not all roses smell like a rose. In fact, some have very little perfume. The things you discover when you take Hayden to the Rose Garden. He makes a sniffing sound, wrinkles up his nose and says "ma". Hmmm. In combination with his actions this means "smell". "Ma" can mean so many things...milk, blanket, Mom...

The boys even found some mud to play in. It is amazing, they seek out filth like a homing beacon. I tried to get them interested - the smells, the colors, counting. The only thing that interested them was wedding crashing. Thankfully, we avoided that debaucle.

Strong Willed Child

Willful? My boys are just developing their own style. That is what I tell myself on the good days. The rest of the time I think I should seriously rethink my no spanking rule.

THREE SPORTS...

Jeff took a crack at the multi-sport camp with Bayley on Thursday. This time was soccer. He participated more, whether from Daddy's prompting or love of the sport I don't know. We still left early. Which was just fine. We had a long drive to Eugene.

TWO GRADUATIONS...

Fresh from a nap the boys arrived in Eugene ready to take on the town. After checking in to the hotel and learning we had the room directly above Gram-mo and Pop-Pop we headed over to the University. We had to get there early. Twenty seats together is hard to come by. Soon enough they were screaching and squirming in their seats. No matter, here comes Uncle Dan.

Graduation ceremonies intriigued them for about thirty seconds. Then the squirming started up again. Cameras,pens and paper, bouncy rhymes held them off until Dan;s speach. Well, kinds. Some guy asked me to leave twice. Jeff was just sitting calmly, so I figured it was okay. The boys were bothering me, but aside from the jerk behind me I guessed we were in the clear.

Then the terd started poking my arm. No, not the kids. The addlebrained old man behind me. What was I to do? My brother is giving a speech, my kids are both on my lap. Decking the goy was a logistical impossibilty. I said we weren't leaving and waited for Dan's speech to end.

As soon as it was over I picked up my kiddos and boogied on out of there. We went on a leaf scavenger hunt and found five different colors of roses.

Nighttime with the wild boys of Oregon did not go any smoother. All tehy ate for dinner was cake, so we made sure they got some nutrition and picked up some french fries. Is it any wonder it was midnight and they were wired? Jeff's allergies were acting up from the cotton wood trees, so he was exhausted. I just watched them run for a while. When they finally did pass out I thought I might too.

BOOM!

Hayden fell off the bed and onto the floor every single time I nodded off. Not slept, mind you. Just nodded off. Once he got under my leg somehow. He's a sleeping Houdini. Why not just make him a bed on the floor you ask? He's and Oregon Wild Boy, floors are for running, not sleeping.

Dragging ourselves through the next day we opted to try and get them tired by running around Alton Baker Park. It was great. There were a four kinds of geese, ducks, pigeons, crows. The boys were in scatter the birds heaven.

Christina's graduation that afternoon went much better. It was outside. Christina's aunt made goody bags for the kids. There was cookies, lots of cookies. There was also a major downpour. the boys huddled with Daddy under a tree next to the security guys. Bayley is a sucker for a badge.

I Don't Want To

I signed Bayley up for a multi-sport camp designed for 3 & 4 year-olds so he could make some friends and learn which sports are for him. But he's not interested.

He gets excited to go. But once we are there and the other kids start to show up, he's done.

Last week was basketball. We got there early, Grandma Bobbie in tow so there was somone to play with him and someone to keep Hayden out of trouble. We played at the park until we noticed the teachers dragging balls over to where the hoops had been lowered to child level.

Bayley was excited, running over and picking out a basketball. Shooting at the hoop, which was so low he could dunk. Then the other kids arrived and all he wanted to do was sit on the bench. He sat and watched until the teacher huddled them up to learn how to dribble and I shoved him into the fray.

He did great, except he refused to dribble. When the kids broke off to practice their "spider hands" Bayley sat with me on the bench. The next step was bounce passing. He does this all the time on the sidewalk at home, but not here. Then there came dribbling and shooting. The kids were supposed to shoot at all the baskets in turn. Again, not for Bayley.

So we left early. I made him say goodbye to the teacher, but was starting to feel odd making him sit there and watch the other kids when it was so obvious it made him uncomfortable.

This week Daddy gets a crack at it. We'll see if he does any better motivating Bayley to participate.

It's Raining...Buterflies?

On the Jackons Bottom hike Bayley chased a butterfly. The zoo just opened up a new butterfly exhibit, winged wonders. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I enlisted Grandma Bobbie as a second pair of eyes and arms and off we went. We had a random hike around the zoo and finally arrived at the butterflies. Such a fun echibit, but not the best for Hayden who couldn't resist trying to touch the butterflies.

While we were inside the dome it started to sprinkle. I rescued the stroller and thought we'd wait it out, but then it kept raining so I thought we'd best head back. We ducked into indoor exhibits we usually skip - the elephant museum, polar bears, swamp, cove. But we made it out without getting drenched.

As soon as we were home Bayley used the "my pants are soaking wet" excuse to strip down to his skivies. A better reason that usual.

Note to self - check the weather report before heading to the zoo!

Bayley learning to golf - just carry the ball where you need it to be. 

Feeling Funny

T-Ball Anyone?


Pop-Pop came for a quick visit to audition for a Qwest commercial with Gram-mo in tow. Bayley worked it. Krispy Kreme for breakfast, Sweet Tomatoes for lunch, and then he went kaput on me. The first day of Multi-Sport camo and he refused to participate. He sat on the wall while the other kids learned to throw, catch, and run bases. He was the first one up to bat, though. I was perplexed by his attitude, but grateful for his nap.

Then I found out why. Lil' Bayley is sick. Fever and achy. Sore thraot and 'my forehead hurts' I knew he was an angel. He just didn't feel good that day.


Wanna go see Daddy at work?

Most kids would look at you funny. What's fun about an office building when you're a kid? Lucky for us NIKE has a sprawling campus at our disposal. We packed a picnic and headed out, found a nice spot by the lajke without too much goose poop, and enjoyed chasing Hayden as he escaped up the path to the waterfall. Fresh air, an extra pair of hands (made sure to bring Grandma along too), and lots of places for the kidlets to throw rocks. What more can you ask for? Even the office buildings are cool - we walked through a Prefontaine exhibit on our way back to the car.

OMSI

I'm no good with dates. I thought the Magic Exhibit opened last week and dragged both boys and Grandma Bobbie there. But alas, it doesn;t open until Sunday.

No matter. Bayley got to play in the sparkling sand and that's what he wanted anyway. Hayden didn't like one thing in particular. Water table, blocks, crafts...well, there was the fish tank. Hayden loves fish.

After we were all played out Grandma took us all to Bayley's favorite restaurant, Sweet Tomatoes. He indulged in his favoite meal. Croutons followed by ice cream covered in sprinkles. I'm so proud of my healthy eater.

Hayden had a great time gorging himself on cantaloupe and shoving crunchy noodles over the divider onto the neighboring booth. Such wonderful manners.

Children's Museum

Grandma Bobbie's on vacation! Woo-hoo! The boys and I set about monopolizing her time. Today we checked out a pass to the Children's Museum. We hadn't been there in forever. They've really improved things. The concrete floor is covered with foamy padding and the construction zone is filled with ground rubber. Bayley stayed in there for as long as Grandma listened to his stories, but Hayden didn't like the feel of the rubber on his feet. Off he went to explore the ship, doctors office, and baby forest.

Both boys enjoyed the water table best. It had slots to change the flow of the water down a slantd table. Bayley liked to dam it up. Hayden liked watching the boats (ducks, fish, cars, you name it) float down the stream.

My favorite moment came watching Bayley play in the pretend restaurant. He fed a baby doll a bottle of milk. It was so sweet. I thought back to when I was pregnant with Hayden and Courtney was practicing a developmental observation with him. She gave him a babycdoll and a bottle and asked what to do with it. He threw it across the room. He's grown up so much.

Junior Farm Hands

Each year for Mother's Day Jeff and the boys put the garden in from seeds Bayley and I start in egg cartons. They love watching the plants grown and picking the vegetables. Eating them is another story entirely...

They like it so much I checked some books out of the library with fun garden activities. Tons of great ideas, but we are spacially challenged in our back yard. Luckily Grandma Bobbie has more dirt than even she knows what to do with.

Bayley and I went through the book and marked the ideas that interested him. The Sprouting Tater didn't work, but our hopes are still high for the Sunflower House we planted last week and the Bag O-Taters we started on Sunday.

Draft Horse Exhibition

The old West came to life for us on Saturday at the Draft Horse Plowing Exhibition. The boys were mesmerized by the steam engines, wagons, horses and fire trucks.

Bayley and Hayden enjoyed their first wagon ride, pulled by two enormous Clydesdales. Bayley's liked climbing on the antique fire engine. Hayden was more impressed by the draft mules plowing the field.

There was a miniature horse and a pony giving rides, but neither brother cared to wait in line.

By far the highlight of Bayley's day was splashing and splucking in the mud puddles. Thanks to the weather there was no shortage. After a certain point Jeff and I gave up telling him to knock it off. When we got him back to the truck we changed him out of the soaked shoes and pants. It was messy, but it was fun.

Passport To Summer Adventure

REI hosted a free day of outdoor education - which to them meant handing out free coloring books and Adventure Passports.

The Passports list local hikes so kids (read, parents) can keep active over the summer. In August kids can turn them in at a party for prizes. We love hiking, so maybe the kiddos will get a party out of being dragged through the outdoors by their parents!

Get Active Fitness Fair

The Parks and Rec Department had a great program last weekend - the Get Active Fitness Fair. The stadium was divided into sections, and the kiddos got to try their hand at a bunch of different activities.

Dunk Tank
Bayley needed a little help knocking the teens into the water. He tried to throw the softball at the target, and connected a few times, but not with enough force to trigger it. So he had some adult help creating a splash.
Tennis Court
With oversized foam balls and miniature rackets both boys had a great time swatting. Bayley decided that tennis is the sport for him, so we're signing him up for lessons later this summer.
Mini Golf Course
The rules of the game elude both Burke brothers, much to Daddy's chagrin. They use the clubs more like hockey sticks and have much better aim when they kick the ball.
Playground
There is a great playground at the stadium. Hayden liked this part best of all.