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.