The Pingrey Adventure

Tilden Botanic Gardens

2012-02-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

The Botanic Gardens are one of the many attractions that bring visitors to Tilden Regional Park. This garden contains only California native plants, and is broken up into different geographical areas. It is much smaller than the UC Botanical Gardens, and is generally not stroller accessible. Cecil really enjoys riding around in the backpack, and Rosie has a new personal record of walking 3.5 miles, so we can start choosing hikes that aren't stroller friendly; yeah!

The kids had fun traversing the many bridges that go back and forth over the creek. What was especially fun was the feeling that you were traveling through California: walking through the desert, and then through a grove of Sequoias, and then onto the coast. California has so many different habitats, and this was a learning experience for us all.

On route, Ruffie wrestled with a snarling, thorny bush, but survived. His reward were several long, bloody scratches on his face. Poor boy. Besides that, we had fun and got to enjoy the endlessly beautiful weather.

Rosie gets $4

2012-02-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

The kids all received Valentine's Day cards with $2 inside today. Rosie decided to open her card in the kitchen, and I heard her counting her money, "One...two...three...four...I got four dollars!". Wow Rosie - your money automatically doubles when you tear it in two - smart girl!

Band Practice

2012-01-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went on a walk and stumbled upon a band practicing just a few streets down from our apartment. We heard them playing and immediately changed our walking route so that we could see them. I wish I knew who they were or where they came from - but I don't. They were dancing, singing, and just having crazy fun! The kids had a great time and were pointing out all of the instruments they saw. They also pointed out that mommy's new mascara was running all down her face with the few raindrops that were falling down - bummer.

On another note, I have been very impressed with the music program at the kids' school. Pru has made a lot of progress on her clarinet. She practices daily (with no persuasion by me) and I can tell that she undersands that practicing really does pay. The fourth grade is going to be playing with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (SFSO) next month, so she is getting really excited. She has also been playing traditional African instruments at school, as well as learning various tribal dances and chants. Jancis has weekly drum classes at school, as well as music appreciation where they learn the names of all the instruments in the orchestra and what they sound like. She went downtown last week to see the SFSO - lucky girl!

Live Oak Park

2012-01-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

Live Oak Park is one of the many fun detours on route from our home to the kids' school. It is next to a big community center, steps from the Berkeley Art Center, and on Berryman Path, which is a cool green space that cuts across a few surrounding blocks.

The park has two playgrounds: a tot playground covered in sand and completely fenced-in, and a big kid playground with challenging monkey bars and a tall slide. Pru, who isn't interested in playgrounds anymore, finds the big kid play equipment fun. I like being able to lock Rosie and Cecil into the sand area and keep half an eye on the rest of the kids so that I can practice my Spanish with the nannies. (Too bad my brain is all messed-up and I end up speaking an Arabic-Spanish mix - practice makes perfect!) There are lots of shared toys in the tot area, and even the big kids have fun playing on the teeter-totters and swings located there, so you could theoretically lock up all of your children and watch them from the other side of the fence. Hmm...

Thornburg Village

2012-01-27T23:02:00.000-08:00

If you have been following the pictures on our Picasa Photostream, you may have noticed that I have fallen in love with Berkeley architecture. Seemingly common neighborhoods hide such surprisingly beautiful buildings and homes. On every walk we take, I'm always stopping every few houses to take a photo - I just have to be conscious that the stroller doesn't go rushing down a steep hill, or that the kids don't start picking flowers or eating produce from those wildly untamed yet exactly perfect gardens.

On our walk home from school, we took a detour to explore Spruce Street and happened upon Thornburg Village. I felt as if we were in a rural English village and I was just astonished. The area is about one square block and seems to contain several buildings. We only saw the buildings on Spruce Street, but now that we know where this village is, we will walk its perimeter, and I think we can walk through it too.

The kids enjoyed pointing out all of the hidden treasures in the village: a bright blue ceramic disc in the middle of a wall of bricks; ceramic tiles depicting ill people, and some being healed, on a low wall behind tall garden plants; a courageous lion with a flag and shield on the side of a home; a rooster peaking out from under a roof. Just being in the presence of those buildings makes me happy - it is thrilling to think about who designed these buildings and why they were constructed, and whom may have lived (and still live) inside them. (Some research is in my future!)

Our walk took us through campus, and we stopped to play with some leaves. Rosie somehow had grabbed a large, sharp, plank of wood, but that was quickly confiscated and replaced with a Sycamore tree seed pod.

I know that I haven't been blogging in awhile. Instead, I've been applying for jobs and awards, and working hard teaching the first term of the year. We have been going on lots of fun family outings including birthday parties, the library, numerous walks, the farmer's market, and the post office. It might sound silly that the post office is an outing, but we meet the craziest people there and have some of the best conversations. Today at the post office, I learned about all of the possible variations of hot chocolate that you could possibly think of. I feel very enlightened.

Asian Art Museum

2012-01-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

We had a really big surprise on Thursday when we received our Clipper cards in the mail (one month after we applied for them). After calling them, we were told that we would never get our cards and would have to reapply; I guess they were wrong! Today we used them to take BART downtown to the Asian Art Museum.

The museum is located at the Civic Center BART station in a magnificent three story building, across the street from City Hall (which conveniently has a playground in its front lawn). The museum is completely free for military all year long. We first toured the temporary Maharaja exhibit, which was definitely the favorite exhibit of all of the children. They were amazed at all of the jewelry and robes that the maharaja would wear. We saw thrones, swords, and huge tapestries containing elephants and other animals. The kids made a game out of spotting all of the animals (real and mythical) that they could find.

My absolute favorite piece of artwork was broken blue and white porcelain bowls, cups, and plates that were glued together into a big crazy statue with gold adhesive. It's just awesome. I also liked the Southeast Asia gallery - I was singing songs from The King and I in this part of the museum. Taking pictures in the gallery is allowed in most of the exhibits, but was challenging for me because flash is not allowed. (I'm still figuring out how to use my camera.)

I get compliment after compliment when I go to museums with the children. Other parents look at me and tell me that my children are the most well-behaved children that they have ever seen, and that they would never dream of taking their kids to a museum like this. I agree - the kids had such a great time at the museum and really learned and experienced so much; they really are amazing children! Of course, after a few hours of perfect manners, I let them run wild at the playground across the street. It's a very cool playground because it is surrounded by big, beautiful buildings. The playground is also completely enclosed, so I didn't have to worry about them.

On our way home, we took a little walk up and down Market Street. We saw some more artwork, a large fountain, a big farmer's market, and tons of crazy homeless people. (The homeless people are definitely crazier in San Francisco than in Berkeley.) The BART ride back was quick and easy, and we are definitely hooked on riding the trains. After a big day, the children are fast asleep, and I get to spend the evening grading; yeah!

Cecil gets into trouble

2012-01-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

Cecil now climbs into the toy tupperware, but has some trouble getting out. No matter how many times I pull him out of the tupperware, he always climbs right back in! Besides swimming in the toys, Cecil's hobbies are watching cars out of the floor to ceiling windows, and chewing on shoes.

While the kids were making art projects today, Rosie sneaked away and colored both Cecil and the baby doll (Janelle) with markers. She also gave herself blue and yellow marker lipstick; beautiful!

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

2012-01-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today, we hiked on a ten million year old volcano at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. Due to the many Berkeley earthquakes, this volcano tilted over and opened itself up, giving us the opportunity to walk right in the middle of the volcano, and look at all of the different rocks that once were lava, ash, and debris. The hike also provided amazing views of Mount Diablo in the east, and was another beautiful example of chaparral with all of its sweet-smelling herbs and low-lying shrubs.

Little feet do trip over the many rocks, but tripping over the rocks is nothing compared to tripping into a cow pie. Cows did come very close to us, and the kids loved that there was no fence separating us from the cows. Besides the hazards of rocks and cow pies, there were also a few cliffs into old quarries that we had to be careful about. At the bottom of the quarries are now labyrinths, and the kids had fun running around the path. Personally, I think walking the labyrinth is supposed to give you peace and calmness, but since those are unrealistic expectations with four kids running around, I declined to walk around it.

Besides the hike, driving there was absolutely breathtaking. The roads are of some of the highest elevations in the area, overlooking the bay and San Francisco. When the road looped around, you could see the cliff mansions that you had just passed. The parking is on the street, and the mansion is below, under the cliff... wow! Pru claims she saw a house only accessible by ladder. (I cannot verify this claim.) There are many houses only accessible by one hundred or so very steep stairs.

Codornices Park

2011-12-31T21:26:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we went on a lovely walk up the Berkeley Hills to Codornices Park. We first visited the rose garden; smelling flowers is one of our favorite things to do! We all agreed that a yellow rose called 'Golden Fleece' was the most beautiful rose in the garden that day, and smelled sweet too. The garden is terraced, and is mostly stroller accessible. There are a few bumpy cobblestone walkways, but they just remind me that my stoller is italian and can handle anything. In the lowest part of the garden, there is a creek and bridge, and Ruffie was very tempted to just jump right in. The entire garden has commanding views of the bay and mountains, and I know will be even more delightful once spring approaches.

There is a tunnel that leads to the playground and picnic areas of the park. The playground has a really big concrete slide, and the three oldest spent the entire time going down it. At the bottom of the slide there are pieces of cardboard boxes. The kids grab a piece, walk up the many stone steps to the top, and whoosh! Pru learned the hard way not to hold on to the edges of the slide - she has a few cuts on her hand. Even though Ruffie and Jan wiped out a few times, I didn't see any damage done. And yes, I rode the slide too! I couldn't help myself, and I screamed the entire way.

The rest of the playground equipement is basic. Rosie didn't have crazy fun, but was happy to go down a regular slide, and to keep Cecil and I company. After the playground, we took a walk around the park and found a few fun paths and another bridge over the creek. The creek was much gentler in this part of the park, so the kids left the trail to explore it further.

Happy Alan Turing Year! Tonight, I'm going to have a piece of cake, drink a cup of tea, and probably watch an episode from Catherine Cookson's Anthology.

Christmas in Santa Cruz

2011-12-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day, we were so thrilled to see our friends Corey and Taryn, and Corey's family in Santa Cruz - we had a blast! The kids had fun destroying Corey's parents' house with modeling clay and crayons, but then they made their way outside to play with the dog. Pru and Jan played a few games of Uno with Taryn and Corey's brother Tyler. Ruffie and Rosie spun each other on swivel chairs and bounced on a yoga ball. Cecil insisted on being held almost constantly (he's starting to fear strangers) and I therefore couldn't take as many pictures as I wanted to, which was a bummer. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, and two slices of very yummy pie (thank you, Corey's mom!). We were also able to Skype with our friends Dave and Kerry and their two little ones.

We spent the evening at a nearby inn, and in the morning went to the wharf and boardwalk. To our surprise, there were sea lions under the wharf! They were big, loud, and seemed to like us gawkers. We walked to the end of the wharf and back, and then headed to the boardwalk (where there is a huge amusement park), and then onto the beach.

I'm sure this beach is very busy during most of the year, but on that day it was quiet, clean, and perfect. I let the kids run around and have fun. They found lots of seaweed, and just enjoyed chasing the waves back and forth.

After our own beach fun, we went to see some surfers! Corey recommended going to Lighthouse Field Beach near the Surfing Museum to see the best surfers in Santa Cruz. Even though the signs said to stay away from the cliffs and not to go in the water, droves of surfers were heading in, and the water was full of people waiting for the next big wave. The kids were particularly interested in one female surfer wearing red with a pink board. Watching the surfing was just awesome, and it was hard to drag the kids away when it was time to go.

We hope that everyone had a very Happy Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

The kids opened up all of their presents that our family and friends sent them on Christmas Eve, and just had too much crazy fun! The girls are really excited about their new arts and crafts supplies. Ruffie likes the dinosaur with blood on it and all of his new cars. Pretty much, all of the kids are playing with everything.

They also got tons of new clothes...yeah! I still have yet to do the laundry, and I'm embarrassed to say that the pile of laundry is now taller than Jancis. (I did do three load of laundry tonight, which are entirely related to Rosie being very sick; poor girl.)

After opening presents, we spent the evening at the home of Pru's friend from school. We had a wonderful dinner, and I think there were about twelve children running all over the place. The kids had a marvelous time, and I engaged in a few adult conversations, as well as keeping my naughtinesses under control.

Lawrence Hall of Science

2011-12-27T22:17:00.000-08:00

Last week we visited the Lawrence Hall of Science, located on the UC Berkeley campus. This science museum for kids is appropriate for all ages, which is rare in a museum meant for children. I've found museums appropriate for only younger kids, or only older kids, or are just horrible for parents. This museum is great because every exhibit has something interesting for everyone... even me!

There were lots of opportunities for the kids to build and create. The kids made containers out of paper plates, paper cups, foam, pipe cleaners, and string that were supposed to hold as many paper and binder clips as possible, and could travel through a wind tube. Pru and Jan worked with simple motors and wheels to create cars to go over ramps and roads. We all used blocks to build some crazy towers, and smashed some down too.

Outside, the kids learned about the geography of the bay, and about earthquakes. Pru had fun inserting plastic boards between rocks to change the direction of the water flow from the pretend Sierra Nevada. The little ones liked digging in the sand and jumping on the rocks that moved up and down. The view here is also spectacular, and looks out over the bay into San Francisco. I took lots of pictures, and even spotted our apartment building.

The best part of our visit was the lab where we built windmills. Jancis built the first windmill that worked out of all of the children; go Jancis! She built and designed the windmill easily, and then, with trepidation, tested it out. It worked perfectly, and she was so happy! She was such a confident girl for the rest of our visit.

There are lots of exhibits, with new ones to come. Ending next week, there is the dinosaur exhibit, which is full of big moving dinosaurs, including a tyrannosaurus outside. I think the Tony Hawk Science of Extreme Sports exhibit coming this spring will be cool. Since we now have a membership, we'll definitely be back!

Cream and a Fun Walk

2011-12-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

Our walk yesterday started with a trip to the hardware store. Last weekend I purchased some hooks and a shelf at Ikea (though I thought the shelf was a towel rack), and I needed some drywall screws for the installation. The store is near campus, so we walked along the northern perimeter of campus, and then eventually cut right through the middle to Telegraph.

The kids started the walk throwing leaves at each other. Then they rolled in the grass, climbed some trees, scaled a few sculptures, grabbed the teeth of a sabertooth tiger, smelled many flowers, spotted golden rectangles, made fun of the policemen doing calisthenics, and counted the numerous tiny crystals in a large piece of basalt. The Rock Garden Display kept the kids busy for a long time. It is like a treasure hunt with a map and pictures, and of course, really big rocks.

We exited campus onto Telegraph, and walked down to Cream, a popular ice cream sandwich shop. For $2 you can pick two freshly baked cookies and a scoop of ice cream to go in the middle. If I can remember correctly, Pru had snicker-doodle cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream, Jan had chocolate chip cookies and carmel swirl ice cream, Ruffie had double chocolate chip cookies and chocolate ice cream, Rosie had peanut butter cookies and vanilla ice cream, and I had double chocolate chip cookies and egg-nog ice cream. What a mouthful! Every combination was tasty, and we also made a sticky mess right next to the guy selling lucky charms (sorry!).

Ohlone Park and Clipper Cards

2011-12-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

On Friday after school, we walked to the North Berkeley BART station to get the kids their discount Clipper card. The station was having a special registration event for seniors and youth. During the commotion, a few of the more feisty seniors did cut us in line, but we eventually handed in our application, only to find that we will have to wait up to two weeks for the cards to come in the mail. Bummer.

The station is next to the most westward end of Ohlone Park, so we decided to hang-out for awhile and people-watch. The kids found a very long branch from a palm tree, broke it in half, and had sword fights. There were huge rocks that they could stake as their own safe domain. Also, a few times the kids had to choose between getting stabbed to death by Pru's sword, or crossing the dangerous sidewalk where a killer bicycle could run them over dead. We had fun. I enjoyed seeing two mastiffs (and Rosie trying to love them) and a man practicing gymnastics and balancing on a stump like Mr. Miyagi. Cool.

Eastshore State Park

2011-12-11T15:48:00.001-08:00

Our plans to take BART downtown to Embarcado fell through yesterday, once I realized that it would cost us $21.90 to ride the train. (We need to get discount cards for Pru and Jan to make the trip affordable, which are only sold Monday through Friday at certain stations.) This is how we stumbled upon Eastshore State Park. We walked along the bay and then through a fenced-in section that is being protected with the hope that it would become wetlands again. The many Canada geese there seemed very happy with the idea.

We saw a few runners, and also some homeless people. One guy was playing his tenor saxophone on the beach, standing on top of some big rocks. The park overlooks the bay on the west, the Berkeley hills on the east, and there are lots of pretty views. I don't think we'll go back to this part of the park again, but the landfill area extends out into the bay and there seems to be a lot more paths and areas to explore.

My mission this week is to get discount BART cards for the kids!

UC Botanical Gardens

2011-12-07T22:05:00.001-08:00

We are now proud members of the UC Botanical Gardens. This 34 acre garden is an absolutely beautiful place to walk and explore. There are a combination of stroller-accessible paths, as well as paths that lead you up and down hills with gentle curves and wooden stairs. Every inch of this garden is breath-taking, and with over 13,000 different plants, we will have to return often so that we can see them all.

When we went, there were flowers blooming everywhere. What will be especially exciting is returning during different times of the year to see what is blooming. Prudence was very interested in all of the plants that the California Indians used for healing, medicine, and food. (She is writing a book for a huge project, and this is one of her focuses.) Jancis loved reading the signs, and was interested in how the gardeners care for the plants. She told me yesterday that she would love to study botany, and is interested in teaching school groups about plants by having her own garden one day. (I hope her gardening skills are better than mine!) With Rutherford and Primrose, I had to focus on "touch only with your nose". This is something I have always said to the children about plants, and it really tested both the little ones' self-control, since they were so tempted to reach out and grab those beautiful flowers. I have to say that no petal was picked by my little ones!

In other news, Cecil got his first tooth yesterday! Kids are always cuter with some teeth in their mouth. I rewarded him with some fresh-made pear sauce from pears I got at the farmer's market. I must say this - the produce here is the best I have ever had, and the prices are amazingly cheap. I relish in going to the farmer's market and getting my hands on the most wonderful fall produce. The apples are just as good as NYS (though I've never had better than NYS!) and the pears are absolutely sublime. There were so many different varieties of both that I have never heard of before. Last week we also picked up chard, onions, and leeks. (And of course, everything is organic.) The farmer's market runs every weekend all year long and is just down the street - I am in paradise!

Rosie Learns the Alphabet

2011-12-02T21:59:00.001-08:00

It all started with Jan yelling, "Rosie knows the alphabet!". I definitely did not believe her. Jan convinced me to watch Rosie play the iPad handwriting game iWriteWords. I was amazed to see that Rosie could navigate through the application easily. What amazed me even more was that she could trace her letters, and even say the names of some of them. Ruffie - you better start learning those letters fast before Rosie beats you to it!

The iPad is a new addition to our home. There a few educational games on it, and the kids use it occasionally when they have been very good. I thought that Rosie was only using the drawing program on it (she enthusiastically draws with virtual crayons all over a picture of Cecil); I guess I was wrong! Ruffie does thoroughly enjoy the drawing program. There are "stickers" of almost every mode of transportation that has ever existed. He enjoys sticking them all over his art projects, and then using finger gestures to make the stickers big and small. Big and small. It is very hilarious to him.

Jancis does addition problems on an application on the iPad. The application lets you use numbers from -9999 to 9999, so I can vary the difficulty for Jan and Pru. (Jan also likes the drawing program.) Pru plays chess sometimes, but is usually so busy with homework that she doesn't use the iPad very much. She does, however, read e-books that can be borrowed form the Berkeley library, or we get free e-books from Project Gutenberg. The iPad also yells at me whenever there is a breaking Al Jazeera news headline. (I haven't figured out how to turn off the yelling yet.)

Cecil Crawls

2011-11-26T18:33:00.001-08:00

Cecil has been crawling for almost one month now. He's not the most graceful crawler, but he gets where he wants to go. I hope you enjoy this film of Cecil crawling, Rosie playing the drums, and Ruffie giving away lollipops. And of course, you could just watch the movie to hear Hot Jazz Saturday Night (I am still addicted to WAMU), if you can hear it above all of the screaming! A word of caution, the movie is probably not very interesting to anyone, and I apologize for all of my bathroom toiletries in the hallway. We are getting a new bathroom countertop and vanity, and our bathroom had to be cleaned out. I am also too lazy to edit this film. Enjoy!

Tilden Farm and Jewel Lake

2011-11-25T18:45:00.001-08:00

This morning we went to a farm at Tilden Park, and then hiked the muddy trails around Jewel Lake. At the farm, you are able to get very close to the animals. The kids pet cows, pigs, goats, and sheep. (The bunnies, chickens, and turkeys were much too shy.) Pru noticed the thick mud that the cow was walking in, and Ruffie was enticed by the large piles of manure; they looked like so much fun to climb on! The farm was very busy, and people had brought celery and lettuce to feed the animals. The kids were running around and picking up leftover scraps to feed to the animals. None of the animals seemed to mind, except for, surprisingly, the pigs.

Afterwards, we walked a loop trail around Jewel Lake. This trail is definitely not stroller accessible, though there is a nice part of the trail that is completely boardwalk. I told the kids to stay with me, but Jan felt adventurous. She ran ahead and ended up running into the lake! She fell right into the muddiest part of it... yuck! Ruffie and Rosie also got covered with mud, but that is just from falling down and random craziness. The trail is a fun, quick hike, which is perfect for a two-year-old. I think it would be a little better during a less muddy time, and also when there are less people.

We quickly visited the nearby playground, and everyone was staring at my disgusting children. We soon left and I had them strip down, get into the truck, and then we drove home to take showers and do laundry. The outing was a little more work than I had intended, but well worth it.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T07:41:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a little different than I had planned. My plan was to find a nearby Thai restaurant, order take-out, and then get completely stuffed on fresh spring rolls, flat noodles, and curry. Well, to my surprise, no Asian restaurant within walking distance was open. While we were walking the streets to find an alternative, all we saw open was a donut shop. The kids each picked out the donut of their choice, and we ate them on one of the many flights of stairs on campus. When we got home, we finished our dinner with scrambled eggs in pita and pears. The kids went to bed early, and I taught my evening class - two very dedicated students showed up on Thanksgiving night!

People's Park and a Fun Walk

2011-11-19T22:02:00.001-08:00

Today we explored more of our neighborhood and went east towards People's Park. When we first moved here, I remember driving by the park and seeing the numerous tents and sleeping bags, and not knowing what to think. Now that we've lived here for a month, I think that the homeless people here are happy and friendly, and are always stopping to chat with me about my big family. On route to the park, we had to take a detour. I guess all of the smoke I saw down the street early this morning was a huge apartment fire! The entire building is uninhabitable, along with the restaurant below. Thankfully everyone is alright, but streets are closed and there is smoke for blocks around the area.

The playground at the park is small. There is a slide, two swings, and a sand play area. There is lots of green space, but I didn't want my loud and crazy kids to disturb all the sleeping people. For being just down the street, this is just a fun place to exert some energy. What I think is so special about this park is just the feeling you get when you are there - to be part of such an amazing community that accepts everyone is just a fantastic feeling - it's hard to describe!

We continued our walk east towards Piedmont Avenue, and then walked northward into campus. I took pictures of so many beautiful houses and businesses. The combination of palm trees, orange trees, and hibiscus flowers makes me think I'm on vacation! The colors of fall were everywhere, and with such a warm and sunny day, there was just beauty everywhere. The kids played in leaves amongst the London Planes (which are perfectly manicured), and caused lots of mischief amongst the students that were studying. We saw swing dancers and protesters (against nuclear weapons). We ended our walk with a stop for coffee at the Royal Ground Coffee House.

And just in case you want to see what I look like after a one month vacation in Berkeley, here is a shot that Pru took of me. What you don't see are my super trendy converse sneakers. I am really trying to fit in...!

Protest #1

2011-11-15T19:12:00.001-08:00

On our way home from school today, we stumbled upon a big UC Berkeley protest! Our apartment is on the other side of the students marching, so we just hung out, took some pictures, and shot a video. It was fun! We saw lots of cool signs, participated in some chanting, and saw many eccentrics. It was a combination "don't raise tuition" and "99%" protest. There were two helicopters hovering overhead (which is usually the case outside our windows these days), a few newspeople, and some police on bikes following behind.

I've been carrying my camera around everywhere I go - you never know when you'll see something interesting! I feel like I want to take a picture of everything, but I still feel kind of shy around people. After today's events, I feel way more confident to take pictures of everyone and everything! The kids had fun, but I think were confused. Prudence read a lot of the signs aloud, and Jancis and Ruffie mostly stared.

Inspiration Point

2011-11-11T18:43:00.001-08:00

This afternoon we drove up the Berkeley hills to Tilden Nature Park. The twenty minute trip took us past gorgeous homes and gave us stunning panoramic views of the bay. I tried to enjoy the scenery, but I was crossing my fingers that the poor truck could climb up all of those hills. I don't know if I've ever driven on roads so steep!

Tilden Nature Park is huge, and we just explored a very small part. I wanted a trail that was stroller accessible, and preferably paved since the forecast predicted a rainy day and I didn't feel like cleaning mud off the kids. Nimitz Trail at Inspiration Point is exactly this. The trail is 4 miles long (8 miles round trip) and travels along a ridge through to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. Towards the west you have views of the bay, and in the east you can see the San Pablo Reservoir. I was impressed with the views, while the kids were impressed with the cow gates, cow pies, banana slugs, and newts!

There are free roaming cattle in Wildcat Canyon, and even though we didn't see any, they left a lot of evidence. The kids played games jumping over them and seeing who could clear the most cow pies in a row; fun...! Of course, we had to pet every banana slug (as the kids did in Washington), but this time we also had newts to observe! It is mating season for the newts, and this is the time where they can be found crossing the park to get to South Park Drive, their favorite mating spot (so a local tells me). I was told that if we went to South Park Drive that we would be hard pressed not to step on any as we walked along the road... we'll save this trip for later!

Back to School

2011-11-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

Pru and Jan started going to school on Monday! It took seven days to prove our residency in Berkeley, and then an additional day of paperwork before the kids could start school. There wasn't a spot for both of them in any of the schools in our zone, so they are attending Oxford Elementary, located about 1.7 miles north of us.

For the first day of school, I decided to walk them there and back (a 6.8 mile walk). The walk is super fun - Oxford Street is full of shops and restaurants, and is adjacent to the west side of UC Berkeley. After awhile, the street turns completely residential, and super wealthy. I definitely don't mind walking past mansion after mansion; I spend the walk admiring their beautiful California gardens! (Ruffie tries to sniff every flower!) Walking back and forth, however, leaves me no time during the day to do any work, so for the past two days I've been driving them to school and walking to pick them up. I'm in the process of getting bus transportation in the mornings, but it is going to take a few days of paperwork and contract writing on the Transportation Department's behalf. Whatever!

Jan absolutely loves school. Yesterday she put shaving cream all over her desk and wrote letters and numbers with her fingers in the goop. Pru also loves school (of course), but she says that her classmates are very immature. She assures me that she is still the smartest in the class and raises her hand for every question. Also, she will be getting a clarinet soon to play in the band! I would give her my tenor sax, but I don't think any of us want to walk 1.7 miles home with it.

On our walk home today, we stopped at John's Ice Cream for its famous $1 scoop. Pru was adventurous and got a scoop of buko pandan ice cream (a Filipino flavor). On a side note, there is a homeless man who hangs out there with the craziest signs. Pru told me that one of his signs said, "I need money so that I can impress women". Last time I saw him his sign said, "I need money so that I can find serial killers".

Totland

2011-10-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today we visited Totland Playground in North Berkeley - an absolute paradise for preschool children. There is a large play structure, along with a free-standing slide, swings, climbing equipment, and small merry-go-round. The highlights of the playground are the numerous toys (tricycles, scooters, trucks, sand toys, etc.) for public use, and the sand! There is just sand everywhere, and kids are going crazy with buckets and water; super fun! The park is a 1.4 mile walk, and the trek takes you past Trader Joe's.

Rosie stayed on the tricycles and scooters the entire time, and mostly baby-watched. I don't think she's seen so many kids in one place before! Ruffie and Jan explored everywhere, and it was very difficult to pull Ruffie away when we had to go. Pru is past the playground age (no!!) and sat quietly reading Matilda. Breast-feeding is very en vogue at this playground, so I joined the forty-something mothers and did the same. Cool.

I had to share this picture from earlier today. The girls decided to dress for the winter (it was 73F and sunny here!) and they all took turns smelling the various colognes in Rolling Stones. This was an activity that took up most of the morning - there are a lot of colognes in the magazine. (Also, thank you to the mystery person who is sending us two free subscriptions to Rolling Stones. I feel so current now.)

New Digs

2011-10-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

New place in CA. The kids can explain it all to you. (Try it in full screen 1080p).

Pictures in case my camera work makes you dizzy.

Finding Alpha

2011-10-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

Japanese earthquakes and nuclear holocaust, Thai floods, and a Lazy FedEx guy... Despite all this, we found a new A65 in a glass case at Best Buy in Emeryville. The salesperson didn't even know what it was.

Whatever the case, here you can see some new pictures; Movies on YouTube soon.

Full disclosure: This is Andrew.

I <3 Berkeley

2011-10-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hello Berkeley!! We are all settled in our two-bedroom apartment (ie. college dorm), three blocks from campus. The building was built in 2004, and was built to look similar to the building that once was here: an old art-deco theater. We park the Explorer about five blocks away in a public garage. There is a vegan restaurant on the bottom floor, and countless vegetarian and vegan restaurants within walking distance. We are in heaven!

We registered the kids for school on Friday, but since we didn't have enough mail, we are waiting for a home-visit to actually verify we live here. Once this is complete, Pru and Jan should have their school assignments.

For the past few days, we have been exploring the Bohemian streets of Berkeley. Yesterday, we drove into San Francisco and visited Golden Gate Park, eating some sourdough bread from a nearby cooperative bakery, and smelling roses in one of the many gardens. Andrew also took Pru, Ruffie, and Rosie to the ocean to play in the waves. Jan, Cecil, and I hung back on the bluff and watched all of the surfers.

Pictures are soon to come; once I get a camera. Andrew is bringing my "old" Rebel XS on vacation with him. I was supposed to get some sort of fancy Sony A65 camera, but the FedEx guy didn't feel like delivering the box to us and sent it back to Sony. We pre-ordered the camera, which is now backordered for months, so I am camera-less, except for my iPhone camera, which, well, sucks.

We experienced four earthquakes already - bring 'em on! I'll also be visiting the second-hand store soon for some new threads.

Capture the Flag

2011-09-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

I have finally made my elementary school gym teachers proud - I have taught the children Capture the Flag. Along with two neighborhood kids, there are two teams of three. Using the backyard toys, the kids differentiated the jail area and dividing line. They played their little hearts out and were running everywhere, tagging each other, and guarding prisoners with themselves and with various large objects. The flags were captured several times, many kids were sent to jail, and Rosie was able to go from side to side undetected. There was definitely some foul play: I saw some balls thrown, and I think Ruffie was spitting rocks at rival team members.

In other school news, Pru's school has a "Walk for Math" program in grades 3-5. She now has math with a fifth grade class, and seems to be very happy about it. She had homework tonight (not math) where she had to research and write about seven jobs she may want when she grows up. Pru's choices, in order, are: Judge, US President, Secretary of State, Mathematics Professor, Lawyer, Librarian, and Agricultural Scientist.

Lattin's Country Farm and Mount St. Helens (Revisited)

2011-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

This morning we went down to Lattin's Country Farm for breakfast. Located in Olympia, this farm and cider mill has amazing apple fritters and hot cider on the weekends (the fritters were cooked right in front of us!). After fighting the bees at the picnic tables (the bees won - Pru got stung), we walked around the entire farm and saw: goats, ducks, pigs, chickens of all kinds, turkeys, and of course lots of yummy fresh growing produce. (The cows and horses were hiding from us.)

I really, really wanted to pick up a bunch of produce, but Andrew had other plans. The 20lb. box of fresh peaches that I wanted wouldn't survive our trip down to Mount St. Helens. Andrew had never been to Mount St. Helens before (the kids and I went last year), so we decided to take a drive there and have some more crazy fun.

Surprisingly, Andrew was unimpressed by Mount St. Helens (how could that be?). He really wanted to hike some of the boundary trails, but poor little Jancis still wasn't up to much walking. Instead, we took in the sights, did a little bit of walking, and had a nice big lunch.

Langus Riverfront Park

2011-09-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we headed north on I-5 towards Chipotle. We had no final destination in mind, and after having one of our favorite lunches, we continued north to Everett. After crossing the Snohomish River, we decided to hike at the Langus Riverfront Park to Spencer Island (#50). The hike is very accessible, and follows the river to a bridge crossing to the island. Unfortunately, poor Jancis wasn't feeling well, and we had to turn around. (I think she's a little under the weather after getting her flu vaccine last week.) The kids had fun looking at all of the boats and jet skis racing down the river.

After our little hike, we hit a huge outlet mall (Seattle Premium Outlets) just a little more north up I-5. If we had something to buy, it would definitely be a cool place to shop. Andrew and the kids just walked around so that I could have a place to hang and feed the littlest one.

Third Grade

2011-09-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Pru's first day of third grade! We walked her to school in the morning, bringing along the required numerous bags of school supplies, and kissed her goodbye. When I found out who her teacher was, I suspected a definite personality clash between Pru (super professional and studious) and him (super crazy). After her first day, Pru informed me that her teacher is fun and crazy, but she respects him, and was able to do other work provided by her teacher while the other students "did stupid stuff". Wow Pru - I love your candidness!

Nisqually Revisited

2011-09-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last year, the kids and I went to Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and admired the birds, interpretive signage, and accessible trails. We decided to venture there again this past weekend, and had an even more amazing time! This time we were able to bring Andrew, who was enjoying a four-day weekend after his vacation to Yakima. While we were walking, we noticed that a new trail had opened up: a 1.5 mile estuary trail that is completely boardwalk. While the bigger kids were running ahead and going crazy, Andrew, Cecil, and I spotted a seal playing in the water, along with numerous herons and gulls. The water surrounding you is brackish, and therefore you get that distinctly fishy smell that makes you feel like you are on the ocean. We only saw one fish, a large salmon carcass, but the kids did spot a live jellyfish.

Nisqually is definitely the best place to go for nature exploring with a stroller or wheelchair because of its completely accessible trails. The refuge is very popular and there are a lot of other folks hiking, taking pictures with very expensive cameras, and using binoculars for wildlife viewing. I'm so happy we decided to visit the refuge again this year, and I'm definitely going to return more often in the future!

Over Labor Day weekend, we mostly hung out as a family and relaxed. We did go to the Museum of Flight, but forgot our camera. The Blue Star Museum Program has now ended, and museums are no longer free to us military folks (until next year). Andrew has another four day weekend coming up (yeah!) but I have a feeling we are going to spend it doing Army arts and crafts (boo!).

The Burke Museum and The University of Washington

2011-08-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

Before we moved to Washington, I was excited about many things: the weather, whales, coffee, vegetarian restaurants, hiking, produce, eco-minded people. Some of these things never lived up to my expectations, however, one secret thing I was excited about that has been thoroughly disappointing has been totem poles. I figured I would see totem poles everywhere; this is not the case. This morning I was determined to see totem poles, so after some research, I found out that the Burke Museum in Seattle is the place to go (within a reasonable driving distance). We saw five totem poles, and they were super cool! There was a totem pole that Prudence was particularly taken with. It shows a woman holding "money" demonstrating that the person who was buried there had paid their debts to the family represented by that totem pole.

The museum's ground floor is completely devoted to Washington State - dinosaurs, geology, flora and fauna - the kids really enjoyed it. They even liked the dinosaurs, which I thought they might be scared of. I really liked the precious gems and the geodes. Pru read about every rock on display and taught all of us about what made each rock special. There was also a special exhibit about wolves which was beautifully done. The taxidermic wolves were in varying active scenes, and there was fur to touch and skulls to inspect, as Ruffie is doing above.

The museum's bottom floor has artifacts and exhibits of native peoples from all around the Pacific. There was a very colorful Dia de los Muertos offering that freaked out the kids a little. I liked the scene of a Korean couple getting married that had a rooster in a dress (so say the children). There were a lot of things to see, and I think everyone was a little overwhelmed, but we had fun!

The museum is located on the University of Washington's campus, so we decided to take a walk and tour the grounds. The buildings throughout are the large Gothic style buildings that you see on many campuses, but what is especially wonderful are all of the people and faces on the buildings' facades. The Forest Sciences Lab is completely different than the other buildings - it is tucked away in a forest of cedar, built on stilts, and has an earthy Northwestern feel. We also had fun looking at the many beautiful roses, playing around a big fountain, and running up and down lots of stairs.

To end the day, we visited the Burke Cafe, had some coffee, and relaxed. Today really reminded me of teaching at GWU. (It didn't remind me of AUC, since AUC's campus has its own modern and distinctive style.) I definitely miss my past academia life, and visting campuses like this remind me how comfortable and wonderful that life is. I think I'll always be drawn to living near or around universities, but right now I'm happy with my online teaching career and am excited about the freedom it gives me, as well as the new challenges of working with a different group of students.

A Midsummer Knight's Read

2011-08-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

The reading program, A Midsummer Knight's Read, ended today with a big party at the library. There were two bouncy castles, face painting, a dunk tank, and snacks. The kids partook of everything, less the dunk tank (way too scary).

Since we joined the reading program in June, the only thing the kids could think about was the bouncy castle. This was Ruffie's motivation to get him to read for the required 30 hours so that he could attend the party. Pru was surprisingly unamused by the bouncy castle - I guess she is growing up! Rosie never stood up inside, and instead mostly rolled around until she rolled out.

We didn't do as much with the reading program as we did last year. We only attended one function, which was a puppet show. For the other functions we were either traveling or ill, and one time the kids were way too naughty to go. I was overall disappointed with the reading level prizes (compared to last year) and with the final party. Last year there were crafts, prizes for everyone, certificates, lots of books, and goodie bags. I think this year there were many more participants. The party was definitely not fun for the adults who attended. Standing in line waiting to get the kids' faces painted took forever, but the moms and I chatted a lot in line and became temporary friends. We had a piece of cake as our treat.

On the bright side, we got some good exercise walking to and from the library. Also, the kids will stop talking about the bouncy castle every second I am awake.

In other news, I completely love the television show Bramwell. I started watching it yesterday on Netflix. If you are interested in medicine, late Victorian history, Britain, and women kicking butt, then I would totally watch it.

Planting Flowers

2011-08-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

We now have beautiful flowers in our front flower bed; I wonder how long they will last? The kids and I took a trip to the nicest nursery around, Watson's, and filled the truck full. I'm not sure exactly what I bought, however, I know that I purchased a bunch of geraniums, one impatiens plant, two ferns, some tall ornamental grass, two plants with purple leaves, and some sort of tall plant with purple flowers.

Now, I am not any good at gardening. I am not proud of this fact, and I figure that the only way for me to become a better gardener is to try to plant a few things every once in awhile. I had no idea how to put the plants in the flower bed so that they would look nice together. I defaulted on putting everything in a row with the taller plants on the edges and the smaller plants in the middle. The colors are even symmetrical, with the lonely salmon-colored impatiens plant in the middle. I don't know exactly what I think of it, but I'm hoping the plants will just get bigger and look better somehow. I have faith. If the plants don't last until Andrew comes home, well, at least I have pictures!

The kids had fun digging holes in the dirt with their hands (I used a shovel). Ruffie enjoyed stacking and unstacking the pots they came in, and Jan neatly organized the plastic information sticks. Rosie was outside for awhile helping, until she attempted to run across the street to give some deer her pots. She was then sent into her playpen on the other side of the front window.

Wright Park and the Seymour Conservatory

2011-08-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

This morning we went downtown and spent a few hours at Wright Park. The Seymour Conservatory is located on the park grounds, and the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is across the street. Unfortunately, the museum was unexpectedly closed, though we did gaze at its beautiful Ionic columns and eagle sculptures.

We first went to the Conservatory. It is much smaller than the Lamberton Conservatory in Rochester, but it is very colorful and warm - a nice change from the cool Washington weather. I absolutely fell in love with all of the colorful leaves I saw in various patterns. I have no clue about plants, however, I am going to the nursery tomorrow to buy the plants above. (I hope they will succeed in my full shade flower bed?) The kids enjoyed the goldfish pond and the hanging plants. Ruffie did a good job controlling himself and did not touch any cactuses; he wanted to more than anything.

After the conservatory, we headed to the Manuscript Museum and admired some artillery in their front lawn. (Andrew would be proud.) The park itself has a canon, as well as many beautiful sculptures of Grecian goddesses, lions, and children. The kids liked touching all of the sculptures, and Pru read all of the plaques. What they really enjoyed was the playground - no surprise! It really is a wonderful, new, and clean playground. The equipment is metal, wood, and rope with only a few plastic elements. The best part is the way it is laid out - there is a barrier almost completely around the playground equipment so that children can only enter and exit one way. This makes a mom of five very happy. The crazy merry-go-round below was a favorite, as well as a xylophone.

The park also has a spray park (way too cold for that!), and a pond with a bridge and fountain. There are plenty of paths for walking on, and it seems very popular for birthday parties, runners, senior citizens, and the homeless. We all had fun and got some exercise too!

We ended our crazy fun day #4 with a dinner of homemade calzones - it was my first time making them and they turned out great! The kids said they loved them over and over again. Of course, I packed them full of spinach; yum!

Work and Play

2011-08-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well, today was crazy fun day #3, however, I didn't really have crazy fun. My computer alerted me this morning about a math faculty meeting at 10am, and I received an email asking me to apply to an open position where I work that I really want. Therefore, I was busy most of the day polishing my CV, writing a good cover letter, and doing work stuff while the kids had some crazy fun of their own. (Keep your fingers crossed for me - maybe soon I'll be better employed!)

We did go to the grocery store and purchased 5 lbs. of berries, 5 lbs. of apples, 10 lbs. of bananas, 4 lbs. of grapes, 2 lbs.of nectarines, and 2 gallons of soy milk - enough to last the weekend. After dinner we took our usual walk, which is about an hour around the outskirts of our neighborhood. I let the three oldest kids ride their bikes, and it was very successful. Jan only became tired when home was in sight, and Ruffie didn't go wild into the street.

Rosie is taking to sleeping in her big girl bed pretty well now. Cecil now sleeps from about 8pm - 4am in the crib (in his own room), and Rosie is sleeping in the toddler bed. Ruffie is on the bottom bunk, and Pru and Jan are both on the top bunk. At first, Rosie would wander around the room screaming until about 11pm when she would fall asleep onto the floor in a heap. Now she agrees to be tucked into bed, but there is still a lot of screaming involved.

Washington History Museum

2011-08-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

For Day #2 of crazy Washington fun, we went to the Washington History Museum in Downtown Tacoma. Located next to the Museum of Glass, we again parked at Freighthouse Square and took the tram downtown. The History Museum is a Blue Star Museum, so we had free admission with my military ID.

Upon arrival, the volunteer at the information kiosk was especially enthusiastic about a scavenger hunt for the children, and gave them the appropriate sheets and pencils. The kids did find everything on the sheets, with a lot of crying involved. They are very sensitive, and seeing the molded people (probably out of plaster of paris) wearing clothes and having their voices coming out of speakers located nearby, made them scream. The scariest people were the ones who were dead in the coal mines, drying meat outside, and making shingles on a huge shingle machine (super cool!). Prudence made an especially intriguing comment about these people. She noted that when we went to a similar museum in Egypt, the people were real people. Here in the United States, the people are statues. Interesting.

There were a few things the kids did like about the museum. They enjoyed a huge model train exhibit, sitting in a covered wagon, making puzzles in a kid's room, and seeing a big piece of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that fell into the Sound when it collapsed. I thought the entire museum was very well done - full of new and interactive exhibits that were very engaging. For example, you could see an entire conversation play out between a group at the General Store during the time of the Oregon Trail - cool! The Nisqually Native American art from the 1950's was colorful and beautiful, and I think the kids did like the many portrayings of killer whales. There were also several contemporary Native American masks that showed the effects of measles, small pox, and alcoholism on their people. Two of the masks had beer cans and bottles sticking out of them, and definitely made a profound statement.

After the museum, the kids begged to walk to the waterfront area and play in the fountain. We had a nice walk, looking at yachts and sailboats, and also getting a little wet! The kids had some hot cocoa, and me a big cappuccino. We just relaxed and hung out; it was perfect.

Chambers Bay Tails

2011-08-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today was Day #1 of our two week "Washington Fun" adventure. While Andrew is on vacay, we are going to do something crazy fun every day. This morning we went to Chambers Bay and walked around the entire golf course, which includes the Grandview and Soundview Trails (about 3 1/2 miles). We've been here lots of times, however, we've never walked the entire loop before, or documented it in pictures.

There are lots of awesome things about these trails. The area where the park and golf course now sit used to be gravel mines. There is still a railroad next to the park in front of the Sound, and there are also many remnants throughout the park of the mining infrastructure. The golf course is full of hills, low brush, and sand. There is a beautiful green meadow for the kids to play on, and a bridge over the railroad tracks to the beach. The trails wind around the meadow and golf course, and then through a wooded area into a loop. Since I have to push Rosie in the stroller and carry Cecil in the carrier, it's great that the trails are all paved; I can't really going hiking by myself anymore unless I force Rosie to walk. There are lots of steep grades throughout the trail, so it is fun and challenging - my heart was definitely reaching my target heart rate!

There was some cool graffiti art done in chalk on some of the mining remnants. I couldn't resist getting my picture taken with Leonardo before the power-washer guy blew him away. We all had a great time, and our outing really tuckered out Ruffie and Rosie, who slept many hours upon our return home.

Bye-Bye Sonata, etc.

2011-08-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

We recently sold our beautiful Hyundai Sonata to prepare for Andrew's upcoming year-long vacation. Prudence was especially jolted since she imagined herself driving the car at sixteen. We put it on McChord's lemon lot, and it was sold in about 3 1/2 weeks. We sold it for exactly the amount we paid for it two years ago; awesome! We touched the money for a minute, and then immediately paid down our mortgage (a little bit) with all of it. Andrew gets to be chauffeured in the company's car for his vacation, lucky guy. I'll have my truck, and that's all I'll need when he's gone.

In addition to the Sonata, we also said goodbye to the microwave. We couldn't ever figure it out anyways, and we rarely used it. It was dropped off at Goodwill. This last weekend we packed up our large screen that we watch movies on too. Andrew is bringing it on vacation (and leaving it there forever), and it's being sent shortly with a bunch of Army junk from his battalion. I never liked the screen anyways, and I threw a big tantrum when he bought it. Andrew agrees with me now - we are content to watch movies on the laptop screen.

In other news, Andrew gets to spend another two weeks exploring the largest hops producing region in the United States; lucky guy. While he is drying the hops and thenceforth brewing himself some exquisite ale (while of course shooting the big guns and blowing up some of those beautiful flowering hop plants), I'll be seeing some more sights in Washington.

Bremerton-Seattle Fun Day

2011-07-31T00:28:00.000-07:00

The kids (and Andrew) have been sick for almost two weeks, but today no one had a fever or was violently ill, so we decided to leave our home for a fun-filled day. We visited Naval Base Kitsap and saw the USS John C. Stenis and the USS Connecticut.

Then, we went to the Puget Sound Naval Museum in Bremerton. There, we spent most of the time playing dress-up and attacking each other with lobsters and stingrays. Pru enjoyed learning how to stay in the baffles of Soviet submarines and avoid being detected by crazy Ivans. Andrew found out about the USS Jimmy Carter and how it is different from other Sea Wolf class submarines. The little ones and I liked looking at the female uniforms and playing with fake food. The museum is small, full of new interactive exhibits, and is great for families with kids of all ages. The children's room is lots of fun, and there is enough stuff for kids to enjoy in every room of the museum.

After the museum, we decided to go to Seattle for dinner. Today was sunny and beautiful. It was the perfect day to let the ferry take our car to Seattle while we hung out and enjoyed the view. The kids had fun just being on a boat. I especially liked looking at all of the fancy houses along the edge of the water, and Andrew admired every sailboat.

In Seattle, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants, the Pan Africa Restaurant. The food is served family style on request: you get a huge platter layered with injera and topped with about ten different veggie delights. Jan's favorite is cabbage and potatoes. Andrew and I especially enjoy the yam and groundnut, while Pru likes the back-eyed peas. We also tried an appetizer of black-eyed pea cakes that were accompanied by a fabulous cabbage and pineapple salad. It is lots of fun to get the whole family eating with our hands and making a mess!

To our surprise, we stumbled upon the Seafair Parade while we were Downtown! We saw bands, dancers, the Daffodil Queen (from Tacoma) and the Lilac Queen (from Spokane), floats, and celebrities (Drew Carey, the Seattle Chief of Police, the King County Executive, and the Chairman of the Board of the Seafair Committee... ooh... aah...). The weirdest part of the parade was a nice old asian woman who decided to hold on to Rosie's stroller and pretended to be the children's grandma (?). Anyways, we decided to leave the parade early because of too many scary clowns, and because we were near meltdown being that it was 9pm.

My Dead Flowers

2011-07-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad I took some pictures of the irises I planted in the front flower box before we left on vacation. When we got back, the plants were all dead and shriveled up. I'm not surprised by this, since every plant I touch dies. The last flower I grew successfully was in 1996.

This brings up the question: You went on vacation? Yes, we all went to New York from the July 5th - July 12th. If I didn't see you, I apologize immensely. We had to deal with Space A travel, driving about 1,300 miles, breastfeeding a two-month-old, and keeping all five kids happy. (We need another vacation.) Too bad Andrew leaves for the peaceful Yakima Valley again next month, and I wallow in the dreary, cold, Washington weather. Details on our vacation to come... someday!

Goodwill

2011-07-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Goodwill is absolutely the best place to shop for kid's clothes and books. Prices are incredibly low, you are being green by recycling other people's junk, and you are helping support Goodwill's mission.

We have been regular Goodwill shoppers (and donators) for many years. Our nearby Lakewood Goodwill offers a 10% discount to military on Wednesday, and this weekend has a special holiday sale of 30% off all donated goods. This morning I purchased 12 pieces of clothing for the kids and 15 children's books for $28 (including tax). All of the clothing is name brand and new - I am very particular about what I purchase. Workbooks and coloring books are $0.39, softcover children's books are $0.99, and hardcover children's books are $1.29. Granted, you have to do some exploring through the racks of clothes to get what you want (and I hate that), but it's worth it.

Zoo Poop and Ice Cream

2011-07-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the kids and I took advantage of the sunny weather and went to the zoo. The kids were very enthusiastic about visiting the new poop exhibit. Here, we learned how to do fecal exams, and watched animals poop, throw poop, eat poop, build with poop, and learned lots of other interesting poop facts; awesome! For the rest of the day the kids kept pointing to things around the zoo and asking, "Is that poop?" No kids, not everything you see is poop.

We took an ice cream break, and of course got wonderfully sticky. Rosie and Pru had the orange flavored twist. Jancis had a strawberry twist, and Ruffie a cheesecake twist. I'm not too into those fake flavorings, so I just got plain vanilla.

This will be one of our last outings to the zoo since our membership expires at the end of July and we aren't planning on renewing. I highly recommend the membership to any family nearby with lots of kids - it is just a pleasant place to walk around with beautiful views of the sound, lots of big trees, and numerous labeled plants blooming at all times of the year. The gigantic slide below is also a big plus.

In other news, I finally made it through the movie Pulp Fiction last night. After numerous false starts, having to end the movie short because of language or violence, I forced myself to watch it (with the help of Andrew). I'm so glad I made it through the movie! The dialogue and cinematography are amazing, and I empathized with several of the druggie characters.

Pru's Last Day

2011-06-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Pru's last day of second grade. I sent her off to school with a kiss, and picked her up hysterically fake crying. We celebrated by discussing our will with an attorney, rolling over one of our funds into an IRA (and notarizing a document for it), and then getting passports for Cecil and I. Definitely a super fun way to party!

On another interesting note, I finally saw the movie High School Musical, and loved it! I'm sure many of you out there are rolling your eyes, but this is definitely a feel-good movie that made me smile, dance, and sing. Pru and Jan loved it too. Next time Andrew's checking for dead hookers in the barracks and sleeping on a cot in his office, we'll watch the sequel!

Owen Beach and Quickie Too

2011-06-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Andrew had the day off from work as a reward for not blowing up any people or important things while touring the fertile Yakima Valley Region. He was still pretty exhausted from all of the sight-seeing and late nights roasting veggie-dogs over an open fire, but he thought he would take the kids and I out to dinner and to the beach. We combined both of those glorious ideas into one, and had a picnic on Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park.

We picked up an assortment of burgers from Quickies Too in Tacoma - our all time favorite soul food vegan cafe. Inside, the restaurant is decorated with Bob Marley posters, marijuana leaves, and has a wood stove. Reggae music is usually playing in the background. The atmosphere is definitely cool and laid back, and you can hang out there while you sip your Egyptian mate and contemplate the various PETA or pro-marijuana propaganda laying around.

Food-wise, I really love the Crazy Jamaican Burger (the plantain on top is amazing), and the Fish Sandwich is great too. The kids seemed to like their Chili Burger and Quinoa Burger, and Andrew's Really Big Burger was really big (it had potato salad on it!). We also got the sweet potato fries and the mac and yease (ie. yeast). Pretty much anything and everything there is just out of this world.

After dinner, the kids had fun playing on the beach. We also took a nice walk. I've heard that if you walk down towards the end of the walking path and keep on going towards the end of the beach, you can see seals during certain times of the year. I hope to one day try it, but it leaves lots of walking to Rosie since the beach is not stroller friendly, and I cannot carry two babies for long; we'll see!

I think Cecil had fun... but as you can see, it's a little hard to measure his happiness level. I think his look below is a "where is the food Mom?" kind of look.

Tacoma Museum of Glass

2011-06-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Blue Star Museum program, offering free museum passes for military to many museums in the US, started after the Memorial Day weekend. The kids and I decided to visit the Tacoma Museum of Glass. We parked at Freighthouse Square, a long, green building that is known for welcoming some of the first immigrants to the west coast. It is now full of shops and food vendors, and on this day, hosted a drag fashion show. Jancis looked right at one of the guys and said, "She's ugly!" I told the kids to close their mouths, and I counseled them later in the day.

Freighthouse Square is located directly in front of the Tacoma Link, a free tram that runs past the museum. The kids had so much fun riding on the tram! It was clean, easily accessible with a stroller, and is now my preferred way to get Downtown. Let me mention that Downtown Tacoma is full of really steep streets. Whenever I drive my truck up one of those streets, it literally lunges back a foot whenever I start again at a stoplight, and gives me a heart attack. I'm always worried I'll hit the car behind me, and sometimes I don't actually stop at the stoplight, but instead just keep my foot on the gas, constantly revving the engine without moving; the tram experience is way better.

Walking from the tram stop to the museum, we went over the Chihuly Bridge of Glass (top picture). There are glass pieces on top of you, as well as exhibits like you see below. You also get a wonderful view of the city. The outside pieces are the only ones you are allowed to photograph, and therefore I was unable to take pictures inside the museum, except for in the workshop.

In the workshop we watched one artisan blow glass, and another artisan create a "collar" for a piece he was working on (a red vase with etched jelly fish). This was especially fun for the kids because they got to see fire, both in the oven and on blow torches, and the workshop was just magnificent looking: shaped like a funnel, dark, and full of unusual objects.

The museum itself is small, but enjoyable, especially with small kids who would only want to look at glass for so long. The highlights were a room full of glasswork designed by children (but made by artisans in the museum's workshop), and a room that made you feel like you were in an ice storm.

Note that Rosie and Cecil both went to the museum, but Cecil mostly slept, and Rosie can't be removed from her stroller or else she feels entitled to wander around on her own... and I'm sure break lots of glass.

Dungeness Spit

2011-06-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went on a family hike to Dungeness Spit (#154, 1 mile) which is one of the longest natural sand spits in the United States, extending into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This is the first hike that Andrew had been on in awhile, the first hike for Cecil, and the first hike that Rosie wasn't in a backpack, so we made it a short one. It is possible to walk the complete spit to a lighthouse at the end (5 miles one way) but Rosie wasn't too interested in that. She preferred to rub sand into her clothes and put it down the front of her shirt with Ruffie.

We weren't really prepared for a trip to the beach, since it was a chilly day, but the kids insisted on stripping down to their underwear and jumping in. Almost immediately, they realized it was a bad idea, and spent their entire playtime freezing and moderately happy.

In the picture above you can see Vancouver Island. To the East you can see the Cascades, and to the South you can see the Olympics, so you feel that you are completely surrounded by mountains. The beach is rocky in some places, with a few dead crabs under some of the rocks. Lots of seaweed is strewn around, and there is a massive amount of driftwood, old and new, all over the spit. It is definitely a great beach for exploring, and the kids spent their time collecting (and then returning) as well as climbing and splashing.

Today, the kids and I woke up early and drove Andrew to work so that he could ride with his guys in their big, luxurious trucks to Yakima. Cecil, unfortunately, could not go. Even though he is a Gunslinger, he didn't pass any of his tests, so he is not qualified to shoot the guns, and therefore useless. Maybe next time Cecil.

The Newest Gunslinger

2011-06-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Cecil is now one month old, and since then, he has had so many interesting experiences. He had ridden miles in his Baby Bjorn; slept for hundreds of hours; drank gallons of milk; received millions of kisses; been stepped on once; almost force-fed a Cheerio twice; participated in business math lectures; and who knows what else he has done in the wee hours of the night when I'm asleep.

By far, the most monumental event in his life thus far has been the awarding of his membership into the Gunslingers. This official certificate clearly and accurately documents the birth of Cecil via helicopter drop-off, his vital statistics according to Andrew's S1 shop (though I note a blatant discrepancy), and his induction as the newest Gunslinger.

In other news, Andrew is leaving once again for a fertile wine region and the largest apple growing region in Washington state. Since Cecil has joined his battalion, I can only guess that Cecil is going too. Have fun boys! They'll be gone 2 weeks and get to enjoy the sunny and warm temperatures there, while I stay here in gloomy, rainy, and cold McChord. Blow up some sagebrush for me!

Static

2011-05-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

We haven't had too many beautiful days here in Washington - the days are mostly cloudy and rainy - but for the few days that the sun decides to share its presence, we've enjoyed them outside (minus the days that the kids had some odd illness that made them delirious).

There are lots of playgrounds in the neighborhood, and a particular favorite of ours is down the road next to Carter Lake. The four little ones and I have numerous fun outings there, though Cecil prefers to watch the other kids play and snuggle with me.

I couldn't resist sharing these pictures of the kids picking up some static. Their hair is so fine that it stands straight up, as if they were experimenting with a Van de Graaff generator.

Not only do the kids enjoy all the slides at the playground, but they also roll down the steep hill next to it, and hide behind the numerous evergreens on the outskirts of the park. The lake is fun too, but is usually surrounded by Canada Goose poop.

Morey Pond and the Airfield

2011-05-13T10:28:00.001-07:00

I finally started working-out with The Firm again on Wednesday, but on Thursday I could barely get out of bed and move. Instead of having Jen kick my butt with her Body Sculpting work-out (yes, I am on a first name basis with all The Firm girls), the kids and I decided to walk part of the airfield and enjoy the unusually sunny weather.

We had never walked the airfield before, mostly because it looks boring and there isn't any shade on sunny days. This is actually a really fun walk, and the kids had a blast. Seeing plane after plane taking off and landing never lost its novelty, and the kids would run ahead to see who could spot the next mile marker first (awesome!). Another surprise was stumbling upon Morey Pond - I couldn't believe there was a park on McChord that I hadn't found! The pond is small, but there were lots of waterfowl, a viewing spot, and a few fishermen. The kids had fun, but then Ruffie got a little too close to the edge of a look-out point, and since I wasn't going to perform a rescue mission with little Cecil strapped to the front of me, we decided to continue on our walk around the airfield.

Today I did work-out with Jen, and now I'm feeling fabulous. This week I could easily fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans, but my shirts probably won't fit for months. Oh'well. It's another beautiful, sunny day, so I wonder where the kids and I will head out to (after my first math faculty meeting that is!)?

Cecil's First Trip to Seattle

2011-05-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to spend a night in Seattle. We always just make a day-trip to the Emerald City, but this time we decided to live-it-up and stay at the Grand Hyatt downtown, in a suite on the top floor (Andrew "wouldn't want his girl to stay anywhere else"). The view was fantastic, and the room was larger than our Arlington condo, though we still forced 3/5 of the kids to stay a few floors downstairs with Andrew's parents (we kept the littlest). Cecil slept in the king size bed; lucky guy.

The first evening we took a nice walk in the Capital Hill District to a great vegan/asian restaurant. We took it back to the hotel room, and unfortunately, we should have gotten more dishes that weren't spicy because we think Andrew's parents absolutely hated everything (we loved everything, however, it could have been spicier).

The next morning we had bagels for breakfast, and they were fantastic! I haven't eaten a good bagel in about three years, and these were true NY bagels, with jalapeno cream cheese; yum! We then started out on our walk to Pike Place Market and onwards towards the Science Fiction Museum near the Space Needle. We stopped at a French bakery and got a few baguettes for the trek.

When we got to the museum, officially called, the Experience Music Project / Science Fiction Museum, we ended up buying a season pass since it was just a few dollars more expensive than all the tickets we were buying anyways. The Science Fiction part of the museum was mostly closed because of an upcoming Avatar exhibit that was being worked on, though we did see an exhibit about Battlestar Galactica. The music part of the museum was lots of fun, and we are looking forward to coming back during a weekday when it is not as crowded. There was a room where the kids could play different instruments, a guitar exhibit, an exhibit containing lots of interactive stations (guitar playing, scratching records, playing a theremin, etc.), a live band standing in front of a huge screen with 3D fractals whizzing by, a Jimi Hendrix exhibit, a Nirvana Exhibit,... it was just fun and crazy!

And what about Cecil? I think he enjoyed his first trip to Seattle. He mostly slept and ate, and we watched the 3D fractals for a long time. He liked being carried around in the Baby Bjorn, and he also liked listening to Daddy composing his own midi music (he definitely rocked!). For dinner we went to a vegan hotdog internet cafe, and Cecil decided to sleep in my lap.

Mixing 'oo/ou' and geography in the 2nd grade

2011-05-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Yep. This is typical creativity just oozing out of Prudence. I insisted that she include souk.

Full Disclosure: This is Dad.

Rosie at the playground

2011-04-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome Cecil!

2011-04-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

Cecil Semonite was born at home on Thursday morning at 1:10am. Andrew's parents arrived in time for Mrs. Pingrey to help deliver the little one. We woke up Pru and Jan for the birth and once Cecil arrived we woke up Ruffie and Rosie. Everyone gave Cecil lots of kisses and hugs.

Later that day we took Cecil for a check-up. He weighs 9lbs. 1 oz., is 21 inches long, and of course is a very healthy baby! Welcome Cecil!

Sustainability Kit

2011-03-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Pru, Jan, and I finally opened up the National Geographic Sustainable Earth Lab Experiment Kit that Audrey gave Pru for Christmas. Pru has been constantly begging me to open up the kit since she received it, but I haven't been able to dedicate enough of my time to oversee the experiments, as well as keep an eye on the little ones and make sure they don't ingest the included compass or break a Petri dish. With Pru's Spring Break this week, and Andrew away, it finally was an ideal time to open up the kit and see what it was all about.

The first experiment we did was planting watercress seeds. Once the seeds sprout, we are supposed to spray one plant with vinegar, and sprinkle another plant with salt. This is supposed to simulate the effect of putting untreated wastewater onto crops. Pru was very interested in reading about wastewater treatment plants and how they work, but when she read about how her plants are going to die after we do this, she started to cry. Then Jan started crying, demanding I tell her why we need to kill our plants; yikes! I don't know if we'll actually complete this experiment, or if we'll just eat some yummy watercress in a few weeks, but the kids are currently very anti hurting their poor little watercress plants.

The second experiment we did was supposed to simulate the rising temperatures on Earth with the polar ice caps melting. It essentially involved creating a greenhouse out of plastic film and measuring the temperature under a lightbulb when the floor of the greenhouse was white compared to when it was black. We ended up getting the same measurements, but I think Pru generally understood the idea anyways. Thirty-eight experiments to go!

Besides doing science experiments, the kids did lots of schoolwork today, and we took a walk during a torrential downpour and even got hit by some hail. For Spring Break week, we have so many fun things planned! For example, on Tuesday Pru has a physical. On Wednesday Jan has a physical. On Thursday Ruffie has a physical. On Friday Rosie has a physical. Thanks Army medical system for making my life so wonderful and not scheduling physicals for families back-to-back. I can't wait to go to the clinic for four days this week!

1LT's Ceremony

2011-03-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Andrew just gave me pictures of his promotion ceremony before he left for Yakima, and I thought I would share this monumental occasion with everyone. Notice how the LTC and Andrew get to stand in rocks in front of a big gun - must be a cool field-artillery-army-thing.

As far as I know, Andrew is currently alive and well, making friends with the outside critters of Yakima. I just found out that he has another vacation to Yakima coming up in June - lucky!

Le Voyeur and Capitol Lake

2011-03-21T10:23:00.000-07:00

We recently went to Olympia to try out a new veggie restaurant, and we ended up taking a nice walk around nearby Capitol Lake as well. Le Voyeur is probably a restaurant that everyone that reads this blog would be scared of - but we really enjoyed it. Where else can you dine with Prince standing behind you only wearing his underwear? Mannequins, old film equipment, and stoned college students decorate the front dining area. There is a trippy-looking bar in the back of the restaurant, and the bathrooms have chairs hanging from the ceiling with no inch of the walls without graffiti. We also got to drink out of mason jars like we do at home! Jan asked whether our server was a girl or a boy - right in front of our server. S-he didn't seem to mind, but we never did find out. The restaurant isn't completely vegetarian, but the meat selections can be substituted with tempeh or tofu. I had a philly cheese steak sandwich (with tempeh). Andrew had chicken-fried steak (tofu) with gravy over toast. The kids had a sloppy hippie burger and a voyeur burger (both veggie burgers). We all shared quesadillas, hummus, and fries. The food was all outstanding, though the kids aren't used to "American food" and didn't seem to enjoy it as much as Andrew and I did (they would probably have prefered a curry).

After our big lunch, we walked over to Capitol Lake, walking the entire path around it. We let the kids go free while Andrew and I kept our eyes on them from a distance, at times hoping that the little ones wouldn't bend too far over the side and get a nice bath. (Also, let me apologize for the pictures; we only had Andrew's iPhone camera for this fun excursion to Olympia.)

In other news, Andrew left us today for two weeks as he vacations in the fertile wine region of Yakima Valley. I spent the entire evening assembling his Molle pack (success!), and assembling his packing list (long and confusing). By 12:30am, I could only crawl on the floor from assault pack to Molle pack to duffle bag to the huge Army crap storage closet to cookies in the kitchen to back to the assault pack again. I think my 29-year-old frame with an enormous 34-week-old alien baby inside, gives-way at around 10:00pm. After that, my back does not seem able to fully support my huge body. The kids and I magically got Andrew to work at 4am and made it back home. Have fun Andrew! We already miss you! Blow up something big for me.

Karate

2011-03-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

Prudence just finished her second week of karate, and she loves it! She did Tae Kwon Do for half a year when we were in Egypt, and has been begging me since then to do it again. I am not the kind of mom to drive the kids all over to their various activities, so I wasn't going to drive Pru weekly to class. Recently, though, Karate classes started being offered at McChord and are located in a building just down the road that Pru can walk to by herself! Therefore, I have to do nothing (besides hem her gi, which took an entire night by hand), and Pru can be her own girl and have fun. Officially, she is taking Traditional Shorin-Ryu Karate. I don't really understand the differences between the martial arts, but from talking with Pru, it seems that she has to do a lot of praying and bowing, which she didn't do in Tae Kwon Do. She is already looking forward to a test in May where she will be able to put a stripe (I think green) on her belt. Go Prudence!

Hello, 1LT!

2011-03-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

On Monday, the first thing I noticed when Andrew stepped into the door was a new black bar on his ACU blouse and a shiny silver bar on his beret; he's now a First Lieutenant! In order to be promoted to 1LT he had to pass two very important tests: (1) Andrew was a Second Lieutenant for 18 months, and (2) Andrew had a beating pulse. Since his promotion was just a "pulse check," he really isn't proud of his new promotion per se, but he does get a raise, and civilians who occasionally provide instruction in classes won't make fun of him anymore for being new to the Army. The Army has also officially made his promotion to 1LT retroactive to last month (when his 18 months was complete). Yeah Andrew!

The Microwave

2011-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend we purchased a microwave. For months now, Andrew has come home late at night with a cold dinner waiting for him. He eats cold sandwiches for breakfast on his (second) daily commute to work. He doesn't have a lunch break, and so by the time he gets home he really wants something warm to eat. We haven't had a microwave in 2.5 years, but thinking of the endless joy this would provide in Andrew's life in having one warm daily meal, we decided to get one.

On Saturday we went to Best Buy (a store I absolutely abhor) and picked out a stylish silver GE model. When we purchased it, the kids gave us kisses galore, thanking us for their new TV. We tried to tell them that it wasn't a TV, but to them it really looked like one, so when we got home they made us colorful cards and showered us in love - until they saw me make a chai tea latte in it. (They weren't too disappointed.)

After a few days of ownership, I've used it to reheat tea and coffee. I tried to reheat a (veggie) Reuben sandwich, but it exploded and the cling film fused with the Gruyere. Andrew used it to reheat soup and quesadillas from dinner last night - success!

It will take some getting used to, but we are now a slightly more normal American family.

In other news, Andrew won't be enjoying dinner tonight with us at all. He has an overnight in the field (lovingly referred to as a "night of suck") to get ready for his 10+ days overnight trip to Yakima at the end of the month. He is also still a 2LT, though he was supposed to be promoted to a 1LT last month. Due to some error unbeknownst to the bureaucracy of the Army, who knows if he will ever be promoted. Goodbye huge raise...

In still other news, I've accepted a part-time online teaching position... details to come!

Ruffie's Birthday

2011-02-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Ruffie turned three years old! The girls were much more excited about his birthday than he was - though Ruffie was happy to pick out a package of five new cars at the BX for his special present, and pay the cashier himself. Ruffie's only request was chocolate cake, so I made him some red velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. After eating them, the kids had to change their clothes and I had a huge mess that looked like blood all over the floor to clean up.

I actually let Rosie eat a cupcake (she has never had cake before) and she liked the cake part, but only took a few bites of the frosting and refused the rest. I agree with her. I used Mark Bittman's frosting recipe, which he warns is not too sweet. This confirms to me that I like nauseatingly sweet frosting - it will be back to traditional buttercream next time.

The Kids Dance

2011-01-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

This video is probably super boring for everyone to watch (except for me), but just in case you are interested in the new dance moves the kids are doing, here is 1.5 minutes of pure elation. During the rainy months of September - June, dancing is a very popular activity here. Plus, dancing gives me a good work-out too! The song is from Barbie and the Diamond Castle. Jan loves that CD, though Ruffie prefers Raffi.

Portland

2011-01-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

We spent last weekend in Portland, on what possibly could have been Andrew's first four day weekend without having to go to work in a long time. There are no pictures due to the never-ending rain we experienced when we were there. We could have brought the camera, but we had enough to worry about walking around the city with three drenched children (Rosie is 100% dry with a plastic cover over her stroller). Even with the rain, Portland is wonderful!

Since our anniversary was on Tuesday, Andrew wanted to treat me by booking a 570 sq. ft. suite at the Heathman Hotel in Downtown Portland. (Our condo in Arlington is only 670 sq. ft., so we figured this would be quite the palace.) The hotel reminded us of the boutique hotels in NYC, and was decadent, eclectic, and yet slightly cluttered for our tastes. There was a fancy restaurant on premises, but after seeing the waiter serving the food, we imagined our children breaking every single china plate, and decided not to go. Not to mention, the last time we took the kids to a fancy restaurant, Pru threw-up all over it.

The first evening we went to The Noodle Company, a favorite restaurant of Pru's from living in DC. Pru loves the macaroni and cheese there, and hadn't been in a few years, so we decided to indulge her. Afterwards, we were all exhausted from the drive down, so we decided to go to bed. Unfortunately, the expensive king-sized Tempur-Pedic mattress on our bed was way too fancy for our tastes and was so uncomfortable we had a hard time sleeping (we have a fantastic $110 full-size mattress from the PX at home). The kids were also a little scared of sleeping in another room and we had to leave the door open and reassure them numerous times of our existence, so the first night's sleep was kind of a wash.

The next morning, we got up nice and early and headed down the street to Peet's Coffee (a Starbucks competitor). Andrew used to drink Peet's Coffee in the Philosophy Department at Georgetown, and we have purchased it a hand-full of times since then. My cappuccino was definitely better than any I've had at Starbucks (but drinking one in Italy is still best!). Though we were all hyped on caffeine, the kids insisted on eating something, and we stumbled upon a really freaky doughnut shop that was so, so good. Voodoo Doughnuts is small and slightly scary inside, but they have some amazing vegan doughnuts. Andrew's Portland Creme looked especially good, and Pru had one with crazy vanilla icing and Chick-O-Sticks on top... yummy.

For most of the day, we walked around the city, which is typically what we do on vacation - walking. There were lots of fancy shops, which we probably would have entered if it hadn't been for us all dripping wet and the kids being literally soaked to their waists from jumping into puddles. The people were stylish and friendly, and both the people and buildings reminded me a little of DC. We walked through Chinatown, entered Union Station (skip that), and walked through other neighborhoods including the Pearl District and the Cultural District.

For lunch, we stumbled upon Prasad, a vegan, raw-friendly cafe located inside a yoga studio. We squeezed into a two-person table right next to a waterfall. Behind us were signs reminding patrons that people are meditating in the rooms around us, ie., be quiet. This is definitely not the easiest place to take children to, or to probably go to in general, unless you can play the part of a vegan yogi, which Andrew and I seem to tend towards naturally, so everything was fine. The kids were perfect, and we feasted on some absolutely amazing raw bowls. Maybe by now it is evident that this vacation revolved almost entirely around food...!

After lunch, we went back to our hotel and tried to put the kids down for naps. The little kids (and Andrew) napped on and off while Pru wrote a book on the hotel's stationary and I watched a documentary about absinthe. We then went out for another walk to the Waterfront. We stayed on a path overlooking the river and the many bridges. The area is quite beautiful, and I can imagine that it must be bustling on days without rain (if they exist). We returned to the hotel around bedtime and ordered some coal fired pizzas from Lonesome's Pizza since we were pretty much too exhausted to move. All I can say is that we ordered some crazy and yummy pies. One had sriracha sauce, tofu, and banana peppers on it. The other pizza was very crispy and included pesto and fresh mozzarella. Now I have one reason to support the burning of coal.

On our last morning in Portland we drove to the Alphabet District and stopped at Ken's Artisan Bakery for breakfast. This place was really busy, and again we squeezed into a small table. Rosie didn't want to sit down this time though; instead she pressed her nose up to the pastry display cases for a full 20 minutes. We had coffee and a variety of pastries including a superb berry-filled croissant. We then drove up to Washington Park, which is where the zoo, many museums, and gardens are located. We planned on going to the Japanese Garden, but after learning it would cost us a small fortune, and it was pouring rain, we decided against it. The kids begged and begged to go to the zoo or the children's museum, but Andrew and I decided it was probably time to go home. We can leave these activities for next time...

Oh, and what did we do for our anniversary? Andrew came home ill after work that evening and went straight to bed. The next morning he headed to the hospital for sick-call and was given lots of drugs and worked a nice long day. (You can't just call in sick when you're in the Army!) He's feeling better now, but since he's working a 24 hour shift tonight, I hope he stays better.

Jan Sings the 50 States

2011-01-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

Jan has been practicing this song almost every day for two months now - and she almost has it perfect! What other four-year-old can sing all 50 states in alphabetical order? Now we'll just have to focus on finding them all on a map, and learning their capitals; yeah Jancis!

Rutherford is also working very hard on the song, but gets himself into a loop and sings forever. Very cute, but probably still a few more months before he gets it.

Gooey Duck Plays Piano

2011-01-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

First of all, Gooey Duck just happens to be one of Rosie's nicknames. I don't know how it happened, since gooey ducks are really gross phallic clams, but that is what we call her at home. (Respectively, we have Pru-Bear, Jan-Cake, and Ruff as the other kind of weird nicknames in our house. Poor Rosie...) Anyways, Pru put Rosie up on the piano-bench today and she will not get off! She has been banging on those keys for about an hour now and also enjoys hearing the demo song (over and over and over again...). I really enjoy it when the kids play for me - I think their music sounds wonderful.

Monkey Bread

2011-01-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

On New Years Day, Andrew wanted to make monkey bread with the kids, an activity he enjoyed doing with his mom and sisters growing up. Being all grown up now, he admits the bread is kind of icky, but the activity is fun and easy to do with little kids. The kids were in charge of rolling the dough into little balls (Ruffie decided to roll his into snakes instead). Andrew dunked them into the sugar mixture and put them into the pan. Out of the oven, the bread was a success. The kids quickly devoured it while we watched Legally Blond.

Sequalitchew Creek Trail

2011-01-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Andrew had to work several 24 hour shifts this holiday, and on Thursday when he got home from another one, he was exhausted. I thought it would be nice for the kids and I to go on a hike and let him get some needed rest at home. We took an easy hike next to Sequalitchew Creek (3 miles) in Dupont.

The hike starts at the Dupont Civic Center and ends at the Puget Sound. It is partially paved with some gravelly spots, and even goes through an old railroad tunnel. It is not amazingly picturesque, but there are lots of tall trees covered with ferns, the babbling creek next to you, and a nice reward of getting to peer out over the Sound at the Olympics on a clear day. The kids had fun, except for a few dogs we saw along the way (only one unleashed). We recently had a bad dog encounter in our neighborhood, in which we had to escape from a really mean great dane. Since that day, the kids have been terrified of dogs (even more than before) and now go running and screaming in all directions when we encounter one.

The Perfect Shot

2010-12-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

The kids worked tirelessly to produce the ornaments that we sent out for this years Christmas cards, and this is the picture that was on the ornament. I am definitely proud of myself that I got those four little munchkins to hold still, and look beautiful, during our photo session in the backyard. This shot was one of 165 pictures I took that day, and only this one turned out alright! How did I do it? Behind me is a container filled with candy. On top of my head are stuffed animals. These are the secrets of a good photographer.

$2 Theater

2010-12-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we did something crazy - went to a movie theater! Andrew had heard about a discount theater not too far away, so we decided to check it out and see if we could get the kids to behave for a 90 minute flick.

We don't have television, and are otherwise completely separated from normal society, so we had no idea what movies were playing when we arrived. After googling the names, we chose the only appropriate kid movie, Despicable Me, in 3-D. The kids were all very excited about the 3-D glasses. Next to the theater is a Marlene's Natural Foods store (where I feel very at-home) and we picked up some sunny bears (vegetarian gummi bears) to eat during the movie.

The movie was a success! Jan and Ruffie got very scared at times and needed to be held. Rosie had a break-down about 60 minutes into the movie and Andrew took her to the back of the theater for the remainder of the show so that he could lull her to sleep. Regardless, we had a great time at a great price. The movie was even kind of cute.

This year I have seen two movies at the theater - a record! I don't think I've seen so many movies in one year since... maybe when I was 19?

Christmas Day

2010-12-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day started out with a big breakfast when Andrew got home from work (we also ate lots of sugar cookies). Then I got the presents sent from relatives that I had hidden on the top shelf of my closet, and the present opening commenced. The kids were thrilled to have presents to open and Andrew did most of the package unfastening while I took pictures. There are lots more pictures on Picasa, and I'm just highlighting a few cute ones here.

Above is the only picture I got of all of the kids together. Pru has a recorder (if only headphones were available for that), Jan has a barbie, and Ruffie is looking at some stickers. Rosie really wants to eat some stickers, one of her favorite treats.

Andrew is showing us his tough face here while he looks at some new wallets. His current wallet is being held together with duct tape, so these were well received.

I think that yesterday morning I ate way too many cookies and was experiencing some sort of euphoric sugar high.

Rosie is wondering why I am taking her picture when I should be giving her more presents. She didn't know how or really care to open the presents, but the wrapping paper left on the ground afterwards is fun to eat and tear.

Pru is tearing apart a package for a Barbie. We noted how this Barbie can do such a perfect split and her head is quite large. Pru is going to continue doing her yoga tape and keep aiming for that split. As for the largeness of her head, she thought that maybe Barbie had a large brain and was therefore very smart.

Ruffie has lined up almost all of his new cars and trucks (and one helicopter). He enjoys parking them and creating traffic jams. When I tucked him into bed last night I found all of his cars and trucks discretely hidden under one of his blankets.

Jancis decided that her baby bag (full of bottles, diaper wipes, etc.) could also carry her baby around, though maybe not very safely.

The kids ended the present unwrapping with coloring all over the window with Window Crayons. I was awaiting a work of art, but instead saw this horrible mess. I cleaned it up, but those crayons are pretty greasy and it took lots of scrubbing to get the windows clean again.

We had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas. We took a neighborhood walk, watched a few movies, and the kids played with all of their new toys. The last movie we watched was a kids program about Johnny Appleseed. Pru was recently in a school play called "Johnny Appleseed", where she was the frontier mother, so we thought it would be fun to watch. The entire program skips over Johnny (played by Martin Short!) bringing the knowledge of making hard cider (his most important contribution) around the country and instead is mostly just a silly untrue program, even ending with him speaking to the beavers to divert a river to water some apple orchards. Two thumbs down - even with Martin Short and Molly Ringwald starring in it.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

Andrew was gone for Christmas Eve, working a 24 hour shift until 9am Christmas morning, but the kids and I still managed to have a fun day. We took a nice walk around the neighborhood, admiring everyone's lights (there is a $500 prize for the most festive house, so people really have some crazy decorations). The kids spent a few hours doing arts and crafts with all of the new supplies they received yesterday from our trip to Walmart. We admired deer out of the window. Then, the older kids decorated sugar cookies while Rosie danced to Christmas music.

I always enjoyed decorating cookies with my mom and Aunt Sue when I was little - but boy is it a big mess to clean up with three little kids frosting and going crazy with sprinkles. I made a little over 100 cookies, and the kids had the time of their life decorating and eating a few along the way. We delivered a few to Andrew's office along with some homemade pizza.

The kids know there isn't a Santa, and so have no reason to be extra good tonight or go to bed extra early. I was listening to Ed Walker this evening and he had on the most adorable clip of two sisters whose parents said they had been extra good for three entire weeks before Santa came. One little girl almost broke down and started coloring on the wall, but the other sister talked her out of it. Maybe I should have told the kids about Santa, and gotten angel-like goodness out of them for a few weeks each year? Or maybe kids were just different in the 30's. Hmmm... Anyways, Merry Christmas!

Big Birthday Update

2010-12-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

This Fall we celebrated lots of birthdays. In our house, this usually means a choice of dinner and cake. In October, Rosie turned one year old. She didn't get a birthday cake or present from us (she is too little to know it is her birthday), but has treasured two baby dolls that hug each other that Grandma and Grandpa Blind sent her. I can't believe my little Egyptian is already one year old!

Later in October, Jan turned four years old. She chose a cookies-and-cream birthday cake. Andrew had to work a 24-hour shift that day, but was able to come home to blow out the candles before the kids' bedtime.

All the kids had fun doing an art project that Grandpa and Grandma Blind sent Jan - and they all did a great job. I have deemed them masterpieces and they are hanging up in the kitchen.

In November, it was Andrew's birthday. I didn't take a good picture of Andrew that day since he had to work a 24-hour shift also and had just come home quickly for a piece of cake. He chose a cake whose name is too explicit for this blog.

At the end of November, Pru turned eight years old. She chose a very fancy four layer chocolate cake with fleur de sel carmel filling and chocolate ganache icing. This cake took me an entire day to make. (I wonder how Pru got such high-brow tastes?) She received a keyboard and keyboard stand from Grandpa and Grandma Blind (and lots of piano books too) and all of the kids (and Andrew and I) have been having fun playing it. Pru and Jan have gotten some lessons from me and both seem pretty interested in learning how to play.

Ruffie's Success

2010-12-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

Ruffie is officially potty-trained... yeah! Two weeks ago I told him he was potty-trained and we took it from there. Hundreds of showers later, he has been accident-free since the weekend (and when he was having accidents they were only very minor). This has been a huge success from a kid that I thought may never be potty-trained; he is so focused on playing with his matchbox cars that any other activity loses his attention immediately. I think the thought of having another shower - once all the hot water had run out - was enough motivation for him to get that potty-training complete!

Christmas Gatherings

2010-12-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

On Friday we attended the Christmas party at Andrew's work. Andrew must attend every gathering since he is an officer, but I had no intentions on going. I arrived to Andrew's work late with a promised fruit platter (I was doing him a favor by driving it to his work at the last minute) and was thenceforth dragged to the party so that he wouldn't get into that much trouble for his tardiness. I probably would have had more fun if Andrew had told me the unspoken rule of officer's wives *before* the party: No one speaks to an officer's wife unless spoken to first by her. Since I didn't know this rule, no one spoke to me and I pretty much just entertained the children for two hours and fed them food from our fruit platter and a purchased vegetable plate brought by someone else. (The party was potluck which really grosses me out when there are 150 attendees, therefore, the two platters were all that I could trust.)

Santa came to the party bringing teddy bears. None of my kids believe in Santa and tried to tell the other kids that he wasn't real, though no one believed them. Since the bears were probably made in China (says Prudence) none of my kids wanted one. Instead, they sat at the table with me while the rest of the kids sat on Santa's lap and sang Christmas carols in front of a stage. The three oldest did participate in the craft table where they strategically placed stickers on a glittery plastic stocking.

Tonight there were ice cream sundaes and Christmas crafts at Pru's school. I've never attended a school gathering before, and after tonight probably won't again for a long time. When we arrived, there was a huge line for the sundaes. The crafts were merely coloring pages, and it all seemed like a ploy to get everyone to shop at the Christmas Shop in the faculty lounge. I asked all the kids if they would prefer to have sundaes at home, listen to Christmas music, and dance. They all cheerily agreed, and that is exactly what we did. I had plenty of seasonal sprinkles for the sundaes, and the kids even colored some Christmas trees.

Well, I definitely feel like Scrooge this year. I'm listening to Christmas music, but that is the extent of my Christmas spirit. We do have two Christmas cards that I hung up on the wall.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was much like any other day in the Pingrey household. This morning Andrew was able to be home, so we had a nice big family breakfast and then watched an episode of Star Trek (yuck, yuck, double yuck, triple yuck, blah). Afterwards, I put aside my daily Firm workout and opted for a much easier Mama Yoga routine. That was my Thanksgiving present.

After Andrew left for work, the kids and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. Our usual one hour walk turned into two hours because the kids kept having snow ball fights and kept trying to pick up the biggest pieces of ice. There was also lots of falling down, and some crying. We ate leftover curry, rice, and salad for dinner, and all the kids went to bed early for various naughty things (including locking Mommy out in the garage with the lights off). Silly kids. I guess only Rosie and I can have pumpkin bread for dessert! Happy Thanksgiving!

The Blizzard

2010-11-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Two inches of snow fell on Monday and Tuesday, which subsequently shut down JBLM. Pru got two days off from school (last week she also missed a day because of a "wind storm") and everyone got a day off from work at Fort Lewis yesterday except for Andrew. The kids and I have been snowed-in and we've cleaned the window sills and walls for entertainment. There doesn't seem to be a plow truck or a sidewalk plow anywhere, and all the roads have turned to slippery ice. By tomorrow, everything should be back to normal with temps in the high 40's again. Wow. I guess the school district and base have set the precedent that any snow means closure. I think this will be a long winter of home schooling!

I'll try to get into blogging again - one step at a time. Until then, have a Happy Thanksgiving! We're having nutrela curry. Andrew will be really happy.

By Prudence Pingrey

2010-11-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is Andrew.

Paper is always scarce in the Pingrey household. Ruffie crumples it, Jancis gives it to Rosie, and the Rosity-Lick eats it. Meanwhile, Prudence spends most of her free time writing extensive manuscripts. Some of her recent titles include: Fun Book, The Cat, Pink Red (inspired by the Les Miserables song "Rouge et Noir"), Ruby and the Secret Dragon, Math v1, and Math v2.

In order to save the planet, Pru has pledged to write a portion of her drafts on the new kids' computer. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

The Ball

2010-09-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Last week, Andrew's parents had made it to Rochester, WA on their RV trip around the country, so they came over so that both of us could attend the big ball. I didn't want to go to the ball, but Andrew was so sweet and bought me a ticket too... In order to thank Andrew for taking me, I went on a huge shopping spree and bought a new dress, shoes, and lipstick.

The ball was interesting. I arrived later than Andrew, and had to walk in the rain and through puddles in my very first pair of one inch heeled pumps. When I arrived, every guy looked like Andrew. With over 300 men there, it was fruitless for me to even look for Andrew, so I just stood still and felt uncomfortable and hoped to be rescued. After about twenty minutes, I decided I would take one trip around the ballroom, and if Andrew didn't see me, I was going home. Thankfully, Andrew found me, and he sat me down where I stayed most of the evening.

There was dinner (nothing vegetarian except for the cake), lots of speeches and toasts, a weird drinking ceremony, and finally dancing. I was so exhausted by the time the dancing began, that Andrew and I just snuck home and went right to bed. My favorite part of the night was talking with a 24-year-old girl at our table. I told her I had graduated in 2008. She asked me if I had just graduated from high school. Yes, I have just graduated high school and I am almost 20 years old; awesome.

Canning Apples

2010-09-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the kids and I went apple-picking at Andrew's colleague's house. Andrew's friend wasn't going to pick his apples, so we went over and picked three entire bags of these wonderful, organic, apples. With all of these tasty apples, I decided to try my hand at canning applesauce, and succeeded! Andrew was initially afraid we would all die, but I read the USDA's Complete Guide to Home Canning, watched a few YouTube videos, purchased a huge 16 quart pot (enough to old 14 pint sized jars!) and tried just six jars to start. Well, I checked every jar this morning and each one has a nice tight seal... yeah!

I can't wait to make more applesauce, and maybe some apple compote for pancakes. It does take a long time to peel and core all of these apples, so I hope I can get through all of my bags before they spoil. (If they do start to go bad, I'm sure the deer will like them.) Andrew says I should also make some apple pies, apple crisps, apple cake... we'll see!

During the whole process, we did manage to lose Rosie. She turned up, however, in a toy container snuggling with the baby doll Janelle.

I have a fun day planned of more applesauce, and sewing a special button on Andrew's dress blues for his Belgian Fourragere. I already placed two metals on his coat, with oak leaves, and I'm waiting for him to bring home the button tonight. He has a ball to attend on Friday. He's not very excited about going but whatever...

School Stuff

2010-09-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

I finally finished putting together Pru's "Emergency Pack" today for school. It took me almost two weeks to put it together, since it is full of things I never buy. I was surprised to find out that Pru's school has breakfast and lunch delivered daily, and no food is kept at the school. (Of course, I pack her lunch everyday.) Therefore, an emergency pack is required by the school in case the kids have to stay overnight. The list of required contents, along with my substitutions in parentheses, are as follows:

2 juice boxes
1 small package of cereal (package of plain cream of wheat)
2 granola bars
2 fruit strips (2 organic fruit leathers)
2 packages of cheese/peanut butter crackers
2 cans of fruit (2 MRE fruit pouches)
1 container of pudding (not included)
1 space blanket (2 heavy duty garbage bags)
1 family photo (printed b/w photo)
1 letter of reassurance

This is definitely not a healthy list of foods, but I guess if there is an emergency anything will do.

I also recently found out that Pru's school will not be celebrating Halloween, Valentine's Day, or St. Patrick's Day at school this year (YEAH!), due to financial disparities among the families.

Eunice Lake and Tolmie Peak Lookout

2010-09-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the kids and I hiked Eunice Lake and Tolmie Peak Lookout (#92, 7 miles), while Andrew did homework. This hike is now our absolute favorite hike. The book rates the hike as easy, but this is definitely a moderate-level hike. Along the way there were paths filled with rocks from rock-slides, a few huge rocks to climb on, endless roots and rocks to trip little feet, and a one mile completely uphill stretch to get to the peak, but boy was it worth it!

The hike starts at Mowich Lake (above), and travels first to Eunice Lake (last picture). Both lakes have crystal clear water and you can look through the water to see all of the wood littered along the bottom. The lakes are created by the melting glaciers on Mount Rainier. If it hadn't have been 44F in the mountains (and even colder at the peak) we would have brought bathing suits, as was suggested in our hiking book. The hike is only open from July to October, since the other times of the year the hike and roads leading to it are snowed-in. I wonder if it is ever warm enough to swim in those lakes?

After exploring the lakes, we started making our way up to the peak, which has a look-out tower that is sometimes staffed by a park ranger. On our way up we saw the park ranger leaving, and he gave us all pins to wear that say, "Don't Stomp in the Meadows". I can't imagine anything more beautiful than a mountain meadow with all of its many wildflowers and blueberries; you could just imagine elk and deer running around and having fun. The experience of walking though dense forests, and then having the forest open up to a meadow where, if you just squint enough, you may be able to see Titania and Oberon flying around, is just amazing.

The kids and I made it to the look-out tower and took a short break for snacks and drinks. The wind was so violent at the top, and with the wind chill, the temperatures were below freezing, so we quickly turned around and started our journey back down the mountain. At a height of 6000ft, the peak is known for its amazing views of Mount Rainier, but of course, the mountain was covered in clouds that day. Maybe next time.

The hike back was quicker since it was mostly downhill, and in total we hiked for six hours. During the trek, I could really tell that my daily work-outs have greatly improved my strength, agility, and flexibility, and I had no problem carrying the 30lb pack, helping the kids on the more difficult parts, or using my sheer leg strength to climb up and down the rocks effortlessly with no wobbling or balance problems. We beat a few couples who were hiking the trail, and everyone we saw was impressed with our fitness level and with the kids' abilities.

Getting back to the truck, I was upset that Andrew would be worried about us. I had estimated our total journey (including the drive) at 6 hours, while it actually took 10 hours. Google maps did lie to us: they estimated the drive at 70 minutes, while it actually took 120 minutes. I think that Google did not realize that the last 17 miles of the drive are on very rough back roads, and I am thankful for my truck. We passed two vehicles that had broken down; yikes! The truck was violently shaking, but we made it there and back fine. After leaving the trailhead, we had to drive for about 30 miles before my phone had any signal and I could call Andrew to tell him we were alive.

2nd Grade

2010-09-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today was Pru's first day of second grade. Her teacher, Ms. K, seems like a strict, heartless, rule-follower, but those are only my first impressions. Pru said her day was boring, and she was disappointed that recess was only five minutes long. Here is a list of the most memorable moments and impressions Pru had about school today.

"We did problem solving all day, like '8 + x = 10'. It was soooo easy. None of the other kids got a problem correct... ever."

"We had reading time and all of the kids wanted to read pop-up books and picture books. I was the only one reading a chapter book."

"All of the kids went to the bathroom 3 or 4 times today. I looked at the bathroom and it was covered in toilet paper and had puddles of water on the floor. Disgusting. I was the only one who didn't use the bathroom."

"Do you think I can go to third grade tomorrow?"

Tour Our House

2010-09-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy this video tour of our house. It is very uncommon for an officer of grade O1 to live in a single family home on base (usually duplexes, townhouses, or apartments), but on this air force base, it is typical. We are actually living in a house that a Lt. Colonel (O5) resided in before, which would never be the case on an army post - the ranks usually all live in different neighborhoods. Our neighborhood is called Carter Lake, named after the lake in the middle of the neighborhood, and contains duplexes (for the enlisted) and single family homes (for the officers). The homes are all ranches, and are in various stages of being remodeled. There are currently four vacant homes near us, and one is almost finished being remodeled.

Mima Mounds

2010-08-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today, the kids and I hiked the entire Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, located south of Olympia, while Andrew did homework. Mima mounds are small, dome-like hills, and they fill the entire preserve. It is still unknown what created the mounds, which Pru could not believe. She kept telling me that we could "search online" when we got home, but after reading all of the interpretive signs, she understood that they are still an unexplained phenomena.

Hiking the 2.5 miles of trails was just amazing. We were surrounded by beautiful fall colors, early fall plants, and all of these hills that we hid behind. The mounds are prairie mounds, and they burn regularly; we kept finding dark, black soil and burnt tree stumps. Surrounding us were forests and mountains on all sides. The terrain is so unusual that it inspires contemplation and awe, just as I felt walking around the mounds at Stonehenge.

The kids had a great time. The hike was easy, and they really enjoyed running up and down the trail over the mounds. We spied many grasshoppers, birds, and butterflies. We saw a look-out tower, but were disappointed to find it was for the nearby shooting range and was on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. I'd say the shooting did detract form the ambiance, but we walked so far away from the range that we could barely hear the guns anymore.

The Sesame Street Experience

2010-08-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the kids and I went to the Sesame Street/USO Experience on Fort Lewis. Free for military families, I thought it would be fun for the kids to see the Sesame Street characters performing on stage. What I forgot about was that three of the kids have no idea what Sesame Street even is.

Several of the characters were on stage including Elmo and Cookie Monster (I have no idea what the others were). The production was about how to be happy when your mommy or daddy are gone for a long time (ie. deployment). Pru thought it was "babyish" but says she would have enjoyed it more if Big Bird was there. Jan was kind of scared. Ruffie took one of the free toys we were given (a spinning, light-up Elmo) and got it caught in his hair, losing a huge clump. Rosie clapped. I received a patriotic bandana to wear when I'm cleaning house, and had fun singing to "C is for cookie".

MacKay Marsh and American Lake Beach

2010-08-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we spent the day on North Fort Lewis, first hiking around MacKay Marsh. When we arrived, there was a sign posted saying there will be construction until mid-September on the trail, though we didn't see any construction. The trail is being extended so that it is a circuit (I think). We started the hike thinking it was a circuit, but were sadly disappointed. Overall, the hike was boring, hot, and is on tank trails for most of the way. We studied trash from different restaurants including McDonalds and Burger King, and saw old pages from field manuals lying on the ground. Disgusted, disappointed, and hot, we realized we were close to the truck... until we saw a ravine and creek with no bridge. We even saw the trail on the other side! Well, we turned around and trudged back, having to once again repeat our tracks because we lost Rosie's hat along the way. A one hour hike turned into three; at least we got exercise. We also saw ant hills taller than Pru.

Instead of going home right away, we went to nearby American Beach. This beach is walking distance to those who live on North Fort Lewis, and is on a beautiful lake that has several fingers with housing, beaches, and restaurants on it. I'm not a beach person myself; I like strolling on beaches during dusk and collecting shells, and that's about it. The kids put on their swimsuits, burned their feet on the hot sand, and ran as quickly as they could to the water. There is a roped 2 feet and 4 feet section, which is great for the kids; Pru can swim, but the other kids can't. There are also several life gaurds on patrol, so I don't have to pay attention that much. I can just sit on a towel under a far away tree and relax... until Ruffie starts throwing sand.

The highlight of the beach is a water slide in 25 feet deep water. Pru really wants to do it, but has to either 1) pass an easy swimming test that she is nervous to do without Andrew or me in the water or 2) go with Andrew or me. I have the excuse of taking care of Rosie, and therefore we'll have to find a way to drag Andrew to the beach, which may not be possible. Surprisingly, the beach is a fun place to go with the kids, and since it is only a 15 minute drive from home, we might be back again.

The Tacoma Children's "Museum"

2010-08-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

The word "museum" must go in quotes. This is the most terrible museum I have ever been to, but the kids didn't seem to mind one bit. The museum is located on the ground floor of an office building in Downtown Tacoma, and is about as large as our house. In fact, there are windows in the museum with curtains (as in the above picture) where you can peer in on other businesses in the building. The admission is free for military from Memorial Day until Labor Day, but otherwise is $6 per person. I would pay $1 total for the family to go - about the same price as all of us going to the Cairo Zoo - and about as much fun.

The first room we visited was the arts and crafts room. There were many different art supplies for the kids to play with, and all three of them decided to use the water colors at an easel. Rosie played with colourful magnets on the wall. Afterwards, we learned about two Southwestern Native American tales about the raven and the coyote. The kids dressed up as both animals, and then ran around two small rooms mostly decorated with stuffed animals and colourful paint. Then we migrated to the construction and architecture area (up near the reception desk) where the kids pretended to paint a house. Next to this area was a market with play fruit, dishes, and a crappy cash register and office phone. This is the entire museum.

We played there for 1.5 hours, and the kids were happy and excited the whole entire time. I attribute this to the basically sheltered life my kids have. They do travel the world, but they don't watch television, play computer/video games, or go over to friends' houses to play. Pretty much, they are just independent, creative little kids, and can find fun in everything. I would imagine a typical seven-year-old being bored out of his/her mind - but Prudence was pretending to be a crow, and trying to catch fish in the river. She placed apples in a pretend tree, picked them, put them on a truck, drove them to a market, sold them to her siblings, and then made a fabulous healthy snack. I don't know what other group of kids could be so engaged and creative.

The kids give the museum 8 thumbs up - I guess that's all that matters!

Back to School

2010-08-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Andrew is starting a graduate certificate program in Informatics at the University of Maryland University College tomorrow. He is taking 2 classes this fall: Information Technology Foundations and Information Technology Infrastructures (6 credit hours total). He also is forced to take a 0 credit class in Graduate Research, which is kind of silly for him since he already wrote a graduate thesis at Georgetown, but he is still forced to take it. Next semester he may only take one course because his unit is fielding M777s. His goal is to finish the program by the end of Fall 2011.

The Army will pay for one graduate degree for soldiers (up to $250 per credit hour). Since Andrew already has an MA, the Army will not pay for a PhD (or MBA, JD, etc.), but will contribute for a graduate certificate. Therefore, Andrew is going to use up his tuition assistance benefit, and that will finish his educational benefit from the Army (minus loan payments for his BA). The kids will be eligible for the Post 9-11 GI Bill - which will work out to about one paid semester of a state college per child - after Andrew has been in the Army for ten years.

Wildwood Park

2010-08-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the kids and I explored a new playground at Wildwood Park in Puyallup. The park is nestled in the middle of a large wooded area, completely shaded, and full of large trees, ferns, and other plants. The kids barely played on the nice new playground - instead they played in a creek right next to the play-structure, and ran up and down steep, dusty trails from the creek up to a row of picnic shelters. Seven other children from a birthday party were there, and everyone got really wet and muddy. The creek is natural, emanating from a small waterfall that can be hiked to. Along the creek are several bridges, including a rock crossing. There are wooden posts for jumping over and sitting on and a nice pebbly beach area for getting close to the creek (if you don't want to just jump in). After a few hours, the kids were exhausted and 3/4 were sleeping in the car ride home; Pru was reading Fudge-a-Mania. This park is now the number one best park/playground amongst the kids (and I like it too!).

Primrose Walks

2010-08-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Rosie is quite the walker now, though today I took her outside with shoes and she didn't take one step! Hope you enjoy this video - Pru is getting Rosie to walk towards her by offering her a toy tomato slice.

Woodard Bay

2010-08-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we hiked the Woodard Bay Nature Reserve in Olympia. The bay was a stopping point for a logging railroad, seen above, where the logs where thrown off the railroad cars and continued their journey by floating in the water. Remnants of the area's history can be seen everywhere, but the pier and railroad tracks are the most amazing to see. These old wooden tracks traverse the bay, and there are many wooden logs, probably used for piers or other tracks, also standing high out of the water. Unfortunately, for safety and wildlife reasons, the tracks are no longer accessible.

Today, the nature reserve is known for its wildlife. Along the beach we found crabs, both big and small, oysters, mussels, sand fleas, herons, and lots of shells. Looking through the telescope of a student from Evergreen College, doing a research project, we were able to see the seals we were hearing from the beach; such an amazing sight! The seals could barely be seen by the naked eye from the beach, but their barking and noises could not be missed. Boating is not allowed in the bay, and swimmers must stay at least 100 feet from the docks where the seals usually congregate. While we were there, a couple swam out far into the bay and got close (but kept the prescribed distance) from the seals; how amazing. I think Andrew was very close to jumping in himself!

There are also otters, eagles, and bats at the reserve, though we didn't see them; maybe next time. Along the paved, stroller accessible path were blackberries, a favorite the kids now expect on every hike we take. We were planning to take other non-paved trails which looped around the area, but I think the 100F heat (so our car thermometer says) blurred our minds, and for some reason we missed every trail inlet. Leaving the trailhead, we ran into the beginning of the Chehalis Western Trail - a 5.3 mile bike trail which connects to a 48 mile system. Maybe we need to get bikes now...? Doesn't sound minimalist enough to me. If we get bikes, we have to get rid of a car...

Rehm on Higher Education

2010-08-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows I'm the biggest fan of Diane Rehm, and if I had more time I would blog daily about her show. Today she talked about Higher Education, which is a topic I'm very passionate about. For anyone saving for college for their children, trying to help their child pick an appropriate university (Pru has her heart set on Harvard...), or is a student, faculty, or staff member of such an institution, I would highly recommend this program; enjoy!

Voyage to Book Island

2010-08-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

We went to a huge party at the library today to celebrate the end of the summer reading program "Voyage to Book Island". The kids were all given certificates, goodie bags, 30 books (wow!), and lots of other free stuff. The party included a BBQ, of course with no veggie options, so instead we ate apple sauce and granola bars (Ruffie also sneakily snacked from his goodie bag). Inside was a craft station and face painting. Outside was a dunk tank, jumping castle, and obstacle course. The kids had a blast and when the little ones got home, they took a long two hour nap.

The reading program was fun - I was even interviewed for the Northwest Guardian where I gave the program high praise. When we signed up at the end of June, the kids were given t-shirts and reading logs. Whenever they read for 5 minutes, they colored a picture in the log. Of course, Pru would have finished all the logs in one day, so I made her pictures worth one hour. There are three prize levels, and the kids obtained all three. The first level prize was a treasure-keeper for the beach. The second level prize was a frisbee and a beach ball. The third level prize was the choice between several different games, DVD's, and books, where we chose six books.

Every week starting July 6th, there was an activity at the library where the kids could earn more prizes and have fun. The first activity we attended was to meet Maya and Miguel. We don't know who they are, and they really scared the kids, so we might not go to that activity if it is offered again. We also attended a treasure hunt (too much parent competition), and a puppet show (scared the kids too). The activities were still fun, even though I had to kiss away lots of tears. Go Pru, Jan, and Ruffie: You all are Super Readers!! Kudos also to the Army, Air Force, and the McChord Library!

Working Out

2010-08-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly happy with Andrew taking pictures of icky me working out, but I guess it's alright. I just started working out to The Firm again, after about a six year break of their work out program. I'm always exhausted afterwards, and today I felt like I was going to fall onto the floor and die, but I know it will get better. The program combines cardio with weight training, and is fun once you get the hand of all of the different routines. Surprisingly, my body has remembered a lot of the motions, and it wasn't as hard starting the program as it was the first time I used it. Now I need to go out and get a proper step; I'm currently using the step stool from the kids' bathroom.

I've been dieting for about a month, losing 10 pounds. Hopefully, this program will help me tone-up and give me more strength and agility while I'm out hiking with the kids.

First Tooth

2010-08-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

This crazy, walking, baby finally pushed through her first tooth! On Saturday, she successfully finished a nice bowl of rice and beans (with all the condiments on top - even spicy salsa!) form Chipotle, chewing and gumming every last bit of food; go Rosie! She is very interested in riding bikes with the kids now... but I told her a few more months. I think the temptation of rolling in the dirt in the backyard with be too irresistible. Right now she's walking around in circles, and laughing constantly; what a silly kid.

Pru's Branch Ceremony

2010-08-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

Jan is congratulating Pru on her well-deserved new branch. She received the 1904 style coastal artillery pin. Pru earned 40 stickers on her sticker chart, and was then entitled to a 25 cent raise. I administer the sticker chart and Andrew awards the kids with pins, ranks, patches, etc., according to his divine plan.

Andrew received the pin from his 1-94 FAR professional development day at Fort Worden when his team won the XO's Challenge. He finished his Warrior Forge assignment to 1-94 FAR and will be returning to 1-377 FAR on Monday; his first day at another new job!

For those new to Army lingo: XO = Executive Officer and FAR = Field Artillery Regiment.

South Puget Sound Wildlife Area

2010-08-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

This wildlife area can be easily missed driving through Steilacoom; there is a tiny wooden sign, and overgrown lots with buildings labeled "National Bureau of Fish and Wildlife" that are a remembrance of what used to be in the area. The grass area is a play-yard for dogs, and with grass taller than the kids' heads, I made sure to check them all over for ticks afterwards. Next to the grass area is a salmon hatchery. It is ambiguous whether the hatchery is open to visitors or not. We didn't see anyone else there, and all of the hatchery is covered with nets and fences, but we were easily able to get in and see the fish. The kids and I watched very tiny salmon swim to one end of the tank, and then to the other end of the tank, scared by our shadows.

The most exciting thing happened on our way out of the hatchery. We saw a woman who had parked her car on the side of the road, and was getting into waders. Stopping to say hello, she told us that she was going into the fenced-off portion of the wildlife area to study an endangered species of turtle. There is a breeding program located there and she spends the day wading in the water and taking photographs and videos of the turtles; sounds like fun!

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

2010-08-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

We recently visited the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in the Nisqually River Delta on Puget Sound. The refuge has a long loop trail that is almost completely made of boardwalk and is stroller accessible. Along the way, there are many signs pointing out the various birds and plants at the park. We started reading them, but after reading about ten signs of dense information, the kids got bored, and we decided just to look at the pictures instead.

The park is not only popular with families, but also with bird watchers; I wished we had brought Andrew's Army binoculars. We heard many bird songs and tried our best to find some. A wildlife photographer (with fancy telephoto lens) was photographing this owl. It was a challenge to keep the kids completely silent so that they could view the owl too. I snapped a picture, but the photographer showed me his pictures, which were mostly close-up photos of his head; wow!

We learned about Riparian forests, observed swallows nesting in rafters, and stopped to read the many botanical signs. Overall, this is a fun park for an easy, informative walk. I don't know if we'll be back again, but maybe if they reopen their 5.5 mile Brown Farm Dike Trail (there is construction on the outskirts of the refuge), we'll bring our binoculars and have some more fun again.