Day of the Rock

Guess what today is? It's August 30th. MAMA'S BIRTHDAY!!! She won't tell you it is, because she's "over" birthdays, but I will tell you. And Daddy had a big special day planned for her, you better believe it. First, she got to sleep in past 8. Then I got in bed with her and sang her the happy birthday song that I had been practicing. She was happy already and it was still only morning time. There was much more to come.


First, she got presents, the first part of her presents, the practical gifts: the best Indian cookbook, a guide to PacNorthwest camping spots and the ergonomic posturepedic memory foam lumbar support sweet black leather chair she has been dreaming about. My mom sits at her desk writing for many hours at a time and the little wooden chair she has been using has sent her to the acupuncture man with terrible back issues. She was really happy now.


Then I opened all the birthday cards for her and she read them to me and we both laughed at the humorous humor.

Then Daddy took Mama to the ferry for the other, not-practical side of her gift. They took the boat to Seattle...


Then they got on another boat...


and they boated out to the middle of the Puget Sound...


and the skipper told them to get up and come down to the edge of the boat, so they came down to the edge of the boat and they got strapped and then...


THEY WERE FLYING! UP IN THE SKY!
A HUNDRED MILES UP IN THE SKY!
PARASAILING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


INCREDIBLE.


DELIGHTFUL.


SCARY. Before they went up, the skipper told them that the boat engine will not die, but in the unlikely event that the engine does die, you will hit the water and he told them what to do to survive. So, they go up in the air, a hundred miles, they are flying and laughing and screaming and having a super incredible and delightful time, when suddenly, THE BOAT ENGINE DIES and they begin to PLUMMET DOWN INTO THE SEA. My mom is saying ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod over and over, my daddy is saying whats going on over and over, they are almost wetting through their diapers, when the boat engine starts up again and they float back upwards. It was a joke, a joke the skipper plays on innocent birthday girls. They would have been mad but the adrenaline drug felt so good and the relief of being alive and happy again made them enjoy the rest of the flying experience even more.


Mama loved the adventure side of her birthday gift even as much as the practical side and now she was completely satisfied with happiness.


And at the end of the great special day, August 30th, Day of the Rock, we gave her, The Rock, a chocolate mousse birthday cake. I helped her blow out the candle.


And I sang Happy Birthday to Mommy one more time.


And I ate a piece of cake. And I spazzed out for the next hour, a hundred miles high.


Happy Birthday dear Mama, the softest rock, my very best friend in all this world. I love you.

any time of year you can find us here

These are the Lindas. Linda One and Linda Two. They are Mamop's girlfriends from Canada. They came down here to visit and there was a lot of laughing and a lot of wine bottles. I put on my shows for them, I think they were impressed.


And Great Uncle Mikey was here visiting at the same time. He always buys me a super cool book when he's here. And then I always show him what new sportman-like talent I have. I've been perfecting my tennis and I showed him how I can return practically every ball I'm thrown; I think he was impressed.

Play Hard / Work Hard

Another hugely successful Seattle playdate. We actually haven't been over thataway for a while because we get caught up in our island life so it was really great to see The Baby Luca who is definitely not a baby anymore and Emmett who is even older than me. Age is not an issue with any of us, we get along very well.


How handsome is this guy??? (Is that weird that I think he's handsome?)


This is our rock. This is where it all happens. Playing, sharing, trading vehicles. This is the dream fulfilled for our moms who are so pleased to watch us three play nicely while they talk adult lady talk, which is mostly talk about potty training, bedtimes and preschool.




After our park time with the young boys we went over to the job site to visit the old boys at work. Daddy was all covered in house dust but I didn't mind and I got to see Uncle Nicky too, which I needed cuz I miss him.


Mama and I tanked up on acai berry juice for extra Amazon forest energy for the trek back to Bainbridge.


I had just enough time to give Grandpoop a hair muffin for the road.


Muffin completed:

not in MY playhouse

Just when everyone was really annoyed by my dvd about firemen, a package came for me in the mail from the AuntieJen:


Paydirt! What a show! Grandpoop and Mamop are against in because they say Pee Wee is a bad boy, but my parents like him and boy do I like him. What a goofball! I got the entire box set and so I have about 150 episodes to watch. It may take me until I'm four years old but I'm settling in for the long haul...


Thank you for thinking of me AuntieJen...you made my life better and funnier.

TOTALLY TRUCKING AWESOME !!!

I don't even know where to start. Okay. There's a day here called Touch a Truck Day where they line up all the trucks, all the trucks that I love, that I worship, in one big line and you can touch them, you can sit in them, you can steer them and honk the horns and experience everything you've only just imagined about what it would be like to be inside one of these magical vehicles. I could NOT contain myself. It was easily the happiest I've ever been in my life and I am a really happy guy. There were tow trucks and fire trucks and cement mixers and garbage trucks and ambulances and police cars and even more that I can't remember. Truck mania!!!


I made sure to touch every tire of every truck.


Get on the bus Gus!


Himal's family came too, his girl cousins who I really like and his dad and mama who has his new little brother inside her.


You could put on the whole fireman suit if you wanted to but I did not need to.


Out of the many trucks and cars there were two I did not want to get inside of: the ambulance and the police car. My dad thought this was a very good sign.






So, like I said, GREAT GREAT DAY. Best ever. Noggin blowin'. I felt like a real live truck driver, turning wheels and pulling levers and honking horns.


And by the end of the day, I was positively wasted on trucks.

holding hands and skipping stones

Probably one of our favorite ways to spend time is over at The Old Man's House Beach. It's a little quiet beach near our house that for some reason is always deserted and we like it that way. We walk down to the water and then roll up our pants and let the water freeze our little piggies. And then Dad and I perfect our stone skipping. He's still better at it than me but I'm gaining on him. Mama likes to hang out up on a nice warm blanket and close her eyes and listen to the water and get warmed by the sun. I know a lot of people around the country are getting too warmed by the sun these days but out here its a perfect 74 degree sun with clouds and breezes and we're feeling pretty pleased about that.