last zoo pics:


matching pajamas:

the Beverly Cleary fountain,
Logan on Ribsy:

two cold little kiddies:

I have two more sets, but I'm out of time for now. I'll try to get them up today, but if not, after Lake Almanor!

John Through the Years

A 1968 baby picture:

John at the picnic bench at Lake Almanor where he had his first kiss:

High school yearbook picture:

The college years, at the California coast:

In Boston after college, working at Walker Home and School, mid-1990s:

Upon moving to Portland, with Gene at Curt and Jeni's rehearsal dinner, 1998:

In Lake Almanor with Gail and Gene, early 2000s, upon meeting the woman who would help make all his dreams come true:


And that concludes our retrospective. John looks basically the same as in this picture, but feels that he must lose a few pounds before he will let me post any more pictures of him.

It's been a great 40 years, lots of love and happiness.

Happy Birthday John!!

Today is John's 40th Birthday! Please join us in wishing him the very best on this milestone birthday.
I will try to post some then-and-now pics later today.

Order of Posts

Well, I'm trying to get caught up so I'm hoping to make several posts over the next few days. To keep things in order, I'm changing the dates that are listed on each post to the date the events happened (instead of the date of the posting). So, scroll back to find all the recents posts, I'm starting with my parents' arrival June 12 and working forward.

Thanks!

Hiking with Josh and Logan

After a few busy days of celebrating Josh's birthday, we decided to take a day off and let the kids just chill out at home and settle down. It was better in theory than in practice. So John decided to get them out of the house after all, and took them on a hike. Logan hated the hike; all she talked about was how the "floor" smelled "like a camel." You wouldn't know it from the pictures though, so at least she could smile through the smell!

Logan in the City

After their hike, John brought Logan and Josh to my office, so that Logan could see the tall buildings, the street car, and the downtown area. My office is on the 13th floor with a view of Mt. St. Helens (right next to the pink building, to the left of Josh) (you'd have to click on the picture to open it in a larger window to see the mountain, I've determined), and my building fronts Pioneer Courthouse Square, which is known as "Portland's Living Room." So it was a great location for them to come visit, because there was lots to do in literally one block (though we did walk her around a little).

Josh's 4th Birthday Party

Josh had his fourth birthday party at a place called Out of this World Pizza and Play, although we like to call it "Pizza Planet" (after Toy Story). It has a huge climbing structure with several slides and a space theme, as well as a bouncy house, a rock climbing wall, and self-powered "space scooters" (which I rode with Lucas, and were very fun). He invited his entire class and a few other friends, and we had about 20 kids there. It was so much fun, and Josh had a blast. He was not in school the following week while my parents were here, but we heard that his party was the talk of the class, so I think everyone had as much fun as we did. My mom got some cute video but unfortch we did not get any great pictures of the structures themselves, as we were running around playing or taking care of business the whole time. But here are a few pics.
Here is my four (!) year old:

The party room:

The spiderman birthday cake, a huge hit:

The climbing structure, view from the ground:

Little Lukey enjoying some ice cream with Papa:

Happy Birthday Josh

June 14 is Josh's fourth birthday! John had a test in the morning, so we are having his birthday party tomorrow. Today is a family celebration. We started with a haircut, which he loves, because the place has lots of toys and airplanes and race cars for the barber stools. After the haircut, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went to a great indoor swimming pool. Josh and Logan had so much fun swimming around. The were only two downsides. First, I was trying to talk Josh into going up the stairs for the big waterslide, because he loves it and Logan was a bit afraid, and I thought he could encourage her. Josh remembered skinning his toe the last time, though, and was worried about it. I told him I'd carry him up the stairs. He excitedly started to run over to me and skinned his toe doing so. Then he refused to do the slide, or go back into the water, which he claimed stung. I was very upset with him and accused him of faking his injury. A few days later, I skinned my knuckle and boy, did it hurt when I got it wet! So now I feel a little bad that I did not believe him.
Anyway, the second thing was that we finally convinced him to at least go down the big slide one time with Papa. He agreed. I gave Papa the big slide instructions: hold Josh in front of you, and as you reach the bottom, hold onto his hips and then lift him up as you plunge into the pool at the bottom.
Well, Papa got twisted by the current on the way down, and as they reached the bottom, he held onto Josh's hips... and then sunk right down to the bottom like a rock, taking Josh with him. Needless to say, it did not convince Logan to ride the big slide.
It was a fun birthday, and will only get better with the big party tomorrow!

Nana and Papa and Logan

Sorry for the long hiatus from blogging. We had my parents and my niece Logan here for a little over a week and stayed very busy while they were here, with activities every day for the kids to enjoy. A few hours before they departed, Lucas started vomiting, introducing us to a week of suffering as the virus made its way through all four of us. We ended up taking Lucas to the ER for fluids because we thought he was dehydrating. So there was no time for blogging that week either. But now I'll try to get all the news and photos posted from my parents' visit and Josh's birthday.
Here we are as my parents arrived and Josh and Logan bonded. We went straight from the airport to pick the boys up from school. Josh's class was out for a walk at the time, and when we got out of the car and Josh and Logan spotted each other across the city block, they started running toward each other and into each other's arms. V. cute.

Lucas's birthday, part 2

We picked the boys up from school Wednesday evening and went to a kid-friendly pizza place/brewpub near our house to continue Lucas's birthday celebration. We had a nice time, using the play area and eating together. Lucas eats a lot of solid food, and pizza was an early favorite. I think we went to this place for Josh's first birthday too, so that was a happy coincidence when I remembered it.

After dinner, we went home for cake and presents. John surprised us with a little party spread: fresh flowers, party hats and noisemakers, and a festively decorated cake:

Here are our partygoers:


One candle on the birthday cake. We tried to get Lucas to at least mimic us blowing at it, but to no avail. Josh blew it out for him.

And more help from big brother opening the presents:

Today Lucas had his one-year check-up (and shots, which is why we spared him the appointment yesterday). Great news: he is back on the growth chart! He squeaked in at the 3rd percentile for weight! It's not much, but it's progress. A little more pizza and cake and maybe we can push him to the 5th percentile by 18 months! He is holding steady in the 25th percentile for height, so he's got mama's genes, but he won't be a midget.
Happy, happy birthday to our darling baby boy. It's been a tough year, but we wouldn't take it back. He is a wonderful and fun little guy with a feisty personality and a ready smile and laugh. He is affectionate and friendly, a quick mover and a great brother to Josh. Join us in wishing him well in his second year!

Happy Birthday Lucas!

Lucas is 1 year old today! Josh and I went shopping for Josh's gift to Lucas yesterday, which Lucas opened this morning. Here is Lucas trying to open his present:

and receiving a little help (or, a lot) from big brother:

It's a Lucas-sized basketball! It's a Gertie ball, the very best for babies, with a sticky/tacky surface that's easy to grip and a squeezable feel that's easy to hold and throw.


A happy birthday boy:

We're doing cake and more presents tonight, so check back later for more birthday pictures!

Sweet Nothings

This was a difficult weekend with Josh. He has been very emotional and prone to whining, fake (and loud) crying, and temper tantrums. It's been exhausting. But, of course, it is never all bad. Even in times like this he has some very sweet and cute moments.
I was flipping through a catalog and saw a bathing suit with a reticulated pattern (like a giraffe). I asked Josh what he thought I would look like in it, expecting him to say I would look like a giraffe. His answer: "I think you would look beautiful."
Later the same day, after John changed the TV channel from basketball playoffs to a cartoon, Josh said, "Thanks for sharing Daddy. You're a good man."

A Job Well Done

Our receptionist buzzed me today to tell me I had a delivery. I assumed it was one of Josh's birthday presents which I ordered shipped to my office. Imagine my surprise when this showed up at my office:

I couldn't imagine who had sent me flowers. It's not my birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, I haven't done anything particularly noteworthy for anyone lately. So I opened the card, and was pleasantly surprised to see the flowers were sent by a former client, whose custody case I won for him on appeal a year ago today. He wrote that one year ago, I gave him the greatest gift when I won the return of his son, and he wanted to send this small gift to me in thanks. So kind and thoughtful.

Inflatable Spiderman

The latest addition to our Spiderman collection. Josh picked this one up at the last waterfront festival. He is already looking forward to Rose Festival later this month, and checks daily on the status of truck arrivals and unloadings as they set up the tents and rides.

Futsal -- Playoffs!

Against the odds, my futsal team made it to the playoffs as the fourth seed, and then defeated the number 1 seed to advance to the championship game! We of course lost in the finals, but it was so exciting to get that far. Here I am after returning home from our victory Monday night:


Summer session starts next week, so wish us well!

Oregon for Obama

Barack Obama held a rally in Portland today, and although I really wanted to go (given my support for him, and also because I took Josh to see John Kerry at the Portland Waterfront in the 2004 campaign and wanted to give Lucas the same opportunity at early political involvement), it was in the 90s today and I knew from past experience that it would be a long hot wait in a very large crowd. So, I was not that upset when we ended up with a playdate scheduled for Josh at noon (bowling! It was really fun.)

But after the bowling adventure, I had to at least get a glimpse of Obama and this historic moment. I made John drive me down to the eastside waterfront (the rally was across the river on the west side waterfront). I couldn't see the stage (it was blocked by a bridge from where we stopped), but I could see that Obama was not yet speaking. I couldn't take it; I grabbed bus fare (to get home afterward) and got out of the car. Josh needed to get home for his nap, but I took Lucas with me. We trekked across the bridge and into the rally.

It was hot, and the crowd was large, but I am still glad we went. The Obama staffers were prepared as usual, with tons of water to hand out, and had other volunteers walking around spraying water to keep people cool. The crowd was so diverse: all ages, all races, even skater kids, the gamut. Lucas befriended a dog and some college aged girls, and kept himself entertained playing with one or the other. I am sunburned, but it was worth it (I only put SPF on Lucas before we rushed out of the car, and forgot to take similar care of myself). Obama is a great speaker, an inspiring leader, and hopefully, our next President.

Portland set the record for crowd size for an Obama rally, and that's saying something. There were 75,000 people there. Lucas and I stuck to the back, in case we needed to leave (another lesson learned from the Kerry rally).

Here is Senator Obama speaking to the throngs:

And here is the full crowd. We are in the waaaaaay back, about 20 yards in front of the trees (the ones that look like bushes given the distance, at the top of the photo):

It really didn't feel as far back as we were, and because we were on a hill, we had a great view of the stage. Lucas has learned to clap, which he most often does when others are clapping (such as when he watches sports on TV and the crowd is clapping), so he clapped right along with the crowd, much to the amusement of those around us. Babies for Obama!

Hello Virginia!

Goooooooooal!

Two months ago I was invited to join my friend Ingrid's futsal team. I did not play soccer growing up, and did not know about futsal, which is a form of indoor soccer (but is a bit more true to the outdoor game, with no playing off the walls). Ingrid's co-ed team needed more women, and they invited me for my athleticism despite my lack of soccer knowledge. When I logged on the website to learn the rules, however, I was horrified to read the banner: "Futsal -- Faster, Skilled Play." Ingrid, I said, I have no skills, much less fast ones! From portlandfutsal.com:

"What exactly is Futsal? The game was invented in Montevideo, Uruguay back in 1930 to provide the World Cup winning Uruguayans a way to get even better and more creative on the ball. The word Futsal comes from shortening the Spanish phrase “Futbol de Salon” which literally translates to indoor soccer. You play 5 v 5, with four field players and a goalie.

Futsal is the only FIFA-sanctioned indoor soccer game in the world, and every single Brazilian swears by it and grows up playing it, then taking those well-honed skills into their outdoor games. Ronaldo attributed his winning goal against Turkey in World Cup 2002 to a technique he learned in futsal. He told FIFA.COM after the game that “it was a difficult move because my way was blocked. Nobody expected me to shoot it because I had to use the point of my toe and you don’t see many players try it. But it swerved through the defenders and went in. It was instinctive and I owe it all to playing a lot of futsal when I was younger.” Most of Latin America plays it; Argentina calls it Cinco, Mexico calls it Rapido."

My first game was a disaster, but I have gradually improved over the season. Last night, in our last game of the spring season, I finally scored my first assist! I was so excited. But it only got better from there. I also went on to score 3 goals! I hadn't scored any goals, or any assists, all season. The only downside is that it was the last game--where was this earlier?? But, it looks like we will be able to field a team for the summer session, so maybe I can keep it up!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mothers' Prayer for Peace

Excerpts from the Mother's Day Proclamation, 1870, by Julia Ward Howe

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!

Say firmly:

"Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of women of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to kill theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!"

Ceremony Pictures

Many thanks to Gail and Gene (John's mom and dad) for sharing their pictures with us.

The research symposium:



The hooding ceremony:



(The thing tied to Josh's wrist and cutting through the photo, which Lucas is staring up at, is one of the decorative balloons that were on the stage.)

Cinco de Mayo Festival

Josh's preschool is one block from waterfront park, and his class walks down to the waterfront everyday to run around and get some fresh air. Monday, the trucks and trailers started arriving with the rides for this weekend's Cinco de Mayo festival, and it was all Josh and his friends could talk about. Every day he has asked if he could go ride the helicopters; Friday night, he finally got to go. About four rides in, he spotted his bud Terence from school, and it was so much fun to watch them ride the rides together. Terence's dad got this great picture of the boys on the swings and sent it to us.