Nathan grunting

When I was pregnant with Nathan, I grunted ... a lot. It seemed like I grunted more than when I was pregnant with Colin; maybe it was because I had to take care of a toddler.

So now when Nathan is working really hard at putting the wheels on a toy, or lifting something heavy, he grunts. I mean really big exaggerated grunting sounds. It makes me wonder if it had anything to do with all the grunting that I did when he was in my belly?

Mr. Inventor

Colin is the master of inventions. He is always saying, "I'm going to make a machine that will ..." and fill in the blank with the most amazing, bizarre, and/or random thing that you can think of.

Many times, this is Colin's coping mechanism when he is angry. I was a mean mommy one time (imagine that!) and wouldn't let the boys do something. Colin was extremely upset with me and said that he was going to make a machine that was an elevator that could hold all of his friends and not me. There was more to the elevator but I can't remember all the details, it was pretty elaborate.

And just today, Colin expanded his inventions to potions. So school just started and there's a little bit of a transition involving who plays with who on the playground. Without going into all the details, one boy made Colin very angry because he was playing with Colin's usual playmate on the playground. So Colin says that he is going to make a special potion that will turn people into bugs and give it to so-and-so and then he's going to catch the bug and put it in a container.

What an imagination.

A beatle in the park

Last night was the Paul McCartney concert in Piedmont Park. I had tickets to another show and sold them so we could go to this one. The other show is a bi-annual event, and I figured that this was a once in a lifetime occurrence.

Wow, what a show. Paul did a couple of really special tributes, the first to Linda. He sang "My Love" which he also wrote for her. Second, Paul brought out an ukulele that George Harrison gave to him. During "Something", a slide show of George played behind the set.

Paul also talked about Woodstock, that yesterday was the 40th anniversary and then did a little Jimi Hendrix, very cool. The anniversary of Woodstock was further cemented when it started raining ... for a while it rained pretty hard and we held the blanket over our heads.

Nature called during the show so I headed to the porta-potties. The energy of the show continued where someone sang "Man on the Run" full volume in there. Okay it was me singing! Except I was singing "Band on the Run", a little rendition that was made popular during bootcamp elastic band workouts.

But my two favorite songs of the evening were "Hey, Jude", and "Live and Let Die" which he did back to back. I remember "Hey, Jude" from the first time I saw Paul McCartney in 1989 at Iowa State. We sat outside the stadium watching the show. During "Hey Jude", the whole stadium of fans sang and it gave me goosebumps to hear it. Last night, being one of the many singing, I wondered what it sounded like to everyone else outside of the concert venue. If the sound was as loud and as awesome as I remembered.


Then "Live and Let Die" cranked it complete with fireworks and explosions, just like the first time in Iowa. I was looking forward to it and thought I was ready but was still blown away.

The stage behind us, impressive!

Dentist

Nathan went to the dentist for the first time on August 12. However, he got a couple previews of what to expect when I went to dentist a week earlier, and Colin also had an appointment two days before Nathan's. Next time I have their appointment on the same day.

My dentist appointment was probably not the ideal time to bring Nathan. I had a full set of x-rays done and poor Nathan had to sit out in the hall in a little stool. He looked so bored.

So with all that practice, Nathan's appointment went really well. He opened his mouth really big and cooperated very well. I was very proud. And all three of us didn't have any cavities, Yeah!

Colin at his appointment:


Nathan's shoes:

Oregon Brewer's Fest

We returned from our trip to Omaha Wednesday evening, just in time to wake up early Thursday morning for the next trip to the Oregon Brewer's Fest in Portland, Oregon.

The flight was good for us, bad for the couple with 3 boys next to us. Their littlest one had an earache and cried most of the trip. Luckily, it didn't bother us too much, just grateful it wasn't my kid -- is that bad?

We took the train to downtown Portland from the airport which the kids really liked. But we couldn't check into the hotel yet so we grabbed some lunch and headed to the brew fest. At the brew fest I noticed that Bob didn't have his laptop backpack, which I also talked him out of checking in with the doorman at the hotel with the rest of our luggage. For some reason I didn't think it would be safe. Instead he forgot it at Quizno's. Should've let him check it in with the doorman. Luckily, it was still at Quizno's when Bob went back.

At the brew fest, the kids played in the sand/dirt for a while. They said they were making sand castles. Next the root beer tent where there was crafts like coloring frisbees. Then we threw the frisbees where Colin really got into it.



Dinner was at Rock Bottom, a chain brew pub. It's pretty good in the west, not so good in the east.

Friday, I ran a course that was suppose to be 10 miles. It took me 2 hours, so I'm thinking maybe a little more than 10 miles, more like 12 miles. I did get lost once but not too bad. I could see where I wanted to go, just didn't know the best way to get there.

At the brew fest, there were a couple of rough spots with the kids. They were getting bored. Bob and I would take turns hanging with the kids in this shady, grassy area by the porta-potties. At one point, a guy started talking to us -- wanted to take a picture of my Ale Smith t-shirt and started playing with the kids. Really lightened the mood a bit for us. Friday, we also saw friends of ours from Roswell Farms, Mike and Alanna. We haven't seen them in years and they live in Seattle now. And get this, the first time we went to the Oregon Brewers Fest was with them! How ironic is that!

Saturday we went to the Saturday market which is a really neat arts and crafts market, and bought some Christmas presents. I really wasn't interested in taking the kids back to the brew fest ... it was going to be so much more crowded on Saturday and they were getting bored with it. So I begrudgingly offered to take the kids to the museum across the river while he went back to the brew fest.

The route we took to the museum must have been over 2 miles, but I really wanted to walk over the "Steel Bridge" which is an amazing structure. Nothing like it really, with two decks that can move indepedently.


We finally make it to the museum, and in the free part of the museum is a steel ball run (like a marble run) called the "Gravitram". The kids were absolutely entralled with it. After watching for a while, I drugged them away to get tickets to go to the rest of the museum. Well, I forgot my wallet, so no money, so no tickets, and back to the "Gravitram". Good thing it was there! Good thing my kids are good sports too.


That night Bob and I went out to dinner with Colin (not our Colin but a beer friend from Atlanta) and Colin's girlfriend, Abby at Deschutes Brewery. Good times.

David's Wedding

My brother got married! Woo Hoo! Big excitement and celebration. Colin and Nathan were the ring bearers and Bob was a groomsman. I had the important job of mother of the ring bearers.

We flew in Friday, getting up at 5am. Bob had the special treat of flying to California the day before and returning on the red eye Thursday night. He flew in Friday morning, got a couple hours of sleep before going back to the airport again. We flew to Kansas City (fares to Omaha are outrageous!) and then drove to Omaha. First we visited with Grandma Mary, Grandpa Jerry and Great Grandma JJ before heading to Nikki's where we were staying. Bob and I had just enough time to get a teeny tiny nap in before going to the rehearsal. David was so cute, dancing down the aisle during the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was at Godfather's Pizza where everyone had a good time. We got back to Nikki's after dark and the fireflies were out, so we caught some fireflies before getting to bed.

Saturday was just as hectic. I woke up early to go a 16 mile run. Training for the Chicago Marathon doesn't stop for anything, you know. More visits to Grandma Mary's and Grandpa Jerry's where the kids stayed the night too. Bob and I had plans to go to Misty and Heath's where most of my cousins were getting together. That was the first time in a long time that so many of us were able to get together and chat.

Sunday was the big day for David and Bernadette. I was the lead person in getting the reception hall ready but my cousin Misty had been to many receptions at the Reed Center and was a big help in telling everyone what to do. My cousin, Scott's wife, Melissa was also a major helper in getting everything done. Uncle Tom and Connie were also there and blew up the balloons. Although every time I looked over at them, they were doing something crazy like using the balloons for augmenting body parts (that was Connie not Tom!)

The wedding was beautiful, and Colin and Nathan were the perfect little ring bearers. Colin took the responsibility very seriously and stood up there very solemn the whole ceremony. Nathan was a typical 3-year-old and got a little antsy but it was all so cute. Just a little wiggling around, but still he was very good.

David and Bernadette got married in the same church that Bob and I did. During our wedding we forgot to light the candles so we had no flame for the unity candle. David kept in the tradition by forgetting the paperwork for the judge to sign after the ceremony! Fortunately, the paperwork was found after the wedding and the judge agreed to go to the reception and do the paperwork there.

The reception was also at the same place as when Bob and I got married, the Reed Center which is also the same place that I went to Summer Day Camp when I was a little girl. After it got dark, Colin and Nathan played in the backyard where I played as a little girl. Colin and Nathan caught more fireflies that night.

While staying at my sister’s house, I noticed that she had the same eye shadow that I had. I mean out of all the million’s of different eye shadow colors out there, we have the same one. It actually was a 3-pack and it was the same color in the 3-pack that we both used. Reminded of the time I returned home from college with my long hair cut off. Only to discover that Nikki had cut her long hair too. We had no idea the other one was thinking about doing it. I guess there is just something about sisters.

Diving board

Last Thursday after swimming lessons, one of the teachers, Tyler asked Nathan if he wanted to go off of the diving board. Nathan is fearless but wouldn't do it at first but then Colin said that he wanted to do it and viola! both boys were jumping off the diving board. Colin can almost swim to the edge by himself but Nathan still needs lots of help getting to the edge of the pool.

Nathan jumping to Anna.


Nathan going in!


Colin and Tyler.


Colin's big splash.


Colin swimming to the edge.