Feed Me!

We were planning to wait until Jack hit 6 months before feeding him any solids, but he has become so frustrated by watching the rest of us eat that we gave in and let him try his first rice cereal. He didn't seem super impressed and we haven't given him any more, but it definitely seemed to satisfy his need to chomp on something.

Reaching up for that first bite:



In it goes:

'This tastes kinda funny'

Here comes another one:

Another One Down

Max lost his 2nd tooth on Sunday at the Mariners game! Its whereabouts are unknown, with the possibility that it was ingested while eating a slice of pizza. We left a note for the Tooth Fairy explaining what happened and Max was relieved to still find a dollar waiting for him in the morning.

Little League Day!

Max and Mark went to Little League Day at Safeco Field on Sunday. Before the game, all the families got to walk around the field. There were TONS of people (I think Mark said about 20,000) participating, so Max was a bit shy & quiet, but afterward he said it was "totally awesome."

Here's Max "catching a ball" on the Warning Track:



That's a long way to hit!

Checking out the dugout:

Looking a bit concerned, but still excited to be so close to the bases:

Swing Kid

Just a few cute shots of Jack in his swing that my mother-in-law snapped last week:

Boy Wonders

Max's curiosity and wonder continues to amaze me. He is such a thoughtful kid. Yesterday, in a span of maybe 10 minutes, he hit me with the following questions:

Why do we feel pain?

Why do people get old?

Why are some numbers old? - This one took me a minute to figure out. What he was asking was why numbers that are in the "larger picture" considered small, considered old when in reference to people. For example, 82 is considered quite "old" for a person, but compared to one million, it's a rather small number.

When is God going to make a new Earth?

When God makes the new Earth, will I rise up from the dead and live there?

Why is the word 'letter' made of letters?

I find that his questions have so much depth to them and there are so many layers to the answers I can give. I don't want to burden him with too many heavy concepts, but he seems to have such a deep understanding of the idea that we live in a world that, while beautiful, isn't quite right and that there is something greater yet to come. We had a good talk about science and how our nerves send signals to our brains, how our brains are like computers inside us, telling us what we need to do (or stop doing in regards to feeling pain). We talked about how our bodies grow and age until they reach their limit. We also talked about how when God first made us we lived in perfect bodies without pain or disease and how all that changed with Adam and Eve, but that things are being put back the way they should be, it just takes time and it's a timeline that we don't know or understand. Then, just like that, he says, "Can we play tickle fight?" and the discussion was over.

My Latest Find

This weekend I headed out to look for a used bike for Max and came home with a dining set. Gotta love when that happens! It wasn't a totally unplanned thing though. Mark and I had already decided it was time to get a new set. We wanted something smaller, lighter and less bulky, to help make our dining area feel larger. I saw that a house just two blocks up from ours was having an estate sale, so I decided to pop in and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this set. It was exactly what I was looking for at a very reasonable price. I took some photos on my cell phone, dashed home and showed Mark and we immediately went back and bought it. I put our set up on craigslist for $50 more than I'd paid for the new set and it was gone by the next day. I'm going to use the extra money to get some nice new placemats I think.

The set included the table, 4 chairs, 2 leaves and the sideboard:



The owl coasters are from the same sale and only cost $1.50 for all four!

Here's a closer look at the sideboard. I am so in love with this piece. The woman who sold me the set told me that many people asked if they could just buy this piece. I'm so glad she kept it all together.

The chairs are in excellent condition. There's only 4, so I'll need to find a complimentary pair at some point, but Jack won't be needing a seat anytime soon, so I have lots of time to look around.

In case you're wondering, I'm still looking for a bike for Max.
**UPDATE** Found a bike this evening for $10! Pictures soon.

Family Guy

Here's a picture of Mark and the boys with Mark's parents and aunt & uncle, Judy and Don. They were up here to board a cruise ship to Alaska in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. I had never met them. In fact, Mark had never met Uncle Don and hadn't seen Aunt Judy in years. The boys took to them instantly, showing off their room, playing baseball and generally chatting non-stop. It feels so nice to have finally met them!

Helper Gus

This weekend we hosted Mark's parents and aunt and uncle for brunch. One of the items on the menu was an egg and sausage casserole and Gus pretty much made the entire thing. After making it, he proceeded to do all the dishes and wipe down the counters, chair and floor. He was so proud--and so was I!

5 Months

Our sweet Jack turned 5 months old on Saturday. Look how darling he is! I mean, those blue eyes...amazing!

Catcher Max

Last week at T-Ball Max got to play catcher and boy did he love it! He was so proud and thought wearing the gear was super-cool. So cool, in fact, that he's been begging us to get some to have at the house. Who knew that catcher's gear costs about $100?? Time to scour the thrift stores.

Date Night!

Last night Gus & I went on a special date to the Spaghetti Factory. He was so excited and asked if he could wear his "special sweater", meaning his sweater vest and button-up shirt that he had previously worn for Easter (which, as a side note, my sister & I found 3 years ago at a garage sale for $3 and has now been worn by Blake, Laker and Gus. Man I love a good bargain). He looked so handsome!

Here we are getting ready to leave:



There was a bit of a wait, but Gus didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed playing outside on the big railing:

Here's someone who did seem to mind the wait. Yep, that's Tim Eyman, Washington's least favorite initiative writer, who apparently didn't want to have to wait for a table. He and his family drove away in their Cadillac Escalade. I bet those car tabs are EXPENSIVE!



Here's my silly boy giving me a "smile". It seems like all boys go through a phase where they don't smile "normally", but I always thought that stage came at a later age. Gus has never been one to be on the late end of things though, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me.

This is what I got when I said, "Give me a really big smile, Gus."

Gus finished up his evening with a yummy bowl of ice cream:


Best quote of the night:

"Gus, you are such a gentleman," I said to him after he opened the restaurant door for me.
"I not a gentaman, Mommy. I Gus."

Variation on a Theme

Okay, I realize this blog has been baseball & Max-heavy lately, but come on, look at this photo!

Look Mom, No Tooth!

Yesterday my little boy grew up just a little more when he proudly announced that he had lost his first tooth. He was so proud, while I was left scratching my head wondering where the years have gone. What's next, a driver's license?

The best part? All day long today he's been excitedly telling people that he "put my tooth under my pillow last night and then -POOF!- it turned into a dollar!" He's already declared that he doesn't believe in the Tooth Fairy, but apparently he still believes in good old-fashioned magic.