Henry tried to run away and was very nervous. I could hardly contain my giggles. Caleb and I had a bite or two and then got Henry to try it (only after he cried...and smelled it). Of course he ate all the rest of his, including Fern's worm. Fern, on the other hand, still didn't trust us and wouldn't eat it.
So this week Lyn and myself went to the famous 5th Ave Theatre in downtown Seattle. It is our city's premier venue for Broadway performances and top tier plays. It is the coolest building I have seen in a long time. It was built in 1926 and was restored in the 80's. Perhaps one of the coolest things is "Perhaps the most impressive feature of the theatre interior is the nearly exact replica of the dome from the throne room of the imperial palace in The Forbidden City. The magnificent chandelier, located in the center of the ceiling is twice the scale of the original.” It was really neat.
Any how we went to see, Irving Berlins WHITE CHRISTMAS!!! It is so iconic of the season. We took the bus down town and it dropped us of 2 blocks from the theatre. We also were kid-less so that made it fun too. (although I think that Henry would have sat thru this thought) Seeing it live was really an experience to be had. The sets were so amazing. For the train scene when they sing 'snow' they have a train car cut in half lengthwise and after they get off at the station the train takes of across the stage!
If you live in the Seattle area, I would so highly recommend this play, it was the best play that I have ever experienced. It plays thru the 30th I believe.
Every year we go up beyond Leavenworth the day after Thanksgiving and get our Christmas tree. Here is a picture up in the mountains where we found our Christmas tree this year. (pretend the power lines aren't in the picture...) It was a beautiful day--there was snow, but it was sunny and not too cold. The kids played on sleds and made snow sculptures until they were freezing (which actually was a long time--funny how having fun makes you forget about discomfort!) Caleb's mom brought along the traditional picnic, complete with card table, tablecloth, plastic champagne glasses for the ginger ale, and Thanksgiving leftovers.
Caleb wanted a picture of his beloved Trooper, so here it is. :)
After returning to Grandma's house, the kids all had hot chocolate. Henry and Fern had so much fun with their cousins. It's so nice to have them living in WA now so the kids can see each other more often.
This is how I've always wanted my kids to be with the Christmas village. They love to lay down and look at the buildings and the dancing couples in the ballroom. We set it up under the fireplace hearth and it is a perfect cozy (and safe...) spot for it to be.
Well Halloween has come and gone. We had a good time.
We only went o maybe a dozen houses, but between the 2 kids we received exactly 6lbs of candy! We found a website that gives you a tone of fun experiments to do with candy, we hope to dispose of a good fraction of their candy through this. I continue to sell jobs at work, to the tune of $32K this month! which is phenomenal for Oct. But I am always faced with un-employment thru the winter, so things are really stressful, but we have got through worse, so don't worry too much.
As per her request, she had pizza and "pop-pop" for dinner and a pink flower cake.
Henry is quite the biker. He loves to ride up and down the street, as well as racing down driveways. In general he is a timid person, but put him on a bike and he starts doing tricks! Caleb: I took Henry mtn Biking for the first time. Even on steep and rocky trails he did great. He is a natural biker.
We went camping last weekend to Jack Pass and found the ideal camping spot on the river. It was a beautiful weekend. The weather was perfect (80's) and there was hardly anyone around, so it was very peaceful. (the advantage of going the week after Labor Day)
We went on a drive and found a really pretty waterfall/stream and Caleb and Henry hiked down to get a better look at it. Caleb: It flowed back and forth from one pool to the other. There were cantilevered rocks and everything looked like something that you would see at a fancy resort, except that we were out in a remote area of the Cascade mtn range. The water was so clear and free of any debris that it looked like a swimming pool. Nothing makes me want to swim more than beautiful water.
This is the view from our campsite, right on the river. Caleb: We played in the river, built dams and explored the area. It was very fun. I enjoyed napping in the sun. I think that mtn sand is better than beach sand. Going to the coast is kind of boring compared to the beauty of the mtns.
Caleb: I must have taken 5 naps each day, I was so tired from a summer of hard work, and the spot was so tranquil that I felt completely at peace, hence many naps!
I slipped the skins off and cut out any bruises, etc and then Fern cut them and put them in the bottles (as well as in her mouth). Henry also assisted in cutting, but wasn't too much of a fan of handling the slimy skinless peaches, so Fern put them in the bottles.
After the first 9 bottles, they were pretty much done with the cutting part, but at least those went quickly! I also canned some tomatoes--so far we've got 32+ lbs from our little garden. I'm so glad that we have had such nice warm weather this summer--I don't think we have ever had such big tomatoes that actually turn red!
Caleb: Henry and I went backpacking this weekend. We went on a trail that is rated as "challenging" in the guide book. It was only 3.1 miles but with a climb of nearly 2000 feet! To make it more difficult we got a late start and didn't get to the trailhead until after 7pm. The first hr we hiked in the dusk until we could no longer se. Then we turned on our headlamps and cuntinued until 10:10 when we reached the peak. The last 100yds is pure mtn climbing, hand over hand, scambling up boulders. At the last point there is even a ladder to get up into the lookout. I am the proudest father knowing that Henry did the entire ordeal unassisted! Along with being a great biker, he is a ntaural hiker/climber. The college kids that shared the lookout with us were so impress they could hardly speak. A 5yr old! Here is a pic after we cooked up dinner
And in the morning during the fierce storm that blew in in the middle of the night.
We had to hike down in the rain for the 1st hr. Then it broke up a little. We found that it was peak Blueberry season and I spent 40mins having my fill of the most seet berries I truly have ever tasted. AS we where near the end of the hike, Henry turns and says to me "Dad, this is fun". I had a great time too. I hope that this is an adventure that will stick in his memory forever, and that he can always feel close to me because of it, and many more in the future.
