Daddy Day Care

I have been really busy this month with work and life so I have been remiss in my postings. There has been some amazing stuff to share and finally I am posting all at once. Max and Daddy have had some excellent daddy day care days this month.

On Saturday the 11th, they went back to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe for a remote control airplane show and swap meet. They also had loads of other remote control things there too. In one area they had a huge water pond set up where they had remote control boats.

"Boats, daddy!"

There was one boat in particular that was hand made over the course of 6 months, with the rigging and everything. It had water cannons on it. It would maneuver up to unsuspecting people and blast them with water. Max loved it.

That is a labor of love! The sails would actually raise and lower also. Pretty incredible!

"More boats!"

Daddy says that Max had an excellent time. He even let daddy look at some airplane parts. Daddy also came home with a new remote control car for Max. He loves it and gets better everyday with steering and direction. His new favorite movie is Cars, so this was right up his alley.

Thanks daddy, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Big News!

Terry, Maxwell and I are finally ready to share our big news!

Yup! That's right we are pregnant!

As I am going to be 40 in a couple of weeks, we have had quite a bit of prenatal testing to make sure everything was in order. I call them my pregnant old lady tests. Anyway, the doctor gave us the all clear yesterday. Because of the DNA testing that was done we already know that it is going to be a girl. We are super excited to be growing our family but will be stopping the expansion after she is born.

   

 I am currently 13 1/2 weeks and feeling absolutely miserable. I have been nauseous 24/7 since the third week. I am hoping it will be getting better soon. 

I will post more as I grow. Love to everybody!

Daddy Day Care

Yesterday, Max and daddy went to the United Northwest Model Railroad Club's 21st Annual Train Show and Swap Meet at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, in Monroe. They had a blast!! Max, of course is completely obsessed with trains. He is kind of over Thomas and has moved on to the REAL DEAL! He loves seeing the model trains moving around the tracks and all the cool things the modelers put on the scenery. If he is lucky enough to get to touch the controls...oh my goodness, HEAVEN!

Daddy said that at first it was a little bit of sensory overload, as there was soooo much to see and do. He didn't know where to begin.

 TRAINS!!! Can you see how excited he is? It doesn't get any better then this!

 Here he is getting to make the horn sound.

I Love Trains!

We have decided to take a train trip up to Vancouver for a weekend so Max can ride a real train again. He so clearly loved the ride on his birthday, so why not ride the train again? This time a diesel train and a longer journey with a real destination and lots of cool stuff to do when we get there. Daddy and I are super excited to!

The amazing thing about this little man is that for the last 6 weeks he has been cutting his 2 year molars. So far only one has come through. He isn't showing it but he is very uncomfortable, and yet, oh so happy!

A Little Accident

So during the recent snowstorm I made a very poor decision to attempt to drive into work. As there was so much snow on the road Terry let me drive the Jeep. The Jetta is a great car in the sun but lousy in inclement weather.

First, I must say that I am very disappointed in the city of Snoqualmie for not sending any snowplows into the heart of the city, during the ENTIRE snowstorm.  Apparently they were to busy cleaning the streets on the Ridge. The newer housing development area. Oh Joy!! They finally got to us on Friday morning as the snow had started to melt and the streets were clearing on their own. Thank you City of Snoqualmie!!

There were so many indicators that should have told me to turn around and go home, the most obvious being Snoqualmie Parkway being closed. Instead, I turned around and headed to North Bend, a flat stretch of road that was pretty easy to navigate. I got on the highway and drove 35 mph the entire way into Issaquah and through Eastgate. People were passing me all over the place, but Terry said not to drive over 40 mph in 4 wheel drive, so I didn't. Besides I was to scared!!

Everything seemed to be going well but I began to wonder how I would get home as the snow wasn't stopping and seemed to be getting worse. That is about when it happened. My death grip on the wheel and tension in my shoulders was pretty high. I tried to get into the right lane to start to get in the lane that merges onto the I-405.

That is when it broke loose and I lost control. Terry had said, when I left, that if it breaks loose, that's it! He was right. The Jeep swerved 3 times. First right, then left, then right again, across the I-90. I finally stopped because I ran into the median. Somehow I managed to cross the entire highway, not hitting anyone and not being hit BY anyone and then crashed into the concrete median at about a 45 degree angle.

I was able to back up a little off the snow bank and at least put the car in the right direction with the flow of traffic. I was actually, at that point completely blocking the carpool on-ramp and people had to go around me to enter the highway. I sat in the spot, for about an hour, until a State Patrol officer finally stopped and asked if I needed help. He told me that communications were down, otherwise someone would have stopped sooner. Anyway, he pushed me further down the highway, out of the way of the on ramp and into a safer area, while I waited for the tow truck.

While I waited for the tow truck there were 2 very nice, Department of Transportation men that stopped to ask if I needed help. I am so thankful for them stopping, especially the last one. By then it was close to 7 o'clock at night and the temperature was really dropping. The Jeep has no insulation and I was getting pretty cold and could no longer control the shaking in my body. I guess I had a little hypothermia setting in. My female logical brain told me not to, but I gratefully got into his truck, that had the heater cranked and quickly warmed me up. I was only there for about 10 minutes when the tow truck showed up and I quickly moved to his vehicle, again with the heater blazing. Within the hour I was home and have never been so happy to see Terry and my son.

 The radiator and fan are completely smushed in and the Jeep in no longer drivable at this point. When I tried to start it to drive off the highway, it squealed and smoked. No go!

 The frame is bent and shifted everything over about 3 inches to the right.

The power of concrete on a steel fender.

Damage to the Jeep is pretty bad, but fixable and we are working on it right now. Damage to me...A dislocated finger, bruised elbow, bruised knee and some psychological trauma. It was 4 days before I would get back in a car and drive. Even then I was in tears at the idea of driving 5 blocks to the post office. But when you fall off a horse, and have to get back on and keep going. I am still a little tense behind the wheel, especially with Max in the car, but I keep going. Things really could have been so much worse and I am so thankful to still be here. I definitely had a guardian angel watching over me that night.

On a side note if you ever need a tow truck and you are within a 20 mile radius of the city of Issaquah, call Clark's Towing, 425-392-6000. The driver was so incredibly friendly and courteous, my knight in neon armor.

Little Drummer Boy

Maxwell got a late Christmas present from his Uncle Mike and Aunt Maryann. A starter drum kit!  Max absolutely loves it! He mostly uses the cymbal and smaller side drums or tom toms. He isn't so sure about using the stool and the bass drum. We are so excited to have a budding musician in the family. Especially since daddy is such a huge fan of music. We have been racking our brains as to which instrument to start him on in the future and this may have been just the thing.

 Pretty good hand position on one of the drum sticks.

 Attacking the cymbal while mommy plays the back beat.

 Similar facial expressions as we concentrate and focus on the beat.

Finally sitting down and trying the bass drum. Doesn't he look like a natural?

As he gets a little older, his other uncle Mike, our former neighbor, is going to teach him real drumming. While his uncle Loren teaches him the guitar. He just may be a one man band!!

Thanks uncle Mike and aunt Maryann! We will be sure to leave you tickets at the box office of his first rock concert!

Snow Day

Winter has finally hit us here in Western Washington. You may have seen the news showing how horrible it is. I have to say, here in Snoqualmie, it isn't so bad. We have a total accumulation of maybe 6 inches, in our neighborhood. The worst part has been the freezing temperatures and layers of ice under the snow AND no snowplows out in our neighborhood. Since Max really enjoys walking in the snow we have gone out everyday, for 3 days just to play. We bought a sled for Max, but he doesn't really like riding in it or sleding down hills. He does like pulling it though. Here are some great pictures from the last few days.

 Max pulling his sled at the park.

 Max finally letting daddy pull him in the sled.

 Daddy showing Max how to sled.

 Max reluctantly going for a sled. The slope is miniscule. It looks bigger because I am at the bottom.

 Giving it one more try. Nope!! Doesn't like it!

So we changed gears.

 Daddy made an excellent Max sized snowman. Max kept saying "hat, hat!" So daddy gave up his hat.

 Checking to make sure the snowman was okay.

Happy Snow Day Everyone! Enjoy it while it is here!

Pacific Science Center and Train Show

We recently went to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle for a Model Train Railroad Show. The bonus for the price of admission was entrance to the Science Center. I must confess, we enjoyed the Science Center more then the train show, but it did have its highlights.

 Max and daddy checking out snails in the saltwater tidepools.

 Max riding an automatic choo choo!

 "Hi Mommy!"

 Max and Mommy pretending to be "Edith," a la Lily Tomlin.

Max riding in a helicopter.

While we were in the Science Center it began to snow. In the 2 hours we were inside it snowed over 2 inches. We had a great time inside and even better walking back to the car in the snow. It was a very long day for Max but he did great. Daddy and Max have another train outing scheduled for early February.