The Bugle

The Holidays are Here and Almost Gone

2011-12-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few weeks of Christmas break for Carson. He's played, played, and played some more. Here are a few photos for you to enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

It's a me! Mario!

Kid in camouflage.

I'm cool!

He's all about Legos and trains- Lego Trains!!

As we say goodbye to 2011, we welcome the adventures to come in 2012!!

Visiting Across the Ocean

2011-11-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. As I opened up my laptop, I saw that Uncle Aust was signed on to Skype. We visited and then passed the computers on so Carson and his cousin Stapley could chat. At one point, Carson was trying to call their dog, Biscuit; but she was too freaked out by a computer calling her. Here's part of the online visit.

Another Carsonism

2011-10-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

The little man never ceases to amaze me with what comes out of his mouth sometimes. Here's what he just told me:

"You can clone something and then kill it. Know why? Because God didn't make it; science did."

Hmmm. Interesting perspective. Methinks that he still has gaps in his knowledge. That, and he's been watching too much Star Wars.

Live Verson of Angry Birds

2011-08-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here is Carson acting out the live version of Angry Birds (video game/ app).

Oops!

2011-07-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Carson put on the cuff before he realized that the key had gone missing. Luckily, with the help of YouTube videos and Dad, I didn't have to drive him downtown to the slammer; to get him unlocked. (He was worried!)

Pool Time!

2011-07-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

Pool time at an RV resort! The afternoon ended up being a beautiful one. And after time at the pool, it's become tradition to visit the C Shop for an icecream or a snow cone treat.

The Little Man with his cousins (and Mario and Luigi).

Rest stop along our trip.

2011-06-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

We drove across the state the other weekend, to visit grandparents. Along the way, we came across this refurbished steam train. The little man enjoyed playing on it.

Beach Day!

2011-06-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Lovely day for a day at the beach. (Click on a photo to see it larger).

Scoping out the water.

Enjoying how warm it is.

Beautiful day!

The Little Man and his Buddy.

Even Mom got a break!!

Tremendous view out of Birch Bay.

No beach day is complete without a visit to the C Shop for a treat!

End of School Year!

2011-06-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

One thing this boy excels at, is good behavior in school. Here is a short video of him standing in recognition of receiving a certificate for good behavior.

Inline Skates!

2011-05-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

The little man has enjoyed roller skating since he was about two. The other day, we seriously scored on finding a pair of in-line roller skates at a local thrift shop. Just the right size!

He caught on to this style of skating very quickly. Here he is, posing with our new grill. Bring on the corn on the cob and BBQ chicken!!

Carson's Big Lego Indiana Jones Adventure

2011-03-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Since the little man loves Legos and Indiana Jones, he is forever acting out adventure up on adventure. Today we took it outside, until we were chased inside by rain and wind. Come join us on the adventure!

Indy was plying the treacherous river in his car-boat, looking for a safe place to land.

This looked as good as any riverbank, so up he went!

Meanwhile, Indy's father was having difficulties navigating large boulders.

A few rough characters decided to climb a nearby lighthouse to keep a look out.

Indy was being chased by the bad guys, so he headed for higher ground.

Another rough character was planning an ambush!

This fellow was getting ready to chop down a tree, right in Indy's path!

Indy's father finally made it to shore, albeit, a very muddy, treacherous shore.

This guy, having mistakenly thought he'd discovered a rare, gigantic lily, was not happy to discover that it was a common skunk cabbage!

Having caused enough mayhem for one day, the rough characters took a load off.

Meanwhile, Indy is left hanging in the breeze. What will become of him? Where's his father? Stay tuned to find out.

New Hair Do

2011-03-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

The little man wanted a blue mohawk because his 12 year old cousin wanted one. So, we got some hair color and did them both up! Here's the little man before school today.

Mystery Prints

2011-02-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

We found some mystery prints on the front porch this morning.

Lego Dude, scaling the heights of the b-ball net.

Dancing Away The Winter Blahs

2011-02-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

Carson got together with his cousins here in WA to have fun dancing with the Wii.

Here he is in action.

The newest members of the family: Goldie and Whitie goldfish.

He got what he wanted!

2011-01-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010. So excited!

Our Christmas Card Photo

2010-12-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

New blanket!

2010-12-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

After learning that using a weighted blanket can help Carson, I found instructions online on how to make one. Got the materials at a few local stores, and had Carson pick out the fleece. I opted for fleece rather than cotton fabric, because he likes it much better.

Here it is, filled with a total of seven pounds of poly pellets.

Carson loves his new blanket!

Tea light breakfast

2010-12-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up 3 distinctly different times. First to my Dh's alarm, telling him to get up for work at 5 am. Then I got up briefly at about 6:30am to answer the call from mother nature. Finally, I was woken up by the little man, who had made breakfast for he and me. A tea light breakfast, with a menu of mac-n-cheese and strawberry smoothies.

I think he was trying to use every single tea light I had. I was impressed that he made the smoothies all by himself. He's watched me make them, and made them one time with guidance. Still need to work on the water level for the mac-n-cheese. But all in all, what a wonderful surprise.

Eighth Birthday

2010-11-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the birthday boy, trying to blow out his candles.

He didn't know they were trick candles.

No More Braces!

2010-11-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

After 2 years of school pictures with braces on, the braces are off!

School Pictures are Here!

2010-11-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

A Carson Quote

2010-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

"I'm so thirsty I could drink all the water in a lake! Small size. Lego size."

Cool Dude!

2010-10-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

We were hanging out with cousins the other day, and my little man put his cousin's hat on.

Wow! He's growing up.

School Picture Day

2010-10-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

For some reason, the little man decided that he wanted to wear a tie for picture day. It surprised me! I've pretty much always let him pick what to wear on picture day. As long as his hair looks decent, I'm ok. He wore a tie that his older cousin gave him a while back. I'm pretty sure that's why he loves it. In any case, he decided at the last minute to spike up his hair into a faux-hawk. I snapped this picture just before he went out the door to school.

Since he received so much positive attention for wearing a tie, he wants to wear one more often. He only had that one tie and button down shirt until the past few days. I got lucky at a local thrift shop and found him a few more shirts and (clip-on) ties. He wore a shirt and tie to school again today. I just wish I could find him some really fun ties. I might make him one.

Vestibular Input

2010-10-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things my little man has to deal with every day is the fact that his brain doesn't process his senses quite right. When we are in a place where there are a lot of people and it's loud, the environment may be annoying and a little bit tiring for us. When my little man is in the same environment, it can be excruciating, depending on how his system is doing. For us, grabbing a piece of paper is something we do, often tens or hundreds of times a day, without thinking. There are times that having to touch a piece of paper is intolerable for my little guy. This is just a snapshot of something that affects his brain and body, called Sensory Processing Disorder.

After spending the day in a classroom, where he has to use his eyes and ears heavily, his system is pretty worn out. When this happens, his attention span drops to nil, and he becomes extremely sensory seeking. One of the things he'll do is jump and crash on my furniture. And another thing he'll do is spin. Here's a video of him, taking a short break from doing his vision therapy (that's why the eye patch).

Getting it done any way we can.

2010-09-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Writing is not a forte of Carson's. Neither is school in general. Tonight when he brought home a new list of spelling words, I got out a tray and the flour. I had him draw the words in flour. He loved it. A half hour prior, he had been crying about having to do homework.

Funny exchange between Carson and a buddy.

2010-09-27T20:09:00.001-07:00

Carson: I'm named after a dead guy.
Friend: Does your mother know?

A Carson Funny

2010-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today, as we were stopped in traffic, I looked over at a business and read the sign out loud. "Burlington Collision." Carson asked, "Is that where they crash cars?"

Weekend Getaway

2010-07-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

We went away over the weekend to a camping place. Here's Carson at a Mexican restaurant. He built the Titanic out of french fries.

Here's the daredevil, riding on some dirt bike hills.

Sitting in dirt. We had to wash him down three times a day!

Eating lunch by the pool!

The beach and a tide pool.

Making a driftwood sailboat with a kelp sail.

Captain Carson on a very long log ship.

S'mores!

Spray Park

2010-07-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

One of our local parks added a water spray feature. It opened in time for our 95 degree weather last week.

The kids push on large buttons to activate the water.

There are 2 large frogs that swivel and shoot water out of their mouths.

Here is Carson, between the 2 jets from the frogs.

Spontaneous fun on a hot summer day!

Fourth of July!

2010-07-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

Where we live, we can light off all sorts of fireworks. We had family over for a barbeque and fireworks. Carson was proud to light off a large portion of the fireworks. There were plenty of sparklers and the like, for all to use.

Dad loaded his Thunder Mug so we could all experience some really big booms.

We enjoyed a variety of displays, from sparkles, to booms, to showers of sparks, to parachutes and more.

It was a fun night for all.

New Star Wars Helmet

2010-06-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

The little guy saved and saved his money, and bought this helmet yesterday. Even at bedtime, he didn't want to take it off.

This morning, prompted by watching a DVD made for kids about flying, the little dude put my old cadet shoulder boards on.

School's Out

2010-06-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

As of last Wednesday, Carson is out of school. First grade is done. We spent this past weekend camping at a resort about an hour from us. Carson had his first night in a tent. We swam, cooked out, had s'mores and popcorn over a campfire, and told ghost stories. Here he is with a bunch of his Washington cousins.

A Carsonism

2010-06-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last night when Carson was taking his bath, I was scrubbing him down and asked him to roll over. Here is the exchange that followed:

"Mom, I'm not in session!" Are you here, or just not available? "I'm not available."

Titanic in Tub

2010-06-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Carson is still obsessed with the Titanic. He builds it with various sizes of Legos, and boxes and toilet paper roll tubes and string. When he was in his bath last night, he took one of his current Titanics into the tub. I overheard him singing the theme song, "My Heart Will Go On". But he stopped singing before I could record it.

Another Carsonism

2010-06-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

"I'm not your rodeo cow!!" Carson shouted, as his dad was trying to snare him with a hula hoop. Dad came home with 2 hula hoops the other week, and Carson has been using the heck out of them.

A Carsonism

2010-05-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

Carson was sitting on my lap for a while. When he got up, he said that he had pins and pine needles in his foot.

Swimming in the Ocean

2010-05-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first visit of the year to the beach. Carson wanted to go in the water so badly. It started out as walking along the edge of the water, and ended up as you see in the video. It was a fun time.

Speed Racer

2010-05-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know how, exactly, but Carson is hooked on Speed Racer right now. He must have discovered a video from YouTube. He's been watching videos from the new Speed Racer movie, as well as episodes from the old TV series (that I grew up with). My living room is turned into a race course regularly, and I'm looking at a drawing of a race track with cars on it, that Carson drew this morning before school. Here's what we've been watching and boogying down to, a lot, lately.

More Skate Park

2010-05-09T23:14:00.001-07:00

We have been having a really good time at the local skate park this week. We went again today, as it might rain tomorrow. Carson is getting better and braver every day. Here are a few of my favorite shots of today.

Skate Park

2010-05-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Took Carson to our local skate park for the first time tonight. He had a blast. Next time he's going to try to get some "air" on his scooter.

Sliding Down the Stairs

2010-04-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

What is a 7 year old to do when he's bored? Slide down the stairs!

And again!

"Halleluia"

2010-04-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

We have recently fallen in love with this song- and particularly this version of it. Here is Carson lip synching to it. He really gets into the choruses.

A Day of Flowers and Photography

2010-04-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of our local Tulip Festival, and right now the blooms are at peak. So, Carson and mom spent a few hours taking in blooms and taking some pictures. Some of these were taken by mom, and some by Carson.

Here's my little poser!

Carson, taking a self portrait.

The result!

More self portrait.

And yet another!

Taken by Carson; zoomed at maximum (10x optical plus some digital on top of that).

Easter

2010-04-04T20:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter all!

We had an intimate gathering at the house. Here's Carson with his egg hunt loot.

Spiderman Face Painted

2010-03-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Tulip Town, where Carson did some kite flying, while mom snapped a few tulip photos. Carson also got his face painted for the first time!! Cool!!

Carson is standing in front of part of a huge mural. He liked the tugboat.

Playing peek a boo around mom's tripod and Carson's kite.

Cool Dude Getting Down!

2010-03-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Rip it up!!

Skating Again!

2010-03-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

We went roller skating again. Carson keeps getting more and more competent every time we go. He's even lost his fear when they dim the lights and put on the colored spotlights and disco ball.

More New Things

2010-02-23T05:57:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, Carson wanted to camp out in our living room. So, he grabbed a pop up play "tent", a thin camping pad, and his Lightning McQueen sleeping bag. We had him all set up in the middle of the living room, and even gave him a ball cap with built in lights. To no one's surprise, he had a tough time getting sleepy. And, finally at 10:30 pm, he announced that he wanted to crawl into his bed, because it's more comfortable.

One newer thing that Carson is doing daily is vision therapy exercises. We have recently learned that just because a person sees 20/20, does not mean they don't have trouble seeing. What is often called functional vision involves things like the two eyes being able to work together (binocularity), their ability to shift focus from near to far and back, efficiently (accomodation), and being able to follow moving objects (tracking). These are areas the Carson is exercising daily, using a computer program, and special lenses. This pictures shows him using the red/blue glasses (that give a 3-D effect for 3 of his exercises), and a set of lenses that slightly reduce power in one eye, while increasing it in the other one.

These various exercises and lenses make Carson work his eyes. This is not easy, and at times there is a lot of resistance. Well, it's pretty much daily. But this won't be forever... several months perhaps, but not forever.

Fun Day Out!

2010-02-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

First, we went rollerskating. Carson is becoming quite a competent skater.

Then, we went to a local park to run some more and soak up the sun.

Maiden Voyage of Titanic- Carson Style

2010-02-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

Carson is a big fan of the Titanic. He has a few books about her and about the sinking. Here is a short video of her maiden voyage... according to Carson.

Playing at the River

2010-02-09T18:58:00.001-08:00

Yesterday after school, Carson wanted to play with friends. We went to a state park and played on the banks of the Skagit River. We were there for sunset. Here is Carson building a sand Titanic.

Roller Skating Snyders

2010-01-09T13:32:00.001-08:00

This morning, we joined friends to take the kids roller skating. Just our luck that Roller Roo happened to be there today (a person wearing a big costume of a kangaroo, roller skating). Carson has never been a fan of Roller Roo. But he did a little bit better today. While buddy Meghan skated circles around the rink, Carson became more and more competent as the morning went on. Was a fun time!

Merry Christmas From The Beach!

2009-12-25T08:57:00.001-08:00

We are borrowing Uncle Austie's and Aunt Alison's beach house on the California coast this Christmas. It's not quite as fun when the little cousins aren't here. But it was great to see the big cousins yesterday. The first thing to do yesterday when we got up, was go over to the beach and build a sand Titanic.

We brought this little tree with us from WA. After all, we wanted to make sure that Santa would find us and know where to put the presents. He found us!

Milestone!

2009-12-18T11:15:00.001-08:00

Mom finally got Carson to let a real barber (beautician) cut his hair. He's had trouble with sensory issues and fears when it comes to getting his hair cut, since he was about 18 months old. And mom has had to cut his hair for the past 6 years (and has not like it at all). After going through the haircutting experience while listening to music (see the headphones?), and having a very efficient and wonderful person do the hair cutting, Carson has decided that he's no longer afraid of getting his hair cut by a professional!

This is a HUGE deal for mom! Woo hoo and way to go Carson!!!!!

Catching Snowflakes

2009-12-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

We finally got snow! Carson went outside to try to catch snowflakes on his tongue. But, as you can see, he's in his PJ's and got cold rather quickly.

A Birthday Present

2009-11-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Here is Carson, thoroughly enjoying his birthday present from Grandma R. and Grandpa B.

Our Cool Little Dude is Turning 7!

2009-11-18T12:11:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we had Carson's birthday party at a local bouncy house play place. He had fun jumping around with the other guys. The cake and decorations were Thomas The Tank Engine themed. Yes, Carson is still one of Thomas' biggest fans.

After playing and having cake, the kids had a pinata. It was a fun time. And the best part for mom was not having to pick up or clean the house!

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-02T19:12:00.001-08:00

We went to a Halloween party the weekend before Halloween. Carson dressed up as a Star Wars Clone Trooper. Yes, we know that Clone Troopers don't use light sabers, but just don't tell anyone.

The night of Halloween, moments before we went out the door to go trick-or-treating with friends, Carson went into his closet and grabbed his old Hot Wheels driver costume. For the past 2 years, he had been too afraid to go out trick-or-treating. But this year, he said he felt brave! And he had a great night.

School Photo, First Grade

2009-10-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased with this photo. It's one of the best school pictures Carson's had; and he's had 5 now. He wanted to wear his "Day Out With Thomas" shirt.

Yes. Braces at Six Years Old

2009-10-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

Carson just got braces on his front 2 teeth. The teeth came in with a big space between them, and at crooked angles, so his pediatric dentist wants to get them brought together and straightened out so that the teeth next to them will have enough room to come in.

The poor kid didn't like them; and when we got home from the dentist yesterday, he pulled the wire out. He tried to pull the braces off; but didn't understand that he can't. They are glued on to stay. After a rough night, I drove him into school this morning. His buddies at school thought the braces were pretty cool, and Carson's mood has picked up considerably (thank God!). We had the wire put back on this afternoon. He's doing much, much better.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

There are still a handful of pumpkin patches in the area where you can go, pick out a nice pumpkin, and put the money into a box on the honor system. The large pumpkins were $3, on down to small ones for $1. The place was decorated for the season very nicely, too.

This little Pumpkin Man was very cute!

Scarecrows abounded all over the place.

We decided to get a wheel barrow full! Tomorrow we get to carve them all.

Scarecrows watching over the parking lot.

The sad thing about this field is where it sits: between a bunch of car dealerships. I fear that before we know it, this land will no longer be farmed, and will become a car lot. Just across the highway, where there was a pumpkin patch just a few years ago, is now a big mall.

Fall Playdate at the River

2009-10-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Carson and a buddy had a playdate last week. They played at our sand pile, and then headed down to the river. Right now we have fish swimming upstream on occasion. The boys, of course, wanted to catch some; preferrably with a spear or their bare hands.

School is keeping Carson very busy, reading his little "decodable" books every day, and doing lots of work sheets that have him writing, coloring, learning math concepts, and more. His favorite time of day (other than going home) is recess. Reading and writing don't come easily for him, but with more practice, they are coming a little easier than a month ago.

Free time after school has been fillled with playing with trains and cars. Our living room is usually a large train depot or a city, complete with train tracks, an airport, a boat at a marina, lots of car traffic, and the Space Needle.

Carson LOVES fleece. He loves to be wrapped up in it, and to wear my fleece jackets. Here he is, hamming around in the kitchen in one of my fleeces (backwards).

September Stuff

2009-10-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

We got in one last warm beach day up at Birch Bay with the cousins.

Finally got in the fall hair cut. Mom dreads cutting Carson's hair, every single time!

One of Carson' classmates had a birthday and brought in donuts to class today. Everyone brought home Krispy Creme hats.

First Day of School, Sept. 3

2009-10-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't get a picture right on the first day of school. But this photo was taken just a few days later.

There was some confusion, and Carson was put on the wrong bus to come home from the first day of school. Fortunately, Carson just stayed on the bus, and after dropping all the other kids off, the driver was able to get him home. It was a long ride, and it has not happened again.

Touching a Shark!

2009-08-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

While we were in Maine, we visited the Department of Marine Resource's little aquarium. They have a few open top tanks where people can touch sea critters. This tank was home to some small sharks, including a couple of spiny dogfish sharks. Carson touched one! (Yes, this was allowed).

More Maine Trip Pics

2009-08-20T08:40:00.001-07:00

We boated by Ram Island Light one day.

Taking the plunge off the church float!

Cinnamon sticky rolls from the farmer's market boat.

We only slowed down enough to drop a line in the water one day. No bites though.

Fun in the sand.

The Cuckolds Light in the background. Lunching at Newagen on the pier.

Captain Carson driving the Mako.

Trip to Maine

2009-08-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Carson and mom spent 10 days travelling back east. All but a travel day on each end, were spent on the coast of Maine. We helped Grandpa Bill celebrate his 83rd birthday.

Carson, touching a shark at the local aquarium.

Carson, playing with his sailboat, in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house.

A moment of tranquility at a small beach on the other side of the island.

A lobster boat in Boothbay Harbor.

We spent a day at Pemaquid, checking out the lighthouse, a historic fort, and Pemaquid beach. Great day!

The day we arrived in Maine, Thomas the Tank Engine was in town. We got to see him and have a fun day.

We saw a farmer's market boat. It makes a run that includes stops in 7 harbors.

This sailing vessel, the Friendship, was being worked on in the harbor.

Hendrick's Head Lighthouse, Southport Island, Maine.

Getting Into Mom's Underwear Drawer

2009-07-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

Carson asked me where I keep my "boob holders". A few minutes later, I was suspicious of the extreme quiet in the house. So, I looked into my bedroom, where my underwear drawer was open. And Carson's bedroom door was closed. Hmmm. Very suspicious. I quickly grabbed my video camera and crept to his door.

Theater Camp

2009-07-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

This summer, mom thought that the attention seeking, extraordinarily social, boy that we all know as Carson, would have a great time at a theater camp. Well, even though his group was for kids ages 5-7, theater is serious business. Lots of listening and sitting quietly required. That was a stretch for Carson right now. But he hung in there and ended up having a good time.

Here's the gang (minus one girl who didn't make the last day) finishing up their final bows. They acted out 2 short scenes from some of the Magic Treehouse books.

One of the perks of this camp, was having head shots taken. These are photos that are used when going to an audition (not that we will be doing any auditioning). When the photographer was posing Carson, I whipped out my camera and snagged a shot of my own.

Summer Fun

2009-07-21T11:10:00.001-07:00

Carson enjoyed our local carnival this year. It was the first year he went, as he has gotten over his fear of rides. It was lots of fun. We even bumped into a classmate and another kid we know.

Every other week, we join friends for a creative activity. This week, we made bug jars and collected bugs to examine.

The Fourth of July was spent picnicing with WA family, followed by shooting off fireworks downtown with friends. I didn't get any really good firework photos, but this firework was insane! It threw off a huge ball of crackling streams of light. The entire display from one of these kryptonite balls lasted about 3 seconds- it was intense!

Working On The House

2009-07-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Because Dad was suiting up to go under the house for work, Carson (of course) wanted to join him. We modified a full body suit (with a stapler) for Carson; gave him a respirator, and a pair of his swim goggles. Here he is, just as capable as anyone. Don't tell him he's only six.

Here are the "men" getting ready to crawl down underneath the house.

School's Out For Summer!!!

2009-06-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

School got out just over a week ago, and we've been playing and working and been getting in the summer groove. Here's Carson, home from his last day of kindergarten. He very proudly announced that he's now a first grader!

Our first summer outing was to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. We had great weather and carpooled in the new minivan. Two moms and four kids in total. Lots of animals to see, including the new penguin exhibit, and a roaming peacock. It was a great day.

Yesterday, we joined some of Carson's local cousins, and went down to Seattle Center and the Pacific Science Center. There were lots of cool exhibits at the Science Center, including Grossology, life-like dinosaurs, and a room full of butterflies. It is a such great place for kids and adults.

Carson has been afraid to ride carnival rides since he was about 2 or 3. But, at the Science Center, they had a virtual roller coaster ride. It was a capsule on hydraulic pistons that held about a dozen people. Once you are seated inside, you look at a small movie screen of the ride, and feel the capsule move and jolt; very much like the real deal. We coaxed Carson to give it a try. And after some hesitation and waffling back and forth, he sat between mom and dad. About 30 seconds into the ride, he was hooked!

After leaving the Pacific Science Center, we hit the carnival rides at the foot of the Space Needle. Carson finally had the nerves to ride the little roller coaster there. He ended up riding it about 5 or 6 times.

As well as riding the roller coaster, Carson rode almost every ride there was. Mom and dad even rode a few. Then we went over to the midway area, where Carson stunned us with his dart throwing prowess. He came home with six stuffed animals and several inflatable items. It was a great day of family fun.

Homage to Pitchman Billy Mays

2009-06-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

One of our more favorite Discovery Channel shows that we watch, is called Pitchman. Carson likes the pitchmen, and created this video in their honor.

Flying Just Before Splashdown

2009-06-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

We have a new pool this summer, and it was set up yesterday. The water temps started out at 53F, and are warmer today. Here is Carson, demonstrating how to do a belly flop.

Playing Golf

2009-06-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

The weather has turned from winter to summer in a flash. We had weather in the 40's into mid April; and as of the end of May, we're up into the 80's! What happened to spring?

Our evenings lately have been occupied by playing frisbee or golf, out in the yard. Here is Carson, using a driver that is way too big for him, but connecting with the ball, nevertheless.

Here's the wind-up.

He swings ..... and connects!

And the follow through.

Spiderman and Silly String

2009-05-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

The other day, Carson was helping Dad out in the yard, and got paid in Silly String. Since it was Spiderman Silly String, Carson immediately ran inside and donned his Spiderman costume. Who says costumes are only for Halloween?

Spring has Sprung!

2009-04-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Tulips!!!!!

Every spring, we are treated to acres and acres of tulips in bloom. The flowers are about 2 weeks late this year; and we joined friends to take them in, the other day.

Here, Carson has a mouth full of sandwich. He refused to finish eating it for the photo.

Ah! Finally slowed down long enough and obliged mom a reasonable photo!

Easter

2009-04-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

We had a small group here for Easter this year, keeping it as sane as possible. Eggs for the hunt were filled with fake tatoos and little toys, not candy. There is enough energy around without adding sugar!

Here is a pic of Carson coloring eggs, hamming it up.

Carson Cam

2009-03-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Carson loves to use our little camcorder. Here is some footage that he shot. If you notice the perturbed sound in my voice at the end, it's because he's rather record video than eat breakfast and get ready to catch the school bus.

Lip Sync

2009-03-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

Carson loves to lip sync; and here he is doing his thing. The wild man!

More Snow!

2009-03-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and the day before, we got more snow! Just about 4 inches. And today it's a clear, sunny 15F degrees. We are finally all healthy, but unfortunately, our friends and/ or their kids are sick. Looks like no play dates for a few days. Bummer!

A few nights ago when Carson was wrestling with Dad, his loose tooth got knocked out! He came into the bathroom, where I was, with blood all over his mouth and the tooth in his hand. He bled like a stuck pig for about a minute, and then got all excited that the tooth fairy was going to come. Looks like he'll have a nice new hole in his smile for his visit to the dentist this week.

Wreckreation Nation- Carson Style

2009-02-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

Carson enjoys watching a bunch of Discovery Channel shows such as Dirty Jobs, Myth Busters, Destroyed in seconds, and more recently Wreckreation Nation. Here's a video of him emulating the host of Wreckreation Nation, Dave Mordal.

February!

2009-02-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

WA weather has been pretty normal. Days vary between totally cloudy and wet, to party cloudy. Nights can stay cloudy, keeping temps in the high 30's to 40's; or they can be clear and drop below freezing. Jim is at work this Valentine's weekend, so celebrating Valentine's Day will wait until next weekend.

Carson was a little bit under the weather the other day, with a low fever in the evening, followed by waking up with a bloody nose. Being the self sufficient guy that he is, he tried to handle the bloody nose all by himself. He found me, that morning, upstairs on my computer. When I looked at him, he had already cleaned up his face; but he had blood on his hands, legs, and PJ's. We went downstairs to the bathroom, where I was greeted by 4 hanging bath towels, each with a big bloody area on them. Carson informed me that he had blown his nose on each one of them, trying to stop the blood (and not knowing how to deal with a bloody nose because he'd never had one before). He had also bloodied his hand towel, cleaning up his face. I handed him a wash cloth to wipe up his legs and hands. After all was cleaned up and all the towels, PJ's and bloody bedding were in the wash, it occurred to me that, usually, in this sort of circumstance, I would have grabbed a video camera. I must be slipping.

He's well over his fever and bloody nose today, creating train cities on a 6' long folding table.

Life As Usual

2009-01-31T16:30:00.001-08:00

I'm happy to report, that since the flood, it's been life as usual pretty much. The weather bounces back and forth between gray, wet, gloomy, in the high 30's to low 40's; to clear and cold, usually hovering right around freezing.

Carson got one of his tri-annual (or perhaps quarterly) home haircuts from mom. He won't let anyone else cut it but me. So, for the better part of 5 years, I've been his barber. It finally occurred to me to look in the library for a book on cutting hair. Well, I found just the ticket: a great book with step by step instructions to guide parents in cutting their kids' hair. The hair cut wasn't barber shop perfect, but it's the best one I've ever given him.

What's the difference between a bad hair cut and a good one? Two weeks.

After the Flood

2009-01-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of the yard since the waters have receded. There are still big puddles around, but the house is quite safe (even though it's still raining).

You can see the row of sandbags that are going across one leg of our driveway and along our low rock wall.

There are still big puddles out back.

Comments and Observations from Carson's World

2009-01-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

The other day when Carson first saw our house surrounded by water, he said the house was like a houseboat. At the time, I was not amused in the least because a houseboat is designed to float. Our house is not.

Jim bought an oiled work jacket and some new boots recently. They were sitting in the living room when Carson put them on. The jacket went down to his knees, and the boots came up almost to his knees. He began to shuffle around the kitchen and spoke in the deepest, gruffest, manliest voice he could muster. He said that he was a real man. When I asked him what made him a real man, he said, "I want a cup of coffee." I guess drinking coffee and wearing work clothes = real man in Carson's world. I find that especially funny because Jim and I neither like, nor drink coffee.

Funny misprounounciation: when trying to say Washington, he said Washing Tent.

Flood Photos

2009-01-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos I took the day after we had the initial flooding. The water had receded a tiny bit at this point.

This is the view looking toward the back yard. You can see Carson's dome climber to the left. And in the extreme lower left corner is a step down from our deck that was floating. Our big front deck didn't go anywhere, however.

And here is the yard in the spring, in it's normal state.

This is the side yard. The river is flowing across the yard, parallel to it's normal location, as a separate fork. But actually, this time, there was so much water that there was no separation between the actual river and the floodwater in the back yard. Previous to this, there was always a strip of yard separating the main river from it's new fork in our yard.

Today, three days after initial flood, we have most of our yard showing, except where there are huge puddles and a little stream of residual water flowing across the back yard. As fast as the river rose, it has receded.

Flood

2009-01-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

The fun just keeps on coming. After having record snowfalls, the pineapple express (warm winds) came in and started to melt it all. Then the rains came. When I woke up Wednesday, as soon as it was light, I looked out the windows of the house to see water all around. It was like being back on a boat. But I was in my living room. I wasn't too freaked out until I realized that the water was on all 4 sides. We've had it on 3 sides before, but not 4.

The small river that flows across the very back of our backyard, had breached it's banks north of us, flooding a field that abutts our property to the north. The water became another branch of the river, flowing across and filling our yard, and dumping into a stream that lead it back to the river. It's the worst flood this river has seen in 25 years.

After a series of steps that ended with our having a load of sand in the driveway, lots of empty bags, a crew of people filling the bags and placing them around the house, and a pump standing by to pump water out from under the house, 12 hours and lots of sweat equity later, we had the house surrounded by sandbags and the pump doing it's thing to keep our floor dry. We were very fortunate that even though our crawl space was quite full of water, our floor stayed dry.

And today, two days later, the river waters have receded so that all that is left is a small stream flowing across the back yard. As fast as this river rose, it has gone back down. There are big puddles around the yard, but things are getting back to lawn with reasonable speed. I think we have about 65% of the lawn visible now.

Carson was a true champ- following after his Dad. He wanted to help out in the worst way. I was able to put him to work doing things like taking coffee orders for the folks who were filling the sandbags. But after a while, when he was given a small shovel, he dug in and was filling sandbags as well. Jim was a machine, plain and simple. He and I worked wonderfully together to round up everything we needed. And then he was the muscle putting the bags around the house. Because of the herniated disc in my back, I couldn't lift a sand bag, but I kept coffee and hot soup flowing.

It was truly a team and community effort that kept us from flooding inside the house. For all the help we are eternally greatful. Pictures will be posted when I get a chance.

Power Out!

2009-01-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

Just hours after the last post, on Sunday, we lost power. For the first time since we bought the house in 2000, we had a generator to provide power!! It was wonderful. We were able to plug in a portable heater for Carson's bedroom, the fan for our wood stove (so it could heat the rest of the house), some lights, and the TV. Because we have a well, we had no water. But by morning, the power was back on. What luxury!

Jesus and Santa

2009-01-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

While visiting with our local Grandma and Grandpa today, Carson was asked by Grandma if he knew who Jesus was. Carson said that Jesus was born on Christmas. While he was being born in the hospital, Santa came. And maybe when he came home from the hospital, his mother had his presents for him that Santa brought.

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

Today we went to our local Children's Museum, where we treated noon as if it were midnight tonight. Party hats, leis, and noisemakers were passed out to all for the big countdown to 2009 (simulated). Just before 12 noon, many small and large voices counted down from 10 back to 1, ending with a resounding Happy New Year!! Snacks and apple juice were served in celebration. It was fun.

After celebrating and snacking, Carson ran around with his friends. They played with the fishing poles, the climbing cargo net, the crane, the boat, the truck cab, and more. What fun!

We wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009.

A Carsonism

2008-12-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

About six months ago, I was talking to Carson about how his Grandmother tried to read him stories when he was a toddler. At that time, he had no interest in sitting still beside Grandma on the sofa to hear a story. His nickname, from a very young age has been Motorboy, for good reason. His response to this anecdote was that he's a "playboy, not a sitboy."

Thankfully, these days, he loves to be read to. In fact, witholding story time from him at bedtime is about the worst thing that can happen to him (in his opinion).

Snow, snow, and more snow.

2008-12-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

Actually, the temps have finally gotten above freezing, so our snow is beginning to melt. Final count of snowfall was about 2 1/2 ft. here. The driveway is about 10" or more of slush. Very difficult to drive through, even with all wheel drive. I did a bit of sideways slip sliding yesterday, trying to get out the driveway to help a friend.

Today, Carson and Jim got outside and built an awesome snowman. The snow is quite sticky and perfect for this endeavor.

Here's a shot of Carson when the snow was falling fast and piling up quickly.

Hopefully, we'll get plows to clear our street so I can get out before too long.

Christmas 2008 and Being Six!

2008-12-28T08:26:00.000-08:00

Carson was so excited this year for Christmas. Santa came, even with the tons of snow we have gotten over the past 2 weeks (over 24"). He is very into Hot Wheels cars and stunts, his new bulldozer that has sounds and actions, a helipcopter that he's been flying around the living room, and a remote control spider. At bedtime, he's been enjoying new books (story time is very important to him). And new puzzles, games and Kinex (building toy) will be used in time. As he is very action oriented and has a wonderful imagination, he creates lots of adventures and scenarios with his cars, trucks, trains, stuffed animals, bulldozer, helicopter, and anything else he can drag into his world of imagination.