Friday, October 30, 2015
Toy Catalog
We received a catalog from Toy's R Us in the mail and I'm not sure that Ben is aware that the items can be purchased. Regardless, he enjoys spending time flipping through the pages. I wonder what he thinks about each time he picks up that catalog.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
7th Anniversary: Long Beach, WA
Each year Traci and I make an effort to get out of town and celebrate our anniversary. Since we had seen Ben's excitement when we visited Venice Beach last Christmas, it was decided to make a trip to the coast. We got on the road once Traci got home from work on Friday and drove until we reached the small town of Boardman along the freeway. There in Boardman, we fueled up the car and also nmade a quick pit stop for Ben. We cut Ben lose at a park nearby to release his stored up energy and found out that it was a water park; that meant the fun had just begun. Ben had a great time getting wet and stomping on the jet's of water shooting from the ground and we had a good laugh. Our unexpected stop had turned into a hilarious good time, yet after all, the goal of the trip was to have fun and so far... so good.
Coincidentally our anniversary weekend paired up with the local car show. There were over 800 cars registered and that didn't include the cars driving up down the peninsula. We were amazed at how many 'Cudas, Hellcats and Challengers we saw; a great treat for any Mopar enthusiast. Interestingly a huge number just drove up and down the peninsula and the locals took a seat by the road to watch them drive by. An alternate way of seeing cars and not lose any calories I suppose.
Our Anniversary fell on Sunday so we made an effort to make the most of it. We drove on the beach to begin our day and headed down to Astoria were we saw one lonely elk grazing along the road. Ben fell asleep during the drive so we adjusted our plans accordingly and instead played around the old St. Mary Church along hwy 101. It's always fascinating to read how huge of an impact the white settlers had on the Native Americans and how resourceful the natives had become in creating shelters, hunting or surviving the seasons. There is a plethora of historical information around the church but Ben was not having any of it. The canoes had to be explored, the pathway had to be examined and to keep the canoe afloat, the Frisbee had to be thrown overboard. It's moments like these that I am happy to see that an anniversary doesn't translate to a vacation from him. Or as Traci says, "It's just me and the boys." But anyhow, after playing around the church and having a late brunch with the family, we proceeded to the beach to build sand castles. I'm not sure where his fascination of destroying the castle came from but he couldn't get enough of it. The dump truck came in handy as it was essential to relocated sand around the beach. To end the day, we visited the town of Seaside where Ben enjoyed riding in a carousel and Traci's cousin treated us to a Mexican restaurant for supper. We had great weather through out the day and questioned why we didn't live closer to the beach.
We began our journey back home early on Monday morning since it would likely take us the whole day. We began by driving several miles down the beach and letting Ben jump in the water once last time before saying goodbye to the beach. He was excited to spend the entire day at the beach and finally had to promise him ice cream to divert his attention to leave the beach yet he fell asleep once we got back in the car. Anyhow, we traveled a bit on either side the of the Columbia river and eventually crossed the river 5 times. We even caught a ferry to cross the river! Quite exciting. We took the opportunity to stop by Bonnevile Dam to see the Chinook Salmon swim up river and that really got Ben all stirred up. Not to mention that he also got to see a few long BNSF trains zoom down the gorge. Once again we milked a 6 hour trip to a 11 hours because after all, what's the big rush? I'm spending time with two pretty neat individuals.
So after seven years I wonder when will I get tired of spending time with Traci and begin acting like a 44 year old married couple. Personally, I'm not too excited of the term "wife." After all, it's ridiculously easy to sign a marriage certificate and both partners don't even have to like each other. Why is it that we can laugh at the term, "Ball and Chain?" No seriously? But in reality, my best friend 7 years ago was Traci and the one I desired to make happy above my own happiness. She is considerate, loyal, patient, rarely complains, thoughtful, attentive, respectful, loving, kind, trustworthy, and the list goes on. Yet even if one day I lose her personality traits to Alzheimer or Dementia, she will still be the one I long to make happy. She is my best friend and far more than I deserve.
Coincidentally our anniversary weekend paired up with the local car show. There were over 800 cars registered and that didn't include the cars driving up down the peninsula. We were amazed at how many 'Cudas, Hellcats and Challengers we saw; a great treat for any Mopar enthusiast. Interestingly a huge number just drove up and down the peninsula and the locals took a seat by the road to watch them drive by. An alternate way of seeing cars and not lose any calories I suppose.
Our Anniversary fell on Sunday so we made an effort to make the most of it. We drove on the beach to begin our day and headed down to Astoria were we saw one lonely elk grazing along the road. Ben fell asleep during the drive so we adjusted our plans accordingly and instead played around the old St. Mary Church along hwy 101. It's always fascinating to read how huge of an impact the white settlers had on the Native Americans and how resourceful the natives had become in creating shelters, hunting or surviving the seasons. There is a plethora of historical information around the church but Ben was not having any of it. The canoes had to be explored, the pathway had to be examined and to keep the canoe afloat, the Frisbee had to be thrown overboard. It's moments like these that I am happy to see that an anniversary doesn't translate to a vacation from him. Or as Traci says, "It's just me and the boys." But anyhow, after playing around the church and having a late brunch with the family, we proceeded to the beach to build sand castles. I'm not sure where his fascination of destroying the castle came from but he couldn't get enough of it. The dump truck came in handy as it was essential to relocated sand around the beach. To end the day, we visited the town of Seaside where Ben enjoyed riding in a carousel and Traci's cousin treated us to a Mexican restaurant for supper. We had great weather through out the day and questioned why we didn't live closer to the beach.
We began our journey back home early on Monday morning since it would likely take us the whole day. We began by driving several miles down the beach and letting Ben jump in the water once last time before saying goodbye to the beach. He was excited to spend the entire day at the beach and finally had to promise him ice cream to divert his attention to leave the beach yet he fell asleep once we got back in the car. Anyhow, we traveled a bit on either side the of the Columbia river and eventually crossed the river 5 times. We even caught a ferry to cross the river! Quite exciting. We took the opportunity to stop by Bonnevile Dam to see the Chinook Salmon swim up river and that really got Ben all stirred up. Not to mention that he also got to see a few long BNSF trains zoom down the gorge. Once again we milked a 6 hour trip to a 11 hours because after all, what's the big rush? I'm spending time with two pretty neat individuals.
So after seven years I wonder when will I get tired of spending time with Traci and begin acting like a 44 year old married couple. Personally, I'm not too excited of the term "wife." After all, it's ridiculously easy to sign a marriage certificate and both partners don't even have to like each other. Why is it that we can laugh at the term, "Ball and Chain?" No seriously? But in reality, my best friend 7 years ago was Traci and the one I desired to make happy above my own happiness. She is considerate, loyal, patient, rarely complains, thoughtful, attentive, respectful, loving, kind, trustworthy, and the list goes on. Yet even if one day I lose her personality traits to Alzheimer or Dementia, she will still be the one I long to make happy. She is my best friend and far more than I deserve.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
I love dirt 'cause it's so delicious!
The title only works if you sing it. Go ahead, try it.
This past year our yard has changed dramatically. Every now and then Josue plays the video we made of the back yard when we first bought the house and let me tell you, the space is unrecognizable. The most recent project came about because our neighbors to the south decided to put up a fence around their property. That prompted the removal of the rest of our plum trees and a cement retaining wall that I'm not sure was even retaining anything anymore.
This past Sunday Josue started loading up the remains of the cement wall onto the trailer and Ben picked up my work gloves and asked me to help him put them on. He proceeded to pick up the largest chunk of cement/rock he could find and place them on the trailer. He worked quite a while at this and showed off some impressive bicep muscles. Soon enough the neighbor showed up and offered to load up the rest of the debris for us with his tractor. Who could pass up on offer like that? Ben got to watch the tractor work and then turned his attention to the yards and yards of freshly churned dirt. He had the time of his life doing face plants and falling on his behind. After a little while he came up to me and said "Mommy, shoes off?" So I pulled off his shoes and socks and he frolicked around some more. Soon enough he came up to me again and said "Change diaper?" I figured that was a good time to get out a bucket of warm water and rinse him off enough to bring him in for supper. There sure is no greater sight to see than a toddler turned loose on a field of fluffy dirt. I think this might have to be an annual event.
This past year our yard has changed dramatically. Every now and then Josue plays the video we made of the back yard when we first bought the house and let me tell you, the space is unrecognizable. The most recent project came about because our neighbors to the south decided to put up a fence around their property. That prompted the removal of the rest of our plum trees and a cement retaining wall that I'm not sure was even retaining anything anymore.
This past Sunday Josue started loading up the remains of the cement wall onto the trailer and Ben picked up my work gloves and asked me to help him put them on. He proceeded to pick up the largest chunk of cement/rock he could find and place them on the trailer. He worked quite a while at this and showed off some impressive bicep muscles. Soon enough the neighbor showed up and offered to load up the rest of the debris for us with his tractor. Who could pass up on offer like that? Ben got to watch the tractor work and then turned his attention to the yards and yards of freshly churned dirt. He had the time of his life doing face plants and falling on his behind. After a little while he came up to me and said "Mommy, shoes off?" So I pulled off his shoes and socks and he frolicked around some more. Soon enough he came up to me again and said "Change diaper?" I figured that was a good time to get out a bucket of warm water and rinse him off enough to bring him in for supper. There sure is no greater sight to see than a toddler turned loose on a field of fluffy dirt. I think this might have to be an annual event.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Daddy my help?
This blog began to assist me in remembering all the good memories that I make with family and friends. Yet as the years keep coming, I simply want to write down for my son (and grand kids, if I ever have any) so he has more pieces to the puzzles of his younger days. The problem is that I am a terrible slow writer and being a stay-at-home dad is much busier than it looks. I would love to sit down for a 15 minute task and not be distracted but that is a luxury that comes only when the grandparents drop by. I'm not complaining in any way. Even though any task takes longer, it's far more enjoyable with him by my side. I'm not making this up.
This past week my sister moved to Seattle to study and she needed help moving her items across the state. The Chief had been giving us a few electrical problems and since it's the only vehicle we have that can tow my new trailer, we had to go over everything before driving a 36 year old car on a 10 hour round trip. I kept explaining to Ben the Chief was sick and we had to get it better soon so that made him want to help.
"Daddy, my help?" He asked.
"Not right now Ben, I need to work on the Chief." I replied while handing him a socket to play with.
"Daddy, my help the Chief. Please!!!"
It was then that I saw a flash image of a younger me sitting on the curve while my dad worked on the Chevy. Interesting how history repeats itself.
"Sure." I said. "Let me remove the battery and make some room for you to work."
I didn't finish replacing the solenoid since Ben was directly in my way but he had fun for a several minutes with a socket. I wish I could write more but since I began writing this post he has drop by five times to see if I can play with him. The thought that he won't be this young for too long often crosses my mind and I don't want to miss out.
This past week my sister moved to Seattle to study and she needed help moving her items across the state. The Chief had been giving us a few electrical problems and since it's the only vehicle we have that can tow my new trailer, we had to go over everything before driving a 36 year old car on a 10 hour round trip. I kept explaining to Ben the Chief was sick and we had to get it better soon so that made him want to help.
"Daddy, my help?" He asked.
"Not right now Ben, I need to work on the Chief." I replied while handing him a socket to play with.
"Daddy, my help the Chief. Please!!!"
It was then that I saw a flash image of a younger me sitting on the curve while my dad worked on the Chevy. Interesting how history repeats itself.
"Sure." I said. "Let me remove the battery and make some room for you to work."
I didn't finish replacing the solenoid since Ben was directly in my way but he had fun for a several minutes with a socket. I wish I could write more but since I began writing this post he has drop by five times to see if I can play with him. The thought that he won't be this young for too long often crosses my mind and I don't want to miss out.
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