Category: Uncategorized (Page 28 of 40)

We took a trip down to The Pearl to our fave urban swimming hole at Jamison Square.

Dashiell didn’t remember the water park there; he doesn’t remember how much fun he had there last summer…what he did take note of was the streetcars that go up and down the streets surrounding the park. So Daddy and D hopped on and off of a few, while Mom cooled her heels in the shade.

While scoping out the scene, I caught sight of this beauty (file under: “You Know You’re in Portland When…”)

(and yes, I want one).

Anyway, there were masses of people partaking on a gorgeous Saturday…

Here is D later, fresh off a streetcar, looking for his next thrill:

It’s a bounty over here…

Lisa flew back home to Germany last weekend. Dashiell doesn’t quite understand that she’s gone forever and not just at a friend’s house; we had Grandma Beverly here right after she left, so that helped delay the disappointment.

When D and I talk about field trips we might embark upon, like going on the bus, or on the train, he likes to list the names of the people who must accompany him. He has done this for some months and it is very cute, because he names everyone with his tone ending on an up note, like a question waiting for confirmation. “Lisa” is still on these lists. But today he thought twice about it when he named her, and then he shook his head with regret and said, no, no Lisa…

This video is from early June (and you may recognize the scene from my earlier blog post Everybody Loves the Sunshine). Earlier in the day, before this video was taken, D was able to count his colored pencils, 1 to 10, with just a bit of help needed for 4 and 5!

I tried to get him to do it again for the camera, but alas he was only interested in the end of the series (“10!”). Still it’s fun to watch him concentrating on placing his pencils back into the whale…and this video provides one last look at those blonde locks pre-cut, in backlit glory.

I took this snap this morning. D is obsessed with books. He likes to “read” his favorite pages aloud–that is, the last word of the sentence. He will also make sounds like he’s “reading.”

When he used to get up very early (oh how everything changes! our boy now sleeps and sleeps! I have been hesitant to mention this publicly in fear I would jinx it), at 4:00am, 4:30am, 5:00am, I would hang out with him in his room and we would always read books. Sometimes when I was really tired I would lay on the floor and ask him to read to me. Even back then he would imitate the rhythmic sounds of reading.

He loves words. He loves songs. Every night at bathtime he tells me which song I should sing to accompany our evening rituals (bath, bottle–yes, still–and massage, then teeth). We have a small repertoire: The Wheels on the Bus (“bus, mama”), Baby (yes the same one), and I Love You by Carlos Nino and Jesse Peterson (aka Turn on the Sunshine).

Some words make him laugh and he says them over and over. A recent favorite is “undies.”

He also has discovered of late that his voice can be loud. Very loud. I think he is doing this because it’s fun (gets a reaction) but also because we talk a lot about trucks and machines and many of them are loud. D likes to cover his ears in anticipation of the blender or a train rumbling by. “Ears, ears!” he says, meaning: cover your ears, mama, it’s gonna be louuuuud.

Next we will work on whispering!

We like words, too. Jeff is a wordsmith as you all know. We are also fond of nicknames at our house; we have so many for our precious D. Before I forget them (they come and go) I’d better write them down…

Baby (yep, he thinks the song is about him)
Da’shiki
Da’shiki Wallace Williams
His Da’shikiness
Babylegs McFadden
(any adverb or noun) McGhee
Turkey
Puter (German for young turkey)
Dee double-dub
Senor Firehose

Harvest time is here!

Ok, we didn’t harvest a bear. The cool bear cookie cutter (used here for blueberry pancakes) came from G & G Weiss’ adventures to Alaska.

(By the way, I don’t recommend putting a hot cookie cutter near a small child. They tend to reach out and touch it.)

When Dashiell saw the shape his pancake was in, he immediately said “bear,” which I thought was pretty amazing, because once it was a pancake it could have been many things, like a pig, or weird doggie.

Our broccoli took us all by surprise. Some of it grew so quickly we didn’t have time to cut it before it started to flower.

This video (in 3 parts due to size–just couldn’t cut this one down!) was taken a few weeks ago; I have been meaning to post it for awhile. It shows Dashiell’s use of words (I can “translate” if you can’t understand each phrase) and his new jumping skill!

If you can’t see the embedded video, use these links:
Part I
Part II
Part III

Enjoy!

We finally got back in the saddle for a proper bike ride. The comfortable cool weather and beautiful scenery made for a memorable Father’s Day…made even more memorable when we had to head back west-ward, into the wind.

The wind along the Columbia River Gorge birthed the sport of windsurfing, and it has challenged us a time or two. Being out among the wilderness, it’s easy to place yourselves in the shoes of Lewis and Clark, or Sacajewea, experiencing first-hand the intense challenges they would have had settling in this fertile and gorgeous–but windy–place. You also appreciate the phrase “batten down the hatches” in a deeper way.

Another thing we now appreciate is just how much D hates to have wind on his face…

But in the end he was a good sport and we made it back to the safety of the nearest parking lot, which is protected by the dike.

Dashiell also learned to say “head down” as he braced the oncoming wind.

While we waited for Daddy to fetch us with the car, we designed D’s new album cover, for his upcoming release Applesauce on the Tracks.

Yep, it was time.

And like that caterpillar who ate and ate and was transformed into a beautiful butterfly, we suddenly got a little boy.

Sometimes you just have to get out of the house…here are some snaps from a morning spent in Portland.