Shout Out to Our #1 Followers

Steve and Diane our clearly our biggest fans. If you don't know them, you can learn all about them through their blogs, which are updated way more often than this one is:

http://www.dianekappablog.com/2009/08/color-inspiration.html
http://greimannkappa.blogspot.com/2009/08/august-20th-st-stephens-day.html

My only concern is that they use their mobile phones (Twitter-style) to update their blogs - I am not sure I trust anyone who Tweets.

Regardless, check out their blogs for the the life of an expat in Budapest (an awesome city) and cross your fingers (on behalf of the Seattle Lapins) that they return to Seattle some day.

Potty Training #2

Willa seems like she will be easier to potty train than Ethan. She poops pretty regularly once a day and likes to tell you she is "poopy" when she has poop in her pull-up. However, last night I did get a little surprise. After putting the kids to bed, I sat down on my chair in the living room and touched something on the seat cushion. I picked it up - brown, slightly oblong, a little smelly - poop! I think it may have been Willa's from when she was wearing her princess underwear and said she was poopy. On the other hand, it could have been Daphne, who may have accidentally shot one out when she was excitedly barking at a passer-by. I am not sure which I would have preferred.

The Jazz Man

Neil Diamond is the Jazz Singer. Jack is known for Jazz Hands. And Willa's favorite princess is Jazz Man, aka Jasmine, from Aladdin. In fact, she loves Jazz Man and the Jazz Man movie so much that she slept with the DVD box on Sunday.

Willa apologizes with feeling

Occasionally Willa can be naughty and sometimes she accidentally hurts Ethan (fortunately, being super-cute it's hard to stay mad at her). If she realizes it, or if we tell her, she will apologize, saying, "I'm sorry Ethan." Recently, she has taken to saying "I'm so sorry Ethan," as though to emphasize how bad she feels. However, a couple of nights ago, after being put to bed, we heard Willa "practicing" her apologies, over and over again, so, maybe she doesn't feel "so sorry".

Camping with Grandma

This past weekend we went camping with Grandma Linda (Friday-Monday). All-in-all, a good time.

Highlights included:

• Willa and Karri slept all three nights together on the high bed;
• Ethan and Michael slept one night in the tent together, one night Ethan was in the camper and Michael was in the tent, and one night together on the low bed in the camper;
• First time wwe got to use our tent that we bought about 2 1/2 years ago - very happy with it - big enough for 4, no problems;
• S'mores - Willa and Ethan both loved them;
• Grandma Linda got Ethan and Willa toy bows and arrows (Ethan had been eyeing one in his toy catalog for weeks (and wanted to use his yard sale money to buy it and was wondering why it wasn't at our house yet)). Ethan played with his pretty much every day;
• Playing in Stafford Creek (refreshing when the temperature was over 90);
• Eating wild huckleberries (of course Ethan said we couldn't use that word so we called them small, round fruits); and
• Reading all of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret"; and
• Using "special" camping gear like backpacks (pink for Willa and blue for Ethan) and headlamps.

Of course hiking itself was not so successful. I think we made it about 50 yards when Willa wanted Karri to carry her. Negotiation - walk for 5 minutes, then Mommy will carry you for 5 minutes - was not so successful and shrieks of "carry me" or "pick me up" could be heard in parts of Oregon and Idaho. After about a half-mile of Karri walking and Willa screaming and following, Willa decided she had had enough and lay on the ground and threw a fit. After 15 minutes of fit throwing (while Karri and Linda picked huckleberries close by), Willa picked herself up, dusted herself off, and "like a big girl" walked back to the trailhead. During this time, Ethan had decided he had had enough and wanted to hold my hand and walk back to the trailhead, so we did but we made a number of mini-adventures to look at butterfly's, creeks, or berry patches.

Daphne enjoyed camping, especially all of the extra food (including half a package of beef jerky). She is becoming a bit naughty in her old age. Of course, she loved rolling in the dirt. And, it is always interesting how much less wildlife you see when Daphne is around.

On the plus-side, unlike last year, I did not have to get up at 5 in the morning and stroll Willa up the road for an hour or so to help her chill out.