A little update

I feel bad since it has been over a month since I did anything besides send pictures from my phone to the blog.  Oh well, none of my readers have been complaining.

Ethan is getting really good at bike riding and I am letting him ride in the street with me (he knows to stay back and to the right of me for safety).  Two days ago Willa went on the third whell for the first time.  She can't peddle, but she can hold on to the handlebars and rest her feet on the peddles.

Ethan has decided he does not like his lunch at school most of the time, so he now has a lunch box and he gets to choose two days a week when we pack lunch for him.  X-wing fighter lunchbox is a big hit.  Willa also gets a lunch on those days, but we still hope she eats at KidsCentre.

Ski lessons are over - overall, not a big fan.  Ethan did not seem overly happy with them and not sure how much he learned.  However, he loved riding the chairlift and skiing down Julie's chair with the harness.  This weekend I think Willa will get her first shot at skiing.  Probably mostly on the magic carpet.  Zayde will come up and ski with Ethan on the harness, while I help Willa out, should be a hoot (yes, a hoot.)

It is back on with birthday season for Ethan and Willa's friends.  Girls this year are getting Princess Stories with Attitude.  In honor of Willa our little princess with attitude.  Boys are getting one of Ethan's all time favorites, the story of Thelonious Chipmunk.

Sometimes we think the kids are conspiring against us, taking turns being the late sleeper (I'm cold, I'm hot, Where's purple bat, Where's baby furrball, I need a drink, I had a bad dream (when he's only been "asleep" for 5 minutes)) or early waker (pre-6 and sometimes pre-5:30).  However, by comparison to what I have heard from others, we have nothing to complain about.

Looks like our next three family vacations will be Maui (fall 2010), Disneyland (spring 2011), and Florence, Italy (summer 2012) plus camping, beach, and grandparents.  No current plans for a kid-free vacation, but I'd like to take Karri to New Orleans at some point, maybe fall 2011.

Dad retired about a month ago - was really great to hear all those people that he worked with say what a good person he was (I was pretty sure he was a good doc and he clearly practiced during a revolution in cardiology, but to hear the people that he worked with speaking so highly of him as a person was great.  Also, kids got to see Boobie as she was in town's for Dad's retirement.  Nice to be able to make that connection for them.

Now, we are just on pins and needles waiting for a week from tomorrow when we get the news on kindergartens.  It would be a big financial sacrifice, but I think Seattle Country Day would be worth it.  Pretty sure UCDS would be a great school.  Evergreen and Bertschi will take some serious family conversations before making the final decision.

I like to ride my bicylce, I like to ride my bike...

This past weekend was an awesome adventure in parenting.

On Friday morning Ethan was talking about wanting a bigger bike and one without training wheels. So I called a few places but decided that $160 for a new 16" bike was excessive. So I checked with Recycled Cycles and they had one used boys 16" bike for $40. I said perfect and told Karri that I would pick it up on the way home. When I got to the store, which took forever because it is in the U District, they had sold it - I should have had them hold it. When I got home without a bike, Ethan was pretty upset, but we span it that we would go to the Goodwill and let him pick his own. This worked like a charm and he was happy. Meanwhile, I had picked up a new inner tube for his 12" bike, but of course had not picked up the tool necessary to get the tube on.

Saturday came and Karri took Willa to Little Gym, which she loves. While they were doing that, Ethan and I went to the Goodwill. Not a big selection of 16" bikes - basically 3 - two were clearly girls bikes. We got the least girly bike they had. Brought it home, pumped up the tires, cleaned it a little, and lubed it up with WD-40. $7. Ethan then rode it a bit in front of the house with me pushing from the seat or holding the handlebars. Once he was on his own for about 4 feet before crashing into a rock. Oops.

Dad came up later in the afternoon and we had lunch. Then, while Willa was napping, I went out and got the tool to fix the 12" tire - good as new now (so we sent the other 12" bike down to Gig Harbor for Micah). Ethan and Dad were entranced by They Might Be Giants' new kids videos and songs, so I had plenty of time. While Willa was still napping, Dad pushed Ethan to Coe on his new bike. Then, when Willa woke up, we came up on her new'ish bike - inflatable tires roll much better than the solid foam ones.

When we got there Dad was exhausted - and understandably so after pushing a 16" bike with a rider for a half mile. So, it was my turn to push Ethan. This is where it gets good. Ethan quickly got the hang of peddling and steering. So much so that it was hard to keep pushing him and he would get away from me. However, he would look back occasionally to see if I was still holding o, which made him very wobbly. After a short discussion about looking where he was going it happened, he rode on his own for a few feet, then fell. The next time though, he had clearly found his balance point and was riding a two-wheeler on-his-own, no training wheels. WOW!

I think we were all a little surprised at how quickly it all happened for him. But it was awesome. Attached are some pictures of that magic moment.

I like to ride my bicycle...

Fourth of July weekend was big at the Lapin's house.
Friday was pretty typical with a trip to the playground, scootering and WeeRiding, followed by a trip to Macrina's Bakery. Karri got a little break and got to ride Grover. Afternoon, no
Saturday was go-go all day. In the morning we did a great hike just past North Bend - Twin Falls. Daphne came too. Picnic lunch. Dipped our feet in the river. We estimated that Ethan hiked about 2 3/4 miles and Willa about 2 1/2.
After getting home, Michael went to a memorial for Dick, who lived across the street. Explaining to Ethan that Dick had died was tough.
Then, when Willa woke up after about half an hour, it was off to Mollie Moon's for ice cream - honey lavender, strawberry, scout mint, and salted caramel.
Then, over to the wading pool at the digger park in Wallingford.
Then, the twins, Nick and Parker, came over to play with Ethan and run through the sprinkler.
Sunday was less crazy-busy. We were at the playground by about 9:30, but that is relatively late for us. It was great because we hooked up the "third-wheel" to my bike and Ethan and I took a long ride all over Queen Anne. He loves it. Then, later in the afternoon, when Willa had woken up from her nap, she decided she wanted to ride a bike too, so we took Ethan's old 12" bike and attached a push-bar and away she went. She is a natural and will probably be going full tilt without any assistance by this weekend.