Tuesday, July 31, 2007

July 2007

Summer is in full swing again and we have been enjoying the sunny weather.

4th of July party popperWe did the Fourth of July at the Chambers' Lake House where we set off kid-friendly fireworks and Uncle Tom provided everyone with party poppers. Breaking with the Seattle tradition the weather brought no rain this year.

Thomas the Train came back into town so we went to Snoqualmie with the Neels and Santiagos to see him and ride the rails. Blake slept through his first train ride. As we were leaving I managed to back the car into a rock and scrape up the bumper pretty bad. For the record this was my first real car accident ever.

Becky was reading our blog entry for October 2004 and saw that Kyla rolled over at 8 weeks and was worried that Blake, who was 9 weeks at the time, was falling behind. So I grabbed Blake, put him on his stomach, and he promptly rolled over. Perhaps he felt challenged.

Blake sticking his tongue outBlake continues to smile and seems to find more of his voice everyday. He really enjoys interacting with people and loves attention. Overall he is turning out to be a very happy baby.

Kyla's two-year molars finally came, the appearance of which seemed to have affected her sleep and her mood. During one of her tantrums she managed to climb over the banister on the stairs and Becky found her dangling by her foot from the railing. I never imagined a toddler's tantrums could be so dangerous.

Lately Kyla's taste in television programming has diversified beyond Dora and Caillou, and unfortunately she has selected Barney and Friends as one of her new favorites. I suppose I shouldn't complain since it is an age appropriate, educational program, but it is every bit as irritating to watch as it was 15 years ago when my younger brother Kirk was a fan. I've sat through a number of other preschool-level shows, but for some reason Barney is harder for an adult to stomach.

I'm still looking forward to the day that I introduce Transformers to Blake... and maybe Kyla too.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Zoe

Zoe's evil eyesIt is with a heavy heart that I have to report that we are now a pet-less family. Our cat, Zoe, has disappeared.

I'd like to think that she found someone who took her in that she preferred over us, but that seems unlikely considering how territorial she was and how she has never disappeared before. A number of coyotes have been spotted in our area recently, so the most likely scenario is that she fell prey to one of them.

Kyla has noticed Zoe's absence and has expressed some remorse. Becky and I will miss her too of course, she's been a part of our lives for more than five years. Since Kyla was born I have felt bad for her because she didn't get nearly as much attention as she used to.

We don't intend to replace Zoe any time soon. Someday the kids may beg for a pet and Becky and I may give in, but only after they are old enough to take care of it.