Green Lake

I am retroblogging for our visit to Canada for Marty's dad's memorial. We flew into Seattle and spent the day before heading up to Vancouver, and stopped in to visit Green Lake. It was fun to take Declan back to our old haunt, right next to where Shane used to live.

First day of School

Declan started fulltime developmental preschool today. He did fine with the drop off, but I had a few tears. It's hard to think about being away from him 5 days a week.

Copy cat

Declan had a good time at his friend Margie's birthday party last weekend, especially rolling around with her cat.

I took some video to capture Declan signing "cat". Signing was such a big part of our life with Declan using over 80 ASL signs and understanding more than 100. Signing allowed us to communicate long before Declan was talking. But slowly as he added words, he dropped the signs. The signs are completely gone now, but for some reason, when Declan meows, he still signs "cat" at the same time. The sign is a sort of pinch on his own cheek as though he were stroking imaginary whiskers. So cute!

Loving the pool!

We have finally hit on the correct combination of things to keep Declan afloat with no grown up help at all. He couldn't be more pleased. Zoom in on those freckles!

First time at the Movies...

Declan went to the movies today with his friend Abbey. It was free- something they do here in the mornings through summer holiday. We thought we were going to see Over the Hedge, but it turned out to be Monsters vs. Aliens, which was just a little bit too scary for Declan. He just kept saying "big eye" over and over again. Other than that, and the fact he wasn't heavy enough to keep the seat from flipping closed, Declan seemed to be really enamoured of the really really big TV. I consider it a success, but may think differently when he wakes up at 4 am this morning, crying about the big eye robot trying to squish him.

Two Year-Old Blues

Holiday on the Gulf

In a race against the Gulf oil spill, we drove down to Destin, Florida, to enj0y the beaches for the holiday weekend. There was no oil in sight, and Destin was packed with happy holidaygoers. The beaches are beautiful - white sugar sand and no rocks, nicer than any beach I've seen in Hawaii. The water is a beautiful turquoise green, and about 87 degrees. Unfortunately the only time I brought my camera to the beach, storm clouds gathered, so I didn't get much in the way of pictures.

Declan loved the beach, and came up with a few interesting sentences on his own - "I want to ocean!" He also enjoyed the giant fireworks display the hotel put on for the fourth of july. Declan talked our ears off on the drive- 10 hours each way. He has really turned a corner with his speech. He counted aloud for the first time- all the way to eight. We are so proud!

Macbeth Crescent

I can't really talk about the loss of Karen Brown- there are no words. But I can talk about her house at Macbeth Crescent. We gathered on Wednesday night, close friends and family to fill the house one more time. I learned a lot here about being a gracious hostess. I need to put that learning into practice more often.

When I moved to Little Rock, my one and only real estate must-have was an open kitchen. That requirement can be directly traced back to Macbeth Crescent, and many long nights passed with bent elbow gathered around the kitchen island, spilling out onto the patio, and crowded around the dining room table. I felt very at home there. Birthday parties have been held for me there, my graduation party for my MBA, and the party for my engagement to Shane. I have hosted and co-hosted many other celebrations there, and it is a blur of years and years of fond memories and good times.

I want our house to be like the Brown house on Macbeth- full of family and good friends, beautiful art, fun games and lots and lots of laughter. I had better get to work on the art - so far I have accumlated one oil painting of our dead springer spaniel. It is, however, a one-of-a-kind.

Lisa looking beautiful on auto-pilot. How she does it, I do not know.

Vancouver Aquarium

Declan loves hanging around with his cousin Mikayla. He will follow her anywhere!

Good thing about Vancouver in Juneuary - your ice cream doesn't melt.

Declan's first 4D movie. He lasted about 45 seconds before he had to be removed from the theatre shrieking in terror.




Learning about butterflies from schoolteacher Auntie.

Karin and Dayton visit!

Karin and Dayton have come to visit, and we are having a grand old time. The boys are getting on like a house on fire, and having so much fun together. They are full of mischief!

Cruising for chicks!

s There is a whole lot of monkey see, monkey do going on around here.