Baby Mama

Out little Bryn is growing up. About a year ago we got Dollar store dollies for the boys to try to teach them some baby skills before Bryn was born. I wouldn't say that the boys are especially baby friendly but at least we have a couple of dollies around now that we have a girl who can appreciate them. This night Bryn was quietly and gently touching and holding this baby. Of course, seconds after I put the camera down she grabbed one foot and started chewing on it.

Raising River Rats

The wait is over....LET THE WADING BEGIN!
Our newest idea for making kids comfy outdoors has finally arrived from China, and the boys were anxious to break them in. They demanded carrying their new neoprene waders to the creek all by themselves.
Ahhh - a perfect 62° day, and the stream never felt so dry.
The rocks are a little tough for balance, so hold on to your buddy. (That way, you can both go down together.)

Now we can finally see the creek up close. There's a lot of stuff in here!*
For Bryn..... maybe next year.
*One summer during college, I got a job doing stream survey in Montana. I lived in waders. I could go anywhere. I saw what was lurking in every pool, run and undercut bank - fish and creatures everywhere! I've always thought that would be fun for the kids to experience, but it turns out waders for young kids simply do not exist anywhere, until now!!! We had a hard time finding a manufacturer that would even make such small sizes, and after two companies dropped the ball on us - I breathed a huge sigh of relief when these finally showed up. We came up with the best size chart we could for 4 sizes: 3T, 4/5, 6/7, and 8/9. So we have 200 pair, and we'll see if anyone else thinks it's a good idea! Next up....dry suits and snorkels!

A Stroll on the Beach

Bryn and I would like to tell our side of the story:


The sand was warm. And we didn't have to change our clothes once.

Life's a Beach

After our thrilling look at the trains you might think we couldn't have any more fun. Wrong. Fortunately, this visit to the beach was much better than our last visit. Oh, the boys still got plenty wet and cold, as the video plainly shows, but they mostly ignored their rapidly numbing toes and just had fun. Naturally, the first thing you need on a beach is a stick. Of course it's also nice to have friends...
... and family, even if you do have to threaten some members of the family to get them to stand still for 3 seconds to get a photo. Of course, the real attraction of a beach is the water. Sure it's cold and windy but as long as a boy has his stick he can't go wrong. Or maybe he can. So be careful. Moving surf can cause dizziness. With predictable results. Grant avoided the water like the Wicked Witch after this little tumble. Keep your eye open for wildlife. Sometimes fish are easy to catch. Especially when they're dead. Remember that sometimes the warmest thing you are wearing is a smile.

Choo! Chooo!

Here to announce today's topic... Yes, it's trains! Our best friends Camille and Adrienne came to visit so we took them to the coast on Saturday. While driving through the town of Garibaldi, Oregon we saw two steam engines so we stopped to take a closer look. Here we all are posing with ol' number 90. Actually, Camille stayed in the car because Bryn was sleeping and the rule in our family is "Let sleeping dogs and babies lie." The rest of us examined the trains up close. One of them was in an obvious non-functioning state but the other was wonderfully and noisily functional. It obliged us by going back and forth several times while we gawked in obvious amazement.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Save water, bathe with a friend.
Or two.

Flag Day Art

In honor of Flag Day the Crunchers men did an art project. Our mission: paint an American flag.

Here is Cole's effort: Critics say:
"Inspired use of colors and negative space." -Angela Scott The Highland Lowdown
"Brilliant non-traditional flag colors lead our eyes and our mind to greater heights of patriotic fervor." -Jessica Swimmer The Klineline Post
"Betsy Ross: eat your heart out." -Loreli Rainwater The Salmon Creek Crier

Here is Grant's creation:
The critics say:
"Dark, brooding color scheme hearkens back to the dark days of the American revolution but the blue, emerging through the clouds, promises better days and bluer skies just over the horizon." -Sharon Everett The North Inkom Tribune
"I wept. I smiled. I sneezed." -Ellen Halfcreek The Bitahochee Art Journal
"Stars and stripes forever! Coming soon to a flagpole near you." -Mona Zee The Ridgefield Review

And, finally, my own humble product:
The critics respond:
"Humble doesn't even begin to describe this." -Laura Johns Port Orchard Crab Talker
"Putrefactacular. I feel like my eyes need a shower." -Kristi Trenton The Mink Creek Messenger
"Pedestrian, obvious, uninspired." -My Mom

In any case, happy flag day!

To Be Toothful...

Our little Brynie is growing up fast. She got her first and second teeth yesterday. She hasn't yet realized the full power of teeth but she did demolish a waffle at breakfast this morning. I'd post pictures but they make me queasy. Bryn just turned 7 months old, which is the same age that Cole was when he sprouted his first tooth. Grant started a little earlier at exactly 6 months:

Separated at Birth?

Upon seeing a picture of the Statue of Liberty:
Cole - "There's Moroni!"

Hmmm, I'll bet there's something profound there...

Breakfast of Champions

The boys have discovered how to access the high cupboard in our pantry. No chocolate chip is safe.

In One Month....

On March 2, (exactly one month ago) the boys planted all their seeds in these cups on the deck.
A couple weeks of TLC and a tiny little garden sprouted up right before their eyes.
Good work, boys. Not a single smashing incident.
Then they were ready for a new home - a bigger place with a view,

and the boys got busy transplanting.
















Gloves are for sissies.

There were a few meltdowns over mud pies,
but every plant and every boy survived.
Zabriskies gave us this start, so it was a little ahead of our own - but look at this! 4 Little zucchinis already!
One month ago, we had a bag of seeds. Now we have these cucumbers racing for space.
Good job, boys!!

Now it's my goal not to flip out every time they drive their big trucks up and down the paths, dump way too much fertilizer on 'em, take reckless shortcuts over perfect little rows of beans, and flood the place. Last year we ended up fencing the whole thing in, and they cried for days over that. This year, we just tried to plant plenty of everything to offset the inevitable casualties. After all, are we growing pumpkins, here, or are we growing boys? With any luck, we can do both.

Full Moon and Raisin Snuggering

This is a conversation the boys had a few months ago, apparently after watching Bryn's birth video.
Grant: I saw the baby. It will come out
Cole: I saw it come out
Grant: I saw it come out too
Cole: I saw the moon

---

Cole, upon examining his fingers after an extended time in the bath:
"I'm spwinkly like a waisin!"

---

Cole, seeing a picture of our cats curled up together:
"The kitties are snuggering!"

---

We've decided to add "snuggering" to our family vocabulary. Those of you who feel the desire to leave a comment, please use it in a sentence.

She Turned Me Into A Newt!

Well, if you did happen to be turned into a newt this would be the place you'd want to live (at least, until you got better). We are following the lead of our friends and calling this place the "Newt Pond" because it's chock full of 'em this time of year. Specifically we're talking about the rough-skinned newt characterized by bumpy skin and an orange belly. Another characteristic of the skin is the high level of tetrodotoxin. So it's okay to touch (we hope), just don't eat (unless you're a garter snake). They are mostly terrestrial but they head back to the water for the spring mating season. And like we say in the northwest, "If the pond is a rocking, it's time for some newting." (Okay, I've never actually heard anyone say that and I'm not even sure that "newting" is a real verb but you get the idea.) Our tally this day, with the aid of our fearless newt hunting friends, was 17 newtish amphibians, 0 witches, and only one fearless newt hunter "accidentally" falling in. Easy as falling off a log, indeed.