Ezra is Five!

Ezra is all boy.  He adores balls and trucks and trains. He whizzed down a Park City ski run after just one lesson.  He loves to poke and chase little girls (specifically his sister, Mia).  When Ezra turned 5, I took him to Toys'R'Us for a new supply of Boy Toys, and to McDonalds for fries (his choice, not mine).  And then, on February 13, 2012, we joined Camille et al. for an all-boy birthday party--pizza and bowling at Fat Cats.

We started with the pizza, which came with breadsticks long and soft enough to drape around your face as a beard (see photo of Sophia above).  You could also slowly chew your way through them from one end all the way  to the other (see Ezra below).  I was impressed that Sophia and Annelise piled their plates with lettuce and tomatoes at the salad bar.  Camille had to retrieve Ezra as he hung, feet six inches above the ground, after he leaped up to the salad bar to grab some croutons!

The next challenge was getting six kids into bowling shoes.

We organized two teams, with very determined players.  The little ones used a gizmo that directed the ball down the middle of the lane.

Ezra and Mia, using the gizmo, both got better scores than Grandma (as did everyone else).  On my lane, Emilie won, with several strikes and a total score of 125.  Mia and Ezra each had a strike, with total scores in the 80s and 90s.  I was the low person, at 75.  Next time, I'll use the gizmo!

Jono is good at all sports, including bowling.For Sophia, the more excitement and drama, the better.Dave observed the bowling competition and enjoyed just being with his daughter and her children.  It was a great birthday party!

Winter Day at the Beach

The essence of Seattle, for me, is a crisp, clear day at the beach.  I spent the weekend of February 3, 2012, with Lisa and her family.  The centerpiece of my stay was a perfect Saturday afternoon picnicking on Lincoln Beach on Puget Sound. We started the weekend, though, on Friday night at Las Costa Restaurant in Issaquah, ordering combination plates of burritos, enchiladas, and tamales, and eating bowl after bowl of chips and salsa.

Grant played two ward basketball games on Saturday morning.  Kyle took Grant to the stake center, early, for his first game, but Lisa, I, and the rest of the kids, other than Spencer, were there for the second game.  Spencer needed to work at the root beer store. 

The second game was a cliff-hanger.  The game went into three overtimes before the other ward finally won, 39-37.  I took sixty photographs with my new Canon Rebel camera, trying to catch Grant shooting, blocking, and running.  Grant was obviously one of the best players.  Unfortunately, I hadn't quite figured out how to focus my new camera...

We trooped down to Lincoln Beach under a blue sky that Lisa described as very unusual for Seattle in the middle of winter.  We spread a picnic table with one of my mother's tablecloths, printed with red roses.  Alyssa and Bryce played with driftwood on the beach as Michael K used my camera to take some pictures and Kirsten, Grant, Lisa, and I relaxed at the table, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, oranges and strawberries, Pepperidge Farm cookies, and Blue Machine berry drink.

Michael K is taking a community college class on digital photography.  Some of his photographs, such as portraits of Kirsten and Bryce, are truly beautiful.After our picnic, we walked down the boardwalk, enjoyng the view of ferries crossing Puget Sound and people riding bikes and jumping rope.We also enjoyed the parade of dogs along the boardwalk.  Our favorite was Boris, a white bulldog who waddled along the boardwalk with his dog-walker.  As Boris chewed on a big twig, as if he would swallow it, the dog-walker commented, "I wouldn't do that, Boris, but it's your colon, not mine."  As I watched Boris' fat behind toddling along, I urged Grant and Kirsten, "Please tell me if I start looking like Boris."  "I'll do that, Grandma," Grant promised.  "I'll tell you, 'It's time to stop eating, Grandma.'"

We then drove downtown to the Pacific Science Center, after dropping off Michael K downtown with his friend and their dates.  The Flindts received a year's membership to the Science Center for Christmas from Kyle's sister, Julie.  It was fun to spend an hour or two exploring, without feeling we had to see everything to get our money's worth!  Alyssa and Bryce played in the tidepool and hooked up electrical circuits to ring bells and turn on light bulbs.  Kirsten checked out the differences between the two sides of her face on an imaging site.  Grant and Bryce played chess on a life-size chess board as Lisa, Alyssa, and I listened to one of the guest scientists, a forensic pathologist, show on a plastic corpse how he did autopsies.We chose Petra Mediterranean Bistro for dinner.  It was owned by Jordanians and had large paintings of the ancient city, Petra, along the walls. "Yelp" granted Petra 4 1/2 stars, and the food was luscious, although the kids didn't like all the dishes as well as I did.  We had the best calamari I had ever tasted, and a mezza plate served with basket after basket of pita bread fresh from the oven.  We then ate shish kebab, marinated prawns, roasted vegetables, and the best rice pilaf ever.  What a perfect day!

Born to Run

 

Dave and I joined Camille's family in St. George during the weekend of January 22, 2012.  Dave Burkett and his daughter, Chelsea, were our houseguests, as well.  We were all there for the St. George half marathon.  Dave and Chelsea ran the half marathon and the rest of us ran/walked/shuffled the 5K.

The race officials were pretty loose--there were whole tribes of runners following leaders holding up signs with their anticipated final time (i.e. "2 hours") and there were skinny (and chubby) mamas pushing baby strollers.  Jono and Emilie raced ahead and Annelise and Sophie hurried behind at a walk/run.  Dave and I brought up the rear, strolling along and doing serious people-watching.  I even stopped to pose at the one-mile marker.

After the race, the kids pulled on their ski hats and ski coats--it was chilly even in St. Geoge.

After the race, we relaxed at the condo, reading books and watching movies.

On Sunday morning, we attended Church at the Coral Canyon ward, where there are even more interesting things going on in the cultural hall seats (with the zillion toddlers) than at the pulpit.  Dave and I then drove home "the back way," pausing to admire the view from the west side of Utah Lake.