Taking Form

Claire Bear with no hair up there

"A guy who is so mad his eyes turned all red"
(Even though it was drawn in all green marker...)

Ethan and friends on a sunny day

Add caption

Ethan's drawings have started taking shape. They have gone from swirls and scribbles, to actual people and places.  I think this is my favorite "season" of drawing the kids go through!  It is so fantastic to see his little wheels turning, chubby fingers clutching a marker while a thought develops on paper.  Not to mention the fact of graduating from crayons to markers.  

When I find the one of the bus driver in the bus with a rainbow overhead, I'll be sure to post it :o)

A Daring Dayton Defies Dynamics

Sparklicious!

If shoes could speak, they would sing Audrey's song!

Is October Over Already?

Hit the Pumpkin Patch in October.  Went to one and it was jam packed like a Disneyland parking lot...isn't that crazy for a pumpkin patch??  Maybe it was the "Field of Screams Haunted Corn Maze" that was a big draw. I heard a guy in a scarecrow costume jumps out at you in the maze, laughing maniacally and holding a chain saw.
No I am serious.
And doesn't that sound like good fun?  NOT.
Got back in the car and headed down and around the road to a different patch that was crowded, but family-friendly.  I can handle that.
It was a gorgeous, fall day and strolling around was very pleasant.  We waited for a while to get on the tractor-pulled hay ride, but it was worth the memory.

See the happy faces?  That makes the half-hour wait worth it!! I remember this part well because we were getting pretty hungry at this point and the folks in line in front of us had bags of popcorn they were crunching on.  We were totally salivating and had to divert ourselves by watching the Pumpkin Hurling Game going on behind us.

This was a great day with the Daytons. You shoulda been there...

 It was a cold, crisp fall evening at the Dayton Household....

We hosted our very own Harvest Party.  Adults: 2,  Kids: 4 , Candy: 1 million pieces

The pumpkin that had sat alone on the porch, attempting to look harvesty, was about to be carved.  I think it was glad since it didn't have any mini-haystacks or crafty scarecrows to keep it company out there.  It stared all day at some shriveled up pansies in a pot.

Julian and Mother did most of the slimey work.  Claire offered to help, but using an ice cream scooper so as not to touch the stinky slime. (Apologies to the Pumpkin) Father thriftily recommended roasting the seeds for a snack later.  Mother, of course, had a recipe. 

Audrey insisted on a quick photo with Pumpkin, apparantly relating to his demise.

Things turned out quite well for Pumpkin, I'd say.  He looks brilliant!

Leaving the savory behind and moving onto the sweet....
caramel dipped candy-coated apples.

Each child waited patiently for their turn dipping and dripping the caramel.  Mouths watered and fingers twitched to pilfer candy bits.

 One wanted a Nerd coating, another Reeses Pieces would be his fancy.










And then there is the child who wants it all....

At the close of the day, the Daytons had had a spot-on good time.  Oversugared, but together.  

And the pumpkin seeds were roasted to perfection to boot.

Your Face is My Canvas (...that sounds so artsy, doesn't it?)

I never need a reason to paint the kids' faces. Yes, I really love to do it. To begin with, they have simple tastes like puppy, butterfly, or lion.  Next, they see what I have created as a work of art.  This is quite an ego boost when your kids throw themselves on you and dramatically proclaim your creative genius.  I could have painted the most lopsided lion, that really looks like a stepped-on dandelion, and they will think it is completely wonderful. 

Not that I have ever made any bombs, mind you. Just sayin.

The Pensive Pooch

A Bored Butterfly

Baby Batman

Ah that's more like it!

Yes!

Workin' at the Dog Wash yeah...

 We took Charm to the Self-Serve Dog Wash and it was quite a good time.  Charm LOVED it; it was like one big Petting Fest for her.  She stayed completely still and never shook one time.

 Ethan lost interest quickly in our big old dog and really took to this pipsqueak of a creature. I do not care for rodents with long hair that people call dogs.

 Claire and Audrey drying Charm off, which she thought was the massage portion of her doggie spa day.

At home smelling as fresh as a daisy...

 Dad, Maida, and Julie in Hawaii on a horseback ride

Playbarn

My sister is building a barn on her property. They are doing all the work themselves, with a little help from a forklift/backhoe thingie.  But peeling the bark off all the logs entirely?  Incredible.  Yes, I understand they don't use a potato peeler to do it, but still incredible nonetheless.  I am a Project Shortcutter and would probably leave the bark on; I would then pretend I was going for a more rustic look. Well there's your difference between the Country Sister and the City Sister.

Anyway, as I first looked at this picture what popped into my head was what Audrey would see, which was a GIANT PLAYSTRUCTURE. Note the beams that would later hold monkey bars, the ladder that would later have a slide, the ropes for swinging...
Oh...is that a chainsaw on the ground? Hmmm I don't know what Audrey would think of THAT in her park!

The Many Faces (and hats) of Claire

Mt. Rainier

We went sort of went camping in July to Mt.Rainier. One of these summers we will get it right, I just know it.  It started out as an incredibly gorgeous 80 degree day when we set up the tent and into the balmy evening where we toasted marshmallows.
In the middle of the night we woke up at different intervals, absolutely freezing. An unexpected cold front had blown in, dropping the temperature to the upper 40s.  That was a 40 degree difference from the daytime. We were not at all prepared for that, since the weather was supposed to be in the 80s the entire time.
Huddling under every blanket and layering our clothes on top of our pajamas, we stayed around the fire ...hoping the clouds would blow away as quickly as they had come in.  Midday we decided to call it quits and pack it up. The ranger station reported that the weather was going to hold until the next day (when we had to leave).  We did not want to "suffer" through the cod, yet no one wanted to leave either.  Sadly, we packed up.
The slide show of pictures is not in any particular order; it just reflects the time we had for those short 12 hours :o(

Did someone call for me? Was it my agent?

Could this little girl be any cuter?? Any sweeter??
YES.
Every year that has passed has made our daughter more delightful, more beautiful, and more engaging.
It's been six years this picture was taken of Claire.
We love her 6x as much...but probably more.

Fractured Elbow

Although most of our friends and family know, Ethan fractured his arm.  This post is just for posterity and to record the memory.
Ethan wasn't doing anything spectacular like bungee jumping off the dining room table or sock surfing on the hardwood.  He was simply kneeling on the couch talking "dog" to his other "dog friends".  One wrong move and he took a tumble off the couch.  I heard the cries, was brought over by another child, and inspected the injury.  My assessment was that he just landed on it wrong or popped it out of its socket and back again.  Those do hurt awfully bad but no sense in overreacting.  So out came the ice packs and I swaddled them around elbow area.

All afternoon long.

As the day wore on toward evening, my keen mother-sense told me that the ice wasn't helping. Perhaps it was the sharp cries when I went near his arm or the fact that he wouldn't move it in the slightest.  I came out of denial and took him to the doctor.  One look and yep, it was broken alright.  (oops)

Ethan had to wait a few days for the swelling to go down before he got his cast on.  He wore a little, tiny sling that was just so...tiny.... He was a good sport about the whole process right from the start. Extremely brave and adjusted well to using his left hand for things.  

The cast was put on (see above pictures) and he chose green.  When offered all the colors originally, he said in a rather sulky voice that he wanted a black cast.  I think he was having a bad day, I mean he did break his arm and everything.  

Four weeks later he was able to get the cast off and he was nervously excited about it.  He naturally asked how they would get this rock hard tube off and I was trying to NOT use the word "SAW" in my response. Can you imagine?? 

"Oh they are going to saw it off honey..." The terror! 

So I might have said something about little scissors or snippers that help loosen the cast. (I thought "snippers" sounded like a cute and friendly word and "loosen" was a safe term)  Who said we can never lie to our kids? What, you never did??

The SAW, which seems to be not that scary

 

 

 

 

Healed!

High School Musical

Claire all ready to go for opening night

I have been remiss in reporting the latest star sighting here in Everett:  our Very Own Claire Dayton!!  A few months ago she auditioned for a part in the summer production of "High School Musical".  She was certain that she would get an ensemble part because, well, after all it is HighSchool Musical and not Elementary School Musical. Amidst a sea of tall people, Claire bravely waited for her turn to audition.  She had mastered one of the popular songs to showcase and a short monologue to impress them with.  Claire felt confident going in and satisfied coming out of the audition;  she had learned so much in doing the Seussical Jr. musical and definitely used it.

On the drive home, Claire was ready to receive the callback for an ensemble part with a contented and happy heart. She held the attitude that "There is no small parts" close to her heart and I was very proud of that.  

A few days later, we got the call.  The woman said that they were so impressed by Claire's audition and her overall personality that they had created a special role just for her.  She said that they wanted Claire to be more than just a background character, that she really had a special joie-de-vivre about her. WOW!! They made her a "shadow" of the main character, Sharpay, and affectionately call Claire a "Sharpette".  

Sharpay is one of the popular girls at school, always dressed to kill and has an attitude to match.  Claire follows Sharpay around, mimicking her movements, snapping her fingers in the Z formation, and talking on her cell phone in the same manner.  Claire dresses in these over-the-top fashionable clothes and wears sparkly makeup...it is fantastically hilarious!  

Our family saw the first of 7 shows, and I am going on closing night with Grandma Ellen.  I can't wait to post more pictures from the cast party!  

S. I. C. (Seattle is Cool)

~Rendition of Girl With a Pearl Earring~

~Woman in downtown Seattle doing chalk art~