Driven to (non-alcoholic) drink

Rough day on the parenting front. I don't drink, but tonight trading sparkling cider for sparkling lemonade.

On a related note: does the French Foreign Legion have a minimum age or potty training requirement for inductees?

Band-aid's stuck on you

We've reached the scabby knees and assorted size band-aid stage of childhood.

Fresh feeling

Note to self: before walking through spray park to take pictures, note which features drop water and which ones spray up at your crotch.

Firefighter heroes

Dylan is two and a half years old and all about trains and firefighters these days. Whenever we pass a fire station, fire truck or ambulance, he calls out its presence: "Firefighter heroes! Going to help someone!"

Recently, while we were out and about, we passed a Seattle Fire Department station where the firefighters were out washing the trucks. I pulled over, told them about Dylan's love for firefighters and asked if we could just get a quick up-close look at the equipment.

The lieutenant said, "Sure! Come on in. We'll show you all the tools." By opening all the compartments, she opened a huge door into my kids' hearts. She explained what everything was for and what situations called for each item, then introduced them to some of the other firefighters who were around and let them sit in a ladder truck. 

The ear to ear grin on Dylan as he sat in the rig said it all: this kid was overjoyed by the experience. Even Ava, who is soon to be five and already declaring some things to be "for babies," initially deemed the visit "boring because it's just going to be boy stuff" walked away with a smile: "She was really nice! I like firefighter things now. And princesses."

We sent a thank card and Ava included a drawing of her and the lieutenant holding hands.

 Kids' passions affirmed? Check. Horizons broadened? Check. Thanks to a caring firefighter who made it possible, my work here (for today at least) is done .

Bicycle Sunday

When the weather warms up, the City of Seattle closes off auto access to portions of the street along Lake Washington so that bikers and others on small wheels and on foot can roll along and meander in peace, without having to share the road with large vehicles.

With this weekend's warm (for Spring in Seattle) weather, I felt compelled to finally secure a tricycle for Dylan and bicycle for Ava. I'd been checking Craigslist for weeks and finally found a tricycle in good condition, at the right price, the right distance and from a seller who actually responded in a timely manner. Really: what is up with listing something for sale on a service that used email for communication, then not responding to email?!

The two biggest selling points on the trike? A parent's push/steer bar and a "trunk" on the back just perfect for holding a few Thomas and other assorted mini trains.

So we got the trike, but couldn't reach the seller of the girls bike we wanted. So we just hit our usual fave Target to see what was available. It's funny to flash back to last summer when we did a bit of a dry run on this bike purchase. In the toss up between a Barbie bike and the Disney princesses, the princesses won because of the doll carrier that was included. Like the trike, cargo space is critical!

While Dylan at first didn't seem to understand that it was for him, he soon jumped right on and was thrilled with his new wheels. So was I, because it means that I can now rollerblade alongside them instead of hunching over Dylan's scooter to push him along. Goodbye back pain, hello independent riders.

In contrast to Dylan's quiet joy, Ava's bicycle-induced squeals were so loud dolphins at Sea World said, "What the...?"

We hit a local bike trail and Ava did great, only taking one small spill before getting the hang of applying the brakes when she feels like she's going faster than she feels comfortable. All we need now is a few more days with temperatures north of 60. Happy kids? Check. Yet another cool childhood milestone that makes me feel even more like a parent? Check. Simple pleasures that remind us: blessings abound.

Quality time

Curing the nature deficit disorder.

Family night out

Friday night dinner at La Spiga. Kids were well behaved. Started losing them at one point near the end and turned to Thomas the Tank Engine videos on YouTube to give us time to finish our meals.

Best part? Ava to Jason out of the blue as we ate: "Thanks for taking us out Dad." Nice to see some of the home training is sinking in.

Skirting the issue

During the summer, I picked up a knitted skirt pattern for Ava while taking a friend visiting from out of town to check out some local yarn stores.

I haven't knitted much since before Ava was born, other than a scarf she asked me to make in her signature pink. It had been so long in fact, that when Jason's Great Aunt told me recently that her favorite, warm, "going to church" scarf was one I knitted for her, I literally had no recollection of doing it. In fact, looking at the well-done cable pattern down the middle, I only vaguely recalled knowing how to knit a cable! But I checked my pattern stash and sure enough, it was there, along with the remaining scrap of yarn that I'd used.

With that kind of lag since I'd picked up needles in earnest, the basic skirt pattern I found last summer seemed simple enough to work on quickly: a few decrease rows after the cast on with two yarns held together, several inches of Stockinette stitch and some easy ribbing.

But with my schedule over the past year, I struggled to find extended amounts of time to spend on it. And when I did, I was often distracted, trying to keep an eye on the kids or grabbing a few moments before nodding off in bed.

Note: while it's possible to knit a simple stitch like this while watching my kids at a mall play area, the activity drew several other staring children who clustered around to watch me work before flitting off to play again and later return to check to my progress.

The lack of unencumbered time though explains why I started, failed and re-knit this skirt twice before getting it right. The first time, I managed to get my cast-on twisted, resulting in a mobius strip-like tube: an unrecoverable knitting error when knitting in the round.

Next, I followed the directions that a lady at a local yarn shop had customized for me and Ava using her exact measurments. We both thought it was knit top down, when actually, it was bottom up and I didn't notice until several inches along. Grrr.

I guess in hindsight I could have finished it either way, but I wasn't sure about the increases/decreases for the ruffled bottom, so I ripped my stitches out AGAIN and started over, after a frustrating night untangling the ripped out lengths of yarn and re-rolling them in to managable balls in the wee hours while everyone slept. Because 11pm to 2am is the only "me" time I'm ever able to carve out this busy holiday season. Okay, any season.

I know, I know: non-knitters may read that and think, "Isn't a hobby or craft supposed to be fun and easy, not frustrating?" Right you are, which only increased my frustration as I thought of all the wasted time. Not to mention that for what the yarns cost, I could have bought Ava a whole outfit plus shoes at my retail favorite Target. But I've learned that skimping on yarn quality is just like skimping on food quality: you may finish what's on your plate (or in your knitting bag), but you will not be satisfied or happy with the end result.

Also, I am persistent (okay, occasionally stubborn) and there was no way I was going to let a prechooler-sized, simple two-yarn skirt get the better of me. Also, this was one of those opportunities to demonstrate committment, patience, and triumph over frustration to the kids, right?

So I knit, unknit, and re-knit again (and again), finally getting this bad boy done in time to go under the tree at Christmas. Granted, I finished the knitted I-cord belt a couple days later, but still, DONE. Take that, skirt of frustration!

Best part? When Ava opened it, she squealed, hugged it to her chest and proclaimed, "This is the best Christmas EVER!"

Oh kid. You have no idea. And while I love me some Target, I can guarantee that no outfit from there is getting that reaction or giving me the same level of satisfaction for providing it for her.