The Name Game (courtesey of Brooke)

1.Your rock star name (first pet, current car)Duchess Odyssey
2.Your gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe)Jamoca Thong
3.Your Native American name (favorite color, favorite animal)Red Meerkat
4.Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born)Ann Bakersfield
5.Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name)AllHe (that sounds more like my drag name)
6.Superhero name (2nd favorite color, favorite drink)Green Coffee
7.NASCAR name (the first names of your grandfathers)Curtis Paul
8.Dancer name (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Obsession MnM (I'm not a big scent fan)
9.TV weather anchor name (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)Sullivan Sedona (no it's not a major city, but Brooke took Seattle).
10.Spy name (your favorite season/holiday, flower)Summer Gerber
11.Cartoon name:(favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now)Mango Capri
12.Hippie name (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)Coffee Weeping Willow
13.Movie star name (first pet, first street where you lived)Bandit Hodges

Bonnets

Our afternoon craft/playdate today couldn't have been timed better. The rain was fierce, and the kids were fighting when the doorbell finally rang.

The kids all played (7 total), while the moms made small talk (or coffee talk, but Linda Richmond wasn't here).

The craft I had looked forward to making was not feasible, so we ended up painting old newspaper and making bonnets with them. Then we stuck homemade tissue flowers in the brim. The girls all happily posed for the photo, which I think is absolutely adorable.

Then, just as the troupes were heading home, the clouds parted and the sun shone. I think we're heading out side to what? Bike ride, that's what.

Nothing but 2 wheels

Natalie fell and was not pleased to be covered in wet sawdust.

She also felt it was necessary to dry off the slide. With her butt.

The boy wouldn't hold still for a photo op.

You can feel the sense of freedome he is experiencing!
Since Brady has become a bicyclist, all we've been doing is riding bikes. And he needs an audience, so I'm always standing in the rain to watch him.
Yesterday they posted the class lists for school, so I packed up the kids bikes so they could ride in the undercover play area after we checked Brady's class.
Earlier this year we got a letter stating the Brady would be in Mrs. S's split K/1 afternoon class. So I really didn't see a point in "checking" the lists, but I remember waiting with great anxiety for the classrooms to be announced, so off we went, and it's a good thing we looked! Brady is now in Mrs. R's Kindergarten class. Which is neat because she is good friends with Brady's preschool teacher, so she already "knew" Brady. Apparently there was a surge of 1st graders who enrolled, prompting the need for another sole 1st grade.
We met with Mrs. R today and found Brady's desk (he's in the red section, which also happens to be his favorite color!).
Outside Brady had a blast racing up and down the play area, then he discovered the jumps that someone created out in the dirt. So then he spent the majority of his time off-road. Riding over the jumps, bouncing through the grass. Then, the big boys showed up. I look up and Brady is lining up with the big boys to ride their bikes off a mountain of dirt. I don't think so, buddy. Of course, he finds the big boys and wants to emulate them. He can't just be happy riding his bike back and forth and jumping curbs. He has to kick it up a notch. I have a feeling I will struggle with him and bigger boys. He wants desperately to do what they do. And I desperately want his body to reamain in one piece.
This afternoon we are expecting some MOMS club members to come over and play and do a craft. I ran out of time/ideas, so we're making newspaper bonnets/pirate hats.

A little parenting tip from Dumbo

You know the scene in Dumbo when he believes he can fly because of the magic feather he holds in his trunk? I thought that might hold true for Brady and riding his bike. He refused to pedal a single stroke if he knew that you had let go of him, even though he was riding his bike just fine without any assistance. So I handed Larry a chip clip and they headed down to the track (where there is a big sign that says "NO BIKES ALLOWED"). I figure that a 5 year old is allowed to learn to ride his bike on the track, what damage is he going to inflict?
Here's what happened:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Fast and The Furious (or as the Costco tire shop would call it: The Gay and the Curious)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tracy and I headed to Seattle Saturday evening and shopped out hearts out, ate our hearts out (and Famous Dave's BBQ), then we drank our hearts out.

Tracy wishing she had worn her 'stretchy pants' at Famous Dave's.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. But after drinking an obscene amount of beer (and a margarita at dinner), then trying to get up and go race in speeding cars (and being a non-smoker surrounded by smokers), I began to dreadfully regret my decision to walk down to 7-11 at 1:30am to get another 6 pack.

I tried to buck up, but Starbucks wasn't curing my dreadful hangover (did you know I'm not 21 anymore? I don't seem to rebound from excessive drinking like I used to.). I was getting terribly nervous about the racing, as I'm not an adrenaline junky, and the idea of doing 131 miles per hour and making hairpin turns in a racing car did not sound too appealing to my tummy. But I did it anyway, and it was so awesome! Definitely a moment to remember.

Then came along the Mustang Drift (the racing was in Panoz race cars). I watched the warm up lap. I noticed how in the 3rd turn the car really jerks around. I remembered that I get sick when Larry rocks the minivan to make the children giggle with delight. I remembered the 9 beers that my body was punishing me for drinking. I decided getting quality video of Tracy drifting was more important (how come she's not feeling like death-warmed-over like me bytheway?) than me vomiting inside my helmet.

They fed us afterward with a huge buffet of wonderful looking food (that did NOT sound appetizing). So I drank more water and nibbled on some fruit.

We walked out of there with bags full of swag, great photos, and a lifetime of memories.

The damage from being without children or other responsibility for 24 hours.

Just call us the red ninjas.

Me sitting in Helio Castronoves' car (I didn't know who he was until 'Dancing with the Stars')

Turn back and go the other way we'll stop and eat at Dick's.

Dick's is the place where the cool hang out (and apparently feed their hangovers! I felt sooo much better after a bag of grease.)

*** I hope most of my readers can appreciate the photo titles of the last two. And appreciate Dick's in general. Yum-O. Can you believe Tracy had never been? I almost fell over. If you are like Tracy and have never been to Dick's (ha-ha, a Tracy joke), then you are truly missing out on a Seattle institution. And a huge part of my college experience.

I'm Audi

Or Ford, or Honda. I'm not sure, but I'm outta here. Tracy and I are heading down to Seattle International Raceway tonight to race cars tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure there will be plenty of photos and video as well as quite a story to tell when I return!

Yee haw

I resisted going, but at the rate my children were destroying the house, I rustled them up and headed to Lynden to the rodeo (half hoping they would fall asleep on the way there and I would turn tail and head for home). But no such luck for me.

Earlier in the day the kids had their 2nd karate lesson, where they were to test for their white belts. Natalie started sobbing uncontrollably when the instructor showed her how to kick (I think it intimidated her), and Brady refused to even dress in his uniform, let alone make eye contact with anyone. It was a huge, embarrassing disaster. I don't know how I'm supposed to hold out hope for my son if a karate instructor can't whip him into shape!

The kids had fun at the rodeo, they were in good moods, just wild moods. There was a 10 foot perimeter around us on all sides in the grandstands. I pretended not to notice that, but it was pretty clear we were being avoided.

We headed out before the crowds cleared, which also meant we missed most of the bull riding, which was a little disappointing, but not worth staying for another half hour with my children to see.

I figured I was home free since it's a 20+ minute drive home from Lynden. Nope. The two talked a blue streak until Axton road, when I finally snapped at them to "cool it", "pipe down", "let's have some quiet time", "momma's trying to concentrate on driving". I tried many times to tone down the talking, but they were happy to chat quietly in the back while I drove home. At 9:45 p.m.

I can't wait for school to start.

I'm here

I just have been feeling like our weather, a little drab.
I'll be back soon.
Our home phone number works again, Comcast gave me a super sweet deal (and a bag full of swag) at the fair, so I signed up for land service again. I'm happy again!
Larry has been ripping the carpet out of our bedroom to put in flooring, so my house is in a bit of disarray, but really that isn't anything new.
I've got 4 new books to read:
Are you there, Vodka? It's me, Chelsea
sTORI Telling
Your Six Year Old (Loving & Defiant)
The Explosive Child

Which ones should I read, and which ones do I want to read?

Monster Truck Mayhem!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Saturday was the final day of the fair, and we wearily made our way out there one final time for the Monster Truck show. My stomach could hardly take another day of fair food, and I could only muster up enough energy to eat a Shave Ice.

The Monster truck show was fantastic, that is, when the monster trucks could stay running. They all were constantly breaking down, breaking stuff off (like a $4000 shock), or getting a flat tire. So we petered out about half way through the show, it was dinner time and everyone was a little hungry and cranky waiting 10 minutes in-between each monster truck run.

But I did get some cool photos and video:

Freakin' Hot Friday at the Fair.

Brady made his own rope.

Natalie and Zoe on a forklift (can you tell they have big brothers?)
Brady being "loaded" by Sam.
"Sam, get out of the picture."
"Brady, get out of the picture."
Yes, we bribed our children with purple cotton candy so that we could watch the horses.

I took the kids to the fair (again) so that I could see the horse show that evening. You see, if we just went today (Monster Trucks are tonight) we would miss what I want to see, the horses. And we can't go to the earlier horse show today because the kids have dueling birthday parties.
We've been blessed/cursed with having 2 friends having their children on the exact same day. So every year, their birthday's collide. And we certainly can't choose one friend over another, it's quite a orchestration of the mini-van driving.
The weather finally relented just as we were growing weary, so we were able to stay the rest of the day.

P.S. Does anyone have any tips on how to get my children to look AT the camera when I take their photo?

To quote Ice Cube: Today was a good day.

After work this afternoon, the kids and I took the bus downtown (I told you I would make up for my eco-disaster with the styrofoam peanuts) to retrieve a shoe and my camera.

Brady's favorite shoes are these shoes/sandals called MION (my own) made by the guy who designed the Keen sandals. We stopped at Kids Northwest yesterday morning (rode the bus downtown then too) and they were on the summer clearance wall. Sweet! So I picked up a pair, and the owner said "Yes, Timberland (the manufacturer) has discontinued the MION sandals. NO! so I bought Brady the next 3 sizes, and picked up a pair for Natalie next year. Of course when I got home, one of the shoes was missing, it was the display shoe.

So we headed downtown to retrieve the shoe, retrieve my lost camera (yea!), and pick up some more fish filters at the fish store.

We had a few minutes to kill before our bus came, so I treated the kids to a cone at Mallards.

Murphy's Law

No law applies more to my life than this one (OK, not really, but this is creative writing, right?). My camera got lost/stolen on the 31st of July (2 weeks ago today). I figured I must have dropped it somewhere between the railway museum and our car back on Railroad, and had no hope of it being returned if I lost it on Railroad (all the dirtbags hang out there). My phone number was printed on the bottom of the camera (love my P-touch labeler!). I put my phone # on there when we went to see the Dalai Lama in Seattle, assuming that if it got lost, the people would fear bad kharma if they kept it.
So I left the label on there, just to keep my faith in the human race. My faith was dashed when my camera went missing, and I knew that whoever found it had every opportunity to call and return it to me, and decided to keep it. And of course my spare battery and memory card were in the camera bag, meaning another $75 gone on top of the $250 camera.
So I've been missing my little camera terribly, and decided that I was going to buy the same one again. So I ordered it on Tuesday from costco.com (it was another megapixel better and came with a free 2G memory card) and I could get it in blue. So I was excited, but regretful for having to make this purchase.
The camera shipped today and in transit.
Guess who got a phone call today?
It's at the train museum. He'd been dialing the wrong phone number this whole time.
We're catching the bus down town in 20 minutes to retrieve it.
I feel like I just saved $300 today!

My dad & SWHS

The Borton Kids circa 1953(?). From top l-r: Mary, John, Bill, Jane, Fred. Birth order (in 10 years) Mary, John, Jane, Fred, Bill.

My dad on my wedding day. He shaved his mustache not long before the big day, I had NEVER seen him without it in my life (at least I don't recall). Oh, and I had NEVER seen this man in a suit before this day, let alone a tuxedo.

Last night I was searching for my Great Aunt Beth's Obituary (weird? No, she lived in Mexico and was a award winning author, and I wanted to know more). All of the sudden my dad's name pops up in the search engine.

So of course I click on the link, and come to find out that every year at my high schools big track invitational (the Carl Westling Memorial, he was our track/cross country coach for YEARS), the biggest relay race, the boys 1600M relay is called the Bill Borton Memorial (my dad was the custodian at the HS, as well as the Middle school and Intermediate school through the years and was a huge supporter of the sports and band programs. He always did "extra" to help ensure that the kids activity was ready and had a little special touch. And he was always on the sidelines or in the audience encouraging them).

I emailed the track coach and just told him how it made my day to see that my dad was somehow immortalized and his memory is living on in the place that he loved. The coach emailed me back, telling me it was his honor, and recounted a fond memory he has of my dad. I know it's small, but it makes me so proud to know that my dad's name is hanging on people's wall. "The Bill Borton Memorial".

The Fair, part deux.

RIDES
Brady riding the roller coaster all by himself (smack dab in the middle).

One of my fav. pic's of the day.

Brady on the Ferris wheel.

Natalie enjoying the carousel.

First ride of the day.
Brady just about had a coronary when he saw this.
Who would do this to their child? (you may have to enlarge to see it, it was a covert photo)
Why I come to the fair.
I wish they gave you more of the honey butter stuff.
My daughter the ham. (that dimple!)

The Fair... in stages.

First of all, the ticketing process for us to attend the fair was a total cluster F, if you know what I mean. I "smartly" ordered our Demo Derby tickets and our discount ride bands online. They were awaiting us at Will Call. And I bought our entry tickets (last year that both kids are free) at Haggen for $1 off. I was making all kinds of deals.
I get to the Fairgrounds, and there are 3 enormous lines and not one of them are marked as to why you might want to stand in one of them. So I FINALLY stand in the right line (after standing in line to find out what line I need to be in) to get my arm bands (I'd since sent Larry inside the fair to feed the anxious children), and found out that after I stand in THIS line, I need to go stand in ANOTHER line to enter the fair, then walk over to the grandstands and stand in YET ANOTHER line to retrieve our derby tickets. I was about done with the fair before it even started!
But we got everything we needed, and hunkered down to enjoy a couple hours of crashing cars. By far the highlight was the "Honda Smash". But it was a Jetta. Anyway, they took a Jetta and stripped it down to the frame. Then they backed it up against some Jersey barriers. Then in rolled this crappy old bus and the bus went full throttle at the Jetta. It was fan-freakin-tastic. The bus annihilated the Jetta and jumped over the Jersey barriers (that were stacked 3 high) and knocked some of those over too. Testosterone at it's finest, I tell ya.
Then the 3 heats of the derby (after a figure 8 competition, fun by too much to go into). We noticed that one of the cars said "Dykstra Construction" and on the side it said "Dog, Duck and Chuck". That's our friend Jen's car (those are nicknames for her son and 2 daughters)!! We saw her, and luckily her husband wasn't the driver, and they placed 2nd.
More fair to follow...

Date with my hubby (and family)

Larry's Uncle Mike and his girlfriend (very nice) Dana are visiting from Santa Barbara. They both really wanted to kayak a little around the beautiful Puget sound, so Larry's mom volunteered us to take them (she assumed that Larry was an experienced kayaker, since he has dabbled in almost every sport).
Larry had never been kayaking. I was shocked. I've been once with an old boyfriend up in a quiet little lake. Mike had never been. And Dana had about as much experience as I did.
But nevertheless, we ventured out to the open water with the generous lending of kayaks by my dear friend Elizabeth and her husband Jim. The kayaks must be pretty indestructible for him to freely lend them to us!
The kayak that Larry and I used was a behemoth... and Larry made me get in and paddle out and back it in, thanks. It was like parallel parking a U-Haul.
But it was absolutely wonderful. We travelled a little over 4 miles round trip. We stopped on a little island off Chuckanut Drive, Larry found a sign that said Cyrus Nature preserve, and we had a little picnic and watched some anemones and a little crab scurrying around. The beach was white "sand", all broken up barnacles, it was really cool. A Seal investigated us while we had our picnic too.
On the way home, we saw 2 Great Blue Herons, tons of Starfish, and several little fish doing spectacular jumps.
Larry threatened my life if I tried to take our camera (since we only have the Nikon, I'm going to sneak into Costco and get myself another point and shoot, I really miss it). So the only photo I have is this teeny-tiny photo of Mike and Dana getting acquainted with their kayak.