Coeur d'Alene

It was so, so, so incredibly nice to go to Coeur d'Alene this summer.  Miles and I were there for about 2.5 weeks and Dave was there for about a week.  It was amazing.  I miss nature so much.  I didn't take a ton of pictures this trip, but here's what I've got:

Miles and my dad, driving the boat.  I don't have any pictures of it, but Miles really loved the jet ski this year.  Dave taught him how to drive and he was actually an amazing driver.  You know, for a six year old.  I couldn't believe how good he was.  We were always on the jet ski with him, of course.

Feeding geese:

Smashing cans with Grandma Sally:

It's the simple things, folks!

Dave got me a new lens for our anniversary-- a 16-35mm.  It's an ultra wide angle lens, so you get some of that fisheye distortion.  It's super fun and cool.

Dave took all of these next pictures (with the new lens) of some of the cousins:

Miles was in heaven the whole trip and it was so fun to just enjoy family and the outdoors and the lake.  I want to move.  Am I allowed to say that?

On a walk/hike.  So beautiful.  Miles walked/hiked like 4 miles.  He took a bit of persuading, but he did it!

 A perfect and delicious dinner on the deck: cinnamon/sugar tortillas, cherries, chocolate cake and gingerale.  That's what I'm talking about.

The beginnings of the Christmas tree skirt I roped my mom into helping me make.  It's not done yet, but I'll finish it before Christmas.  I'm really excited about it because we didn't use a pattern-- it is a Sally Ashley original!  Even my dad came down to the party to help us figure some things out.  It was fun and I love getting into projects with my mom.

Miles Turned 6

Six.  That's how old Miles is these days.  His birthday is July 14th.  We had a low key birthday with him because he had decided he wanted his party to be in Idaho at Grandma Sally's house.  I was totally down with that.

I let him open one present in the morning on his birthday.  He opened the present from my parents and was pretty ticked to find it was a shirt and tie.  It was pretty funny.  My parents had bought him his birthday gift when they were visiting back in May so it was just a bonus gift anyhow, but Miles was seriously lacking appreciation for it.

To try and cheer him up about it, we made a name tag like Dad:

He chose to have his title be "First Boss."  Good call.

Making and enjoying his chocolate cake.

Opening his presents and cake/candles:

We went to Idaho the day after his birthday and had the party the day after that, I think, which consisted of going out on the lake with his cousins and Grandma Sally and Grandpa Doug and whoever else was there.  I can't remember now.  No one really had time to stay for cake, which Miles was pleased as punch about because that meant more for him!

Miles is sure one heck of a great six year old and we love him!

Weird Diet Miles

Miles has always been a weird little eater.  He's always been a great eater-- in his own way.  He doesn't like most of the usual kid things and is pretty much not so good at trying new things.  It's easy to feed him a pretty healthy diet and therefore I struggle at making him try new things.  We've been working on that a little, though, and he's doing better.  The kid loves beans, guacamole, all fruits, artichokes and peas are his vegetable of choice.  He likes them frozen which couldn't be easier for me.  He won't eat meat, besides a hot dog and pepperoni.  He didn't even like pizza until I threatened him with his life (not really) to eat it at a birthday party a while back.

Anyway, while he won't touch a chicken nugget or even a grilled cheese sandwich with a ten foot pole, here he is munching on some sugar snap peas like they are candy:

That's my cute little wierdo.

The Mullet

Ugh.  Somewhere, somehow, Dave convinced Miles that mullets are the most awesome thing in the world.  Miles especially bought what Dave was selling when Dave told him hockey players used to have them and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks even had one not long ago.  Then it was game over.  In a moment of extreme weakness, I consented to allow Miles to have a mullet for about a week, but I made Dave cut it.

Here he is, pretty stoked to be sporting his mullet: 

 On an unrelated note and a crappy side story: I took this picture of Miles literally about 10 minutes before we responded to awful screams outside our front door that brought us to the knowledge that there was a suicide committed (young female med student) on the other side of one of our shared walls (7/10/14).  It was a really awful situation and experience.  Dave consoled the neighbor (her boyfriend and also young med student) and called 911 while I put Miles to bed and made sure he never looked out the windows to see all the cop cars and ambulance, caution tape, etc.  He kept asking me what happened and I just told him I didn't know.  He said, "I wonder why our neighbor is panicking."  I was taken back by his use of the word "panicking" and said, "That's exactly what our neighbor is doing.  Where did you learn that word?"  He responded in a cheerful and proud voice, "Elementary school."

It really was such a terrible experience.  Watching all the clean up (Hazmat team) over the next few days kept it fresh and real and awful.  I was so thankful Miles and I got to leave town a few days after it happened.  I felt so unsafe (Houston ain't safe, y'all) and uncomfortable and couldn't get the whole situation or new found silence out of my head.  I replayed every noise I heard on the other side of wall that day and I know exactly when those noises stopped.  Dave was even closer to the situation; he couldn't shake the feeling of our neighbor convulsing and crying on his shoulder and his grip on Dave.  He couldn't un-hear his screams or un-see the look on his face.  I was sad that Dave had to be home alone so soon after it happened, but I honestly don't know how long it would have taken me to deal with that situation if I didn't have the chance to get away from it for 2.5 weeks.  It weighed on me for the first several days of my trip, but faded.  It will always be there, but we've been able to resume daily life.  We look forward to the day we can move. 

Back to the mullet:

Here he is another day with it done all ridiculous.

Dave and Miles still beg me for another mullet every time we do hair cuts, but I'm feeling really strong these days.  So don't plan on seeing one ever again.

The Etch a Sketch

Dave has some serious skillz on the etch a sketch.  It's usually a church activity.  I told him to do a basketball player making a basket.  

Booya:

Amazing.  Took him like a minute or less.

Then he told me to make a butterfly.

I tried:

Definitely took me more than a minute.

More of Dave's skillz:

This one is brought to you by Miles:

A puzzle.  I think he's going to follow in his father's etch a sketch skillz!