Pumpkin Patch with the Maple Room

Marek's preschool class took a trip to the pumpkin patch on Friday. We all rode on the tractor out to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins. Marek initially picked a medium-sized pumpkin, but quickly exchanged it for a very small one that he could carry all by himself. After the tractor ride, the kids all had snacks of homemade donuts, apple cider and a chance to climb on the haystacks. It was a very fun morning! Shy little Marek wouldn't pose with his class for a class picture, but I did snap a few photos from the morning.

On top of the haystack, all covered with kids...

At the hay summit.

The climb begins...

It was a beautiful day. This photo doesn't do it justice at all!

Tractor ride

Smallest pumpkin!

Getting ready to head out on the tractor.
Still a little tired in the morning!

Monday Night Craft Night

We made skeletons and glittery pumpkins at our house last night for a family activity. Marek did a great job and had a wonderful time creating them. The skeleton craft was a really fun idea we picked up from my coworker who presented a Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos event at the library over the weekend. Very easy and very cute!

Saturday in the Park

In motion, chasing Mommy at the playground.
Practicing his driving skills.
Feeding the ducks bread.
After he threw the last morsel of bread, the ducks began to make an unusual quacking sound and they all quickly swam away. I guess they were signaling to each other, "the meal's over, let's move on!"

singing in the rain

After a few beautiful, sunny fall days last week, the rain has finally started to fall. Marek took his new pirate umbrella with him everywhere this past weekend - rain or shine. He even took the umbrella to bed with him. I had to sneak back into his room after I knew he'd fallen asleep and quietly remove the umbrella from his bed. He insisted it wouldn't poke him in the night, but mom knows best. It's a good thing I'm not supersitious, because we've had the umbrella open inside our home for days now...

My little sack of sugar

Today was a gorgeous day! We spent hours outside at the park this afternoon, swinging, running, playing ball, climbing... This evening was movie night at our house. My little boy just loves this. We bring all of our pillows and several blankets into the living room, along with a special snack, and snuggle up for a movie together. He is the best snuggler in the world! I just want him to stay small and sweet forever! I already miss his tiny baby toes - they grow up way too fast! I can't help but sing "Little Sack of Sugar" when I think of cuddling up with him. (If you haven't heard the song, you really should! I love both the Elizabeth Mitchell version and the Woody Guthrie one.) So adorable!

Marek's first teacher crush

Marek loves his preschool teacher! He was talking with Grandma and the assistant Guide in his class on Monday. When she left, Grandma mentioned how nice the assistant is. Marek said, "but I only love one person." It's so cute! He just loves his teacher so much. He grins from ear to ear every morning when he stands in line to enter his preschool room. He sees her and just lights up. It's so sweet. We have conferences on Halloween. It will be interesting to talk with her more and get her perspective on how things are going. I observed him in his classroom on Tuesday. He was so interested in everything - and following the teacher around like a little puppy dog.

Next week the class is going to the pumpkin patch. I can't wait to join him! I think he'll have a great time, and I just love going to farms in the fall. It's my favorite time of year!

By the way, I just have to share this memory of Marek: Now that he has his guitar and puts on shows for us, he often inserts an enthusiastic, "Yee Haw!" in the middle of his song. I don't know where he gets it, but it's so adorable. He also puts out his guitar case and insists we put money in it while he plays! I think he's seen many musicians do this around downtown and at the farmer's market. Jake hopes his ambitions in life progress beyond being a street musician. ;-) He really has an ear for music, though!

No pictures...yet

I haven't been able to take pictures this past week or so because I seem to have misplaced my camera's battery charger. Now that I have today off from work, hopefully I'll be able to find it and capture some new pics to share with everyone.

Last week we headed up to Portland for a few days. Marek was so excited to stay in a hotel (he's still asking, "when are we going back to the hotel?"). I had to attend a conference and the way my schedule worked out, it was more realistic (less headache-inducing) to just stay up there instead of commuting. We had a few free moments when I wasn't at the conference to ride the MAX into town and check out Finnegan's, the toy store. Marek found a new addition to his puppet collection - Police Man. He then took Police Man, Fireman, and Chef - all strapped into his stroller - on various walks around town, up and down the elevator and throughout the hotel. He referred to them as his "kids." He also fell in love with fireman boots and a matching jacket, so maybe he'll decide to be a fireman for Halloween instead!

costume struggles

I love the month of October! The change of the season, those crisp, cool days with splashes of intense color, the smells, apples and pumpkins, golds and reds...and of course, decorating for Halloween! Marek gets really into the season, too. We put up Halloween banners, pumpkin lights, owls and cats, candles, made Halloween cupcakes already...we're in the October mood! We read books about apples, pumpkins, and Halloween. Our current favorite is Moonlight the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant. This is one of those Halloween books to start off with if you have really young children. Not scary, but covers all the basics of Halloween - pumpkins, cats, costumes, children and candy! Cynthia Rylant is also one of the best children's authors writing for children. She can create a good picture book (Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven are wonderful to give to someone who recently lost a beloved pet and The Relatives Came accurately portrays the festive, crazy atmosphere of relatives coming to visit, along with the inevitable sadness that ensues when they depart), an entertaining and well-written early reader (this isn't an easy task - how interesting can a beginning reader really be? If you have doubts, see Henry and Mudge or Mr. Putter and Tabby books!)...even chapter books of note (Missing May won the prestigious Newbery Medal).

Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara is also a really good, new addition to this genre. This picture book has great black, orange, and white illustrations. Of course, there's ghosts in the house, but there is also a resident witch who knows just what to do with those ghosts. She catches each one and then puts them to use - as curtains, sheets, blankets, tablecloths....very cute. Check it out at your local bookstore or library!

Anyway, despite all of this Halloween happiness going on at our house, Marek has been not-so-thrilled with the idea of dressing up in a costume. Last year I had two wonderful (and unfortunately, expensive) costumes ready for him to wear on Halloween. He flatly refused. Up until yesterday, he tossed the notion of dressing up this year to the wayside. But we were looking at a book yesterday of a child dressed up as a pumpkin and he said he'd like to be a pumpkin this year. Yes! So, I'm going to sew him a costume and then hope, hope, hope he'll actually wear it this year. He already declared that the pumpkin couldn't have a stem, be squishy or soft or....well, I'm ignoring those requests because honestly, how can you make a pumpkin costume that isn't soft and at least somewhat squishy?? Wish us luck!

Happy Birthday Michelle!

My sister Michelle is an amazing woman. She is a loving wife, the adoring mother of five children and one of the strongest women I know. Morning and night, day after day, she feeds, nurtures, educates, deeply loves, entertains, and protects five little souls (not to mention a husband, two dogs and countless other children through her job). She rarely complains, is always quick to be there for her family and give them endless support and love. She has always been my best friend, no matter our age or differences otherwise. She was the one I looked up to growing up (and so did a lot of my friends. I recall so many times during slumber parties or afterschool play that my friends would excitedly ask, "Is your sister here?"). As we grew older, I'd visit her in California and inevitably when we'd head out, strangers (mainly smitten men) would stop to talk to her or smile or wave. And many guy friends of mine have stopped cold when they see her picture and say, "Your sister is hot!" ;-) Anyone who has met her and her children see how beautiful she is and how she passed this along to her gorgeous children. But it isn't just her beauty that makes her special. She is a kind spirit, creative and artistic, fun, smart, strong, stubborn and protective. She has been able to overcome things I doubt some others could. She has a great sense of humor. She's the kind of sister and mother that would defend you to the bitter end...Stand up for you despite all odds and fiercely support you no matter what. She turned 40 yesterday and I wish I could have been with her to celebrate!

Hurry! Hurry! Drive the Fire Truck

It was the annual open house at our local fire station this weekend. Marek, being the shy little guy that he is, wouldn't climb aboard the engines, slide down the pole, or do any of the relay races, but we did see firefighters putting out a fire! He really did have a good time.
So did Fireman the Puppet...


Grandma joined us for some fun!


Heading home...

Mister M Got a Guitar

Yesterday will go down in Marek's history as a very important day - the day he got his first guitar. I don't mean one of those plastic Fisher-Price guitars that you push buttons and Elmo sings rock. I mean a real (albeit smaller) acoustic guitar. We've been making a few trips lately to one of the local music stories downtown. He usually wanders the aisles strumming their guitars, banjos, and ukeleles. Or playing notes on the uber-expensive pianos. (It's a bit nervewracking having your 3-year-old play piano on a piano worth $7,000). For months he has been asking for a guitar. He occassionally drops coins into his piggybank with the declaration that he's saving for a guitar. And yesterday, the dream came true! All afternoon he played guitar. When I came home from work I was greeted with an excited little boy ready to perform a show for me. I'll be adding some video here soon. He really has a taste for music and I'm going to look into Suzuki lessons too. It's really a great feeling to watch him grow and see where his particular natural interests and talents lie.

Preschool Observations

My little boy heads to preschool every Monday through Friday. This isn't exactly my preferred schedule for him, but this is how it is at his school and so far it is working out fine. Meanwhile, when I'm not at work, I hang around outside his classroom until the door shuts, at which point I can peer through the observation window. Or I swing by mid-morning to get an idea of what his day is like. Or I show up early at pickup to see how he's doing in circle time at the end of his morning. Many days I'm doing all three! The first day he seemed like he was nervous, but enjoying himself. I saw him working on a project and carefully finishing it to join the group for circle time. I've watched him follow his teacher around for lessons and gaze intently at her as she explains things, reads poetry or sings a song. I watch him sit calmly and politely at circle time, listening to songs or stories or other children sharing. And I also see him wandering around a lot. Not really aimlessly, but, well...kind of. He appears to be really taking in his surroundings. Watching other children, watching his teacher, examining the different materials and areas around the room. But, he is hesitant to initiate his own project. He just observes. And sings (a lot!). And fidgets a bit too. He's always been shy and a bit slow to warm up to new situations, so I'm not too worried. Preschool is a big change. And he seems happy to head there (although I have been asked "when are we going to stop going?"). He's never cried or protested as I drop him off at school. He seems to love his teacher. Actually in his words - "I kind of like her too." She is the calmest woman and so caring. I've watched his smile grow big and his eyes light up when she talks to him. But he still seems nervous about the whole experience. On the positive side, he does ask to stay longer to have lunch and play with the extended day children. We haven't done that yet, though. One step at a time! We'll see how it he continues to adjust...

On a completely different note, we have started decorating for the season. I love this time of year. We've hung up decorations and pumpkin lights and placed our first pumpkin out on the porch. He insists on eating off of his pumpkin plate now at dinner. His preschool is heading to the pumpkin patch later this month. We'll probably be heading there at least one other time as a family, too. I love trying to create new traditions with him.

Congratulations Kari!

My dear friend in Washington just gave birth to her first baby girl last night! Congratulations Mama! I can't wait to meet the little one.

Here comes the talent

Marek and his buddy Isaac put on a show for everyone at our friend's baby shower. Marek broke into song on the fireplace stage and Isaac was soon to follow. Marek's preschool teacher has commented on how he sings all the time at school. So far he seems to have an affinity for music and some talent, too!

Heading to the Forest

Marek had a great time at Enchanted Forest earlier this summer. Here are a few pictures of us taking a break for lunch. He loved running through the mazes, the boats and "cave" of Frontier town and seeing the lights and water show. The place hasn't seemed to change since I was little. Marek just loved it, though! He's been talking so much about it lately, that I think we'll be heading there again this weekend.

From Market to Table

Farmer's Market picks (along with a few tomatoes from the garden.)
Turned into a really delicious, fresh tomato, mozarella, and basil salad. So easy!

Back to School Pics

Marek getting ready to head inside preschool on his very first day! Marek with Grandma on his first day in front of his school.
We went out for lunch at a local cafe and celebrated this big event.
He received a collection of classic children's stories.

Baby Shower Season

I'm getting ready for my third baby shower of the past few weeks today. My best friend in Washington state is due at the beginning of October. (Several acquaintences also from Washington are pregnant or just had a baby.) Last weekend I gave a shower for a good friend here in town that is due at the end of October. Now two of my coworkers have wives who are expecting their first babies (one in November, one in January), so we're giving them a shower this evening. Since I love shopping for babies, this has been great!

Marek was a newborn in this photo above...

Now that Marek is almost four, I have been missing having a little baby around. I used to think I'd have 3 children. Probably because I come from a family of three kids. Of course, when I was about 10 years old, I really wanted 9 children. (!!!) I had created an elaborate future scenario for myself which included marrying a man from Germany named Augustine [because a) I was becoming interested in my German heritage and b) Augustine was about the only German name I could think of since it was also part of a piano song "Ach du lieber Augustine" that I was learning at the time]. I can't remember what I thought his occupation would be, but I had created a future for myself where I was a writer and mom of 9. I had names for everyone of them - but I can only remember Todd and Dominique.

A friend of mine recently shared this quote with me and I love it:

"Motherhood is not what we imagined.

It is more delightful, more heartbreaking...

It is not the calm after the storm we have been led to expect.

It is almost more than a person can bear. Almost." - Ariel Gore, author of The Mother Trip

Beginning Primary!

Marek started in his primary (preschool) class this week! His first day was Wednesday. We got to school really early (I got up really, really early...both of these things are unusual!!) and anxiously waited outside his room door. The children line up outside the door until their guide opens it and greets each one individually with a welcome and a handshake as they enter the room. His class is mixed-age, so only about 5? children are "new" this year. I think this helps a lot with classroom management! The older children had already been back for a week - and also had already adjusted to the idea of being away from home, preschool, etc. last year (or even the year prior). Marek did so well! I waited around and peered in through the parent window after they got started in circle time. He sat there, right along with the others...looking a tad nervous and fidgety, but nonetheless, part of the group! I also came to pick him up early enough to see that he was still managing quite well on his own three hours later! So far he's had two days of school and they've both gone really, really well!

It's a little sad for me, as mama...but he makes me so proud! I also now will have three days each week where I'm not at work...and he's in school. Meaning, three days x. three hours = 9 hours of "me" time!!!! What will I do with myself?!

I have pictures from his first day and a few others from our party last weekend for a friend's baby shower to post. But, alas, while my camera is here with me, all means to transfer photos to this computer are at my computer at home. More to come soon!

School is almost here

Last week I had a new parent orientation meeting at Marek's Montessori preschool. He got to play in the playpark outside while I met with his teacher, the administrators and other parents. I had been a little nervous about how he would separate from me there that evening, since he had only been there maybe two or three times before (and only once recently). When I found him after my meeting was over, he was at the top of the slide with other children. He smiled so big when he saw me, then his eyes quickly filled up with tears. I thought, "he missed me so much!" But then he exclaimed, "I don't want to go home, Mommy! Go away!" He was busy playing and having a great time! He and a handful of other children, along with one of the childcare workers, had gone on an imaginary trip to San Francisco and were heading up into space on their rocket ship next. He was quite excited about this. We were finally able to leave without too many tears or protests. But it was obvious that he was quite taken with his new surroundings. He went back two days later to have a one-on-one meeting with his guide in the classroom. She seems so sweet, friendly and calm. I think he will just love her. She showed him how to do a few things in the classroom, they fed the fish, and she showed him the bathroom. And once again, as we were leaving, he insisted that he wanted to stay longer there. His first day is Sept. 10th and I'm hoping it goes just as well as these initial introductions! I'm taking the full morning off from work that day. He's growing up so fast.

One humorous thing happened when he was playing at the playpark at his preschool last week. When I was signing him out, the childcare helper asked, "how do you spell his name?" I replied and she had this look of utter confusion on her face. "He told me his name was He," she explained. I just burst into laughter. Marek's been going through this phase for the past two or three months that his name is now "He." He claims Grandma changed his name. We've all had numerous discussions with him about why we sometimes use "he" when referring to someone, etc., etc. There's a bit of humor in his insistence on being "He", so I think he knows the truth. And, luckily, he still responds to Marek. But every once in awhile, he still says, "No, I'm He!" We'll see what he tells everyone at school!

Back again

I have been terribly bad about posting here regularly! We were on vacation last week, so I thought I'd share a few recent photos before summer is over! We took a trip to Portland and checked out the Children's Museum again, the Japanese Gardens, went shopping and had a really good time. We also drove up to Tacoma for a few days. One of my best friends had her baby shower on Sunday. Marek also attended the Lyon Olympics while he was up there. He had such a good time! He was so outgoing and happy...he just loves Tim and Kelly and Maureen. He kept telling Jake and I that he wanted to play with other people instead of us.

Now I'm working on getting him ready to transition for preschool in a few weeks. He meets his teacher (guide) this week. I really hope it goes well!!

Fourth of July

We were in the city's 4th of July parade (Marek helped decorate his wagon), followed by festive fireworks shared by Walter, the little boy who lives next door to Grandma. We ended the evening by watching fireworks on top of a hill nearby. Marek was so excited, exclaiming "look at the sparkley ones!"

ALA in Anaheim

I spent the weekend in Anaheim at the annual American Library Association conference. It was a great conference. I didn't have time to head to Disneyland, so my Anaheim experience wasn't what it normally would be. Of course, Disneymania was everywhere I looked, like it or not! My hotel wasn't near the conference center or the main conference hotels...actually, my hotel didn't seem to be near anything of interest, unless you count an outdoor mall. But it was nice and accomodating. The weather was great, the people were friendly, the sessions interesting, the exhibits fun (especially since I got to gush over my favorite YA author of the moment, John Green, and my all-time favorite author/pediatrician, T. Berry Brazelton), and the flights were smooth! I also attended a meeting on pursuing a PhD, which gave my dream all the more ammunition! I met a few people from UW, San Jose, U of Pittsburgh and U of Illinois. I learned that Simmons has an on-line program with a professional slant. University of Illinois still remains my top choice. The faculty and commitment to my area just doesn't seem matched at the other schools. It was great to connect with academic representatives in my field. Palm trees everywhere! I took a few photos of the conference area whilst taking a break from lugging overstuffed bags of Exhibit Hall swag on my shoulders all day (my shoulders still hurt, in case anyone's interested....)
Below is the arena where I heard Sally Ride and T. Berry Brazelton speak in two great sessions.
Foliage!
I'm tracking my experience at ALA on a wiki, for anyone who is library-minded and interested. It was a fun trip. I'm glad to be back with Marek, though! Tomorrow is the 4th...hoping to do the parade and take in all-things holiday-like!

Curious George at the Teddy Bear Picnic

Last Thursday was the Teddy Bear Picnic in town. About 400+ children and their families attend this annual summer event. It's fun to see such a big gathering of children in town. The special guest afterward was Curious George. We prepped the night before with a book about Curious George visiting a baseball game. We stood in line to meet the curious monkey. Marek was somewhat afraid of the character, as witnessed in the above photo. It seems that I was more excited to meet Curious George than he was!
Here is Grandma and Marek, picnicking at the park during the Teddy Bear Picnic.

25 Things About Marek

I know this is an old picture (he's certainly not 3 1/2 here!) and I think I've even posted it on this blog before, but as it's also one of my favorite photos of him, here it is again! I recently read a Father's Day idea of capturing your child's favorite things on paper, then framing it as a keepsake. Here is my version:

1. Marek's favorite color is purple.
2. He loves riding his red tricycle.
3. He loves hot chocolate - but not too hot! And not too much whipped cream!
4. He loves to sing, listen to music, and dance. I don't think he ever tires of singing the ABC song.
5. He has a great sense of humor. He definitely inherited the Ashby side of the family's fits of laughter.
6. He has a dimple in the same place on his face as his Grandpa Ed. Similarly, he loves popcorn, chocolate, oranges, reading, and Johnny Cash just like Grandpa did. They would have been the best of friends!
7. He loves to water things. Give him a hose and he'd be happy all day!
8. He has always achieved the various milestones of weaning, sleeping through the night and potty-training a year later than I expected, but at just the perfect time for him.
9. He loves giving kisses. Good morning kisses, boredom kisses, happy-to-see-you kisses, tired kisses, mad kisses!
10. He pretends he works at the library with me. He often says, "I need to go to work!" When I ask him what he does there he says, "I need to get books to bring home. What book does Grandma need?"
11. He wants to know exactly what he should eat to grow up.
12. He says that when he grows up he's going to drive the car with Mommy riding in the passenger seat and Grandma and Daddy in the back.
13. He wants to know how everything works. He often asks us, "Why you don't know why you don't know?" How does one answer that?!!
14. He loves to rhyme. The sillier the rhyme, the better.
15. He doesn't have many fears, fortunately. But the few he has are: getting haircuts, going too high in a swing, and loud noises (this includes noisy restaurants, hairdryers, and toilets flushing!).
16. He has a pretend friend named "France." She lives in a white house and doesn't have a car.
17. He doesn't like a lot of change. For example, he's not a big fan of the idea of caterpillars turning into butterflies, the idea of the moon waxing and waning, etc.
18. He's never been attached to just one teddy bear, stuffed animal, blanket or toy.
19. He never really used a pacifier as a baby. Unless you count me, the human pacifier. :)
20. When he first went to daycare as a baby, he refused to take a bottle for 3 days. He's always had a strong will.
21. In fact, he was kicked out of his daycare for refusing to nap as a baby.
22. During lunch last week he told a story: Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl and they went into the woods. They saw a witch and got scared and ran out! The end."
23. He's very concerned about turning off all of the lights in the house to help conserve energy.
24. He loves broccoli!
25. He loves uninterrupted, stay-at-home-all-day-and-play kind of days.

How's It Going Over There With Your's?

Tonight while we were eating dinner, Marek tells me how much he likes what he's eating. Then he turns to me saying, "how's it going over there with your's?" He cracks me up sometimes! I really, really need to get a new camera. I went shopping briefly this evening, but as usual, I was so indecisive that I decided to do more research on what camera to purchase and return later.

Marek has another attempt at a dentist appointment scheduled for this Thursday. Please keep him in your thoughts! The last time didn't go so well - he spit out all of his medicine prior to his appointment. I've been talking about it with him...trying to calm any fears and reassure him that he can be brave, get through it, and we'll do something extra special afterwards to celebrate his bravery. Hopefully it will work this time!

a summery day

Finally! A sunny day full of motivation for planting tomatoes, flowers, and carrots! Marek and I planted - he is such a great helper! He loves pulling weeds, watering with the hose and generally helping out in any way he can. We also worked all morning on a Father's Day gift.

Summer or spring, for that matter, is long overdue in my opinion. Today was so nice and hopefully it won't be the last day like this for awhile. With all of the crazy weather occuring across the nation, I can't truly complain about the lack of sun here these days. That's hardly a catastrophe. But, still, I'm really looking forward to summer right now...if the weather ever gets here and stays!

I haven't posted any new photos lately for several reasons. First, I haven't taken many since my camera doesn't have a rechargeable battery, which leaves me often with a great photo opportunity and no way to capture it. Secondly, most of my photos were on a desktop that this week completely crashed - blue screen of death and all. I hope to recover them, as virtually all of Marek's photos were on this computer. (I know, how can I be a librarian and not have an organized system of backup copies for archival purposes?)

So, as I sit at my laptop right now writing this, I have two new goals: 1. Invest in a new digital camera with a longer battery life! 2. Upload new photos regularly! I did create an album on picasa of a few past pictures of Marek, so I'll share that url soon.

Hoping you are all enjoying the month of June!