Seattle for Two

Yup...this is the place where they throw the fish. We saw fish throwing, just not in this picture. I about died when I saw the price of crab and salmon. I'm so glad I live in Alaska.

Pike's Piggy Bank. It actually "earns" about $6000/year which they use to help their homeless population. Interesting huh?

This wall is COVERED in gum. Yes...ABC gum. How gross is that?

A pic of a sturgeon and one big ole' fat rainbow trout. B/c it's salt water, they claim it's not a rainbow trout it's a salmon...but Shayne claims that's not true, and I would believe him with all the "fish" info he has in his head. :) (I forgot to turn off the flash, and couldn't get the same pic after turning it off...dang it!)

Feeding a Wolf Eel.

Watching batting practice before the game...see my "happy as a 9 year old" husband?

Ken Griffey Jr., one of Shayne's all time favorite hitters.

In our 5th row seats. Shayne is awesome for surprising me with such cool seats.

Warming up after the game...no thanks to Shayne. ;)

What happens when you have buddy passes (so kindly given to us by a friend) getting ready to expire? You go see a Major League Baseball game of course!

We initially were going to take The Bug with us, but my best friend, Kaye, informed us we were to leave him with her. Thank you Kaye.

So, Shayne & I flew into Seattle late May 2nd and spent 3 nights 4 days hanging out and watching the Seattle Mariners play against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the first time we had actually spent time in Seattle, so it was fun.

Our condo was only about 9 short blocks from Pike's Fish Market, which was very cool. The Seattle Aquarium is also just a short walk from Pike's, so we visited that too. We walked all over down town Seattle. Including over to the Space Needle, which is way too expensive to go up, but is cool to look at. :)

We ate at a different place for each meal. There were some incredible seafood places there, which was yummy for us. We know where to go for some killer chowder if anyone is wondering. Even with all the walking we did, I seriously gained like 4-5 lbs! The food was so good.

Tuesday night we rode the light rail to the baseball game. Shayne surprised me with seats on the 5th row, right down the 3rd baseline and behind the Rays dugout. I had never been to an MLB game so this was way fun for me. But let's not kid ourselves...Shayne was a little 9 year old boy again sitting there watching the game and batting practice ahead of time. Baseball is Shayne's first love and you could tell. I loved being that close to the field. We, along with those around us, heckled and cheered the players. I had no idea how much harassment those players and coaches take from the spectators. It really was fun. All I have to say is, "Strike 'im out!" (Inside joke for Shayne & I.) The Mariners lost, no thanks to Wilson and Griffey...but we had a good time anyway.

It was so cold though. It was in the low 40's which wouldn't be a big deal, but we didn't bring our super warm Alaska clothes, so by the time the game was over we were pretty chilled. When we got back to our condo I found the little electric heater on the wall, made a tent out of the bedspread and warmed myself up. Just know Shayne did NOTHING to help warm me up, b/c he said my butt cheeks were like icicles! I'm telling you...I was cold. :)

We flew out the next afternoon and made it back to Anchorage in the early evening.

The Bug had a great time with the Tuia's. He and Malia got a long great and he did so many fun things while he was there...I don't think he missed us at all. Kaye sent me some pics of what he did while we were gone, so I'll have to post those sometime.

I just have to say, "THANK YOU!!" to Kaye and Jared for watching The Bug. They knew Shayne & I needed this "breather" as we were getting ready for a fairly stressful month.

It was so nice to spend some time alone with my very bestest friend in the whole world, and remember why he's the person I would rather spend time with than anyone else.

Our Sweet Bug

These pics were taken on Sunday, May 9th. He's starting to really want to be like dad, and one of the things he does is wear his cap. He doesn't wear it all the time, but sometimes he asks for it, and actually leaves it on. This was one of those mornings. He asked for it and then left it on while playing.

I really could have only posted one of these pictures, but the one with him giving his cheeser grin is WAY too cute to not post. He looks like a piranha with those teeth though.

The close up picture is b/c it's one of those rare moments I've captured in a photo where I can sorta see myself in him. He looks so much like his daddy, I rarely am able to see my genetic influence. :) But...every once in awhile I can see a glimpse of myself...and for some reason this picture is one of those moments. Shayne thinks he looks cross-eyed and that's why I think he looks like me...I love my husband! :)

The other pics are later in the day, and I just took them b/c he's so dang cute! And...he was pretty proud of himself for climbing up in the chair without any help. My first thought was..."Crap...now the stuff on the table isn't safe anymore."

Lots of kids are climbing up on things by like 10 months (ok maybe not 10, but definitely 11). This poor kid has the height of a chihuahua. He acquired the nickname "Shordee" for a reason. He's 19 months and just now climbing in a chair. Not that I'm complaining, b/c I'm not! I just think it's funny...and sorta cute when he toddles around on his short little legs. :)

Literally...

The Bug (after watching Bo drinking water from the water dish): Signs, "drink" and "water".
Mom (thinking it's cool he's now signing two words together): "Ya! Good job, Bo's drinking water huh? You want a drink of water?
Mom turns to get his sippy cup of water from the counter.
Dad (watching the whole encounter): Starts laughing...a lot. "Hey...you need to get the camera!"
Mom turns around: "Uh...I didn't mean to drink Bo's water! Hmmm...glad I put fresh water in there."

It's obvious from the pics he was pretty persistent about trying to get a drink out of the water dish, b/c he kept it up long enough for me to get some pretty good pics.

It's also obvious we weren't too concerned about it. This isn't nearly as bad as the moose poop he picked up in the yard and put in his mouth the other day. Thankfully we were close enough to stop it before it was chewed and completely ingested. Ick. Maysi, I'm sure you'll appreciate the moose poop...hopefully it makes you feel better about letting your little boy eat fresh cow manure! Ha! :)

Needless to say, I'm a little more careful about what I say now, b/c he's taking things a little more literally. :)

Our Aspiring Pianist

The Bug has finally gained just enough height to climb onto things...sometimes it requires a little assistance. One of those things he's figured out how to climb on is the piano bench. He's also found it's easier to climb on and off when he pulls his little toddler couch over to the bench and then climbs up. It's pretty dang funny to watch the whole process.

These photos were taken just over a month ago on April 23rd, so it's lost some of it's "coolness", but he still likes to sit at the piano and "play". He had seen me playing some songs out of the Primary Songbook, and so would play for a minute, then reach up and turn the page, and then start playing again. Amazing how observant they are and how much they learn from mimicking. Amazing too how I never get tired of watching him learn and figure out his world.

Help

I need help.

We need help.

We are starting the IVF process again (whoopee!), and we need as much help as we can get.

We need anyone who prays to pray for us.

We need anyone who can fast to fast for us.

We need anyone who can attend the temple this Saturday, May 22nd, to attend the temple for us.

I need my friends/family to understand I'm a hormonal mess right now and to be understanding. Shayne already is...I love him.

We need help.

A lot!

Please help.

Alaska Sealife Center

On Saturday, April 24th, we drove to Seward and went to the Alaska Sea Life Center. Shayne & I went here when I was visiting him for Christmas right before we got married, and haven't been back since. It is so cool...and way more fun to check out the outdoor exhibits in April than in December. :)

The Bug thought it was AWESOME!! He got to see, and signed, all kinds of fish and birds. He touched starfish, watched the birds swim underwater, saw Wally the Sea lion, and lots of other cool things. He was completely enthralled with all the animals. So were Shayne and I. It really was pretty fun. The view from the center isn't too bad either. :)

After the Sea Life center we went to the local playground that's right on the beach. The view is pretty incredible...how many playgrounds have you been to with this kind of view? It was also an awesome playground!! Seriously I was so impressed. They had a toddler side and a big kid side with age appropriate "stuff". I was totally jealous we don't have one like this in our town...and then the following week I found out we were getting one in our town. It was designed by the same guy and was finished up last week. The Bug and I went on the first day it was opened and it is just as impressive...minus the view that is.

We are so glad spring has sprung and we are able to be outside. Our winters are WAY too long.

My two boys.
The Bug is getting too big! He's so dang cute, but I wish he'd just stay small.

Signing "fish"...needless to say he did this A LOT that day.

Yelling, "MOM!!" To get my attention to make sure I knew he thought the Sea lion was cool. I get this A LOT!!!

Watching the Seals swimming around.

Signing "bird". He wasn't so sure the puffins and cormorants swimming under the water were birds though. Not a dumb kid. :)

How awesome is that view from the playground? I should have taken my camera into the playground...but alas, I didn't. Oh well.