Around the neighborhood: The playground

The elementary school is only a block from our house, and I can tell you, Silas is digging having a playground so nearby.

It has a REALLY big slide!
And a fireman ladder (at least, that's what Silas calls it):
But there's plenty of fun to be had at home too. Today was a perfect day for lawn mowing:
Every day we get a bit more settled, although our den is still pretty much floor to ceiling boxes of books. Silas is adjusting, but the transition hasn't been the easiest. He has been downright difficult lately, but it's hard to say how much of his behavior can be contributed to the changes brought by moving, or just by the fact that he is a typical three year-old. Whatever the cause, I think it's safe to say that we are hoping he moves past this stubborn, whiny, contradictory phase ASAP. Any ideas on how to make him the perfect agreeable, obedient child overnight?

Good-bye, point-n-shoot

Our new, fabulous camera arrived! I don't think I can ever go back to a point and shoot after experiencing this camera. It is much more technical, so there is a lot for me to learn. I took a gazillion pictures today trying to figure things out. Drew gave me a crash course in aperture and the like. Clearly, while looking through the photos, I still have a lot to learn, but I'm posting some of the ones I think turned out okay. I'm sure Drew would tweak them all in Photoshop, but I'm not as picky as he is yet. I'll get there eventually.

A new day is dawning. From here on out, photo quality on both of the blogs should improve.

A couple Drew snapped at the cafe this morning:

This camera has a great lense and I'm really impressed with the clarity. Just for fun, I left the file size on this picture large. If you click on it, you can see how clear it is. Oh, and look who's reflected in Si's beautiful eyes!
This is our yard; the lower pasture. The sheep are out to graze and Silas is demonstrating the fact that he is no longer afraid of them. In fact, roles are about to reverse as the sheep go running from him in terror.
This is Azure, our young and most handsome sheep. He's the alpha sheep, if there is such a thing.
At the park this afternoon; Silas steers the ship. Ahoy, young matey!
After the park, one tired tot with crazy hair.
No doubt you will see more pictures from today and the days to come as I figure out more and more about my new toy. Also, expect videos...with sound! No more silent home movies, and no more point-n-shoot!

Beach boys, or, a Pisces shows his true colors

We went to one of the Island's beach-front parks yesterday morning. Silas sported the cool shades Auntie Jennie sent to him, as he splashed in the water. It was impossible to keep him out of the waves. Not pictured is Silas taking a header into the Sound and his parents freaking out a wee bit about it: He had been headed up the beach towards some dogs when he suddenly veered right and plunged in before Drew could stop him. I was down the beach a bit and didn't catch him going in, but looked up in time to see Drew extract him from the water. Was he upset? Yes. But not because he immersed himself in the water. He was quite irate that his dad removed him from the water and wouldn't let him go back in. I think it might be time to get him some swimming lessons, yes?

Long Croc Walk

Did you think because we haven't posted in a while, we were off somewhere doing something fun for the holiday weekend? Nah, not really. Instead, we had fun close to home and took Silas on some smaller outings, to the Grand Forest, to the playground, and to the park. I thought it would be fun to take his Crocodile walker out to the park so that he could push it along the trail. He got pretty far with it, but really wanted to drive it onto the grass, which didn't work as well as he wanted it to.

For the most part, the weekend was warmer and sunnier than these pictures would imply, and we were outside much of the time. Si's becoming a pro at walking on the uneven surface of our lawn. Well, "pro" might be a slight exaggeration, but he is improving. Everyday he walks more and crawls less. Quite a transition to witness!

One thing more I wanted to mention about Si walking. I was so worried he'd start to walk while I was at work. But I was there last Sunday afternoon when he truly "got it" and began his drunken sailor routine. What a good son to oblige his mother. He melts my heart, that boy!

Washington Trip Video

This is the video I edited for my parents. The file size was huge, so we had to upload it through YouTube, which means putting up with the YouTube logo. As family home videos go, this one's pretty precious to us. Nothing extra-special happens, but I think it conveys the simple joy of spending time with a wee one.

I hope you all like it!

Way too many pictures, part 2

Silas thought this sand digging toy at the park was the COOLEST THING EVER!
Most of the pictures in this post are from grandma's camera, so unfortunately, there aren't a lot of images of the grandparents with Silas. I did manage to take this one, though:
He likes swings more and more.
The playground has some musical/sound exploration activities, including this great xylophone. Since Silas loves music (he can sign the word "music" now, and he signs it both when he wants us to play some music, or when he hears a song that he likes), so he's very interested in banging on the keys.
And, the day is not complete without a hug from Uncle Patrick.

Saturday at the park with Silas

Silas had not one but two park outings today! In the morning, while Drew was at the library for a training, I took Silas to the Waterfront Park. We walked along the water, near the marina. I was able to point out many birds and dogs (two animals he now knows the signs for).
We then played on the tot swing for a bit. He's still figuring out what the swing is all about.
In the afternoon, the weather was so nice, we decided to take Silas to another great Bainbridge Island park, Battle Point.
Silas enjoyed a shoulder ride on the way to the playground.
He loves the slide and can basically go down on his own now.
This is the special needs tot slide. I've never actually seen anyone with special needs use it, but it's pretty cool that they have it. Silas knew to hold on right away.
Si's favorite thing about going to playgrounds is to watch other kids run around. I can see the gears turning in his head...before long, he'll be one of them...running, running, running.

It was a busy day for our little bear, and he crashed super early. Playing is hard work!

New Growth meets Old Growth

There are many great areas around our neighborhood to walk to--the trails leading through the salmon stream and woods which link neighbor's houses, The Grand Forest up the hill from our home, and Meigs' Forest, just down the road. This old growth Spruce is in Meigs' Forest, just a few minutes walk from our house. In the first picture, we are standing in between two of the roots. Amazing! Living in the Pacific Northwest, Silas should have no problem living up to his name, which means "man of the forest."