Free Range on Fairview

My husband Shane has taken it upon himself to learn how to select, charcoal bbq and devour the perfect steak. This is serious business so far. We've had some friends over to help us determine the ratings as well. Thank you Dave and Stephanie (and baby Asher in womb). When I met Shane he was definitely a great breakfast cook -think pancakes, breakfast burritos and scrambled eggs- but didn't enjoy venturing too far from what he knew. In the last year that we have been married he has really kicked it up a notch, trying new cooking methods and flavors. I am very impressed! It is so great to see him enjoying something I enjoy too. He even passed on the phrase "you eat first with your eyes" and I couldn't help but laugh. He has become one great companion in kitchen as well as in life. Ok back to the steak. So far his ratings are as this: Thin Cut Rib Eye: 8.25 New York Thick Cut: 7.75 Top Sirloin: 7.50 We don't do steak that often but it sure is a fun way to spend a

I realized this morning that I am no longer Mommy. Daddy is Daddy but I am now only known as Mom. Mama if I'm lucky. When did I just become "Mom"? In my mind, mom is what a big kid, well, calls their mom. Mommy is not needed any more to give super good morning hugs, to make dinosaur peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or to help chase out bad guys from the closet. Now the only time I am Mommy is when Dylan needs something he can't do on his own. And that doesn't happen very often any more. Yes, we still have our special moments together but I know I will miss being Mommy. I am still the only one who knows where the launch pad is in his room, which side of his monster truck blanket is the cold side, what song is the perfect accompaniment to teeth brushing and how to cuddle during the scary parts of a movie. I guess Mom is good enough for me.

Well we made it, one year of wedded bliss! Shane and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary this weekend and it was great. My in-laws watched Dylan and the dog for us Saturday and Sunday which gave us an excuse to get out of town and enjoy each other's company. We drove over to Seattle (I drove the manual car all the way to Snoqualmie which was a first for me!) and got there around noon. We enjoyed looking at all the cityscapes and the water and doing tourist-y things. We toured Pikes Place market and had lunch at an oyster bar, although no oysters were consumed, and just had a blast walking around. We also went to a local Seattle brewery and tailgated a little bit before going to the Seahawks preseason football game - thanks Dad! After a fun win we drove back to the other side of the mountains and had a great night at our friends lake house with a beautiful view of Lake Cle Elum. After a nice breakfast out we headed back to pick up the boy and enjoy a relaxing Sunday night

Well our dog Liko (pronounced Lee-ko) might be going blind. He is an English Springer Spaniel and just turned 2 some time this month but the other day I noticed that his right pupil was dilated while his left wasn't. At first I just thought I saw it wrong and forgot about it. Then another day went by and I asked Shane if he had noticed it too. He figured it was probably a weird reaction to the light or something and then we dropped it. Now about a week later it is still dilated and it is barely reactive to light. After doing extensive research (which reminded me I needed to do a virus scanner on my laptop) it is either nothing, an irritation that will go away alone, or glaucoma. My poor puppy might be headed to live with a handicap the rest of his life. At least it's not one of my kids.

Well I've had some free time today as Dylan is banned to his room until it meets a certain standard of clean. I've done my computer stuff, made some hand-stamped cards, and who knows what else and I'm pretty sure nothing has been done in there. I keep checking in and things are moved yet still not put away. Yes, his room in overcrowded with toys, but there is a place for everything so I know he has room to put it back away. There are labels on the bins, and many different bins and toy boxes. I'm not sure if nagging is such a good idea anymore and I just want to show him that he can indeed clean his room himself even though he thinks it is impossible. As I am sitting here and typing he comes out of his room holding his finger. I ask him what happened and he says "Well I cut my self with my scissors. I was using my blanket as gloves and had my pocket knife and it just went like this." So much for letting him clean his room alone.

After an afternoon of running errands all over town we finally pull into our driveway. What a relief. Right now we are going through the phase where anytime we go into a store, Dylan thinks he is entitled to get some new toy or something else. He's gotten the "money doesn't grow on trees" lecture and the "we only need 2 things at this store" speech but we're still working on it. Distraction worked today when I kept him in the cart seat and brought along animal crackers but then again we were actually there to look for new sweatpants for this ever-growing boy. Anyway I'll call it a successful shopping excursion . Ok so there we are, unloading all the bags (2) and getting the bottles and cans we picked up along the way. We need to check the mail before going inside so Dylan runs ahead. "There's Mail!" He exclaims. Of course I know this means that yes there is mail, but it is way too far in the back for him to reach, or there is too much,

At some point in your life you realize that you have arrived. Today as I excitedly began to plan back to school activities I realized that my world no longer revolved around me. I am not a hip teenager or a carefree preschooler, not that I ever really was. I am a chauffeur , cook, maid and counselor. I am a wife and mommy now and while the responsibility is daunting, I love it. All of the running around I do is for a purpose, for my family. Even during a day where I feel like I can't take much more I get a little pick me up from my son Dylan. We were talking about how big he is and how next fall he will start Kindergarden. He said "I'm almost 5 and that's as old as I can get." When asked why he responded, "Because I don't have any more fingers." Ahh the joys of parenting.