So it begins!

This morning Erin was thrilled to wake up to big wet snowflakes! It's still coming down steadily at our house now. Erin had dragged her snowboots out of the closet even before breakfast. Even Fran's blueberry muffins could not keep her inside for long.

Our first attempt at a snowman was in the backyard, but didn't realize Oscar and Duncan missed their calling as officers in the K9 unit (Duncan bit off the "arms", and Oscar took out the torso with his front legs while chewing on the head). Erin laughed. We moved to the peace and quiet of the front yard to collaborate on the masterpiece above.

Fran always groans, but I really like the first snow of the year. Wait until Seattle, she'll miss the start of Minnesota winter (maybe?).



Before going outside, Erin and I talked about snow angels. This is her interpretation!



We had a really nice Halloween this year. I happened to be on a consult service at the hospital with weekends off. We took advantage by heading to the western edge of town to go pumpkin picking a few weeks ago. Erin seemed excited in the car, but was lukewarm when we starting picking out great big pumpkins to carve. When we asked, she quietly said "I want a smaller one". She started to smile when we came across the one below, but...



She spotted an even smaller one nearby and that was that! Here she is reassuring mom that, yes, you can actually carve a pumpkin that small.
She carried this tiny pumpkin by the stem all the way to the barn where you weigh them and pay. Not surprisingly, she got to take it home for free.



Grandpa and Grandma came over the evening before the big day to help us carve them.




Erin told us several weeks back that she wanted to be Spiderman, but seemed puzzled when we asked her who Spiderman actually was. Pretty sure she heard about that one at daycare. Her second choice was a pumpkin. Fran found a pattern online, went to the fabric store, and spent a couple evenings making Erin this great jack-o-lantern costume complete with stem and leaf hat. As you can see below, she promptly rejected the final product and ended up with some facepaint and ears as a cat.



I think this last picture is funny. One of the dogs favorite afternoon activities is to find a sunny patch of rug and take a nap. After her own nap, Erin came out and decided to be a human blanket for Oscar. He didn't seem to mind.



Erin's becoming more interested in potty training, and has graduated to sitting on a booster seat thing that fits on the real toilet when she wants to "try". I was in the bathroom a few days ago (with the door closed) emptying my bladder, when I hear little footsteps outside. She flings open the door and a split second later has a completely dumbstruck look on her face. She looks up at me and says "Daddy! WHAT is coming out of your BODY?!" I didn't know what to say...

Remodeling (and apples...)

Fran, Erin, and I visited a new apple orchard this year on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Many other families had the same idea, so the people watching was easier than the apple picking. We had a great time for the second year in a row. More orchard pics to come...



It's been awhile since we posted, so I threw in some random pictures to give you a sense of our fall goings-on. This one struck me as funny, a turtle race (like the sign says)! I'm not sure how their turtle did but with a polygon for a starting line, who knows? That was at the Camp Odayin 5K in September.



The backyard is a favorite of Erin's. We put in a swingset and slide earlier this year and now there are piles and piles of leaves. With a raspberry patch a few steps away, how can you lose? Grandma Jan has been hard at work on the gardens and landscaping in preparation for putting our duplex on the market this upcoming spring-- thank you!! We've been living here about 8 years and it will be tough to leave.



Back to the apple orchard... here's Erin the goat whisperer.






Erin seemed really interested in this little kid train pulled by a big tractor at the orchard. We waited in line for ~45 minutes for a ride, got her settled in to car #4, and then as the tractor started up we get a look of pure panic. Despite our best reassurance, she wanted out. We'll have to try again next year in Seattle.



Back home, Erin has really started asserting her will on the day-to-day routine. She always has an opinion about wardrobe, and the cooler it gets outside, the harder it seems to keep the clothes on inside. Here's a blue skirt and winter boots. Papa Joe got her this wooden dog on a string when she was just a baby. She rediscovered it the other day, named it Chewy, and they have been inseparable since.



For all you mandatory CPS reporters, this is NOT where Erin sleeps! Before we read books at night, Erin likes to take a turn brushing her teeth in the "boat" in the living room. Duncan likes to supervise. Fran's a wonderfully consistent parent and over the past year we've got a nice bedtime routine and a little girl who sleeps well.

With Grandma Jan doing a great job in the yard, Fran and I finally tackled a DIY bathroom remodel. The first few days were a blur of trip after trip to the hardware store, dust, putting personal hygiene on the back burner, and wearing funny glasses.




As we started gutting the bathroom, we found lathe & plaster behind the plastic tub surround.


Frances is a tiling machine. We saved many quiet jobs like laying tile until after Erin was asleep, as her bed is right on the other side of the bathroom wall.




We picked a "classic" looking floor tile pattern, and I think it turned out really well. The pedestal sink below replaces a wood vanity and makes the small room seem a little roomier. Fran had the idea of adding wainscot which we'll keep white. Next up is sanding the walls, painting, new lighting, and a new medicine cabinet. The plumbing was the most challenging part, so far no leaks! A big thanks to Grandpa Deanie for his advice and help along the way.

Travels

We spent a big part of August away from home, and we're finally getting settled back into our routine. Fran and I had 10 days of vacation earlier this month-- we spent several days in Denver at the wedding of our friend Lucy and then headed out to Portland.



Denver was a lot of fun. This is Kendall, our good friend Jules' baby girl. Erin got a big kick out of her, and did a nice job sharing mom and dad's lap.



We joined Fran's sister Jan and her husband Nick on a hut-to-hut mountain bike trip around Mount Hood. Well, my trip was simply a "hut" because I got sick and bailed after the first night. How disappointing! Fran, Jan, and Nick made it all 4 nights for the second year in a row. The weather was beautiful and the scenery even better. There were some very long and steep climbs (that we don't have in Minnesota!) and though I haven't said it to her face, I think Fran looks pretty tough on a mountain bike (see pic #2 below).










OK, I made a couple photos before my early exit... this one is looking over the Columbia River on the first morning.


Next, we made a couple quick trips up north the following week as my grandpa passed away. He was 89 years old and we'll sure miss him. Erin loves to talk about the "cabino" and "great grandpa Bumpa" which still goes a long way to cheer us up. Here she is playing on the beach with Laura.




On the homefront, Erin was happy to get back to her friends at daycare. Fran and I had a weekend off work together yesterday and today, which was nice. Erin's getting more imaginative in her games at home. Lately, she likes to go on "trips" (to the porch). She'll walk thru the kitchen, wave to us, and say "bye bye, I'm going to Chicago" and shut the porch door behind her and giggle. This has evolved into her packing a bag, dressing up (sometimes in a pair of Fran's high heels), and substituting other destinations into the mix (Portland, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Germany- where Grandpa Dean just got back from). I'd love to see her mental map of exactly where these places are located!



Simple activities are OK too. Here we are coloring on a poster under Duncan's watchful eye. The summer has really flown by. We're looking forward to Erin's first trip to the state fair sometime this week.

What happened to June?

It's been awhile since we updated, thought it was about time Dad took a turn! Like many of our friends and family, we've had a busy summer here at the duplex. Erin's been at daycare for ~6 weeks now and, for the most part, is doing great. She had some separation angst for a couple weeks but now has settled into the weekday routine of "school". As we expected, the colds and fevers have come fast and furious. We made our first ER visit after her eye swelled up amidst a cold. Thankfully that has gone away.



Erin seems to be a quick study at daycare. She came home one of the first days with a song listing all the days of the week. She understood which were "schooldays" and which she gets to stay home with mom & dad (or better yet grandpa & grandma!). This revelation led to some amusing morning rituals-- several weeks ago she would wake up and say "not a schoolday... it's Sunday... yup!" (of course it was Wednesday). We got a kick out of the emphatic "yup!" at the end of these proclamations after she'd gone over this idea a second time in her head.



Grandma & Grandpa's house remains a special place... where else do you get to share a Chipotle burrito with dad, bite for bite? My folks are weaning themselves off of full-time child care slowly, as they offered to pick up the little one from daycare several days each week.



Another of Erin's favorite places is the backyard. We watch the tomato plants in our vegetable garden get taller and taller. The new hits are our blueberry bushes and the raspberry patch. These inevitably get harvested in the "two for me, one for the bucket" approach.





Laura and Tom had the family over to celebrate Father's day. The only thing better than the weather was the food. Erin got a kick out of Laura's golden retriever Riley, and vice versa. Tom's camping hammock was a hit too! (below).





The curls are still definitely in effect. This trait comes from the Lee side of the family tree.



Erin now has a "big girl bed" and still does a great job of staying there the whole nap or overnight. Below, her tiptoe out of bed seems to have been interrupted by... well... sleep!





The other big news in June was my fellowship match-- this time next year we'll be in Seattle! I matched in pulmonary/critical care at UW, which is a 3 year program and will run July 2011 to 2014. The reality of actually having to sell a house and move in the next 10 months is setting in, we're going to have a busy year.

Fran is well into the swing of her new duties as a Pediatric chief resident this year. She's based out of HCMC until the new year. It's been fun grabbing lunch or coffee sometimes, this has been the most we've seen each other without Erin around in 2 years!



Fran and I have enjoyed our new ballgirl when we go to the courts. The way our game is going, she's going to have a lot of running to do.