End of Summer

We've had a fun summer with lots of adventures. Taking a three-year-old around is definitely easier than a two-year-old! We took a lot of field trips and explored Seattle and the surrounding area. Some of the fun places we went:

• A farm
• The zoo
• Many parks (City Park in Edmonds is a favorite, but there are lots of others)
• Saturna Island in Canada
• Spokane (twice!)
• Odyssey Maritime Museum
• The aquarium
• The waterfront
• Mommy's school
• Foster Island

We did more, but we just can't remember because there were so many things to do! We still have some things on our list for the fall, including the Pacific Science Center, the Imagine Children's Museum, Jetty Island, taking a ferry to Kingston, and the Ballard locks. There's never enough time to do it all! We'll post some photos of Saturna Island very soon.

New favorite question

"Do cars have bones?"

Griffin's Morning at a Farm

Bedtime conversation

Griffin (coming to say goodnight on his way to bed): Mommy, why I am always hugging Mommy? (yes, "I" and "am" were in that exact order)

Mommy: I don't know, because you love me? Why am I always hugging Griffin?

Griffin: Because I'm here!

Preschool photos

Griffin loves his co-op preschool one night a week. We love to watch him interact with the other children and all the creative things they can do. There are sensory tables, dress-up clothes, a turtle and guinea pigs to watch, a kitchen area, doctor paraphernalia, an exercise room, cars and bikes to ride, trains and cars to play with, etc. The fun never stops! He is sad when we leave every week and gives his teacher Cathy a big hug before he goes home.

Here is Griffin playing in the sensory tub with flax seeds and lots of fun things, including sharks, grinders, bulldozers, etc.:


Griffin likes to dress up as a firefighter and pretend to put out fires with the rope hose. There's a North City Fire Dept. firetruck to drive to the fire, too!

Recent photos

Look what the Easter Bunny brought me!

Griffin and puppy composing their first novel.

The next great writer, look out Shakespeare!

Third Year Stats

Griffin had his three-year-old appointment with the pediatrician last week (only one shot needed, thank goodness!) and the stats are impressive:

• 39 inches tall (85th percentile)
• 35.8 pounds (85th percentile)

The doctor said he's nothing if not consistent!

Speaking of doctors, today seems to be the impending birthday of Griffin's new cousin, so keep your eyes peeled for photos of the newest family member soon!

Piles of snow in Spokane!

They weren't kidding when they said Spokane was under multiple feet of snow. It has been melting for days, evidently, and still 2+ feet exists in the yards. Griffin had a lot of fun, but couldn't make a snowman because it was so packed down, so he and Daddy pretended to make a snowman.


Also, here is Griffin standing in a hole in the snow:

Spokane-bound commentary

Scene: Sitting in a McDonald's in Ellensburg, Washington, where we are just glad to have made it out of Seattle at rush hour in something less than two hours.

Griffin: Mommy, do you have a booger?
Mommy: What?!?!? (thinking he has learned a new word at preschool, but also thinking it could be worse.)
Griffin: Do you have a booger?
Mommy: (thinking a bit before answering) A booger?
Griffin: (looking at Mommy's food) Yes, do you have a cheesebooger?
Mommy: (relieved) Why, yes, yes I do have a cheesebooger!


The fun never stops.

3 or 13?

Griffin is playing with his motorcycles with Daddy and having a wonderful time, but suddenly starts doing the "potty dance." We ask if he needs to go, but he's having so much fun that he keeps saying, "I don't want to go potty!" over and over.

Finally he picks up his puppy and says, in a very sarcastic voice,"Fine," and walks off downstairs, where instead of going to the bathroom he goes into his room and closes the door. When Doug goes to check on him, Griffin repeats, "Fine," and folds his arms and turns his back on Doug.

If this is 3 years old, what are we in for in 2017?

Griffin's 3rd Birthday

Here are a few photos from Griffin's birthday, both his party at Grandma and Grandpa's house a few days before and from his birthday itself.

Shopaholic

Griffin is such a great shopper! He loves to push the little cart around at our neighborhood grocery store, and the people there know him by his long eyelashes. When I noted what he had in this cart, a friend kindly said that she knew he was just comparing the national brand of chips to locally grown, organic chips.

Rough winter again

Here's another photo from our last snowfall, and then it snowed again today! I'm not sure what's going on, but this is not the Seattle weather I remember. We've lost our power twice in one week, too. Griffin doesn't seem to care, he gets to carry around a light stick or a flashlight when the lights go out. Cheap fun!

Inspired by Griffin's new cousin

Since Jen has started a blog for the new baby (who hasn't arrived yet but already has a blog!) I feel like we should update the Grifflog to keep up. To start, here's a photo of him from a month or so ago. He just looks so much older in this particular photo!

Snow Again!

Can we just get a break from this weather already? No school again today, our fourth day this year between the last snowstorm and the windstorm.

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Originally uploaded by joannacf.

Christmas Night

This is where we spent Christmas night - if you can't tell, we're in a hospital room at Children's Hospital. Griffin tripped and hit his head and needed to be checked out.

After a couple of hours and some glue, his head was almost as good as new. The bottom photo is one from a day ago, showing the mark that remains for now. We'll hope it will fade, but it will always be a reminder of Griffin's second Christmas!

Griffin shows Beppa how to find the Grifflog.

Snow!

Griffin went out to experience snow for the first time on Sunday. He liked it!

Cornucopia of Veggies

We are thankful for so much this holiday season, but most of all for Griffin, who constantly amuses, amazes, enlightens, and frustrates us. He painted the wonderful vegetables in the cornucopia at daycare last week.

He will undoubtedly eat only mashed potatoes and bread on Thanksgiving, avoiding the meat and stuffing and cranberries. But he will have fun with his "Bapa" and Grandma and "Bear" the Bernese Mountain Dog, while missing his Beppa and Papa, Aunt B, and Brayden, along with everyone else who won't be with us this holiday.

We'll look forward to seeing as many of our friends and relatives as possible over the Christmas holidays. Plus, it's only 54 days until Griffin's 2nd birthday!

Griffin's Lego explorations

Griffin loves his Legos. He builds towers (as seen below), lines them up neatly, names the colors, and then stacks them on top of each other - lengthwise! When they fall he says, "Oh nooooooo!" and laughs.