Week #2

The garage was already pretty much entirely gone but now the kitchen, dining and living room is also demolished. The whole roof over all of our home except the bedrooms and bathrooms is gone. I get a little overwhelmed when we are there and am thankful to have a different place to lay my head during construction.

Good Morning

My dad came down to hang out this weekend and we spent a little time this morning at the beach playing hide and seek, tag and "sledding" down the dunes on a cardboard box. Playing with my family is one of my favorite things to do. Wyatt likes to pretend he is Spiderman in all pictures. At this point, he is hoping for a Spiderman birthday party in March. I guess I'm glad we've moved past a hyena party.

Pliers Save the Day

After a wonderful dentist appointment that included a growling tiger and remote control helicopter, we got home and I locked the keys in the car with Wyatt in his car seat. Garett's got the only other set of car keys and works a good 40 minutes away. Such a bummer. I tried not to panic and had Wyatt pop open the back window with his foot. It only opens about two inches but it was enough that he could pass me my iPhone through the crack. Thank goodness he was playing Angry Birds on the way home.

First I tried to talk him through unbuckling the car seat. We haven't worked on this before because, frankly, I've been happy that he can't get himself out of the seat by himself. He got the top of the buckle after only about five minutes and was proud of himself. The bottom buckle is much more difficult so we took a little break and then started working on it. "Pinch the buckle with both of your thumbs on the red button. Listen and feel for the click, then slide it down." I must have said this or a version of this 30 times. This was very frustrating for him.

Meanwhile I called AAA and they said it would be about 40 minutes. I then called 911 (I know, non-emergency, but 40 minutes felt like too long.) As I was on hold with 911, Wyatt asked me to go inside and get his pliers from his tool bench. I brought back a couple of screwdrivers and a wrench which he informed me would not work. I finally found the pliers and slipped them through the window crack to Wyatt while I was still on hold with 911. In under a minute, he opened the buckle using the pliers and the crisis was averted. AAA pulled up at this very moment and praised Wyatt for being a problem solver. The driver asked Wyatt if he'd like to start working with him and Wyatt beamed.

Wyatt's patience, persistence and creativity amaze me. I had exhausted my reserve of creativity but he kept thinking and eventually figured it out. I see the qualities that I love in Garett in three year old form in Wyatt. Wyatt's persistence sometimes shows up at moments when I wish it didn't but I am trusting that God will use this beautiful strength for His purposes during the course of Wyatt's life. I got a simple glimpse of that today and am thankful for my determined child.

Long Term Morro Bay Vacation

We're doing a big house project and my parents graciously offered their Morro Bay home to us during construction. We've been here for a week and still feel like we are on vacation. Being in Morro Bay feels so familiar and it seems like my to-do list is a lot smaller not living in my own home. We took several family bike rides over the weekend and Wyatt and I rode more today. Tonight when Garett got home from work we rode down to the pet store to get Ruby food. Bike riding is so much fun, almost as fun as being on the water.

Park #1 - A three minute big-wheel ride.

Park #2 - A ten minute big-wheel ride.

Beach and Dunes - A ten minute big-wheel ride.

The roof of the garage is ripped off and a bedroom and bathroom will be built on top. We're also pushing out a couple of walls a bit and putting the kitchen in new spot. It's probably going to take about four months. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to many bike rides and quick beach trips. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the home!

In the City

We spent almost a week in San Francisco after Christmas and enjoyed our time. Highlights include:

- First time staying in Noe Valley

- House of Air

- Ferry Building

- Public transportation

- Great food (Plow, Pakwan, La Boulange, Ike's, Humphrey Slocombe's Bourbon and Cornflakes ice cream )

- Heath Ceramics

- Parks (Golden Gate, Douglass)

- Wyatt riding his bike everywhere

- Phoenix Books

- Ringing in the new year with Josh

- A lot of walking

Wyatt is getting a lot more fun to travel with and he is usually up for an adventure. We found a few parks within walking distance of our apartment. Aside from being sick the whole time, it was good to explore a new part of town and spend time with my brother. I hope it's not too long before we can spend some time there again.

My two pirates.

Ferry Building

Nutella and banana bagel at Toast

Slide at Douglass Park

24th St

First Muni ride

Bike riding at Golden Gate Park.

The shark helmet was a hit.

Another park.