Oh how do we learn?

I am amazed by some of the things Sean knows how to do, and it seems he instinctively knows. I feel like I should be writing so many things down, but I am always doing something else. So here's a post all about Sean and the things he's doing right now. He will be 7 years old soon.

Friends gave us a zucchini from their garden, and Sean decided we should cut it into small pieces and fry it in a pan. I prepared the egg dip, and the cornmeal and parmesan cheese mixture. He cut the pieces, dipped, and put them in the pan.

I wonder what path he will decide to take when he makes the choice of a career. He's so analytical, and loves to learn how all machines work. But he also loves to cook, and use a camera.

Lately he has wanted to cook. I have always let him have as much freedom as possible while making sure he is safe. I don't want him to get hurt, yet I know there are times when getting a little cut on a finger, or touching a hot pan can teach us a lot about how to respect tools in the kitchen. Now that he is more coordinated, I let him work and I watch. And yes, he has had a cut on the finger, and a little burn from a hot pan.

A couple of days ago he heated a biscuit for himself and a friend. We don't have a microwave, so he had to use the oven. He wrapped the biscuits in foil, put them in the oven and asked my advice on how long to cook them. When the buzzer dinged, he got the pot holder and removed the biscuits. His friend loved it. Sean said, "So it sounds like you like my cooking?"

He made brownies last week, and followed the recipe, but put a little more water in the mix than what the recipe said. The brownies were delicious, but the consistency was like chocolate cake. When I pointed this out, he said, "That's because I put in more water."

He has always enjoyed using the computer. First he started by typing the letters to try to make words. He began doing this a couple of years ago. Now he has graduated to using search engines, and routinely wants to do some sort of research and ends up on Google to search for it. Today he decided to look for one of his friends online! He typed in the boy's name, but did it in a child's way of looking, "somwin namd" and then he typed the child's name. He spelled it the way it sounded and hit enter. It came up with no matches, and I said, "Oh, no matches for that name, I guess he's not on the Internet." I turned to do something in the kitchen, looked back over at the screen and he had a people search site pulled up with the name of the kid. There were men all over the country with that name. He clicked on one of the results and it sent him to a page where you pay a fee to get information about the person. He saw the cost and said, "What? $14.95?? That's ridiculous."

The last days of summer

I love this outfit -- sleeveless shirt, shorts and rain boots.

Totally Pacific Northwest.

That echoing tune in the distance can send Sean into a frenzy. He freezes in his tracks, listens, then frantically runs through the house to find his wallet.

Yes, it's the ice cream truck. It is not a dependable visitor to our neighborhood, so any time we get to buy something from the ice cream truck is a big treat. He can hear it several streets away, but runs outside to wait. And wait. And wait.

After a few days of clouds, rain and very cool air, we had a great summer day. Sean played in the small pool with his friend for a while, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera.

Summer is winding down for us. I suppose for a lot of our family and friends on the other side of this country summer weather is still going strong, but school is already back in session. For us it is opposite. The air is feeling like fall, and the schools aren't open yet.

Schools here begin Sept. 2.

It's a Hot One

I did some last minute proofing of pages this morning and by afternoon I was ready to get away from the desk. It was time for the beach.

Today we had temperatures in the high 80s, and by 4 p.m. it was 88 degrees.

Sean and I took a little beach break today. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but it was SOOO nice.

This is a kid who would run and hide the minute he saw a camera, and today he was striking a pose for me on this old stump that washed up on the beach. Ah, another milestone.

Sean loves to explore, and we found this sand dollar that was sort of hairy. It had dried in the sun and was prickly to touch. We found a lot of crabs and some other tiny creatures, but I didn't get pictures. I tried to get a picture of some really cool kites, but the sun was too bright and they are washed out.

Milestones

I have always enjoyed watching my children grow and change. Sean hit some milestones in June. He lost his two top front teeth, is transitioning from Primary class at his Montessori school, and learned (still getting the hang of it though) how to ride his bicycle.

He also suddenly changed his stance on being photographed. I have spent the last two years struggling to get pictures of him.

Here are a few to mark some moments. Still no open mouth smiles to show the missing teeth, but I hope to get one soon.

There were four children in his classroom who will be moving on to first grade. Two of his teachers took turns saying positive things about each child, relating their favorite activities and things to work on in the classroom. There were three Primary classrooms, and each had about 4-6 students transitioning.

Great cake. Wish I had seen it before it was cut. We celebrated the students advancing to first, fourth, and seventh grades. One student will be a sophomore next year and will attend Tacoma School of the Arts. He has been at Harbor Montessori School since he was 3 years old!

Best buddies. Sean and Max have been in the same class for three years. Montessori students typically spend three years with the same teacher/teachers (HMS Primary rooms have 3), in the same room working on materials individually at their own pace.

Last year he wouldn't even try this. One day about a week or two ago he decided it was time to learn to ride his two wheeled bike. He didn't want any help. Look, both feet on the pedals!!

workin' on a movie set

I had the pleasure of working on a small movie set in May. Here are a few pics.

 I was the reflector girl.

The assistant director and director have a conversation as the boom guy and others look on.

Assistant director sits on a ladder for a better angle. This was my second day on the set.

 watching a scene being shot my first day on set, standing by the equipment truck.

Another tour

I recently took another little tour in and around Seattle. There is so much to see and do here, and I figure it's time to start seeing and doing. 

Great view while waiting for the ferry.

Ballard Locks

This beauty had a full crew. She was from George Town, Cayman Islands. Tempting to jump on board. :)

I watched as the water level came up so she could go through the locks. Very interesting to watch the process.

What a place to live

Some highlights of a little tour I took recently in and around Seattle.