Santa Claus vs The Amazing Spiderman

Annual Grandmothers Appreciation Day journey to visit Santa went off without a hitch:

A cookie while you wait?

Contemplating webbing the big man.

Webbing the nice photographer.

The answer to the man's question? An Amazing Spiderman jacket. 

Not Every Dad Takes the Trouble...

...to make a sauce out of the powder before dumping in the noodles and tuna, Hale.

Saturday Morning's Entertainment

Mud Pokin at Rattlesnake Lake.

Hale-O-Ween (Sorry, In Spite of My Best Efforts, I Cannot NOT Use That)

We have been remiss. Hale HAS had many adventures since we last updated this blog. (Sorry about that. Really.) There is a huge backlog of illuminating pictures and touching stories.

But for now you'll have to subsist on a diet of Halloween candy:

(click on it to embiggen. same with slideshow below.)

Here's some more, just click on this here blue green text right here.

Keen fans may note the presence of not one, but two costumes upon our .

First is a Batman-inspired jumpsuit (with cape and hood), stitched by Grandma Char from whole cloth. (umm, Wow?) Thanks Gramma Char!

The second costume is actually sort of Hale's everday, go-to outfit, which consists of a cape, shorts and this boy's longest-lived T-shirt ("I want my 'deadwhateveritwas' shirt, Mommy!" is the refrain we hear many times before breakfast each morning. Literally.)

Last night when people asked him what he was, his reply was a stoical, "SuperMowgli, Avenger." He totally trickertreated in a t-shirt.

Cousinz Zach and Zaine and Zayden were along as well--always a good time.

There are also pictures in the slideshow/Flickr set from H's preschool, and from West Seattle Junction's Halloween street festival thing, with cousin Josie (angry bird). Pay no mind to Amy in hipster glasses. She was playing at being Ira Glass.

Halestones

For the first time a couple nights ago, Hale did the classic, run-home-and-ask-your-parents-if-you-can-eat-spaghetti-at-the-neighbor-kid's-house. He ran down the hall from Lucas's house, and tore to a stop in his underwear beside us, and said, "Um, Mommy? Umm, can I have faghetti? Lucas is having faghetti? Lucas's mommy said I could have it but only if I ask you!"


Then he pulled a cartoony, streaky departure off to one direction, in order to get a running start to tear out the door in the other direction. 

Hey! Daddy! Lasers are shooting out of my hands and they're lighting up my room!

Hale is being so goofy. He's just gotten over being sick for almost a week (hand-foot-mouth disease, nice), and he's just chewing up the scenery over here. Really going to town. Doing all kinds of crazy stuff by himself--

going in the elevator by himself 

getting himself some water

cleaning up a spilled water mess by himself

going potty, dumping the little pot into the big potty and rinsing it, then putting it back, washing his hands, drying them, and trying to put the towel back on the rack that's 8" above his head.

He's so excited to be doing all the things he thought about and learned this week, but was too sick to really get into and experiment with. All this independence stuff. It's so crazy concentrated and sweet right now. 

I'm cherishing this so hard. He said so many cute things tonight. Some, like, tiny milestony kinds of things. "Umm, Mommy? Daddy? I'm a boy, Mowgli, who can turn into a dinosaur. And I will shoot lasers out of my hands and shoot the bad guys before I turn back into a regular boy. You stay here, and I'll go out there and protect you--if you hear the sounds of lasers from my hands you'll know I'm shooting bad guys....

"Do you hear the lasers? There are bad guys out here! I'm protecting you."

And plenty not milestony, but just funny: "Daddy, why did you got a mirror that was black and that we can't see our faces in? (the mirror came off the front of our vanity last night in a horrific crash, leaving the blank door staring you down in front of the sink)."

Or, "There's a cocoon in my bottom. Now I put the cocoon on the picture of your face. You'll look funny in the morning, 'cause I put a cocoon on your face. I love you cocoon." 

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

We went camping. Hale wanted to drive. 

Wait, What?                                               (photo: Cousin Dan)

Such a great 4th of July. Who knew it didn't have to rain to be this holiday!

Hale is really into tattoos right now. This dragon one was given to him by his Crazy Cousin Chris.

Hale's New Camera

For Christmas, Hale got the most excellent gift. It's this great little camera that is easy for Hale to use, and (so far anyway) impossible for him to break.

Here's a little slideshow of some of our favorite pictures.

Thank you Cousin Kimberly!

Moment of Zen: Hale and his new crane

Moment of Zen: Hale and his new (hand-me-downs are awesome!) birthday present from Cousins Ethan and Erica.

Hale's 3rd Birthday in Pictures (Or: How Spider Man Took Over Our Lives)

You can't see it here, but the "Scary Spider Man figurine"* on the cake caught on fire. We are still talking about the cake-and-candles-and-flaming-figurines portion of the event.
 *(Venom, we think) 

Cake designed by Uncle Jason who flew out from California for the occasion. 

Three years ago today... Spider Man flew out of my vagina!

K-dogg's birthday card... Do you sense a theme?

Hale does not lack in rad aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... love.

Cousin Love

Hale steals some quiet time with Grandma Char.

There were some celebrities in the house that needed to remain anonymous.

Let's just say, things got rowdy.

I mean, like, off the hook...

Yes indeedy: Spider Man Underwear!

Grandma, check out my Spider Man Underwear!

Guilty Pleasure

I'm not super proud about this or anything, but Hale watches a little bit of TV from time to time.

When he does, I confess I sure do love hearing Hale, in his little, credulous voice, talking back to an 'interactive' video:

TV: ("What is Alicia dressed up as?")

Hale: "As a butterfly"

TV: ("That's right, a BUT. TER. FLY!")

or

TV: ("Does THIS look like the right kind of camel?")

Hale: "Yeah."

TV: ("That's right, it IS the right kind of camel--ONE HUMP!")

Sharing

Hale: Hmm. Should I share my Storm Trooper Darth Vader underwear with Charlotte?

Mommy: Mmm, I think Charlotte probably has her own underwear.