Buenos Dias, Princesa,

This morning (Friday Aug 12th) you woke up normally after a good night’s sleep, but on our bike ride to daycare, you kept telling me that you didn’t feel well. I turned the bike around at the top of Phinney Ridge and we went to the pediatrician’s office, which admits walk-ins in the morning. The nurse took your temperature (normal), then the doctor listened to your your breathing and heart, and looked in your eyes, ears, and nose. Your eyes were red and you were itching them, so he decided it was either an allergy or some virus. We got back on the bike, pedaled up to the ridge, bought some Claritin, had you take a 1/2 pill, then took you to daycare.

Two hours later, Mommy got a call from daycare letting her know that you weren’t having a good time at all. I picked you up later…you were crying and rubbing your eyes. We biked home with you rubbing your eyes, but still asking, “Is this a very steep hill,” “Daddy, why you stand up,” “Daddy, are you schvitsy,” and “What he eating?” (ice cream…you only ask that question when you know the answer and you want what they’re having) So now we’re back home and you have been sleeping for almost 3 hours. I expect you’ll wake up soon and be pretty hungry.

When we returned from Smugger’s Notch this summer, my friend since Kindergarten, Chad Cluver, and his wife, Sherry, came to visit. Chad and I have been trying to get some of our high school buddies together for a vacation, but it couldn’t be done this year, so Chad and Sherry instead left their kids in IL (to stay with grandparents) to visit us. With the cooperative summer weather, I sponsored a great several day tour…….Pike’s Place Market, a Seattle Underground Tour, a tour of Starbuck’s Corporate office (thank you cousin-in-law Melissa Lemmon Peabody), a cuban sandwiches picnic at Golden Gardens, and even a Thursday night double-date night yoga class and pizza before they flew back home. It was great hanging out with Cluve; our lives got busy after college and we hadn’t seen each other very often. I’m hoping we can make this a summer tradition and get the rest of the WCHS guys involved.

One of the first toilets from the inventor Thomas Crapper – Seattle Underground Tour.

After the Cluver visit, I went to Bainbridge Island for a training Global Online Academy training. I’ll be teaching an online course for GOA in the fall and needed to learn how to make videos, load content, and lead students through a semester-long online course. My course is called “Power: Redressing Inequity Through Data.”  I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to teach an online course, especially one so cool as this Power one.

Aunt Linda took us stand up paddleboarding at Matthews Beach.

For the first weekend in August, we rented a VRBO in the Key Peninsula with Mommy’s good girlfriends, their spouses, and kids. Linda and Hilary brought their Aqua Lounge, two standup paddleboards, and Tyler brought the canoe he assembled himself, so we had several water options. The water was quite cold, but we had fun on the beach in the sand, throwing the ball for Emma and Clementine to fetch, and paddling or lounging around. In honor of the Rio Olympics that were starting up, Mommy had the idea to have our own olympics with rings and juggling balls (see the first 3-6 seconds of the 1 Second Everyday video below)

Here’s our August 1 Second Everyday video….lots of friends and family in this one.

We’ve had a lot of adventures this summer, but the one I think about the most is our weekday routine of biking together together on the Yuba. I love getting you ready in the morning with several layers of coats and Space Needle socks on your hands. I love how you say, “Click it or ticket,” when we fasten your helmet and seat straps. I feel we’ve contributed, even in a small way, to saving fuel, and being active by biking instead of driving….especially since the weather has been beautiful. It is so fun to bike around Greenlake with you because we can stop by the wading pool, go to the library, or watch people dive off the boards at the West Beach.

You have had many quotes this summer that made me and Mommy chuckle. Here are some….

“Troll your motions, Daddy”

“Don’t bother me. I’m coloring.”

“I was off picking berries, Dad.”

Mommy: “Crosby, help Daddy clean up.”
Crosby: “I’m helping myself.”

Love,

Daddy