Emerald City Comicon 2013

So after last year, I converted Dina to Geekdom and we went to Comicon this year.  This year we had the fortune to meet Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Walter Koenig (Star Trek), Billy Dee Williams (Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi), Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Galactica), Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie The Pooh), and Grey DeLisle (Scooby Do - the voice of Daphne). We also met (but didn't get a photograph with) Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future/Star Trek III).  Our schedule just did not really allow for getting his photograph (well, that and the quickly dwindling amount of cash we brought - photos and signatures were cash only). 

It was an amazing weekend of geekness and waiting in lines!  From our experience last year, we knew that the more popular guests (i.e. everyone *we* wanted to see) were going to have long lines, and as such, if we didn't line up early, we either wouldn't get to see them and/or it would throw off our schedule for the rest of the day and result in our missing even more people.

As a result, Dina put a schedule together of our entire weekend and we pretty much stuck to it - except where we were running ahead of schedule and then tried to pull in events/people from the next day to free up our schedule for the upcoming day.  We were there for all three days from opening to closing (first Comicon where I did *that*) and by my reckoning, we spent probably 75% of that time in lines.

Every one of the celebrities we met were very friendly and gracious.  They took time (when they could) to say a few words to you, and actually look you in the eye (as opposed to other celebrities whom I have heard will barely acknowledge your existence).   Generally we would get our photos taken and then take those to the signings (which were scheduled later) to get them autographed.  Both Gillian Anderson and Walter Koenig actually remembered us from the earlier photograph line which was ultra cool! 

We also had a chance to meet up with an old junior high/high school friend of mine who came in from out of town for Comicon from Prince George, B.C.  This gave Dina  a chance to ask her if her husband really was as geeky as he said he was back then.  (The answer was 'yes').

If you are wondering where our two boys are/were - mom and dad came down from Vancouver for the weekend to watch them while we went and got our geek on!  Thank you mom and dad!  :-)

With Gillian Anderson

With Patrick Stewart

With Billy Dee Williams

With Walter Koenig

With Dirk Benedict

Live long and prosper - and make it so!  Frack!

- bob

"Let me explain. No - there is too much. Let me sum up"

Bonus points to anyone that can identify the quote. 

So, to sum up:
Ethan's collar bone has healed quite nicely. 
Everyone got sick from some cold virus accidentally released from some secret government lab
Halloween came and went and the boys made out like bandits
Ethan discovered he *really* likes Christmas light displays
The boys were even more jazzed up about Christmas than last year (if that was possible)
Jonathan just had his 6th birthday - how the time flies! 
Jonathan is at 7 stripes on his Karate belt.  One more stripe and then after that - he's a yellow belt! 
Spent my 11th evening with Rush! 
Saw Roger Hodgson (of Supertramp)

So, to explain:
After 2 follow up x-rays, Ethan was cleared for all activities.  We stopped using the sling after about 10 days and stopped pain meds after only about 3 days. 

This Halloween, Ethan went as a red Angry Bird and Jonathan decided to reprise his roll as Thomas The Tank Engine.  Like last year, we went to Bellevue Square Mall to do trick or treating.  The mall has been getting better at this over the years with fewer and fewer stores running out of candy.  This year, we got there around the start time and stayed for about 1.5 hours and there were still stores handing out candy.  Contrast that with the first year we went where the stores generally ran out of candy before the first hour was up.  After that, we went to our church where they were running a sort of Trick and Treat thing - kids would play games (like ball toss, etc) to get their candy.  They also ran 2 bouncy houses which Jonathan enjoyed thoroughly. 

As Christmas drew closer, we made various pilgrimages to see various Christmas light displays.  Just to give an idea of how much the boys (especially Ethan) enjoy this - there are a few houses up the street from us that do a *very* nice job of put on a light display.  Every single night that we come home (from wherever we may be), we *have* to drive by those houses to see their lights before we go to our house.  Every time.  No exceptions.  We also go see various things around town that have become a sort of tradition for us now: Bellevue Square has a nightly performance of music, live drummers, and artificial snow, the Belleuve Botanical Gardens transform their entire grounds into a huge light display, the City of Redmond hosts a night where you walk from city hall to Redmond Town Center mall along the Burke Gillman bike/jogging trail where the entire distance is lined with lights and carolers - complete with family activities at both ends of the walk, and in downtown Seattle, there is the annual lighting of the huge Christmas tree down by Westlake Center mall and the lighting of the Macy's star. 

We alternate years where we spend Christmas in Seattle or Vancouver.  This year was our year to spend Christmas in Seattle.  We then headed up to Vancouver to spend time with my parents on Boxing day (and spend a few days there).  This leads to a little confusion for the boys because they get to open presents on Christmas Eve (at an annual extended family gathering at one of Dina's aunts), then more on Christmas Day, and then more again on Boxing day on the years we go up to Vancouver.  And on years where we go up to Vancouver for Christmas Day, there will be more presents for the boys to open when we come back to Seattle.  So Jonathan had some trouble understanding that Santa was only coming once not twice - once for our house and another time for my folk's house.  And on top of that, he always asks if there will be presents if we go to someone's house because there a just so many places where they open gifts! 

Jonathan, for his birthday, will have 2 parties this year.  His first one, on his actual birthday, was a Chuck E Cheese.  We invited only the immediate family and he got to pick one friend to come.  This is becoming a favorite place to go for both boys.  Ethan proclaimed that he wanted to come to Chuck E Cheese on his birthday too!  His second party will be at the ice rink close to  our house (the Kingsgate arena).  This is because Dina 'Liked' Kingsgate Arena on Facebook and then won a free ice skating birthday party!  Since we only have to supply the cake and pizza (and there is a pizza place in the same strip mall that has $5 pizzas) and $7/skater over 10 skaters we invited his entire class, a couple of his friends and immediate family.  Anyone attending the party but not skating don't need to pay. 

In other (what I deem) interesting news:
Yours truly saw Rush for the 11th time (and counting).  This was the tour supporting their new album Clockwork Angels and in my opinion, it is the best album they've put out in probably decades. 

I also had the good fortune to see Roger Hodgson (the voice of Supertramp) for the first time.  It was a fantastic show where he played a ton of old Supertramp. 

- bob

Yes, We're Still Here

Apologies are once again in order as we have been extremely lax in keeping this thing updated lately.  But you know how it goes - you get caught up in everyday life things like going to work, caring for two boys, vegging out in front of Big Bang Theory episodes, gardening, drumming, hockey, soccer, consuming copious amounts of Starbucks, reading Barron's - and the next thing you know months have gone by with nary a word blogged.

Once again - the requisite promise that pictures will be forthcoming.

And with that, on to the few newsworthy events of the last couple of months...

In the waning days of summer, we made a trip out to Remlinger Farms (just outside of Carnation).  Dina had bought a Living Social coupon for this.  It is essentially a huge farm with lots of things for families to do such as children's midway rides, pony rides, a small passenger train, food, etc.  We (of course) rode the train. The boys also enjoyed a 'canoe ride', a small kinda-Ferris-wheel ride, and their first pony rides.

We also went to the coast to Ocean Shores.  Dina's uncle's family owns a small cabin out there that he lets family members use.  Dina's brother booked a weekend and invited all of us to join them.  This was the first time at the ocean for the boys as well as myself.  (Yes - I've lived here for almost 1/2 my life now and this was my first time to the ocean - go figure (Puget Sound is technically not the ocean)).  Jonathan and Ethan both really enjoyed playing in the sand, walking along the shore/water, and playing with their cousin Amanda.  It was *extremely* relaxing to just sit on the beach and do *nothing* and simply listen to the roar of the ocean.

Ethan broke his collarbone back in September.  He was at speech therapy when it happened.  At their offices, they conduct various kinds of therapy for children.  As such, they have quite an assortment of different kinds of equipment that, from a child's point of view, appears like a huge playground of toys, climbing equipment, etc.

During speech therapy, Ethan is allowed from time to time to play on various equipment (like a ball pit, say). This particular week, he wanted to try out a hammock.  Since Jonathan's school schedule has changed to a PM class, he has to go to Ethan's appointment as well, as it is scheduled in the mornings.  Jonathan wanted to also try out the hammock and when Ethan's therapist went to go help Jonathan get on, Ethan fell off.  Now, the fall itself was only about 2-3 feet.  It was most likely the way he landed that broke his collarbone.  As was related to me from Dina, he was inconsolable (whereas he normally recovers after little accidents after only a few minutes) and kept crying/whimpering for the next hour as well as favoring that arm.  She then took him to the ER where an x-ray revealed the true nature of the injury.

Amazingly, all they did was put his arm in a sling and give him pain medication.  Apparently at this age, even a break like that will simply heal on it's own after 6-8 weeks.  No surgery, no cast, no splint - just a sling to immobilize the arm.

Ethan has had 2 successive x-rays and as of now it has healed quite nicely and he is cleared for all activities.

In other family news, Dina's mom has just had hip replacement surgery.  She is home now recuperating.

Jonathan continues with ice skating, soccer, and Karate (now having earned 4 black stripes on his belt).  Ethan is still in Gymboree.  Both are now in school (Jonathan is in 1/2 day PM kindergarten 4 days a week and Ethan is in 1/2 day PM preschool for 2 days a week).

Halloween is just around the corner and as such, trips to the pumpkin patch are requisite.  Ethan already had his trip at school last week and Jonathan will have his just a few days before Halloween.  Pictures will be posted - one day.

- bob

Happy Birthday Ethan!

8/14/12 we celebrated Ethan's 3rd birthday.  It's almost hard to believe that only 3  years have gone by given how much the little guy has been through. 

I took the day off from work and Ethan's birthday was spent first going to a park in the morning to a play date and then to Chuck E Cheese later in the day for dinner and a lot of play time!  We kept it to just a family affair inviting just grandparents and cousins (with parents in tow, of course). 

Ethan playing at Chuck E Cheese

Jonathan on one of the rides. 

Both boys posing with Chuck E Cheese

Ethan as Mario Andretti

Both boys claiming prizes after redeeming their tickets

Opening presents with Jonathan and cousin Amanda

- bob

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream

Ethan had a series of regular follow up appointments at Children's yesterday (8/6/12).

We got the results from his sleep study and the results were shockingly good!  I almost asked if they had accidentally switched the results with another child - they were so unexpectedly good.  Normally, Ethan's results from sleep studies are not that good - but the doctors always throw in the caveat - but for *him* this is normal, so they generally are not very concerned.  Today - his results were actually *really* normal.  Not just "normal for him".  "Normal" is about 4-5 apnea episodes per hour for children.  Ethan had approximately 1 per hour. 

He was scheduled for a(nother) hearing screen but his ENT examined him first and found he had fluid in his ears - a left over from the cold he just got over last week - so she scrubbed the hearing screen and will reschedule it for 3 months from now. 

He was also tested at Children's by a speech pathologist.  She was also amazed at his progress since she last tested him (back in about January).  He is not quite ready to be discharged from speech therapy as he still has trouble with the k sounds and hard g sounds but she did remark on just how much more she understood of what he said and how far he as progressed. 

His main craniofacial pediatrician saw him and also was so pleased with his progress.  He examined his spine and saw no indications that there might be problems (craniofacial microsomia can also affect the spine however any diagnosis of any problems can't be made until the child is older and bones calcify more).  He will have his spine X-rayed the next time we are in to get a definitive look.  We are still tracking for jaw surgery possibly at age 7-8 and early jaw surgery is now off the table again.  So it was a very good day at Children's.  (As an aside, we were also informed that Ethan is getting to the age where we will start to see the dentists/oral surgeons at Children's as we begin charting the course towards his eventual jaw surgery - we might start seeing them at our next appointments in early 2013).



From the 'other news' department desk:
Ethan is registered for preschool this coming September.  He will be attending the same school as Jonathan but in his age group, he will only be going 2 days a week for 2.5 hours/day.  Ethan will be starting school one year earlier than Jonathan.  We hemmed and hawed on this idea for quite a while - but he seemed so ready for school that we felt we didn't want to hold him back.  We actually asked Ethan if he wanted to go to school like his big brother and he seemed to be very enthusiastic about it and was very happy when we told him that he was indeed going to be going to school later in the year. 

In other sports news... 

Jonathan passed Basic Level 1 in ice skating.  So if he wants to continue (and he said he does), it's on to the next level. 

I also saw Jonathan's swimming class.  This has been the first time in about a month or two that I've seen his swim class.  He's made a *lot* of progress since I last saw him.  He's putting his face/head in the water and he's starting to learn the basic front crawl. 

Also - Jonathan earned his 2nd black stripe on his white belt in Karate class just this last Saturday. 

- bob

An Overdue Checkin

We have been very lackadaisical about updating this blog.  It has been a pretty busy spring/summer thus far.  A quick update - I'm sure more detailed follow up posts with pictures will be forthcoming (famous last words). 

Jonathan has been very busy since school ended for the year back in May.  Since then he has been taking swimming, ice skating, and Karate lessons.  We signed him up for these classes through the City of Kirkland Parks Department.  He is really enjoying all three and when his Karate classes ended, we asked him if he wanted to continue and he gave a most definite 'yes' so we signed him up at the dojo for 'real' classes.  In fact, just this last weekend (7/7/12) he earned his first black strip on his white belt! 

He really enjoys his ice skating as well.  He is much more confident now on skates than when he first started the lessons.  I initially signed up for classes as well for the first session thinking he might be more comfortable knowing I was on the ice with him (though elsewhere on the rink in my own class).  By the time the lessons for the first session were ending, I don't think it mattered to him so we only signed him up (and not myself).  (I might add - you might wonder what I could learn in an skating class since I play ice hockey - well - my backwards crossovers needed a lot of work and I actually got a lot of improvement on them in the eight sessions so it wasn't money wasted). 

Jonathan is much more comfortable in the water now as well.  He used to have an aversion to even getting his face wet.  He can now dunk his head under water.  He passed the first level for pre-school and is now in level 2.  Most likely we will skip one session of swimming classes this summer just to give him a break (swimming classes are 4 days a week for 2 weeks and there is no break between sessions and he is currently in session 3).  We'll sign him up for the last session later in the summer. 

In all this, you may wonder what Ethan has been up to.  Unfortunately, he is too young to be signed up for any of these classes (which he keeps asking to participate in).  Ethan is still doing Gymboree every week and he really loves it.  When we practice Jonathan's Karate at home, Ethan is every enthusiastic to join in - and given he's only 2 1/2, he's pretty good!  Ethan is still continuing with his speech therapy and it really shows.  He is talking almost non-stop, his vocabulary has exploded, and he enunciates much, much better.  His snoring has, unfortunately, gotten worse since his tonsillectomy.  It is still far better than pre-surgery, but not as good as it was immediately post-surgery.  He just had a regularly schedule sleep study follow-up just this last weekend (the night of 7/6/12).  Hopefully the results will not be too bad. 

Dina has been keeping busy this summer starting a vegetable garden in the back yard.  While I can't stand to be doing anything remotely related to gardening or lawn maintenance (one wonders why I even bought a house in the first place instead of a condo), Dina really enjoys.it.  She is growing beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, kale, and a host of other things I cannot keep track of. 

I, on the other hand, have been pretty geeked out these last few weeks trying to catch up/brush up on my particle physics and some of my calculus and matrix algebra (I told you it was geeky).  I've also spent some time trying to improve my bass playing skills learning various parts from songs from the movie 'That Thing You Do' and various (easy) parts from various Rush songs (Caravan, Double Agent, and BU2B, specifically). 

- bob

Leading Worship

I had the opportunity and priviledge of leading worship again today at church. This was the third time that I lead worship and I think today was the best experience so far. Kevin Brooks played guitar, Tina played the piano, Bob played the drums and bass, Kevin Williams sang, LeAnne did words, Jaxon was on sound (his first time alone), and of course I sang too. This time I even did a small solo. I'm branching out! I lead because Pastor Mark and Mary Beth are on vacation to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in Hawaii. Lucky! We also had Steve Wilkinson one of our missionaries in the Philippines come and speak today. It was a great day at church. Jonathan even did a little dance in front of the congregation during our first song...he usually sits nicely on the first pew waiting to be excused for Children's Church, but I think the Lord came into his heart and made him feel like dancing today :)

I also went and played the second half of my soccer game today since the game started at 11:15am, which is during church. Luckily the game was right down the street from church. I scored my 14th goal of the year between 2 teams. I am on the way to score a record number of goals this year. Even if I don't score any more this year, it will still have been a great year for soccer!


-Dina