Swimming

Jaida started swimming lessons two weeks ago. Actually it's not so much "lessons" as it is playtime in the water. She started out a little leery at first, but by the third day in the water, she was a natural!

She's comfortable on her back...

She's eager to jump right in...

She'll reach for floating objects...

Crawl across a wobbly foam board...

Today, Kuya Shea came along. He cheered on his sister from the sidelines. And when he got bored, he started to explore the interesting equipment strewn across the deck.

And then he discovered a room behind a window by our bench.

And of course he just had to tell his Mommy and sister what he saw. "They're dancing! It's called balet, Jaida!"

And if Jaida could talk, she'd probably say something like *Phsh! Ballet, shmalet! I'd rather jump in the water head first, and pretend I'm a dolphin chasing rubber duckies!"

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Two Lips Tulips

Our first attempt in visiting the tulip fields in Skagit County was foiled by a merciless downpour. The following week, ambitious to catch this spectacular sight before the flowers finished their bloom, we headed out for Skagit County again. This time, come rain or shine, we were going to make it!

Of course it rained on the way there. (It wouldn't be the Pacific Northwest if it didn't rain.)

And because I was so sick and tired of driving in the rain everyday for the last week, I handed the wheel over to Jaida Bug. For those of you who don't know Jaida Bug and the three (third one is hidden) cowlicks, suffice it to say that she can be a bully, and always has her way.

*Get outta the way you rubber necking, overly cautious, [I will censor the next description for fear of offending any readers from California... Oops, did I just write that?! I meant... Well... Er... You know who you are!], drivers! This ain't a blizzard, it's a light shower! We're off to see the flowers, the colorful flow'rs of Skagit! Because because because becaaaaaaaaaause, because of the colorful blooms they are!*

No! Shame on you, reader, for thinking I'd really let a toothless baby drive, in the rain or otherwise! No, she was screaming because she was hungry. So I gave her the wheel to gnaw on until we arrive at the tulip fields.

OMG, don't get your panties all in a bunch! Do you really think I'd let an innocent, pure, faultless baby go hungry if I can help it?! No! I gave her a fried chicken strip the size of my hand!

Now I've completely digressed from the subject of this post. The Skagit Tulip Festival. That's what we were here for.

It rained. Off. And on.

But none of that rain ruined the flowers any bit.

In fact, if anything, it added a touch of romance to our excursion.

Even Jaida Bug thought it was such a magical place to be.

*What?! What's so magical about a brass frog?! You can't fool me, get me off of this cold piece of metal!*

*You can put me in the stroller or on a blanket, or hold me in on your lap. But don't make me sit on a fake frog! Next thing I know, you're probably going to make me kiss it!*

As Jaida Bug's godmother, I'm going to agree with Jaida's thoughts about that frog. The frog prince is a myth Jaid. He's not real. You can't turn a frog into a prince. But in the rare occasions that a frog manages to disguise himself as a prince, he's so very, very... not nice!



Shea had a grand time at the tulip field! He ran, rolled on the wet grass, stopped to gaze upon the flowers. He was just simply a happy little boy.

Jamesie Cat, on the other hand, retreated into sullen moods every now and then. And I assure you, it wasn't because he was offended by wayward stockings. Who knows what goes through a little boy's mind.

But Sheazie Bear always managed to put a smile back onto his Kuya James's face. "It's okay James; I'll be number three. You can be number one," he said, after they both collapsed on the ground following a sprinting lap around the flowers.

"It's okay James, your Bakugan can beat my dinosaur in battle," Shea encouraged.

"It's okay James, you're not a frog, you are a very handsome prince."

My goodness, Yours Truly has strayed from the subject again! Flowers. Flowers. Cherry blossoms.

And Queen of the Night tulips, kissed by two galant lips.

At last, we made it to the tulip fields in Skagit County!


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Men Play Too

Cousin Ain has been hosting Sunday dinners at her house these last two months. Most of the times Ain's friends bring their kids, and with little room in the house to vent off their energy, it is quite convenient that she lives right behind an elementary school. Because where kids go to school, there is always a playground!

The kids love it! In fact, even the adults love it so much that they bully their way into their midst, trying to hog the slide...

And because the adult is much, much taller than the kids, he will for sure hog the monkey bars!

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Inked in History

It started with one little tattoo on the top of her right foot.

Wait, back up.

It started with a tattoo on a hidden part of her back. "It means love," Mayet told me recently. "And I want to get more..."

Ok, now fast forward to two days ago. "I want to express my faith in God, and depict the first twenty five years of my life," Mayet professed. So, she visited Michelle at American Beauty Tattoo, and the rest is, as they say, history.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the modern technology of tattoo, it is sterile (as sterile as sterile can be under non-surgical circumstances), dimensional in appearance, and applies a rainbow of colorful inks, if the "inkee" so desires. The process starts out with a template that is stenciled onto the skin; a guide, so to speak, for the artist to work with.

After an hour of etching, lining and shading, the skin is welted by the needles' tracks, and permanently inked. So you better like - no, you better LOVE the design you chose to decorate your skin.

 The Rosary, to signify Mayet's religion; and 
"I have faith" spelled in Greek.

Mayet's next tattoo of the day is even bigger than the rosary. That is just the stencil on her shoulder, but you can see how big it is. It's about the size of Jaida Bug's leg!

It takes a talented artist to make something this gargantuan be ever so pretty, and delicate, and alive, and impressive. She has to know her needles well, and be one with the gun in order to make this permanent etch a work of undeniable art.

First phase: black ink to define the landscape. This part wasn't that painful.

Phase two: colors. Deep red, red, pink to shade the delicate design.

For two hours, Michelle etched, lined, shaded, colored, and not once did she break a sweat or lose her concentration.

One thing that remains the same with the application of tattoos though, no matter how new or old the method of inking, is the pain. The design started to come to life, at the sacrifice of pain and agony.

In the end, a vibrant branch of cherry blossoms adorns Mayet's shoulder. "Cherry blossoms, which bloom only in spring, represent the transience of life. It is a rememberance of our lives in Washington, how we moved every year from one home to the next, living there for only short periods of time." Oh, so poetic. And oh, so sad because Mayet hints that they may be moving away from Washington... Soon...

Which leads me to think... Can you imagine a ball and chain trailing down the back of my leg? Harshly surreal with heavy shading. You know, to symbolize my stubborness to change?

[Imagining.]

Ok, NOT!!!

History, as they say. Because the ink is permanent. Because one of the languages in the Holy Bible is Greek. Because these brands signify the most important ideals that mark the first quarter century of Mayet's life.

"I LOVE IT!" Mayet beamed.


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The Joy of Swimming

Ah, the joy of swimming. It is not the weightless sensation when suspended in water. It is not the freedom of gliding through water. It is not the blanketing comfort of being wrapped in cool clean water.

It's this.

The bathing suit! So many colors! So many styles!

This is what won me over. The ruffles!!!

Now that we're dressed down and ready to go, let's go swimming!

Even if we have to wait in the blustering rain, by golly we're going to the pool to show off our bathing suits!

Splash!

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Off the Record

It's been months now since Mayet and I have been talking about getting into a workout routine together. Together is always better than alone because of accountability. If you make an agreement to do something with someone, you are obligated to follow through. So if we agree to meet once a week for an activity that involves burning calories, then by golly we will!

Now, whatever happens afterwards is off the record.