We met our PEPS group last Saturday for a holiday party and Ann and Mike’s. All the infants were crawling about now, and some were even walking. It was fun. We did not take any pictures because we are bad parents.

We returned the baby/pet gates we obtained before and got a couple of new ones. They work fine, although they are the pressure installed type. We will have to get the permanently mounted type when LK starts hanging on them and whatnot. We also bought some clothes for him as he does not really have a lot of clothes.
Amanda and I were struck by the fact that there was no one down in Tukwila/Southcenter… very surprising on the weekend and right before the holidays. It looked like it was really a weekday morning there. Grim economic times, for sure. The cold weather may have had something to do with it, but the roads were dry for the most part.

As for the weather, it has been freaky cold for Seattle… in the low twenties during the day. There has been some snow and precipitation so it has been icy in some places in the area and of course Seattle is not really equipped to handle stuff like this normally. Apparently it has not been that cold in decades, and it will allegedly continue for the whole week. I do not mind the cold, but LK and the cats do not appreciate it that much. We might leave him at school today because it is a lot warmer there.

LK has been tormenting us by waking up and screaming inconsolably for two to three hours at night, but last night he gave us a break. He did let out periodic idle cries occasionally to keep us on our toes.

Now Amanda is working at home with the help of a friend.

Note she is wearing my alpaca sweater because it is cold.

LK had been sick, and then he got me sick. Wonderful. Amanda being the medical professional is immune to everything.

We celebrated Thanksgiving dinner at Jane and David’s house. LK and I were both feeling better at this point. Their niece Sarah was there visiting; she is a grad student in political science at Berkeley. She apparently grew up near Wooster, OH. It was a fun time. I saw how convenient a doggie can be as Bo (a yellow lab) vacuumed up all the food that Lonan Kai ejected from his high chair.

We stayed home on Black Friday. Carrie later came over to visit and knit. She was working a sweater for LK that she apparently has to finish quickly before he gets too big. Eric unforunately had to work; Thursday is his normal day off, so the Thanksgiving weekend was just a normal weekend for him. LK started showing signs of another illness… fever, coughing, snot, etc..

We went to the aquarium on Saturday. We bought a family pass because going to the aquarium is a fun diversion for LK. And I like aquariums. We can even take a guest with us for “free” whenever we go.

We also went to IKEA in lieu of our previous early evening walk (because it gets dark at 4pm nowadays). We had an inexpensive $1.95 pasta dinner and well as picking up some toys for LK; we had thought we was really getting bored with the few things that we have. We also got a rug for our living room because the current one is “disgusting” in the words of Amanda. It is too small, though, so I will have to return it sometime.
LK’s sickness was preventing him from sleeping. Unfortunate for everyone in the family except for piglet, who is willing and able to sleep anytime. He later lost is voice due to possible soreness.

Sunday Amanda went grocery shopping with Mandy for the first time in a while. LK seemed to get better and regained his voice.
Today, LK was well enough to go to daycare. I apparently have come down with LK’s second illness as well, so I am sick again. Alas. I wanted to go to the gym today, but that is not going to happen.

I am still hopeful about eventually getting paid for me last job because it is a non trivial amount of money in these uncertain economic times. Otherwise I am “looking for other opportunities” as I always do.

I fixed some things in our photo gallery that had been busted for a while, but I would probably be the only one to notice. I also uploaded all of our pictures for October 2007 and should be done with the rest of the year shortly. So I will only be one year behind.

I should have posted this picture in Lonan Kai’s weblog (this was taken at school), but since I have a dearth of new entries I put it here.

I am still working while the working is good. Although it is always hard to get people to, like, finally pay you. Otherwise, I go to the gym and entertain LK. Amanda is working hard as well. LK is hopefully learning stuff. Such is life.

We did go to a couple of stops during the annual farm/harvest festival in the area. Last year we went down south, but this year we went to the Eastside. Mostly because the places were closer and LK has a limited attention span.
We stopped at one place and acquired a bunch of pumpkins:


Later there were alpacas:


The white one is Sabino; I forget the name of the other.

And there were pygmy goats:


Her name is Tilley. She enthusiastically ate a lot of things (Not LK’s hand, though, which one can see at the bottom of the picture Actually, that must be Amanda’s hand).

Yesterday we went to the farmer’s market again as usual. The one in Columbia City will be closing for the year at the end of the month. I got a lot of peppers for an experimental hot relish thing. And basil, although it looks like the season is practically over. And green beans for LK and apples for all of us. And a “pistachio snail” snack for me and a pretzel for Amanda. LK didn’t really have a snack.

Right before leaving I decided to get a big lobster mushroom. I dunno what I will do with it yet.


A pound of mushroomy goodness!

Today has been (and will be) more consulting work. I paid my quarterly state business taxes. I should send in federal as well. I have to invoice someone so I can get paid. It will be a wet ride to the gym today, and I am feeling uninspired about it. Piglet is sleeping upstairs in our bedroom. Armando is huddled by the open sliding door of the office and is considering the rain. Amanda will not be back until 7pm or so tonight.