"Down By the Bay" by the artist Cole

Below is a cute clip of Cole singing his version of "Down by the Bay"; I used to sing this to him quite often a few years ago. One afternoon recently, he heard the song on a Calliou show. He looked at me and in all seriousness said "Mom, you used to sing this to me all the time, what happened?", and before I could answer, off he went creating his own rendition. I was cracking up because he was joyfully bouncing around the house while doing so. Be sure you catch Tucker's look as Cole bops on by...

You're safe here....

I remember watching thunderstorms each summer with my dad, we would either sit just inside the garage doors or on our small front porch. The smell of a thunderstorm is very distinct to me, so earthy, while a regular rainy day smells fresh and grassy. The storms in PA were more about rumble than about flash but the rain would pour; they would ride over us quickly and in the late afternoons (which is when they seem to pop up the most) the sun would show its face again and steam would rise from our driveway.

After moving to Minnesota, summer storms were redefined for me as a whole new weather phenomenon! Although I did already know that Minnesota could produce some dandy storms. The reason I knew this was because my best friend from college moved here and I had flown out twice a year over a four year period to see her and during one of those trips witnessed a MN storm firsthand. She was living in Uptown near Lake Calhoun. I don't remember where we were that day but the sunny skies suddenly had taken on an ominous tone (literally one that was a mix of green/black/orange. We rushed back to her apartment and pulled into the parking lot just as the first big fat raindrops began to pelt us, the wind gusted and was knocking things over on her first level abode as we entered. We slammed the windows shut and her lights flickered. It had gone from a beautiful blue sky to a dark angry one in a matter of 20 minutes. It was exciting, amazing and frightful. The storm raged outside for awhile and then cleared out. The fact that I can recall the details tells you that my mind was quite affected by it.

In May of 2007 we moved to MN; it was a beautiful and early spring and Cole who was 5 months old watched me as I unpacked our boxes and made our house a home. The weather was unusually warm for that time of year, not hot enough to turn on the air conditioner but muggy. We had some pretty strong thunderstorms roll through, typically in the middle of the night and I remember being awoken not by the clap of thunder but by the disco show that the lightening was creating. It would cut across the sky one after another and make me flinch as I lay there watching it in the skylights above our bed.

The week before Memorial Day weekend, Dave was working, Cole was napping and Tucker was supervising as I finished hanging odds and ends. It was mid-afternoon and the sun had been shining all day. The air had been calm with no movement; the humidity had been building as the dewpoints had risen each hour. I remember thinking that I should close up the house but I had been waiting until Cole woke up. I don't know what I was doing but I heard the winds pick up out of the blue. I thought it was odd considering how still things had been all but 30 minutes prior. I went out to our deck and gasped. A swirling sky of black clouds to our southwest was heading right for us. It was such a strange sight to be standing in direct sunshine at that moment and yet see what I was seeing. My memory rolled back to that visit with Heather. I ran inside and closed the downstairs windows. Though normally I would be ticked if anything woke Cole up, I was actually grateful that the gusts of wind were blowing doors shut upstairs as I heard him cry. I ran to get him just as the tornado sirens went off. My heart beat fast as raced around slamming the windows shut with Cole on my hip. The rain had begun to pummel the roof and the piercing sirens punctuated through the roar of the wind. I glanced through the back door and saw the darkness hovering nearby. Cole, Tucker and I got down to the basement and sat in the middle of our laundry room. I could now hear the hail hitting our house and I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety. It takes a lot for me to feel this way and thus I was anxious over being anxious. With a newborn in a new house hearing tornado sirens for the very first time was simple unnerving.

Since that day, we have had numerous bad storms; one hailstorm got us a new roof. I don't mind them as much however I still get a lump in my throat when I see the sky turn the color of pea soup or when I see menacing clouds. Over the years, Cole has learned that we head downstairs when the sirens scream, that that is the safest place to be. When the F1 tornado hit North Minneapolis this past spring, it was hard to explain to him as he saw news footage why things like that happen. He has asked with concern every time since when we have a storm "is it going to blow our house away!?" I can't tell him "NO" because I would be fibbing so I have chosen to say "highly unlikely" which is the truth.

The damage reported by the media that was inflicted by that aforementioned storm all but 5 miles from our house must have had more impact on Cole that I thought. Obviously when they do news stories on tornadoes, they show a list of what things you should and shouldn't do. Cole can't read yet but he certainly remembers signs. Quite often this summer when we have gone potty at the library, Costco or the grocery store, Cole points out what he calls "your safe here during a tornado" sign. I agree and then say to myself "I sure hope we never have to be in here for any other reason than to go potty!"

What did he say....??

The one-liners just keep coming...Cole is quite the wordsmith these days. I'd like to say it is because I never used "baby language" with him. I have always used my normal vocabulary in our conversations and it has forced him to ask when he has no idea what it is that I've said. I already see him incorporating "advanced" words into his everyday lingo which makes this voracious reader and editor proud!

That said, here are the latest and greatest quips from Cole:

During the afternoon, the winds typically pick up on the lake making our ride back to the public dock more than a bit bumpy. Cole likes to sit up front to take full advantage of the boat hitting the waves. I sit with him since the "jumps" are pretty big. On our most recent ride, it was more rocky than normal and we were getting quite wet as a result. Cole shouts with a grin on his face from ear to ear "Now that's what I"m talking about!!"

As we were packing in our hotel room on the day we departed San Francisco, Cole says "I'll like this place but I miss the Twin Cities".

Riding in the car after school one day, I was telling Cole the errands we had to run before we headed home, his reply "okay baby".

When Cole thinks that Dave or I are making something up he states in a perplexed tone "are you kidding me out?"

As another thunderstorm struck with intensity and we headed to the basement once again, Cole heard the rain absolutely pummeling our roof and goes "well that's impressive!"

We always leave our hearts...

Last spring, we made a five day getaway out to the left coast as Dave was running the Big Sur marathon. We spent a quick 24 hours jetting around our favorite city by the bay seeing some our favorite haunts, spent time with friends who live north of SF and then headed south to spend the remainder of our vacation in Monteray.

This year, Dave registered for the San Francisco Marathon as a quest to conquer for his 40th birthday. We decided to stay put this year and stay in the city our entire six days. This would allow us to stop at all of our must see's and check-off our must do's!

Needless to say, we continue to marvel at how much joy spending time in SF creates for us. Cole was the consummate trooper as we ventured here and there and everywhere. We took the ferry over to Sausalito and enjoyed a yummy seafood dinner on a deck overlooking the bay, we rode the cable car (Cole's favorite!) and walked with the masses, people watching at its best at Fisherman's Wharf. We drove over the GG bridge and visited the Marin Headlands with their breathtaking views and black sand Rodeo Beach. We oohhed and ahhhed at Baker Beach where we watched a container ship go under the GG bridge on a clear spectacular day. We went up and down the streets in our old neighborhood and saw all the work they had been doing in the Presidio. We walked along Chrissy Field and shopped at Sports Basement (for those who know about SB, you already know why that was a MUST DO!). We met up with the Kawashiri clan for a scrumptious (gluten-free menu in an Italian place!!)dinner and walked around Union Square watching the kids eat cupcakes.

Cole and I both love hotels so setting up for an extended stay in one place with a to-die for view of the city was fun too! Dave completed 16 miles of the race running the steepest and toughest but most scenic part of the 26 mile route. His legs screamed enough and he heeded their command. Cole and I were so proud of him! We celebrated Dave's 40th birthday by heading south for a late lunch in Half Moon Bay and walk along a stretch of beach that took some climbing to get to/from. Cole played in the tide pools while Dave rested his weary limbs. We enjoyed large chocolate cupcakes in our hotel room to cap off the day!

Our last and final day we traveled north, the road zig-zagging along the curvy coast. Our destination was Point Reyes. We climbed up and back from the lighthouse (300 steps) and took in the view that went on forever, spent some time poking around the beaches and then headed back stopping for a late lunch in Stinson Beach.

We packed a lot into our six days and yet, we did not feel rushed or exhausted, just exhilarated. Leaving in a cab back to the airport, Cole wanted to know when we would back. I think both Dave and I replied simultaneously, "very soon".