Fun in the Sun

Ava chowing on some fried chicken!

Jack took a short break for some chips. Isn't he growing up?

My two favorite monkeys.

Ava's watching Ruby swim with all the geese in the background.
Here's Jack throwing Doritoes for the geese and Ruby looking annoyed because she had to get out of the water.

We took the kids to the river this weekend for some fun with the dog and a picnic. The weather was fantastic--my very favorite kind, warm and a little breezy and if we had remembered blankets we all would have taken a nap right there!

Poor Buddy

Jack loves to pick dandelions and for some reason he always yells "SURPRISE" when he gets one. Here he is on a happier day with his great find.

Poor Jack is having a rough day with a nasty, nasty cold that has turned him into a very juicy mess. And poor me (and Ed) as this was the day we were supposed to be leaving for Hawaii (Hawaii!).

Memorial Day

Singing the National Anthem while Grandpa raises the flag.

Aunt Nette and Uncle Dave brought out the horses for the kids to see.

Jack riding Pepsi!

Ava counting for hide and seek in the cemetary.

Speaking of Red Robin...

Ed and I have admired this flag hanging at most Red Robins for many years and after we had Jack, we really wanted one for his room. We are pretty sure we could make one if only we could find over 200 baseballs at some major discount!

Jack loves it--he spent much of lunch looking around the restaurant for a bat!

CDA 1/2 Marathon

At Aunt Nette's house in the mountains...they were out of town but what a great welcome with wine, popcorn, Propel water for Ed, and cookies and little milks in the fridge for the kids.

Popcorn and a movie before bed...it's a cozy house!

A few raindrops pre-race.
Giving Ava a high five at mile 2.

Still smiling at mile 12.5

Post-shower in his race shirt and Ava's wearing his medal.

At Red Robin (of course!) for a serious post-race meal.

Ed ran the CDA 1/2 Marathon today and finished well under two hours. Faithful blog readers will recall that we planned to run this one together but due to the baby in my belly, I sat this one out and it was a bummer! It was a perfect day--overcast and cool during the run and sunny right after and it is a fantastic course along the lake and really flat (a change from when I ran it last year!). But I did have a good time cheering him on with Ava (and racing all over CDA to find him at each perfect spot). She yelled, "Great job Daddy!" and then after he passed she sort of whispered, "he's going to have pass a lot of people to win." Grandma and Grandpa met us at the end with Jack who kept yelling "Run Daddy Run!"

Patience

Here's Jack loading up on sunscreen. This kid can figure out how to work any kind of nozzle or child-proof cap. He actually helped me open a drawer that was stuck by patiently working on it till it popped open. His patience as he works on these projects is amazing, considering he can't wait 30 seconds for a toy he wants!

The Summer Season

Yesterday was my first event of the summer season. I do the same luncheon every year and it is always the kick-off to a busy summer. Here are a few shots from some of last summer's events--it was busy with ten events in 12 weeks and I promised myself I would take it easier this year but as I was looking at my calendar this morning I am realizing that it is filling up quickly! The one bit of good news is that my birthday is free this year--last year I did a wedding for 500 on my day and this year is my big 3-0 so I plan on enjoying it!

Sweet Mama

Here's Ava after successfully tucking in both her kids, Jack and Grace. As she tells me often, "it is hard work being a mom!"

He's a hungry boy

If I head into the kitchen, even for just a glass of water, this is where Jack will be within 30 seconds. I swear he can hear me from the back of the house and his little feet come runnin' and he pulls up his high chair and folds his hands and gives me his best little grin. Now who can resist that?

Forget Spring....

Mowing the lawn at Grandpa's...although Jack just thinks he's riding a tractor!
Jack "helping" Sara finish her dessert.

Playing with friends at the fountain (they were actually having fun until we lined them up for this shot)

Summer is here! It was hot, hot, hot this weekend! We finished off the weekend with a hike around Kamiak Butte but the camera was dead so I have no pictures...arrgh! It was beautiful and we had a little picnic and then played at the playground for awhile. Ava hiked the whole thing without a single complaint and when we told her how tough she was, Jack (who rode the whole trip in the backpack) kept saying "Me too tough!"

Our Little Ballerina

Celebrating with Rock & Pop ice cream at Baskin Robbins!

Ava had her second-year ballet recital this weekend and she was great! We watched the video later that night and and she loved seeing herself on TV but the best part was when it was all over and she was walking off the stage, you can hear Jack's sweet little voice say loudly, "Good job Viva, good job!"

A Shower for Baby Ben

Here's Paula in the pile of presents. I like this shot because you can see some cute baby bellies in the back--there's Amy, due in a few weeks and Shawna (holding Ben), due in June.

Ben with his Aunt Shawna

We had Paula's favorite lemon cake for dessert and we had my favorite Sangria to drink--you would have thought it was summer if only it had been 30 degrees warmer!

We had a shower for Ben last night and we had a great time! Sarah and Amy helped host and there were tons of people, tons of presents, and a very good little guest of honor!

The bathroom

I tucked the shower curtain in the for this picture so you can see Ed's great work finishing the tub! What you can't see is even more important--the jet tub finally has it's own breaker and it's all plugged in so you can actually take a jet bath by simply pushing the button! No more extension cords!

Okay, I finally took some pictures of the bathroom. It is 95% complete--we (Ed) just need to paint all the new trim but it's pretty done and it is so much lighter and brighter than the old bathroom so I am happy! Next up.....the back deck. Hopefully on tap for this weekend, more on that when it happens.

Happy Mother's Day!

Ed and Ava made french toast (my favorite) and Ava set the table and got everything ready (note the napkins folded like sail boats--that's her specialty!). And the kids woke me up and snuggled with me while the toast was cooking. Ava is usually my favorite cuddle buddy but there is nothing like snuggling Jack when he has just woken up--he actually lies really still and if you're lucky he'll do his fake snore which he has perfected! Later that day we actually went to the China Buffet (I know!) which was quite the experience for Ava becuase it was her first buffet and she loved all the choices! She had mashed potatoes, rice, a fried donut, pork skewer, sweet & sour chicken, pepper chicken, and bananas soaked in strawberry sauce. Jack had a big bowl of rice followed by a big bowl of ice cream. (I know, bad parenting!) And we all topped it off with a long nap! We actually tried to go for a walk several times that day but as soon as we were ready the rain came out and the winds came up and it was really a blustery day! We ended the night with a sitter for the kids and Ed and I went to a movie...always my choice for entertainment. I love Mother's Day!

gettin' bigger (me not the kids)

So I am now a couple weeks into my second trimester which means it will soon be time for me to lug out the tubs of maternity clothes and see if anything is still useable (or desirable!) after two years in storage. However, Jack (who loves talking to the baby through my belly button) apparently thinks I am getting bigger than I thought. The other day the two of them were playing hide and seek and when Jack couldn't find Ava anywhere he came running in and said, "Viva in belly?" and I said, as politely as possible, "No Jack, Ava is not in my belly." But he didn't believe me and started yelling, "Viva, Viva" into my belly button. Nice, huh?

I'm a Big Boy Now!

Checking it out.

Ava was so excited for him!

So pleased!

Later that night.

Jack moved into his big boy bed this weekend....so far, so good.

Family Baby Shower for Hudson & Ben

The big boys after the long car ride.

The always yummy food at family showers!

Hudson conked out after all the partying.
Ben happy to have his diaper changed!

Busy Week

Happy Birthday to Paula! She even let the kids help blow her candle out.

The whole crowd for Paula's birthday.

The kids' table at the restaurant.

Ava watching Will's soccer game.

Paula and Ben at the game.

Visiting the sheep farm with the kindergartners: Jack LOVES farms and animals--he hopped right up on the fence to talk to the sheep. And he loved the goat, he kept saying, "Hello doat."

Jack kept stopping to talk to the sheep (or pick up gravel or stomp in a puddle) so he had to keep running to catch up and he would yell, "wait, I'm tomin'".

Walking to the sheep farm with the kindergartners (or as Ava calls them, the "kindergardens").

This was a busy week with tons of outdoor activities even though it is still freezing cold! We finished the week off with an interview today for Ava's future school. It was very odd (and a bit scary??) to be sitting back in the principal's office of my old school. The good news is that starting in August she will actually be a real kindergartner!