Happy, Happy Day

The day I have waited three long years for has arrived....our central air was installed this morning and when they finished at 2:00, the house was already up to 85 degrees (that's inside!) but just a short 30 minutes later, we are down to 79 degrees and counting! If you know me, you know I don't do heat so I am so happy! The kids are equally excited, they have been running around and feeling all the vents to see if they work...Jack even lays over the top and breathes the cold air in, which is probably not a great idea until we get the vents blown out, but I can understand the excitement!

Progress!

I had a big wedding this weekend so Ed worked for me all day Saturday (don't feel bad for him--I do pay well!) but he did get the gravel laid and pounded and if I hurry and order our pavers, they should be here in time for him to finish the big outdoor project this weekend...just in time for my birthday!

Jack was helping out!

Ava's ultrasound

I forgot to post this one earlier. Within minutes of being home from the ultrasound, Ava was having one of her own. She got all set up and talked Jack into being the doctor (note the tractor he is using for the ultrasound). Guess what? She's having twins.

Dream job

Ava and Jack love playing church and there is no better place to play it than at the cemetary where there are many grand podiums to choose from. Here's Ava being Mr. Wilson who she thinks has really the best job. Here's a bit of our conversation from the other day:

Me: Ava, you talk more than anyone I know.

Ava: (long pause to consider this) Really? Because Mr. Wilson talks for like a whole hour and nobody ever interrupts him!

It's a........

Girl!!!

And as you can see, Ava is thrilled! She came to the ultrasound and on the way she said she had been praying for girl but she would love the baby no matter what...even if it was a boy. But when she heard girl she almost cried (me too!) and she wanted to be the one to call and tell everybody!

Lonely buddy

This is Ed's busiest season so he has been working till 9 or 10 almost every night so this little boy has been one sad puppy. However, Grandpa called the other day to see if Jack could come mow the lawn (on the tractor!) with him and he was sooo excited! He got himself all dressed and ready long before Grandpa showed up and here he is waiting with his big ole grin.

Happy Father's Day!

My favorite shot of the day!

Ed spent part of the day digging out the patio space but he had this nifty tractor so I can tell he didn't really mind. And Jack loved it--he was a little upset when we took it back.

We took the kids (and the dog!) to Spring Valley for a picnic.

The boys watching golf. They were waiting for a big putt from Tiger here and right after I shot this, he made it and they both went nuts! I think Jack was just as excited as Ed! He kept yelling, "he made it, he made it" and pumping his fist just like Tiger.

The mud pit in the backyard is not so fun to look at during dinner so we ate inside and just opened all the windows and doors to get the same effect.

Jack was so excited to give Ed the present he picked out--he loves bear books so he was thrilled with this one!

Hard work

Ava's helping pick up the cement pieces and loading them in her wagon.

Shoveling out the mud--you can see Ava in the back making slower progress with her plastic shovel but still working away. Jack stood on the steps and said, "Hard work!"

Waiting for cookies after a night of working hard.

Well, look what we have here

This morning I woke to the sound of Ava pounding down the hallway and she burst into my room yelling "It' snowing!!" Later Jack crawled in bed with us and here's their conversation:

A: Jack it's snowing!

J: Why? (my thoughts exactly)

A: Because God made it snow. He just picks up his shaker and shakes it all over us.

J: Sunshine?

That one stumped even Ava.

Ben's well-baby check was today so the other three Casebolt kids were here bright and early and thanks to the weather, Kayte and Ava bundled up and stayed busy doing their Christmas shopping. I said "say Cheese" and they said, in unison, "Merry Christmas!"

Jackhammer!

Isn't the tree beautiful! It is the one pretty thing in the backyard.

Poor Jack is stuck inside due to flying cement chips but he is staying glued to that window and he yells, "Good job Daddy" every few minutes.

I think Ava was worried about Jack so after a while she got him a chair and he still didn't move!

Ed has started ripping out the back patio and there is much excitement at our house! We still have no idea what we are replacing it with...deck? cobblestone? pavers? brick? cement? But there is plenty of work to do first so Ed's just starting with that while I decide. And yes, it is as cold and as miserable as it looks out there!

Welcome to the world Fiona Grace

Amy and Fiona

Here's Ben and Fiona

Deacon and Amy had a sweet, chubby baby girl on Tuesday so we moved coffee night to the hospital for the evening to say hello. Fiona is (I think!) the tenth little baby born into the coffee group in the last four years--we are a busy bunch!

Library Time

I took the kids to storytime at the library for the first time in at least a year and I remembered how great it is! I used to take Ava every week and for awhile Jack too but for some reason we just stopped going. But they loved it this week! Jack can be a little shy (I know shocking for our kids!) so he sat right next to Ava and when another boy sat beside him he scooted closer to her and she put her arm around him and then when they stood up for a song, he held tight to her hand but he Loved the library lady. She is really a talented woman--she can keep a room of 35 kids quiet and on their little bottoms just by changing the volume and inflection in her voice. I have no idea how she does it! Ava, of course, had to be the library lady as soon as we got home and she had this identical set-up all arranged by the time Jack went to the bathroom--he was happy to sit and listened to another storytime so I was the bigger winner of the day!

One more shot

Here's a picture I forgot to post from our trip--the first smore of the vacation.

The Driskill Family Vacation

Running wild at the rest stop. Ava was trying to get all her "sillies" out.

Ed's splashing Ava in the pool and Jack's hanging out in the hot tub where it is safe and warm (like his mama!)

The boys at the game...nice seats and a good game but more importantly a really short game. I've been to many baseball games in my life including what seemed like hundreds of Ed's high school and college games (double-headers even!) and this was the first one I have been to that lasted a mere two hours! The kids liked the game and they especially liked the carmelcorn and it so nice we didn't even pull out the coats till the fourth inning!

We headed straight to the beach and Jack started throwing rocks in the water which he did pretty much the whole rest of the trip!

Yes, it was chilly!

The flowers were actually as pretty as the ones we would have seen in Hawaii but I'm pretty sure Ed would not have even packed a coat for Hawaii.

The kids were already bathed and in their jammies but we had to head to the beach for one more look at the sunset.

We headed to the public beach to look for shells but it was so chilly we stopped to make a cozy fire and here is Ed roasting a marshmellow about two seconds before the State Park official rushed on over to make us put it out. Ava got her smore though!

We found a playground!

Ava's new favorite pose at the tide pools.

Thinkin' deep thoughts.

This is not a great picture but it makes me super sentimental--she actually looks big enough to go to kindergarten! And, yes the sun did come out.

Supper the night before we left on the "lawn" by the beach.

Ferry ride back to Seattle. This time we got big bowls of chowder to fuel up before a shopping trip at Ikea.

Instead of our anniversary trip to Hawaii, we took the kids to the Washington coast for a mini family vacation. After a short stay in Seattle (at a great hotel!) for a Mariners game and dinner at Red Robin (of course) and a whole lot of exercise for Ed who toted Jack in the backpack for miles up and down the Seattle hills, we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island to stay in a great house we've visited many times right on the beach. The house is nice for many reasons but most importantly, it has separate rooms for each kid and us and we all know that a good sleep means a good time! It was pretty chilly but no rain and actually quite a bit of sun which means I spent naptimes reading on the beach (my favorite vacation activity!) and Ed got to golf at a great course. After a few days on the beach, we headed home with some shopping stops along the way and a good eleven hours after we left the house, we got pulled over just as we drove into Pullman. However, no ticket for the Driskills and Jack was happy to report that he was a "nice copper" but I think he took one look into our car with the toys and food and shopping bags everywhere and he just felt sorry for us and sent us home instead!

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!