Trip to Pullman and Colton, Washington...

Recipe for craziness = 3 kiddos, two adults, too many oreos, no dvd player, AJ complaining of a tummy ache because he gets car sick, Owen yelling "mamma" the entire time to make sure I am still there and Luke wondering "how much longer" every 30 minutes on a 6 hour car ride. CRAZY! Two hours into the car ride AJ had an entire piece of gum wrapped around his head...he still has gum in the hair today. Needless to say, we made it to Grandma and Grandpa's (or as AJ says-Grandpa and Grandpa's) house in Colton all in one piece to start off our 4th of July weekend! A fun weekend indeed...although Owen started off the trip by falling out of the trailer onto the driveway and has the biggest black eye on a 19 month old I have ever seen (notice in the pics). We then did the Johnson Parade (in Johnson) and hung out and John and Tricia's (in Pullman) as we ate and drank our way through the day. The kids spent the entire day in bathing suits and I spent mine watching them from the deck-yeah! Watched an awesome fireworks display at Sunnyside park where AJ said his eyes were bleeding as soon as the show started. Followed up with some golf and pool time, it was great to be together...thanks everyone for a great 4th!

Back to the Old Stompin' Grounds

Last week the boys and I drove up to Bellevue to pay a visit to my family. We could not have asked for better weather in this great land that we live...the Pacific NW...cool mornings, hot days and breezy evenings...simply perfect! Mom's cooking, Dad's grilling, some pool time, park time and golf time, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents....thanks everyone for a great week!

School's Out!

Today was officially the last day of school for Luke and his friends. Which means he is officially a 1st grader-wooooo hooooooo! We celebrated at Cold Stone with our neighbors and then back to the hood for some water balloon fights. A very fun way to end the day!

Gotta love the first pic....all the kids running off the bus just ready to start summer!

Lemonade on the patio...

Finally today at about 4pm we hit a nice 75 degrees. The backyard gets some afternoon sun, and there is nothing like the feel of the late afternoon heat to warm your bones. When the boys were done playing in the cul-de-sac with their friends they came in and said..."Can we have lemonade out back?" "Sure." I reply. As we are all sitting in our chairs under the umbrella Owen is enjoying his first popsicle, every last lick of it, and its a mess...all over his hands and arms, but he is in heaven. Luke takes off his shirt to soak up some rays and AJ follows his lead and then puts on his Lighting McQueen sunglasses. "Mom," AJ says "This is the best lemonade ever....ahhhh....it is so delicious....this is just like being in Hawaii." I laugh and smile and just throw my head back to rest and think yes, this is just like being in Hawaii-a moment of paradise with my boys where nobody is fighting, kicking, tackling or screaming...each and everyone of them just enjoying the moment and taking pleasure in this 10 minutes of peace. We are missing some palm trees, sand and the ocean, but if AJ thinks this is what Hawaii is like so be it...I love how their little minds work. This Hawaii was perfect, until the neighbor fired up his lawn mower, and all the lemonade was gone and the boys started to squirm and the fighting began about who would finish Owen's popsicle that was falling all over the ground. Back to reality...I told you only 10 minutes of peace!

Little O...

Well I couldn't post something about Luke and AJ and leave little O out! At 19 months, Owen is crazy as ever. He is into everything...and I mean everything. Climbs on the kitchen table, eats gum out of the trash, stalks the pantry any chance a big brother has left it open, gets into the bread drawer and walks around with a loaf of bread or a sack of mini bagels, obsessed with the toilet and anyone who is on it, ready to go at a moments notice and will even go and get his shoes when he notices everyone is getting ready to leave, bites, hits, screams when he does not get his way. At the same time he loves his family, his dogs, and his bed. Everything normal for his age....and for that we are truly grateful!

Kindergarten Graduation

Today, Luke graduated from kindergarten. I thought I would be teary eyed, like the first day of school when his little body marched onto that giant school bus with such excitement, but I was not...just happy. We are so proud of this little man...who by the way chose to wear this shirt and tie...he's all about the dress up! He is so ready for first grade...more recess, hot lunches, and good friends. I heard him chatting with his buddies saying things like "right on dude" and "yeah man...so cool"...it is hard to believe that he will be 7 this fall.

Boring Pre-School comes to an end...

Ok, so for those of you that know AJ well, you are aware he had some "issues" this year at pre-school. Not so much acting out at school, but just decided that school was "boring" and did not want to go...part of the year was a struggle...as I would drop him off, Ms. Julie (his teacher) would have to pry him out of the car kicking and screaming and I would just wave and drive away thinking...good luck! He was always fine once I left and as these last days came to an end he did great. We ended the school year at Marshall Park. The highlight had to have been the fresh cedar chips that got delivered while everyone was playing!