farewell to summer, only two months late!

Sadly, I've let another month go by un-blogged! James started his second year of preschool in September, and we decided to cram in as much fun as possible before we were tied to a schedule again. So here's a short chronicle of our farewell to summer!

James and his teacher, Mrs. B.

First day of school! James and Aidan are t-r-o-u-b-l-e. They often get separated in class for being silly, but how great to be in the same class as your best friend!


Bleu Cheese burgers, blackberry buttermilk pie, and great company made our Labor Day BBQ a perfect send off for our beloved summer (which was tragically too short this year!).


But it gets better. How about 500 water balloons and Mom's okay to get soaked? Stacy hosted a water balloon fight for the kids in the street and they LOVED it!

The funny thing is that they didn't really throw them at each other. They mostly tossed them into the street or tried stepping or squeezing them until they popped. Not that I'm complaining.

Now you see the water balloon. . .

Now you don't. Too much fun!


But wait, you can't really say goodbye to your favorite season without a giant inflatable castle, can you? Well, we couldn't. All the boys could say was, "AWESOME!"



We let them jump for about 2 hours straight before shutting down the fun. We had a blog meeting and got SO MUCH done! It was pretty easy to set up and take down, too. Maybe this Costco special would be a wise investment in the future. Although I suspect it's toys like this that keep my husband in business. . .

Speaking of Christian, he was actually able to take a few days off to go camping near Lake Wenatchee before the snow hit. Gor-geous. We had a great campsite on the river with tons of room for the boys to run and get really dirty.


Future Boy Scout.

Our personal chef.

This is the exact moment James' love affair with Lil' Smokes began.

What happens when you're too far outside civilization for sippy cups.

James is pointing out the "dinosaur fossil" he found in the rock. He was pretty intent on coming back later with shovels and brushes to dig it out.

Hey Cody, how's James' form? He told me he wanted you to take him rock climbing when he gets a little bigger and "not so afraid."

The river water was FREEZING! (Check out the expression on Christian's face!) But of course, the boys wouldn't let it rest until they took a dip. Crazies!

Holy Underoos, Batman!

Christian took such good care of us the entire trip. I hardly lifted a finger. He set up the tent, tended the fire, cooked the food, and played with the boys. In fact, one afternoon he took the boys exploring so I could curl up with The Agony and the Ecstasy (it was crunch time, just a few days before book club!). I knew when I married him that Eagle Scout status would come in handy someday (and I am not referring to the Eagle Charge, Cree--that has proved pretty worthless).




We are actually enjoying fall here in the Pacific Northwest, but I think I still have a few more summer pics to post. So you'll just have to be patient--I'll get there!

5 + 3 = so much fun!

This week was BiRthDaY mAniA at our house!

On the 7th James turned 5. His favorite number used to be 4. Can you guess what it is now?

For his birthday dinner, James requested pancakes and "Lil' Smokies." I can't get this kid to eat a hot dog, sausage, even hamburger, but suddenly he is in love with Lil' Smokies. It must be the maturity of five. Now this tasty mini pork product has earned the title "best food ever." He said he'd eat a hundred-thousand, two million of them if I let him. And this morning he requested a hot dog for breakfast, and we let him have one (aren't we stellar parents?). I think I like five.

For his party he really wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. However, Daddy was on call that night, so we had to schedule it for the next night, which happened to be Addy's birthday. But James was extremely distraught that we couldn't go on his actual birthday, and thought it was completely "no fair" that we were going on Addy's real birthday, and asked me to explain it to him about 70 times before he finally accepted it. So for his actual birthday we hosted a Halloween birthday party with creepy decorations, treats, and games. You can see more pictures and details on my craft blog. It was a lot of spooky fun!

Can you believe my baby is 3? His birthday is the day after James'. He was so thrilled with Chuck E. Cheese's and all his presents that I think he forgot why we were celebrating. . .

No Lil' Smokies for this kid! Maybe when he's five.

The Clarks and Myrups joined us at Chuck E. Cheese's for the birthday fun. These people are truly like family to us. Who else but family would give up their night and spend a fortune on pizza and tokens to help us celebrate? The boys were so excited to have their best friends there. And the presents were a huge hit! Thank you!

Addy is keeping his eyes on the road. This driving business is very serious.

Not so much for James. . .

What Halloween/Transformers/Chuck E. Cheese birthday party would be complete without a smiling pirate cake? Yes, please be impressed, I did make this cake on my own. Well, sort of on my own. I watched a video tutorial first. But it was so fun!

I love my boys SO much! They make me laugh every day. They are such good buddies, too. I love to hear them laughing, tackling, playing Leapster, and running around like crazies together.

This picture was taken while James was in "time out" for throwing something at Addy. Within minutes Addy was doing the time with him, and they were giggling like nothing happened. . .

James is inquisitive and extremely insightful. He wants to know the details of every intricate part of life--from whether or not we still have birthdays after we're resurrected, to how the lungs get air in them (and no, telling him that your diaphragm forces them to take in air is not detailed enough--Christian said the answer he was looking for was "negative pressure", something I'm sure I know nothing about). He understands life on a much deeper level than I'm sure most five-year-olds do. He amazes me every day.


Addy is truly a free spirit. He lives in his own little world. That explains why I sometimes have to ask him a question ten times, and then get right in his face to get him to recognize I'm speaking to him. He's also on his way to being an Olympic gymnast. He jumps--no hurls his body--onto and off of everything in his path. The kid has no fear. He's also sweet and sensitive. He loves to stroke my hair and give me compliments. My favorite has to be, "I like your eyebrows." I actually had a boy tell me that in high school, too. But I like hearing it from this boy much more.


I don't usually bring my religion into my posts because I'm kind of a private person, but I know without a doubt that these little boys were sent to me from my Heavenly Father for me to love, nurture, and teach, so that they may grow to be exemplary, worthy men of God with burning testimonies of their Savior and his gospel. That is an enormous weight to bear, but I am so thankful for the opportunity. I am learning so much and increasing my own testimony from their sweet, innocent spirits. They bring complete joy and happiness to Christian and I, and we wouldn't trade the spilled milk, stickers on the furniture, toys in the toilet, meltdowns in the WalMart check-out line, screaming matches, or explosive diarrhea for anything. Happy birthday, "my two boys!"

comparisons

Yesterday James and I were discussing the difference between "bigger" and "older" since we often use the phrase "big brother." For example, Uncle Boy is "bigger" than Daddy, but Daddy is "older" than Uncle Boy. I could tell James understood when he made this comment:

J: "Oh yeah, because Uncle Boy is fatter than Daddy."

Me: "Uncle Boy's not fat--he just has big muscles."

J: "Well, but his muscles make him look kinda chunky."

Sorry, Uncle Boy. I guess James just likes to call it like he sees it. Kind of like when he told Grandpa Layne that he had yellow teeth.

On a similar note, Addy is starting to be very conscious of body parts lately. He is also learning how to compare:

A: (Pointing at my chest) "You have water balloons in there, Mama?"

Me: (Cracking up) "Uh, no."

A: "Oh. Mine are tiny, but yours are HUGE!"

I'd like to think Addy is just calling it like he sees it, too, but I know better.

you're nearly there - here's august 2008

Brudders at Jetty Island again. . .

***

The evening we returned from our summer trip to Utah, we were greeted to our cute friend Heidi Kershaw, who was staying in our home while she was in town for a few days. She had heard about a Hiroshima Celebration being held in Seattle, as it was the anniversary of the a-bomb being dropped there, and invited us to go with her. Since Christian served in the Hiroshima mission, we were so glad she suggested it.

We were invited to put together our own lanterns, which would be floated on Greenlake at dusk.

Heidi--come back! We miss your smoothies!

Ready to float our lanterns. (My pictures got pretty fuzzy as the sun went down.)

Sending our lanterns off. . .

We enjoyed some traditional Japanese music (this is for you, Dad--you're probably the only one who will appreciate it like I did!). I thought it was so cool! We also heard some Japanese monk chants and other traditional instruments. This was an amazing experience to share with our children, even though they may not have understood much.

***

I LOVE having a bike! We biked a lot this summer, especially when I wanted an excuse to cross-train (i.e. get out of running). I took the boys by myself a couple of times. This time was on a rural trail in Snohomish. We stopped to have lunch along the trail. It was so gorgeous!

***

We had a lot of rain this August, which was so depressing! Summer here is short enough as it is! But we couldn't stay inside and waste at least the warmth. Instead, we headed to the Woodland Park Zoo with Carly, Cole, & Sam. It was almost empty, which made it so easy to get close to all the animals. The jaguar, James' favorite animal (or so he told his swimming teacher).

Da-Bears!


We loved watching the gorillas! Notice how like a human this gorilla mother is watching her toddler on a "playground."

Otters are so fun to watch!

Posing on a Komodo dragon. Could not get them to all look at me at the same time.


***

This is just a random video showcasing the boys' complete goofiness. This is their favorite song.

***

This last trip to Jetty Island was different from any other time we've been. We decided to go in the evening for a BBQ on the beach! Christian ended up being stuck at a conference, but the Myrups took pity on us and let me catch a ride with their family. They are so good to us--we love you guys!

A team effort. . .


The savages of Jetty Island

"Too sunny, Mom!"

Grill-Master Kevin

Addy & Jake

James


The Myrups


Goodbye Jetty Island! Goodbye Summer! Come again soon!