Vacation…

 For the end of Rick’s vacation week we took off for the beach.  The lot we usually leave our trailer at was being bulldozed so we weren’t too sure how things were going to play out.  Turned out we were able to park the trailer on not have to move it again!  So on Friday we watched the huge power shovel flatten out the dirt and pick tree stumps out of the rubble.  In the picture above he is moving the fire pit ring!  I never knew what a skill it is to use one of those things!

The kids were getting restless so Aunt Cheryl and I took them down to the lake to try out some fishing.  They caught a lot – of weeds!  It was nice to get out for a bit though.  On our way there we passed “Rocky” isn’t that what all male raccoons are named?  I just think they are such beautiful little critters! 

On Saturday we spent some time down on the beach.  It was a beautiful day (for the WA/OR coast that is).  Any time you can be barefoot on the beach here is considered beautiful – even if you are wearing a winter coat in July!  The kids dug in the sand for a bit then the boys went out to play in the water (once you are numb it no longer feels cold) while Rick fished a little.

For the fourth of July we went to a genuine small town parade.  We nearly got soaked by the heavy mist while we waited for it to start but the minute it started the water stopped!  The highlight was the little local grocery store’s shopping cart drill team – what a hoot!

For the afternoon we just chilled out for a while before heading over to some friends for dinner and fireworks.  Paige watched her favorite “big girls” play games in our trailer for a while before crashing for a little nap.

The fireworks were a hit as usual.  Not quite the same adventure as last year because we didn’t actually go down on the beach.  It was too windy and cold so we opted to stay and do them in the yard.  Rick got a nasty burn when Trace unintentionally thrust a lit smoke bomb into his hand.  The “grand finale” was truly a GRAND finale as the mortar was apparently loaded upside down!  We were all scared to death and nearly deafened when the darned thing exploded in the yard rather than in the sky!  The kids couldn’t stop talking about that little bit of excitement!  All in all, another fun and memorable Fourth of July!  

What we did today…

Today we took the kids up to some local water falls.  Last year I took them by myself and we all wanted to go back with Rick.  It was a beautiful day (summer has finally arrived) and being near the water was so nice!

The boys did some exploring and lots of climbing.  They kinda freaked Rick out at first but eventually he relaxed – just in time for me to start getting panicy about Paige who was getting braver!   

Not sure who looks funnier here – Caden aka Joe Cool or Trace who looks like he’s in pain!  

Can you believe how big Trace is getting?!  Granted this picture’s angle is a bit deceptive, but still!       

Look at little miss brave!  The picture below was what started my panicing!  Out of the corner of my eye I could see her moving and my heart just lurched!  Thank goodness Rick had his hand on her and she wasn’t as close as it appears!

 

Then Rick let the boys do this!   

We all really had a good time.  It was so nice to get out and just have a fun day with no worries.  I am so blessed with such a wonderful family – there is nothing better than an afternoon spent together!

The Little Princess…

Paige attended her first birthday party this weekend.  The theme was pirates and mermaids but she opted to go as a princess.  None of the princess dresses she owns were quite right though so she instead opted for a hand-me-down flower girl dress.  With her hair in a heart on top of her head we headed out in eager anticipation.

The party turned out to be quite an ordeal!  A bounce house, bubble machine, treats and goodies galore!  They turned their upper deck into a pirate ship, had ice cream cones to hold your popcorn and enough tooling (fabric) to fill several of bolts!

A canine family friend even made a quick appearance in costume!  She was so adorable and clearly only barely tolerating the humiliation!  Probably the most fascinating part of the day though was that it all happened at a house I spent many hours babysitting in years (and years) ago!  Just down the street from my best friends house!  Oh, the memories…

Getting a baby fix

This little guy...

has been such a joy to have around! The kids have really gotten an education in newborns and they are totally amazed! I'm just loving the chance to have him so close! What a reminder of the miracle each life is.

I should also add that his big brother has been an awful lot of fun to have around too! Not nearly as quiet, or still, or easy to hold - but most definitely a joy in his two-year-old way! He makes me smile every time I see him! Such a happy little guy, he brings me back to when my boys were two.

What a great day!

Wow!  What a day we had!  This morning the kids and I started off with a 3K Fitness walk that benefited the school.  We walked there to and from my parents house also!  It was also the first day of real summer weather we’ve had around here. 

The unicycle team had their final performance of the year at the Fitness Walk.  They did a great job despite having to perform inside a space less than half of what they are used to! 

The unicyclists started the walk (Trace in the blue helmet).  Trace also rode the entire route on his unicycle!  It wasn’t an easy route either!!  Caden ran along side him and together they finished in 9th and 10th place!

I am so proud of Paige for walking the entire way!  She was hot and tired and I had a stroller but she managed to do it on her own!

The kids all got a medal for completing the walk.  I hadn’t told Paige and she was SO proud of that medal!  For the rest of the day she told everyone all about it.

After the hot walk I took the kids over to Aunt karen’s for their first swim of the year.  The water was a bit cool for me but apparently not for them!

Little Miss Legs!  Tiny as she is, those legs just keep on getting longer.

While Caden and Paige finished off the day relaxing at home, Trace was off to one final activity.  His cousins are Young Life leaders and tonight was the end of the year send of to the 8th graders and welcome to the incoming 6th graders.  The annual food fight is something looked forward to by all!  After everyone was covered in gunk the fire department arrived to hose them all off!  What a day, what a day…

I have tried to get this on video forever! Today I actually had the camera sitting on the couch next to me AND remembered it had video on it! Watching Paige dance has given Rick, the boys and I a lot of chuckles but I never seem to have the video camera around to catch it. Now we have it to show her future boyfriends! SOMETHING IS NOT WORKING WITH YOUTUBE SO JUST CLICK ON THE VIDEO AND IT WILL MAKE IT BIGGER. Ok...now the video seems to have exploded - whatever!

End of the year…

 

Before our program started we had to line everyone up in the hallway and get their “sailor” outfits on.  Because Paige goes to Preschool in our local high school there are high school “tutors” there to help.  Organized chaos!

 

Miss Paige waiting patiently in the hallway.

Completing her first year of preschool!  Paige has “graduated” to second year preschool.  She was a little shy about going up on the stage but she did it!

At the beginning of our program we showed a slide show that I had made of all the kids.  While I have seen it probably a hundred times during the making of it, it was really rewarding to finally see it with the parents and hear their reactions.  It made all that hard work more worth it!  The other teachers gave me a new journal in appreciation.  It was a bit of a sad day knowing that I probably won’t be returning to work next year.  It will be hard to go back to being “just” a parent.  I am thinking of signing up to do subbing in our district next year.  We’ll see.