Maple Valley Moments

So Long, Maple Valley

2010-08-19T05:37:00.001-07:00

Our moments in Maple Valley have come to an end. We enjoyed six wonderful years in the 'yellow house' and it was hard to say goodbye. We are thankful for great memories with dear friends and our precious family. It is especially hard for me because this is the place where the boys began their lives. Even though Luke was born in Oregon, we moved in when he was a newborn. This was their home. But, the adventures continue and we are slowly adjusting to east coast living. You can follow us once again at our new blog: fivebeesinthetriangle.blogspot.com

Eli's Baptism

2010-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, Steve and I were struggling with the decision to have a third child. He met with Pastor Mark for breakfast at the local greasy spoon (Gloria's). We're sure glad they had that talk! We jokingly refer to Pastor Mark as being partly responsible for Eli.
Another family had their precious little boys baptized, as well. Sergei and Ivan were recently adopted from Russia. Very, very cute!

The big brothers behaved so well.

Eli was totally mellow, never made a peep. Right after lunch, I was changing his diaper and noticed a mysterious rash on his lower leg. I googled it and found it to be a rash worthy of a trip to urgent care. My parents stayed with the boys and Steve and I raced to the Pediatrician. I thought it looked like purpura, which is indicative of an infection. But his CBC was normal and he appears otherwise healthy. We were sent home. Whew! I was not looking forward to spending the night at Children's Hospital. Mr. Mellow ended up having a very memorable baptism.

Day Out With Thomas

2010-07-18T21:23:00.001-07:00

We took the boys to see Thomas the Train in Snoqualmie today. I thought it didn't quite live up to the hype, but they seemed to have a good time. I imagined a little more quality time with our favorite little blue train, but he was being a Very Useful Engine, hauling people back and forth all day. Which is why I didn't take his picture.
The boys thought the store packed full of train stuff was totally awesome. We managed to get out with only two small trains.

Eli was awesome once again! He naps wherever, whenever and never cried about being dragged all over creation. He fell asleep right after I took his picture and slept through the whole ride.

Our window was wide open and the boys enjoyed the view. The tracks aren't used much anymore so the blackberry bushes are sort of taking over. Andy wanted to ride with his head hanging out the window but the conductor told him he couldn't. Just when he pulled his head back inside, the bushes poked through the window.

This was the view from Steve and Eli's seat. I was glad I wasn't part of the crew that built the railroad tracks on the side of the mountain. Good grief. It went straight down. I noticed the moms and dads who weren't fond of heights scooted back from the windows. Yikes!

A local musician named Eric Ode was performing. He handed out "shakers" and the boys danced for a few minutes. I always wanted to hear him sing and today was my lucky day. He also sang the Itsy, Bitsy Spider, which is currently our family's favorite tune.

We (Were) Feelin' Hot! Hot! Hot!

2010-07-12T08:45:00.001-07:00

Summer blasted us with record high temperatures last week. In an effort to keep cool, the boys spent several evenings having water fights with Steve. No, those aren't pesticides, either. We've found these containers to be a little more resilient than the average water gun...and a lot more fun, too.
The ice cream truck conveniently rolls through the neighborhood every afternoon, just before dinner. Occasionally I succumb to the begging and pleading (or the peer pressure of our neighbors) and buy Andy the largest rocket-shaped popsicle ever created.

Luke says the sno-cone is his new favorite

Say, "FD & C red dye # 5!"

Yum!

Eli makes this face whenever the camera comes out. A bit of a ham, perhaps?

Let's Talk About Me

2010-07-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I recently celebrated the fourth anniversary of my 30th birthday. My wish list was short, but 'funny cake' from Grandma Nancy's kitchen was my first request...
...wouldn't be a birthday without counting my blessings so let's start with this little guy. Although his prodigious noggin confounds the physician, it just makes me smile. We are so glad Eli is part of our lives. He truly completes the family and we are grateful.

The story of my life: 3 pairs of extra hands involved in every activity. The second item on my list was a Kindle. I am a gadget girl at heart and have drooled over Dad's since Christmas.

Although some might call this a 'blooper' it couldn't be a more accurate snapshot of us:

Steve and I smiling for the camera while wrangling our posse, Luke is distracted by his new Lego catalog off-camera, Eli is as mellow as can be and Andy is laughing with delight.

Finally! An excellent picture of Papa holding Eli. Hooray! I've waited and waited to add this shot to my collection.
Thanks, family! It was a fun day. I am so blessed.

Bikes and Bubbles

2010-06-25T20:54:00.001-07:00

Preparing for a little practice riding sans training wheels. Our neighbor zipped by without her training wheels this afternoon. I think it annoyed Luke a little bit that a girl was "ahead" of him. But he took it all in stride and happily went for a spin. I ran alongside, awkwardly supporting his seat and yelling encouragement. I am definitely a mom.
Andy wanted all of his safety equipment on for 3.5 seconds to pose for a picture. Then he wanted me to take it all off again. This child is so "me" it's almost scary. He adores this jeep, by the way.

Quite possibly the best hand-me-down toy we ever received.

I tried to get Andy to ride Luke's other bike with the training wheels. He refused to pedal. When he sits on his tiny little trike, he won't pedal either. He scoots around with his feet.

We are totally exhausted by Friday afternoon. I'm so glad the bikes and the giant bubbles kept them entertained.

Trying to capture a giant bubble on the wand.
Can't believe we are still wearing sweatpants on the 25th of June.

One Week Down...How Many Left?

2010-06-23T07:58:00.001-07:00

We have successfully completed our first week of summer vacation. The rain finally stopped and we were able to get outside. We spent most of Friday morning at our favorite park.

I've often wondered if I should capitalize on Luke's love of learning by implementing some informal "lessons" this summer. Nothing fancy, nothing official, just the basics. Well, the boys took matters into their own hands at the park. They love taking their hot wheels cars to the top of the twisty slide. This often leads to a confrontation as one boy climbs up and one boy climbs down. I'm glad I was standing there because suddenly there was a gasp and Andy was falling off the top of the slide. Luke grabbed his foot and I caught the rest of him before he hit the ground. An excellent lesson in basic physics, I suppose.

Steve took the boys to our local fire station for an "open house" on Saturday. They loved it! Luke got to dress up and use the fire hose. They also learned how to safely exit a house when there is smoke in your room. I stayed home with Eli, but I hear the whole event was a big hit.

We went to Eatonville to visit Papa Dave and Grandma Nancy for Father's Day. I have taken a picture of Steve with the boys every Father's Day out on the deck. However, it was pouring buckets so we opted for the couch. Andy is proudly displaying his craft project from Sunday school. Eli is in the way, but Steve is wearing his paper tie that Luke made for him at school.

Last Day of School

2010-06-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

Luke's good friend Cooper hosted a last day of Kindergarten celebration. It was supposed to be a pool party, but the pouring rain forced the party into the garage. Including younger siblings, I think there were 8 boys and one very brave girl.

Thanks for the delicious cupcake!

C'mon! Give me some candy! Andy didn't want to take a turn smacking the pinata until somebody broke it open and he realized it was raining candy. He was all over that.

Relaxing after a long walk with Dad and a very fun last day of school. He had a great year in kindergarten, we are so proud of him.

It's All About the Tricks

2010-06-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

"Watch this, Mom! Look me! Watch! Watch!" That's the theme at our house these days. I'm always interested to see what they are up to. This tower of cups is a funny story. Luke came home from school last week and told me he had learned about stacking cups in PE. I vaguely recalled a story about the world's fastest 5 year old cup stacker on You Tube but didn't really think it was the same thing. So he slowly and deliberately got out all of our colorful cups and began building a pyramid on the kitchen counter. Suddenly my life flashed before my eyes and I saw myself sitting in a gymnasium for hours on end, watching kids stack cups like maniacs. Yawn. On the other hand, aren't gymnasiums warm and dry? Free from the unpleasant elements of rain, wind, sleet and hail? With this epiphany in mind, I nearly jumped in my mini van and raced to accumulate all the necessary supplies to become proficient in 'speed stacking'. But, alas, the novelty wore off by dinner and he didn't mention it again. Andy, on the other hand, patiently waited for Luke to leave for school the next day, then climbed up on the counter, asked for the cups and wanted to build a pyramid. Hence, the photo with the proud smile.

If not a speedy stacker of cups, perhaps a rabbi? Just kidding. This was the trick of the day.

Six months and one week of Eli. Doesn't this smile just melt your heart? He's going to get away with A LOT of mischief. I can just see it coming.

Meanwhile, Jake has managed to survive the arrival of a third boy. He even gives him affectionate licks from time to time. Eli is captivated by this large, fury, jingle jangle that wanders around from time to time.

The biggest highlight of the week, of which there aren't any photos because he wouldn't have had time to take them...Steve took the boys to our annual community celebration: Maple Valley Days. They left at 8:30am to get a "spot" for the parade and I didn't see them again until close to 4 in the afternoon. They had a blast. Steve deserves a medal.
Summer officially starts for us on Tuesday at 11:56am when Luke kisses Kindergarten good-bye. Yikes!

Birthdays, Cousins and Cake! Oh, My!

2010-06-06T21:06:00.001-07:00

Eli is 6 months old today, we can't hardly believe it. He is so easy to have around. His little belly laugh is just delightful.
Papa Dave and almost all of his grandchildren

We celebrated two birthdays today. We're efficient like that.

Allie and her assistant, Andy

The rain let up for a little bit so everybody went outside to practice t-ball, softball and shooting Sprite cans with the BB gun. Even though the weather was crummy (again), we were not discouraged. It was nice to be together. The kiddos are all growing up so fast. They keep us laughing with the clever things they say.

Happy Birthday, Heather and Papa!

Our Island Adventure

2010-05-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

We decided to get out of town for the long weekend. I found a brand new, beautiful house overlooking the water that just happened to be available. Camano Island is an easy 2 hour drive, which is about all we can stand with 3 little boys in the car. This gigantic star fish is one of the many the boys discovered at the State Park.
Western Washington is having a miserably soggy May, but we would not be discouraged from getting out and about. The boys were good sports about putting on their rain gear and heading out for the afternoon with Steve. We just could not get over these amazing star fish!

Luke wanted to try a group photo. Andy is inside the house asleep. Honest.

My pictures are out of sequence and I'm too tired to fix it, but we stopped at the Children's museum on the way to the island. I usually take the boys here once a year. I wanted Steve to see it, too. We were able to connect with one of my college roommates who lives nearby. It wasn't quite as easy to visit as it used to be, with 3 adults chasing after 5 little kids, but still fun to see her and catch up a little bit.

Andy was in awe of the train exhibit. He spent almost his entire visit playing with the trains. I literally dragged him out, kicking and screaming, when it was time for lunch. They would've stayed all day, but Eli didn't have any place to nap and 3 hours without sleeping was about all he could take.

Although I wish the weather wasn't so nasty, I am glad we chose to go on our trip, anyway. We played lots of board games (hooray for Battleship!), read books and watched our favorite shows. The house was amazing and the scenery enjoyable. A great start to our summer.

Little Mister Goes Vertical

2010-05-24T07:45:00.001-07:00

In keeping with his role as the third child, Eli spends a lot of time on his backside. The floor gym, the car seat, the stroller, naps in the swing, sleeping in his crib. Given the size of his noggin, he doesn't look like he'll be sitting up any time soon. Unfortunately, the back of his head is looking a little...odd. A baby in a helmet is about the last thing I need this summer, so I am on a quest to get that boy off his backside and hopefully re-shape that luscious melon.

Thanks to my latest acquisition from Craigslist (a nearly new Jumperoo), Eli has now gone vertical. He is in awe of his surroundings. At first he just sat there quietly and stared. Sucked on his fingers. Stared some more. I think it must be hard work holding up that giant head because he starts to cry pretty quickly. So much fun, this little guy.

Girl Time

2010-05-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Heather hosted a table at Graham Emmanuel Baptist's annual Friendship Tea. What a treat! Every year, the ladies outdo themselves. Just when I think it can't get any better, they step it up a notch. I sat with Heather, Mom and several other wonderful ladies. The food was fantastic, the conversation enjoyable and we were blessed to hear from a fabulous speaker. The theme was "Seasons of Life" and a lovely 87 year old woman told how her walk with the Lord was evident in every season of her life. I'm amazed the life experience a woman can share if we just give her a chance to talk. She lived through the Depression, sent her husband off to war, weathered the failure of her marriage, parented as a single mom, remarried and is now enjoying "the golden years" with her husband and extended family. I'm sure she felt like her story was quite ordinary, but I thought we were inspired and encouraged by her words. A delightful lady and a lovely afternoon with two of my favorite 'girls'.

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-09T20:56:00.001-07:00

Finally! A sunny day on the t-ball field. Most practices were cancelled in April due to all the rain. Andy detests practice; he whines and complains the entire time. But, come Saturday morning he seems to enjoy playing in the game. I sat right near third base yesterday and he paused to make a face at me. Every time he got to third base, he would ask me if he was done and where was the mommy with the snacks. He cracks me up.
Steve took the boys camping on Saturday night at a near by state park. Oh, they love it. As soon as he announced where they were going, there was much leaping and dancing with delight. They kept squealing about "fire" and staying in the yurt. (It's an enclosed, heated structure that resembles a teepee). Apparently these millipedes were quite fascinating. They befriended another family with young boys who were camping near by. Luke's only complaint was that they didn't stay longer. Eli and I stayed at home this time, but maybe we'll catch the next camping adventure.

We all gathered at Grandma and Papa's for Mother's day lunch. The weather was beautiful, the kiddos were well-behaved. The cousins sure enjoy one another's company. They rode the riding mower, took turns shooting at cans with the BB gun and helped Papa plant a few things in the garden. What a fantastic day. We are so blessed to have such fantastic children in our lives.

All Boy, All the Time

2010-05-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Luke and Andy have decided that perhaps they are worthy of one another's company. Much yelling and chasing ensues as they invent little games to play together. At least they are having fun. God sure has a sense of humor: I don't like loud noise, chaos or dirt. So he sent me all boys and boatloads of the 3 things I dislike the most. Ha, ha. It is funny to hear them laughing like little hienas. I know, I know...someday I'll have a clean, quiet house and I'll long for the preschool years again.

In an uncharacteristically mellow mood, Luke decided to hang out with Eli while he was waiting his turn in the tub tonight. Eli seems a little perturbed that we broke out the camera. He was probably hoping it was time for rice cereal and pureed pears.

This was yesterday, I think. Enjoying his first "meal" of rice cereal and Gerber bananas. He was so happy to see that spoon comin'. He kicked his feet with glee and opened right up. I had to switch to a booster seat today because he was bouncing so hard in this chair and making it nearly impossible to feed him.
I can't believe we've hit five months already. Yikes!

The Waiting Game

2010-04-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Eli, spitting up for the camera
Amy Lynn, turning the big SEVEN

Just chugging along

Still more Legos occupying every flat surface in our home

Steve is on the hunt for a new job. His current position will be eliminated this summer as toothbrush manufacturing moves overseas. I'm thankful that he has interviews and opportunities, but the uncertainty is getting under my skin. We waited a week to hear any updates on the most recent interview, only to get a big, fat "no thank you". However, as that door closed, another opened and he has a whole new set of interviews lined up for May. So, while we play the waiting game, the boys and I are just trying to keep ourselves occupied.

They have no idea their world could be turned upside down (and maybe packed into boxes) in a matter of days or weeks. Perhaps I should adopt their 'ignorance is bliss' perspective. I'll just sit around building things out of Legos, racing matchbox cars and asking lots of questions. Someone else can worry about potentially selling the house, cleaning out the closets, moving with a dog and 3 kids.

Sometimes, I think adulthood is overrated.

A Little More Birthday Fun

2010-04-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

The boys don't play well together very often, but Luke has really impressed us with his ability to share his new presents with Andy. I don't think Luke has even had a chance to touch this car yet.
Thanks for the awesome card! We finally had Luke's party with his friends.

Eli spent most of Saturday in his car seat, between the birthday party and the beginning of t-ball. He transitioned to all formula, all the time this week and he is much a happier, more flexible baby. This makes for a much happier, more flexible mama, as well.

I missed Andy's first t-ball game due to the birthday party, but Steve said he did well. He was fascinated with his uniform shirt because he has a number 2 on the back. He was pretty excited about the post-game refreshments, too.

I did the thing I said I wouldn't do this weekend: totally overscheduled my children. It was exhausting and fun, but I hope it doesn't become a frequent occurence.

An Uninvited Guest

2010-04-06T10:35:00.001-07:00

We went to Grandma and Papa's for Easter. Grandma was kind enough to make a cake for Luke.
Emily and Andy, hunting for eggs

Luke and Allie, busy collecting eggs

So we had an unexpected and much despised guest over the weekend: the stomach flu! Andy and I didn't feel well on Saturday, but I really thought it was related to something we ate.

Boy, was I wrong.

We unknowingly exposed the whole family on Easter Sunday. Sorry, kids.

These pictures were taken when everyone was still feeling well. The weather was miserable but everyone persevered in the gusts of wind to find their eggs. The rain held off until evening.

I didn't take any pictures of Eli on his first Easter because he decided to scream all afternoon.

We all took turns holding and rocking him. He never got sick, but he certainly was miserable.
We had to cancel Luke's birthday party with his school friends. That's back on the calendar for a later date. Poor fella. He was so sick yesterday that he didn't even care.

Hopefully we are all on the mend.

The Birthday Boy

2010-04-03T15:03:00.001-07:00

Luke's new favorite Lego creation and the bane of our existence. They spent several hours working on this, but pieces keep falling off and aggravating the Lego engineers that live here.
A chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, adorned with Lego guys...he didn't want any cake. Glad I didn't invest much time and effort in the preparation. Luke is definitely not someone who is impressed by culinary skills or fancy meals. Good to know.

Not only was it his 6th birthday, but also his first day of spring break. Except for Steve, who had to work, we all spent the day in our pajamas and Luke spent plenty of time playing the Wii.

He wanted to stage a photo shoot with his new Lego guys. Since I write this blog, I have limited Lego guy photo submissions to one.

Happy birthday, Lukester!

Week 16 and Other Good Times

2010-03-30T14:13:00.001-07:00

This picture is so telling: Andy clowning around and Luke snuggling up to Eli. Luke is totally smitten with Eli, tells me 10 times a day how much he loves him. I try to imagine the kind of adventures these 3 will have together someday...
Week 16: a cooing, smiling, drooling bundle of boy

Andy's latest obsession: Costco strawberries

We went to visit Auntie Heather and Uncle Scott on Saturday. Andy was permitted to put his paws on Aaron's Lego creation for a few minutes.

Steve's idea of a good time: the new 2010 Mustang!

Our friend works for Ford and was able to bring this baby home for the weekend. He was kind enough to take Steve for a ride and pose for a photo op.

Is it Spring or Not?

2010-03-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

He's at a great age for the park: can climb and slide without help, eager to try new things, entertains himself by taking his hot wheels cars down the slide with him. There's a lot joy in being Andy.
Fueling his water addiction

This is Eli's first big trip to the park. He was a good sport about hanging out in his stroller for 2 hours. The weather was perfect!

Luke's idea of a great day: no school and a trip to his favorite park

It's Business as Usual Around Here

2010-03-16T07:49:00.001-07:00

This is week 14 for Mr. Eli...his major achievements are frequent smiles and cooing to get someone's attention. It would be nice if he would work on his night time sleep-still waking up once or twice. We are definitely ready to put the newborn phase behind us.
Surprise. Another picture of Andy holding a car. He loves these automobloxs Aunt Holly and Uncle Stowe sent for Christmas. He takes them apart, mixes the pieces up and builds a hybrid. He also likes to take the rubber off the wheels and stuff them down the heater vent. I've spent more time than I would care to admit fishing little rubber circles out of the vents in the family room. Yesterday we went outside in the balmy 60 degree sunshine and found our neighbor and his 5 year old shoveling gravel out of his truck to make a dog run in his yard. He let Luke and Andy climb in the back and "help". Luke and the other little boy found other things to do, but Andy was in heaven. He got out the diggers and the dump trucks and moved the gravel all around the truck. I was going to take a picture, but I was a little embarrassed that he was still in his pajamas at 4pm.
Sorry, no picture of the eldest. He is presently shunning the camera and stressing out about St. Patrick's Day. I tried to tell him he's irish and he should just embrace it. He will have none of it. I think a little girl in his class told him she was going to pinch him. We explained numerous times that if you just wear green, no one will pinch you. He is not at all convinced. I'm probably going to have to bribe him to get him on the school bus tomorrow.

Nope, Just a Giant Noggin

2010-03-05T10:44:00.001-08:00

Eli and I spent most of Monday at Mary Bridge children's hospital getting an MRI of his head. I always get a little stressed navigating outside my usual territory. I'm not that familiar with Tacoma, finding parking, getting inside the hospital. Who designs the layouts of hospitals, anyway? As I was leaving, I decided I should be thankful I felt lost most of the day. I sat next to a woman whose 8 week old baby was having his 4th MRI. I'm glad the children's hospital is a foreign land for me. That means we have (mostly) healthy children. The results came back quickly and everything is 'unremarkable'. I guess that's doctor-speak for normal. As we suspected, it's just a giant noggin.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Andy continues to entertain us with his antics. Typical middle child, he's always good for a laugh.

I came downstairs this morning to find Luke fully engrossed in his new Star Wars books at 6:20am. Although I'm not a fan of SW at all, I'm glad we are raising the next generation of book worms.

Eli and the Luscious Melon

2010-02-22T07:56:00.001-08:00

It has been just one thing after another around here lately. I'm not sure if it's the added responsibility of having an infant in the house, or just a phase of life, but as soon as one issue is resolved, another comes up. Luke has struggled with sleeping through the night for months and months. I think I've consistently whined about this issue, but we finally exhausted all of our creative resources for getting him back to sleep. We decided to visit a sleep specialist. After blood work and a sleep study, the diagnosis is extremely low iron stores, which causes frequent leg movement and lots of night waking. While we are grateful that he doesn't have apnea, we are now facing many months of daily supplements in an effort to raise his iron levels.

Given our track record of late, it was no surprise to me that Eli's pediatric appointment would result in yet another health issue. The pediatrician came in the room, took one look at the growth chart and did a double take regarding the size of Eli's head. Not only is it gynormous, but he has shot to the top of the growth chart since our last appointment in January. That is tremendous growth in a very short amount of time. He needs an MRI to evaluate the fluid levels in his brain. Perhaps there is a blockage preventing fluid from circulating properly, which would cause some swelling. The treatment for this is a shunt. Ugh.

It's my personal opinion, carefully dressed in denial, I'm sure, that he comes from a long line of giant noggins and everything will be just fine. However, every time he cries a little more than he should, I can't help but wonder if he's in pain. Does it hurt when your head grows that quickly? Are there symptoms we should be aware of that aren't readily apparent? These are the things we're pondering this week, while bribing Luke to take his iron supplements.

Poor Choices, Close Calls, Counting Our Blessings

2010-02-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Andrew and his new favorite car. Yes, I know he still has a binky.
This picture warms my heart. Luke is such a sweetie to Eli. What's especially funny is that Eli looks exactly like Luke did at 2 months old. Genetics are amazing.

9 weeks old and quite pleased with his new floor gym

Last Friday was a doozy. Luke has struggled with sleep issues for several months. Steve and I are at the end of our rope in terms of what to do to help him sleep. We just cannot deal with any more sleep deprivation, especially since Eli is sleeping well at night. It really stinks to be up with 2 kids at 2am. So, we went to see a pediatric sleep specialist. In my foggy, sleep-deprived state, I didn't really consider the ramifications of taking the whole family. Thankfully, Steve went with me. Needless to say, it was a very long morning, complete with poor behavior, a behind-schedule physician and topped off with a blood draw for Luke.
I was never so happy to get home and get everybody out of the car.

We were driving each other nuts by late afternoon and the boys were begging to go outside. We bundled the baby into the stroller and headed out the door. At the last minute, Luke asked if he could walk Jake, our 80 pound black lab.

Have I mentioned I exist in a foggy, sleep-deprived state?
I said, "sure".

Luke and the dog were actually doing very well. We got about halfway around our block and dogs started barking from behind fences and Luke got flustered. I saw a very large dog sitting in his own front yard and his owner was brushing him. As we got a little closer, I decided to take the leash back from Luke. I now have our dog on a leash, a baby in a stroller and two little boys trailing behind.

What was I thinking?!

In an instant, that very large dog was upon us. He went straight for Jake's neck. Jake tried to get away and the owner and another neighbor pulled the gynormous Akita dog off before he could attack again. In the commotion, the dogs knocked the stroller over and Eli's head hit the sidewalk. I became one hysterical mama, which terrified the boys. Suddenly everyone was crying and the dog owner was terribly distraught. We were actually in someone else's driveway and the family came out to help. The woman was a familiar face and really helped calm everybody (me) down. The children that lived there are classmates of Luke's, so they started a game of tag on the lawn. We checked Eli out and he immediately stopped crying and started trying to smile at everybody. He had a small bump on his forehead but that was all. The dog's owner offered to pay for any damages, which I appreciated. After he went back in the house, I found out the dog is a repeat offender and has already bitten two children.

While I am the first to admit that I made a poor choice and we should have left the dog at home, this was a bad situation that could have been extremely traumatic. I know what it is to care about your dog, but there comes a time when a dog can't be trusted and needs to be kept away from children and other dogs. Several other neighbors have come forward and mentioned an unfortunate encounter with this same dog. As much as I dislike conflict, I know we need to take action and more than likely have this dog removed from the neighborhood. Part of me wants to wait until we get reimbursed for Jake's vet bill (almost $700 for emergency surgery).

As the weekend went on and I shared our experience with friends and family, I just felt very grateful that we weren't severely injured. I'm thankful for neighbors who help out, even if we don't know each other as well as we should. There are many blessings to count.

Family of Five

2010-02-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

Eli
The whole family

Eli

Andy (aka the little ham)

Mr. Handsome

In a rare moment of spontaneity, I decided to get our pictures taken on Saturday morning. It went surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that we have a large number of pictures now in our possession. Even Eli decided to break out the smile. Luke and Andy decided to show off, so we have a number of shots that probably won't make it into a frame. Afterward, we celebrated with lunch out and new shoes for the boys.

That's all for now. I have to go and wallpaper the house with pictures.

Monkey Business

2010-01-24T21:20:00.001-08:00

This is week 7 with the little mister. These jammies are just about the cutest thing ever. One of my grandmothers gave us these and I quickly slipped them on for his Sunday evening photo shoot. He is growing so fast, I'm afraid they won't fit very long. He doesn't have many interesting tricks yet: starting to coo and smile a little bit. He puts up with his brothers poking and prodding, getting in his face and making obnoxious noises. He really has no idea what he's in for once they figure out how to get their paws on him. Speaking of the brothers, they have developed a few skills this week. Luke started reading short little books this week, dazzling us with his literary talents. Very exciting! Meanwhile, Andy decided he might actually like to sit on the potty if it involved getting his parents' undivided attention. No significant achievements in that arena, but at least he didn't run screaming in the opposite direction. I just plunked down his preschool registration fee for the fall, so it looks like he might need to get with the potty training program.

Six Weeks

2010-01-17T21:18:00.001-08:00

Little Mister is six weeks old today. The lack of sleep is catching up with us, yet he is rewarding us with genuine eye contact and the tiniest hint of a smile. He actually sleeps for 5 hours at a time, but tends to do all of that in the early and late evening. He saves the multiple wake ups for the early morning hours. Just to make life extra fun, Luke has decided to stop sleeping through the night. This little speed bump in his development has earned him a trip to the pediatric sleep specialist this week. We are desperate for some answers as he seems to be rather sleep deprived and we are tired of seeing his cute little face numerous times each night. Andy, on the other hand, sleeps like a champ. One out of three isn't bad, I suppose.

Just like that, he's 4 weeks old

2010-01-05T09:56:00.001-08:00

Month One with Little Mister has gone by in a blur. He is doing very well, eating and sleeping in a manageable routine. Steve went back to work yesterday and Luke back to school today, so we are adjusting to the new normal. It's pouring down rain, so the big boys are having a hard time staying out of trouble in the afternoons. Most of the time, they are both quite helpful.

Sledding With the Cousins

2010-01-02T13:09:00.001-08:00

Steve took the boys sledding with their cousins. I stayed home with the baby.
Luke all decked out in his snow gear, towing his new sled. Em is supervising...

This is Andy under all those layers. Poor kid suffered a spill and got a face full of slush. He actually got a little bit of frost bite on his cheeks. Brings back fond memories of my childhood...

Heather and Amy

Allie and a friend from their neighborhood

Christmas Day

2009-12-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

The boys saw a commercial for pillow pets several weeks ago and immediately put them at the top of their wish list. This is Andy with the much-coveted lady bug. Luke received a crocodile that he doesn't pay any attention to. Go figure.
Other than eating, this is pretty much how Elias spent his first Christmas. Must be nice.

Luke's new most favorite possessions: his Lego Yoda and Lego Luke Skywalker. Our family of Lego figures has expanded once again.

Showing off our new wildcat airplanes from Grandpa Don.

Big Brothers

2009-12-23T16:44:00.001-08:00

Can I hold him? Please, please, can I hold him?
So proud

Breaking in the new sleds with dad at Snoqualmie

What Is Going On?

2009-12-21T15:12:00.000-08:00

He doesn't have his eyes open very much, so we must have caught him at just the right moment. Maybe he was blinded by the light of the camera flash, I'm not sure. It still makes for a good laugh.

Day 9: First Bath

2009-12-16T15:06:00.001-08:00

Little Mister was not at all concerned with matters of personal hygiene. We tried to tell him that if he insisted on peeing all over the place when we took his diaper off, he would simply have to take a bath. He still screamed the whole time. The brothers were very concerned. Andy sat on the floor next to the tub and didn't say a word. Thankfully, the fuzzy yellow ducky towel made everything better.

J is for Jaundice

2009-12-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

Mom helped me take Little Mister to his first pediatric appointment. He was 3 days old. I started undressing him for his weight check and realized he was quite yellow. I was so bummed. We have visited this pediatrician for almost 6 years and I am finally starting to appreciate him. He was very calm and did not freak out at all. He sent us home with instructions to feed him every two hours and offer a supplement, as well. We had to go and have his blood drawn, though, which was tough to watch. Grandma held him so I didn't have to. His numbers weren't too bad, so we probably aren't going to do any of the lights or blankets that sometimes goes with jaundice. With a lot of hard work and very little sleep, he gained an ounce in 24 hours. That seems like nothing, but as long as he gained, I guess we are in good shape. We don't have to go back until he is 10 days old.

The Little Brother Has Arrived

2009-12-09T20:38:00.001-08:00

Our little fella was born over the weekend
The brothers are quite proud

He loves to be swaddled

We are having record cold temperatures here, but our decorations have survived

Battling a little jaundice today

REI sells what?

2009-12-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Steve and the boys went to REI today. Steve had a gift card that was burning a hole in his pocket and I wanted them out of the house so I could eradicate all manner of dirt from the premises. Steve wasn't in the store 2 minutes and Luke spotted a Lego head lamp. The last place on earth you would expect to find a Lego and the salesperson steps up with a Lego head lamp.

And she only had one. Steve almost had Luke talked out of getting it since there weren't two available when Andy decided he would prefer an airplane, anyway. Whew! Crisis averted.

Luke had the best time "hiking through the forest" with his head lamp. This mostly involved strolling through the house and looking under the couch or the stove while wearing his head lamp. He turned to me in all seriousness and said, "Mom, when Andy wakes up from his nap can me, Dad and Andy go and find a forest?" Although I admired his desire to go outdoors and explore, I had to remind him that it was about 38 degrees outside and they probably should wait for another day to visit the forest. Sometimes, he just cracks me up. I bet this photo will come in handy for all manner of blackmail one day...not that I would do that, of course.

A Little Turkey, A Little Birthday

2009-11-26T22:21:00.001-08:00

We decided to celebrate several birthdays all at once: Steve, Emily and Mom. Steve picked chocolate cake and Emily appointed herself the official lighter of candles.
The annual LaRue family photo. My, those kiddos are growing up!

Our first family picture of the year with all 4 people in relatively good moods.

Patiently waiting for some grub.

We had another enjoyable Thanksgiving in Eatonville. Steve and I are usually in North Carolina, celebrating with his family. I am due in 2 weeks and was not able to fly, so we decided to stay close to home. It was much different than we are used to, but a very nice, relaxing day. Gobble, gobble!

The Boyz Must Bounce!

2009-11-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

Due to parent-teacher conferences and the joys of being a half-day kindergartener, Luke is out of school for a whole week. Ugh. This is one very pregnant mama and I struggled to think of things to do on these soggy, November days. I have mentioned the benefits of indoor inflatable bouncy places before. I found another one that we hadn't seen before, just a few miles from Steve's office. We had a great morning, bouncing around and getting all of our wiggles out. The boys declared it a big hit and climbed back in the car, totally exhausted. Mission accomplished!

A Blast of a Baby Shower

2009-11-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

Some dear friends of mine came together and threw a baby shower for me last week. I have known these women since Luke was just a little guy. Even though that's only 5 years, it is amazing how motherhood draws ladies together. The restaurant was totally swamped, so we had tons of time to hang out and talk. We don't get a lot of kid-free conversation these days, so it was definitely just what we needed. They were so generous and showered us with some fantastic gifts. Thanks, girls! You're the best!

A Little Girl Time

2009-11-16T16:03:00.001-08:00

Some friends of mine organized a Girls' Night Out in lieu of a baby shower. We consumed significant quantities of pasta at the Spaghetti Factory and enjoyed lots of kid-free, adult conversation. My group photo didn't turn out very well, but I thought this was a cute shot of Mom, Heather and my oh-so-pregnant self. I felt very blessed to have such thoughtful friends and I'm looking forward to introducing them all to the little bambino in a few weeks.

Pumpkins, Tricks and Treats

2009-11-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

Darth Vader, Buzz Lightyear and Luke Skywalker enjoying the Halloween festivities
He wasn't quite ready for carving yet, but he loves anything with a happy face on it. He carried the pumpkin around the house, giving it hugs and kisses.

I couldn't get anybody to cooperate for this picture. The boys were eager to see the finished product, but a little digusted by the messiness of the pumpkin's interior. That was probably the fastest Steve has ever carved a pumpkin in his life.

Halloween is not my favorite, but the boys enthusiasm is contagious. We were invited to our friend's for dinner and trick or treating. Andy woke up early on Saturday morning asking "is it time? Is it time?"

Finally it was time and the adults inhaled their delicious dinner while the kids chased each other through the house. The rain had finally stopped and it was a great night for wandering the neighborhood. At first, Andy came back with an empty bucket. But with a little coaching, he caught on very quickly. It wasn't long before his bucket was loaded with chocolate. He would come back from every door yelling, "Mama! I got some more! I got more candy!" He was always delighted to find out that we could go to yet another door and get MORE candy.

Luke enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, running with his friends and collecting candy. However, since we got home I don't think he's paid any attention to his loot. Meanwhile, Andy asks about every five minutes if he can have something from his pumpkin bucket. When we tell him "no", he says "I'm just going to look, okay?" Then proceeds to beg for more candy. He's going to make a fantastic adult one day: such persistence and passion is much more admirable in a grown up.

Pumpkin Patch (Sort of)

2009-10-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

I need to teach them to say something else besides "cheese" when I take their picture.
Playing with the ducks in the water and making his motorcycle noises...because ducks and motorcycles make the same sound, you know.

This is Luke's favorite activity at the pumpkin patch: cranking the pump to make the ducks go.

We were celebrating a friend's 3rd birthday at the pumpkin patch. Luke loves to play with the birthday boy's older brothers. He wanted to spend his whole day in the hay maze and the corn box. If only I could find a way to install a giant box of corn in my play room...just think of the hours of endless entertainment.

Another huge fan of the corn box!

So we never got close to the actual pumpkin patch. By the time the birthday party was finished, it was pouring down rain and the tractor ride to the patch was totally packed. I piled the boys and their pockets full of corn back in the van and headed for the warmth of home.

Lego Mania Continues

2009-10-24T11:57:00.001-07:00

Steve has gone to Charlotte to visit his family this weekend. The boys are not at all pleased with his absence. In an effort to distract them and combat the rainy weather, we are knee deep in Legos. This is the latest edition to the family. I think it is Darth Vader's ship. Luke is delighted to have his very own Lego Darth Vader. He insists that his Darth Vader is a good guy. He asked me to post a picture so everyone could see it. There you have it. Now isn't your day complete?

Movin' On Up

2009-10-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

Andy has migrated down the hall to his very own ''big boy" room. He is so very excited! I found the whole process to be totally overwhelming to even think about, so I was hesitant to even start. But, I hit the 32nd week of pregnancy yesterday and thought we should probably start making some progress. Steve was a huge help, doing a majority of the moving and lifting, since I'm not supposed to be doing any of that. I can't get over how much stuff we have. Is it all really necessary? We spend so much time managing our stuff, too. How silly.
Andy's toddler bed, dresser and shelf have been sitting in the garage and riding around in the back of the van for a couple of weeks. We decided to put it all together and just "see" what his response might be. This is not a kid you can force into a big move. It definitely has to be his idea. Once he saw the Lightning McQueen blanket and pillowcase, he was totally sold on the whole deal. In fact, we were too tired to finish the project last night and insisted that he wait until today to start sleeping there. He was so stinkin' excited that he just could not take a nap. Tonight took a little longer to fall asleep, but he stays in bed and doesn't mind the dark or having his door closed. I can't expect it to be this simple every night, but I feel so much better having this hurdle behind us. Now I just want to sit down and have a good cry because my "baby" is getting to be such a big boy...and he's about to become a middle child!

Costume Fetish

2009-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

This started out as your standard game of cowboys versus bad guys, but morphed into something completely different...
Dollar store masks and a light saber make one's day complete

Jedi knights in training

Luke's Halloween costume

I had no idea boys would enjoy dressing up in costumes. I really thought that was a "girl" thing. Apparently I stand corrected. It started out as preparation for Halloween but is quickly becoming a daily activity. Luke negotiates for some play time with dad every night (aka staying up later than usual) so they can play a variety of games, complete with wardrobe adjustments.

Under the Weather

2009-09-27T20:41:00.001-07:00

The dragon roller coaster
Their most favorite ride, of course

Luke rang the boat's totally obnoxious buzzer/horn the whole ride

We are battling our first cold of the season, compliments of the kindergartener who resides among us. Since we've been under the weather, there hasn't been much picture taking recently. Here are a few shots from our trip to the Puyallup fair a couple of weekends ago. Andy was tall enough to ride more of the rides this year, the sunshine was wonderful and we left just before everyone was completely worn out. A good time was had by all.

Andy's Third Birthday

2009-09-20T20:54:00.001-07:00

He begged and begged for a cupcake and was totally delighted when everyone sang to him. He's got this birthday thing all figured out.
He's also discovered the joys of consuming anything chocolate. He is so my kid.

Trying to open his presents without any assistance. It was a battle keeping the brother away from the new treasures. Sibling rivalry is alive and well, even at birthday parties.

Enjoying the puppets purchased with Grammie McCahan's birthday money.

Thanks for the birthday money, Grammie McCahan! We chose 4 hand puppets from Costco and they are a huge hit!

Happy birthday, sweet boy! We can't believe you are three already.

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-08T16:08:00.001-07:00

thought there would be much weeping and gnashing of teeth at this point...but he surprised me by getting right on the bus without hesitation. I think it helped tremendously that our neighbor, a first grader, took him by the hand and showed him exactly what to do.
Our friend offered to take our picture and she kept telling Luke, "whatever you do, don't smile"

I told him I needed a "first day of school" picture for my scrapbook. He thought that was a reasonable request, I guess and even decided to smile. These gynormous bus tags make me laugh. I suppose it keeps him from getting lost but it was totally annoying him and we moved it to the back of his shirt before we left the house.

It's funny how a day that once seemed so far away just sort of sneaks up on you. Heather sent her last kid to first grade today. She was home alone for the first time in 11.5 years. Wow!

So Long, Summer

2009-09-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be Labor Day weekend around here if it wasn't pouring down rain. Nothing like a very clear reminder that summer is over. Steve and I loaded the boys in the car at 8am on Saturday and hauled them off to the Bouncy Place. It's a giant warehouse full of inflatable houses, slides, ladders...the perfect destination for little boys on a rainy day.

He stopped bouncing long enough to let me take his picture. Occasionally he still takes orders from me.

If Andy could tell you the highlight of his summer, I think he would say it his recent discovery of cheese. Oh, the wonderful combination of processed cheese dip and a salty cracker. He is definitely my kid.

In an effort to squeeze every last drop out of our summer, the boys and I have galavanted just a little bit in recent weeks. Some friends from Luke's preschool class met at Mud Mountain Dam to play in the fountain and enjoy the gynormous playground. We didn't see mud, mountains or the dam, but managed to stay and play until we were all totally exhausted. The whole day was a comedy of errors for me: getting lost, Andy's horrible blow out diaper, not packing enough drinks, blah, blah, blah. I'm glad I didn't give up and go home because I got to visit with friends and the boys had a blast.

The water was freezing cold. I was surprised they got in repeatedly. Perhaps it was the peer pressure or maybe the blazing hot sun...

We have definitely enjoyed our summer vacation. Luke is off to kindergarten in just a couple of days. I can't believe it. I'm excited for him but a little sad that it's already time for him to dive into the great big world of going to school every day.

We Love You, Seabrook!

2009-08-25T21:21:00.001-07:00

We spent a long weekend with the fam on the Washington coast. This was the house we rented. We were all longing to move in right away, it was so stinkin' cute. The development is called Seabrook and this house was named Once Upon a Time.

Uncle Steve and the kiddos checking out the surf. It was way too cold to get in, but they couldn't resist dunking their toes.

Steve managed to snap this pic of the nieces and nephews; one of our favorite shots from the weekend. It isn't often that they are all standing that close together and staying still for a more than a couple of seconds.

Enjoying the Seabrook bicycles.

It's a long hike down all those stairs to the beach, but definitely worth the effort.

First Mariners Game

2009-08-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

It looks like Steve was having a good time.

Highly resistant to having his picture taken. Perhaps he was hoping to block out the whole experience, I'm not quite sure.

A little pre-game snooze

We had two tickets to Saturday night's game between the Mariners and the Yankees. I suggested Luke and Steve go together. I was so excited for Luke to experience his first trip to Safeco field. It's such an awesome stadium. He fell asleep in the car on the way there, which is good, because it probably helped him stay awake to enjoy a few innings of the game. Steve says he was totally overwhelmed by the crowd, the noise, all of it. Poor kid. He wanted Steve to hold him the whole time, but Steve was able to convince him to sit in his seat and try and enjoy the game. When he got home, I was still watching the game on TV. He said he had a great time and started rattling off fun baseball factoids at me. I suppose it was mostly a successful adventure.

Family Photos

2009-08-14T15:09:00.001-07:00

My college friend, Dawn, got married in Puyallup last weekend. I was a bridesmaid, most likely for the last time. This was Dawn's 16th wedding...she has served as a bridesmaid or best woman 15 times. She was a wonderful bride; excited and cheerful-if she was stressed, she sure didn't show it. Ryan was an excellent groom, as well. Sadly, I don't think I took a single picture of the happy couple with my own camera. Steve and my parents were in attendance, though, as well as my good friend, Caryn. She is a professional photographer and took a few pictures for us. The weather was just for an outdoor wedding, too. It has poured buckets ever since, so I think we were fortunate.

Boredom Busters

2009-08-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

As temperatures soared to record highs, we tried to find some creative ways to beat the heat and keep ourselves occupied. I voted for retreating to our comfy, air-conditioned house instead of going out in the sweltering hottness. Since I'm the mom, I suppose I'm really the only one who votes. Ha! The boys spent lots of quality time with their Legos, held numerous car races in the living room and watched their quota of Playhouse Disney. Steve and I did hire a babysitter on Monday morning so we could go to the "big" ultrasound without any assistants tagging along. In case you haven't already heard, it looks like we will be welcoming a third son into the family before the end of the year. Yikes! I'm in a heap of trouble. He looks just perfect, for which we are extremely grateful. I had a lot of anxiety over the weekend regarding the ultrasound; Luke and Andy both had minor issues crop up and I was just afraid something significant would appear this time. Nope. The ultrasound technician blazed right through, took a ton of pictures, confirmed that he was most definitely of the male species and sent us off to chat with the doctor. Steve and I enjoyed a kid-free lunch at Chipotle before going home to share the news. Luke is very excited, wants to name him Thomas. Andy just likes to lift up my shirt so he can "see" the baby. Oh, to be three.

Our other big news is that Luke, our resident fish, decided he was ready to swim solo at his swim lessons. I guess all that time in the pool in North Carolina paid off. He told Missy he wanted to try it without the pack (flotation device) and he swam across the pool, beamed with pride at the wall, then swam back across. I couldn't believe it. This is the guy I had to drag kicking and screaming to his first lesson in June. He was awarded a certificate and some chocolate chip cookies for his achievement. She told him he was promoted to level 2. A look of total fear washed across his face. He asked me in the bathroom what level 2 was all about. The poor little perfectionist couldn't even enjoy his achievement for 5 minutes without worrying about how he would perform in the future. Oh, boy.

We wrapped up the week with a celebration of Allie and Aaron's birthdays. Allie turned 8 and Aaron will be 10 this week. Good grief. Just a little while ago we were welcoming these little ones into the family. I can't believe how much they have grown and changed just this summer.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

2009-07-26T20:43:00.001-07:00

Steve went for a hike on Saturday with his friend, Dan. They went about 12 miles and took some great pictures. It is blazing hot here in western Washington, but just right for hiking in the higher elevations.
This is Mt. Rainier from a distance. We have enjoyed some spectacular views of the majestic mountain this summer since cloudy days have been few and far between.
While Steve was hiking, I went to a bridal shower for a good friend and the boys went to Grandma and Papa's for the day. Papa turned on the sprinkler for Luke, but he said it was "too scary". I don't know why he'll go down a six foot inflatable slide into a pool of ice cold well water, but he won't run through a sprinkler when it's 90 degrees outside. He has decided, after a week of Vacation Bible School, that craft-like projects aren't such a bad thing. So Grandma and Papa helped him work on a couple of little projects.

Conflict Resolution

2009-07-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this picture of Andy and Luke wrestling with their cousin, Ben. Although we took this picture more than a week ago, the wrestling has continued at home (minus the cousin, of course). It seems like Steve and I spent a majority of the last few days pulling the boys apart and doling out consequences for unsportsmanlike conduct, i.e. shots to the face. Thankfully there hasn't been any blood loss. Yet. I'm sure that's next.
Apart from mediating conflict every five minutes, we actually enjoyed a nice weekend. On Friday, I loaded 'em up bright and early and we went to Grandma and Papa's house. We enjoyed the water slide for a little while but the fun came to an abrupt halt due to...you guessed it, too much fighting. I think we were all relieved to get out of the heat, as it was another western Washington scorcher. Andy took a long nap and Luke and I hung out with Papa and watched some of our favorite shows on the Noggin channel. I was just about to pack it in when Grandma invited us to stay for an early dinner and watch the Mariners game.
Yesterday, Steve and I took the boys to the kids' festival at the park. Andy was thrilled to bounce in the inflatable fire station while Steve and Luke built a small, lightweight model airplane out of glue, paper and rubber bands. (That's a highly technical description, I know. Airplane expert I am not). It got a little too hot for the pregant girl, so we called it a day and went off to Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch.
Today we re-acquainted ourselves with church after being gone for a few weeks. It feels good to be back in our normal routine.

Vacation Rewind

2009-07-13T20:37:00.001-07:00

Luke digging a hole in the sand and looking so cute in his new swim clothes
Andy loving the pool, although we had to watch him very carefully because he has no fear

Steve and I enjoying a kid-free evening

The boys posing in the pool. Luke started swim lessons last month and turned into a regular fish while we were on vacation. He loved diving underwater for pool toys.

Enjoying another beautiful morning at the beach

We just returned from Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Although the jet lag is a major bummer, we definitely had a lot of fun. Everything went smoothly: the boys were fantastic on the plane, all of our luggage arrived (although I'm a little bitter that airlines are charging for bags now...what the heck?) Anyway, it was nice to go and enjoy the beach with extended family. In previous years, someone who will remain nameless (blonde, brown eyes, about 5 years old) strongly disliked our adventures in the sand and surf. Let's just say there was much concern that both boys would share this distaste. What a pleasant surprise to find that both boys were content on the beach and in the pool. Hallelujah! Andy is definitely a little more adventurous. He wanted to try riding the waves just like his older cousins. Steve floated him on a board in the teeny, tiny waves quite a bit. I wish I had taken a picture of that. Quite frankly, I was afraid to risk getting the new camera all wet. Luke was still not a fan of the waves, but at least got in the ocean a little bit without screaming and crying. He definitely loved the pool. We couldn't believe how quickly he learned to dive under water and 'fetch' pool toys. All in all, I would say the trip was a big success. Now, if we could just put an end to this waking up at 4:30 am nonsense...

Summer's In Full Swing

2009-06-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed another beautiful weekend here. This is our latest edition to the family, a beanie baby named Marshmallow. He goes almost everywhere with us. Luke has also regressed to carrying his lovie with him again. I'm not sure what that's about, but he sure is cute.
Looking handsome in our church clothes and sporting a new haircut for the beach.

Also handsome in his church clothes, with a tummy full of fresh strawberries. Yum! We have purchased far more strawberries than we could ever consume but they are just so good.

The cousins came to celebrate my birthday a little early. It was a beautiful day and they were kind enough to share their new water slide with Luke.

Getting ready to enjoy some cake with my little apprentices.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:19:00.001-07:00

We had a very hectic Father's Day this year. Our initial plan was to entertain the family here. However, auntie Heather is battling the stomach bug, so we dashed out of church and headed for her house to rescue her. We gathered most of her children and went on to Grandma and Papa's house. After filling them up with Subway sandwiches, Sprite and Doritos we turned them loose in the yard.
Just kidding. It was pouring down rain so they entertained themselves with a game of Hide the Fly Swatter. Seriously. The rest of us lounged on the couch and watched the Mariners win. It wasn't long before they complained of Doritos-induced stomach pains, so this time we really did send them outside. The rain stopped and Uncle Steve managed to entertain them for a few minutes. It wasn't quite how we expected to celebrate the day, but it was fun and everybody was a good sport.

Bad Picture, Big Fun

2009-06-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time this weekend, we never even paused to take a decent picture. Here's Luke, sitting in his car seat, chattering away as he gets ready for his next adventure. The weather was fantastic on Friday night, so we headed over to the park for Maple Valley Days. I was not at all impressed, but the boys loved their giant balloons (the large yellow orb lurking in the picture), the carnival rides and the chance to get out and try something new. Andy surprised us all; he really loved the rides and cried when it was time to go home. On Saturday, Steve took Andy to my parents' house and Luke and I spent the whole day together. He was so excited for some "special mom and Luke time". We went to his very first movie in the theater: Up. It was a great movie and he was champ. He hid his face in his blanket a couple of times, but said he really liked it. We had just enough time to grab lunch at McDonalds before hitting a birthday party at the Little Gym. I was completely worn out when we got home, so I can't imagine how he felt. He admitted that he quite happy to have the place to himself, as Andy was staying the night with Grandma and Papa. I'm glad we got to spend some time together and introduce him to the excitement of the movie theater.

Papa's Birthday

2009-06-08T18:59:00.001-07:00

Look! I can eat this all by myself!
How many candles on that cake, anway?

Andy likes to help, especially when there are gifts involved.

We celebrated Papa's birthday yesterday. It wasn't my best work, photography-wise...you have to snap quickly with so many munchkins involved. The rain held off and we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Mom had her usual fantastic spread, complete with a cake from our favorite bakery.

Happy Birthday, Papa!

A Regular Fish

2009-06-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

Luke asked me several weeks ago if he could start swimming lessons. I agreed somewhat hesitantly, wondering if this was a passing fancy or just genuine interest. He is 5, it's probably time to get started because it's really difficult to keep him safe in the pool. Today was the BIG FIRST DAY. I reminded him last night of our agenda for this morning and he was immediately anxious. He couldn't go to sleep, kept calling me back into his room to talk about it. That's never a good sign. Steve tried to give him a pep talk at breakfast. That was met with much scowling and head-shaking. I started a 60 minute countdown, which led to even greater anxiety. I would put his swim clothes on, he would pull them off. I would get mad and start raising my voice, he would furrow his brow and glare at me. Gosh, this is so fun. Steve called and I immediately burst into tears. How can one little 5 year old send me over the edge so quickly?
Five minutes before it was time to go, I found him naked in his room, building something with Legos. I put his swim clothes back on and then he got up and calmly got in the car. He was sweet as pie the whole way there. He told me in the parking lot that he had changed his mind. He was ready to swim.
Thanks be to God!
His classmates didn't show up, so he had one on one instruction with his teacher. That was a major bonus. She taught him the basics very quickly. He loved it and tried everything with enthusiasm. After 30 minutes, she had him jumping off the side of the pool at 4 feet without any flotation. A regular fish on the first day. Lets hope this trend continues...

That's A Wrap!

2009-05-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Luke finished preschool last week. We went to the grand finale on Wednesday night. He lined up politely, put on his cute little graduation cap, processed down the aisle, sat in his chair on stage...and refused to sing. He didn't cry or misbehave, just clamped his little mouth shut and parked in his chair. Hmmm. I tried smiles of encouragement, he just stared right back at me. Steve and I just looked at each other in bewilderment. He loves to sing. He sang the songs and recited the verses all stinkin' year. What's up with this child?

Just when we were ready to give up, he leaped from his chair and began singing. Loudly. At the top of his lungs. Then he would shake his head and sit right back down. He had to go to the bathroom at one point, so we took him and tried giving him a little pep talk. He would have none of it. He informed us he would only be singing the songs he knew. Alrighty then.

Andy, meanwhile, kept himself amused by pulling all of the hymnals and Bibles out of the pockets and stacking them on the chair. Interesting.

Luke, as you can see by the photo, did not seem traumatized by his evening on stage and was back to his normal self the next morning. He eventually told me he didn't like all the cameras and the people looking at him, that's why he didn't sing. I suppose we can predict that a career in the spotlight will not be his thing.

Keeping 'em busy

2009-05-19T20:37:00.001-07:00

The best part of this photo is the expression on his face. He wants so badly to have one of his Lego creations published in Lego magazine. He loves to look at the magazine each month and see what the other kids have built. He made this train the other morning and spent most of his free time driving it around the house and creating imaginary events. So precious. And very serious.

Every year, about this time, someone who lives here decides to tackle a yard improvement project. Long about August, it becomes a crapshoot to see if all the effort was worth it: emerald green lawny goodness or dry, dead crunchy stuff. One never knows what you are going to get around here. Anywho, last weekend was the first installment of 2009's lawn makeover. Thank goodness for the little boys and their lawn mowers or Steve might still be out there slaving away.

I have noticed that little boys mimic almost everything they see and hear. Sometimes that can be very, very funny or terribly embarrassing. In this case, it brought a smile to my face. Luke even mastered the full body crank-the-lawn-mower pose: pulling his imaginary lawn mower starter cord a couple of times to fire up his bubble mower. Even the neighbors saw him and laughed. What a hoot.

2009-05-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

The cousins wanted to get the water slide out this weekend. It was the inaugural run for the season. The grown-ups were happy to oblige if it meant they would all be occupied. It wasn't particularly warm, but at least it wasn't raining. I made Luke get out when his lips were blue and he started shivering uncontrollably. It was fun while it lasted. This is our attempt to take a group picture. It's more like a 6 kid pile-up.

What a cutie. He has the best time playing t-ball.

Luke wanted to dress Andy up in his Halloween costume. The one he refused to wear last Halloween. Andy was a willing participant this time. He's dressed up as Diego the animal rescuer, for any readers who aren't familiar with the show.

Mother's Day Tea

2009-05-11T16:12:00.001-07:00

Luke's preschool hosted a wonderful "tea" on Friday. The children presented us each with a necklace, then escorted us to the indoor play area, which was miraculously transformed into...a place to have tea with 5 year olds. Our placemats were decorated with fun little factoids our children had dictated for their scribe. Apparently I am both 49 years of age and 49 inches tall. Hmmm. Each child took our order and brought us our food. I believe that was a first for Luke. It was just fruit, cheese and crackers and Milano cookies. We chased it with some lemonade. Perfect. The children sang us a song or two, we played a game and listened to a story. The grand finale was a gift bag containing 2 juice boxes and a bag of microwave popcorn. We can use the enclosed coupon to redeem our "special snack" at a later date. So cute. We also received a petunia in a flower pot, carefully decorated by our little cherub. I really enjoyed hanging out with Luke and seeing all the hard work his teachers and classmates had invested in making the day special.

The Lukester

2009-05-07T20:58:00.001-07:00

This little fella cracks me up. He started talking to me at about 6:45 this morning and I don't think he stopped until I dropped him off in his classroom for MOPS at 9:30. I had to go and turn on the hair dryer just to get a brief reprieve. I just don't have that many words available first thing in the morning. He looked up at me from his cheerios and said, "How come you don't live with your dad anymore?"
Huh? I told him grandma and papa were welcome to move in any time, but right now they like having their own space. Their nice, quiet, space.
He was quizzing me in the car about the names of all the people who drive emergency vehicles. He has an issue with the word, paramedic, I guess. This transitioned into a monologue regarding his future career plans. "Mom, I want to be a police officer when I grow up. I will have a police car. And a police dog. I also hope that I have a son. I should better ask my wife if we can have a son."
So funny! We went to kindergarten orientation tonight. It wasn't very exciting but we were still nervous. The world seems so much bigger and intimidating when you have to send your first born to "the big school", as we call it. Luke was a little disappointed that we have to wait until the end of summer to find out our teacher's name and assigned classroom. We did get to ride on the school bus. That seemed to be the highlight of the evening. It's a curious thing, the mind of a 5 year old boy.

Calling All Amy Grant Fans!

2009-05-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Raise your hand if you still have Amy Grant cassettes sitting in a box somewhere. Remember her leopard print jacket on the front of Unguarded? I thought she was such a rebel. A Christian singer wearing leopard print. No way. She released some new material this week. Pop on over to itunes and check it out. Her new release is called She Colors My Day. Quite the catchy little diddy.

Nice View!

2009-05-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

We went to visit a high school friend of Steve's last Saturday. They live in Seattle and invited us over for the afternoon. Their home is lovely and the children got along well together. We decided to head for the park in between rain showers. They offered to show us the house they are building. This will be the view from their dining room windows someday. Not too shabby, I must say. I was both enamored with city life and eager to return to the 'burbs. I like the idea of walking to the market for ice cream or enjoying a fantastic view of downtown. On the other hand, the crazy traffic, narrow streets and absence of garages makes me hyperventilate. How can you live without a garage?! Where do you stack your rubbermaid bins full of stuff you can't possibly part with? It's funny that just 30 miles can make such a huge difference.

Business as Usual

2009-04-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

So much for my plan to blog more frequently. I can't quite figure out where the time goes. Some days it seems like it will never be nap time, then the next time I look up, it's 4:30 and I feel like I accomplished nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. I do keep 2 boys from strangling each other and occasionally I feed and clothe them. We celebrated Mom and Dad's 40th wedding anniversary last Sunday. That was very exciting. The date kind of snuck up on us, so the sister and I pulled together a little impromptu event. We brought the food, they supplied the location. Unfortunately, it was quite chilly. We sat outside wrapped in blankets with our coffee cups while the kids ran around with Uncle Steve. I don't think they were cold, but I was freezing just watching them. Grammie came along, too, but she was not interested in sitting in the cold. At least it wasn't raining. I promised to take some pictures but didn't take a single one. Duh.
I realized today that Luke has less than a month of preschool left. Yikes! Next week we go over to the "big school" for kindergarten round-up. I'm nervous just thinking about it and we probably won't even do much. Maybe we'll get to ride the bus, that would be fun. I started scouring the internet for summer activities appropriate for an inquisitive 5 year old. How many soccer camps and vacation Bible schools can one kid take, I wonder?

Spring at Last!

2009-04-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Grandma made this awesome racecar quilt and pillow for Luke. Per family tradition, the recipient and his/her sibling must be photographed with the quilt. The boys cooperated nicely.

Luke's first tractor ride of the season. He's big enough to "drive" this year. Hooray!

Andy's inaugural ride on the tractor. Last year he cried, this year he has it all figured out.

We were thrilled to see the sun this week after a long, rainy spell. Luke battled a wicked fever all weekend and finally felt well enough to get up off the couch. We (I) decided to load up the car and head for Grandma and Papa's house. The drive was beautiful, I am always amazed by snow-covered Mt. Rainier, shining in all its glory. Unfortunately, I didn't stop to take a picture. Grandma and Papa were glad to have us. We soaked up some rays and galavanted around their giant yard. We were thrilled to ride the tractor and take home a new quilt.

A Little T-Ball, A Little Easter Fun

2009-04-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! Steve managed to wrangle the boys onto the couch in their church clothes for a quick pic.

Running to first base

Stepping up to the plate

Luke played his first t-ball game yesterday. After practice on Thursday night, Steve said, "boy, some of those boys on his team can hit the ball really well."

Luke fired back, "yeah, well, I'm gooder than all those boys. I'm the best t-ball hitter in the world. I'm a legend."
Alrighty then. The boy has spoken. I doubt he's the best hitter in the world, but he wasn't kidding about being 'gooder'. He hit the ball well and ran the bases like he knew what was going on. He eagerly fielded the ball every time the other team had a hit, often slide-tackling a team mate to get the ball in his own mit. He would throw his arm in the air and yell, "Mom! I caught the ball again!"

So fun. We were a little concerned about how this would all shake out. He isn't usually so confident about trying something new. A very entertaining way to spend a soggy Saturday afternoon.

Today we celebrated Easter at our house with the whole clan. Well, almost. Great Grammie wanted to stay warm and cozy at her place. Can't say that I blame her, it was raining cats and dogs around here. Heather and I hid almost 200 chocolate-stuffed eggs in the upstairs of our house. Andy didn't want to participate in the great egg chase, so Luke and his cousins had a grand time gathering the loot.

Spring Break Adventure

2009-04-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

Andy was in heaven. A fireman's hat and a giant slide shaped like a fire truck. Perfect!

Luke had a great time pretending to answer the fire calls. I can't believe he posed for a pic.

I was feeling especially energetic and decided to haul the boys to the childrens' museum in Everett. Approximately 150 of our peers had the exact same idea. Ah, the joys of a rainy spring break. It was very crowded, but I thought the boys did an excellent job of waiting their turn or else choosing another activity when their first choice wasn't available. (Luke was dying to sit in the driver's seat on the bus and also the pilot's seat on the airplane. Of course!)

We had the best time in the fire station area; the whole fire truck is for climbing and sliding. Every kid gets to wear their own fire hat. Andy was soaking wet in about 5 seconds when we went to the water play area. He was thrilled and kept going back for more. Luke was fastidious about his shirt sleeves and managed to leave without a drop of water anywhere on him. Could these two be any different?

I was exhausted after about two hours and declared it was time to go home. Andy was stumbling around, he was so tired. Luke did not want to go until he sat in the airplane or the bus. At last, the crowds parted and he was able to be the pilot for a few minutes. Hooray!

I think Andy's favorite options were the fire truck slide and the water play area. It was dry enough to go upstairs on the roof. That was our first time ever. So awesome! The play structure totally rocked, you could play lots of musical instruments, dig for dinosaur bones, see a full-size dinosaur skeleton...the list goes on.

Legos, Legos, Everywhere

2009-04-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post on the blog twice in one day, but this was just too fun. If I wait until tomorrow, I might forget. Luke decided he wanted to spend his birthday fundage on more Legos. What a surprise. He selected the Lego city fire station. We spent several hours this afternoon assembling the vehicles and the garage. It was a lot of work, but worth the effort. I had second thoughts when Andy arrived on the scene and insisted the whole thing was his. He's so good at being two. We spent several minutes extracting pieces from his hands and watching him run screaming through the house when we wouldn't let him touch anything else. He was finally content to hold on to one fire engine and drive it in and out of the garage...only the nice people at Lego would think to design a fire station with actual working garage doors. Amazing.
Thank you, Great Grammie and Grandparents for contributing to our Lego mania. What a treat!

The Celebration Continues

2009-04-07T08:35:00.001-07:00

We invited a few of Luke's preschool friends (and their parents) over to celebrate his birthday on Saturday. Because one party just isn't enough for us, I suppose. Luke seemed a little concerned about the onslaught of guests, but he handled it all very well. Everyone was very well behaved and surprisingly calm. They came right in and started playing with all of the toys. Kids are funny about playing with each other's stuff. It's like they have never seen it before and everything must be carefully examined and evaluated. We pulled them away from the toy room to play "pin the Lego on the poster". This involved a blindfold, which caused much anxiety for the birthday boy. The youngest children got a kick out of it and wanted to play again and again. Luke's friends were very generous and gave him lots of wonderful gifts. Steve and I spent the rest of the afternoon helping him assemble his new Lego creations. All in all, I'd say the party was a success.

Five Years Old

2009-04-02T19:59:00.001-07:00

I think he blew them out all by himself this year!
A new digger for our new sandbox. Andy was eyeing this one.

Posing with the poster

How did that happen? It feels like we just brought him home last week. We celebrated his birthday with cousins, auntie, uncle, grandparents and great grammie this afternoon. He wanted a desert racer cake, like Andy had last year. Grandma complied and delivered a yummy cake, complete with hot wheels cars on top. That child has a memory like an elephant. I could not figure out what he was talking about. What's a desert racer cake? Apparently one of the hot wheels cars on Andy's cake last September was called a desert racer. Who can recall such detail? Luke can.

It continues to pour buckets of rain around here, so we had to entertain the cherubs indoors. This involved much weeping and gnashing of teeth on Andy's part. He decided to skip his nap in favor of celebrating his brother's birthday. Luke was kind enough to share his new Wii Nascar game with the cousins. A good time was had by all.

Hooray for Hand Me Downs!

2009-03-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our cousins, with the assistance of Papa, passed along a sandbox. Even though we had snow on the ground when we awoke today, we decided it was a great day to get the project going. The snow melted/rained away and we were able to get to work right after church. Steve purchased twenty 50 pound bags of play sand yesterday. I couldn't believe we needed 1,000 pounds of sand to fill that box. Thanks to our radio flyer wagon (great idea, grandma!) and the help of a neighbor and his wagon, we were able to shuttle the sandbags down the hill and empty them out into the box. The boys were very excited. Luke likes to be a helper and he was thrilled to be involved in a 'family project', as he calls it. They started playing right away, digging and scooping, fighting over who could use the biggest dump truck. It warmed up before dinner and actually started to feel like spring outside. They went back out for another round of digging and scooping. I think this might be a keeper.

He's Up! He's Down! He's Making Me Crazy!

2009-03-27T10:45:00.001-07:00

Andy continues to amaze us with the frequency of his mood swings. When he's up, he's really up and when he is down...take cover! He went for his 2 year check up this week (now that he's almost 2 and 1/2, I thought we should check that off the to-do list). He cried as soon as we drove in the parking lot because it wasn't Papa's house. He was convinced that was our destination. Now, he might have cried because his brother was taunting him with warnings about getting lots of shots. Leave it to the older sibling to scare the younger one to death, before we even get out of the car. Andy made a grand entrance in the totally packed waiting room, racing in circles and attempting to jump off the couch, insisting that he sit wherever his brother sat. Let's not forget, I have a mountain of paperwork to fill out, even though not one single detail of our contact info has changed. But I still I have to fill it out, just to appease the paperwork goddess behind the counter. I'm attempting to write while trying to sit on Andy and chastize Luke for yelling, "You are a very bad brother! I don't love you anymore!"
Splendid. This is going so well.
I had to drag Andy back to the exam room, praying the whole time I wasn't leaving fingerprints on his little arm. He didn't want to be weighed, he resisted being measured, he refused to take his clothes off. Ugh. Thankfully, the nurse didn't bat an eye. Our pediatrician is a wonderful man with about 6 kids of his own. He let me hold Andy the entire time. Despite his diet of oatmeal, yogurt, milk and applesauce, he appears to be growing and thriving. The best news of all, no shots were needed. Hurrah!
I don't believe in karma, but I'm beginning to wonder if this is payback for my own misbehavior as a toddler. Couldn't be. Could it?

Our VIP

2009-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's the week we've all been waiting for...Luke gets to be the VIP this week. Which begs the question, when isn't he the VIP around here? His preschool acknowledges each student's birthday by celebrating for a whole week. Hence the title, Very Important Person. Luke's actual birthday isn't for a couple of weeks, but his teacher chose to celebrate this week. Perhaps it conflicts with Easter and spring break. At any rate, the grand event is upon us and we are prepared to celebrate. The first highlight is bringing the class puppet home for the weekend. Her name is Jelly and she sleeps in a basket. I'm so glad it's a puppet and not a guinea pig. We had to rescue her from Jake numerous times, apparently she smelled quite tasty. Luke instantly showed her his favorite game: the tank game on the Wii. She was very impressed. (Please excuse the random date on the photo, not quite sure how that happened. I really took the picture on Friday afternoon).

This is the Snow That Never Ends

2009-03-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Winter continues to stick around in western WA...although yesterday we experienced fall, winter and spring in about 2 hours. Ugh. We are ready for some warmer weather, that's for sure. In the meantime, Steve took the boys sledding. He drove about an hour from our house to find the snow. Although they came back soaking wet and exhausted, a good time was had by all.

Prayer According to Luke

2009-03-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

The scene: my bedside, early this morning, as I am trying desperately to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep
Enter stage left: Luke, wide awake and eager to discuss what's on his mind
Luke: Mama, I have bad news for you...
(this is always an interesting way to start one's day)
Me: ugh
Luke: Mama, I have a BRUISE. Look, I'll show you (pulls up pant leg to reveal teeny, tiny bruise) I got it last night when I was playing with daddy.
Me: that's too bad
Luke: I know who can fix it. I know this one. It's God and Jesus. Can you please pray and ask them to make it better. I don't know how to do that, yet.
So pleased that he's been paying attention to someone's instruction regarding prayer, I try to wake up enough to pray something coherent.
Me: Dear Lord, please make Luke's knee feel better soon. Amen. That should cover it.
Thousand one, thousand two...
Luke: IT STILL HURTS!

I considered launching into a long explanation about how God doesn't always answer prayer in the way we expect, that He is operates on His timing not ours, we can pray about anything that's on our minds...then I remembered two very important points: one, I was not yet fully caffeinated and could not possibly possess the patience for such a discussion. Secondly, he's almost five years old and in the time it took me to begin formulating a response, he had already dashed into the next room to see what his dad was up to. That's the wonderful thing about almost-five year olds, sometimes their short attention span works in the adult's favor. Ah, parenthood. Isn't it lovely?

Mom's Away, the Boys Will Play

2009-03-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Nice Igloo!
Who needs a sled?

Okay, this just makes me smile. But I'm not biased.

Steve was flying solo this weekend. He was a superstar. They went bowling at a REAL bowling alley with some friends. Luke can't get over the fact that it was real. He lives a sheltered life. Seriously, who knew you could take kids bowling at 9am on a Saturday? Thank goodness for friends who are informed regarding such matters. Luke hasn't announced which method he prefers: real or virtual. I'm sure he'll give me the merits of both tomorrow. This morning, Steve couldn't resist an opportunity to go and play in the snow. He had to drive a little way, but at last, the glorious white powder was in sight. Good job, honey.

The land of L-E-G-O-S

2009-02-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

Dancing on the circles in the ground caused music to play out of the speakers and water to flow out of the instruments in the fountain. This was awesome. People of all ages would dance all over the place. You couldn't help yourself. I think I might have enjoyed this venue the most.

I kid you not-this is President Obama's inauguration made entirely out of legos. Right down to the outfits people were wearing (was it Aretha Franklin who wore that giant bow on her hat? She's there, although you probably can't see her in this shot). Amazing!

The New York City skyline, also made completely from Legos. They had numerous landmarks from around the world in this whole area known as miniland. I took tons of pictures.

We rode this ride for Andy's benefit: airplanes that move around in a circle and rapidly swoosh around corners. Both boys loved it. Since there wasn't a line waiting to get on, we could ride repeatedly. If the grown ups didn't get dizzy, I think the boys would have stayed on all day. Andy cried every time we made him get off and try something else.

In case you hadn't noticed, we recently visited a wonderful amusement park in the San Diego area. Although we were on a quest for sunshine, it wasn't exactly the most beautiful week, weather-wise. However, the boys were not deterred. We enjoyed the rides and the many, many creations built out of those incredible, verstile, fascinating, multi colored little nuggets of joy we call legos.

A Matter of Perspective

2009-02-11T14:53:00.001-08:00

I was languishing in bed on Sunday morning, trying to ignore the cues from my family that it was time to rise and shine. I was very busy hosting a one-woman pity party, carefully cataloging my recent disappointments: health issues, parenting challenges, lengthy to-do list, epileptic dog...My favorite country radio station came on and I tuned in to a discussion on faith in difficult circumstances. What a coincidence, Lord. Although it is a popular Seattle radio station, the morning crew is conservative (for Seattle) and rarely misses a chance to express their Christian world view. This morning's guest was Debbie Lee. Her son, Marc, was one of the first Navy SEALS killed in combat in Iraq in 2006. According to The Oregonian, "U.S. Navy officers told Debbie Lee that her son died after single-handedly holding off enemy fighters as his team rescued a wounded soldier from a rooftop. During the two-hour battle, Marc Lee fired 100 rounds against insurgents..."
Here is a woman who lost her son almost three years ago. He was only 28. If she is bitter, she did not mention it. She did not criticize our nation's leadership or blame the Navy. Instead, she recited Psalm 27 from memory. In the first verse, David writes 'The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?'
I won't list all 14 verses here, you can read it on your own or maybe even memorize it. After hearing her story, I wasn't feeling quite so sorry for myself. Mrs. Lee reminded me that God is always faithful, even when we lose something that is very precious. He uses challenging circumstances to mold us and shape us in ways we probably never expected. Marc Lee's story and his mother's response has reminded me that my attitude toward life's circumstances is really a matter of perspective.

An Epileptic Dog?!

2009-02-05T20:03:00.001-08:00

Seriously. This dog is becoming rather high-maintenance. I love him like a child, but I just can't wrap my mind around the concept. Last summer, he seized on the sidewalk in our neighborhood. My neighbors were convinced he had a stroke. He was fine within a few minutes, but it was very frightening. The vet ruled out a stroke, but recommended we watch for more seizures. Months passed and I didn't think anything else about it. We were outside yesterday, enjoying some beautiful spring-like weather. We were beginning the production of cleaning up and moving toward going in when I heard the scraping and clawing of Jake's paws on the cement floor in the garage. It was like he slipped and fell going into the house. Luke started yelling that something was wrong with Jake. I found him leaning against the refrigerator, looking very afraid and all of his claws were "out", like he was trying to grip the floor and could not. I encouraged him to lie down but he was very tense. Then he raced across the room to his bed and had a horrible seizure. I ran out the door, screaming for Steve, who had taken the boys back out to keep them occupied. My neighbor saw me screaming and crying, thought there was a person inside my house having a seizure. She watched the boys while Steve went back in the house. Jake was slowly returning to his normal self, but seemed scared and confused. We made him go outside because he reeked from having an accident. The vet recommends seizure meds but I am so uncertain. I don't like medicating a dog long-term. I'm also afraid of the side effects and wondering if it is even necessary. Ugh. Who knew pet ownership would be complicated.

The Winner Is...

2009-02-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Winner of the Starbucks card is...Mindy! Hooray for you! You left your email, so I'll contact you pronto. Thanks, everybody! I was a total airhead and forgot to moderate my comments in a timely fashion. So sorry. Enjoy the java, Mindy.

Giveaways Galore!

2009-01-27T09:00:00.001-08:00

You can't miss this. It's time for the quarterly event that bloggers live for: Bloggy Giveaways! More than 1,000 faithful bloggers have signed up to give away something FREE. Seriously. So go here to check out all of the oodles and oodles of goodies that people are just GIVING AWAY. I can't resist participating, so I am giving away a $25 gift card to Starbucks. Leave a comment in THIS post by Friday, January 30th at midnight (PST). I will randomly choose a winner on Sunday, February 1st. I'm sorry, you must live in the United States to be eligible to win. Now, go! Enter to win! This is so much fun, I can hardly stand it.

What Will They Think of Next?

2009-01-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

Peer pressure and curiosity propelled me to Game Stop last Wednesday. I came out with a brand new gaming system (hint: 3 letters, starts with W). I was instantly hooked. It's amazing! Luke is having a great time, too. We play bowling and tennis every afternoon while Andy is taking a nap. Last night, we had the moms and dads from our Friday playgroup over for dinner. We eat together about six or eight times a year. I asked some of them to bring along their games and remotes so we could have a little tournament. The conversation was flowing as we discussed the highs and lows of the Bachelor, but we finally got around to turning on the games. What a hoot! I can't believe how much one piece of technology can change the way people interact. I don't know whether to cheer because we are all having so much fun together or run screaming for the hills that we are all addicted to our video games.

The prince and the firefighter

2009-01-11T21:13:00.001-08:00

We are just plugging along here, lots of rain falling so we are getting creative indoors. Luke came home from preschool with this crown. He is in to making 'super hero' poses in front of the camera. I guess this is one of those poses. Andy is really into firefighting and fire trucks right now. He found Luke's rain boots that look like a firefighter's boots. He put them on and came to find me, just giggling with pride. He was quite pleased with himself. We thought he was so cute with the hat on, but he would hardly stand still for a picture. He kept running at the camera, so this is the best I could do.

Luke had his Christmas program for school on Friday night. It was re-scheduled from before Christmast because of the snow. Anyway, Luke was up on stage with his classmates and sitting down at the far end. Andy was sitting in the audience with us, not really aware of what was happening up front. He seemed more interested in his cars. Then he realized something was going on and he stood up in his chair to see. He spots his brother and yells, "There's Luke! Hi, Luke!" at the top of his lungs. Luke isn't really singing his part, anyway, so he smiles and waves back, shouting "hi, Andy!" This cycle repeats and I want to crawl under my chair. Eventually I popped his pacifier in his mouth, but he just took it out or else yelled around it. I was so glad the program was very short.

Note To Self...

2009-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

...It's time for a whole new set of parenting books. Or else more quality time with the Big Guy Upstairs. I'm not sure where to start. But I guess if you start with the latter, you can't go wrong. Right? Let me explain: two nieces and a nephew were baptized today. (Sorry, fans, no pictures because the camera bit the dust). Anyway, Luke was snuggling in to bed last night and asked what was on the agenda for today. I mentioned his cousins were being baptized and he was welcome to come along. He was long on questions and I was short on patience, so I summed it up quickly. Ask Jesus into your heart = dunked in a big tank of water.
Alarm was quickly evident in his sleepy little eyes. I could tell what he was thinking, "I asked Jesus into my heart, am I going to get dunked in a big tank of water?"
"Don't worry," I said, "you were already baptized. No one will dunk you in a big tank of water."
I quickly shut the door and avoided any further discussion. Steve was not so lucky, as he was the one to rise and shine with Luke this morning. Apparently there was much questioning.
Luke and I raced to the cousins' church to attend this much anticipated event. All kidding aside, it really was an enjoyable day. The children had both sets of grandparents in attendance, what a blessing. Both grandfathers and my brother in law prayed for each of the children and my sister lit a candle each time one was baptized. We couldn't see the actual event very well because of how the baptismal font is set up, but I think it was pretty evident what happened. Afterward, we jumped in the car and headed to my sister's house for lunch. Oh, boy. Here's where it gets dicey. He was firing on all cylinders with his inquiries: "Is there really only one God and Jesus? Why is there only one?"
"How come when we die we don't come back? Only Jesus did that?"
"Who will get me my drink and my clothes and my food when I'm in heaven?"
"Well, I don't really think that's what happens. Can we call God and ask him why we don't come back?"
"If I pray with my eyes open, will Jesus and God still hear me?"
"When I die, I'm going to call Jesus and God and tell them to bring me back. That's what I think should happen. "
This is the part where I answered those questions as best as I could, although I drew the line at pretending to call God on my cell phone. I was even brave enough to mention the Yucky Place (aka hell), but it didn't really capture his attention like the concept of the resurrection. Go figure.
"Why is there a yucky place? Hell? That's what it's called? What town is it in? Can I see it?"
Thankfully I was rescued by some trivial landmark outside our car window and he was easily distracted. Then we arrived at the cousins' house and no further questioning was needed.
I don't mean to make light of such a meaningful discussion with my child. I am thrilled that my nieces and nephew were baptized, that we were there to see it, that the Papas could pray for their grandchildren with words that brought us to tears. But, as with most aspects of parenting, there are unforseeable moments when I am at a loss for words.

Coal and Switches

2008-12-30T14:49:00.001-08:00

Luke and Steve went to run some errands last Saturday. They saw a friend from church at Safeway. He asked Luke what he got for Christmas. Steve said, "tell him you got coal and switches." Ever the obedient child, Luke repeated what Steve said, having no idea what it meant.
On Sunday, Steve went to church very early to rehearse with the praise team, as it was his Sunday to help lead the worship time. Luke usually goes and plays with another boy before church starts. But, we elected to keep him home because there wasn't any Sunday school this week. Any child older than 2 was expected to sit through the service with their parents. Keep in mind, Luke has gone to church for more than 4 years and has never sat through an entire church service. There is almost always someone available in his classroom to watch him. But, feeling brave, we marched into the 'big church' as Luke calls it. Of course, he spotted several of his friends and wanted to sit with all of them. The place was packed and there wasn't room, so we chose a place near the front where he could see Steve singing. I managed to hold him through all of the opening songs so he could maintain his view of his dad. We finally finished and settled in to our seats when they announced that all the children could come forward to hear a story. I figured he would be afraid. But he surprised me with his bravery and insisted that he go up front. If I had known what was coming, I would have sat on him to keep him in his seat.
Our friend, Mrs. Plett, worship leader and most excellent kindergarten teacher, sat everybody down on the steps at the front of the sanctuary. Luke muscled his way in to sit beside her, then saw his buddy Brayden at the back, so he raced down the steps to sit beside him. Mrs. Plett announced that she needed 5 people to share what they got for Christmas.
"Oh, me, me!" Luke shouted from the back of the group. "I have something to tell you! Pick me!"
"Yes, Luke? What did you get for Christmas?" she said, handing him the microphone.
"I got coal and switches!"
Silence. "Steve?" Mrs. Plett asked, looking around for Steve to translate.
Steve and I were too busy sinking in to our seats. Did I mention it was a packed house?
"Oh, oh, I mean, Geotrax. I got Geotrax." He quickly corrected himself. I guess he wanted to make sure he told the truth. We are in church, after all.
I took solace in the fact that only Steve and I knew what he said. He really seemed to enjoy the spotlight, because he clamored for the microphone once again. Mrs. Plett did an excellent job of fending him off, though, and finished the story without further interruption.
He strutted back to his seat, clearly quite proud of his achievements.
I took him out in the narthex toward the end of the service because he couldn't keep quiet. Several people came up and complimented me on his 'cuteness'. It was obvious to me that they had no idea about the coal and switches. That's good news. Be careful what you tell a 4 year old, they might actually repeat it at a most inopportune time.

T'was a very merry Christmas

2008-12-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

Steve and his Wake Forest jersey
Papa Dave

Grandma Nancy

Heather

A nearly perfect family photo

Andy

Luke

We are recovering from quite the merry day yesterday. Our big plan was to get up at the crack of dawn (because that's when Luke gets up), enjoy our Santa gifts, then pile everything and everybody in the car for the trek to my sister's house. Well, there was a wee bit of snow in the driveway. I can't remember the last time we had this much snow. Perhaps this is a first. Luke didn't want to stop opening gifts, but we convinced him that if he opened everything by 7:15 am, he would be quite distraught by midday. Surprisingly, he listened to us and we were able to put a few wrapped gifts in the car. Andy only cared about one thing: the brand new police car he found in his stocking. If that thing didn't cause more problems between here and Puyallup...good grief. We were all fighting about that stupid car. Who gets it, who doesn't, who is going to confiscate it...it went on and on. We arrived at my sister's and enjoyed a delicious brunch, lots of delightful gifts and good conversation. My parents were able to pick up my grandmother and bring her over, as well. I think everybody did very well, given the number of people involved and the amount of gifts that needed to be opened. Heather had more company arriving, so Steve and I loaded up the boys (and all of our loot) and followed my parents back to their house. Grammie was a good sport about all of the chaos. We relaxed, ate some more, played with the boys' new toys, ate some more. It was all very fun. We came home totally exhausted but thankful for our delightful family and somewhat cooperative weather for traveling. We spent most of today just trying to recover and the boys were busy enjoying their toys. They are totally in to trains and hot wheels cars. Very fun.

Ugh. Cabin Fever!

2008-12-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

The snow was delightful, I'm so glad it made an appearance. However, it is intefering with my plans for the week and I'm ready for it all to melt. All sentimental notions of a white Christmas have been pushed aside...because I want to go back to my normal, mobile minivan-driving life. We are all just a little bit sick of each other, I think. Steve devised a brilliant plan to cope with the cabin fever: he took Luke to work with him for the morning. Hooray! Andy is having a good time playing with all the toys without any interuptions and I'm enjoying a nice stroll through blogland. We are a little worried that we won't be able to see my family for Christmas. Mom and Dad live at the top of a hill that could be a bit dicey if it is covered in ice and snow. My sister's neighborhood streets are covered in snow, as well. I think we'll be a bit sad if we need to postpone our Christmas day plans.

A Very Exciting Snow Day

2008-12-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Andy playing in the not-so-secret passageway
Luke enjoying his role as project manager

A sledding adventure

Too cute!

Steve decided to stay home from work today, given the road conditions. We were glad to have him around and he enjoyed some snowy adventures with the boys. Andy absolutely loved being outside. He didn't seem cold at all. Luke came in first to warm up and lost interest in going back out. Steve was surveying the neighborhood, trying to see what other generator owners were up to. Supposedly we are going to get quite the wind storm tomorrow, which always leads to extensive power outages around here. In his search for an extra gasoline can, he inquired about keys to our outdoor storage area. Suddenly it all came back to me: Giving in to Luke's multiple requests to put up the tree, fetching the tree from its home in the storage area, lugging the tree in its rubbermaid container up the deck stairs, allowing Luke to hold the only set of keys to the storage area...losing track of the keys in my haste to decorate the tree before any ornaments were broken. I have no idea where those keys are. Luke informed us we put them back in the key basket, but we sure can't see them. Resisting the urge to call a locksmith, Steve was struck with a profound thought. There is a secret passage way! This involved a little surgery on the carpet in a closet, but at last the hatch was exposed and the boys were fascinated. Luke was a little concerned for Steve's safety, but short of a minor cut, all is well. The door was unlocked and now the boys are having a blast running in and out of the closet. I was sweating bullets because I have Christmas presents hidden in the storage area. I couldn't imagine pursuading a locksmith to come out and rescue our loot in the middle of a storm. We needed some additional excitement around here...

Arctic Blast '08

2008-12-15T15:36:00.000-08:00

Discarded strollers make excellent snow toys. Who knew?
This is Andy's second winter to play in the snow, but probably the first time he's really enjoyed it. He was so upset when we had to go in. Sorry, fellas. Mama is freezing!

Pausing for a photo op

We bought this gingerbread house kit at Costco. Luke got bored quickly and Andy only wanted to eat the candy, so we called it quits fairly early. It's a sparsely decorated house, but fun nonetheless.

We enjoyed our first winter storm over the weekend. Unfortunately, the freezing cold temperatures appear to be sticking around. It's too cold for school, too cold for outdoor play...the boys decided to make life interesting and come down with colds this afternoon. Ugh.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Nancy

2008-12-07T20:19:00.001-08:00

Luke, Emily and Allison
Grandma opening her presents

Celebrating with cheesecake

We had a little party for Grandma Nancy over the weekend. She celebrated her 59th birthday (wink, wink). She didn't want to cook for her own birthday, can't say that I blame her, so Heather pulled together a little feast and we chipped in with the dessert. Thanks to the nice ladies at the bakery, we enjoyed a plethora of cheesecake. The kids had a good time together. It's always nice to come over and see what kind of toys the cousins have on hand. I was on a mission to collect some cute pictures for holiday gift-giving. I was somewhat successful, I suppose. Happy birthday, mom.

Steve and Luke's big trip

2008-12-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

Luke/Darth enjoying the cousins' Star Wars paraphenalia

Getting ready to cheer for the home team, the Carolina Panthers

Sending mama a nice "hello"
Luke and Steve are on their way home from a week in North Carolina, but I thought I would post some of the photos they have sent. I just spoke to Grandma, she says they all had a wonderful time. I think they'll be exhausted, but I'm glad Steve and Luke were able to make the trip. Andy and I have enjoyed our time together, once we got over the weirdness of it all. He's had some monster tantrums today, so maybe he's ready for his family to be back together. I'm ready for a sense of normalcy, myself. I'm not ready for the sibling rivalry to resume, however.

Gobble Gobble

2008-11-28T14:09:00.001-08:00

This is Andy, celebrating Thanksgiving in Eatonville. He is a happy camper this week, as his brother has gone away for a few days. Andy is playing with all of Luke's toys, messing up his stuff, watching whatever he wants...Steve and Luke went to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Andy was a bit of a party pooper last year, so we decided to keep him home this time. We enjoyed a quiet and calm Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Today I am tackling all sorts of projects while half the residents are out of the house.

An Early Feast

2008-11-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

We went to visit Grammie at her new assisted living place today. They were having a Thanksgiving feast for friends and family. The food was delicious, although I don't think they were prepared for such a large crowd. It was my first time to visit her since she moved in. My parents have been several times. I think it's nice and the staff seems very helpful and attentive to her needs. Our boys were total squirrells, so I didn't have a chance to take any pictures. I didn't feel sad until we went upstairs to see her room. I heard her say, "this is where I have to live now, Luke" and I nearly lost it. It seems to be the best option for everybody and she is in good spirits, but it is still really difficult to wrap my mind around. Is this really what getting old is all about? I will be going back more frequently as there are many more events to attend between now and Christmas, as well as some birthdays to celebrate. I hope it gets easier each time.

Who Dunnit?

2008-11-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

We attended our first murder mystery dinner party over the weekend. What fun! It was an Italian theme, the murder victim owned the italian restaurant. We all played roles that connected us to the victim, also making us possible suspects. I was the widow and Steve was my son/aspiring pro soccer player/waiter. It was hysterical! Our friends did a wonderful job playing their parts and providing delicious food. I highly recommend the murder mystery game.