Under the Weather

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.