May Memories

Washing Daddy's motorcycle


Ben thought he'd be helpful and wash Aaron's motorcycle. I saw him outside with the hose and a bucket of soapy water spraying it down and lathering up the sponge. When I went outside to snap a picture of him he was at the height of his cuteness with his rubber boots and wet blue jeans smiling from ear to ear. A few days later Aaron was in the garage and tried to start up the bike. After wondering why it was running so sluggish, he revved it up and about a gallons worth of water sprayed out from the exhaust pipes. After questioning Ben he reluctantly admitted to spraying the hose water directly into the exhaust pipes.




"Mommy, will you marry me?"

Over Memorial Day weekend I was in the office trying to catch up on my blogging while the kids were outside playing. Later on that afternoon all three boys came in the house and marched into the office with their hands behind their backs. Then all at the same time they held out their hand picked bouquets and shouted in chorus,...."Mommy, will you marry me!?" I love my sweet little boys.

Father/ Son Canoe trip to Blake Island

Aaron had a fun outing with the boys on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. He borrowed a friends canoe and put it in just down the road by the Southworth ferry. He paddled across the water over to Blake Island where they camped for the night and stayed the next day hiking and exploring the island. Their campsite right on the water had an amazing view of Mt. Rainier. Lauren and I stayed behind and had a girls night at home. I'm so glad that he takes the boys out on these outings. Any chance he gets he takes them on little overnighter trips. I really do feel so blessed that my children have such a wonderful Father that genuinely enjoys spending time with his kids. I told him that next time though he was going to have to find another canoe because I want to come too!

Their campsite on the island. (Yes he paddled that canoe across the strait all by himself)

(The view of Mt. Rainier at sunset from their campsite)

Jacob's Diabetes Walk/Run

Jacob was very excited to participate in his school's Diabetes walk/Run. I happened to be volunteering that day at the school so I got to see this little guy running his heart out. They had the upper field coned off and all the kids ran or walked laps around the field. Every time they completed a lap they got a punch on their card. 40 laps around the field equaled 10 miles. Jacob ran every lap and over the course of the two days had his whole card punched equaling a total of 10 miles. He was very proud of himself for being the only First grader to have his entire card punched. The next day when he came downstairs for breakfast he was walking a little funny. "Mommy, my legs are kind of sore this morning," he said. I wonder why you silly boy!

Baby Chicks

Joseph's Kindergarten class hatched some baby chicks. It took several weeks of waiting but after finally hatching they were old enough to take home. Jospeh got to bring home 2 of them. We were already planning on getting some laying hens this spring (I've wanted to have fresh eggs for a couple of years now) so getting these first two kind of pushed us into getting the chicken coop built. We bought 8 other baby chicks and the kids have been enjoying them immensely. Joseph named the two from his class "Big Heart" and "White Charm." He announced their names to us one day right out of the blue. Lauren has cracked me up with her bravery when holding the chicks. Sometimes they will try to get out of her grasp and they'll start frantically flapping their wings in her face. Without even flinching she just holds on for dear life as she says soothingly: "It's okay birdie, it's okay." Here is a picture and a video clip of them holding the chicks.

Sticker Lauren

One night while I was making dinner Lauren was sitting up on the island playing with a sheet of stickers. After a while I looked over at her to find that she had completely covered herself with the stickers. All over her shirt and hair. It cracked me up to think of her carefully placing each one evidently she thought she was making her hair pretty. She didn't think it was such a great idea later though when I had to pull them out of her hair. Ouch! This month Lauren also did something else for the first time. She grabbed a pink little marker and drew nail polish on her fingernails and toenails. It was done very carefully and she was so pleased with herself as she declared, "Look Mommy, I make it pretty!" It was funny because the color she picked was almost dead on to the shade of polish I had on my toenails.



Playing Catch

Baseball season ends in June and our life won't be so crazy. Any spare moment Aaron has he'll usually be found out in the yard playing catch with the boys. I snapped this picture one day from the kitchen window while I was washing dishes. I love these simple little moments that mean so much. Aaron is so great about always taking a few minutes away from his laptop (when he works from home) to just go out and play catch. He teaches me so much about taking time out to spend time playing with the kids. I love that about him.

Mother's Day

When we were planning our Disneyland trip we didn't look at the calendar very well because it would not have been a part of my plans to get home at 10:30pm on a Saturday night with Mother's day being the next day. We were both exhausted from our flight and the hours of driving. I think we were up until at least midnight unpacking and minimally putting the house back together before we finally hit the sack. Aaron still woke up early though to make me my favorite breakfast (crepes with strawberries and yogurt) and got to stay home from his usual morning meetings to help with getting the kids ready for church. That night he barbecued some salmon (also my favorite) and we enjoyed a great dinner with me not doing a thing but enjoying my break for the day. I love Mother's day.

The boys made me some little gifts (beaded necklaces and a potted flower from school). But mostly what I treasured from them was their sweet pictures and home made cards. Now that they're getting older it has been so wonderful to hear them express themselves in words. I think every mother would agree that the best gift from your children is to hear them lovingly express how they feel about you. Their words warmed my heart and made it a very special Mothers Day.

Clone Trooper Helmet

Jacob worked so hard on this Star Wars Clone Trooper helmet. He came downstairs after being up in the playroom for over an hour working tirelessly cutting, coloring, taping and stapling. The end result was quite impressive. I couldn't help but smile when I thought of all the work and detail he put into making this. I love his creativity and his little imagination. So cute.