Monday Monday

Oh Monday.....lovely Monday. I have a sitter for the kids on Mondays this summer. Four glorious hours to myself. A much needed respite.

The first week I eagerly awaited (faced pressed up against the window) for the sitter to arrive. I hadn't been out alone in a solid month. Not pretty. 

I had errands to run so I quickly got them out of the way. Then off to my favorite coffee shop with a new book. I found a cozy chair and settled in with a cup of black tea and a almond croissant. 

It may have been the book...the melancholy music playing....or PMS....or the fact that I was bone tired but I burst into tears sitting there reading. 

I really need to get out of the house more....which is why this Monday date with myself gig is so great!

After my cry and finishing my treats I went off to a pedicure. So relaxing! A good hour in the massage chair while getting my feet scrubbed and rubbed. Bliss. 

I returned home a much calmer and happier mommy....and eagerly awaiting the next Monday. 

The next Monday I had a dental cleaning first thing on my list. I decided to wear my exercise clothes and get a good power walk in after the cleaning. I walked to the same coffee shop...ordered my fav and plopped into my cozy seat.

No tears this time. I spent some time reading and then walked back to my car. The rest of my time I spent running errands. That doesn't sound very exciting but driving in a car alone is really relaxing. 

My 3rd week of Monday Time I took Mr. P with me. We ran errands to the bank, and then the courthouse and another office in town. He then sat patiently (playing the iPad) while I got a pedicure. Then we went out to lunch. 

It was really nice to get some one-on-one time with Mr. P. He is the perfect age to run errands with....and a nice lunch date too. 

My 4th week was spent at physical therapy and then at the hospital. My MIL just had surgery and I was so happy to have a sitter so I could be at the hospital with Cam. Everything went great with her surgery too! 

I'm looking forward to next Monday. Sis and I are going shopping! Some back to school clothes for her! Fun!

Oh...and the book....Tell The Wolves I'm Home. Very, very good!! I highly recommend it.

Cousin Fun

We had Cam's sis Cinn her husband Jamie and their two kids with us for a couple weeks. The kids had SO much fun...oh, we adults did too. Crazy busy fun!

I got to have baby snuggles. Baby Juniper!

The boys read Aspen tons of books...possibly hundreds of books. It was hilarious when Moses was finally worn down and he suggested that maybe Mr. P would like to read one. Then Mr. P vetoed her choice of book because it was too long. Ha! 

I can't say enough how much the kids LOVED having the girls here to play. 

Uncle Cam got in on the snuggles too.

These two had an especially good time! They played all day long! Non-stop fun. I think Sis really enjoyed having another girl to play with. The played dolls a lot....and dress-up too!

Tuba of course loved the baby too. 

Don't ya just love baby feet?!

As I looked through the photos I realized there wasn't any of George with the girls. Hmmmmm. He actually had some jealousy during the visit. I'll chalk it up to his age and him being the baby of our family. 

Oh and Sis had jealousy over me holding Juniper. She actually got really mad one day and told me not to hold "that stinky baby!". Ha....it was hilarious.....and we all laughed a lot once she left the room. 

The kids cannot wait for Christmas so they can all play again. And we hoping and praying for Cinn and Jamie to land jobs near us....at least a day's drive would be great. 

Paddle Boarding

I got to cross one thing off of my Summer Bucket List!

I have wanted to try Paddle-boarding since last summer when I saw two moms at the beach taking turns paddling around in the water. It looked so peaceful.

I was excited to meet another mom at George's preschool that just opened a paddle board business! AND....it turns out that she used to play Select Soccer with my awesome SIL Cinn.

Sooooooo.....Cinn and I booked a lesson together during their visit. It was really fun!!

We took our lesson at the marina. We wore wetsuits even though the weather was warm. I thought for sure I would fall into the water.

We launched from the dock and learned how to paddle on our knees....and then learned to stand up. Then we learned how to hold the paddle, to move and to turn.

1. It's WAY harder than it looks. Have you ever worked out on a Bosu Ball? Standing on the board is just like that. You use all your leg muscles and core strength to balance. Then you use your upper body to paddle yourself around.

It was a nice peaceful place to practice paddling. There were boats all around us but they were parked. We were protected from too many waves too by the marina docking. 

We got to see fish swimming below us AND we had a little visit from a curious sea lion. 

We toured around for about an hour. We DIDN'T fall in either!! Next time I'll skip the wetsuit since I was really hot and sweaty. 

I can't wait to try it again. I'm hoping to rent a board when we go to Lake Chelan. The kids all want to try it too. You can even put a kid on the board sitting down and then the adult paddles them around. So fun. 

So what else is on my bucket list for summer? 

I want to take a family hike to a local waterfall. 

I want to explore a local island that I've never been to. 

I want to have a family bike ride and picnic on my favorite trail. 

I want to have drinks on my new deck (the deck is currently being built).....oh I can't wait!

I want to have a date night with Cam and pack a picnic for the park or beach. 

How about your summer bucket list? What's on it?

George turns 6!

Our sweet baby boy turned 6 this month. On the weekend we celebrated by going to the zoo. Unfortunately it was the hottest day of the year. We didn't realize all of the animals would be sooooo sleepy in the heat. Oh well, we still had fun.

George requested hamburgers WITH buns, watermelon, and corn on the cob for his bday dinner. For dessert he said he wanted ice cream cones. But, the morning of his bday he woke up and announced that he wanted a cherry cake....the kind of cherries that come in a jar. 

I searched the Internet for a recipe and came up with a good one. We made a Maraschino Cherry Cake. We used whipping cream instead of icing. It was very good!

After dinner we took the kids for a neighborhood stroll. The scootered and Cam, Tuba and I walked...or chased them.

My guys are so handsome.

....and one beautiful girl too.

Happy Birthday my baby boy. You are such a smart and inquisitive child. You ask us hard questions. You also tell me really deep things about God and the world. You are a big thinker. You are doing great at TKD....you rock the push-ups. You love to play Legos and to run around the yard and wrestle with your siblings. Although you are way bigger than your Sis you like it when she is Little Mommy for you. Happy Birthday to my super awesome boy!

That tooth business

Teeth have been flying out of our kids' mouths at lightening speed. Most have given up on counting on the Tooth Fairy.

Mr. P did give me an extra big hug when I "found" $3 on the windowsill where he had left his tooth.

This girl still believes. She lost the top two recently. She was thrilled to receive her cash reward and head to the  Dollar Store.

It is my favorite "look" when kids have the top two teeth missing at the same time. I wish it took longer for the big adult teeth to come in. Once those new teeth are in my baby's face will change. She will look older and more grown up. Not a baby anymore.

I also enjoy the lisp that comes with no teeth on top. Adorable.

Oh, and look at those beautiful brown eyes. What a cutie!

4th of July 2014

We had a wonderful time on the 4th. I love the 4th of July!

This year we hosted the party since we had house guests. We attended the parade in our town. I love the parade....my favorite are the marching bands. My little niece loved the music too! She danced and jumped all around. Sis had so much fun with a girl in the house. They really bonded and played ALL day long. 

Another part of the parade I like is when a very somber moment. People carry large banners with photos of men and women killed in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The soldiers are from town in our state. It is horrific and so sad to see all those young faces.

I am very proud of my kids. They stand silently and observe. They know to stand up and remove their hats....and put their hands on their hearts. 

Whoops.....George does have his hat on here. After snapping this shot I reminded him to remove it. 

Mr. P and my niece had so much fun together. 

George found a good spot to hold his flag. 

Tuba was cantankerous! Crabby. We went to get everyone drinks....it's our yearly tradition. But, the line was extremely long. After waiting about 20 min. we abandoned the line and bought kettle corn instead. Tuba sat eating (hogging) the kettle corn....crabbily. Oh well.

As we left the parade I asked Cam to take a photo of me with the kids. I'm the photo taker in the family which means that I'm often MIA in the photos. 

Oooops!! I actually didn't take any photos of Cam at the parade!! Sorry! My bad!

After the parade we regrouped at home, my nieces napped (oh gosh how I miss those days), and we hung out. 

Then we had a nice big BBQ. Grilled chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, guacamole and chips, veggies/dip, and fruit pie for dessert! Delicious! This is one of the reasons I love the 4th! Best food ever!

My biggest regret....I didn't set up my tripod and get a group shot!! Ugh!! I need my family to remind me to do that next time!!

Mr. P is 11!!

This tall sweet boy turned 11. We had my SIL, BIL and their adorable babes staying with us so it made the day even more fun. We went out for burgers and then had ice cream cake at home. 

This year Mr. P requested something special for his bday. He wanted to spend half a day alone with Cam and half a day alone with me. Very sweet! He ended up going on a huge 26 mile bike ride with Cam. They had lunch half way through the ride. Then the next day I took Mr. P to the movies. Just he and I. It was really nice. We saw Transformers IIII. Okay, not my first pick for a movie but sitting in the theater holding my son's hand was the best! 

Happy Birthday to my very handsome boy. You are loved by all little kids.....and it's because you love them too. You play with them and take delight in it. You are a strong and dedicated sportsman. You continue to achieve in TKD and you rocked the basketball court this year!! 

You love to tell me you are now a Tween. I can feel it coming....you are growing up. But I am enjoying watching you grow. I love you sweet boy.

Newest Ninja

My blog is partially Dear Diary and partially a recording of my kids' lives as they grow up. I need to catch up on some of the kid things that have been happening around here.

We now have three black belts in our family! Wow!! Moses received his black belt last month. We are so proud of him! He is only 8 years old. It took a lot of years and a lot of dedication to achieve this goal.

And....we have two new orange belts in the house!

My groove

Summer. It's here.

The kids last day of school was weeks ago. We started off with a bang....eye appointments, swimming lessons, birthday celebration, basketball camp, hosted family visiting, more basketball camp, 4th of July, another birthday.....

Whew! I have been feeling off kilter. I can't catch my breath. I feel like the world is going a million miles a minute and I want to jump off. 

I love summer but this year I can't quite catch my groove. I'm working on it though. I feel almost caught up with the mess at home, and bills, and errands.

I need to catch a smidgen of quiet. 

Then, I want to put my feet up a bit and enjoy some sun and summer. 

Then I can get back on the spinning world of summer fun.

And play catch up on my blog. I have loads of fun photos to share. Coming soon.