Sucking every last drop out of summer

Here I sit... inside... with rain outside my window.  This week the clouds and drizzle returned marking the end of summer.  Kinda sad.  The mornings are dark again and I had to turn the heater back on in Lizzy's bedroom last night.  One thing that makes the change a little easier is knowing we sucked every last drop out of summer last weekend and the week before.  We enjoyed some beautiful September days and got to enjoy the pool until last Sunday.  Posting these pictures makes me feel just a tiny bit better about the rain.  :)

Ruston Way rock throwing with the two littles

Wonderful, sunny, uncrowded zoo day

Jumping in Jammies

Quick stop at the waterfront and soaking wet shorts

Everything from the garden except for the steak

Gluten-free blackberry pie for Kyle

Some studly knights

Lizzy got to wear her cute orange romper one more day

Noodle fights

Enjoying the last of the pool

Good-bye sun, hope to see you before next year... hello fall!

Second Grade

Isaiah is off to 2nd grade today!  He was excited and happy as usual and it was much easier for me to leave him this morning than it was a year ago.  I can't wait to see what adventures and new friends and challenges and successes he encounters this year.  Here's my handsome boy...

Handsome 2nd grader

Luke and Lizzy will miss big brother

Welcome balloons at LCS

with good buddy Steiner in front of his classroom

Getting out of Dodge

There are some things that you just can't do in the city.  Riding around on a 4-wheeler and towing a sled behind it is one of them.  The kiddos loved the snow we got last week and happily suited up in their snow gear to play in it.  The only downside was that the snow in our tiny backyard was packed down or rolled up into snowman parts in about 30 minutes flat.  So on Saturday we headed down south to Kyle's parents for some more snow fun.  Kyle got out his old 4-wheeler that he got in 7th grade and tied a sled to the back and the boys (all 3 of them) were happy as clams.

I love watching Kyle when we are down in Tumwater or anywhere out of the hustle and bustle of the big city.  It's his natural environment and he thrives in it.  The stresses and weights fall off and he comes alive.  He is tough and manly, and a kid again at the same time.  He wears camo, and shoots his bow, and introduces the boys to the adventures he had when he was their age.

My Wild Man

The boys could not get enough of the sled rides.  They were loving every minute of it, whether they were on the 4-wheeler with dad or behind it in the sled, or on their faces in a pile of powdery snow.  They had a BLAST!

All Smiles

just like dad

Isaiah's expressions... priceless

Mom even got in on the fun

Lizzy was not as into the loud, moving machine as her brothers.  More accurately she didn't want anything to do with it.  She was content to stick with her favorite past-time at Nana and Papa's; saying Hi to Lady the horse and getting lots of attention from Nana and Papa.  Kyle comes from good folk- we are blessed to feel so loved and spoiled when we go visit.  We love Nana and Papa! And we love getting out in the country a little, it is good for our souls!

I couldn't help myself from taking lots of pictures of this weekend's snow adventure.  Everyone was having so much fun!  I just can't resist the smiles and squeals of laughter, and the face plants into the snow.  My picture taking hand was freezing cold by the end but my heart was warm and full.

Oh Lukey!

Kids are so funny.  Sometimes I just really want to get inside their little brains and see what they are thinking.  Why do they do the things they do?  Just for the record I'm sure there have been plenty of times when someone has wondered what I am doing or thinking.  Take yesterday for example.  I was out for a walk with the dog and the younger two kiddos in the jogging stroller.  The kids were munching on Toy Story fruit snacks and Luke said, "hey mom- I got a Jessie!" To which I started singing full blast, "There's Jessie the yodeling cowgirl, Bullseye, he's Woody's horse, meet the old prospector and Woody the man himself of course...."  Just as I finished the finale "He's the rootinest, tootinest cowboy in the wild, wild west- Woooody's Roooound-uuup!" I looked over to see about 5 construction workers across the street standing motionless and staring at me.  Welp... what can you do?

Anyway, back to kids.  Luke is one of those kids that is often doing things that we just shake our heads at.  Really, all we can do is say, "Oh Lukey."  He reminds me a little of those No David books. Adventurous, but sweet as can be.  That is the dichotomy of Lukey; a lion and a lamb, jumping off of anything and everything, but the best cuddler in the world.  Fearless in every way, but wants to be near people.  I love him!  Last week we had one of our "What was he thinking" moments.  I had just finished putting Lizzy in her jammies when Isaiah came in and told me I needed to see what Luke did and take a picture of him.  In comes Luke with red marker stripes all over his body.  On his face, his arms, his tummy, all the way down his legs, even on the bottoms of his feet.  He was proud of himself and I snapped some pictures.

 It wasn't until we stripped him down to scrub him off in the shower that we realized he really had drawn those stripes everywhere.  They were on his ears, and even his cute little buns.  Oh Lukey!

It reminds me of a few other incidents...

Last summer my mom was in town and she watched the kids one day while I worked.  They were playing outside and she noticed Luke hiding behind a lawn chair.  "Luke, what are you doing?" she asked.  "I'm going poop in the pee hole."  (the boys have been known to pee outside- not abnormal for boys- unbeknownst to me they had named the hole in the ground at their favorite spot next to the lilac bush the "pee hole")  Isaiah informed Luke that they weren't supposed to poop in the pee hole and Luke responded nonchalantly,  "Don't worry about it.  We can do it, it's OK"  Oh Lukey!

Watching a movie one night after the kids were in bed we heard footsteps upstairs.  Going up to check it out we found Luke standing in the kitchen with a hot dog in both hands and a stack of Kraft singles ready to eat.  Oh Lukey!

One day Luke and Lizzy were behind the couch and Lizzy started crying.  Kyle-  "Luke- why is she crying, what did you do?"  Luke-  "We're playing Pharaoh and Moses and I just told her, Lizzy let my people go!"  Oh Lukey!

Lukey's Moses costume on the right

I came in from the garden one day to finish dinner and found Lukey biting big chunks out of the top of my block of cheddar cheese.  Oh Lukey!

Mmmm, who wants some cheese?

Oh Lukey!  Our life would be boring and empty without your big grin, your marker drawings on the walls and furniture, your bear hugs, your funny outfits and bathroom habits and your sweet cuddles and I love you's.  You make us smile everyday!  Don't ever change.

Lukey... whacha doing?  "I don't know!"

Photo shoot and a bribe or two

After getting my new camera in December I had been itching to take some pictures outside.  A couple of my friends got me a photography book for my birthday and I wanted to try out some of the things that were just barely starting to gel in my mind.  Everything I've read and everyone I've talked to has assured me that natural light is best... and there in lies my problem.  I live in Tacoma. And it's winter.  I wanted to take pictures of the kids but finding a window of time that it isn't pouring rain, the kids are ALL in halfway decent moods, no one has a bruise on their face and their hair has been washed within the week can be a little tricky.  So, when it looked like we were in store for a sun break one weekend I pounced.  Dad was pretty easy to convince of my plan but I knew the kids would take a little more finesse.  " Hey guys, I know!  Lets go to one of your favorite parks to play today- the CASTLE park!  And afterwards we can go get a fun treat!  Oh, and real quick, right before you play, mommy will take some pictures of you!  FUN!!!"  Now some people may call this a bribe, (and a sneaky one at that) but I prefer to call it knowing your kids motivation.  Any good parent or leader does it.  Isaiah and Luke are motivated by treats, seeing their friends, doing fun things and the Wii.  Lizzy doesn't quite get the concept yet of waiting for what she wants so she's a little tricky.  Anyway, the bribe/motivation worked pretty well to get them out the door.  I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from the day.

Lizzy, Luke and Isaiah

  

Brothers and best buds- how did they get so big?

Oh they make me smile

look how she's holding his finger- melts a momma's heart

  

  

Amazingly they sat still long enough to get a few pictures.  They did get a little squirrely though and there was plenty of running around and a bit of monkey business.  I was very glad I had my assistant with me.

And they did enjoy their play time at the park and the treat from Metro Market later.  All in all I think it was a win for everyone!