The Best Day of My Life

While A and JD were eating chocolate chip cookies tonight, A announced, "This is the best day of my life!" JD nodded in agreement. His mouth was too full to comment. I have Phoebe Buffay's grandma's recipe to thank for such praise.

First Day of School

We knew this day was coming - you know that commercial? Yep - my daughter started kindergarten, the day after she turned five. And, I know she's ready. She's smart and eager to learn. But, was I ready? Logistically, maybe. I got the school supply list and filled it a month before school began, including labeling each and every crayon with her name. But I, like most parents, probably, felt an emotional struggle. Did I prepare her enough? Will she be okay? Probably not, and yes.

She had a good first day - other than the fact that she only ate grapes for lunch. I'm trusting my pediatrician on this one - when she's hungry, she'll eat. But, hopefully she won't have too many grape-only days.

A with Mrs. Hutchin

JD is moving up from the Lion Cubs class to the Koalas. He did great, by the way. He loves his teacher and knows several of his classmates. He's also been using the potty really well. I LOVE peer-pressure potty training!

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated A's 5th birthday with a fishing party. They enjoyed fishing for prizes in the backyard and taking home a goldfish. A few days later, on her actually birthday, I had to work, but we were still able to enjoy dinner together. A chose macaroni and cheese for her dinner choice - shocking, I'm sure - for those who know her. She eats little else. And, she asked for cake with the sprinkles, so we enjoyed that too. Birthdays are surreal moments for mommies, but this one seemed especially monumental. Where did the last five years go?

Newport and Seaside, OR

We decided that the best way to celebrate J's graduation was a trip to the beach. We spent 2 1/2 days in Newport, where we enjoyed the aquarium, Undersea aquarium, the boats and freshly caught fish, and the seals. We also went to a lighthouse and enjoyed two different beaches.
Then, we met up with J's family in Seaside for a few days. One evening we enjoyed a fire, s'mores and "ghost" stories - Papa E style. Check out JD's expression below.

Clark County Fair

Last night we took the kids to the fair. They enjoyed seeing the world's largest alligator and pig. Imagine - the world's largest alligator and pig were at OUR fair! They also toured the animal barns, saw a performing pig act, ate corn dogs and their first-ever elephant ear (a big hit!), and rode some fun rides. We went to a midievil knights performance, but A announced after 5 minutes: "Why are we here? There are no girls! We are wasting our play time!" So, we went back to the giant slide.

Fish on, 5 times over

We took the kids back to the Rainbow Trout Farm near Mt. Hood a couple of weeks ago. They had a great time. The set-up is perfect for kids. There are 8-10 ponds with varying depths and sizes of fish. You can fish at any pond you want, but they're all full of fish. The kids put their lines in the water and within seconds, it seemed, they both had fish on their lines. I think the final count was 5 fish in less than an hour. They loved it!

Overheard at Wal-mart

I was pushing my kiddos in a cart at Wal-mart today, when I overheard:

A: JD, do you believe in God?

JD: No.

A: (absolute shock) Oh, no, JD. If you don't believe in God, you will go to a very dark place. God isn't there. And there are ghosts! (Disclaimer: I didn't tell her about ghosts.)

JD: (shock and horror on his face)

A: So, JD, do you believe in God?

JD: Yes!

Fire-and-brimstone evangelism at its best.

I can about bet what the kids were talking about at day care today.

Sun River, OR 2010

We went to the High Desert Museum this year, which was a first. My oldest child was quite convinced that she didn't like museums, which confused me, because I'm pretty sure I've never taken her to one. But she left singing a different tune and could not remember saying she didn't want to go in the first place. Maybe it was the outhouse that helped her make her decision?
We went with "the cousins" to the museum, but Ben stayed behind for his nap.
We spent lots of time in the pool. JD refused to "swim" with anyone other than Daddy, so John made many a trip across the pool leading the blue dolphin.
A really had a good time, especially when she realized it was absolutely impossible for her to sink since she was wearing a life jacket AND clinging to a floatie.
Before we left for Sun River, we had the cousins over for lunch. As you can tell, my kids were really shy and hesitant to show their true excitement.

ND 2010

How do I sum up our trip to ND this year? Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! The kids flew airplanes. I mean, how can you top that?
We had a picnic in the park.
We went to Velva for their 4th of July parade. My favorite part was how the announcer named EVERY person in/on each float - no kidding. And, my second favorite part was the fact that the parade only paraded down 2 city blocks, so when we saw every entry they came around for a second go-round. Very cute.
Our trip could not be complete without a ride on the choo-choo (never mind that we ride the big one to get there/go home every year). Both of my kids are train lovers, and we are happy to oblige.
Great Grandpa Jay was transferred to a nursing home so he could attend rehab/physical therapy. While we were there, we got to see his new home-away-from-home.
I love this shot. I'm glad JD sat still long enough for me to take it.
JD really, truly believes that Papa's tractors are his too. And, despite the sheepish look on his face, this ride was an absolute highlight for him. Thanks for the ride, Papa!
Just a run in the park
I loved our attempt at mini-golf. A shows true potential for golf - which I can not take credit for. JD somehow lost his ball around hole 7, even though it was a bright orange color. A few holes were completely skipped, and no one kept score. But everyone left with smiles. A week later, we passed a glow golf business, and with all confidence A announced, "Oh yeah, we should play that. I'm good at it."
We enjoyed many an evening on the lawn. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes knew we were there.
I think we went to the "sprinkle park" three times this year. Every time, JD sat with me for a good 15 minutes saying he didn't want to get wet. Eventually he decided to give it a go, and then it took quite the convincing to get him out.
A was a pro. She did a little modeling for me, before she got completely soaked.

Uncle Jon's Wedding

We attempted a family photo before Uncle Jon's wedding. But, it's not a family photo without John. We did our best in his absence.
My kiddos know I love hydrangeas. I'm not sure that they actually were, but it didn't really matter what the flowers were when they were handing them to me. They know their way to my heart!
Congratulations Uncle Jon and Auntie Amy! You had a beautiful wedding, and we loved being there to celebrate with you - bubbles and all!
We practiced our bubble-making abilities before Uncle Jon and Auntie Amy came out of the church.
My beautiful girl!

Memorial Day Weekend Camping

Our camping trip was filled with rain, of course, a nice walk around the lake, a bit of fishing and some s'mores. The kids had a great time. When I asked them what their favorite part was, they answered: A: everything JD: all of the food J: spending time with the family.

Random Pictures from May

One evening while I was making dinner, A "read" to JD - using his favorite book of late, a find the picture book of farm scenes. It's always a little surreal to hear her interpretations of my reading. They sat reading for 20 minutes. It was a wonderful moment!

In preparation for our upcoming camping trip, A and JD are proud new owners of their own fishing poles - Barbie and Spiderman. While they're fishing, it definitely seemed more real to wear their life vests, don't you think?

JD decided it was more authentic to drive around the family room with Daddy's helmet on - clearly!

I awoke one morning to find my little cowboy in bed next to me. This is a daily occurrence. What was not typical, however, was his new decision to put on his cowboy boots before crawling in with me. A cowboy never goes anywhere without his boots!

We attended the Hazel Dell parade again this year, and there was no shortage of ice cream, bread, necklaces, stickers and, of course, candy. JD really seemed to get into the hang of the candy grab. He became so confident, I had to reel him in a few times.