Nothing like watching your money go up in smoke...literally!

So it's no secret that the 4th of July is a favorite holiday in our household. How could it not be considering it's my dad's birthday. Sadly he has yet to experience a 4th of July in Washington and boy what a treat it is. The weekend began with our annual homeowners association festivities. This year, with about 15 minutes notice, Ty decided he wanted to participate in the kick-off parade. Kids decorate themselves and their bikes and follow behind several fire engines that do a loop around the neighborhood. I have to say I was quite impressed with what Ty was able to come up with in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately, I didn't have any cool 4th of July decorations laying around that he could use but he's not one to let that minor issue prevent him from being a part of it.




Straight from the parade we head over to our big neighborhood park for an afternoon of bouncing, rolling, sliding, riding, and eating! It's always nice to see our homeowners association fees actually paying off! Luckily, the carnival took place on Saturday where the weather held and we ended up with a beautiful afternoon and evening.






Unfortunately we can't say the same for the evening of the 4th. I'd like to say that the fog in the background was just smoke from all the fireworks but unfortunately, just hours before our show would begin, fog actually worked it's way into the area. Thankfully, it passed before the show but not without a few sprinkles also making their way through. We didn't let that stop us from lighting up the sky although it is funny to see the range of clothing from shorts and flip flops to ski parkas and rain boots.

If there is one splurge I have to give in on with Jack, it's letting him burn through a stash of cash on the 4th. Ty and Connor see nothing wrong with this...



The intro to the night includes sparklers, smoke bombs, worms, bottle rockets, fire crackers and those spinning flowers that I cannot stand...



Then we move into the fountains and roman candles. The roman candles scare me to death because the boys hold onto them, pointing them up to the sky while these balls of fire come flying out. This year we almost had a big problem when one of the boys' good friend had one in his hand but after the first one came out he thought it was done, pointed it at Connor, while at the same time watched another fire ball unexpectedly fly out toward Connor's face. Jack quickly grabbed it and pointed it upward. Thankfully I didn't witness this but hearing about it was enough to put me over the edge. Clearly, roman candles weren't something this boy had ever experienced. I think most smart people actually place them in a bucket and light them...



Then we move into the big stuff. Our street was full of bursts of light up in the sky. The on and off drizzle didn't stop any of us from enjoying it! We had about ten families come and join in on the fun. I wasn't able to get photos of everyone but here are a few shots of the fun...






I'm just thankful I can say that all limbs, faces, and eyebrows are still intact...until next year...

True love = sitting through a country music concert with your hubby...

So a little over a week ago Jack and I went to the Dwight Yoakam concert. Countless people have asked, "Who is he?" I had no idea myself, but once Jack heard he was coming to perform just a couple miles from our house, he was like a kid in candy shop, hardly able to contain his excitement. A big thank you to my sweet friend Rachel's sister who was able to snag us some really good tickets. Surprisingly it wasn't because we were the only ones in attendance either. The place was actually filled to capacity and we were in the 3rd row in the nice cushioned seats. I think the attire of Dwight will give you an idea of the type of music he sings and no, those are not spray-on pants. They are actually that tight...




If anything, it was a great opportunity to have a date with Jack (who by the way will tell you it was one of the best concerts he's been too and he's been to quite a few) and do some people watching. Who knew there would be such an interesting crowd of people at this concert! If only I had the guts to take photos of some of the attendees. All I can say is WOW!

A little of this and a little of that...

So the last month has been a busy one for us! It's included Mother's and Father's days, Jack's birthday, a school Variety Show, last days of school, a death, and the real important stuff like a new season of Bachelorette...

Here's the rundown:

Love, love, love the Mother's Day gifts the kids made at school for me this year! They actually got to weave their own baskets. Connor said he specifically wanted something I'd use out on the counter and so he selected a color that would match everything. Ty loves to be creative and his showed just that and Sage made this cute imprint of her hand. I am very blessed...



Jack's birthday! No comments on the cake please. This year he chose to have Hello Dolly bars as his birthday dessert. Needless to say we don't even try to fit on all of his candles...



So about a month ago Connor came home from school and announced he was going to try out for the school Variety Show. (Note: The key word here is "variety"...not to be confused with "talent".) My first response was, "Great, what are you going to do?" Of course there was a long pause and then he responded something like "I don't know but we can figure out something!" Now I had remembered last year Connor mentioning how someone in his class didn't get selected and was crying at their desk after they received the news. At the time I thought how thankful I was that the boys hadn't even attempted to try out and also how sad it was that all the kids that wanted to perform couldn't. So after a few blank stares, I suggested that since he loves magic and we have a few magic tricks laying around, why not perform a small magic act! He loved the idea. Once Ty realized Connor was going to do it, he asked what he could do. I made the suggestion he could be Connor's assistant which initially he seemed excited about. Then we learned that each act could be no longer than 3 minutes which meant there would only be time for one trick. This meant that Ty's responsibility would include holding a bag upside down to show the audience it was empty. This amount of participation didn't blow Ty away so needless to say, he decided he needed to come up with his own performance. I knew that since we are short in the talent category in our family, he'd need to think up something unique that would add "variety" to the show. Ty came up with the brilliant idea of writing a piece of poetry to read aloud. I thought it was a great idea since I doubted too many kids would show up with a piece of poetry to share and Ty is an amazing writer. During their preparations I kept reminding them of the likely possibility that their acts may not be selected but that it was no reflection of their ability to do great magic tricks or write amazing poetry. They assured me they'd be good sports no matter what! My main worry was one getting selected and the other not. There were three days of try outs after school to accommodate all the kids that wanted to perform. Acts ranged from singing and dancing to TaeKwon-Do and acting! And then the news arrived and both boys had been selected. Next was a few rehearsals and then the big day where they'd perform in front of the whole school! Both kids did fantastic. It was so cute to see so many kids approaching Connor complimenting him on what an awesome job he did and asking him if he could teach them the "amazing bag" trick. Ty quickly grabbed the hearts of all the parents and teachers after writing a sweet poem about his bus driver Penny. I'm just thankful their first experience trying out for something was a success.



Speaking of Ty and his creative writing, I was sorting through his end of year stuff and came across one of his comics he had written. The funny thing was I also found a sign up sheet that included all the names of the kids in his class that wanted a copy of it...



Sage finished up her first year of preschool. It was more like a weekly glorified play date with some of the cutest girls we know! There were four of us that would rotate teaching each week. It was low key but fulfilled it's purpose. Next year it's on to a real PreK program!!! Here are a couple highlights of the year:




Here's Ty with his favorite teacher Mrs. Carter and his one and only most favorite bus driver, Ms. Penny! She's been driving the kids to school since kindergarten! (You'll also notice he's wearing a coat in his picture with Ms. Penny and yes, it was taken the last day of school, June 15, 2010!) I also included a photo that Ty requested I take of him with his cool mask and self portrait from the beginning of the year!)



Of course we couldn't end this rainy, cold school year without a trip to the ice cream shop! Here are a few shots from the last day of school and the week leading up to it! I am so very proud of the boys for all their hard work. Tyler's teacher noted his writing is above grade level and that he does an amazing job expressing himself on paper. We are very proud of Connor and his amazing reading ability. His teacher noted that he is reading way above his grade level and exceeds expectations with listening and obeying. As their reward for the year Connor will be doing TaeKwon-Do for the summer and Tyler chose a Lego set that he has wanted. Good job boys and hello 3rd grade!!!




This past weekend was a devastating one for Sage. On Saturday morning we were awoken by three kids screaming that Sage's fish had vanished. I rushed downstairs assuming it must have jumped out of the vase by accident and was somewhere on the counter or floor. Jack took a closer look and could see a tiny tip of it's tail in the small conch shell that was inside her bowl. Sadly poor London must have gone into the shell (something we had never seen her attempt before) and gotten stuck. Perhaps the shock of being stuck was too much. I have to say I even shed tears over it. Sage's fish had so much more personality than the boys. She would greet me every morning with a fast back and forth swim as I entered the kitchen. Sage had picked her out and the requirements were that it must be a "girl" and "pink". London fit the bill. Unfortunately she is now in fish heaven and has been replaced with London the 2nd. Here was the obituary Connor wrote that was supposed to be buried with London. Unfortunately, poor London accidentally got thrown out in the trash with all the dinner trash...



Father's Day! While on our Disney cruise this year we rented some bikes to ride around Castaway Cay on. The first remark Ty said to me after we got on them was "mom, I didn't know you knew how to ride a bike!" I thought that Father's Day would be a great opportunity to surprise Jack with a new bike being that they hadn't seen him ride a bike up until that point either...



It's always fun to see what gifts the kids make at school for Father's Day: What more can you expect from living in Coffee Country...kid made coffee mugs!!!

Baseball Season 2010: The year of the rainouts!!!

You know it's been a wet spring in the northwest when you have to cancel an already rescheduled game due to rain. The crazy thing is that even with all those cancelled games, we still managed to experience playing in torrential rain, hail, sleet, and snow. That didn't stop us from having a great season though! We saw some major improvement, not to mention much more attentive, aggressive playing. Gone are the days of watching them pull grass in the outfield or play in the dirt around the bases. My favorite play was when Connor was up, the bases were loaded, he had two strikes and then came through with a double. I was so nervous for him that I didn't even think to try to capture it on camera. His teammates can't seem to forget it either! Here are some of the highlights of the season:

The kickoff Jamboree: Thankfully the rain on this day lifted just in time for the parade.



Little League Day at Safeco Field: The seats may be nose bleeders but the kids could care less. The boys are as happy as clams sitting with their team mates, eating cotton candy and watching Ichiro play. Even Sage made it through the whole game. This year I convinced Jack into only letting the boys pick one item from the overpriced snack bar. We had just hit up Mickey D's for some fast food on the way into the City so I figured this wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately my efforts to save a buck backfired when Jack then felt justified in taking them to the sports shop to pick up some memorabilia with all that money we had saved from not buying every item on the menu. As you can see it was all worth it since these tacky sponge hands have now found a home in our house. We'll see how long the fancy decks of baseball cards last too. I'm told "it's all part of the experience"! :)




My boys constantly accuse me of talking instead of watching their games. I can say this was the first year that I found myself not wanting to miss any of their plays or times at bat. Unfortunately, due to the weather, I didn't have my camera out too often but here are a couple shots I was able to capture on some nicer days:

Tyler on 3rd, trying to get home! And he scores!!!



The boys high-fiving each other after they make a good play in the outfield getting the batter out.



Tyler looking cute waiting to bat:



Connor was known for making his coach work hard for the perfect pitch. He wasn't going to attempt to hit just anything! I don't even want to think about what it will be like next year with kid pitch. I'm told it a true test of everyones patience...



Our cheering squad. I have to say it's so nice when Sage has a friend to play with at the games. For over two hours at each game, she and her friend would entertain each other!



The end of game relay: Sometimes we had to wonder what was more important winning, the game or the relay! I think in part this had to do with the fact that our team knew they were fast and pretty much unbeatable!



And finally, the end of year award ceremony! Nothing makes a bunch of boys happier than swimming, eating pizza, and getting their medals! (I love that most of these photos seem to include Ty in the air...)




Connor autographing the team balls. He's assured us they will be worth lots of money someday...



Posing with daddy!