I don't know why I love this picture of Camden. I just do.

Our Contribution

We thought it was about time we started contributing to a worthy cause. And what's more worthy than our environment? So, global warming it is! This week we made our contribution, saying goodbye to 23 trees out of our backyard. Hey, I never said we were making a POSITIVE contribution...

Disclaimer: We still have PLENTY of trees around the perimeter of both the front and back yards, and are planning to plant a few fruit trees as well. So don't go turning us in to the EPA! I just really wanted space to play and plant a garden! Oh, and it'll look a lot better when the grass grows. Though right now the boys think it's perfect - they play dinosaurs in the desert out there.

Racing to Keep Up

Camden, as the little brother, has spent the last four years (almost; Oh my goodness, my baby will be four in three weeks!) racing to keep up with big brother Jake. So, about two months ago Jake got the certificate to advance from the Tots class to the SuperTots class at gymnastics. (So exciting! Go Jake!) And Cammie cried. Poor little guy. His big brother was moving on without him. But since then, Camden has worked so hard and followed directions so well, and yesterday after class he got his certificate! And so next Tuesday Camden will join Jake for class. We are so proud of both of our little SuperTots. And I am so impressed by that little (almost)four-year-old's hard work. Good job working towards your goal, little boy! You did it!

Cousins

Dan and I both grew up without a lot of "cousin influence," so it is so wonderful to see our boys playing with and loving their cousins. Okay, so Zachery, Rachel, and Laura are actually Dan's cousins, but our boys sure do love spending time with them. And HOPEFULLY we'll get to see all the rest of the cousins this summer! How fun!

Splinter

Tonight we're waiting for the cops to show up at our door. See, Jake had a splinter. And I'm sure the neighbors called the cops. It was that loud.

Girls

You can't do this stuff with boys...
After a day chock-full of boys and all that comes with them (You know that little rhyme, "snakes and snails and puppy dog tails..." well they're not joking), it is so nice to go spend a little time with my cute girls. I get to work with the Beehives (twelve and thirteen year old girls) at church, and tonight we did facials. I love these girls for so many reasons. They are smart and fun and cute and good. And they help me stay sane. Because you can't do this stuff with boys.

The Intimidator

Jake's official tee-ball photo. The photographer made him choke up on the bat. That made him grouchy. He's still pretty cute.

So, we are experiencing yet another rained-out tee-ball game today. Will the children ever play again? Oh, Safeco, how we miss you!

Flowers

We had a few days between storms. Of course, now it's pouring again, but the dry(er) days were nice... During that time we planted my Mother's Day flowers - petunias and marigolds. So pretty! Oh, and we also planted a small herb garden, but so far that just looks like a pot of dirt.

And Then There Were Four

Today as we were running some errands, I got stared at. And then I got laughed at. Really, I'm not joking. This lady just busted out with a big ol' belly laugh. I immediately wondered, "Why? I even brushed my hair before I left the house!" "Oh, yeah," I thought. "I'm walking around with four little boys, ages 5 and under..." Yep, that's right, I've started babysitting again, and I have the cutest set of brothers ever! Jacob and Isaac spend the days with us now, and I have to say that everyone should have a house full of boys. It is just so fun...and really noisy!

It's All My Fault

Well, first of all, Happy Mother's Day! I hope it's been a great one for all you great moms out there. I had a wonderful day, with sweet notes from my boys, french toast (my favorite) for breakfast, and lots of nice "quiet" (I use "quiet" very loosely here -- my home is never truly quiet) family time. We talked to both grandmothers and the great-grandmother, and my brother even called from rehab (don't worry, he's not a junky - he's in respiratory rehab to heal from some really serious pneumonia while at boot camp). All in all, a good day.

And now for my confession. I bring extreme weather. There, I said it. It feels good to have that out in the open.

It goes back to my days as a youth. Every year I brought severe storms with me to camp. Poor Grandmommy. She'd listen to the radio and hear about the severe thunderstorms and even once the tornado that accompanied us as we hiked the Appalachian Trail.

It continued as a young wife. When Dan and I moved to Dahlgren, we had never even heard of the place. Within a short time, however, Dahlgren started making the news. We spent a few afternoons and evenings in the downstairs bathroom, hiding from tornadoes. And then came Isabelle. She was a hurricane. That was fun...

It continued as a young mother. Cape Cod has a pretty mild climate, at least for Massachusetts. That's what they told me. Then they were all surprised when we had more than one blizzard that winter. Oh, and then there was the hurricane... Did you know that when a hurricane goes through the North Atlantic entire houses become encased in ice?

It continued as I became a West-Coaster (is that a word?). Seattle, although famous for its gray skies and rainy days, really is quite mild. So why did we experience so many crazy wind storms? And flooding? And the snow and ice that shut down the city for three days? I ditched the car and walked home during that one. Seattle is a crazy-hilly city...

And now, I really do apologize, Virginia. I'm back. And while I may have slept through the tornado (oops, I guess our second-story bedrooms weren't the safest places to be that night), I know that there are many in our area who suffered severe loss. And now, as the rain continues, and the rivers develop in my front and back yards (one of our rivers even has rapids), I want to apologize in advance for the flood that is coming. It's all my fault.

I Love These Guys!

They were pretending to sleep - to trick me. But you know, it's hard to pretend to sleep when you're giggling so hard.

Horns?

I bet you didn't know that Spiderman has horns. He wears them to disguise himself from his enemies. At least that's what Camden tells me.

A Trip to the Farm

This morning our playgroup went to a friend's farm. We took a (toddler-friendly) hike through the woods, during which the kids learned to identify poison ivy and poison oak, visited with about a million tadpoles, met Chester and Max the wethers (that's the proper name for a ram that can't be a daddy), had a nice storytime in the pasture, and fed Ruby and Madame Penelope the chickens. All in all, a WONDERFUL morning.