My Favorite Holiday!!!

Just home from our weekend at the beach. Snapped this shot of the boys with their first ever sparklers. Finn was not too sure about holding a flaming stick that was shooting sparks so just to be safe he never moved a muscle. Leo got the hang of it toward the end.

I love it when the 4th falls on a Sunday because it guarantees TWO nights of mayhem on the lagoon. So fun. Our weekend was a fantastic whirlwind of junk food, pop-its, beach fun, fruit stands, fresh cherries, boat rides, bonfires, apple pie, and potato salad, s'mores, did I mention junk food? It couldn't have been more fun. I love the little field trips that go along with a weekend at the beach, this time our big adventure was a trip to Lake Kathryn for a bit of classic Key Pen people watching and a visit to the safe n' sane fireworks stand. Lake Kathryn...it sounds like a pretty place doesn't it? For non-natives that might read this, it might help to know that it is actually a little strip mall that consists of a market, a drug store, maybe a hardware store, and more recently a burger king. The burger king kind of casts a weird shadow over the nostalgia of Lake Kathryn, but if you stand with your back to it you can totally pretend it is not there. Which I did. I suppose my favorite part of the weekend was Saturday night, the house directly across the lagoon had their annual huge party. They have a band that goes nuts covering a lot of Rolling Stones. It is hard to tell how many people are actually at this party but with the amps and the echos, it sounds like you are at a concert at the gorge. So with that as the background, another house down the shore has a Cheney Stadium size fireworks display. I love it that human beings had the curiosity and imagination to invent fireworks. Colorful, flaming, explosions that inspire us to giggle and whoop and embrace pyromaniacy.

And now that we are home, there is much to do in the garden, more neighborhood summer camp this week, one last episode of Mad Men (how I have loved bingeing on 3 straight seasons, and how I waited this long to discover it is beyond me!). My birthday week has started, and naturally this is a wonderful excuse to be partying all week long. I succeeded in saying no to consumerism the entire month of june, and I am pledging to go for another month, with the exception two early birthday gifts to myself with Ben's money. I thought about sandals all month long in June, and decided that flip flops just might be one of the aggravators of my sciatic pain, so new sandals were a necessity. But that is seriously it, the Just Say No pledge has truly been liberating, the t-shirts at target are never that great after you wash them anyway, and it is a great excuse to buy less CRAP, and then I can guiltlessly spend money on other more awesome items every so often, like early b-day gift number 2...Vampire Weekend tickets for the show at Marymoor Park in August, can't wait!!! I am borderline obsessed. I think I'll go turn it on right now.

Camp Super Fun

Week 1 of DIY Neighborhood Camp was a hit! I finally found the perfect use for those beach buckets that have been in my basement for a year. And the dyes were actually purchased nearly 12 years ago when we were on a batik kick in college. I knew I moved them 8 times with the rest of my crafting supplies for a reason! I love this project! The kids could have kept dipping this and that until the sun went down. It was contagious, at one point I really considered ransacking the house for any white object that could possibly fit into the buckets of dye.

Step one: Rubber bands!

Snack Break! A distraction while the shirts soak is a must.

The unveiling of the first dip is so exciting!

Winding down with a little Toot and Puddle. I love how Abe is totally hangin' through out.

Where are the finished shirts? Well, they wore them the next day while we built Fairy Fortresses over at the girls' house. Equally thrilling- I will post those pics next time.

Shade Garden, before and after!

Springtime in the Garden

There are soooooooo many flowers in our garden just waiting to BURST! If we had just one morning of sunshine my garden would absolutely explode. But as it is there are all of these beautiful buds waiting patiently and looking very lovely in the endless shower of misty warm rain.

Everyday we go outside to observe the progress of springtime in the garden. The boys love an exciting discovery like the first red poppy to spread it papery petals. There are many keen observations that are announced with "Mama! I see signs of Spring!" Hostas poking their horns through the dirt, fragile peony stems, and seedlings that start so small but will amazingly grow into 10 foot tall sunflowers! I LOVE springtime in the garden. It is rather magical. Plant a seed and let mother nature take it from there. No watering to be done, the weeds come out of the moist earth effortlessly, and the sun never beats down in a way that makes gardening feel chorish.

Abe and Finn, The Daytime Duo

Weekday mornings can be a scene of mass chaos at our house. It all depends on which side of the bed a certain 5 year old tyrant wakes up on. It occurs to me that his bed is in the corner of the bedroom, so there really is only one side he can get up on. Maybe this is the problem? Note to self: rearrange the bedroom furniture asap. Hopefully with summer break arriving in less than two weeks we will be eliminating some of the morning drama. Stop by and see Leo in his pajamas for 3 months straight, because I am sure he will see no reason to change out of them as long as we are on vacation. As it is right now, he will change for school, let me rephrase that... he will put clothes on top of his pajamas for school BUT ONLY MONOCHROMATIC THEMED OUTFITS. This can be problematic if certain choice outfits do not make it through the laundry cycle the night before, he is a no substitutions kind of guy.

But once Leo heads off to school and Ben is at work, I am left with the daytime duo of Abe and Finn. They are quite the happy companions. Finn sees the baby routine as an opportunity for blissful laziness and a lot of snacking. Starting with Abe's morning nap, this is the time Finn spends lounging on the bean bag chair snacking, reading, watching videos, or happily cutting paper into tiny pieces with his own scissors. If it is sunny we might make it outside for some gardening. When Abe wakes up there is more snacking to be done, and then it is playtime.

Every so often Finn gets to go to school with Leo, and this morning was one of those days. He decisively announced that he would be going to school today, got dressed cheerfully and was welcomed with enthusiasm by his classmates. Leo's teacher is so nice to invite him to drop in anytime and she is so excited about having him there next year. It is actually kind of hard for me to leave him there. He just seems so little to me still, and I really miss him when he is gone. It is sooo quiet at the house when he is at school. So I was sitting here thinking, wow, this is how it will be three mornings of the week next year! What will we ever do to entertain ourselves? I'm sure we'll think of something.

A horse named Vicky

I have no idea where the name came from. Well, I mean it came from Leo, but of all the names in the universe, our horse is named Vicky. I love Vicky. I got her a couple years ago at a yard sale. (see May '08 post) The lady wanted something like $50 bucks for her. I'm sure it was more of a sentimental price tag than the fact that she was in perfect vintage condition. But I had to point out to the lady that one of my boys would likely break their arm while riding the horse and it would be an added expense that I had to consider. I think she cut the price in half based on the merit of my good argument. So far though, there have been no broken arms. Maybe a few scrapes on the rusty springs or a couple of bonks on the nose when she bucks, but otherwise Vicky is a trusty old horse. One time the neighbor kid came over and commented 'I cant believe that stupid old thing still even works.' I was so offended I could have sprayed him with the garden hose. He's one of those neighbor kids that is a tv/video game loving only child who drives me crazy on purpose and will inevitably be showing up in my yard everyday for the next 15 years. But when he does, I will not stand for him dissing on Vicky.

Backyard Brothers

around the maypole with gregory

Gregory the mini pony was a special guest at today's may day celebration. He was so cute with his poofy afro mane of hair and sparkly bulging eyes. Finn was prepared to ride him, but settled for a little walk around the maypole instead.

Holding Finn's hand is Adalene. She has loved Finn ever since she first laid eyes on him. She thought he was a girl for the first couple of months, but likes him just as much as a boy. She is the oldest of three girls and cuter than a cabbage patch kid.

This is Miss Paula and Roan. Roan is Leo's favorite rascal buddy.

We have less than a month left of Leo's time in the Waldorf kindergarten yard. Then it will be off to public school at Bryant Elementary in the heart of beeeeeautiful hilltop Tacoma. A stark contrast on the exterior, but I think the montessori program there is the best option we have for free school. Then it will be Finn's turn for Miss Paula's kindergarten yard.

95th Birthday Party

My Grandma turned 95 years old on April 25th!

It is sweet to see how the oldest and the youngest love each other so.