Raspberry Stand

It seems like just overnight our raspberry bushes are loaded with huge, juicy berries. I was planning to make some jam so I was so happy when the girls came into the house with about 10 pints of raspberries. Then they informed me they were going to sell them at the road. There is almost no traffic on our street. It's a dead end with only two homes beyond ours. So the prospects aren't good for roadside stands but that didn't deter the girls. They set up a darling stand and made signs. They sold to Zig, Serena (Sophia's mom), and our next door neighbor, Margie. Then they got hot and hungry and headed off for lunch and a swim. I was glad to see most of the raspberries come back so I could make some raspberry coconut ice cream this afternoon. Hopefully I'll have some time to make the jam tomorrow.

setting up shop

the goods

yep, they're still yummy!

nina trying to get the shower radio to work outside

okay, we have berries and the tunes... now we just need some customers!

10 weeks

This Friday I took the kids to the beach for their Friday adventure. Because Andrea came with us, I was able to sit in the shade with Evan and just play while she watched the others in the water. Under a tree watching the shadows, Evan was as happy as could be with his chubby little arms and legs flailing in the air and his eyes looking all around trying to take it all in. I couldn't' keep from kissing him a hundred times, and of course squeezing those dimply thighs! Looking at how cute the chub is on him, I couldn't help wishing the same was true for me! Alas, it is not so!


We may be in the market for a baby bra ;)


Being a little free bird is the best!

life is in the details

Each day the kids have their fair share of drama, tattling, sibling rivalry, etc. But for the most part, they really do enjoy one another. And every day, no matter how crazy it may be, there are beautiful moments occuring all around if I take the time to look, images I want to treasure and tuck away in my memory. Here are a few from this week....

Sela, Nina and Rollin signed up for the library reading challenge this summer. The preschool program requires someone to read to the child, as well as do thinks like singing, fingerplays, etc. Sela has taken it upon herself to make sure Rollin earns his reward. And in reading to him, she earns minutes towards her own reading goal. It's wonderful! But I really thinks she cares more about Rollin earning his reward than her own. Rollin checked out every dinosaur book they had left at the Redmond library.

I walked into the laundry room to find this yesterday. The doll bed has a new occupant. Nina sure loves little Evie poo, her "for real-life doll."


And here is Rollin just before bed talking to Zig. How I wish I could have recorded their sweet conversation. Too many "I love yous" to count.

Treehouse

It's been a long wait for these anxious little kiddoes. About 16 months or so. But Ben and Eric worked like crazy to get the treehouse ready this week and Saturday afternoon the big moment arrived. No one has been allowed up since the beginning so all the kids have seen has been from below which has totally added to the magic and anticipation. I think they must have asked Eric a hundred times on Friday "is it done yet?" Zig spent a few hours Saturday morning adding some fun touches to the inside. And then we gathered the kids along with Sophia, Emma, and Sydney and led them up to their new little getaway in the trees. I don't know what I enjoyed more, watching Zig beam as they explored their new space or the looks on the kids faces. What a memorable day! The videographer had some difficulties so you might get a little motion sick watching this :)

the 4th

We had a terrific 4th of July. And the best part is we didn't even have to get in the car. Last year we braved Seattle traffic and went to a party at one of Zig's colleagues homes and watched the fireworks over Lake Union (we also provided at least half the children in attendance), but this year the last thing I wanted to do was drive...anywhere. We even skipped the church pancake breakfast and bike parade. I'm just not into rushing anywhere this summer, and at 8am, there would be some serious rushing to get this family out of the house. Not worth it. I'm glad I didn't even mention it to the kids. I'm learning! Instead we relaxed at home. I napped in the hammock with Evan. The kids played and helped Zig on some jobs in the yard early in the day because there was some mention of setting the tramp up. They swam at our neighbors and picked some of our raspberries for what will surely become a tradition for us...a flag cake!

Sela, Nina, and Emma and Sophia Glover did all the decorating.

Definitely a team effort!

Four proud little ladies!

We celebrated in the evening at the Glover's with lots of other wonderful families. The kids had an absolute blast running around doing all sorts of boys versus girls type games. Lots of good old fashion fun. The food was incredible. Not your typical 4th of July fare. I don't even think I saw a bag of chips now that I think of it. I'm guessing there were quite a few foodies in attendance based on the types of dishes people brought. And we were so fortunate with the weather. We watched a firework show in the backyard and listened to all the dogs nearby freak out, including Kona. I learned that many people on Hollywood Hill tranquilize their horses on the 4th because they can really hurt themselves with all the commotion. Kona almost qualifies as a horse, so maybe he could have used a mild sedative as well! After fireworks, there were s'mores, of course. Evan was maxed out at around 11 and I couldn't get him to sleep so we headed home. It was a good day.

Rollin and Alana Elop watching the fireworks

Another spot for fireworks

Evan 9 weeks old

This is why getting a picture of him is so hard.

He still can't stay awake for about half the day.

And we're worried he might be malnourished ;)

The balloons are flying over our yard again, and they come very low because they are on their descent. The kids are especially thrilled when the people above wave at them.


My friend, Amanda, told me this is called a "fried egg." Not it's fancy name, but isn't that so fitting? They are blooming now right outside my kitchen. I think that could become our "family flower." States have flowers, so maybe we could have one too. We certainly eat our fair share of eggs!

And guess who finished the trampoline?!!

Happy 4th of July!!

Friday Adventures:Week 1

One of the things I told the kids we would do this summer is Friday adventures. There are so many fun places to go and things to do in this area, especially in the summer that I thought this would be a great way to visit a few new spots, try some new things, and give the kids something to look forward to each week.

Since Zig was home this Friday and the weather was incredible, our first adventure was a ferry ride to Bremerton. Zig wanted to "just look" at a sailboat at the marina there, so we loaded up the car and got lucky. We drove right into the ferry terminal, went straight on the ferry with only a minute or two to spare, and off we went.

We had lunch at a restaurant on the water and visited the marina. The kids had a great time looking at all the beautiful boats while Zig and I tried to keep the two non-swimmers from falling in. Evan slept most of the day and the hum of the ferry kept him calm, even when he was awake.

We'll see how I manage alone on our next Friday adventure....

Rollin managed to find something to climb on the ferry.

Nina looking every bit the movie star she thinks she is!

Everyone is happier on a boat.


Stop! Go no further! :)

Rollin got a little crazy on the way home.

He couldn't resist showing off some of his moves.

a little catch up

I haven't had much time to write lately and there are just no words. Really. So many thoughts and feelings each day, but I think I've been just a wee bit too tired to put them into any meaningful form. I sit down to write so I can remember this special and very fleeting time, but it's all pretty jumbled. But I know I'll forget the details so something is better than nothing I guess.It's been a wonderful two months since the birth of our little Evan. He is just a delightful baby. We joke that he is going to think his name is "yummy." He is such a yummy little baby. All his precious rolls and jiggles are irresistable. And that double, or make that triple, chin.

He has a million sounds and I just can't get enough of that sweet purring. I have loved watching the kids love him as well. And their excitement at his accomplishments, be it finally hitting a dangle toy on the bouncer or his first smiles. They are surely his biggest fans and offer tons of encouragement! They don't smother him, but no one can stand to hear him cry. Rollin holds his ears in the car and Nina tries all her tricks to calm him. She has the coveted seat right next to the carseat.

We have finally fallen into something resembling a routine and he's made some major progress on the sleep front. He's slept through the night for the past few nights, sometimes waking up once to eat. This just started happening on its own. I don't like to let him cry, he's just so tender, but I have gotten better at watching his signs and laying him down when he starts to appear tired and that has really helped. He just falls right to sleep if I catch him at the right time. And he weighs 14.5 pounds which was quite the shocker. He sleeps with me and I love it because I know all is well during the night. Unfortunately, I'm taking those extra evening hours when he first goes to sleep to try and catch up on life, keep the house on track, do some planning for the summer months, and I have to admit, being fairly unproductive on the computer while enjoying the calm and quiet in the house. There are many mundane home projects waiting in the wings, but I suspect while the sun is still shining, I won't be touching them. I can't express adequately how much I have loved the first few weeks of summer. To not have to wake up and rush out the door is just what the doctor ordered for my sanity. It's bliss, truly.

The other kids are doing well, also just loving the freedom and the endless options for play that the summertime provides. The yard is their campus :) They love the hours and hours of unstructured adventure and the built-in playmates across the fence.

And now a word about sports. A week or so ago we were talking to the kids about which sports or activities they might want to participate in. Nina was hoping to do a horse back riding camp (I'm still looking for one) and Sela enrolled in soccer with our neighbor, Sophia. Just once a week for an hour. But I can tell she loves being with Sophia and their wacky coach, Anton, as much or more than she loves the game. Lots of giggles, those girls. Which is all good. Trust me, I'm not pushing for soccer..at all. The vision of me cold and shivering on the sidelines every weekend does not appeal in the least. But, we live in Seattle, and it seems every little child plays soccer so I think Sela needed this opportunity to just make sure she's not missing out on something she might enjoy. And if she enjoys it, well that's okay too. I guess I can deal. All the kids are taking swim lessons next door at the Glover's house which is just so perfect. They have a fantastic teacher, Ryan, who give the lessons to their kids and mine. No driving, no packing up endless bags, towels, goggles, snacks for the pool, just a quick trot across the yard.

But then Sela expressed interest in new sport ...one in which I had to keep my opinions to myself and not let Sela see my true feelings. I have learned that either my enthusiasm for something or my disdain creates either more interest or the lack thereof. So I just went along with it. She said, "Mom, I think my sport might be softball." Hmmm. Really, Sela? That came out of nowhere. And can it please go back...haha. But, I continued the conversation and discovered something. It turns out the Husky women's softball team came to school to sign autographs at the end of the year. Sela is very proud of her big piece of white paper with three names scribbled on it. She keeps asking people if they know so and so. And did you know they won this championship?!! Of course no one does but she guards those little autographs with her life. I waited for a couple days and resolved to get the kids on the tennis court no matter what this summer. They've had lessons a few times and done a camp here and there. We've taken them out to play (whine) off and on, but this summer I really think Sela is old enough to start enjoying it.

So we headed to the courts last Saturday morning. All six of us. Evan slept and Zig and I did little drills with the kids and fed them lots of balls. It was so much fun. Sela is finally getting the hang of it and she and Nina could hardly wait to hit their next hopper of balls. Nina has always liked tennis and her ability is finally catching up with her enthusiasm. She is able to hit most of the balls over the net. She tries so hard, that Nina. We headed to the farmer's market afterwards and rewarded them for all their hard work with a huge bag of sugar snap peas, a big ole sack of cherries, and shaved ice.

Monday, I decided to try again with Zig gone. Evan sleeps a lot in the morning and I can park the car right in the shade next to the court so it's perfect. Again, we had so much fun. I have to say, I get a huge kick watching their trimphs on the tennis court. More than I would for softball, I'm afraid (just kidding!). I do love the game and have so many fond memories of doing this same thing with my dad. How many thousands of balls he must have tossed and countless matches must he and Mom have watched. When I was telling Sela to practice bouncing a ball on her strings during the times when Nina was taking a turn (to improve her hand-eye coordination), I saw myself at her age doing the exact same thing at our tennis court at home in Fredericksburg. I could almost hear myself saying "Dad! I just did it 300 times!!" It just doesn't seem that long ago, truly a blink of an eye as the saying goes. Such treasured memories. It's a great sport, and I love that it is one we can really enjoy as a family, especially as the kids improve a bit. So I have a little goal for myself to get them on the court at least twice a week this summer, but more if I can swing it.


And Rollin, well he actually did quite well hitting the ball, but quickly became more interested in picking up balls with the hopper. He is always ready to go....somewhere. He loves his bike so much, he tried to ride if off the bike rack. Crazy child, that one.


And now the little people are starting to stir so I need to get going on breakfast.