Golden Gardens

Well summer has finally arrived in Seattle. This past weekend was beautiful. It hit 80 multiple days and was sunny! It is amazing how much better life is when the sun is shining. Friday night we went out to one of our favorite places, Golden Gardens with some of our favorite people, the Johns Bowlings. It was great. Samuel loved playing in the rocks and finding shells. I love playing with my camera. Jessi showed me how to do silhouettes and it was all downhill from there. Mike even joined the fun. We finally left the beach after 10pm! Here are a few of our favorite pictures.

Samuel loved playing in the grass. He also got to pee in the grass for the first time. It was great fun!

Lachlan and Liam hanging out in the sand.

Samuel splashing in the waves.
Samuel found a whole clam shell. He was thrilled.

Once the sun started to set we had a great time with the camera!

Daddy and Liam

Mike stacked rocks and took the picture.
I couldn't let Mike have all the fun so I stole the camera and captured my own shot.

It was a beautiful evening. We look forward to going again soon.

This Weekend (Part 2)

Of course with everyone in town we had a weekend packed with fun. We had a picnic in the park, fed ducks, walked around Green Lake, visited the markets, played some Settlers, ate great food, and just enjoyed time together. Here are a few of the favorite pictures...

Addison and Samuel "flying" down the hill.

Aunt Kate, Samuel and Addison enjoying the sun.

Liam loving the park.

Ruby napping in the sun.

Addison chasing Samuel around the tree.

Our new niece, Ruby Neylon.

Feeding the duck..aka...not getting eaten by the ducks

A stroll through the park

Nana, Papa, Samuel and Liam

This Weekend (Part 1)

This weekend called for special celebration here in Seattle...

MIKE GRADUATED!!!!

The graduation ceremony was amazing. Not only was the location beautiful, the speakers, readings and prayers were all exceptional. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the past three years and begin to hope and dream for the future.

All the family was in and we were able to spend the weekend celebrating. It is crazy to think that we have been here in Seattle for three years and that we are now finished with the program. Although Mike will still have two classes this summer and in internship he will complete in Michigan the light at the end of the tunnel is bright!

And this is how Mike felt about going to class on Tuesday!
Almost done babe, almost done!

The Boys

Not a whole lot of time for an update, but a couple of cute photos from today.
Enjoy!

Trouble

Yesterday Samuel and Daddy went and got hair cuts in preparation for the big weekend coming up. Samuel is always thrilled to get a hair cut and does a great job. When he was finished he was asked if he wanted gel. He enthusiastically said yes not having any idea what it was. She then offered him colored gel, of which he chose red. Here are the results.He was thrilled and was happy to snap a few pictures.

His tough guy side.

His super silly side.

And of course...a side shot.

After his bath he was pretty sad that it was gone. He wanted it again this morning but we had to explain that it was something special for when he gets his hair cut. I can only imagine the styles he will request when he gets older!

Tulips

This past weekend we went up to Skagit Valley to see the tulips. They were beautiful. It was so nice to spend the day together as a family and with our great friends the DeWaals and Johns Bowlings. Samuel had a great time playing in the mud. Liam loved being outside and all the great colors. Mike gladly took a break from the end of the term paper writing. I loved picking up my camera and getting some great pictures. Who knew I would enjoy taking pictures of flowers. Enjoy...

Lots and lots of tulips...

Some of my favorite...

The best of the bunch...

Happy Birthday Nana! See you this weekend!

Teething Bites

Liam has spent the first nine months of his life toothless. Things are about to change. For about three weeks now I have been expecting his bottom tooth or teeth to break through. I am still sure it will come any day. In the meantime this is how we are spending most of our days.

He wants to be held nonstop. When you are holding him you have to be bouncing or moving. He is not content just sitting on your lap. He has also become very much of a mommy's boy. Whenever I am in the room or he sees me he squeals at me until I go attend to him. He is constantly climbing on me when I join him to play on the floor and insists that he is in my lap instead. Although I enjoy a good cuddle with him I am getting a little tired of the 24 hour a day clinging.

Some of the clinging and wanting to be near me may also be some separation anxiety. I have a feeling we will deal with that much more with Liam then we ever did with Samuel. Liam is also reaching another developmental milestone any day. Crawling. He gets up on all fours and is able to move each limb separately but has yet to figure out how they all work together. Guess we better baby proof this weekend.

Sandbox

This past weekend the weather was great so we headed out to buy some sand for the sandbox. We filled it up and the boys loved playing in it . Liam has been in the sand at the playground, but he was pretty thrilled that he was able to have his very own box to play in.

Sorry about not having pictures of Samuel in the box...he was too busy eating grass (see below).

Eating Grass

Since the weather has been nicer, we have been able to get outside a bit more. I figured Samuel would remember from last year that grass doesn't taste the best...guess not. He started by pulling grass and watching it drop. He thought it was great that the wind could "make it fly."

He then got the bright idea that it might be good to eat. He asked me if he could eat grass. I told him he could try it if he wanted to but that it would probably taste pretty bad. He insisted that it was like salad and that he might like it. As soon as it hit his tongue he knew it was a bad idea. By then it was too late and he had a mouthful of grass.

He spit and sputtered for a few minutes before declaring "grass is yucky."
You live and learn I guess.

Alderwood Playplace

A while back we spent an afternoon hanging out with Jen and Katelynn at the Alderwood Mall play place. The boys had a great time and it was nice to be able to grab a coffee and enjoy a bit of adult time.

It is so nice that Samuel is getting better around groups of kids. He is so much more controlled and patient than he was just a few months ago. We can now go places and I feel that I can give him a bit of freedom instead of having to constantly watch his every move. It gives us both a much needed break!

Liam was thrilled to watch the big kids play. He was eager to join them and will be at it any day. There was a little girl fascinated by babies and spent lots of time sitting with us and playing with Liam and Katelynn. Liam was thrilled to get her attention!

Added Security

Hey...well the scariness of having pictures of the kids posted on the internet has caught up with me. I have been reading lately too many stories about people who find their pictures (from either a blog or a flickr type account) posted on various websites (myspace, facebook, etc.). There are people out there stealing others pictures and calling them there own. There are also situations in which the child's pictures are being used inappropriately and in a very child pornography way.

So not cool.

That being said I feel that it is my duty as a mom to protect my children and that includes from the internet as well. I have marked all my photos on my Flickr account as viewable by only friends and family. On May 1st, I will also be making this blog private. You will have to be invited to view it and may require a pass code to do so. I am not sure of all the details yet but will let you know as it gets closer.

So, how do you still see our pictures on Flickr?
Watch your inbox for the next couple of days. I will be sending an invite to people that I know view our pictures. Since I don't have everyone email address, if you don't get an invite it doesn't mean we don't love you, I just don't have your address. Email me and we can get it all worked out. I know this is a pain but I feel that in order to protect the boys I either do this or I quite posting pictures. Sorry but I know you all understand and would do the same for your kiddos.

As for the blog, on May 1st you will be receiving an invite for this also. If for some reason you don't or think that I may not have your email address let me know and I will make sure you are on the list. Thanks so much for understanding. Stick with me as we work through all the security details.