Soccer Balls

Yesterday Samuel, Liam and I headed out to the park to meet some friends. The boys both got soccer balls for Easter and needed to get them dirty. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Here is Samuel is full action. He is running and kicking and I have to say pretty well! Maybe a soccer player in our future?

Liam decided that sitting and holding his soccer ball was safest at this point!

This might be one of my favorite shots ever. Samuel is fascinated by his shadow. He was so excited that "he do it like me mom!" I had to smile and tried to remember when something so little brought me so much joy!

Opening Day

For Easter, Gram got each of the boys a Chicago Cubs article of clothing. Of course we had to pull out the camera and get some shots especially with this week being the beginning of the season! Here are the cuties...

Liam totally unaware of how crazy and fanatic this house gets around baseball season!

Samuel kissing the ball goodbye before he hits it out of the park!

A cute shot of Samuel ready to head to the park.

Go Cubbies!

Snow?

Who knew that it could snow in Seattle at the end of March? This is what is going on outside my window as I write. I am not the least bit thrilled about it by any means. I only thought weather like this happened in Michigan...

Spring is Here

Spring is here! The weather is getting nicer, the sun is shining more and we are getting out to play. Living so close to the lake and only a 20 minute walk to a big playground is so great. We make it to the playground usually twice a week now. The library is also within walking distance and will become a regular outing also. Here are a few pictures from last week that said "spring" to me!

Sidewalk chalk

Dirt

Clear blue skies

Easter Fun

Here are a few pictures of our Easter fun...

Uncle Mike and Samuel waiting for the egg hunt to begin...

Mommy and the boys...still waiting...

Liam was fascinated by eggs this year. Here he is going for his first one!

Samuel caught on pretty quickly and started collecting eggs!

What could it be?

Liam could care less about what was on the inside. He loved banging them together!

Liam showing off his egg.

The Easter Bunny

This past week we were out and about and had to make a stop at the mall. Being the time of year the Easter Bunny was in full force. Samuel was all about waving and saying hi from a distance but wanted nothing to do with getting close to the overgrown, carrot eating, monster. Liam didn't really have a say in the matter and was pretty fascinated by it all. I did get to capture a few pictures of the event. Here is a brief conversation that I believe was playing out...

Liam: Help me!
Samuel: It's ok buddy. I am pretty sure he is a vegetarian.
Liam: Are you sure?
Samuel: No, but he doesn't look very hungry.

Samuel: Listen, mom does this to me every year. Just sit still, put your hands on your knees like this, say a little prayer and it will all be over soon.
Liam: Easy for you to say. You aren't the one sitting up here.
Liam: Ok, if you say it will be alright.
Samuel: Just look at mom and pretend you are excited. She will get a picture and we can get on to the toy store.
Liam: Thank goodness Santa is still 9 months away! By then I will be able to run away.
Samuel: Don't worry little dude, we have time to plot together!
Both: Cheese!

Uncle Mike Is Here!!!

The boys are thrilled to have Uncle Mike come and visit for the next week. Here they are the first couple of days. I will post more pictures as I take them.

Liam getting his few seconds before Samuel comes flying in.

Samuel and Uncle Mike playing with sidewalk chalk.

Early mornings...

Happy Saint Patricks Day

Need I say more...

The Beginning of the End

As the beginning of March came upon us I realized that we only have about 5 more months here is Seattle. Wow. It is so hard to believe that our time here is almost through. It will be much harder to say goodbye than I ever anticipated. Mike and I are in the process now of figuring out how we want to do that and do it well. Seattle has been so much to us over the past three years and a sense of closure feel very needed, at least on my part. We quickly realized that Seattle is all the boys have ever known and leaving will be just has hard on them as it is on us. Lots to think about over the next several month...

Here is what we have left...

April
Mike's 30th Birthday
Mike finishes another trimester
May
Mike walks in graduation (they said yes)
Mike begins his last two classes
June
Mike finishes his last two classes at MHGS
Jenn hands over her leadership role
July
Samuel turns 3
Liam turns 1
We celebrate our 7th anniversary
We grieve the death of Hannah (4 years)
A going away party and spend time marking our end here
August
we begin the drive

At this point I don't feel ready for all this. Although the past three years have been the hardest three we have endured, we have been so transformed by our time here. We will leave this place with such a sense of gratitude. We are different people individually, together and as parents. So...the journey continues...

Reading Fun

Being a teacher this shouldn't surprise me. I know kids do this but it is still amazing when it is yours.

We came across this the other night when Mike was reading to Samuel. He stopped at some point and Samuel spit out the next several words in the book. Mike continued reading and stopping every so often. Samuel continued to finish the sentences for him. We have found that there are at least three books he is able to do this with! Pretty cool!

Liam Update

Since Samuel was previewed the other day I figured Liam better get a shot also. It is amazing how fast he is growing and how quickly he is doing things. He is still only sitting. No crawling in the near future, thank God! He is very interested in everything around him and is very sad when he doesn't get to participate. Oh the life of a seven month old!

As far as a doctor update. He went the other day to have his ears checked. They are clear! Yeah! He does have a minor infection on the outside of his ear where he continues to grab and pull. They are guessing it started as eczema and since he digs at it all the time it got infected. He has cream we put on it and it is clearing up well. He also hit the 20 pound mark! Crazy...no wonder my arms are tired!

Here are a few cute pictures from today. Enjoy!

Cheese mommy!

The better side of him. I think the toy he was playing with went out of his reach!

He is laying up on my legs here and trying to attack me to get the camera. This picture cracks me up each time I see it!

Learning to make lots and lots of noise!

Give me that mom! He almost grabbed it before I was able to snap the picture!

The Best Daddy Ever

We are a pretty lucky group...that is Samuel, Liam and I...we have the best daddy ever! The boys absolutly adore thier dad. Faces light up, squeals escape little bodies and feet come running as soon as daddy walks in the door. A bad day can instantly be turned better when Mike arrives home from work. We are so lucky to have him. And I couldn't possibly hope for anyone else to do this whole parenting thing with. I love you sweetheart!

Here are a few pictures of daddy and Samuel this past weekend at the park!

Time Outside of Seattle

This past month we were able to get out of town for a few days. We headed down to Gig Harbor, about an hour and a half south of Seattle for some much needed rest and relaxation. We should have known better. Nothing that involves two children can be considered rest, relaxation or a vacation.

Regardless we went. It was just Mike, I and the boys on Wednesday . Thursday early afternoon, Jon, Annie and Grant were able to join us and Friday afternoon Jessi, David and Lachlan joined the fun. We all stayed through Saturday before heading back into Seattle. We stayed at a beautiful place right on the bay. Each day with the tide the water changed by 5 feet of so. It was amazing to watch how quickly it happened. Here are a few of the highlights...

Jenn falling down the stairs with Liam (everyone ended up just fine)
Liam falling over on his toy causing a huge bruise on his check.
Bailey cutting open her foot pretty badly (all repaired now).
Samuel stepping in a pile of dog poop bigger than his foot.
Two full games of Settlers while most kids slept.
Good food and good wine.

We also got a couple of great pictures.
The Clark Family

The whole gang!

Our New Niece

Mike and I had a new niece born this week. She was born early Tuesday morning.
We can't wait to meet her soon!
Here she is...

Ruby Neylon Puck
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
8lbs 1oz

Addison and Ruby

Back into the Swing

Well, I hope this week that we are able to get back into the swing of things. It feels like we have been out of commission for a few weeks and that the world did not wait for us to get healthy. It kept going...imagine that.

Mike is back at work this week and seems to be feeling better. He has quite a bit of catching up to do since he has been home for a week and a half (the week was vacation). Classes also continue for Mike so there is always reading and paper writing to do.

Samuel seems to be back to his old self. He is very much 2 1/2 and is finding more and more ways to push our buttons on a daily basis. He is still on antibiotics but is back up to moving nonstop from activity to activity.
Liam is officially done with his second round of antibiotics and is needing to go back to the doctor to have his ears checked. We really hope they are clear but since he is still pulling on them I doubt they are. If they are not we will probably have to see a specialist to figure out why they won't clear and look at other ways to help him out.

I am feeling much better than a few weeks ago. I still have a week of antibiotics to take but am actually able to function a bit better this week. I still always feel like I need to take a nap but that could also be the fact that I have two young children. Hopefully nights will provide a bit more rest this week.

Guess that is it from the home front. We have a short six months left here in Seattle and the reality of our leaving is starting to sink in. Good in some ways, sad in others. Guess we will have to wait and see what the remaining time brings.

The Doctor is in...

This will be a quick update. This past Tuesday we were all still really sick so we headed back up to the med center yet again.

The diagnosis
Mike...nasty cough, viral infection...treatment-cough syrup, rest
Liam...double ear infection...antibiotics
Samuel....ear infection...antibiotics
Jenn...sinus infection, walking pneumonia...antibiotics, rest

So as you can see, life still pretty much is awful at this point. Wednesday we left for a weekend away with friends. We got back today and Mike heads back to school on Monday. I will post more about this past weekend and a few photos when I have the energy to do so.

Spring Is Just Around the Corner

It is beginning to be a bit more like Spring around here. The sun has been shining and flowers are starting to bud. Yesterday we took a walk to the library and stopped along the way to run and play in the grass. Samuel and daddy chased one another around in the grass. Samuel loved picking all the little flowers for me. It is so nice to hear birds chirp and feel the cool spring air blowing in the windows. I am looking forward to more daylight, the sun being out more, the smell of spring, walks around the lake, cool afternoons, and lots of time on the playground. I guess along with spring also comes muddy shoes and muddy knees.

What A Week

As you have all well noticed, I have been a bit absent on the blog postings. Not much has been going on to report on since we have all been cooped up inside trying to get over this illness that has invaded the house for over two weeks now. Samuel is seeming to feel better and is getting back to his old self. Liam now has a double ear infection which is being treated by antibiotics. He has been a pretty cranky baby, rightfully so. I am still trying to recover from what I am guessing is a sinus infection. Mike has been feeling cruddy here and there but doesn't seem to have been hit with all the crap we have. Thank goodness...someone has to hold us all together.

Since I don't feel like writing a ton but wanted to let you know that we are all still alive, I will just update you with some cute pictures. Here you go...

Samuel thinks it is great to dress Liam up. Liam is not always amused.

Getting bigger everyday. I can't believe how old he looks here.

Still smiling with two ear infections.

Yes, both boys are sitting. That is all I can ask. Maybe someday they will both look and smile at the same time. Then again...probably not.

This morning we went on a walk to the library. We had to stop part way so Liam could eat. Samuel and daddy picked flowers and ran around in the muddy grass. Spring is just around the corner.

This week I will try and do a better job of keeping everyone updated! Keep praying that we all get healthy soon. This being sick stuff really stinks!