Three Scurvy Dogs (and Their Mamas)

2012-01-18T20:47:00.000-08:00

Just ran across a GREAT idea on Pinterest tonight and tried it with the boys. Glow sticks in the bathtub. It was a HUGE hit, I'd highly recommend trying it.

We Got Snow!

2012-01-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

After the lack of snow yesterday, we went to bed last night with hopes of waking up to some white stuff. Carlos was the first up and I knew the minute I saw his face that we had some snow. Turns out we got about 5 inches! Our friend, Rob, came over for some sledding and we got out the snowboard. Levi and Carlos were naturals. Trey stuck to the sled and had a blast.
We came in and warmed up for awhile and then hit to slopes again. Some of the boy's friends from school and our friends Gay and Rob stopped in and we had such a great time. So glad to now have anywhere to go so we can just hang out as a family and have fun.

2012-01-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

Since we haven't seen much snow (although we cling to the hopes of the 6-12 inches is still coming) I thought I'd post some old pictures of us in the snow. Enjoy. Hope to add to these with some great shots of tomorrow...

Snow

2012-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

We have been hearing over the past week about "Snowmageddon 2012" hitting the Northwest. We awoke with much anticipation to a slight dusting of snow on the yard. The boys, being 6, 7 and 8 year old boys, thought it was pretty cool and decided to head out and make a snowman. Much to my surprise, they actually did it. It's about a foot tall but very cute. It was supposed to have a baby carrot nose and grapes for eyes but Abbie ate them before they made it on the snowman.

Just to be fair, although I still wouldn't call it "Snowmageddon" we did get another 1/2" or so later this afternoon. They say we're not done but we'll see. I live where I live because I can drive to the snow if I want to play it in but don't much like it coming to me.

2012-01-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

I've been suckered into the world of Pinterest....so many great ideas there!

I can't wait to try this one...
Orange Julius Smoothies

I Can Dream...

2012-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Jenn is on an incredible journey with her son, Jack. Jack is being "road schooled" and in a perfect world, I would be able to hit the road and do this with our guys. But alas, this is not our journey and no "sugar daddy" has stepped up to pay our bills and expenses for a year and buy us an RV to travel in.
So I am living vicariously through Jenn and Jack. Very inspiring.

Check out their blogs if you are interested in a hands on type of schooling or just reading an interesting blog about a cross country trip. (oh, and leave a comment if you are so kind...it gets lonely on the road)

Jenn's Blog - Wayward Winnebago

Jack's Blog - Charter Trip

Just Dance

2012-01-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

New Sign

2012-01-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

Found this sign in Seattle today - LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

New Years Misogi

2012-01-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
We had a wonderful celebration with friends last night to ring in the new year. Lots of Just Dance and Guitar Hero so we all made fools out of ourselves and enjoyed singing at the top of our lungs. Fairly surprised the police weren't called out for our disturbance of the peace. Anyhow, good times were had.
Got up this morning and met a bunch of folks from the boy's dojo for the annual New Year's Misogi. We meet at Point No Point, get warmed up and start the year with a walk into the Puget Sound. Thought behind it is that if you can conquer that, you can pretty much do anything the year throws at you.
Last year there were lots of tears from our boys, they were freezing cold and their feet were so cold they really hurt. We were better prepared this year with boots and hand warmers, hot chocolate and blankets. Mary and Alice joined in and all went in (except for Levi and Trey who only made it to their thighs). Carlos came out beaming and so proud of his accomplishment. Such a change from last year!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T11:05:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful, family filled (and focused) Christmas celebration this year. It was mellow, despite the excitement levels being high. Dee and I even had time to get a cup of coffee before the chaos started. Favorite gift of the year for the boys was most certainly the Wii game Skylanders. Now, if only we could find more figures to buy...they are sold out everywhere!
Hope your Christmas was wondrous. Here's to all the best for 2012.

2011-12-29T00:12:00.000-08:00

Levi had a chance to meet up with his biological brother, Devin, and grandmother on Christmas Eve. I'm always amazed at how much they look alike. Levi is an amazing big brother and adores Devin (and Devin really looks up and idolizes Levi). It's a very sweet relationship.

Christmas Truck

2011-12-29T00:02:00.000-08:00

What a treat we got this year...we got to RIDE on our little island's Christmas truck. Thanks to our friend, Ron, who is a firefighter we got the invitation. How fun it was to ride along and wave to all the people. This truck is so loved. Carlos, bless his heart, fell asleep about 2 minutes into the trip. I think it's his way of fighting motion sickness, he has been known to snuggle up with me on a boat trip for hours.
We loved it and hoped you all got a chance to see the Christmas Truck this year!

Charlie Brown Christmas

2011-12-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

Couldn't be more proud of the boys - they rocked the flash mob dance in the church Christmas Pageant this morning. Who doesn't love the story of the Charlie Brown Christmas? Seeing is acted out with my people in the dance scene, priceless.

It's Amazing

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000-08:00

This photo is proof...Dee went to a party! If you know her, you will know what a big deal it was. She even had a good time and we went out AGAIN last night to a performance of the Edge Improv. So much fun and much needed break from the holiday chaos.

14th day of advent

2011-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

On the 14th day of advent, the activity for the day was "build a fort and eat dinner in it". FUN! It was very intimate and we got to really sit closely together, share a meal and talk. We will surely be doing this again.

2011-12-11T22:27:00.001-08:00

This is the first time in many years that we have had a real sized Christmas tree. Dee and I were excited to take the boys out to the tree farm, search for the tree, have some cider and cut one down. It was a pretty fast adventure, the boys actually found the perfect tree right away.
Came home, struggled with the lights (1/2 the strand kept going dark) and finally got to the point to decorate. Always fun pulling out the old ornaments and having the boys put them on the tree. They did a great job and it looks and smells so good!

My Two Front Teeth

2011-12-11T22:26:00.001-08:00

All Trey wants for Christmas....

Letters to Santa

2011-12-11T22:24:00.001-08:00

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T22:20:00.001-08:00

Field Trip - Funny

2011-12-10T09:33:00.001-08:00

Those 1st graders are a funny crew!

Field Trip!

2011-12-10T09:17:00.001-08:00

I was so lucky to be able to go on a field trip with both Carlos and Trey's classes to the Seattle Art Museum. The exhibit "Luminous" was amazing, so much history and glad to be able to spend some special time with my boys. Here are some pics from the day.

Trey's class

I caught this pic of Carlos' teacher with a few of the kids - so sweet

Who's the big brother? Amazing they are a year apart and Trey towers over Carlos

This was a really neat part of the exhibit, a white screen that had projections of birds, deer and butterflies.

This piece of art is modern, with letters put into what looks like Japanese writing to say "Learning From the Past"

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T14:23:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
We are so blessed. To have our wonderful family and friends and all that is truly important.

Advent

2011-11-28T13:34:00.001-08:00

So my friend, Jessica, put up a great advent calendar idea on her blog last year. I stole it and have re-vamped it (bigger cups) for my crew and we are doing it this year. I really can't wait. It only took a short time to create the cups and type up and cut out the fun things to do, some are simple (play a board game) and some a little more challenging (build a fort and have dinner in it) but I know all will be a hit. Had to coordinate with our calendar but it made it a bit easier since we already had some holiday parties planned.

Looking forward to starting a great new tradition with our crew.

Check out Jessica's link click here for a more detailed how-to.

Here are the things we are filling our cups with!

1 - Family game night
2 - Trip to the $1 store to shop for eachother
3 - Christmas party @ church
4 - Make wish lists
5 - Make pinecone bird feeder
6 - Write letter to santa
7 - Christmas party
8 - Have breakfast for dinner
9 - Find a Christmas tree
10 - Christmas party
11 - Decorate tree
12 - Make and decorate cookies
13 - Family Christmas movie night
14 - Make a fort and have dinner in it
15 - Make paper snowflakes and decorate the house
16 - Drive around to see the lights
17 - Kids make dinner for Mamas
18 - Walk the labyrinth
19 - Drink cocoa and read Christmas books
20 - Play a board game
21 - Make a Christmas craft w mama
22 -
23 -
24 -Go to Nana and Papa's for special dinner and open a present!

Talent Show

2011-11-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

I'm a proud mama, my boy got up in front of the whole school and spoke clearly and confidently then he and his buddy, Ryan, did an aikido demonstration. Nicely done, Levi!

2011-11-13T22:08:00.001-08:00

Goofing around on vacation this weekend...I love snuggling with my boys!

Favorite Things

2011-11-13T22:07:00.001-08:00

Trey loves his brussel sprouts! I found this at the store today and he's so excited to cook them up and eat them tomorrow.

Breathtaking

2011-11-13T22:05:00.001-08:00

Don't have much to add except I'm blessed with this breathtaking view.

New Fridge

2011-11-13T21:59:00.001-08:00

So I know it's nerdy to get excited about an appliance, but apparently that's what moms do. It's fabulous! Problem we have now is all the extra space. Seems a trip to T&C is in our near future.

2011-11-10T22:11:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you are just so tired that you fall asleep on the couch with legs dangling and your face buried in your brother's stinky feet.

2011-11-10T22:08:00.001-08:00

I love this picture of Carlos amongst the pile of stuffed animals. We were purging (not all of these actually left the house but a lot did) and cleaning out what I lovingly call our "Hoaders" room and Carlos made himself comfy. We made great progress and you can actually walk in and see the floor now!

My Teacher's Name is Ursula

2011-11-10T21:59:00.001-08:00

Levi has been in school for over 6 weeks now. For some reason, even though he's known his teacher for the past 3 years (she's been at the school all that time AND she's the mom of one of the kids in his class) he still didn't know her name. We would ask him over and over and he would scratch his head and say "Really? Again? I don't know! I told you that." We would then say, "Your teacher's name is Ursula" and go on from there. We brought this up to the assistant teacher in the class and she thought he must be joking with us, but he wasn't. We let the teacher know that he was struggling and we were working on it. Well, this weekend I finally had enough of the shoulder shrug and "I don't know" attitude and told him he was going to sit down and write her name 50 times. He, being the sometimes all-knowing and often times back-chatting 8 year old he can be said "How about 100 times?" I agreed. I got the paper ready, wrote her name at the top and numbered to 100. He got to work, writing and saying her name 100 times. Now, you may think this is harsh but Levi is a very visual learner and it only took him about 15 minutes to finish. He came in and said "My teacher's name is Ursula!" By the end of the weekend, he had it down and he was proud to be able to greet his teacher on Monday morning by saying "Good morning, Ursula:

Gift Exchange

2011-11-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to a cool thing I do each year - it's a great way for us to go through our gift bin and get rid of things we aren't going to use and get new things we will!
Love it! Anyhow, the more who participate the better the selection of stuff.

http://www.givingexchange.blogspot.com/

Free Candy!

2011-11-01T08:57:00.001-07:00

OFFER: Gallon bag of trick or treat candy PLUS an almost full Tootsie Roll mix bag that was confiscated by the Great Pumpkin. PLEASE get this out of my house before Dee and I eat any more. Must be able to pick up during school hours as not to blow the whole "Great Pumpkin" deal for my kids and ASAP because, well, I'm home alone with it.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:11:00.000-07:00

Another Halloween in the books!

Halloween Party 2011

2011-10-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Had the best time at our Halloween party this year. Each of the boys got to invite 4 friends (so wished it could have been all!) and with siblings coming as well we ended up with 25+ kids! Thank God the weather was decent and there was no rain. As Trey likes to say "We have a lot of summer friends", meaning we have a lot of BBQs and friends over in the summer. The drawback to small house, big yard.
Some highlights of the evening, the Eyeball Relay, Whack-A-Skull, a Scavenger Hunt and the big candy hunt. We put 7 grocery bags full of candy out in the field and the kids made short work of it, finding it all (but 5-6 pieces) in about 10 minutes. Can't wait for next year's party...thinking we are going to add a pumpkin slingshot to the activities.

2011-10-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

We were invited to a Halloween party with the Natali crew - LOVE THEM! Bummed we can't make it, but had to share the "rules" for the party.
Rules for the Rookies:

1. Wear a Costume. If you don't - you'll be ISSUED a costume. It will not be personality and/or gender apppropriate. I GUARANTEE IT!
2. We'll have lots of basic food and drinks. If you require slow roasted chipotle flavored organic hand-shaped maze chips - bring them yourself.
3. Don't be stupid and drink then drive. We have plenty of room.
4. Kids are welcome, but the party tends to go downhill FAST after the sun goes down.
5. No crying (BOBBY!), no jerks , no spitting, no fighting (DAN!).
6. The cool people can come early.
7. I WILL KICK YOU OUT if you're obnoxious. Don't test me. Richard Torres fears me.

Costume Notes:
1. Hooter Girls with mustaches has been DONE.
2. Our real teacher is already sexier than your naughty teacher.
3. Pregnant Nun - so old school.
4. Khadafi - too soon.
5. Casey Anthony - NOBODY likes her.
6. Sheen - Really?
7. Sheep and farmers do not go together.

Budding Photographer

2011-10-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at my cousin's wedding - I LOVE it! So glad it got captured (as he had my camera and I couldn't get the shot myself). He is truly into the art of photography and has a good sense of what makes up a photo.

Copyright (c) 2011 by Dana Pleasant Photography

The Many Faces of Levi

2011-10-22T16:29:00.000-07:00

I snapped a bunch of close ups of Levi while we were on the tractor ride - this is my boy! Happy, silly, a little shy and a good sport!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-22T16:25:00.001-07:00

There was a sunbreak this afternoon so we dropped all we were doing, jumped in the car and headed to the pumpkin patch. Didn't take long for each boy to find their perfect pumpkin, we beat the rain and even had a chance to take a ride on the tractor. Can't wait to see what carving creations we end up with this year.

My Nemesis

2011-10-22T05:55:00.001-07:00

Since I was a little girl, I have always enjoyed tinkering with things. I remember my grandma's ice maker on her fridge went out and my uncle had tried and tried to fix it, with no success. I played with it awhile (I was probably around 8) and got it to work. Quite the accomplishment for a little kid.
My new nemesis has been the handle on the sliding door of the van. The boys are less than gentle when they open it. You would think 1 pull would do it, but no, it's more like 4-5 each time they open the door.
The door handle could only take so much and eventually the handle broke. I tried just getting along opening it from the inside until one of the boys got nasty one day and flipped the child lock so you can't open it from the inside.
Onto the internet I went, found out that this was a common problem with my type van and ideas on how to fix it. Out came what Dee calls my "girlie tool box", off came the door panel of the van and voila there were the inner workings of the door. I fixed the problem, put it all back together again and off we go.
That lasted for a couple of months until the OTHER side door handle broke completely off on one side. After a little shopping online, I found a new door handle and Trey helped me replace the old one - he was completely impressed with his mama's skills. It doesn't match, but oh well! I thought we were done with the whole van door saga but the one that had originally broken, popped off again. Easier to fix the 3rd time around when I really knew what I was doing.

video-2011-10-17-16-27-54

2011-10-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

What I Did This Weekend

2011-10-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

The laundry is folded and I'm about to put it all away, the garden (with a LITTLE help from my little gnomes) is now weeded, the crimson clover cover crop is planted and it's all ready for winter. All in all, a weekend well balanced with fun and work.

Happy Birthday, Dee

2011-10-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

It was Dee's bday yesterday and the celebrations started on Friday night with pizza dinner with friends. She wanted to spend her actual birthday shopping (gasp, I know) for fun Halloween stuff with the family. She got some cool new decorations, it's her favorite holiday by far. We also did the costume shopping for the kids.
That part was painful, to say the least. They all go in with their idea of what they want to be, but the problem is that a lot of the time is that they either don't have the costume they wanted, or it doesn't fit. With minimal tears and drama we ended up with a vampire, a Navy seal, Capt Jack Sparrow and a butterfly.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

Every year the K and 1st grade classes go on a field trip together to the pumpkin patch. It's always one of my favorites to go on. The weather held just until the walk back to school, then the rains let loose.

Carlos' Zucchini Race

2011-10-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Grammy

2011-10-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

What a treat it was to be able to celebrate Kathy's birthday this year!
I caught Carlos and Alice in a super sweet moment before the big celebration.

Happy Bday Sensei

2011-10-08T22:51:00.001-07:00

The boys were so excited to learn that it was Sensei Chris' birthday. They had a vision - it had to be blueberry cake and it had to be shaped as a gi with a black belt. I had to admit I was proud of the boys for jumping in to do the work of making the cake and a lot of the decorating. They did a great job!

Zucchini Races

2011-10-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

Carlos is all ready for tomorrow's Zucchini Races. His vehicle is protected by army men and proudly displays both the Guatemalan and US flags and is named "Carlos' Mean Green Machine"
Let's just hope it's not too big - we are a little worried about the axels.

Trey's Self Portrait

2011-10-08T22:47:00.001-07:00

Gotta love Trey's self portrait - he's TALL!

Trey Poses

2011-10-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, I sent Carlos to take pictures of people at the reception. Trey tagged along with him, and when I uploaded the pictures I realized that Trey had POSED in each picture as well. So, here's Trey with my extended family!

Reception

2011-10-02T16:05:00.001-07:00

Lots of pics for the one, what a great party! Trey was the dancing KING, clearing the dance floor with his moves. It's fun to watch for sure. Carlos was behind the camera most the night taking some great shots. So much fun to be with the Burr family to celebrate Nathan and Bryan. Also got some dances in with my boys, always a favorite.

Nate and Bryan's Wedding

2011-09-28T06:35:00.001-07:00

Carlos' main goal for the wedding was the take "the" picture of their first kiss. I think he got it!

Ecola Park Lookout

2011-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

We went out in search of surfers to watch, ended up at Indian Beach (in Ecola Park). There were some places for a photo op so we lined up everyone and snapped some good ones. Then we walked down to the beach to watch the action. Not much happening in big surf action but there was a lot of paddling and not so much wave riding. I don't think the conditions were ideal today. It was fun to watch, anyhow, and the boys found a beach full of skipping rocks.

Mr. Money Carlos

2011-09-24T13:20:00.001-07:00

We did a quick trip to the outlet stores (WOO HOO!) and found some super cute outfits for baby then popped into the bookstore to get Dee something to read. While we were checking out, Carlos pointed to this book and said "Oh, I think I'd be interested in this one!"
I couldn't help but laugh, it's SO him.

Haystack Rock

2011-09-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Haystack Rock is SO big! We went down at low tide and the boys absolutely couldn't get enough of playing in the tide pools. They caught little fish, watched the sea anenomes and dodged the water coming in to get them. We went around the south side at one point and the water started coming in, got deeper and Carlos freaked out a little when it got up to his knees and ran toward me, stepping on a rock he didn't see and getting cut by barnacles. Nana helped him clean it out when we got home and all was good.

Cannon Beach Jam Session

2011-09-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my uncles (and my brother when he got older) would get together and play their guitars. Sometimes, they strum up Louie Louie or another singable tune and the family would join in. My little cousin, Owen, joined the group this go around!

Cannon Beach

2011-09-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have so many fond memories of family vacations at Cannon Beach. My cousin and his boyfriend are getting married this weekend, so we are all together down here once again. It's a reunion of sorts, but seems so much like old times. It's such a treat for my boys to be able to have this as one of their memories, too!
The next few posts will be pictures of our Cannon Beach adventure!
This is day one, our first trip to the beach. Haystack Rock in the background, the boys amazed at just how big it is and it just sitting there on the beach. We played in the water, whipped sea weed ropes and came back wet and sandy. It's been so fun being in the same house with Nana and Papa, Todd, Monica and Luca

Levi - Dancing Machine

2011-09-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Trey and Levi are Dancing Fools

2011-09-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

School

2011-09-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

They grow up so fast! First day of school - don't they look handsome (and OLD!?)?
Levi's heading into 2nd grade, Carlos is in 1st and Trey is in Kindergarten. Hoping it's an amazing year for them all.

Happy First Day of School Song

2011-09-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Check out my friend, Paul's ode to the first day of school....
CLICK HERE

It's worth it!

Child Labor

2011-09-06T20:40:00.001-07:00

Anyone need skilled blackberry pickers? They will pick happily for 25 cents/cup! If you are interested, contact me...I can also give you recommendations on who might be the best picker!

Pt. White

2011-09-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

The Pt. White dock has been one of our favorite summer places this year. We have caught many red rock crab (tasty, too!) so our freezer is packed for a winter treat. We met up with our dear friends, Katy and Collin, for an end of summer dip in the Sound. Thanks to Collin for repeatedly jumping in the water so the kids could follow. They each jumped only once, it was cold! We threw out the crab pots again while they were jumping and caught 3 more to share for dinner.

Perfect Day

2011-09-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

I love hanging out at the beach with the family! Perfect way to spend a Labor Day Monday before school starts.

Another First

2011-08-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

An accidental kick in the eye by his big little brother and Carlos is looking a bit tougher!

Happy Camper

2011-08-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

It's summer and Trey LOVES himself some camp! Just had to share this picture, he couldn't be happier.

Always Ready

2011-08-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Whether it be a water fight with neighbors (thanks John and Terri for being good sports!) or a Nerf war, our boys are always ready for a good battle. It's a total boy thing, I've never seen anything like it.

On a Mission

2011-08-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

For many years now, since the boys first started training at the dojo, Levi has had a goal of painting all of the rocks there. They have them lining the parking lot and in the sitting area outside. There are LOTS of rocks. We are starting on a long, long journey and have painted about 10 so far. Even with just 10, people are noticing and it's got a positive vibe with it. I love watching the boys "see" something in each rock and paint it accordingly.

YES!

2011-08-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

One of our former foster babies was recently adopted by our friends...they make a beautiful family! We still do miss this little guy, but he is exactly where he should be. A happy, happy ending for sure.

Not So Fabulous

2011-08-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

So the garden this year is not so fabulous...we are getting small amounts of zucchini, squash and lettuce and had a TON of strawberries and raspberries but the rest seems a bit lame. It's the horrid weather we've been having, the veggies just have no idea what to do! Still pretty and fun to sit out in the garden and look out at the view.

1st Tooth Lost

2011-08-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Trey lost his first tooth! You can't really tell since he's got this shark tooth thing going on, the adult teeth have already come in all the way before he lost the baby one.

Before and After

2011-08-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Mama K CAN cut hair. :)

Crabbing

2011-08-20T22:24:00.001-07:00

Our new favorite past time is going to the dock to catch crab. We started out with snares, but didn't have a lot of success. Now we've moved onto a net and it's working. Tonight we feasted on fresh red rock crab at Nana and Papa's house. We've caught 6 so far and have some in the fridge. Can't wait to go get some more!

More Roslyn Pics

2011-08-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Roslyn Vacation

2011-08-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

We took a long weekend vacation to get some sun - to Roslyn! It was a perfect trip, the temp was in the 80s and we had a cool condo to hang out in. We spent a large majority of our time in the pool.
I got the underwater camera replaced, so I got some amazing shots of the kids in action. I love our family vacations, such a chance to mellow out and enjoy our little guys.

Viral

2011-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

So...there is a trend on Facebook these days representing people's hometowns. I couldn't find one about Bainbridge, so I decided that I would make one. Who knew it would go completely viral in a matter of days. The page went up on Sunday night and today it has 969 followers!
My blog might be seen by few, but the You Grew Up on Bainbridge If.... page is going strong.
Check it out, the memories are so fun to read.

Beach Day

2011-08-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

The sun has been seriously lacking in the Northwest this summer - I mean seriously lacking. The sunny days we have had, we have tried to take full advantage of. A trip to our beach with Levi's new boogie board was so much fun. We threw the ball for Abbie and the boys rode some killer waves (well, not so killer but a boat did go by at one point and there were a couple waves). Love the beach, love playing with the boys at the beach and that we can spend hours down by the water with no fights, no complaints and all having a great time.

It WAS a cool camera....

2011-08-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

So, I went into Costco about a month ago and ended up leaving with a brand new impulse buy - a waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, dustproof camera. I have always wanted to take my photography underwater, as I've always enjoyed the cool sense of peace being underwater brings. At the pool, I'm often times doing laps to see how far I can get without coming up for air.
I took my great new camera over to Helen's pool (thank you Helen, we LOVE the pool!) last week to try out my new toy and was amazed at the cool pictures it was taking. All was going great until I bonked it (so much for shockproof) and the battery compartment came open and got it wet. I was able to pull the memory card and battery out quickly and was hoping to salvage the camera. I got a the few pictures that I had taken off the card, but the camera is toast.
It's off to Costco to return it and see if maybe the one I had was just a dud.

USS Stennis

2011-07-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy, wet July day...but we went out to the beach to re-create a great childhood memory I had. When I was a kid, the USS Missouri came into port in Bremerton. Our family drove out to Rich Passage to see it go through and it was incredible. The passage is so narrow, it seemed as if you could reach out and touch the gigantic aircraft carrier as it went by.
Today, the USS Stennis left on a mission to Iraq and I wanted our boys to see it leave. In the many years that have gone by, the foliage has overgrown so there wasn't a good place to watch it go through Rich Passage, so we headed over to Fort Ward boat launch. We waited, waited and waited. It was neat, though, because we had a chance to teach the boys how to skip rocks. Around the corner came the support ships and then the Stennis. It was HUGE and the boys were impressed. Carlos was very serious about seeing the soldiers and respectfully saluted as the Stennis went by.

Carlos Goes Crabbing

2011-07-18T08:31:00.001-07:00

Carlos and I were lucky enough to be invited our on our friend's boat to go crabbing. It was drizzling but not cold. I haven't seen Carlos so happy in a long time. He LOVED it! After we checked and reset the pots, we went to see some baby seals and the salmon farm. I wish we could throw a line in there, there were huge salmon jumping all over the place.
Came home with some tasty crab and had Nana and Papa over for dinner. It was incredible!
Thank you Curt!

Trey's Birthday

2011-07-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Trey's birthday with a family dinner (toasted cheese sandwiches with tomato soup) on the day, then with his friends at the dojo for Surf's Up movie night. It was a GREAT party and everyone had a blast.

Carlos can now drop in!

2011-07-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

4th of July

2011-07-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

A few more pics from the 4th!

Nerf Gun Attack

2011-07-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Trey!

2011-07-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to the sweetest, most loving, funny and smart 65 pound 6 year old boy, Trey Cameron! You are AWESOME!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T23:33:00.001-07:00

Score!

2011-07-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Another year, another Rotary Auction come and gone. I passed on the "running of the bulls" type entrance and opted for the late, casual entrance. There was nothing I needed, which was a good thing. I came home with everything I never knew I always wanted:
3 lacrosse sticks, badminton rackets, banana hanger/fruit basket, Fletcher reading sets vol 7-10, educational computer games, workbooks, intercom system, signed Dwight Howard shoe and...Carlos' baby crib set to use for the foster babies!

I always love to see what others came back with, so I asked my Facebook friends....here's a sampling of their finds:

- a great mt bike, and girls filled their bags with Polly pockets, barbie accessories, playmobil, fairy stuff, Jessie from toy story, and a build a bear koala bear complete with fancy dress. Nothing we needed, except the bike and a fun morning!

- A sweet TREK hybrid for Jack. We got there at 6:30 am and waited....it was mayhem, but worth it.

- Loved it! Won a bid on a lovely little sailboat, and of course bags full of totally unnecessary stuffed animals, Barbies, and action figures.

- We came home with a bag of books for the girls, three Breyer horses for Abby, a stuffed Teddy bear that we donated and had to buy back, and four soccer balls for the dog to chase around the yard.

- Books, a mint condition set of dvds for hubby's b-day, two vases and a framed '17th century Nun's Poem' for the church, two bags of baby clothes. That was such a feel-good score that it makes up for the fact that I didn't get the popcorn machine I wanted. Maybe it will be back next year and I'll have another chance at it!

-Four-drawer filing cabinet, swing hit batting practice thingy, skateboards, lacrosse stick, golf bags, chess set, dominos, food dehydrator, Harry Potter grab bag, big train whistle, painted wooden eggs... We ♥ the Rotary Auction. Next year it's all going back. Except the filing cabinet.

- American Girl doll clothes and book set, doll bed, pug Beanie, Nerf gun, Super Soaker, Garfield and Far Side books, Silver Palate cookbook, Frank McCourt books, magazines, and a troll doll that our dog promptly ate. (Whoops. Guess we won't have to take THAT back next year!)

- 2 lacrosse sticks, a rebounder, a lacrosse goalie helmet, 2 sets of K2 skis, a spinning bike, and a computer monitor...and a bunch of stuff that should never have come home (note: don't leave your kids unsupervised while you run for the big ticket items!).

- Hockey helmet, elbow pads, mason jars, badminton net, toaster, tennis balls, sombrero, unicorn hat.

The one great thing about the auction is that if you don't get something this year, chances are it will be back next year!
-

New Addition

2011-06-29T06:45:00.001-07:00

We have a new baby in the house, Baby "C". He's absolutely adorable and we are blessed that he is happy, eats well and sleeps through the night (all but twice). As always, we're not too sure how long he'll be with us but baby time is always fun.
We still have Baby "A" and he's rolling around everywhere and really getting a funny personality. Looks like he'll be moving to his forever home here soon and will be truly missed.
Five boys in the house is quite an adventure!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

2011-06-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a wonderful celebration, Papa. We love you!

Here We Go Again?

2011-06-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Carlos got stung by a bee yesterday afternoon, in the hand. It did the usual hurting and swelling that came down with Benadryl and ice. Around 4:30 this morning, though, he was miserable. It was itching, hot and very swollen.
We had speech therapy this morning at Harrison in Silverdale, and dropped down to the ER to have it looked at. With his past history with bee stings (click here for that story) I was worried. The doctor said it was getting infected and put him on antibiotics. Seems like we've done this with Carlos not so long ago. I don't tend to trust the Harrison ER so we made an appt with our pediatrician's office for this afternoon. Second opinion was that it was an allergic reaction, to continue with the Benadryl, ice and elevation and see how it is tomorrow.
Fingers are crossed that poor Carlos gets a break!

Nana's Summer Fun

2011-06-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

Nana always comes up with great projects and this one didn't disappoint. Kick the can ice cream! It did take a total of 20 minutes of kicking coffee cans around, and we didn't quite have enough ice to make the ice cream firm but it was tasty and fun to do. Hoping to get the recipe posted here soon.

Mama K's Summer School

2011-06-24T16:51:00.001-07:00

The kids weren't all that happy to hear that I would be their teacher for the summer. An hour per day on weekdays, doing workbook pages and reading. It's not too much to ask, hoping we can avoid the summer slide. They are all doing their work, though, with few complaints!

Bowling Party

2011-06-19T10:54:00.001-07:00

Levi's class celebrated the end of the year with a bowling party. We could only be at half of the party because we had to get to the last half of Carlos' class picnic but our guys love to bowl. Bumpers on, they did pretty well. I love Levi's form where he kicks his back leg up just like my dad did when we used to go bowling.

Fishing!

2011-06-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

It was Fishing Derby Day at Island Lake yesterday so I took Levi, Carlos, Trey and Alice out for some fun. It was the coolest set up, each of the kids got a tshirt and new fishing pole to use and keep! They had a seasoned fisherman helping out so each child caught their limit (2 fish), then another volunteer cleaned the fish for the kids to take home. It was a perfect morning. The kids can't wait to go fishing again and we had trout for dinner.

Kindergarten Picnic

2011-06-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here are just a couple of shots from Carlos' class picnic. We went out to Fort Ward and met up with his class. It was quite the hike to get to the picnic spot but Carlos and Trey spent part of the time walking down the path holding hands. It was very sweet. Then they found the horsetails and attacked me...not so sweet. Ah, the life of a mama with boys.

Camping 2011

2011-06-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

We braved the weather (warm at times, cold at times) and kept up our last week of school camping tradition. Stayed the 1st night in Maymay's trailer then moved over to the tent. So much fun, glad to be officially on summer vacation.
Got some great pics of bed head....and all the flavors of marshmallows I found at the Evil Empire. I have to say, the kids loved them all but I really only liked the caramel ones.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD! I am lucky to have such a caring, supportive, funny and loving man to call my dad.

The Garden

2011-06-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

I've got big plans for the garden this year. The weather hasn't been quite so cooperative. We've finally had some decent weather and we got the space mowed, weeded and starts and seeds in the ground.
The plan for the year: parsnips (that have gone wild), spinach, peas, carrots, lettuce, delicata, sunburst, acorn and zucchini squash, tomatoes, tomatillos, beans and cucumbers are all ready to go. Wish us luck! When the adirondack chairs are put together and painted, it will be the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a summer beverage and the view.

Trey's on his way

2011-06-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

It's official....Trey's got the T-shirt! He'll be heading to Kindergarten at The Island School in the Fall. He's only a LITTLE bit excited. We are excited for him to start this adventure.

Adventures In Babysitting

2011-06-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Dee and I wanted so badly to see Bridesmaids in the theater (super funny!) and Nana and Papa stepped up to watch the boys. So funny, though, because when we got home...this is what we found! Nana did draw the line at having duct tape over her mouth.