Lakefair Parade and Volleyball Tournament

This weekend the boys and I joined Darren and Darin in Olympia for the Lakefair parade and volleyball tournament.

Darren and Darin had a good time played doubles together.  They even played in the championship game in their division, taking second place.

 The boys got bored watching the game, so they made their own fun which included chasing each other around the capitol grounds with sticks.

Eventually we ditched the big boys playing volleyball and went to enjoy some rides.  Austin was in heaven being able to ride on a couple rides with Trevor.

Later we enjoyed some cotton candy and the parade.  Well, Trevor and I enjoyed cotton candy, Austin didn't like it.  What a funny kid.

A Darn Good Thing

At the end of a long and stressful day...

              When I want to run away from home...

It's a darn good thing that underneath all that dirt my kids are pretty cute!!

It means that tomorrow I'll wake up and do it all over again, dirt, stress and all.

A Birch Bay Get Away

I always jump at the chance to get a weekend away in Birch Bay.  I have such fond memories of family reunions spent there as a child.  This year we took our good friends the Krick's with us.  Having their company, and Elizabeth's cooking, was awesome!

Trevor has been taking swim lessons this summer, so he got a lot of good practice in at the hotel pool.

On Sunday, we took a 12 mile round trip bike ride up to Blaine, WA and did some fishing at the public marina.  We didn't catch anything, but the ride was awesome and the company was even better.

On the way back to Birch Bay we took the historic Plover Ferry from Blaine to Semiahmoo.  Trevor even had a chance to be Honorary Captain.

Austin just had fun roaming around the vessel.

It was a fun trip and we are glad that we went.

(Pre)school's Out for Summer

I didn't know what to do with myself today.  It was Monday and usually on Monday's I stay home and clean the house while my friend drives the carpool to preschool.  But preschool is out for the summer and both Trevor and I miss it.

Trevor did not like yoga day with the Big Kids.

Green River Marathon

Somewhere on my husband's bucket list it reads, "Run a Marathon" and as of today that item is crossed off his list.  Supporting him training for this huge accomplishment was not always easy and I complained about him being gone a lot, but I am so proud of him!

Here are some pictures before, during, and after the race.

7.4 miles in and looking good!

He's even still smiling!

Austin and I went to Alki to see Darren finish.  I pointed him out to Austin as he was coming in and Austin wanted to get down and "go get Daddy".  So I set Austin down and he took off running.  It was quite possibly the sweetest moment I have had as a mother (besides of course meeting each of my boys for the first time).

I know I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes when Austin and Darren caught up to each other.

Darren carried Austin for the last bit of the race, so I guess in a way you can say that Austin finished a marathon today too.

Way to go Darren!  We're so proud of you.

By the way, he finished in 3:27:48, just under his personal goal of 3 1/2 hrs.

Gender Surprise Baby Shower Cake

I thought this was such an adorable way to tell your friends and family if you are having a boy or a girl and it was a super fun cake to make.

In case you wanted to know...the inside was pink!

Dr. Seuss Cake-Amazing!

**I need to preface this post by saying that from the time my children could walk I have told them (and any neighborhood friends who happen to be over at the time) that if they ever, EVER, touch my cake I will spank them.  Well, during the making of this cake, which was more stressful than usual due to family stress, I opened the fridge to find that Trevor had poked two holes in my cake.

**When the time came to make good on my promise all I could do was cry.  In fact, I sobbed like a little child and sent Trevor to his room.  After a pep talk, I got back to work and figured out a way to cover the holes.  In the end, it turned out even better than I had originally planned.

Unfortunately, this cake didn't taste very good, in my opinion, but what it lacked in taste it made up for in looks and I couldn't have been more pleased with how it looked.

There was one person who didn't seem to mind that the cake was dry, and that was the birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Sweet, 

Smiley Boy!