Fun With Friends Part 2

We had a blast the weekend of the 4th. Dave had three days off and no Aikido, that doesn't happen very often. Friday we went off with the Conlin's, and Colleen mom, dad, sis, and cousin for a hike up at Deception Pass. I absolutely love Deception Pass. It is an amazing bridge high over the waters of the Puget Sound with islands, water, beach and nature at it's finest. I haven't been up there in years. It wasn't so much a hike as a long walk on the beach. The kids had fun exploring, climbing, wading, and throwing rocks in the water. The adults did much of the same and also enjoyed soaking up some rays of sun. Hannah is becoming quite the little rock climber and Max loved the ride while chewing on his hat strap.

Saturday took us to one of my favorite places ever. The Conlin's invited us to spend the 4th up at their family cabin on Lake Roesinger just 20 minutes north of us. It is a beautiful place so serene and relaxing. It was a day filled with extended family and friends, swimming, sunning, eating, and fun. The water was warmer then it has been on past visits and it was such a hot day we couldn't wait to jump in. No sooner had we gotten settled and changed into our suits then Hannah was off to kayak with Ben. It was very sweet. We have a picture of them together a couple of years ago and it's nice to see some things never change. The highlight was that Hannah jumped off the dock for the first time this year. Max put on a life jacket against his will and he got him wet which he didn't find amusing at all. I swam out to the trampoline and soaked up the warm sun and Dave had a blast kayaking around with any number of different kids or me tagging along. After a yummy dinner and smore's the fireworks started. You can just lay back and watch any house on the lake launching fireworks. By about 10:30 both Hannah and Max were just done so we packed up and headed home watching fireworks hit the skyline along the way.

Sunday we had a very lazy morning. In the afternoon we headed out for lunch at the Blazing Onion and off to the healthclub for a swim. This time Max got in the water with us and loved it. Hannah has some brushing up to do on her swimming from last summer but once she spends a few days in the pool she will be back on track. After home and dinner both kids after many a crabby moments went to bed and Max, Hannah, and I all slept until after 9 AM on Monday. Its been a quiet few days working on getting the night and nap schedules back on track.

We had a great weekend. We are so blessed with great friends who are more like family and so glad for all the fun times we share together.

Deception Pass

Conlin Cabin

Fun with Friends Part 1

This has been a very busy past week or so. My friend Colleen and her entire family(Adam and the 4 boys) stayed with us starting last Sunday. While it is a bit crazy to have 6 kids, 4 adults, and two dogs in the house we love every minute of having our dear friends here and wish they would stay longer or move back sooner. A lot of our week was spent playing around the house but we did do a bunch of fun outings too. Hannah was so happy to have her friends here especially Ben who is her age. It was like a big party all week. The tough part was getting her to let the boys sleep in in the morning. My favorite thing was that Luke their two year old who I just adore since the day he was born was hysterical. My entire house and its contents belong to him in grand two year old fashion. He loved telling me about Baby(Max) and nanah(Hannah). Max loved having all the kids around. I don't think it is possible for his sleeping to get any worse but this kids doesn't want to miss a thing and I have a feeling we are heading for an all out cry out soon. Anyway, before the Conlins arrived Beth and I took the kids and headed off to the zoo for the day. It was a great time and a lot of the animals were out and about because it was lunchtime. Then Wednesday Colleen and the boys joined us and we went off to the strawberry fields to fill our tummies and basket with strawberries. You'll have to wait for part two to see what we did on the fourth but check back because it was a jammed packed weekend of fun.

Turtles eating lunch

Hanging in the sun.

hug an ape

Hang on a hippo

I can't remember what animal this is.

baby on the gorilla

jungle girl She loved the rainforest best since she had learned about it in school.

Max traveled in style. we borrowed this backpack from Colleen to try out before we bought one. Max and I both loved it.

I love my kids in their hats. They are so cute and we must protect their little blond heads from sunburns.

Ben and Hannah just sat down in the middle of the row to pick and eat
Luke hung out with me for awhile and like to sit down amongst the plants and pick the white berries.
Hannah like that the berries were small and easy to eat
the kids (minus Max)Luke(2), Zack(8), Ben(6), Hannah(6), Josh(4), Zach(5), Madison(8), and Carson(1)

Take me out to the ball game.

Thursday night we took the kids to their first baseball game. Our local team the Everett Aquasox were playing. Hannah completed the reading challenge at school and got a free ticket and a voucher for a free ball. She was very excited. We also used the opportunity to celebrate Dave's birthday as a family. Unfortunately it was a cold and rainy day but we bundled up and off we went. Max had a great time and even took a short nap. Hannah spent some time learning about the game and who we were supposed to cheer for. We finally got cold enough that we left at the 7th inning. The score was 12 to 1 with our team winning so we were pretty sure the game was over. We told Hannah we will go back again when the weather gets nicer. For now she has a ball and two mitts to play with.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Popcorn and hot chocolate


Snuggly. You would never know it was the end of June looking at us. but it was rainy and in the 50's

Baseball rocks mom!!

6 MONTHS OLD......It goes so fast

Max is six months old. It seems like time is flying by so fast. Just yesterday he was the teeny tiny little 5 pound 13 ounce newborn who we were trying to make eat every two hours. He has certainly grown in so many ways and has burrowed his way into the hearts of the entire family. We can't imagine life without his sweet smiling face and his full belly giggle. Here is what Max has to say for himself this month.

1. Sleeping through the night continues to elude me. I really miss it if I don't get mom up at least twice per night. Part of the problem is I am so wiggly I ending up sideways banging myself into the side of the crib. Naps are getting better depending on the day. I like a quick snooze in the AM and usually sleep longer in the afternoon but it depends on how much noise Hannah makes.

Daddy is the best place to nap

2. Speaking of Hannah....I love her so much. I just love to spend time with her and talk to her and snuggle with her and play with her. Mom says I am going to be a trouble maker when I can get into her room.

3. I have become quite the little chatterbox and flirt. I talk to my toys, the mirror, and I especially love other babies. One day I spent 5 minutes talking to the wall above my changing table. It was quite a funny conversation. And when the ladies tell me how cute I am I give them the best smiles.4. I am getting so strong on my tummy. I pretty much spend all my time there which mom says is really good for my brain. I am starting to move backwards and in circles and as soon as I can figure out how to ground my feet I will take off.

This is my monkey. He is my best friend.

5. I saw Dr. Kathy today. She thinks I am the cutest. I say duh of course I am. She says I look healthy and happy in every way. I need to work on bulking up though. I seem to have fallen off the weight chart. I am just a high metabolism guy that just burns it off faster then I can get it in. I am 13 pounds 4 ounces and 25 inches tall. Below the chart for weight but stayed in the 10% for height. Dr. Kathy says not to worry because I look so healthy I even have some chub on my legs. I got three shots today so I got extra snuggles from Mommy and Daddy to make me feel better.
6. Now on that food front. Mommy has been making me some really awesome food. The freezer is full of all kinds of veggies and fruit. My favorite things are oatmeal with pears and apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, and peas. The doc gave mommy the OK to use some dairy and other things so tonight I had tofu and carrots. I'm really holding out for the real food that I can chew but the purees will do for now I guess. It's fascinating to watch everyone else eat. Mom says I already eat better then sissy. She better watch out or I'll get her cookies too. :)

Covered in Peas

Covered in prunes and apples7. I am trying really hard to cut my first teeth. I was so cranky last weekend and slept really horribly. I tried really hard to get both fists in my mouth. Daddy finally got me some baby Motrin instead of Tylenol and it helped so much along with the teething tablets. Hopefully these teeth will pop though soon.

Hanging outside in the afternoons is really fun. All the kids play with me.

8. The dogs are pretty funny. Mom lets me pet them while I sit in her lap. Lucky doesn't even mind when I stick my fingers in his eye. The best is when they wrestle. It is really funny.

I won the staredown with Lucky.

That's pretty much it. Everyday is an adventure, everyday is different. Each phase good or bad will pass. I would love to sleep through the night or at least more then 4 hours at a time but I know I will miss having my baby to snuggle with as he outgrows this stage so I am trying to enjoy every minute of it. We love watching every little milestone and the joy for life this little guy has. Despite the sleep issues he is a happy, healthy, mellow little boy. We love him so much.

A BBQ and a Birthday, all for Daddy

Dave and I being goofy

June is Dave's month. Both father's day and his birthday happen pretty close together. This weekend we had a "small" BBQ to celebrate the start of summer and his birthday. We also had to break in our new grill. Dave decided to go back to charcoal and BBQ the old fashioned way. It has taken a bit of getting used to on the timing of the coals but he is enjoying a return to the simple life. Saturday we invited over 6-7 other families to join us. We started around 2ish and told all the kids to bring their bikes and scooters. It was great to see a huge gaggle of kids all riding around with only a few minor collisions. Next we moved to the back yard and the kids covered the playset. I am always so happy we sacrificed yard space to install it the kids love it. We enjoyed awesome burgers, hot dogs, tofu, veggies and various other foods brought by everyone to enjoy. I got the chance to educate everyone on the whole I don't like cilantro because I have the genetic thing that makes it taste like soap. I know it sounds crazy but its true. The stuff tastes horrible to me and if you love it you don't get it. Anyway. I think the kids had a blast I got these little fold up kids tables at Costco thanks to my friend Emily and they will come in very handy for parties both at home and at the dojo. I think we had an equal number of kids to adults. Max even had his friend Annabelle here for awhile. She is almost 8 months daughter of my friend Mary. She and her family are sadly moving away to Northern VA this week for dad Greg's job. So this was the last time we get to see them for awhile. We will miss them but wish them well on their new adventure. Anyway Max spent a good 5 mintues just chatting away with Annabelle before she left. They are so cute together. We had a great time and spent today running a few errands and taking Dave to lunch at his choice for father's day. We didn't plan too much due to the fact that Max is teething and has been VERY cranky at times. We are now fans of baby motrin.

Joel(4), Ceira(6), Carson (1), Hannah, and Zach(5)

Nikoli(7), Maren (3 1/2), Hannah, and Ceira(6)

the kids table

Marya and Max

Cake

Stephanie, Greg, Pete, and DaveLarry, Beth, Emily, and Son

Paul and Marya

Annabelle and Max

Hannah and Christina(4)(Annabelle's sister)

I think Max was saying follow me I'll get us out of here

the long goodbye. He did all the talking.

I ride a two wheeler

While Hannah officially had her first hands free two wheeler ride last night tonight I was able to get it on video. She even learned how to turn. She did try to take down our neighbor Larry's bumper with her shoulder in one take. This was one of the best runs. The two other girls in the video are Mikela and Olivia 10 and 12 years olds that just adore Hannah. They were amazed when they came around the corner and saw Hannah riding by herself. Then they started helping her get better at steering by following them. It was so cool. At one point she had like 8 other kids from the neighborhood watching her. She is starting to learn how to stop and now if she can just learn to push off to start on her own I won't see her the rest of the summer. She was just beaming with pride. She fell a lot and there are a lot of bandaids on her scrapped up knees but she took it in stride and even laughed at herself. Dave and I are so proud of her. She worked so hard between the scooter and having to learn how to pedal. Last year she barely had enough range of motion in her right anke to pedal and now she is TWO WHEELIN. When she went to bed she told me "I bet daddy is going to be so proud of me he will run upstairs and hug me and kiss me!"

Oh the handle on the back was given to us by Olivia's mom. It was awesome. no more bending over to hold the seat while helping them get their balance. One of the best inventions ever.

Weekend of fun.

Wow we certainly are busy these days. So much fun stuff going on it's hard to keep track of it all. This weekend was no different. Hannah and I started out Saturday morning going out just the girls. Hannah's and my cousin Eloise turned 5 and invited us to her birthday at the fun forest at Seattle Center. Hannah loved seeing eloise again and made fast friends with another girl her age. They dragged each other on every ride over and over again. We left Max with Dave who did a great job surviving the scream fest that is invloved in trying to get him to take a bottle. Hannah and I had some great mommy daughter time and came home tired. After a bit of a rest we went out to an early dinner and evening walk.

Hannah and Eloise

On the tornado(Hannah called it the potato)Mery go round

the prirate ship with Erina. I think they rode it 5 times

Today(Sunday) I left the family at home yet againand went of to meet the board of the sisterhood to plan out all of the fun events we will do together as a group next year. Things like brunch, craft night, soup and a movie etc. We have a great group of women and we love to get together and eat and talk. When I got home we loaded up in the car and went off to the strwberry fields. Last year it was just Hannah and I so this year we took Dave a long for the fun. We met up with our friends the Curtis' and fun was had by all. I think we ate as many as we picked. Max liked watching the tractor pulling the cart to take us to the field. He is all boy. Back at home it was pizza night and then we headed outside for a final weekend practice of two wheeled bike riding. AND.............Hannah did it. She went straight and turned and back down again with us running along side but NOT holding on. She was so proud of herself and so were we. I dodn't get a chance to take pictures or video because Max was tired and crying, and honestly we didn't think she would get it tonight. We will get video as she practices in the next few days. Now its time for the bi monthly bill pay session and then off to bed for the last week of school. We are also officially counting the days until the Conlins come. 14 days and counting. Woo Hoo. We can't wait.

the first strawberry of the season

see it. No teeth no strawberry. Oh well next year.

to eat or to take home that is the question. I believe he ate it.

Cheek full of strawberry
the load

the girls Kendall, Hannah, Allie, and Emery.
Hannah and Emery. Emery has a bit of Hannah worship which is funny because Hannah had Kendall worship at Emery's age.