Playing Catch Up

We've been busy! Here's a few of the adventures we've been on lately:

The Pirates landing on Alki Beach for Sea Fair in Seattle. We've been meaning to do this for a long time now. A bunch of guys dressed as pirates jump off this boat and run around on the beach. Actually, we didn't get to find out what they do once they get to the beach. Their boat was way late and then couldn't get close enough to the shore and we were taking off as they were wading to shore. But hey, now we've done it!And check out how cool some of the other boats out there in the Sound were!A day out with Thomas the Train! Check him out! Of course, they were charging for pictures with Thomas, so we took one outside the fence as we were leaving. Lame.We went with my friend Anna and her two cute boys. It was a fun little train ride and the boys loved it.

Then Darren and Joseph took off on a Father and Son campout and had a blast with all these cute boys from our ward. And I had a fun little chick flick night with Justin and a few girlfriends.
Fun stuff! Summer is officially half way over and we're making the most of it!

Independence Day

We had a very fun and relaxing holiday with a ward breakfast, a family BBQ and our own little firework show in our backyard. If you know my Joseph, you know he is very sensitive to loud sounds and he spent the last Fourth of July with his hands over his ears. This year he was so excited about doing fireworks and he told me over and over again that he wasn't afraid of fireworks anymore. We picked out the obligatory pop-its and sparklers and also a couple of non-screaming fountains and one where a parachuting army guy is launched into the sky. The pop-its were a HUGE hit with both the boys, and then we started on the fountains. Justin was in a trance as he watched the fountains. They both just loved it and I was so happy to see that it seemed Joseph was going to be OK. Then the army guy firework made a huge booming sound that made everybody jump and Joseph lost it:He was consoled after a good hard cry but was now determined NOT to do any sparklers. So being the mean mom I am, I coerced him into standing next to me while I held the sparklers. But you can see how much fun he's having.So what is Justin doing during this time? Totally showing up Joseph with the sparklers and having the time of his life! Darren couldn't get them lit fast enough for him.My little pyromaniac! As soon as it burned out, he'd say, "One more, ok, Daddy?"And then, SUCCESS! Joseph decided he would hold a sparkler after all and loved it, for about 20 seconds. He handed it off to me pretty quick. But check out the happy face! And how far he's holding it from his body.I am so very grateful for this beautiful country where I can do fireworks in my backyard if I want. I am proud to be an American!

Family Fun for Father's Day

We had such a fun Father's Day weekend! My adorable nephew, Kellen came from Portland to visit for two days and two nights. Joseph was so excited to have 2 sleepovers! These boys are best buds despite their geographic distance. It was so fun to listen to them get reacquainted and play together. There was a lot of wrestling, monster hunting and bike riding going on. We met his parents halfway in Centralia to make the switch both times. Grandma Jolley even came with them on one of the trips. What a treat! It worked out so great, we'll definitely be making this a new summertime tradition!We played at the beach and rode the water taxi across the bay just for fun. The other great thing about this weekend is that my cousin, Melinda was also up from Portland with her family and we picnicked at the beach together on Friday. It was so great to see her and her three kids. I haven't seen her for five years because they've lived out east since just recently. It'll be great to have them living so much closer now!Justin also fell in love with Kellen on his trip. He tried his hardest to keep up with the big boys on all their adventures. And they were so good to include him in their playing. I took this picture because Justin was snuggling up to Kellen and saying, "I wuv you Kewen!" So cute! And a very happy late Father's Day to the wonderful father of my children! My goodness I love this man. We learned this weekend that Darren passed the first of the four CPA exams he is working on taking. Way to go, babe! Not only is he excruciatingly handsome, he's brilliant too!

2 big!

Happy birthday to Justin! 2 years old just seems like full blown toddlerhood and I hardly ever see a trace of my little baby anymore. Justin is becoming very outgoing and independent and wants to do everything on his own. He says, "by self, Mommy" all day long. When he gets frustrated because he's not getting what he wants, he plops himself down on the ground to pout and won't move. Can you say, "terrible twos?" He also loves to copy everything we say. The other night he opened the bathroom door where Joseph was taking his bath and said, "Shuhshuf, 3 minutes OK?" He was giving Joseph his countdown like he hears me say. Joseph thought it was hilarious and it turned into quite a giggle-fest.He loved opening his presents. And he loves birthday cake. Everytime someone mentions the word birthday, he asks for cake. Smart boy.My attempt at a cute and crafty cake turned out pretty good, I have to say. It was fun to make.Love you, Justin! And thanks to all our family for the calls and the presents! We love you!

From Spring to Summer

I love this glorious time when spring turns into summer. Joseph has one more day of Preschool and we will miss it so much. I have been so happy with the school and his teacher and I just feel it was worth every penny. We learned which Elementary School Joseph will go to for Kindergarten in the fall, so I'm freaking out about that and so looking forward to relaxing this summer before that scary and nerve-racking transition. For the Mom, not for Joseph. He told me today that he wants to start Kindergarten right after Preschool is over. But I am already anxiety-ridden about starting my long-term relationship with the Public School system and giving up my baby to them. But I digress. We're talking about summer here! In pictures, here is our family's transition from spring to summer.Joseph loved flying his kite; the perfect spring activity.Yes, I'm going to bore you with all the pictures of my very first garden experience. These are my strawberries. When I took these pictures, I was all giddy about how everything was growing so well. But apparently, they've been growing a little too well and it turns out, I'm really just feeding the squirrels! See the strawberry that's just turning pink? After it ripened, I found it half-eaten in the soil. Same with the next one that ripened. So it's time to either move them to the greenhouse or Darren said he'd help me build a cage to go around them.And it'll probably start happening with my tomatoes here too once they pop out. Kind of a downer when you don't get to taste the fruits of your labor!My lettuce.So the last three things were grown from plant starts. But these are my cucumbers that grew from seeds.
And my carrots that finally popped up a little. I can see why people get into this. It's so satisfying to witness the magic of planting a seed and watching it grow. The squirrels won't dig up my carrots, right? I really have no idea what I'm doing. I just decided to put stuff in the dirt and see what happened. Enough garden talk. Look at my cute boys! The brothers having a good time in the tub after getting so dirty outside. And finally, what says summer better than a slip and slide?! My friend has one and invited us over (thanks, Shannon!) It was so fun to watch our boys enjoy it together in the summer heat we've had lately!JosephJustin

Happy Summer!

Happy Birthday, Joseph!

This post is long overdue. I just can't believe he's 5! We celebrated this year with a little party for him and all of his friends. It was really fun, especially since the weather cooperated. We threw water balloons at targets and whacked a Spiderman pinata. And of course, cake and presents!The kids and their spoils.Even after the pinata broke open, the kids wanted to take turns whacking the head.Happy Birthday, Joseph. Love you, buddy! I just wish I could slow down your growing a little bit.

Welcome to Seattle, Elder Anderson!

Elder Anderson made it home safe and sound and now he's back to being my good old brother Taylor. He and my sister, Jordan, drove out for a visit and we had a great time. This picture was taken right after he walked in the door. Don't you love the look on Justin's face? It's like he's thinking "Who is this guy and what's all the fuss about?"But as you can see, it didn't take long for them to fall in love! The theme of the visit seemed to be roadside oddities. We went to see the troll under the Aurora bridge. Jordan remembered it's on the movie "Ten Things I Hate About You." It's pretty fun to climb on him and yes, I am picking his nose.Gotta throw rocks in the water at the beach. Even if it's raining. We took the ferry to Vashon Island to check it out. The boys were excited about being on a boat.The bike-eating tree! How weird is this? This bike actually grew into the tree.Hanging out on the beach. Now I can officially say, welcome home, Taylor! We missed you, we're proud of the way you served and now we're so glad you're home. Thanks for making the trip and thanks to Jordan for coming with him! We love you both!