school starts again!

lucas started his pre-k class on monday and so far he seems to really like it! he gets to have his buddy, cody, in his class this year so that is a real treat for him. lucas also has class 3 days a week versus only 2 days last year. he's getting to be such a big boy! :( i really like his new teachers, ms. kim and ms. holly. their class seems a lot more structured and they do a great job keeping the kids focused on the lesson being taught. i'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that the kids are now one year older, but still. i'm liking it!

my sweet and handsome baby boy

yoo-hoo...

i'll just make this short and sweet...enjoy the pictures!

some park time with our friends, carter and logan.

for my birthday, we made a visit to the darigold dairy in sunnyside, wa, then went peach-picking, and then enjoyed a yummy steak and lobster dinner cooked for me by nate and my sister...a wonderful birthday!

we spent labor day with the kids, just enjoying family time. we took the kids biking and to play at a nearby park. usually, allan is the one to pull the bike trailer, but i have never done it (and have been wanting to) so i wanted to give it a go. i figured if i couldn't do it, allan could bail me out. well, allan hitched me up and i started pedaling and it was EASY! i can't say what it would be like to go on hills, but who pulls 3 kids in a bike trailer on hills anyway?

chop, chop, timber!

back in the beginning of summer we enrolled lucas and emma in swim lessons at our community pool. emma's class was a parents and tots class (the parent goes into the pool with the tot), but lucas' was not so he had to go into the pool with his class by himself. he would NOT do it. it took a lot of encouraging, coaxing, coercing, and a tiny bit of threatening just to get him to go into the pool. once he was in, he wouldn't participate with the rest of his class. interestingly, though, as soon as his class was over and emma's started, he would BEG to go into the pool. emma and lucas had the same teacher, miss katie, and she didn't have a problem with lucas doing that. well, lucas was a totally different child during emma's class time. we couldn't understand it except that he must have wanted one of us to be in the pool with him. so, instead of enrolling him into a second session, allan decided to teach lucas on his own. lucas has totally thrived with this new plan and is now jumping into the pool on his own! we are so excited to see him love the water and enjoy swimming!

fireworks galore

we had a nice bbq dinner and then headed out to enjoy the fireworks show our neighborhood puts on every year. it was amazing! elise went to bed early so she missed it all, but i'm sure she'll be part of it next year. happy 4th of july!

honoring allan

i'm not as technologically savvy as allan is so i didn't even try to put together any sort of slideshow or video for him for father's day. instead, i utilized my own savvy skills in the area of crafts and worked with the kids to make a card (it was cool, if i do say so myself...and i do!) and a keychain for allan. he loved them both! we had a great day honoring allan by going to church, taking him to his favorite lunch place, and then just hanging out doing the family-time stuff. allan is the perfect husband for me and the best dad the kids could ask for. he loves them so much that he's contemplating having a fourth. can you say, "craaaaaazy?!" um, no, and that's my final answer. :p i love you, allan!

a nightcap

after dinner the other night, we headed out for a walk and ended up at the park that's right around the corner from our house.  it was HOT outside, but we had a great time anyway.  (if you know me, you know how crabby i get in hot weather.)  allan and i tried to find some shade for cover, but the park is brand new so all the trees are still too young to offer any shade.  here are some pictures of our "nightcap."  enjoy!

a look back on mother's day

i have to say that last sunday was my best mother's day yet! the reason? i had allan, lucas, emma, AND elise to make me feel like i was the best mom ever! i love them more than i could ever say with words. my day started out with some ZZZs (allan let me sleep in a little), then breakfast in bed with the whole family while i watched a slideshow that allan put together for me. it was so sweet that it made me cry. the original slideshow was much longer than this (and it was in chronological order, this one is not), but i thought i'd share part of it with you guys. don't forget to turn on your volume. what a great way to look back on how motherhood has changed my life for the best!

so far a little better?

my list this week...argh.  this time, it's darn a&w and their 90 cents-floats.

sunday -- root beer float

monday -- rbf

tuesday -- rbf

wednesday -- gum!

thursday -- iced coffee, ice cream w/brownie

friday -- watermelon, rbf, muffins

saturday -- rb (without the f)

i'm optimistic and excited about next week's list!  oh, and i have a clarification.  this is a list of all the stuff i ate after dinner, not just right before bed.  doesn't really make a difference, i know, but my friend made a good point...life's not worth living without dessert.  i agree! 

so far not so good

so, are you ready? here's a list of all the junk i ate before going to bed each night last week...so far, not so good.  darn those orange creamsicles.  (don't worry, they're all gone!)

sunday -- orange creamsicle
monday -- garlic bread, orange creamsicle, cookie
tuesday -- orange creamsicle, an orange, gummy bears
wednesday -- caramel rice crackers, 2.5 chocolate chip cookies
thursday -- otter pops, chips and salsa, gummy bears
friday -- caramel apple cake
saturday -- miniature snickers, root beer float

(i'm hiding my face in shame!)