We did it!!!

What better way to start off the summer than...teaching not one, but two kids how to ride their bikes? Amazingly enough, it really only took two evenings for both boys to pick it up. We have a great cul-de-sac below our house where apparently everyone in the neighborhood learned how to bike. It is fun to see the boys grow into another phase. But keep the bandaids and neosporin handy. And mommy kisses, too.

You know you have a one year old when...

You know you have a one year old when...

He devours the bottle with an apparent passion.

He reorganizes my bookshelves e.v.e.r.y s.i.n.g.l.e d.a.y!

He loves to pre-unroll the toilet paper.

And test the water of the toilet (Let's hope his siblings remember to flush!)

And unless the gate bars him, he is making a bee-line for the stairs.

And opening the doors, then closing them, then opening the doors, then closing them.

Happy Birthday, my Hudson. You are the delight of my heart and joy to my eyes, it has been a wonderful year because you have enlightened every single day.

I love you with all my heart!

Love, Mommy

Last Day of School

So someone had his last day of Kindergarten today. I have been so impressed with how this year went. The kid is actually able to speak a decent amount of Spanish. He understands a lot, too. And he can read, both in Spanish and English.

He is such a social kid, there was not a day he wasn't excited to go. He made lots of friends, whom I am sure he will miss over the summer.

We loved his teacher, Sra. Mazor, and are thrilled that Matthew will have her next year.

Birthday fun...

A precious gift from God. You have been the delight of our lives. A blessing from above. Love you, Hudster!

We had Bible Study at our house, and Hudson celebrated with his own Cars 2 cupcake. However, he wasn't too much into it and spent most of the time wishing he could find a way to get the frosting off his fingers. Not so much fun, but a cute mess indeed.

Happy Grandfather's Day and Happy Birthday Hudson

Tonight we celebrated an early Father's Day for Grandpa Marty and Hudson's first birthday. Mike cooked a spectacular seafood display of clams, prawns, and king salmon...quite the feast. It was a blast.

Hudson especially reveled in the attention. He received a walker from G&G and when he easily got the hang of it, we all spontaneously broke into cheers. He got this grin that said, "I love this attention! About time I got some around here!" Not easy to get much attention when you're the last of four.

The men of the hour.

Cuddling with Grandma.

Kristina digs into some clams.

Colty gives his Grandpa a big Grandpa's Day hug.

Hudson working on his raspberries.

Dana's Very Bad Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

This has not been the best day.

1) At about 1 am Kristina fell out of my bed (I didn't even know she was there), and she got a bloody nose.

2) At 6:00 am the baby woke up...way too early.

3) About 20 minutes before I went to pick up Caleb, I realized our hard drive, yes the one with ALL our photos and videos (albeit I have most photos backed up, but not one year of videos) and personal documents...is not working. Warranty only covers the hard drive, not the data. And to fix it will be between $500 to $1500. Yowzaa...

4) Hubby's bus was delayed due to traffic...had to take alternate bus.

5) While waiting for wife to figure out via twitter what was going on with bus situation, baby jumped out of highchair onto floor. Yes...it was absolutely horrible. He was fine, but you know...you just feel like a horrible mom.

6) Hubby ended up getting on a bus, thought it was the 211, but it was the 111...I ended up picking him up in the Renton Highlands.

7) Minutes before I'm supposed to leave to go to a MOPS meeting, Caleb jumps off the sofa (no-no) and gets a mega fat lip and is a burst of tears.

But...

I am thankful for this.

1) I did get a walk this morning and spent time listening to a sermon on Romans and spent time in prayer. This strength was essential for me to make it through the day.

2) My kids are okay...despite some bumps and bruises...nothing big.

3) I got an encouraging email from a friend.

4) I got to spend time with some girlfriends tonight...with lots of chocolate.

5) Despite an expensive lesson in data management, I still have the ones who made all those memories so valuable.

6) God knew what he was doing when he gave me this day - not sure why, but I know it was part of his plan for me...and that is ultimately for the good. (Rom. 8:28)

Kindergarten Graduation

Caleb is about to finish Kindergarten. It has been a fabulous year. He has blossomed so much as a student and now can understand Spanish, read it pretty well, and even his reading in English has grown tremendously. I'm very proud of his accomplishments this year...and to top it off, he loved every moment of it.

Our Own Darth Vader