Summer Finally Arrived

Brother graduated from preschool!!!

His graduation theme was "Down by the Bay" which implied it would be sunny and summer-like. Unfortunately, we had overcast and rain instead. Still, the kids didn't seem to mind having it sprinkle on them as they played at the park during the potluck following his graduation.The weekend after Sister finished the second grade we celebrated our wonderful Daddy! Here he is sporting his "King for the Day" tee-shirt. He enjoyed taking a long nap and requested homemade chicken pot pie for dinner. He really loved the photo collage mousepad and coffee cup I special ordered for him. Sister made him a cute bird house in school and they all picked out a really funny card that fit our Daddy to a tee. Still, no sunshine, though.

Finally, yesterday that yellow ball of fire broke through the clouds and we saw...

SUNSHINE!!!

So, today we enjoyed every moment of it.

The kids and I headed down to the local falls and walked around them. We stopped to explore each opportunity to go down next to the water. I kept picturing a child falling in and mentally calculating how I could save him/her while making sure the other two would remain safe on the shore. Fortunately, none of my emergency plans were required.When we stood below the falls Sister was thrilled to feel the power of the water flying down, while Brother was upset that his hair was mussed by the wind and was all wet from the mist. Where is Baby Bear, you ask?Here he is. He who attempted to climb through the fencing every chance he got so he could tumble down the cliff into the rapids would not stay long enough with Brother and Sister so I could get a picture of him next to the falls. Go figure.After we returned home, the big kids played for hours in the "loop" with the neighbor boys while Baby Bear napped. I had to force them inside for dinner.

Now, Sister is nursing a bit of sunstroke on the couch with crackers, water, and an ice pack as they watch an original Scooby Doo movie, ABRACADABRA-DOO.

It's supposed to start raining again tonight, so we're thankful that we were able to milk every moment of sunshine out of today that we could handle.

It finally feels like summer has arrived!

NW Trek

Towards the end of May we took a Saturday trip to one of our favorite places, NW Trek. We love it because the kids can run free, be loud, and the rain wont spoil your fun. Boy did the weather prove that last one right. We had fun spending the day with a friend of mine and her two boys.
All aboard the tram for an animal adventure.

Daddy lucked out and got a seat with a window that opened, and Sister.

I was trapped in one without a window that opened, and wiggle worm (aka, Baby Bear).

The new male moose came so close to our tram that his antlers nearly knocked the camera out of Sister's hands. Then, he proceeded to get in front of the tram and "lead" us through the park.

Obviously, by the end of our adventure not all of the kids were so excited to pose for photos any longer. Fortunately, said child, was able to catch a nap in the van on the way home.

What a wonderful, wet day with some Northwest wildlife and some fun animals at the park too.

Second Grade Field Trip

Sister's second grade class took a field trip to a local Air Force Base at the end of May. The field trip form stated that it related to their studies of different communities. I thought it would be a tour of the base housing and school. Fortunately, for my dh (who helped chaperone the trip) it was a tour of various military air craft throughout the base. My husband was in heaven. Since he didn't even know the names of the other girls in his group, I'm guessing he really enjoyed himself. Luckily, there were only two kids per chaperone and so they were put into groups of four with two adults per group. The other dad was the responsible parent who dutifully kept track of the girls while mine learned even more about military aircraft than he already knew. Let's just say, this is his favorite field trip in the four years of Sister's schooling.Here's Sister outside of a plane. Don't ask me which one. My dh has been asleep for hours as I type this and I don't know aircraft at all.Sister loved being in the cockpit of the plane. I think this one is a Gooey Duck or something. Sister insisted on having her picture taken next to it because of its name. Sister and her class touring the airfield.

Here's a group shot with one of the planes.

I'm so proud that my dh actually got it from the front. On a previous field trip to the pumpkin patch they had all the kids line up in front of the barn and my dh took photos from the side rather than the front. He didn't want to "get in any one's way".

Yeah, tell that to your angry wife when she's trying to scrapbook the field trip and can't see any one's face in the group shot. (; He's obviously improving, though.

GREAT JOB, HONEY!!!

Update on Baby Bear

Baby Bear made a visit to the pediatric cardiologist office in May. It had been nine months since we had last seen them. They were all excited to see how big he has gotten and how well he is doing. They also saw quite a bit of his temper since he did not appreciate any of the tests they had to perform. It may not be clear in the photos, but he was not harmed at any time during this visit. It all began with the stickers. Baby Bear has never been fond of the stickers (nor the cords that clip to them), but this time he had an all out tantrum over them. I was worried that his attitude and behavior would affect the test results, but the nurse assured me that it was not a problem.

Not even his Thomas the Tank Engine song book could make him happy.

After this test, he had to have a test which involves him lying down for 30 minutes while a tech uses an ultrasound wand on his chest. Let's just say, this was stressful for all of us. Fortunately, the tech (who is trained to work with young children) was very patient and sweet. I have no photos since I was lying down on the table with him (to help comfort him and keep him there) while we watched Elmo's World. It's not the first (second or third) time he's had any of these tests done, but it certainly gets more difficult for them to be performs as he gets bigger, stronger, and more stubborn.

What were the big kids doing during this two hour doctor appointment you ask...

Watching The Incredibles on our portable dvd player, of course. Little tip for those of you who have not experienced taking three children to a two hour doctor's appointment. Bring a bag full of snacks, toys, and a portable dvd player if you want to come out of it alive. It works for me at least.

It does help that it is a pediatric cardiologist office, so all the nurses, techs, and (of course) the doctor are really great with kids. I think Baby Bear's doctor is amazing. He's been with us since the day Baby Bear was born and he was so happy to see how healthy our little man is today. I know that there was a time that the doctors weren't sure Baby Bear would survive.Baby Bear's heart is doing really well. The pressure has gone down, there hasn't been any narrowing of his vessels, and his oxygen levels are perfect. We're so thankful to the amazing medical staff for our little miracle baby!!!

We'll see them all again in a year. (Yes, you heard that right...it'll be TWELVE months until our next appointment. This is big news in the heart world). (=

Zoo Trip

Brother's preschool class took a field trip to the local zoo and aquarium. We rarely go there since my dh doesn't think it is a "real" zoo as it doesn't have many of the typical animals you think of when you go to a zoo. Still, it is nearby so it makes a nice day trip for preschoolers. Plus, it has some fun aquarium animals too that the kids enjoy.

We started out at the gate with some of Brother's friends.

Then we headed over to the kid play area since the boys had lots of energy from our time in the car.

So, climbing the statues is more fun than looking at animals, at least they entertain themselves easily.

The peacock was really into showing off his feathers today. Unfortunately, the boys were pretty nervous about getting too close to him and so I never did get a shot with the front of the peacock and the boys in the same photo.

It was so sunny we slathered sunscreen on the boys while they enjoyed a morning snack. Here the boys are with the seal statue. Baby Bear really loved it and kept cuddling and kissing it.

You can't go to this zoo without getting a photo of your kids inside the shark's mouth.

During the show, the skies opened up and it really poured on us. As I had to push a stroller with Baby Bear in it uphill all the way back to my van, I thought it best to stop and rest at the carrousel since it is inside. Brother was thrilled. I wasn't too happy that they are charging money for it again now. Oh well, I paid for my brief respite from the downpour.

What a fun day at the zoo!

Meeting Elmo

After Brother's baseball game one Saturday, we stopped by Costco for some lunch (and ice cream of course). Guess who was waiting for us out front...

That's right, ELMO!!!

Baby Bear loves Sesame Street books and toys, so we thought he'd love seeing Elmo. We were wrong. Baby Bear was terrified of this huge, red monster. I guess when you are used to Elmo being much smaller, it is a scary thing to have him larger than Daddy.
Here's Baby Bear with just a couple of his favorite Sesame Street items. Yes, I've read each of these books at least three times a day (no those aren't all of them) and he plays with the water toys in the bathtub almost every night. The toy was given to him in the hospital from my confirmation sponsor and friend and it can be typically found in his bed. As you can see, he is really happy with a small, red monster.

BTW, we don't need more Sesame Street books. We have more than enough. (=

PS, I thought it was quite strange that Elmo was at Costco as there wasn't any advertising for it. I guess they'd had a different character the week before. I wish we'd known. Oh well.

Baseball Time

Brother is playing coach pitch baseball this year. This means that the coach pitches to each batter. If the batter doesn't get a hit after about four pitches, they bring out the tee for the batter to use. It's how they transition the players from tee-ball to regular baseball. They still don't have strikes, outs, or keep score.

We really had to work with Brother with this transition. He always does really well batting at home with the whiffle balls, but it never occurred to me that a baseball goes much faster than a whiffle ball. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if Brother hadn't be so determined to hit from the pitches rather than the tee. The first couple games, he really would get upset when the tee was brought out. Fortunately, he's gotten much better about it.

Today, we really lucked out with good weather. I say we lucked out, because it rained the hour before and after our game, but we enjoyed sunshine during the game.

Here's Brother at bat the first inning. He wasn't able to hit the coach pitches, so he hit a great one off the tee. He's running to second base.
Brother was able to get the bat and the ball to connect at his second at bat, but it was a foul ball.Out came the tee and Brother was able to get a good hit off it.

Brother running home.Then, during his at bat in the third and final inning, he finally was able to get a hit off the pitch!!!He was so excited! Here's Brother with one of his friends from preschool who is also on his team.

Brother's team lined up for the Base Race after the game.

Happy Mother's Day

On Mother's Day we started the morning with cards and gifts. The cards the kids and my dh gave me were so sweet.Sister made me a beautiful plate for my china cabinet. She even picked out the perfect place for it to go. Baby Bear did some vacuuming for me.
After a wonderful pancake breakfast made by Daddy, we headed off to mass with Memere and Papa. Papa even gave Memere and me corsages. He's so thoughtful!Grandma and Grandpa came down to spend the afternoon with us. Uncle B came too, yippee!!! We all went out to dinner with Memere and Papa too.

What a blessed Mother's Day.

BTW, Sister received her birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa that day too...a new bike. Fancy, eh? (=

Mystery Bag

Brother had the mystery bag for preschool last week. He was so excited. Starting this spring, each week (or so) one of the students brings home "The Mystery Bag". They are to put one item into it and come up with three clues to guess what it is. Mom or Dad write those clues down, just in case the child forgets when he/she gets up in front of class. Then, the class tries to guess what the item is. Brother did a great job coming up with his clues all on his own and remembered all of them in order. No one in his class (or Daddy) guessed what they were until the last clue.

See if you can guess. (Scroll slowly so you can think about it).

1. You use a key to open them.

2. They are silver.

3. Policemen use them on bad guys.

Are you ready?

HANDCUFFS!

Did you get it right?

As you can see, he also has a lot of fun playing with them in the car. No, I do not handcuff him while we're in the van, though it'd probably make my life easier sometimes if I did. (;

May Crowning

"Immaculate Mary, thy praises we sing;

Who reignest in splendor with Jesus our King.

Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!"

May is the month of Mary and Sister's school always starts it off with a May Crowning of Mary followed by a maypole dance. Sister's class was part of the festivities this year. They wore their first communion attire and processed in with the eighth graders (who will be graduating to high school this June).

Here is Sister's class.
Just the girls. Aren't there a lot of them! Lots of female leadership in that class as her teacher kindly says.

Now, the boys minus one who was home sick.

Here comes Sister determinedly down the aisle to place flowers at the feet of the Blessed Mary statue in front of the altar.

There she goes.

"In heaven, the blessed thy glory proclaim;

On earth we, thy children, invoke thy fair name.

Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!"