Ouch

Our car suffered a little injury yesterday, thankfully not at our doing, and will be heading to the car doctor for some repairs in the coming days or weeks.  So many things to be thankful for in this, though.  The car can still be driven, no one was injured, and the guy who backed into the van has insurance!  Oh, and, the little scratch I put in the lower bumper will now be  hidden away.

Silly Boy

I have found Owen asleep in two picture worthy positions of late.  Not sure how the first position could even be comfortable and the second one was so sweet.  Sleeping children are already precious , but the folded hands was almost too much.

This kid spends too many hours pool side, watching his brothers swim lessons, so when he got the chance to take a dip recently, he knew that goggles were a must.  Who said that safety glasses without the plastic lenses would not work in place of swim goggles?

And So It Begins

We signed Levin up for t-ball this year, which means only the beginning of many baseball seasons, I imagine. 

 Today was the first game.  It was sure fun to see how proud all the kids are to be playing a "real" game, complete with fans.  Levin did great!

I love this shot of Levin running through the mob of kids on the other team all running the other direction, after the ball.   

Come and Play

Last week, while Levin was on Spring Break, we made our first visit to the new Tacoma Children's Museum. The boys all loved it, and also thought it was pretty cool to go enjoy the work that uncle Jeff put in down there. Had it not been as busy, we would have stayed a little longer, but it was a great first visit.

Easter Morning

1-800-222-1222

If you ever need to get a hold of poison control, that would be the number to call.

Why would I know? Well, you know that wonderful Oxi Clean product that takes away some of the toughest stains? Turns out, it is not intended for eye cleansing.

Owen tried, and I think he would attest, that it is not a pleasant experience in the least. The best that we can tell, is that he reached up on top of the dryer and pulled the scoop out of my bucket of Oxi Clean, dumping it over his head and into his eyes. When I found him, he was not opening his eyes at all, but he sure was crying. Talk about scary. With a quick call to poison control, we were instructed to make a saline solution to flush out his eyes, and then told to call back in an hour.

Poison Control informed me in the follow up call that actually oxi clean is not too big of a deal. That would have been nice to know the first time I called, but we are thankful all is fine. Just another reminder of God's Grace in our lives.

Over the Freeway and Through the Puddles

Saturday, was a very very wet day, so not a good yard day to say the least. But, it was a perfect day for a visit to see Grandma Van Gilder. She lives up north, in Stanwood, about two hours away. What a fun day!

Hello??

Is anyone out there?

Well, here we are, a few months gone by, and there is so much I have missed sharing with all of you. But, in the interest of keeping you all awake, I will just share a few little pictures from the last two birthdays in our family.

This little man turned six at the end of January. He is getting better and better at reading, and has grown to really enjoy drawing. Legos are also a big hit with him, as you can see below.

And this little babe. Does anyone remember this guy? Me neither.

Maybe this is more how you think of Owen. Yup, he's not a baby anymore. He turned the big two this past sunday! This kid has sure got the family's attention with his spunky little character. Always into trouble and always ready for a good time.

Happy Belated Birthday Levin and Owen!

As Promised

Celebrating Four Years!

Today, we are celebrating Philip's fourth birthday. On the way home from dropping Levin off at school, we stopped and got Philip his first ever children's hot chocolate. He was so proud of his drink, and the special cup it came in (a disposable coffee cup).

Stay tuned for photos from his family party, and our trips to the Puyallup Fair.

First Day of Kindergarten

Along with the longest heat wave of the summer, has come the start of school. Today, Levin began his school voyage. He was excited, though I am not sure he knew what he was supposed to be excited about. Everything went well, and he is excited for another day tomorrow.

Missing an "r" in there. Maybe I am the one that needs to go back to school, or maybe I just need more sleep.

Gardening Success

Many of you have been asking to see pictures of my garden this year, and so here goes. These pictures were taken about two weeks ago, before we left town for a week. When we returned last week, the garden had grown so much. I now have tomatoes turning red, broccoli coming, and carrots ready to pick. The peas are dying back, but we sure have enjoyed them. We have even been able to shell and freeze some to enjoy later this winter.

This is what the garden looked like, the days leading up to all the following pictures. Lots of weeds.

Carrots

Broccoli

Tomatoes

More tomatoes.

Peas.

Onions.

Grapes.

Pear.

Asian pears.

Apple.

The whole garden.

My first dahlia to bloom. I now have a full garden in bloom, with all different shades. I should really take a picture, because they are beautiful, and are especially fun to look out to while washing dishes.

So, there you have it. A sampling of what's growing around our yard.

"Look Mom, No Training Wheels"

Last week, Philip decided all on his own, that he was ready to ride a bike without training wheels. Levin had moved up a bike size, and so he felt it was time for him to ride Levin's old bike.

Please don't judge me as a mother when I say that I thought Philip would be a lot older before he accomplished this childhood milestone. It's not that I didn't think he could do it, but he is not even four yet. Philip, incase you did not already know, is my very very cautious child. He will be the one some day to watch everyone else jump off the bridge. So, when I came out to see what he and daddy had been working on, you can imagine my surprise.

Though, not a great video, here is a short clip taken the first day of riding. We are still working on being able to start all on our own, but he sure is a proud little guy. Way to go Philip!

Happy Birthday Jason

Monday was Jason's birthday, but since we hosted the church softball BBQ at our house that night, we celebrated last night. Well, actually his family party is here on Thursday night, so really all we did was enjoy a nice dinner together, as a family. But, what more could a guy ask for, right? Thanks to the half a cow we purchased last year, we were able to enjoy juicy t-bone steaks, accompanied with baked potatoes, and fresh roasted asparagus on the side. What a wonderful excuse to share a special dinner together. Happy Birthday Jason! The boys and I love you.

My Little All Star Helper

During nap time yesterday, Levin helped me make strawberry jam. Earlier in the morning, the boys and I had gone out to a local farm and picked up a flat of fresh strawberries. Had I been feeling really ambitious, we would of actually picked our own berries, but we opted to save that adventure for another day. Levin was a great help, and quickly proved himself a natural at smashing the berries down. We were succesful and even enjoyed some jam with our toasted peanut butter sandwiches today.

When Levin is not busy helping in the kitchen he can be found out on the baseball field conveniently found right out our back door. Jason mowed a baseball diamond into our back lawn, complete with a pitchers mound and infield. What a fun dad.