Best Summer Ever!

The boys and I decided that after all the mucky weather we've suffered through, we're going to have the best summer ever. It sounds like a great plan to me!

To start summer vacation off right, I let them pick breakfast. Bayley wanted cinnamon rolls and coffee cake. Not exactly something you can whip up on the spot (darned bake times!) Hayden was much easier on me, requesting scrambled eggs and toast. He said thanks three times!

The boys think that for every errand they have to go on, they should get to do something fun. So, we went to the library - and then fed the ducks!

Feeding the ducks never seems to get old. Even Bayley likes it. Grace terrorized the poor ducks. They wanted to be as close as possible to the food, but she wanted to chase them away and say "Shoo!" and then she'd feed them, and then she'd chase them. I wonder if ducks need therapy?

Crazy Hair Day

yes, we buzzed his head to create this 'look'

Hanging Out At Home

When Mom says no water in the water table... bark dust is a perfect substitute!

Hayden showed Gram-Mo the school yearbook.

Bayley has renewed his interest in the play structure now that he's figured out what to do on the on the trapeze bar.

S'mores!

The weather is finally cooperating, so we lit up the fire pit for the first s'more session of the year.


While we were waiting for Daddy to turn his mini-bonfire into embers, the kids enjoyed the backyard. Grace is all about blowing bubbles right now, and Bayley has become re-interested in the play structure now that he knows he can do tricks on the trapeze bar.

Baby Girl Brunch

Miss Tina hosted our last playdate breakfast of the school year. Her house is perfect for it -- they have a kitchen table for the girls, and the dining room table for the mommies! AND she had doughnuts. The baby girlfriends were quite happy with the new locale!

The next day the mom's made it to the rec center by six in the morning to ensure our girls a spot at Busy Bees. Pop Pop showed up even earlier, snagging the coveted first spot in line. It's comforting to know Grace will be at the same school that Bayley and Hayden loved so much.

The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs

The big bad wolf isn't bad, he was framed! At least, that's his spin on things in The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs. Hayden's reading group put on the play today. We have some budding set designers and costumers in that group. They didn't want to practice, but they were sure into the props!

And ad-libbing. They decided that the 2nd little pig (Hayden) who dies after only two lines and is then eaten...should come back as a police officer and take away the wolf in handcuffs! Actors! 

Incredible John's

When Molly described the new John's Incredible Pizza as Las vegas for kids...I knew I had to go. I have kids, I have an unnatural love for Las Vegas. This had to be my kind of place. And to make it even better...I had a Groupon.

To get access to the play space, you have to buy the buffet. Fine, we needed dinner. I'd say the buffet is....hmmm, on par with Izzy's. The boys loaded up on cheese pizza and fresh doughnuts, Jeff and I waited too long in line for the salad bar. Some of the pizza choices were certainly original - macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and pepperoni - and the chicken seemed to be missing from the buffalo chicken pizza, but hey, that's not why we came.

The boys were in the market for a birthday party locale. My national conference falls right before the holiday/birthday weekend, so I'm not up for a home party this year. As soon as we walked into John's they were sold.

The play area is huge. There is a toddler area with climbing toys that doesn't cost a thing, plus a Twister ride, worthy of any fair and much cleaner! Same with the bumper cars. The games are varied, which makes it great for kids of all sizes. Grace loved the dinosaur grab one, and Jeff loved 'winning' her dinosaurs. I was a fan of Wheel of Fortune, Bayley & Hayden liked riding the motorbikes game.

The boys had a $15 card that lasted about 45 minutes. Chuck E Cheese is cheaper, definitely, but this is much cleaner. Plus, the eating area is separate from the play area. There are themed dining rooms so families can select their level of quiet. The Cabin is distraction free. The Toon Room has cartoons playing on a loop. There is a sports themed room, one with music videos playing, and one kind of like a night club for tweens. 

Welcome to the clan, Harrison Joseph!

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

It is hard to believe it, but Natalie is already a year old! Too soon, she won't be able to hold on to her Baby Natalie nickname. But, for a couple more years, I am sure Grace will make sure it sticks.

Family and friends gathered at Munchkin Playland, an indoor play area for kids, for pizza, playing, pink cupcakes, and presents! The wee ones all had a great time...when they weren't dodging the large kids! Once the pizza arrived, the boys hunkered down for a few slices of pepperoni. Afterwards, it became a tired game of telling the boys to watch out and making them get out of the play area all together. After a while, Bayley gave up and opted to DS. Hayden and Eddie...could have played tag in there for hours.

Every moment of the party was documented, and not just by my camera happy self! There were so many flashbulbs going off as she opened her presents, that I decided to take a picture of the papparazzi!

Oh...and for the record, Bayley's pants did not have a hole in them when we left the house!

Jog-A-Thon

Only true Oregonian kiddos would be thrilled by the idea of running in drizzly rain! To help fundraise for the school Booster Club, the kids got to run around the parking lot. It's way more fun than it sounds!

I packed up Grace and headed over to cheer Hayden on. Lucky for me, Bayley had decided to give up his recess so he could do the same! With all that support, Hayden ran 13 laps!

Grace thought it was a great idea to run through the kids, but when I took her for a lap of her own, she wasn't as enthusiastic.

The boys headed in, and we girls headed back to the house. After grabbing a snack, we made it back to the school in time to watch Bayley's class run. It had move from sprinkles to drizzle, so I put Grace in the stroller this time. She was not happy about THAT situation.

The upper classmen ran the parking lot loop, which is longer than the bus loop the younger kids ran. Bayley ran 7 laps, which is just about the same as Hayden's 13, distance-wise. It's a little over a mile and a half.

Not bad, considering both of my boys spent much of their 20 minutes visiting with their friends instead of actually running.