Independence Day

The Reddings hijacked the July 4th party this year - and we all know that Rachael doesn't do anything half-way...
Lots of dress up stuff for the kids.

Although James preferred this most of the night...


The kids got to decorate their bikes and then parade through the neighborhood behind Levi's cop car.




A family picture with uncle sam.

Lots of other fun stuff for the kids to do before the fireworks started.


Ace wasn't real excited for the fireworks part.

But James had fun watching them with his daddy.

This has become my annual contribution to the party.

I will have to post some funny videos later.

The end of soccer

What more can I say than this picture already says?





Except that maybe I should think about ordering him a size bigger shirt next year.

Annual Kelsey Creek outing

to see Cherie and the kids. It sure is easier planning to get together now that school is out. Cherie is one of the most laid back, easy to talk to people I know and her kids are so good - I wish I got to see her more often.
Here are all the kids, plus two friends that came along.

I definitely need a Jesse in my life. She is so helpful!

The park has all your basic farm animals to look at.


And a play area. Ben was making james laugh so hard on the swing.

Polar bears

Today was the perfect 70 degree zoo day. The cool thing about Point Defiance Zoo is that it has sharks, and it has people with animals out of their cages placed randomly around the zoo for the kids to get a close look at. Ian likes to ask these people a LOT of questions about their animals. He sure is good at talking.
Here the kids are looking at an iguana.


Don't tell Michelle I posted a picture of her on my blog. She is such a cute pregnant lady.

My favorite was the polar bear - he was eating a gigantic bone and weighs 900 lbs. He also eats 5 lbs of fat each day.


The kids favorite part was the sprinklers at the play area.



We ended our trip with a ride on the carousel.

I love how James enjoys everything so much at this age - I would take him anywhere to see that face everyday.

To all my favorite dads:

Love you guys.

Seattle Aquarium

From the moment we walked in we heard nothing but "are the sharks next?"


I think it might be time to invest in a sit and ride.


Oh look, I was there too.

Unfortunately, the most impressive sharks were found in the gift shop.


The antique cars on the pier were impressive, too.

Another gray day

We met michelle and evie at the tacoma waterfront today and let the kids bike along the path. James impressed everyone with his scooter skills - he has a look of pure contentment on his face when he rides that makes me laugh.



We had to stop along the way and throw some rocks in the water.




We also stopped to watch a really long train go by. James was mesmerized.


Water on one side, trains on the other, and a waterfront restaurant with the best fish tacos I have ever ever had = the perfect bike path. After we ate we went outside and the kids watched the jellyfish float along through the water. It reminded me of the time my brother got stung by a jellyfish and his thumb swelled up like a water balloon. It was gross - I bet that hurt, dave.

This was the Saturday

when we had to bathe 6 out of the 7 kids playing together at the Penrods. Evie spread an entire container of glitter make-up around her room. Ian started a mud fight with Grant and Reese. Lucy and Evie painted themselves black like kitties. I could go on - it was that kind of day.

Last day of Preschool

I found the sign I made stuck in one of my Barefoot Contessa cook books so I thought it would be fun to have a last day of school and a first day of school picture. I was a little emotional picking him up today, not just because he finished his first full school year, but also because Miss Rhonda turned out to be the most perfect Preschool teacher - we will miss her.
Last day:

First day:

So it turns out he still has a goofy smile but his hair has gotten much darker over the winter and I am pretty sure he is actually wearing matching socks under his pants.

Other things that have changed:
At the beginning of the year he wasn't really in to coloring or writing - now it is all he wants to do. He is also working on learning to read and it makes him so excited.

He never used to threaten to ban me from his birthday party when he got mad at me and now it is his favorite thing to do. Sometimes I try to explain that there would be no birthday party if I weren't there but that conversation leads to true hysteria - definitely better left alone. And yes, maybe he spends a little too much time hanging out with girls.

He has started requesting stories about going to the lake before bed every night. It is definitely summertime - now if it would stop raining...

Conversation I had with James this week (who apparently inherited the never-ever-stops-talking gene along with his brother):
James (with a light saber hitting the walls): Mom I am cutting your room.
Me: Stop cutting my room.
James: Sorry mom, your room is dying.