Baby Ryan

This picture sits at my desk in the office.  It still makes me smile whenever I see it.  It will always be one of my favorites. 

Mariners vs. Cardinals

Game #2 vs. Cardinals
7-5 Mariners.  Ryan had 3 hits, and scored 2 runs (I only know these stats because I have become designated score keeper).

We love watching this boy play baseball!

This game gave Ryan a new experience; playing against a friend.  He learned, "it's not much fun to beat a friend", as he told David.  So sweet!

 

Good Buddies: Ryan, Eli and Ben.

Mariners vs. Dodgers

Ryan's first game of the season:  Mariners vs. Dodgers.

The boys played great, and ended up with another win (they won the first game we weren't at, too).  It's really fun to watch these boys, who didn't know each other before the season started, become a team.

I volunteered to be "snack parent" which ended up being "snack and scoring parent", a role I wasn't anticipating.  It involves paying super close attention to every pitch and play in the game (a hard task when I have two girls to watch as well).  This first game was STRESSFUL, but as I get more and more used to it, it won't be so bad.  Plus, some of the other moms help keep an eye on the girls which is a Godsend.

Go Mariners!

Indoor Jungle Gym

She's having no fun at all.

Second Grade Musical

We missed Ryan's first baseball game so we could attend the second grade musical, "Down on the Farm".  Miss Wilkinson, the music teacher, does an awesome job with the kids.  It's not only fun to watch the performance, it's also fun to watch Ryan interact with his classmates.

It was also fun to see the girls find some friends from their school, too.

Tulips

Spring flowers make me happy!

Sundaes!

Impromptu ice cream sundae parties are the best!

Ryan Home School

I'm not sure how Ryan does it, but he can always get the girls to do what he wants to do.  It's so fun to listen from the other room.

A Train Runs Through It

Weekend of Four

David took a much needed weekend "off" - meaning he went to the beach all by himself.

While he was away, the kids and I hung out at home, had some friends over, got rained out of our first baseball game, spent a rainy Saturday inside, then ran around like chickens on Sunday (I buckled Natalie in and out of her car seat 18 times as we ran errands, went to church, and ran Ryan to two baseball practices).


The kids got me to bring the train set in from the garage and set up a magnificent track that ran throughout the house.

Then, Mr. Ryan gave his students an awesome home school lesson.

Sleepyhead

We are in such a bad cycle with this little cookie. 

We thought our napping days were over, but when she's at school she crashes during rest time - then WILL NOT go to bed.  It's become such a battle.  She's up a minimum of 3 times needing this, that or the other thing.  So frustrating!

On the days she's home with me, she doesn't nap and goes to bed without any issues - which is so amazing.  David and I usually burst into happy dances!

Every so often she crashes at home, too, though  She just...can't...keep...those...eyes....open....  And then we get to deal with the bedtime issues, AND the crab apple that we end up having to wake up from the nap. 

This too shall pass.

 

It's a good thing she's a cute little sleepyhead.

The Neighborhood Kids

The neighborhood kids having fun, as usual.

A Peaceful Place

My Rotary Club has the best meeting location around - right on the water at the Center for Wooden Boats.  It's such an amazingly peaceful place right in the heart of the city. 

I was in charge of setting up this month, so got there early and enjoyed some quiet time by the water while I waited for the rest of the members to arrive.

Ahhhh...quiet time.

Little Leprechauns

These leprechaun loving kids could not wait until St. Patrick's Day!  Good thing the leprechauns didn't dissappoint.

Randomness by Kendall

Kendall has been into taking pictures lately.  I didn't know I was in for such a treat when I downloaded my pictures from my camera the other day. 

Here are her masterpieces:

These faces of Natalie are so awesome!  I can just hear Kendall telling her to make a "silly" face, or a "sad" face, or a "scary" face.  Ha! 

Girlies

The girls went to their friend Karah's house to play the other day, and this is how I found them when I went to pick them up! 

And So It Begins

How cute does this little ball player look in his fancy uniform?  It almost made me cry.  He looks so cute, and so grown up all ready to go to his first IBC scrimmage. 

I couldn't attend, but according to his dad he got 2 hits, and 3 RBI's.  Go Ryan!

The white pants thing for 8 year olds is not a cute idea, though.  As I scrubbed them, I found myself wondering how many hours I'll spend doing that this season.  Ha!

Packing Party

Ryan and I attended another Rotary First Harvest work party today, and this time we brought our friends Ana and Eli along. 

To say the boys had a blast is an understatement.  They got to work right away, and quickly started counting the number of boxes the were packing full of apples (that were later distributed to the 400+ food banks across WA State).  At the end of the two hours, they had packed 100 boxes of apples - that's literally a TON of apples!  They were so proud, as were their mamas.  As their "reward", they conned their way into 2 donuts each!

In all the packing fun, they also met a new friend!  Frankie, we found out after the work party, is a cousin to a school friend of Ryan and Eli.  What a small world!  We look forward to running in to him again at our next work party. 

Jump Jump Jump Jump Jump

The kids have been thrilled the weather has allowed them to be on the trampoline again.  They have been jumping non stop for days, it seems.  Any chance they get, they are out there playing games and bouncing until dark. 

Princess Playground

Kendall insisted I take a picture of this amazing princess playground she made.  These magnetic builders definitely get a workout at this house. All 3 kids will create with them for hours. 

Inaugural Fire

David and I have been working on our fire pit area this week.  It involves schlepping lots of rocky soil using a pick ax and shovel - a great workout!  We almost have the area cleared out, and we've definitely made enough progress that we can get chairs around the fire.  Kendall insisted that we roast marshmallows the other night, and we couldn't say no.  The weather was perfect for our inaugural fire. We talked about how much we will be using it this summer.  It's shaping up to be a pretty cool spot!