Summer Fun.

This summer feels busier than any other summer but it's hard to complain when we've been doing so many fun things! I just love this season where we can be outside all day long, stay up late, eat lots of fruit and not feel guilty about a dirty house because we are too busy exploring, laughing and spending time with friends.

We've spent a few weekends up at the beach house and it's one of our favorite places. The kids just love going down to the beach to explore, swing and get a little wet.

 I thought it'd be cute to get a picture of us while the kids played. Matt thought it was too bright for a picture. Oops.  :)

 On a random Tuesday I decided to take the kids to the zoo and invited my parents along. We spent over 5 hours walking to see every single animal.  The kids were exhausted by the end of the day but it was so fun seeing each exhibit and letting them explore, climb and get a little dirty.

 Costco put out their Halloween costumes 3 months early.  Let's just say I wasn't the only mom who gave in and bought them after the kids begged and begged. I can't lie…they are pretty cute and I figure we might as well wear them now to get our money's worth! And, they've worn them every single day since we bought them.

 Lucy got to enjoy her first fudgsicle at the sitters house. I walked in the door to pick them up and discovered a chocolate mess dripping down her tummy. She savored every last drop!

 Cute girl in the backyard.

 Tired girl with her Daddy.  This was after a 2+ hour nap that she woke up from then decided to cuddle and fall back asleep for another hour. Love these two.

 I made some yummy peach/blueberry/nectarine cobbler last week.  I can never eat enough fruit in the summer!

 The kids started swim lessons last week too (just to keep our schedule crammed full of activities and me rushing from work to swimming to home to make dinner!) They love them!  It's a semi-private class in a super warm pool 2 nights a week. And they have both learned so much after just 2 lessons!

 

 We've enjoyed lots and lots of popsicles.  This is one of the hottest summers on record so we have to stay cool somehow.  :)

 We have a few great splash parks near our house. I took the kids to Willis Tucker park a few weeks ago to spend the day playing in the water, sandbox, playground and grassy hills. Such a fun day!

 Carter earned his first Lego set after filling his penny jar (when he helps out, obeys or does kind things for others he earns a penny and once its full he gets to choose a new toy). He immediately came home to study the directions and build it all by himself. Now he wants every Lego set ever made.  Uh oh!

 Some silly time with my favorite girl while waiting for Carter to wake up from a nap one day.

 Just another night at tball. She was so good every week to watch her brother play, dig in the dirt and play on the playground to pass the time.

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#33

Matt celebrated his 33rd birthday back in July and we were lucky enough to have a date day to celebrate.  My parents came up to watch the kids so we could spend the day in Seattle.  There are so many little cities, sites and things to do right in our own backyard.  We decided to take the ferry over to Bainbridge Island for the day, then be tourists in Downtown for a few hours.

The morning started out a little cloudy but ended up bright and sunny, which was perfect for the ferry ride.

Waiting to board the boat with the Great Wheel in the background (still haven't ridden it yet and since Matt thinks it's a waste of money to ride I'm still seeking out a friend who wants to come with me!)

 Me with the birthday boy!

 After getting off the boat we wandered around downtown, walked through the Farmer's Market and decided to get a sushi lunch.  It was delicious!

 We spent about 3 hours walking through shops before heading back to Seattle.

 We walked down to Pikes Place.  Both of us hadn't been down there in probably 10+ years.  Being that it was a sunny Saturday in the middle of July, it was packed.  Not just like "lots of people" packed but like "I feel like a herd of squished cows" packed. We only made it about 20 minutes before deciding we had seen enough and ventured off to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale!  Still crowded but much more manageable!

 We walked by the gum wall on the way back to the car, just for fun! It was a great day celebrating my favorite guy. Happy 33rd Matt!

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Orange Crush!

Carter just finished up his first season of t-ball.  He was on a minor league division and played for 8 weeks, most of those in 80+ degree heat!  It was definitely a change going from fast-paced soccer to slower, more focused tball but he did great, learned a lot and made some new friends.

His coach was amazing and really connected with each child, adding humor and lots of sarcasm to keep  it fun too!

His professional pics (aka - cutest tball player ever and how did my baby get so big?!?):

 Before his first game (aka - super goofy and not quite ready to focus on the actual game!):

 His best friend Connor was on his team. These boys are two peas in a pod.  I'm not sure if they had more fun playing tball or just playing together.

 He definitely enjoyed hitting the ball more than playing in the field.  And he had some great hits by the end of the season!

 It took lots of reminders to have him focus on the ball instead of just playing in the dirt. But, he caught a few balls and after smiling, waving and yelling at me…he then knew to throw it to first base! Haha!

 The last game all the kids received trophies from their coach.  It was a very big deal.

Go Orange Crush!

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4.5

Recently Carter had his half birthday and since both kids' birthdays are in December during a very busy time we try to make their half birthdays a little extra special. He has now reached the age where when asked how old he is, it's no longer just "I'm 4" but "I'm 4 1/2."  That extra 1/2 makes a big difference in his world.  And, the more I think about it lately….an even bigger difference to me.

Carter has always been a busy boy. Walked at 9 months old, climbs everything like a monkey, needs to touch/taste/feel every.single.item on earth to learn more about it and enjoys all things physical. When he turned 4 I was excited for a new chapter.  One that all my friends had said was super fun and enjoyable as the preschool years usually are.  But, what I found instead was a very challenging, questioning, yelling and disobeying little boy who was constantly butting heads with me. I don't even like to say it but I didn't even enjoy being around him much for about a 3 week span because it was so difficult.  Matt and I bought 3 parenting books in a matter of 2 weeks and I almost read one of them in a span of about 3 hours. I would hold back the tears when I picked him up from the sitters house after hearing he threw not one, but 2 rocks at his best friends head, just to see what would happen.  I called and texted many friends to get parenting advice.  This was super hard for me.  I work with moms all day long and shell out advice on any matter of issues…why couldn't I figure out my own child?!

Well, as all things go in parenthood I realized it was just a phase.  Carter and I found our balance and that awful, newly turned 4 year old phase passed by quickly.  Thank the Lord!

We have now entered into a new phase and I'm really hoping this one will last for a very long time.  Carter is a freaking amazing child. (I know all mom's think that about their own kid but mine is way more amazing than yours…just let me think so alright!)

He is smart and observant.  The way he looks at illustrations in books and points out similarities of characters or missing details is mind-blowing. Just when I think he isn't even listening he asks some thoughtful question about a sentence I just read or wants to learn more about a particular word or phrase that was mentioned. 

He is strong. This kid eats all day long and loves vegetables more than anything. My 46 inch, 52 pound, size 1 shoe, 4.5 year old towers over every other child his age.  And he loves it. He runs fast, plays hard and sweats like a NFL linebacker. He can keep up with kids twice his age and never even realize they are twice his age.

He is loyal. He has his best friend who just happens to be our sitter's son and they are like brothers.  They compliment each other, wrestle and tackle each other and love each other as much as they love their little sisters. He protects and defends him when others are around.  But, he is growing more loyal in other ways too.  I've noticed how he sticks up for Lucy when we are out.  He reminds others that she is his little sister and wraps his sweet arm around her shoulder to quietly let her know he's got her back. He is now seeking out new friends at the park and will stick by their side until it's time to go. He is my social extrovert.  It's fun to watch him be so courageous and ask someone to be his friend. 

He is curious.  His new nickname is Curious Carter. The only way he can learn is to touch. And then touch again. And then touch one more time.  It drives me crazy most of the time but I am now appreciating his personal learning style and trying to meet his needs the best I can. Often he'll remind me, "But mom, I have to touch something so what CAN I touch?"  It's a loud reminder and puts me right in my place.  

And, he is goofy. He always has been and it just continues to get better and better.  He has taught me how to really laugh, how to get outside of my comfort zone and just have fun. He makes me want to jump right in and join him instead of standing back to observe. Of course he's entered into little boy potty talk but most of the time it's just pure silliness.  I hope this never ends. 

So, to my big ol' grown up 4.5 year old…..thank you. Thank you for making every day a joy.  I'm going to savor these moments and this summer as long as I can.  Because soon enough you'll be 5 and then 5.5.  Love you buddy. More than you'll ever know.

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