may 30

memorial day in seattle is just not that great.  the sun doesn't shine, and it's still pretty chilly.  but for the second year in a row, we've made the best of it.  this morning we packed up the kids' bikes, balls, bat and frisbee and drove down to centennial park in old snoqualmie.  brooke rode her bike all the way around the big path for the first time and gavin got to play ball on an actual baseball field for the first time.  boy was he in heaven!  on days like today, it's very hard to select just one picture.  but i force myself to do it.

may 29

this afternoon we took a trip to bainbridge island.  it's a short 30 minute ferry ride from downtown seattle, and the island is super quaint with lots of great shopping and restaurants.  we took the burley buggy stroller and walked onto the ferry since the island is small and walkable.  brooke and gavin are always begging us to go on another ferry ride, so they were both very happy with the ferry ride itself.  once on bainbridge we had a late brunch at cafe nola followed by ice cream at mora creamery.  yu-um!  after ice cream we stopped by a park on the way back to the ferry, and kevin ran into a very good friend from high school who he hasn't seen in almost 20 years!  i'm still marveling at the odds of that happening!  we're constantly reminded of what a small world it truly is.

may 28

tonight was our turn to host our friends for dinner.  we get together about every other month with 3 other families, all of whom we met through brooke's school.  brooke, cole, drew and sarah all go to preschool together.  brooke was thrilled to have everyone coming over to her house.  we all had a great time.  brooke's already asking when it will be our turn again :)

may 27

ice cream twice in one week.  two lucky kids right here!  both with matching sprinkled cake cones and huckleberry ice cream :)

may 26

squeezing in a few more minutes of tv time before brooke leaves for school.  on days when brooke goes to school, gavin often awakens from his nap calling for brooke.  today he was in his crib yelling, "miss brookie."  oh, how he loves his sister!

may 25

my big helper.  he comes running when he hears the vacuum.  "mommy, all done?  my turn?"

may 24

today turned out to be beautiful, so we kept our vacation vibe going with a stop at the ice cream shop after picking brooke up from school.  i love it when such a simple act makes my children so very happy.

may 23

it's taking us a while to get back in the swing of things at home.  we're still running on hawaii time, and i can't keep gavin indoors for more than 2 minutes.  he wants to be outside at all times.  today we went to target, and i bought brooke a little rapunzel doll so i wanted to buy something for gavin, too.  i found him a little truck that made lots of noises, which he was perfectly happy with until we walked by the sporting goods aisle.  he spotted the baseballs and exclaimed, "that one!"  our boy loves baseball.  he has gotten really good hitting his whiffle ball off the tee, and he takes pride in yelling, "homerun!"  when he saw the "real" baseballs and bats he was beside himself with excitement.  the athlete in me couldn't tell him no.  so now we have a legitimate baseball and bat made for tee ball.  which means i spend most of my day outside pitching the ball to him.  it doesn't matter that he doesn't hit a single ball, he still loves it.  what have i done?

may 22

what do you get on your first day home after spending 7 days eating out for every meal?  15 pounds of apples and 10 pounds of carrots courtesy of kevin's trip to costco!  bring on the juice!!  it's good to be home.

may 21

our flight didn't leave until 3:00pm today so we packed up in the morning and hit the maui ocean center & aquarium on our way to the airport.  we are so glad we did!  the fish were amazing, and we saw lots of sharks, sting rays, turtles, octopus and more.  when gavin saw the sharks, he pointed to them and said, "sharks!  hurt nemo!"  i thought that was so adorable.  after the aquarium we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the airport.  our vacation was perfect in every way, and we left feeling refreshed and very fortunate.

may 20

we spent the entire morning at the beach, and kevin and i tried stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) for the first time.  it was pretty easy and a lot of fun.  we took turns on the paddle board while the other one played in the sand and the ocean with brooke and gavin.  they had so much fun running in and out of the water, and i was able to get a lot of great pictures of the two of them.  we made the most of our last full day in maui -  we had lunch at the pool to extend our time outside, and then kevin and i took turns snorkeling during gavin's nap time.  we saw beautiful fish and huge sea turtles.  what a great experience!

may 19

another great day of sun, relaxation and fun with the kids.  we had dinner on the water tonight in lahaina and were blessed with a gorgeous sunset.  this kind of day is what vacation is all about!

may 18

a great day was capped off with our first-ever luau.  tonight we attended the luau at the sheraton (on the lawns right outside our hotel room) with our good friends and neighbors guiliana, randip and jay (who is gavin's age) who just happened to be in maui the same week we were :)  kevin got in line early to get us a great table near the stage, and then i brought the kids down for the festivities.  it was a beautiful night, the food was delicious and the entertainment was great.  the kids loved the music and all the dancing.  gavin pleaded to us that he was tired and wanted to go to the hotel room so kevin walked him across the lawn and up the elevator, but then the drums started beating again and gavin took off for the elevator, back down to ground level and across the lawn to the luau.  he was ready for more partying :)

may 17

after a morning spent at the beach and the pool, we took a short break from the sun and spent the afternoon shopping in lahaina.  the kids picked out boogie boards and after an early dinner we spent the rest of the evening at the pool.  the sun was setting over black rock, and the lighting was just gorgeous.  the kids had so much fun splashing and kicking around the pool.  it was hard to convince them to get out of the water when it was time for bed!

may 16

i realized when preparing for our trip that it has been nearly 3 years since we've taken a real beach vacation.  we went to naples, florida in july '08 when brooke was only 1 and a half.  it was so great to be back at the beach with bathing suits on and sand between our toes.  the water was gorgeous and so clear, and the weather was perfect - sunny, in the 80s with a slight breeze.  i loved to see the kids covered in sand and splashing about in the water without a care in the world.  when we brought the kids down to the beach for the first time, brooke and gavin both ran right into the ocean and giggled like crazy.  i was thrilled with how comfortable they both were in the water.

may 15

our first sights of maui from the air were a treasure to behold.  after 5.5 hours, we had finally made it!  it was the first time we purchased 4 seats so we had to split up 2 and 2 during the flight (luckily right in front of/behind one another).  brooke and i sat together and kevin and gavin sat together.  the kids were great and kept themselves entertained with games on our iphones, movies, books, play-doh and a few small toys.  amazingly enough, this was also the first trip we've taken without a stroller.  at the last minute, we decided to leave it behind, and the kids rose to the occasion.

may 14

we spent today getting ready for our trip to hawaii.  yay!!!  hair cuts, shopping, shopping and more shopping :)  i had my nails done for the first time in a long time, and then i came home and did brooke's nails.  i think we're all set for the beach!  maui here we come!

may 13

it was beautiful today, and we spent nearly the entire day outside.  brooke, hanna and gavin played hide-and-seek for a long time at the park.  i love to watch them play.  i especially love the way brooke and gavin  count while hanna hides.  brooke covers her eyes and gavin covers his mouth.  hilarious.  maybe that is why gavin is better than brooke when it comes to finding hanna!

may 12

last year gavin just loved pushing his lawn mower around.  this year gavin understands the purpose of the lawn mower.  "like daddy" he says :)

may 11

i always think that if this is what having 3 is like, sign me up :)  i love the way these 3 interact, the way they play together, look out for one another and enjoy each other's company.  gavin just loves to be around the girls, even if he is not central to their dreamt up, fairy-tale, make-believe world.  and i love that the girls include him (most of the time).  in the past week i've gone upstairs to check on them and found the three of them in brooke's room with hanna and gavin huddled in her bed pretending to go "night night" or something along those lines.  today they were watching a planet earth dvd, and they were captivated.  pictured here: hanna as rapunzel, brooke as a fairy and gavin as gavin :)

may 10

for a very long time to come, i will remember the first days of spring in snoqualmie - the point at which the weather starts to dry up, the sunshine starts to shine and the temperature warms up ever so slightly.  today was one of those days.  the kind of day where i like to escape out to the patio while gavin is sleeping and brooke is at preschool.  i let the sun warm my skin, and i soak in all the beauty that surrounds me while i relax and read a book.  a rare moment that is just for me. equally as good is what follows... walking to pick brooke up from school, playing outside with the kids, enjoying the company of neighbors.  neighbors who are not just neighbors but also great friends.  the kids sharing a meal together, the adults sharing a bottle of champagne.  laughter, happiness.  that's a kind of day to remember.

may 9

brooke and gavin love to be in mommy & daddy's bed.  gavin usually loves to hide behind the pillows, and brooke likes to be under the covers.  this week we've started a new bedtime routine where we do family story time in our bed, and then the kids go straight to their own beds with no books or stories.  it's working out well for all of us, and i love ending the day reading together as a family in our big bed.

may 8

i had such a perfect mother's day.  it was very low-key and relaxed and spent with the people i love most.  i slept in a little this morning and then went for a run in the rain.  i've never loved the physical act of running, but i sure do love the experience of running.  even in the rain.  we also took a trip to grey barn nursery where i picked out some herbs and flowers.  i had a very big helper who loved pulling the cart around the nursery :)  we even had enough of a break in the rain for me to get everything planted while gavin slept and brooke had quiet time.  after brooke's quiet time she wanted me to go outside with her and help her hit home runs :)  i thought she meant with the t-ball set, but she had a bat and handed me the ball and said, "ok, ready!" i pitched the ball to her for a good 20-30 minutes, and she made great contact with the ball and hit a few great shots. she even listened to my instruction.  what a great mother's day gift :)  after some time playing at the park, we went to uncle si's for pizza and mix it up for ice cream.  what a treat!

may 7

my wonderful family treated me to a mother's day breakfast at the edgewater hotel in seattle today.  the edgewater hotel was made famous by the beatles who put a photograph of themselves fishing out of their 2nd floor room of this hotel into one of their albums.  ever since, it's been a famous seattle landmark that has been visited by many rock-n-roll bands.  the hotel sits right on the water and has a warm, lodge-style feel.  our table was right by the window so we got to look out onto puget sound and watch the boats and birds go by.  the kids loved that.  we all loved our food - one of the best breakfasts we've ever had.  it felt very special.  i felt very special. i'm pretty sure that's what mother's day is all about.

may 6

this morning we went to a mother's day tea at brooke's school.  we had tea and muffins and enjoyed the company of the other moms and kids.  brooke made me a very special little wooden wind chime with her picture on it, and they had roses for the kids to hand out to their moms.  it was a great start to the weekend.

may 5

although we didn't do anything fun to celebrate cinco de mayo, gavin and i did have a fun morning out today.  after dropping off brooke at school, we went into old snoqualmie and had breakfast at the new black dog cafe that i've been wanting to try.  we split an order of french toast, and it was delicious.  i think it was my first time having a non-juice breakfast since before we started the cleanse back in march!  after breakfast we went across the street to the train station so gavin could see the trains up-close and browse through the gift shop full of train-related items.  gavin was reluctant to leave without riding on the train, so i had to promise him that we would come back when the trains were running.  all the way to the car, he kept saying "wait, wait."  i think he thought if he was patient just a little bit longer, he'd get his wish for the day :)

may 4

i must have had some technical difficulties today because the pictures i took did not turn out at all.  so, i'm cheating a bit and posting a picture from yesterday.  the difference between yesterday and today - today we were wearing short sleeves and no jackets.  the sun was shining, and it was the warmest day of the year so far.  that makes for a happy mama and happy kids :)  yesterday was pretty nice, too, but it wasn't very warm.  gavin got to play with his buddies at the park, and they had a good time running around together.  all of these little guys were born within 3 months of each other.  jay turned two on feb. 25, gavin on april 20 and titus will turn two on may 20.  it's crazy how much they've all grown!

may 3

in honor of teacher appreciation week, we did some special things to show brooke's teachers how much we appreciate them.  brooke helped me make starbucks gift card holders that said "thanks a latte for all you do."  i loved them.  we also made zucchini chocolate chip muffins for the teachers at SRELC and framed a teacher-themed print for the school.  we have been so happy with brooke's school, and it's played a huge part in connecting us to this community and to some of the best friends we have here.

may 2

time is flying, and we've been busy.  so today we chilled.  it was dreary and rainy so in between brooke's swim lessons in the morning and gymnastics in the evening, we relaxed.  i love to see my children sitting together watching tv.  it's one of the few quiet times of the day.

may 1

i told you i was in for it.  yesterday kevin took gavin outside to ride his balance bike, and shortly thereafter they were both back inside with kevin announcing that gavin took his first tumble.  he lost control of the bike and fell forward onto his face.  i'm very glad that i didn't have to witness it.  kevin said he handled it very well, but there were definitely some tears.  gavin tore the skin off under his nose, and i know it's going to take forever to heal.  i know because brooke did the exact same thing when she was a bit younger than gavin (only brooke's injury was from falling at the end of a steep driveway).  i find it ironic that brooke and gavin share the same "1st injury."

april 30

today was the annual art show at SRELC.  this is our favorite event of the year, and we were so excited to go and see brooke's artwork.  the teachers and the students work for months to get ready for this great event, and they do a fantastic job putting everything together.  each classroom has a different artist that they use for inspiration, and you can see the artist's original work along with each child's interpretation of the piece.  everything is beautifully displayed with the name and picture of each student.  it's really very special.  brooke's art was fantastic, and we were told that she is quite a perfectionist when it comes to her artwork.  geez, i have no idea where she got that :)  ms. april and ms. maxine have been brooke's teachers for 2 years now.  they love her, and we love them.

april 29

if it isn't raining, you can bet that gavin is outdoors.  he loves to be outside - playing in the rocks, hitting balls, riding bikes/scooter or playing at the park.  these days it is impossible to go from the car to the garage into the house.  gavin takes any possible opportunity to be outside and runs with it.  quite literally.  i'm looking forward to a fun-filled summer.

april 28

we gave gavin a scooter for his birthday.  he's quickly learning how to ride it.  today we were at the park, and he rode the scooter down the hill and proclaimed, "fast!  fun!"  i know i'm in for it :)