september 21

kevin's home!  yay!  tonight we celebrated my birthday with dinner at A Tavola.  it was fun to take the kids to OTR on a friday night.  we had a great dinner and yummy dessert and a really fun evening.  the kids let me snap some pictures on the way out, which always makes me happy  :)  when we were getting in the car to head home, brooke saw the big crowd on the sidewalk outside of bakersfield and exclaimed, "look, the fresh beat band must be playing!"  i think that is one of the cutest things that has ever come out of my daughter's mouth (and that's saying a lot!).

september 20

having lunch on a picnic blanket in the backyard can turn an ordinary day into a great one, especially when the weather is perfect!

september 19

today i got to celebrate my birthday with jennie and my mom.  jennie came over this morning, and we worked on a quilt for gavin's room.  i have had this project in my mind for years, and today it finally happened thanks to jennie!  what a great birthday gift!  jennie was a whiz at cutting and sewing!  gavin and i enjoyed watching her :)  mom came over this afternoon with birthday presents and played with the kids while jennie and i finished up.  it was fun for me to have a full house and have the satisfaction of seeing a project come to fruition!

september 18

at 37 years old, i have discovered a secret.  birthdays are way better when you take charge of your own celebration!  i loved spending the day exactly as i wished and making sure i had all the right ingredients for a great day - family, chocolate, pretty candles, laughter, sunshine, dinner at my favorite restaurant and a sleepover with the kids in my bed.  plenty of others did have a hand in making today a great birthday.  i received lots of birthday wishes by phone.  chase brought me flowers this morning :)  megan, heather and the kids brought over chick-fil-a for lunch.  we had a little play date, ate a yummy lunch and then had chocolate birthday cake for dessert.  having brooke, gavin, jackson, joey, chase and stella around my kitchen table singing "happy birthday" was the best birthday present.  i really felt very blessed.

this afternoon the kids and i took a bike ride and then went to el coyote for an early dinner.  when we returned home the kids talked me into a sleepover in my big bed.  "why not?" i thought, "it's my birthday!"  so brooke, gavin and i cuddled into bed together and read bedtime stories, and i fell asleep sandwiched between the two i love most.

september 17

baking my birthday cake with my babies.  this birthday is going to be different with kevin out of town, so i'm taking matters into my own hands :)  so far, i'm kind of liking it!  i don't think i've every baked my own cake before, but it was so much fun with my two big helpers!

september 16

today we treasured our last 1/2 day with kevin before he boarded a plane again.  the kids went on a bike & buggy ride with daddy for donuts.  they barely fit in the burley, but they still love it!  daddy, bikes and donuts... it's a winning combination :)

september 15

we had a great family day today.  brooke had a soccer game this morning and great weather for it!  this afternoon we walked over to kendra, kevin, owen & evelyn's for one last swim before they close their pool.  a lot of neighbors were there, and the kids had fun in the pool and in the hot tub with the other kids.  it was fun to catch up with everyone and squeeze in one last pool day before summer is really, really over.  after swimming the kids stripped off their swimming suits and decided to color in the nude.  too funny!

september 14

daddy's home, daddy's home!  and we had pizza at adriatico's tonight.  it couldn't have been a better day :)

september 13

the weather has been beautiful, and we are outside as much as possible.  one of the things we do in the evenings to fill up the time when daddy isn't home is take a family bike ride throughout the neighborhood.  it's something the kids and i both enjoy, and the kids especially love it when we see some of our neighbors along the way.  our bike rides are a great way to unwind before bed and enjoy the last rays of sunshine.  having kevin away during the week is hard, but i always find that it inspires me to be the best parent i can possibly be.  i'm always looking for ways to make each day as great as it can be.  so far, we're having fun and the days are passing quickly!  tomorrow morning, kevin will be home :)

september 12

we're into the normal routine of the week and adjusting to daddy not being home each night.  today mom came by to visit and had dinner with us before heading out to brooke's soccer practice.  mom and gavin played while i watched brooke do her soccer drills and have fun with her teammates.  each week i can see more friendships forming and notice the girls having more fun together out on the field.  it's one of the many reasons i love team sports.

september 11

it's september 11th.  a date that will have no significance to my children, yet a date that will always give me pause.  today it's a different kind of day.  an exciting day full of new beginnings... the first day of preschool for gavin!  gavin has been asking me for weeks if summer is over yet?  i soon realized that he knew the end of summer meant going back to school :)  and then brooke started school in late august, a few weeks before preschool started back up, so gavin is r-e-a-d-y!  after we got brooke on the bus this morning, we went back to the house and got gavin all ready for school.  i bought him a new super hero book bag and new shoes, and he's ready to go!  he smiled so big for pictures and proudly walked into school to find his new classroom.  gavin hung up his bag, let mrs. wiley put on his name tag and darted into his classroom without even a glance backward to say "goodbye."

september 10

megan and zach invited us over for dinner tonight, and i happily accepted.  the kids and i went over after gavin's nap for a little playtime before dinner.  we brought the bikes, and the kids had races up and down the driveway.  it was scary to watch - i was just waiting for them to wreck into each other or lose control - but they were having a blast!  fun with cousins is like no other type of fun.  it is a very special kind of fun reserved just for family, for those we love most.

september 9

our great weekend with stella concluded just before it was time for kevin to pack up and head to california for his first week of work at life technologies.  this is going to be our life for the next several months...  it's bittersweet.

september 8

too precious for words!

september 7

what an eventful day!  bob bob and ba kaye came down this morning to watch gavin while kevin and i met with a wealth management group.  they were able to walk brooke to the bus stop and watch her get on the school bus.  when we returned from our appointment, heather and danny were at the house to drop off stella for the weekend.  heather and danny are going to the poker run at the lake, and we have the great pleasure of having stella to ourselves for almost 3 days!!  that makes this aunt very happy :)  it's actually the very first time that heather has ever been away from stella overnight!  after everyone left stella and i walked to the bus stop to get brooke.  it was so precious to see the big hug brooke gave stella when she got off the bus and the way they walked home holding hands.  i'm so grateful for the relationship they share... the only two girls in a family of boys :)  we spent the afternoon playing inside and outside.  we went out for pizza and then came home and got all ready for bed.  i read the kids bedtime stories in brooke's room and tucked everyone in for the night.  it made my heart so full.

september 6

oh, that smile!  that smile lights up my world.  i can't believe how much my boy is growing!  look at those legs cramped on his buzz lightyear ride-on :)  it seems like yesterday that gavin was turning 2 and zooming around our house in snoqualmie on buzz.  now he's just about too big to ride it, but it still makes him happy as can be.

tonight we shattered a little bit of that happiness.  tonight over dinner we told brooke and gavin our big news - that daddy has a new job with a new company in california, which means... we will be moving. they were fine with the "new job" part and the "daddy's going to be away during the week" part, but when we got to the "and eventually we will move to california" part, they were pretty shocked.  brooke immediately exclaimed, "move!?!  why would we move when ALL of our family is HERE!"  i was trying so hard to be calm and emotionless, but brooke brought the tears right out of me.  i recovered quickly, but both kevin and i knew in that moment that this was not going to be an easy conversation.  gavin said he didn't want to move.  brooke asked a lot of tough and really smart questions.  she wanted to know why daddy had to get a new job?  she wanted to know why it was in california?  why did we have to move?  why would we leave our family?  we answered brooke's questions as best as we could. we explained our thoughts and our feelings and our decisions.  we let them know it was okay to be sad.  and then we gave them some reasons to be excited about moving to california.  like legoland for one!  i got out maps of legoland for each of the kids, and we talked about going there.  we talked about the beach and the sunshine and disneyland and all the fun things we would do.  it certainly didn't outweigh the shock of our news or the sadness, but it did create seeds of excitement which hopefully will continue to grow over the next several months.

weeks ago antje and i made plans to meet for drinks tonight.  it was hard leaving kevin and the kids after sharing our news, but it was also good for me to have some moments to myself and to share the evening with one of my best friends.  by the time i left the house, brooke was already running around talking about moving to california.  phew!  antje and i met at dutch's in east hyde park where we sat outside and drank sangria and talked.  it was a wonderful evening with a wonderful friend.

september 5

today kevin and i celebrate 8 wonderful years of marriage.  with each year we grow closer, and during this most difficult year, even closer.  so tonight it felt great to get out and celebrate.  it's the first time in 4 years that we have celebrated just the two of us (no kids).  we got dressed up and took pictures.  we left the kids with mom and headed downtown for the evening.  we had drinks and dinner at the orchid palm court at the hilton omni netherland hotel.  we had never been to the orchid for dinner, but it's supposed to be one of the best places in the city to eat.  kevin's former boss was kind enough to give him a 3-course tasting meal as a farewell gift from p&g.  so tonight we are happily using that gift to toast ourselves!  we had a wonderful dinner and wonderful conversation, reflecting on our life, our family and our future.  it was such a special evening with the man i am so lucky to call my husband!

september 4

i always love to see them close to one another, enjoying the same thing, being still and quiet in the moment.  it always makes me pause and say thanks for all i have been given.

september 3

it's labor day and dad & jennie's anniversary.  we didn't have any plans so we took it easy most of the day and went to the mall for fun.  i wanted to see if we might be able to find some new shoes for kevin, but we didn't have any luck.  we all had fun browsing around the mall though, and for the first time ever the kids did not beg & whine for us to buy them something!  they listened when we told them it was time to leave a store, and there were no tears or tantrums or anything of the sort.  it was soooo nice.  kevin and i complemented them on their behavior the whole way home!

september 2

thunderstorms.  the kids have never really known them.  i think kevin and i forgot what they were like living in seattle for over 2 years.  but, we've gotten reacquainted with the good old thunderstorm.  seemed like they blew threw just about every evening for many weeks during the summer.  every time the kids sensed it was going to storm they would nervously ask, "are the lights going to go out???"  they do not like it when the lights go out.  but every now and then it happens.  like tonight.  tonight the lights went out in the middle of watercoloring.  so we did what we had to do and finished our painting by flashlight.  and it kept the kids calm and happy until the lights came back on :)

september 1

we had some more fun in bob bob & ba kaye's pool this morning and then said goodbye to everyone and headed home.  this evening we got all pumped up for the michigan football season kick-off game against alabama.  dad and jennie went to dallas for the game, and we were excited to watch it on tv.  the excitement didn't last long though.  the game was an utter disappointment.  alabama crushed us.  argh.

august 31

as soon as brooke got off the bus today we headed to dayton for a pool party with ba kaye, bob bob, uncle carl, aunt mercedes, london & pierce.  it was so much fun for us all to be together.  london is growing so fast!  she's changed a lot since june when we saw them last.  pierce, gavin and brooke had tons of fun in the pool.  brooke and gavin have really gotten very comfortable in the water this summer, and they were swimming all around.  gavin was even going all the way under water and trying to kick his legs and move his arms (we need to work on that part :)  brooke was swimming by herself from one side of the pool to the other.  all the boys had fun with the basketball hoop, and it provided great entertainment in the pool.  after a fun day, kevin, brooke, gavin and i camped out on air mattresses in the basement so we could spend a little more quality time with everyone.  it's so rare that we are all together, and we wanted to enjoy it for as long as we could.

august 30

brooke is loving kindergarten just as we expected.  she also loves to see us waiting for her when she gets off the bus at noon.  brooke especially loves it when daddy is there, too :)  it's nice to take a short walk in the middle of the day when the skies are blue and the sun is shining.  it gives me a few minutes to notice the world around me and enjoy it.

august 29

i'm loving this first week of school.  the newness of walking brooke to the bus stop is still exciting for all of us.  today kevin and i held hands with brooke as we walked along the sidewalk.  i'm treasuring these moments.

august 28

gavin and i ran to the mall this morning after we got brooke on the school bus.  we were there a little before the mall opened and as we were walking by the disney store someone asked us if gavin would like to help them "open" the store.  i never knew they did such a thing, but we waited around so gavin could be a part of it.  it was quite a big deal with music playing and one of the employees walking out a giant-sized disney key.  i love the way he is standing very confidently with his hands on his hips as if he's exactly the right guy for the job :)  gavin got to put the big key in the big lock and turn it to open the store.  everyone cheered and gavin looked pretty proud of himself.  he was given a very special replica key as a token to take home with us.  what a fun little unexpected moment at the mall!

august 27

it's brooke's 2nd day of school, but it's the start of her first full week in kindergarten.  kevin was home and got to walk brooke to the bus stop with me and gavin.  i thought i did so good on friday by putting brooke on the bus and not driving to school to see her get off the bus and go into kindergarten.  i knew she didn't need that, but evidently she saw other parents at school so this morning she asked if i would please drive to school (she was on the bus) and watch her line up.  i was there to see her get off the bus and line up with her classmates.  i met ella who brooke talked about on friday ("mommy, i made a friend named ella.") and got a better idea of her morning routine at school.  brooke is growing up so fast!  i hope she always feels confident enough to ask me for what she wants/needs from me.  i'm so glad she asked me to be there today.

august 26

lots more soccer today - another game for brooke and a friendly family game at home :)

august 25

i have so much fun watching brooke play soccer.  i won't lie - it increases my heart rate a bit.  i get pretty excited :)  i love to watch brooke run after the ball.  she's been playing great this season!

after soccer we headed to heather's for a cookout.  the kids splashed around in the inflatable pool, and we all enjoyed a good dinner together.

august 24

brooke's first day of school.  we awakened early.  we had breakfast.  we got dressed.  i asked brooke a few questions that i wanted to document her answers to for her kindergarten book.  she said she was most excited to ride the bus and most nervous about people liking her.  she said she wanted to be someone who writes down stories when she grows up.  i hope i always remember what brooke was like exactly at this moment.  i took pictures to help me remember.  i took it all in.  i savored every step in our walk to the neighborhood bus stop.  a whole new routine was beginning.  i loved seeing the joy in brooke's face when she saw the kids from the neighborhood.  all the parents were out and excitement filled the air.  i was so happy for brooke and what she was about to experience that the tears never came.  i loved knowing she was ready for this moment.  brooke was ready to go off into the world without me.  she was most definitely ready to get on that yellow school bus!

august 23

i've been wanting to take the kids to washington park all summer.  i love this park, and i'm so happy we squeezed in a visit during our last week of summer break.  it was extra special because kevin was in town and available to join us.  we were happy to take joey with us and meet up with heather & stella for a picnic and play time in the park.  as soon as we arrived, brooke, gavin and joey went running through the dancing water fountains.  we all sat in the grass under big beautiful trees that provided the perfect shade for our lunch.  the kids danced and played and laughed while i marveled at the beauty all around.

tonight we prepared for kindergarten.  we read a special book and laid out brooke's "1st day of school outfit" and got her backpack all ready.  tomorrow is a big day!

august 22

bare, dirty feet is definitely the sign of a good summer.  ours has been fantastic.  only a couple days left and school starts!

august 21

today we were reunited with heather & stella.  we've missed them!  the kids spent the afternoon playing around the house.  brooke and stella were squeezed behind the couch playing one moment and the next moment stella and gavin were hiding in the pantry stacking cans and playing with food.  i love how stella plays so well with both brooke and gavin.  we also spent some time outside doing sidewalk chalk and playing games.  we made a whole day of it and went to skyline for "kids eat free" night where the highlight for the kids were the push-up popsicles :)

august 20

yay!  we finally reunited with jackson, joey, chase & megan!  it's been soooo long since we've seen them due to our crazy travel schedule this month.  i was so happy just to be at the park together today.  it was a little emotional, too, knowing that our days together like this are very likely numbered :(  so we made the morning a little extra special with lunch together at chick-fil-a.  i loved seeing all of their smiling faces together again.

august 19

i'm so thankful to be back in town and able to play in the roberts' golf tournament honoring barry's dad. kevin and i haven't played in this tournament since the year it started.  hard to believe it's been that long!  we had a great time playing with zach and mike.  it was my first time playing golf in over a year and probably only the 3rd time i've played in 4 years.  yikes!  becoming a parent really does change your life :)  while we were never in the running to win the scramble, we played decent and really enjoyed the day.  mike is one of the nicest guys i've ever met, and i enjoyed spending some quality time with my brother - a very rare treat!  mike commented how sweet it was that zach walked up to the tee box with me at every hole, and i couldn't have agreed more.  it was a great day.

after the tournament we rushed over to bob & kaye's to pick up the kids.  we were so excited to see them!  bob and kaye have had them since we left for california on thursday.  i'm thankful brooke and gavin have gotten to spend so much quality time with bob bob and ba kaye.  i know their time together is always very special.  i sure am ready to have my babies back with me though.  no more traveling for a while...!  looking forward to a big week - brooke starts kindergarten on friday!

august 18

we only had a little bit of time this morning before our flight back to cincinnati so we drove by life technologies.  it was a beautiful campus and definitely bigger than i was expecting!  who knows, this just may be kevin's new company.  big decisions to make this week...  i'm happy to be going home to figure out what our future holds.

august 17

we spent the entire day looking at houses in the warm california sunshine.  our very last stop was by far the most exciting - brand new homes in a new development called sandalwood in la costa oaks.  kevin and i both fell in love with the indoor/outdoor floor plans.  if we're going to live here, this just might be where we end up.  we have a lot to figure out before we worry about a house though!  after a long day, kevin and i went to the beach to relax for a little bit.  we were talking about the pros and cons of potentially living in california.  a woman in front of me heard me say "ohio" and turned around.  we struck up a conversation with her and her husband, and i enjoyed hearing their perspective on life in the midwest vs. life in southern california.  we left the beach feeling a little more energized and headed to dinner at a great pizza place in encinitas.  the food was delicious, and i was carded for the second time in two days!  i like this place :)  i'm also loving having quality time with kevin.  even with all the stress that comes with making huge life decisions, we find a way to enjoy ourselves.  this trip has been no exception!

august 16

this month is seriously a whirlwind.  we have figured out a way to fit it all in, but boy is our schedule crazy!  today kevin and i flew to san diego to evaluate another job opportunity for kevin in carlsbad, california.  we honeymooned and vacationed in this part of california so it was exciting to be back.  unfortunately we're missing kindergarten orientation, but bob bob and ba kaye have that covered for us.  i'm so grateful that we are able to leave the kids with family when we need to travel.  it's so nice knowing they are in great hands and having fun without us!  kevin and i spent the late afternoon with a realtor looking at different houses and different neighborhoods in the carlsbad area.  then we had dinner with rob (kevin's potential boss) and his wife nicola.  we ate at a nice italian restaurant in carlsbad right across from the ocean, and the setting was so beautiful!  we really clicked with rob and nicola and had a great conversation over dinner.  i had tears in my eyes at the end of the night because in my heart i knew this was a great match for kevin and for us personally.

august 15

we said goodbye to owen, max & angela today.  what a great time we had with them!  i'm so happy they came to town and stayed with us.

this afternoon we turned in brooke's kindergarten papers and met her teacher, mrs. nowak.  while it's hard to believe that my girl is going off to kindergarten next week, i know she is so ready for it.  since it's 1/2 day kindergarten, our schedule will be nearly the same that it was last year in preschool, but the big change is that brooke will be riding a school bus to and from school.  riding the bus is such a rite of passage, and i know it's what brooke is looking forward to the most!

gram vicki was over this afternoon and had dinner with us before brooke's soccer practice.  during dinner brooke knocked her tooth really loose, and she came running to me crying.  at first she didn't want me to pull it but she quickly realized it would be better to have the tooth out of her mouth :)  i got my fingers around the tooth and after a gentle tug it came right out!  brooke was thrilled - she finally lost a tooth (she's been wanting to lose a tooth ever since hanna started losing hers over a year ago)!  she happily put her tiny tooth in the pink plastic tooth the dentist gave her and carefully placed it under her pillow at bedtime.  what an exciting day!

august 14

we had tons of fun today with owen, max & angela!  we spent the morning playing at beech acres, hit moe's for lunch and then orange leaf for dessert.  brooke & gavin had never been to orange leaf so they were excited!  and their eyes were much bigger than their stomachs :)  after a little down time at home we headed to the elrods for dinner.  seeing our six kids together is always so much fun!  it's crazy how the years have flown since our days together in the zebra room.  i love when friendships remain despite new careers, new cities, new schools, etc.  it's a special thing when shared life experiences bond you forever.

august 13

life is busy this month!  we're all finally home and reunited, and this afternoon we welcomed the hulays to town.  they've been on a road trip from toronto to florida and back, and we're lucky enough to have them stay with us for a couple days on their stop in cincinnati.  we were all happy to see each other again, and owen, max, brooke and gavin had lots of fun playing together.  we enjoyed a nice dinner together before kevin and dave had to rush out the dinner and race to the airport so dave could catch his flight (which had unexpectedly been moved up!).

august 12

kevin and i had a few hours to relax this morning before our afternoon flight.  i worked out, and then we went to the pool.  it was hot and beautiful and relaxing.  it's a great place to visit, but not necessarily where we see ourselves living.  kevin has a day to make a yes/no decision.  it's stressful, but i know if we follow our hearts we will end up in a great place.

august 11

lake buena vista, florida.  a beautiful rainbow out our window after an afternoon rainstorm.  the luxury of the ritz.  the pressure of evaluating a potential job, a potential new home.  neighborhoods.  houses.  more houses.  and then finally, time for fun...  wine in the room.  a fabulous dinner with old friends.  great conversation.  lots of laughter.  a great end to the day.

august 10

a hectic day turned relaxing evening...  the biggest problem in getting stranded in detroit last night was that i missed my flight to orlando with kevin this morning.  we were squeezing in a quick weekend trip to florida to check out a job opportunity for kevin.  so kevin took a flight this morning.  i flew into cvg with the kids.  bob and kaye picked us up at the airport.  we drove straight to brooke's elementary school for a kindergarten reading assessment, where we dropped brooke and kaye off.  bob drove gavin and i home where i had less than 30 minutes to open up my suitcase, throw a few things into a bag and take off again for the airport (on my own this time).  it was a lot... but we made it work.

it felt surreal to be in the airport (again!) by myself after traveling with the kids for the past 12 days.  i couldn't help but feel like i was missing something!  but i welcomed the moments to myself to decompress and do a little reading.  after a short flight, i was finally reunited with kevin!  i completed underestimated what it was going to be like to be separated from him for 12 days.  it was too long!  lucky for us, we have a short weekend together at the ritz in orlando :)

august 9

i had one final request before leaving town - george's!!!  we got all packed up and ready to go this morning, and then we drove down the street to north bend to have the best donuts in the country :)  they were running a little low on their selection of donuts, but we thoroughly enjoyed every bite and even got a couple donuts "to go" for daddy!  i have so many great memories of this place, and i was happy to add this visit to the memory bank.

after quickly dropping hanna & hudson off at camp, anastasia drove us to the airport for our flight.  it was a tearful goodbye.  it always is.  we had such a wonderful time with the bakers!  it was great to be back in a place we love so much with people we love.

the kids and i had a good flight to detroit, but i was a little shocked when i pulled up our connecting flight status on my iphone during landing and saw that our flight was cancelled!  i kept thinking it must be a mistake... unfortunately, it was no mistake.  long story short, the kids and i were stranded in detroit for the night with no way (other than driving) to make it home.  after a very stressful hour or so figuring everything out, grabbing dinner and retrieving our luggage, we were lucky enough to get one of the last rooms at the westin.  even luckier was that the westin was IN the airport, and we used starwood points to stay for free.  the kids were thrilled to snuggle into the big king-size bed with me.  it was super late (eastern time) by the time we were in bed, but we stayed awake to watch a few minutes of the olympics, happy to find the silver lining in the unexpected disruption to our travel plans.

august 8

our last full day in snoqualmie...  we had a great morning at fox hollow farm in issaquah.  it's one of my favorite places in the area.  hanna, brooke & gavin rode horses and a little train.  they saw animals and swung from ropes up in the attic of the barn.  we had a delicious lunch in the garden and enjoyed the peacefulness of the morning on the farm.  it was laid-back and low-key and a great way to wind down our long visit.

this evening anastasia invited the neighborhood ladies over for wine & dessert after we enjoyed an al fresco dinner with the kids.  lisa alteo, lisa connors and jen barnes all made it, and i enjoyed catching up with everyone.  it was a great evening, and ryan was kind enough to get the kids bathed and ready for bed so i could enjoy an uninterrupted evening with friends.  we are so blessed to have friends who feel like family... friends who welcome us into their home, feed us, take care of our kids and go out of their way to make us happy.  how lucky we are!

august 7

oh, the joy i got to experience today when brooke was reunited with her preschool friends (and me with their mommas).  we had a late afternoon play date and pizza at the park.  anastasia was sweet enough to make us a delicious dessert, and i took some wine to make it a full-blown celebration.  ms. april & ms. maxine came to see brooke, and we got to meet maxine's little girl, gwen.  almost all of our closest friends were there, and it was great to catch up with them.  i love the group of preschool moms that i got to know while living in snoqualmie.  they are a bunch of special ladies.  i was in awe of how each of the kids had changed and how much older everyone seemed!  i loved that brooke fell right back into step with the girls.  they had fun being silly together.  just look at those smiles!

august 2

another great day on whidbey!  this morning the kids and i took a nice walk along the beach, just the three of us.  it's wonderful to vacation with another family, but it can also be challenging to have many different personalities under one roof!  so, we got out of the cabin and drove over to the state park.  we hiked down to the beach and let the kids do some exploring.  it was a beautiful hike and a great way for everyone to let off a little steam.

we had a great afternoon at the beach, including a little adult happy hour for two :)  anastasia has been spoiling me with all of her great cooking!  tonight we had seafood linguine, and it was absolutely perfect.  fresh seafood, great company, great wine, looking out onto the water - it was the kind of meal i will remember for a long time to come!

august 1

what a day!  it started at 4am!  that's right.  at 4am my roommate gavin awakened for the day.  it was 7am in cincinnati after all.  worse yet, we pretty much woke up the entire house by using the bathroom. eek!  so, we got an early start :)  i got in a run and anastasia hit the gym.  it felt good to run my old route.  it was crazy to feel how cold it was though.  just another pacific northwest morning for you... nevermind the fact that it is AUGUST!!

we had breakfast and somehow managed to get the kids and ALL of our stuff loaded up in the acura for our drive to whidbey island.  it was quite a sight!  the kids were surrounded by pillows, bags, food, beach gear, etc.  they managed pretty well, and we had a nice drive.  we arrived on whidbey just in time for a nice outdoor lunch in langley, and then we headed over to freeland where we would be staying for the weekend.  the cabin was nothing special, but completely met our needs and was in a great location - right across the street from the beach!  i was very excited to be back on whidbey island. it's such a great little place and one i had hoped to return to, and now here i am!

we spent the afternoon getting settled and enjoying the sunshine at the beach.  i was a little surprised at how warm it was.  i wasn't even sure we'd be able to do any swimming, but all the kids did get in the water and had tons of fun splashing around and looking for shells.  anastasia and i were even able to have a few relaxing moments sitting in the sand.  brooke and hanna are super happy to be at the beach together, and gavin is introducing hudson to his love of all things super heroes.  they make a pretty good dynamic duo :)

july 31

the big day finally arrived!!  to say we were excited would be a huge understatement.  kevin dropped us off at the airport this morning, and we gave him big hugs and kisses goodbye.  we're going to be gone for 12 days!  my little travelers are all ready :)  so am i!

anastasia decided to make our visit a surprise for hanna.  so ryan picked us up at the airport and drove us to their home in snoqualmie.  i envisioned us ringing the door and hanna running to answer it, her jaw dropping open when she saw brooke.  what actually happened was probably even better... as we pulled in the driveway, hanna was outside.  anastasia had asked her to run over to the cesmat's for an ingredient she needed.  i yelled at the kids to duck down so she didn't see us, but it was too late.  hanna saw gavin first, and then i could see the recognition on her face.  i could see her little brain working overtime, "if gavin is here, brooke must be here!!!!"  hanna ran around the car to brooke's side and just started shrieking.  her mouth was open, her eyes were wide, and she was jumping up and down.  she literally could not contain her excitement.  brooke quickly scrambled out of the car, and the girls embraced.  it was the sweetest moment.  better than i could have scripted myself.  a big embrace and then brooke and hanna took off running for the house and up the stairs before we could even get a word out.  it was like no time had passed.  none.  they picked up right where they left off.  i hope they always do.

we spent the afternoon getting settled at the house and playing at the park.  gavin didn't really remember our house, and he kept asking me when we were going to go to the "big park."  it took me only a second to realize that our park was so much bigger to him in his memory because he was so little when we lived in snoqualmie.  he did not believe it when i explained that it was THE park.  too much for him to wrap his little mind around!

standing at the park, watching our kids play... i had this feeling that time had completely stood still.  almost a year had passed, but i was instantly transported into my former life and everything was still exactly as it had been.  except now, i am only a visitor.  and i'm ok with that.  i hadn't realized it until that very moment standing at the park, looking out at the mountains.  but i am ok with it.  i have moved on.

july 30

i am enjoying every single moment of this beautiful summer in cincinnati.  the heat, the smells, the thunderstorms, the pools, the people, the stickiness, the food, the parties, the lazy days, the beautiful skies, summer getaways, the endless days, bike rides, sleeping in, grilling out.  and family.  most importantly, family.