Fourth of July

A day in the hot sun does a body good!

The fourth was such a sunny day; just what we needed! We enjoyed the Enumclaw Parade with Rusty's parents. The boys loved seeing the firetrucks and dancing horses.

Later, we BBQ-ed and had my parents over to our house where we were camping for some delicious steaks and the works!

We had some good conversations with the boys about the reason for Independence Day, and all of the freedoms that we have to be grateful for-- our country, family, and the Gospel are top on that list.

Stay-cation

A few weeks ago, we went in thirds with my parents and my brother on a good deal that we'd come across-- a 1989 Motorhome. What a beauty...

We figured it was worth taking a chance on for a trip or two during the year with family. We had grand plans of going to eastern WA over the fourth, but I chickened out feeling worried about going away so close to my due date. We still wanted to do something with the boys, so we decided to camp in our own driveway. All the kids really wanted was to sleep in it, so it worked out great! We packed up our things from my parents house and had a weekend full of work and play. Rusty worked on our house and the rest of us played and camped out; it was perfect-- a get-away without getting away.

Well, we've had our first casualty of the broken bone variety. Guess it was bound to happen with 3 little boys... Just a little fracture in his wrist, but he will have a splint on for a few weeks. Perfect for summer and the dust and sweat. Yuck! Luckily this boy is left-handed, so at least he is coping with his one good hand and learning that he can still do many things.

Seattle Children's Museum

I bought a group-on deal for a pack of tickets to the Seattle Children's Museum last year and it was about to expire. Luckily, Rusty's mom (Grandma Gena) was willing to accompany us up there for the day. I had heard great things about the museum, but I was not very impressed. I am glad we went, but I think once was enough unless many of the 'closed-down' exhibits re-open. The boys did have a good time though, and that's what matters! They loved their water area, the fire truck, and some of the life-size toys especially.

Preschool Graduation

June 14th:

Cole was in a preschool this last year and had a wonderful time learning and making new friends! I have liked his teacher so well that I've enrolled Mason for this next year and we are all excited about that.

The Zoo

June 9th, 2011

Cole's preschool class had a fieldtrip to the Point Defiance Zoo, so we made it a family affair. We were so happy that Rusty could take the day off to spend with us!

Some highlights included: up-close time with the polar bear, a camel ride, chasing the birds who wanted to share lunch with us, and enjoying the play area.

Hunter and our big scare

This is the condensed version of our recent happenings with Hunter, though it is still a long story:

He has had a few "episodes" (I call them)-- just 2 that we know of. One earlier this year, and then the second one in early May while here at my parents, that have caused concern for us. Basically out of nowhere, he loses his balance and the whole left side of his body goes limp. It leaves him with no muscle control and he doesn't appear to be present in the moment-- like he's spacing off. It's a little scary to witness. I didn't really see the whole first episode (Rusty did), but I did see the 2nd from start to finish-- and so did my mom (who's a nurse). Though I had explained to her about the first incident, and had even called into the Dr. office at the time, it was another thing to see first-hand. Anyways, my mom felt strongly enough that I should take him in to be seen, and while I felt scared witnessing it, the episode is brief and he seems just fine afterward. Seriously, he is such an energetic kid that I found myself pushing away any concerns. I admit that the thought of taking my kids to the ER scares me a bit, but I did take him the next morning. To summarize: he's had a series of tests since then-- neurological tests and visits, an EEG (studying his brain waves during a 40 min. sleep period), and most recently an MRI (brain scan) up at Children's Hospital. All tests have turned out normal, so many concerns of tumors or other major brain blockages, etc. have been eliminated. Those were some of the worse-case scenarios. We are not sure what the cause is, but our neurologist doesn't feel concerned, now that the scary stuff has been ruled out. His speculation is that it is a mild type of seizure (apparently quite common in children and they grow out of it) where the child stares off a bit (hello, all kids do that!) and that we are only seeing the after-effects of his body recovering or processing whatever his brain needs to (the part most parents don't see). So at this point, we are not pursuing anything further unless another episode happens, and then we will repeat the EEG and go for blood work.

Anyways, he has been a huge trooper through it all....

These pictures are from our visit to Children's Hospital.

Hunter was so excited to wear a backpack filled with several special things; Playing with trucks in the waiting room

This picture breaks my heart! He could tell something was going to happen when I changed him into this nightgown. It was right before he had to be held down for sedation. What an awful moment! Rusty was meeting us at the hospital, but hadn't gotten there yet. It was hard for me to see Hunter's eyes and hold him down while they put a mask on him for sedation. I've never heard such sad cries. I thought I'd be okay emotionally, but I guess I should have known better. The anesthesiologist looked at me once Hunter was out of it and said, "well, would you like to kiss him goodbye before we take him?" Something about the way that was said, or me being on the verge of emotion and pregnancy and scary 'what if' thoughts about what they could find made me totally lose it. I could not see to walk away to the family recovery room where we'd wait for him. I went straight to the bathroom and got myself under control, only to come out to find Rusty waiting for me. Hello, more tears! And then it was tough for both of us when they brought him back after the procedure-- still unconscious, a tiny body strapped to a big gurney and hooked to lots of wires. It was nice to hold him and help him wake up, hoping he wouldn't remember the last time he saw me as I'd helped to hold him down when he was sedated. Then we got to spend the whole day with just the three of us. And I think he could feel the special treatment Rusty and I gave him. I am so grateful for healthy children, modern medicine, and for a Heavenly Father who heard an extra dose of prayers for our little guy.

Life at Grandpa's

While remodeling our house, we are staying with my parents and my boys are loving all of the outside time they get to spend with Grandpa Jack. It's especially fun when a tractor is involved!

Seriously, could Hunter cheese any bigger?? / Working the bucket controls

These two especially love digging

____________________________

Another favorite activity at Grandpa's has been re-living Zorro. My dad introduced my boys to the masked hero who saves the day months and months ago. Well, my boys are still obsessed and constantly dress up and masquerade around:

I had to add this one of Hunter, too, though it is so close-up. While taking pictures of Cole and Mason, he kept coming in front of the camera saying "cheese"-- guess he was feeling left-out.

Nudity from the 2 year old

Sorry friends for a few nude photos.... I just couldn't resist! Let me preface this by saying that Hunter is constantly taking off whatever clothes he can, which also often includes his diaper. And he is super quick about it! On this day, I was loading some things in/out of the car so the car door was left open for a time. When I came back outside, I was greeted with a little 2 year old naked body (only wearing boots) in the driver's seat (hey, at least he was buckling up for safety; I must be setting a good example for him). He seemed so pleased with himself; I couldn't help snapping a few pictures of the bribing variety.

(June 1, 1011)

Fun at Home

(May 20, 2011)

Hunter turning 2!

I can't even begin to tell you how much joy and excitement Hunter adds to our family. He keeps us on our toes-- he's the busiest, most into everything kid I know! He turned 2 on April 4th and we spent that time working on our house. While I was packing up, he was loading/unloading popcorn from his tractors and sneaking a snack here and there-- hard work, for sure. And then even took a nap for me-- which is mostly unheard of. (I was wondering if maybe it was my birthday too.) We also celebrated at a local carnival; he loved the rides.

We love you, Hunter!

House Remodel- Part 1

We have now started our house remodel and as of yesterday, our master bedroom looks a little something like this: Yikes, I know. Let the projects and craziness begin!!

Starting Our Garden

We enjoy having a vegetable garden each year-- some years I am better at tending to it than others, but we still always do one. It is a lot of fun to plant and work out there together as a family. Being in the garden is one of the things that we love most to do with the boys during the summer, as well as enjoy the things we grow. A few saturdays ago, Rusty and I took the chance to get the ground tilled up and ready to plant after the neglect of winter. We had some great weather and the boys really loved being outside in the dirt. Typical boys, that's for sure. (Just too bad much of that dirt accompanied them inside each time they used the bathroom or needed a drink). They collected worms into buckets for future fishing trips and got out all their farming tools. I love seeing my boys try to work along side Rusty; it's adorable watching them imitate him as they throw out rocks and shovel dirt. Needless to say, it was a productive day and we are now ready to plant. I'm glad that Rusty is helping to motivate me to plant a little sooner this year than I did last, since I'm pregnant and am trying to make the most of my feel-good time. And I'm hoping that our garden doesn't get too neglected during the summer months when this baby is due and my energy most surely will be lacking.

The Circus Came to Town

We were so excited to take the boys to the circus a few weeks ago at the fairgrounds. They've been asking to go to a circus or zoo for months it seemed and with free child tickets, I didn't want to miss the chance to go. We asked Rusty's parents to come with us and we all had a great time and were very entertained. Some of our favorite performances were the tiger tamer's tricks, watching all the dancing dogs and horses, and the stunt guys driving their noisy motorcycles around the big metal ball. The boys also enjoyed walking around before, after, and during the intermission on the main floor to see the elephants, the bear, the ponies, and the rest of the face painting and other vendor booths. (You know, all the things that cost a fortune that we didn't take advantage of.) Oh, and of course all the typical fair foods to snack on, which we did take part in. Talk about candy heaven for them! Sadly, I forgot to charge the camera before leaving so I only took one picture. So here is documenting that we attended at least: Exciting picture, I know-- this is the truck bringing out the tiger cages. Cue: camera dying and the end of any further photo opportunities... Mason had wanted pictures of the elephants. I told him he'll just have to wait 'til we go to the zoo this summer to see some. So, they are now looking forward to a nice, sunny day for a zoo visit. I'm hoping the weather will bring those kinds of days soon.

Our Mother's March B-days

I know, March is almost over--- but I wanted to mention that it is a special month for Rusty and I to celebrate both of our mom's birthdays. My mom's is on March 11th:

(Her and my dad were on a trip to Arizona on her special day where she got to spend the day with my older sister (her first-born), who also shares her b-day).

And Rusty's mom's is on March 14th:

(Her and Rusty's dad came over for dinner and dessert to celebrate).

We love you both, and are so grateful for all the help and love and support you both give to us and our boys!