Weekend Canoeing

We took the kids canoeing this past weekend. Oh boy! How many kids can you fit in a canoe?... AND not tip it over in the middle of the lake. It ended up being really fun but once again I've gained a greater appreciation for my own parents and what the words "family outing"/"family vacation" REALLY mean to a mom and dad.

NEVER a dull moment around here. And just for the record-we were in the water!

Jamison turns 4

                                     

Jamers turned 4 this week.  Can't believe how quickly the years seem to be flying by us. His birthday was busy day as we were getting Dad ready to leave out of town again but we invited some neighbor kids over for cake and ice cream and some back yard baseball with his new baseball equipment.  Happy Birthday to my little buddy.

             

4 yr. old memories of Jamison:

• "Mom, do I get to still be 4 tomorrow?" (me=Yeah, for a whole year.) "YESSSSS!"-complete with arm pump.
• "Hey mom-this is my blue jet birthday, OK?"
• "Hey mom-pretty good job on the cake.  You did good."-said with all the casualness of the guy next door. (Thanks son)
• Marshmellow mouth Jamison
• Jamison is the most independent child (except for when he's not).  He can totally take care of himself and often gets very frustrated when we step in and mess things up.
• Jamison is ALWAYS cheerful. He wakes up cheerful-he greets you with a smile and a hug every day is an adventure. It takes a lot to get him upset or angry.  He goes with the flow amazingly and is cheerful about anything and everything.   He asks me a lot during the day "What can I do now?"  As long as I give him an idea he's good to go.
• Jamison's best friend is his big brother Clayton.  I hope it is always this way.
• Jamison is the self-designated protector and translator for Lincoln.        When he's not doing this he's making sure to toughen Lincoln up with a good dose of brotherly torturing.
• Jamison gives the best hugs-there is nothing small or gentle about them but they are full of him!  

Quick Update

A few updates on the kids: The 2 little boys keep me entertained-ALL day. This morning we received a fun package from Grammy-but never mind what was in it (thanks Grammy!)-they just wanted the box for high flying adventures! Complete with goggles!

Every 4 years at the kids school they have the Lawrence Ave. Olympic games. It's a lot like Track and Field Day that I was used to growing up- but here each class gets to represent a country of their choice and then they participate in "olympic events" for a day with their grade. These are pictures of the Opening Ceremonies which were absolutely fantastic. I was seriously so impressed. The kids all marched in a parade with their class-decked out in matching T-shirts, country garb, carrying the flag-and marched from their school through town ending up at the stadium at the high school for a parade of countries, Olympic oath and pledge, a speech from the mayor which officially opened the games, and the lighting of the olympic torch with runners bringing the lighted torch into the stadium. It was so cool and the kids loved it. I loved it! Both Emmy and Clayton got to hold the flag for their classes-a great memory for them both. This week we'll go watch them compete.


The 2 little boys and I have been having a lot of fun days in the garden-trying to finish up the spring preps. The boys have been patient with a lot of long mornings- Friday morning I decided to take a break for a minute from gardening and take them for a little bike ride. About 5 minutes in I looked back and they were both fast asleep.


I rode for about an hour and they both stayed snuggled and sleeping behind me-it was a great morning. They're keeping me young.

Gettin' Lazy!

The entire month of May has blown past us and I find myself gearing up for summer. The kids have just 3 weeks of school left and they're getting anxious to be done. The wonderful news is that we will be STAYING PUT this summer. Ben has a couple of trips for work but the kids and I plan on going nowhere! Hooray. Our past summers are typically lots of travels-usually out west, which is no small journey. We're looking forward to days at the beach, gardening, bike rides, hiking...you name it-just no long trips in the car. Grandma Pykles was with us for much of the month of May and it was so fun to have her around. She did loads of gardening and helped us get so much under control.

Thanks Grandma!

A quick look at the last month begs the question: Where has the time gone?

Perhaps in a self-reflective way of answering my own question I have felt a great need for us to slow our lives down a little. I'm not quite sure how yet, but lately I have felt that we're bordering on craziness...too many nights of wolfing down dinner, rushing to the next activity or meeting, stressing the kids out with "hurry, hurry, hurry!"- and too little time spent laughing together, talking with each other, and remembering why we like each other. We're all on the cranky side and patience has been short. To me-all indicators that somewhere we got a little out of balance.Maybe summer will be the answer-but a review of our priorities has given me some much needed clarity. I'm afraid we've been missing the best part of this journey and I'm committed to doing better in the coming months. So, here's to the "lazy days of summer" from a mom who will do her best to make sure they're a little more LAZY!