oh mr. sun, sun, mr. golden sun...please shine down on me...

I think I blinked and summer happened.  It is hard to believe we had the wading pool out for a chunk of time.  I bought new sunscreen and found sunhats for Fransters.

The forecast calls for rain until sometime next week.  This moderate climate is great in the winter but not sure about how I feel about it come springtime.

The kids should be playing baseball in the sunshine every night....not one out of four....

 Can you express your displeasure with something and not call it "complaining"??

beat the bridge

I woke up to the sound of rain this morning and it was nice.  We haven't had a lot of rain lately and I love its sound (just not when we have it everyday for months on end:).

Everyone seems to be sleeping in this morning.  I think the kids are feeling worn out as we reach the end of a very busy baseball season and the end of the school year.  Usually, B and G are waiting for me in the kitchen or are hot on my heels when I wake up in the morning.  No sign of them at the moment.  They are tired.

Tired is how I felt when I fell asleep with Franny around 8 o'clock on Sunday night after a fun birthday party at a friend's.  Maggie, Eve and I had woken up around 5:30 a.m. that day to participate in the "Beat the Bridge" walk.  This walk was a fundraiser for Juvenile Diabetes.  We walked for 4 miles (plus the long walk to and from the car) after a late night of entertaining.  It had all made for a fun but exhausting weekend.

The walk started at the University of Washington stadium and took us through its beautiful campus.

The girls were all really good sports and their enthusiasm for this long walk was contagious (and interesting to me :).  I loved their positive nature.  They were there to support their friend who was diagnosed with type 1 last year and they didn't disappoint (even poor Lauren who had happen to sleep over the night before and who had no idea what she was getting into).

Cheerleaders, of course :)...

I was very proud of our girls (who spent the walk planning their team outfits for next year's walk).   Watch out, Uncle Jud, I imagine they will have a few questions for you this summer :).

Well, people are starting to wake up around here.  G has just asked for a bagel, cereal and an omelette for breakfast.  I have a feeling someone is possibly going through a growth spurt??

back in the saddle again

There have been many times through the years when Kev has said that he would probably get laid off someday....that was the nature of his biz.  He has had to lay off so many people through the years, he also felt that eventually it would simply be his turn.  Well, after many months of anticipating a lay off, it finally came this past January.  When it did happened, we were actually relieved.  We had been waiting for it and with each meeting scheduled with his new bosses, we expected the ax to fall. When it finally fell, we thought "ok, now we can move forward".

What could have been a crazy windstorm became a soft summer breeze after stealth negotiations by Kev awarded him a severance package that wasn't initial coming our way (phew!).  Never completely relaxed until that next job was found, Kev and I still managed to really enjoy these past 4 months of unemployment.   Whether it was hitting the gym together, picking the kids up from school or tag teaming with the driving, I knew having Kev around would be short-lived so I soaked it up as best I could.  I think he, too, will miss having more time with the kids to toss the ball around or shoot hoops after school or simply just hang out with Franny in the back yard on a sunny afternoon.

Kev started his new job last Monday.  As much as he enjoyed being off, he was keen to get going and seemed to have a bounce in his step that I haven't seen in a while.  We are lucky because Kev enjoys what he does.  We both do.  We count our blessings everyday.

This new job is with a company based in Vancouver, BC but we get to stay put while he telecommutes (a lot of time here but some time up in Vancouver).  Yes, a bit odd...Canadians living in the US while working for a Canadian company back in Canada...but, hey, it will work (he is actually  employed by their US subsidiary but there is no office here as of yet).

So, there you go....we managed to get over that hurdle pretty smoothly....phew again.  Moving on.....

for the record....

It has occurred to me to that perhaps there is an overabundance of Franny photos used on this blog.  She is a very available and cute subject :).

Maggie

However, for the record, I need the big kids to know that we loved their babyhoods like crazy as well....such fun, special times.   Had we not loved those times so much, would we have gone for number 5 when we were "finally out of the woods" :)?  Do you see how cute you all were....

 

Eve

It was a busy time with so many babies around (at times, downright uncivilized :) but we wouldn't have changed it for the world!  We love you all to infinity and beyond.

Gabe

We hope this is obvious to you every day.  However, I don't think anyone ever gets tired of hearing how much they are loved :).  Because, you are all totally and completely loved by us!  We feel so lucky to have so many great kids who make life interesting and challenging and so worthwhile.

Bridget

yep...more franny

This new lawn is huge! It took Kev 2 hours to cut it the first time he pulled the mower out (well...that was partly because the grass was so long).   

There are always so many things to get done around a house that we thought everyone should start pitching in...no exceptions....get to work, Fransters!

It took a few minutes for Franny to realize that we were serious.  She wasn't happy with us but we stuck to our guns.

God love her.  She bucked up and got the job done.

HA!  Even though she was miserable, she insisted on pushing the lawn mower.  I had the camera out to capture her having some fun with her toy but got the opposite.  I think the long, thick grass was very frustrating to her.

Franny's life is actually pretty sweet, I think. 

For instance...we have been known to have a hot bath after lunch before our nap...you know...if we have a chill :).   We did this not too long ago and I snapped some pics because I want so badly to remember how awesome this time is with her.  But seriously, how would I ever forget?

a daytrip to bainbridge island

Last weekend, I craved a getaway.  G and B had baseball and softball Saturday morning but we hustled and got a picnic packed before their games so we could drive straight to the ferry as soon as things wrapped up at the park.  It was worth the early morning hustle.  

As soon as we pulled into the ferry line and put down our windows, I felt like I was getting away and it felt good.  Kev took the kids for a cone while I sat with a sleeping Franny.  I cracked open my kindle but then looked out the window and daydreamed of taking off on a long adventure with our little family.  There is a camper van in Europe calling my name :). 

Anyhooo, during our morning craziness, Kev had quickly researched the go-to spots on Bainbridge Island  and he knew where we were headed as soon as we landed.  There was a rocky beach where we skipped rocks and collected shells and Mags let me do her hair.  This was the view from the beach....

Here B isn't too impressed that Franny is going through her rock collection.  Ah, Franny, our innocent, little troublemaker...

 

We drove for a while after the first beach and took in this beautiful island and then we hung out at another more populated beach with a play structure where we threw the ball the around and swung on the tire swing.  Man, it felt great to just be together and check out this new place.

Waiting for the ferry at the end of our day afforded me the time to think about how we could hit the road for a long stretch of time.  We could do it if we planned right.  Oh, it is going to be fun when we finally pull it together!

the woods that we walk

At our last Mother-Daughter Book Club meeting, a couple of the moms gave me the gears because, to them, I appear to be a little paranoid :). 

Where we live, it feels so safe.  It is a small town where you see a familiar face every time you turn around.  People are quite educated. Everyone seems to know everyone and, with these hot, sunny days we've been having lately, the town even seems to sparkle.  I can see why people feel safe.

There are many parks here with well-kept paths through the woods.  Some parks are quite busy with dog walkers and runners but some are not as busy.  The wooded area between our house and the school is not as busy.  We love to walk home this way but there is no way I would walk through these woods on my own or let one of the kids walk home alone.

These friends thought I was a little over the top.  I find it interesting how we all approach things differently.  I am glad they shared their thoughts with me but am sticking with my gut :).